A Christmas Miracle

A Christmas Miracle! 

The Lake Erie Bill of Rights is on the Ballot

Toledoans for Safe Water activists braved the cold rain to attend the Lucas County Board of Elections hearing to see if their citizens initiative would be allowed on the February 26 special election ballot. After months of delays and frivolous "protests", the BoE was forced ("reluctantly" they said) to listen to the will of the people and allow the Lake Erie Bill of Rights on the ballot.

Now the fight truly begins.

Fundraising has begun in earnest to help cover advertising costs to reach the voters. No doubt the deep pockets of the CAFOs and Big Oil & Gas lobby will finance a smear campaign to convince voters that clean water and a clean lake isn't in their best interests.

Here's their latest new release and link to where you can help:

Victory for Lake Erie!
Board of Elections Votes to Put Lake Erie Bill of Rights on Ballot

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 20, 2018
Contact Toledoans for Safe Water
Markie Miller, organizer
Crystal Jankowski, organizer
SafeWaterToledo@gmail.com
419-482-8470

Toledo, OH: On Thursday, Dec. 20 the Lake Erie Bill of Rights (LEBOR) advanced to Toledo’s February 26th special election following a hearing held by the Lucas County Board of Elections (BOE). The BOE scheduled the hearing after a formal protest was filed against the LEBOR by the Columbus law firm McTigue and Colombo on behalf of Toledo resident, Josh Abernathy. Toledo attorney, Terry Lodge represented the resident group, Toledoans for Safe Water, who submitted the LEBOR for placement on the ballot back in August.

After hearing legal arguments from both sides, the BOE adjourned to another room to consult with the county prosecutor. When they re-entered the room, they returned a unanimous vote to move LEBOR forward to the special election, although not without making several personal statements on their views on the LEBOR. Ultimately they upheld the people’s right to vote. 

“Finally, Toledoans will get to vote on whether or not they want to protect the lake and their drinking water. For far too long the people have been silenced with their rights revoked on baseless grounds, and the Lake has never had its rights recognized. Now the people will have a chance to change that,” said Crystal Jankowski with Toledoans for Safe Water.

Prior to the hearing, supporters of the LEBOR demonstrated outside in the rain with signs and visual displays representing the 10,500+ signatures of Toledo residents silenced by the protest of one resident, Mr. Josh Abernathy.

“Members of Toledoans for Safe Water have already been planning our campaign, but will now kick it into full gear with today’s decision”, stated Markie Miller of the group. “If people want to help with the campaign they should contact us at www.LakeErieAction.org.”

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Your Drinking Water Could Soon Come From Unregulated Rivers and Streams

Sign Now

Clean drinking water is a fundamental human right. We've seen what happens when our drinking water isn't fiercely protected. Corporations will do whatever they want, including dumping toxic runoff. That doesn't only damage our environment, it can also poison the water we drink and harm our health. We need to regulate both the bodies of water we drink out of, and the bodies of water that feed into those drinking water sources! But recently the EPA proposed removing regulations for non-permanent water sources. That means streams, wetlands, and other bodies of water that pop up seasonally wouldn't be regulated. But just because they're not always around, doesn't mean water from these sources doesn't wind up in our drinking water! The change in regulations could impact a third of all Americans. We cannot allow the EPA to put one in three of us at risk of drinking polluted water! Take action today to preserve the Clean Water Act! Sign the petition demanding the EPA protect our water and keep vital regulations intact. Thank you, Ellen B. The Care2 Petitions Team P.S. We need to act quickly to protect our drinking water from pollution. Sign the petition today to keep vital clean water regulations in place!

