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.
This
week in Congress: The House is on recess from Washington DC with District
Work Weeks thru Tuesday, Sept. 4. (Source: House 2018 Calendar.)
Let's try to see our representatives in person if we can. The Senate is in session this week.
The Monday, August 20 session has not been updated as of this Rogan's
List submission. However, we can review the Senate Executive Calendar daily
for updates on the Senate's agenda for the each day. We can also review the
names of all people nominated for judicial and other positions starting on page
3 of the calendar.
2.
Three
Democratic Senators on the Judiciary Committee are claiming that committee
confidential documents show that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh misled
the Senate about his knowledge of post 9/11 terrorism policies during his
judicial nomination hearing in 2006. https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=08DE592F-2C5C-48A8-A492-963BD836AC83.
Minority Ranking Judiciary Committee Member, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) along with
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are demanding that
Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) release these documents to the American
public. They also claim that the secretive partisan process by which Kavanaugh
is being vetted is unprecedented in any Supreme Court nomination. Let’s contact
Senator Grassley (202-224-3744) and our own MoCs and demand that these
documents be made available to the rest of the Senate and to the American
people. Misleading the Senate disqualifies Kavanaugh for a seat on the US
Supreme Court.
3.
“Earlier
this month, Facebook announced it had detected and shut down more than 30
Russia-linked fake pages created as part of a campaign to influence the U.S.
midterm elections. In case there was any doubt, Russia’s effort to influence
American politics continues.” https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/08/russia-election-putin-meddling-trump/567682/ Since Trump is not taking this affront on our
election process seriously, it is up to our federal and state legislators to do
so. Once again, let’s tell our MoCs to
co-sponsor and support the DETER Act (S.
2313/H.R.4884) which
makes punishment for election interference automatic, taking it out of Trump's
hands.
4.
The
State Department has frozen approximately $230 million that had been intended
to be used for Syrian stabilization projects (https://bit.ly/2nRWRVo).
This follows a pattern of withdrawing or freezing support for Syrian recovery
efforts, which the Trump administration has been doing since earlier this year
(https://bit.ly/2L4cSAB). Let's
contact the State Department and tell them that continuing to withhold funding
for recovery efforts in Syria is cruel and unnecessary, and that we want this
funding to be reinstated ASAP. Address: U.S. Department of State 2201 C
St., NW Washington, DC 20520 Phone: 1-202-647-4000. We can also voice our
concerns to our MoC and let them know that this is an issue that matters to
us.
5.
Kevin
McAleenan, commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection, is still defending
the Trump regime’s family separation policy. https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/border-officials-are-still-defending-family Let’s
not let this issue die. Let’s tell McAleenan that separating asylum-seeking
families does violence to them; that failing to keep track of children and
their families is criminal neglect; that it is untrue that the “zero-tolerance”
policy has deterred immigration; and we demand that all families that remain
separated be unified immediately. Contact: McAleenan’s Executive Secretariat
Joseph Tezak, Director, 202-344-1040; or CBP Headquarters, 1300
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20229;
or https://help.cbp.gov/app/ask; or
@CBP_McAleenan
6.
The
Trump administration has worked out a way to freeze approximately $3 billion in
foreign aid, bypassing Congress (https://politi.co/2nMIHEW).
Even if Congress does reject the rescissions package, the foreign aid funds
will end up being frozen until they expire on October 1st. However, the
Trump administration has not yet officially submitted the proposal. Let's
contact our MoC and demand that they not only vote against these rescissions
if/when they are proposed, but that they actively speak out against Trump's
tactic to withdraw the U.S. from its international humanitarian efforts.
7.
In a
lawsuit against the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the organization VoteVets
wants a court to order the “Mar-a-Lago Crowd” to disclose “records of its
activities and cease influencing the [Veterans Administration].” https://www.propublica.org/article/veterans-group-sues-to-block-va-shadow-rulers The
“Crowd” is Marvel Entertainment chair Ike Perlmutter, West Palm Beach doctor
Bruce Moskowitz, and Washington lawyer Marc Sherman, who have been shaping VA
policy allegedly in violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act. We can
read the complaint here: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4762040-VoteVets-complaint.html Let’s
support VoteVets by demanding that the US Department of Veterans Affairs stop
consulting with Perlmutter, Moskowitz, and Sherman, who have no official role
or expertise in VA matters; disclose their secret activities; and comply with
the Federal Advisory Committee Act: Robert Wilkie, Secretary of the US
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810
Vermont Ave NW, Washington, DC 20420;
@DeptVetAffairs; 1-800-827-1000
8.
