Rogan's List

5/20/17

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1. UPDATE:  In keeping with standard judicial etiquette, we will no longer be thanking judges or anyone involved in what are considered independent investigations.  These activities need to be seen as independent and impartial, and for many of those involved being thanked will get their backs up and may make them lean over backwards not to look like they are in any way supportive of any side. 

2. Instead of hearing Trump say that he will cooperate with any investigation, we are hearing him wail and complain.  On top of that the White House is looking into “…an obscure ethics rule to undermine the special counsel investigation into ties between President Donald Trump's campaign team and Russia…”  http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mueller-idUSKCN18F2KK  We need to let the White House and our MoCs know that this is unacceptable and that the special counsel should be able to do his job. 

3. Appointing a special counsel to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election and ties between the Trump campaign and Russia was a great first step. However, we also need to make sure that the public is kept in the loop and fully informed. This can be done through a special committee, where hearings and testimonies are public. Let's contact our MoCs to let them know that we would still like a special committee to investigate Russia's interference in last year's election and its ties to the Trump campaign. ACLU has a form letter that we can edit and send to our MoCs:  http://bit.ly/2q3CcfG

4. The discharge petition for the Protecting Our Democracy Now Act of 2017 (H.R. 356) has been filed https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/356 The bill would call for an independent commission to investigate Russia's ties with the 2016 U.S. election and the Trump campaign. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-democrats-circulate-petition-to-force-vote-to-create-an-independent-commission/ The petition will need 218 signatures to move the bill out of Committee, and on to the House floor for a vote. As of Thursday, May 18th, the bill had 191 signatures. We can check the petition to see if our Representative has signed it yet, and if they have not, urge them to do so: http://clerk.house.gov/115/lrc/pd/petitions/DisPet0002.xml 

5. No matter what happens with #TrumpRussia, one way or another Congress has to fund the government and raise the debt ceiling this fall. Conservative extremists would like to use these upcoming deadlines to push their destructive agenda, attaching things like Social Security and Medicare cuts or attacks on critical protections for workers and our environment to a debt ceiling hike. (http://thehill.com/policy/finance/333729-conservative-groups-want-debt-limit-spending-fights-separate?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=8641) Let's call our reps and tell them that we haven't forgotten these deadlines, and we want a clean hike of the debt ceiling, with nothing else tacked on.

6. The GOP has used the Congressional Review Act of 1996 to repeal 14 ​Obama-era protections for our health, safety, pocketbook and environment. Now, Democrats are fighting back with the Sunset the CRA and Restore American Protections, or SCRAP, Act - which could stop further attacks on these protections and help us get these safeguards back in place. (http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-regulation-exclusive-idUSKCN18C1T5) So far, only four members of Congress have signed on. Let's build some momentum for it by calling our reps and asking them to co-sponsor S.1140 and H.R. 2449, and signing this petition in support of it at rulesatrisk.org/.

7. Joe Lieberman is way too close to the trump team to be appointed as head of the FBI. He comes from the law firm, Kasowitz Benson Torres and Friedman, which trump uses. "The firm has represented Trump in matters for years. Last October, Marc Kasowitz, a partner at the firm,threatened The New York Times with legal action after the newspaper published pages from Trump’s 1995 income tax return. Later that month, Kasowitz wrote a letter to Times demanding the retraction of an article about two women who claimed Trump had “touched them inappropriately.” The Times did not retract the article."  http://www.newsweek.com/fbi-director-joe-lieberman-trump-kasowitz-611182  Let's call our reps and say no to the appointment of Lieberman.  It's just another sneaky trump attempt to stop the criminal investigation. 

