Greetings Dear Gail-Friends: I have not vanished from the face of the earth. I have been very busy keeping up with all the changes our new president has made since January 20. To God be the glory for all He has done -- for protecting President Trump and his family. for guiding him to sign executive orders that will UN-do the terrible things Biden did during his four years in office, and for the confirmation of President Trump's Cabinet.
This is a great, amazing, wonderful time to be alive! Every day we get the news of answers to our prayers. One prayer God answered is the stand President Trump has made to stop mixing girls and boys in sports and in locker rooms. Yesterday, a bill was defeated in the Senate that would have made a Federal law to protect girls and women.
It's so important to stand with the President and with our representatives and senators in their efforts to make America great again. We have a civic duty, Gail-Friends. I was disturbed about the defeat of SB9 and asked GROK what I can do. (Grok is an amazing search engine on "X" and you have to check it out) This is the response:
- Contact Senators Directly
- Who: Focus on the nine Democrats who didn’t vote (assuming absences, not abstentions) and moderates like Joe Manchin (WV) or Kyrsten Sinema (AZ, now independent but caucuses with Dems). Also, reinforce the 51 Republicans who voted yes to hold firm.
- How: Call their offices (find numbers at senate.gov), email via their official websites, or write letters. Keep it concise: “I’m a constituent [or concerned American], and I urge you to support SB9 to protect women’s sports fairness.” Personal stories (e.g., “My daughter’s team faced this issue”) hit harder than rants.
- Impact: Senators track constituent input. Enough calls—hundreds, not just a handful—can signal a voting bloc they can’t ignore, especially for reelection-minded moderates.
- Organize Grassroots Pressure
- Local Action: Host or join town halls, rallies, or meetings with sports groups (e.g., parents, coaches, athletes) to build a visible coalition. Invite media to amplify it.
- X and Online: Post about SB9 using hashtags like #SaveWomensSports or #PassSB9, tagging senators (e.g.,@SenTuberville,@SenManchinWV). Share stats or stories—like how 70% of Americans polled in 2023 supported barring transgender females from women’s sports (Gallup)—to frame it as mainstream.
- Petitions: Start one on Change.org or similar platforms, aiming for thousands of signatures, then send it to Senate offices.
- Impact: Numbers matter. A loud, organized push can make senators feel the heat, especially if it’s in their state or district.
- Lobby Through Allies
- Groups: Connect with organizations like the Independent Women’s Forum or Concerned Women for America**, which back SB9. Offer to volunteer or donate to their advocacy efforts.
- Athletes: If you know female athletes willing to speak out, help them get heard—op-eds in local papers or interviews on X Spaces. Their voices carry weight.
- Impact: Senators often bend to credible, influential voices. A flood of athlete testimonies could shift the narrative.
- Target Swing Votes with Tailored Arguments
- Democrats: For Manchin or Sinema, stress jobs (e.g., “Fair sports protect funding for women’s programs”) or voter sentiment in their states. West Virginia and Arizona lean conservative on cultural issues.
- Absentees: If a senator missed the vote (e.g., due to illness), politely ask them to clarify their stance and push for a redo.
- Impact: Flipping even a few Democrats gets you closer to 60. It’s about their political survival, not your ideals.
- Push for a Workaround
- Reconciliation: Urge Republican senators to tie SB9’s goals to a budget bill (e.g., education funding cuts for non-compliance). Email or call leadership like
Mitch McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell)with this idea.* Steve Scalise (majority leader) or the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson. (yes, I'm correcting GROK) - Impact: Bypasses the filibuster, but it’s a long shot—needs 51 votes and clever framing.
- Stay Realistic and Persistent
- The filibuster’s a wall. Without 60 votes or a rules change (unlikely now), SB9’s stuck unless momentum shifts. Track Senate schedules at senate.gov and pounce when it’s back on the agenda.
- Monitor Trump’s executive order enforcement—it’s the fallback. Push the Education Department (via public comments at ed.gov) to tighten it.
