5/25/18
The
Rogan’s List Team is taking Memorial Day off.
We
will be back on Tuesday!
Contact Federal Government Officials
********************************
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. Immigrant
children, both unaccompanied and those take from their parents, are having very
difficult, often abusive, times in detention and often at the hands of those in
positions of authority over them. https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/23/613907893/aclu-report-detained-immigrant-children-subjected-to-widespread-abuse-by-officia Let’s tell our MoCs that this has to stop
and a congressional investigation is in order.
While we are at it, let’s also tell the same to the head of the Department
of Homeland Security, Kirstjen Nielsen: https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us or DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov
2. In
February, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the Sentencing Reform and
Corrections Act (S. 1917).
This bipartisan bill would fight back against mass incarceration, as it
"reduces mandatory minimum penalties for nonviolent repeat drug offenders,
eliminates the three-strike mandatory life in prison rule and gives judges
discretion to sentence certain low-level offenders below the 10-year mandatory
minimum," (http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/374045-prison-sentencing-bill-advances-over-sessions-objections).
Let's check to see if our senators are among the twenty-seven cosponsors,
and if they are, thank them for their support. If they are not, let's urge them
to cosponsor S. 1917, an important step towards ending mass incarceration.
3. In order
to help pay for the tax cut, Trump is considering cutting back on the Children's
Health Insurance Program (CHIP), in essence, taking money away from
sick children to cover the wants of the wealthy. http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rescission-bill-details-cuts-to-chip-healthcare-2018-5 The
Democrats in Congress have a better idea:
rescind the tax cuts and use the money to pay our nation’s teachers
better. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-propose-funding-teacher-pay-raises-by-canceling-tax-cuts-for-the-wealthy Let’s
tell our MoCs that we like this idea of supporting teachers and will be voting
for candidates that champion that goal.
4. Today,
black families in the U.S. still face economic and social inequalities that
have come as a direct result of slavery. This is perpetuated with systemic
racism throughout modern institutions, which maintains inequality, rather than
working towards equity. One way to fight back against this is through
reparations, in which black individuals, families, and communities receive
financial compensation (http://time.com/132034/a-legal-and-moral-basis-for-reparations/).
While it is unlikely that reparations would be made under the Trump
administration, we can begin the process by passing the Commission to
Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (H.R. 40).
Let's contact our representatives and ask them to cosponsor and support this
much-needed legislation.
5. White
House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders has said that it bothers her to be
called a liar: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/388965-sarah-sanders-being-called-a-liar-bothers-me Let’s
take a moment to let her know that it bothers us to be lied to: The White
House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC 20500 or
on Twitter @PressSec
6. 11
separate investigations are underway against Scott Pruitt for allegations
ranging from blatant corruption to waste of taxpayer funds (https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/02/politics/scott-pruitt-investigations/index.html).
It’s time for him to go, and members of both parties should be able to say so.
Let’s check out this resource from
the #BootPruitt campaign and see if our members of Congress have called for him
to step down yet – and if they haven’t, contact them and ask why.
7. The
every-five-year FAA Reauthorization Act (H.R.
4)
has passed the House and is on its way to the Senate. Thankfully, the House version includes a
now-mandatory 10-hour rest period that matches that of the flight deck
crew. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/flight-attendants-cheer-passage-of-house-faa-reauthorization-bill-with-rest-provisions-and-more-300638193.html Let’s
make sure our senators know that this is a safety feature they need to make
sure stays in their version of the bill.
Election 2018 –
General
An election guide from Postcards for America: In this Google doc (updated
regularly), each State shows ALL Democratic Candidates running for Congress,
Governor, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State (if applicable) with
links to their websites and Twitter. Each has a link to a Twitter Thread, a
Shareable Facebook Post and a Document. For most States, there are also Info
& Links for Voter Registrations, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting & Voter
ID, Age Requirements and being a Poll Worker. Let’s check
this out and use and share it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit
Election 2018 –
By State
1. Voting
dates and deadlines this week:
|
May 25
|
Iowa
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
May 26
|
Utah
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary (postmark)
|
2. MT: Introducing FLIP MONTANA , a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the
group out, then, if we like it, join here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipMontana/
3. NJ: Introducing FLIP NEW JERSEY, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
even Bluer, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can
check the group out, then, if we like it, join here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipNewJersey/
4. NM: Introducing FLIP NEW MEXICO, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by
state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipNewJersey/
5. SD: Introducing FLIP SOUTH DAKOTA, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the
group out, then, if we like it, join here. https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipSouthDakota/
Other Actions
1. Without
consulting the NFL Players Association, NFL owners have passed a policy which
would fine players who kneel during the national anthem (http://time.com/5288795/nfl-national-anthem-kneeling-rule/).
