8/1/18
Contact Federal Government Officials
Fax legislators for free:
or use
Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
White House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
********************************
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.
“Members
of the Senate Judiciary Committee left Tuesday's hearing on the Trump
administration's family separation policy and efforts to reunify children with
their parents at the border with more questions than firm answers from top
immigration officials across the federal government.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-panel-holds-hearing-on-ice-family-separation-at-border-live-stream/ Let’s
tell all our MoCs that we want them to stay on top of this and see it through
as well as to enact proper legislation so this cannot happen again.
2.
In response to a lawsuit raised by the attorneys
general in eight states, a federal judge has temporarily blocked the release of
blueprints to print 3D guns. https://apnews.com/0c55d778df35412dbac0be6444917bc7/Judge-blocks-release-of-blueprints-for-3D-printed-guns. And even the
president tweeted that making 3D guns doesn’t seem to make much sense. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/399633-trump-public-access-to-3d-printed-guns-doesnt-seem-to-make-much-sense. Sen. Bill Nelson
(D-FL) tried to pass a bill by unanimous consent that would outlaw 3D guns, but
this was blocked by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT). http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/399759-gop-senator-blocks-bill-that-would-ban-release-of-3d-gun-blueprints. Let’s call our
MoCs and the White House now and insist that they act quickly to make sure that
these untraceable weapons do not fall into the wrong hands. The safety of all
of us is at stake!
3.
Trump is
threatening, again, to shut down the government over funding for a border wall http://thehill.com/homenews/house/399607-trump-sides-with-conservatives-on-shutdown-messaging. Last time this happened, Democrats were
willing to concede so long as they could get protections for Dreamers, but
Trump was not willing to make that deal https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jan/20/government-shutdown-dreamers-immigration-democrats-trump. Since that time, Trump and his
administration have taken cruel stances on immigration in the U.S.; babies are having to attend their own
deportation trials and
children
are still separated from their families. Let's assure our MoCs that we will support
their refusal to provide unnecessary funding towards a border wall, and remind
them that if the government shuts down, it will be on Trump.
4.
On
Monday, a federal judge ordered the removal of migrant children from a
detention facility found to give these children psychotropic drugs without
their parents’ consent in order to control their behavior. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/judge-orders-most-migrant-children-removed-texas-facility-uses-psychotropic-n895966. Let’s speak to our MoCs now about this very
disturbing issue and ask that they demand a full investigation into
psychotropic drug use at other detention facilities. We can also make the plea
that these children be released into the care of families and relatives, rather
than being detained in institutions. Let’s also contact the Department of
Justice (202-353-1555; 950
Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20530-0001; website form; Facebook; Twitter: @TheJustice Dept.) and the
Department of Homeland Security (202-282-8000; DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov, website
form;
Facebook; Twitter: @DHS.gov) and demand that they
stop this practice immediately.
5.
If we
want to raise awareness on the missed family reunification deadline,
Immigration Hub informs us that we can share this
powerful new Families Belong Together video featuring Mark Ruffalo and Common. After we watch it, we can share it with our
networks with the link to ReunifyFamilies.org. We can also find suggested social media
posts and additional context here: We can also raise these talking points
with our MoCs from this
powerful letter
signed by many immigrant advocacy organizations.
6.
If the
Senate confirms Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, it would be a
terrible blow to reproductive rights, health care, and efforts to get big money
out of politics. Democrats are currently pushing for documents on Supreme Court
nominee Brett Kavanaugh, in order to ascertain the full range of his positions.
Republicans are pushing back, claiming that documents he created while serving
as staff secretary under Bush are irrelevant. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/399705-senate-dems-request-all-of-kavanaughs-white-house-documents. Let’s tell our Republican Senators that we
are watching and that we expect them to do the ethical thing and make sure all
of Kavanaugh’s writings are released. We can remind them that full transparency
is imperative for a position as important as Supreme Court Justice, and they
should participate in a full and careful process, rather than rushing through a
confirmation. Let’s also check out Indivisible’s
two-step plan for
keeping Kavanaugh off the high court
7.
The
Endangered Species Act has provided needed protections to wildlife in danger
for well over 40 years, preventing the extinction of 99% of listed species. The
Trump administration is proposing dismantling the law by gutting regulatory
protections for threatened wildlife and drastically reducing the role of
science from future decision making (https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/25/politics/endangered-species-act-animals-saved-from-extinction-trnd/index.html). The Department of Interior is now
accepting public comments on this proposal. Let’s join the World Wildlife Fund
in making our objections known at this link.
8.
As the
Republicans are basing their midterm election hopes on the supposed success of
the tax cut bill, it is important to make sure people know that the majority of
these cuts were used for stock buybacks instead of raising worker wages. http://thehill.com/policy/finance/399683-companies-could-have-paid-workers-thousands-more-if-they-diverted-spending-on. Meanwhile, the administration is proposing
a new $100 billion tax cut geared solely for the rich, as it would allow
inflation to be taken into account when assessing capital gains. https://www.vox.com/2018/7/31/17634194/trump-tax-cut-wealthy-capital-gains. And, they are trying to do this through a
regulation, rather than through Congress. Let’s tell Treasury Secretary, Steven
Mnuchin (202-622-2000; 1500
Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20220; Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ustreasury/; Twitter: @stevenmnuchin1) that we want to
see policies that benefit the 99%, not the 1%, and let’s make sure to spread
this information widely on social media so that people know about this latest
attempt by the administration to bypass Congress and give more wealth to the
wealthy at the expense of everyone else.
