Mar 3: Indivisible Santa Fe Newsletter
National Purpose with Local Action
Next meeting: March 9, 2026 at 7:00pm
Christ Lutheran Church
1701 Arroyo Chamiso Road, Santa Fe
Note: This week's newsletter brought to you by Heidi, covering for Donovan. Donovan returns next week when you can expect a return to the usual, higher standard.
Countdown to NK3 🚫👑 March 28, 2026
The NK3 planning committee continues its work. They have a revised schedule and program for the day in the works. Watch this space for updated information.
Steph Bonzek (she/her)
War
For days, I have been reeling. Watching an unconstitutional, poorly conceived war unleashed by an authoritarian U.S. President is utterly sickening. Here are some useful sources of information about Trump's war on Iran.
Basic reporting:
In depth articles:
- Top Questions the Trump Administration Needs to Answer on War with Iran: What Congress, journalists, and the public should ask, in Just Security, March 2, 2026.
- U.S. Troops Were Told Iran War Is for “Armageddon,” Return of Jesus by Jonathan Larsen, March 2, 2026.
- Can Donald Trump Win a War with Iran If He Can't Explain Why He Started It? by Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, March 2, 2026.
Protests, Rallies, and Events
Showing up with the Body Politic
Rally for the Epstein Victims
- When: Saturday, March 21st, 12-2 pm
- Where: Zorro Ranch aka Rancho de San Rafael, 49 Zorro Ranch Rd. Stanley, NM 87056, off Highway 41
Sponsored by Private Citizens for Justice
Background reporting here, "Epstein’s New Mexico Ranch Gets Scrutiny at Last. It May Be Too Late," The New York Times, March 1, 2026.
505omatic Action Pack
505OMATIC
Mar 14: Postcards for Gabe
Steph, Donovan, and Dave H. are hosting a postcard writing get-together! They write:
Come on by Vista Grande Public Library on Saturday March 14th from 10:30 to 12:30 to help write postcards to keep CD 2 Blue – Gabe Vasquez is continuing to protect progressive values in NM's southern congressional district (CD2); MAGA Republicans are targeting Gabe's district and every vote is needed.
Handwritten postcards have been proven that they provide the push some folks need to get to the polls. Grab your bestie and your favorite pen and come help us fight to New Mexico Blue!
Register here:
Regular protests
- The next Signs of Fascism will be at the Lensic when Amy Coney Barrett visits on March 8
Guest post
Donovan Kolbly
Donovan Kolbly
Dispatches from the Indivisible Santa Fe Desk
Heidi Li Feldman
Stay in touch with us
Check out our resources page with lots of links to useful information, constantly being updated as we find new web resources to help fight for democracy and the rule of law.
You can help our effort to expand our digital presence, including social media on Bluesky, Facebook, and Instagram by following us and liking and re-posting our messages, or sharing our website with people who might be interested – they, too, can sign up and get this newsletter! 🎉 Help us get the word out!
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Indivisible National
From Ezra Levin and the Indivisible Team:https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/s3.indivisibleguide.com/images/Indivisible_Las_Vegas_March_2026.jpg
I’m going to keep this note short because I want to get to the action items, and I know you already know that the war Trump launched on Saturday is illegal, unpopular, and unconstitutional.
Let’s start with some simple facts. Trump’s war with Iran is a war of choice and it has already caused massive death and destruction. Among the first attacks on Iran this weekend was a missile strike that left at least 175 dead in the rubble of a girls’ elementary school. As of this writing, six American servicemembers are dead as well. Trump nonchalantly notes “there will likely be more before it ends.”
So why choose this war? Don’t overthink this. All authoritarians are bullies, and all bullies want to look strong. Trump is a lame-duck loser, facing sinking approval rates, a weakened congressional coalition, and a looming midterm electoral disaster. His political fundamentals are weak, and somewhere in the deep recesses of his deformed and addled brain he understands that good things do not happen to weak authoritarians.
When the walls close in, authoritarians lash out. We’re two months into this election year, and he’s already killed 150 people and launched strikes against 44 boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, deposed the Venezuelan leader, menaced Greenland, occupied Minneapolis, mused about regime change in Cuba and Mexico, proposed canceling US elections, and launched a war of choice against Iran over the opposition of the vast majority of our country.
The answer to “Why choose this?” is simple: Because who’s gonna stop him?
Our Constitution says Congress alone has the power to declare war. The Constitution also holds sacrosanct our freedom of speech and assembly. It protects against unreasonable searches and seizures. It forbids cruel and unusual punishment. It gives the states the power to administer elections. And before Trump’s judges gutted it, the Constitution also guaranteed a right to privacy. It turns out the Constitution says a lot of stuff that Trump doesn’t give a damn about. Words on paper as far as he’s concerned.
Who’s gonna stop him?
Congress has the authority, but they must be pushed to use it. I wish I could say Congress has already swung into action to stop him. It’s theirconstitutional power under threat here as well, right? But we all know Congress is controlled by Trump Republicans who all fit into one of three categories: co-conspiring fascists, cowardly sycophants, or Thomas Massie. Even the most politically vulnerable congressional Republicans are currently arguing that Democrats should drop their opposition to Trump’s secret police funding now that Trump took us to war. This Congress led by these leaders of this party will not decide on their own to stop this guy.
