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2/28/18


If you’ve not already done so, please take a few moments to complete this short survey to let us know what we are doing
right and what we could be doing better:  https://goo.gl/2WRdex


Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php


********************************
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.       Russian involvement in our election process remains a grave and continuing concern.  https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/19/17023240/election-2018-russia-interference-stop-prevent  Trump has yet to impose the Congress-approved sanctions against Russia, nor has he instructed his National Security Agency to disrupt Russian cyberattacks: http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/375784-nsa-director-says-he-hasnt-receive-orders-from-trump-to-disrupt-russian   There are a few important bipartisan bills currently pending in the House and Senate, that would address this.  The Honest Ads Act (S. 1989/H.R. 4077) would close the disclosure loopholes for campaign-related ads being run by foreign interests on the Internet, making it harder for foreign social media campaigns to go unnoticed.  The DETER Act (S. 2313/H.R. 4884) would provide strong new sanctions for any foreign interest interfering in our elections.  The PAPER Act (H.R. 3751) would provide federal assistance and financial support for states to modernize the security and protect the integrity of their election systems. The Secure Elections Act (S. 2261) would provide grants to states and establish an advisory panel of independent experts to share information about election cybersecurity incidents, threats and vulnerabilities.   Let make sure that our MoCs know every day that this is a major concern that we want addressed.

2.      In November of last year, representatives in the House introduced a background check bill which would ensure that background checks occur in all commercial firearm sales, including gun shows, classified ads, and over the internet http://bit.ly/2HRsEPc Although the bill has bipartisan support, and over 160 cosponsors, it has been sitting in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.  Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA) filed a discharge petition this week to bring the bill to the House floor for a vote. Let's call our reps and make sure that they have signed on to the discharge petition, and that they support H.R. 4240 - Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2017.

3.      The Hill reported yesterday that Democrats are fearful of taking too many steps on gun control, because they worry it might lose them elections.  http://thehill.com/homenews/house/375719-dems-fear-overreach-as-left-presses-assault-weapon-ban  But Democrats should be echoing the message of Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA), who was on the money, when he recently claimed, “I’d much rather lose an election than a child.” http://www.gazettenet.com/McGovern-speaks-on-tourism-at-Franklin-County-Chamber-of-Commerce-15785846. Let’s tell our Democratic MoCs that it’s time for them to show leadership and take a courageous and moral stand on banning assault rifles, a position currently supported by 67% of the American public. https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2521

4.      Thomas Farr has a record of not only defending racist voter suppression laws, but actually participating in efforts to suppress black voters (http://www.businessinsider.com/thomas-farr-modern-white-supremacist-black-civil-rights-leaders-say-2017-12). Donald Trump wants to give him a lifetime appointment as a federal judge, where he’ll have tremendous power to continue putting up barriers to the voting booth. Members of the North Carolina NAACP are traveling to D.C. today to oppose his confirmation. Let's have their backs and ask our senators to commit to voting against him. We can find talking points in this script from 5 Calls.

5.      Though it usually takes a mass shooting to focus national attention on gun violence, we should remember that 90 Americans are killed by guns every day – many of them children (http://abcnews.go.com/US/parkland-mass-shootings-children-wounded-killed-guns-daily/story?id=53197811). Donald Trump thinks the problem will be solved by arming teachers. We need to remind him that the scope of this crisis is much larger than that. States United to Prevent Gun Violence has launched the #BackfireTrump project, where we can sign up to auto-tweet at Trump weekly, daily or every time an American dies from gun violence to remind him and our Twitter followers of the toll that guns take on us. Those of us with Twitter can sign up to take part in it here: http://backfiretrump.com/.

6.      Since Speaker Ryan has repeatedly failed to demonstrate the courage to stand up against the gun lobby, advocates are trying to go around him. As of Monday evening, 87 House Democrats had signed a discharge petition to force a vote on H.R. 4240, a bipartisan bill that would create universal background checks for gun sales and make sure everyone who should be prohibited from buying firearms is listed in the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (https://www.politico.com/newsletters/playbook/2018/02/27/fix-nics-senate-debate-gun-control-251408). We can find a list of reps who have signed on here. Let’s contact our MoCs and either thank them for their leadership or ask that they sign the petition.

