We Got The Power!

It's a tricky tightrope walk the oligarchs have to do, making sure they don't steal too much of our wealth and freedom all at once so we don't rise up and take it back. It's easy to forget that we're actually the ones with all the power here. Only problem is we don't yet know it.

They're more afraid of you than you are of them. It's true of spiders, snakes, and oligarchic imperialists.  --Caitlin Johnstone, Manufacturing Dystopia: Notes From The Edge of the Narrative Matrix

We Got The Power!

(Positive affirmations by C.A. Matthews)

Activists can make a difference. 

Some days it doesn't feel that way, but we are aiding all of creation to change for the better.

The victories seem small, but they're still victories.

It doesn't mean we won't continue to see our comrades teargassed, maced, and arrested for simply trying to protect something as basic as our right to clean water.

But each act of resistance builds momentum--momentum we need to keep taking the fight to where it can do the most good.

We've come a long way and don't realize how much we've influenced society and its outlook on many things--such as universal health care and UBI--which are mentioned even in the most conservative of media outlets nowadays.

Who would have thought ten years ago folks would have expressed a favorable opinion on taxing billionaires and laugh at the absurdity of the phrase "job creators"?

Who would have thought indigenous activists could have shut down an oil pipeline?

Who would have thought Confederate statues could be toppled from their pedestals?

Who would have thought that some small bit of justice would be granted in the case of the police murder of Elijah McClain?

Who would have thought that a federal court would overturn the Border Patrol's racist interpretation of asylum laws and consider them unconstitutional?

Yes, there's still much to be done, but we are moving forward, step by step, inch by inch.

But we don't always act like we believe in ourselves.

It's time to put our fears to rest and to step out boldly into a changing world.

Because we don't have any time to waste in this the hottest summer in recorded history.

Because we don't have any time to waste when the Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex is salivating over the next country to drone bomb.

We've got the power... and it's time for us to exercise it before it's too late. 

No one ever said it was going to be easy, but the alternatives aren't worth contemplating.

The best things in life are worth fighting for--life itself is worth fighting for.

Let's truly live before we die.

Activists making a difference this week:

Line 3 Resisters Light the Way in a Battle for Life on Earth https://truthout.org/articles/line-3-resisters-light-the-way-in-a-battle-for-life-on-earth/ 

Indigenous Resistance Blocked 400 Coal Plants Worth of Climate Pollution https://www.rsn.org/001/indigenous-resistance-blocked-400-coal-plants-worth-of-climate-pollution.html 

Turning Back Asylum Seekers Is Against the Law https://immigrationimpact.com/2021/09/07/turning-back-asylum-seekers-is-against-the-law/

Robert E. Lee's Statue is Gone Now. Can We Dismantle the Myth Too? https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/09/robert-e-lees-statue-is-gone-now-can-we-dismantle-myth-too/

As War Keeps Poisoning Humanity Organizing Continues to Be the Antidote https://www.rsn.org/001/rsn-as-war-keeps-poisoning-humanity-organizing-continues-to-be-the-antidote.html  

Think Outside the Protest Box https://popularresistance.org/think-outside-the-protest-box/ 

Occupy Wall Street Turns Ten & The Fight Continues

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From Friends of the Earth:

Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup is still on store shelves at Lowe’s and Home Depot -- but it’s not just killing weeds -- it’s also wiping out pollinators. Take action now.

Glyphosate -- the active ingredient in Roundup -- wipes out milkweed, the only food source for monarch caterpillars. The monarch population in North America has declined by 90% in the past 20 years alone -- as the use of Roundup has skyrocketed. And researchers have found that glyphosate can impede the growth of bee larvae and impact bees’ ability to navigate and find food. 

If you’re concerned about monarchs, bees, and other pollinators, demand Home Depot and Lowe’s get Roundup off store shelves!

Help save bees and butterflies. Tell Home Depot and Lowe’s to stop selling Roundup now.

Sign Now

Glyphosate harms bees, monarchs and many other species. The EPA found that there are few endangered species that can evade its toxic impacts. 93% of endangered species are at risk of being harmed or killed by this toxic chemical!

This toxic weedkiller is also putting our health at risk -- it’s been linked to cancer, hormone disruption, fatty liver disease, shortened pregnancy, decreased sperm function, and disruption of the gut microbiome.

But Lowe’s and Home Depot are ignoring science -- all for profit.

Endangered species need your help. Send a message to Lowe’s and Home Depot. Protect our planet from glyphosate.

Demand Home Depot and Lowe’s protect endangered species from toxic pesticides!

Sign Now

If these garden retail giants remove Roundup from their store shelves and online, it would send a powerful message to Bayer-Monsanto.

Lowe’s and Home Depot could be leaders in protecting pollinators from toxic pesticides. But we need your help, C.A., to push these companies to stop selling Roundup!

We know these companies listen to people power -- they committed to stop selling plants grown with bee-killing neonic pesticides in response to activists like you. Now, we need your help once more to demand they stop the sale of Roundup.

For the sake of pollinators, urge Lowe’s and Home Depot to stop selling Roundup!

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From Center for Biological Diversity:

The climate emergency is here. It's in the wrath of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana and New York, more destructive wildfires in California, and a devastating cold snap in Texas. Rising temperatures and extreme weather events are hitting low-income communities hardest and devastating wildlife and ecosystems. The time for bold action is now.

Join the People vs. Fossil Fuels protests for climate justice at the White House this October 11-15.

We can't avoid the most catastrophic effects of climate change unless we rapidly transition from fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal to clean, renewable energy. 

Despite decades of advocacy, our elected leaders have failed to stop the fossil fuel projects that are causing the climate emergency. The course of history won't change unless we change it. 

Community leaders are calling people to take action at the White House this October — and consider joining in nonviolent civil disobedience. Together, we'll demand President Biden reject fossil fuel projects and declare a climate emergency to launch a just, renewable energy revolution.

Join us in D.C. to fight for our climate future.

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My family crossed the border on my brother’s 14th birthday, May 24, 1999. I could list the many reasons why my parents felt the only option to give us a safe future was to migrate to the United States with their four small children, but it would be a very long list. What I can tell you is this: After 22 years, I can say with certainty that this country is my home. It’s the only home for many ‘DREAMERS’ who are now young adults trying to give back and build a permanent home without fear of losing it.

We have a real chance at passing citizenship this year. Will you join me in supporting it?

At four years old, I did not know the difference between myself and my new neighbors. My family, and millions of families like mine, have been members of our communities in every way but on paper. But we haven’t given up because along the way I have met compassionate people, like you, who care about doing what’s right and who value our humanity. 

Citizenship for many means not having to fear being separated from their families. It means that children can expect their parents to come home after work without fear of them being detained on the way home. The majority of Americans support a pathway to citizenship for people who came here as children and for families who have been here for decades, like mine.

Will you send a message to your congress member to support a pathway to citizenship?

I remain hopeful, despite the many failed attempts to create a path to citizenship that I’ve witnessed over the years, not because of who is in office, but because I’ve been surrounded by people who give me hope there is a better future ahead, a kinder one. 

Next week, we expect Congress to move a little closer to creating a pathway to citizenship in the reconciliation process. For some, it will come down to the numbers. But for millions of us, it will mean our stories, our struggles, will be worth it. 

I hope you will join me in this fight. We need your voice now more than ever.

Thanks for taking action,
Citlaly Mora, Communications Manager
Families Belong Together