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Editor's Note
As climate strikes continue worldwide, and impeachment proceedings become official, remind yourself that if we fight, we can win.

Take a break and look around at the glorious gift this fall is giving us. We can find moments of peace and beauty in the midst of turmoil, and they're important because they renew our strength to fight on.
September 28, 2019

IN TOUCH WITH INDIVISIBLE

Building Momentum with Indivisible MA T-Shirts
You can continue the momentum started by the Indivisibles who were delegates to the Massachusetts Democratic Convention and get your own Indivisible MA t-shirt to wear to events!

You’ll have many upcoming opportunities to wear your Indivisible MA t-shirt such as to lobby days, local town events, rallies on the Common, various marches, town parades and the like.

When you wear an Indivisible MA t-shirt you’re wearing a recognized brand of activism that says that you care and are organized, involved, and impactful.

Elizabeth Warren is in the know, and when she saw two of our delegates wearing their Indivisible MA t-shirts this past Saturday at the Convention she said to them before the selfies were taken, “Indivisible, I love Indivisible!”

To order your t-shirt ($20) tell us the quantity and size (Medium, Large, XLarge or XXLarge), and send your request via email to debbie@indivisible-ma.org or ppoindexterpup@gmail.com.

We are sold out of small sizes but with enough requests we’ll order more.

Submitted by Deb Paul, Indivisible MA

MORNING COFFEE ACTIONS

Keep Up the Pressure on Impeachment
Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is finally on board with launching full-scale impeachment proceedings, time is of the essence. Every day that Trump is in office, our democracy is further at risk. If we have any doubts about this, we can check Amy Siskind’s weekly list on the number of ways our basic rights are eroding. Indivisible.org is now asking us to make sure every MoC is on record in support of holding public hearings on impeaching Trump. They are also asking us to call Nancy Pelosi (202-225-4965) and ask her to cancel the upcoming two-week House recess.

H/T Rogan's List
Submitted by Kristan Smith-Park, Indivisible Acton
Share Republican Impeachment Talking Points
Republicans have compiled a set of talking points to counter the national outrage and impending impeachment investigation after Trump withdrew aid from The Ukraine, then asked their prime minister to conduct a spurious investigation on his political rival Joe Biden. Now that these attempts to shift blame and attention away from the President’s possible impeachable acts were mistakenly emailed to the Democrats, we can now see them for ourselves. We can read the Republican talking points on the Ukrainian scandal here and then share this article with friends to show how low the White House has gone.

H/T Rogan's List
Submitted by Kristan Smith-Park, Indivisible Acton
Learn About Conservation
The Sierra Club Massachusetts Chapter Director, Deb Pasternak, was recently featured in a segment on NBC10 Boston, in which she offered helpful and practical tips for reducing your carbon footprint. One of the most important ways you can have a significant impact is to cut the amount of liquid soaps in your life by switching to bar soaps and shampoos. Reducing liquid soap consumption drastically cuts fossil fuel consumption. Watch the segment for more helpful tips!

Submitted by Kristan Smith-Park, Indivisible Acton
Write Letters to Voters
Mobilizing voters in purple states will be crucial to beating Trump and controlling Congress in 2020. Swing Left is organizing letter-writing campaigns to voters in crucial districts. You can write letters to reluctant voters in states like Ohio and Virginia, where competitive state legislative elections really matter.

H/T The Nation's Take Action List
Submitted by Kristan Smith-Park, Indivisible Acton
Expand Refugee Quotas and Support the Grace Act
In 2016, the U.S. allowed 85,000 refugees. Last year, we admitted only 30,000 and this year the administration’s advisors are pushing to let in no more than 15,000 refugees; some are even recommending a number of zero. Last month, a bipartisan group of Senators urged the U.S. Refugee Assistance Program to increase this number arguing that refugees are the most well-vetted travelers in the world and contribute “billions more in taxes than they receive in benefits."  The Grace Act (HR 2146/S 1088)  would establish a minimum refugee threshold at 95,000, still a very small number for a rich country, considering there are 25 million refugees worldwide, half of whom are children. Let’s ask our members of Congress to support and pass the GRACE Act, and let’s tell the White House that it’s time for us to show our humanity and caring for people around the world.

H/T Rogan's List
Submitted by Kristan Smith-Park, Indivisible Acton

FEATURES

Sunrise Movement Endorses Jessica Cisneros
A message from Victoria Fernandez of the Sunrise Movement. Her original email has been edited for length.

Today, I’m excited to announce our first 2020 endorsement: Jessica Cisneros for Congress! Cisneros is a 26-year-old immigration lawyer from Laredo, Texas, and she’s running to unseat Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28), who’s been dubbed “Big Oil’s favorite Democrat.”

Cuellar represents all that’s wrong with Washington. Even though he calls himself a Democrat, he votes with Trump 69 percent of the time, opposes the Green New Deal, and rakes in campaign contributions from fossil fuel CEOs.

