In this Newsletter

• Chair’s Message
• Upcoming Events
• ICYMI
• Volunteer Opportunities
• DAGR News and Views
• On our RADAR - DA Priorities

Dear Friends,

My thanks to you: my fellow DAGR members.

The last few weeks have been bonkers. Ever since the inauguration of Donald Trump as President, America and the world have been turned upside down. From the dismantling of the federal government to irresponsible fiscal policy and foreign policy reversals, we have all been left in a state of shock.

But here in Greece you are responding. Each week, more and more of you are reaching out to us through emails, social media or in-person events. Many of you have also taken up the cudgels, protesting efforts to suppress the overseas and women’s vote through the SAVE Act.

And many have also participated in our recent membership survey. We are keeping the survey open until March 15, so if you haven’t filled it out, please do. Tell us what you think.

Thank you again for being engaged. We hear you.

Alkman

Alkman Granitsas
Chair, Democrats Abroad Greece

Saturday, MAR 8 - 10:45 and 11:00 EET
Women of the Cyclades (viewing & optional lunch)
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Athens Chapter and friends will meet up at the Museum of Cycladic Art to view the Kykladitesses collection. Book tickets ahead and stay on for lunch as desired. Details of ticket sales and rsvp needs on the DAGR Events page. 

Saturday, MAR 8 - All day, time TBA
DA Global Women’s Caucus Actions and Protests.
Check in to the day-long program online, livestream. From around the world, events, protests and ‘tiny’ actions will be called in. Stop in to watch or send something to share. RSVP here!

Travellin’ Music for March 8
"I Am Standing on the Shoulders of the Ones Who Came Before Me” - Earth Mama 

Tuesday, MAR 11 - 19:00-21:00 EET
Happy Hour in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki Chapter is toasting Women’s History Month at The Dubliner. No need to rsvp. Just come on out to Katouni 16. Details, if needed, are on the DAGR Events page.

Tuesday, MAR 11 - 18:00-20:00 EET
Happy Hour in Athens
Athens Chapter is still shopping for a regular venue, aka serial drinking? This month they’re checking out the luck of the Irish. Hey, it’s working for Thessalonians! In town, try the James Joyce Irish Pub. Details on the DAGR Events page.

Tuesday, MAR 11 - 19:00-21:00 EET
Happy Hour At-Large (on zoom)
Why quaff at home alone when you can meet up with a couple of friends at the local wifi hub and be happy with Dems Abroad from around the whole country? RSVP for the Zoom link and meet up with other members of the At-Large Chapter!

Wednesday, MAR 12 - 10:00-12:00 EET
IWOG event honoring Women's Day, at Asylo tou Paidiou, Egnatia #124, next to Sintrivani Metro Station, Thessaloniki
For further details, check their website later this week.

Tuesday, MAR 18 - 19:30 EET
DAGR ExCom Meeting
The Dems Abroad Greece board, aka ExCom, meets every month. Members are welcome to sit in and come up to speed on the many things your board has to handle. Get a leg up on upcoming events in planning, and much more. Reply on this email for the Zoom link.

Thursday, MAR 20 - 10:00 EET
DAGR (virtual) Coffee Club
Gina and Erin, At-Large Chapter leads, are hosting a workaday morning get-together for those who prefer an earlier meet-up. It’s aimed at what we’re experiencing in The Don’s new world makeover and what we can do to keep the ship of state on an even keel. RSVP here for the Zoom link and heat up the briki.

Saturday, MAR 29 - 11:00 EET
Thessaloniki Saturday Coffee
If evening events confound your schedule, share a cuppa joe with the northern Chapter in the morning! This one is in-person, at the Theatro Cafe, Royal Theatre of Thessaloniki, featuring the same lively conversation that’s driven the evening happy hours. Details on the DAGR Events page. 

REMINDER: Daylight Savings Time changes are coming!

• AMERICA: DST begins March 9
• EU/EMEA: DST begins March 30

And that’s not all …
See what other country committees and global caucuses are doing, on the DA website Events page.

Black History Month -  "I Am Not Your Negro" James Baldwin film and discussion
DA’s Global Black Caucus featured this 2016 documentary based on the unfinished work of James Baldwin. Directed by Raoul Peck, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film explores the history of racism in the U.S. through Baldwin's recollections of civil rights leaders Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Sorry, but the link in the title will get some trailers and other bits. You may have to pay to play now. It was free with the GBC event. Hint: It’s worth buying a ticket.

Season of Opposition - Black History Month audio podcasts
Part 1 kicks it off. A real, honest take, by our members in conversation: where we are now, where we’ve come from and where it’s … well, where it’s headed if we keep on working hard to do the right thing. Want to hear some honest talk? Try this one! On the Dems Abroad YouTube channel. 

