11/22/17
Rogan’s List is taking a long Thanksgiving weekend
so that our contributors can
be
with friends and family.
We all wish you a safe, restorative, and happy Thanksgiving.
We all wish you a safe, restorative, and happy Thanksgiving.
We will be back on Monday!
Contact
Federal Government Officials
********************************
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.
An analysis from the non-partisan Tax Policy
Center has
confirmed the Senate Republican tax bill will slash taxes for the wealthiest
Americans, even as half of all Americans will end up paying MORE in taxes.
Republican leaders are rushing this bill to the floor, planning a vote within
10 days and leading even Republican Senator Ron Johnson to complain
they’re moving too fast (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-21/senate-releases-tax-bill-text-in-unusually-fast-march-to-vote). Their nightmare is what happened with
their attack on our health care – the more time they take, the more Americans
learn what’s really in the bill, and the angrier they get at its supporters.
Let’s make that a reality and stop this Reverse Robin Hood tax scam. The GOP fears their funding will be cut off. We fear people dying, students not being able
to attend college, and so much more. We need to keep calling, emailing, faxing
our senators every single day with our vote of no on this bill. Once we have, the ACA Defenders are helping
folks contact voters in key districts to connect them to members of Congress
whose votes we might sway. We can sign up to join them at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfMiCjyVEprsCak0eifPbNorKx-C86ygqSasdbbLaA4gX874g/viewform.
2.
Given
our dependence on the internet to rally resisters and the obstacles we might
face in getting the word out about the Trump administration’s efforts to
“reform” democracy right out of existence, we better pay close attention to
this latest announcement from FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. On Tuesday, the
Federal Communications Commission declared that it planned to dismantle
landmark regulations that ensure equal access to the internet, clearing the way
for companies to charge more and block access to some websites. Pai’s
proposal is widely expected to be approved during a Dec. 14 meeting
in a 3-to-2 party line vote from the agency’s five commissioners: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/11/21/565682679/fcc-unveils-plan-to-repeal-net-neutrality-rules These commissioners are Ajit Pai,
Chairman (Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov); Mignon Clyburn (Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov); Michael O'Rielly (Mike.O'Rielly@fcc.gov); Brendan Carr (Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov); and Jessica Rosenworcel (Jessica.Rosenworcel@fcc.gov). They can all also be reached by phone
at 1-888-225-5322, by fax at 1-866-418-0232, or by mail at Federal Communications
Commission, 445 12th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20554
3.
Then,
we learn that someone has been offering fake comments impersonating us and
speaking out in favor of the FCC's net neutrality move. The FCC refuses to help investigate this
despite multiple requests by NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman: https://medium.com/@AGSchneiderman/an-open-letter-to-the-fcc-b867a763850a We
need to tell the FCC that the December 14 vote cannot go ahead until this
situation is investigated and exposed.
Contact: https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact
4.
As we
head into the Thanksgiving weekend, let's take a moment to consider the plight
of a bird other than the turkey: the greater sage-grouse. The Interior
Department is set on changing up an Obama-era plan to protect greater
sage grouse. That’s given stakeholders in the high-desert Northwest a lot
to reconsider. For more than 10 years, ranchers, conservationists and
government agencies worked on a plan to keep the greater sage grouse off the
endangered species list. That hard-fought compromise led to what many hoped
would be a new way to protect species on the brink. But Interior
Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to take another look at the plans, with an eye toward more mining and
drilling on public lands. Many in Oregon who have worked hard to save the birds
are worried that any roll back of the Obama-era plans could threaten the work
that’s been done so far — and lead to the birds’ ultimate landing on the
endangered species list. That could mean more land-use restrictions
that many ranchers and industry groups involved in the original plans had hoped
to avoid. Let's read the full story at Oregon Public Broadcasting (opb.org). Let's send emails and postcards to our
MoC's in support of the greater sage grouse and their habitat.
5.
Trump
has nominated Alex Azar, former president of pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly
& Co., to be Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS); a position which
would put him in charge of regulating drug prices http://n.pr/2zyL99J While Azar no longer works for Eli Lilly,
the money he has made from his time there calls into question his ability to
make unbiased decisions as HHS Secretary http://politi.co/2zWNP12 The Senate Finance Committee still
needs to hold a hearing and vote on his nomination. Let's call Chairman Hatch ((202) 224-5251) and Ranking Member Wyden ((202) 224-5244) and ask that they oppose Alex Azar
as Secretary of Health and Human Services.
6.
While
Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) has asked for an investigation on his alleged sexual
misconduct years ago, we now learn that our government has paid over $15
million in hush money for “payouts [that] not only includes sexual harassment
claims but also racial, religious and disability related discrimination claims.” http://wjla.com/news/bottom-line/opinion-congress-should-not-use-taxpayer-dollars-to-settle-harassment-claims In
this era of #metoo, our MoCs need to know that we do not find this an
acceptable way to use our tax dollars and we want this use of this money
identified and explained.
7.
