Weekly Call To Action - June 18, 2023

Quote of the Week:

“A populace deprived of the ability to separate lies from truth, that has become hostage to the fictional semblance of reality put forth by pseudo-events, is no longer capable of sustaining a free society.” -- Chris Hedges in his book Empire of Illusion.

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Olympia Indivisible Town Halls:

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Town Halls for Port and County Commissioners
Final Two Town Halls
​
Register Now!

​Final Town Halls:

• Sunday, June 18 from 4:00 pm with Maggie Sanders running for Port Commissioner, District 4, and Bill Moomau, running for Port Commissioner, District 4. Register here for Town Hall with Maggie and Bill.

 

• Monday, June 19 from 11:00 am with Joanna Manson running for Port Commissioner, District 4. Register here for Town Hall with Joanna.

Then Join the Endorsement Team Presentation:
The Endorsement Team will give a presentation on Saturday, June 24 at 10:00 am to the OI membership which summarizes how the candidates meet OI values. Register here for the Endorsement Team presentation. 

Want to Know More About Elections?
Checkout the Elections 2023 page on our website where there is more information about the races as well as a list of candidates, this will include videos of the completed Town Halls when available. Please keep checking the website at www.olympiaindivisible.org.

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Local Actions:

Stop Printing Lies

The Olympian ran an article from The Heritage Foundation in support of Moms for Liberty.  The Southern Poverty Law Group (SPLC) has identified Moms for Liberty as an anti-government extremist group.

The Heritage Foundation is a multi-million dollar tax-exempt “charitable” organization that consistently spreads false claims of voter fraud and lobbies to end access to abortion and birth control, block federal voting rights legislation, oppose the Respect for Marriage Act, and promote claims about transgender youth healthcare and suicide rates which is contrary to the findings of peer-reviewed scientific studies. 

Dusti Demarest, editor of the Olympian, has responded to one of our members with this response:

•  “We have a centralized team that selects the national opinion columns for our pages, and they try to select columns that provide a broad spectrum of opinions. That said, the few Heritage Foundation pieces they've chosen over the past couple of years have been met with reaction much like yours. I have expressed the need to rethink using columns from that source, and the editor in charge seemed to share my concern. ​So efforts are being made to avoid using columns with such extreme positions.”

 
Action: Send an email to [email protected]. Please personalize your script:

To: Dusti Demarest Executive Editor of The Olympian, 

I understand you have a centralized team that selects the national opinion columns for The Olympian. I strongly object to your publishing The Heritage Foundation’s article supporting Moms for Liberty: Concerned parents listed with KKK as purveyors of hate. 

What more can we do to persuade you and the editorial powers above you that we do not want hate and lies in our local paper?

[Name]
[Address]

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WA State Actions:

Tell UW to Stop Rewarding Starbucks’ Union Busting

​In Washington, we believe that no matter where we work, we should all be free to organize together for better working conditions, affordable benefits, and to be paid a fair return on our work.

But since 2021, Starbucks executives have been trying to take away that freedom by launching a scorched-earth union busting campaign here in Washington and across the country. The company has committed hundreds of labor rights violations by threatening workers with termination, fewer benefits, and cut wages to prevent us from coming together to demand what we deserve. 

The UW should have a coffee provider who respects our freedom to have a voice in the workplace, and we should have coffee without the disgusting taste of union busting in it. 

The University of Washington has a chance to hold Starbucks accountable, and live their values, by choosing not to renew the contract that makes Starbucks the exclusive coffee provider for the campus. That’s why we’re coming together to demand that UW President Ana Marie Cauce refuse to renew the contract with Starbucks when it expires on June 30th!

Action: Tell UW to stop rewarding Starbucks’ union busting!

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​Have You Scheduled These Events?

Action Cafe 2023, 
Every Monday at Noon

​Chef Lisa and the Action Cafe crew are back! The Cafe is a weekly Monday Zoom noon-hour gathering where OI members meet, make new friends, and take actions together. Every Cafe comes with a side order of live music and a heapin’ helpin’ of good cheer!

Cafe patrons receive an email on Sunday with a sneak-peek at what we'll do at the cafe the next day. On Monday morning, Chef Lisa will send you a pdf "Menu" which has links to the actions we'll take together at the Cafe. 

Action: Register HERE. We will send you a Zoom link and tomorrow morning, Chef Lisa will send your "menu." 

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You Might Also Like to Attend:

Olympia Mayoral & Thurston County Commissioner, District 5 Candidate Forum

Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at 6:30 pm

The League of Women Voters of Thurston County (LWVTC) in collaboration with Thurston Community Media (TCMedia), invites you to participate in candidate forums for

• Thurston County Commissioner, District 5 (6:30-7:30 pm)
• City of Olympia Mayor (7:30-8:30 pm)

The forums will be open to the public, June 21st at 6:30 pm, at Thurston Community Media Studio, 440 Yauger Way, Olympia. Seating is limited. The forums will also be aired on Comcast Channel 77 and live-streamed. Recordings for these and other LWVTC 2023 primary election forums will be available on the Thurston League’s website by the end of June.

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Berry Harvest Celebration

​This event aims to raise funds for the Annual Market Farm to Table Food Drive, supporting local families by providing them with nutritious, locally sourced food for the holidays. All proceeds from the fundraiser will go directly toward this worthy cause.

Background: Berry Harvest Shortcake Fundraiser 

When: Saturday June 24, 11:am. 
Where: Olympia Farmers Market

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Electoral Actions:

It’s Time to Write Letters to Ohio Voters

​Our friends at Vote Forward are asking pro-democracy and civil rights activists (that’d be you!) to write to young, Democratic-leaning women in Ohio to encourage them to vote in the August special election. Ohioans will be voting whether or not to raise the threshold required to pass citizen-led ballot measures from a simple majority to 60%—meaning a future measure could be blocked by a minority, even if it’s supported by a majority of Ohioans.

The possible impacts of this anti-democratic effort to raise the vote threshold for citizen-led constitutional amendments in Ohio—including on issues like abortion access and fair maps—are far-reaching. Read more about why they’ve launched this campaign on their website.

Vote Forward will send these letters on a rolling basis, so as soon as your letters are written, sealed, stamped, and addressed, put them in the mail and download another batch! All letters must be mailed no later than August 1.

So far, volunteers have adopted 37,985 voters in this campaign, 28.4% of the 133,954 targeted voters.

Action: Sign up with Vote Forward to write letters to Ohio voters