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.
The
Movement Voter Project connects donors with highly effective, overlooked
grassroots activist groups to ensure a Blue Wave Victory in 2018. Their
Wave 2018 fund is curated to make it super easy for people to give to the
groups doing work in the most strategic districts this year. We can check them
out using this link, then, if we want to help, we can
use their digital
toolkit to spread the word about MVP on Twitter or copy and paste to share on
Facebook with our friends. Let’s give more people the opportunity to build this
wave!
2.
Let’s
follow the NRA money—and learn exactly who not to vote for in the midterms—by
using the NRA Campaign Spending Tracker, a cool new tool from The Trace.
3.
For
better or worse, the way Congressional districts are drawn can determine who
wins elections, which communities are represented, and what laws are passed.
Explore how your own district has changed (sometimes dramatically) over
time." Let's look up our own district and others on this eye-opening
interactive map graphic produced by the ACLU.
4.
"The
Last Weekend" is a campaign to get out the vote, organized by Swing Left
and cosponsored by many others. How does it work? "Study after study shows
that the most effective way to get people to vote is by having conversations
with them in the four days before Election Day (Saturday, November 3rd–Tuesday,
November 6th).Each of us has the power to make a big difference in a key race
by talking to voters. Don't just vote this year—volunteer!" If we sign up
here, they'll let us know how we can help not only on that weekend but in the
weeks coming up to it. https://thelastweekend.org/sl
Election 2018 –
By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
August 1
|
Arizona
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
|
August 2
|
Oklahoma
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Runoffs
|
|
August 2
|
Tennessee
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 6
|
Wyoming
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary (postmark)
|
|
August 6
|
Alaska
|
Early Voting Begins
|
Primary
|
|
August 6
|
Kansas
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 6
|
Ohio
|
In person absentee voting ends
|
Special-12th congressional district
|
|
August 7
|
Kansas
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 7
|
Michigan
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 7
|
Missouri
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 7
|
Ohio
|
Election date
|
Special-12th congressional district
|
|
August 7
|
Washington
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 9
|
Connecticut
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 9
|
Hawaii
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 10
|
Wisconsin
|
In person absentee voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 10
|
Wisconsin
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 11
|
Delaware
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 11
|
Hawaii
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 12
|
Rhode Island
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 13
|
Alabama
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Municipals
|
|
August 13
|
Arkansas
|
Early Voting ends
|
State Senate Dist 8
|
|
August 13
|
Minnesota
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 13
|
Vermont
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Vermont
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Wisconsin
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Connecticut
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Minnesota
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Vermont
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Wisconsin
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
August 14
|
Arkansas
|
Election date
|
State Senate Dist 8
|
|
August 15
|
Massachusetts
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 17
|
New York (state)
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
August 18
|
Florida
|
Early Voting Begins
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by state:
https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
Other Actions
1. The
lawsuits against Trump's attempt to manipulate the census with the citizenship
question are moving forward - but we're running out of time to make our voices
heard (https://www.npr.org/2018/07/26/629773825/multi-state-lawsuit-against-census-citizenship-question-to-move-ahead).
The deadline to submit a public comment to the Department of Commerce against
the citizenship question is August 7th. Let's not leave it up to the
attorneys general. We can let the administration know we know what they're
doing and we want it to stop here: http://cqrcengage.com/censuscounts2020/app/act-on-a-regulation?0&engagementId=487696.
2. On
Monday, Jesse Watters of Fox News stated that the
president wants the “best and the brightest”
immigrants, instead of “some guy’s uncle from Zimbabwe.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/399623-fox-news-
host-trump-wants-the-best-immigrants-not-some-guys Let’s
tell Mr. Watters (Twitter: @JesseBWatters) and Fox News (Twitter:
@FoxNews; 1211 Avenue of the
Americas New York, NY 10036) that we are highly offended by this racist
remark.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
The Grannies Respond/Abuelas
Responden caravan left NYC on
July 31, heading to McAllen, TX to protest the crisis at the
border. Caravans are starting up all
over the country to join in and meet up on Aug 6 in McAllen. We can find a caravan near us or create one
ourselves for our area: https://www.granniesrespond.org/ridewithus If we can’t
go, let’s follow their progress here: https://www.facebook.com/granniesrespond/
2.
On August 4, March for Our Lives, Road To
Change, and National Organization for Change are marching on the NRA. The main march will be in Fairfax, VA at NRA
headquarters. We can find more
information here: https://www.marchonnra.org/ and we can find an even here: https://www.marchonnra.org/findmymarch If none are
near us, we can register an event here: https://www.marchonnra.org/regevent
States
Reading/Watching
1.
With all
going on, it's easy to feel lost and hopeless. Sometimes it's hard to see the
point of all the arguing, the marching, the phone calls, the struggle. But we
must not give up, because the big picture is indeed enormous. Ezra Klein’s
article, White Threat in a Browning
America: How Demographic Change is Fracturing Our Politics outlines the
role race has played in shaping the political spectrum and can shed light in
helping us move forward. - https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/7/30/17505406/trump-obama-race-politics-immigration
2.
How to Win Elections in a System Not Set Up
For Us: "The Collective
PAC's Black Campaign School is backed by—and a challenge to—the Democratic
establishment. It’s trying to increase representation in a country where 90
percent of all elected officials are white." https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/black-candidates-dnc-dccc/566297/
3.
When Stand Your Ground Becomes A License to
Kill. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/glanton/ct-met-dahleen-glanton-stand-your-ground-20180725-story.html
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