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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. As
the Trump administration prepares to issue an executive order undercutting the Affordable
Care Act, we should remember that the great principle behind every insurance
system is, in essence, “we’re all in this together.” The young and healthy
might not need health coverage now, but they will someday, and that puts all of
us in the same boat that our Divider-in-Chief is trying to scuttle by
separating us by our current health status. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/8/16439492/trump-obamacare-association-health-plans Let’s
make sure our MoCs know that we oppose this pending executive order and any
attempt to weaken the ACA, our best collective defense against
medically-related financial catastrophe.
2. While
Congress is steadfastly protecting gun rights, it is simultaneously denying reasonable
access to quality health care to those who are victims of gun violence. Take the Las Vegas tragedy as an example,
many of the people who were injured will be dealt another blow when medical
bills arrive. Clark County Commission
Chair Steve Sisolak has set up a GoFundMe account to help the victims. No other country handles health care this
way. https://theintercept.com/2017/10/02/las-vegas-shooting-gofundme-health-care/
Let’s thank Sisolak: http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/county-commissioners/districta/pages/contact-us.aspx Then, let’s tell our legislators that we want
them to work across the aisle and fix healthcare in the USA and while they are
at it, work on some common sense gun safety.
Most Americans want both.
3. Over
the weekend, Trump’s war of Tweets with Sen. Bob Corker continued with Corker
saying, among other things, “He would have to concern anyone who cares about
our nation.” http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/354486-corker-trump-is-setting-up-the-country-for-world-war-iii The
Atlantic has a strong op-ed about what his next moves need to be: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/10/corker-trump/542385/ Let’s
be in touch with Senator Corker to thank him for speaking up and putting
country in front of party and ask him to keep going forward to action:
https://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/officelocations and
@SenBobCorker on Twitter
4.
We might have guessed that Trump’s DACA “deal” with
Schumer and Pelosi would have strings attached – in this case, border wall
funding and crackdown on unaccompanied minors: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-exclusive/trump-seeks-border-wall-crackdown-on-unaccompanied-minors-for-dreamer-deal-idUSKBN1CD10LSchumer
and Pelosi have responded with a hard no:
https://twitter.com/benwikler/status/917213774695845891 Let’s
keep up the drumbeat with our MoC about the need for a clean version of the
DREAM Act. The DREAMers should not have
to pay for the wall.
5. Vice
President Pence’s stunt of walking out of an NFL game costs taxpayers an
estimated quarter million dollars: https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/10/08/politics/pence-indianapolis-flights-cost/index.html The
NFL Players Union is standing by their players thankfully:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/354489-nfl-players-association-backs-players-constitutional-rights?ampBut,
as of Monday morning, Pence and Trump still seem more focused on
peaceful protest of NFL players than the tiki-torch wielding white supremacists
in Charlottesville. Let’s take a look at this cartoon on the subject:
https://twitter.com/deray/status/917381192386793473 and
then write directly to Pence to express our views on his affinity for both
white supremacists and abuse of taxpayer funds: The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500 or on Twitter @VP
6. In
July, Senators Kamala Harris and Rand Paul introduced bipartisan legislation
that would work to end the money bail system and decrease mass incarceration.
The bill, S. 1593: Pretrial Integrity and Safety Act, would provide grants to
states so that they can move away from utilizing money bail http://bit.ly/2vI5404 Let's
contact our senators and ask that they cosponsor and support S. 1593. We can
also sign Color of Change's petition:
http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/sen-kamala-harris-money-bail-reform For
those of us with the means, we can also support the work at No More Money
Bail:
7. Since
2015, the United States has been supporting the war in Yemen through weaponry
and intelligence. The war has fueled a cholera outbreak, and a humanitarian
crisis in which young girls are being sold into childhood marriage http://nyti.ms/2fX1olt http://bit.ly/2xowRYX Congresswoman
Ro Khanna has introduced bipartisan legislation with Congressmen Thomas Massie,
Mark Pocan, and Walter B. Jones, Jr., which would force a vote on the United
States' continued involvement in the war in Yemen http://bit.ly/2xsMVcf It's
time for Congress to have a say, and for the U.S. to withdraw support from the
war. Let's call our reps and ask that they support H.Con.Res. 81: http://bit.ly/2z7TVbv
8. "The
Trump administration announced Monday that it would take formal steps
to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature policy to curb greenhouse gas
emissions from power plants, setting up a bitter fight over the future of
America’s efforts to tackle global warming. Coal- and natural-gas-fired power
plants are responsible for about one-third of America’s carbon dioxide emissions.
