Read the Full July 2022 Newsletter Here.
“Well, here we are, Mr. Pilgrim, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.”
~Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Dear Readers,
After about 17 non-starts, I’ve realized there’s no way to write this months newsletter without talking about everything, and no way to write it and talk about nothing. Another Independence Day is here and I’m having trouble feeling celebratory after such a massive and devastating failure of government, and of us. How did we allow the worst of us to shape the next thirty years of policy and lawmaking? Political ideology, partisanship, and maneuvering has outdistanced reason, and corrupted the highest court of the land. We could all place blame and list a thousand reasons why, but it doesn’t help us move forward.
“Time makes more converts than Reason.” ~Thomas Paine, Common Sense
In 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense, a 47-page pamphlet reasoning why the young rebellion should sever ties with an antiquated monarchy. By propelling the establishment of a federal government free of tyranny, religion, run by the people and held in protection of the unalienable rights for all its citizens, this little paperback book changed the world and motivated an entire country to take on the hard and incredibly complex job of self-government. It reminds me that our greatness was not built on looking back, on nostalgia, on propping up obsolete systems and ideas, but rather on the foundations of progress, innovation, collaboration, and reason. It's been a long, long fight for equality and freedom for all, and we aren't there yet, but it dishonors the great sacrifices of our past and excruciatingly hard-won steps forward to let the little progress we've made slide backwards now.
“The common people will let it go, oh yes. They will sell liberty for a quieter life. That is why they must be prodded, prodded.” ~Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange
So.. let’s take the weekend. Spend time with people we care about. And then get to work again. Because we cannot continue to make monumental, consequential decisions based on the political ideologies of a few, blind to the erosion of universal human rights. There's a lot to do - poverty, homelessness, gun control, mass shootings, education reform, voting rights, election laws, opioid crisis, affirmative action, climate change, business regulation, healthcare, abortion. Lets read and talk and encourage the people we believe in to get involved with local government and service organizations. We need new, and a great deal more leadership.
“I’m dejected, but only momentarily, when I can’t get the fifth vote for something I think is very important. But then you go on to the next challenge and you give it your all.” ~ Ruth Bader Gingsberg
Wishing you all a Happy 4th and a peaceful July.
Cassie
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