With every day that passes, the Trump regime pulls our nation further away from its bedrock principles.
And sadly, with every day that passes, we wait for leaders on the right to stand up for the the 1st Amendment rights of every American. Where are all those retiring GOP members? Thom Tillis? Mike McCaul? You guys have any thoughts you’d like to share? (Credit where it’s due: Karl Rove and Tucker Carlson were notable exceptions this week.)
In a functioning democracy, comedians make fun of the president on TV. Newspaper owners don’t throttle their opinion writers. And people are entitled to express opinions, even if they hurt someone’s feelings. After all, that was kind of Charlie Kirk’s whole shtick.
As usual, our Signal group had several ideas for ways we can push back against this attack on every American’s Constitutional rights:
Submit your thoughts on ABC’s programming decision at this link.
Check out this excellent document with ideas and resources, including links to cancel Disney+ and Hulu, and contact national advertisers.
We spotted this on Bluesky, from a retired meteorologist:
Austin’s ABC affiliate, KVUE, is owned by Tegna, which is currently being acquired by Nexstar, so this is a potential action item for us. We tuned into KVUE’s 10 pm broadcast last night, and here were the local advertisers:
Thomas J. Henry, (512) 520-0221
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas (972) 766-6900
Roger Beasley Mazda, (512) 518-6425
Whataburger, (800) 628-7437
Ted Lorenz, (512) 477-7333
Hewlett VW Georgetown, (512) 681-3500
Texas Ford dealers:
Group 1 Ford of South Austin, (512) 596-1497
Leif Johnson Ford, (512) 377-9494
Covert Ford, (512) 518-4006
GMC dealers:
Chuck Nash, (512) 566-3782
Steele GMC, (512) 823-1067
Covert GMC Austin, (512) 518-6718
Covert GMC Bee Cave, (512) 954-9290
We all know that if the Trump regime finds even a smidgen of success here, they’re going to keep going. (They’re already excited about it, in fact.) Let’s use every tool at our disposal to push back against this insanity.
We Still Get to Have Fun, Though
Thanks to everyone who came to our happy hour at Tweedy’s last night! It was everything we hoped for … we made new friends, reconnected with each other, and shared our plans for the weeks ahead (keep reading for more info!)
If you signed up with FORWRD-ATX last night, welcome! Here’s a post that provides a snapshot of who we are and why we exist. Every project idea we pursue is crowdsourced, so if you have an idea, please tell us about it!
Thanks to everyone who came out!
Big thanks to Tweedy’s Bar for hosting us — we’ll be back ASAP to eat at all the food trucks ….
It’s Official: Announcing Our Next Meeting
Wednesday, October 15, 6:30-8:30
Cherrywood Center, 1605 E. 38th ½ Street, 78722
Whew! It took some doing (and some cold hard cash), but we’ve secured a spot for our next meeting. We’ll be at the Cherrywood Center on the corner of 38th ½ and Cherrywood Road.
Our plans right now include practicing some dance steps together … because we’re planning a flash mob during the No Kings protest on Saturday, October 18th. (We’ll send a video beforehand so everyone’s got time to practice!)
It looks like a dance hall, doesn’t it?
Why no, we’ve never planned a flash mob before, but we’ve never done ANY of this before, so why stop now? If you’d like to be part of the Flash Mob Working Group, come on down.
We’ll also be hearing from our FORWRD TO WIN group and plotting more future actions … so please make plans to come no matter what! Invite your friends, too!
Passing the Hat
As you know, FORWRD-ATX is entirely crowdsourced and crowdfunded, supporting our projects through our own contributions.
If you’d like to chip in to help cover expenses associated with our next meeting, the simplest way is to Venmo us. (Christy Milner is our treasurer, FYI!) If you would prefer to give some other way, please shoot us an email and we’ll figure it out together. Thank you!
🗓️ Calendar Highlights
For Friday, September 19th: Stay connected with people who care!
💜= FORWRD member recommended
Local Austin events (in person):
💜Friday, September 19th Community Vigil: Austin Sanctuary Network Join The Altars Project in remembering and advocating for the people detained by the federal government in our local communities. Live Music starting at 8 PM by Los Fandangueros. Parking onsite is very limited, so give time to find a spot in the neighborhood. LOCATION: Epoch Coffee North Loop
💜Saturday, September 20th 10 AM - 12 PM Constitution Day Rally Speakers will include Texas lawyer and politician Wendy Davis, Texas Senator Sarah Eckhardt, Austin Justice Coalition Executive Director Chas Moore, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas (SEAT) organizer Cameron Samuels, trans activist Anna Nguyen, Texas Attorney and politician Pooja Sethi, youth organizer Vienna Esson, and HOCTX President Sophia Mirto! We will have a lady liberty costume contest during the event... MC'd by beloved local drag queen Maxine LaQueene!
Saturday, September 20th 1-3 PM ICE Out of Austin Protest Join ResistAustin to protest the use of the JJ Pickle Federal Building as a temporary ICE detention center and help draw attention to the damage ICE is causing to our community.
Saturday, September 20th 2-4 PM Protected Protest Training and Testimony As the summer winds down, protests in Austin are heating up. Find out what happens with OUR elected officials don't want to hear from the folks they represent, and how to make your voice heard anyway!
💜Sunday, September 21st 4-6 PM Sun Day Austin Rally FORWRD member Eileen will be part of a free, family-friendly celebration of solar and wind power. The event will also include a short rally in support of renewable energy at a time when progress toward a clean-energy transition is being actively undermined.
Monday, September 22nd 3:30-5:00 PM Democratic Study Group Speaker Meeting with Sarah Eckhardt, Pooja Sethi, and Caitlin Rourke! - see the FORWRD calendar for parking details
Tuesday, September 23rd 8-9:30 AM West Side Banners over Austin with the Rosedale Huddle. Peaceful, energetic and FUN! We will be holding banners and signs over the interstate at peak traffic /visibility times - we wave flags, support our banners and thumbs up to the many honks and waves from cars and trucks below. At Far West and MoPac
Friday, September 24th 8-9:30 AM 12th Street Banner Drop with the Rosedale Huddle - Peaceful, energetic and FUN! We will be holding banners and signs over the interstate at peak traffic /visibility times - we wave flags, support our banners and thumbs up to the many honks and waves from cars and trucks below, At 12th St and I-35.
💜Wednesday, October 1st 6-8 PM This sounds like such a fun event: Political Speed Dating! It’s an opportunity to have 1-1 time with many elected officials (like James Talarico 🤩) … and the ticket price is low low low.
© Dan Sheneman
