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Contact Federal Government Officials
Find
your legislators here: https://www.theloyalopposition.net/rep-finder/
OR
OR
OR
Find senators Twitter and Facebook
Accounts here:
Find representatives on Twitter
here:
********************************
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.
*******************************
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. Imagine
how the tragedies in Las Vegas, Orlando, Sandy Hook, etc. could have been so
much worse had the assailant’s gunshots been silenced. There is a bill benignly called the Hearing
Protection Act of 2017 (H.R.367) which would do just that. It is now rolled into a larger NRA-backed
bill, the “Sportsmen’s Heritage and Recreational Enhancement (SHARE) Act
(H.R.3668)
which will soon be voted on in the House of Representatives, would roll
back an 80-year-old law that carefully regulates the sale of silencers.” http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-ambler-gun-silencers-20170927-story.html Let’s
make sure our rep knows that we want them to oppose this bill. The only gun bill we want is one that will
make us safer.
2. The Indivisible Team has come up with a new
tool to call our MoCs regarding CHIP. "The Children’s Health Insurance
Program ensures nearly 9 million children have health insurance. CHIP is a
federal-state partnership where the federal government provides most—or in some
cases, all—of the funding necessary to cover uninsured children. Federal
funding was increased as part of the Affordable Care Act. No one thought
Congress would let CHIP funding expire on September 30, but that’s exactly what
they did." Find a simple call script for both Ds and Rs and specific data
on your state here: http://www.indivisible.org/resource/congress-needs-reauthorize-childrens-health-insurance-program/
3.
Over the weekend as our Secretary of State, Rex
Tillerson was in China working on diplomatic overtures to North Korea, Trump
tweeted this: “I told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful Secretary of State, that he
is wasting his time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man...” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-trump/trump-to-top-u-s-diplomat-dont-bother-talking-to-north-korea-idUSKCN1C61J0 Let’s
write to Secretary Tillerson to ask him to stand up to our president’s foreign
policy malpractice: The Honorable Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, U.S.
Department of State, 2201
C Street, N.W., Washington,
D.C. 20520
4.
In spite of Trump’s tweets to the contrary (and his
dedication of a golf trophy over the weekend to those suffering in Maria’s
wake), things
are not going well in Puerto Rico: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/amp/rundown/first-tour-puerto-rico-top-general-calls-damage-worst-hes-ever-seen and http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-puertorico-survival/in-puerto-rico-acute-shortages-plunge-the-masses-into-survival-struggle-idUSKCN1C61SZ Let’s
stay in touch with our MoC to insist that the waiver of the Jones Act be
extended beyond the 10-day mark and that we mobilize our resources much faster
to save lives.
5.
There have been some great articles published to help
us learn about Trump's tax plan, (The Guardian rundown: http://bit.ly/2xSmSJZ ,
Tax Policy Center's analysis: http://tpc.io/2fxynMR , NYT- How Trump could save over
$1 billion: http://nyti.ms/2wnpVXo ,
WSJ - Treasury removing 2012 analysis which contradicts Secretary Mnuchin's
claims: http://on.wsj.com/2fWMMCW ),
and now it's time to use what we've learned to get to work. The Indivisible
Guide has a hub for the action items against the Trump tax plan. There are call
scripts, a Letter to the Editor walkthrough, and explainers available. Let's
check it out, then get in touch with our MoCs ASAP: https://www.trumptaxscam.org/
6.
This week, the House Committee on Homeland Security
plans to mark up legislation for the border wall, titled Border Security for
America Act of 2017 (H.R. 3548)
http://bit.ly/2fTVpy2 Meanwhile,
Senator Cornyn has introduced a similar bill in the Senate: Building America's
Trust Act of 2017 (S. 1757).
It is hard to imagine a larger waste of money, or greater symbol of white
nationalism and isolationism. Let's call our MoC, and make sure that they
oppose both pieces of legislation.
7.
“Since 1998, the National Rifle Association has
donated $3,555,194 to current members of Congress.” Let’s use this to see how much money has been
given to MoCs from our state: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/nra-donations/ Let’s tell these recipients that while we
understand their interest in the “right to bear arms”, that we also believe
that all of us have a right to live and not worry about being shot going about
our lives.
8.
We knew that Trump does not believe in negotiation, but
we now have further evidence of his disdain for those who would talk to the
North Koreans: “A day after Tillerson said the US had direct lines of
communication to North Korea and was ‘probing’ to find ways to resolve
escalating nuclear tension between the two countries, Trump tweeted that his
top diplomat should ‘save his energy’ as ‘we’ll do what has to be done!’ ‘I
told Rex Tillerson, our wonderful secretary of state, that he is wasting his
time trying to negotiate with Little Rocket Man,” the president wrote. . . .’