7.      “A federal environmental program that distributes grants to test the effects of chemical exposure on adults and children is being shuttered amidst a major organization consolidation at the Environmental Protection Agency.”  http://thehill.com/regulation/energy-environment/375725-major-epa-reorganization-will-end-science-research-program  Let’s remind our MoC that a Republican president established the EPA and that we all have a vested interest in the effect of human activities on our health. Then, let’s voice our displeasure to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt: https://www.epa.gov/home/forms/contact-epa or on Twitter at @EPAScottPruitt

8.     We need one more net neutrality supporter for the Congressional Review Act to move forward in the Senate. While all Democratic senators are in favor of the CRA, Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) remains the only Republican to support it. If we have a republican senator, let's be sure to give them a call and tell them we need them to reverse the FCC's decision on net neutrality by supporting the CRA. If we've already contacted our members of Congress, let's check out Indivisible's explainer on the process of the a Congressional Review Act so we can be prepared for our next action: https://www.indivisible.org/resource/process-using-congressional-review-act-protect-net-neutrality-explained/

9.      Yesterday, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments in Janus vs. AFSCME, a case that affects the long-term viability of public-sector unions:  https://www.npr.org/2018/02/01/582539884/supreme-court-could-bleed-unions-dry After long years of attacking unions in the private sector, big business and conservatives are now setting their sights on unions of government workers using so-called right-to-work laws, which lower wages and endanger workers in multiple ways:  https://www.facebook.com/RBReich/videos/1874540772558510/ As the Court deliberates this landmark case, let's be sure our representatives in Congress know that Progressives stand with unions, because they stand with us. 

10.  The humanitarian crisis in Syria is devastating, and hardly anyone is paying attention. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/ct-perspec-syria-ghouta-humanitarian-crisis-iran-0226-20180222-story.html  The Syrian American Medical Society reports that in East Ghouta, more than 400,000 people (including 95,000 children) are under a siege that is restricting the inflow of food and medical supplies, and 13,000 children are in  urgent need of medical care. https://www.sams-usa.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/East-Ghouta-Talking-Points-3.pdf. Let’s tell our MoCs to call for an end to the siege and an immediate humanitarian convoy to bring essential food and medical relief to the people of Syria.

11.   The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that detained immigrants do not have a right to bail hearings, overruling the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals which had ruled that bond hearings are required after six months to determine whether detainees who do not pose flight risks or a danger to public safety may be released while their cases proceed. Writing in an angry dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer said that the Court’s decision was most likely “the first time ever” that it had interpreted a federal law to allow the long-term confinement of people held in the United States and accused of misconduct without an opportunity to obtain bail. “An ‘opportunity,’” he added, “does not necessarily mean release. . . “  https://www.npr.org/2018/02/27/589279446/supreme-court-rules-immigrants-held-in-detention-are-not-entitled-to-bail-hearin Twenty-nine members of Congress submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of this decision: 
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/15-1204-amicus-pet-29USRepresentatives.pdf  If any of our MoCs are among them, let’s tell them that we do not want people detained without recourse.

12.  A memo from Betsy DeVos’s Department of Education has come to light; it argues that the nation's loan servicers should be protected from state rules that may be far tougher than federal law on student loan debt collectors who have been accused of deceiving and abusing student borrowers and have been sued by attorneys general in a handful of states:  https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/02/27/588943959/education-department-wants-to-protect-student-loan-debt-collectors  We should contact the Dept of Education now, before a rule blocking the states from taking action against these abusive debt collector is put in place: 1-800-872-5327 or U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, D.C. 20202.

