Rogan's List

4/17/17 To-do List   

I am looking for a few people who are interested in being regular contributors to Rogan’s List.  If you are interested, or even curious, please send me an email and we can chat about it.  This is all volunteer (along with me), but you will know you are helping the #resistance in yet another way.  Thanks!  Susan Rogan

Contact Government Officials

Find your legislators here: https://www.theloyalopposition.net/rep-finder/

OR

Search all members of Congress here:  https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/current

OR

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

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

OR

Find senators Twitter and Facebook Accounts here:

http://www.socialseer.com/resources/us-senator-twitter-accounts/

Find representatives on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/cspan/lists/u-s-representatives/members?lang=en

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If your senators and reps aren't saved in your phone yet, text your US postal address

to (520) 200-2223 and get a text back with your

STATE & FEDERAL legislative rep phone numbers.

1. Russian influence in our elections remains the top issue.  The information that continues to be uncovered is sobering indeed.  http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39435786  Let’s keep asking for a true independent investigation so we can get to the bottom of this. 

2. On Easter morning, Trump tweeted something about the paid protesters at the small #TaxMarch rallies.  http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-calls-investigation-tax-day-protesters-tweets-election-over-n747101 Let’s remind him that we DO care about his taxes and that none of us were paid:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

3. In yet another attempt to seek Trump’s taxes, the privacy group Electronic Privacy Information Center has sued the IRS for failing to release his tax returns.  Earlier, the group had filed a FOIA request for them.  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/epic-sues-irs-trump-tax-returns-237256  Let’s let the IRS know that we want Trump’s tax returns released, too: 800-829-1040

4. U.S. Customs and Border Security Agents have been invading people's privacy, doing warrantless searches of cell phones and other electronic devices. A piece of bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the Senate: Protecting Data at the Border Act. http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/327246-bipartisan-bill-would-end-warrantless-searches-of-digital-devices-at Let’s contact our senators and ask that they cosponsor and support this act.

5. It appears that some Trump appointees may be in violation of ethics rules, however,  “…. figuring out if there were ethics violations is near impossible because the administration is secretly issuing waivers to the rules.”  http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/report-trump-appointees-working-around-ethics-violations/article/2620389  Let’s let the White House know that while there are times that waivers can be beneficial that we don’t think so when they are related to ethics rules:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

6. We know that tax reform is coming up soon.  Here are some staggering numbers on corporate income tax dodging.  https://www.facingsouth.org/2017/04/institute-index-staggering-new-numbers-corporate-income-tax-dodging  We need to contact our MoCs and let them know that we think that tax reform is needed – corporations (and the wealthy) need to pay their fair share.

7. This is the last week of the April Congressional recess.  Townhalls are excellent ways to show and tell our legislators how we feel about issues.  Find one here and go:  https://townhallproject.com/

8. Steve Miller, the white nationalist Trump advisor who wrote Trump’s inauguration speech and who is also a well-documented misogynist, appears to be moving into other realms including family leave, child care, and women’s issues with Ivanka.  http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/stephen-miller-white-house-trump-237216 Let’s let our legislators know that we are counting on them to preserve and advance women’s and children’s issues in Congress.

9. “Within the first 90 days of the session, the House and Senate have considered a number of bills limiting regulation and more than a dozen resolutions that would repeal existing regulations.”  We know that most regulations are really protections and need to be kept in place.  But, we also realize that corporate profits are put ahead of individual welfare.  http://www.epi.org/publication/understanding-the-anti-regulation-agenda-the-basics/ Let’s tell our MoCs that we are counting on them to watch out the health and safety of WE the people before the profits of corporations.

