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10/17/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials


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

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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.       “Treasury Department said the U.S. budget deficit grew to $779 billion in Donald Trump’s first full fiscal year as president, the result of the GOP’s tax cuts, bipartisan spending increases and rising interest payments on the national debt.“ Despite this news, the GOP is eying cuts in Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid and describes them as the real reason we are in so much debt.   https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-16/mcconnell-blames-entitlements-not-gop-for-rising-deficits  Let’s tell our MoCs that we are not interested in cuts to any of these programs, but we’d sure like to see corporations and the wealthy taxed the way they should be. 

2.      After viewing the damage caused by Hurricane Michael, Vice President Mike Pence said that the causes of climate change have yet to be determined. https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/411679-pence-in-georgia-after-looking-at-hurricane-michael-damage-causes-of. Let’s tell the vice president (via Facebook or Twitter @VP) and our MoCs to read the UN report on the catastrophic effects that are likely as soon as 2030 if we don’t address climate change issues immediately, and urge both him and our legislators to release FEMA money that was recently diverted to ICE to help people in the panhandle recover from the damage.

3.      Despite the UN report on the devastating effects the Saudi war on Yemen is having on civilians, especially children--https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/Issue%2025_3.2.pdf –and, it seems, despite the Saudi government’s apparent involvement in the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump is committed to continuing the unethical sales of high-tech arms to Saudi Arabia:  “I don’t like stopping massive amounts of money that’s being poured into our country – they are spending $110bn on military equipment and on things that create jobs for this country.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/11/jamal-khashoggi-saudi-arabia-under-pressure-from-trump-administration  The famine of “Biblical” dimensions some predict will soon occur in Yemen clearly doesn’t matter compared to American trade.  https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-middle-east-45857729/yemen-could-be-worst-famine-in-100-years  The U.S. is not an innocent bystander in this:  https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/09/27/america-is-not-an-innocent-bystander-in-yemen  The greed of arms traders must not be allowed to outweigh Yemeni lives.  Even were Trump’s wildly inflated numbers true, we must not accept this calculus; let’s impress on our MoCs that we expect them to stop US arms sales to Saudi Arabia and to begin humanitarian work to help save the people of Yemen. 

4.      Link Correction:   From one of our own:  Public comments and actions for week ending October 19, 2018. Includes methane, Clean power and air plans, NLRB rollback, DHS-HHS-ICE detention policy, trucks:  

5.      Once again Trump has chosen someone with experience in dismantling a program to lead a government program.  This time it is Former Maine DHHS Commissioner Mary Mayhew as the deputy administrator and director of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP. During her tenure at Maine Department of Health and Human Services, “Maine’s national health ranking fell during her time, from 10th to 22nd. The number of uninsured children in Maine rose. Maine’s infant mortality rate spiked.”   http://www.mainepublic.org/post/former-maine-dhhs-commissioner-mary-mayhew-appointed-federal-medicaid-director#stream/0   Let’s tell our MoCs that we see what Trump is doing and that we are watching them to make sure they safe-keep these important programs.

Election 2018 – General

1.       Dem voter turnout at midterm elections has always been dismal.  This year, when the House is truly within reach, it could cost us big.  https://politicalcharge.org/2018/10/16/we-just-got-a-voter-turnout-warning/  Let’s watch and share this as reminder of who we are:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85TQPzWVWHQ&feature=share With less than three weeks to go, let’s keep working to help get out the vote.

2.      Let's look out for voter suppression at work on Election Day! "Several states have instituted stricter voter ID laws since the 2016 presidential election; more, still, are purging voter rolls in the lead up to the election, and the recent Supreme Court decision to uphold Ohio’s aggressive purging lawmeans you can expect many more people to be removed. So, even if you’re registered to vote (and you should really double check) you might find yourself turned away at the polls come November 6." For "What to Do If You Get Turned Away At The Polls," click here: https://lifehacker.com/what-to-do-if-you-get-turned-away-at-the-polls-1829664675

3.      One of our best current allies in the Senate, Heidi Heitkamp, is struggling to get re-elected this November and has been dealt a blow by the Supreme Court, which refused to hear a case challenging North Dakota's restrictive voter requirement for ID's that show a voter's street address (https://www.npr.org/2018/10/13/657125819/many-native-ids-wont-be-accepted-at-north-dakota-polling-places). This restriction disproportionately disenfranchises Native Americans, who often have only PO boxes for mail. Let's give Secretary of State Al Yaeger some encouragement to do the right thing and stop blocking voting rights he is charged with upholding: https://sos.nd.gov/office-secretary-state/contact-us

4.      Postcards To Voter's Campaign 121: Katie Hill for Congress takes us back to California and its 25th congressional district (Simi Valley area).  A true progressive, Hill is challenging ultra-conservative Republican incumbent Steve Knight.  Immigration is the top issue in this district where nearly 40% of voters are Hispanic. Let's write 5 cards for Katie today. If we are new volunteers, we can get started here.

5.      From one of our own:  Here is a list of incumbent US senators who voted in favor of confirming Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tc4KNFzimpCgaRJstAD1hGSDnAoZg8rcrXjr8x4En10/edit#gid=0  Let’s plan their retirement party! 

