September 26th
This headline, New York City Anarchists Too Busy Readying for Book Fair to Make Trouble, brought a much-needed smile to my face. I confess that I have a little trouble understanding anarchists, because I fundamentally dislike disorder (except on my desk). Somehow, the anarchists have organized an online version of their annual book fair, usually held at Judson Memorial Church. If you have time today, check out their live sessions; from the titles, I can divine that anarchists value community solutions and mutual aid, oppose authoritarianism, and appreciate books and art.
Unfortunately, real anarchy threatens the streets of Portland, where the Proud Boys are calling their rally today an effort to “end domestic terrorism.” The governor has declared a state of emergency. While I understand her fear, I have doubts that the Oregon State Police (OSP), which initially denied Portland’s request for assistance because of the difficulty of “polic[ing] an element that is well known to have violent interactions — including the carrying, display and use of firearms.” The OSP is sending masses of state troopers and has been authorized to use tear gas. I don’t hold out a lot of hope for a good day in Portland.
The pretenders to ‘law and order’ have been called out for yet another flagrant breach of the Constitution: a judge ruled yesterday that the acting director of the Bureau of Land Management, William Perry Pendley, served unlawfully for over fourteen months without being confirmed to the post by the Senate.
What are we to do? In addition to voting, urging others to register to vote (I know many of you are already text-banking, phone-banking, and writing postcards), we need to put our money to work: support Steve Bullock in his close Senate race in Montana. As governor, Bullock brought the suit to remove Pendley, a former oil industry attorney, from his position at the Bureau of Land Management, an agency that has been mismanaging almost a quarter of a billion acres of land. Please also support Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in Georgia, Theresa Greenfield in Iowa, and Cal Cunningham in North Carolina.
If possible, avoid grinding your teeth. It won’t help and it will hurt. Plus, it’s better to donate that money to candidates and causes than to pay it out in co-payments.
with love,
L