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9/26/17                                                            http://roganslist.blogspot.com/

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Many newspapers, including New York Times and Washington Post require subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles each month.  We can also check with our local libraries to find out how to get online access through them.

1)       In desperation, the Republicans are now trying to buy support for the Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/new-version-graham-cassidy-health-bill-adds-sweeteners-alaska-n804391 At this point, McCain, Paul, and Collins are reported no votes. We must let the other Republican senators, especially undecided/swing senators, know this would be deadly for so many in our country.  Let’s use this contact info:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0k1qCMVpKZpZkwybXEtUXExVGc 

2)       On Sunday night, the Trump administration announced a new travel ban that seems designed to not be able to bear up under the moniker of “Muslim ban” because of the addition of North Korea and some smaller carve-outs in Venezuela: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/352179-trump-imposes-new-travel-restrictions-on-8-countries However, it remains a chaotic wolf in wolf clothing. Please express your concerns to your MoC about this Travel Ban 3.0.

3)       Here's some good environmental news for us: "Fossil fuel projects nationwide could be on notice after an appeals court ordered the federal government to rethink the climate change impacts of two giant coal mines, environmental lawyers and energy consultants tell Bloomberg BNA...The decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit only directly affects Arch Coal and Peabody Energy, which operate the Wyoming mines in question, and only applies to five Western states...But the Sept. 14 decision establishes an argument that could be tested nationwide in other courts to challenge any fossil fuel-related project that might have climate change effects..." This decision gives us hope going forward.  Let's keep up the pressure on environmental issues.

4)       The Air Force top enlisted pledges transgender airmen will be treated with respect per the Air Force Times. “Right now, our transgender airmen are still just that: They are our airmen,” Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright said ... “And until otherwise, we take care of them just like any other airmen.” Let's send thank you's and notes of support to: Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, 1670 Air Force Pentagon, Washington DC 20330-1670.

5)       Thomas Farr was blocked twice by the Senate when G.W. Bush nominated him to a judicial post.  “Based on his outspoken history and aggressive litigious style of opposing African Americans and the rights of the vulnerable, African Americans have no trust or faith that Thomas Farr can be independent, fair, and impartial in serving as a member of the esteemed federal judiciary.” Let's let the Senate Judiciary Committee know that we want Farr blocked again:  https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/members 

6)       For those of us who have already called our senators about the Graham-Cassidy bill, our work is not done! There are more people out there who have not yet made those phone calls, but who know that this bill is wrong. We can use the Indivisible Guide's peer-to-peer dialing tool to help connect these constituents to their senators. Let's sign up and encourage others to speak out: https://www.trumpcareten.org/calls-to-kill-trumpcare/

7)       The Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act (H.R. 3668)  was passed out of committee and now heads to the House floor for a vote.  The NRA-supported measure would allow hunting and sports shooting on federal lands, such as water developments, national monuments and wilderness areas, would require national parks to allow “volunteer” shooters to assist in wildlife management, and would have manufacturers, rather than the Attorney General, decide exactly what Armor Piercing Bullets are.  In addition to these alarming provisions that weaken federal gun laws, the SHARE Act includes one of the NRA’s top legislative priorities, the Hearing Protection Act, which would exempt silencers from current firearms restrictions and require the government to destroy all records on silencer owners.  According to Americans for Responsible Solutions, silencers disguise the sound of gunfire, hide the shooter’s location, threaten the safety of law enforcement, diminish the effectiveness of gunshot detection technology, and make it difficult for people to know whether to drop down or run.  Everytown for Gun Safety says, “The gun silencers provision of the SHARE Act would make it easier for felons, domestic abusers and people with dangerous mental illnesses to buy gun silencers.”  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/13/gun-silencers-congress-republicans-242673  Let's contact our representative to oppose this bill.

