Quote of the Week:“Truth is the final guardrail of our collective democracy, and we each individually control its fate.” — Miles Taylor Final Day for Campaigns:A Short Time Left to Vote for Our Endorsed Candidates The importance of voting cannot be overstated. With that in mind, we would like to thank all of you who voted and particularly all of you who also helped our candidates by phone banking, texting, sign waving, and canvassing. Each of these activities make a difference. They encourage people to vote who had put that ballot aside. And voters and non-voters become familiar with our candidates' names for the general election. If you are in these districts, please vote. District 5 Emily Clouse for Thurston County Commissioner Sarah Tonge for Port of Olympia Commissioner --- District 4 Wayne Fournier for Thurston County Board of Commissioners Fundraiser:
-- District 1 Jasmine Vasavada for Port of Olympia Commissioner Canvassing:
School Boards: Use the following link for information on the school board candidates. Thurston PRIMARY School Board Candidates. Avoid candidates (identified by red flags) who have ties to groups which promote pro-censorship, anti-public school views, who have independently expressed such views, whose campaigns are conspicuously silent on the need for inclusivity, or whose previous public service demonstrates lack of transparency. Federal Actions: Urge Congress to Save Public Media  Last week the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education Appropriations Subcommittee released its draft FY 2024 funding bill, which proposes to eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in FY 2026—a cut of $535 million. CPB is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting and the largest single source of funding for public radio, television, and related online and mobile services. If this funding bill goes to a vote as is, the loss would be next to impossible to replace and could devastate the public media industry nationwide. Here’s what you need to know:
Action: Please send email to your congress people at: Urge Congress to Save Public Media Stop Hospital Mergers The Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission released new merger guidelines to protect the country from mass layoffs, higher prices, and fewer options for consumers and workers. Biden used the example of hospital mergers, which have led to extraordinary price hikes, to explain why new guidelines are necessary. Background New antitrust merger guidelines could have significant chilling effect on healthcare deals Heather Cox Richardson article on Mergers and Acquisitions Action: Click HERE to send your comment to the FTC
Script: I am in favor of the new rules the FTC is promoting. I want consumers to be protected. I especially want you to make sure that when hospitals or medical facilities merge that no services are removed from the facilities, especially reproductive services. I also want you to make sure that there is sufficient competition with respect to the availability of new medical treatments so that the consumer is the one who benefits. A Moment in History:Memorial for Emmett Till and His Mother We just want to share a clip from the signing ceremony recognizing the creation of monuments honoring Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Brent Leggs (Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund) spoke at a ceremony recognizing the creation of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. Each spoke movingly of Emmett Till’s tragedy and his mother’s courage. Moments like these are worth sharing and celebrating. President Biden's remarks, which include the importance of teaching our full history and resisting those who would attempt to sanitize and render impotent its capacity to teach and heal, are particularly timely as our nation and--closer to home, our own county-- deal with attempts to restrict library materials and hobble public school educators from nurturing an environment that is inclusive and offers a truthful, whole approach to teaching history. Action: View a video of the remarks here: Biden signs proclamation for monument honoring Emmett Till and mother Mamie Till-Mobley | PBS NewsHour. Have You Scheduled This Event?Get Ready for the Olympia Indivisible Picnic Sunday, September 10, 2023, at Squaxin Park’s Rose Garden, from 12:00 to 2:00pm It's an Olympia Indivisible all-member picnic and you're invited! Please be part of our All-Member Picnic on Saturday, September 10, from noon to 2pm. We'll meet under the shady Rose Garden shed at Squaxin Park (2600 East Bay Drive NE). Family and friends are welcome! So, how does this work? Bring your picnic lunch and eating utensils. We'll serve iced tea, lemonade and cake to celebrate six years of Olympia Indivisible's pro-democracy activism. We'll also share news about what we’ve been up to and where we are headed. And offer some inspiring opportunities for our members to be a part of! Our Work Pays Off: In our July 23 CTA we asked you to take the action “Say NO to Unnecessary Rating Policies at our Libraries”. Today’s JOLT article, No ‘prejudicial labeling’ of books coming from Timberland Regional Library, reports that the Timberland Regional Library received a total of 142 emails against the idea of a book-rating system and 11 people also spoke against the idea during public comments.
TRL’s Executive Director Cheryl Heywood confirmed that Timberland Regional Library does not condone the “prejudicial labeling” of their books. |
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