You all are amazing: Here's Why
We Are Ready for What Comes Next
Thank you to everyone who came to our December 2024 IMV Meeting at the New Hartford Town Library on Sunday. We had a great crowd, filling the room with 50-60 activists and many first time attendees. If you were not able to join us, know that we missed you, and we look forward to seeing you in 2025!
What happened at our meeting:
1) We got an overview of the Updated Indivisible Guide, Indivisible: A Practical Guide for Democracy on the Brink. We encourage everyone to read the guide. Sarah Reeske, a member of our IMV Steering Committee and Indivisible's NYS organizer, says that many new groups are starting across the state, including in NY21. More than a hundred new groups have started around the country in the past few weeks, adding to the many groups in every state that, like IMV, have been active politically since 2017.
2) We discussed whether we wanted to help hold a Utica Women's/People's March (a local event held since 2017). The answer from you all, was a resounding YES! That event will be held on Saturday, January 18th. SAVE THE DATE. There is not yet a theme coming from the national Women's March, but we are hoping to help convene a coalition planning committee to prepare for our local event. More details to come! In addition, Indivisible is calling for a Help Over Hate weekend of service that weekend to bring in new folks, build community, and highlight the differences between our movement and MAGA. We are going to have a strong showing locally ahead of Inauguration Day so that people know how to connect with people who share their values and will stand up for democracy and be in solidarity before the White House transition.
3) We got an overview from Sarah Reeske of the work that Indivisible groups in NY will be doing in the first few months of 2025 and beyond.
We know that taxes and health care will be at the forefront (yes, deju vu 2017!). With the recent surge of public anger about the injustices and indignities of the health insurance industry and the failure of the American system to help people while the health care fat cats line their own pockets, these two issues are only becoming more salient.
We want to gear up to be ready for short runway on the NY21 Special Election once Elise Stefanik officially resigns. The NY 21 Democratic County chairs will select the candidate, and then we'll all do everything we can to get them elected.
We will push our Democratic members of Congress, including John Mannion (NY22), to be stay strong against MAGA, and use every bit of power they have to fight Project 2025 anti-democratic extremism. This won't be easy. Same rule we used for Anthony's term applies: Praise in public, and criticize in private, but keep pushing Reps and Senators to defend the weak and vulnerable, protect civil and human rights, and do not let MAGA bulldoze norms and the rule of law!
We will start working on 2025 local elections early, and try to help recruit candidates for local offices. There are many hundreds of elected positions in Oneida county alone, and we'd love to see Indivisibles and like-minded allies on every one of those lines.
IMV Members are amazing. Some folks are giving up, but you're just getting started. We are proud of every single one of you--whether you write Letters to the Editor, make calls to Members of Congress or state and local electeds, run for office, work the polls, knock doors, or participate in the climate rally "Die ins" in Albany. You are the ones you've been waiting for. You take care of each other and take care of your neighbors. And as IMV, you actually work in the public, political sphere to gain and wield power to make life better for everyone.
We just really don't know what all the crazy will be, but we know it will start on Day 1. We will work to build power, connect with allies on the issues as they arise, and continue to reach out to find all the "blue dots" on every street and in every town. Maybe you are one. Maybe you know one. We want every single one to know: "You are not alone. We are here for you. Join us."
IMV Climate Crisis Working Group Update
Five IMV Climate Crisis Working Group Members attend sit-in with one person arrested in Albany while lobbying for Governor Hochul to pass the Climate Change Superfund Act.
Five IMV CCWG members (Maggie, Mona, Shirley, Liseli & Alan) joined 43 organizations for a sit-in/teach-in at the Capitol this week to urge Governor Hochul to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act before time runs out on December 31st. IMV CCWG member Alan Cole volunteered to be in a group that stayed after Capitol closing time to be arrested and bring more attention to the bill and the need to sign it. According to Alan, the arrest went smoothly, everyone was processed quickly and politely by the capitol police, and he was on his way back to his hotel by 8:40pm. Many thanks to the five IMV CCWG members who took part in the sit-in and especially to Alan for going above and beyond for climate!
What You Can Do: The Governor has not signed as of this writing, so please call the governor’s office at (518) 474-8390 and urge her to sign the Climate Change Superfund Act as it is written, without any amendments. You can call during office hours or after.
Some media commentary about the sit-in and arrests:
“Twelve elders were arrested for “criminal trespassing” on the evening of December 10 and seven more elders (including IMV CCWG member Alan Cole!) on the evening of December 11 while sitting around the Christmas tree outside the Governor’s office singing carols with lyrics adapted to bring attention to the urgent need for signing the Climate Change Superfund Act.” - Michael Richardson, Third Act Upstate New York
From “Inside Climate News”:
ALBANY, N.Y.—Climate activists were in the holiday spirit Tuesday as they occupied a festive, mural-clad reception room near Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office. To cheers of “climate change is coming to town,” protestors urged Hochul to close the year by signing what could be the nation’s second climate adaptation bill.
The Climate Change Superfund Act, New York’s answer to the skyrocketing costs of dealing with damages from climate change, was the focus of about 200 climate change organizers, who pressed Hochul to sign the bill as quickly as possible—and with no major changes. The group, which was sponsored by 43 environmental organizations, was prepared to continue sitting in until Thursday.