That’s why the War Powers Resolution vote this week -- forced by Rep. Ro Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, the same pair who brought you the Epstein files bill -- is so crucial. War Powers resolutions are privileged, which means they can be brought to the floor without Republican leadership’s agreement. Republican leadership can try to win the vote, but they can’t stop the vote. And every Member of Congress, Republican or Democratic, needs to understand that this will be a defining vote -- in the same way that the Iraq War vote defined a generation of politicians. We need every Democrat onboard and we need to split off some Republicans.
But they won’t understand how significant this vote is unless they hear and feel the outrage now. So we’re asking three things:
- Use our tools to contact your Members of Congress immediately:
- Sign up for and attend tonight's antiwar mass movement call, led by MoveOn and co-hosted by Indivisible and many of our national partners.
- Build for No Kings III later this month. We need to make this the largest protest in American history.
I wish this were a politically boring time. I wish America’s 250th could be memorialized and celebrated simply with fireworks and kitschy parades. Unfortunately, it’s up to us to make some new history with organized people power at a scale this country has never seen. This week’s action items are designed to help us do that, so please read on.
In solidarity,
Ezra Levin
Co-Executive Director, Indivisible
Your weekly to-dos
- Tonight: Join MoveOn's emergency mass call - Iran in Focus: Stop Trump's War (7pm ET/4pm PT). Indivisible and several other national partners are co-hosting MoveOn's mass, movement-wide call to discuss what's at stake, map out next steps, and launch a nationwide push to tell every elected official: no more endless wars. We’ll hear from activists, foreign policy experts, and Members of Congress calling for immediate de-escalation in Iran and demanding immediate action to keep Trump in check.
- Call your senators, call your representative, and email them all: They must stop Trump's war! The Constitution is clear: Congressholds the power to declare war. Trump's reckless and unconstitutional Iran escalation has already led to the deaths of, as of this writing, six US servicemembers and hundreds of Iranians civilians. Americans didn't ask for this war and we absolutely don't support it. Members of Congress must use every lever in their toolbox to put an immediate end to it. Let all your Members of Congress know: We won't accept anything less.
- Tell Congress: Halt the ICE terror machine. GOP lawmakers have been quick to exploit Trump's war as an excuse to insist Democrats drop their opposition to new funding for ICE and Border Patrol (details, below). Use our call scripts and email tool to contact your Members of Congress and demand that they refuse to expand Trump's capacity to terrorize our communities just because he decided to bomb Iran. Demand serious guardrails be placed on those agencies as a bare minimum for any DHS funding deal.
- Register for the ICE Out for Good Funding Fight weekly phonebank. On Tuesday (1pm ET/10am PT), we'll be calling voters in key states to encourage them to call their Members of Congress and urge them to hold the line and demand that ICE’s terror tactics be stopped for good.
- Find your March 28 No Kings Day event. March 28 was already set to go down in history as America's biggest single-day protest ever, but Trump's war has made it even more urgent that we turn out in numbers too great to ignore. There are nearly 2000 events registered! If you don't find anything within an hour of your home, consider hosting an event yourself.
UPDATE: REPUBLICANS' DHS SHUTDOWN
Today is Day 17 of the GOP's DHS shutdown -- a shutdown that happened only because Republicans aren't willing to hold ICE and Border Patrol to the same sort of standards as law enforcement -- and now the GOP wants to use Trump's war to get Democrats to cave and let them shovel billions more into those agencies' coffers.
So far, Dems have stood firm, refusing to vote on the Republicans' DHS funding bill. Democrats have even put forward a bill that would fund every part of DHS other than ICE, Border Patrol, and Kristi Noem's office. But no, the GOP would rather let their shutdown drag on and keep ICE unaccountable.
Americans have been clear: No more ICE terror, and no more wars. Indivisibles in particular have made sure Democrats hold the line on DHS, making a record-breaking number of calls to Congress -- but the fight really isn't over. We need to keep up the pressure and make sure elected officials know their constituents are still watching closely.
That means more calls, more emails, more rallies at their offices -- moremaking your voice heard above the noise of the ICE machine.
- Call your senators and
- Call your House representative, then
- Email all your Members of Congress to underscore that Americans say no to yet more ICE and Border Patrol funding.
- Plan a nonviolent rally or visit to your Members of Congress' local offices - Protests and rallies are protected free speech under the First Amendment, and constituents have a right to visit electeds' offices even when they're not in their districts (and staffers are sure to let their bosses know if they had visitors).
The longer the shutdown lasts, the more time skittish Democrats will have to back away from our demands. Let them know what you think!
IndivisiWIN of the week
Every Friday, Indivisible Las Vegas gathers for Fight Fascism Fridays; last Friday, they gave a voice to the children being held by ICE at Dilley Detention Camp in Texas, south of San Antonio.
These children – with, and sometimes without, their families – are being held in conditions reported to be deplorable, without sufficient food, medical care, or clean water. Many have gotten letters and drawings out in which they describe their suffering; last Friday, Las Vegas Indivisibles read some of those letters aloud.
One little boy wrote: “Hello, my name is Susej F and I am 9 years old. I am from Venezuela. I have been 50 days in Dilley Immigration Processing Center…. I miss my school and my friends. I feel bad since when I came here to this place, because I have been here too long…. Seen how people like me, immigrants, are been treated changes my perspective about the US. My mom and I came to the US looking for a good and safe place to live.”
As we fight for our democracy, it's critical that we amplify the voices of those caught in ICE's gears. We're grateful that Indivisible Las Vegas did just that for children who want only to go home.
Upcoming events for you
These nationwide events, calls, and training sessions are coming up soon. For even more Indivisible happenings, check our national calendar and get in touch with Indivisible groups near you!
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