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A New Normal

4/24/2019

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Twenty years ago this week,
tragedy struck at
Columbine High School.

In the two decades
that have passed,
our schools have changed.

Metal detectors...
campus lockdowns...
active shooter drills...
these are all part of the
landscape of education.

Five-year-olds
practice hiding 
with their teachers
in corners of their classrooms
across America,
with the doors locked
and the lights turned out.

Is this our new normal?

Is this the only way to protect our children?

What laws have we CHANGED since Columbine?

What laws have we CHANGED since Sandy Hook?

What laws have we CHANGED since Parkland?

On the national level,
practically none.

This February,
the House passed the 
Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019.

Great name, 
but maybe not really bipartisan.

Only eight republican legislators voted for it.

And the news coverage talks
about them "changing sides" to vote.

Aren't we all on the same side?


It's expected to either fail in the Senate
or be vetoed by the president.


Is this what we want as a nation?

How do we get our 
congressional representatives
to work TOGETHER 
to create a
newer normal?

Fortunately,
STATE legislatures
seem to be finding
more success
finding common ground.

According to the Giffords Law Center,
67 gun safety bills
were enacted in 26 states in 2018. 

A glimmer of hope.

But do we have to move at a snail's pace?

Remember New Zealand?

Here are two important dates...

March 15:
Tragic Shooting at Mosques in Christchurch

April 10:
New Zealand's parliament votes
119-1
to
BAN 
semi-automatic weapons.


Less than a month.

Practically unanimous.

Action can happen.

Faster than we think possible.

New Zealand is trying to prevent a "new normal".

Can we reverse ours?

Only if our representatives realize
we are all on the same side.

Let's continue to use our
productive conversations
​and our
insistent voices
to show our elected officials
the path toward a
new and improved
"normal"
 together.


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Pause for Poetry

4/17/2019

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Did you know we're in the middle of National Poetry Month?

What poems inspire YOU to listen and to learn?

We could use a little "Hope" in our conversations with one another. 

If "Hope" truly is "the thing with feathers"
as Emily Dickinson famously wrote,
let's help it take flight! 

Share a little poetic inspiration with a friend this month!

Do you know "A Brave and Startling Truth" by Maya Angelou?

She wrote it for the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations.

​It begins...
A Brave and Startling Truth
by, Maya Angelou

We, this people, on a small and lonely planet
Traveling through casual space
Past aloof stars, across the way of indifferent suns
To a destination where all signs tell us
It is possible and imperative that we learn
A brave and startling truth 
​
And when we come to it
To the day of peacemaking
When we release our fingers
From fists of hostility
And allow the pure air to cool our palms...

Click below to hear her reading the poem in its entirety...
Maya Angelou Reads "A Brave and Startling Truth"
at the United Nations 50th Anniversary Celebration in 1995


Another of our beloved American poets,
Mary Oliver,
passed away this year.  
Here is one of her thoughtful poems,
inspired by nature...
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During National Poetry Month,
let's remember to draw inspiration from our poets!

As we strive to find common ground,

We can keep hope alive...

We can learn a brave and startling truth...

and

We can take a lesson from the sea...
​
and keep working!
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The 50-State Challenge!

4/3/2019

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Check out our latest action project...

THE 50-STATE CHALLENGE!

The Purple Living Room Project 
was started by a group of
American expats living in Thailand.  

In the wake of the US government shutdown,
we decided to challenge our community 
to come together
​and write a letter to Congress
asking for a legislative solution
to prevent government shutdowns in the future. 

We drafted a letter with the goal of capturing
the "purple points" around the issue...
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We shared this letter with our community
and began our first 50-State Challenge!  

Our goal was to collect signatures
from voters in as many states
and as many legislative districts as possible.

We printed letters to send
to the Senators and Representatives connected
with each of the expats who signed....
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We tracked down signatures
from each of the voters  
​(in purple ink!)
​and then
addressed,
stamped,
and sent 
the letters
​to Congress... 
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So, how did we do?

The results are in from our first 50-State Challenge...

Number of States Represented?  

23


Number of Signatures?  

49


Number of Letters Sent to Congress?    

80

It was a great start...
and we can do better!

Next steps?

We plan to tackle
one issue at a time
and see if we can find
"purple points"
that will help
us gather signatures
from all
50 states!

Join us!

Let's contact Congress
TOGETHER
and let our representatives
know that we want them to
ACT NOW 
and create legislation
that will help us 
move forward as a nation! 
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    ABOUT

    "Meet in the Middle"
    shares
    Purple Living
    Room Project

    reminders that we
    can 
    come together from across the political spectrum to find
    common ground.
     Share YOUR progress on our Facebook group page or in the comments here.

    Our goal?

    Finding
    common ground,
    one conversation
    at a time.

    Join our Facebook group!

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  • Home
  • Essentials
    • Purple Code
    • Purple Points Protocol
    • How To Host A Purple Living Room Party
  • Meet in the MIDDLE Blog
  • Purple Points
    • Issues
  • Action
    • Contacting Congress
  • Community