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8/23/17                                                            http://roganslist.blogspot.com/

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1.      Lest we forget, Trump is still under investigation as is Russian interference in the 2016 election. Here’s an up-to-date timeline:  http://billmoyers.com/story/trump-russia-timeline/  Now we learn that Trump thought it was the job of others to protect him from such investigation.  https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/8/22/16186502/trump-mcconnell-russia-scandal Let’s let our MoCs know that we want all investigations to continue and that our country cannot move on until these are completed. 

2.      After intense pressure following President Trump’s responses to the events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in mid-August, several of the president’s advisory councils have disbanded or seen their members resign. But one of the most troubling councils remains: Trump’s voter suppression commission. This commission’s entire premise is false, and intended to justify blocking access to the polls for people of color. (http://time.com/4736959/voter-fraud-trump-matthew-masterson/)  For these reasons, as well as the President’s refusal to unequivocally condemn neo-Nazis and white supremacists, it’s time for the members to #QuitTheCommission. Let’s contact the remaining members of the commission and demand they stand against Trump’s cavalier attitude toward bigotry. We can find their contact info at this link: https://medium.com/@CAPAction/post-charlottesville-these-leaders-still-sit-on-trumps-voter-suppression-commission-bba7a5c925ec

3.      The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a program championed by Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton that helps millions of kids from low-income families get health insurance, is in trouble. It will run out of funding in a matter of weeks unless Congress acts to reauthorize it (https://www.statnews.com/2017/07/28/chip-medicaid-congress/). With all the deadlines Congress is facing in the next few weeks, we need to make sure they know we won’t let our kids slip through the cracks. Let’s call our members of Congress and tell them we don’t want to see any brinksmanship with CHIP, but we want them to secure continued funding to protect our children’s health care well beforeSeptember 30th.


4.      In May, Senators Tim Kaine and Jeff Flake introduced bipartisan legislation which would require Congressional approval for "military force against al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" http://bit.ly/2wALNkU Now, it seems, would be the time that we could especially use this piece of legislation, as Trump has announced that he will be increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. We can use the call script at 5Calls as we contact the Chairman Corker (202-224-3344) and Ranking Member Cardin ((202) 224-4524) of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where the bill is currently sitting https://5calls.org/issue/recA07pwi1ELp71oL Let's also make sure that we're contacting our MoC, asking that they cosponsor and support S.J.Res. 43: Authorization for Use of Military Force Against al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

5.      Speaker Paul Ryan hosted his long-awaited Town Hall on Monday evening and acknowledged that Trump “messed up” on Charlottesville but he does not support censuring him: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/347427-ryan-says-trump-messed-up-on-charlottesville-rejects-censure  Let’s let Ryan know what we think about Trump’s remarks and the leadership he needs to be showing as Speaker of the House: http://www.speaker.gov

6.      "The Trump administration’s decision to reverse a ban on the sale of plastic water bottles in some of America’s most famous national parks, including the Grand Canyon, shows “the corporate agenda is king and people and the environment are left behind”  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/20/trumps-decision-to-allow-plastic-bottle-sales-in-national-parks-slammed The comments come after the administration ended a policy that allowed parks to ban the sale of plastic bottled water in an effort to curb pollution. The Guardian reports that: "The policy change came after just a few months of lobbying by the International Bottled Water Association, which began its campaign in January, after Donald Trump’s inauguration, and spent $80,000 arguing against the “bottle ban”. National parks fall under the Department of Interior’s umbrella, an agency now headed by the Trump appointee Ryan Zinke. One of Trump’s most recent appointments to the Department of the Interior is the deputy secretary David Bernhardt, a Colorado-based lawyer, previously with Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, who specialized in water-related litigation. Some lawmakers raised concerns about Bernhardt during his confirmation hearings, just a few weeks ago."   Let's tell the Department of Interior and Ryan Zinke that we want them to reverse this decision: US Dept of Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington DC 20240 or call 202-208-3100.

