Dear friends: We are headed into late summer now, and so much is happening. Time seems to fly, and yet…
I struggle to understand the slow pace of comprehension of the serious challenges that face us. Even more, I struggle to understand the slow pace of embracing the solutions already available.
Our democracy is under threat in ways we have not seen in generations. For the first time, we did not have a fully peaceful transfer of power after a presidential election - one that has, over and over again, been found to be free and fair. The testimony of law enforcement officials before the House Select Committee was absolutely heartbreaking, and terrifying.
Yet, we have millions of folk willing to believe that the election was not fair, that the violence did not happen, or that it was not so bad after all. And too many leaders willing to stoke these lies.
The solutions available to us include the For the People Act, passed by the House, which includes provisions that are widely popular: protecting mail-in voting, preventing gerrymandering, and reducing dark money influence.
Yet, we have 50 senators representing a minority of Americans who are willing to stall this legislation, in order to support state laws that will restrict access to the ballot and lead to single-party rule.
COVID 19, in its new delta variant form, is spiking high levels of infection, serious illness, hospitalization, and death in unvaccinated populations. Research shows that vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious symptoms, but might not stop transmission even in non-symptomatic folk.
We know that vaccinations are safe and effective, and that wearing face coverings is highly useful in slowing the spread. Yet millions of folk find reasons to do neither, and too many leaders and influencers are willing to let them become sick or die rather than support vaccination and masking efforts led by people on the other side of the partisan divide.
Climate change ravages communities all over the globe. Wildfires in the western states sent smoke as far as New York city. Heat domes have led to hundreds of deaths in the U.S. already this summer. In our valley, August arrived with a blanket of smoke.
We know we need to transform our economy away from fossil fuels, to drastically reduce our carbon emissions. We have the ability to invest in technologies for cleaner energy and mass transit; and millions of us have immediate options to reduce usage. Yet every day we witness the digging in of extractive economy behemoths, and the infrastructure bill had to trade off green investment for support from enough senators to pass.
There is no more time to waste. We know what we need to do. For those who are working tirelessly for the change we need, thank you. For those who are still on the fence, now is the time. And for those who still choose to focus on short-term gain of money or power, to sow fear and division, we will do everything we can to ensure your influence continues to shrink.
Our love for our beautiful planet and for one another will keep us going.
Be well, be safe, and take good care.