Springville Action - 5/16/25 #19

How do you stop the bleeding? Put on the pressure.

Author

Springville Action
May 16, 2025

Inspiration 🦄

I've been reading a lot recently and thinking a lot about the simple life. These are our mundane daily tasks. Taking the dogs for a walk. Washing the dishes. Cooking a meal for ourselves. I think it's so important to find joy in these tasks. And I think part of what I've learned through this unemployment journey has been how to find joy in the stillness of a domestic life. But my hang-up with it, and something I think about a lot, is when that joy can be used against us.

There is a political interest in having us find contentment. There are things that are good for our individual mental health that may not be good for society at large. A political establishment that desires control over the populace wants us to remain docile and content. Donald Trump recently said in an interview that "maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, you know? And maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally". Now this is ignorant to the plight of working people who aren't worried about how many dolls their children get but how they're going to pay their rent/mortgage and feed their families. But it speaks to a greater point.

A content populace will not seize political power, will not implement radical changes, or strive for social equity. Comfortability allows people the opportunity to be more active in politics. But an issue we're having in our country is so many people are fundamentally concerned with the comfortable way of life rather than the larger systemic issues that are affecting our country.

Every single one of us should strive to increase our comforts, to find peace, contentment, and stillness in our everyday lives. But if advice to do so ever comes from someone with power over you, it should be considered disingenuous, if not actively hostile.

From a reader in Springville

🧟‍♂️ Nightmare Fuel

You're nine weeks pregnant and have a stroke, or something, and now you're brain dead.

The hospital keeps you on life support because every life (not yours) is precious.

Now your family gets to watch a living corpse get tortured for the next 7 months until the baby can be traumatically delivered. Only then do they pull the plug. Then that motherless infant goes home and family pays the hospital bills. This is America after all.

So much for personal freedom! Blessed be the fruit.

Welcome to Georgia.

Rest in peace, Adriana. How I wish you did not become known for this.

To do ✅ 

🖨️ Something to print: a list of banned words.

🖍️ Something to buy: Sidewalk chalk. And foamcore. When I say that we can expect to see some serious, severe and unexpected supply chain issues this summer, I mean it. Sidewalk chalk and foam core/poster board are low-cost, high value communication materials. There ain't no harm in buying some and having them available. $10 at the dollar store goes a long way.

📚 Something to read: Guest recommendations from a reader in Holland.

  • The Lightmaker’s Manifesto by Karen Walrond. Very inspiring read about the ways people come to activism. Can't read the whole thing? Read this excerpt.

  • Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. An absolutely beautiful book on finding hope even through the darkest of times. I've also included an image of a quote by the author.

News & Media

😳 We have new asylum seekers settling in Buffalo. Google “charl Kleinhaus Buffalo anti-semite” or “charl Kleinhaus Buffalo mine owner.” For anyone who has spent more than a minute looking at the history of South Africa and apartheid…let's just say this is a big 😳.

🐮 From WKBW: buy local eat local. Beef is on the menu at SGI. RIP Mr Bojangles. Support farmers and future farmers. No farms no food etc.

🤓 Recommended by a reader - keep the content coming! - https://govbrief.today, a summary of daily headlines.

🚧 Sharing the reddit thread on this: despite promised funding, no infrastructure upgrades for poor urban neighborhoods. https://www.reddit.com/r/Buffalo/s/SI2KccDNNU

Events

🧶 Crafters/Fiber Artists - lots of opportunities to come together! Concord Library, first Sat. of the month, 1-3; Concord Mercantile, second Sat. of the month, 10-1; Art’s Cafe, Wednesdays, 5:30pm. You’ll see your people.

5/19, 7 pm - Village of East Aurora board meeting. WNYSSB friends in East Aurora are facing a tree-saving-emergency. We need people from the towns along the Scenic Byway to show up to support them in East Aurora. Questions: Holly Maciejewski at [email protected].

