WE ARE IN THIS . . . TOGETHER

Dear Fellow Citizens,

I was thinking about this a lot yesterday--we’re in this together. And then I heard Bernie Sanders say this is a speech. Well, we are in this together but we don’t have to be together to be in this.

So, we have cancelled events that require being together for the time being.  But there are still things to do.

POSTCARDING

You can still write postcards to Wisconsin. We will not be meeting. If you want to write cards, please email us. You can either pick them up from my front porch, or we can arrange to drop them off.  If you have stamps, great. If not, we will get some.

Maybe you can’t write postcards, but you can donate money for postage. And this can be done remotely. Can you help us get to $200?  Here’s the link. Click on that and then grab your credit card. 

PHONEBANKING

There is the possibility of making phone calls for candidate Kina Collins. All you’ll need is a phone and know how to get in a google doc.  This can be done Saturday or Sunday. Email us if you want to help.

BANNER DROP, CHALKING, SIGN HOLDING

We can still do appropriate social distancing with these three activities.  I have heard from some of you, but we can use more help.

Chalking can be done either later Sunday evening or very early Monday morning.  The banner drop is for early Monday morning (think rush hour times, although I imagine the traffic will be less than usual).  Also, sign holding at train stations will be in the rush hour time. 

We have some people who have indicated interest, but let me know if you haven’t already emailed about this.

LOOKING FORWARD

We will plan on a virtual meeting coming up in April.  Also, please pay attention to our Facebook page and go to our Facebook page to get the latest news about what we are doing.

Pay attention to your neighbors. See if you can help, especially if these people are elderly.  Some people will experience job loss. I just heard from one yesterday who had been informed she was being laid off.  People who are self employed or have a small business may be hard hit. I know my Airbnb has had several cancellations in the last couple of days, plus the season was already slow.  My daughter who has a catering company has had several events canceled within the last couple of days as well. So we will all be impacted as this crisis builds and continues.

What to do?  Here’s a column in the Tribune today.  Even though I am going to be limiting how much I am out among people, I am still going out. I’m taking a long walk today with a friend. I have been talking on the phone more. I’ll avoid the movie theater but can stream movies.  Hey, I can finish reading a couple of books looking at me sadly from my bookshelf.

Talk to people. Don’t just get mired in social media. Don’t just watch news all the time. Actually talk to people. By phone or in person.

Speaking of the news, I have been appreciating Governor Pritzger’s daily briefings at 5 pm. I don’t know if they will continue every day but go here to track what he has been saying. On the other hand, I am not inclined to listen to the lies and misinformation coming from the Oval Office.

STAY CONNECTED

Don’t let social distancing make you feel isolated. Connect with people. Connect with us.

There are still things we can do. And there will be phone calls and letters and emails to send. I will keep our blog page CALLS TO MAKE updated. I encourage you to check in with that regularly to see what you can do.

And most important. Take a deep breath. Don’t panic. We WILL get through this. Email us if you want to get involved in Monday events.

Hang in there,

Etta

Please email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com if you want to not receive this any more, or if you have any questions.

BE PART OF A DECATHLON

posted by Etta Worthington

"What?" you say. "But I'm ______ years old. I haven't run any track events in __________ years. (Or ever.)"

Well, don't worry. You can still be part of the ten-event push in the last five days before the primary.

 I know a picture is worth 1,000 words, but this image does demand some more explanation, so I'll go through each of these.

1. Sign/banner/button making party on March 12
We'll make banners for the banner drop on March 16 and the Signs at train station for March 16. Also, we will make buttons encouraging people to vote.  These can be worn and given out to people you know (see number 7). This  starts at 6, but drop in anytime until 9 or so.

2. Early voting palm cards.
Hand out palm cards near early voting sites, for Supreme Court Justice candidate Daniel Epstein. There are locations and shifts available in the western suburbs, from March 10-16. Sign up for a shift here.

3. Text for a candidate
This doesn't sound too hard does it? All you need to do is have a cellphone. Well, you'll need a computer too. Indivisible has set up a texting program to support the campaign of Marie Newman, running for Congress in district 3. You can get some instruction and sign up for shifts by visiting this link.

4. Canvass for a candidate
We've got congressional candidates in two districts that are regularly doing canvassing and you can be part of this.
Kina Collins is running for Congress in district 7 and has an office at 7311 W. North Ave., River Forest. There are shifts available Mar. 14, 15 and 16. Go here for details and to respond.
Only slightly further away is Marie Newman's office in Countryside. She's running for Congress in district 3. Go to her website and find out the canvassing events that you can be a part of.