In case
we aren’t alarmed enough, on Tuesday, Trump is expected to propose
replacing the Clean Power Plan with new rules that would allow the states to
establish their own emission standards for coal-fired power plants; the change
is projected to release at least 12 times more carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere than the Obama plan would have: https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/08/trump-to-relax-rules-for-coal-fired-plants-likely-leading-to-surge-in-co2-emissions.html
While there will probably be a court challenge to this change, there will
undoubtedly be a 60-day comment period. We should watch for the comment information
on the EPA website: https://www.epa.gov/dockets/view-dockets-open-public-comment-program-office
9.
We all
know that revoking security clearances from former CIA directors like Trump did
to Brennan is questionable and certainly not normal. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on
the Senate Intelligence Committee knows that too. He plans to propose legislation that would
prevent revoking security clearances in any arbitrary manner. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/402415-sen-warner-to-introduce-amendment-limiting-trumps-ability-to-revoke-security Let’s
ask our senators to cosponsor and support this move and ask our rep to introduce
a similar resolution in the House.
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.
VoteRiders, an organization which helps people get the
voter IDs they need to participate in our democracy, has a new VoteRaiser
Campaign. The goal is to get 200,000 voters to the polls by helping them create
their own voter ID plans. Let’s help:
2.
The
gun-safety group Moms
Demand Action has a Gun Sense Candidate Lookup tool. Let’s
use it to find candidates who will support commonsense gun laws and vote for
them in our primaries and in the general election on November 6, 2018: https://gunsensevoter.org/
3.
The
Randolph County Board of Elections in Georgia has proposed shutting 7 out of 9
polling places in the area. https://www.wrbl.com/news/local-news/randolph-county-board-of-elections-proposes-closing-a-majority-of-polling-places/1377250612. The spurious reason given is that these
polling places do not comply with ADA requirements. However, many residents of
the county, which is heavily African American do not have cars and would have
to walk over 3 hours to vote. Let’s contact the Randolph County Board of
Elections at (336) 819-3900 and demand that these polling places stay open.
4.
We have
another opportunity to help a True-Blue Democrat take a seat away
from someone who ran as a Democrat and was elected as a Democrat only to decide
to vote with the Republicans. Let's write 5 cards for Postcards To Voters' Campaign 101: Zellnor
Myrie for NY State Senate. New York's primary elections are
on Thursday, September 13. Voters in Zellnor's 20th state senate district
are in Brooklyn. If we know someone with Brooklyn roots (and don't we all?),
let's ask them to write 5 cards too.
5.
From Crooked Media: Vote Save America is a step-by-step guide to getting people (along with their friends and
families) to the polls. In one place, we
can A) Register to vote, check if you’re actually registered, and keep
track of registration deadlines, B) Find your polling location, and sign up for
reminders to make sure you don't miss key dates, including, you know, November
6, and C) Fill out your ballot. This is probably the coolest part—our
voter guide explains who's running and what’s on each ballot, so you know
what’s what before you walk into the voting booth. No surprises... Let’s
check it out: https://votesaveamerica.com/
Election
2018 – By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
August 21
|
Wyoming
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary (same day registration)
|
August 21
|
Alaska
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
August 21
|
Wyoming
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
August 23
|
Oklahoma
|
Early Voting begins
|
Runoffs
|
August 25
|
Oklahoma
|
Early voting ends
|
Runoffs
|
August 25
|
Guam
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
August 25
|
Florida
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
August 28
|
Arizona
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
August 28
|
Florida
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
August 28
|
Oklahoma
|
Election date
|
Runoffs
|
August 28
|
Arizona
|
Early voting ends
|
Primary
|
September 1
|
New Hampshire
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary by mail: in person-same day
|
September 3
|
Alaska
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
REAA
|
September 4
|
Massachusetts
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
September 6
|
Delaware
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
September 11
|
New Hampshire
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
September 12
|
Rhode Island
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by state:
https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
2.
Upcoming Primaries:
A)
Tuesday, 8/21
B) Tuesday, 8/28
3. AR: The ACLU of Arkansas has a simple primer on
how to register a voter. Let’s check it out—and put it to good use! https://www.acluarkansas.org/en/know-your-rights/how-register-voter
Other
Actions
1. Sister District Action Network did a study on the impact of postcards on
voter registration and released the results showing positive results: https://mailchi.mp/sisterdistrict/dark-money-fireside-chat-and-critical-insights-265125?e=a42040e52e Let’s
read the report and keep on writing postcards!
