<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Dear Subscribers,<div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Some of you have been receiving my guide for decades, and some of you are newly subscribed. Even a week ago, I was still intending to “do” the Ballot Guide for this November, but now I’m not.</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> It’s <i class="">very </i>hard for me to acknowledge this break in my 20-year-plus tradition, but I must. I know many of you really rely on Darien’s Ballot Guide for well researched and concise analysis of the props. However, a number of factors are combining to prevent me from producing a <i class="">proper </i>Guide this year: </div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> the great importance of this year’s elections across the country (calling me to be <i class="">more </i><span style="font-style: normal;" class="">involved) (<b class="">Vote, vote, vote!</b>);</span></div><div class=""><span style="font-style: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> my very demanding volunteer work, as </span>President of the U.S. Section of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom;</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> the generous number of props.;</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span> and some long-postponed and crucial personal responsibilities.</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>On the positive side, many — or even <i class="">most </i>— of the props. this year aren’t so difficult to decide on! But, as those who’ve seen past Guides know, “deciding” is not the only purpose of the Guide. I want to continue to be a trustworthy researcher, analyst, and presenter of issues for you. This year, I just don’t have the time to do it.</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>In the U.S. today, teetering on the brink of both fascism and nuclear war, I can’t promise that I’ll be here for you in two years. (Sacramento, California, has been secure from being burned up in wild fires, tho’ we get smoked out. Here, on the <i class="">slightly </i><span style="font-style: normal;" class="">high ground </span>at the <i class="">conjoining </i>of two rivers, I’m starting to wonder about flood insurance. We all face too many threats!)</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I want to be back in ‘24! I take great pleasure in offering others who share my interests in a more just, liberated, balanced, and sustainable world the gift of the Guide. </div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>So here’s to reaching out to you again in 2024!</div><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Yours, with affection and encouragement in these difficult days, Darien </div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><div dir="auto" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><font color="#570059" face="Helvetica" class="">"The history of humankind does show us, the purpose of the empire has always been to dull the senses…. “collateral damage”… the state wants to dull the senses. The artist, the poet, is somebody who always wants to wake up the senses…. to work with human senses… like a ladder with which we can climb out of a deep hole that humans tend to put each other in.”</font></div><div style="margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">Ilya Kaminsky, author and</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">poet </span></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; text-decoration: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;" class=""><span style="font-kerning: none;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div></div><div style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><font color="#570059" face="Helvetica" class=""> * Darien De Lu (she, her) * * <a href="mailto:conjoin@sonic.net" class="">conjoin@sonic.net</a> * </font></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; color: rgb(17, 87, 2); font-family: "Bodoni 72"; font-size: 12px; font-kerning: none;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(87, 0, 89); font-family: Helvetica;" class=""> *<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><span style="font-size: 14px;" class="">916/739-0860</span>, landline — texts don’t work! * </span></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;" class=""><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">Learn about </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">Women</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">'</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">s</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">International</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">League</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">for</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">Peace</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">and</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class="">Freedom:</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 88, 85); color: rgb(17, 88, 85);" class=""> <a href="https://wilpfus.org/" class="">https://wilpfus.org/</a>.</span></div></div>
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