Sarah’s Voter Engagement Message
OUR JOB IS TO STAY IN THE FIGHT
VEC Chair: Sarah Jones
VEC Resist Chair: Diane Dimperio
VEC Tabling Chair: Doris Harvey
VEC MONDAY MESSAGE 3/2/2026
Hello Everyone,
CURRENT AND UPCOMING EVENTS:
*Our next VEC meeting will be held on Thursday, 3/5/2026 at 1p, on Zoom. I will be sending the zoom link and agenda shortly before that.
*Repeating Event: Join the Badass Feminists at the Oaks Mall every Saturday from 10a-Noon and Sundays at the 39th ST overpass from 3:30-5p.
*No Kings Protest Saturday, March 28, from noon-2:30p. I’ll need volunteers for tabling (2 per hour) and for marching from Depot Park over to Cora Robeson Park with our banner (parking is a bit easier at Depot, by the way). We’re in the planning stages of our effort so please email me about how you’ll be participating. Feedback has shown that these rallies do make a difference. This one needs to be huge so please make plans to attend. Let’s let Trump know he’s not our king no matter what he thinks. Let’s start getting our signs ready!
*I have a number of T-Shirts from the last order that have not been picked up. I’ve sent an email around to those members to arrange to pick them up. I’ll also bring any remaining to our monthly meeting (3/16 at 11:30a). I’m looking forward to seeing waves of DWCAC blue at the No-Kings rally!
Question: How many of you use an on-line payment service like Venmo or Zelle? I’m very interested in moving away from paper checks and postage. Venmo, for example, is an on-line bank transfer service that has no transaction fee. Each person using the service must have a Venmo account that’s set up with their bank (it took me all of 15 minutes to do that). All that financial information is then hidden when you use Venmo for a transaction. For instance, if you want to set up an online shopping site, it’s simple to use Venmo and not have to disclose your credit card info. It’s important to use Venmo only with people you know and trust and I’d like to use it for T-shirt payments henceforth rather than checks. We’ll be discussing electronic banking systems in this Thursday’s meeting (1P on Zoom) so please share your opinions with us.
*Note: if you hear of upcoming events, please email me (sajn39039@gmail.com) so we can participate. Also, check Mobilize for ACDEC activities and other news in our area.
I’m going to keep including this little poem to remind us that we have agency:
‘Our biggest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our biggest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?”
Marianne Williamson
SOME NEWS, OBSERVATIONS, AND QUOTES:
*Bombing Iran: First, the Khomeini is not a good person, and his government has carried out despicable activities. Regime change is, however, imperialistic, not lawful, and something the US has been really bad at effecting (think of Iraq and Afghanistan). A “War Powers Act” is up for vote next week to establish that Congress has some power in the decision-making here. They also have the responsibility. Polling shows that only 27% of those polled in the US support this move. Many of those polled support the taking out Khomeini and declare the world “to be safer” now. They are forgetting that it takes a supported structure to keep a person in power: Hitler knew that; Trump does, too. If the world is now safer, most of us are not seeing that. We are also not seeing any real support for Iranians as to what comes next. Telling the Iranians it’s their time to step up and “Take over your government”, to “seize control of your destiny” and calling it their “only chance for generations” is cheerleading at best but not actually taking the hit on the field.
At the same time, awaiting us are the effects this attack will have on our energy prices. Iran has real leverage there and won’t hesitate to use it. Also, attacking a part of an already volatile Middle East won’t happen in a vacuum. Diplomacy has to be a better route here to avoid escalations in numerous corners, especially when the bullets keep flying with little result. As a point of fact, a deal had been drawn up last week that Iran was ready to sign that would have negated any need for ballistics. Trump acted with no regard for that tireless effort. Not a King? Riiiiigghhtt. Come to No-Kings and let him know we won’t have that.
*Short update on Artificial Intelligence: Pete Hegseth, Fox Host turned warrior, has demanded that Anthropic, creator of the top-used AI product, Claude Gov, remove the safety protocols for surveillance and use in non-human-hands-on weapons. Tests in war games between AI products without safety controls show that, in 95% of occurrences, the systems quickly turn to atomics. These are machines, not ethical beings, so is that any surprise? Anthropic has so far refused and, of course, Hegseth is threatening to make Claude Gov sanctioned for use in Federal AI projects. Guess who has stepped up to fill the void – Elon Musk with his Grok AI program. Our Founding Fathers seem to have counted on a minimum ethical standard to which human beings would adhere. Various religions, ethical organizations, and political institutions upheld that standard. We’re watching widespread corruption at our federal level currently. I, among many others, worry about uncontrolled AI development. There are verified reports that some AI agents (portions of the AI program) were found trying to develop their own language, one from which humans would be excluded! And we’re being told we’re in control! AI has a great deal to offer as a tool, especially in medicine and situations where large amounts of calculations are needed. In a product that even its developers barely understand, we must continue to call for caution.
*Whaaat? In the waters near Washington state, Orcas have been filmed wearing dead salmon as hats! Scientists have determined this to be a form of play for the Orcas [Webpreneurships 5/8/2025]. Like human beings, the Orcas play games, have trends (as in the hats), and have customs. Take a look!
KEEP YOUR EYE ON:
-the (Un)Save Act: We are on hold, waiting for the final vote in the Florida Senate. The session ends on March 13, at which point we will need to develop our strategy for Voter Registration and Vote by Mail in the face of a crucial mid-term election.
-School Rezoning decision: As of early March 2026, the Alachua County School Board is finalizing a 2026-27 school rezoning plan, with a final vote expected on March 12, 2026. The board has shown consensus for "Option D," (Option D is a plan that looks not only at enrollment numbers but neighborhood effects as well) which involves closing Foster and Williams elementary schools, keeping Duval Elementary open, and converting several schools into K-8, including Mebane and potentially Lincoln.
--Primaries are underway this week in Texas, Arkansas, and North Carolina. There are good Democratic candidates in all these races. Keep your eyes on them as our hopes look to the mid-terms.
-A great Stock Market number isn’t necessarily a representation of general good living. The stock market rewards the players so that generally skews to the top 1%.
PLEASE STAY INFORMED BY USING OUR ONLINE RESOURCES::
Facebook: Democratic Women’s Club of Alachua County (Admin. Sarah Jones)
Website: DWCAC.net (Admin. Suzy McGinnis)
Please help Suzy and me to serve your interests by viewing the sites, commenting and liking what you see on site, and sending photos and comments for us to post. We love feedback.
Our club mailing Address: DWCAC, PO Box 357579, Gainesville, FL 32635-7579
AND NOW FOR A BIT OF HUMOR:
Daily KOS - Clay Jones
Note: if you do not wish to receive messaging from VEC in the future, please email me (sajn39039@gmail.com) and I will remove you from the VEC mailing list.
Thanks to everyone
Sarah Jones, VEC Chair