Header -- The Audacity of Midcoast Maine, taking Creative Action Together

The Audacity: Creative Action Together

Grassroots Organizing for Democracy in Midcoast Maine

Audacity Newsletter August 12 2026: Get On The Water This Saturday!

To submit an item for inclusion in next week’s newsletter, write newsletter@audacitycat.com
The Wave of Supreme Court Activism Grows
Join Those Making Waves Saturday, August 15


Lincoln County Indivisible (LCI) and Indivisible Waldo County (IWC)
 are joining The Audacity to hold “By Land or By Sea Vigils” in Port Clyde, Thomaston, Wiscasset and Lincolnville Beach on Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m.Purpose: These vigils mean to bring attention to Chief Justice John Roberts’ transformation of the Supreme Court into a rubber stamp for authoritarianism. Roberts, who sits atop one of three branches of U.S. government, owns multiple summer homes on Hupper Island off Port Clyde. Just a few of Chief Justice Roberts’ recent and controversial decisions:Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health (2022): Roberts writes a concurring legal opinion allowing bans abortion after 15 weeks, even following rape.Trump v. United States (2024): Roberts writes the ruling granting Donald Trump king-like immunity for illegal acts.United States v. Skrmetti (2025): Roberts writes the ruling prohibiting medical providers from prescribing gender-affirming care.Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem (2025): Roberts presides while the court issues a “shadow docket” ruling that grants ICE the right to use skin color to decide who to stop, harass, and detain.Louisiana v. Callais (2026): Roberts joins a majority gutting the Voting Rights Act.

TAKE PART in the By Land or By Sea Vigils to remind the community of the ways John Roberts has repeatedly used his elite power to mislead the nation, undermine the rule of law, erode judicial standards, harm workers, eviscerate women’s rights, and place President Trump above the law. Our ultimate hope is that a new president better in line with American values will appoint more prudent justices, putting Roberts back in the minority where he belongs.

WHEN: SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 10-11 AM

WHERE TO PROTEST: 
St George: Port Clyde Public Landing (email smacdens@gmail.com FMI)
Lincolnville: Lincolnville Beach (email indivisiblewaldocountyme@gmail.com FMI)
Thomaston: Thomaston Academy (email shthomas@umich.edu FMI)
Wiscasset: Wiscasset Bridge (email shthomas@umich.edu FMI)The Audacity invites you to bring your watercraft with personal flotation device to join the vigils by the water (arrive early to get ready). For those staying onshore, signs about fascism and democracy will be available — or bring your own sign!
Ongoing Actions!
Office Hours on Friday: Meet up with Audacitizens at Main Street Markets Cafe’s back room in Rockland at 10:30 AM over coffee and share your ideas, plans, and notions to act up.

Stand Up and Sing Out on Saturday @ noon: Come to Chapman Park in Rockland for our weekly demonstrations. We sing, hold signs, have conversations, give away buttons and postcards. We collect food/hygiene items for the local food bank and clean up the park every week.

