It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up. ~Babe Ruth
Yesterday should have been a celebration.
Roe would have been 51 years old.
Instead, it was a day to contemplate all that we’ve lost … and what we are to do about it. It made me think back to the night the Dobbs decision was officially released.
It was a Friday night, and as I tried to walk off (or maybe walk with) my anger and anguish, somehow my brain dribbled off to a particular episode of Stranger Things.
Strange, I know.
Who knows how or why minds do what they do.
But, there I was. Walking a little aimlessly, thinking about my favorite character in Stranger Things – Jim Hopper. Hopper was the Hawkinsville, Indiana Chief of Police, but in a prior season was captured by Russians and has been “living” (if you can call it that) in a Russian gulag.
After a nearly-successful escape attempt, Hopper is thrown into an even worse situation.
He and a few fellow prisoners have to fight a demogorgon (a pretty terrifying monster from the Stranger Things underworld), gladiator-style. For anyone who’s seen the monster in action, it’s doubtful any of them will last more than 90 seconds.
Hopper, of course, has seen the monster in action before.
So Hop knows his situation is dire. Maybe even hopeless.
He’s got no way out.
But he does have a choice.
He can spend his last day reflecting on his life. Mourning the loss of a future. Dreading demise.
Or he can spend it actively finding a way out of this desperate situation.
The question, as he puts it to a fellow prisoner, is whether to just give up and die – or to die as a monster slayer.
Because the reality, as bleak as it is, is that if he is to have even a .001% chance of surviving, he’s got to fight.
He devises a plan – he’ll use the only weapon he’s ever seen used effectively against a demogorgon: fire. With a stolen lighter and liquor smuggled into “the arena,” he’s got a shot. Maybe.
He’s hopeful. We’re hopeful.
Hop lashes a piece of fabric torn from his threadbare coat onto the tip of a spear. He douses it with vodka, and pulls out the lighter to set it aflame.
Click. The lighter won’t strike. Click. Click. Click.
His eyes get more frantic. The monster is literally chewing through other prisoners around him.
He doesn’t lose focus. And he doesn’t lose hope. He keeps trying the lighter. Again, and again, and again, and again –
Finally, it catches.
The monster is horrifying. But, at least temporarily, held back by the flame.
Because even when all looked lost, Hopper kept trying.
There are more obstacles, of course – how to get out of the arena, and if that’s possible, how to get out of the fortress-like prison.
But this fight scene is what was playing out in my head on that Friday night, because after months (or years? we don’t know) of being imprisoned, worked nearly to death, malnourished, and tortured … he was now in his most hopeless and dangerous situation.
And still, he kept trying. Just one foot in front of the other.
Actively deciding, after each setback, to keep going.
I admire this seemingly endless reservoir of resilience.
Over time, that level of resilience and internal motivation is tough to beat.
That’s the resilience we need to tap into.
There are plenty of reasons you should feel like giving up. I understand, and I feel them sometimes, too. We’ve been fighting for years, decades. We’re tired. The “Exhausted Majority.”
And, depending upon which state you live in, things look pretty bleak right now.
But we have a choice, just like Hopper did when he realized he had to fight a monster. We can just give up already and spend the rest of our lives mourning the loss of our basic human rights and democracy. In a lot of ways, that’s the easier path.
Or we can fight like we mean it – wherever we can, as hard as we can, for as long as we can. We can actively decide to keep going, no matter what setbacks we face. And we can go out proud, knowing that we gave it everything we have.
You know which path I recommend.
It’s like that clever old quip from Churchill, When you’re going through hell, keep going.
We know that there is a better place than where we are right now, because we’ve seen it and we’ve lived it. It’s not perfect (not by a long shot) but it’s better.
So let’s get (back) there.
The good news is that there’s a pathway. Some states – including some Red States – have already enshrined reproductive freedom into their constitutions. Other efforts are underway. Democrats have outperformed expectations in election after election since Roe fell. The electorate now understands what reproductive freedom means, and why it’s always been important.
We’ve got a long way to go. But we’re making progress.
So on the day after what should have been the 51st anniversary of Roe, let’s celebrate our resilient selves. Let’s celebrate our broader coalition.
Let’s dig deep and make the active decision to keep fighting.
Let’s get out there and slay some monsters.
And let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of January 23, 2024
Congress Has The Power… We Need to Ask Them to Use It
That Trump’s federal trials are not televised presents a significant disinformation problem. It’s been nagging at me for some time that by denying cameras in the courtroom – but providing plenty of space for press conferences on the courtroom steps – we’re giving Trump the best of both worlds. Without recordings to prove or deny whatever Trump says happens in court, he’s able to spread whatever story he wants – and will have a perfect platform from which to spread disinformation.
Last week Joyce Vance, whose Substack (Civil Discourse) is a worthy addition to your subscriptions, provided an excellent summary of a recent congressional bill and how it demonstrates how Congress could ensure Donald Trump’s trials are televised.
