Action Alert
It is easy to become profoundly discouraged after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) gutted the Civil Rights Act of 1965 last week. Ezra Levin of Indivisible reminds us of the words of John Lewis, the hero of Selma:
“Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.”
“Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.”
“I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.”
It is worth remembering that Selma took place 190 years after the Declaration of Independence proclaimed “all men are created equal;” 95 years after the 15th Amendment said “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged;” and 75 years after southern segregationists filibustered to death the first federal legislation to protect voting rights in the South. The Revolutionary War itself lasted more than eight years.
Freedom is not fast or easy, nor does it always follow a straight line.
And now, some….
Good news
The Supreme Court this morning temporarily blocked (for one week) last week’s ban on the mailing of Mifepristone. (See item #2 under Things you can do right now.)
The U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to a bill that will allow SNAP benefits to be used to purchase hot rotisserie chickens at a grocery store.
MoveOn projected “F*ck your censorship” (see images) on the FCC building (OK, I laughed).
After almost three decades, Infowars officially shut down this week. And Alex Jones still owes about 1B to the Sandy Hook families. AND, The Onion is taking over the site. Stay tuned!
A new analysis finds that if Dems can flip a few state legislative chambers in places like Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota this cycle, suddenly a path opens to redrawing from 10 to 22 additional House seats in time for 2028. (What’s sauce for the goose…)
Republicans in the House finally acquiesced to voting for Democrats’ bill to fund all of DHS except for ICE and CBP, so the full government is open again. But, see item #1 under Things you can do right now.
A federal judge ruled that Maurene Comey can proceed with her lawsuit claiming she was wrongfully fired from her job as a federal prosecutor. This ruling is not only good for Comey, but could, in turn, bolster a flood of wrongful termination lawsuits against the government.
The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a rule barring senators from trading on prediction markets effective immediately.
A new Texas Public Opinion Research survey finds James Talarico leads both John Cornyn, 44% to 41%, and Ken Paxton, 46% to 41%, powered by leading margins with moderates and independents.
Gov. Brian Kemp made clear that he won’t cancel Georgia’s May 19 primary or rush to impose new political maps on this year’s elections after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act.
Trump’s war in Iran is as unpopular among Americans as the Iraq War during the year of peak violence in 2006 and the Vietnam War in the early 1970’s.
An Illinois commission tasked with investigating Trump’s mass deportation operation in the state last year said it identified multiple incidents in which federal agents should be investigated for misconduct and potential criminal charges.
This month, New Mexico’s Immigrant Safety Act will go into effect, banning state and local governments from participating in federal immigration enforcement and detention activities.
Pete Hegseth confirmed that $400 million in aid to Ukraine, approved by Congress back in December 2025, was released this week.
Employers plan to ramp up entry-level hiring this spring after years of decline, a new survey found.
The White House removed a controversial pesticide measure from the Farm Bill. Thanks to any/all of you who called/wrote about this!
Things you can do right now
1. ICE, Border Patrol, and reconciliation
Republicans are now trying to shovel $140 billion to ICE and Border Patrol through reconciliation — a legislative process that bypasses the filibuster, and thus would allow them to do this without any Democratic votes. The Reconciliation process also means that every dollar that goes to ICE and BP has to come from somewhere, most likely social safety net programs. See here for resources to fight this process.
2. Access to Abortion Pills
Tell anyone who needs to know that they can find information on how to access abortion pills by mail here.
3. Contact senators regarding childcare support
The House just passed two childcare-related bills. First, the bipartisan SEED Act, which would extend the educator expense tax deduction for the first time to early childhood educators so they can deduct the cost of classroom supplies. Second, the Farm Bill package that includes support for rural childcare.
See phone numbers and contact info for Senators here to encourage passage in the Senate.
Send a Mother's Day message to the moms detained in the Dilley Detention Center
These mothers will not be able to celebrate Mother's Day as they usually did. Send them a photo, drawing, or message of support here (by May 10th).
Announcements
Join us for coffee
Friday, May 8, 11 am
C2 Juicery
509 Water Street, Prairie du Sac
Sign up:
Or, just show up! Rumor has it, candidate for Sauk County Sheriff, Ryan Jesberger, may show up!
Monthly ISP Meeting
May 14, 6:30 pm
Sauk Prairie Police Department
640 13th Street, Prairie du Sac
Save the Date: Meet and Greet with Ryan Jesberger
Candidate for Sauk County Sheriff
May 18, 5–7 pm (tentative)
River Arts Gallery, Prairie du Sac
Meet the gubernatorial candidates
The Mazo Muddlers have an exciting series of in-person meet & greet events with candidates for Governor of Wisconsin. This is your chance to hear directly from the candidates and ask questions. See the attached invite. Space is limited, so RSVP if going.
As always, thank you for all you for resisting and do what feels right for you.
