Thursday, March 7, 2024
Dear MoveOn member,
Dear MoveOn member,
Yesterday, after being trounced in state after state on Super Tuesday, Nikki Haley dropped out of the Republican presidential race. With no opponents left, Donald Trump is now officially the presumptive nominee.
Tiumothy, if you were waiting until the general election began to get involved or if you were hoping that Trump would somehow be stopped during the primaries, it's not going to happen. The general election has begun, and Trump will be on the ballot in November.
There is no other option: We must do everything we can to stop him. MoveOn is running an innovative, data-driven $32 million program to do just that, but we can do it only with your help. Please, if you are able, take this opportunity to get off the sidelines and start a $5 monthly donation to MoveOn today to power and sustain our campaign to defeat Trump and defend democracy.
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Fascism is not a word we throw around lightly, but it is the reality we are facing if Trump wins a second term.
It doesn't just mean right-wing extremism; instead, fascism is a well-defined set of ideas that center on providing a dictatorial leader with enormous power while also ...
Rejecting democracy and the rule of law.
By refusing to accept the results of the 2020 election, Trump has already made it clear that he does not believe in our democracy.1 He has also promised to change government rules in ways that would allow him to unilaterally fire thousands of government workers he deems "disloyal" and install those who will do his bidding, the law be damned.2
Defining one racial or religious group as superior to all others.
He has fully embraced white Christian nationalism, a political movement that seeks to turn the United States into an extremist Christian theocracy; has said that immigrants are "poisoning the blood of our country"; and even echoed Adolf Hitler by referring to his political opponents as "vermin."3,4
Fomenting public rage by creating scapegoats and spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation about them.
Trump has worked to convince his supporters not to trust the mainstream media, priming them to reject the truth and accept a twisted version of reality that he weaves for his own benefit. He has repeatedly denied science and last week declared that he would withhold federal funding from schools that require childhood vaccinations.5 And, of course, he encouraged the deadly violence during the January 6 insurrection.6
Relying on brute strength and violence to accomplish their goals.
During the uprisings following the murder of George Floyd in 2020, Trump reportedly believed that the protests made him look weak and asked his Joint Chiefs of Staff to have the military "just shoot [the protestors] in the legs or something."7 In a second term, he has also promised to invoke the Insurrection Act to give him the authority to mass-arrest peaceful protestors and has vowed to send the U.S. Army into large Democratically controlled cities to do his bidding.
Most frighteningly, when asked about the war in Gaza last week, Trump said ominously that "you've got to finish the problem," indicating he would support increasing attacks on Palestinians in the region.8
Reinforcing a patriarchal power structure by stripping rights away from women, gender-nonconforming, trans, and nonbinary people.
Donald Trump has repeatedly bragged about being responsible for overturning Roe v. Wade by packing the Supreme Court with corrupt MAGA loyalists, and if elected, he will sign a federal abortion ban into law.9 He has also pledged to ban gender-affirming care for minors nationwide and supports the MAGA book bans that are attempting to silence LGBTQ+ voices and enforce a strict gender binary on children.10
There is no other word to describe all of these policies than fascism. Which is why we have to do whatever we can to stop Trump from carrying out his plans to dismantle our democracy by denying him a second term.
MoveOn spent months doing research and working with our data scientists to develop an ambitious electoral strategy to target the exact voters that we need to turn out in order to win—11 million of them, to be exact. We call them "surge voters," or voters who first became active after the 2016 election but have not voted consistently since then. According to The New York Times, these voters have been behind nearly every win for Democrats in the last two election cycles, which is why we have laser-focused on them for 2024.
Unlike some other organizations, we are not indiscriminately spending money to blast out ads and hope that a tiny fraction of viewers are persuaded to vote. No, we are spending money only on evidence-based tactics that we know will have the highest impact, which allows us to run a far more effective campaign on a tighter budget.
But that budget still comes from members like you, which is why we have to ask: Can you help stop America's march toward fascism by making a monthly $5 gift to MoveOn's 2024 election campaign?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
Together, we can stop Donald Trump, protect our democracy, and build a world where everyone can thrive.
Thanks for all you do.