When the Clean Power Plan was unveiled in 2015, it was expected to cut power
sector emissions 32 percent by 2030, relative to 2005. While many states are
already shifting away from coal power for economic reasons, experts say
scrapping the rule could slow that transition. Environmental groups and several
states plan to challenge the repeal proposal in federal courts, arguing against
Mr. Pruitt’s move on both scientific and economic grounds. Mr. Pruitt’s proposal
for repeal will now have to go through a formal public-comment period before
being finalized, a process that could take months. Mr. Pruitt will also ask the
public for comment on what a replacement rule should look like, but the E.P.A.
has not offered a timeline. Environmental groups and Democratic-controlled
states are expected to challenge these moves on multiple fronts. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/09/climate/clean-power-plan.html
Let's keep an eye on this issue so we
can comment during the public comment period
9. As
predicted over the past weekend, EPA Administrator and climate change denier
Scott Pruitt, has announced that he will sign the repeal of the Clean Power
Plan on October 10th, thus beginning, in the words of Obama’s EPA
administrator, “a wholesale retreat from EPA’s legal, scientific and moral
obligation to address the threats of climate change.” Environmental groups and several states plan
to challenge the repeal proposal in federal courts, arguing against Mr.
Pruitt’s move on both scientific and economic grounds. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-epa-clean-power-plan-20171009-story.html
The EPA is required to gather public comment on this change, so until the
formal opportunity is announced, we can tweet or write Pruitt and tell him we
want to keep our clean air policies: @EPAScottPruitt or Environmental Protection
Agency, Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460. We can remind our MoCs as well that they
should weigh in on this issue for clean air for all of us.
10. Last week,
the Interior Department rejected 25 endangered species petitions, including one
for the Pacific Walrus. Fish and Wildlife "has declined to list the
Pacific walrus as endangered after deciding that the huge tusked mammals may be
able to adapt to the loss of the sea ice that they currently depend upon."
We can read the full article about the Pacific Walrus at the Guardian. Here are two additional stories we can
read on the entire list of 25 rejected species: 1) Washington Post [subscription] 2) Article from Jessica Corbett at Common Dreams. Corbett
points out 5 bills that are being considered that would gut the Endangered
Species Act: Let's check out the 5 bills with their links to
Countable.us: 1) HR717 Listing Reform Act 2) HR1274 State, Tribal, and Local Species Transparency and Recovery Act 3) HR3131 Endangered Species Litigation Reasonableness Act ,
4)HR2603, the
"SAVES" Act, would delist all nonnative species from the
Endangered Species Act, meaning that animals which don’t naturally have a
habitat in the U.S. wouldn’t be considered endangered or threatened and
5) HR424 Gray Wolf State Management Act. Let's contact
all of our Members of Congress to find out where they stand on the Endangered
Species Act. Let's tell our representatives to oppose HR717, HR1274, HR3131,
HR2603, HR424.
11. Trump EPA
nominee Michael Dourson refuses to recuse himself from cases involving
chemical companies he worked for. Dourson worked for the EPA as a staff
scientist until 1994 when he left "to found the Toxicology Excellence
for Risk Assessment (TERA), a group that has produced reports minimizing
concerns about the safety of chemicals produced by companies like DuPont, Dow,
and Boeing. As head of the EPA’s chemical and pesticides office, he would
oversee the agency’s regulation of industrial chemicals and pesticides — the
same products manufactured by companies that funded much of Dourson’s
private-sector work." (source:Think Progress.) USA Today's article about Dourson "EPA
nominee Michael Dourson endorsed weak standard for chemical linked to tumors in
industry-funded research" provides us additional information. “If
Mike Dourson is confirmed, the environmental health of every child in the
country will be tossed aside,” [says] Ken Cook, president of the Environmental
Working Group, a research and policy organization that pushes for tougher
environmental protections." Let's tell our Senators to protect our
children and oppose Dourson for EPA.