”: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/sep/30/rex-tillerson-us-north-korea-direct-communication
No talking—but Trump is happy to flood the international market with high-tech
weapons, exacerbating conflicts all over the world: in the first 8 months of
2017, the value of US arms sales, commercial and military, has doubled compared
to the same period in 2016: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/29/trump-global-arms-sales-243282
We must stop this march toward militarization by flooding the Pentagon, and
particularly the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (703-697-9709 or 2800 Defense Pentagon, DC
20301-2800) and the big arms dealers—Lockheed Martin (420 Lexington Ave, New
York, NY 10170 or (212) 953-1510),
Boeing (100 North Riverside, Chicago, Illinois 60606 or 312-544-2000), and
General Dynamics (365 Passaic St # 235, Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 or (201)
518-2325) —with the message that we do not want our country to arm the world.
9.
The Democratic members of the House Natural Resources
Committee have called on their chairman to launch an oversight hearing over
Trump's response to the crises in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
following Hurricanes Irma and Maria http://politi.co/2fVcF61 Let's join these members, and
ask Chairman Bishop to launch a hearing immediately: 202-225-0453 123 Cannon
Building Washington, DC 20515. Let’s ask
all the GOP members of the committee to get on board, too: https://naturalresources.house.gov/about/members.htm
10. On
Wednesday, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee panel is
planning a hearing to consider the nominations of four high-ranking EPA
officials: 1) Michael Dourson to lead the chemical safety office, 2)
William Wehrum to lead the air and radiation office, 3) David Ross to lead the
water office and 4) Matthew Leopold to be general counsel. Democrats on the
panel have indicated that they see 1) Dourson and 2) Wehrum as the most controversial of the nominees. Both nominees have
long histories of working for the interests of the industries that they would
be responsible for regulating at the EPA. If our own Senators are members
of the Environment and Public Works Committee, let's call them to tell them
that we oppose Dourson and Wehrum because of their industry ties.
11. Last
week Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) introduced legislation,
the "Native Species Protection Act", S1863, that would strip federal
Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for animals and plants found in only
one state. "Known as intrastate species, such imperiled animals and plants
make up the majority of the 1,655 species protected under the Act. The
legislation is backed by extreme anti-wildlife organizations that oppose the
protection of the Utah prairie dog, an animal only found in Utah. In addition
to ending protections for the prairie dog, the legislation would terminate
protections for all 1,098 intrastate species, including 497 species in Hawaii,
234 species in California, 86 species in Florida and 20 species in Utah."
Let's read this press release from the Center for Biological Diversity then
contact our own Senators to let them know we oppose anti-wildlife S1863. If we
are Utahns, let's let our two Senators know that they are not representing us.
12. Rep.
Seth Moulton (D-MA) announced that he would refuse, as he did after the Pulse
nightclub shootings, to participate in a moment of silence on the House floor
for the victims of the Las Vegas massacre. “Now is not a moment for
silence; it’s a time for action,” he tweeted, calling the moment of silence “an
excuse for inaction.” http://thehill.com/homenews/house/353404-dem-rep-refusing-to-participate-in-moment-of-silence-on-house-floor-for-las Moulton
is not alone: Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined him, saying “Thoughts and prayers
are NOT enough”; Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he was “furious” that Congress
has refused to act on gun control; Sen. Chris Murphy called on Congress to “get
off its ass and do something” about gun violence; former VP Joseph Biden
tweeted “Congress & the WH should act now to save lives. There’s no
excuse for inaction.” And many other Democrats joined them:
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/las-vegas-shooting/angry-democrats-demand-action-guns-after-las-vegas-shooting-n806561 Anyone
who heard the tape recording of the Las Vegas shooting must know that an
automatic weapon was used. How else kill 50+ and injure 400? Nonetheless,
Trump has loosened gun laws and threatens to facilitate gun imports: http://www.newsweek.com/trump-gun-control-las-vegas-675381
As calls for gun control get louder, maybe the moment to stop gun madness in
the US has arrived. Let’s insist that our MoCs block HR 3668,
which repeals regulations on gun silencers, and HR 38,
the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act, and take action to get serious about gun
control.
13. While
details are still forthcoming in the tax reform, some say it has too many
things going against it, unless one is rich.
It appears to look pretty similar to the failed Kansas tax plan. http://www.npr.org/2017/09/30/554506190/trump-s-tax-plan-has-echoes-of-the-kansas-tax-cut-experiment
Let’s take a look at and use the newly created website by Indivisible as one of
our tools to work against this plan that does not serve us all: http://www.npr.org/2017/09/30/554506190/trump-s-tax-plan-has-echoes-of-the-kansas-tax-cut-experiment
14. 195
members of the House of Representatives have now signed on to a discharge
petition to force a vote on the DREAM Act (H.R. 3440), but only ONE of them is
a Republican (http://thehill.com/latino/352379-democrats-seek-to-force-vote-on-dream-act).
