NOTICINGS: Parallel polis
At home and in the world.
Essential support for the next 3.5 years. 14. Establish a private life. 19. Be a patriot. 𝑂𝑛 𝑇𝑦𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑛𝑦, Timothy Snyder.
Let me say something about the roses in my garden. They are trillion-petaled and fragrant. What’s a rose without a zillion petals and a scent equal to a million swoons? Their centers. Their front-facing glory. The back of their petals suggests a glimpse of how they are formed—wonders of wonders. I like taking care of them. Yet by any measure of the gardeners I admire, I am a rough one. I over-crowd them because I also must have tulips, irises, tall lilies called star gazers, and short lilies, who also gaze at the stars. Peonies, cone flowers, and rosemary, too. Space is limited nearly as much as the sun, which is blocked by trees. Every plant in this garden seeks the sun. The volunteers—self-planted plants—are made possible by wind and the poop of birds in flight. Seeds travel. Like good ideas and bad ideas.
The Situation in America is the World. In the book On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder writes about being a patriot: “Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come. They will need it.” That's how I see it.
Because bad and lawless ideas are overtaking our country. The standard by which bad and lawless are measured is by the Constitution and the majority view of citizens. There is not one day that I am not sickened by what President Trump is doing.
Yesterday, I stuck a yard sign next to the sidewalk. Coming and going, dog walkers, joggers, skateboarders, moms and dads pushing strollers, and kiddos making chalk drawings on the sidewalk, will see 𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗕𝗲 𝗔 𝗕𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿. (The kids already know. They are not bystanders. With all their beings, children are worried and concerned.)
Eight-year-old Sierra paints for her mom and sister!
Private life and public life are inseparable.
The upcoming Reconciliation Bill 2025 is on a fast track for the President’s signature on July 4. If passed in its current form, the results will devastate people’s lives and our natural resources.
In the next 12 days, what can we do?
We can make 5 Calls. We can use the resources provided by Indivisible.
Calling your congressperson is the most effective way to influence policy.
Campaign promises made in 2024 are observable lies in 2025. Does being underwater with voters give you a sense that our voices might count?
What else can we do to minimize the damage? I don’t know. Got an idea? Tell us in the chat.
In On Tyranny, Snyder says, “For resistance to succeed, two boundaries must be crossed. First, ideas about change must engage people of various backgrounds who do not agree about everything. Second, people must find themselves in places that are not their homes, and among groups who were not previously their friends.” Like the wild seeds that volunteer in gardens.
We are doing what we can to bring back what we all miss: the stability of a truly representative government. I miss more than I can say, wonder, and play. Don’t you?