50 Things to Fear. Roth Redux. Clothes & rules for March. The 4th Estate. Meryl Streep joins the "overrated." Rosie Perez. Activism
LETTY COTTIN POGREBIN NEWSLETTER #29 TUESDAY, JAN 17, 2017
So much to resist, so little time.
MARCH ON WASHINGTON (& local marches everywhere)
If you're planning to attend the march and want up-to-date info on security, what to bring, what to wear, what you can carry, bathrooms, food, accessibility, breastfeeding stations, and more, read this. And this. And yes, men are welcome!
Good news about the weather. 58 degrees is predicted for Saturday. Leave the toe warmers home.
Mission statement: "The Women's March on Washington is a women-led movement bringing together people of all genders, ages, races, cultures, political affiliations and backgrounds in our nation’s capital on January 21, 2017, to affirm our shared humanity and pronounce our bold message of resistance and self-determination. Recognizing that women have intersecting identities and are therefore impacted by a multitude of social justice and human rights issues, we have outlined a representative vision for a government that is based on the principles of liberty and justice for all. As Dr. King said, 'We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.' Our focus is on protecting the rights of women and minorities's rights, advancing equality, economic justice, and other humanistic values." Read more here.
WashPost headline suggests turnout will be youuuge. "City parking permits for 200 buses are being sought for Inauguration Day. The number for the Women’s March: 1,200." If the Post site lets you in, here's the story..There's still time to join us.
Know your rights. The ACLU of DC has released a guide specific to the march. It includes: Permit information, Map of D.C. hospitals, Police precinct contact information and general info on your rights as a demonstrator.
"Sister Marches." If you can't get to DC, go local. Nearly 300 grassroots-led ‘sister marches’ have been planned for Sat. in all 50 states and Puerto Rico as well as 55 global cities on six continents. For example: Over 7000 people have signed on for the march in St Petersburg, FL. with 20,000 more going to D.C. in buses (& uncountable others by car, train, plane). Awesome!
VIDEOS
Rosie Perez narrates the official Women's March video. here
The anthem for the Women's March choked me up. Great still photos, too. Watch it here.
Meryl Streep's stunning speech at the Golden Globes touched on immigration, the arts, the dignity of the disabled, the urgent role of the press, and the need for the public "to safeguard the truth." In a hysterical Tweet, Trump called Streep "one of the most overrated actresses in Hollywood." Check the other 32 times Trump has called someone overrated.
THE FUTURE UNDER TRUMP
Fifty Things To Fear. Don't just marinate in the toxic brew of creeping Trumpism, stay involved and ready to resist. To face up to the perils ahead, read Jay Michaelson's chilling "Fifty Things To Fear From The Trump Administration." It may sound like the treatment for a horror movie like "The Day After," but every one of these things is eminently plausible or already happening.
Roth Redux. Phillip Roth's 2004 novel"The Plot Against America," imagines what life would be like in this country had Charles Lindbergh, the celebrated aviator, right-wing, antiSemite, Hitler-apologist, and rabid isolationship had run against FDR in the 1940 Presidential election -- and won. Let this not be our future.
THE FOURTH ESTATE -- OUR LAST LINE OF DEFENSE.
Trump muzzles CNN. Once the President-elect's Conservative nominee to the Supreme Court is confirmed, all three branches of government will be controlled by right wing extremists. That leaves only one powerful element of society to defend and protect our freedoms: the media. But don't count on them to fulfill their role as long as the Tyrant-in-chief can shut down reporters he doesn't like. Watch what he did to CNN at his first news conference.
Trump's media blacklist, his wild accusations against reporters with whom he disagrees, and his incessant vilification of journalists who are unfriendly to him have become serious threats to the public's right to know. Jim Rutenberg summarizes what the press is up against and what they must do. #1: stand up for one another, resist Trump's disrespectful treatment and don't just jostle to be called on next. #2 push back like BuzzFeed did when Trump called them "a pile of garbage."