7.      The 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to afterschool programs. “This program serves 1.6 million children from high-poverty and low-achieving schools with safe, quality afterschool programs that encourage literacy, STEM education and provide nutritious food.”  This initiative is set to be eliminated in Trump’s budget and it will negatively affect 1.6 million of our children.  https://newfoodeconomy.com/trump-budget-school-food-nutrition/  Let’s sign on to this letter from Save the Children asking this program be spared:  http://action.savethechildrenactionnetwork.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/

8.      The Trump administration has decided to disband the federal advisory panel for the National Climate Assessment, a group aimed at helping policymakers and private-sector officials incorporate the government’s climate analysis into long-term planning.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/08/20/the-trump-administration-just-disbanded-a-federal-advisory-committee-on-climate-change/?utm_term=.43ee5400770a Let’s let the White House and our legislators know that we value science and question the disbanding of this important group of scientists.  Contact:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

9.      From Indivisible Ventura:  “Why Do I Need to Call?  My Representatives Are All Democrats”  https://indivisibleventura.org/why-do-i-need-to-call-my-representatives-are-all-democrats/ Even if we know they see things the same way we do, they need our calls for tally reasons as well as encouragement and thanks.  Let’s call!

State Actions

1.      KY:  The Interior Department has suddenly halted a study of how surface mining hurts health. “Science isn’t going to hurt us. What we don’t know very well could,” said Dee Davis, president of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg.    http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article168602482.html  Let's tell the Department of Interior and Ryan Zinke to restart this important study: US Dept of Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Washington DC 20240 or call 202-208-3100.

2.      AL: One of Governor Kay Ivey's first acts was to sign the Alabama Memorial Preservation Act which effectively prohibits the removal of Alabama's confederate monuments. http://www.al.com/news/birmingham/index.ssf/2017/08/alabama_gov_kay_ivey_says_the.html   State representative Juandalynn Givan (D-Birmingham) plans to sponsor three (3) bills that would repeal the current law.  Let's contact our AL state legislators to let them know we support Givan's proposed bills.  https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/  We can send our support to Representative Givan at: Juandalynn Givan, Alabama Legislature, 11 S Union St Ste 528E, Montgomery AL 36130-2950.

3.      FL, NC, ND, RI, TN, TX:  “The death of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia, has renewed focus on bills that surfaced this year in a half-dozen state legislatures that proposed limited protections for drivers who cause injury or death to protesters.”  http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/18/us/legislation-protects-drivers-injure-protesters/index.html If we live in these states, let’s contact our legislators and tell them how we feel.  Life is precious. 

4.      MA: The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition is working to get two questions on the 2018 state ballot. One question would raise the state’s minimum wage to $15/hour. http://raiseupma.org/campaigns/the-fight-for-15/ The other question would provide for a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program for most Massachusetts workers. http://raiseupma.org/campaigns/paid-leave/ Raise Up Massachusetts must collect 120,000 petition signatures for each measure from voters across the state. The petition drive starts Labor Day and ends in November. If we’re in Massachusetts, let’s help to build an economy that works for all of us participating in this important petition drive. Training sessions are being held across the state. Find one near you by clicking here: http://raiseupma.org/signaturetrainings/

5.      MI:   The Progressive Women's Caucus in Michigan has identified five specific health-related bills that have been introduced and referred to committee.  Four of them have been referred to the Health Policy Committee:  1) HB 4760 - Prevent Political Interference from Delaying Abortions, 2) HB 4762 - Keep Politics Out of the Exam Room, 3) HB 4763 - Prevent Double Standards (placing burdens on abortions), and 4) HB 4765 - Patients Right to Abortion Information.  Let’s write/call the committee chair, Rep Hank Vaupel (R) to advocate for the bills’ passage:  PHONE: 517-373-8835
EMAIL
HankVaupel@house.mi.gov .  Another bill, HB 4761 - Repeal the Abortion Insurance Opt-Out Act. has been referred to the Insurance Committee.  Let’s call the chair is Lana Theis (R) in support of the bill: PHONE: 517-373-1784 EMAIL: LanaTheis@house.mi.gov
EMAIL
LanaTheis@house.mi.gov   In addition, HB 4307 and SB 212, bills that would allow workers to take earned paid time off to recover from an illness or care for a sick family member, have been referred to committee and could use our support.  HB4307 was referred to Committee on Commerce and Trade, Chair is Rep Leutheuser:  PHONE: 517-373-1794 EMAIL: EricLeutheuser@house.mi.gov  and  SB212 was referred to Commerce Committee, chair is Wayne Schmidthttp://www.senatorwayneschmidt.com/

