Hello friends,
Here’s an update on our #PhoneTax Friday efforts to provide support for our friends using Facebook. As you can see from the screenshots below, our engagement and reach increased significantly between our first and second posts, from 1.4K to 3.7K. I take FB’s actual numbers with a grain of salt, but the trend towards increased visibility is believable.
Feb 14: 1.4K Post Reach
Feb 21: 3.7K Post Reach
It’s sometimes difficult to know if one’s efforts have any impact at all. However, I do know that last Friday’s post was shared to other spaces on Facebook, with members urging their friends (who are not members of our LP FB group) to take action. I also saw members share similar messages in other FB groups, promoting discussion and action to large numbers of people.
Our team effort in encouraging action to fight back was definitely successful last Friday.
If you missed seeing some of the feedback from our posts, you may be pleased to know that there have been quite a few reports of high call volumes in some locations. In addition, one comment offered feedback from town hall meetings: “The calls matter. Our senators and representatives want them and use them. Keep the energy up, stay involved”.
A tap after a tap after a tap certainly is power.
We’re all in this together. Thank you all for everything you’re doing.
Thank you for your motivating leadership in this endeavor.
Thanks Libby, I hope you and everyone here know that feedback and your ideas/input are always welcome.
Hello Friends!
This week, I continued redesigning my local Indivisible website, contacted my Senators to urge them to vote against funding the stopgap budget bill (I’m outraged that Schumer announced Democratic support for it), and attended a protest.
I’ve also learned about two actions I plan to take and want to share here:
1)The “Ides of Trump” postcard campaign is a grassroots initiative encouraging individuals to send postcards to former President Donald Trump on March 15, 2025, expressing their opposition to his actions and policies. The campaign aims to inundate the White House with messages, symbolically delivering “pink slips” to convey that his “probationary period is over” and that he is “fired.” https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/3/13/2309922/-Deluge-the-White-House-with-postcards-on-the-Ides-of-March?utm_source=chatgpt.com
2) U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin is encouraging all U.S. citizens to join him this week in filing formal demands for access to their personal data obtained by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Elon Musk. https://jamieraskin.com/doge-privacy-act-requests/
I’m accomplishing less than I’d like due to post-concussion symptoms, including headaches and brain fog; the doc is asking me to limit screen time. Harder than it sounds!!
Did I tell you that I think you are all BAWGs? (Bad Ass Warrior Goddesses) Keep up the good works! Stay strong and seek out joy!!! Today, I found joy in the sighting of my first robin redbreast … a sure sign that spring (renewal) is here!!
Cheryl
Phone tax Friday on Saturday!
I organized another rally on May Day, which was a standout for worker’s rights. 250 folks lined Mass Ave with their signs held high. Lots of first time protesters. I was interviewed on TV! Unfortunately, I’d been sick with bronchitis and wasn’t on top of my game! Oh well.
How’s everyone doing? It’s so hard not to be dismayed with all the insanity … sending you all good vibes.
Cheryl
Wonderful work Cheryl. I hope you feel better soon (I too have been battling a cold but no TV interviews coming my way – congrats on that!) I think it’s been a positive week overall despite the constant stream of “insanity” as you say. We had our federal election here in Canada and I’m so pleased that the Liberals won with a strong mandate. It doesn’t mean we’re exempt from the chaos, economic pain, and internal strife coming our way because of the tariffs etc, but – fingers crossed – Canadian leadership (no matter what the party or province) are on the same page to try and help us all weather the storm. It was other good news in Australia that they appear to have followed suit and rejected the “Megalites” that have infiltrated their Conservative Party with their tr&mpist rhetoric.
I was pleased to see that Maine won its court case against the regime’s planned freeze of school funding.
I also was very pleased to see that the US federal court halted the dismantling of the Institute of Museum and Library Services – I hope between the court and active citizens that the efforts to dismantle yet another important institution are halted or at minimum slowed down. (I’ll plug https://ilovelibraries.org as a resource for all the latest news).
Elbows and flippers up Cheryl. Sending you healing vibes.
Hi Tara!
So, I’m familiar with elbows up, but not flippers! Do tell! I’m so grateful for your kind words. So relieved that Carney was elected and that Australia appears to be headed in the right direction. Holding on to all positive news as the negative is quite overwhelming. I feel like I’m living in a dystopian universe …
Hope you feel better soon!!
Cheryl
Thanks Cheryl, I hope you are feeling better too. Flippers up is a bit of a funny reference/”riff” that has come up about the penguins of Heard and McDonald island being slapped with tariffs and deciding to fight back. It’s not a Canadian cultural thing but I guess people really like our “elbows up” phrase and decided the penguins needed a catchphrase too (some pictorial references in the links below). But I agree, it’s hard to not get bogged down by all the chaotic negative news that just keeps piling on. I have to say I was biting my nails on how Carney’s visit at the WH would go today as every situation at the WH is charged with a negative energy but from what I hear I think it went okay. Please be sure to take care of yourself.
https://www.bookclubfriends.com/2025/04/05/libby-baker-28/
https://www.bookclubfriends.com/2025/04/04/susan-walker-224/
Love it! Thanks for letting me know.