Election 2018 – General

1.       We’re closing in fast on our first chance to flip a congressional seat in 2018, the March 13th special election in the Pennsylvania 18th. Democratic nominee Conor Lamb, a U.S. marine and federal prosecutor who will fight for workers’ rights and is refusing corporate PAC donations, is just three points behind Rick Saccone, an anti-union, anti-choice, pro-tax scam reactionary (https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/23/17013730/conor-lamb-rick-saccone-pennsylvania-special-election). But this is a tough district and Conor Lamb needs our help to turn out every voter he can. Let’s sign up to phone bank for him at bit.ly/FlipThe18th.

2.      Imagine if we each got five people to register to vote. Do we know teens turning 18? New neighbors? New co-workers who relocated? Let’s share this link on social media and on neighborhood listservs, etc. https://www.usa.gov/register-to-vote

Election 2018 – By State

Other Actions

1.       One of the perks of belonging to the NRA are the numerous financial benefits received from partnering companies:  https://medium.com/@nraboycott/companies-need-to-cut-their-ties-with-the-nra-c2e7de041e53  The public pressure on these companies by gun reform people is having an effect with many companies ending their partnerships with the NRA.  Let’s keep track here and keep applying pressure:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Oh_NQIOmEZAA7goe4Z_xKQ5wZxp405sx3FAcmVaQl1Y/edit#gid=0

2.      The March for Our Lives organizers have set up a site that matches DC-area hosts with high school students and chaperones who need lodging for the March 24 event.  The website is dcambs.org/lodging  Let’s share widely.

3.      From one of our own:  As you may have heard, the GA government is threatening Delta airlines (removing tax exemption perks) because of their decision to break ties with the NRA... word on the street is that Delta may buckle TODAY under the pressure.  Please support their decision to stop offering NRA discounts: Call Delta at 404-715-2600; dial ‘0’ to get the operator; Tell them you want to be transferred to the NRA comment group of Customer Service. They are creating cases w/ comments. Have your skymiles membership ready if ya have it... but comments welcomed from all!

4.      The immigration justice movement won a victory when the Supreme Court refused on Monday to hear the administration’s challenge to a lower court ruling that has upheld DACA. http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/375575-supreme-court-refuses-to-hear-trump-challenge-on-daca. This means that many eligible DACA recipients can file renewals, for now; however, many of them don’t have the necessary funds. United We Dream is collecting donations to help DACA-eligible immigrants pay renewal fees and they are also running clinics to help DACA-eligible immigrants with the renewal process. We can donate here: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/renewalfund-courtdecision.

5.      Last fall, the NBA Champions, the Golden State Warriors issued this statement that included,  “In lieu of a visit to the White House, we have decided that we’ll constructively use our trip to the nation’s capital in February to celebrate equality, diversity and inclusion — the values that we embrace as an organization.”  Yesterday, while in DC, the team visited the National Museum of African American History and Culture with area school children.  http://wjla.com/sports/content/golden-state-warriors-spending-time-with-dc-students-instead-of-visiting-white-house  Let’s thank them for using their time so well:  The Golden State Warriors, 1011 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94607 or (510) 986-2200

6.      Applying for college, but worried about whether colleges will penalize students who have been disciplined by their high schools for protesting against gun violence? Many universities and colleges are assuring us that there will be no negative impact on applicants.  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/02/23/admissions-officers-take-stand-back-high-school-students-engaged-anti-gun-protests  Here’s where we can get authoritative information: The National Association for College Admission Counseling “has collected information from member colleges and universities that outlines their practices around how disciplinary actions related to activism will be factored into the admission process.” They are updating the information regularly. 

