taking action

Climate Movement Monday: on behalf of Alaska

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

It’s been quite some time, but welcome back to another edition of Movement Monday in which we discuss all things climate and take a quick action or two on behalf of frontline communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Today’s post focuses on Alaska. First, if you’re able please consider making a much-needed donation to the Western Alaska Disaster Relief Fund in the aftermath of Typhoon Halong that devastated western Alaska in October.

The remnants of Typhoon Halong brought record-breaking winds and flooding to the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta overnight on Oct. 12, hitting the Kuskokwim Delta coast especially hard. High water, immense damage, and other storm impacts prompted hundreds of people to evacuate from their homes to other villages, Bethel, and Anchorage. In the wake of the storm, one woman was found dead. Two of her family members remain missing.

Evacuating people from storm-damaged communities represented the largest airlift in state history, according to state officials. The storm’s impact prompted both state and federal disaster declarations. Many from the hardest-hit communities don’t know when or if they will be able to return home.

A residential neighborhood of Bethel flooded by the remnant storm of Typhoon Halong on Oct. 12, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Selena Allgiq James via KYUK Public Media)

You’d think we as a species would be more thoughtful about our actions in the face of climate-induced death, destruction, and displacement. You’d be wrong. Because what does this (and every other administration) want to do? Give more handouts to the oil and gas industry. Which brings us to Ask #2 of this post.

Via Earthjustice: please take two minutes to personalize your comment letting this administration know why you DO NOT want them to drill in Alaska’s Arctic. There are SO many reasons this is a bad idea including the fact the federal government is already paying out MILLIONS of dollars in disaster recovery and drilling for oil will only accelerate/deepen the crisis and disasters. COMMENTS DUE BY NOVEMBER 21.

I get that you might be hesitant to write a letter which can feel like screaming into the void. And yet, if we don’t make any noise, what’s the point? Two minutes of time to register your thoughts and opinions. If you need further convincing, scroll through some images of communities in western Alaska that were decimated by that typhoon. Do we really want anyone else to suffer that way? Again, donations gratefully accepted here.

Either way, thank you for reading and your consideration. I’m trying to post here more frequently despite feelings of overwhelm, exhaustion, and grief.

As always, solidarity!

In solidarity with Gaza journalists

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Amidst the non-stop horrific news out of Gaza that our imperial warlords wish we’d ignore, courageous Palestinian journalists continue to document the genocide. Their work is vital. In response to Israel this week demanding the evacuation of 1 million people from Gaza City, the journalists at Drop Site News, in partnership with Unmute Humanity, established the Gaza Journalist Fund: Supporting Journalists Evacuating Gaza City and Surviving Displacement in the South.

Image reads Gaza Journalist Fund Drop Site News, words surrounded by a collage of photos of Gaza journalists wearing PRESS vests

From the email I received:

Gaza is the deadliest conflict zone for journalists in modern history. More than 270 journalists and media workers have been killed since October 2023 (Al Jazeera, Aug 11, 2025; Reuters, Aug 25, 2025). Local journalists remain the last witnesses to genocide. Many now face urgent evacuation from Gaza City and central Gaza to the south. Others are already displaced and struggling to survive without food, shelter, or medical care. Without outside support, their survival is at risk.

This campaign will cover evacuation and survival needs for journalists forced to be displaced from Gaza City and central Gaza to the South. By sustaining them through evacuation and displacement, whether inside Gaza or beyond its borders, we protect both their lives and their ability to keep reporting.

Please donate if you can (any amount is appreciated and donations are tax-deductible). There’s additional info on the donation page that explains how the journalists were identified, how the money will be disbursed, etc. As I write this, the fund has already exceeded its goal but, as anyone paying attention can see, financial support is desperately needed throughout the region. The money will be put toward survival.

In solidarity with Gaza journalists and all of Palestine.

 

On behalf of Gaza: please share your thanks or condemnation

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

Hello, apologies for being absent from these parts. I just returned from a trip out of state to be with my sister who’s dealing with serious health issues and didn’t have the bandwidth to be online. But I’m popping in with an ask (quick phone call and/or personalized email) regarding yesterday’s Senate vote on the two Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block specific arms to Israel (one would have blocked the sale of $675 million in weapons to Israel, such as 1,000-pound bombs and Joint Direct Attack Munition guidance kits used in airstrikes, and the second resolution would have blocked the sale of assault rifles).

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaking on the Senate floor

Every single Republican voted against both resolutions. And here are the names of the Democrats who voted to keep arming Israel anyway, blocking at least one of the resolutions:

  1. Michael Bennett (CO)
  2. Richard Blumenthal (CT)
  3. Cory Booker (NJ)
  4. Maria Cantwell (WA)
  5. Chris Coons (DE)
  6. Catherine Cortez Masto (NV)
  7. John Fetterman (PA)
  8. Kirsten Gillibrand (NY)
  9. Maggie Hassan (NH)
  10. John Hicklenlooper (CO)
  11. Jon Ossoff (GA)
  12. Alex Padilla (CA)
  13. Gary Peters (MI)
  14. Jack Reed (RI)
  15. Jackie Rosen (NV)
  16. Adam Schiff (CA)
  17. Chuck Schumer (NY)
  18. Mark Warner (VA)
  19. Ron Wyden (OR)

PLEASE, take a few moments right now on behalf of Palestinians and contact both your senators. If they voted for at least one resolution, THANK them. If they voted against, SHAME them! Those Republicans and Democrats voted against their constituents’ will — the vast majority in this country oppose U.S. complicity in genocide and forced starvation. Those so-called representatives, those soulless ghouls, are now on the record as being pro-genocide, pro-starvation, and anti-democratic, and they deserve universal condemnation. The tiny sliver of good news is that more senators than ever cast votes against the apartheid state of Israel (Senator Patty Murray here in Washington is one of them!) which shows the pressure is slowly working.

Thank you in advance for using your voice for Gaza and our shared humanity. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free. Solidarity!