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Dear Friends, The government shuts down upon threats of a wall. A child dies in the custody of U.S. officials at the border. The President orders sudden troop withdrawals that provoke global instability. All this took place in the last week alone. Some may see the holidays as a time to retreat from the cascade of crises facing our nation and world. We choose to see the holidays not as a time to try to escape but as an opportunity to ground ourselves in joy. Joy returns us to everything that is good and beautiful and worth fighting for. Joy gives us the energy to continue our labors to make a viable life and more just world. Joy comes when we draw our attention to the present moment -- a child's laughter, a neighbor's cookies, a lit candle. In a time such as this, joy is an act of moral resistance. We believe that it is always possible to find joy, even in the midst of grief and outrage, when we come together in community. Just a few days ago, our friend Rev. Katharine Henderson delivered the messages of love and support that many of you sent to the families of the Tree of Life Synagogue in the wake of the mass shooting by a white supremacist. We had collected these letters alongside our partners Auburn Seminary, the Sikh Coalition, and the Sikh community of Pittsburgh. They were delivered at an interfaith gathering in the form of a book that you can read here. Communities like these show us that it is possible to claim life and joy, even in the face of hate. So this week, we send you a song, a sermon, and a piece of news that invite you to open your hearts to all the demands of love — grief, outrage, and joy. May these sources provide nourishment during this holiday. We will be here on the other side to continue the labor with you. #BreatheAndPush - Amy, Melissa, Julianna, Elizabeth, and the Revolutionary Love Team

A SONG: "WE WON'T SLEEP"

Watch our beloved sister and partner Ari Afsar perform "We Won't Sleep" with her Hamilton co-star at TEDx. The song is an anthem of Revolutionary Love -- a full-throated call to joy and resilience in the movement. You can also catch a glimpse of the song at the Chicago Women's March here.

"We won't sleep. They'll try to get us. We goin' reach. We'll reach out for love. We won't sleep. Not till it's over. Even with the blurry eyes, baby we won't compromise."

A SERMON: "BUILDING A NEW AMERICA"

WATCH/READ/LISTEN to the most powerful sermon we have heard this year by our prophetic sister Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR Los Angeles:   "These are trying times, but we must not let exhaustion or cynicism dull our senses. Our history has taught us: either you work to dismantle oppressive systems, or your inaction becomes the mortar that sustains them. Together we must build America anew: fierce, fair, and full of promise, equipped to hold us in all our diversity, complexity and beauty."

A PIECE OF NEWS: "LOVE KNOWS NO BORDERS"

This article in The Nation shares fierce wisdom from our friend and sister Rev. Traci Blackmon who joined more than 300 faith and moral leaders at the border last week to mark the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Rev. Blackmon tells Jesus' story as a way to bear witness to cruelty at the border and declares "love knows no borders." "In an extraordinarily powerful speech near the end of the two-and-a-half-hour service, the Rev. Traci Blackmon, a St. Louis–based minister with the United Church of Christ and a steering-committee member on the Poor People’s Campaign, talked of how the “brown-skinned Jesus, seeking refuge in a foreign land,” would not have been admitted into Trump’s America. How 'his family might have been greeted with tear gas or rubber bullets, or, worse yet, he might have been taken from his mother’s arms.' Blackmon told the gathering that they were 'compelled to show up and guide this country to our moral selves. When laws are co-opted for greed and political gain, and used as weapons of disenfranchisement, then people of faith and of moral character are compelled to resist in the interest of preserving our humanity.'"

Are you one of our #Beloved200? We are over halfway to our goal of partnering with 200 people to become monthly donors and pledge $15/month to sustain our work. Thank you! Our donors receive a thank you gift + will be the first to learn about the work we produce before it's released. If you haven't yet donated, please click here to join us! Click Here to Donate & Join the #Beloved200

The Revolutionary Love Project envisions a world where love is a public ethic and shared practice in our lives and politics. We generate stories, tools, and thought leadership to equip people to practice the ethic of love in the fight for social justice.

Follow Revolutionary Love and Valarie Kaur on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Share this message with a friend! Copyright © 2018 The Revolutionary Love Project, All rights reserved. You are on this list because you have signed up to join us online or have taken action with us at Groundswell Movement. We will continue to send you regular emails that share calls to action, reflections, readings, and tools to practice the ethic of love in an era of rage. Our mailing address is: The Revolutionary Love Project University of Southern California, University Park Campus University Religious Center, Rm 106 Los Angeles, CA 90089

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Have Yourself A Non-Materialistic Little Christmas

Have Yourself A Non-Materialistic Little Christmas
by C. A. Matthews

We've made it through another year. More of our fellow citizens have died due to gunfire, murderous cops and unattended health conditions. More have gone into bankruptcy because of unpaid student loans and medical bills. More of our fellow human beings have been uprooted from their homelands because of war, drug cartels, and climate change. More have been killed by American drone bombers, merciless ICE and Border Patrol agents, and our financial and military support of corrupt regimes intent on genocide.

