Sewing Circle: Postcards, Comments, Citizen Science
June has come and gone, bringing its by-now-normal crop of hideous SCOTUS decisions. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, no question. Turning to small, concrete actions has helped me regain a sense of control in the current turmoil.
Postcarding
I don’t write these postcards because I favor a single candidate. I write them because up and down the ballot, we get better results the more we can win, and we can mitigate the worst if we lose. If we lose the Presidency, we’ll need the House and the Senate; if we lose a Congressional house, we’ll need governors, state, and local strength. Local candidates through Postcards to Voters, flipping the House through Vote Forward, or general election GOTV through Postcards to Swing States - all of these are excellent choices. Chop Wood Carry Water also maintains a list of postcarding projects, often more targeted to specific demographics or locations.
I have requested another 500 postcards from Postcards to Swing States, and would be happy to send you a stack of 50 or 100. Let me know and I’ll send them over!
In addition, the price of stamps will be going up on the 14th, so get your Forever stamps for letters or postcards now! Order through the USPS store - they even have a postcard-stamp-subscription.
Commenting on the Federal Register
This is one way to have a direct effect while sitting at your computer. These comments are logged and reviewed, and they can have a definite impact on administrative policy. Check out the How-To guide from the Public Comment Project to learn more.
Joining a Citizen Science Project
Citizen science takes the idea of “many hands make light work” to a fabulous extent. There are a staggering number of citizen science projects out there, from tracking bugs in your backyard to helping transcribe revolutionary war records to the wonderfully named Common Loon Project. It’s a great way to make an impact!
SciStarter.org’s project finder offers even more.
The Library of Congress and the Smithsonian both have volunteer transcription programs.
And here’s a few pieces of good news to bolster your resolve:
Thailand just recently legalized same-sex marriage.
The investment in clean energy continues to boom as investment in fossil fuels declines.
There are efforts in Nevada, Arizona, and Missouri to support pro-choice ballot referendums, and they’re gaining a lot of strength.
Good news for fish. Good news for FISH. GOOD NEWS FOR FIIIISH okay I’m getting a little silly.
Still, every bit of good fish…er…good news counts, just as every step, every postcard, every comment helps. Let’s get to work, and remember: You are Not Alone.