UPDATED: Solidarity with California farm workers

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

UPDATE: I just shared the following info with my local mutual aid group and received further info that makes me believe this is not a real strike. I did know the United Farm Workers (UFW) weren’t involved but kinda glossed over that fact because I wanted so much for the farm workers to utilize their leverage. Anyway, here’s a video explaining why this “strike” is very questionable. ALSO, adding a link to donate to UFW workers, many of whom are not working in the fields lately due to fear of ICE.

A friend in Los Angeles (thank you, Steve!) just alerted me to the California farm workers’ strike happening right now (July 16-18) and I’m sharing the info here to encourage everyone to stand in solidarity with the people who harvest the food on our tables. Farm workers are asking us to NOT buy produce through July 18.

Here’s the CBS news report my friend sent which explains the ICE-induced terror being visited upon farm workers (including the tear gas you see deployed against them).  The farm workers’ demands?

  • immediate stop to the ICE raids
  • immediate citizenship for California farm workers due to the vital role they play
  • pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers across the country, especially agricultural and hospitality workers

I also found a short Instagram video from @hip_latina that lays adds other info about this Strike for Dignity / Huelga para la dignidad.

Please join me in solidarity with the farm workers. They deserve peace and dignity.

An ICE-capped mountain of horribleness and the people who refuse to give in

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

Last week’s passage and signing of the they want us dead bill is horrifying on every level so it’s hard to point to one “worst” element, but there’s a case to be made that giving Immigration and Custom Enforcements (ICE) $170 billion is at the top of the list. As a PIC abolitionist (prison industrial complex), I’m horrified by the $45 billion to nearly double the current immigrant detention capacity. Also horrifying is the fact we already have masked people (many of whom, I’m quite certain, railed against masking for public health but are quite happy to don a mask in order to inflict terror) showing up in neighborhoods with their guns, eager to fulfill their white supremacist dreams.

Here’s a video thread from independent L.A. journalist Mel Buer in Los Angeles today: UPDATED INFO BELOW**

from Mel Buer on Bluesky

From Mel Buer thread on Bluesky

These highly militarized and faceless people descended upon a community to inflict terror. Apparently, after Mayor Bass spoke to someone at Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the terror goons packed up and left as people from the community chased them out, shouting their disdain. One participant in the video thread said the goons released mace on their way out. Again, the thread can be found here.

** UPDATE from Ken Klippenstein: Operation Excalibur in Los Angeles Is “Show of Presence” (I don’t know whether to laugh or cry)

This morning I also happened upon Garrett M. Graff’s article Four Fears About ICE, Trump’s New Masked Monster. Reading Graff’s take opened my eyes to issues I hadn’t considered. For instance, he draws parallels with what happened when war criminal G.W. Bush played on post 9/11 fears to double the size of Border Patrol. Spoiler alert: an escalation in violence and corruption. Graff raises four major issues:

1) THE HOW — ICE can’t grow that fast.
2) THE WHO — We should fear specifically who the next 10,000 ICE officers will be.
3) THE WHAT — Funding ICE and CBP at this level marks a fundamental and dangerous shift in the balance of the rule of law and federal law enforcement.
4) THE WHY — Trump’s vast spending increase will coincide with an increasingly lawless administration.

I recommend reading the entire article, not a fun or uplifting read, but vital to our understanding of where we’re at in this country.

If you’ve read this far, you’re probably thinking “Thanks for the doom and gloom, Tracy. What can we possibly do about all this?” Well, it’s true that we don’t have representation that listens to the will of the people (say, for instance, those sounding the alarm that “people will die if kicked off Medicaid so PLEASE DO NOT CUT MEDICAID!”), but we do have each other! And, as Mariame Kaba says, “People are in motion, everywhere.” All around this country, people are organizing for their communities and pushing back against the authoritarians. We are not helpless and the situation is not hopeless. This horrific moment provides room for people to come together to effect change. I guarantee there’s a mutual aid group in your community. (Note: our local group wasn’t on that map so we had to ask around and check bulletin boards.) Yesterday, Zippy and I met with a group here, and I not only left with joy in my heart to have connected with those folks but also a renewed commitment to building community.

I’ve shared this document from Mariame Kaba before–Some Actions That Are Not Protesting or Voting— and encourage you again to check it out for ideas on how you can take action in a way that works for you. I will also reshare this from Garrett Bucks: Thirty lonely but beautiful actions you can take right now.

The authoritarians are trying their hardest to inflict the most damage they can in the shortest amount of time, and they’re counting on us being overwhelmed and demoralized and passive. Instead, let’s keep our hearts soft and squishy, filled with compassion and empathy, and fight together for people and planet.

Please don’t hesitate to send a private message if you have questions, ideas, thoughts, or experiences you’d rather not share publicly. I’m here for you. Solidarity.

In gratitude and grief

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

For 10 months, I felt a close connection to a person in Gaza. I didn’t know their name and they didn’t know mine. That didn’t matter. What did matter was a Palestinian needed help and I was able to provide assistance. Our shared humanity brought us together.

Because Israel targeted (and continues to target) internet infrastructure in Gaza, it’s incredibly difficult for Palestinians to communicate with family, friends, and the world beyond the open air prison in which they live. Imagine not only being under constant bombardment while enduring forced starvation, but also desperately wanting the ability to say one last goodbye. This is why Egyptian writer and journalist Mirna El Helbawi stepped in to provide free esims to the people of Gaza. As explained in that article, “Despite the name, eSIM cards aren’t physical cards at all but pieces of software that act like traditional SIM cards, allowing people to activate a new cellular plan with phone and internet access on their existing phone.”