12. House
Democrats introduced resolution H.Res.555 demanding more transparency in the
Interior department's national monument review. The resolution, if
passed, would require the Trump administration to provide a final monument
review and underlying documents per this article in the Salt Lake Tribune. Let's check
the list of co-sponsors for this bill. Let's thank
our representative if they are already a co-sponsor. If they are not,
let's tell them to support H.Res.555. We deserve transparency on the
national monument review.
13. It is
interesting to look at the way in which people are using ICE's Victims of
Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) hotline to report on neighbors and family members. A
report shows how citizens can be used to become informants, aiding the
government in locating individuals who are suspected of illegally residing in
the United States. It further discusses how ICE had the contact information for
those informants publicly available until just recently. http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news/ice-doxxed-philly-residents-who-called-new-snitching-hotline/article_e576c0be-aa18-11e7-8b92-7b4dbcffba4c.html Let's contact Acting Secretary of Homeland
Security Elaine Duke, and tell her that it is time for Homeland Security to
de-activate the VOICE hotline. DHS comment line: 202-282-8495 Mailing
address: The Honorable Elaine C. Duke, Secretary of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528
14. On Sunday,
Trump’s extension of the Jones Act, which allowed foreign ships to dock with
supplies for hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, ended. Nonetheless the country is still in dire need
of supplies. There were also Jones Act
extensions for Florida and Texas which have also expired, but those locations
can receive aid and supplies by land as well.
Puerto Rico, an island, cannot. Senators
McClain (R-AZ) and Lee (R-UT) have introduced legislation to permanently
exclude Puerto Rico from the Jones Act. http://thehill.com/latino/354561-white-house-lets-jones-act-waiver-expire-for-puerto-rico Let’s let our senators know that we support
this legislation because it makes sense for our citizens who live there, but in
the meantime, Puerto Rico needs an extension now.
15. Time and
again, the Trump-Pruitt EPA has let us down and shirked their responsibility to
protect our welfare, including failing to act to protect farm workers, their
kids and rural families from the brain-damaging pesticide chlorpyrifos (https://ww2.kqed.org/futureofyou/2017/10/09/farmworkers-want-common-pesticide-banned-in-calif-after-trump-epa-refuses/).
But Democrats in Congress are stepping up where Polluting Pruitt has failed to
act, introducing HR 3380 and S 1624 to ban this poison. Let’s join the United Farm
Workers in contacting our reps and asking them to co-sponsor this legislation
at this link: http://action.ufw.org/page/speakout/chlorpyrifos1017.
16. The NRA and
their corporate backers are responding to the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas
in horrifying but predictable fashion by calling for Congress to make it easier
for people to carry concealed weapons in public – undermining effective state
gun control laws (http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/10/08/schumer-concealed-carry-reciprocity/).
Let’s contact our reps and tell them we want stronger gun control measures and
we will oppose anyone who tries to weaken them instead. (We can also sign this petition with the same goal from
Americans for Responsible Solutions.)
State Actions
1.
VA: The deadline to register to vote is October
16, 2017, for the November 7, 2017, general election. There’s a lot riding
on this election: Governor (elect Ralph Northam), Lt. Governor (elect Justin
Fairfax), Attorney General (elect Mark Herring) and the entire House of
Delegates (elect Democrats). If we’re in Virginia, let’s register here:
https://www.elections.virginia.gov/voter-outreach/ For
help getting our Virginia Voter IDs, let’s check out https://www.voteriders.org/ufaqs/virginia-voter-id-information/
2.
WI: On its face, this new policy might not look bad:
"University of Wisconsin System leaders approved a policy Friday that
calls for suspending and expelling students who disrupt campus speeches and
presentations, saying students need to listen to all sides of issues and
arguments." But those of us who have been paying attention to the attacks
on the university by right-wing Republican governor Scott Walker, as well as
the increase of right-wing hate speech on campuses across America, know better.
One potential outcome, put succinctly: “Who’s going to show up to a
protest if they think they could be potentially expelled?” Democratic state
Rep. Chris Taylor, whose district includes the flagship Madison campus, said
during a Thursday news conference on the policy." But since
"the policy won’t take effect until the system writes administrative rules
implementing it and Walker and lawmakers sign off on them," which could
take months, let's use this window of opportunity to let the University Board
of Regents, who made the decision, that we are not amused. https://apnews.com/866eec6efb9841088157838281339db8.