"The
FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017—legislation meant to extend
government surveillance powers—squanders several opportunities for meaningful
reform and, astonishingly, manages to push civil liberties backwards. The bill
is a gift to the intelligence community, restricting surveillance reforms, not
surveillance itself." https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/11/fisa-amendments-reauthorization-act-restricts-congress-not-surveillance This bill should really be called
"Let's Keep Letting the Government Spy on our Personal Communications
without a Warrant Act." Let's let our Senators know that it's a NO on this
bill, S. 2010. We want section 702 of the FISA Act, which allows warrantless
government surveillance https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/2010of various forms of communications, to
expire -- we don't want it reauthorized. We'd rather have meaningful reform of
surveillance practices.
8.
It
looks like the real turkey this Thanksgiving might be an effort by FCC Chair
Ajit Pai to repeal net neutrality rules:
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/361294-report-trumps-fcc-chair-to-push-for-complete-repeal-of-net-neutrality-rules Let’s keep an eye out for more news
in the days ahead and then be in touch with Mr. Pai and the FCC Commissioners
(emails and other contact information available here: https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact )
9.
Having
a president with so many conflicts of interest, and so little regard for their
negative effects on American government & society, is not normal, and we
should never accept it. The Sunlight Foundation does the hard work of gathering
& confirming detailed reports of these conflicts, then documenting them for
easy sorting & searching here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-_vJDLlCtd94zaieFeB2qdLB9WUdNPIryWBFNuXAAZ8/edit#gid=397855752. To ensure that all this valuable data
gets noticed by the right people, and to proclaim our refusal to normalize
kleptocracy, let's email/tweet/post this URL to our MoCs daily for the next
week. Mentioning it in our phone calls about the tax bill would be good too,
since a lot of these conflicts undoubtedly involve people/businesses who stand
to benefit from the GOP's shameless tax cuts for the 1%.
10. “One month before the Trump administration
sparked outrage by reversing a ban on trophies from threatened African
elephants, federal officials quietly loosened restrictions on the importation
of heads and hides of lions shot for sport.”
https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2017/11/20/us/politics/ap-us-trump-lion-trophies.html Let’s contact the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to urge them to re-impose bans on the import of trophies
from lions killed for sport: https://www.fws.gov/duspit/contactus.htm or U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.
11.
U.S. State
Department officials have accused Secretary of State Tillerson of violating a
federal law (the Child Soldiers Prevention Act) which is meant to prevent the
use of child soldiers. Going against recommendations, Tillerson excluded
Afghanistan, Myanmar and Iraq from a list of countries that enlist child
soldiers, and thus made it easier for the U.S. to provide these countries with
military aid. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tillerson-childsoldiers/state-dept-revolt-tillerson-accused-of-violating-u-s-law-on-child-soldiers-idUSKBN1DL0EA This
is deeply troubling, and so far, Tillerson has not given an adequate response
as to why he ignored his own department. After we share our concerns with
the Secretary of State (https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform), let’s contact our members of Congress
and ask them to request a hearing in the House and Senate Foreign Relations
Committees to investigate this serious charge and get real answers from
Tillerson as to why he’s letting these countries off the hook.
12. “More U.S. troops have died in war zones
this year than in 2016 — the first time in six years that the
number of service members killed overseas has increased over the
previous year.” http://www.newsweek.com/trump-us-military-deaths-war-zones-are-first-time-six-years-716981 Let’s ask our MoC what they are doing
to ensure our soldiers’ safety.
State
Actions
Other
Actions
1.
At the
final White House press conference before Thanksgiving, Press Secretary Sarah
Huckabee Sanders asked reporters to say what they are thankful for before
asking their questions: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/361255-huckabee-sanders-asks-reporters-to-say-what-theyre-thankful-for ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega
answered, “The First Amendment”. Let’s join Ms. Vega and let Ms. Huckabee
Sanders know what we are thankful for this Thanksgiving: on Twitter @PressSec
or at The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500
2.
The Center
for Biological Diversity is
among 3 conservation groups suing to prevent fracking and drilling on 23 square
miles of public land in central Utah that is greater sage-grouse habitat. The
Bureau of Land Management spent nearly $1 million last year to restore habitat
for the Sheeprocks population and is now leasing that critical sage grouse
habitat for pennies on the dollar. It’s the latest attack on greater sage
grouse under Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who wants to scale back protections
to allow more fossil fuel development. We can read more here. We can follow the Center
for Biological Diversity on Facebook which currently features a graphic of
a polar bear with the words, "Ignite Change" and the banner
headline "Kick the Resistance into High Gear." Let's follow the
work they are doing to protect our environment and consider donating if we
can.
3.
We
have the opportunity to help choose Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year”. Voting on the reader’s choice poll ends Dec.
3. http://time.com/5026497/time-person-of-the-year-2017-poll/
4.
