Images and videos from across the country are still coming through after Saturday’s record-breaking turnout in solidarity for the No Kings protest. Like millions of others, I woke up that morning not quite certain what to expect. Escalations in Los Angeles, a place I called home for over 25 years, weighed heavily on my mind and in my heart. How has our country found itself again at this threshold?
A river begins with a single drop of melted snow on a mountain, just a silver thread trickling downhill. That one drop is joined by others, each one adding weight and motion, carving a deeper path as they go. Bit by bit, their gentle flow becomes a stream, then a river, shaped by every rock they move and every turn they take. No single drop makes the river alone—it forms through a chain of small causes building on one another. The river, like all great things, is the result of many moments adding up over time.
I don’t know about you, but I found the end of this year’s legislative “budget year” session a bit like those amusement park rides that launch you immediately into multiple directions at a very fast speed only to apply the brakes suddenly. While your body tries to figure out what just happened to it, you are shuffled off to find the exit. If a legislative session could be “Gish Galloped”, this one was. [The term “Gish Gallop” became famous after the Biden/Trump debate.
In 2024, I founded the Indiana Rural Summit, a coalition organizing Indiana House candidates, connecting 30 counties, to give rural and small-town Hoosiers a voice. There was a reason I wanted to use “E Pluribus Unum” for the Indiana Rural Summit slogan—it is the core truth that is coming to full bloom amidst the weeds trying to choke it out. “Out of Many, One!”
Most images I choose for this blog post are meant to depict the theme. This week’s image actually inspired it. I was trying to find a picture of a domino run with a hand blocking falling dominoes. It was to represent the question, “If you could prioritize any issue that, if properly addressed, would prevent other issues from escalating, what would it be?” It has been a great conversation starter. (For the record, my “single issue” right now would be mental health.) I had planned to go further into why this has been a helpful analogy for me, when the above picture caught my eye.
[Image: Morgan County Democrats and the Indiana Rural Summit participate in the 65th Annual Morgan County Fall Foliage Parade in Martinsville, IN]
As we hit the final stretch of the campaign season, every event, every conversation, every door knocked, every postcard mailed and every phonecall or text message matter.
"The charter sector, now saturated with impersonal national chains and for-profit management corporations, has strayed far from the original mission of charter schools. A few states follow that vision; most do not. We regularly receive calls from charter school parents, teachers, and public school advocates raising concerns. The Center will educate the public with facts and provide information on how best to address concerns," said Carol Burris, the Executive Director of NPE.
“Significant and compelling evidence regarding the policy implications of S.B. 1 and its effect on medical professionals in particular was presented. However, the Court cannot substitute its own policy preferences for that of the Indiana General Assembly.” - Monroe County Circuit Court Judge Kelsey Blake Hanlon (https://www.newsweek.com/indiana-judge-rejects-abortion-providers-challenge-near-total-ban-1952441)
I tell people all the time that the town I grew up in, known for its mineral water, no longer brings healing. Not very many people outside of Martinsville, Indiana know about the rich history of the area.
As another Labor Day weekend comes to a close, I am reminded of the men and women who fought for and won labor rights in this country. I am reminded of my grandfather who was a telephone lineman and proud union member in northern California. The original telephone poles in Sonoma County were evidence of his work. That was pretty cool to witness. But the truth is that we all experience the contributions of organized labor every day. Manufacturing, construction, transportation, healthcare, education, hospitality, entertainment, retail and so much more.