7.      If we are looking for more ways to combat the NRA, we can see if we own any stocks or funds that support them and then divest. Even in the last few days, this idea is rapidly gaining momentum. Several financial institutions are starting to reject their NRA alliances as, as more of us divest, more will follow.  Already First National Bank of Omaha, the biggest privately-owned U.S. bank, is ending its partnership with the NRA. Bank of America has announced it is investigating its holdings, pension funds are looking into divesting and gun stocks are trending down on a Wall Street.  Now is an excellent time to deprive the NRA of its lifeblood: Money.  If we want to divest as individuals, we can read this:  https://twocents.lifehacker.com/how-to-divest-from-gun-stocks-1823069001  If we want to divest from our retirement funds we can read about it here:  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/your-401k-probably-has-gun-stocks-in-it-heres-how-to-get-rid-of-them-2018-02-23  We can also call our fund administrators directly and tell them to divest.  Although the data here was last updated in 2016, we can also do a preliminary check here, then call the funds to verify: https://goodbyegunstocks.com/

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       Tonight at 5pm EST, join We Belong Together Chair Jess Morales Rocketto and National Domestic Workers Alliance Director Ai-jen Poo for a Facebook LIVE conversation about what's happening in Congress and what’s next in the fight to protect Dreamers and their families from deportation.  More information and sign-up here:  https://actionnetwork.org/events/whats-next-in-the-fight-to-protect-dreamers-and-their-families-que-sigue-en-la-lucha-para-proteger-a-ls-dreamers

States

1.       ALL:   As one of the many educators fiercely opposed to arming teachers, this one an ex-Marine, put it, “I will help students to survive an armed intruder if I have to. But I will not arm myself with a gun in my own classroom just because those in power refuse to wield the more powerful weapon of common sense. That is where I draw the line.”  
http://time.com/5172852/trump-guns-teachers-nra/  While teachers (and Americans: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/23/in-2017-americans-narrowly-opposed-allowing-teachers-and-school-officials-to-carry-guns/) express their opposition, the real stakes in Trump’s plan to militarize schools are increasingly highlighted:  “Groups at the bottom of American race hierarchy receive the brunt of state violence. . . . This was true for mass incarceration ... for stop and frisk …  for the war on drugs, and it is true for zero tolerance in schools. To think that it won’t be true of a world where teachers and faculty are empowered to use weapons is pure fantasy”:  
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/02/27/arming-teachers-would-put-black-and-latino-kids-in-danger/  For the sake of all children, we must fight the effort to put guns in schools both at the local and the federal levels. Let’s voice our opposition to our city and state reps as well as our MoCs.

Reading/Watching

1.       Why the Russia Investigation Could Be More Like Iran-Contra Than Watergate” - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/why-the-russia-investigation-could-end-more-like-iran-contra-than-watergate/554345/

2.      Unpredicted and underreported, a change is sweeping our nation.  Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman show how our activism creates a chain reaction of social change: When people see the status quo as immovable, they tend to be passive even if they are themselves dissatisfied. Indeed, they may be unwilling to reveal their discontent, or to fully admit it to themselves. But once they see others visibly taking a stand, they both gain more confidence in their dissent and become more willing to act on it — and by their actions they may induce the same response in others, causing a kind of chain reaction. - https://goo.gl/gL7NfS

3.      Max Boot has a fine column in the Washington Post titled “Trump vs. Mueller is a Battle for America’s Soul”:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-vs-mueller-is-a-battle-for-americas-soul/2018/02/26/0979904c-1b19-11e8-9de1-147dd2df3829_story.html?utm_term=.4296ef0ceddc







2/27/18


If you’ve not already done so, please take a few moments to complete this short survey to let us know what we are doing
right and what we could be doing better:  https://goo.gl/2WRdex


Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php


********************************
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.       The Supreme Court ruled yesterday not to take on the DACA case by passing the normal judicial process as requested by Trump.  The normal process will proceed, meaning that those who already have DACA status can apply for renewal. However, new applications will not be accepted.  Some Senators are working on a three year stopgap measure to try to keep this from going off a cliff: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/375377-senate-pivots-to-stopgap-dreamers-deal  March 5th will be a day of action in the fight to protect Dreamers and their families (http://bit.ly/2okX8AE), but it's crucial that we maintain pressure on our members of Congress to pass a clean Dream Act in the meantime. The previous immigration proposals failed to pass in the senate, but that does not mean that the fight is over. Let's give our MoC a call and ask that they keep working to pass a clean Dream Act. 5Calls has a brief synopsis of the issue, along with a call script that we can use: https://5calls.org/issue/clean-dream-act-daca

