Rogan's List

12/7/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials

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

Fax legislators for free: 

Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

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

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

Or use StampsLicked to have messages hand-delivered to our own legislators:  https://stampslicked.org/

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

1.   Despite Wednesday’s report that global carbon emissions reached an all-time high in 2018 (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/co2-emissions-reached-an-all-time-high-in-2018/) and in yet another bow to the fossil fuel industry, “The Trump administration plans to eliminate an Obama-era requirement that new coal-fired power plants have expensive technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions.”  https://www.npr.org/2018/12/06/674255402/trumps-epa-plans-to-ease-carbon-emissions-rule-for-new-coal-plants  Our MoCs need to hear from us that these climate-changing attacks need to be stopped with some solid legislation.  Let’s also keep an eye out for the public comment period so we can share our thoughts there, too.

2.   Congress has pushed votes on spending back two weeks, and the administration is still threatening a shut down if $5 billion isn’t allocated for a border wall. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/06/congress-border-wall-trump-funding-government-shutdown-1046169. So far, the Senate has allocated $1.6 billion for what the Democrats are calling border security and the Republicans are calling a wall. Let’s call our MoCs now and make sure they know that we do not want to see any more taxpayer dollars going toward a wall.

3.   Yet another climate change study was published Wednesday—this one even more alarming than the last two.  The headline in the NY Times reads “Greenhouse Gas Emissions Accelerate Like a ‘Speeding Freight Train’ in 2018” and the article describes the quickening rate of carbon dioxide emissions in stark terms; in the words of one Stanford author, “cheap gasoline prices, bigger cars and people driving more miles are boosting oil use at rates that none of us expected”: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/climate/greenhouse-gas-emissions-2018.html  If we aren’t yet taking action, the time is NOW! In NYC we can lobby on Dec. 11 for #GreenNewDeal4NYC legislation (Intro 1253), which would require the retrofitting of dirty buildings, the city’s largest source of climate pollution, and model an urban response to these crises.  On a national level, let’s push our new reps in the House to back Ocasio-Cortez’s efforts to convene a Select Committee for a Green New Deal: 

https://ocasio2018.com/green-new-deal

4.   We have only four more days to comment on the Department of Homeland Security “public charge” rule change, punishing immigrants for using public benefits. Protecting Immigrant Families make it easy for us to submit comments:
https://protectingimmigrantfamilies.org/#take-action 

5.   According to the ACLU, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act would violate our First Amendment right to boycott and could be used to impose criminal penalties on individuals or groups who support boycotts for Palestinian rights: https://www.aclu.org/letter/aclu-letter-opposing-revised-version-israel-anti-boycott-act  The supporters of this act are now trying to attach it to the year-end appropriations bill. We must press Nancy Pelosi to make sure that this act is not included in the omnibus budget bill: 202-225-4965 (if that number doesn't work, call 202-225-0100); we can also discover which of our representatives have co-sponsored this bill and press those that haven’t to hold firm in their opposition: https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1697/cosponsors

6.   The Republican administration rolled out detailed proposals Thursday to reduce measures designed to protect the imperiled greater sage grouse in seven western states: Oregon, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, [Northeastern] California, Wyoming. The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released state-specific plans for public comment. The plans would open more of the bird’s millions of acres of range to activities like oil and natural gas drilling and development. We can read more at The Hill. If we are residents of one of these states, let's submit our comments in support of the continued protection of the greater sage grouse and in opposition to oil, gas and development.

7.   We know from all the emerging stories that Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team are working tirelessly and with great integrity. Let’s send along a holiday card to the whole team to express gratitude for their diligence and commitment: U.S. Department of Justice, 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20530-0001

Election/Voting

1.    Postcards to Voters' Campaign 140: Jennifer Boysko for Virginia State Senate gives us another opportunity to get out the vote for a special election. We can read about this race at Loudoun Times-Mirror. This election will take place on January 8, 2019 and absentee voting is already open.  Let's request 5 addresses from Postcards to Voters today.  If we are new volunteers, signup information is here.

Other Actions

1.   When thinking about donations for this holiday season, here’s a list of organizations that are helping immigrants at the border. Let’s check it out and send some money to help their efforts.

