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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.
The Republican tax bill is front and center this week
and next. And it is purely Republican, since if they can keep all Republican
MoCs in both houses on board, they need no Democrats for vote for it. "The
Senate Finance Committee is scheduled to consider the bill [this] week, and the
full Senate may vote the week after Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, House Republicans
moved their bill out of the Ways and Means Committee [last] Thursday,
preparing for a vote by the full House [this] week." This Wall Street
Journal article offers a comparison of the House and Senate versions of the
bill, which will have to be reconciled. But the bottom line is the same: making
it seem like it won't hurt anyone to "[cut] taxes by about $1.5
trillion over a decade." https://www.wsj.com/articles/senate-tax-plan-differs-from-house-on-individual-rates-timing-of-corporate-rate-cut-1510257621 Let's not let them get away with
forcing this unconsidered and blindly partisan bill through. Let's contact our
MoCs in both houses intensively!
2.
Trump has been making judicial nominations at a breakneck
pace, including those like John K. Bush, a chapter president of the Federalist
Society, the conservative legal network, who wrote blog posts comparing
abortion to slavery; Stephanos Bibas, a University of Pennsylvania law
professor who once proposed using electric shocks on those convicted of certain
crimes, although he later disavowed the idea; and Brett Talley, the fourth
judicial nominee under President Trump to receive a “not qualified” rating from
the American Bar Association and the second to receive this rating
unanimously. Of Mr. Trump’s 18 appellate nominees so far, 14 are
men and 16 are white: https://townhall.com/tipsheet/timothymeads/2017/11/12/nyt-trump-is-rapidly-reshaping-the-judiciary-n2408326 These nominees are on the fast track
to confirmation, needing only 51 votes. It is vital that we give this takeover
of the judiciary our full attention; many of these judges receive lifetime
appointments, and we will have to live with them long after Trump is gone. We
must make it clear to our MoCs that we are watching to make sure that they do
not confirm incompetents or ideologues to our courts—and that if they do, we
will advertise the fact as widely as we can. We could also let the White
House know that one incompetent in office is more than enough.
3.
The key to fixing our government is voting, of course,
but since the Supreme Court crippled the Voting Rights Act in 2013, many
attempts to suppress the vote have sprung up all over the country. http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/11/groups-warn-voter-suppression-worse-171108191759132.html We can have the best candidates and
platforms, but we must counter those attempts in order to win. Since 2015, bipartisan
forces in Congress have tried to reinstate the lost protections with a bill
called The Voting Rights Enhancement Act, which has been reintroduced in the
current session as S.1419 (Senate) and H.R. 2978 (House). Let's give our MoCs a call and tell them it's their
duty to support these bills, to put right what the Supreme Court got wrong.
4.
Congress is running out of time to pass legislation to
protect DACA recipients in the U.S. We need to stand up for DREAMers and make
sure that our members of Congress are on board for a clean DREAM Act. We can
use the call tool from Indivisible to find talking points, call scripts, and
phone numbers for our MoC: http://act.indivisibleguide.com/call/washington-tell-your-moc-defend-daca/
5.
Congress is running out of time to pass the DREAM Act,
and with a packed agenda between now and the end of the year action is not at
the top of Trump and the Republicans’ to-do list. Folks across the country are
trying to keep the spotlight on the fate of our friends and neighbors if the
needed legislation languishes (https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/students-stage-walkouts-rally-congress-demand-dream-act-n819346). We can have their backs by contacting our
MoCs and telling them we want a clean, bipartisan DREAM Act ASAP. We can also
use the call tool from Indivisible to find talking points, call scripts, and
phone numbers for our MoC: http://act.indivisibleguide.com/call/washington-tell-your-moc-defend-daca/
6.
When looking at what is in the tax bill, it is clear
that it will not help the majority of those who have been referred to as
Trump’s base. Instead, it is a gift to
his friends who are wealthy and own large corporations. A vote on the House's tax plan is expected to
take place this week
http://bit.ly/2AD1s1U The bill “will hit California taxpayers
harder than much of
the country. It is also very likely to make the state’s housing crisis worse —
particularly for lower-income residents. That would affect every state, of
course, but a slowdown in affordable housing construction would be particularly
brutal for California, which has a huge homeless problem and a $500,000 median
home price that is more than twice the national level.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/us/california-today-tax-proposals-threaten-lower-income-housing.html Say NO to the REPUBLICAN TAX PLAN. Call
your reps today.