2.      Democrats led by Reps. Deutch and Cicilline have introduced a new assault weapons ban in the House (http://thehill.com/homenews/house/375659-dems-introduce-assault-weapons-ban). This is common sense legislation that is proven to help reduce mass shootings. Let's contact our reps and ask them if they are among the original co-sponsors. If they are, we can thank them, and if they're not, we can tell them we're disappointed and want them to sign on to this legislation whether they’re Democrats or Republicans.

3.      Feeling confused about the “dueling” memos about Russia? These are two very clear pieces about the details of both: 
https://apnews.com/220bfb466c8547299ed8c3217145a888and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/25/democrats-russia-nunes-memo-donald-trump-criticism Let’s let any Republican MoC we have that their silence is deafening and let’s take a moment to thank Representative Adam Schiff for his leadership in difficult times:  http://schiff.house.gov/contact

4.      Conservative Jennifer Rubin draws on the wisdom and ethical expertise of Norm Eisen and Walter Shaub in this op-ed in the Washington Post titled “Don’t hire relatives: Kushner should have been gone long ago: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/02/25/dont-hire-relatives-kushner-should-have-been-gone-long-ago/?utm_term=.db1402bc1e67 Let’s let President Trump and Chief of Staff General John Kelly know that it is truly long past time for Kushner to step away from our nation’s most classified information.

5.      In thinking about next steps on gun control, advocates have highlighted one measure that might have actually prevented the Parkland shooting – a gun violence restraining order statute, or “red flag” law, which would allow family or law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an individual in crisis: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-shooting-law-analysis/gun-restraining-order-might-have-thwarted-florida-shooting-experts-idUSKCN1FZ30X  These laws are in place in California and Connecticut. We need to fight to bring them to communities across the country. Let’s check if our members of Congress are co-sponsoring H.R. 2598, the Gun Violence Restraining Order Act, and ask them to sign on if they’re not. And let’s contact our state legislators to find out what they’re doing to pass red flag laws in our states.

6.      Some of the Florida shooting victims do not have sufficient insurance to cover the costs of medical bills and other expenses and have set up GoFundMe accounts.  http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-florida-school-shooting-gofundme-tallies-20180216-story.html   Trump’s re-election campaign used a photo of himself with a hospitalized shooting victim in a email call for donations to his campaign.  http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/375535-trump-campaign-uses-image-of-florida-shooting-survivor-in-email-asking-for Let’s tell him that we find this very inappropriate and ask that he donate to the victims GoFundMe accounts.  If we can, let’s do the same.

7.      Since 1996, a rule called the Dickey Amendment has prevented the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from funding any research that could be seen as advocacy for gun control. In real life this rule has amounted to a ban on funding any study of gun violence as a public health issue, and the national debate about gun control has been crippled by the resulting lack of scientific data. Even the rule's author regrets its effect:
https://www.npr.org/2015/10/09/447098666/ex-rep-dickey-regrets-restrictive-law-on-gun-violence-research, so let's do him and the nation a favor by telling our MoCs that it's past time to ditch Dickey.

8.     While limiting access to guns is anathema, legislation that purports to reduce sex trafficking while actually putting sex workers at great risk is acceptable to the Republican majority in the House.  FOSTA (H.R. 1865), Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, claims to protect victims of sex trafficking, but many advocates who work with people who have been trafficked oppose it on the grounds that it fails to distinguish between trafficking victims and sex workers, eliminates sex workers’ source of income, and hampers anti-trafficking investigations: https://injusticetoday.com/proposed-federal-trafficking-legislation-has-surprising-opponents-advocates-who-work-with-bf418c73d5b4  Among other things, FOSTA would criminalize hosting safety information for sex workers online; it would end harm reduction techniques, like asking for referrals via email; it would eliminate online community spaces for sex workers and advertising platforms that allow people to engage in indoor work; moreover, it would disproportionately affect women and sex workers most at the margins.  FOSTA is coming up for a vote in the House this week:  http://thehill.com/policy/technology/375345-week-ahead-controversial-ex-trafficking-legislation-on-verge-of-a-vote. Let’s tell our representatives to oppose it. Details, including a phone script are here:  https://supporthosechi.tumblr.com/post/171289049055/survivorsagainstfosta

