Hi friends,
Do not forget to find time to be joyous and feel gratitude for the freedom you have. That is the lesson of Juneteenth, which I had the pleasure of celebrating with friends at a reading by Kortney Nash at the Lofty Pigeon Book Store.
Photograph by Thai Sanders
I’m going to make my annual pitch for paying into the Fund for Reparations Now. Their website went down yesterday, which was really bad timing. They asked contributors to help get the word out now that the site is back up.
With DEI efforts under attack, it is a critical time to support reparations.
100% of all money paid-in goes to the National African American Reparations Commission, where it is used to directly fund reparative justice projects that bring the 10-Point Reparations Plan to life.
Somehow, even with a Thursday holiday, it has been an exceptionally long week. And if we made space for joy, there has also been considerable opportunity for existential fear.
The same president who withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the landmark nuclear agreement with Iran, is now insisting that Iran must capitulate to the deal he offers.
In a statement to the UN, the Iranian Mission wrote:
"Iran does NOT negotiate under duress, shall NOT accept peace under duress, and certainly NOT with a has-been warmonger clinging to relevance. Iran shall respond to any threat with a counter-threat, and to any action with reciprocal measures."
Our has-been warmonger does not have the authority to declare war under the Constitution. But he would not be the first US president to find a pretense for emergency military action.
Join a candlelight vigil this afternoon for victims of the Iran-Israel War outside Chuck Schumer’s office in Manhattan.
Here’s a repeat action for those who have been concerned about the imminent danger of a wider war.
Demand that Congress stop the US from being dragged into Netanyahu’s reckless and catastrophic war against Iran. This quick action is from Our Revolution.
The threat of world war is not the only existential threat.
Although there is uncertainty about the precise timing, the scientists note that the 1.5 degree threshold is political, and
the finding paints a stark picture. . . . [T]here are certain “tipping points” after which climate damage becomes irreversible — like the melting of the Greenland ice sheet or the collapse of ocean current systems.
The paper says that currently, the world is estimated to have warmed 1.36 degrees Celsius (2.45 degrees Fahrenheit).
The misinformation ranges from industry promoting fossil gas as a “low-carbon fuel” to bizarre conspiracy theories such as that wildfires in southern California this year were planned by officials in order to destroy child-trafficking tunnels.
We need FERC to consider the impacts of rerouting the gas pipeline on water quality, environment, natural areas and communities.
Tell FERC to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline through Virginia and North Carolina! This quick action is from Appalachian Voices.
All that was salvaged of the efforts to reduce future investments in natural gas infrastructure statewide and make the transition to clean energy more affordable is the repeal of the 100-foot rule.
The 100-foot rule subsidizes the cost to consumers of new connections to gas infrastructure if there is an existing hookup within 100 feet.
This rule externalizes the financial and environmental costs of fossil fuel heating to all New Yorkers. Homeowners should consider the real costs as they upgrade their heating systems. The public must not pay the price.
Tell the Governor to sign the repeal of the 100-foot rule, so we can stop paying for expansions to an outdated, polluting system!
Community compost programs keep millions of pounds of organic waste from the landfill and return compost to the community. It is an essential part of the city's environmental goals and zero waste plan.
Call on NYC councilmembers to continue funding community composting! This quick action is from Big Reuse.
We can counter the attacks on Medicaid, somewhat, by supporting local investment in vital services for older people, including funding for senior centers, expanded case management, the fight for food security and more.
Tell your Councilmember to fully fund aging services in the NYC budget! This quick action is from AARP.
The city needs new leadership. There are lots of reasons, but one big one is that Mayor Adams’s first deputy, Kaz Daughtry, 46, has worked with ICE to plan
massive raids on city-funded hotels housing thousands of migrants in Midtown Manhattan.
Early voting continues through Sunday!
It will be hotter on Tuesday than it will be this weekend. Get out to vote early so you can chill at home, work, or a cooling center on Election Day.
with love,
L