Hodgepodge 92/365 - Indivisible 831

Today seventeen of us, both old friends and, as of today, new, met at our house to talk about how to take on Trump. It's the Indivisible project, based on an action guide put together by some congressional staffers outlining Tea Party tactics.

Here are our action items after a two-hour discussion:

• call MoC (members of Congress) re Betsy DeVos nomination and lean on them to speak with voting GOP committee members
• Jeff Sessions will be voted on by the Senate Judiciary Committee 1/31: I’ve seen instructions to tweet the committee expressing your disapproval (@SenJudiciary). Probably won’t help, but can’t hurt.
• stay on top of Supreme Court nomination (to be announced Thursday 2/2)
• postcard writing party
• Laura: contact Howard Berkes, rural affairs correspondent for NPR (getting NPR to more places)
• adopt a red NPR station
• support swing counties via swingleft.org (our nearest: District 10, Fresno)
• call Panetta and urge him to have townhall meetings as frequently as possible so WE can stay connected both to DC and to local issues
• attend other Indivisible meetings: 1/31 at 1364 Fremont Ave, Seaside and 2/13, both in Monterey—will let you know when I know where and when—and in Santa Cruz
• learn more about Monterey County Sheriff and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and what that might mean for Salinas as a sanctuary city
• learn more about Salinas as sanctuary city and Monterey as a sanctuary county; identify leadership
• nonviolent protest training (Kate—possibly through www.whitesforracialequity.org, a local group examining racism)
• consider a monthly donation to the ACLU if you can afford it: they are going to have their hands full
• CALL, CALL, CALL! Even those of us who hate the phone! (It gets easier.) The 5calls.org website provides scripts. If you leave a voicemail, also send an email (per instructions in the Indivisible Guide).
• Keep your ears and eyes open for ways to link up with other groups
• If you hear of any actions (sit-ins, marches), send them to the group. But let’s try to keep email traffic down...

And just now, thanks to David sputtering in the other room, I've gotten incensed about Steve Bannon becoming King of National Security—with no authority whatsoever. It's beyond unbelievable.

But I am heartened to have a small community now, which may grow into something, or maybe we'll all head into different Indivisible groups (there are plenty of them springing up). A few of us are attending another Indivisible meeting on Tuesday, and again on the 13th. And whoever wants to come to our next meeting on the 26th . . . we'll be here for them. In the meantime, I think I need to send out at least a weekly "reminder that we're angry and active" email. Keep the fires lit.

It is good to feel solidarity. I hope it lasts. I hope it makes a difference.