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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)
Since its
creation by a bipartisan coalition under the Clinton
administration, CHIP has been crucial for the health and well-being of
millions of American children, their families and their communities.
The benefits for families and communities of CHIP are many.
For one, CHIP is crucial in providing financial security and prevents families
from suffering catastrophic losses. As a block grant, CHIP requires
periodic appropriation of funding to maintain the program. The most recent
extension, the Medicare and CHIP Reauthorization Act, funded the program
through September 2017. Without additional funding,
states will run out of money over the next few months.
Moreover, without a quick congressional action, states will be confronted with
daunting administrative and planning challenges on how to possibly maintain or
phase out the program.
http://fortune.com/2017/09/27/chip-kids-health-insurance/ Let’s remind our reps to quickly fund CHIP
(Children's Health Insurance Program) to protect the insurance for these
children and their families. If we tweet, we can also use this
tweetsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1yShbWOXoBeH1hluOxy8IuJtZTtft4EgpDWkzQxTHBmk/edit#gid=0
2)
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Makan Delrahim,
Trump's nominee, to head the Justice Department's antitrust division
https://bloom.bg/2wZqwmm This
is especially significant, as the antitrust division is deciding whether to
allow an AT&T and Time Warner merger; something that would give AT&T a
staggering amount of power. John Oliver addressed this in Last
Week Tonight, focusing on corporate consolidation and the dangers it
presents
http://bit.ly/2wlF3o4
Let's check it out, then tell the Justice Department not to allow this merger.
We can contact the antitrust division directly through e-mail:
3)
Trump has nominated Jeff Mateer to federal court.
Mateer, Texas's First Assistant Attorney General, has described gay marriage as
"disgusting," and referred to transgender individuals as being part
of 'Satan's plan"
http://cnn.it/2wxzKWZhttp://bit.ly/2faeZVW This
is not somebody who should be serving in any leadership role, much less that of
a district judge. Let's make sure our Senators oppose Mateer's confirmation. We
can also call Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office to voice our concerns
that someone who is so clearly homophobic and bigoted is serving as the First
Assistant Attorney General:
(800)
252-8011 Office of the Attorney General PO Box 12548 Austin, TX
78711-2548 Or we can call Mateer's office directly:
(512) 463-2191
4)
Representative Joe Kennedy, III, along with 77
cosponsors, introduced the Do No Harm Act (H.R. 3222), "To amend the
Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 to protect civil rights and otherwise
prevent meaningful harm to third parties, and for other purposes"
http://bit.ly/2xIsYN2 Let's
call the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on the Constitution
and Civil Justice, and ask that they pass this out of committee. Chairman Steve
King:
202.225.4426 Ranking
Member Steve Cohen:
(202)
225-3265 Let's also make sure that our Representatives are
cosponsoring and supporting this important legislation.
5)
Even though Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused
himself from the Russia investigation, that did not stop him from commenting on
the investigation's coverage by the media
http://bit.ly/2wZcU64 Let's remind Sessions not to
overstep the bounds of his recusal, nor use his position to influence the
investigation:
202-353-1555 U.S.
Department of Justice
950
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001
6)
Perhaps showing us their true colors, the Senate
quietly passed the CHRONIC Care Act (
S. 870)
by a voice vote the same day they abandoned the Graham-Cassidy bill to
repeal/replace the ACA. “The bill’s
provisions include expanding a program created by ObamaCare that provides care
for seniors in their homes; giving new tools to groups of doctors that come
together to coordinate care for a patient, known as Accountable Care Organizations;
and expanding the use of telehealth, where doctors use technology to
communicate with patients far away.”
http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/352637-senate-passes-bipartisan-medicare-reform-bill
Let’s thank our senators for working
together for the common good and remind them that is why we elected them and
that we’d like to see more of this.
