Quote of the Week: We had a great night last night [SOTH 3-7-24]. A President of these great United States said things we all needed to hear. What we saw was a fierce defender of our freedoms, a spirited champion of every day people, a determined warrior for progress and possibilities. I rise this morning proud of my President, proud of my party, and very very proud of my country. If you haven’t yet, watch the speech. Read the transcript. Study it, come to understand it all. It is the argument we are going to be taking to the American people this year. And it is a great argument, about a powerful nation, a remarkably good and resilient people, desperate to move beyond this dangerous moment and to find a better path forward here and around the world. –Simon Rosenberg - Hopium Chronicles, March 8, Your Legislative Advocacy Pays Off! Photo Source: Canva The Washington Legislative session is wrapping up and now we are reaping the harvest of our advocacy work. This past week the following bills passed out of the legislature with a “yes” in both chambers and are on their way to the Governor’s office, or are already signed into law:
Action Takers from LD 22 for your outstanding work!  It ain’t over till it’s over: HB 1589, the bill to transition PSE away from natural gas, was amended to let PSE recover the costs of its methane gas pipelines faster and stick customers with higher bills. The Sierra Club is running a campaign to persuade Gov. Inslee to veto the amendment. So is Washington Indivisible Legislative Action. Higher energy prices could have a knock-on effect on the vote in November on repealing the Climate Commitment Act. Federal Actions: Help Finalize Strong Clean Car Standards  Photo Credit: syda_productions Source: From our friends at Earthjustice After years of advocacy from Earthjustice and our partners, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed the strongest car pollution standards ever in 2023. But now the auto industry is pushing the Biden administration to weaken those standards, which would be a major blow to the climate and our health. Transportation is the largest source of carbon pollution in the U.S. and vehicle emissions pose a major threat to people’s health — especially in low-income communities and communities of color. Clean car standards are a critical tool to tackle the climate crisis and reduce dangerous air pollution in communities. President Biden committed to bold action on climate and environmental justice, and the EPA’s proposed clean car standards are an important step forward. Now the administration must finish the job to put the U.S. on a path to an all-electric, zero-emissions transportation future — and to meet President Biden’s goal of cutting climate pollution in half by 2030. The standards are consistent with the EPA’s historic ability to regulate greenhouse gases and set emission standards under the Clean Air Act. Cleaner cars are a win for the environment, public health, and our economy. Strong standards will reduce our dependence on oil, save drivers billions at the pump, and prevent thousands of premature deaths and billions in health care costs every year. They will drive innovation in the auto industry and create jobs building technology that cuts pollution. Action: Urge EPA Administrator Michael Reagan to finalize the strongest possible emission standards for new cars and light trucks. Tell EPA to Ban the Toxic Herbicide Paraquat Now Photo Source: Canva Source: From our friends at Earthjustice Farmworkers and agricultural communities face an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease because of the continued use of a highly toxic herbicide called paraquat. There is broad scientific evidence connecting paraquat exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease and other serious harms. More than 50 countries have already banned paraquat because of those unacceptable risks. But while it is being phased out overseas, in 2021, the EPA reapproved the widespread use of paraquat for another 15 years, and more than 10 million pounds of paraquat are sprayed on fields across the country each year. Now, the EPA has agreed to reconsider their 2021 re-authorization, but their preliminary position continues to understate paraquat’s risks and defends its continued use. Action: Urge the EPA to correct its flawed analysis, to accept the well-established connection between paraquat uses and Parkinson’s disease, and to finally ban paraquat. Biden News Coverage - Age vs Wisdom  Photo Credit: EPA/Shawn Thew / Pool, By: All Over Press We have been concerned with the journalists who have been harping on President Biden’s advanced age vs the significant accomplishments of this wise man. Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer wrote a “pre-analysis” of the State of the Union address under the headline, Biden’s SOTU challenge: Old-man vibes. Unlike the President, this article does not age well. Robert Hubble rebuts their “pre-analysis” and gives his “post analysis” of the actual SOTU event starting with:
Read the entire article here: “No ordinary moment.” - by Robert B. Hubbell Action: Tell journalists to stop being lazy about coverage of the Presidential race. Script: To Leigh Ann Caldwell and Theodoric Meyer regarding your “pre-analysis” of the State of the Union address under the headline, Biden’s SOTU challenge: Old-man vibes. Did you watch the actual event where President Biden presented as anything but an old man. Continuing to call Biden old while ignoring Donald Trump's obvious mental deterioration is not "news". Your "analysis" that an 81 year-old man is old is lazy journalism and disrespectful. Talking about policy differences takes time and effort, for the sake of our country, please do better. Have You Scheduled These Events?Last Chance to Sign up for Town Hall with Sheriff Sanders on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00 pm Olympia Indivisible endorsed and supported Derek Sanders campaign for Thurston County Sheriff. And he won, defeating incumbent Sheriff John Snaza. We continue to be fans of this young Sheriff and follow him on Facebook where we see him both learning from and leading his officers. Sheriff Sanders has offered to report to Olympia Indivisible on his first year in office, and we are happy to make that happen. Join us at this zoom Town Hall on Tuesday, March 12, at 7:00 pm. Please register here to attend. You can submit a question for Sheriff Sanders on the registration form. Free Public Presentation to Focus on Bush Prairie Endangered Species in Tumwater  Photo Source: Port of Olympia The public is invited to attend a rare presentation about the endangered prairie species and their habitat at a Port Commissioners’ Work Session on Monday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m. The habitat for the endangered species includes property owned by the Port of Olympia. The public is invited to attend in person, on Zoom, or by telephone. Michelle Tihri, biologist at the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife will present an overview of prairies and prairie species, such as the Mazama Pocket Gopher, Oregon Spotted Frog, Streaked Horn Lark, and Oregon Vesper Sparrow. She will also discuss the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s management, protection, and recovery efforts for the Mazama Pocket Gopher and the Streaked Horned Lark. For decades, Ms. Tihri has conducted research that has focused on the endangered species located on the Bush Prairie in Tumwater. Action: Attend presentation about endangered species on the Bush Prairie. Monday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m., Percival Plaza- Olympics Room, 626 Columbia Street NW, Olympia, WA 98501, via Zoom, or by telephone 1 253 215 8782, Webinar ID: 822 2857 7847. For additional information contact Shawn Gilbertson, Director of Environmental & Planning Programs for the Port of Olympia. [email protected]  This letter writing event is co-hosted by Olympia Indivisible GOTV Writing Team and The United Churches of Olympia Uprooting Racism Team. Our aim and the aim of Vote Forward is to increase civic participation among the members of historically underrepresented communities. Writing letters to voters is a fun, easy, and highly effective way to strengthen our democracy by encouraging citizens from underrepresented communities to vote. We look forward to seeing you! Action: What: Join us for this in-person letters to voters event When: Monday March 11th, 4:00-6:00pm Where: The United Churches of Olympia How to prepare:
Action Cafe 2024, Every Monday at Noon 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." --- Indivisibles Persuasion to Power Series
Electoral Actions:Text Bank Opportunities Democratic Volunteer Center - Text Bank to help mobilize and register voters in key areas! Field Team 6
Swing Left Organizing Event – Text Bank training with Seattle Supports Democracy is available on Sat, Mar 16, 11:00am - 12:00pm PDT. Comments are closed.
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