8)       Innocuous as it appears, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 (H.R. 620) would, like the contraction of Medicaid, particularly target disabled people. As of now under the ADA, if a disabled individual cannot access a business open to the public, they can immediately file a complaint with the Justice Department (though no entity is currently charged with making sure that businesses comply).  This “reform” requires the DOJ to come up with a plan that would prohibit civil suits arising out of failure to provide adequate access unless the plaintiff provides offending property owners with written notice specifying the deficiency. Owners would have 60 days to respond with a written plan for improvement and 120 days to correct the deficiency, or show progress towards a correction:  https://qz.com/994853/republicans-in-congress-think-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-is-too-easy-to-game-so-they-want-to-make-it-harder-to-enforce/  We need to ask our MoCs to oppose this bill and make it clear to Jeff Sessions that we do not want the ADA decimated: 202-353-1555 or DOJ, 950 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, DC 20530-0001

9)       In a letter to the NYT about Ken Burns’ “Vietnam War" on Sunday, Donald P. Gregg—one of Burns’ interviewees and once CIA station chief in Seoul, then ambassador to South Korea—says “I fear that we are headed down an 2017 version of ‘ignorance alley” in our dealing with Pyongyang; we do not know what North Korea wants . . . because we have not asked. . . .”  As the US sends bombers over the Korean Peninsula in the latest escalation of tensions (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles/u-s-flies-bombers-over-korean-peninsula-after-north-korea-missile-test-idUSKBN1AF02K ), we must join South Korean president Moon Jae-in in reminding Trump that accusing South Korea of “appeasement” and insisting that “talking is not the answer” will only worsen what Moon has characterized as a “vicious cycle” of provocations and sanctions. We know where ignorance alley led us in Vietnam. White House, 202-456-1111

10)   Time is running out to make our voices heard on the SHARE Act, which would make it easier for dangerous people to buy gun silencers over the objections of law enforcement (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/13/gun-silencers-congress-republicans-242673). The Brady Campaign has put together background information, a sample script and a call tool to make it easier for us to contact our members of Congress and tell them to vote on when this bill comes up for a floor vote. Let’s be sure to use it at this link: https://www.bradycampaign.org/tell-congress-to-stop-this-dangerous-bill-now

11)   Treasury Secretary Stephen Mnuchin, who seems to be angling for the “let them eat cake” award this year, has asserted that NFL players can “do free speech on their own time”: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/24/nfl-players-mnuchin-trump-free-speech-243065 Let’s encourage Secretary Mnuchin to spend some quality time reading the Constitution and remind him that NFL players are private citizens:  https://www.treasury.gov/connect/Pages/contact-us.aspx

12)   The USNS Comfort is the world’s largest hospital ship.  It is used in all kinds of national crises and could easily be called to aid Puerto Rico, but it has not.  Several people, including Hillary Clinton have asked for the Navy to help our fellow citizens: 
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/352175-clinton-trump-should-send-us-forces-to-help-puerto-rico
   Since neither Mattis nor Trump have seen this as a need, let try asking the Chief of Naval Operations to do so:  Contact:  Admiral John M. Richardson, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 2000 Navy Pentagon​,  Washington, D.C. 20350-2000 or use the option at the bottom of this page:  http://www.navy.mil/submit/contacts.asp

13)   "U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) filed legislation (S1834) to create a national advisory committee to look for ways to better prepare and care for our nation’s seniors during a disaster, such as Hurricane Irma, which led to the deaths of eight seniors in a nursing home in Hollywood, Florida.  The bipartisan bill – cosponsored by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Bob Casey (D-PA) – would require the secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters." Read the full story and Nelson's press release at the Tampa Bay Times.  Let's tell our own Senators we want them to co-sponsor S1834. Let's protect our vulnerable senior citizens.

