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Your Weekly Guide to Staying Politically Active—From Abroad
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Dear Democrats Abroad Italy members,
Welcome to another edition of What to Do Wednesday, your weekly guide to political engagement from across the ocean.
The Militarization of Our Cities: A Threat to Democratic Norms
The administration’s recent deployment of armed National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., and its threats to send them into other U.S. cities represent a deeply concerning escalation of executive power. These actions undermine the core distinction between civilian law enforcement and military force and unsettle the principles of local governance that anchor our republic. Decisions invoked under the guise of “public safety,” especially when crime statistics do not justify such measures, demand immediate legislative oversight.
What You Can Do
As Americans abroad, our voices matter. Here’s how you can act:
- Contact your U.S. Representative and Senators. Urge them to oppose the militarization of domestic cities, advocate for stronger guardrails on executive authority, and uphold democratic safeguards. Remind them that Americans living in Italy expect them to defend constitutional norms and check executive overreach. See the message below, or you can use our ready-made email templates for a super quick action!
- Contact your Democratic state and Local elected officials and ask them to continue to resist and push back hard against this administration's policies. You can find the contact information for your state and local officials here: Find and contact elected officials | USAGov
- Use convenient tools such as Democracy.io or 5Calls (5calls.org) to find contact details and scripts quickly.
Suggested message:
I am deeply concerned by the deployment of armed National Guard troops to domestic cities, including Washington, D.C., and the threat to extend this deployment elsewhere. This militarization of civilian spaces threatens democratic norms, local self-governance, and the separation of civilian and military authority.
I urge you to demand transparency, legislative oversight, and to protect the rule of law by opposing any efforts to authorize such military deployments without clear justification and democratic checks.
Save the Date: Dinner in Defense of Democracy
Democrats Abroad Italy is honored to invite you to our Dinner in Defense of Democracy gala on Sunday, 21 September 2025, at a private villa above Antella in Tuscany.
This elegant and meaningful evening will:
- Engage Democrats Abroad members in dialogue and fellowship
- Raise vital funds for our Get Out The Vote campaign, supporting voter registration and turnout among U.S. citizens abroad
- Feature inspiring speakers, a silent auction, and enriching company
Your presence and generosity are crucial. Together, we will strengthen our overseas democratic voice.
RSVP Here: Dinner in Defense of Democracy
Words to Carry With Us
"The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
— Martin Luther King Jr., speech in Selma, Alabama, March 8, 1965.
With gratitude,
Leyani Redditi
Chair
Democrats Abroad Italy
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