Press Conference - Volodymyr, the Mouse that Roared!
Zelensky walks into the lion’s den and stands his ground while The Don brags about offers Z can’t refuse. JDV pontificates, somewhat inaccurately, with more made-up history for the Fox viewers. The exchange gets a bit heated. Watch the eye contact and facial expressions. Ask yourself, will Mario Rubio ever smile again?

DAGR Membership Survey
As Chair Alkman noted, the survey is open for 2 more weeks. If you haven’t weighed in, do it now. We want to get a broad idea of DAGR members’ concerns. Here’s the form link. It’s quick. It’s easy. It’s helpful. Hop to it! We’ll be back with the results next month!

Take Action
Take Action is the new link in the Dems Abroad global website Do Something menu each week. You can also get it in your inbox. It’s an issue of wide concern, one that affects citizens abroad directly. Right now, through mid-March, the State Department has opened for public comment Trump’s order to remove the X marker from passports of non-binary-gender Americans. Click here to get the link on how to send a comment.

The Ides of Trump
And that brings us to the 15th of March and what could be a revival of the 2017 "The Ides of Trump." Send a postcard to the White House, urging The Don to resign. Keep in mind, though, that would bring up Vance or, if he could be persuaded to do an Agnew, the equally ill-suited Johnson. Better outcomes might beckon after the 2026 midterms, but since they won’t resign anyway, why not indulge the whim?

• The White House
• 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
• Washington, DC 20500

Squelching the SAVE Act - Letter to Senator
Here’s a great example of a letter to one’s senator, urging a vote and explaining why. (Answer: Because the SAVE Act is a veiled attempt at voter suppression) It helps the elected official come up to speed on the main reasons for the desired vote. Education! This sample was, indeed, sent.

Int’l Women’s Day: DAGR Women’s Collective Voices
DAGR’s northern folks started this ball rolling, with Joan Ryding, retired educator, heading the ‘anthology.’ As it rolls and grows, we’re adding thoughts on the day from around the country. What does Women’s Day mean for you. Have a thought? Send it along!

Why We Can’t Face This Alone 
Thessaloniki Chapter Chair Irem Tunc shares thoughts on the importance of community and mutual support, especially in these troubled times.

Don’t Get Mad! Get Down Ballot!
Our right to vote from abroad in federal elections is guaranteed by UOCAVA law. But with voting rights under assault, especially in certain statehouses, the power for the next four years may be at the state and local level. Almost half of US states allow some or all citizens abroad to vote ‘down ballot’ 

DAGR’s Weekly Reader
Included here are those mostly longer articles favored by political wonks (like us), with some shorter videos mixed in. Have a look over each week’s offerings. And do send us articles you think might fit here in the month ahead!
FEB w1  FEB w2  FEB w3  FEB w4

Opinion: A Day of American Infamy - NY Times
The New York Times, among many others, speaks out on The Don’s shameful display of gangster rule in the Oval Office in his meeting with Ukraine President Zelensky. Left open to question is the extent to which the ageing wannabe monarch was abetted by his VP, SoS et al. NYT Editorial, Gift Link.

Former NSA Susan Rice on Events and the End Game
We offer Rice’s interview on MSNBC, not as a policy statement, but as one possible view by someone with decades of national security and international relations experience.

Bernie Strikes Back: ‘Fighting the Oligarchy’ Townhalls
Turning out huge crowds as he tours the US, Bernie Sanders raises the banner for government of, by and for the people! In the process, he proves that not all octogenarians are addled, wannabe monarchs.

The Other Kind of Townhall
Diana Harshbarger, Tennessee District 1, tries valiantly to speak pablum to the people. Irritation builds. A constituent speaks out once too often and is ejected. But at least she was able to leave on her own two feet. Video 23 mins.

The Viral Bad Townhall - Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
This video of a constituent being dragged out of a townhall by unidentified ‘security’ men went viral. Word was she bit one of the men. Later, the city released her without charge, and the security firm was de-licensed for breaking city ordinances requiring ID badges. The local press article is long and detailed.

So, February went from ‘they can’t be serious,’ to ‘they’re serious?’ Bad to worse. And then something started to happen. People yelled at townhalls when the blah-blah was too fuzzy or the bilge was too deep. Some got dragged off, arrested. Shades of 1960’s! Campaigns popped up all over: Call your congressman, write your senator! More people joined the party or activist allied groups. And then February went out with the great NO-BUY FRIDAY, to let the oligarch autocrats know where their dinner comes from. 

The Resistance is just getting started!

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