Continuing resistance

Fierce Planet Posted on by

For Freedom of Speech:

Writers Resist Protest Brings Thousands to NYPL, Trump Tower

More than 2,000 artists, writers, and readers gathered at the steps of the New York Public Library on January 15 in the name of defending free expression and the free press.

The Writers Resist protest was launched by poet and Vida co-founder Erin Belieu and was co-sponsored in New York by PEN America….

The protest, one of more than 90 simultaneous Writers Resist events held across the country and abroad, reflects the worry among many in the media and book industries that the incoming Trump administration intends to crack down on free speech….

A friend of mine attended one of these protests in California and it sounded like a delightful time.

And in support of the Affordable Care Act:

Fear Spurs Support for Health Law as Republicans Work to Repeal It

President-elect Donald J. Trump and congressional Republicans appear to have accomplished a feat that President Obama, with all the power at his disposal, could not in the past seven years: They have galvanized outspoken support for the Affordable Care Act.

People who benefit from the law are flooding Congress with testimonials. Angry consumers are confronting Republican lawmakers. And Democrats who saw the law as a political liability in recent elections have suddenly found their voice, proudly defending the law now that it is in trouble.

Thousands of people across the country held rallies over the weekend to save the health care law, which Republicans moved last week to repeal with a first but crucial legislative step. A widely circulated video showed Representative Mike Coffman, Republican of Colorado, eluding constituents who had wanted to meet with him to express their concerns on Saturday at a community event in Aurora, Colo. Rallies on Sunday to save the health law drew robust crowds around the country….

Keep fighting!

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#Resistance

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Around the country, groups and individuals are coming together in #Resistance to the gathering authoritarian threat our country faces. If you’re looking to connect with others in your area, to take action to defend our rights and the rights of those around us, the #Resistance is already forming and you can join in.

First, the Indivisible Project, a group of former Congressional staffers who have published a useful guide which explains how to contact your Member of Congress and apply political pressure as a countervailing force to the right-wing pressure they get. Tactics are partially inspired by what worked for the Tea Party. The site also lets you look for local groups or register your own group for others to contact.

You may already have heard about the Women’s March on Washington, which is scheduled for Jan. 21st. If you can’t be in D.C. on that day, look for your local version, or start one yourself if nobody else has. Here in Colorado, there’s a big march and rally planned in downtown Denver. Weather permitting, I’ll be there.

As someone who spent much of my life organizing political gatherings of different sorts, I really enjoyed this interview with some organizers of the march. Seeing such smart, strong, thoughtful young women take on this enormous task and work together to make it happen makes my heart sing.

More to come, as it comes.

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