6/4/18
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. This
week in Congress: Ten bills and resolutions are on the House Majority
Leader's Schedule for
this week. We can look at this week's House committee schedule here. Let's know what's coming. The
Senate begins their Monday session by resuming consideration of
the nomination of Robert Earl Wier, of Kentucky, to be United States
District Judge for the Eastern District of Kentucky. (source: Senate Calendar). (Note: Senate calendar shows one
day, the next day, only.)
2. “Philip
Alston, the UN special rapporteur who acts as a watchdog on extreme poverty
around the world, has issued a withering critique of the state of America today. Trump is
steering the country towards a “dramatic change of direction” that is rewarding
the rich and punishing the poor by blocking access even to the most meager
necessities.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/01/us-inequality-donald-trump-cruel-measures-un Let’s contact our MoCs and ask if this is
really how they want our country to be, because we sure don’t.
3. David
Porter, Trump’s nominee for a lifetime position on the Third Circuit Court of
Appeals, is a right-wing activist and a leader in the anti-choice,
anti-marriage equality, anti-environment, anti-gun sense movements in
Pennsylvania (http://www.post-gazette.com/news/politics-nation/2018/04/10/David-Porter-Buchanan-Ingersoll-Rooney-Third-Circuit-Trump-nomination-Bob-Casey-Pat-Toomey/stories/201804100112). He has donated large amounts of money to
right-wing causes and politicians, and now seems to be getting his reward. The
Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Porter on Wednesday.
Let’s contact our senators and let them know we want them to oppose his
confirmation.
4.
Over the
weekend, a twenty-page letter from Trump’s lawyers in January to Special
Counsel Mueller was obtained by the New York Times. In it, Trump’s team argue
vigorously that he cannot obstruct justice: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390408-in-letter-to-mueller-trumps-lawyers-argued-he-could-not-obstruct Though we may feel like broken
records as our slow-motion constitutional crisis continues, let’s stay in touch
with our MoC (especially the Republican ones) to let them know that the
president is not above the law and that we need them to fulfill their oaths of
office.
5. Trump
took on the Resistance in this weekly address:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390390-trump-slams-the-resistance-in-weekly-address Let’s let him know that the
Resistance is strong, persistent, and will continue as long as needed: The
White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500
6. Despite
the U.S.'s trend towards environmentally-friendly
renewable energy, and away from the increasingly outdated coal industry, Trump
appears to be considering a policy which would require system operators to
purchase electricity from a designated list of dying coal facilities (https://bloom.bg/2LPsdGN). While the administration has not made any
official announcements yet, let's get ahead of this and tell U.S. Secretary of
Energy Rick Perry that we oppose this move and that the bailout would be an
unnecessary, waste of resources. Email: The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov Phone: 202-586-5000
Fax: 202-586-4403 Mailing address: U.S. Department of Energy 1000
Independence Ave., SW Washington, DC 20585
7. The
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has consistently received a decrease in funding
from the federal government, leading to staff cuts, insufficient customer
service, and an inability to update its technology and online presence (https://wapo.st/2J4R8sp). Considering the huge overhaul to the tax
code with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, we need to make sure that the IRS receives
the funding it needs to be fully functional and able to help taxpayers
successfully navigate their taxes. Let's call our MoC and tell them that we
want the 2019 funding bill to have an increase in funding for the IRS.
8. The
White House and the EPA have been working to block a report from the Department
of Health and Human Services that claims the current EPA threshold for “safe”
levels of chemical toxicity is far too high. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/14/emails-white-house-interfered-with-science-study-536950. Let’s tell the White House, the EPA,
(pruitt.scott@EPA.gov; https://www.facebook.com/EPA/; Twitter: @EPA) the Department of Health and
Human Services, (1-877-696-6775; https://www.facebook.com/HHS/; Twitter: @HHS.gov) and our MoCs, that the
role of government is to protect the health of the people, not to protect
polluters in order to avoid the public relations nightmare they are afraid of,
and demand that this report be released immediately.
9. The
administration is working on a new energy plan that would require utilities to
buy some of their power from inefficient, outdated and environmentally
dangerous coal and nuclear power plants in order to keep these industries
solvent. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-energy-plan-would-prop-failing-coal-nuclear-plants-n879406. This regulation would impede our rate of
conversion to green energy and would also be more expensive for consumers.
Let’s contact the White House, the Department of Energy 202-586-5000; The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov;
https://www.facebook.com/energygov/; Twitter: @ENERGY), and our MoCs and let
them know we oppose this plan.
10.
Forcing school
vouchers on the education landscape has long been on the conservative
to-do list. Vouchers are a sneak attack on public education because they starve
it of money and resources and feed private, parochial, and for-profit schools
instead (http://edadvocacy.nea.org/vouchers). Right now, the fight against vouchers
centers on a House bill (H.R.