7.
We now know that the big GOP impetus behind the outrageous
tax bill is the pressure being felt from their donors. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/congress/house-tax-panel-adopts-gop-changes-after-day-of-bickering/2017/11/06/e2f88a9e-c35d-11e7-9922-4151f5ca6168_story.html?utm_term=.3e5c5031d2c7
While we may need tax reform, this is not the plan we need, nor the way
it should be enacted. No tax reform is
better than what is being offered. Let's
keep calling our representatives to make sure that they vote against H.R. 1:
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. For those of us with Democratic reps, we can use this call
script:
https://www.trumptaxscam.org/democrat-call-script-to-stop-the-trump-tax-scam/And those of us with Republican reps: https://www.trumptaxscam.org/republican-call-script-to-stop-the-trump-tax-scam/
8.
The Dept. of Health and Human Services oversees the
National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services, among other branches. Monday, Trump nominated Alex Azar to
replace Tom Price as Secretary of HHS. Azar, a former executive at the
pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and a staunch opponent of the Affordable Care
Act, supports, among other things, converting Medicaid from an entitlement
program covering everyone who is eligible into block grants. Rep. Elijah
Cummings tweeted that putting Azar in charge of HHS is like asking the
fox to guard the hen house. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/360081-trump-nominating-azar-as-next-hhs-secretary Azar only needs 51 votes in the
Senate for confirmation. Senators Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Susan
Collins of Maine, Dean Heller of Nevada, John McCain of Arizona, Rob Portman of
Ohio, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska all voted
against the appeal of the ACA. We should call on them to once again act
responsibly by voting against the confirmation of Azar.
9.
"The so-called “Conscience Protection Act” (CPA),
[House bill H.R.644 and Senate bill S.301], introduced back in January, could allow any health care
provider—including doctors, insurance companies, medical training programs or
hospitals—to refuse to perform, pay for, participate in or assist in abortion
services. This bill would put providers’ beliefs above patient care, ultimately
threatening the lives and health of patients. " Let's read more from
the National Women's Law
Center.. House
bill HR644 currently has 124 co-sponsors - 122 Republicans and 2 Democrats:
1) Daniel Lipinkski - IL3, 245 South Archer
Avenue, Chicago, IL 60638, P (773)
948 - 6223. and
2) Collin Peterson - MN7, 714 Lake Avenue Suite 101, Detroit Lakes , MN 56501, Phone: 218-847-5056. Senate bill S301 has 26 Republican co-sponsors. If our MoCs are among the
co-sponsors of either of these bills, let's tell them that we object to this
overt slap in the face to the separation of church and state and want them to
remove themselves as co-sponsors. If our MoCs are not co-sponsors of
these bills, let's send emails and postcards to let them know we oppose HR644
and S301. Let's all contact the two Democratic co-sponsors of House bill
HR644, Lipinski and Peterson. Obviously, they made a mistake.
10. Senator
Deb Fischer (R-NE) to extremist nominee and climate-denier Kathleen Hartnett
White: “I worry about your lack of understanding of the law, which is to
provide access for renewable fuels and to promote agriculture and … rural
America,” Fischer said. “I worry about your extremist views.” https://www.texasobserver.org/gop-senator-worries-extremist-views-kathleen-hartnett-white-confirmation-hearing/ When a Republican is concerned about
extremist views, we know they are very extreme. Another concerned
Republican is Joni Ernst of Iowa. Even one Republican
defection could cost Harnett White the appointment for White House
Council on Environmental Quality. Let's tell our Republican Senators to
oppose the appointment of White. Let's also contact Senators Fischer and Ernst to let them know we share their concerns and reinforce
their opposition to Hartnett White.
1.
