Please Don't Be a BySTANDer
Hello Fellow Freedom Advocate!
Have you heard of The Bystander Effect? This phrase refers to the phenomenon in which the greater the number of people present in an emergency situation, the less likely people are to help. Most of us tend to think, "That person over there will do it," "Someone else more qualified will take care of it," or, "This isn’t my responsibility." Psychologists have found that the result of this kind of thinking is that when an emergency occurs and a number of people are in the vicinity, nobody helps because everyone thinks someone else will step in. That’s the bystander effect. This is why it’s often best in such a situation to point to someone specific and say, for example, "Call 911!"
And we’re here to say, folks, the current circumstance we find ourselves in is, indeed, emergent. We can’t assume someone else is going to handle things. YOU ARE THE ONE. You are Neo. You are it. We all MUST think this way right now if we want to see a shift. Every single one of us has a personal responsibility to take action. Bystander Syndrome, begone!
Summer is here and mandates have been lifted. We all just want to relax and enjoy ourselves. And we should. However, please remain vigilant. The simple fact that our freedoms can be taken and then "given back" is reason enough to stay engaged with the movement. "Flu season" will be upon us before you know it, bringing with it a whole new wave of you-know-what. Stay ready so we don’t have to get ready.
On that note, we still have committee member and committee leader needs. Committee leaders needed are: Street Activism, Fundraising & Events, and the Library. And every committee can use more participating members, as most are just getting started. Please see last week’s newsletter for more details on how and where you can lend a hand. Again, committees are not limited to local town or county boundaries -- rather, they are statewide, so committee meetings can be conducted via Zoom or as a hybrid of Zoom and in-person.
Counties in need of hosts . . .
We have a starter packet and support for you, should you choose to start hosting the first meeting in your town or county. We’ve got your back.
Piscataquis
Somerset
Sagadahoc
Kennebec
Lincoln
Washington
Oxford
Penobscot
Find an established meeting here.
We want to warmly welcome our newest group in Franklin County! They are officially on the map. Thank you for STANDING with us.
We also want to give a shout-out to our Auburn group and those husbands who attended. While our state-wide movement currently has many great men among us, it is largely composed of women. Men, we see you and WE NEED YOU! Ladies, please bring your brothers, uncles, fathers, etc.
A word from Gina LeDuc,
our Legislative Committee Head & Founder of Maine Legislative Watchdogs:
Now that the Maine State Legislature has concluded, we are turning our attention to other pressing issues. Many local elections are coming up this November. It is not too early to call your Town or City Clerk to ask if school boards, select boards, City Council or any local committee seats are up for election. And please share what you learn with the MSU community!
We are also exploring introducing a "Right to Refuse" bill similar to S.1122, An Act Relative to Bodily Autonomy and Family Integrity" introduced into the Massachusetts Senate this past spring.
S. 1122 reads: "No person shall be compelled by law to acquiesce to medical treatments or procedures, collection of specimens, or sharing of personal data or medical information. A person’s fundamental rights to privacy, travel, and speech afforded under the United States Constitution shall not be infringed upon to impede the making of decisions for themselves or for their dependents, including, but not limited to, health and medical care, including complementary and alternative healthcare services, education, employment, travel, and lifestyle preferences.
(b) No employer shall terminate the employment of an employee solely on the basis of the employee’s choice to engage or not engage with medical treatment..."
This bill is a work in progress and we will share updates as they develop.
For more information or to get involved, email MaineLegislativeWatchDogs@gmail.com
So our call to action in this vein is for each of you to seek out and find a local open position in your town, whether it be for a school board position or commissioner of the entire town. Post this information in the Legislative Action Signal thread and also share it at your next group meeting. Our goal is to get as many MSU members, or other individuals aligned with medical freedom, in these open positions.
Our lawsuits are absolutely groundbreaking but let’s be honest, litigation is a slow-moving process. Therefore, a great intermediate focus for us is finding and grooming candidates for the Fall 2022 Maine Legislature and all local principalities. There are also plenty of additional things we can all do right here and now to shift the culture of our state. Remember, we vote with our dollars, our time, and our energy every day.
We believe strongly that NOW is the time to build a hearty foundation within our communities. We are all expanding our circles and kindling new relationships. Know your farmers, know your health and wellness professionals, know your spiritual and emotional support team, know whom you can count on and whom you can call. We encourage every one of you reading this right now to reach out and network within the MSU community. If you have a skill to bring to the table or a need that needs to be met, let it be known!
MSU supports locally aligned businesses, homeschooling efforts, community gatherings, and wellness practitioners. We have a dynamic running list of events on our website and an assortment of businesses, wellness practitioners, and farmers posted within the Signal groups (if you have not yet received the PDFs of the Friendly Business List or Health & Wellness Practitioners, post in the relevant threads to receive them). Get connected and support the movement by supporting each other!
Fundraising Updates
We netted over $7,500.00 at the last fundraising event.
This is amazing! The bulk of this income will go towards funding our lawsuit, which benefits the entire medical freedom movement and every member of the MSU community. At this time, our operational overhead costs are kept very low, as our board and committee members are volunteering their time and energy. A huge round of applause to all!
And tickets are now live for the next big event. They are capped at 150, so get yours today!
The Maine Freedom Cruise
Join the MSU family on the Casablanca for a 70’s and 80’s dance party cruise!
Thursday, July 15, 2021
Check-in 5:00 - 5:45 p.m.
Boat departs at 6:00 p.m., sharp!
18 Custom House Wharf, Portland, ME (next to the Porthole)
Dress in your 70’s/80’s finest and bring a picnic! Cash bar available on board.
Tickets: $50 / Ages 16 and up / All proceeds go to MSU.
Get your tickets here.
Help Wanted
We are looking for a bookkeeper and/or an accountant. This will be a paid position. It will assist us in preparing financial statements for member reference and help in our commitment to financial transparency. Email info@mainestandsup.org with subject "Bookkeeper" for details.
Celebrating the Good Stuff
Many of us have been conditioned by society to go-go-go, fight-fight-fight, work-work-work. And while our stand and fight for medical freedom is indeed crucial, as a movement we also recognize the importance of celebration -- of acknowledging the good and the progress along the way. In fact, this is vital for the health of our nervous and immune systems. We need the in breath and the out breath. At a recent Yarmouth meeting, we spent the first 30 minutes or so sharing our favorite moments, or aspects, of the June 12th fundraiser. Some highlights included: the overall positive energy and high consciousness in the space, children playing organically and freely with each other, the sheer number of people who showed up and what that means for our movement, teens coming around to a more open-minded understanding of what their MSU parents have been going on about for months, our attorney Ron Jenkins’ stunningly powerful speech, the beautiful musical performances, and the sense of camaraderie and collaboration among the team behind the scenes. What were some of your favorite moments of that momentous evening, or of your Maine Stands Up experience so far? We encourage you to share them with one another or in the Emotional & Spiritual Support or Fundraiser Signal threads. And if you're a meeting host, leading the group in some celebratory sharing of wins or favorite moments is a great way to connect with one another and generate uplifting energy for everyone in attendance. Wins can be large or small. Let's remember, everything is progress!
In case you are new to MSU, most of our networking is done through an app called Signal.
Once you have been to a group meeting you will be able to sign up to get links and join in on the different threads. It is on Signal that our committees communicate and our members from across the state network. You can also visit our website and follow us on social media: InstagramFBGabTelegram for more general information or email info@mainestandsup.org regarding a specific query.
If you have an announcement that you would like to submit to this newsletter, please email newsletter@mainestandsup.org by 8pm on Thursdays.
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