It’s Friday the 13th, and we’ll admit we see plenty to fear. The Trumpublicans plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare, and their standard bearer, Donald Trump, signed an executive order yesterday to further that dismantling along.  Then within hours, the White House confirmed that Trump will end the subsidies that help lower income people purchase ACA policies on the exchanges. Just this Wednesday on a PDA call, we heard Sen. Elizabeth Warren say that if you want to explain the difference between a Republican and a Democrat, just say that the Republicans were and are willing to take healthcare coverage away from at least 22 million Americans.  In contrast, Democrats believe healthcare is a human right.  So true. PDA knows the prospect of losing healthcare access scares people. If you missed the call with Sen. Warren, you can listen HERE.)

Meanwhile, Trump continues to tease the world about the prospects of nuclear war with North Korea.  We have learned too many times in world history that war is hell.  War is darkness.  Threatening to kill the leaders of other nations or teasing that we are in the calm before the storm (does he or does he not mean he wants to nuke North Korea?) are both irresponsible, violent ways to engage in the world, and it scares us that America’s leaders are so willing to use the possibility of the death and destruction of war to advance some sort of national superiority agenda.  We share an article by the dedicated peace advocate, Nicolas J.S. Davies, and we hope you will read it and share it widely.  It is by no means only the Republicans who scare us with plans and talk of war, though we find the glib, aggressive, testosterone-laced threats by the glib, aggressive, testosterone-laced Trump to be particularly disturbing and frightening.  CLICK HERE for Davies’ piece.

If these issues weren’t enough, Trump apparently believes we ought to decertify the Iran nuclear deal. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii wrote an article this week about why the United States ought not obliterate the Iran nuke deal.  And while we believe we can always do more to secure peace, we agree that ending the deal is not wise.  Find Rep. Gabbard’s article HERE.

So if you are one of the folks who fears Friday the 13th, we’ll give it to you that on this Friday, October 13th, 2017, we have some very real issues to be afraid of right now.  But, we can either let fear take us over or we can demand that Democrats support peace and justice.  The way we step back from fear is to take action.  Call your Representatives and Senators.  Today.  Tell them you do not want to live in fear and that you are sure your neighbors don’t either.  Tell them to support healthcare as a human right through, HR676 on the House side and S1804 in the Senate.  Tell those same Congressional members to protect the Iran deal and work for peace in North Korea.  Tell them you will hold them accountable, and tell them the world is watching.  Call Congress today.  And if you choose to, call the White House.  Here is the main number for Congress – the Senate and House – in Washington, DC: House & Senate: 202 225-3121; and the White House: 202 456-1111.

We’re working hard through our chapters, coalitions of allied organizations, on the phones, and in the halls of Congress.  We fear being less effective than every one of us needs to be right now, and we need your support through donations.  If you already give, thank you.  If you don’t yet donate, please change that today by supporting our work.  

Peace,

Donna Smith for the the whole PDA national team, Mike Fox, Mike H., Judy, Dan, Janis, Deb, Kimberly, Amos, Bryan and Dr. Bill