📢 We are now at war in the United States

The strength of a nation is not its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them. - Gene Roddenberry

Image credit: Photo by Laurenz Heymann on Unsplash

The greatest evil is war. 

I do not write these words lightly, and it pains me to say this, but we are now at war in the United States. Before you accuse me of hyperbole, please hear me out.

The definition of war from the Modern War Institute at West Point: “war happens when a society or its leader is unaccountable, ideological, uncertain, biased, or unreliable.” ¹

Unaccountable and Biased

• Supreme Court Justice Alito and his wife fly a 'Stop the Steal' flag at his home in defense of Trump¹ and a ‘Appeal to Heaven’ flag at their summer home ²

• A recording of Justice Samuel Alito saying that the country should return to a place of "godliness"³

• Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has taken in almost 4 million in gifts and disclosed only 27 out 347 of actual gifts taken. ⁶

• Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife, Ginny, coordinated "Stop the Steal" efforts with members of Congress and Trump's White House staff.

• Republican Mega Donor Harlan Crowe has bought and paid for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: luxury trips, a home, schooling for his nephew, and an R.V. 

• In Trump's classified documents case, Judge Aileen Cannon stalled and made numerous incompetent decisions that showed her biases. It was her job to clear up all the legal rules. Yet, She waited almost one year to stall the case and declared that "there are many complicated legal rules and deadlines surrounding the use of classified evidence in public criminal trials that need to be considered." ²

• Members of Congress continue to defy the Jan. 6th select committee subpoenas. Kevin McCarthy, Scott Perry, Jim Jordan, and Andy Biggs have middle-fingered their counterparts' efforts to determine their roles in the January 6th insurrection.³

• Biases against People of Color continue in Congress, as they get less representation than White voters. White people number 59% of the U.S. population, yet they hold 75% of the seats in Congress.

• Biases against Women continue in Congress, as they get less representation than Male voters. Women number 51% of the U.S. population, yet they hold only 28% of the seats in Congress.

• Biases against LGBTQIA+ folks continue in Congress, as they get less representation than cisgender voters. LGBTQIA+ folks number 7.6% of the U.S. population, yet they hold 2% of the seats in Congress.

• Biases against non-religious folks also continue in Congress, as they get less representation than Christian voters. Non-religious folks number 28% of the U.S. population, yet they only hold 12% of the seats in Congress.

• Biases against young people also continue in Congress. The average age of a senator is 64.0, and the average age of a representative is 57.9, leaving young people completely shut out from having a voice in Congress. ⁴

• Former President Donald Trump is a 34-time convicted felon, has 91 criminal indictments⁵ and has been found guilty of contempt ten times. And still a majority of Congressional Republicans support him.⁶

I could go on and on. There are too many biases, and too many leaders are not being held accountable for their actions. Too many people are enabling this. Democracy works better when leaders represent it, and people hold their leaders accountable.

Radical Republicans support troops in many parts of the world but ignore those who stand guard at our Capitol during an insurrection. We spend almost one billion dollars a day defending this nation in a "war on terror," and yet we have crumbling infrastructure with a limited budget for repairs. Children go hungry, seniors skip meds, and countless people die prematurely because of a lack of access to healthcare. Our air and water are polluted, yet those offenders continue receiving tax breaks.

We must hold our leaders accountable to the people's will; if they do not listen, we must do the work to replace them. If you want to complain and take no action for progress, then you are part of the problem and complicit.  

The war for who we are and what we represent is happening now; we are the foot soldiers for justice. 

People Power United members use our words and actions to push back against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! As foot soldiers for justice, I am declaring that if you are not willing to help stave off fascism with your words and actions, then you are part of the problem and complicit. In this war, that makes you an enemy of freedom, and you have chosen the side of fascism.

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain-and most fools do. - Dale Carnegie

At this point in history, if you are not actively trying to promote the best candidate to beat Donald Trump and his complicit cultish sycophants, you are part of the problem. 

"Yes. I know. Biden is not popular and many progressives, including me, strongly disagree with his policies regarding Israel and this disastrous war in Gaza. But, let's be clear. Biden is not running against God. He is running against Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in American history whose second term, if he is re-elected, will be worse than his first. And, on his worst day, Biden is a thousand times better than Trump." - Bernie Sanders

Progress means we inspire people to take action on issues they care about, and they feel empowered to hold their leaders accountable. Bernie's quote reminds us that we can and should do both. 

I have seen your people power, and I ask that you continue to share information and ways for people to take action in our communities. I ask that you join me in taking the Freedom over Fascism pledge and buckle up.

This upcoming week/month is going to be intense, with Trump's N.Y. trial winding down and the Supreme Court expected to rule on several cases that Americans care about. I am grateful that you are here. Keep on making good trouble!

BONUS

• Click here to advocate for a CEASE FIRE in the Israel/Hamas war

• Click here to advocate that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu should not be given a platform in front of Congress

• Urgent Call-to-Action: Click here to jail Trump for contempt of court.

• Don’t see an issue you care about? Friendly reminder to search our website or our Substack for your issue.

Thanks for taking action!

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People Power United Updates

Our group is growing by leaps and bounds! Folks understand that with love in our hearts and hard work, we will reclaim our nation from cruelty, chaos, and confusion. We are having fun making impactful changes in our community! In case you missed it, this past week was busy:

• People Power United became a best seller on Substack! Power to the people! You did this!

• Trump is a Russian asset and a clear and present danger to our rights and freedoms

• Judge Aileen Cannon is incompetent and on her way to becoming an asset for Putin

• People Power United sent a letter to Congress to oppose H.R. 7109, the Equal Representation Act, and any future efforts to ask about citizenship status on the decennial census

• People Power United sent a letter urging leadership in Congress to denounce anti-Black violence and white supremacist conspiracy theories which continue to permeate our public discourse.

• Updates can be found here.

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Everyone deserves to vote and thrive,

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests)

Laurie joining others to drop thousands of petitions off to Congress for reforms to the Supreme Court

People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry! Check out our 2023 recap post to see how impactful our scrappy People Power United group is!​

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People Power United is a group of community members that champions progressive values and power for the people. The 2024 election depends on us, and we are attempting to persuade people to vote for Freedom over Fascism. If you wish to support our efforts, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

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Data disclosure: People Power United does not share information. We use the sign-up information to share current issues, events and calls-to-actions only. We champion progressive values and are a grassroots group committed to increasing voter registration and participation. You are always able to opt-out of any action alerts or event reminders we send, and you are also welcome to unsubscribe if there is no value to you.

1. https://mwi.westpoint.edu/the-five-reasons-wars-happen

2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/05/07/trump-classified-documents-trial-delayed-cannon-florida/

3. https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/19/jan-6-ethics-violations-00074599

4. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47470

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/us-senate-bias-white-rural-voters/ 

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI825221

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/02/07/the-changing-face-of-congress/

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/12/14/about-three-in-ten-u-s-adults-are-now-religiously-unaffiliated/pf_12-14-21_npors_0_0/

5. https://www.npr.org/2024/02/22/1233132273/how-trumps-trials-for-91-felony-charges-in-4-states-could-take-over-his-campaign

6. https://kansasreflector.com/2024/05/19/contempt-has-always-been-trumps-brand-but-it-doesnt-have-to-be-ours