When I learned about El Helbawi’s efforts via Connecting-Humanity.org, I purchased esims to donate. Several esims were never activated and then one was, and my heart soared! Starting on August 10, 2024, I kept an open tab on my laptop for the Nomad esim site where I could monitor the 10 GB data usage. Each time I opened the tab, I made a silent wish that the data amount had gone down. Day after day, I cheered on the Palestinian recipient, sending thoughts of strength and solidarity. Each decrease in data was proof of Palestinian resiliency. Whenever the data usage reached 7-8 GBs, I topped off the esim, adding another 10 GB that would be ready when the other ran out.

Month after month, I was connected to that Palestinian in Gaza. A student doing online studies? A journalist? Healthcare worker or street medic? Mother of four? Older brother caring for younger siblings? I had no way of knowing who might be accessing the internet but my heart was filled with gratitude for El Helbawi and the other volunteers who provided vital assistance to my Palestinian “friend” and thousands of others while also providing people such as myself a way to make a tangible difference in Gaza.

Today, after 10 months of usage, that Nomad esim expired with 6.37 GB of data remaining. For the past three weeks or so, the usage had remained the same despite me  checking and rechecking the Nomad site. My Palestinian friend used only 3.63 of the 10 GB before the esim quietly expired.

Obviously, I have no way of knowing what happened. Maybe their phone was dropped and damaged. Maybe their phone got lost. Or maybe the genocidal Israeli forces dropped a bomb on their tent or denied them access to life-saving medicine or lured them to a humanitarian aid station in order to gun them down. Or maybe my Palestinian friend got thrown in prison along with the thousands of Palestinians that Israel holds on administrative detention.

I will never know what happened to that courageous and resilient Palestinian who used their phone to survive those many months of horror. My pain of not-knowing is the tiniest fraction of the pain Palestinians endure as their families, friends, and communities are destroyed, and tens of thousands remain buried beneath rubble. I can barely imagine the depth of their pain and trauma.

What is being done to Palestinians is horrific. Full stop. But the damage doesn’t end with the death and destruction that’s been live-streamed since October of 2023. This genocide damages all of us as we avert our gazes and harden our hearts in futile efforts to protect ourselves from the violence and trauma. Israel and the United States and every other genocide-enabling government — whether actively aiding and abetting the death and destruction or merely remaining quiet — are counting on us becoming numb. They are purposely normalizing genocide, ethnic cleansing, displacement, colonialism, and state-sanctioned brutality so that we quit feeling compassion for others. Make no mistake, there’s a direct connection between what’s happening in Gaza and what’s happening in Los Angeles. Israel’s IDF trains ICE and police to use IDF’s brutal tactics.

In honor of my Palestinian friend I never met, I invite you to make a donation to Crips for esims for Gaza  which is “a collaboration between Jane Shi, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, and Alice Wong. Disabled people around the world are raising funds to get as many eSims as we can into Gaza.” This group has raised $2.4 million to buy esims for Gaza. They’re doing good and compassionate work.

Finally, also in honor of my Palestinian friend, I post this image from my yard. While it’s been battered and bruised by the elements, this red poppy still shines bright. It will rise up again next spring. There’s a reason the poppy is the national flower of Palestine.

From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.

On this Nakba Day

/ Tracy Abell / 3 Comments

Hello, again. I’ve been absent from these parts as we continue the many efforts involved in our move to Washington and am looking forward to resuming my WordPress friendships and making more connections with folks in the very near future. In the meanwhile, I can’t let Nakba Day pass without acknowledgement.

I know I’m not alone in carrying the heavy grief that comes from the ongoing genocide in Palestine, a genocide enabled by the U.S. with full support from both Democrats and Republicans. As my son Wildebeest recently said, Palestine is the one consistent bi-partisan effort from our government. Palestinians are considered disposable.

I received the following from MPower Change this morning and while I know it’s bad form to ask for action when I haven’t been engaging with anyone else’s posts here lately, I want to share this information. Anything you can do on behalf of Palestine is greatly appreciated! Solidarity!

Today is a heavy day.

It is Nakba Day — a day of mourning and resistance, marking 77 years since the violent displacement and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Israel. Known as the Palestinian Catastrophe, the 1948 Nakba saw over 750,000 Palestinians driven from their homes and hundreds of villages wiped out. Since then, Israel has relentlessly continued its occupation and destruction of Palestinian land and people. 

On this day of remembrance, here are four urgent actions you can take for Palestine: 

    1. Email your Members of Congress to demand an end to Israel’s blockade on Gaza. Over 2 million Palestinians are being forcibly starved, with over 70,000 children being hospitalized due to severe malnutrition.
    2. Urge Members of Congress to call for the immediate release of Mahmoud Khalil and all others targeted by the administration for expressing their First Amendment rights. We have seen the recent releases of Dr. Badar Khan Suri, Rümeysa Öztürk, and Mohsen Mahdawi — but our fight doesn’t stop. Take action now for those still unlawfully detained.
    3. Tell university leadership to say NO to repressing and targeting students on campus.  Students speaking out against genocide are facing ongoing repression, police harassment, ICE abductions, and the threat of visa revocations. Together, we’ve sent nearly 800,000 letters to university presidents and administrators. They still need to hear from us.
    4. Tell Microsoft to stop partnering with Israel’s genocide. Microsoft’s AI and cloud support are core to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Microsoft workers are boldly calling on the company to stop using their labor to commit genocide and enforce apartheid. Tell Microsoft leaders to listen to their workers, adhere to their own human rights policies, and stop partnering with the Israeli military. 

We cannot stay idle as Israel wages yet another Nakba on the Palestinian people. Take action now — speak out, show up, and demand justice.

In solidarity,

Linda, Granate, Yasmine, Ishraq, and the team at MPower Change

 

Please, one quick action on behalf of students

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

I’ve been focused on stuff related to our recent move and haven’t been active here, but need to share information I received today. Spoiler alert: it’s rage-inducing. My ask? Use the template to personalize a letter that will be sent to 40+ university presidents and chancellors. Thank you in advance for taking two minutes to speak out on behalf of the courageous students who refuse to remain quiet about a genocide funded with their tuition and tax dollars. Solidarity!

