The Benicia Independent ~ Eyes on the Environment / Benicia news & views

The Benicia Independent ~ Eyes on the Environment / Benicia news & views

Search
Skip to content
  • Coronavirus
    • CA.gov COVID-19 data for Solano County
    • Excellent daily summary at CovidActNow
  • Benicia Black Lives Matter
    • Benicia Black Lives Matter – Our Voices
    • Benicia’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Initiative
    • Anti-racism letters in the Benicia Herald
  • BENICIA – WHERE TO WRITE & CALL!
  • ARCHIVES
    • Kari Birdseye for Benicia City Council 2022
    • 2020 Benicia Election
      • The BenIndy on our 2020 Election
      • Valero smears Steve Young to promote it’s preferred candidate
      • Valero PAC Financial Disclosures
    • ISO
    • CRUDE BY RAIL
      • About Crude By Rail
        • Resources
        • Marilyn Bardet interviews
        • Valero CBR Background
      • CBR – Take Action Now!
        • Day After the NEXT BIG ONE – Take Action!
      • CBR – Local Media Coverage
      • CBR – Links
      • Stop the oil trains – Poetry, Song, etc.
      • CBR – CBR Official Project Documents
        • Valero appeal to City Council (and STB)
        • Final EIR
        • REVISED EIR
        • Draft EIR and Mitigated Negative Declaration
      • CBR – 2016 Project Review
        • Formal Comments by Benicians for a Safe & Healthy Community
        • 2015 – Public comments DEIR, RDEIR
        • Highly critical reviews at close of DEIR public comment period
        • 2014 – Public comments DEIR
        • 2013 – Public Comments MND & Scoping
      • Kamala Harris letters
  • RogerStraw.com
  • ABOUT THE BENINDY
Delaine Eastin, Public engagement, United States of America

Delaine Eastin: On this 4th of July – engagement!

July 4, 2018 Roger Straw

An email from Delaine Eastin…
[Editor:  Inspiring – and a great poltical cartoon at the end!  – RS]

ON THIS 4TH OF JULY

Delaine Eastin

This 4th of July we are reminded again of our fight to break from Great Britain and to become one nation…with liberty and justice for all. Since 1776 our country has had many assaults from within and without. Many of these assaults brought about changes that helped our country be better aligned with the aspirational values expressed in our constitution. Yet the assault we face from some within our government today is one of the most dangerous. With an unstable, prejudiced, egotist in the White House, we realize how much power is in the office of president, and it truly is up to us to preserve, protect and defend our country and the rule of law. 

All that said, while I continue to be alarmed by the actions of our President and many on his staff, and the complicity of Republicans in Congress, I am uplifted by the victories of progressive women and men in elections across our country since the 2016 election. These victories reaffirm that when we engage voters and give them optimism that they DO have a voice and that together we have the power to do better, those voters see that their vote makes a difference. When we make the case to potential voters to make the effort to engage and to vote, everything changes. That is our challenge.

Today most people I know are helping with political campaigns, and/or working on the frontlines to support our immigrants, to solve our homeless crisis, to protect the environment, to provide healthcare for all, to improve education. Many people I know, of all political persuasions, want to halt or significantly reduce the influence of the “leader” in the White House. We are making a difference. All this is happening as too many in Washington are working to dismantle or severely curtail the power of government to take proper and constructive initiatives, misusing taxpayer dollars AND attacking our values — thus this multi-level response is critical.

This 4th of July I say thank you for making a difference. The solution to what ails us is engagement — engagement even when it is hard, even when the outcome is not assured. When we saw last weekend’s nationwide protests to stop the inhumane separation of families and the attacks on our values, it was confirmed once again that we are not alone. 

We are the majority, and our work is to fight to have our compassionate, patriotic values represented at the ballot box and in our elected offices, to let freedom ring, as it has for more than 200 years. 

I hope you enjoy your celebrations wherever you are on this 4th of July,

Delaine


Credit: Wolverton, Battle Ground, WA

Post navigation

Previous PostProgressive Dems call for Industrial Safety Ordinance, Council votes NONext PostPruitt resigns, but replacement Wheeler ‘should scare anyone who breathes’

SUBSCRIBE TO BENINDY NEWS & VIEWS

Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,085 other subscribers

The occasional BenIndy Newsletter

Sign up for the OCCASIONAL Benicia Independent newsletter.  The newsletter comes out once a month on average, by email.

CLICK HERE to join over 1,300 other Newsletter subscribers…

Buy a BenIndy hat, mug, t-shirt…

Enjoy the cool designs…
your dollars will support the BenIndy!

For safe and healthy communities…

Categories

Recent Posts

  • Roger Straw announces retirement and a bold new BenIndy January 31, 2023
  • Refinery Air Watch Training Feb 2, 7 PM – get detailed data on Valero Benicia and other refineries January 31, 2023
  • Stephen Golub: Guns: Here We Go Again… and again…and again… January 27, 2023
  • Ariana Martinez for Benicia School Board, April 11 Special Election January 24, 2023
  • Housing Update should be adopted with “Environmentally Superior Alternative” January 22, 2023
  • Benicia Historical Society joins others in calling for ‘Environmentally Superior Alternative’ January 22, 2023
  • Protect our historic districts and places on the National Register – the highest level recognition of historic significance January 19, 2023
  • Refinery Air Watch – Webinar intro to new website showing detailed data on Valero Benicia and refineries across U.S. January 19, 2023
  • Seeno vs. Seeno feud casts shadow over huge East Bay land deal January 7, 2023
  • Susannah Delano: Recruiting a Legislature that looks like California (finally) December 17, 2022
  • Birdseye and Scott take oath of office as members of Benicia’s City Council December 16, 2022
  • Governor Newsom Convenes Special Session to Hold Oil Industry Accountable for Price Gouging December 2, 2022
  • Vallejo says it ‘inadvertently’ destroyed records in five police shooting investigations December 2, 2022
  • Benicia Election: Solano County certifies final results November 30, 2022
  • Meeting tonight – What’s the Future of Benicia’s North Side? November 29, 2022

Archives

Proudly powered by WordPress
 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.