If we wanted a secure future for our immigrant friends and neighbors, we need
at least 24 GOP reps to do the right thing. Those of us who are represented by
Republicans can call our MoCs and tell them that this should be beyond
party-line politics, and we want them to join the discharge petition.
State Actions
1.
UT: An application for the approval of a Medicaid
expansion ballot initiative was submitted to the office of Lt. Gov. Spencer
Cox on Monday. His office will have 30 days to review the
initiative. The Utah Decides Healthcare group must collect more than
113,000 signatures from voters in 26 of the state's 29 senate districts
The group must also hold several public meetings about the initiative
throughout different areas of the state. Read more at the Deseret News. If we are Utahn's, let's be on the look-out
for notices of those public hearings. Until then, let's go ahead and contact
Governor Gary Herbert (R) to let him know our support for this initiative
via his web contact form or write: Office of the Governor,
PO Box 142220, Salt Lake City UT 84114-2220 or call (801) 538-1000.
2.
MO: New
Approach Missouri has a ballot initiative campaign to get Medical
Marijuana on ballot in 2018 in Missouri. Since made they began circulating
the petition back in January, they have collected almost 60,000 signatures.
To be certain of ballot qualification, they will need 260,000
signatures. Let's read about the initiative and find out where we
can sign the petition. We can also read this related article
in Weed News.
Other Actions
1.
Just because we have a new week, and therefore a whole
new slate of issues to deal with, doesn't mean we should forget Puerto Rico and
the U.S. Virgin Islands, where the situation continues to be dire.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/10/01/puerto-rico-want-and-generosity/720663001/ If
we can contribute, the Hispanic Federation is a well-respected charity doing
good work: https://act.moveon.org/donate/hurricane-maria
2.
Given that the slaughter of little children at Sandy
Hook Elementary School failed to move the collective conscience of Congress,
we’re unlikely to see Congress do anything after Las Vegas. We need other
approaches to getting sensible gun laws enacted. Let’s consider: Virginia has
some of the loosest gun laws in the country, and their automatic weapons cross
state lines, endangering us all. https://blog.flippable.org/3-reasons-to-flipvablue-a717d0340ee And
on Nov 7, Virginians will go to the polls to elect a governor, an attorney
general, a lieutenant governor, and its entire House of Delegates. Let’s help
elect Democrats to all these positions by doing the following:
·
If we’re in Virginia, let’s contact the state’s
Democratic party and sign up to help: http://vademocrats.org/
·
If we’re outside of Virginia, lets contact the
following and see how we can help:
o
Postcards for Virginia: https://postcards4va.com/ and
offer to write postcards to get out Blue voter to the polls (They’re asking for
100 postcards, but we can ask for as few or as many as we are able to do.)
Petitions
1.
"The distinctive noise that a gun makes is one of
its most important safety features: when people hear a gunshot, they know to
run, hide, protect themselves or notify law enforcement. Now the corporate gun
lobby, gun silencer spokesman Donald Trump, Jr., and their friends in Congress
are pushing for radical legislation that would profit gun companies by gutting
silencer safety requirements." Let’s join Everytown
for Gun Safety in telling Congress to oppose this dangerous bill: http://act.everytown.org/sign/tell-congress-oppose-silencers-bill
2.
Let’s tell Congress to pass the Vote by Mail Act and
protect our democracy from election hackers! https://www.signherenow.org/petition/vote-by-mail/wyden/a/
Marches/events/teleconferences
to attend/organize
1.
The ACLU has launched its new Let People Vote campaign
to protect and expand voting rights in every state in the country (http://kcur.org/post/aclu-kicks-national-push-expand-voting-rights-event-kansas).
This is a chance to go on offense to protect our democracy. We can watch the
live stream launch of this effort at this link,
and sign up to take part and find the plans for our states here: https://vote.peoplepower.org
2.
This Thursday evening, the Indivisible Guide will
be hosting a training call for those who wish to learn more about anti-racism,
and how we can fight systemic oppression in our activism. There will be time
for questions and discussion at the end of the call, as well. Let's RSVP for
the call, and learn about ways we can fight back against white supremacy: http://bit.ly/2yjimFE
Reading/Watching
1.
“Australia’s Lessons on Gun Control” https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2017/10/australia-gun-control/541710/
2.
“Educator Jane Elliott Talks Trump, Kaepernick and
Fixing Racism”https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/educator-jane-elliott-talks-trump-kapernick-fixing-racism-n747291
3. “Gun violence in America, explained in 17
maps and charts” https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/2/16399418/us-gun-violence-statistics-maps-charts
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
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