Rogan's List

7/6/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials

Find elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

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

and Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

White House contact:  https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house

 

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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.       We’ve been asking for it for months, but yesterday the head of EPA, Scott Pruitt, embroiled in countless scandals, resigned from office.  http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-pruitt-leaves-20180705-story.html  Our insistence may have played a part and we can pat ourselves on the back, but it is imperative that we impress upon our senators that his replacement be someone who is dedicated to the protection of the department, and not its destruction.  We do not want acting head, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist: https://www.nrdc.org/onearth/who-andrew-wheeler-and-why-you-should-be-afraid-him  

2.      A federal judge, citing strong evidence that the administration acted in bad faith, has ordered the Department of Commerce to demonstrate how it reached its decision to include a question on citizenship status for the 2020 census, by July 23rd (https://bit.ly/2MRLB5X). We can learn more about the history of citizenship questions at Politifact here, then let's leave a comment with the Commerce Department, opposing the citizenship question here.

3.      Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have been instructed by the Trump administration to have detained parents sign a form where they must choose to leave the U.S. either with, or without their children (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-trump-admin-order-for-separated-parents-leave-us-with-kids-or-without-them/ar-AAzxJsC )  Not only is it cruel to whittle the options down in such a way that immigrants are forced to leave the country, but there is the distinct possibility that detained parents will not understand what they are signing, as there are numerous indigenous languages spoken among those who have been separated from their children, and there are not necessarily interpreters available for each case. Let's contact our MoC and tell them this latest cruel policy, then let's ask them what their plan is to rein in ICE's unchecked power. 

4.      With the evidence growing that Donald Trump did, in fact, do nothing to stop North Korea's nuclear program, the question becomes what will happen next (https://qz.com/1320300/donald-trump-didnt-stop-north-koreas-nuclear-threat-satellite-imagery-shows/). An embarrassed Donald Trump is a dangerous Donald Trump, making this a good time to put checks on his power to take us to war. Let's contact our members of Congress about the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act, H.R. 669/S. 200 - if they are not cosponsoring, let's ask them to join, and if they are, let's ask them what they are doing to move it forward.

5.      Denaturalization, the taking away of US citizenship from those who have been naturalized is rare and most often applied to war criminals.  Not since the McCarthy era, in the 1950s and not our proudest moment, has our government undertaken such a widespread proactive search such as is happening now.  Again, this is not normal.  https://www.npr.org/2018/07/04/625980910/white-house-launches-effort-to-take-citizenship-from-those-who-lied-to-get-it  Let’s let Trump and our MoCs know that we do not want our tax dollars used on this witch hunt.

6.      The "business" of housing migrant children is booming, and, not surprisingly, a number of those profiting are major Trump contributors, among them, private prison companies CoreCivic and the Geo Group, big Trump financial backers. (http://fortune.com/2018/06/28/prisons-immigration-detention/ and  https://www.msn.com/en-gb/kids/other/some-contractors-housing-migrant-children-are-familiar-to-trump%E2%80%99s-inner-circle/ar-AAzyVfO  Let’s tell the White House and ICE that we don’t want their friends profiteering on the backs of immigrants: 1-888-351-4024 or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th St., SW, Washington DC 20536

7.      On the 4^thof July, a woman identified as Theresa Okoumou climbed to the base of the Statue of Liberty to protest the abuses of this administration towards immigrants and refugees:  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jul/04/at-least-six-protesters-arrested-after-climbing-statue-of-liberty  Let’s honor her courage and bravery by writing to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and HHS Secretary Alex Azar to ask them to tender their resignations today: https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us and  https://www.hhs.gov/about/contact-us/index.html

8.     “Last December, President Trump removed nearly half of the Grand Staircase-Escalante from protection, as well as part of the Bears Ears National Monument, which is also in Utah. The move was the largest reversal of national monument protections in U.S. history.”   Now, a Canadian firm is going to mine there.  https://www.npr.org/2018/06/21/622128554/firm-prepares-to-mine-land-previously-protected-as-a-national-monument  Let’s ask our MoCs if this is really want they want.  We want the national park system to remain a legacy for those to come, not to become a money-making venture that destroys the natural beauty.

9.      Four Ohio State University wrestlers have now said ultraconservative Rep. Jim Jordan knew their team doctor was molesting athletes and turned a blind eye to it, in spite of his denials (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fourth-ohio-state-wrestler-says-rep-jim-jordan-knew-about-n889071?cid=eml_nbn_20180705). Trump is naturally standing by him. We can't let it stand. Let's call Rep. Jordan and tell him to resign, and call our own reps and ask them to do the same. And since we can't count on the Republicans holding one of their own accountable, let's also follow, donate to, and sign up to make remote phone calls for Jordan's Democratic opponent, union leader and retired teacher Janet Garrett.