2. Georgia
State Senator Michael Williams said on CNN that he does not think it is a
problem if Trump has used the n-word because it is separate from running the
country: http://thehill.com/homenews/news/402470-georgia-state-lawmaker-if-trump-said-n-word-thats-separate-from-how-he-is Let’s let Senator Wiliams
know what we think of this perspective: http://www.senate.ga.gov/senators/en-US/member.aspx?Member=856&Session=25 or on Twitter
@williamsforga
3. A
Catholic high school has suspended their beloved guidance counselor with 15
years tenure because she is married to a woman:
https://www.indystar.com/story/news/2018/08/18/roncalli-high-school-students-use-pride-flags-show-support-suspended-guidance-counselor/1012288002/ Let’s share our thoughts with
the school’s administration:
4. This
year, youth activist Mari "Little Miss Flint" Copeny will be
partnering again with Pack Your Back to stuff and distribute over 10,000
backpacks to students attending Flint schools (https://prn.to/2MI97pH). For those of us in Michigan, or able to
travel to Flint, we can sign up to stuff backpacks here. If we are unable to make the trip, or for
those of us outside of Michigan, we can still help by donating to Pack Your Back's
GoFundMe here.
5. In
a Utah county library system, leaders chose to remove LGTBQ themed displays due
to reported complaints:
https://www.apnews.com/95eeda3722904fcb83b4dc181bd0fcdb Let’s ask the Washington County
Library system to live up to the ideals of what libraries can be in our
society: http://library.washco.utah.gov/contact/
6. From
March For Our Lives Long Island which is organizing an action for next
month on this effort : The NRA lists all
of its fundraising events on their national map - see link below. We need to
show them that we don't want them in our communities. Take a look at the map
and see if they are coming to your community and organize with networks locally
to show them the power of our movement. Keep us posted on what you are doing on
the ground on this effort. Link: https://www.friendsofnra.org/eventtickets/Events/StateMap
Marches/events/webinars/TwitterStorms to
attend/organize
1.
On August 21 at 8pm ET, join in the TwitterStrom in
support of a free press: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XLGesAuKyjBoY0bAdMpWENswqs4lX3PQJ5AG_6_7X-4/edit#gid=0
2.
Evidence is piling up that Brett Kavanaugh cannot
be trusted to protect the right to choose or check executive power (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/29/us/brett-kavanaugh-signing-statements.html). Activists across the country are coming together
for a 50-state day of action against his nomination on August 26th.
Let’s find an event near us or start our own here.
3.
Experts say we are already starting to see the
impacts of climate change playing out in real time with extreme weather patterns: (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/27/extreme-global-weather-climate-change-michael-mann). We cannot wait for action. On September
8th, people all over the world are coming together in a coordinated call
for local action for the climate, jobs and justice. We can find a Rise for Climate event near us here, or we can sign up to organize our own.
4.
On September 22 there will be a
protest at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago in Florida in commemoration of the first
anniversary of Hurricane Maria:
http://thehill.com/latino/401578-trumps-mar-a-lago-to-be-greeted-with-massive-protest-on-hurricane-maria-anniversary Let’s put this on our calendars
if we will be nearby.
States
1.
ALL: Many states are making a push to firm up
abortion rights legislation in case Roe vs. Wade is overturned by the Supreme
Court. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/402041-supreme-court-nomination-reignites-abortion-fights-in-states. Let’s find out from The Guttmacher
Institute and NARAL what the abortion laws currently are in our state
and then ask our state legislators to do everything possible to protect a women’s
right to choose.
2.
MI: This morning
at 10am, Senator Gary Peters will be hosting a meeting, "Pipeline
Safety in the Great Lakes: Incident Prevention and Response Efforts at the
Straits of Mackinac" in Traverse City. For those of us who are able, let's
make sure that we show up to this event to demonstrate our concern for the
constant risk we are taking by allowing Enbridge's Line 5 pipeline to remain in
commission. We can learn more about the event and RSVP to attend at the Oil & Water Don't Mix event page.
Reading/Watching
1.
“Pull up a chair folks: I’m going to tell an
American story. Which, like many American stories, begins elsewhere.” - https://twitter.com/i/moments/1030568401436135429
2.
How worried should we be that glyphosate was
found in our Cheerios? - https://www.popsci.com/glyphosate-in-cheerios
3.
As usual, our summer bi-weekly dose of Small Victories - https://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/smallvictories-we-can-defeat-them?e=86890239c4
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