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8/16/17

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1)      Yesterday, Trump double-downed on his initial comment that there is blame on both sides.  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/us/politics/trump-press-conference-charlottesville.html  The right-winged publication National Review said, “Donald Trump loves people who love him, and the vile and vicious alt-right has loved him from the beginning. Today, he loved them right back” http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/450506/donald-trump-just-gave-press-conference-alt-rights-dreams To show the impact of Trump’s words, David Duke, former KKK grand wizard thanked him for “condemning the leftist terrorists” in Charlottesville.  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/former-kkk-leader-david-duke-thanks-donald-trump-leftist-terrorists-charlottesville-violence-latest-a7895451.html   We need to be extra vigilant about what is coming. We need to call the White House, all our legislators (local, state, and federal) that we do not want this going forward and we want all white supremacists (Steve Bannon, Sabastian Gorka, and Stephen Miller) removed from the White House.  White supremacy does not run our country and it will not make America great again.

2)      "The Department of Justice has requested information on visitors to a website used to organize protests against President Trump.” http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/346544-dreamhost-claims-doj-requesting-info-on-visitors-to-anti-trump-website. As Walter Shaub, the former head of the Office of Government Ethics tweeted in response, "In what legitimate democracy does the ruling party use the judiciary to obtain the names and reading material of its political opponents?" A court hearing on this will be this Friday, August 18th. Let's contact the Department of Justice and let them know how we feel about this abuse of power: 202-353-1555 U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001

3)      The Resistance’s successful defeat of #Wealthcare represents an opportunity to finally reset the debate and have Republicans come together with Democrats to shore up Obamacare instead of sabotaging it. (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/28/playbook-health-care-what-happens-next-241074) We made sure our representatives knew we wanted them to fight against repeal bills that would hurt us. Now let’s let them know we want them to cooperate to improve our health care system. We can find scripts to call for real solutions here: https://5calls.org/issue/recUS2R00gEvm4LBm.

4)      When we entered the nuclear age, Congress gave the President the sole authority to order the launch of nuclear weapons. The idea was to protect the world from war-happy, Strangelove-like generals. But there’s no check-and-balance on the President. It’s alarming that an impulsive man like Trump has this unchecked power, but the truth is that any president is fallible.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/01/no-one-can-stop-president-trump-from-using-nuclear-weapons-thats-by-design/?utm_term=.87c0f44b0897 (If you’re not a subscriber and have used up your free articles, try your public library’s online service for access.) Let’s contact our Members of Congress and ask them to work on legislation that to reform this law. By constitutional custom, tradition, and law, there is nothing more American than checks-and-balances on those in power.

5)      While Trump said he is against racism, so many of his policies, up to now, say the opposite:. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/14/16144598/trump-white-terrorism Let’s chose one or two of the policies in this article and contact the White House and our MoCs to say let your actions match your words.

6)      Trump has threatened to pull the insurance subsidy several times. "Insurance premiums for Obamacare plans would rise 20 percent next year and people in small pockets of the country wouldn't have any insurance options if President Donald Trump scraps a key insurance subsidy, according to a new analysis from the CBO.  The nonpartisan CBO also found eliminating the payments would increase the deficit by $194 billion over a decade because of higher spending on premium subsidies."  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/cutting-obamacare-payments-would-boost-insurance-premiums-241655?cmpid=sf Let's call our representatives to ask them to tell trump to continue the subsidy to save health insurance options for Americans. Let's tell trump the same thing. 

7)      The Trump administration appears poised to roll back ObamaCare’s anti-discrimination protections for transgender patients, a move that has activist groups girding for a fight.”  http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/346246-trump-expected-to-roll-back-lgbt-protections-in-obamacare  Let’s let the White House and our legislators know that we want equal protection for all our brothers and sisters.

State Actions

1)      MI:  Voters Not Politicians is a grassroot effort to get gerrymandering solutions on the November ballot.  Learn more here and sign up for updates and how you can help the upcoming petition initiative:  http://www.votersnotpoliticians.com/

2)      MA: Donald Trump has violated norms by refusing to make his tax returns public, and folks in Massachusetts aren’t standing for it. Citizens from across the state are coming together to get an initiative on next year’s ballot that would require candidates for the presidency to make their tax returns public if they want to appear on the ballot here (http://www.telegram.com/news/20170802/trump-spurs-man-to-file-tax-disclosure-question-on-mass-ballot). Let’s sign up to get involved in this effort here: https://www.sign2.org/initiatives/sign2gettrumpstaxes.

Other Actions


1)      No doubt, as school starts again, there will be thoughts on how to address Charlottesville in the classtoom.  Fortunately, some tools have been prepared.  http://www.npr.org/2017/08/14/543390148/resources-for-educators-to-use-the-wake-of-charlottesville?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20170814 and http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/teaching_now/2017/08/resources_for_teachers_charlottesville_students.html?cmp=soc-tw-edit-tm  Let’s make sure our teacher friends know about these.  For similar resources, search Twitter with the hashtag #CharlottesvilleCurriculum. 

