Happy Pride, everyone, and happy July 4 week!
1) July 4 Parade in Lebanon Borough:The annual July 4thparade in Lebanon Borough is on Thursday morning. Please consider marching with the Democrats to show that there is widespread support in Hunterdon County for so-called “socialist” policies.From Lauren Grober: please arrive between 8:30 and 9:00 and no later than 9:00 AM and please wear a blue shirt. Park at Stewarts or near the Grist Mill Circle on RTE 22 and then walk straight into town – very close – or park on Clark Street. We are meeting at the wooded area across from the intersection of Main and Lynwood. Look for the blue shirts and ask for Vicki, Dorothy or Lauren. NO SIGNS PLEASE – we’d like to convey this message with numbers and blue shirts. Hope to see you there and thanks to all of you coming to support us!!
2) Close the Camps: There is a rally on July 2 to protest the detention centers on our southern border. Find a rally to attend here: https://www.closethecampsnow.org/event/close-camps-now_attend/. It looks like the closest ones to Hunterdon County are in Elizabeth, NJ, and NYC. There will also be Lights for Liberty (https://www.lightsforliberty.org) protests on July 12. The Princeton rally will be 7-9:30 pm at Hinds Plaza. You can register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lights-for-liberty-tickets-64312049070.
3) Science Advisory Panels: Trump has a strategy of creating outrage in some areas, and then quietly dismantling our government somewhere else. Case in point: he just issued an executive order to cut science advisory panels by 1/3. These panels are largely composed of experts who volunteer their time to give expert advice on pollution, climate change, vaccines, food safety, and so on. All of this work occurs for less than $1 million each year, of which only ~$100 thousand goes to expenses for non-government experts (i.e., the rest of the expenses go to the salaries of government employees who are paid anyway). You can read more here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-019-01961-6. Please call our three Members of Congress to ask that they work to reinstate these panels!
4) IGSV Summer Picnic: Our third annual summer picnic will be July 28 from 2-5 pm at Tom Koven and Barbara Cochrane’s house in Hampton. It’s a great opportunity to celebrate our work this year and to meet fellow Resisters! Please RSVP here to let us know that you’ll attend and what you can bring to share: https://www.evite.com/event/03A0BES6J4GXUQGYKEPJS5K62AGUHA/rsvp.
Quote of the week: “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”– James Madison