Thursday, January 12, 2017

Blog 11
January 12, 2017

Who will lead us - Race Matters

It is impossible as we remember and celebrate Martin Luther King not to focus on race.  Many of us who have worked on civil rights since the 60s felt elated when Obama was elected, not only because of his personal qualifications for president, but also because  a black person was elected to the presidency.  Donald Trump’s victory seems to upend that progress.  As white people we are set back on our heels with many questions about how to work toward racial equality now.  I believe that Obama’s presidency gives us a road map, both in terms of organizing from the ground up and following the lead of a person of color.  I believe now is the time for us as white people to speak with one another about our experiences and to ally with leaders and groups of people of color who have experiences different from ours and can best  direct us in this next phase of social progress in the U.S.  Each of us in our personal lives have faced  moments of marginalization, but the arch of history and the election of Donald Trump requires  our country to confront its racist history. I believe this can only be accomplished if we, as white people, learn to follow the lead of people of color as they take up their rightful place in our society.  

My experience in Kosovo is helpful to me in this endeavor.  A group of twelve mental health professionals from the U.S. were invited to work in Kosovo following the war there to help  rebuild the mental health system.The Kosovars we met with had been traumatized by loss and violence and at first they turned to us for comfort and understanding.  As we worked together we created paired teams one u.S. with one Kosovar  to build the mental health program.  Decisions about treatment were initially offered by us, but it was the Kosovars who rewrote the protocols and step-by- step took leadership of what their mental health system would ultimately look like until we were no longer needed as developers, but rather as supporters and allies.

In the U.S. today there  are many leaders of color who know how to organize and move us forward toward civil rights.  This  is not the  time to argue about who should lead.  As white Americans who care about racial equality we have to strengthen our capacities to listen, to follow and to support.  This doesn’t mean watching from the sidelines, but being ever ready to join the fray as followers and supporters.  The Indivisible Group  (Berkeley January 22nd, 2017) that I am convening will be mostly older feminist white women.  Someone asked me if it wouldn’t be better if our group was more multi-racial and multi-generational. It might be better, but we are starting where we are with an intention to partner with other groups in our community who are diverse and can lead us in the right direction.  Yes, we can. 

Wise words

Farewell address President Obama

Excerpt
….  After my election, there was talk of a post-racial America.  Such a vision, however well-intended, was never realistic.  For race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.  I’ve lived long enough to know that race relations are better than they were 10, or 20, or 30 years ago – you can see it not just in statistics, but in the attitudes of young Americans across the political spectrum.

But we’re not where we need to be.  All of us have more work to do.  After all, if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hard-working white middle class and undeserving minorities, then workers of all shades will be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves.  If we decline to invest in the children of immigrants, just because they don’t look like us, we diminish the prospects of our own children – because those brown kids will represent a larger share of America’s workforce.  And our economy doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game.  Last year, incomes rose for all races, all age groups, for men and for women. 

Going forward, we must uphold laws against discrimination – in hiring, in housing, in education and the criminal justice system.  That’s what our Constitution and highest ideals require.  But laws alone won’t be enough.  Hearts must change. 

Regardless of the station we occupy; we have to try harder; to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do; that they value hard work and family like we do; that their children are just as curious and hopeful and worthy of love as our own. 
None of this is easy.  For too many of us, it’s become safer to retreat into our own bubbles, whether in our neighborhoods or college campuses or places of worship or our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions.  The rise of naked partisanship, increasing economic and regional stratification, the splintering of our media into a channel for every taste – all this makes this great sorting seem natural, even inevitable.  And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we accept only information, whether true or not, that fits our opinions, instead of basing our opinions on the evidence that’s out there…..

…..Which brings me to my final point – our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.  All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions.  When voting rates are some of the lowest among advanced democracies, we should make it easier, not harder, to vote.  When trust in our institutions is low, we should reduce the corrosive influence of money in our politics, and insist on the principles of transparency and ethics in public service.  When Congress is dysfunctional, we should draw our districts to encourage politicians to cater to common sense and not rigid extremes.

