Valley Forum: The Resistance has begun

A submission by members of the Sonoma Valley Resistance.|

Appalled by the Trump presidency? Tired of waking up each morning to news that everything you value is under attack – be it human rights, the environment, public education, your healthcare, our democracy?

Sonoma Valley Resistance is taking action. At our core is the belief that it is not normal for an American President to lie with impunity to the public; not normal for a President to unashamedly denigrate women or people of color; not normal to openly encourage violence against groups or individuals who do not agree with him; not normal to demonize the press and malign our judicial system; to wage war on scientific fact, indeed on truth itself. It is not normal for an administration to put its own personal and financial interests ahead of those of the American public they are sworn to serve.

Many of our 250 local members are new to civic engagement, motivated by the Women’s March or by a particular issue. Others have a long history of civic involvement dating back to the Civil Rights era. While others may despair over the daily headlines, overwhelmed with feelings of helplessness, our members come together to act. As 2017 ends, we take pride in our members’ active participation in the many Get-Out-The-Vote efforts for the Alabama Senate race.

We were at the front lines during the fight to preserve health care coverage for more than 30 million Americans, a fight that remains far from over. We stood strong for local Dreamers with the March for DACA in the Sonoma Plaza last September. We continue to mobilize against the plan that cuts taxes for the richest among us while everyone else sacrifices; against a wasteful and ineffective border wall; against the attacks on science and the environment; and for truth about foreign involvement in our elections. We have no illusions we will succeed on every front, but fight we will.

Sonoma Valley Resistance is an active participant in the growing national movement to resist the Trump agenda. We are affiliated with Indivisible, some 6,000 grassroots groups networked across the United States. We are organized to defend the American principles of freedom of expression, equal opportunity, separation of powers, and the rule of law. We invite every person in the Sonoma Valley who shares these values to join us as we stand up for America and make our voices heard.

Martin Weil, Jennifer Palladini, Denise Belanger, Tom Benthin are members of Sonoma Valley Resistance.

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