Ho. Ho. Ho.

It's difficult to feel "merry" when there's more than enough misery to go around, and yet… Yet there is still hope that things will get better. There is hope that we will see that "future to believe in" eventually after a long, hard struggle. We are seeing signs of the people waking up in France and elsewhere as they don their yellow vests and take to the streets to vocalize their dissatisfaction with the status quo.  The people aren't taking things lying down. One can only hope that Americans will do the same. Odds are we will see some similar protests and marches soon.

In the meantime, we have to find joy in the journey we've embarked upon when we decided to follow the progressive path. We have to take comfort in the companionship of our fellow activists. We have to stand the distance and take our lumps from time to time, knowing full well that potential glory could be lurking right around the corner.

Putting things into perspective, we know that money is essentially a fiction of the sick capitalist state and the endless pursuit of material wealth leads to the hoarding of resources of the Jeff Bezos variety. (Watch a Richard Wolff video to learn more.) The military-industrial complex and its sycophants doesn't need any more of our tax money, either!

As we gather with friends and family during the holidays, let us return to the basics and acknowledge what we can do without. We can do without hatred, grudges and jealousy. We can do with more charity, cooperation and generosity. We can do without buying things we can't afford, we don't really want and we don't have any use for in the long run. We can do with more understanding, compassion and courage.

To re-phrase the song Judy Garland made famous in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis: Have yourself a non-materialistic little Christmas. And a revolutionary New Year. Maybe Santa will put a yellow vest in your stocking if you're good, eh?

Here's more from a group that hasn't lost hope.

Toledoans for Safe Water are fighting the latest attempt at destroying democracy. Please sign the "I Support the Lake Erie Bill of Rights" letter online and share this link with others. You can sign as both an individual and as a representative of your business or organization or church. Thank you.
http://lakeerieaction.wixsite.com/safewatertoledo/support-lebor

  

And now for more insight on hope from our friend in the North.

We Can And Must Build A More Just World
by Vegematic Deluxe

 When one reaches a certain age, our experiences tend to breed a certain cynicism about life. It becomes easy to dismiss all hope for a brighter future. After all, we have repeatedly witnessed our hopes dashed until optimism can seem to be the province of youthful idealism. We consume media that indeed confirms our dark vision of humanity. We isolate ourselves behind screens. We ingest antidepressants, drink, gamble, shop, anything to numb the pain of our  existence. We have forgotten how to be human. If we lose our sense of the possible, we not only do ourselves a disservice--we betray those who come after us.

 My memory drifts back to my childhood in Montreal. At the age of ten, it was 1967 and Montreal was hosting The World's Fair, Expo67. I wandered enthralled and amazed at the futuristic pavilions from every nation on earth. The glittering spires from Iran, America's geodesic dome--even the Soviets got in on the act. My ten year old brain was infused with boundless joy and optimism. I truly believed that the world of the future would be wonderful. People would be evolved enough to put an end to racism, poverty and war, and of course scientific ingenuity would solve our pollution problems.

Of course, my childhood naivety is humorous to me today, yet I can see something of value in it. Something in the innocent belief in a just universe. It's easy for those of us who believe in progressive causes to become bitter and cynical. Many of us have fought the good fight for years only to witness the forces of oppression grow more powerful.

 In 2011, I once again felt that sense of optimism with the Occupy Movement. I felt it again in 2016 when Bernie gave us all hope. Each time our hopes have been dashed on the rocks of corruption and repression, and with it, each time, a little more hope dies. The 61-year-old man in me says that things are hopeless. But every once in a while, the ten-year-old boy reemerges to inspire me to continue. I hope he never goes away.