And all of this depends on our participation; on each of us accepting the responsibility of citizenship, regardless of which way the pendulum of power swings. 

Our Constitution is a remarkable, beautiful gift.  But it’s really just a piece of parchment.  It has no power on its own.  We, the people, give it power – with our participation, and the choices we make.  Whether or not we stand up for our freedoms.  Whether or not we respect and enforce the rule of law.  America is no fragile thing.  But the gains of our long journey to freedom are not assured.
In his own farewell address, George Washington wrote that self-government is the underpinning of our safety, prosperity, and liberty, but “from different causes and from different quarters much pains will be taken…to weaken in your minds the conviction of this truth;” that we should preserve it with “jealous anxiety;” that we should reject “the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest or to enfeeble the sacred ties” that make us one.

We weaken those ties when we allow our political dialogue to become so corrosive that people of good character are turned off from public service; so coarse with rancor that Americans with whom we disagree are not just misguided, but somehow malevolent.  We weaken those ties when we define some of us as more American than others; when we write off the whole system as inevitably corrupt, and blame the leaders we elect without examining our own role in electing them.

It falls to each of us to be those anxious, jealous guardians of our democracy; to embrace the joyous task we’ve been given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.  Because for all our outward differences, we all share the same proud title:  Citizen.


The Book of Joy- Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Archbishop (Tutu)  simply and succinctly explained the power and limits of the use of anger.  

“Righteous anger is usually not about oneself.  It is about those whom one sees being harmed and whom one wants to help” In short, righteous anger is a toll of justice, a scythe of compassion, more than a reactive emotion.  Although, it may have it roots in deep inner fight- or -flight desire to protect those in our family or group who are threatened, it is a chosen response and not simply an uncontrollable reaction   And it is not about one’s own besieged self-image, one’s feelings of separation,but of collective responsibility, and one’s feelings of deep, empowering connection.” pg. 106 


Action:

Planned Parenthood



Indivisible Team Update for Action:

President Obama just gave a “fiery” speech arguing that progressives should replicate the Tea Party to defend against Trump’s agenda. We agree, and we’re on it. 
So let’s talk next steps.

This Week’s 2 Indivisible Actions
If you’re raring to go now, here are two critical issues that local groups are already focusing on around the country:

1) Resist Trump’s Corrupt Cabinet Appointments
Republicans are trying to jam Donald’s racist, sexist, and corrupt cabinet nominees through the Senate confirmation process. Last week Congress tried to gut the ethics office, but they were forced to back down in response to thousands of constituent office visits and calls. This week they’re trying to ram through nominees who have not yet even completed an ethics review. To stop this, we need to make our voices heard again.
Click here to see the schedule for hearings this week — they start this morning. The fight starts in Committees, but your two senators will ultimately have a vote on each of these nominees. Make a plan to visit their offices this week to let them know you’re watching whether they stand up to Trump.
2) Defend Healthcare for All Americans
Trump and Republicans in Congress have already begun the process of dismantling the Affordable Care Act. They haven’t ever been able to come up with a replacement proposal, but they’re still moving forward with plans to deprive 30 million people of healthcare coverage.

Groups are Standing Indivisible Across the Country
We’re hearing your #standindivisible stories from across the nation. In Roanoke, Virginia a group descended on Rep. Goodlatte’s office to demand transparency a day after he led a secret meeting of House Republicans to gut the House Ethics watchdog. In Fort Collins, Colorado, another group of citizens marched to their Senators offices to voice their concerns over Trump’s cabinet picks and an outrageous nomination committee schedule. In Austin, Texas on Saturday, over 100 people showed up at Indivisible Austin’s meeting to organize and plan for the next battle.

SUPPORT THE ACA-ObamaCARE

Please support Rebuildthehope.org who are working to support the Affordable Care Act with calls to contact voters in key states who can influence their representatives.  You can sign up here to talk to voters.

