Genesee Valley Guardian

Issue 50 – December 16, 2025

Quote of the Week:

“The killing of the survivors by this moral slum of an administration should nauseate Americans. A nation incapable of shame is dangerous, not least to itself. As the recent “peace plan” for Ukraine demonstrated….And he (Putin) has noticed that, concerning Ukraine and the attacks on boats near Venezuela, the Trump administration cannot keep its stories straight. This probably is for reasons Sir Walter Scott understood: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave,/ when first we practise to deceive!” Americans are the deceived.

George F. Will, “A sickening moral slum of an administration” The Washington Post, December 2, 2025

Next GVI Community Meeting

December 18, 2025 6:30 PM
Location: St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, Geneseo, NY
Enter through the red door in the back of the church.

If you have a present to deliver or want to help with last minute wrapping and organizing, please come between 5:30 and 6 PM.

The 6:30 PM gathering will be more social than our usual meetings — feel free to bring cookies to share if you’d like, but this is not a cookie exchange, and there is absolutely no expectation to bring anything.  We’ll provide coffee (regular and decaf), tea, and water. After a brief meeting, most of our time will be spent enjoying some treats, and getting to know each other better.

If weather conditions (or any emergency situations) require that the meeting be cancelled, an email will be sent to all GVI members by 3 PM on the meeting date.

The Solidarity Rally on Saturday, December 13th brought together 6 activist groups at the Avon traffic circle  (Genesee Valley Citizens for Peace, Veterans for Peace, Wyoming County Indivisible, 5&20 Alliance, Hemlock Rising Indivisible, and Genesee Valley Indivisible-hosting). There were 70+ peaceful participants who braved the cold to send the message that we all work in solidarity to fight back against the current regime. All like minded people are welcome to join the fight.

✊ Rallies

Weekly Geneseo Gateway Rally

Weekly – Wednesdays & Fridays — 3:00 PM (NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)
Geneseo Gateway Corner Park (across from Wegmans)
Drop by — even 10 minutes helps visibility. Signs are provided — or bring your own!

Weekly Hemlock Rising Indivisible hosts “Every Wednesday” Protest

Weekly – Wednesdays — 3:30–4:30 PM (NOTE CHANGE OF TIME)
Corner of Rt 15A and Rt 20A

PUPs: Pop-Up Protests

Short, pointed “unexpected” protests across the county.
“Silent Sentinels” (black clothing, “Signs of Fascism“) — ongoing
Two more PUPs in planning, one requiring only dark sunglasses (and regular clothes)

Interested? Contact Shân:

text: 917-763-7215
email: wordsmitheryeditorial@gmail.com

🗓️ Events

Know Your Rights – Community Response to ICE Activity

Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

Presented by the three Monroe County Bar Associations (MCBA, RBBA and GRAWA) through their joint Lawyers’ Coalition for Racial and Social Justice. This forum offers speakers to present on recent ICE actions and the rights of those who are targets of the actions and those who observe and object to those actions of ICE. THIS IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

Register here

Submit any questions in advance to rsjcoalition@gmail.com.

Next GVI Book Club Meeting

Wednesday, January 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM
Wadsworth Library, basement meeting room Geneseo, NY.

NO brown bag. The group will be discussing Part 3 of Democracy Awakening written by Heather Cox Richardson. Having read it is not a requirement.

Constitutional Series in 2026 – “Separation of Powers”

Monday, January 26, 2026 7:00 PM
St. Michael’s, enter through the red door at back of church

Jeffrey Koch, Professor of Political Science at SUNY Geneseo will present the Separation of Powers. His expertise is in the fields of American Politics, public opinion, and voting behavior. He received his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Michigan. Professor Koch has served as a Fulbright Scholar in both China and Cambodia. He has also served as a Distinguished Professor at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Professor Koch has published extensively in the fields of public opinion and voting behavior.

Support Genesee Valley Indivisible

Support our work with an online donation.

Alianza Agrícola: GVI has pledged to help the children of immigrant farm workers in our area. Alianza has provided us with a list of families the organization supports. GVI members have volunteered to provide gifts for the children of these families, along with a stocking or gift bag filled with smaller items and “goodies.” For more information and to provide support (donations, shopping and wrapping assistance, etc.), please contact Shân via text (917-763-7215) or email (wordsmitheryeditorial@gmail.com).

IF YOU HAVE SIGNED UP TO PROVIDE PRESENTS FOR THE CHILDREN, PLEASE BRING THEM TO ST. MICHAEL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18 BETWEEN 5:30 AND 6:00 PM.

Villa of Hope is a social service agency serving children and families in the Rochester area. Their Holiday Wishes program ensures that the youth and families served by the Villa receive gifts this holiday season. For some, these will be the only gifts they receive. Stop at the Tops at 270 E Main St, Avon, NY 14414 and look for the Villa of Hope Wishes Display! Pick up a gift tag, which will contain an individual’s wish list, and go shopping! Then, drop your unwrapped gift back into the display bin, with the tag attached.

