5 Calls Newsletter The 5 Calls Newsletter breaks down what your representatives are voting on and what you can do to influence them. From your friends at 5 Calls

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As of today, a new term has entered our language. A “rubio” is a spineless lump of nothing. Example: Don’t be such a rubio.

Count me in

Giving access to SSNs, other data on government employees to non-employees like Musk is a violation of 5 USC 552a, and carries with it a penalty of $1000 per person whose data was accessed. We are building a case. Govt employees who want to participate should contact me directly

The job is enormous and will take *years*. Tourism is (sadly, IMO) the 3rd largest jobs and revenue creating industry here so, yeah, they are focused there now that we are through the immediate aftermath.

Good lord, people! The scale of the clean up needed is off the charts! First, where does the debris go? That has to be arranged and it isn’t easy. Hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of debris doesn’t just get hauled off in the weekly trash to the local dump. People power, scarce resources, etc.

Likewise!

“Remember: They want you scattered. Your focus is resistance.”

“5/ Build community: Share the cognitive load. Different people track different issues. Network intelligence beats individual overload.”

“4/ Practice going slow: Wait 48hrs before reacting to new policies. The urgent clouds the important. Initial reporting often misses context.”

“3/ Remember: Feeling overwhelmed is the point. When you recognize this, you regain some power. Take breaks. Process. This is a marathon.”

“2/ Use aggregators & experts: Find trusted analysts who do the heavy lifting of synthesis. Look for those explaining patterns, not just events.”

“What now?

1/ Set boundaries: Pick 2-3 key issues you deeply care about and focus your attention there. You can't track everything - that's by design. Impact comes from sustained focus, not scattered awareness.”

“3/ Agenda-setting theory explains the strategy: When multiple major policies compete for attention simultaneously, it fragments public discourse. Traditional media can't keep up with the pace, leading to superficial coverage.
The result? Weakened democratic oversight and reduced public engagement.”

Further from quote
2/ Media theorist McLuhan predicted this: When humans face information overload, they become passive and disengaged. The rapid-fire executive orders create a cognitive bottleneck, making it nearly impossible for citizens and media to thoroughly analyze any single policy.

from sociologist Jennifer Walter:
“Your overwhelm is the goal.The flood of executive orders exemplifies Naomi Klein's "shock doctrine" - using chaos and crisis to push through radical changes while people are too disoriented to effectively resist. it's a strategic exploitation of cognitive limits.”

Likewise.

Welcome, Kat. It feels better here.

Her level of stupid is profound.

Amen to that!

YouTube video by Democracy Docket The GOP Is Trying To Steal a North Carolina Supreme Court Seat

There is no more important story that needs your attention than the fact that the GOP is trying to steal a North Carolina Supreme Court seat.

Please watch, share, and take action.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzh1...

I live south of Asheville in WNC where Hurricane Helene devastated so many mountain communities. I thought it was safe where I lived. Helene destroyed that illusion. No place is safe anymore. Climate change is wherever you are.