Image from Truthout article linked below: Police and FBI agents raid a resident of University of Michigan pro-Palestine protesters in a video posted on April 23, 2025.
safexmich via Instagram

The following is from MPOWER Change:

Yesterday, police and the FBI raided the homes of students in Michigan who’ve engaged in Palestine solidarity, confiscating laptops and phones without making arrests. The Attorney General’s office claims the raids are part of a “vandalism investigation.”1

But even the press is questioning why the FBI would be involved in a vandalism investigation.

At a time when university leaders are finally standing up to Trump’s attacks on academic freedom, with Harvard’s public rejection of Trump’s orders and more than 200 educational leaders condemning “political interference” and “overreach,” many universities are still cooperating with Trump’s tyranny against students, including police raids and abductions.2

Tell the University of Michigan and other schools to protect students and academic freedom.

Despite the violent crackdowns, academic expulsions, and student abductions across the country, the encampment movement is strong and growing.

Students refuse to be silenced, and we must do everything we can to support and protect them.

Even if you have sent letters to university administrators before, please send more.

Trump fears students because they are demanding divestment from genocide and apartheid, and they are WINNING.

Yale students just relaunched their encampment after being forcibly cleared by police earlier this week, coming back even stronger. And their demands are being heard. At Northwestern, students just secured a historic agreement: the university will disclose its investments, establish a committee on divestment, and provide full funding for Middle Eastern and North African student groups.3

Take Action: Tell university administrators and presidents to protect students, not punish them.

From Columbia to UCLA, from Yale to Emory — this is a generation’s most significant wave of student protests. And the students are not alone: faculty are walking out, alumni are divesting, and communities are taking action to support them.

We must do our part as well.

Please take action now: Demand that more university administrators protect their students and reject Trump’s attack on academic freedom and student protesters.

Thank you for everything you do.

In solidarity,

Granate, Zara, Aydin, and the team at MPower Change

P.S. Want to support our work towards justice for all people, and against white supremacy and Islamophobia? Sign up for a recurring MPower Change gift now. 

Sources:

  1. “Activists say southeast Michigan police raids are targeting pro-Palestinian protesters,” Detroit Free Press, April 23, 2025. 
  2. “More Than 220 Academic Leaders Condemn Trump’s ‘Overreach’,” The New York Times, April 22, 2025.
  3. “The Daily Explains: As NU activists accept deal to deescalate encampment, demonstrators at other universities are seeing mixed results,” The Daily Northwestern, May 1, 2024

Learn more from Truthout: FBI and Police Raid Homes of Pro-Palestine Student Activists in Michigan

Call to Action: April 19th

/ Tracy Abell / 13 Comments

Hello, friends. I just had a change of heart regarding tomorrow’s Day of Action and want to share some thoughts. Zippy and I attended our local Hands Off! action on April 5th but because there was no clear “call to action” or visible (to me) organizing happening around it, I told Zippy I didn’t feel compelled to join future protests.

 

I’ve changed my mind and have journalist Laura Jedeed to thank because when I popped into Bluesky, this was at the top of my feed:

I felt called-out. I also knew in my gut that Laura was correct. And that feeling was cemented after reading her entire thread which also points out that optics do matter and how it’s imperative crowd sizes are even larger tomorrow than on the 5th in order to present a visual refutation of Trump’s so-called mandate.  (Go here to read a more fleshed-out version of Laura’s points via her newsletter.) Also? There was nothing stopping me on April 5th from doing some organizing of my own and it’s totally on me that I didn’t come prepared. Tomorrow, I will be prepared!

I’ll have the #TeslaTakedown flyers I didn’t think to bring on April 5th. (By the way, this campaign is having a huge impact and creating real pain for Nazi DOGE-bro Elon Musk: Tesla dealerships are no longer accepting Cybertruck trade-ins)

I’ll have Know Your Rights  With ICE flyers. From the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network (WAISN) site: These flyers explain what to do if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) comes to your door or you have an encounter with immigration officials, what to do if you witness immigration activity by ICE or CBP, and examples of judicial warrants and ICE warrants.

I’m also trying to figure out how to also insert a QR code to the pdf flyer that links to an upcoming online KNOW YOUR RIGHTS / RAPID RESPONSE TRAINING led by WAISN. Doing so is a challenge for this low-tech person, so please share if you have ideas!

Anyway, I hope you’ll consider joining an action near you tomorrow, Saturday April 19th. I’ll be there and promise there will be no eye rolling!

Solidarity! ✊🏾

Signage of the times

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

Here are images from my community’s HANDS OFF! protest yesterday. Apologies for the poor quality as many were photographed from across the street plus I cropped them to remove all identifying features as I do NOT want to further fuel the surveillance state. It was a beautiful day and people were simultaneously upbeat and pissed. There were 1200 of us there, the majority in their 60s and 70s, which is why when the first speaker was introduced, I anticipated the white-haired woman would speak about the assault on Social Security. She did not. I missed much of what she said because I was across the street, straining to separate her words from the sounds of traffic, solidarity honking, and nearby conversations, but I did hear PALESTINE. I also heard GENOCIDE and STUDENT PROTESTERS. While I would’ve welcomed a story about how Trump and Musk’s greed and cruelty are affecting senior citizens, I was so very glad this speaker centered the U.S.-sponsored genocide and the ensuing attack on the brave students leading the moral fight. When I got home and uploaded my photos, I noticed someone behind the speaker with a sign: PROJECT ESTHER IS THE NEW RED SCARE.

These photos are presented in the order in which I photographed them and it feels like the story comes full circle, beginning with a reference to three immigrants recently abducted by ICE and currently incarcerated in Louisiana, and ending with NO TO FASCISM. NO TO FEAR. RESIST.

If you were able to attend a protest near you (and I fully understand it’s much more risky for some than others), please share in the comments.

Solidarity with the millions in the streets yesterday, April 5, 2025!