Jessica Cisneros, on the other hand, is ready to fight for the Green New Deal and isn’t taking a cent of corporate PAC or lobbyist money. As a young person and a proud daughter of Mexican immigrants, Cisneros has seen firsthand the myriad ways politicians like Cuellar have failed the communities they’re supposed to serve. She’s ready to step up and lead on a new path.

Help unseat “Big Oil’s favorite Democrat” and put a Green New Deal champion in his place.

Chip in to support Jessica Cisneros’s campaign for Congress.

Submitted by Denise Falbo, Indivisible Canton
Postcarders Still Needed to Support the ROE Act
Indivisible members from across the state have completed and mailed more than 7,000 postcards to voters, encouraging them to contact their state representatives about the ROE Act.

The ROE Act is a state bill that will update outdated abortion law and language here in Massachusetts. Opponents have been spreading lies and misinformation and targeting legislators. Our hope is to explain to the majority of voters who support reproductive rights why the ROE Act is so important right now, and that it needs their help!

In consultation with the ROE Coalition, several Indivisibles have embarked on a "postcards to voters" style campaign. We have new voter lists in districts that have been identified as vulnerable by the ROE Coalition and we need help completing them. We have packaged postcards, address lists, scripts, and instructions for interested group leaders.

If you are interested in helping with this effort, please send an email to lindapiano4953@gmail.com

Submitted by Laurie Veninger, Cape Cod Women for Change
A Vote for Susan Collins is a Vote for Mitch McConnell
Susan Collins is careful to maintain her record as the most independent Republican in the Senate, and her 2019 voting record shows it. She has rarely voted in line with President Trump this past year (seven of twenty-two votes.) But what about the votes she doesn’t get to take because McConnell prevents bills from coming to the Senate floor?

Since January 2019, Susan Collins hasn't had the opportunity to vote on 148 bills that were passed by the House but blocked by Mitch McConnell from reaching the Senate floor for debate and a vote. These bills would prevent foreign interference in our elections, fight political corruption, protect patients with pre-existing health problems, prevent voter suppression, and limit corporate spending in our elections. Meanwhile, Maine's most popular statewide elected official, Angus King, has been an active proponent of this legislation.

In 2020, we could elect a Democrat to the White House, but if McConnell is still the Senate Majority leader, he has vowed to continue with his obstructionist agenda. "If I'm still the majority leader in the Senate think of me as the Grim Reaper. None of that stuff is going to pass," McConnell said recently.

Susan Collins might be committed to representing the values of Mainers, but as Republican she's lost the opportunity to act on them. A vote for Susan Collins in 2020 is a vote to maintain the Republican Senate majority and enable Mitch McConnell to maintain his stranglehold on our democracy.

Let’s help Maine say: “So long, Susan!” Join us at Activist Afternoons this Sunday in Cambridge for an informational kickoff rally. Register and find details here.

Submitted by Susan Labandibar, Swing Left Greater Boston
Host a Letter-Writing Party to GOTV in VA
Swing Left and Vote Forward have launched a national campaign to get 150,000 letters to Democratic voters in Virginia in advance of the November 2019 election.

Virginia was home of the blue wave: In 2017, Democrats won 15 seats in the House of Delegates, nearly flipping the chamber and representing the most diverse freshman class ever in Virginia’s history! We now need to protect the seats we gained last cycle, and to flip just two seats in each chamber (the House of Delegates and the State Senate). The GOP is putting up a fight.

Hosting a letter-writing party is easy. Join more than 100 party hosts who have made it happen using this streamlined kit.
 
Submitted by Susan Labandibar, Swing Left Greater Boston 

MA EVENTS CALENDAR

Moms Demand Action for Gun Safety Advocacy Day
Join Moms Demand Action for Advocacy Day at the Massachusetts State House. We will be lobbying with our legislators for Firearms Safety bills.

Gathering in Room 437 starting at 11:00 AM. Program begins at 11:30 AM, then we will break into groups to visit with legislators to advocate for our bills. You will receive info on the bills ahead of time.

RSVP here.

Day     Wednesday, October 2
Time    11:00 AM
Place   State House, 24 Beacon St., Boston

Submitted by Rina Schneur
Farm Social in Winchester with Boston Chefs for Gun Safety
The Table at Season to Taste is proud to host second annual Boston Chefs for Gun Safety farm social at Wright Locke Farm in Winchester, MA. Please join Chefs Carl Dooley and Mary Edinger from The Table with guest chefs from some of Boston's best restaurants for an evening of food, drinks, and music. The evening features guests speakers from Moms Demand Action Massachusetts and the Survivors Network.

All proceeds go to Everytown for Gun Safety.

RSVP here.       

Day      Monday, October 7
Time    6:00 PM - 9:00 PM        
Place   Wright Locke Farm, 78 Ridge Street, Winchester

Submitted by Rina Schneur, Everytown for Gun Safety
Let's Can Collins Fundraiser in Provincetown
Indivisible Outer Cape has joined with Women's Week organizers and Provincetown Brewing Co. to help our fellow Indivisible members at Mainers for Accountable Leadership to build grassroots capacity and to inform Mainers about the bad policy decisions of Senator Susan Collins.

