SPECIAL EVENT! Remembering January 6 on the 3rd Anniversary with Alan Jenkins and other special guests!

Fix Democracy First Democracy Happy Hour SPECIAL EVENT: Remembering January 6th on the 3rd Anniversary

Wednesday, January 10, 2024 @ 5-6:30 pm PT/8-9:30 pm ET Virtual via Zoom

On January 6, 2021 an attack happened not just on the U.S. Capitol building and the attempt to stop the electoral vote, but also on democracy and the rule of law. It’s been three years since that attack. Join us for this special event to discuss the event, what’s happened since, and what might have happened if it was ultimately successful.

• Special Guests Include: Alan Jenkins, Harvard Law School Professor & Author of 1/6: The Graphic Novel, WA State Senator Patty Kuderer, plus other special guests.

About Alan: Alan Jenkins is a law professor, writer, and advocate. He is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School and, most recently, co-writer of 1/6: The Graphic Novel — a four-part comic book series that poses the question, “What if the January 6, 2021 Insurrection had been successful?”

His past positions include President and Co-Founder of the social justice communication lab The Opportunity Agenda, Director of Human Rights at the Ford Foundation, Assistant to the Solicitor General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and Associate Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

About Senator Kuderer: Washington State Senator Patty Kuderer represents the 48th Legislative District, which covers areas of Redmond, Bellevue, and Kirkland. She represents her constituents as their first female state Senator.

Some the bills she has championed include the Access to Democracy package of bills in 2018 that included Automatic and Same Day Voter Registration, Pre-registration for 16 and 17 year-olds, the WA Voting Rights Act, and the WA Disclose Act. She was also the prime sponsor for the Senate bill to restore voting rights to previously incarcerated persons Senator Kuderer also worked diligently to champion and finally pass legislation this year to eliminate advisory votes from Washington state ballots.

Democracy Happy Hour, Jan 10, 2024 - Meeting Recordings:

Speaker View Recording:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/83m4OfoqJt012DXtEiwkrhvS2TTxjUgvFvg2yHRqESke3gfNR-eDNYpvjBgA1N9XdxOWGI77-DV2l0UQ.7sqciaiPlI9Y_E5a

‍Gallery View Recording: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/TE-LGc9IB4UYxn0DjkkSwD2csmnDBXYY-YvpHQp9D_t_goiVJfe-78NJESQIl70GFAS7tmdkPVSwCWZE.xXHy_Ipqb_gJavI7

‍Chat file (will download directly to your computer):  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/sdownload/U3MYcFnnnCJaDgvjQ7C8Mjizu6MjmPly8cvC2tjXflRiYOpLJOf_Q2EkEc1rcw2_OwshdWChl1W-WVQu.3CO17KYZmZeomSbs

‍FDF Links:

Fix Democracy First - https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/

‍Fix Democracy First - Donate @ https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate

‍Democracy Happy Hour Upcoming Topics/Schedule:

Jan 17 – Legislative Updates & Open Discussion - LIVE from Olympia, WA!

Jan 24 –  CANCELED - No Democracy Happy Hour – Instead join us for a special program for Democracy Lobby Week with the League of Women Voters of WA - Elections: Achieving Better Representation in the 21st Century @ 6-8 pm – Register to sign up @ https://lwvwa.org/event-5475122

ACTIONS & EVENTS:

FairVote RCV Lobby Day with FairVote Washington – Jan 17, 2024 - https://www.mobilize.us/fairvotewa/event/589773/

‍Democracy Lobby Week - Jan 22-26, 2024 - https://lwvwa.org/event-5475122

‍LWVWA ACT via Zoom – Mondays @ 10 am – Jan 8 – Mar 11, 2024 -  https://lwvwa.org/event-5491947

‍Bar insurrectionists from office under the U.S. Constitution! – MoveOn Petition - https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/bar-insurrectionists-from-office-under-the-u-s-constitution

January 3rd Anniversary Event & Related  Links:

1/6: The Graphic Novel - https://onesixcomicsstore.com/

1/6: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL - Education and Action Guide - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6127dea2925e45475fcbfca9/t/64e62cc0fdd31e4446deb503/1692806339930/WSC+Action+Guide+1-6+-+single+pg.pdf

JANUARY 6 SCORECARD | 2024 Analyzing Threats to Democracy - https://static1.squarespace.com/static/6127dea2925e45475fcbfca9/t/65984f65fb01120f64eef02b/1704480619596/J6+Scorecard.pdf

Jan. 6 anniversary falls as experts sound alarm over risks to American democracy - https://thehill.com/homenews/4392097-jan-6-anniversary-american-democracy/

On Jan. 6 Anniversary, Trump Repeats Lie That 2020 Election Was Stolen - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/06/us/politics/trump-jan-6-speech-election.html

Two in Three Americans Are Concerned the Events of January 6th Could Happen Again - https://navigatorresearch.org/two-in-three-americans-are-concerned-the-events-of-january-6th-could-happen-again/