2)      While hosts like GoDaddy and Google may have dropped hosting the white supremacist website Daily Stormer, the server it uses still maintains its relationship.  Cloudflare, a network service, not a hosting provider, that says they do not control the content of their customers.  Nonetheless, they allow this, and at least 40 other hate sites to exist.  https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/03/07/cloudflare-optimizing-content-delivery-least-48-hate-sites-across-europe  It is time for us to target Cloudflare and ask them to stop perpetuating and siding with hate.  Addresses on bottom of page here:  https://www.cloudflare.com/about-overview/

3)      POLL: Should Civil War symbols such as statues and building names be removed or preserved?   http://wkrn.com/2017/08/13/poll-should-civil-war-symbols-such-as-statues-and-building-names-be-removed-or-preserved/

4)      As we know, the Dept of Justice has requested the identifying information from a website hosting service, Dreamhost, of 1.3 million visitors to an anti-Trump website.  Dreamhost is refusing to cooperate:  https://techcrunch.com/2017/08/15/dreamhost-is-fighting-doj-request-for-1-3m-ip-addresses-of-visitors-to-anti-trump-protest-site/  Let’s contact Dreamhost and express out concern over the request and support for their denial.  Contact Information: DreamHost, PMB #257, 417 Associated Road, Brea, CA 92821

5)      The language that the media uses to create the narrative surrounding the events of Charlottesville has been watered down; using terms such as "white nationalism," "alt-right" or "right wing," rather than "white supremacy." The distinction is important, as some may see "alt-right" merely as an alternative political movement, instead of extremist, hateful ideology. As writer Lindy West pointed out, "Words have power. Weak, noncommittal language allows readers and listeners to hide from reality, weasel out of accountability, interpret facts in whatever way flatters them most. Stark truths demand either action or an admission of complicity." http://bit.ly/2gz166P Let's be sure that we're calling out our local news sources on the language that they use.

6)      Several CEOs have now resigned from Trump’s American Manufacturing Council as they try to distance themselves and their companies from his rhetoric.  Trump is not happy.  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/15/trump-manufacturing-council-ceo-quit-241654  No self-respecting American company should be associated with this un-American administration. Let’s use the contact info provided in this Google doc to thank those who have left the council and encourage the other CEOs to resign as well:   https://docs.google.com/document/d/13l_3PdNQR3VbJr1vX-5wLnK9ikCDVMOrdIV2PPeEG70/mobilebasic

7)      From one of our own:  I know people are planning counter-protests for this weekend's planned "March on Google" rallies being organized in Boston, NYC, Seattle and other places by right-wingers. These marches are not expected to attract the same crowd as "Unite the Right," but you never know... This German town did something brilliant, I think. Good video about it:  https://youtu.be/KvjIYl_Nlao  In Maine, a group called Maine Family Planning does the same kind of thing during Lent when anti-choicers picket their clinic in Portland for weeks. For every anti-choicer who shows up, people pledge a certain dollar amount, with the funds going to pay for reproductive health care at MFP and Planned Parenthood. They announce the amount raised each day on a tally board and through a loud speaker. The anti-choicers HATE IT. Just a thought for how counter-protests could be positive, yet irritating to those holding the march/rally. A win-win, with no violence and a huge capture of the news cycle.  [Mainers for Accountable Leadership just set up something similar:  https://www.gofundme.com/uniteforlovecounteringthehate]

8)      Here’s another GOP survey – this time on immigration.  https://gop.com/commonsense-immigration-survey/  Let’s join in!

9)      MomsRising shows us how to create effective letters to the editor and TV media sources telling them to expose white supremacy using clear language and not terms like alt-right, white nationalism, etc.  http://action.momsrising.org/sign/expose_white_supremacy/ Let’s start writing those letters.

Petitions


1)      From Center for American Progress:  -End corporate funding of hate groups: call on credit card companies to stop processing fees for white nationalist/supremacist sites. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are each profiting from more than 100 white national nation list sites. https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/stop-corporate-funders-hate-groups/

2)      Friends of the Earth want us to sign their petition to get white supremacists out of the White House: http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=22241

Marches/events to attend/organize


1)      It is an annual tradition in Michigan on Labor Day to walk the 5-mile Mackinaw Bridge that spans the two peninsulas.  This year Oil and Water Don’t Mix is asking people to join them at the Labor Day Bridge Walk - to walk together in solidarity for shutting down Line 5, or help pass out stickers to raise awareness of the risky Line 5 pipeline.  Learn more about the event here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/110255519682837/

2)      The March for Racial Justice is being planned for September 30, in Washington, D.C.  More information here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1601595086527066/

Reading/Watching


1)      ““Don’t Be A Sucker” is a 17-minute cautionary tale about complacency in the face of hatred and xenophobia. Produced by the U.S. War Department in 1943 and rereleased in an updated form in 1947, it found new relevance with a 21st century audience horrified by the neo-Nazis and white nationalists gathering in central Virginia.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/08/14/after-charlottesville-violence-world-war-ii-anti-fascist-propaganda-video-finds-new-relevance/?tid=ss_fb&utm_term=.431df64ffb5a

2)      “Where Was God in Charlottesville?”  https://dailytheology.org/2017/08/14/where-was-god-in-charlottesville/

3)      The GOP as we once knew it is gone, and it appears it is gone for good.”  http://www.chicagonow.com/politics-now/2017/08/conservatism-is-fast-becoming-a-synonym-for-racism-bigotry-xenophobia-and-selfishness/


Rogan’s List is a participant in and strategic partner of the Action Alliance,
         a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in the wake of the
2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action.
Other member sites are listed here: https://www.actionalliance.co/  --scroll down and click through and you'll find many more opportunities to make a difference.
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Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of Resistance



1 comment:

  1. Link in Petitions, #2 does not seem to be the right one.

    ReplyDelete

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