Enjoy your first round of beer, snacks, and mingle with local dignitaries and celebs, all for your minimum $25 donation to Mainers for Accountable Leadership!

RSVP here and donate here.     

Day     Friday, October 18
Time   5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Place  Provincetown Brewing Company, 141 Bradford St., Provincetown

Submitted by Laurie Veninger, Indivisible Outer Cape

NEWS FROM the BERKSHIRES to BOSTON

Links to Local News From Around MA

RECOMMENDED READING

This Land: How Cowboys, Capitalism, and Corruption are Ruining the American West
By Christopher Ketcham

A hard-hitting look at the battle now raging over the fate of the public lands in the American West–and a plea for the protection of these last wild places

The Mueller Report
Looking for some light summer reading or listening? Here are ways to read the Mueller Report so that you know exactly what is at stake. Here are a couple of ways to get a quick overview:
  • Read or listen to Mueller's Executive Summaries: the 10-page summary of Volume I, which deals with Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and its interactions with the Trump Campaign, and the 6-page summary of Volume II which focuses on the obstruction of justice portion of the Investigation.
  • Watch Mueller's televised statement (<10 minutes) or read it here.
H/T Indivisible Acton Area newsletter

Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right
by Jane Mayer
One of the New York Times best books of the year.

Who are the immensely wealthy right-wing ideologues shaping the fate of America today? From the bestselling author of The Dark Side, an electrifying work of investigative journalism that uncovers the agenda of this powerful group.

In her new preface, Jane Mayer discusses the results of the most recent election and Donald Trump's victory, and how, despite much discussion to the contrary, this was a huge victory for the billionaires who have been pouring money in the American political system.

Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America
by Nancy MacLean
“[A] vibrant intellectual history of the radical right . . . [MacLean] has dug deep into her material—not just Buchanan’s voluminous, unsorted papers, but other archives, too—and she has made powerful and disturbing use of it all. . . . The behind-the-scenes days and works of Buchanan show how much deliberation and persistence—in the face of formidable opposition—underlie the anti-governing politics ascendant today. What we think of as dysfunction is the result of years of strategic effort.” —The Atlantic

The People Are Going to Rise Like the Waters Upon Your Shore: A Story of American Rage
by Jared Yates Sexton
A first-hand account of the events that shaped the 2016 presidential election and the cultural forces that powered Donald Trump into the White House.

“Sexton grapples with the Trump campaign from the perspective of the crowds reveling in the candidate’s presence and message. It is a useful vantage point given the increasingly blatant bigotry in the months since the election.” —The Washington Post

Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life
by Eric Klinenberg
Eric Klinenberg is a professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University. In this book, he focuses on how social infrastructure can help fight inequality, polarization, and the decline of civic life. "In Palaces for the People, Eric Klinenberg offers a new perspective on what people and places have to do with each other, by looking at the social side of our physical spaces." —New York Times

Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History
by Kurt Andersen
“The single most important explanation, and the fullest explanation, of how Donald Trump became president of the United States . . . nothing less than the most important book that I have read this year.”—Lawrence O’Donnell

How Democracies Die
by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt​
Both authors are Professors of Government at Harvard University. Based on years of research into the breakdown of democracies in Europe and Latin America, the authors present a deep understanding of how and why democracies die; an alarming analysis of how democracy is being subverted today in the US and beyond; and a guide for maintaining and repairing a threatened democracy, for governments, political parties and individuals.

Fascism: A Warning
by Madeleine Albright
A personal and urgent examination of fascism in the twentieth century and how its legacy shapes today’s world, written by one of America’s most admired public servants, the first woman to serve as U.S. secretary of state. #1 New York Times Bestseller.

GET INVOLVED
Running for Office? Let Us Know!
While Indivisible-MA may not do any candidate endorsements this year, we can let other Indivisibles across the state know about your race. Use this form to tell us about your candidacy. Thank you for stepping up!
Submit Items to the Mass Action Newsletter
Submit any events you would like to place in our online calendar and this newsletter using this event promotion form.

Tell us about your group's activities and successes using this submission form You may include links to pages with more details.
Keep in Touch - Join Us on Slack
MA Indivisibles have a place to chat and share events and ideas on Slack. If you're not familiar with Slack, don't worry, it's easy to use. Ask your group leader to send you an invitation.
Give a Little to Keep Indivisible Growing
Both the national organization and local groups are building tools and infrastructure so that we can coordinate to have a stronger voice here in Massachusetts as well as nationally as we carry this work forward to the 2020 elections. This all takes a bit of cash. Please donate to the national organization or to your local group to help us continue this work.
Our Mission
The Indivisible mission is to fuel a progressive grassroots network of local groups to resist the Trump Agenda.

Indivisible Massachusetts is a consortium of leaders from more than 250 local Massachusetts Indivisible groups, working together to bring our groups together for events and to leverage our numbers to make our efforts more effective.

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