Friday, February 07, 2025
Closure
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Call Day
At a meeting today with staffers for Senators Markey and Warren, the staffers made two concrete asks:
1. Please call or email and share your stories about how the current administration’s actions are hurting or will hurt you personally. The Senators can use these human stories to persuade those on the fence in the Senate to act. (They acknowledged that activism scripts are also helpful, so keep doing that, but human stories are more so.)
2. Please ask your friends and family in other states to do the same, because it will help our Senators increase their number of allies in the Senate.
Use this easy call tool:
Wednesday, February 05, 2025
Of course it's a coup
Ten constituents visited Senator Tammy Baldwin's La Crosse office on Wednesday morning to tell her she and her colleagues must take immediate action to stop the coup. Unfortunately, the office was closed. But the message was left and the group pledged to call. You can call, too using the Indivisible call tool: https://indivisible.org/resource/tell-your-democratic-senator-shut-down-senate-during-trumps-power-grab
Wednesday morning, Yale History Prof. Timothy Snyder posted a new article, Of course it's a coup - miss the obvious and lose your republic. He is not some random anonymous bozo on X, he is a highly respected and credentialed authority on the Holocaust, fascism, and authoritarianism. He writes, "A coup is underway, against Americans as possessors of human rights and dignities, and against Americans as citizens of a democratic republic. Each hour this goes unrecognized makes the success of the coup more likely."
Anchor and White House correspondent Jim Acosta, whose recent on-air resignation from CNN concluded with the words, "I will not give in to the lies. I will not give in to the fear," interviewed UVA professor Larry Sabato (Center for Politics) about the constitutional crisis and the way forward. Sabato warned, "We're at the point where we cannot survive as a Republic if we don't come down to Earth and sanity is not restored to these millions who incredibly believe things that cannot be true and are not true. ... Now, you've got half of the Americans, almost, believing there was massive fraud (and there wasn't) in 2020."
Trump followers, urged on by Elon Musk and an army of social media liars, believe there is massive fraud in government programs that is being "rooted out" by the (imaginary) Department of Government Efficiency.
Power is in tearing human minds to pieces and putting them together again in new shapes of your own choosing.
Several reporters have confirmed that Elon Musk and his team of unvetted hackers have illegally accessed, with edit capabilities, US government systems including, USDA, OPM, HHS, USAID, the VA, Treasury, NOAA, Medicare and Medicaid. Data is disappearing, employees are locked out of their accounts or dismissed, portals are blocked. At NSF, a long list of verboten words, including "women," "genders," and "biases" is being used to flag papers and research projects for possible deletion. Black health workers are being targeted on a "DEI Watch List."
The poem is happening. Don't wait for the last line.
Time to take action. Call, email, show up.
Monday, February 03, 2025
Take Action Wednesday

Wednesday, February 5, there are 50 protests in 50 state capitals to reject Project 2025. There's a march in Madison from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you can, go. Here are the flyers.
Those who can't attend the Madison rally, can certainly call Senator Baldwin's office and tell her to vote no on Russell Vought, Project 2025 author, to head the Office of Management and Budget. Call Ron Johnson, too.
During a Sunday evening action call, Working Families Party, Indivisible, and MoveOn organizers pointed out ways Democratic senators can slow or block confirmations of unqualified cabinet picks and fight back against illegal actions. Former Congressional staffers confirmed that calls and, especially, in person visits have a big impact on Representatives and Senators of both parties.
If you can't go to Madison Wednesday, consider signing up to visit Senator Baldwin's local office instead. Please sign up at this link for details. Look over the list of asks and actions she and her colleagues should undertake to stop the great dismantling.
In the meantime, sign up for the WFP's Swing State Action List.
Sunday, February 02, 2025
Black History Month
Really every month is Black History Month, but while we can, let's make sure this one counts.
Some events and resources:
All month Legacy Family Tree (MyHeritage) Black Genealogy Free webinars
Volunteer to help with this year's Juneteenth celebration. Fill out this form.
