Action 157. Do something Sept. 1
Background. This year Labor Day falls on September 1, just three weeks away. Every day it becomes more obvious that the Trump regime is working overtime to destroy our representative democracy and the rule of law, all in the service of a narcissistic sociopath and a cadre of the obscenely rich, the cowards, and the sycophants. As the national economy degrades, along with the government services on which workers and the middle class have come to rely, one would think that the people who will be the most adversely impacted would be up in arms and eager to protest. But so far, planning for a big Labor Day nationwide demonstration seems to be proceeding in a sluggish fashion, if at all. Maybe because it’s so darn hot. Maybe because people are trying to enjoy the last morsels of summer fun before we knuckle down to serious business as kids go back to school and we gear up for November elections (and to defeat Question 1 on the Maine ballot!). Maybe it’s because Maine people are, as usual, looking forward to Labor Day as marking our relief from all the tourists and visitors. One can only hope that we haven’t “thrown in the towel”! To inspire you, please read Robert Reich’s piece from this morning. It's brief, just a bit over 500 words, and worth a couple of minutes. https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/seeking-the-good
On Labor Day (thus far) in Maine:
Activate Maine shows protests on Sept. 1 in Freeport, Wells, Presque Isle, and Auburn. Details at https://www.activatemaine.com/calendar. Click the forward arrow > next to “TODAY”
and keep scrolling to get to Sept. 1. Details on each event are found by clicking on the name of the town: a dropdown box will appear.
The national fiftyfiftyone organization (https://www.fiftyfifty.one/) shows many events across the country. So far, their map shows Labor Day events only in Machias and Auburn, and no other towns. The map says “may day” but the entries on the map are for Sept. 1. If you have friends living elsewhere, send them a link for an event in their area. https://www.mobilize.us/mayday/map/.
Even though the national AFL-CIO announced in a press release (1) that there would be a week of action, the MAINE AFL-CIO shows no protests on their website. Instead, the organization seems to be holding at least three normal, annual Labor Day social events. These are not protests. But if you have connections with union members, or would like to make those connections, attending in solidarity might be a good idea, especially if you can make a donation to support their work (and pay for your food!). The following website has contact info:
https://maineaflcio.org/news/mark-your-calendars-labor-day-events-portland-skowhegan-brewer
Pre-labor day protests in Maine:
There ARE regular protest events happening before Labor Day. In fact, there is something going on somewhere in Maine on every single day between now and Sept. 1. Attend an event closest to you, if you can. Bring your summer visitors! Indivisible’s list is at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/ Once again, Activate Maine’s list is at https://www.activatemaine.com/calendar Click the forward arrow to find the town and date that interests you.
And/or, if possible, gather a few friends, call the local office of Senator King or Senator Collins or Jared Golden, and arrange to pay a visit. Congress is in recess. Great time to go thank them, or give them a piece of your mind!
Extra Credit:
(1) https://aflcio.org/press/releases/afl-cio-announces-workers-labor-day-workers-deserve-week-action