July 4, 2025 Hello , Wishing you a happy Fourth of July! We know what this holiday stands for. We understand the Declaration of Independence and that the men who signed it risked their lives, fortunes and honor to create a better world. The time has come for us to call on their courage and stand in the breach. The world we envision does not just liberate and empower white men, the moneyed class and the strong. We're fighting for a world that empowers the most vulnerable in our communities and values every person's gifts equally. The Republican Administration, members of Congress and five of the Supreme Court Judges are grasping whatever power they can
despite the Constitution. Republicans voted $170 billion in funding for ICE, making it the largest federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. That's what they believe they will need to snuff out our freedom, an armed force with more funding than most countries' militaries, including Russia's and Israel's. I plan to celebrate
Independence Day with friends and imagine the country we can become if we all step up and take action. Start training now to take an active role in resisting authoritarianism.
We can probably all use more laughter. Thanks to Joanne for sending in this 4th of July joke. “So, it's the 4th of July night
and all the dead presidents are gathered around a campfire having a party. They're drinking and eating and just generally having a grand ol' time when President Washington puts President Lincoln on the spot.
"Hey, heyyyy, Lincoln, do that thing you do!”
"What now? What thing?"
"Lincoln, do the thing! The speech! You know, the thing!"
"Ohhh, yeah, the speech. Yeah, that thing. Nah, I can't. Can't remember the words."
"What do you mean you can't remember the words? It's the speech; you've said it a million times! You've got that, like, burned in your brain, right?"
"Well, yeah, normally, sure, I've got it memorized, but that was four s'mores and seven beers
ago."
Did you know Uncle Sam is based on a real person? Yep. A meat packer from Troy, New York, who supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812.
Update since last week A
proposal to sell federal public lands was officially removed from the big spending and tax bill Republicans are voting to approve as I write this.
Strong push back from hunters, fishermen, and outdoor recreation users convinced western state Republican senators to stripe the measure from the bill. But the land surrounding New Mexico’s Chaco Culture National Historical Park I wrote about last week remains in danger.
The Bureau of Land Management has already moved to end the Biden Administration's policy against oil and gas development on federal lands within 10 miles of the historic site. Oil and
gas leases on nearly 6,000 acres of public and tribal land sold at auction in 2019, during the first Trump administration. A coalition of more than two dozen
conservation, Indigenous and historical preservation groups and 38 members of local and state government have submitted letters to U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, urging him to change his mind and retain a buffer zone around the park.
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