ACA phone bank this Sunday 1/15 in Oakland: Register Now!  Call voters in Tennessee and Arizona to lobby their members of congress.


When:  January 15th, 2017 2:00 PM - 5:00 PM 

Location:  424 Euclid Ave  Oakland, CA 94610
Phone: 510-206-6656 

Save Our Health Care Rally
January 15 is a nationwide Day of Action to resist efforts to dismantle our health care systems. Join the movement to make sure the Affordable Care Act remains intact, and Medicaid and Medicare are not privatized. We want to ensure life-saving health care for all.

Date: Sunday, January 15, 2017 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Host: Contra Costa OFA
Location: Richmond City Hall (Richmond, CA)
440 Civic Center Plaza
Richmond, CA 94804

There are several ways to help over the next 1 1/2 weeks!

Join us (women and men!) on January 21st if you're not going to DC for the Women’s March:
January 20 -  Bridge Together Golden Gate collaborative, grassroots, community-based demonstration and performance art piece. 10am - 12pm

January 20 - San Francisco Inauguration Day Trump Protest  5pm - 7pm UN Plaza

FUNDAMENTALS OF BUILDING ISSUE CAMPAIGNS
Come and be trained on the best way to influence elected officials and on using social media effectively.

Now is the time to act to engage our elected officials and make sure they remember that they are working for us. We will be covering the fundamentals of building issue campaigns: How to effectively tailor our message elected officials and digital storytelling. The training will be led by Sonia Sinton-Clark, most recently the Regional Field Organizer for Hillary for America. Previously Sonia held similar positions in the Obama campaigns and Organizing for America.

Saturday, January 14th, 2017  9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Berkeley United Methodist Church
1710 Carlton st
Berkeley, CA 94703


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Saturday, January 7, 2017


Blog 10
January 7, 2017

Join Choose Do

The news is dire and can be crazy making.  It may be as bad as we think it will be.  And as an article sent to me by my friend Richard http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-nazi-propaganda-coordinate_us_58583b6fe4b08debb78a7d5c claims a tendency here to give Trump a chance is not unlike people in Germany who made excuses for Hitler, ignored his worse excesses and believed that the worst wouldn’t happen to them.  There are moments when I am tempted to assuage my terror by giving Trump “a chance,” but I drown out this false notion by standing up, joining with others and taking action.

At the Earth2Trump rally in Oakland on January 2nd, hundreds of people expressed their resistance to Trump’s attacks on climate change and civil rights.   The crowd  was multi everything-age, race, well-heeled and just off the street, and  alive with young activists and old-timers, who knew the ropes, encouraging us to  use the power that we have to protect what we care about. Great music followed the speeches.  For those of us who were around in the 60s it brought back those days.  This 16 city resistance road trip is hopefully only a beginning to a groundswell of resistance that I don’t believe we have seen since then.  So, I am reassured that although some may say just wait and see, the rest of us will not be lulled into submission.

The dilemma can arise however, with whom and how to take action.  Robert Reich has written a piece “Twelve Ways to Resist Trump.http://www.newsweek.com/robert-reich-twelve-ways-resist-trump-presidency-539411.  First steps include gathering friends and family to create a circle of change and as a group decide where you will focus and how you will make an impact.  A next step may be to join with other groups doing the work.  Join, choose ,do.  That is my mantra. Let us know what you are doing.

Wise Words

The Anti-Inauguration
Charles M. Blow JAN. 5, 2017

such important words that I have reprinted this piece in full:  

The inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States is just two weeks away, so now is the time to begin making plans to send him the strongest possible signal that your opposition to the presidency he has foreshadowed will not be pouting and passive, but active and animated.

Now is the time to begin making your plans for the anti-inauguration.
Exclaiming your resistance, while necessary, is insufficient. Resistance is a negative position. While negativity in the face of this menace is justified and admirable, negativity alone is a fractional response. As with most things in a fully articulated life, balance is required. You need to augment your outrage with actions that are affirming, behaviors that reinforce principles and values.