8. Reporter John Donnelly was physically handled at the FCC when trying to ask a question: http://www.press.org/news-multimedia/news/club-leaders-protest-report-reporter-manhandled-fcc-guards-because-he-asked-que and http://time.com/4785484/john-donnelly-fcc-security-press-freedom/ Let’s let the FCC chairman, Mr. Ajit Pai, and the FCC Commissioners, Ms. Mignon Clyburn and Mr. Michael O’Reilly know that this is not acceptable in a society with freedom of the press (and while you’re writing, you can express disappoint about the net neutrality decision):  Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov, Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov, mike.o'rielly@fcc.gov 

9. We have earth-shattering, administration-threatening scandals occupying the headlines… but the GOP is still frantically working to shove their agenda through, and they’re making frightening progress in their attacks on crucial protections for our food, water, workers and kids. They call it “regulatory reform,” but what they mean is “let’s let our corporate donors run wild.” This week, a Senate committee passed the so-called “Regulatory Accountability Act.” Now this bill, which really means corporations will be LESS accountable, is headed to the full chamber.  Let’s make sure they know that we see what they’re doing, and we won’t stand for it. Read the Environmental Defense Fund's case against this legislation here: http://blogs.edf.org/health/2017/05/11/red-tape-and-over-reach-that-is-the-regulatory-accountability-act-in-a-word-and-a-graphic/  And then let’s call our senators and tell them to say no.

10. The Trump administration is asking us which government agencies we’d like them to get rid of—including the National Park Service and other caretakers of our lands and waters. Let’s let them know that we want to keep them all:  https://www.whitehouse.gov/reorganizing-the-executive-branch

 

Other Actions

1. From Americans Resisting Overseas:  The Standing Rock native defenders will be launching the Stand With Standing Rock European Tour, Saturday, between 20th of May and 19th of June. This tour, includes visits to over 10 European cities to mobilize around divestment and has been supported by overseas resistance groups! Find out more about the Stand With Standing Rock European Tour and how you can support it here. https://americansresistingoverseas.com/2017/05/19/act-now-standing-rock-goes-to-europe-20th-of-may-heres-how-you-can-help/

2. ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN are all refusing to air Trump's ad about his first 100 days in office:  http://bit.ly/2rlk71o The ad also accuses each network of airing "fake news." Let's thank these networks for taking a stand against Trump's false accusations. We can contact them here:  1)  A ABC: http://abc.go.com/feedback, 2) CBS: http://www.cbs.com/feedback, 3) NBC: http://www.nbc.com/contact-us, and 4) CNN: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/

3. ExxonMobil and Chevron will both hold their annual shareholder meetings on May 31, the first in Dallas and the second in Midland, TX.  Both have opposed every climate-related resolution put forward by shareholders. http://www.ecowatch.com/exxon-chevron-climate-change-2409787084.html The Union of Concerned Scientists is urging us to make it clear to these corporate purveyors of climate change disinformation that we hold them accountable: https://secure.ucsusa.org/onlineactions/3n8nBVACEEeD-jDtdfFPQg2  And, of course, those of us in Texas should check out local actions.

4. The undue haste, sloppiness, and lack of information that characterizes much of the action of our president extend, it seems, to his appointees. So much so that on Wednesday, Chuck Grassley (R-IA) wrote to Energy Secretary Rick Perry objecting that his department’s “hastily developed” study of the reliability of the national electric grid “appears to predetermine that variable, renewable resources . . . have undermined grid reliability” and will not be “viewed as credible, relevant, or worthy of valuable taxpayer resources.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-energy-renewables-idUSKCN18D2UG Let’s tell Perry we agree with Grassley and want government studies to be informed, fact-based and reliable.  Rick Perry can be reached at 202-586-5000 (FAX 202-586-4403) or at The.Secretary@hq.doe.gov

5. While Trump has said nothing, Senators Diane Feinstein and John McCain have spoken out together about the brawl outside the home of the Turkish Ambassador to the US, Serdar Kiliç, and they wrote a joint letter to the President Erdogan asking that the guards at the ambassador’s home be held accountable for their actions: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/334103-senators-to-turkey-hold-guards-accountable-on-dc-brawl  Please take a moment to write to Ambassador Kiliç to express that violence against protestors is not acceptable in the United States: 2525 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC, 20008

6. We should seize on the few formal opportunities we have to comment on the less visible but no less important actions of Trump’s appointees. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice created the National Commission on Forensic Science, comprised of scientists, judges, prosecutors, criminal defense attorneys, and other stakeholders who have an interest maintaining strict, professional, and quality scientific standards for forensic sciences. The Commission's objective was to provide advice and recommendations to the DOJ.  Last month, AG Jeff Sessions announced that the NCFS would not be renewed, but public comments will be accepted until June 9th.  Rise Stronger provides all the information we need to post a comment: https://risestronger.org/newsroom/renew-the-national-commission-on-forensic-science