14)   The Republican Senate is calling for "changes in the Senate Judiciary Committee's "blue slip" practice to both help clear the way for President Donald Trump to nominate more circuit court judges freely — and so his existing nominees can sail through confirmation. The blue slip is a Senate tradition in which senators can give or withhold their blessing for a judicial nominee from their state. The process provides the party that does not control the White House with leverage over a good number of the president's nominations." Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has been using this procedure to block "Trump's nomination of Minnesota Supreme Court Judge David Stras for a vacancy on the 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals.  Franken said he could not support Stras, nominated by Trump in March, after studying his record." Read the full story on Business Insider and Franken's statement on Stras.  We have two (2) actions to take: 1) Let's tell our Senators that we value and want to keep the blue slip process.  2) Let's tell our Senators that we join Senator Franken in opposing David Stras for 8th US Circuit Court of Appeals. 

15)   "House Democratic investigators are launching a congressional probe of Jared Kushner's use of a private email for work purposes, a development that threatens to escalate the Russia-related controversies already surrounding President Donald Trump's son in-law.  Top House Oversight and Government Reforming Committee Democrat Elijah Cummings sent a letter to Kushner, a White House senior adviser, asking him to preserve all his personal emails. The Maryland Democrat also suggested he will eventually request all copies of work correspondence that passed through Kushner's personal account." http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/25/jared-kushner-private-email-investigation-243117  Let's keep an eye on this issue to be sure that Kushner complies.  

16)   “A [Boston Globe] Spotlight Team investigation has found that lax oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration, over decades, has made it easy for drug dealers, corrupt politicians, and even people with links to terrorism to register private planes and conceal their identities.” http://apps.bostonglobe.com/spotlight/secrets-in-the-sky/series/part-one/ and http://apps.bostonglobe.com/spotlight/secrets-in-the-sky/series/part-two/ . Let’s do the following:
a)        Tell our MoCs that we want them to pass legislation that will force the FAA to clean up its act.
b)       Tell staffers for the US House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to fix this problem. Matt Sturges, Staff Director, 202-225-9446 and Aviation Staff Director Holly Woodruff Lyons, 202-226-3220https://transportation.house.gov/contact/staff-contact-list.htm
c)       Call the US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation and demand the same. 202-224-1251(Majority), 202-224-0411 (Minority)

State Actions

Other Actions

1)       Our five (5) living former presidents have launched a fundraiser to help Puerto Rico and other US locations impacted by the recent hurricanes. The campaign, titled “One America Appeal,” will allow donors to contribute funds to United for Puerto Rico and The Fund for the Virgin Islands. Both are 501(c)(3) organizations. Read the full story at The Hill. We can donate if we wish to One America Appeal and specify from which storm's recovery (Harvey, Irma, Maria) that we want our donation to go.

2)       Today, like all other fourth Tuesdays in September, is National Voter Registration Day.  Let’s check out and use the resources here to get the word out and help make people aware of the day and the need to get registered to vote:  https://nationalvoterregistrationday.org/

3)       Many NFL players are beginning stand with Kaepernick (#takeaknee) and against Trump.  https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/why-the-nfl-is-protesting/540927/  Let's ask the NFL Players Association to also speak out against NFL owners who are blackballing him. 

4)       Resistance School resumes in October! Organized by progressive grad students at Harvard, Resistance School offers free online sessions where we can learn about communicating our values, mobilizing our communities, and building structures for action. To see last year’s sessions, and to sign up so we don’t miss this year’s, let’s visit https://www.resistanceschool.com/ 

5)       Let's also thank Colin Kaepernick himself for standing up for what he believes in and donating to causes that support his values.  Let's also thank his mom, Teresa Kaepernick, for her tweet back to Trump.  http://www.businessinsider.com/colin-kaepernick-mom-responds-to-trump-2017-9  We can write to both of them here:  c/o Jeff Nalley, Select Sports Group, 2700 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 1450, Houston, TX 77056

