Rogan's List

5/12/17

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1. The timing of Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey is questionable to say the least. Since it is the President's role to appoint his replacement, the new appointee will likely be tasked to end, rather than deepen, the investigations already in process. If we want to know the true extent of Russia's involvement in the 2016 election, and whether Trump colluded, then we need a bipartisan and objective group to carry out a legitimate investigation. We've seen calls for an "independent commission" and an "independent prosecutor." What should we ask for, and what is the difference? The folks at Resistance Manual have a new section called “Russian Interference in American Politics” where we can learn just that.  https://www.resistancemanual.org/Russian_Interference_in_American_Politics Let’s read up to find out, and why we should ask our MoCs for both.  Then, let’s call our MoCs personalizing our own message with this suggestion from Resistance Manual:  “As my elected representative, one of your most important jobs is to ensure that we have free and fair elections. We need to know if the Putin regime interfered with the very foundation of our democracy. We need an Independent Commission, like the 9/11 Commission, to fully investigate possible Russian interference and the role that the Trump campaign may have played and to make the evidence publicly available. We also need an independent prosecutor, after the firing of FBI Director Comey, to ensure that the investigations are nonpartisan and properly conducted."

2. Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took to the press circuit to try to get us to shift our focus. She said regarding the Russia investigation, "It's time to move on, and, frankly, it's time to focus on the things the American people care about…” http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332669-white-house-spokesperson-time-to-move-on-from-russia-probes Let’s let her know that we’re not ready to move on and that potential collusion in the interference in our election is something we care about: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500

3. Trump’s firing of Comey, the FBI Director, was a surprise to almost everyone.  Trump’s praise for Comey’s investigation into Clinton’s emails to his dislike of being the subject of Comey’s investigation left many scrambling for words and reasons.  Here’s what our lawmakers had to say:  https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/10/us/politics/congress-statements-comey.html  Let's use this great resource to thank MoC for speaking out. If we have Representatives or Senators who have either not spoken out, or who are not in support of some kind of special counsel or investigation, let's give them a call. (To easily find your MoC on the page: For PCs press the "ctrl" and "f" keys at the same time to bring up a search bar, then type in the name or word you're looking for; For Macs, press the command and "f" keys.)
   
   
4. In response to Representative Maloney's suggestion that Democrats step in when Republican MoC refuse to show up and explain their votes for legislation (http://politi.co/2pZIikl), the Indivisible Guide, Organizing for Action, the Townhall Project, Center for American Progress, and Progressive Change Campaign Committee have created an Adopt-A-District Guide. This 21-page resource explains the strategy, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to hold your MoC accountable for their vote on the AHCA.  Let’s do this!  https://www.indivisibleguide.com/resource/adopt-district-guide/

5. Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy has signed legislation banning gay conversion therapy: http://bit.ly/2q8OFAB Let's send out a "thank you" to Governor Malloy for supporting this important bill: State Capitol, 210 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106

6. Asylum seekers are being turned away at the border, without the formal processing that's required: http://nyti.ms/2p966i5 These people are in dire situations, and deserve to be heard. The Department of Homeland Security has a comment line we can call to voice our concerns: 202-282-8495 Let's also call our MoC and ask that they help spread awareness of this situation, and to support asylum seekers.

7. Three Republicans in the Senate voted with the Democrats to reject the repeal of methane emissions regulations: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/senate-blocks-move-repeal-obama-era-rule-methane-emissions-drilling/ Please take the time to thank them for standing up for the environment and for putting country over party: By phone:  1) Sen. Lindsey Graham: (202) 224-5972, 2) Sen. John McCain: (202) 224-2235, 3) Sen. Susan Collins: (202)224-2523 or by mail:  1) Susan Collins, 1 Canal Plz Ste 802, Portland ME 04101-4035. 2) Lindsey Graham, 130 S Main St FL 7, Greenville SC 2601-4870. 3) John McCain, 2201 E Camelback Rd Ste 115, Phoenix AZ 85016-3446.