7. If we believe public schools should remain public and our tax dollars should not be rerouted to private and/or religious schools, we should tell Education Secretary Betsy DeVos as much before she unveils her “school choice” agenda in Indianapolis next Monday. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/sources-devos-to-unveil-school-choice-plans-in-policy-speech-238544  Let’s  call the Department of Education at 1-800-USA-LEARN (1-800-872-5327) and let them know that we oppose the “education tax credit scholarship” proposal, which the Trump administration has apparently had under consideration for months: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-schools-tax-credit-public-private-235228

8. "The US Federal Communications Commission has voted to overturn rules that force ISPs to treat all data traffic as equal...The vote by the FCC commissioners is the first stage in the process of dismantling the net neutrality regulations.  The agency is now inviting public comment on whether it should indeed dismantle the rules. Americans have until mid-August to share their views with the FCC." http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39973787 FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn, the only one of the three commissioners who defended the rules, has said “Net neutrality is doomed if we’re silent."  https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/16/fcc-commissioner-net-neutrality-is-doomed-if-were-silent  Let's let Ajit Pai, head of the FCC, know we want #netneutrality preserved, by filing a comment: https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express. The "proceedings" number is 17-108.

9. We can now call a leave a message for our MoCs with the app called Stance. “Calling members of Congress is the most effective way for people to make their voice heard, but overflowing voicemails and busy staffers mean that constituents spend hours waiting to deliver messages. Stance is a free app designed to resolve that problem. Stance allows anyone to record and send an audio message directly to their representative's office. More info here: http://takeastance.us/

10. Through a strong combination of resistance actions and the excellence of the press, misogynist New Hampshire State Representative Robert Fisher (of Red Pill infamy) has resigned:  http://time.com/4782902/new-hampshire-robert-fisher-red-pill-reddit/ Postcards for Kate has suggested sending a thank you to Daily Beast reporter Bonnie Bacarisse for her diligent sleuthing that brought the situation to a head: The Daily Beast, 7 Hanover Sq, NY, NY 10004

Petitions to Sign

1. Congress is considering legislation that would roll back ballast cleanup rules that manage the invasive species that travel on ship ballasts. And that’s very bad news for the Great Lakes.  Let’s remind our MoCs that we need to protect our Great Lakes:  http://greatlakes.p2a.co/mmxGzgP

2. A petition for those of you in the Washington, D.C. area calling on advertisers to boycott the Fox station there until proper actions are taken for the irresponsible and false reporting disparaging the late Seth Rich: https://www.change.org/p/hold-fox-5-dc-accountable-for-irresponsible-seth-rich-reporting

3. Joe Lieberman is a politician. He has no real law enforcement credentials. This post needs someone with the know-how to run investigations independent of politics -- especially now, with Trump's ties to Russia under a microscope. After retiring from the senate, Lieberman went to work for a law firm that represents Donald Trump. Let’s sign Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D-OH) petition tell Trump:  No politician at the FBI:  https://www.sherrodbrown.com/landing/e170519/

Learning

1. Here's a learning item we all need to watch. Journalist Roland Martin wants us to know why so-called "identity politics," a phrase often used to dismiss issues of race, class, and so forth, should be neither ignored nor vilified. In this 10-minute clip, Martin cites a variety of historical facts and reminds liberals that it is vital to fully understand why "Identity politics has made America a better nation." It will also be, he implies, what keeps us from going under. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gBUo6iKlCb8

2. While we may take issue with her notion of liberals’ current “obsessive delight”, former speech writer for President Reagan Peggy Noonan reminds us all that democracy is not our plaything:  https://www.wsj.com/articles/democracy-is-not-your-plaything-1495149082

3. Here’s this week’s “United States of Resistance” https://www.risestronger.org/newsroom/that-s-the-way-the-cookie-crumbles

4. And, our weekly dose of “Small Victories”  http://www.peaceisloud.org/blog/small-victories-issue-20

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

         a loosely-federated group of organizations that, in the wake of the

2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action.

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