Standing in solidarity

/ Tracy Abell / 15 Comments

Hello, I’m popping in with three quick items:

  • Update: on Saturday, Zippy and I drove to another Washington community to participate in their Tesla Takedown picket attended by about 170 people with signs and flags and a fierce determination to help crash Tesla stock. I’m told it’s a pretty conservative community but the majority of responses from people driving past were positive: lots of honking, waving, thumbs-up, and peace signs. Spirits were high among the sign-wavers and there was spontaneous laughter each time one of those seriously ugly cyber trucks drove past. I felt even more invigorated by the time we left. PLEASE share your experience if you were able to attend a Tesla Takedown picket near you! (Remember: these pickets are ongoing so it’s not too late to participate.)
  • This Saturday, April 5th, is another National Day of Action as people around the country come together to say HANDS OFF! From Indivisible:

    Donald Trump and Elon Musk think this country belongs to them. They’re taking everything they can get their hands on, and daring the world to stop them. On Saturday, April 5th, we’re taking to the streets nationwide to fight back with a clear message: Hands off! Go HERE to find an April 5th action near you.

  • Lastly, please take 10 minutes for John Lithgow’s reading of “20 Lessons On Tyranny” which is based on authoritarianism expert Timothy Snyder’s book, On Tyranny. Very good information to help keep us sharp in these perilous times.

Thank you for reading and engaging. Solidarity! ✊🏾

Hell NO to Huckabee nomination

/ Tracy Abell / 2 Comments

I’d be hard-pressed to come up with a worse nomination than Mike Huckabee for Ambassador to Israel. The man’s like a walking molotov cocktail, inflammatory and extremely dangerous.

The Senate will hold a confirmation meeting for Huckabee tomorrow and it’s imperative they hear from us. Granted, our many, many calls and emails about other nominations went unheeded as the feckless Democrats rubber stamp the authoritarian agenda, but that doesn’t mean we should stop making noise.

How wrong is Huckabee for the position of Ambassador to Israel? MPower Action just led 65+ progressive, faith, and human rights organizations representing millions of their members across the country, including Justice Democrats, Pax Christi USA, Demand Progress, Our Revolution, and the IfNotNow Movement in a letter to Senators urging opposition to Mike Huckabee’s nomination.1

MPower Action has the receipts on Mike Huckabee:

In 2008, he denied Palestinian identity altogether, stating, “There’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”2 He has openly pushed racist and exclusionary views, disregarding Palestinian rights by supporting illegal settlements, and justifying Israel’s complete ownership over Palestinian land.

His Islamophobic rhetoric is just as dangerous.

Huckabee has vilified Islam, calling it “a religion that promotes the most murderous mayhem on the planet.”3 His words are not just offensive — they incite discrimination and violence, harming Muslims both in the U.S. and abroad.

PLEASE take two minutes to personalize this email letter to your Senators. Extra credit if you call their offices to say NO TO MIKE HUCKABEE NOMINATION! They’re gone for the day so you won’t run the risk of talking to a person, you can just leave a voice mail. 🙂

Thank you in advance for taking action. Solidarity! ✊🏾

 

  1. 65+ Progressive, Faith, Human Rights Groups Urge Senate to Reject Mike Huckabee’s Nomination for Ambassador to Israel, MPower Change, March 24, 2025.
  2. “Factsheet: Mike Huckabee.” Bridge Initiative, November 26, 2024.
  3. “Mike Huckabee calls Muslims “uncorked animals.” HuffPost, August 9, 2013.

Twofer Tuesday: taking action edition

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

Before I get started, I want to share an image from our walk today on a portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail.

I don’t know about you, but I take great delight in this moss-covered stump that reminds me of some kind of velour throne. Full disclosure: I fought the urge to sit on it.

That beautiful walk rejuvenated me and while I’d like to wander forever amongst the ferns and trees, it was time to return to reality. And as you know, there’s a lot going on and so much of it feels out of our control which is why I’m here to share a couple opportunities to take action.

ONE) Tomorrow (Wednesday, March 19th) #TeslaTakedown is holding a mass mobilizing call at 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT that will be livestreamed on YouTube. A link will be sent in the morning.  Register HERE & go to TeslaTakedown.com for more info on the people’s movement that’s making Elon Musk angry and tanking Tesla stock.

TWO) On Thursday, March 20, the American Postal Workers Union is holding a Day of Action as the Postal Service faces the most serious threat in its history as the Trump administration prepares a hostile takeover in order to privatize this bedrock institution! Go HERE to find an action near you (along with LOTS of resources including flyers, talking points, signs, etc). Here’s a sample that includes these FACTS about the United States Postal Service:

Even if you’re unable to participate in either event, please keep talking about what’s happening. As I talked the other day with the truck driver who’d driven our belongings from Colorado to Washington, I realized he had no idea about the many, many ways the unelected billionaire Elon Musk has been wreaking havoc in our lives. We’ve got to educate each other and I kicked myself for not having a flyer I could hand him with all the info from TeslaTakedown. Same goes for the Postal Service. I’m going to have some of these flyers with me so I can hand them to folks as we talk.

There’s a lot going on as they aim to shock and awe us into submission, so don’t feel bad about not being able to help on every front! None of us have that bandwidth. Instead, pick an issue or two that resonate and put some energy into that. Every little ripple we create adds to the tsunami of people-power. Solidarity!

The #TeslaTakedown effect on Tesla stock

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

The other day I posted about the #TeslaTakedown movement growing in response to  Elon Musk’s techno-coup of the federal government. Turns out, people aren’t happy about children going hungry, cancer research halted, National Parks employees getting fired, and veterans losing health benefits (just to name a few acts of cruelty).

The day after Trump’s inauguration, Tesla stock was $424.07 per share. Today? Tesla stock closed at $281.95 per share. This is the best news I’ve heard all week!

Even better, the Tesla Takedown movement keeps growing. Here’s a map showing upcoming #TeslaTakedown events:

Go HERE to find an action near you and to learn more about how the world’s richest man has chosen to spend his days inflicting pain and suffering on the people.