8. It may seem like a long way away, but the 2020 Census is in danger of being done on the cheap. The danger of funding being reduced was brought to the forefront when longtime Census Director John H. Thompson abruptly resigned this week amid disagreements over funding for the Census Bureau:  http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/05/10/Census-director-Thompson-resigns-abruptly/6511494426536/ Why should we care, you ask. The number of Representatives from each of our states in the US House is determined by the number of people living in the state -- The TOTAL number of people - including homeless, children, non-citizens who live primarily in the state, US military personnel living in the state, people who have residences in two-states (counted where they live and sleep most of the time), prisoners incarcerated in the state. In the past, great efforts were made to find and count all of these people. Less money? Less effort. It is not too soon to make your wishes known. Since this is a budget item let’s contact our reps to maintain adequate funding for the Census Bureau. We need to spend adequate money to do a thorough census in 2020.

9. Trump is wasting more of our money; no, not another Mar-A-Largo trip, this time an executive order on Voter Fraud he intends to sign on Thursday, May 11. "Trump repeatedly made baseless claims about voter fraud during the 2016 election, claiming millions of fraudulent votes are the reason Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton won the popular vote."  He wants to fund an investigation into mass voter fraud for an election he apparently won and countless federal and state voting authorities have already stated that such mass voter fraud was not true.  http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/332905-trump-expected-to-sign-order-launching-commission-on-election-integrity  This is another deflection from the WH. Let's tell Trump we don't need this investigation, we don't need to waste any more of our tax dollars on his ego.  He lost the popular vote.  Get over it.  Write him here:  1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20500, or call here:  (202) 456-1111 or here:  (202) 456-1414.

10. Gutting bank regulations has been a goal of Trump’s. This week,  “A loophole allowed the Trump administration to install a Wall Street lawyer to take over one of the nation’s most powerful regulators without a hearing or confirmation.”  http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/keith-noreika-donald-trump Let’s let our legislators know that we are counting on them to maintain the integrity of the banking and financial protections that are currently in place.

11. In the midst of the Comey storm, don’t forget the EPA public comment period, which ends May 15th.  ClimateTruth.org makes it easy to submit a comment: https://act.climatetruth.org/sign/EPA-regulations/

12. From one of our own:  I just got off the phone with a staffer at Mitch McConnell's Louisville field office. I told her I knew she couldn't count my call because I'm calling from MI but I said Mitch's refusal to call for a special prosecutor and an independent commission to deal with the traitor in the White House, makes Mitch complicit. She was lovely. She said she COULD count my call and when I told her I was sorry she had to work for such a terrible person and I hope she would take care of herself, she said she appreciated it. Those poor staffers. So get on the phone and call the field offices. Lexington # = 859-224-8286. Paducah = 270-442-4554. Louisville -- 502-582-6304. Bowling Green = 270-781-1673. London -- (606) 864-2026. Ft. Wright -- (859) 578-0188

13. Here are some clickable tweets for us to use urging various senators to live up to their oath to protect our country from foreign threats:  https://medium.com/@CAPAction/call-on-senators-to-fulfillyouroath-cef957e25fb

14. Once again Teen Vogue is spot on:  “In a nation where we strive to understand religious propaganda in order to prevent further indoctrination, it's crucial we take a more serious approach in identifying white nationalist, white supremacist, misogynistic, homophobic, and transphobic agitprop. We can not and should not dismiss any prejudiced motive because, by fact, the most common and most lethal form of domestic terrorism isn't carried out by brown-skinned Islamic jihadists.”  http://www.teenvogue.com/story/white-male-terrorists-are-an-issue-we-should-discuss  Let’s make sure that our MoCs understand that this form of terrorism needs their attention for our safety at home.

