Good morning! This week has been hard. The day Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed, we knew we were going to lose the Supreme Court. We knew the Republicans couldn’t wait to get their hands on Roe v. Wade and strip 50% of Americans of a constitutional right. We knew Roe v. Wade would be undone. Outlawing abortion has been at the core of the Republican platform since Ronald Reagan’s campaigns.

What we didn’t know at the time was that the Republicans’ lies would be so extreme that they would dismiss a coup attempt on our democracy as just another tourist gathering at the Capitol. We didn’t know, but suspected, that Trump’s SCOTUS appointees were lying about their assertions that Roe v. Wade was law. Now we know. They lied.

Anyone who was shocked by the affirmation that Roe v. Wade is at risk (in this week’s leaked document) has not been paying attention. People (even Republicans) are in “disbelief.” Is this what it takes to wake people up? Well, so be it. We have a lot of work ahead of us and it will focus heavily on state elections. It will mean prodding these people who are in disbelief into action, into voting. I am willing to commit my time and energy over the next six months to getting Democrats elected to office (or at the very least, the few moderate Republicans before they become extinct.)

I will send out an action alert once a week (aiming for Wednesdays) with steps we can take. I will post actions that individuals can take in their states, but I will need help gathering information. If there is a call for specific actions for candidates in your state, please let me know. It is important that the call comes from a legitimate source (usually an organization) and that the information focuses on that action. I am committed, but I don’t want to return to hours and hours of reading and distilling three-page newsletters and fifty-paragraph-long messages (okay, I hyperbolize a bit) that throw everything but the kitchen sink into a messy message. So, if you can do some very general culling, I would be very appreciative.

I understand if you cannot participate. We survived four and a half years of constant political firebombs tat threatened to (and did) burn many of our progressive laws and beliefs. I was burnt out as well. Taking time off has helped. And I hope your respite has been rejuvenating.

WE HAVE SIX MONTHS.
LET’S GET ORGANIZED.
LET’S GET GOING.
TOGETHER.

Miss you all! Betty

P.S. and for some lightheartedness:
https://medium.com/the-haven/if-bach-could-have-zoomed-c4ef45000873