Molly's Army
Every week, you'll get simple, doable steps we can take to save our democracy even when we're busy and overwhelmed by the firehose of bad news.
Despair is normal right now—but this simple truth will give you hope
Yesterday, a friend texted me this: 😭😭😭🤬🤬🤬🤬😡😡😡😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫😫 Because the House passed the murder bill, and it feels like yet another gut punch. After I saw the breaking news alert, I wanted to crawl into bed with a pint of Ben & Jerry's and binge watch Parks & Rec for the rest of the weekend. Stopping this bill was a long shot. But after 7 million people showed up for No Kings rallies all around the country, I'd cupped my hands around a tiny flame of hope, and it grew. 🕯️ Now, I find myself...
Want to fight fascism but life keeps getting in the way? This will help
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #2 under "Do this + feel better" below, you will have met the urgency of this moment. 💪 :: You know those things you want to do to help save democracy, but somehow they never bubble to the top of your to-do list? For example, maybe you want to apply to serve as an election worker, find an independent journalist to follow and support, or organize a few neighbors to go to the next rally together on July 17. Or maybe you're not sure what to do, but...
7 million people rallied to save democracy—how to turn our success into power
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #1 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be growing our collective power. 💗 :: Saturday felt good. In more than 2,000 cities, everyday Americans took to the streets to say no to the authoritarian regime and say yes to a true democracy that works for all of us. 🇺🇸 According to a crowdsourced effort led by a data analyst, as many as 7 million people attended a No Kings rally. Seven million! That's a full two percent of the U.S. population, and...
Mass protests help us accomplish something important—but are they safe?
Tomorrow, on June 14, millions of Americans will come together at rallies all around the country for a nationwide day of peaceful defiance to reject authoritarianism—No Kings. 🇺🇸 This is one of those all-hands-on-deck moments where we need everyone who cares about our democracy to stand up and say: Nope. Not on our watch. Because as the late Molly Ivins said: "Politics is not a picture on a wall or a television sitcom that you can decide you don’t much care for… politics is not about those...
Wish you could do more to save democracy? Here's a simple hack
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #1 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be doing your part to protect our democracy. 🙏 :: Every time I hear about a book that sounds like it could provide some guidance and solace for me in this fraught moment we're living through, I put it on hold at the library. But here's the problem. When I pick up my library holds on the weekend, I'm excited to see what's ready for me, and I can't wait to get home and dig into it. And yet, by the time I...
For the days you're busy or tired—but you still want to save democracy
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #3 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be building our collective power. 🌱 :: On Monday morning, a friend invited me and my kids to a read-in at the Texas Capitol to protest a ridiculous bill that would ban books and take away our freedom to read. Or to be more accurate, my friend's 5-year-old asked her to invite us. Even after her mom explained it was last-minute and we probably wouldn't be able to make it, this sweet child insisted she...
The reason why some people haven't taken action yet—and how to fix it
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #1 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be doing your part to protect democracy. 🇺🇸 :: Confession: I am a grown adult, and I have never cleaned out a sink trap. 🫣 Whenever my bathroom drain starts to slow down, I ask the resident Fix-It Felix (i.e. my husband) to take care of it. And like magic, the drain goes back to normal. But this seems like something I should know as an adult, so I want him to show me the process—but I keep forgetting...
When you're drowning in news alerts, this can help
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #3 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll earn your Democracy Defender badge. 🏆 :: Some days, it feels like we're stuck in the movie Groundhog Day—but this time, it's a horror remake. Just when you catch your breath from one (heart)breaking news alert about the hostile takeover of our government, another news alert knocks you down. 💔 No wonder we're all overwhelmed. Many of us feel like we need to keep up with everything that's happening. We...
This might feel a little silly, but it's essential to fighting fascism
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is sign up for #1 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll have done something to help. 🌟 :: A couple weeks ago, I did something I've never done before: I attended a town hall meeting for the constituents of a U.S. representative. As it turned out, the rep was too chicken to show up and face his voters, but regardless, I did a new thing. 🎉 I bet you can relate. Every week, I hear from Molly's Army members who are also doing something they've never...
Here's what history tells us about how to defeat fascists
:: Only got 5 minutes? Even if all you do is #1 under "Do this + feel better" below, you'll be part of the solution. 🤩 :: The cruelty of this fascist regime is relentless. Just when you catch your breath from the sucker-punch of one atrocity, another one hits you in the gut. This week, it was this photo of detainees at a Texas detention center that left me doubled over. 💔 So you feel helpless and hopeless, frozen in place. Which is kinda the point, isn't it? This regime wants us overwhelmed....
Every week, you'll get simple, doable steps we can take to save our democracy even when we're busy and overwhelmed by the firehose of bad news.