Springville Action - 5/4/25 #15

May the Fourth be with you

Author

Springville Action
May 04, 2025

Inspiration 🦄

The rest of the planet, carrying the banner of democracy.

  • 🍁 Canada elected Mark Carney as prime minister.

  • 🦘 Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese won a second term.

  • 🥨 Germany took one look at Lil Marco Rubio’s bizarre tweet praising the neo-Nazi AfD party as “popular” and pushed back with “This is democracy… we have learnt from our history that rightwing extremism needs to be stopped.”

Nightmare Fuel

From Bluesky: “They’re dismantling (what remains of) the social safety net and replacing it with a dragnet instead. Chart shows proposed budget changes by agency, with state, international, social and health programs being cut substantially, with increases made in defense and immigration.”

To do ✅

📖 Something to read: A great recent letter to the editor from Jackie A in Hamburg, who submitted this to the Buffalo News. LTEs don’t have to be long. Make your point. Back it up with a fact or three. Reiterate your point. Done!

Representative Nick Langworthy holds telephone town halls. His most recent call lasted a little less than 90 minutes. He spoke for the first 25 minutes and then took nine questions. He holds these calls monthly. So the citizens of NY-23 get about 45 minutes of his time to ask questions that are pre-screened.

While he said he respected the views of the callers, even when he didn't agree with them, he still proceeded to make derogatory comments about people that don't agree with him, claiming they are radical and paid for their time. This is not representation! The citizens of NY-23 want real representation that considers our views and concerns. Instead we have a representative who is a rubber stamp for the President.

📻 Something to listen to: Metric (rock band) “Doomscroller” video. Don’t be a doomscroller.

📺 Something to watch: Free for All, the American Public Library (PBS) - How public libraries shaped a nation and remain a beloved sanctuary for Americans today.

🇺🇸 Something to buy: You can purchase a pocket constitution from the U.S. government for $2 plus shipping - for now. There’s a three-item minimum so get one for yourself and a few to share. Makes a great gift.

News 📺

Word on the street is that Green Springville volunteers planted 125 trees on April 26, despite the rain and mud! Trees help sustain ecosystems, retain water, hold soil in place, provide food for insects, birds and mammals, reduce heat burden and provide shade, literally produce oxygen, and they’re pretty. Nerd alert: The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben.

Redditors: New subreddit for advocacy at /AdvocacyArchives_716. It’s a slow start but there is room to grow.

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.

5/9, 6-9pm - In Conversation, a Buffalo & Erie County Public Library event and fundraiser with New York Times-bestselling author Susan Orlean & former editor-in-chief of The Buffalo News & public editor of The New York Times Margaret Sullivan. If you can’t make the event you can still support your local library with purchases through their online store - stickers, shirts, water bottles! - or pickup a shirt or sweatshirt in support of the Concord Public Library - so soft!

5/10 - Stamp Out Hunger. Leave non-perishable food for your mail carrier for pickup on Saturday, May 10. Support local food access and your local mail service.

5/17, 2pm - WNY Women’s March, LaFayette Square in Buffalo (near the library).

5/17, 10am-5pm - Candidate Boot Camp with the Erie County Federation of Democratic Women, ECDC, WNY Federation of Democratic Women and Eleanor’s Legacy. 701 Seneca Street, Buffalo.

NEW 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.

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

[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 and working on Virginia races. Email [email protected] to get connected with that group.

😊 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.

Past Newsletters