Dear Lebanon County Democrats.
A core value of Democrats, and of our democracy, is the aspiration of “…liberty and justice for all.” But yesterday, an ICE agent in Minnesota shot and killed Renee Good, a US citizen. This killing was both predictable and preventable. It marks a new low (for now) of the erosion of our democracy. The weaponization of ICE against states that don’t comply with the Trump administration, sending poorly trained and unidentifiable agents into American cities to harass, imprison, deport – and now kill – anyone they want, including American citizens, is unconscionable. This is not what America should be. If you haven’t already, contact your Congress people and urge them to do everything in their power to force the Republican-led Congress to do their job. This incident should be investigated. There should be congressional hearings. ICE should be dissolved. Yesterday marked a shameful day in our country’s history. This comes on the heels of the US invasion of Venezuala, the continuing assault on public health via changes to vaccine schedules, and so much more that it would be nearly impossible to list in an email-sized communication.
While I wanted to be able to wish you a happy New Year with no caveats, I hope you can still find some peace, rest, and joy in the midst of this upheaval. Resistance is not futile, despite what those in power would have you believe. We still have a democracy in place (battered and bruised though it may be). You can still take action. But I also encourage you to recognize your own limits. Hold on to compassion for others, when you can, even while holding people accountable for their actions. Remember that there is much to be done, more than any one person can take on, and so we must unite and work together if we want to achieve that promise of liberty and justice.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sending out information about LCDC events, candidates for state and federal office, opportunities for you to run for local spots, and yes, fundraising requests. Although I won’t always mention the chaos of the day, that doesn’t mean that those events aren’t important or worth discussing. Rather, as the county committee, we want to focus on the work that we are uniquely suited for – work that is valuable to this effort of upholding our democracy. We also know that there is other work happening, and ask only for you to do what you can, when you can, to move Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, and the US forward.
In solidarity,
Chair Matt
Lebanon County Democratic Committee