7)
Before we find ourselves thoroughly enmired in “tax
reform,” we must take heed of Trump’s next, more immediate, move. “President
Trump failed again this week to fulfill his promise to repeal and replace the
Affordable Care Act . . . . Now he is taking aim at President Obama’s central
environmental legacy, the Clean Power Plan. The administration has made clear
its desire to repeal the Obama energy plan. But what would take its place it
remains a mystery.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/28/climate/clean-power-plan.html
Let’s remind Scott Pruitt and the EPA in no uncertain terms that their job is
to regulate greenhouse gases and protect our health, not cater to industry
lobbyists or the president:
https://twitter.com/EPAScottPruitt/
9)
Ajit Pai is up for reconfirmation to run the Federal
Communications Commission, and he needs to lose. His record on the FCC is one
of rolling back policies designed to protect internet users, communities of
color and poor people. If he remains in his position, he will champion
unwinding net neutrality protections and losing loopholes to expand the reach
of the Sinclair Broadcasting Group, aka Trump TV.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/fire-fcc-chairman-ajit-pai-petition-tells-us-senators/
. The net neutrality advocacy group Free Press is organizing people to call
their senators and urge them to vote against Pai’s reconfirmation. We can find
talking points and be connected to our senators at this link:
http://act.freepress.net/call/internet_nn_pai_fire
.
State Actions
1)
AR and soybean and/or cotton growing states: Arkansas
is on the verge of banning the use, during the growing season, of a
Monsanto-backed weedkiller, dicamba, which has been blamed for damaging
millions of acres of crops in neighboring farms this year. According to
estimates compiled by weed scientist Kevin Bradley at
the University of Missouri, at least 3 million acres of crops have seen some
injury. Dicamba can be sprayed on soybeans and cotton that have been
genetically modified to tolerate it. But not all farmers plant those new seeds
per this
NPR article. The Arkansas State Plant Board has
already voted unanimously to ban the use of dicamba on the state's crops from
mid-April until November. A public hearing about dicamba will be held
on Nov. 8. We can find out more information on the
AR Agriculture Dept. Dicamba update page. The Governor and
other legislators will need to sign off on this as well. If we are
Arkansans, let's tell Governor Asa Hutchinson that we want him to accept
the State Plant Board's recommendation by using
his web
contact form or calling:
501-682-2345 or
writing:
500
Woodlane St Rm 250, Little Rock AR 72201. Let's also contact our own
Arkansas state senators about this issue. Other states, and the EPA, are
considering new restrictions on dicamba use. We know the current EPA is
unresponsive. If we are in states that plant soybeans or cotton, let's
contact our own Governors and ask what they plan to do about the dicamba
problem.
2)
CO: "The Trump administration and the Grand Mesa,
Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest supervisor Scott Armentrout have
determined to expand coal mining operations near Somerset. This despite
overwhelming comments in opposition. Now there is a 45 day comment period
before finalizing this travesty."
https://www.d3indivisible.co/daily-actions/2017/9/23/d3-daily-action
Contact Scott Armentrout with your comments: GMUG Forest Supervisor
(Delta Office), Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forest
2250 Highway 50, Delta, Colorado 81416, or Phone: (970) 874-6600, or
Email:
sarmentrout@fs.fed.us
4)
ALL: The
Pence-Kobach commission on “voter integrity” continues to try to disenfranchise
American voters. After its September meeting, “Kobach . . . began
building a more methodical case for further federal voting restrictions — like
more restrictive photo-ID requirements, background checks and strict
enforcement of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) voter
maintenance — with the help of 12 white, male witnesses”:
http://billmoyers.com/story/calling-kobach-commission/
We need to continue to urge our state officials to push back, as they did when
Kobach tried to get extensive data on individual voters; we might also want to
keep track of Republican efforts to deny us the vote at
https://thefranchiseproject.com.
Other Actions
1)
From one of our own:
ResistBot, can be a great #resistance resource. By texting
"resist" to 50409, people can send faxes to their senators through
text messages. It even finds your senators for you based on your zip code and
remembers your phone number. Also, after you send a certain number of faxes,
you unlock the "letter" function, where the service will turn your
texts into a letter which they mail. The service is free. For more info,
check here:
https://resistbot.io/
2)
Some of us sports' fan Rogan's listers are already
boycotting the NFL (for supporting systemic racism and not hiring Kaepernick
among other issues like concussions and domestic abuse) and now we are seeing
another
NCAA basketball scandal with the University of Louisville.
Maybe we need a change. Let's take the time to check out the
WNBA. Not only has the
league been scandal-free, they have also been on the front lines of activism.
In
For the Win, WNBA president Lisa Borders says, "Our
players have been working in our communities, not just this year or last year.