2.   Eduardo Samaniego, a powerful immigrant rights activist who has been at the forefront of advocating for Dreamers was recently apprehended by ICE (ostensibly as punishment for his activism) and is in a detention facility in Georgia.  https://www.gazettenet.com/Local-immigrant-activist-Eduardo-Samaniego-reportedly-detained-by-ICE-21999287   Those of us who know Eduardo personally have been continually wowed by his positive, upbeat attitude and the relentless energy he expends in working for immigrant justice. We are devastated by his detention. His most pressing need right now is for financial support. We can donate money at his gofundme page.

3.   In last month's midterm election for the Iowa state legislature, Democrat Kayla Koether lost by only 9 votes. However, 33 absentee ballots were not counted even though some/all of them were properly sent & received according to Iowa law. Now Koether has filed an emergency lawsuit demanding that those 33 ballots be verified for proper submission by the US Postal Service, and that the proper ones be counted. So far the Iowa Secretary of State has refused to take this action, so let's give him a little push to do the right thing: https://sos.iowa.gov/contactus.html. (https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/419134-iowa-dem-who-lost-state-house-race-by-9-votes-sues-to-have-absentee-ballots)

4.   Sometimes, it's good to take a deep dive on issues. And there's often no better way to do that than by reading an insightful novel. PEN America is doing "a retrospective of 2018 through the eyes of talented authors Ingrid Rojas Contreras, Amitava Kumar, Wayétu Moore, and Rakesh Satyal. Together, these authors will speak about their work, this year’s news cycles, and what it means to tell stories in an era of “fake news” and “alternative facts.” Those of us who can attend these events are the lucky few, but there's good news for the rest of us: "In celebration of this event, PEN America and Strand Book Store have developed the following reading list": https://pen.org/lest-we-forget-reading-list/. It looks phenomenal.

5.   Just in time for the holidays, the Human Right's Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Welcoming Schools program launched its first-ever online store featuring apparel, classroom posters and stickers that will give parents, youth-serving professionals and those who support equality the chance to show the world their commitment to LGBTQ children and young people.  To kick off this endeavor, Welcoming Schools has partnered with First Book and Chronicle Books to offer educators, parents and others free copies (while supplies last and for the cost of shipping) of “A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo,” a children’s book by Jill Twiss and presented by HBO’s "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."  We can read more here and check out the store here.

6.   The rights of immigrants to our country continue to be threatened. "Although the government’s policy of zero tolerance at the border has ended, in Arizona, 10 children remain separated from their parents and detained, and we’ve seen approximately 40 new cases of family separation since June. In 2018, we’ve seen over 650 cases of family separation." If we can spare the cash, here's a good grassroots organization that's been helping since the 1980s: "The Florence Project is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit legal service organization providing free legal services to men, women, and unaccompanied children in immigration custody in Arizona." We can donate here: https://firrp.org/donate/

7.   Let’s keep the pressure up in North Carolina regarding the alleged election fraud in the 9^thdistrict: https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/420067-north-carolina-gop-calls-for-bipartisan-investigation-into-election  Let’s let Governor Cooper know that North Carolina does not want to be known as a place that democracy died: https://governor.nc.gov  

8.  We may be aware that cognitive bias is an ongoing problem, as it can lead us to cling to our beliefs in the face of conflicting information.  Information overload, simply a part of modern life, contributes to this as we need ways to process all the information we are exposed to. Attempting to deal with this efficiently, the brain creates shortcuts that bypass critical thinking. The good news is that more we are aware of these “brain shortcuts” the less likely we are to succumb to them. When we click this link, we have a can learn more about the different types of cognitive bias why and how they operate: https://betterhumans.coach.me/cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet-55a472476b18

State Actions

1.    All (except CA): “California officially became the first state in the nation on Wednesday, Dec. 5 to require homes built in 2020 and later be solar powered. “These provisions really are historic and will be a beacon of light for the rest of the country,” said Kent Sasaki, a structural engineer and one of six commissioners voting for the new energy code. “(It’s) the beginning of substantial improvement in how we produce energy and reduce the consumption of fossil fuels.”  https://www.ocregister.com/2018/12/05/california-officially-adopts-solar-requirement-for-new-homes-built-in-2020-or-later/. California continues to lead the nation in renewable green energy for climate solutions. Let’s encourage all our state legislators to follow their lead despite the trump climate deniers. 