5. Phone bank for candidates
I'm having a phone bank on Saturday, March 14 at 3 pm at my house for Kina Collins. This is old style phone banking. You need a cell phone (and charger). A laptop if you have one.  (I have an extra one and an iPad if you don't.  The lists are on computer.) Come sit in a comfortable space and make calls to prospective voters. It's easy. And you get to leave messages if you get an answering machine. The event listing is here.

6. Writing Postcards to Wisconsin voters on March 14
No, this won't impact our primary but it will have an impact on the April 7th primary in critical swing state Wisconsin. Yes, you can pull yourself out of bed Saturday morning and show up at 10:30 AM for some postcard writing at the Dole Library, 255 Augusta.

7. Tell 5 people to vote
Okay, this one is easy. Everyone can do this. Connect with 5 people--by phone, email, text, or in person--and encourage them to get out and vote.  Here's a bonus. Wear a VOTE button that we are making on Thursday night, and give them out to others who promise to vote.  I will make buttons available to you on my  front porch, if you want them.  Email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com if you want some buttons.

8. Chalking
You can do this in your neighborhood and/or near major train stations or bus stops.

 

I have sidewalk chalks (or you can get your own.  Email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com if you want to be part of this action. We want to cover all of the major train stops in the area.  You can do this on the way to work on Monday, March 16.

9.  Highway Banner Drop
This will be on Monday, March 16. We will be on the Home Avenue overpass over 1-290 in Oak Park. It's a pedestrian walkway, so no traffic to worry about.  We will have one banner for each direction and need two people per banner to hold a rope. Either email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com if you want to be part of this or respond on the Facebook event.

10. Sign holding at train stations
 Hey, you have a half hour or so before you have to go to work, right?  Or maybe you don't have someplace you have to be.  Come hold a sign at a train station. Smile. And encourage people to vote. Either email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com if you want to be part of this or respond on the Facebook event.

Wow!  I'm tired already.  But I won't be if you will join me on at least one, if not more, of these events.  Many of them involve minimal public contact, if you are concerned  about exposure to viruses.

Will you help out? Will you be part of our Decathlon Primary 2020?

Today I Am Sad

posted by Etta Worthington 
 
I am sad.
I am sad today when I read the news that Senator Elizabeth Warren had dropped out of the primary race.

I am sad because . . .
Well, there are a number of reasons.
I am sad because I think she is extremely intelligent and has the understanding of money and the economy that helps her devise plans to respond to challenges in our country.
I am sad because I would like to see Medicare for All.
I am sad because I would like to see student loan debt forgiven and watch the positive impact it has on the economy and on the lives of a generation or two of former students.
I am sad because I believe that her plans will shore up a rapidly eroding middle class.
I am sad because I want to see a wealth tax enacted and a redistribution of wealth (from the top to the lower economic levels, not the opposite).

I am sad because, well, yes, I wanted to have a woman president.
I am sad because she is so clearly qualified to have that job--more so than any other candidate.
I am sad because . . . 
Okay, I am sad because this is the first time, yes, the very first time since 1972 that I so totally believed in the candidate I was going to vote for. The first time since 1972 that I thought the candidate embodied my values.

For those of you who don't remember (maybe you weren't around yet), let me tell you.
It was 1970s. It was the height of the Vietnam War. Young people all over the country were demonstrating against the war. President Nixon was running for re-election.  On May 4, 1970, four Kent State students were shot and killed by members of the National Guard.

And although this may have impacted the anti-war movement slightly, it was still very strong in 1972, and Senator George McGovern from South Dakota, came out on top at the Democratic National Convention and went on to face Nixon. And his platform was unabashedly anti-war. And he campaign for a guaranteed minimum income.

And you know the story. He lost. Nixon won. And what had been suspected all along, that Nixon had engineered a break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters, was proven. What followed included a House Judiciary Committee probe, the Senate Watergate hearings, a Supreme Court ruling ordering the release of tapes of the President in the Oval office. Yes, and the start of impeachment hearings. No impeachment, however, because Nixon resigned.

I am sad today because this is the first time in 48 years that I have believed in a candidate. That I have really believed in the policies and plans of the candidate.
I voted for George McGovern in 1972.  (It was the very first time I was old enough to vote.) He lost.
I was preparing to vote for Elizabeth Warren in our primary March 17. But she has withdrawn from the race.

I am sad.
I am sad but I am going to pick myself up, dust myself off, and get back out there.
I am not going to be one who posts on Facebook that they will not vote for _______ no matter what.
I am not going to even think that.
And I am going to call out people who take that position.

I am sad, but I am going to go back to the pledge I made.

 

I am sad, but I am going to honor my pledge. Will you?