This Is Happening Here — And It’s Not Over.
We have seen it with our own eyes — the Trump administration’s immigration policies didn’t just target undocumented immigrants. They went after citizens too — babies born on U.S. soil, legal immigrants, and children with critical medical needs.
Families were ripped apart.
Children were deported without their medications.
Babies — American citizens — were sent to countries they had never even seen.
This wasn’t a mistake. It was a deliberate strategy: sow fear, divide communities, and normalize cruelty. It was about stripping people of their dignity — and their rights.
If this sounds familiar, it should. In Nazi Germany, the state began by targeting specific groups, stripping them of citizenship, separating families, and sending them away to camps outside of Germany’s borders. Mass violence did not start overnight. It started with policies, silence, and normalization.
We must call it what it is: state-sanctioned dehumanization.
The good news? We are not powerless.
But we are responsible for making sure this never becomes “normal.”
This Week’s Action Steps:
Speak Out: Share stories of families impacted by deportations. Center their voices, not just statistics.
Pressure Lawmakers: Demand protections for immigrants and accountability for agencies like ICE.
Support Legal Defense Funds: Donate or volunteer with organizations helping immigrants fight unjust deportations.
Stay Informed: History repeats itself when we stop paying attention.
Closing Thought:
When we fight for immigrants, we fight for all of us. Silence is complicity.
Let’s choose action — every single day.
See you in the streets. See you at the ballot box. See you in the fight.
Pro-Life? More Like Pro-Control
The “Pro-Life” Lie: It Was Never About Life
The “pro-life” movement — especially as pushed by the MAGA right and the GOP — has never been about protecting life. It’s about controlling women. It’s about forcing pregnancies while refusing to protect mothers and babies once they’re born.
Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, maternal mortality in the United States has skyrocketed. Deaths among pregnant and postpartum women jumped by nearly 40% from 2020 to 2021, according to the Commonwealth Fund (Commonwealth Fund, 2023). Black women face nearly triple the risk compared to white women. Where abortion is banned, maternal deaths are highest. Where women are stripped of their choices, they are also stripped of their lives.
Stillbirths and severe pregnancy complications have also risen sharply in states with abortion bans (JAMA, 2023). These politicians aren’t saving babies — they are sentencing women and children to suffering and death.
And what about survivors of rape and sexual violence? The cruelty continues. Hundreds of thousands of rape kits sit untested across the U.S., collecting dust while survivors are denied justice (End the Backlog, 2019). In 34 states, rapists can even claim custody rights over children conceived through assault (Center for American Progress, 2021). Survivors are dragged back into courtrooms, forced to negotiate with their attackers, and left with little protection.
Meanwhile, the same politicians who ban abortion also block efforts to make childbirth safer. The United States — the richest country on earth — has no guaranteed paid maternity leave and leaves millions of mothers without affordable prenatal or postnatal care. Medicaid covers about half of all U.S. births, but in many states, postpartum care ends just 60 days after delivery (KFF, 2023). No care. No safety net. Just cruelty.
And let’s be clear: these attacks go beyond abortion bans. They are dismantling access to basic reproductive healthcare. GOP lawmakers are targeting organizations like Planned Parenthood — not just for providing abortions, but for providing cancer screenings, STI tests, contraception, and prenatal care. Planned Parenthood clinics are often the only source of healthcare for thousands of low-income patients, especially in rural communities. When they shut these clinics down, it’s not just abortion access they destroy — it’s healthcare, period.
If the “pro-life” movement really cared about life, they would fight for universal healthcare, paid family leave, childcare support, and safe, affordable access to all reproductive services. Instead, they are building a system that punishes women for surviving, for being poor, for needing care.
This was never about babies. It was never about life.
It was — and still is — about power and control.
We have to keep fighting for real reproductive freedom — for the right to decide our futures, for healthcare that protects everyone, and for a country that actually values life after birth.
It’s time to fight back. Support organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and your local abortion funds. Speak out. Donate. Protest. Vote like lives depend on it — because they do.
How to Deal with MAGA Supporters:
Don’t get sucked into debates with MAGA supporters. It happens to the best of us when they push your buttons, but it never feels good afterward. Have someone around who can help you stay grounded. They’re stuck in a cult, and no matter how many facts you throw at them, it won’t change their minds. Feel sorry for them and walk away.
Don’t engage emotionally: When they hit your triggers, take a breath. Reacting impulsively only fuels the fire and leaves you frustrated afterward.
Have a reality check buddy: Keep someone close by who can pull you back to reality. They can remind you that you’re engaging with a cult-like mindset, not a rational conversation.
Stay focused on your own beliefs: Remember your values and why you hold them. Don’t get sidetracked by their attempts to derail the conversation with falsehoods or inflammatory rhetoric.
Don’t waste time on debates: Facts won’t change their minds — they’re not looking for truth, they’re looking to validate their views. Recognize this and disengage.
Feel empathy but protect your peace: It’s important to feel some sympathy for their mindset, but don’t let it disrupt your peace of mind. You can pity them without getting involved in a pointless argument.
Set boundaries: Politely but firmly walk away when it becomes clear the conversation is going nowhere. Your mental health is more important than winning a battle that was never yours to fight.
Walk away without guilt: You’re not obligated to keep engaging. Trust that stepping away is the most powerful choice you can make to protect yourself.
The Texas Rural Summit, a two-day event, will take place June 13-14, 2025, at the Bastrop Convention Center in Bastrop, Texas. We're bringing together experts, elected officials, and community leaders to develop targeted approaches to address the unique challenges facing Rural Texans. We'll be working together to develop strategies for better urban-rural relations and for dealing with the voucher scam. We'll be hearing from women who have run for office in rural Texas, as well as from rural voters. If you're interested, more details on the speakers, panel topics, and how to get involved are available from Carla Schoonover at 940-329-0514 or by email at Carla@the134pac.org. This is organized by the 134 PAC and the Coalition of Democratic Allies. Please join us! Tickets coming soon!
A couple of quick reminders:
Bastrop Protests every Thursday on the corner of Main and Chestnut 12-1:00
May 3rd Municipal Elections - Early Voting 4/22-4/29 Election Info
CODA Mobilization Meeting - May 15th @ 6:30 PM Bastrop Public Library
June 13-14 Rural Texas Summit, Bastrop Convention Center
Vote for Cheryl Lee for Bastrop City Council Place 5
Also, just notified this morning from Meidas Touch, China's ships supposed to go to U.S. are sitting in China's harbor's. We are about to embark on a supplies crisis. You may want to begin stocking up but try not to scare folks into a panic.
We can‘t sit back and wait for the genocide to start. We must continue to act.