Other Actions

1.      The Republican Party wants to know what we think of Trump's job performance. Let's let them know what we think via this one-question poll:   https://gop.com/rate-trump-job-performance/

2.      Sometimes, positive acts of resistance can help us keep up our endurance for the long haul. NPR is reporting that there are now at least twenty organizations who have canceled events at Mar-a-Lago http://n.pr/2x8QjFa and The Palm Beach Daily News is keeping an updated list of organizations who have withdrawn available http://bit.ly/2g2ADza Let's use this list to send out some "thank you's" from the Resistance. A little positive reinforcement can go a long way!

3.      As the August Recess comes to a close, the focus in Congress will be on the next steps for health care in the U.S. http://bit.ly/2wAV3pd Let's make sure that we're keeping a close eye on our own MoC, holding them accountable for their actions, and letting them know what we're looking for in our health care. We can brush up on health care concerns and check out available call scripts in the Indivisible Guide's August Recess Health Care Toolkit: http://bit.ly/2vflA9a

4.      The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has released a document with “9 Steps to Dismantle White Supremacy and Islamophobia”:  http://cair.com/press-center/press-releases/14546-cair-issues-9-steps-to-dismantle-white-supremacy-and-islamophobia.html  Let’s take a look and see which items we can be in action on right away.

5.      No doubt some of us now have solar eclipse glasses we no longer need.  Many of these expire after three years so will not be good for the next US solar eclipse in 2014.  One option we may want to consider is donating them to Astronomers Without Borders who will pass them on to students in South America and Africa for the 2019 solar eclipse they will experience.  http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-should-you-do-your-used-eclipse-glasses-180964584/#jxM3hb8zAAJSVrJ1.01  Let’s see what use we can make of our leftover glasses.

6.      August 26th is Women’s Equality Day, which commemorates the addition of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution. The 5calls.org team has created a simple website with a basic history and 3 easy actions everyone can take to honor the day.  Let’s take a look and see what we can do: https://womenwillvote.com Here are also some resources and ideas from the National Women’s History Project:  http://www.nwhp.org/resources/commemorations/womens-equality-day/10-ideas-for-womens-equality-day/

Petitions

1.      These belong in museums where their history can be taught.  Let’s sign this petition to remove all Confederate symbols:  http://action.genprogress.org/action/takethemdown-remove-every-confederate-symbol-america

2.      “…  no federal law explicitly requires fair and equal treatment for lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender individuals in employment — or other critical arenas like housing and education.”  Let’s join the National Women’s Law Center in telling Congress it is time to close that gap in the law:  https://act.nwlc.org/onlineactions/rxrK2dDRHkmpRnBfOGMzDw2

Marches/events/teleconferences to attend/organize

1.      "This Thursday, Women’s March and partners invite you to join an online workshop on facilitating “Daring Discussions” about white nationalism, bigotry and violence, with community members who hold different political views. Please register here for a webinar workshop with Women’s March this Thursday, August 24, at 8pm ET/5pm PT  https://www.crowdcast.io/e/daring-discussions/register

Reading/Watching

1.      “Why I’m Celebrating Donald Trump Right Now” - https://www.elephantjournal.com/2017/08/why-im-celebrating-donald-trump-right-now/

2.      “Ugly History Shouldn’t be Beautiful:  What Germany can teach the U.S. about remembering an ugly past without glorifying it” - http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/war_stories/2017/08/what_the_u_s_can_learn_from_germany_about_remembering_a_dark_period_of_history.html

3.      “Why Do You Hate Me? A Brown Woman Talks to a Former White Nationalist” - http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/18/politics/questions-for-a-former-white-nationalist/index.html


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                         a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in the wake of the
2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action.
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