9.      Either this week or next week, the Senate is set to vote on the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act”,(S. 2155), which guts key portions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Twelve Democrats have joined with the Republicans in supporting this legislation under the guise that this will help community banks address troublesome regulations. The problem, however, is that the legislation raises the oversight threshold from $50 billion to $250 billion, exempting 25 of the 38 biggest banks, many of whom received TARP bailout money, from regulation. http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/372764-beware-of-the-bank-deregulation-trojan-horse. Let’s tell our Senators that any bank that crashed due to unethical practices and was bailed out from being too big to fail should not suddenly be freed from necessary oversight, and to stand up for their constituents, not bank lobbyists. The following Senators, especially, should be contacted, and if they are not our representatives, we should reach out to our friends in these states: Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Tom Carper (D-DE)

Election 2018 – General

1.       In many states, teens can preregister to vote as early as age 16. Let’s check out this list states and their voting registration ages, and let’s reach out to the teens we know and urge them to (pre)register and to commit to voting in every election, at every level of government, for the rest of their lives. www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx#Ages The most up-to-date info on voter registration ages will be one the website of each state’s Secretary of State’s office.

2.      If we are women considering first-time bids for local and state level office, or if we know someone who is, we can check out VoteRunLead. Whether we’re contemplating running for office or “all in!”, VoteRunLead offers an empowering series of online videos to assist us in taking inventory of our skills, determining which public office we should launch our leadership, and a primer for planning our entire campaign Webinars and workshop trainings are practical, actionable, nonpartisan and individualized.  Cost: Free access to extensive library of online resources and a 1:1 leadership session with a VLR expert consultant; additional fees for conferences and workshops.  Contact: https://voterunlead.org. We can find more resources to help our campaign in The Candidate Toolkit here:  http://bit.ly/2oncgwR


Election 2018 – By State

Other Actions

1.       “Georgia's lieutenant governor on Monday attacked Delta Air Lines for dropping a partnership with the National Rifle Association. Delta, which is headquartered in Atlanta, ended a discount program for NRA members on Saturday after public backlash following the shooting earlier this month at a high school in Parkland, Florida. "I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA," Cagle said. "Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back." Delta attempted to clarify over the weekend that the decision was nonpartisan, painting it as a way to stay out of the debate over guns in the US. http://www.businessinsider.com/delta-nra-georgia-casey-cagle-threatens-retaliation-2018-2   Let’s email Delta a thank you for their decision to remain bipartisan and remind the Lieutenant Governor of Georgia who is campaigning for Governor that he works for all his constituents not just the conservatives in his state.  Delta: find email form here. https://www.delta.com/contactus/commentComplaint  If you are a Georgia resident Email Cagle here https://ltgov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-us or tweet him here @CaseyCagle

2.      The Parkland teens are raising money for the March 24, March for Our Lives organizing events, in which hundreds of thousands will be marching across the country demanding common sense gun reform. We can donate here. https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives

3.      If we want to organize for change, we can read about these powerful, movement-building insights from Marshall Ganz about organizing and communicating in a way that invites and supports coalition-building.  Looking to genuine personal, meaningful connection to build movements, Ganz has no interest in the passive “liking” of campaigns or clickbait petitions asking people of power to start act nicer. Instead, he sees every ‘member’ as also a leader. Strategy, narratives, and effective actions can all be learned, learned by doing. Ganz teaches collective, shared leadership, asking, how can WE do this? Roles and assignments are part of creating value; creating mission, goals, strategy, and tactics. It is striking that there are never too many leaders when leadership is collective. Collective leadership works best when leaders check their egos at the door. The focus is on the doing, on good days.”  Let’s see how we can use this:  https://websterweb.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/marshall-ganz-narrative-and-organizing-our-people/