Feb. 3 at 5:15 p.m. The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks at the La Crosse Public Library
Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. Forty Acres and a Mule in the Twenty-First Century presented by UNC School of Social Work BHM Research Series (online)
Feb. 7 & 8 Fighting Racism through Sisterhood at the Fransiscan Spirituality Center (must register in advance)
Feb. 8 at 11 a.m. Vigilance: The Life of William Still, Father of the Underground Railroad live streaming from the Smithsonian YouTube Channel (online)
Feb. 10 at 11 a.m. Reconstruction and the Constitution - an Historical Perspective hosted by the National Constitution Center (online)
Feb. 11 at 5 p.m. Pen to Screen: Writing and Telling Black History, A Conversation with Julian Breece and Valerie Maholmes presented by the Association of the Study of African American Life and History (online)
Feb. 12 at 6 p.m. The Story of Us: The Role of the Artist in the Age of Censorship - virtual film premier hosted by the African American Policy Forum (online)
Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. Black Southerners, Segregation Scholarships, and the Debt Owed to Public HBCUs, an online program hosted by the National Civil Rights Museum (online)
Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. Reflections of Ebony at UWL Student Union (get tickets in advance)
Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. Superhero Trivia Night to benefit B.L.A.C.K. at the Rivoli
Feb. 21 at 3 p.m. Black Liberation Across World History hosted by the International Civil Rights Center and Museum (online)
Feb. 22 Black Excellence Celebration at 6:30 p.m. at the Acapella Center (get tickets in advance).
Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. Wingapalooza to benefit B.L.A.C.K. at 300 Second St. S.
Feb. 26 at 5 p.m. The Contested American Past. 1300 Centennial Hall, UWL
Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. Couch Conversation with Dr. Nevin J Heard. UWL Student Union
Support local Black businesses. Support Black farmers. Dismantle White supremacy
Saturday, February 01, 2025
We Choose to Fight
As co-president Elon Musk's team of high school graduates vacuums up all the government's sensitive data, government agencies delete important taxpayer-funded research, and the felon executive orders us all off the cliff, it's time to act.
This Sunday night, February 2 at 7 pm Central, you’re invited to join Indivisible, MoveOn, Working Families Party, and a coalition of other organizations for an action call. During the call, you will hear key movement leaders from across the country as they give us their best strategic guidance on how to take action against the Trump funding freezes.
Register for link: https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/752072/
Transit Equity Days
Lots of people don't drive. Lots! In Wisconsin and many other states, about one-third of residents are non-drivers. In the city of La Crosse, it's closer to 50 percent according to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. For whatever reason--age, health, financial status, climate concerns--millions of people don't drive private cars. Does this mean they shouldn't have access to training and education, work, medical care, shops, services, recreation, social activities, and life?
In 2018, the Labor Network for Sustainability started an event, Transit Equity Day, to highlight inequities in our current system. They scheduled it on Rosa Parks' birthday, February 4, to commemorate her work to end segregation on public transportation systems and the role public transit has played and continues to play in the push for access and equity. Public transportation is a civil right.
In the La Crosse area, sixteen area organizations will host Transit Equity Days, February 2 through 5, to highlight these issues and how they impact local workers, people with disabilities, students, employers, seniors, youth, low-income families, and more. Events will include
- Sunday, Feb. 2 - Story Time on the MTU Bus at 2 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library for kids up to 5 years old.
- Monday, Feb. 3 - Ride with a Guide - learn about a program that pairs volunteer bus riders with new riders to help more people ride the bus. 4:30 p.m. at the Transit Center, 314 Jay St.
- Monday, Feb. 3 - The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks at 5:15 p.m. at the La Crosse Public Library.
- Tuesday, Feb. 4 - Free fares all day on the La Crosse MTU and rides with candidates for city council and mayor (see web site for details)
- Wednesday, Feb. 5 - Free fares on the SMRT bus if you have a TED flyer (printed out or show on your phone).
We can't continue to require people who can't drive or can't afford it to have cars. We can't survive ever increasing greenhouse gas emissions. We have to make changes and that means we have to ask for or demand changes. Help make changes in our transportation system by supporting Transit Equity Days. Visit https://tinyurl.com/TEDLaCrosse-2025 to learn more.
Our system is built around cars, and too often decision-makers assume access to cars when they decide where to site schools or hold meetings, when to host important events, how to use public space, and what projects get the most public funding.
In 2023, the White House noted that "residents who take public transit spend an extra 62.7% of their time commuting and non-White households are 5.9 times more likely to commute via public transportation."
A non-driver from the La Crosse area who wants to attend a meeting in Madison would need three days because of a pitifully inadequate bus schedule for long-distance travel. While the county recently put up $250,000 to beg Delta Airlines to add more greenhouse gas emitting flights to the regional airport, their regional public transit system, the Scenic Mississippi Regional Transit, had to raise fares, the second time in three years, to maintain a bare-bones weekday schedule.
