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."

We can't be distracted by muzzle velocity.

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. 

WOMEN IN BLACK WILL HOLD A VIGIL ON THURSDAY FROM NOON TO 12:30 P.M.

AT THE CORNER OF FOURTH AND MAIN.

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.

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

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/

"We've gotta fight back."

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.