Sunday Solidarity Group Growing

Every Sunday people concerned about the survival of US democracy show up at Loussac Library - 4th floor.  I'm not sure quite how to describe the event.  It's a gathering place to connect with like minded people.

Looking through the photos on my phone, it appears the first time I came was December 21.  At that time there were about 15 or 20 people attending.  The numbers seem to be climbing each week.  There were over 40 people there tonight.  

It's a place to find folks to help with your pet political project.  A place to just see that there are others who are concerned enough about the attacks on democracy to show up Sunday afternoon.  A place to find projects that fit your schedule and comfort level.

Sometimes there's a speaker.  Always there are POMs (Public Official Messages) on which to write your thoughts to your members of Congress.  Someone then takes them to Rep. Begich's and Senators Murkowski's and Sullivan's offices.  They've delivered about 700 POMs so far since November. 

There's also information about other groups working toward the same goals.  They also pay attention to people's mental health.  A couple of weeks ago, there were two therapists who work with people who have experienced political trauma.  

Several tables were for writing postcards.  At this table people were writing cards to US Senators who someone decided might be persuaded to vote against funding ICE further with first reining them in.

I wrote one to someone in California whose district had been redrawn in response to Texas gerrymandering to gain five GOP seats, telling the voter that his district had changed and when the primaries and general election were.  

There was a table for making sandwiches for the homeless.  People had brought in sandwich fixings and people were going to take them to a group that gathers food like this from all over Anchorage.   

More post card writing.  This one was for Mazon, and people were sending post cards to the Secretary of Agriculture regarding foreign aid that feeds the poor, particularly children.  

Before the Sunday Solidarity group meets, a book club meets from 2pm-3pm.  They are currently reading a book called Capitol Crude:The Impact of Oil on Alaska Politicsby Lisa A. Weissler.  Weissler was a legislative staffer for many years and this is an account of the building of the pipeline, the influence of oil money on the legislature, the

history of the unsuccessful attempts to build a natural gas pipeline.  We read a few chapters a week.  

It's particularly interesting because I know the names of so many of the people involved, and I know many of them personally.  Next week we'll read about the political-corruption trials which I blogged starting in 2007.