I was going to sit down today and write about all the amazing birds I saw in Tucson last week, but now I’m going to wait a minute. The latest news — these leaked Supreme Court drafts of the Roe v. Wade decision — has cast another big chill over usual life (whatever usual is).
After four years of Dolt 45, after Jan 6 and Covid and Ukraine, it's hard not to feel numb, but action to take, even if you have very little attention or energy at the moment. A little bit of showing up, a little bit of money donated here and there, adds up, and can help make a difference.
Some actions to consider:
Show up! Women’s March is organizing marches nationwide today May 3 and there will likely be more.
Washington DC: 8AM to 8PM at the steps of the Supreme Court
Nationwide: 5PM local time at federal courthouses, federal buildings, town halls, and town squares across the country.
Protect abortion access by giving to the National Network of Abortion Funds
Support Planned Parenthood.
Vote. And make sure others can. Support the ACLU. Write letters with Vote Forward.
Voting rights. It all comes down to voting rights... which Republicans filibustered. Make our votes count and we restore majority rule. Without voting rights, everything is on the table, and the radical minority will win.
"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up."— Anne Lamott
Everyday living these days reminds me a bit of being on the sailboat in the middle of the Bay. I try to pick a point on the horizon and then hold on! Live music dates often serves as that point on the horizon. Sunday, we played at Alameda's new Waterfront Park on Point, part of the former Naval Air Station. Our backdrop was Seaplane Lagoon and the USS Hornet aircraft carrier, now a museum. I wore my orange shirt with “PEACE” embroidered on its sleeves. People danced, cyclists circled, ospreys flew overhead. I didn’t realize until I saw a photo that my shirt was the same color as a life preserver mounted to the railing.