The reason why some people haven’t taken action yet—and how to fix it
9 minutes Confession: I am a grown adult, and I have never cleaned out a sink trap. 🫣
Whenever my bathroom drain starts to slow down, I ask the resident Fix-It Felix (i.e. my husband) to take care of it. And like magic, the drain goes back to normal.
But this seems like something I should know as an adult, so I want him to show me the process—but I keep forgetting to ask! Yes, I could search for a how-to video, but I always have 752 other things on my to-do list, so this never bubbles to the top.
Um…what do sink traps have to do with saving democracy?
I’ll get there, stick with me!
Recently, I came across eye-opening research about how everyday Americans are helping to resist the hostile takeover of our government.
👉 A few of the high points:
- A majority of voters say the current administration is operating like an authoritarian regime. (That’s good!)
- Many voters have already taken action to oppose the regime, with an additional 21 percent saying they would like to take action but haven’t done so yet.
- 61 percent of those who haven’t taken action yet say it’s because they don’t know how to participate in certain actions.
In other words, a bunch of us recognize the current threat and want to take action, but we don’t know how to do it.
The sink drain is clogged, and we don’t know the next step to unclog it.
So let’s try something new.
In the ranks of Molly’s Army, we have all kinds of folks with different skill sets, life experiences, and special talents. 🤩
Why not help each other out?
If you’ve heard of a startup incubator, we’ll do something similar…
🎯 The Tiny Action Incubator 🎯
Here’s how it’ll work:
- I’ll set up a one-hour Zoom call for us.
- You drop in whenever you want during that hour, even if it’s in the last 10 minutes. (You definitely don’t have to stay for the full hour!)
- Tell me about whatever action you want to do but don’t know how to do, and we’ll tackle it together. (No need to turn on your camera if you’d rather not! You can ask via audio or just type in the chat window.)
And if I don’t know how to do what you want to do, I’ll help you find someone who does. 🙌
For example:
- If you want to write an op-ed and submit it to your local paper but you don’t know how, we’ll figure it out.
- If you’ve thought about starting a neighborhood book club but aren’t sure how to get started, we’ll uncover your next best step.
- If you haven’t called your reps yet because you’re nervous (I used to be nervous too!), we’ll demystify the process.
No matter what action is on your mind, bring it!
This will be an experiment. 🤓
As I tell my kids, let’s give it a whangdoodle—which is a silly word I co-opted to mean “let’s give it a try because maybe it’ll work, maybe it won’t, but it doesn’t hurt to try.”
See #1 under Do this + feel better below for the details to join in.
And if it ends up being just me on the call, I’ll use the hour to write angry letters to Cruz and Cornyn, which is always a good time. Or maybe I’ll finally ask my husband to demonstrate how to unclog a sink trap. ✅
Get this in your inbox: When you join Molly’s Army here, every week, you’ll get simple, doable steps we can take to save our democracy even when we’re busy and overwhelmed by the firehose of bad news.
What’s inside
Inside our latest update, you’ll find these sections:
- Do this + feel better: 3 things you can do right now. Taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm.
- Get a shot of motivation: A quote that resonated this week.
- Call: It’s all-hands-on-deck time to fight the budget bill.
- Hey, look! We did this: A quick run-down of what folks in our little group of rabble-rousers have been doing to help.
- Your turn: What small actions have you taken lately? Let me know so we can celebrate with you!
Do this + feel better
Here are 3 things you can do right now. As a bonus, taking any action (even if it’s tiny!) will help dispel feelings of hopelessness and overwhelm…
1. Remove a roadblock
Research shows that 61 percent of people who want to take action to defend democracy haven’t yet because they don’t know how to participate in certain actions.
So let’s remove those roadblocks and help more folks take their next tiny step.
👉 Join our first-ever virtual call for Molly’s Army members:
- What: The Tiny Action Incubator
- Date: Wednesday, May 28
- Time: 4 pm to 5 pm Central (click to see in your time zone)—drop in whenever you want during that hour, and you don’t have to stay for the full hour!
- RSVP: Go here to register on Zoom
If you’ve considered taking a certain action to protect our democracy but you aren’t sure how, come tell me about it, and we’ll tackle it together.
Or if you’d like to help your fellow Molly’s Army members get un-stuck, drop by and chime in with what you know. 🙏
And if you hate seeing yourself as one of the Brady Bunch squares on a Zoom call or you haven’t washed your hair in a week, no need to turn on your camera. We can always use the chat window!
Can’t wait to see you. 🥰
2. Become a city sleuth
While it’s important to continue speaking out about everything happening at the federal level, we can’t take our eye off the local ball, either. The good news: Oftentimes, raising your voice at the local level can deliver significant and/or faster results, and you know what? Results feel pretty darn satisfying.
So let’s uncover what’s happening at the local level and get ‘er done. 🥊
👉 Take 10 minutes to find out what’s on the docket for your local government, like your city council, school board, library commission, and so on. A few ideas:
- Search for your local government’s site (such as by searching your city’s name + “city council”) and see if they have an agenda posted for their next meeting. Skim the agenda for any issues you might care about and if you find something, send your local rep a quick email to register your concern. (So few people speak up at the local level that this can make a big impact!)