10.  “The U.S. Army has begun quietly discharging some immigrant members, a move that could put those member's immigration status at risk, The Associated Press reported Thursday. Immigration attorneys told the AP that they knew of more than 40 immigrant recruits and reservists who had been discharged from their service or whose status is now at question. The immigration attorneys told the AP that many of the immigrants received an “uncharacterized discharge," putting into question their ability to remain in the U.S.”  http://thehill.com/policy/defense/army/395718-army-discharging-some-immigrant-recruits-report  Trump’s administration has a “use them, then lose them” motto. Those who have fought for our freedoms deserve our support and protection. Let’s tell the WH and the Pentagon and our MoCs that we know this is another tactic to attack immigration and to find a way to reward these service members.

11.   Senator Collins of Maine announced that she will not support supreme court candidates that oppose Roe vs Wade. “Here are her exact words: “I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade,” Collins said., adding that Roe v. Wade established abortion as a “constitutional right.   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-abortion-collins/senator-collins-says-wont-support-anti-abortion-supreme-court-nominee-idUSKBN1JR1KR?il=0    Let’s encourage Senator Collins to tow the the line on this. Please ask her to be true to her word to save a woman’s constitutional right of free choice. 

12.  “More than 3,700 white women have signed a letter calling on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who is White, to apologize for recent remarks aimed at silencing Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), who is Black. As several Trump administration officials increasingly faced public protests, Waters had invited her constituents to also publicly confront administration officials wherever possible.“Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd,” Waters said at an event in Los Angeles. “And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” In response, Pelosi called for “civility,” and chastised Waters via Twitter on June 25th.”  https://womensenews.org/2018/07/weekly-update-us-in-the-u-s/  We can read and sign on to that letter here:  https://callinginnancypelosi.wordpress.com/open-letter-to-nancy-pelosi/

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

1.       What trends have emerged from the primaries so far?  https://politicalcharge.org/2018/07/05/what-trends-have-emerged-from-the-primaries-so-far/  Let’s us this info going into the August primaries and beyond.

2.      After successfully organizing for Doug Jones in Flip Alabama, Flip Nation was born, with a mission to ignite passion for civic engagement, win elections, and create a just society. Their goals include increasing voter participation and helping Democratic and Progressive candidates win elections across America. While supporting efforts to retain blue seats, they focus heavily on deeply red areas that mathematical calculations would tell us to ignore, affirming that all regions should be contested. Through deeply dedicated nationwide membership and strategic partnerships, Flip Nation applies efforts on local, county, and district levels in ways that are adaptable depending on the needs of each area. If we would like to help Flip this Nation Blue, we can join or, if we know anyone who does and might be interested we can let them know.  We can join the group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipNationUSA/  We can check their Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/FLIPNationUSA/  We can also follow them on Twitter:  @FlipNationUSA

Election 2018 – By State

1.       Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:

July 6	Wyoming	In person absentee voting begins	Primary
July 9	Michigan	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 9	Ohio	Voter Registration Deadline	Special congressional-cd 12
July 9	Washington	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 10	Delaware	Filing Deadline
July 10	Ohio	In person absentee voting begins	Special-Aug 7 congressional dist 12
July 12	New York <state level>	Filing Deadline
July 12	Hawaii	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 13	Tennessee	Early Voting begins	Primary
July 15	Wisconsin	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary (postmark)
July 17	Kansas	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 17	Alabama	Election date	Runoffs
July 17	North Carolina (FED ONLY)	Election date	Runoffs
July 20	Louisiana	Filing Deadline
July 22	Alaska	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 23	Georgia	Early voting ends	runoffs
July 24	Minnesota	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 24	Georgia	Election date	Runoffs
July 28	Tennessee	Early Voting ends	Primary
July 30	Arizona	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 30	Florida	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
July 30	Arkansas	Early Voting begins	State Senate Dist 8
July 30	Hawaii	Early Voting begins	Primary
July 31	Kansas	Early Voting begins	Primary

(source:  by date:  https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by state:  https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)

Other Actions

1.       In California, the city of Los Angeles has approved $10 million in funding for legal aid for immigrant children separated from their families at the southern border. Mayor Eric Garcetti said the city is “answering cruelty with compassion.” Let's read more at The Hill. Let's send notes of support to Mayor Garcetti and members of the LA City Council. Let's continue to encourage government when it does the right thing. 

2.      There are still actions we can take in support of immigrant families.  We can use this toolkit from Indivisible on ways to be an “immigrant ally”: 

https://www.indivisible.org/resource/immigrant-ally-toolkit-introduction/.  We can also help financially support eight groups that are working to protect children separated from their families by ICE: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kidsattheborder.  We can also sign this petition asking Microsoft to divest from ICE. And this one asking Wells Fargo to do the same. And this one to get border patrol agents off Greyhound busses.