15. “Sen. Wyden (D-OR) said Wednesday that he's placed a hold on President Trump's pick to oversee the administration's sanctions policy, adding that he'll only lift the hold if the Treasury Department provides documents about the financial ties between Russia and Trump associates.”  http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/332851-wyden-slow-walks-nominee-in-push-for-trump-russia-financial-details Let’s thank the senator for choosing proper priorities:  https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/

Other Actions

1. We're less than two weeks away from the special election for the Montana at-large House seat on May 25th! It's becoming clearer and clearer how much we need Rob Quist in Congress. We need someone who will support an independent investigation into #TrumpRussia and oppose the attack on our health care - which Republican Greg Gianforte has been caught praising. (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/politics/montana-house-special-election-greg-gianforte-health-bill.html) Regardless of where we live, we can make calls to help turn out Montana voters thanks the Progressive Turnout Project, with instructions at this link:  http://www.turnoutpac.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/mt-al-openvpb-guide-1.pdf.

2. Protecting voting rights will help us strengthen democracy and win back the House so they can serve as a check on Trump. Activists in Florida are fighting to do just that, working to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot that will restore voting rights to nonviolent felons. Florida's disenfranchisement law is one of the most restrictive in the nation, and takes the vote away from 1 of every 5 African-American adults in the state. (https://www.wuft.org/news/2017/04/14/activists-push-for-ex-felon-voter-rights-restoration/) Let's donate to support their campaign: https://www.miamirights.com/.

3. On May 13, Food & Water Watch will launch its OFF Fossil Fuels campaign with community meetings all over the country to plan next steps in ending and coping with the effects of climate change.  Let’s Find one near us! http://map.offfossilfuels.org

4. National Mama’s Bail Out Day, the initiative of the Movement for Black Lives to free mothers who are held in jail for lack of money bail, is underway! The Atlanta Journal Constitution (http://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/black-mamas-bailout-seeks-bring-black-women-home-for-mother-day/S1H5PYs50DBABa06fOmeCM/ ),
   The Nation (https://www.thenation.com/article/this-mothers-day-black-lives-matter-activists-will-give-more-than-30-women-their-freedom/ ), and Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/09/mamas-bail-out-day-campaign-aims-help-jailed-mothers ) have all written about the first bail-outs, but donations are still needed.  Let’s give generously and get these women out of jail this Mothers Day week: https://brooklynbailfund.org/national-bail-out-day-donate

Petitions to Sign

1. Let’s join Sen. Gillibrand in asking for an independent special prosecutor to investigate the Trump administration’s connections to Russia:  https://petitions.signforgood.com/independentprosecutor

2. Save the Children is asking us to join them in urging Congress to oppose Trump’s proposed cuts to programs that serve impoverished children around the world: http://action.savethechildrenactionnetwork.org/p/dia/action4/common/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=22149

Learning

1. Sen. Booker explains what we now need:  https://www.facebook.com/corybooker/videos/10156816297657228/

2. If you missed this piece in early March titled, “Despair is not a Strategy: 15 Principles of Hope”, this would be a good time to read it (or re-read it): https://medium.com/@abby.brockman/despair-is-not-a-strategy-15-principles-of-hope-deba7ac2cb29 In particular, as we face the crisis of the Comey firing and the implications of it, let’s dig into #5: “We don’t need to persuade our most ardent opponents for change to happen.” Instead of burning energy on those ardent opponents, let’s take some time today to work on energizing a “passive ally” into an “active ally”. Can you think of someone who was in despair after the election but has seemed frozen since then or a friend who attended the Women’s March but then did not know what to do next? Be in touch to say something like, “Sometimes this situation seems pretty overwhelming but I know that together we can turn the tide. Would you please be in touch with your representatives to express concern about Trump’s firing of Comey and our need to protect our democracy by understanding the extent of Russian interference in our election and whether or not there was collusion with the Trump campaign?”  Consider mailing or handing a few stamped postcards to the passive allies in your life to boost their chances of shifting into active mode.

3. "You cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing, protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution," [Acting FBI Director] McCabe said. http://www.npr.org/2017/05/11/527917539/mccabe-you-cannot-stop-the-fbi-from-doing-the-right-thing?sc=17&f=527917539 This is where we need to take solace and hope. 

4. Kudos to the New York Times for this chilling, yet accurate editorial letter to our Deputy Attorney General:  https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/opinion/deputy-attorney-general-open-letter.html

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