4.      West Virginia teachers rank 48th in the nation in average pay, and many have to rely on public assistance to get by. They’re also struggling with rising premiums and co-pays for health insurance benefits. Today, they’re entering their fourth day on strike for the salary and benefits they deserve (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/west-virginias-statewide-teachers-strike-continues.html). Let’s show them we’ve got their backs. Progressive activists have set up a strike fund on GoFundMe to help support teachers and school service personnel while they’re out. We can donate to it here: https://www.gofundme.com/wv-teachers-strike-fund/

5.      Network for Public Education wants to our thoughts about school safety. “Recent surveys on gun violence in schools often report their finding by political party affiliation and whether or not you own a gun. They do not report out results for the most important groups of all--those who suffer the consequences of gun violence in schools.  If you are a pre-K -12 parent, a teacher, or a student between the ages of 14-25 we want to hear what YOU think.  Please take this very short survey here.” 

6.      For the educators among us- the New York Times has published a guide on how we can help our students understand current events regarding DACA and the Dreamers. The guide includes detailed lesson plans we can use in our classroom as well as links to other lesson plans from the Anti-Defamation League and PBS. Let's check it out and take advantage of this great resource http://nyti.ms/2ose3Bn

7.      From Postcards from Kate:  Today we're thanking conservative columnist Mona Charen for expressing her disappointment with the republican party's support of "sexual harassers and abusers of women" in their party during a panel on feminism and the #MeToo movement at CPAC last week. She was booed by the audience and immediately escorted out by security after the panel. “I am disappointed in people on our side for being hypocrites about sexual harassers and abusers of women, who are in our party, who are sitting in the White House, who brag about their extramarital affairs, who brag about mistreating women—and because he happens to have an ‘R’ next to his name we look the other way.” Charen,...also criticized the event’s organizers for inviting Marion Le Pen, the niece of the far-right French politician Marine Le Pen.  We need honesty, and people unafraid to speak out against hypocrisy now more than ever. So let's send her a note of thanks:  Mona Charen, Senior Fellow, c/o Ethics and Public Policy Center, 1730 M St NW, Washington, DC 20036 
Listen to her interview on "The Daily" podcast 
here. Or read her NYT Op-Ed here.

8.     Another way to oppose the easy acquisition of firearms in our country is to boycott retailers who sell them. We can consider ending our relationships with the following stores and brands:  A)  Walmart, B)  Cabella's, C)  Dick's Sporting Goods, D)  Bass Pro Shops, and E) Vista, which now owns Camelbak, Giro, Bell Helmets, BollĂ©, Camp Chef, and Blackburn, and others (https://www.adventure-journal.com/2018/02/vista-boycott-ooutdoor-brands/)

9.      Let’s make a point to support these businesses that Second Amendment Check asks “freedom loving Americans to boycott anti-gun companies until they improve their policy.”  http://www.2acheck.com/the-boycott-list/

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       Everyday an average of 700,000 people are condemned to local jails and separated from their families, and a majority of them are there simply because they cannot afford to pay bail (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/the-dangerous-domino-effect-of-not-making-bail/477906/). While we fight to end money bail, the National Bail Out campaign is trying to get these folks back to their families as soon as possible. We can join the movement by signing up for the toolkit at 
https://nomoremoneybail.org or by taking part in a webinar TONIGHT at 7:00PM EST, which we can sign up for here.

States

1.       ALL:  A growing bipartisan number of state governors have joined calls for a reconsideration of gun laws and school safety measures after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., a sign that resulting legislative changes could extend far beyond Florida in the coming months. The impact of the shooting rippled through the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington this weekend, as state leaders expressed willingness to consider new limits on gun ownership and stepped up efforts to address mental-health factors. But most said they were opposed to President Trump’s proposal to allow more teachers to be armed.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/more-governors-willing-to-consider-gun-law-changes-after-florida-shooting/2018/02/25/eac08ec0-1a33-11e8-b2d9-08e748f892c0_story.html?utm_term=.f8f90a8dd1ba  Let’s continue to pressure our Governors, our state legislatures and Congress to provide us with sensible guns laws. New polls show 70% of the country are in favor of this.

