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Action, Resources Britney Achin Action, Resources Britney Achin

Stay Alert in Moderation

Many of us continue to struggle with how to stay informed without becoming so anxious we can no longer function. It is tempting to completely turn away from the news, but how can we when decisions are being made that might destroy our form of government and harm the lives of millions? Yet, when is it okay to cry uncle and say we have had enough? And, if we want to limit our exposure, what are the best sources of honest reporting?

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Government, Action Britney Achin Government, Action Britney Achin

Anne Frank Got It Wrong

Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank, hiding from the Nazis with her family in an attic in Amsterdam, wrote, “In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.” When I first read her words, I remember being filled with admiration for this young girl — for her courage, her ability to find joy in life as her world grew smaller and her future more bleak.

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Government, Action Britney Achin Government, Action Britney Achin

Will Anything We Do Matter?

We find ourselves almost speechless as we watch the news and hear the heartless response of our president to the deaths of children on an airplane; to the deportation of immigrants; to the dismantling of programs meant to combat centuries of inequality; and to the dissolution of international alliances that protect our worldwide community.

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Action, Censorship Britney Achin Action, Censorship Britney Achin

Read ’Em and Weep

After last week’s letter about our 2025 Art as Activism contest inviting high school students to create posters expressing the importance of fighting book bannings and censorship in schools and libraries, and our plans for a forum on the same subject at the Cabot Theater in Beverly on March 26, we started thinking about what we might all do in our daily lives to spread awareness about this issue, increase knowledge, and make some tangible effect.

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Government, Action Britney Achin Government, Action Britney Achin

Keep On Keeping On

Some of us are still licking our wounds. Some are still shocked and in disbelief. All of us are horrified that more than half the voters in our country chose for their leader a man who speaks vulgarly about women and veterans and immigrants and so many others. Horrified that the most powerful head of state in the world is a convicted felon who wants to rule with impunity, overrun the system of checks and balances in our federal system, and deny basic rights to many law-abiding citizens.

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Action Britney Achin Action Britney Achin

Fight to certify!

Don’t get us wrong. We are as excited and encouraged as anybody about the new energy and joy in the presidential race. But let’s be clear. Winning the popular vote, and even the electoral vote, are not the only challenges. There may still be threats to the election process as one candidate attempts to upend the ballot count in crucial states and then cause an insurrection that could make January 6, 2021, look like a playground tiff.

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Action Britney Achin Action Britney Achin

Congratulations!

Because of you, 2,500 postcards with images of the winning posters created by high school students for our Art as Activism contest are on their way to reluctant voters in battleground states! 

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Government, Action, Resources Britney Achin Government, Action, Resources Britney Achin

Got Hope

There is excitement in the air while a new figure takes center stage as the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party. The race seems very close right now, and the results may likely hinge on voter turnout – specifically, on the turnout of women and young people in battleground states.

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Action, Government Britney Achin Action, Government Britney Achin

Send More Than Dollars

Whatever our reaction to the current state of affairs, we can’t complain of boredom! Every day seems to bring more surprises, some frightening, some exciting. Many, as we’ve noted before, totally out of our control.

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Action Britney Achin Action Britney Achin

A Short Update

Lest you think otherwise, this is not really your weekly newsletter from us. It is merely a note to bring you up to date on three things.

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Government, Action Britney Achin Government, Action Britney Achin

World Weary

There are less than five months, 145 days, or about 3,480 hours, until Election Day 2024: November 5. What are we each going to do until then to try to make a difference? How many of us are feeling energized by the latest developments, domestic and international? How many of us are bone tired and discouraged?

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Government, Action Britney Achin Government, Action Britney Achin

Don't Pick the Flowers

While I was walking through a beautiful flower garden last week with my five-year-old granddaughter (in a land far away from New England), she asked to pick one of the pink blooms. Just one, she insisted. I, of course, gave the standard line about how if everyone picked even just one, soon there would be none for people to see and enjoy.

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