Contact them here to let them know that this authoritarian policy is unwise and
will suppress free speech on campus: Office of the Board of Regents, 1860
Van Hise Hall, 1220 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706 or 608.262.2324 or board@uwsa.edu
3.
OH - Columbus: Progressive candidates are running for
office in Ohio this year. Let's read about some of the candidates in
Columbus at The Intercept. If we are Ohioans, let's make a
plan to vote on election day.
4.
VA: Do you work
outside your county? Do you anticipate working and commuting 11 of the 13 hours
polls are open on election day? Will you be traveling on November 7th? If
so, you can ALREADY vote in this year’s election. In-Person Absentee voting is
currently available at the Arlington Government Center (Courthouse Plaza
– 2100 Clarendon Blvd., Suite 320). The polls are open8am – 5pm every
weekday between now and November 3rd, and there will be
special Saturday voting on October 21st, 28th, and November
4th. For a full schedule and greater detail on eligibility requirements follow
this link: https://vote.arlingtonva.us/absentee/
Now, you may be wondering why the Arlington County Democratic Committee (ACDC)
is so focused on Absentee In-Person voting. It’s simple, every person who votes
TODAY, is a person who doesn’t need to receive a door knock, a phone call, a
mailing, an email, or a text message TOMORROW. And the sooner they can be
removed from the “target voter universe,” the sooner resources can be shifted
to folks who need to be persuaded or reminded to vote. In short, voting absentee is a force
multiplier for the campaigns.
5.
CO: Huge budget
cuts crippled outreach that lets people know when, how and where to sign
up for the ACA, so Indivisible ACA Signup Project is spreading the word through
social media. They have only 8 days to get 82 more supporters Help them reach their goal
by October 17 to set off a Thunderclap, a social media flash
mob message blast. Please click, add your social media support on Twitter,
Facebook and Tumblr. THEN cut, paste and
share - thanks! https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/62795-aca-insurance-signup-reminder
6.
WA: Huge budget
cuts crippled outreach that lets people know when, how and where to sign
up for the ACA, so Indivisible ACA Signup Project is spreading the word through
social media. They have only 3'days to
get 50 more supporters. Help them reach
their goal by October 17 to set off a Thunderclap, a social
media flash mob message blast. Please click, add your social media support
on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr. THEN
cut, paste and share - thanks! https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/62554-open-enrollment-begins-nov-1
Other Actions
1.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear
Weapons (ICAN) has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Meanwhile, Trump is
threatening to decertify the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and employing dangerous
rhetoric that, according to Republican Senator Bob Corker, is setting us “on
the path to WWIII” with North Korea. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/10/6/nuclear_ban_group_ican_wins_nobel andhttp://www.cnn.com/2017/10/09/politics/corker-world-war-iii-donald-trump-white-house/index.html Let’s
sign-up with ICAN and use their resources to do what we can to fight for a ban
on all nuclear weapons: http://www.icanw.org/
2.
IKEA has announced that it will be recycling all of its
used mattresses, as part of its People and Planet Positive Sustainability
strategy http://read.bi/2xe3bIV It
has also created a community donation program, 5,000 Dreams, to help support
newly-arrived refugee families. Let's send IKEA a "thank you" for
their work. We can reach them by phone or e-mail here:
3.
Over the weekend, the skincare product Dove launched
a Facebook ad suggesting that their product could turn a brown-skinned woman
white. This is not the only advertisement where Dove has
suggested that their product ensures a transformation like this. Some of their
product packaging is even labeled for “Normal to dark skin,” implying that
there’s something abnormal about having dark skin. http://www.businessinsider.com/doves-racist-ad-10-9-2017-10 Dove has apologized for the
most recent ad, but this pattern demonstrates a deep underlying problem. Let’s ask Dove to
take concrete steps to address this issue, making sure that Dove understands
that an apology isn’t enough. Online:
https://www.dove.com/us/en/secure/contactus.html or
phone: 1-800-761-3683 (8:30
am – 6 pm Eastern time, Mon-Fri) or mail: Unilever US, 700 Sylvan
Ave, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632.
4.
This week is Emergency Nurses Week, and Wednesday
October 11 is Emergency Nurses Day®. Let’s check out the Emergency
Nurses Association’s tips and show the emergency nurses in our community just
how much they’re appreciated: https://www.ena.org/docs/default-source/en-week-2017/en-week-2017-planning-guide_web.pdf
5.
