Welcome to Blue 812 News
Here we are again.
Trump was re-elected, and Mike Braun will be our next governor. Republicans run Vigo County (though Democrats have the Terre Haute City Council & the Mayor’s Office!). This newsletter will hopefully help keep you focused, engaged, and sane while we work to keep our country, state, and community together.
1. We need to work together.
No one can fight these administrations alone. We can divide the work and conquer. We can unite to fight back.
2. It’s hard to keep track of what is going on.
The first Trump administration was full of constant chaos. Many of us felt like we couldn’t focus on everything happening. It’s hard to stay on top of everything around us and sometimes hard to get the information we need.
This space is here to help - action items, news, and information. Some of this may be repeated from local, state, and national organizations, but the newsletter aims to be a centralized location to find the most current and relevant information. Please, feel free to contact me with any suggestions or additions to the newsletter!
3. Timely but Manageable
I’m working towards making this a biweekly newsletter, to keep it both timely and manageable. Trump’s inauguration is January 20th, and the next General Assembly will begin on January 8th. Bills have already been filed for the General Assembly (see here on the General Assembly's site.
Also, I am a too-online news junkie, but you, dear reader, are probably a normal person. Let me summarize and disseminate it for you! I plan to use this space for distilled new, pertinent information, and timely actions - petitions and calls for the bills as they are being considered. Let me remind you of the upcoming events in the area.
ACTION ITEMS:
National - President Biden still has a little less than a month in office, and we need to tell him to MAKE IT COUNT! A current focus is ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment We can contact the White House information line to request the President instructor the Archivist to publish the ERA by calling (202) 456-1111
State - The Indiana Democratic Caucus has new leadership going into the legislative session through the power of people pushing back! Read more about it in the Indiana Business Journal
Local - The election has ended, but election campaign signs are still hanging out around town. There’s a particularly egregious Trump sign on 13th Street that was decorated with Christmas lights for the season (on a property owned by an elected cunty official). Interested parties are invited to remind the County Clerk (Brad Newman - (812) 462-3211) that Indiana code 36-1-3-11 states signs should be removed the sixth day following an election. Should you feel your complaint was not taken seriously, a good place to escalate that would be the Indiana Election Commission
more Local - the City Council has several openings for commissions. See the list and find the application on the City’s website
RESOURCES
As an end to this first issue, I want to share some useful resources for contacting our Members of Congress (MoCs). I have heard from some that you are blocked from one (or more) of your MoCs’ social media pages. Here are some other resources that may help you get in contact:
5 Calls (https://5calls.org/ - also an app)
A useful tool to connect you to the government. Includes call scripts and phone numbers. If you have trouble getting through the Washington DC line, try a regional office!
ResistBot (https://resist.bot/)
A chatbot that turns your texts into faxes, postal mail, or emails to your representatives in minutes.
SAVE THE DATE/CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Vigo County Nasty Women is planning a rally on January 18th at the Federal Courthouse on Ohio Avenue. This is a local iteration of the national People’s March. Please attend and bring your friends!
I am happy to include items of interest/events/submissions within reason. Please send details to Blue812News@substack.com
Next issue: January 11th.
(Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to subscribe)