Solidarity!

How to join the #TeslaTakedown movement

/ Tracy Abell / 9 Comments

I’m momentarily setting down my roll of packing tape in order to create a quick post about a growing movement: Tesla Takedown which employs the same Boycott, Divest, Sanctions tactics used to end apartheid in South Africa. Remember, Elon Musk is from South Africa, so it’s especially fitting to use those same tactics to stop his techno-coup here in the U.S.!

UPDATE on 2.27.25: The day after Trump’s inauguration, Tesla stock was $424.07 per share. Today? Tesla stock closed at $281.95 per share.

Image from TeslaTakedown home page

The following info comes from the Tesla Takedown home page:

Get Involved

Take action at Tesla showrooms everywhere.


Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines.
 

Hurting Tesla is stopping Musk.
 

Stopping Musk will help save lives and our democracy.

The stakes couldn’t be higher. No one is coming to save us—not politicians, not the media.

Join us. Sign up to host or find an action near you.

#TeslaTakedown #BoycottTesla

Text MUSK to 51905 to join the fight!

By texting you agree to receive messages from Tesla Takedown.  

______________________________________________________________________________________________
You can find all sorts of good info at TeslaTakedown.com including local protests near you, flyers to distribute, a comprehensive list of all the damage Musk and DOGE have already inflicted on non-billionaires, and links to the coverage these #TeslaTakedown efforts are getting in the press (scroll down for those links).
Let’s hit the Nazi billionaire where it’ll hurt most: Tesla!

In which Garrett Bucks lists “Thirty lonely but beautiful actions you can take right now”

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Hello, friends. I’m just popping in to share this awesome list from Garrett Bucks, the founder of The Barnraisers Project which I attended two years ago. I can vouch that Garrett is ALL about our shared humanity, plus he’s funny and an incredible writer.

Garrett published his list on February 12th and the entire, very long title is actually:

Thirty lonely but beautiful actions you can take right now which probably won’t magically catalyze a mass movement against Trump but that are still wildly important
Why? Because others will see you do them, and it will make it easier for them to take their own (slightly less lonely but equally beautiful) action by your side

Sandhill Cranes, Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge. March 12, 2024

Garrett prefaces his list with this:

I wrote this for people who, like me, have spent much of the past few weeks hoping that somebody else would do something bolder in this political movement. We are downtrodden because we’re full of rage and heartbreak, but the polls tell us that our neighbors don’t share those feelings. We realize we’re seeing something that so many aren’t, but we’re not sure how to bridge the gap. We have wished (appropriately) for bravery from our media, from elected Democrats, from public officials in general. However fair those wishes are, they come with a risk: that we miss the opportunity to be the lonely voice for justice in our own community, the person who makes it a little easier for a second and third and fourth lonely voice to start perking up by our side.

I don’t pretend that all it takes for a social movement to succeed is a bunch of individuals throwing the activist equivalent of spaghetti at so many isolated walls. Nothing I offer here will be enough. And yet, so many of us are waiting for something we can join, which presents a true opportunity to be the first person in your circle welcoming fellow travelers into halting, shaky, earnest action.

Finally, I’m certain that not all of these ideas are applicable to your situation. You’re tired. You’re busy. You’re sick. You don’t have a robust social network. You have anxiety about putting yourself out there. Those are all real. And also, my hope isn’t that every one of these is for you, but that a few might be. And if none fit the bill, what an opportunity: I’d love to hear your idea for what you and others could do.

Enough scene-setting. Here are some ideas. In list form, but there’s a narrative if you’re looking for it. They’re all offered with love:

I’m confident if you read his full list, you’ll find something there that speaks to you. It’s very accessible and guaranteed to spark other ideas in your head. It’s a list worth bookmarking so you can return to it again.

Before I sign off, I want to share a promising development from my own neighborhood: one of the most pro-Trump households on my street had a small Trump sign in their front window (they took down their huge flag several weeks after the election), but today that window sign is gone. Each time we walked past, I’d check their window, wondering when the level of cruelty would exceed their tolerance levels. Well, apparently something in these past days of Trump and Musk’s smash-and-grab actions went too far for my neighbors. The sign is gone. While I wish they’d seen the light sooner, I welcome them to the revolution!

Remember to breathe. Find moments of joy in every single day. Stay hydrated.

Solidarity! ✊🏾

Trump Wants All Palestinians Out of Gaza

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

As much as I’d like to pretend none of this horrifying stuff is happening, I feel obligated to share the latest from Jewish Voice for Peace’s THE WIRE. The article starts with this:

Yesterday, Trump hosted his first foreign leader: war criminal and international fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu. 

As Netanyahu beamed, Trump made the shocking announcement that he expected the 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza would leave permanently (or be removed) — “ending the death and destruction and, frankly, bad luck.” His reference to 15 months of genocide as “bad luck” revealed his posture of humanitarian concern as an obvious farce. 

Please take 5 minutes to read the entire article that outlines the far-Right’s faux concern about antisemitism, including this:

In reality, the far-Right is weaponizing false accusations of antisemitism as a cudgel to both defend Israel’s genocide and lay the groundwork for trampling on all of our fundamental rights and freedoms.

Just look at Trump’s sham executive order to “combat antisemitism,” which would lay the groundwork for deportations of non citizen student activists.

This executive order is pulled directly from the pages of “Project Esther”: the far-Right’s plan to destroy the Palestine solidarity movement. It is a scare tactic: a transparent attempt to shut down criticism of the Israeli government, and does nothing to keep Jews safe.

Criminalizing criticism of Israel — an aim the far-Right shares with Israel’s extremist government and its backers — is the entryway for the Right to completely dismantle fundamental rights and freedoms.

Again, you can read the article in its entirety here. When you’re finished, please go here to personalize a message to your electeds, demanding they oppose Trump’s billion dollar weapons shipment to Israel during a supposed ceasefire. ARMS EMBARGO NOW!