BIO: Vegematic elaborates on what he calls the "sh*t-o-sphere" of our current society, but deep down he's an optimist. Don't tell him that--or do tell him by leaving a comment on a video at his You Tube channel. He'll return your comment. No kidding. Canadians are nice that way.

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Since Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year, and we usually post a new blog on Tuesday, we thought we'd take a break this coming week. It'll be the first time we have ever skipped a weekly posting since June of 2015. It's rather amazing considering how hectic life can be. The urgency to keep the progressive dialogue going actually keeps us going through illness and major life upheavals. I hope it does you, too. So, enjoy the week off, but remember--the Revolution will be waiting when you return.

Don't forget you can always click on the archive links on the right sidebar (keep scrolling) and read past posts--Christmas or otherwise--from the past 3 1/2 years. There's a lot of material there you might want to catch up on. (Last year's holiday piece was pretty interesting--A Christmas Story--Republican Style.)  Please share it with others on your social media sites. Nothing ticks the establishment off more than progressives sharing information and thought-provoking commentary with each other. Power to the good people--not the naughty corporations!

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Protect their future! Give the gift that keeps on giving to the Revolution.

The Revolution Continues has set up an easy way to donate in order to keep it ad-free. Three and a half years without obnoxious pop-up ads (that many news sites have to cover costs) has been great, but the editor does have to pay for internet, electricity, etc., out of her own pocket, and she would like to be able to pay her contributors in the future. 

Please consider donating a buck, $5, $10 or $20--any amount you can share with us to keep this progressive site going without those awful ads is appreciated. Help us become a strong alternative voice protesting against the corrupt establishment and its paid-off corporate mouthpieces. Give to TRC today. Thank you.

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And thanks to a generous reader, we have a  domain name. Please share the link: http://therevolutioncontinues.com

Power to the people and not the corporations!

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This is critical --

Late last week, a conservative U.S. District Court judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional. The ruling advances Republican efforts to kill the ACA and strip millions of their lifesaving and necessary care.

This ruling also violates the will of millions of health care voters like you, who sent a strong message in the midterm elections that we won’t stand for any more attempts to sabotage the ACA.

We will NOT let the GOP get away with this -- call your member of Congress and urge them to protect the ACA.

If this disastrous ruling is upheld, more than 17 million people could lose access to their health care coverage in a single year. Even worse, 130 million more Americans with pre-existing conditions would be left without protection.

The ruling is expected to be appealed, and Senate Democrats already have a plan to intervene. Now, Congress needs to know that we won’t stay on the sidelines while our care is ripped away.

Call your Representative and demand that Congress take action to protect the ACA.

Thanks for keeping up the fight,

The Health Care Voter Team

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Tell Congress: "People fleeing violence and poverty in Central America and elsewhere should be treated with humanity and compassion – not face family separation, military troops, or criminalization." ADD YOUR NAME

The United States is full of people whose parents were seeking a better life. My great-grandparents were fleeing Ireland after the potato famine. For all of our faults, America was a beacon to many other parts of the world where people were fleeing violence and poverty.

Donald Trump has tried to snuff that beacon, pulling up the ladder of opportunity behind him, and denying the internationally recognized human right of asylum. He deployed troops to the border and imprisoned children. A 7 year old girl recently died in Border Patrol custody this week after her group of migrants turned themselves in.

That’s not how this is supposed to work. By criminalizing the asylum process, Donald Trump is terrorizing families who are just trying to stay safe. It’s unconscionable.

Sign the petition: Respect the human right to migrate and end militarization at the border.

Instead of responding with compassion, President Trump has deployed thousands of troops, shot tear gas at children, and pursued policies to criminalize all who seek refuge. Trump’s cruel strategy is to create as much danger for families seeking asylum here as they faced at home.

People fleeing violence and poverty in Central America and elsewhere should be treated with humanity and compassion – not face family separation, military troops, or criminalization.

It’s time for Congress to stop funding cruelty against immigrants.

Sign the petition: Respect the human right to migrate and end militarization at the border.

Thank you,
Mike Phelan, Progress America

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A little humorous vignette that makes a good point....