A recent Bureau of Transportation Statistics study found that in households with incomes of $28,261 or less transportation expenses consumed nearly 32% of their pre-tax income. The same organization tracks the cost to own and operate a private vehicle. For 2024, they concluded that the average annual cost is more than $12,000. Systems built around cars make low income individuals pay thousands of dollars in "car dues" every year or lose access to parts of their community.
Get more information and facts at https://tinyurl.com/tedlacrosse-2025.
Friday, January 31, 2025
Feb. 12 - America in Crisis
On February 12 at 5:30 p.m. Central, The New Republic’s Michael Tomasky, Timothy Noah, and Greg Sargent will host a New Year event, America in Crisis: Navigating the Dark Road Ahead in D.C. With the new administration in place, this event will bring together influential political commentators such as Jared Bernstein, Jamie Raskin, Bennie Thompson, Olivia Troye, Mark Zaid, plus more, to explore what we can expect in the months ahead. Live and live streamed from The Atlas Performing Arts Center.
This event is produced in partnership with Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Rachel Carson Council
RSVP: https://atlasarts.my.salesforce-sites.com/ticket/#/events/a0SRk000004TNwbMAG
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Scientists, researchers, doctors speak out
In the past week since Donald Trump's inauguration, the executive branch has placed an unprecedented set of restrictions on federally funded research grants, impacting thousands of academic workers across the country and putting scientific research in the United States at serious risk. These restrictions include pauses on critical research funding, including research on cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, alongside communications blackouts, travel bans for employees, and hiring freezes.
Academic workers across the country are organizing to call on our congressional representatives on Thursday, 1/30, at 3pm ET / 12pm PT to demand these restrictions be lifted immediately.
Any delays and uncertainty in federal grant funding will have dramatic consequences for scientific research and for the American economy. The administration must lift its restrictions as soon as possible and it is up to us, as academic workers, to demand an end to these irresponsible policies.
https://form.jotform.com/250226137228047
Vote February 18
As long as we still can, we have to vote, but first, we have to know who we are voting for. For example, one school board candidate is a "conversion" therapist and one has ties to the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, a right wing legal firm.
The League of Women Voters is compiling a one-stop information site for voters at https://lwvlacrosse.org/content.aspx?page_id=22&club_id=484247&module_id=667501
The Hintgen Neighborhood Association is hosting an informal "Meet and Eat - Talk to Candidates" on Thursday, Jan. 30 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Bennett o'Riley's, 4329 Mormon Coulee Road.
WIZM is planning a February 6 mayoral candidate forum at UW-La Crosse.
The La Crosse Tribune usually has candidate statements though often they are hidden behind a paywall.
Spring elections usually have lower voter turnout, and some voters believe (wrongly) that elections for school board, city councils, and state races are not important. Learning about candidates and voting is the very least we can do while our votes still count.
Meanwhile, the most important race will not have a primary but desperately needs attention, donations, and effort. The race for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice will determine whether or not the state retains its current progressive majority. Judge Susan Crawford is running against Republican Brad Schimel. This is something you can do right now, today that will make a huge difference going forward.
For questions about your voting registration, what's on your ballot, how and where to vote, and much more, visit https://myvote.wi.gov.
From City of La Crosse:
Notice to City of La Crosse Residents
Absentee ballots for the February 18th Spring Primary Election have been mailed to electors who have a request on file. If you requested an absentee ballot, please watch for it in your mail and PLEASE READ the instructions and methods for returning your voted ballot. Remember to sign the absentee certificate envelope and have a witness sign, print their name, and provide their full residential address.
If you wish to receive an absentee ballot by mail for the upcoming election, you can submit your request at myvote.wi.gov. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is Thursday, February 13th.
In-person absentee voting will open on Tuesday, February 4th and closes on Friday, February 14th. Dates, times, and locations for in-person absentee will be posted HERE.
To look up your voter registration, find your polling place, track your absentee ballot and more, visit myvote.wi.gov or contact the City Clerk’s Office.Can the Constitution Keep Pace?
Through the apparatus of the American legal system, the Constitution was designed to be able to change while preserving the promise of justice, equality, and liberty for all. But how can the courts work for change now, as well as over the longer term, to shape a Constitution that is in sync with an ever-evolving nation? A panel of expert legal thinkers explore groundbreaking ideas and arguments designed to address the changing Constitution in contemporary America.