This has been an ongoing effort by the WNBA since our inception. Our players
I’m sure will continue this, as will I and all of us that are working at the
league.” WBNA finals are currently in progress so now is a great time for us to
check out the game with some of their best players. Let's make an effort to
watch and support the WNBA. Game 3 of the Finals tips on
Friday (tonight!) in L.A. (9 PM ET, ESPN2) Minnesota Lynx vs Los Angeles
Sparks. The series is even at 1-1. Let's make a plan to follow the WNBA
next year, pick "our own" team (local or not), and consider
purchasing a season ticket or going to a game or two if they play near
us.
3)
Audubon Florida reports "Audubon scientists are
saddened to report all of the 44 active nests of the endangered Everglade Snail
Kite on Lake Okeechobee were lost due to Hurricane Irma’s high winds and high
rainfall. Lake Okeechobee, Florida's largest lake, is a stronghold for the
species found only in the Sunshine State. Post-Irma assessments of the Lake
indicate that many adults and juveniles in the area rode out the storm and
survived, but sadly, nests with eggs or flightless babies perished." If we
can, let's
help Florida Audubon by donating to help birds and
Florida's special places recover from Hurricane Irma.
7)
“Royal Caribbean is using a cruise ship to help
evacuate people from Puerto Rico and deliver needed supplies to Caribbean
islands. The cruise line announced on Tuesday that it is canceling its
September 30 Adventure of the Seas trip so it can use the ship to help victims
of Hurricane Maria.”
http://ktla.com/2017/09/27/royal-caribbean-sends-cruise-ship-to-help-puerto-rico/ Let’s thank these generous people: Royal Caribbean, Miami Corporate Offices,
1050, 1080 & 1040 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132
8)
“Twitter said Thursday it had shut down 201 accounts
that were tied to the same Russian operatives who posted thousands of political
ads on Facebook, but the effort frustrated lawmakers who said the problem is
far broader than the company appeared to know.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/twitter-finds-hundreds-of-accounts-tied-to-russian-operatives/2017/09/28/6cf26f7e-a484-11e7-ade1-76d061d56efa_story.html?utm_term=.6f26f3ddaf7a This on the heels of Facebook which, “Bowing to pressure from lawmakers and the
public, the company said it will provide the contents of 3,000 ads bought by a
Russian agency to congressional investigators, while also pledging to make
political advertising on its platform more "transparent."”
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/facebook-release-russia-ads-congress-amid-pressure-50010940 Let’s contact both Twitter and Facebook to
let them know how much we value their service and that expect them to maintain
integrity. Facebook: 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, and
Twitter: 1355 Market St #900, San
Francisco, CA 94103
9)
While we can pause to rejoice that Trump finally waived
the Jones Act for Puerto Rico, there is MUCH left to be done. TeenVogue, an
unexpected media hero in this era, has put together this very helpful guide
that has both historical and social action information to help us stay moving
forwarding to help Puerto Rico:
https://www.teenvogue.com/story/how-to-help-puerto-rico
Petitions
1)
"Pope Francis has been a vocal supporter of the
need for climate action, making him a respected leader to Catholics and people
of other faiths alike. We know the Pope believes in the need to phase-out
fossil fuels, so this week we’re joining
350.org in calling on him to divest. Taking the
Vatican’s assets out of any coal, oil or gas investments would be consistent
with Pope Francis’s call." Let's join Years of Living Dangerously and
National Geographic Channel in calling on Pope Francis to divest the
Vatican of fossil fuels by signing
their petition.
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
1)
It is time to join the Virtual March in support of the
DREAM Act 9/27-10/2. Let’s learn more
here how we can participate:
http://virtualmarch.us/
2)
“SToPP is a walk/run event to engage college students,
campus administration, and other advocates in raising awareness of, and
transforming behavior related to, sexual assault on campus.” In October they will host campus runs and a
virtual 5k to raise funds for campus sexual assault awareness. Let’s check out places and dates:
https://thenewagenda.net/stopp/ Then, let’s contact the sponsor, The New
Agenda, and ask how we can help schedule these more places for next year:
https://thenewagenda.net/contact-us/
Reading/Watching
Rogan’s
List is a participant in and strategic part ner 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
