Indivisible St Johns Resistance Newsletter January 3, 2021

 YOUR RESISTANCE NEWSLETTER

WEEK OF JANUARY 3, 2021

Thanks to intrepid cartoonist Mike Konopacki!

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OK unless your TV is broken, your internet is down, or you got kicked off Twitter: 

GEORGIA IS WHERE YOU NEED TO FOCUS!

From illegal voter purges to hundreds of poll closures to four-hour lines,Georgia voters have faced a sophisticated, but hauntingly familiarattack on their right to vote.  Hundreds of thousands of voters wereaffected by poor election management and systematicvoter suppression, crippling Georgia's democracy.
Join the Fight. Best place to put your money to get staff on the ground. Stacy's group knows how to do this!Fair Fight is Fighting Back_____________________________________
LET'S TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON THE GOOD WE SAW HAPPENING IN 2020. (Yes, there was some!)

The year 2020 sorely tested our faith in humanity. Yet even among the vile rhetoric and cruel policies, there was kindness. I implore you to watch this life-changing documentary and soak in the compassion and empathy. Let it wash you clean (as much as possible) of the past four years of ugliness. Let us remember that these values — love, compassion, kindness, and empathy for all fellow humans—are what underlie our drive as Democrats to create a better world. These are what motivate us to elect people like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who have the capacity and willingness to enact policies and programs that bring out the best in all of us—not the worst.

Let the ideals portrayed in this documentary be a guidepost for moving forward on this first day of a brand-new year.

https://theantidotemovie.com/?gclid=CjwKCAiAxKv_BRBdEiwAyd40N373rJHt61GE5HhRC5igV8yXN3HL4heq-BMmrEc3uPhd4fYPQmQGmBoCdHoQAvD_BwE&fbclid=IwAR0nZB9FtdVosxSa5pGlYWO513RbWwUPsXM4GqntfFEUQq1n_k_f7Lynqbo___________________________________________

WE HAVE TO STAY ON TOP OF THIS:

Demand Ron DeSantis Stop the Combating Violence, Disorder & Looting & Law Enforcement Protection Act

Oppose the Governor’s proposed bill that protects those who would interfere with peaceful protests and abridge our Constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of assembly and to petition the government for redress of grievances.

Click HERE

BECAUSE, HERE'S A REPORT FROM GEORGETOWN LAW ABOUT MILITIAS IN THE U.S. 

WE ARE NOT OUT OF THE WOODS YET:

https://www.law.georgetown.edu/icap/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2020/09/Florida.pdf

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AND.....JOIN US ON A ZOOM FOR THE FIRST

DEMOCRATIC ENVIRONMENTAL CAUCUS MEETING

JANUARY 7

Our first Zoom meeting for 2021 will be on Thursday, January 7th, 6:30 pm. Here is a link for the Zoom Meeting:

Topic: Env. Caucus Meeting 01/07/2021

Time: Jan 7, 2021 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87274974223?

We will be honored by having as guests the following candidates endorsed by our County and/or State Democratic Environmental Caucus in November's election. Some came up short, but all had the gumption and courage of conviction to run on progressive environmental platforms in this deep Red, conservative Northeast Florida region:

• Barbara Blonder, City of St. Augustine Commission - Seat 2

• Nicole Crosby, St. Johns Soil & Water Conservation District - District 3

• Gayle Gardner, Anastasia Mosquito Control District - Seat 5

• Heather Hunter, Florida Senate - District 7

• Mary Lawrence, St. Johns Soil & Water District - District 5

• Joe McAnarney, Srt. Johns County Commission - District -1

• Robert Olson, St. Augustine, St. Johns County Airport Authority - Group 4

• Dave Rogers, Florida House - District 17

• Jane West, St. Augustine Port, Waterway and Beach District - Group 2

AGENDA

• The candidates who were successful in their runs were in non-partisan races. Does this suggest that, while progressive environmental positions such as dealing forthrightly with sea level rise, advocating for sensible limits on the burgeoning construction growth in the region, and proposing regulations on plastic bags and other items hazardous to the environment, are popular with voters, many of those voters are hesitant to vote for office-seekers with a "D" next to their names? If so, how can we as Democrats change this? If better messaging is a possible solution, what would be some specific tactics?  

• There is a movement afoot in Florida and other states for Democrats in Republican/conservative regions such as ours to run candidates for offices previously uncontested and thought to be unwinnable. Below is a  link to an  article from the September 7/14 issue of "The Nation" that addresses this effort, which is very much alive in Florida. For the very first time in decades, every Florida House District had a Democrat on the ballot, thanks in large part to the efforts of the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida, and its President, Janelle Christenson. What are the pros and cons of this "cover every base" effort?

       https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/democrats-elections-statehouses/

• What are the most urgent challenges to the environment in our region? What are the best approaches - political and otherwise - to meet these challenges?

This is certainly not a comprehensive list.  I am sure our members and guests will come up with other topics that we can discuss. If you have any suggestions before the meeting, pass them along to me before Jan. 7th. Please contact John Pilecki for the dues form if you'd like to formally join the caucus. John Pilecki johnpilecki@gmail.com

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GENERAL INDIVISIBLE ST JOHNS MEMBERSHIP MEETING

SCHEDULE TO BE ANNOUNCED

We have a new state coordinator, Abby Tannenbaum, who we'd like to invite to discuss where Florida goes from here. The date for this general meeting will be announced mid month. We hope you will all join us as we need your input! We anticipate many changes especially as we look to unseat DeathSantis, Rubio, Rutherford and Waltz. WE CAN DO THIS!

Email us anytime with your ideas, critiques and concerns. Stay masked, stay heathy. We need all hands on deck. indivisible.st.johns@gmail.com