- Visit a local news site and search for updates about what your local government is up to. For example, I’d search for “Austin City Council” in quotes to find only articles about their shenanigans, then sort by most recent stories. Again, if you find something you care about, send a message to your local rep to share your thoughts.
- If you strike out on the first two options, email your local rep and ask what’s coming up at the next meeting and if they can share the agenda. They work for you, so make them work for you. (And maybe they’ll get the hint and post their upcoming meeting agendas in the future!)
What good will this really do? As just one example, Molly’s Army members Jamie and Meg discovered that the Austin City Council is planning to renew a contact for Automatic License Plate Readers (ALPRs), which is concerning because the federal government could gain access to this mass surveillance system and target immigrants or even those exercising their First Amendment right to protest. (Denver’s city council recently voted not to renew their ALPR program for this very reason!)
Now Jamie and Meg are recruiting folks to speak up against this program so we can protect the most vulnerable in the community. 💪
3. Grab some popcorn
Remember that research I mentioned about how everyday Americans are helping to resist the hostile takeover of our government? The researchers also uncovered this tidbit: 69 percent of those who haven’t taken action yet worry that their actions won’t create change.
But that’s what the fascist bullies want us to think.
The truth is that We the People have the power. ❤️🔥 And there’s no better way to remind ourselves of that than to see a real-life example of a people-powered movement bringing down a dictator.
👉 Watch this short film to give yourself an important reminder of what we’re capable of:
- What: Bringing Down a Dictator
- Where: Watch on YouTube here
Narrated by Martin Sheen, this award-winning film is only 56 minutes long. So pop some popcorn, invite a friend, and settle in for an inspiring story of how regular, everyday people fought a fascist regime and won.
Get a shot of motivation
A quote that resonated this week, submitted by Molly’s Army member Zina:
“Protest is, in its own way, storytelling. We use our bodies, our words, our art, and our sounds both to tell the truth about the pain that we endure and to demand the justice that we know is possible. It is meant to build and to force a response.”
— Civil rights activist DeRay Mckesson
Call
If you’re already calling your reps everyday with the 5 Calls app, thank you. 🔥
But if you’re like me and real-life obligations sometimes get in the way of making those calls, now is the time to reprioritize daily calls:
- Make a rule for yourself that you won’t brush your teeth or get on social media until after you’ve made your daily call, or
- Set up a 5-minute recurring calendar entry, or
- Reward yourself with a piece of chocolate (or three) after making your daily call.
Here’s why this is so incredibly important: Republicans are working hard to take away programs that everyday Americans need for affordable healthcare, food assistance, student loan programs, and more—all so they can fund tax breaks for the uber-rich. These are programs we paid for, and they belong to us, the people.
The current budget bill would hurt millions of families. 💔 Unfortunately, House Republicans already passed the bill, and now it goes to the Senate. (Indivisible has an excellent summary of where we stand here.)
The good news: Republicans are divided, and we have a real chance to delay, disrupt, and defeat this abomination—if we speak up now and throughout the process.
If ever there were a time for daily calls to your reps, now is that time. Tell your Senators to oppose the budget reconciliation bill.
Making your daily call may not feel like it’s doing much in the grand scheme, but please remember that you’re not alone. When we’re all making daily calls, our collective voice gets louder and we build our power. 🇺🇸
Reminder: Install the 5 Calls app to get your reps’ phone numbers, or save them in your phone as contacts. (If you don’t love talking on the phone, call after business hours and leave a voicemail.)
The 5 Calls app has a super short script under the item for the “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act. But this is the most important part:
“Hello, my name is [first and last name]. I’m a constituent, and I live in [city]. I’m calling to urge Senator/Representative [name] to [whatever you want them to do/not do].”
Hey, look! We did this
Here’s a quick run-down of what folks in our group have been doing to help lately:
- Dana wrote a letter to the editor for the first time ever, using this helpful template. The topic: Say no to the budget bill that will hurt families by taking away critical programs like Medicaid. ✅
- Last night, Lynn stood on a corner in her town and held a sign to educate neighbors about what’s happening: “Medicaid yes! Billionaire tax cuts no!” She’s going back again on Saturday morning. ❤️🔥
- Allison volunteered to present at a community meeting to share the story of how she helped organize a people’s town hall meeting for the constituents of MIA Rep. Michael McCaul. 🤩
- Brendan, Margie, Mary, and Tara signed their names onto an op-ed calling out Rep. McCaul for his inaction during this crucial moment in our democracy. 📣
- Jamie and Meg are recruiting folks to speak out against the concerning use of Automatic License Plate Readers, which will endanger the most vulnerable in the community. 🎯 (See #2 under Do this + feel better above for the details!)
- Laura wrote a letter to a local newspaper asking them to add protests and rallies to their community calendar, and Jamie volunteered to deliver the letter in person to someone who works at the paper. Then Wendy wrote her own letter to add fuel to the fire! 💥
- JoAnn is still keeping her friends updated about important actions we can take, even while she’s traveling. 💃🏼
- Brent, Casey, Jay, Kathrine, Kim, and others joined Molly’s Army. Welcome! 🤗
- Amy forwarded last week’s message to her cousin who then joined Molly’s Army. 💜
- Meg and Phillip became sustaining members to help us cover our costs and reach more people. 🙏
Your turn
What small actions have you taken lately? Please drop a comment below (or email me) and let me know what you’ve been up to so we can celebrate with you. 🥳