LIVE STREAM 5:30 p.m. (must regi$ter)
David Cole is the Hon. George J. Mitchell Professor in Law and Public Policy at Georgetown University Law Center, legal affairs correspondent for The Nation, and former National Legal Director of the ACLU. Elie Mystal is the justice correspondent for The Nation and the host of its legal podcast, Contempt of Court. Katrina vanden Heuvel (moderator) is editorial director and publisher of The Nation and a frequent media commentator.
Monday, January 27, 2025
Protect Voting Rights - Vote NO on SAVE
From ACLU:
The SAVE Act, H.R.8281, is a direct attack on voting rights, and we must stop it from passing.
This bill would create unnecessary new barriers by forcing voters to show documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, just to register to vote and will require faulty voter roll purges that will lead to eligible voters being disenfranchised. It's a bill based on lies about widespread voter fraud and it threatens to block millions of eligible Americans from voting who lack easy access to these records due to financial or systemic barriers.
Fill out this form to email your Representative and urge them to VOTE NO on the SAVE Act—take action today to protect our democracy and our rights!
If passed, the SAVE Act would:
- Create Barriers for Millions of Voters: Over 21 million Americans lack easy access to the documents this law would require for voter registration.
- Target Marginalized Communities: Voters of color, naturalized citizens, young and older voters, and individuals with low incomes would face the biggest hurdles.
- Increase Erroneous Voter Roll Purges: More frequent and erroneous purges of registered voters, even in some cases voters who have been registered and voted for years.
- Impede Election Administration: This bill imposes significant burdens and costs on state and local election officials—who are already vastly underfunded and understaffed—and imposes criminal and civil liability to their everyday activities.
- Repeat Past Failures: Kansas implemented a similar law over a decade ago that disenfranchised over 35,000 eligible voters before courts struck it down as unconstitutional.
The SAVE Act isn't about safeguarding elections. It's about silencing voters, and we need you to tell Congress to vote NO on this bill. Congress should be expanding our voting rights, not rolling them back.
Learn more: https://act.aclu.org/a/save-act
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From ProtectDemocracy.org - Seven tactics that unite authoritarian leaders:
"CORRUPTING ELECTIONS: The biggest innovation of 21st-century authoritarians has been to maintain the facade of democratic elections while at the same time tilting the rules against their opponents. They do this by suppressing votes and biasing, distorting, falsifying, or even overturning the results — either through capturing the referees (e.g. installing loyalists as election officials, putting pressure on otherwise independent officials, etc.) or by manipulating the electoral rules in their favor."
Friday, January 24, 2025
Black Excellence
From Hope Restores and Black Student Leaders
5th Annual
Black Excellence Celebration
Saturday, February 22 · 6:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Cappella Performing Arts Center
721 King Street, La Crosse
Join us for the 5th Annual Black Excellence Celebration! This event is all about celebrating and honoring the Black community's achievements. We are excited to come together in person to recognize the incredible individuals who have made a significant impact in various fields. The celebration will feature inspiring speeches, live performances, and opportunities to connect with like-minded individuals. Don't miss out on this incredible evening filled with pride, diversity, and empowerment! Hurry and get your tickets to secure your spot at this memorable event!
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/5th-annual-black-excellence-celebration-tickets-1138539876419
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Oppose
Contact your senators and urge them to oppose Pete Hegseth's nomination to lead the Defense Department. Trump's pick would undermine our national security. https://app.sosha.ai/s/G4Ufy2RR
Is Trump trying to kill us?
Last fall, NJ.com posted an article called "Is Trump Trying to Kill Us? Authoritarian Expert Says Yes. Here's How." Read it. It begins, "There are five key areas that authoritarians want to control when they attempt to decapitate a democratic state, authoritarian expert and author Timothy Snyder writes: health, law, administration, defense and intelligence."
And so it begins. As part of its mission to destroy the country, the Trump administration has ordered key federal health agencies to pause all external communications, including communications about research, and funding, meetings, travel, and hiring.
While temporary pauses are apparently common when administrations change, the breadth and lack of information about this freeze is unusual. This Science Magazine article describes the devastating effects this is having on research and planning. "The moves have generated extensive confusion and uncertainty at the nation’s largest research agency, which has become a target for Trump’s political allies. 'The impact of the collective executive orders and directives appears devastating,' one senior National Instotutes of Health employee says."