2.      AZ, FL, OK, WY: In attacks on our first amendment rights to separation of church and states, last week legislature in some states started passing bills to require "In God We Trust" to be displayed in all public schools.  (Souce: Americans United) a) AZ:  The Arizona Senate passed a bill SB1289 that would allow public school teachers to post “God Enriches” on the walls of their classrooms. (Source: AZ Central). Let's tell our AZ state representatives that we oppose this bill.  b) FL: The Florida House adopted a bill, [Florida] HB 839, that would require the words “In God We Trust” to be displayed in a conspicuous place in every public school. (Source: NPR.) The Florida Senate has introduced an identical bill, S1158.  Let's tell our FL state senators that we oppose S1158. c) OK: the Oklahoma Senate Committee on General Government passed [Oklahoma] Senate Bill SB1016, which would require school superintendents and officials of state agencies to place a poster of “In God We Trust” in school classrooms and public buildings that are maintained or operated using state funds. (Souce: KOSU). Let's tell our OK state senators that we oppose SB1016. d) WY: The Wyoming House passed [Wyoming] House Bill 133, which requires the posting of “In God We Trust” “in the state capitol building, the library and each classroom of each public elementary and secondary school of the state, the lobby of each public building or facility owned by the state and within the leased space of any building or facility leased by the state.” A final vote on the bill in expected today, Tuesday 2/27.  (Source: WGAB) Let's tell our WY state representatives that we oppose H133.

3.      MI:  From the Michigan Education Association -  “Add your name to our petition against concealed weapons in schools -- and share your ideas about real solutions by answering, "Instead of more guns in schools, arm us with..."  https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/instead-of-more-guns-in-schools-arm-us-with

4.      NY:  37 other states have early voting, but not New York.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo put $7 million in his budget for early voting, but now NY’s representatives have to okay it.  Let’s join the Thunderclap to urge them to approve: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/68328-early-voting-call-in-day

5.      SC: A South Carolina Senate panel has approved legislation, the so-called "Personhood Act" (Senate bill S217), that would effectively ban all abortions in the state by giving legal rights to fertilized eggs from the moment of conception. The bill is endorsed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and Lt. Gov. Kevin Bryant (R), who sponsored the bill. We can read more at The Hill. Let's contact our SC state senators to let them know we oppose this anti-choice bill. 

6.      SC:  South Carolina state representative Wendy Brawley (D-District 70) is proposing legislation that would ban the sale, use and possession of assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. SC house bill H4975 would prohibit the sale or possession of all semi-automatic centerfire rifles with a detachable magazine with a capacity of 21 or more rounds, all semi-automatic shotguns with a folding stock or a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, any firearm that has been modified to operate as an assault weapon and any part of a combination or parts designed to convert a firearm into an assault weapon. We can read more at the Sumter Item.  Let's contact our SC state house representatives to let them know we support H4975.

Reading/Watching

1.       Malcolm Gladwell offers a plausible social model for how and why the mass shooting epidemic in America is be escalating; how the reasons may transcend the individual and be linked more to dynamics of a group - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/thresholds-of-violence

2.      “Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform for Years” - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-teens-have-been-fighting-for-gun-reform-for-years

3.      Many of our MoCs have worked in Congress for a long time. It's important to know how their voting record on certain issues stacks up. Here's a helpful all-in-one tool to check "how your state's representatives and senators have voted on major gun legislation over the past two-and-a-half decades." There are even brief descriptions of all the bills. An amazing resource we can use to keep our MoCs accountable! https://www.npr.org/2018/02/19/566731477/chart-how-have-your-members-of-congress-voted-on-gun-bills