With less than a month left to help Doug Jones win the
Alabama Senate Race on Dec 12., we need to get the word out about our
candidate. This Wednesday we can join Action Together Network and
Twitter warriors in a tweet storm for Doug Jones. The storm is starts
at 6pm Eastern Time, but we can schedule our tweets earlier if we
need to am we can get more details when we click the link. This event is
approved by the Doug Jones campaign. https://www.facebook.com/events/157394681534168/?ti=icl
2.
Here are some groups that are seeking to restore the
cause of social justice as a central feature of American political life by
building a diverse bench of progressive office-holders at every level of
government: A) Run for Something, https://www.runforsomething.net/ , which is recruiting and training
progressives under 35 to run for office, B) Peace First, https://www.peacefirst.org/, which teaches people under 25 how to effectively make positive
change in the world, C) Rise to Run, https://www.risetorun.org/, which recruits and trains progressive high school- and
college-aged women to run for political office, D) Rock the Vote, https://www.rockthevote.org/ , which rallies young people to fight for their interests
through voting, E) Women’s’ March Youth EMPOWER, https://www.womensmarch.com/empower, a new toolkit to help young people become
community organizers, build political power, and run for office. Let’s help these groups by supporting them
and by sharing this information with the young people in our lives.
3.
Roll Call gives us information on important House races
in their article: "One Year
Out: The 10 Most Vulnerable
House Incumbents in 2018." If
any of these races are local for us or are in nearby flippable districts, let's
start making our plans for how we can participate to turn or keep our districts
blue. Some ideas: contribute to campaigns, volunteer for campaigns,
become involved with local League of Women Voters, write with Postcards to Voters,
work with Flippable. Let's keep our eyes open for opportunities to
participate in and make a difference in Election 2018.
State Actions
1.
MI: From
Michigan Resistance, in regard to gun legislation passed by the Michigan Senate
last week:
We are calling Gov Snyder to veto these bills should they arrive at his desk, as well as some Michigan Republicans who have had a history of voting sensibly for Michiganders’ wellbeing. We are calling: A) Governor Snyder: 517-335-7858, B) State Rep. David Maturen: 517-373-1787 , C) State Rep. Chris Afendoulis 517-373-0218, D) State Rep. Michael McCready: 517-373-8670, E) State Rep. Julie Calley: 517-373-0842, F) State Rep. Dave Pagel: 517-373-1796, G) State Rep. Kathy Crawford: 517-373-0827, H) State Rep. Brett Roberts: 517-373-1775, I) State Rep. Daniela Garcia: 517-373-0830, J) State Rep. Jason Sheppard: 517-373-2617, K) State Rep. Larry Inman: 517-373-1766, L) State Rep. Scott VanSingel: 517-373-7317, M) State Rep. Jim Lilly: 517-373-0838. Sample call script: "Hi, I am calling to urge Governor Snyder /Representative ____ to veto/oppose legislation that would allow concealed guns in places like schools, churches, daycares, bars and libraries. This legislation is reckless and irresponsible, and it will do nothing to keep our children and communities safe. Please help to limit gun violence and protect Michiganders. Veto/oppose legislation to allow conceal carry guns in no-go zones." For more information on the current gun bills in Michigan's legislature, we can check out this helpful article from MLive: http://bit.ly/2AD0TVN
We are calling Gov Snyder to veto these bills should they arrive at his desk, as well as some Michigan Republicans who have had a history of voting sensibly for Michiganders’ wellbeing. We are calling: A) Governor Snyder: 517-335-7858, B) State Rep. David Maturen: 517-373-1787 , C) State Rep. Chris Afendoulis 517-373-0218, D) State Rep. Michael McCready: 517-373-8670, E) State Rep. Julie Calley: 517-373-0842, F) State Rep. Dave Pagel: 517-373-1796, G) State Rep. Kathy Crawford: 517-373-0827, H) State Rep. Brett Roberts: 517-373-1775, I) State Rep. Daniela Garcia: 517-373-0830, J) State Rep. Jason Sheppard: 517-373-2617, K) State Rep. Larry Inman: 517-373-1766, L) State Rep. Scott VanSingel: 517-373-7317, M) State Rep. Jim Lilly: 517-373-0838. Sample call script: "Hi, I am calling to urge Governor Snyder /Representative ____ to veto/oppose legislation that would allow concealed guns in places like schools, churches, daycares, bars and libraries. This legislation is reckless and irresponsible, and it will do nothing to keep our children and communities safe. Please help to limit gun violence and protect Michiganders. Veto/oppose legislation to allow conceal carry guns in no-go zones." For more information on the current gun bills in Michigan's legislature, we can check out this helpful article from MLive: http://bit.ly/2AD0TVN
2.