When politics seem out of your control, remember that community and culture are very much in your control. We help shape the world we inhabit every day. A life is a collection of thousands of decisions, large and small, made every day. Make those decisions with purpose and conviction, especially for Jan. 20.

The point is not necessarily to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power, but rather to deprive it of oxygen and eyeballs; to plant a flag of resistance firmly at the opening gate. This doesn’t mean that people won’t attend or watch. They will. But every station that carries it, as many will, should feel the impact of your absence.

Just because succession of power in our fragile democracy isn’t denied by dictator or compelled by coup does not mean that the majority of Americans who voted for someone other than Trump, and view his ascension as an offense, should feel any pressure or compunction to bear witness to the pomp and pageantry surrounding the installation of a demi-fascist and full-blown demagogue as president.
This ceremony is part of a governmental apparatus meant to project a picture of seamless continuity and normalcy to Americans and the world.
But making Trump appear normal is contingent on public cooperation, which must be denied.
Here are some ways to make your opposition felt and bring forth some light on the impending Day of Darkness.
Protest.
Protests are being organized all over the country, including in the capital itself. Join in. One group, under the banner “Not My President,” is even planning a silent protest at the U.S. Capitol. Then of course there will be the Women’s March on Washington the day after the inauguration. With more than 100,000 people saying they will attend on Facebook, and organizers estimating that they could get 200,000, this could be the largest anti-Trump rally yet.
Volunteer.
If you can’t travel to Washington or if there are no protests being organized in your area, volunteer at an agency or nonprofit that serves a community or advocates on an issue that has been directly targeted by the incoming president. These range from women’s rights, to civil liberties, to immigrant outreach, to environmental protection.
Donate.
If you can’t find a way to volunteer, donate. These groups will need as much funding as possible to defend themselves and their positions from a hostile administration and compliant Congress.
Subscribe.
Coming from me this may sound self-interested, but please try to look over my obvious and admitted conflict to see that the press, even with all its flaws — particularly those exposed during this election — is one of the last lines of defense against corruption and a slide toward autocracy. Trump’s hostility to, and delegitimizing of, the press is a deliberate tactic meant to shield him against future discovery and disclosure.
As Frank Sesno, director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, said on CNN’s Reliable Sources last month:
                  “If Donald Trump is trying to inoculate himself in advance, it’s like giving himself a vaccine, to prevent the illness that’s going to come when the media turn on his tax returns if they get another leak on it, when they look at some of the business dealings as he’s talking to foreign leaders. There are all kinds of stories that you can imagine, that have already been written, some of them, and what he’s trying to do here is, as I say, sort of inoculate himself by demonizing media. So, don’t believe anything they say.”
Read.
Spend part of the day reading about the rise and fall of empires and how it always seems far-fetched and inconceivable until it actually happens. There are many books that address this topic, but if you want something shorter, try Andrew Sullivan’s “Democracies End When They Are Too Democratic,” a counterintuitive meditation on how tyranny can spring from populism, or my colleague Paul Krugman’s “How Republics End.”
But, by all means, read something. That is oppositional in and of itself when facing a frightening man who seems constitutionally averse to intelligence — from national intelligence to individual intelligence — and who is apparently, how shall I say this, far from a voracious reader.
Watch.
If you must watch something on Jan. 20, try to find specific anti-inauguration counterprogramming. CNN this week reported one such effort:
“A group of entrepreneurs have banded together to create Love-a-thon, a Jerry Lewis-style telethon for the digital age. Love-a-thon will be a three-hour Facebook Live broadcast, beginning at 12:30 p.m. E.T. on Inauguration Day, January 20. The move is a part of an effort to raise money for three organizations — the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Planned Parenthood and Earthjustice.”
Write.
If you don’t already know, find out who all your representatives in government are, from the local level to the national level, get their addresses, and send them a letter or an email expressing your views and explaining in no uncertain terms what you expect from them going forward. Warn that if they let you down, you will remember your disappointment at the polls. Public pressure has a very real impact on political power. Don’t be silent. Don’t be invisible. Make them remember your name.
Connect.
Reach out to your friends and family — the people in what I call your “great sphere of influence.” First, let them know that you love them. This may seem mawkish, but in the wake of Trump’s hateful rhetoric, expressions of love and support are necessary. But beyond that, make sure that they too have an anti-inauguration plan. If they don’t, have them join you in yours. Also, make sure that everyone in your sphere is registered to vote.
                   You have the power to make anti-inauguration day an enormously effective first step on the path forward through an arduous four years, which promise to be difficult to navigate. Affirmative actions must be as much your guide and solace as resistance is your fuel and fire.