6)       "NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. on Monday quoted John F. Kennedy on "violent revolution" after President Trump attacked National Football League (NFL) players who kneel during the national anthem. "All Americans R granted rights 2 peaceful protests," he tweeted Monday. "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable-JFK." Several NASCAR team owners said Sunday they wouldn't condone drivers protesting during the national anthem.," Petty, a NASCAR team owner said he'd fire anyone who protested.  http://thehill.com/homenews/news/352202-dale-earnhardt-jr-quotes-jfk-on-violent-revolution-after-trump-attacks-on-nfl Let's send a thank you tweet to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for his free right to protest tweet.  Contact:   @DaleJr on Twitter, comment on his Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/DaleJr, or email him in care of his booking agent:  contact@athletespeakers.com

 Petitions

1)       “The Jones Act (Merchant Marine Act 1920, 46 U.S.C. § 883) prevents foreign ships from carrying cargo between the US mainland and noncontiguous parts of the US like Puerto Rico. Foreign ships can't stop in Puerto Rico to offload goods. Instead, goods are dropped off on the mainland and brought to the island on US flag ships. This makes everything more expensive, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, could actually cost lives. The Department of Homeland Security extended a waiver of the Jones Act to relieve PR, but the waiver expired … on September 22, 2017.”  Let’s sign this petition to Homeland Security and Trump to extend the waiver during this time of need:  https://www.change.org/p/department-of-homeland-security-waive-the-jones-act-for-all-cargo-at-ports-in-puerto-rico-to-aid-hurricane-maria-relief

2)       “ACT for America is the country’s largest anti-Muslim hate group, and they work tirelessly to undermine Muslim communities and our allies. They support a broad racist, anti-Muslim, and White Nationalist agenda—not just the Muslim Ban, but a wall on the US-Mexico border, and the ending of DACA, too.  At their last national event back in June, ACT for America was joined by members of Identity Evropa and Vanguard America—the same groups involved in the deadly neo-Nazi riot in Charlottesville.1 Now, ACT is planning their annual conference next weekend (October 2nd and 3rd)—at the Marriott in Arlington, VA.”  Let’s ask Marriot hotels not to host this hate group for meetings of any kind:  https://act.mpowerchange.org/sign/marriott-act-petition

Marches/events/teleconferences to attend/organize

1)       This Saturday, Sept. 30 in Washington, D.C., there will be two simultaneous marches.  Let’s check their websites to see how we can participate and/or support:  1)  March for Black Women: https://www.mamablack.org/march-for-black-women, and 2) March for Racial Justice:   https://www.m4rj.com

2)       #NoMuslimBanEver has called for a large demonstration in Washington DC on October 10.  On that day, the Supreme Court is booked to hear two cases about the Muslim and refugee bans, Trump v. Int'l Refugee Assistance Project and Trump v. Hawaii. The court may drop these cases, since they arise from the previous ban and now we have a brand new one, which, some say, will be harder to oppose in the courts: https://www.reuters.com/article/legal-us-usa-immigration-trump-legal/trumps-new-travel-ban-could-be-harder-to-fight-in-court-experts-idUSKCN1C01SB In view of possible changes, we should keep track of the plans are for October 10 and lend our support:  http://act.mpowerchange.org/signup/nomuslimbanever-scotus/

 Reading/Watching

1)       Excellent op-ed in The Globe and Mail by Sarah Kendzior about patriotism: “If Mr. Kaepernick can live his values, destroying his popularity and football career in the process, why can’t we all? If we have freedom of speech, who will we speak up for?”   https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/real-patriotism-mr-trump-isnt-how-you-treat-a-flag-its-how-you-treat-americans/article36375796

2)       Henry Giroux, a widely respected educator and author, most recently, of The Public in Peril: Trump and the Menace of American Authoritarianism, has contributed an essay to Bill Moyers’ website. An important insight for this frightening moment:  http://billmoyers.com/story/donald-trumps-addiction-to-violence/

3)       Atul Gawande, the author of the best-seller Being Mortal, has this to say about the Republican approach to health care:  https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/if-the-us-adopts-the-gops-health-care-bill-it-would-be-an-act-of-mass-suicide


Rogan’s List is a participant in and strategic part ner 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









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