10. #TheResistanceTweetsheets are about Trump’s taxes!  https://resistancetweetsheets.wordpress.com/2017/04/16/april-17-2017-theresistance-will-get-trumps-tax-returns/

Other Actions

 

1. Beyond the Moment will be hosting its second conference call this Tuesday, April 18th to discuss May 1st's Day of Resistance. Let's register and participate in this call so that we can begin preparing: http://bit.ly/2pqAQMX For those of us who were unable to make the first call, it is available here: http://bit.ly/2pqnmk6

2. Looking for an easier way to find a MoC phone number? There is a new Google Chrome extension available called Dial Congress, which includes MoC's phone number each time their name is mentioned on a web page. Read more here:   http://slate.me/2p0Lop1 Extension available here:  http://bit.ly/2ok4xNS

3. White supremacist, Richard Spencer, who coined the term “alt-right” was going to speak at Auburn University tomorrow, but the University cancelled the event with this statement, “In consultation with law enforcement, Auburn canceled the Richard Spencer event scheduled for Tuesday evening based on legitimate concerns and credible evidence that it will jeopardize the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors.”  http://www.teenvogue.com/story/white-nationalist-richard-spencer-auburn-university Let’s reach out to The Auburn University administration to thank them.  President Jay Gogue:  http://www.auburn.edu/administration/president/contact.html 

4. From one of our own:  I'm preaching to the choir here about the virtues of postcard writing but have you considered sharing postcards with reluctant friends and family?? I noticed that mom, outraged but inactive, wasn't calling or engaging but when I gave her a stack of postcards preaddressed to her MoC and stamped she started writing. That inspired and effort that has led to a friend and I sending 1842 postcards to 44 districts in 15 states. It started with a simple fb post asking my friends if there was anything on their mind to share with legislators and an offer to send preaddressed and stamped postcards. We add slogans to the cards but the back is blank for their message. Folks have been posting and sharing their card writing efforts online...all good for the cause!   https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0k1qCMVpKZpNGpMbXE2Wi1hZ1dJWWFubGZVczlBdGtyUHRR 

5. Fake news is fake news whether it is produced/promoted by the right or the left. Fake news is seriously harmful to the left.  http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-39592010  Let’s all work on vetting sources before we share or promote and not use those on the far or questionable left.  When we are not sure if a source is credible and share-worthy, let’s check here: https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/ and here:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0k1qCMVpKZpMzlBRzZYLWhxZG8 

6. Let’s use these special elections to practice helping others get registered to vote and to get out and vote.  Let’s make sure we are set for the 2018 elections.  AAUW shows us how to organize a voter registration drive:  http://www.aauw.org/resource/organize-a-voter-registration-drive/

7. Are you an American citizen living overseas? Frustrated with the current political situation? First, make sure you are registered to vote. You can sign up for your absentee ballot here: https://www.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/home.htm. If you are a registered Democrat overseas, here's another group to get involved with:  http://www.democratsabroad.org/. They just held a "global town hall" with Tom Perez on April 13!

Petitions to Sign

 

1. While the climate change deniers may be happy about Pruitt, the head of the EPA, calling for the United States to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement, we are not.  A meeting is to be held this week at the White House concerning this. https://www.lcv.org/article/lcv-statement-paris-climate-agreement-meeting-white-house-reportedly-happening-next-week/ Let’s join the League of Conservation Voters in voicing our opposition to this:  https://lcv.fightforclimate.org/paris-agreement/

2. "U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents have been conducting illegal searches of American citizens’ private data at the border in clear violation of the Constitution and a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Pass Sen. Ron Wyden’s ‘Protecting Data at the Border’ Act immediately." Let’s sign our agreement: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/illegal_border_search

Learning

1. Robert Reich tells us why “Prosperity doesn't come from tax cuts for the rich, but from taxing the rich and investing in the American people”  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KKCXJ6WesU

2. Let’s “revel, reflect, recharge’:  http://tinyletter.com/revel-reflect-recharge/letters/get-energized-get-creative

3. “Digital Activism 101: A Guide to Showing Up, Speaking Out, and Connecting on Twitter and Facebook”: https://www.slideshare.net/MeredithGould/digital-activism-101-a-guide-to-showing-up-speaking-out-and-connecting-on-twitter-and-facebook

4. “What’s most worrisome about Trump is what’s been worrisome all along: that he doesn’t think through the consequences of what he says and does, and that he acts without a glimmer of consistency, or guiding principle; he’s a man of constant surprise.”  http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/the-non-transformation-of-donald-j-trump

Rogan’s List is a participant in and strategic partner of the Action Alliance,

a federation of more than 70 #resistance sites located throughout the nation,

each with its own methods and approach.  Other member sites are listed here: https://www.actionalliance.co/  --scroll down and click through and you'll find many more opportunities to make a difference.

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Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of Resistance

https://risestronger.org/resist