Remember your pre-Trump ideals and make sure that they survive into a post-Trump world.

Action

Celebrity-Filled-Love-A-Thon-Set-As-Inauguration-Day-Counter-Programming

In Washington ,DC

In the bay area on January 21st.

Indivisible New Group Meeting- Berkeley, January 22nd. 10:30-noon.  If interested contact me at:ellen.pulleyblank.coffey@gmail.com

Find out what is happening near you if you can’t go to Washington,  Let us know what you will be doing on inauguration weekend.



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Sunday, January 1, 2017

Stepping Stones into the River

Blog 9
January 1, 2017

Stepping Stones into  the River

My five year old granddaughter Harper often paints a series of the same picture.  Right now she is drawing stones of different sizes and colors that  lead to a river, which is a circle that comes back on itself.  

This led me to think about the political river we are all part of and how we will get to it and will or won’t step  into it.  On NPR’s The California Report they have begun a Resolve 2017 asking people to post the ways that they will be active this year.  Personal resolutions are always important at the new year,but this year the larger issues seem to loom.  My step-son Joe is contemplating how to affect climate change.  Many friends are donating to non-profits that support social justice.  As you can tell I am obsessed with writing this blog and capturing the energy and efforts that are springing up in reaction to Trump’s election. I used to believe that change comes in the most difficult times.  I often voted for third party candidates in an effort to bring on the “revolution”.  This belief may be well tested over the next four years.

Last night at a New Year’s dinner with friends we spoke about our isolation from people different from us and how we wish to widen our circle.  This reminded me of a Sufi story from Indries Shah’s  “Tales of the Dervishes.”

The Founding of a Tradition

Once upon a time there was a town composed of two parallel
streets.  A dervish passed through one street into the other, and as
he reached the second one, the people there noticed that his eyes
were streaming with tears. ‘Someone has died in the other street !
one cried, and soon all the children in the neighbourhood had
taken up the cry.

What had really happened was that the dervish had been peeling
onions.

Within a short space of time the cry had reached the first street;
and the adults of both streets were so distressed and fearful (for
each community was related to the other) that they dared not
make complete inquiries as to the cause of the furor.

A wise man tried to reason with the people of both streets, asking
why they did not question each other. Too confused to know what
they meant, some said : ‘For all we know there is a deadly plague
in the other street.’

This rumor, too, spread like wildfire, until each street’s populace
thought that the other was doomed.

When some measure of order was restored, it was only enough
for the two communities to decide to emigrate to save themselves.
Thus it was that, from different sides of the town, both streets entirely
evacuated their people.

Now, centuries later, the town is still deserted; and not so far
away are two villages. Each village has its own tradition of how it
began as a settlement from a doomed town, through a fortunate
flight, in remote times, from a nameless evil.

Part of stepping into the river this year could be reaching out to people who think differently so as not to create separations based on false knowledge and misunderstandings.

Wise Words

Sent to me by Joan Carney from Joan Daly Lewis:

Rev. Barber: We are witnessing the birth
pangs of a Third Reconstruction.
We need a moral movement to create change.


