How YOU can get engaged in civic life

PLUS: My reactions to President Biden's Arizona speech and appearing on the PBD podcast

Thank you for all the responses to the question I asked around what you want to
see me write and talk about in the months ahead.

The subjects include what YOU can do to support democracy, given what the country is currently facing, the gun crisis in America, as well as my reaction to President Biden’s speech in Arizona.

First, I’m going to use this platform to connect the large and growing community to the most important political campaigns in 2024. I’ll put it this way. Don’t ask what Lucas Kunce can do for you; ask what you can do for Lucas Kunce! You don’t have to be a Missouri resident to volunteer, contribute and work to rid the nation of its Hawley cancer. The seditionist from Stanford is a moral and physical coward. He is running against a United States Marine who grew up hard. You can donate to his race and hundreds more.

Over the coming months, I will connect you to the best run, most effective and ethical political organizations out there that make a difference every day. Here’s a start:

Watch or listen to my podcast with Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and donate to her campaign here.

Watch or listen to my podcast with Texas Congressman Colin Allred and donate to his campaign to kick Ted Cruz out of the Senate.

Help Congressman Ruben Gallego win a Senate seat in Arizona and watch or listen to my podcast with him.

Second, I will absolutely continue to write about guns and the culture of death in America from their fetishization by a cynical cabal of weapons makers, profiteers, political extremists and weirdos.

Mark and Patricia McCloskey were invited to speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention after they pointed guns at Black Lives Matter demonstrators from the front of their St. Louis house

I’d also encourage you to watch or listen to “A Conversation with…” podcasts that I’ve done that feature inspirational Americans, including my friend Fred Guttenberg (watch or listen), whose daughter Jaime was shot and killed in the Parkland High School shooting in 2018. He has become one of the most vocal anti-gun advocates in the country.

Another inspiring conversation was that with Shannon Watts of Moms Demand Action (watch or listen), a gun violence prevention organization, that she started the day after the Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012.

There’s also Jason Kander (watch or listen) who, like Fred and Shannon, is a legitimate American hero in my estimation. Kander, the former secretary of state of Missouri from 2013 - 2017, founded Let America Vote to address voter suppression, which merged with End Citizens United, another voting policy group, in January 2020. A former intelligence officer who served in Afghanistan, he also founded The Afghan Rescue Project, after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan. The non-profit organization has since evacuated thousands of Afghans who assisted the United States. Lastly, he has been open about his struggle with PTSD and depression following his time serving in Afghanistan in his book, “Invisible Storm.” Kander currently serves as president of national expansion at Veterans Community Project, a non-profit organization that serves homeless and at-risk veterans with tiny homes, wrap-around support services, and emergency assistance.

All of them are towering figures in contemporary American society who are dedicating their lives to America through their convictions, advocacy and brilliance at achieving change. They awe me, and if you listen to them, they will awe you too. I do love reading comments from our The Warning community about the ways in which you are getting engaged in civic life. For those who aren’t currently engaged in tackling issues that the country faces, seriously consider how it is that you can get involved with, advocate and champion the important issues that we face as a society.

Many also wanted to know about my reaction to President Biden’s speech that he delivered this past week in Tempe, Arizona, about the state of American democracy. I urge you to listen to or read every word of it:

This message should and must be at the core of the Biden campaign. It is not sufficient to talk about this subject occasionally. The threat at hand must be confronted relentlessly and directly. The president must speak about this constantly. 

The issue at hand is freedom. It is under assault by political extremists in America espousing a doctrine of power, control and religious dogma. It is real, here and entirely capable of winning an election in 2024. 

Currently, the president’s poll numbers are alarmingly weak. In fact, they are extremely worrying. The remedy to these challenges are speeches like this one. The stakes are high, and the president should raise them higher. 

This election isn’t about the economy, though it is an important issue. The issue at hand in 2024 is liberty. There is only one political party left in America that stands for it. That means it is the only moral political party in America. This is the choice at hand. It is a profound one.

I wrote this on the one-year anniversary of The Warning a few months back about my writing journey:

I can’t really explain what it means to write everyday, and reach a growing community that numbers in the hundreds of thousands across my various platforms. Thank you for your ongoing support. As

Joyce Vance

says, “We’re in this together.”

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If you didn’t get a chance to read yesterday’s post about entering the MAGA lair on the PBD podcast, here’s a video commentary about my experience: