Greetings!
Like a lot of people across the world, I spent this week obsessively checking up on the efforts to rescue the thirty-three Chilean miners trapped a half mile beneath the surface of the San José Mine. I can't begin to imagine the emotions that each person there was feeling if I was getting choked up thousands of miles away.
 But as I sat, focused on the tiny rescue capsule and its trip up and down that narrow tunnel, I also thought about the much wider efforts going on behind the scenes, keeping the miners (and their waiting families) healthy and safe, keeping the wider community aware of rescue efforts as they developed, reviewing how safety guidelines have been implemented and how they should be adjusted moving forward. It's a clear example of what we (and our government) can accomplish if we all work together.
It reminds me of statewide efforts leading up to November 2nd.
As I said in our last newsletter, it can be easy to be distracted by the headlines of election season. Sometimes we aren't even aware of how hard people in our own neighborhoods are working to make sure all of our communities get the support they need.
The good news is that a long and growing list of community and nonprofit organizations have already agreed that all three 2010 Ballot Questions would have dangerous repercussions within our communities, and their members statewide are fighting to make sure we all show up to the polls to defeat all three ballot questions!
Even better news? That hard work is working - even before advertisements hit the airwaves! According to a Suffolk University/7News poll, "support for the sales tax rollback [Question 3] dropped significantly in the last month - down seven points from 51 percent." [Full Article: Boston Herald]Just a few examples of the real work being done in our state to defeat the ballot questions on November 2nd include: Leading up to November 2nd, members and staff of organizations, including both NEU4J and MAHA will be knocking on doors in their communities, urging folks to get out and vote and to defeat all three ballot questions!
Each week leading up to the election, ¿Oìste? will be hosting phone banks on No, No, No! at 59 Temple Place #337. The days and hours the calls will be made are: Mondays-10:00am-1:30pm,
Tuesdays-10:00am-1:00pm, and
Thursdays-2:00pm-4:00pm.
On October 20th, Community activists from across Boston will be attending the City Council meeting urging council members to endorse No, No, No!
On October 30th and 31st, staff and members of MIRA will be phone banking - making calls to new Americans who have recently registered to vote, urging them to act on their right to vote no! [Get Involved] Need some inspiration to get more involved? Our own Judy Meredith was moved last week at one of her trainings by a group of Iranian women who likely risked their own safety to learn more about how local governments work in the United States.
Contact us today if you are interested in hosting a free on-site training for your organization or neighborhood - or call one of the local or statewide organizations working in your region on the "No, No No!" campaign for more information on how you can get involved!
Sincerely,
Harmony Blakeway
Director of Operations, ONE Massachusetts
harmony@realclout.org | 617-999-846
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Free Training to Organizations Statewide
 The staff and Leadership Team at ONE Massachusetts would love to come out to your community or organization for a free on-site training.
We can focus more closely on the three upcoming ballot questions, or you can request a more broad introduction to how our state ended up in this fiscal situation, how and why we make certain budget and revenue decisions, and how we can talk to our friends and neighbors (and public officials!) about these issues.
Contact us today for more information!
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