5/19, Unheard Voices, the Fight for the Tonawanda Seneca Nation’s Way of Life at the Buffalo History Museum

5/20 - School board and budget elections

5/24, 10am - Pop Warner Trail Clean Up, meet at the Springville Depot

5/27, 5:30pm - Rally for Democracy in East Aurora at the Library. Bring signs (respectful, but creative) and noisemakers if you wish.

5/28, 6-9pm: Nonpartisan Community Conversation. What federal policies do we want to talk about? Meet up at the Ellicottville Town Center (near arboretum) to discuss federal policy impacts and potential action plans to present to congressional representatives.

5/31, 10 am - NYS Citizens Preparedness Corps, Concord Senior Center. Free. Register.

6/1, 11am start - Buffalo Gay Pride Parade, starts at Elmwood and Forest Avenue and ends at Elmwood and Allen Street

6/7, 11am - 2 pm - Gay/Straight Alliance Event at East Aurora Town Hall. Email [email protected] to be connected to this event's volunteers.

6/7, afternoon and evening - Springville Art Crawl. The place to be for an unofficial start to Springville’s summer.

6/10, 6-7:30 pm: Legislator Lorigo office hours, Springville Village Hall

6/14 - No Kings action. Details about a Buffalo event will be included here when known.

[remainder of content repeats (mostly) from last email]

To Do ✅

😷 Medical checkups. Get a printout of your vaccination record and check with your doctor about recommended vaccines, including MMR, based on your age and other risk factors.

🐝 Citizen Scientists, Unite! Download the Inaturalist app on your phone; upload pictures of nature (animals, plants, trees) for identification and help out the environmental community.

📰 Letter to the Editor. Pick a topic, drill down to 1 key message and write your heart out. There are local people who will help zazz up your letter and get it ready for publication. Email [email protected].

📱 5 Calls - Download the app to your phone; enter your ZIP code; follow the prompts to call U.S. Senators and your local Congressional rep. EXTRA CREDIT - ask your local elected officials what the impact of general federal nonsense will have on local projects, and what they are doing to protect your community.

📮 Postcards - Explore the Postcards for Democrats web site and support Democratic candidates in swing states. Organize for Action is local, find them on Facebook.

😊 Meet a Neighbor: How well do you know your neighbors? Start small but make a point to find one new acquaintance in your area this week!

🗳️ Go to a government meeting. These are open to the public and people rarely attend. See your government at work and pay attention to the decisions they’re making.

At a loss for what to do?

Are you sick of hearing “there’s nothing I can do about everything that’s happening”? There’s plenty you can do - big or small, just try to do SOMETHING each day.

  • Public Displays of Connection

    • Guerilla Gardening and Yarn Bombs! There is a slightly subversive and very fun tactic of guerilla gardening and placing handmade knit pieces in public places. Be creative.

    • Plant a garden or support a local CSA

    • Plant a homemade lawn sign - it doesn’t have to be political - paint a one word message like “Hope", ”Love,” “Peace.”

    • Maintain little free libraries or start your own

  • Basic Needs

    • Donate blood

    • Learn first aid and basic medical skills

    • Participate in local Buy Nothing groups

    • Donate to Little Free Pantries or your local food pantry

    • Participate in a seed exchange, like the one at Hulbert Library in the Town of Concord

  • Organized Volunteering

  • Neighbor Support

    • Help people with phone calls and forms - like Social Security, health appointments and insurance paperwork

    • Give neighbors rides, assist with basic needs

    • Provide a meal to a struggling family or neighbor - see lasagnalove

    • Offer babysitting or respite care - especially during meetings

    • Teach a skill or coordinate a training - sewing, gardening, cooking, car repair, how to fix a toilet or bike.

Misc.

Content welcome: Initially this newsletter was going to be sent weekly. Now it's sending as soon as it feels like there is enough content to let it fly - probably 2x/week. Your contributions are welcome. Email [email protected].

This newsletter will always be free, but if you like what you're reading and can find it in your budget, kick a few bucks to support your local food pantry, an abortion fund, or an elected official who has demonstrated common sense and decency.

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