3.      From Meta Peace Team (MPT):  Bulldozers have descended upon Khan al Ahmar, preparing for the demolition of this small Bedouin village in the West Bank that is home to 181 Palestinians. Today, July 4, activists - including Peace Team members from Meta Peace Team - are on hand to witness the arrest of nonviolent Palestinian demonstrators. Israel is looking to forcibly relocate the villagers in order to make way for the expansion of settlements that are recognized as illegal under international law. . . Despite . . .  international condemnations, the Israeli government is set to "wipe... Khan al Ahmar off the map” as a recent New York Times dispatch put it. MPT is urging people to take action now to prevent this devastation. Please contact the following with your concerns for the basic human rights of these families:  1)  David Melech Friedman – U.S. Ambassador to Israel:   friedmandm@state.gov, 2)  Ayelet Shaked – Israel's Minister of Justice: AShaked@Knesset.Gov.IL, and 3) Your Members of Congress – U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives.

4.      Countable, which tracks upcoming legislation and lets us tell our Representatives has created a new way for us to make our voices heard, called Action Centers, which put us in control of the stories, issues, and bills that are most important to us. We become the writer, editor, and curator of our own Countable feed, highlighting our own thoughts and opinions on subject we choose. We’ll have the full range of Countable bills and articles to choose from to fill out our personal feeds. We can check out Action Centers, here and then start one of our own!

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       Monday, July 9 at 8pm EDT, Organizing for Action will host its July volunteer call.  They hold these calls on the first Monday of each month.  We can RSVP here:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z1H4hjhcTYSG9Mcf-RcSwg  Let’s take the time to learn more about their work.

2.      The Parkland/March for Our Lives students are still on tour” to get young people educated, registered, and motivated to vote.”  Let’s meet up with them.  Here are their July dates and locations:  https://marchforourlives.com/tour/

3.      July 22 at 3pm EDT, Issue Voters of Northern Nevada will be presenting a webinar on “Voter Mobilization:  Strategies and Best Practices”.  Here is the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/191292124873267/ We can register here:  https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vEbS2tQKQKyrs-yoroJ2qA

4.      ​On Saturday, protesters took to the streets nationwide to ​protest Trump's cruel immigration policies (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-immigration-family-separation-protests-today-nationwide-2018-06-30-live-updates/). Now, the immigrant-led activist group Cosecha is calling for us to take the next step, with a national day of action to end cooperation with ICE on July 31st, demanding cities, counties, companies and all institutions stop working with them. Let's get involved. We can check out the #WeWillNotBeComplicit Action Guide at this link.

States

Find elected state officials: https://openstates.org/

1.       ALL:  If Trump successfully pushes through an anti-Roe Supreme Court nominee and barring abortion is declared constitutional again, we will have to fight state by state to protect our rights - and even if he doesn't, many state legislatures are passing measures to restrict access (http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-abortion-20180628-story.html). So let's start now. Let's check out existing laws on reproductive rights in our states here, and what would happen to them if Roe was overturned here. Then let's contact our state legislators and urge them to act to protect the right to choose - and if they won't, let's donate and sign up to volunteer for Flippable to elect legislators who will.

2.      FL:  Leon County Circuit Judge Charles Dodson sided with the environmental community in a lawsuit over whether lawmakers have complied with the Florida Water and Land Conservation ballot amendment as they use some of the money for staffing and other expenses. The measure, known as Amendment 1, was approved by 75 percent of the voters in 2014, and directs that one-third of the collections from the tax on real estate documentary stamps be sent to the Land Acquisition Trust Fund. The ruling could be overturned on appeal.  Let's read more at Miami Herald. Let's be aware of this latest bait and switch. Remember: Florida lawmakers did the same thing with state lottery proceeds, which were supposed to enhance education spending. 

3.      MI: Ruling against a case brought on behalf of Detroit students against state officials whom the plaintiffs hold responsible for depriving them of their “right to read," a federal judge in Michigan concluded on Friday that while literacy is “of incalculable importance,” that fact does “not necessarily determine whether it must be regarded as fundamental”; the Michigan constitution requires only that the state provide and finance free public schools—apparently even if these are so underfunded that books are scarce, teachers in short supply, and rats and bugs infest them:  http://www.governing.com/topics/education/tns-literacy-detroit.html  Let’s point out to Gov. Rick Snyder that literacy, as the judge admitted, is essential to “voting, participating . . . in civic life, and accessing justice”—not to mention getting a job.  Michigan’s refusal to educate all of Detroit’s students is immoral, if not narrowly illegal; it does and should bring even more shame to the state that brought us the Flint water crisis.

Reading/Watching

1.       The whole idea of tariffs can be confusing.  This might help:  “Trump's tariffs: What they are and how they would work” - http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-how-tariffs-work-20180602-story.html

2.      Invoking Margaret Chase Smith’s “Declaration of Conscience,” Susan Faludi persuasively urges that Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski leave the GOP:
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/2018/07/05/senators_collins_amp_murkowski_it039s_time_to_leave_the_gop_446637.html or
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/05/opinion/collins-murkowski-change-parties.html

3.      “Backdrop for Putin summit: A pattern of Trump disrespecting allies?”  https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Foreign-Policy/2018/0702/Backdrop-for-Putin-summit-A-pattern-of-Trump-disrespecting-allies