Political commentator and ESPN's SportsNation co-host LZ Granderson appeared on
PBS NewsHour and addressed why this is problematic, and proposed a very simple
solution for those who do not want sports to be politicized: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/are-new-nfl-penalties-for-kneeling-purely-about-the-bottom-line We
can contact NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and offer the same recommendation:
E-mail: roger.goodell@nfl.com Twitter:
@NFLCommish We can also direct our energy towards players like Colin
Kaepernick, who helped initiate the national anthem protests in order to
bring attention to police brutality and systemic racism and oppression. Let's
thank Kaepernick for all that he has done to help underserved communities
across the U.S. on Twitter: @Kaepernick7 or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaepernick7/ To
learn about more about his work, including the Million Dollar Pledge and the
Know Your Rights camp, we can also check out his website http://kaepernick7.com/
2. Trump
took to Fox and Friends on Thursday morning to say of players who kneel
“You shouldn’t be playing, you shouldn’t be there. Maybe they shouldn’t be in
the country.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/389133-trump-maybe-you-shouldnt-be-in-the-country-if-you-cant-stand If we have not already made a
clear-eyed decision about our own interactions with the NFL, this seems like
the time. And let’s let the NFL know what we think of their decision to not
address the need for kneeling, nor the domestic violence perpetrated by their
players, nor brain injuries that continue to happen on their fields: National Football League, 345 Park
Avenue, New York, NY 10154 or on Twitter @NFL
3. During
the middle of the 20th Century, the U.S. maintained a strong bond between its
research universities and the public, through which the country supported
scholars and was rewarded with levels of innovation and social benefit since
unmatched. It is this collaboration that brought us the Apollo space
program, cancer treatment breakthroughs, and the internet. Our many
current challenges require a renewal of this now-flagging
partnership, and though individual scholars have always forged alliances with
government and other public institutions, more must be done at the higher
administrative levels of universities. Each one of our alma maters (or our
kids') has an office/department of research, so let's ask
them what public partnership opportunities the university is
developing. https://theconversation.com/a-new-bond-between-the-public-and-universities-could-brighten-americas-future-91622
4. With the
Trump administration abandoning efforts to hold police accountable for
misconduct, it’s up to us to make more noise than ever. Activists in Alabama
are pushing for the local district attorney to drop the charges filed against
Chikesia Clemons after police used excessive force against her in arresting her
at a Waffle House (https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/chikesia_clemons_speaks_out_ab.htmlhttps://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/04/chikesia_clemons_speaks_out_ab.html).
Color of Change is organizing folks nationwide to join the call. We can sign
on here.
5. Education
Secretary Betsy DeVos said Tuesday that it’s up to individual schools
to decide whether to call U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if
they suspect their students are undocumented. “That’s a school decision.
It’s a local community decision,” DeVos said. Let's read more about this at Politico.
Let's contact our local schools, school boards and community leaders to let
them know that we oppose creating a hostile learning environment for children
and want them to make public statements protecting our vulnerable kids from ICE
raids.
6. Amazon
Web Services is collaborating with several law enforcement bodies to deploy its
facial recognition technologies in criminal investigations. With its immense
resources, Amazon could create surveillance systems that would enable policing
abuses on a massive scale, especially when these partnerships are developed
outside of public scrutiny (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/22/technology/amazon-facial-recognition.html).
Let's join the ACLU in encouraging Amazon to stay true to its commitment
to put people first and end its abetment of mass surveillance: https://action.aclu.org/petition/amazon-stop-selling-surveillance
7. A recent
“survey revealed that a
lot of Americans don’t know some important and basic facts about the impact
Robert Mueller’s investigation has had already.” Let’s take this quiz and see what we
know: https://politicalcharge.org/2018/05/23/quiz-time-muellers-investigation/
8. Well-known
political satirist, Andy Borowitz, now has a line of merchandising named for
his “Make America Not Embarrassing Again” tour.
All proceeds go to the International
Rescue Committee to
help the world's refugees. We can check out and order the goods
here: https://manea-merchandise.myshopify.com/
9. UltraViolet is running a campaign to get Google to do a
better job of letting women search for abortion clinics. "All over the
country, women who search for 'abortion clinic near me' are shown ads for what
appears to be abortion clinics but are actually so-called "crisis
pregnancy centers" (CPCs)--fake clinics run by right-wing extremists who
lure women then manipulate or harass them out of getting an abortion." We
can sign UltraViolet's petition here: https://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign/google_cpc_lies/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
States
1. FL: Publix
Super Markets has been Florida’s go-to grocer for decades, but some
longtime shoppers are turning against the store over its support of
Republican, NRA "A+" rated, gubernatorial candidate Adam
Putnam. Dozens of people are taking to social media to #TweetTheReceipt,
posting photos of receipts at stores other than Publix. They are also urging
people to boycott Publix during Memorial Day weekend. We can read more
at WFLA News. If
we are Floridians, let's participate in the weekend boycott if not a longer
one. If we're on Twitter, let's join the #TweetTheReceipt movement too.
Reading/Watching
1. “Why the Star-Spangled Banner is Played At
Sporting Events” - https://www.history.com/news/why-the-star-spangled-banner-is-played-at-sporting-events
2. ‘The Case for Reparations”, by Ta-Nehisi Coates:
3. Excellent essay about the unifying thread in the
Trump scandals: corruption:
4. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau delivered a
commencement speech at New York University this week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs6jok1vplA
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