Supreme Court says it will decide if Trump qualifies for Colorado ballot - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/05/supreme-court-trump-colorado-ballot-insurrection/

Judges skeptical that Trump is immune from Jan. 6 prosecution - https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/01/09/trump-immunity-appeals-court-arguments

Four key takeaways from Trump’s presidential immunity hearing - https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/01/09/trump-immunity-hearing-takeaways

On Jan. 6 Anniversary, Trump Repeats Lie That 2020 Election Was Stolen - https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/06/us/politics/trump-jan-6-speech-election.html

Three years after Jan. 6 attack, the political divide is even wider - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/01/06/jan-6-anniversary-political-divide/

On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder - These are twenty lessons published seven years ago in a pamphlet called On Tyranny - https://www.amazon.com/Tyranny-Twenty-Lessons-Twentieth-Century/dp/0804190119/

1. Do not obey in advance.  Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked.  A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.
2. Defend institutions.  It is institutions that help us to preserve decency.  They need our help as well.  Do not speak of "our institutions" unless you make them yours by acting on their behalf.  Institutions do not protect themselves.  They fall one after the other unless each is defended from the beginning.  So choose an institution you care about -- a court, a newspaper, a law, a labor union -- and take its side.
3. Beware the one-party state.  The parties that remade states and suppressed rivals were not omnipotent from the start.  They exploited a historic moment to make political life impossible for their opponents.  So support the multiple-party system and defend the rules of democratic elections.  Vote in local and state elections while you can.  Consider running for office.
4. Take responsibility for the face of the world.  The symbols of today enable the reality of tomorrow.  Notice the swastikas and the other signs of hate.  Do not look away, and do not get used to them.  Remove them yourself and set an example for others to do so.
5. Remember professional ethics.  When political leaders set a negative example, professional commitments to just practice become more important. It is hard to subvert a rule-of-law state without lawyers, or to hold show trials without judges.  Authoritarians need obedient civil servants, and concentration camp directors seek businessmen interested in cheap labor.
6. Be wary of paramilitaries.  When the men with guns who have always claimed to be against the system start wearing uniforms and marching with torches and pictures of a leader, the end is nigh.  When the pro-leader paramilitary and the official police and military intermingle, the end has come.
7. Be reflective if you must be armed.  If you carry a weapon in public service, may God bless you and keep you.  But know that evils of the past involved policemen and soldiers finding themselves, one day, doing irregular things.  Be ready to say no.
8. Stand out.  Someone has to.  It is easy to follow along.  It can feel strange to do or say something different.  But without that unease, there is no freedom.  Remember Rosa Parks.  The moment you set an example, the spell of the status quo is broken, and others will follow.
9. Be kind to our language.  Avoid pronouncing the phrases everyone else does.  Think up your own way of speaking, even if only to convey that thing you think everyone is saying.  Make an effort to separate yourself from the internet.  Read books.
10. Believe in truth.  To abandon facts is to abandon freedom.  If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so.  If nothing is true, then all is spectacle.  The biggest wallet pays for the most blinding lights.
11. Investigate.  Figure things out for yourself.  Spend more time with long articles. Subsidize investigative journalism by subscribing to print media.  Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you.  Learn about sites that investigate propaganda campaigns (some of which come from abroad).  Take responsibility for what you communicate with others.
12. Make eye contact and small talk.  This is not just polite.  It is part of being a citizen and a responsible member of society.  It is also a way to stay in touch with your surroundings, break down social barriers, and understand whom you should and should not trust.  If we enter a culture of denunciation, you will want to know the psychological landscape of your daily life.
13. Practice corporeal politics.  Power wants your body softening in your chair and your emotions dissipating on the screen.  Get outside.  Put your body in unfamiliar places with unfamiliar people.  Make new friends and march with them.
14. Establish a private life.  Nastier rulers will use what they know about you to push you around.  Scrub your computer of malware on a regular basis.  Remember that email is skywriting.  Consider using alternative forms of the internet, or simply using it less.  Have personal exchanges in person.  For the same reason, resolve any legal trouble.  Tyrants seek the hook on which to hang you.  Try not to have hooks.
15. Contribute to good causes.  Be active in organizations, political or not, that express your own view of life.  Pick a charity or two and set up autopay.  Then you will have made a free choice that supports civil society and helps others to do good.
16. Learn from peers in other countries.  Keep up your friendships abroad, or make new friends in other countries.  The present difficulties in the United States are an element of a larger trend.  And no country is going to find a solution by itself.  Make sure you and your family have passports.
17. Listen for dangerous words.  Be alert to use of the words "extremism" and "terrorism."  Be alive to the fatal notions of "emergency" and "exception."  Be angry about the treacherous use of patriotic vocabulary.
18. Be calm when the unthinkable arrives.  Modern tyranny is terror management.  When the terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power.  The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book.  Do not fall for it.
19. Be a patriot.  Set a good example of what America means for the generations to come.  They will need it.
20. Be as courageous as you can.  If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.