Stand Out with Maine Voices for Palestinian Rights:
Camden, on the Village Green, Fridays @ 5 PM
Rockland, at Chapman Park on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays @ 3PM
Belfast, in Post Office Square, Sundays 12-12:30 PM
Chalk It Up!
Grab some bright colors, write loud and clear: ❌ 🧊 ❌ 🧊❌ 🧊❌ 🧊❌ICE OUT * MELT ICE * ABOLISH ICE * ICE COLD KILLERS * NO ICE for ME * Then, take pictures and share the message on social media, emails, and in the Audacity newsletter! ❌ 🧊 ❌ 🧊❌ 🧊❌ 🧊❌ Free chalk available on Saturdays at Chapman Park
OTHER WAYS TO GET INVOLVED
JOIN THE AUDACITY’S NEW BOOK CLUB
A new book group is forming to read and discuss books by Timothy Snyder, such as ‘On Fascism’, ‘On Freedom’, and ‘The Road to Unfreedom’; books by Colin Woodard, ‘A Resistance History of the United States’ by Tad Stoermer, and MORE (we are open to suggestions!)We are beginning with the new book by Brian Tyler Cohen, “The Day After”.This book is about building this nation NOW so that when that man leaves office we aren’t scrambling to re-build this country. It’s about building NOW and what and how to do that.It “explores how Republicans have abused power, how Democrats have refused to exercise power when they held it, and how progressives should wield power if they are fortunate enough to win a free and fair election in a post-Trump world.”If you are interested in joining us, please send a message to Contact@audacitycat.com and put “book group” in the subject line.
JOIN A DEMOCRACY CIRCLE
E.J. writes:
You are invited to be a part of something that is happening and growing. It’s called Democracy Circles. The first one started in Rockland in January in someone’s barn and Peter and I (and others you may know) have been attending.In order to protect and rebuild our democracy we need to find power. That power comes from the organizing of people in solidarity, “People Power”. The best way to do that organizing is by building community groups, discussing common issues and discovering solutions; a Democracy/ Organizing Circle, inviting neighbors around a circle and communicating.Other Democracy Circles have begun to emanate and ripple out, organizing more people into a movement. The larger and more significant the issue to be addressed, the more power, and the more people organized in solidarity, is needed.Interestingly, the Troy Jackson Campaign holds a similar idea for their campaigning, to build groups (Circles) in every town throughout Maine. This becomes an excellent opportunity to ripple the Democracy Circles across the state. The town groups will be empowered and function as grassroots organizations.By joining a Democracy Circle, you will be adding critical mass to the numbers of people needed to organize in solidarity and build the power needed to keep our democracy. People Power – of the people, by the people, for the people.2 Top Goals: Defeating Susan Collins/ Electing Troy Jackson to the US Senate; and Building/Rebuilding this Country of ours.Currently, Democracy Circles are heavily tied to Troy (as the first one was tied to Graham before), but the deeper and ongoing need is the work we need to do – and it is going to be WORK, to not only put this country back together, but to rebuild it better. And after the Nov. 3rd election the Democracy Circles will continue on as a productive force to build and care for our democracy. Circles can help maintain communication with those elected as well as be there to hold them accountable.There are 12 weeks to election – about 84 daysIf you would like to join a democracy circle, please just reach out to me through Contact@audacitycat.com and I can give you more information.
Awesome Fundraising Opportunity! 
Indivisible.org is offering a matching campaign where every donation made in August will be matched up to $500. Please consider donating to help keep our work financially viable. Money raised helps pay for materials and supplies for our events, subscription costs for our online presence, our podcast, signage, etc.
Please note: Donations made directly to Audacity or through Indivisible.org (via ActBlue) are NOT tax-deductible.
make your donation here
Get a Free Lawn Sign!
The Audacity is distributing signs around the midcoast for free–delivered right to you.Right now as you drive up Rte 1, there are so few signs of dissent and love, you’d hardly know we’re swiftly moving toward fascism. Let’s get more visible signs of dissent, liberation, and love up! Consider flying rainbow flags & trans-inclusive flags, which are literally life-saving right now! We have Liberty and Justice For ALL signs, and signs focused on Supreme Court Chief Justice Roberts’ Ultra-Conservative Agenda, as he spends his summers in our backyard, on the St. George peninsula. Supplies are limited, but we are excited to get more signs of dissent and hope in the area.Did you know that Roberts finished the recent Supreme Court term by “legalizing” racial profiling in traffic stops by ICE/Border Patrol (Vasquez Perdomo v. Noem)? Or that his court also decimated The Voting Rights Act? Gave Trump yet more authoritarian powers? And has “legalized” a level of corruption with money in politics that will, as Justice Kagan wrote in her dissent: “As a result, a donor will be able to give a party as much as half a million dollars (as compared to the $7,000 he can give directly to the candidate) to cover the candidate’s bills…And the result will be…a legal regime increasingly unable to stop political corruption, and thus to preserve our institutions’ democratic legitimacy.” (National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission)?For those asking: “What good does it do?” Imagine if we were near one of the most powerful people in the world who was destroying much of what we care about, and we did NOTHING?!? We were silent, we were afraid, we were busy, we did nothing. What kind of message would that send to ourselves, to one another, to the country, to the future?
sign up to get a free lawn sign, delivered(end-to-end encrypted to preserve your privacy as much as possible)
“I do not fight fascists because I will win. I fight fascists because they are fascists.” — Chris Hedges, in Wages of Rebellion: The Moral Imperative of Revolt
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===The Audacity (audacitycat.com) is grassroots, local, and self-funded, a coalition with broad boundaries:We are nonviolent and creative.We oppose authoritarianismbigotry, and corruption.We support inclusive, diverse, and equitable democracy.Within those boundaries, we act and speak in many different ways that not everyone agrees to. We fit them all under our umbrella, because that is what democracy and human creativity look like.

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