I know they haven’t listened to us thus far, but we cannot stop demanding an end to the genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Solidarity! ✊🏾

Elon Musk now has our Social Security #s & more

/ Tracy Abell / 7 Comments

We’re getting slammed by wave after wave of executive orders, the disappearing of government websites, and cruel policies in an attempt to overwhelm and numb us to the coup happening before our very eyes. The world’s wealthiest person, Elon Musk, now has full access to the Dept of Treasury, despite not being elected to his “DOGE” position. Repeat: MUSK IS NOT AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. Musk and his minions are currently looting federal government infrastructure. This morning, Musk announced they’re shutting down USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development). Fortunately, some Representatives are speaking out. None of this stuff is ethical or legal. And yet, here we are. UPDATES on this POST here

I attended a mass call to action last night with about 50,000 other people.

The immediate strategy is to put pressure on the Senate to stop the confirmation of Russell Vought who is the architect of Project 2025. If Vought is confirmed to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), he will follow through on his promise to “put civil servants in trauma.” That means an end to air traffic control, food and water safety, and everything else we rely on.

It was stressed over and over during the mass call that what is happening is NOT a partisan issue–this isn’t Republicans vs Democrats–this is ALL OF US vs the billionaires. Every single Senator needs to know we need them to fight like hell for the programs and policies that help us.

The strategy is to show up in person at the local offices for your Senators. This map shows where actions have been planned. If you can’t make it in person, CALL and EMAIL YOUR SENATORS to let them know you are not happy with what’s happening. And the Democrats specifically need to know we demand they get a spine. I like to remind mine that the Republicans prevented Obama from appointing a Supreme Court justice because they know how to obstruct. In fact, Republicans distributed a memo outlining every tactic they could use to shut down 2009 attempts for healthcare.

Here’s what Democrats can be doing right now.

But we don’t need to get all wonky in our messaging, we only need to let them know we DO NOT WANT billionaires and tech bros to have access to our personal information. Tell them about the programs you and your neighbors rely on (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, etc.)

Please, make noise! Do not let them overwhelm you with their cruelty. Stand in community with your neighbors. Share information and resources. Don’t stop talking about what’s happening before our very eyes. I added WIRED to my independent journalism post because they’re taking the lead on Elon Musk and his dismantling of the federal government.

Solidarity! ✊🏾

Climate Movement Monday: Bill McKibben on “How We Make Progress Now”

/ Tracy Abell / 4 Comments

Hello! As mentioned, I’ll be scarce around here as I prepare to move out of state (scroll to the bottom of this post for a quick action on behalf of the United States Postal Service), but wanted to share Bill McKibben’s “How We Make Progress Now” today because I think it contains important info, including a list of Trump’s actions in his first days back in office:

The attacks on sensible energy policy have been swift and savage. We exited the Paris climate accords, paused IRA spending, halted wind and solar projects, gutted the effort to help us transition to electric vehicles, lifted the pause on new LNG export projects, canceled the Climate Corps just as it was getting off the ground, and closed the various government agencies dedicated to environmental justice. Oh, and we declared an “energy emergency” to make it easier to do all of the above.

Image by Nino Souza Nino from Pixabay

McKibben continues on to lay out different strategies for the coming years and ends with this [emphasis mine]:

” . . .in the climate movement we have something else going for us. All those years of pipeline fights and divestment battles occurred in a period when fossil fuel was the cheapest way to power a society. That’s no longer true; now it’s Trump and his friends fighting uphill against economic gravity. And they know it—Trump moved so fast to ban new wind and solar—indeed to literally define ‘energy’ to exclude them—because every poll shows they are far more popular than hydrocarbons.

We need to figure out how to leverage those facts in the years ahead—creatively, in ways that make use of our advantage in truth and beauty and minimize our current lack of political power.”

You can read the piece in its entirety here. It’s clear that over the coming years, the climate movement will need to apply different strategies and creativity in our efforts. We need to be fierce, agile, and show up for each other as needed.

On another front, go here to take a quick action on behalf of the United States Postal Service which is also under attack, which would be especially catastrophic for rural communities.

Thank you for reading this far. Solidarity! ✊🏾

Martin Luther King, Jr. on Solidarity

/ Tracy Abell / 5 Comments

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition
was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”

Martin Martin Luther King, Jr. in Montgomery Alabama, 1958.      //       Grey Villet / The LIFE Picture Collection

The above quote is from 1958, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story” and it speaks to our current moment. We cannot remain silent in the face of cruel and inhumane policies. We are all connected, people and planet.

Solidarity! ✊🏾

Block the $20 billion weapons sale to Israel: urgent action needed

/ Tracy Abell / 11 Comments

I’m back again with a request for calls (or emails, if you’re phone-phobic)  to your Senators demanding* asking they support* co-sponsor tomorrow’s vote on the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval. This morning, over 100 protestors went to Capitol Hill (while a large crowd gathered in support outside) to demand Senators stop the $20 billion weapons sale to Israel. Dozens of protestors–faith leaders, plus climate, housing, Indigenous, Jewish, and Palestinian activists–are being arrested. For what? Demanding an end to the U.S. government using our taxes to fund and facilitate genocide. (As I write this, there are currently 7 Senators either co-sponsoring or on record in support of the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval: Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Jeff Merkley, Tim Kaine, Brian Schatz, Elizabeth Warren, Chris Van Hollen.)

Image from US Campaign for Palestinian Rights email

Those courageous people are putting their bodies on the line, so let’s amplify their message and call/email our Senators. (You can also call the Capitol Switchboard operator to be connected with the Senate offices at 202. 224. 3121). NOTE: I’ve summarized talking points farther down this post.

Here’s background info from the Adalah Justice Project:

On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to vote on a historic set of bills to block a $20 billion weapons package to Israel. Sen. Bernie Sanders, along with Sens. Merkley and Welch, introduced joint resolutions of disapproval (JRDs) to stop the $20 billion sale. 