Many universities, hospitals, patients, and medical trials will also be impacted. "Another consequence of the communications pause, according to an NIH staffer involved with clinical trials at NIH's Clinical Center, is that agency staff cannot meet with patient groups or release newsletters or other information to recruit patients into trials. Another unknown is whether NIH researchers will still be allowed to submit papers to peer-reviewed journals."
Use this tool to see how the freeze will affect our state and contact our representatives and senators to highlight the dollars that will be lost, not to mention the scientists and research, if things don't change immediately. Do they care? Does it matter?
Baldwin: (608) 796-0045
DVO: (202) 225-5506
Johnson: (202) 224-5323
New: Scientists at NIH can’t purchase supplies for their studies after Trump administration pauses outside communications from CNN
And, if that's not enough, other scientists are being instructed to turn in "secret DEI" colleagues. "In a new message distributed on Wednesday, government employees were warned they would face 'adverse consequences' if they failed to promptly report any hidden DEI programs. 'We are aware of efforts by some in government to disguise these programs by using coded or imprecise language,' said the memo, which set a 10-day deadline for information."
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Know Your Rights
The ACLU says, "Regardless of your immigration status, you have guaranteed rights under the Constitution. Learn more here about your rights as an immigrant, and how to express them." Learn more at https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights (If you are not a member of/contributor to the ACLU, consider it.)
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has produced a three-page pocket guide and distributed it in her district. We will probably not get one from our US Representative. Please share.
Teen Vogue has another great idea. Neighborhood ICE Watch groups.
This is from progressive vets association, Sons of Liberty, referencing the National Immigrant Justice Center:
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Contribute to good causes
15. Contribute to good causes. Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life. Pick a charity or two and set up autopay. Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good. - Timothy Snyder, 20 Lessons on Tyranny from the 20th Century
On Thursday, January 23, the Wisconsin Chapter Sierra Club will hold a virtual volunteer training session, the first of the new year and the new era.As the war on our environment and our climate future ramps up, working with an established, proven organization is a way to resist and connect. From pushing back against Line 5 and new fossil fuel development to organizing for better transportation and renewable energy, to defending wolves, rivers, and vulnerable habitats, there's lots of work to be done.
Join the Virtual Volunteer Fair Thursday, January 23 at 6:30 p.m.
Monday, January 20, 2025
Preparing for climate migration
Viewers can submit questions for speakers by emailing events@brookings.edu or via Twitter at @BrookingsGov by using #USClimateMigration.
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Getting through together
From Rebecca Solnit:
Monday morning we are entering a new chapter in this country's history and we are entering it together, with our friends and principles held close and our eyes wide open at 11 a.m. Central time.
I saw how people crashed the night of the election and I'm here to forestall that if I and we can. To enter this era in strength and in solidarity. We'll talk about MLK, democracy, climate, love, action going forward
Come to the livestreamed event instead of doom-watching that inauguration thing, and besides which it's Martin Luther King Day, and we have a lot to say about him and beloved community.King Day Events
Speaker: Dr. Ariel Beaujot, Professor of History, UW-La Crosse
This presentation will explore the history of the Ho-Chunk Nation and their continued resistance to colonization in the region.
Speaker: Shaundel Washington-Spivey, Executive Director and Co-Founder, BLACK Inc.
This session will provide insights into the history and lived experiences of Black Indigenous people in La Crosse and across the nation.
Thursday, January 16, 2025
Saturday in Madison - Peoples March
January 18 at 1 p.m.James Madison Park, Madison
Together, we’ll defend our freedoms against relentless attacks on our communities. We choose solidarity, safety, and each other.
WE SUPPORT:
* Women’s Rights
* Workers’ Rights
* Abortion Rights
* Trans Rights
* Immigrant Rights
* Global Solidarity (Palestine, Lebanon, Congo, Sudan)
* Environmental Justice
* Housing Justice
WE DEMAND:
* No Genocide, No Deportation, No Abortion Ban
* Housing, Healthcare, Union Jobs for All
* Democracy for All, People Over Profit, Workers Party Now
* End Act 10
Program Schedule (Subject to Change)
12 noon Set up. James Madison Park.
1:00 p.m. Rally start
1:30 March start
2:30 March end at State Capitol.
2:30 Rally start
3:30 Rally end