–Mohammad, Alexis, Kathy, Chris, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Trump's drumbeat of lies about the 2020 election keeps getting louder. Here are the facts," AP News, August 27, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/188055?t=6&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
2. "Trump wants to fire thousands of government workers. Liberals are preparing to fight back if he wins," AP News, February 16, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188056?t=8&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
3. "The overlap of Trumpism and Christian nationalism," The Washington Post, February 29, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188057?t=10&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
4. "Why Trump's authoritarian language about 'vermin' matters," NPR, November 17, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/187569?t=12&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
5. "Trump vows to cut federal funds for schools with vaccine mandates," MSNBC, March 5, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188058?t=14&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
6. "Read Trump's Jan. 6 Speech, A Key Part Of Impeachment Trial," NPR, February 10, 2021
https://act.moveon.org/go/166680?t=16&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
7. "Former Pentagon chief Esper says Trump asked about shooting protesters," NPR, May 9, 2022
https://act.moveon.org/go/188059?t=18&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
8. "Trump breaks silence on Israel's military campaign in Gaza: 'Finish the problem,'" NBC News, March 5, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188060?t=20&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
9. "Donald Trump, Who Regularly Takes Credit for Killing Roe v. Wade, Suggests He's Open to a National Abortion Ban," Vanity Fair, March 1, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/188061?t=22&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
10. "Trump unveils sweeping attack on trans rights," Axios, January 31, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/188062?t=24&akid=377104%2E38938583%2ELMjcm_
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back, including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right has banned and driving it to key cities and towns to raise the visibility of book bans, hand out banned books for free, and bring people together to stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA politicians who support them, we need your help.
Will you start a monthly gift to power and sustain MoveOn's critical work?
No, I'm sorry, I can't make a monthly donation.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON POLITICAL ACTION, https://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. MoveOn Political Action - PO Box 96142, Washington, D.C. 20090-6142.
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In Bloom (Almost)
In Bloom (Almost)
It’s March 7, and spring doesn’t technically start for another couple of weeks—but standing in the sunshine today, and feeling my seasonal allergies coming on, it’s hard not to feel a change coming in the air. Will the weather go back to being cloudy and rainy soon? Almost certainly.
But there’s reason to believe that we’re going to be in for a (relatively) warm and sunny season in the months to come. Today at Seattle Met, Justin Shaw of Seattle Weather Blog explains why unlike the last two soul-crushing years, we are probably in for a delightful spring. Get your shorts ready.
Sabbath Regulations
Sabbath Regulations
35 Moses assembled all the congregation of the people of Israel and said to them, “These are the things that the Lord has commanded you to do. 2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the Lord. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
Contributions for the Tabernacle
4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the Lord has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the Lord. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the Lord's contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats' hair, 7 tanned rams' skins, and goatskins;[a] acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.
10 “Let every skillful craftsman among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded: 11 the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its hooks and its frames, its bars, its pillars, and its bases; 12 the ark with its poles, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen; 13 the table with its poles and all its utensils, and the bread of the Presence; 14 the lampstand also for the light, with its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light; 15 and the altar of incense, with its poles, and the anointing oil and the fragrant incense, and the screen for the door, at the door of the tabernacle; 16 the altar of burnt offering, with its grating of bronze, its poles, and all its utensils, the basin and its stand; 17 the hangings of the court, its pillars and its bases, and the screen for the gate of the court; 18 the pegs of the tabernacle and the pegs of the court, and their cords; 19 the finely worked garments for ministering[b] in the Holy Place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, for their service as priests.”
20 Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the Lord's contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments. 22 So they came, both men and women. All who were of a willing heart brought brooches and earrings and signet rings and armlets, all sorts of gold objects, every man dedicating an offering of gold to the Lord. 23 And every one who possessed blue or purple or scarlet yarns or fine linen or goats' hair or tanned rams' skins or goatskins brought them. 24 Everyone who could make a contribution of silver or bronze brought it as the Lord's contribution. And every one who possessed acacia wood of any use in the work brought it. 25 And every skillful woman spun with her hands, and they all brought what they had spun in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. 26 All the women whose hearts stirred them to use their skill spun the goats' hair. 27 And the leaders brought onyx stones and stones to be set, for the ephod and for the breastpiece, 28 and spices and oil for the light, and for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense. 29 All the men and women, the people of Israel, whose heart moved them to bring anything for the work that the Lord had commanded by Moses to be done brought it as a freewill offering to the Lord.
Construction of the Tabernacle
30 Then Moses said to the people of Israel, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, 32 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, 33 in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, for work in every skilled craft. 34 And he has inspired him to teach, both him and Oholiab the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. 35 He has filled them with skill to do every sort of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of workman or skilled designer.