Something you can do. Support responsible journalists. Subscribe. Pay or donate to reliable media. Remind them that they represent us. Start by signing this petition to the White House Press Corps which says: "If Trump blacklists or bans one of you, the rest of you need to stand up. Instead of ignoring Trump's bad behavior and going about your business, close ranks and stand up for journalism. Don't keep talking about what Trump wants to talk about. Stand up and fight back. Amplify your colleague's inquiry or refuse to engage until he removes that person/outlet from the blacklist." Please sign. This is only the beginning.
THEN AND NOW
Alexander Hamilton predicted Trump. Dana Milbank says what Hamilton wrote about Burr, "could have been written today about Donald Trump:" -- "Great Ambition unchecked by principle . . . is an unruly Tyrant...The maintenance of the existing institutions will not suit him, because under them his power will be too narrow & too precarious; yet the innovations he may attempt will not offer the substitute of a system durable & safe, calculated to give lasting prosperity, & to unite liberty with strength. It will be the system of the day, sufficient to serve his own turn, & not looking beyond himself.'
Fun factoid from former Colorado Congresswoman Pat Schroeder. "During my first run for Congress in 1972 my average campaign contribution was $7.50 and when I left office in 1994, it was $32.50. We ran entirely different campaigns back then because big bucks weren't there for women."
Big bucks are needed now. New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand -- an intrepid fighter for jobs, first responders health care, prevention of sexual assault on campus and in the military, gun-trafficking legislation, and LGBTQ rights -- needs to raise $3 million in the next three months to stave off a Conservative opponent (for instance one of the Trump children). Early money keeps potential challengers at bay. Can you help even a little? Donate here.
AUDIO
Feminism in the Age of Trump was the subject of a radio program that aired Sunday on the Candadian Broadcasting Company. The panel members were Susan Chira of the NY Times, Professor Rhon Manigault-Bryant of Williams College, Moira Weigel, a PhD candidate at Yale University, and me. listen here.
ISRAEL/PALESTINE
Memo to Israel generals: Is this really necessary? Does the 3rd most powerful army in the Middle East have to send 30 soldiers to invade one Palestinian home in the middle of the night to terrify 5 little children. I've read dozens of these stories through the years but this one left me trembling with rage. What will America do to protest this outrageous behavior? What will we do?
Three U.S. laws already on the books can wreak havoc in the Middle East if Donald Trump doesn't do what every other President has done until now: waive implementation. The alternative could be a disaster not just for Israel /Palestine but for nuclear safety, world health, trade, American agriculture, and intellectual property. It's complicated but urgent for every American to understand what's at stake. Lara Friedman explains.
New Pew Survey finds deepening partisan splits on Israel/Palestine. The gap in Americans' Mideast sympathies – for either Israel or the Palestinians – now stands at its widest point in surveys dating to 1978. Democratic Party sympathies for Israel are dwindling, down ten points in the last 9 months, from 43 percent to 33 percent,, while 74% of Republicans say they sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians. Pew results on peace prospects. "Most Democrats (60%) say it's still possible for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to peacefully co-exist. But only 44% of Republicans say a peaceful two-state solution is possible, while 49% say it is not." As always, the question is: if not two-states, what? Just as Republicans complained for years about Obamacare but offered no alternative health care plan, they offer no concrete ideas for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
ACTIVISM
“There's a danger on the internet that you think you're accomplishing something. So you see an article about a disease and retweet it and think 'It's cured now!' And you've fooled yourself into thinking that you've done something productive" -- Judd Apatow
Signing a petition or retweeting an important story may feel good but don't mistake it for what's needed now. Effective activism means: Join one of the marches this Saturday. Lobby your local officials. Use Flippable.org to change State legislatures from Red to Blue. Give lots of money to good causes. Support reliable media. Boycott nasty corporations. Demonstrate. Organize others to demonstrate. Resist Trump with the help of the Indivisible Guide. Write letters to editors. Make noise. Make trouble. May life uncomfortable for the powerful. Don't let them destroy this country.
It's hard for me to write, "Have a great week," when this week will end with Trump's inauguration, so I won't. Let's just live through Friday, march together Saturday, and keep moving forward. -- Letty
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