MN: "Two women have publicly accused [state
senator] Dan Schoen , a St. Paul Park Democrat and Cottage Grove police
officer, of sexual harassment, igniting a bipartisan chorus of calls for
Schoen’s resignation — which he did not heed — and touching off speculation
about who might come forward next with allegations against whom. Schoen denies
any inappropriate conduct. Senate leaders suggested they’re
considering opening an ethics investigation — a process that could ultimately
result in Schoen’s expulsion from the chamber." If we are
Minnesotans, let's join the call our own state senator and demand an ethics investigation
and/or Schoen's resignation. Sexual harassment is not a partisan issue.
Other Actions
1.
Last week, a fourteen-year-old boy by the name of Jason
Pero was shot by a deputy on the Chippewa reservation in Wisconsin. https://apnews.com/6b66a3e42ea3437da101dc9ce6e9c00c/Tribe:-Deputy-fatally-shoots-teen-on-Wisconsin-reservation According to the latest statistics
from the Indian Health Service, the rate of death from assault for Native
Americans is more than twice that of all ethnicities in the USA. https://www.ihs.gov/newsroom/factsheets/disparities/ Let’s contact the Ashland County
Sheriff’s Office urging them to exercise all due diligence in following up
on Jason’s death and making sure that their officers have all of the
necessary training and support they need for deescalating confrontations
(Office of the Sheriff, 1205 East Main Street, Ashland, Ohio 44805 or
http://co.ashland.wi.us/sheriff
or mick.brennan@ashlandcountysheriff.us
or 419-289-1501). Let’s also check out the work being done
by the National Indian Health Board and see what we can do to help.
2.
Nestle is suing a small town in Michigan, after the
township's appeals board and zoning commission denied Nestle's special land use
application http://bit.ly/2zfn5rXNestle is looking to build a booster station
on the land, in order to increase the amount of spring water it extracts;
something which has not yet been approved by the Michigan Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ). The hearing is set to take
place tomorrow, Wednesday, November 15th, at the Osceola County
courthouse. For those of us who are able, we can help by donating to the Osceola
Township Legal Defense Fund http://bit.ly/2jn9BUO
3.
“Journalists working for Facebook say the social media site’s fact-checking tools have
largely failed and that the company has exploited their labor for a PR
campaign. Several fact checkers who work for independent news organizations and
partner with Facebook told the Guardian that they feared their relationships
with the technology corporation, some of which are paid, have created a
conflict of interest, making it harder for the news outlets to scrutinize and
criticize Facebook’s role in spreading misinformation.”
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/13/way-too-little-way-too-late-facebooks-fact-checkers-say-effort-is-failing We
can do better by vetting our own sources before we post on FB. Stay away from
FAR LEANING sources and UNRELIABLE SOURCES. Here’s a guide to help: http://www.allgeneralizationsarefalse.com
4.
From Postcards From
Kate[SR1] [SR2] : Today we're thanking the Responsible Wealth
Project for urging Congress not to cut taxes on the rich and instead raise
taxes on wealthy people like them. Read more here. Address:
Responsible Wealth Project at United for a Fair Economy, 62 Summer St.,
Boston, Massachusetts 02110
5.