This is the first time in U.S. history that the Senate will vote on blocking weapon sales to Israel. 

Over the last month, the Israeli military has launched “a genocide within a genocide” – a campaign of mass slaughter and ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza are being starved. Essential aid like food and medicine hasn’t entered the north in weeks, and the hospitals are under siege.

According to multiple U.S. laws, the U.S. cannot provide weapons to any country that violates internationally recognized human rights or to any country that “prohibits or otherwise restricts, directly or indirectly, the transport or delivery of United States humanitarian assistance.”

Israel is clearly in violation of these laws.

Not sure what else to say when you contact your Senators to demand ask they support co-sponsor the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval? Here are a few suggestions:

  • A June poll shows the majority of citizens are opposed to sending weapons to Israel (61% of all citizens, including 77% of Democrats and nearly 40% of Republicans)
  • Sending weapons to Israel violates U.S. laws regarding the delivery of humanitarian assistance
  • Rather than the billions for genocide and destruction, we desperately need meaningful action to address the climate crisis which is greatly accelerated by this genocidal siege.

PLEASE take two minutes to contact your Senators (also via Capitol Switchboard 202. 224. 3121) to demand ask they support co-sponsor the Joint Resolutions of Disapproval tomorrow.

Thank you in advance for taking action. I’d love to hear how your calls went so please let me know in the comments. Also? Share this info with family and friends to increase our impact. Solidarity! ✊🏾 FREE PALESTINE!

*After posting, I realized I was deviating from the request I’d received and so changed the wording accordingly. Apologies!

URGENT: H.R. 9495 is back–action needed!

/ Tracy Abell / 12 Comments

Happy Monday to all who celebrate.

Last week we scored a win when H.R. 9495 was beaten back. Here’s a quick refresher on this legislation:

The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, which would empower the secretary of the Treasury to designate any nonprofit as a “terrorist supporting organization” and revoke its tax-exempt status, is set to go before the Committee on Rules on Monday for a hearing that could tee up the bill for a new floor vote. Note: quote from Noah Hurwitz’s article in The Intercept.

As Rep Lloyd Doggett points out today in this video on the House floor,  this legislation would allow the Trump administration to slap a “terrorist” label on any group it considers an enemy, and strip that organization of its tax-exempt status with NO DUE PROCESS. The immediate targets of this bill are pro-Palestinian orgs but as Doggett points out, it  would also be wielded against groups that harbor refugees, Planned Parenthood, hospitals providing abortions, environmental groups, and private universities that allow anti-Trump demonstrations. I will add that the legislation will most certainly also be weaponized against those fighting the 80 Cop Cities currently being proposed and built around the country. Note: when I wrote Climate Movement Monday: on crushing dissent back in May 2024, there were  “only” 69 Cop Cities. ALL of this is connected (as I wrote here). They are beefing up police forces and weaponizing cops in anticipation of the unrest that will increase under the weight of climate collapse and income inequality. Trump will drop the Democrats’ veneer of civility and unleash holy hell on anyone he deems a threat. H.R. 9495 gives him (and other presidents) incredible power.

The bill was defeated last week because the vote happened under a suspension of rules and required 2/3 to pass. The Republicans are bringing it to another vote on Thursday when it will only require a majority vote. Last week, 52 Democrats voted with the Republicans to give the executive office this authoritarian power to deem enemies “terrorist-supporting.” Here are those 52 Dems:

PLEASE read that list. If your Rep is on it, call them to demand they vote NO this week. If your Rep voted NO last week, call them to thank them and to ask that they vote NO again this week. If you’re not sure whether they voted NO (as a number of them didn’t cast a vote), check here to verify their vote, and then call them to demand a NO vote.

PLEASE also share this info with friends and family so that we can flood the phone lines in opposition to crushing dissent!

Thank you in advance for your engagement on this issue. We’ve got a hard road ahead of us and it’s vital we stand together. Solidarity! ✊🏾

Update on H.R. 9495 + busted concrete

/ Tracy Abell / 8 Comments

Good news, people! Here’s the update on last week’s post Defend Dissent: oppose H.R. 9495: 

Last night, the Republicans tried to ram the legislation through via suspension of the rules (which, if I’m understanding correctly, was related to them not having a quorum) and that required 2/3 of the vote. THEY FAILED! By 9 votes. That’s the good news. The bad news is that 52 Democrats voted YES on enabling the crushing of dissent. Shameful. Here’s the list of those Dems:

If your Rep voted YES, please call/email to shame them for that! Many of these Dems spent the election cycle wringing their hands over impending threats to democracy and then voted for fascism. If your Rep voted NO, please call/email to thank them for that vote! (Go here for full tally of votes.) Right after the vote, I called mine (Brittany Pettersen)–whom I’d emailed plus called three times on this issue in an attempt to get her on the record–and left a message thanking her for doing the right thing. She’s a horrible, AIPAC-devoted representative, but I give credit where it’s due. I was fully prepared for her to vote in favor of the legislation and believe she must’ve heard from many constituents on this.

In case you’re interested in more background on this legislation, here’s Rep Lloyd Doggett on the House floor last night pointing out the cynicism of attaching this harmful legislation to legitimate legislation that would provide tax relief to U.S. citizens who’d been held hostage in other countries. By the way, Doggett led the charge on defeating this bill and we owe him a huge debt.

This is a win, but this legislation will be back and we must rally to defeat it every time they bring it up. Solidarity!

And now for domestic news: we’re finally replacing our driveway and walkways that are the original concrete from when this house was built in 1965.

No lie, we had the ugliest, most pitted driveway in the neighborhood. We didn’t mind, except for the jolt of pain each time the snow shovel got caught in a crack. We’ve lived with it for many years and now will have joyful snow-shoveling experiences! Bonus? I don’t feel too guilty about adding more to the landfill since we got nearly 60 years of use out of the driveway and walkways.

Who knew concrete could bring such happiness?