Lawmakers say that the superfund would give New York a badly needed new source of revenue to help it adapt to statewide, irreversible environmental damage….Under the superfund act, the world’s largest fossil fuel companies would be required to pay the Empire State billions for the damages caused by their products, raising $75 billion over 25 years. Read full article here
Sen. Schumer Press Conference at IMV Member Dan Casler's Farm
At our meeting last Sunday, IMV member Dan Casler described Sen. Schumer's visit to his farm to talk about the importance of protecting farmers from the "dairy cliff." Dan is not just a farmer but is also the elected Little Falls Town Supervisor. Dan provided us with the script of his remarks at the event when Sen. Schumer brought the Secret Service to his barn for a press conference:
"Good afternoon and welcome all to the Casler Family Farm, a multi-generational dairy farm that has our own bit of history to be proud of with over 300 years and 11 generations of being 'outstanding in our field'"
The last time we had a gathering of this size was when we hosted a meeting to discuss the Dairy Margin Coverage Program in 2019, sponsored by Former Congressman Anthony Brindisi, who I also want to congratulate on his selection to the Northern District State Judiciary Bench, and whose confirmation was pushed over the finish line with the help of Senator Schumer. Thank you both.
I've heard it said before that the greatest function of government is to do for the tax paying citizenry what they cannot ordinarily do for themselves. Our gathering here today is to call attention to that statement, and the acknowledgement by Senator Schumer of the significance of the Farm Bill renewal and the provisions it contains for putting stability into Rural America, stability by the recognition of the economic impact of production agriculture on every local city, county and state government across our great country.
Economists have long recognized what is known as the "multiplier effect" of agriculture on every Main Street in America. Because when a farmer has money, they spend it locally by supporting hardware stores, lumber yards, churches, schools, and hospitals. That "multiplier effect " conservatively applied, amounts to a 7- to 10- fold increase as it turns over in any sector where it's spent.
Renewal of the Farm Bill is critical to adding stability to Rural America. As more and more companies merge and consolidate, this too has an adverse effect on everyone. Loss of competition, loss of market access, loss of soil and clean water, and loss of income are all issues that are taken into consideration when the Farm Bill is being debated and fleshed out. Additionally, the Farm Bill also goes about addressing hunger in the form of the SNAP program, Farm to Table, urban gardening and teaching people to grow their own food through outreach, overseen, at least in New York State, by Cornell Cooperative Extension.
I can tell you personally that I have benefitted from various provisions and programs that have been included in previous Farm Bills. Amongst those are the DMC, the Dairy Margin Coverage and its predecessor the MILC program, as well as the EQIP, the ODMAP, the ARC-PLC, and a myriad of other " vegetable soup" initiatives designed to add stability to farmers' and ranchers' bottom lines.
So I want to thank Senator Schumer for his leadership as Senate Majority Leader, for his recognition of the seriousness, and the importance of passing a Farm Bill that will not only benefit farmers and ranchers across America, but every segment of the economy and every member of our society in America."
Dan did a great job of calling attention to the important work of Sen. Schumer and the Democrats in supporting farmers, and he even squeezed in a "thank you" for getting Anthony Brindisi confirmed. The event was covered by local media (see the Utica OD's coverage here.) Yay, Dan!
Dates/Events to Put on Your Calendar
Sarah Reeske has three Zoom events on the NYS Indivisible calendar. Please make a note if you are interested in any of these:
Wednesday, January 8th at 7-8pm, Introduction to Blue Sky Training. Register here. Facilitated by Indivisible’s Sr. Social Media Manager Frank Dale, come learn how to navigate and effectively use Blue Sky, a popular social media platform that many people are leaving Twitter/X for.
Tuesday, January 14th at 6-8pm. Grassroots Activism 101 Crash Course. Register here. New to activism? This training is for you! Come learn the organizing basics, vocabulary, and the Indivisible activism cycle that groups have used to be successful in their activism work. Let's get as many new people up to speed on how we make so much magic happen! They will better understand calls to action and feel more confident in participating in your group's planning for 2025 with what they learn at this training.
Tuesday, Jan. 21st, 6:30 pm, NY21 Special Election Call. Register here. Open to Indivisibles in NY21 and those in NY who want to learn how they can take action to support the special election. There's going to be something for everyone on this call. The last time there was a special election in NY21, a Democrat won and held the seat for 5 years. Let's do this! Dem chairs in NY21 are interviewing 8 candidates. Nobody has been dubbed the official candidate yet, and that's ok. Indivisible is positioned well for us to get a head start.
IMV Events already scheduled for January
Saturday, Jan. 18th, SAVE THE DATE FOR THE 2025 UTICA WOMEN’S/PEOPLE’S MARCH. Details TBD.
Sunday, Jan 26, 1:30-3:30 pm, IMV January 2025 Meeting, Location TBA, but we are hoping to hold our monthly meetings the last Sunday of the month at New Hartford Public Library from January thru April.
Celebrate Flipping NY22 at John Mannion's Swearing in Ceremony
And, we encourage everyone to attend Congressman John Mannion’s Swearing in Ceremony, Friday, Dec. 27th, 3-6 pm at the Hotel Syracuse (Marriott Syracuse Downtown), 100 East Onondaga Street, Syracuse, NY 13202. We all worked hard to help flip NY22 and this is a great chance to celebrate the hard work!
Connect. Support each other.
Rest up in the next few weeks.
Together we will figure out how to respond in 2025.
IMV's CAFE Friday is an informal gathering of our members over Zoom. If you are not usually free on Friday mornings, but have some time over the holidays, please join. The link is the calendar.
"Fired up. Ready to Go!"
"We make political activism local, but-size, and fun."
"Democracy is not a spectator sport,"
"We were made for this moment."
"No one let go of anyone's hand"
"Breathe, then PUSH"
Follow us on Bluesky: @Indivisiblemv.bsky.social, on Instagram's Threads.net/@indivisiblemohawkvalley, on X (Twitter) using @indivisiblemv and of course on our Facebook page and IMV Activism Group.