The bill, S.3250, was sponsored by Senators John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, and Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat. Its title? “An Act to provide remote access to court proceedings for victims of the 1988 Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland.” (emphasis mine)
The bill does exactly what its title suggests – and, as Vance describes, will “mean that affected people who are too old or infirm to travel to Washington, D.C., or those who are too far away to readily make the trip will still be able to observe court proceedings. Prosecutors at the Justice Department supported the move because they thought it was important for people affected by the crime to see justice in action. …
Apparently, it’s just that simple. Congress can do it if the courts won’t. They can do it in just a couple of months. And while DOJ objected to opening up access to the January 6 case against Donald Trump when news organizations made the request, that doesn’t seem to be an institutional policy that has to apply in all cases. Access to court proceedings is fitting for a serious and important criminal proceeding like the one Donald Trump is charged in. And the same sort of law must be adopted so all Americans can have access to proceedings in the prosecution of Donald Trump.
Like the Lockerbie bombing case, Trump’s prosecution for interference in the 2020 election is of singular importance. Many of the victims—for every American citizen is entitled to count themselves among that group—live too far away to have access to the courtroom in Washington, D.C., where the proceedings will take place. Indeed, the courthouse could not accommodate all of us. But that is no reason to deny access to Americans from across the country. S. 3250 shows us the way. Access to court proceedings is important, and apparently, it’s also technologically feasible. Otherwise, the bill would not have sailed through Congress so easily.
So call your Senators. Write your Representatives. And get a message to Merrick Garland. Ask, or better yet demand, a similar measure for the case of United States v. Donald J. Trump.
…It is more difficult to pass off disinformation about a proceeding that the public has full access to. It is in the best interests of the country to provide it. It must happen here, with Trump. Let’s make it happen.
Indeed! So, let’s take Joyce’s suggestion to heart and – as a first step – call our Senators. Let’s start here, and get a serious effort underway!
Script: Hi, my name is ____ and I’m calling from [zip]. I’m calling because the House and Senate recently passed a bill that would require remote access to courtroom proceedings for the victims of the 1988 Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I agree that remote access to court proceedings is fitting for serious and important cases – like the Lockerbie case, and like the case against Donald Trump. Especially in the Trump case, the American people are the alleged victims and deserve to be able to see justice in action. That’s why I think the same remote access should be provided in the case against Donald Trump, and encourage the Senator to support that effort. What is her/his position?
Students for Biden!
This excellent action came from the newly-minted Director of Youth Engagment for the Biden campaign, so let’s please pass it along to all of the folks in our network who might be interested:
Are you passionate about making a difference on your campus and in your community? This is your opportunity to be at the forefront of change. By signing up, you’ll become a pivotal part of a nationwide network of students dedicated to supporting President Joe Biden’s vision and policies. Receive regular updates, exclusive insights, and the chance to organize impactful events for young voters across the country.
Sign up to join Students for Biden: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-to-join-students-for-biden
Separately, they are looking for paid interns – link for that opportunity is here: https://jobs.lever.co/BFP/d5d334ab-914e-408d-bd66-075bc53f93d7?fbclid=IwAR1pG-VpV_ZfMKITBWbOXRclRkujoEz0Fy3yAPumVm-brp4KD6hRt41eFgg
Demand A Seat Training Application Deadline January 29
Demand a Seat, an Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund program launched in 2021, is training grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to take the next step in their advocacy by running for office and working on campaigns to elect Gun Sense Candidates.
From their description: Demand a Seat is building a pipeline of gun safety candidates by providing opportunities for mentorship, networking and high quality educational training to encourage even more Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action grassroots volunteers and gun violence survivors to run for office up and down the ballot. Since the launch of Demand a Seat, they have provided training to more than 600 volunteers, survivors and candidates for office.
The Spring 2024 program runs from February to June 24. Applications for the Spring 2024 cohort are due January 29, 2024.
Learn more here: https://www.everytown.org/demand-a-seat/#next-cohort
Fill out an application here: https://forms.demandaseat.org/a/application
Missouri Folks: Join Jess Piper, Elad Gross, and David Pepper + Abortion Coalition Reps to Talk Initiative Petitions!
The January Blue Missouri meeting on January 25 at 6pm will feature David Pepper and Elad Gross. David Pepper is a lawyer, writer, political activist, and former Chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party. He’s also the co-founder of Blue Ohio. Elad is a civil rights and government transparency attorney. He served as an Assistant Attorney General until the end of 2016 and represented Missourians in courts throughout the state. He is currently running for Missouri Attorney General.
We’ll also have representatives from the new abortion initiative petition effort to answer questions and explain how we can get involved. We’re looking forward to seeing you!
Join here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUlduuqqjosGtVeH8iO43sNrTqhjJlU_mPZ
WHEW! GO TEAM!
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
If you’d like to sign up to get this pep talk and action list in your in-box each week, you can do that here. Welcome, friend!
P.P.S.: If you want to help support this work you can do so via Patreon at
https://www.patreon.com/smalldeedsdone or via paypal at https://www.paypal.me/smalldeeds
My deepest gratitude in advance.
Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. I read and respond to every email! We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.
Small Deeds Done 