Trump and the Republican agenda are enabled by partisan
redistricting, and Pennsylvania features some of the worst, electing only five
Democrats to the House out of 18 districts from a light blue state. Activists
have been fighting to pass House Bill 722 in the state to establish an
independent redistricting commission, along with an anti-corruption bills that
would enact a gift ban for lawmakers (http://lancasteronline.com/news/politics/government-reform-activists-arrested-at-state-capitol-after--mile/article_7fb8e09c-c8b1-11e7-8a60-7bec8cf6e652.html). Progress on these bills has been stalled
by Pennsylvania House State Government Committee chair Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, and
Represent.Us is trying to build pressure on him to bring them up for votes.
Those of us on social media can help by taking part in a Thunderclap to spread
the word about this effort TODAY at noon. We can sign up at this
link: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/63896-chairman-metcalfe-callavote.
6.
Defending Roy Moore, Sean Hannity said that, "just
kissing" between a 32-year-old predator and his 14-year-old victim was OK.
This shocking and disgusting enabling must stop. We can join Shannon Coulter of
Grab Your Wallet and demand his advertisers drop the show and stop supporting
Fox's hate-filled agenda. The list of advertisers and instructions are at this
link: https://grabyourwallet.org/ Coulter suggests
focusing on @mitsucars (Mitsubishi), @SandalsResorts, @trivago, @CapitalOne,
@ATT and @Cigna -- Updates: As
advertisers are starting to leave the show, Hannity is saying he
"misspoke" in the hopes of stemming the tide. And, another
accuser has come forward with an even more disturbing story of Moore attempting
to force a sexual encounter on a 16-year-old girl.
7.
There are many ways we can help our veterans. “Semper Fi Fund provides immediate financial assistance and
lifetime support to post 9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and
catastrophically injured members of all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and
their families. We deliver the resources they need during recovery
and transition back to their communities, working to ensure no one is left
behind.” The Bob & Renee Parsons
Foundation, with support from GoDaddy, will match our donation
dollar-for-dollar, up to a total of $10 Million through December 31st. That’s a
potential $20 Million to support their vital mission. Semper Fi Fund has a four-star rating from
Charity Navigator: https://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=11708 We
can make our donation here: https://semperfifund.org/donate/
8.
Sen. Kirsten Gillbrand (D-NY) is seeking our assistance
with a survey. We do not have to donate at the end of the survey, unless we are
so inclined. https://secure.kirstengillibrand.com/page/s/trump-survey_p
Petitions
1.
Let’s stand with the Brady
Campaign and ask Congress
to expand Brady background checks on all gun sales: https://secure.everyaction.com/GSSMMmczX0q2k_9Ed4s5Og2
2.
Given what we learned in the Paradise Papers, let’s
join Credo Action in telling Congress no tax legislation without an
investigation into the off-shore tax-dodging schemes: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/paradise-papers
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
Reading/Watching
1.
Reading: From the Pew Charitable Trusts: Amid Immigration Crackdown, Cities Step in With Free Legal Aid.
"Detained immigrants with legal representation were 10.5 times more likely to succeed in immigration court if
they had a lawyer representing their case. And 91 percent of immigrants seeking
asylum without a lawyer end up having their cases denied. With representation,
asylum seekers have a five times
greater chance of winning their case. In April, New York became
the first state to guarantee legal representation to every noncitizen who has
been detained by immigration officials, allocating $10 million in fiscal 2018
for an immigrant defense fund. And in June, California Gov. Jerry
Brown, a Democrat, earmarked $15 million to provide assistance to noncitizens seeking legal immigration status. Cities
are taking action, too. In 2013, New York City moved to establish the country’s
first public defender system for immigrant detainees. This year, the City
Council agreed to allocate $10 million for legal aid to immigrants facing
deportation in 2018, up from $2.7 million last year. Over the past year,
Austin, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington,
D.C., are among the cities that have started offering free legal aid to
immigrants in danger of being deported. Let's find out what our own
cities are doing to help immigrants in court.
2.
“How the ‘Resistance’ Helped Democrats Dominate
Virginia” -- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/magazine/how-the-resistance-helped-democrats-dominate-virginia.html
3.
“Hate crimes rose for 2nd year in a row in 2016, FBI
report” -- https://apnews.com/5cbff69c85094bd583d763a09c794119/Hate-crimes-rose-for-2nd-year-in-a-row-in-2016,-FBI-reports
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