Springville Action - 5/7/25 #16

Turn left. (For any other Doctor Who fans)

Author

Springville Action
May 07, 2025

Planned to send this tomorrow but there's soooooo much… pushing it out for friends today.

Inspiration 🦄

From our recent meeting - we are intelligent people who can hold two different, competing ideas in our heads at once.

Idea #1. We are fucked.

Idea #2. We are hopeful.

Consider that for the foreseeable future we need to closely hold on to each idea. Each is true. Holding both at once gives us equivalent doses of reality and optimism. We can see present circumstances with clarity and we can imagine the future with hope. Ignoring #2 leaves us in a really dismal, unhealthy mental space, unable to act. Ignoring #1 makes us blissfully ignorant and unwilling to act.

Nightmare Fuel

Strongly suggest reading Binding Chaos. Purchase it to support the author or find her work online.

To do ✅ 

📖 Something to read: info on https://westernnypolitics.com/ and the always excellent Politics and Other Stuff.

📻 Something to listen to: The Square Podcast - The Great Lakes Honk

🍲 Something to do: Prepare for a meal train. These come up far too often when people are going through challenges and need some extra help. Get some disposable foil trays or pick up some casserole dishes at garage sales or thrift shops. Fill it with a family recipe or something from Pinterest next time you’re cooking. Lasagna, shepherd's pie, ziti, chicken and rice, and soups are foolproof for all but the worst chefs. Keep it in the freezer until needed. Times are going to get tough. Be a helper.

News 📺

  • What do pundits and journalists really mean when they write “critics say”? From Stop the Presses - News outlets over-rely on the phrase ‘critics say,’ this critic says. Journalists do a disservice to the public when they’re afraid to state facts.

  • LOCAL: from Buffalo News - 'Devastated': Three of the Service Collaborative's programs in jeopardy due to AmeriCorps funding cuts. Use 12ft.io to get around the paywall.

  • Healthcare and the hollow state.

  • Regulate, don't cancel, town hall meetings

  • Letter to the editor from the Buffalo News

  • I am a bit amused by some of our local elected Congressional officials for refusing to hold local town hall meetings, citing a conspiracy across the country with "paid protester's" showing up. I would like to see proof of their allegations. Instead of holding Zoom internet meetings, where the agenda is controlled by the elected officials, I have a suggestion for them. Hold local town hall meetings in your district and have your staff at the door. Only registered individuals in said district are allowed in. Individuals would need to bring their voter registration with them to be admitted. This way, all voters of a district - Republican, Democratic, Conservative, Working Families, Independent - would be able to ask questions live to their elected Congressional officials, whose salaries and benefits we do pay for!

  • Mark J, Hamburg

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

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.

6/6, 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.

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