Salt Lake City authorities have decided not to pursue a
murder charge against police officers who killed Patrick Harmon, a black man,
shooting him in the back as he fled the scene of an altercation. Community
organizers are now calling for the resignation of Sim Gill, the Salt Lake City
District Attorney responsible for dropping the case. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/patrick-harmon-death-utah-police-shooting-captured-on-camera/ While we continue to pressure our
legislators to resist the increasing militarization of the police, we can take
steps on the ground. Let’s check out the NAACP’s tools for strengthening our
community’s relationship with our local police force: http://www.naacp.org/issues/criminal-justice/.
By working together with the police, we can foster the trust necessary for
ensuring the safety of our community and those protecting it.
6.
If we are looking for some downloadable postcards that
we can print ourselves to change things up a bit, Postcards from the People has
a cool and growing selection. Let’s
check them out here: http://www.postcardsfromthepeople.com/
7.
On October 23rd, ninety-two of the world's largest
banks will meet in São Paolo, Brazil to discuss policies on the climate and on
Indigenous People's rights to Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC). These
banks include financiers like JPMorgan Chase--the #1 Wall Street funder of tar
sands. As we painfully learned from Standing Rock, “Indigenous peoples
are the canaries in the coal mine when it comes to climate change.”
Mazaska Talks, an indigenous-led divestiture coalition, is asking allies
around the world to host Divest the Globe actions in our communities
between October 23rd and 25th. Since our government is not
interested in protecting any of us from the effects of climate change, let’s
join Mazaska Talks and pressure the banks that are funding climate
disaster. Here’s the information: https://actionnetwork.org/event_campaigns/divest-the-globe
Petitions
1. Let’s sign Sen. Maggie Hassan’s (D-NH)
petition calling to protect birth control access: http://act.maggiehassan.com/page/s/20171005_ProtectBirthControl
2. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) wants us to sign
on her petition to keep CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program) fully
funded: https://stabenow.bsd.net/page/s/keep-chip-fully-funded-2
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
1.
Building
Coalitions: People, Process, and Power:
Are you interested in
learning how to sustain this new wave of activism? Join us as we discuss how
grassroots organizations can build, grow and sustain coalitions across the
country. Register for the Thursday, October 12 at 7pm EDT webinar at http://bit.ly/noegonoturf Presenters
include RISE
Stronger, Action
Together Network, The Swell
Collective, Together We
Will USA, Real Talk:
WOC & Allies for Racial Justice and Anti-Oppression.
2. “On October 18th, the latest iteration of the
Ban goes into effect. This is an important moment for us to organize a strong,
loud, mass mobilization that sends a clear message to this Administration:
Muslim communities are organized, and our allies have our back. We will
not be silent and we will stand up for our communities in the face of any and
all discriminatory policies.” If we are
able, let’s attend the #NoMuslimBanEver March Wednesday, October
18 at 11:30 AM - 4 PM at Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C.
We can find more information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1142753212491355/
3. Reclaiming
Our Time: The Women’s Convention is
being held in Detroit, October 27-29.
For more information and to register, let’s click here: http://www.womensconvention.com/
4. Volunteers are being sought for the Women’s
Convention in Detroit, October 27-29. We get free admission for the day on
which we volunteer. Sign up here: https://liveunitedsem.galaxydigital.com/aem/corp/event/?doc_id=4485&key=a07caa6d6d98caa618d4da204d16ef09
Reading/Watching
2. A helpful primer about Trump’s efforts to
“decertify” the Iran nuclear deal:http://thehill.com/policy/defense/354330-5-things-to-know-about-trump-and-the-iran-deal
3. Propaganda watch: Read about how the
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency intentionally generates fake
news about apprehended undocumented immigrants to depict them dangerous,
hardened criminals. https://theintercept.com/2017/10/04/ice-raids-trump-immigration-deportation/
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.
******
Rogan’s List is also part of RISE Stronger’s United States of
Resistance
Thank you for this list. To all who contribute, you have changed my life. I read your list every day. I do what I can every day. Resist. Persist. Repeat. There’s no going back. You are superheroes.
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for the kind words, Jan! It is people like you who keep this team going!
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