2026 Legislation

There are two critical pieces of legislation that will be before the NY State Legislators. We want everyone to become familiar with these as we move into January 2026. Use the links below to familiarize yourself with each bill.

NY Health ACT

This legislation will be the most consequential healthcare legislation in recent history. The New York Health Act (NYHA) single-payer healthcare bill under consideration by the New York State Senate. It has strong opposition from many entities. It first passed the New York State Assembly in 1992. The bill was later passed by the New York State Assembly in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. But has languished in the State Senate since then. The bill is currently with the New York State Senate’s Health Committee.

Dan Bielaski provided these resources: (We welcome additional resources)

• Wikipedia has an entry

• NY Senior Action Council FAQ

  (It states that “The NY Health Act creates a publicly funded and privately delivered health coverage system that promotes prevention and care coordination.”)

• Campaign for NY Health site, including links to contact / petition legislators

• New York Senate with the current (2025-26) NY Health Act bill

  Any NY citizen can create a NYSENATE.GOV account to send a ‘vote’ on whether they support a given bill or not (the option is right on the bill’s web page).

The New York for All Act, S.2235

The New York for All Act, S.2235 (Gounardes) / A3506 (Reyes), helps immigrant New Yorkers lead more open lives and take care of family, preserves state and local resources for our communities, and ensures New York dollars cannot be diverted to carry out a cruel, politicized immigration agenda. The legislation prohibits New York’s state and local government agencies, including police and sheriffs, from colluding with ICE, disclosing sensitive information, and diverting personnel or other resources to further federal immigration enforcement. By passing the New York for All Act, we’ll be one step closer to cultivating safe and vibrant communities for all New Yorkers, regardless of status. Go to https://www.nyic.org/ for more info.

ACT NOW

RESIST – INSIST – PERSIST

Urgent Action Alert!

We have an urgent action alert from Capitol Hill that we hope you can take a moment on today: The House of Representatives is set to vote on two extreme bills to criminalize gender-affirming care for youth tomorrow, and we cannot allow them to pass.

The first bill comes from Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, and if signed into law, it would be the first time that lifesaving health care for transgender people would be criminalized in federal law. It would mean doctors could receive prison sentences of up to 10 years.

The second bill bans Medicaid coverage of transgender health care for those under the age of 18.

The time to flood inboxes is now: Send a message to your representative urging them to vote no on H.R. 3492 and H.R. 498 and to protect health care for trans youth now.

RFK Jr has got to go!

The message is simple: RFK Jr. is harming us, our families, and our health and science ecosystem. Co-sponsor the articles of impeachment!

CLICK HERE TO TELL YOUR REP RFK JR HAS GOT TO GO!

Restore Trust in Congress Act

A growing bipartisan coalition in Congress is supporting the Restore Trust in Congress Act, a commonsense bill that would ban members of Congress from trading individual stocks while in office, and create serious penalties for doing so.

Take action today: Tell Representative Claudia Tenney to support and co-sponsor this bipartisan, commonsense reform!

Enact Protections on the use of AI

The NewsGuild, a leading union for journalists and media workers, is leading the fight to enact protections on the use of AI that will make sure we can trust the news we’re reading and that there’s a human behind it. This week marks their “News, Not Slop” Week of Action to draw attention to their demands for the ethical use of AI in journalism.

Check out their campaign here

Sign their petition to newsroom leaders here

Modify our Shopping Habits

• Look up the political giving of brands and companies and start making a difference today! Visit GoodsUniteUs – you can download their app or just search for products/companies on their website.

• HOW TO FIND AN ETHICAL HOLIDAY GIFT – This sustainable holiday gift guide features something for everyone on our lists, including options that support small businesses, businesses with diverse ownership, and women-owned businesses. You’ll also find affordable and eco-conscious choices.

• BOOK SHOPPING WITHOUT AMAZON – For the book lovers among us, this can be a big problem. We can locate our nearest brick-and-mortar indie bookshop via IndieBound. And if we’re looking to shop online without using Amazon, we can try bookshop.org. Each purchase through this site supports local, independent bookstores, and they promise carbon-neutral deliveries.

📮 Postcard Campaign

Mailing physical postcards is one of the simplest, most effective ways we can reach voters directly—with clarity, truth, and a personal touch that cuts through the noise. Whether we’re encouraging new voters to register, reminding infrequent voters what’s at stake, or helping our neighbors understand how their representatives are showing up (or not) for them, these short messages make a real difference.

Recommended BUT NOT REQUIRED donation: $5 for every 10 cards.

View postcard samples

Dan Bielaski buys cardstock and prints the postcards from his computer. If anyone is interested in assisting with printing postcards from their own printer, email Dan.

📺 Media to See

Questions, Comments, Suggestions?

Email: info@GeneseeValleyIndivisible.org

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The Genesee Valley Guardian is a newsletter of Genesee Valley Indivisible, Geneseo, NY.