36 “Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the Lord has put skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in accordance with all that the Lord has commanded.”
2 And Moses called Bezalel and Oholiab and every craftsman in whose mind the Lord had put skill, everyone whose heart stirred him up to come to do the work. 3 And they received from Moses all the contribution that the people of Israel had brought for doing the work on the sanctuary. They still kept bringing him freewill offerings every morning, 4 so that all the craftsmen who were doing every sort of task on the sanctuary came, each from the task that he was doing, 5 and said to Moses, “The people bring much more than enough for doing the work that the Lord has commanded us to do.” 6 So Moses gave command, and word was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let no man or woman do anything more for the contribution for the sanctuary.” So the people were restrained from bringing, 7 for the material they had was sufficient to do all the work, and more.
8 And all the craftsmen among the workmen made the tabernacle with ten curtains. They were made of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet yarns, with cherubim skillfully worked. 9 The length of each curtain was twenty-eight cubits,[c] and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. All the curtains were the same size.
10 He[d] coupled five curtains to one another, and the other five curtains he coupled to one another. 11 He made loops of blue on the edge of the outermost curtain of the first set. Likewise he made them on the edge of the outermost curtain of the second set. 12 He made fifty loops on the one curtain, and he made fifty loops on the edge of the curtain that was in the second set. The loops were opposite one another. 13 And he made fifty clasps of gold, and coupled the curtains one to the other with clasps. So the tabernacle was a single whole.
14 He also made curtains of goats' hair for a tent over the tabernacle. He made eleven curtains. 15 The length of each curtain was thirty cubits, and the breadth of each curtain four cubits. The eleven curtains were the same size. 16 He coupled five curtains by themselves, and six curtains by themselves. 17 And he made fifty loops on the edge of the outermost curtain of the one set, and fifty loops on the edge of the other connecting curtain. 18 And he made fifty clasps of bronze to couple the tent together that it might be a single whole. 19 And he made for the tent a covering of tanned rams' skins and goatskins.
20 Then he made the upright frames for the tabernacle of acacia wood. 21 Ten cubits was the length of a frame, and a cubit and a half the breadth of each frame. 22 Each frame had two tenons for fitting together. He did this for all the frames of the tabernacle. 23 The frames for the tabernacle he made thus: twenty frames for the south side. 24 And he made forty bases of silver under the twenty frames, two bases under one frame for its two tenons, and two bases under the next frame for its two tenons. 25 For the second side of the tabernacle, on the north side, he made twenty frames 26 and their forty bases of silver, two bases under one frame and two bases under the next frame. 27 For the rear of the tabernacle westward he made six frames. 28 He made two frames for corners of the tabernacle in the rear. 29 And they were separate beneath but joined at the top, at the first ring. He made two of them this way for the two corners. 30 There were eight frames with their bases of silver: sixteen bases, under every frame two bases.
31 He made bars of acacia wood, five for the frames of the one side of the tabernacle, 32 and five bars for the frames of the other side of the tabernacle, and five bars for the frames of the tabernacle at the rear westward. 33 And he made the middle bar to run from end to end halfway up the frames. 34 And he overlaid the frames with gold, and made their rings of gold for holders for the bars, and overlaid the bars with gold.
35 He made the veil of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; with cherubim skillfully worked into it he made it. 36 And for it he made four pillars of acacia and overlaid them with gold. Their hooks were of gold, and he cast for them four bases of silver. 37 He also made a screen for the entrance of the tent, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, embroidered with needlework, 38 and its five pillars with their hooks. He overlaid their capitals, and their fillets were of gold, but their five bases were of bronze.
Making the Ark
37 Bezalel made the ark of acacia wood. Two cubits[e] and a half was its length, a cubit and a half its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 2 And he overlaid it with pure gold inside and outside, and made a molding of gold around it. 3 And he cast for it four rings of gold for its four feet, two rings on its one side and two rings on its other side. 4 And he made poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold 5 and put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark to carry the ark. 6 And he made a mercy seat of pure gold. Two cubits and a half was its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth. 7 And he made two cherubim of gold. He made them of hammered work on the two ends of the mercy seat, 8 one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end. Of one piece with the mercy seat he made the cherubim on its two ends. 9 The cherubim spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat were the faces of the cherubim.