6.      Vote Forward is a letter-writing effort to voters that targets flippable House districts.  Let’s check it out and see how we can help:  http://votefwd.org/

7.      Helping to power the Blue Wave has never been so important, yet getting involved can be daunting, especially for first-time activists. Don't worry, though, because we've got Crush the Midterms working for us (https://www.crushthemidterms.org/)! Using Crush is like having your own personal assistant, a friendly expert to help you build a customized plan for your activism in less than 5 minutes. November 6th is coming soon, so let's go!

8.     If, on Monday night, you caught the Rachel Maddow segment about Native American vote suppression efforts in North Dakota: https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/gop-aims-to-suppress-nd-native-american-vote-to-hinder-heitkamp-1345087555800?v=raila&  and if we are interested in donating to a boots-on-the-ground organization working to combat that, here is one: 
9.      https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/388864/take-back-the-senate-in-2018-by-getting-native-americans-to-the-polls  The site crashed after the segment but is available now.

10.  From one of our own:  On Oct 24, join Puerto Ricans, the Latinx community, and Spanish speakers across the country and make calls to make history. We need your help reaching out to our PR neighbors in FL to urge them to support @SecondChancesFlorida and VOTE #YESon4 to end 150 years of a broken system and restore the vote to 1.4M Floridians!  Everyone deserves a second chance. In Puerto Rico, we don't disenfranchise individuals because they made a mistake - people can even vote while incarcerated. But Florida is 1 of only 4 states where if you're convicted of a felony you're barred for life from voting. Which means 1 in 10 people in Florida — and 1 in 5 black people — are disenfranchised by this unjust system.  Amendment 4 will restore the eligibility vote to 1.4 million people in Florida who have served their time and paid their debt. Sign up to call Florida voters to urge them to VOTE #YESon4:  Spanish (preferred): tinyurl.com/y82o8tb9 or  English: tinyurl.com/yc8nrfrb

11.   With three weeks left to Election Day, Congressional Candidate Katie Porter needs our help. Katie’s a fighter, for Medicare, Gun Control and Fair Immigration Policies, running against Mimi Rogers who votes with Trump 99% of the time. We can pitch in by writing postcards to Democratic voters in her Orange County District 45, reminding them to vote for her on Election Day, Nov. 6th. When we send an email to Johanna Wald at Flip the 14 we will get info on Katie, talking points, sample scripts and addresses. Time for the Blue Wave to hit Orange County! We can email here to get started. wald94117@yahoo.com.

Election 2018 – By State

1.       ALL:  Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:  by date:  https://goo.gl/gjFv2u   by state:  https://goo.gl/7gTzvE

2.      ALL:  If we are not sure where to start looking for information about candidates, issues, etc., we can check out the League of Women Voters’ website:  https://www.vote411.org/

3.      CO: In 2016, Coloradoans voted against abolishing slavery in prisons. This year, the issue is back on the ballot. Amendment A would remove language from the state Constitution that allows slavery and involuntary servitude to be used as punishment for the conviction of a crime. Let's read more at Colorado Public Radio. Let’s vote "yes" on "A" to end all forms of slavery. 

4.      MA: Today is the last day to register to vote in the midterm elections. Let's spread this to our networks and tell people to register on-line here.

Other Actions

1.       Who says Democrats don’t have policies? Here are great graphics on Democratic positions to read and share. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1052014272677597186.html  Let’s spread the word!  If we are on twitter, we can also retweet this thread here

2.      Inmates at the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville say the prison is denying basic hygiene supplies like toilet paper to the women housed there.   https://www.npr.org/2018/10/12/656578210/arizona-prison-denying-basic-hygiene-needs-to-women-say-inmates   Let's contact the Arizona Department of Corrections and the Perryville facility to demand that they correct this deplorable situation. They need to know that we are out here paying attention.

3.      For those who may think that some women are acting unreasonable about politics about now, this would be a good time to watch "Iron Jawed Angels" about what it took for women to get the vote in this country. That privilege was not given or obtained easily. It was fought for, and many thought those women at the time were acting unreasonable, too. Thank God they were. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOrD0tH_WaM   Let's watch and share this movie for better understanding.

 Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       Beginning Monday, October 15, and running for four consecutive weeks, Jen Hofmann, creator of the weekly Americans of Conscience Checklist is offering a tele-class called The Art of Perseverance to help keep us going.  We can find more details, and how to sign up, here: https://jenniferhofmann.com/the-art-of-perseverance/

2.      In a national effort coordinated by author Glennon Doyle, every Friday “through Consumer Black Friday (Nov 23), WE ARE GOING TO TURN OUR RAGE INTO CHANGE. We are going to: Represent, Act, Gather & Exit.”  https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156714102374710&id=178909129709  When we sign up, we will get each week’s call-to-action. “Please share this post, tag your people, and consider signing on to support this Rage-to-Change Movement:  http://bit.ly/blackfridays2018

3.      January 19, 2019 is the date of the third Women’s March with the main event to be held in Washington, D.C. with sister marches all over the country.  Let’s find more information here:  https://www.womensmarch.com/2019

States


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


Reading/Watching

1.       A Fatal Abandonment of American Leadership –

2.      Written by one of our own:  Too Many Latina Women are Caught in the Deadly Intersections of Gun Violence and Domestic Violence - http://msmagazine.com/blog/2018/10/12/many-latina-women-caught-deadly-intersections-gun-violence-domestic-violence/

3.      Keb' Mo' - Put a Woman in Charge featuring Rosanne Cash - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FciQeRGYFlw




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