Three Wins Today: Oct 14, 2025
AIPAC is not Dr Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated
I had to take a deep breath before writing this. I think it’s long past time to talk about AIPAC PAC. No, I didn’t mistype, the PAC at end of the acronym did not, in fact, make them a PAC. The first PAC stands for Public Affairs Committee, not Political Action Committee.
AIPAC was founded in 1954, but AIPAC PAC was founded in 2021. That’s right, this big boogie monster that has controlled the US government for all time, as so many say, has literally only been around five years. FIVE YEARS! Just sit with that for a second.
Now, they have been lobbyists a lot longer, that started in 2002, right before the Iraq War. But they were spending absolutely nothing to get people elected, just talking to the people who already were.
I just want to be abundantly clear, I have been against AIPAC since I learned about it when I was a kid. My problem is with people who use it to further the antisemitic trope that Jews control the government (which, given that the Super PAC is literally five years old, is even more antisemitic than if they’d actually been involved for more than two election cycles.)
It is also worth mentioning that AIPAC is SUPPOSED to support the Israeli government, though they have been getting more and more tied to right wing party Likud, through the years. That means when, and G-d willing, it’s soon, the current Israeli government collapses, and let’s say an Avodah/Meretz government takes over (those are two of the left parties, Avodah is more center left while Meretz is more progressive), AIPAC should become a very different organization.
No matter what they value they still shouldn’t be a PAC, and I think it IS worthwhile to push back against that, no matter which Israeli party is in power, but, they should have different values, and with the current views on the evil nature of AIPAC, as a concept, it’s going to be incredibly challenging to make that clear.
As far as the Super PAC is concerned, They started giving donations to Republicans immediately, but the first Dem was Rep Haley Stevens (MI-11), who was running against former rep Andy Levin, who had been redistricted into her district. Andy Levin is a progressive Jew and very Anti AIPAC, so they gave $4m to Rep Stevens campaign IN 2022. I cannot be more clear about this, we’re talking about four years.
And the more you talk about their power, the more power they have. The antisemitic trope is pathetic, they don’t threaten people into supporting Likud, they’re a brand new Super PAC. They give money to people they support more than the alternative.
And a lot of people they give money to take it because they’re not getting enough funds elsewhere. Think about how many Dems there are in Congress, and think about how many names you’ve heard before. ESPECIALLY Black members, they are still not given the same opportunities as their white counterparts, if they want to win, they take the money.
If you want to change that, you need to stop saying donations are only for people who don’t take AIPAC money. The BEST way you can stop them from taking the money is by making sure they’re funded other ways. Make it so they don’t NEED that funding. Make it so they can feel like they CAN get elected without it. That’s the BEST way you get get rid of AIPAC’s power, which again, is a grand total of FIVE years old.
If you think AIPAC controls the US government, you ARE spreading an antisemitic trope. If you think it’s okay to comment about AIPAC on a post about antisemitism, you are spreading antisemitism, and if you make EVERYTHING a Dem does about AIPAC, you ARE making them significantly more powerful than they actually are.
I hope this helped explain things and maybe gets people to cool down a bit. Stop giving them power they don’t have (where have we heard that before?)
Now let’s transition into something a bit lighter, the wins!
Las Cruses, New Mexico
Mon, Oct 6 - Las Cruses city council has reaffirmed the Welcoming City resolution. They first adopted this Human Rights Ordinance in 1997, but a lot of things have changed. This resolution is a lot more specific than previous versions. It bans city officials from helping federal law enforcement in any way shape or form when it comes to someone’s gender, sexuality, race, religion ethnicity and of course, country of origin. That includes sharing any data with those entities as well.
They are also creating virtual options for all local services to make it harder for ICE to take someone. All federal law enforcement must have a warrant to enter private areas, and those spaces must clearly be labeled as private, and there will be quarterly audits of the city to make sure all these regulations are followed.
It’s a similar resolution to Lakewood, Ohio, except it’s in a state that won’t be collaborating either, so they can go a bit further.
Canterbury, England
Thu, Oct 2 - Bishop of London, Sarah Mullally has been tapped to be the new Archbishop of Canterbury. She will be installed in March, and when she is, she will be the first female leader of the Church of England.
And it’s not just the fact that she’s female that will be historic. She is replacing Justin Webly, who resigned because of how he handled child abuse cases. Her main focus will be “restoring confidence in the Church’s senior management”:
As archbishop, my commitment will be to ensure that we continue to listen to survivors, care for the vulnerable, and foster a culture of safety and well being for all.
With my very little knowledge of anything Christianity, it kind of reminds me of the shift happening in the Catholic Church.
And before you ask, yes she has weighed in on the same sex marriage debate before. In 2023, she was one of the bishops who voted in favor of letting clergy bless same sex couples.
From cancer nurse to Archbishop. I’m excited to see how she takes on these challenges in this new role.
Kansas
Mon, Oct 6 - For the first time in two years, trans Kansans can, once again, change the gender marker on their drivers license. AG Kris Kobach appealed the earlier decision by the court of appeals, and with this ruling by the Kansas Supreme Court, he lost.
Unfortunately, this is an in process win, meaning the Republicans are going to keep trying to ban trans people from changing their gender marker. Their next attempt will be to call a special session to ban it outright. The special session was originally supposed to be about gerrymandering Rep Sharice Davids out of her seat, but the Republicans have decided this is a far more important issue.
Now, Governor Laura Kelly is a Democrat, so they can petition this special session but that doesn’t mean they get it.
But trans people are still nervous, like Jessie Lawson, who told Kansas Reflector she was still waiting to get hers after she was turned away last Monday:
Every little victory is a breath of fresh air, and the fact that this is happening in Kansas is mind-boggling. I need to get on this right now because they’re going to pull that special session in November and they’re going to modify SB 180 to include blocking licenses for the rest of time.
I hope there is a happy ending to this story soon.
So those are some of the wins I found today.
I’m curious who read the whole thing, so if you made it to the end comment 🕊️ (a dove)
Our voices are our superpower, but only when we use them!
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🕊️Thanks for the quick AIPAC history!