Making the Table
10 He also made the table of acacia wood. Two cubits was its length, a cubit its breadth, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And he overlaid it with pure gold, and made a molding of gold around it. 12 And he made a rim around it a handbreadth[f] wide, and made a molding of gold around the rim. 13 He cast for it four rings of gold and fastened the rings to the four corners at its four legs. 14 Close to the frame were the rings, as holders for the poles to carry the table. 15 He made the poles of acacia wood to carry the table, and overlaid them with gold. 16 And he made the vessels of pure gold that were to be on the table, its plates and dishes for incense, and its bowls and flagons with which to pour drink offerings.
Making the Lampstand
17 He also made the lampstand of pure gold. He made the lampstand of hammered work. Its base, its stem, its cups, its calyxes, and its flowers were of one piece with it. 18 And there were six branches going out of its sides, three branches of the lampstand out of one side of it and three branches of the lampstand out of the other side of it; 19 three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on one branch, and three cups made like almond blossoms, each with calyx and flower, on the other branch—so for the six branches going out of the lampstand. 20 And on the lampstand itself were four cups made like almond blossoms, with their calyxes and flowers, 21 and a calyx of one piece with it under each pair of the six branches going out of it. 22 Their calyxes and their branches were of one piece with it. The whole of it was a single piece of hammered work of pure gold. 23 And he made its seven lamps and its tongs and its trays of pure gold. 24 He made it and all its utensils out of a talent[g] of pure gold.
Making the Altar of Incense
25 He made the altar of incense of acacia wood. Its length was a cubit, and its breadth was a cubit. It was square, and two cubits was its height. Its horns were of one piece with it. 26 He overlaid it with pure gold, its top and around its sides and its horns. And he made a molding of gold around it, 27 and made two rings of gold on it under its molding, on two opposite sides of it, as holders for the poles with which to carry it. 28 And he made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with gold.
29 He made the holy anointing oil also, and the pure fragrant incense, blended as by the perfumer.
Making the Altar of Burnt Offering
38 He made the altar of burnt offering of acacia wood. Five cubits[h] was its length, and five cubits its breadth. It was square, and three cubits was its height. 2 He made horns for it on its four corners. Its horns were of one piece with it, and he overlaid it with bronze. 3 And he made all the utensils of the altar, the pots, the shovels, the basins, the forks, and the fire pans. He made all its utensils of bronze. 4 And he made for the altar a grating, a network of bronze, under its ledge, extending halfway down. 5 He cast four rings on the four corners of the bronze grating as holders for the poles. 6 He made the poles of acacia wood and overlaid them with bronze. 7 And he put the poles through the rings on the sides of the altar to carry it with them. He made it hollow, with boards.
Making the Bronze Basin
8 He made the basin of bronze and its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the ministering women who ministered in the entrance of the tent of meeting.
Making the Court
9 And he made the court. For the south side the hangings of the court were of fine twined linen, a hundred cubits; 10 their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 11 And for the north side there were hangings of a hundred cubits; their twenty pillars and their twenty bases were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 12 And for the west side were hangings of fifty cubits, their ten pillars, and their ten bases; the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. 13 And for the front to the east, fifty cubits. 14 The hangings for one side of the gate were fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and three bases. 15 And so for the other side. On both sides of the gate of the court were hangings of fifteen cubits, with their three pillars and their three bases. 16 All the hangings around the court were of fine twined linen. 17 And the bases for the pillars were of bronze, but the hooks of the pillars and their fillets were of silver. The overlaying of their capitals was also of silver, and all the pillars of the court were filleted with silver. 18 And the screen for the gate of the court was embroidered with needlework in blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen. It was twenty cubits long and five cubits high in its breadth, corresponding to the hangings of the court. 19 And their pillars were four in number. Their four bases were of bronze, their hooks of silver, and the overlaying of their capitals and their fillets of silver. 20 And all the pegs for the tabernacle and for the court all around were of bronze.
Footnotes
- Exodus 35:7 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain; also verse 23; compare 25:5
- Exodus 35:19 Or garments for worship; see 31:10
- Exodus 36:9 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Exodus 36:10 Probably Bezalel (compare 35:30; 37:1)
- Exodus 37:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
- Exodus 37:12 A handbreadth was about 3 inches or 7.5 centimeters
- Exodus 37:24 A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms
- Exodus 38:1 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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