2.   CA:  The Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act)  was supposed to be a two-year water delivery emergency measure during extreme drought but Senator Feinstein has made a deal with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy to prolong those short-term emergency provisions until 2028, without regard to actual drought conditions or Delta water quality. These ten more years continued pumping of Delta water benefits big agribusiness to the detriment of local communities and fisheries, and low income rate payers. There is still time to prevent this, if we act now. When we click here, we can find out more about this bill and get Feinstein’s number and a script to draw from when we call:  https://www.facebook.com/100001087308675/posts/2099101753469381/  We can also read the East Bay Times editorial against this Act here:

https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/12/04/editorial-delta

3.   MI: Among the GOP's many bills introduced during this lame duck session is S.B. 1260, which would require public union members to re-certify their union membership every two years. Union organizations are voicing their opposition to the legislation, as it is unnecessary given that public workers already have the right to leave their union, and would cause disruption to the workplace, having to organize elections every other year (https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/12/05/michigan-gop-union-certification-nightmare/2214226002/). S.B. 1260 has already been voted out of committee, and now heads to the Senate floor. Let's call our senators and ask them to oppose this bill.

4.   NC: Democrats in the North Carolina House of Representatives have introduced a bill to expand voting rights. The bill provides for automatic voter registration, Election Day voter registration, online voter registration, and extended early voting.  https://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2018/12/04/house-democrats-propose-a-bill-to-expand-nc-voting-rights/ If we’re in NC, let’s tell our state reps to co-sponsor the House Bill 1115, the Let North Carolina Vote Act, and let’s tell our state senators to introduce parallel legislation in the state senate. Look up: https://openstates.org/

5.   WI: Let’s let the anti-democratic Republican power-grab in Wisconsin steel our resolve. Democratic Activists in Outagamie County are already planning next steps. We can help. Let’s donate so they can fund an office and have a year-round county presence: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/dreamoffice. If we’re in WI, let’s join and by grow their membership base: 

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/memjoin and let’s recruit candidates for Town, Village, and City boards in every county. More about Wisconsin Dems: http://www.wisdems.org/

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.    From Your Weekly Pep Talk & Action List:  The folks at Resistance Labs are already looking toward 2019… and they’re looking for people to join them in three different webinars next week to help them brainstorm! The first relates to uncontested races; the second relates to community and community engagement; and the third asks what “big ideas” we haven’t tried yet but should.  This is a great opportunity to join free events that are sure to be interesting – and might be a place for you to kick around some ideas and learn about some that others are trying. Go to these links to sign up:  A) December 11 - Contest every race: 

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_lBfz1k-XTaeH0dDnVg6jiw  Community. B)  December 12 - workshop: 

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o5ACI9yPSOq_tJzLMNNfSA, and C)  December 13 - Big ideas:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_E3jULnqUTN-lHJqt96hczg

2.  From the Newton Foundation:  Friday, December 14, 2018 marks the 6-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. On that day, there will be nationwide vigils and events to #EndGunViolence.  Let’s find a vigil or event at this link: https://www.newtownfoundation.org/nationwide-vigils/  We can also use the link to register to host a vigil or an event in our town or city and click on the following links to download the 2018 National Vigil Toolkit and customizable posters to facilitate your planning and to coordinate our collective gun violence prevention message. 

3.   Whether we align ourselves with the Women’s March, or March On, or Women’s March Alliance, or WoMen for All, or with no group at all, we have an opportunity to make history and march once again on January 19, 2019.  Check with your favorite organization or local folks to help or to find out what is happening.

Reading/Watching

1.    I Served in Congress Longer Than Anyone. Here’s How to Fix It. - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/12/john-dingell-how-restore-faith-government/577222/

2.   This is what an antiracist America would look like. How do we get there? - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/06/antiracism-and-america-white-nationalism

3.   Verdict Is In: Food Stamps Put Poor Kids on Path to Success - https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2018-12-04/verdict-is-in-food-stamps-put-poor-kids-on-path-to-success

4.   Monumental Disaster at the Department of the Interior:  A new report documents suppression of science, denial of climate change, the silencing and intimidation of staff - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/monumental-disaster-at-the-department-of-the-interior/