Excerpt:

While we do, indeed, face a dire situation, this is not new. Trumpism is
as American as apple pie. There could be no Donald Trump without
America’s first black president. Brother Van Jones got it right on election
night: we experienced a “whitelash.” And we must be clear: every
stride toward freedom in U.S. history has been met with this same
backlash……

What have we learned?

First, we must recognize the need for indigenously led, state-based,
state-government focused, deeply moral, deeply constitutional, antiracist,
anti-poverty, pro-justice, pro-labor, and transformative movement
building. There’s no shortcut around this. We must build a movement
from the bottom up. We must build relationships at the state level
because that’s where most of the extremism of the current-day deconstructionists are happening. They see the possibility of a Third Reconstruction,
which is why they’re working so hard this time to strangle it
in its cradle — and we must know that. We have to recognize that helicopter leadership by so-called national leaders will not sustain a moral
movement. What you need are local movements. The nation never
changes from Washington, D.C. down. History teaches that it changes
from Selma up, from Birmingham up, from Greensboro up.
Secondly, we need to use moral language, like the devotees of the First
and Second Reconstructions. Moral language can re-frame and critique
public policy regardless of who’s in power. A moral movement claims
higher ground than merely a partisan debate, something that’s bigger
than left versus right, conservative versus liberal. We have to begin to
re-frame the conversation not to talk about left policies and right policies,
but let’s talk about violence. And as people who run for office, are
you on the side of violence? …..

Moral language gives you new metaphors. You can say, I’m against this
policy not because it’s a conservative policy or a liberal policy, I’m
against this policy because it’s constitutionally inconsistent, it’s morally
indefensible, and it’s economically insane.

From reader Tom Hoeber:

I've just been reading a book about Presidents from the mid-20th Century to date, and it gives me hope for our country under the new administration. Why? Because we endured a truly horrible president in the person of Richard Nixon, and survived. Nixon was a liar and a disgusting human being, crudely demeaning in "locker-room language" not just women but everyone who was an "enemy". He suborned crimes in the form of break-ins to the Watergate offices of the Democrats, the office of an enemy's psychiatrist and the Brookings Institution. He committed treason and violated the Logan Act to defeat LBJ's peace treaty with the Vietnamese until after his election. He shamed the Presidency and the country.
But we survived.
And we will again.

From a Facebook posting by Kaethe Weingarten:
Toni Morrison 

Excerpt:

There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.
I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge —even wisdom. Like art.

Action:

Post your 2017  action resolve on NPR :


Sent to me by Louise Schneider. -

Reminder! Earth2Trump Action Coming Up!

You’re invited! On Monday, January 2nd, please join us as we participate in Earth2Trump, an action that is part of a 16-city, cross country sequence of events, on its way to Inauguration Day in Washington, DC.  It will be held in Oakland, a city Donald Trump once called one of the most dangerous in the US. (http://sfbaypsr.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd8d0c4b0e1bbf208e197b44d&id=6a3721f302&e=844b7f26d3)

Organized by the Center for Biological Diversity, (http://sfbaypsr.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=cd8d0c4b0e1bbf208e197b44d&id=7f625b27f4&e=844b7f26d3) the actions will build momentum for a movement of resistance to Trump and will culminate in a press event in Washington, DC that will include thousands of protesters. The Bay Area event will include speakers and music, including spoken-word artist AshEL Eldridge, the music of folk rocker Casey Neil, as well as the Afrobrazilian band Namorados da Lua.

This event gives all of us a chance to have our voices heard, loud and clear, as we move into such uncertain and terrifying times. Participants can share and amplify their stories and hopes for a different future. Just as importantly, you can share your pledges of resistance by dropping them in a huge art installation – a large, transparent globe -- that will travel with the tour.


When: January 2^nd at 5:30. The program will run from 6-8pm

Cost: Free!


We will send you an announcement of the Washington, DC press event! We are eager through this and other actions to build the resistance and provide for a better future for us all.


Planed Parenthood Petition







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