4508,
PROSPER Act) that would a conservative's dream for gutting the Higher
Education Act. Let's tell Congress "No!" to this destruction of
public education. Calls are always good, and here's a petition
link
from the National Education Association (note that you need to verify your
place of residence in the US.)
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:
1. Tomorrow’s
elections include four (4) campaigns for which Postcards
to Voters
volunteers sent cards to get out the vote. 1) Yolo County-Campaign 81: Dean Johansson for District Attorney. 2) Yolo
County- Campaign 85: Jesse Salinas for County Clerk/Recorder/Assessor. 3)
San Diego County- Campaign 86: Genevieve Jones-Wrightfor District Attorney. 4) Riverside County-Campaign 88: Penny Newman for Supervisor, District 2. If we
are Californians, let's go to the polls on Tuesday to vote in our local Primary
and special elections. If we want to write cards for current open
campaigns, we can sign up here.
2. Tuesday will
be a big day for determining just how big the Blue Wave will be in November. As
a result of California’s unusual top-two primary, where candidates from all
parties run on the same ballot and only the top two vote getters go through to
November, and a number of quality candidates, Democrats may be locked out of
having a nominee for the general election in crucial swing districts (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-democrats-are-worried-about-tuesdays-california-primaries/). Code Blue is trying to help avoid this by
ensuring high levels of Democratic turnout in the primary. We can help them by
phonebanking from wherever we are. We can sign up here.
Election 2018 –
By State
1. Voting
dates and deadlines this week:
|
June 05
|
Hawaii
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
June 05
|
Massachusetts
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
June 05
|
Minnesota
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
June 5
|
Maryland
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
New Hampshire
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Change of party
|
|
June 5
|
California
|
Election date
|
Special-State assembly 39
|
|
June 5
|
California
|
Election date
|
Special-State Assembly 45
|
|
June 5
|
California
|
Election date
|
Special-State Senate 29 recall election
|
|
June 5
|
California
|
Election date
|
Special-State Senate 32
|
|
June 5
|
Alabama
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
California
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
Iowa
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
Mississippi
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
Missouri
|
Election date
|
Special-State Senate District 17
|
|
June 5
|
Montana
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
New Jersey
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
New Mexico
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 5
|
South Dakota
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
(source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WJiqNAZNlWPSCAvuRpQ5e5dFiC5IY3O3epicrCuHINs/edit#gid=514224366 We can also see this info by state here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IMWqHIktIBS7jPxS4mVV1--YKYVa-2yYWjV8QHsi1F4/edit#gid=1798528701)
2. Eight
states have primaries tomorrow. Let’s Use this info to make our plan to vote &
then share with friends in the state:
3. CA: Our primary is tomorrow, June 5,
with a real danger for Democratic candidates.
Because only the top two vote getters, regardless
of party, advance to the general election, there’s a chance that Democrats
could get shut out in some districts. Therefore, we need to make sure we have
as big an Election Day turnout as we can get! To make this happen, we can sign
up with Swing Left to make phone calls to Democrats in key swing
districts in our state. We will get information, sample scripts and support to
be effective. If enough Democrats show up at the polls on Tuesday, we
can start flipping the House blue, so let’s get busy! https://bit.ly/2sCMRRU
Other Actions
1. If
we live in AZ, CA, DC, IL, MD, NY, TX, VA, we have opportunities to serve as
volunteer child advocates to unaccompanied immigrant children who are subject
to deportation proceedings through the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s
Rights. Let’s learn more here: https://www.theyoungcenter.org/volunteer-at-the-young-center/
2. MSNBC
spent nearly 4 hours on Roseanne’s racist tweet and show cancellation, and just
over 20 minutes covering the updated 4,600+ Hurricane Maria death toll in
Puerto Rico (May 29, plus morning shows from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on May
30). CNN: 5 hours on Roseanne, 12 minutes on Puerto Rico. Fox News: 2 hours on
Roseanne, 48 seconds on Puerto Rico. https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/puerto-rico-death-coverage.php
Let’s contact the following and tell
them that this sort of “journalism” is unacceptable: A) Andrew
Lack, Chairman, NBC News and MSNBC, NBC Universal, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New
York, NY 10112, 212-664-4444, contact.nbcnews@nbcuni.com,
B) Meredith Artley, SVP & Editor in Chief, CNN Digital Worldwide, 190
Marietta St NW, Atlanta, GA 30303, 404-827-1500, https://www.cnn.com/feedback ,
@TeamCNN, and C) Jay Wallace, President, Fox News and Executive Editor,
1211 Avenue of the Americas, 2nd Floor, New York, NY
10036, 212-310-3000, https://help.foxnews.com/hc/en-us/requests/new ,
@foxnews
3. Hold
the Line, whose tag line is "where parenthood + social justice
collide”, is a “quarterly, digital magazine for parents and educators who care
about social justice.” Let’s check it
out here: https://htlmagazine.com/
4. With
all the hoopla on upcoming elections, let’s not forget the importance of
electing county prosecutors. These individuals have the power to assure that
our prison and policing system operates in a fair and non-racist manner; they
have authority over money bail and other practices that can enhance or limit
mass incarceration. The Real Justice PAC is conducting a massive organizing
effort to elect prosecutors who can fix our broken criminal justice system. We
can contribute, volunteer, or find out more at https://realjusticepac.org/.
