Springville Action - 5/31/25 #23

TACO 🌮🌮🌮🌮

Author

Springville Action
May 31, 2025

With each newsletter we get more and more submissions and ideas for content. Keep those emails coming! Whether it’s a link to a timely news item, a call to action, an event or a book review, send it to [email protected].

🦄 Inspiration

🧟‍♂️ Nightmare Fuel

Not to shame anyone who uses drugs, but ed. note, I think we can all agree that someone on ketamine-fueled benders shouldn’t be in charge of stuff like federal policy and national economy strategy.

To do ✅ 

From BTPM (PBS) - Compact Civics - non-partisan video mini-lessons on civics. When you’re scrolling through stupid reels on the toilet - yes, I see you - browse through these instead.

✂️ More Trump/Musk cuts, this time to an energy project in Medina. Use 12ft . io to jump over the paywall. [Take out the spaces] Multiply these cuts across the nation and we’re just barreling towards more dependence on oil, more consumption, more environmental damage to plants and other living things like humans. Call your Congressperson, etc.

📺 Something to watch: Annie Andrews is running against the execrable Sen. Lindsay Graham in 2026. See her campaign video. This is what they should all look like. Bold. Worth your time. (3+ minutes)

📚 Something to read: Continuing this newsletter’s occasional theme of libraries, here’s a day in the life of a bookmobile.

🛑 Something to stop: Shopping at Target. As one of the most visible corporations that abandoned DEI policies - like freaking cowards - there are other options. The worst part is that this was a company that leaned in hard to diversity in its visuals, its practices, its products. We’re in the FAFO phase, where their shareholders are discovering that our economy is still a nominal free market, actions have consequences, and shoppers are avoiding the bulls-eye. (Article from Fortune.com) Target is the new Hobby Lobby. Spend your dollars wisely.

A big 👏 to: Angelo from Amherst for calling out Langworthy directly in a letter to the editor to the Buffalo News. Again use 12ft . io to access.

A big 🖕 to: Every Republican congresscritter who voted for the MAGA Murder Bill. Luckily, as it goes to the Senate and the reconciliation process, some of the most heinous stuff will be removed or changed. But not all of it, and as draconian as some of the budget sections were, it can totally get worse. Budgets are moral documents. Budgets have the power to harm or hurt. This particular one is immoral and harmful.

Events

🎨🖼️🧑‍🎨Get ready for Art Crawl on June 7! Something for everyone in the village of Springville.

🧶 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.

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

🎖️ From Stronger Together East Aurora - 6/6, 11am - D-Day rally in Niagara Square to honor veterans, stop cuts to the Veterans Administration, protect trans servicepeople, and stop cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

🏳️‍🌈 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. Peaceful assembly at 4 pm, Niagara Square. This is a day of Juneteenth events too, so stop by those if you’re up in the city.

👊 6/21, 11 am - Buffalo United Rally and March for Freedom and Liberation at Niagara Square - link on Facebook. A great lineup of participating organizations but maybe ask the question of who isn’t on the list?

-Clean Air Coalition
-Coalition for Economic Justice
-Cornell University ILR Co-lab
-CWA District 1
-CWA 1168
-IUPAT
-NALC Branch 3
-New York Immigration Coalition
-Our City Our Action
-Partnership for the Public Good
-Power to the People
-St. Joseph’s University Parish
-Voice Buffalo
-WNY Area Labor Federation
-WNYCOSH
-WNY Environmental Alliance
-WNY Peace Center

🍁 7/5, Elbows Up for Canada rallies will be held in Buffalo and Niagara Falls. On this international day of action, people will come together in a peaceful, purposeful celebration of shared friendship between the United States and Canada. We will ring the longest shared border in the world with celebrations of friendship and solidarity with Canada.

[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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