5. Now
hiring! The Trace, an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to
reporting on guns and gun violence in America, has a opening for a deputy
editor: https://www.thetrace.org/2018/05/trace-hiring-deputy-editor/.
Let’s share with our networks.
6. In
our continuing effort to be safe online, let’s read “Hands off my data! 15 default privacy settings you should change right
now” and make necessary changes in our settings: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/01/hands-off-my-data-15-default-privacy-settings-you-should-change-right-now/?utm_term=.486d419a97f6
7. “After
finding holes in national gun statistics in the wake of Sandy Hook, Mark
Bryant, who has been shooting guns since he was five, decided to keep track
himself. Since 2014, he’s recorded more than 100,000 incidents.” The database, called Gun
Violence Archive, “form the foundation of research that
influences policy decisions and, eventually, Bryant hopes, can change the
public perception of guns.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/apr/23/kentucky-gun-owner-gun-violence-archive-mark-bryant Let’s get familiar with this tool and use the
data in our contacts with our MoCs and others.
8. If
your postcarding group is looking for some curated actions, check out this
offering from WhatIfKnits: http://www.whatifknits.com/2018/06/more-issues-and-addresses-june-3/
9. Looking
for postcards to use for your resistance work?
Check out this “Where To Get Postcards to Send to Congress and Corporations”:
https://tinyurl.com/PostcardsToCongressAndCorp
It has links for various political postcard vendors, downloadable postcards,
blank postcard and stamp and marker supplies.
10. CNN
has a new tool to help us track the Russia Investigation. Using it, we can
find out more about the investigations, including Special Counsel Robert
Mueller’s, Senate and House Intelligence Committees and the Senate Judiciary.
We can also see what charges have been brought and who the people involved
are. We can check it out here, and then share this tool with our friends
and family on social media. https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2017/politics/russia-investigations/#/
11. “Young
people are turning their backs on Facebook, according to a new report. Two million people under the age of 25 will
stop using the social network this year, research firm
eMarketer predicted. Around 43 per cent of social media users will
use Snapchat this year, which eMarketer said is more than
twice its penetration rate from three years ago.” https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-quit-young-people-social-media-snapchat-instagram-emarketer-a8206486.html If you’re on Snapchat please send messages to
remind younger voters to VOTE in their state primaries. If you haven’t tried it
yet here is a primer on it for beginners:
https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-snapchat-beginners-guide/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1. Given updated information, the March for Stolen
Children rallies on June 14 have been rebranded Families Belong Together. We can find more information and sign up
here: https://familiesbelong.org/
2. Hold the Line is having its
annual “When We Gather” retreat on June 23-4 at the Akasha Retreat in
Virginia. “Restorative work is
imperative for social justice advocates. We plan and organize and forget that
to reach our goals we have to keep ourselves uplifted. Caring for yourself is
the first step and our innovative retreat model pairs meditation, yoga, and
energy sessions with intense work of exploring social justice.” We can find more information here: https://htlmagazine.com/retreat/ and registration
materials here: https://htlmagazine.com/summer-retreat-faq/wwg-1-registration/
States
1. Most: Cities see fewer gun homicides in
states with “permit-to-purchase licensing laws,” according to a new study from
the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, https://www.jhsph.edu/news/news-releases/2018/handgun-purchaser-licensing-laws-linked-to-fewer-firearm-homicides-in-large-urban-areas.html. Let’s see if our state has gun licensing
laws, http://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/state-law/50-state-summaries/licensing-state-by-state/ , and if it doesn’t, let’s tell our
state legislators that we want them enacted. https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
2. MI: The Board of
State Canvassers keeps delaying the certification of the citizen-driven anti-gerrymandering
ballot initiative which obtained more than the necessary number of valid signatures. http://michiganradio.org/post/redistricting-drive-asks-judge-order-state-board-do-its-job Let’s
contact Governor Snyder and tell him to tell the Board of Canvassers to do
their job: phone: (517) 335-7858 or
comment on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GovernorRickSnyder/ or Tweet him @onetoughnerd or email governorsoffice@michigan.gov
Reading/Watching
1. Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a
list of things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind
is keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "Against the advice of
former senior officials, Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal,
further isolating America on the world stage." Let's
review Amy Siskind's list week
81.
2. A
chilling account of “The Housewives of White Supremacy” - https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/opinion/sunday/tradwives-women-alt-right.html
3. As usual, our weekly dose of Small
Victories: https://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-good-trouble-and-love?e=86890239c4
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