Puerto
Ricans are still largely without power, and many also do not have access to
clean water https://usat.ly/2A06Ko5 At the same time, Seth Klarman, who
heads up the hedge fund Baupost Group, is asking Puerto Rico to repay its debt
of approximately $911 million and is pushing back against calls to forgive
Puerto Rico's debt http://reut.rs/2mOXUHR The issue of hedge fund groups
preying on countries in debt crises is not confined to Puerto Rico, nor is
Baupost Group the only culprit. Hedge Clippers is a collaborative of numerous
labor unions and community and activist organizations, which focuses on
exposing how billionaires use money to influence government. They have created
a comprehensive explainer of the hedge funds' strategy in Puerto Rico http://bit.ly/1gIuYcY Let's add our voices to those who are
already asking that Seth Klarman and the Baupost Group forgive Puerto Rico's
debt. We can contact the Baupost Group via mail The Baupost Group, L.L.C. 10
Saint James Avenue, Suite 1700 Boston, MA 02116 or phone 617-210-8300. We can also continue to send aid to the
Hurricane Maria Community Recovery Fund http://bit.ly/2yrQ7l5and/or UNIDOS http://bit.ly/2AZNc3t
5.
From
one of our own: "Last year I "adopted" the greater
sage grouse as
wildlife that I would follow and protect. I am fortunate that I am able
to submit Rogan's list actions to get the word out to more people and try to
rally support for this unusual American bird. We don't have greater sage grouse
in my state. I first saw them on a television nature program and was drawn to
them because of the males' mating dance. (We can see a video example here.) I've since learned enough to know
that the greater sage grouse are just one piece of an important sage brush
eco-system. (More on the eco-system from Audubon.) I hope other environmentalists
will join me in my concern for the the greater sage grouse or find their own
wildlife to "adopt."
6.
The
massive giveaway of wealth to to corporations and the 1 % could happen as soon
as Nov. 27, right after The Senate returns from Thanksgiving. With so
little time, we must act fast. Fortunately a few Republican Senators are
undecided, and now, even if we don't live in their states, Indivisible has a
way we can influence their votes. We can
sign up for Indivisible's highly effective Peer to Peer Calling program, to
encourage Progressive voters like us to call their Republican Senators and demand
they vote NO on the Trump Tax Scam. Once
we sign up, we'll connect with Democratic voters in Alaska, Arizona, and West
Virginia, given a script about the harm this bill causes and a tool for our
voters to call their Senator's office right away. Indivisible tells us: "It’s super easy: 2,233 Indivisible
volunteers across the country dialed 320,552 Calls to Kill TrumpCare tool to
encourage constituents in Alaska, Arizona, Maine, and Colorado to call their
Republican senators and tell them to vote no on Graham-Cassidy. And we won. We
can win this time, too, with your help."
Let's click on this link and Kill the Bill! https://www.trumptaxscam.org/calls-to-kill-the-tax-scam/
7.
Nebraska
regulators have approved a route for Keystone XL, but threw up a road block by
denying the company’s first choice for the path of the pipeline. It’s unclear
if the company behind the pipeline, TransCanada, is still going to
proceed. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/20/us/nebraska-pipeline-keystone-xl.html Let’s join the Sierra Club in urging
Wells Fargo to pull its funding from the pipeline https://www.addup.org/campaigns/take-action-tell-wells-fargo-to-stop-funding-dirty-pipelines/petition/breaking-keystone-xl-pipeline-gets-conditional-approval-urge-wells-fargo-not-to-fund-it
Petitions
1.
“Oppose
Trump FCC’s plan to destroy net neutrality and the open internet.” Let’s sign this: https://savethenetfromtrump.com/
2.
Legislation
has been put forth to help working families with childcare. The Child Care for Working Families Act
(S.
1806/H.R.
3773) “will
address our nation-wide early care crisis by lowering childcare costs for
low-income and middle-income families, support universal pre-K programs for all
3 and 4 year-olds, and significantly improve compensation and training for the
childcare workforce to ensure that our nation’s teachers and caregivers have
the support they need.” Let’s sign the petition
by MomsRising.org to show we agree: http://action.momsrising.org/sign/MurrayScott/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1.
From Fight for the Future: “The new chairman of the FCC was a top
lawyer at Verizon. Now he's calling for a vote to kill net neutrality. We’re
protesting at retail stores [on December 7] across the U.S. to demand that
Congress stop Verizon’s FCC from destroying the Internet as we know it. The FCC is scheduled to vote on this issue on
December 14. Let’s find a protest near
us or how we can organize one: http://www.verizonprotests.com/ (Organized by Team Internet, a grassroots
network of volunteer net neutrality advocates coordinated by Demand Progress,
Fight for the Future, and Free Press Action Fund)
Reading/Watching
1.
“Your
Uncle Said What? How to Talk About Social Justice With Your Family During the
Holidays” - http://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/your-uncle-said-what-how-to-talk-about-social-justice-with-your-family-during-the-holidays-20171117
2.
Adam
Serwer has written a lengthy and worthwhile piece for The Atlantic titled, “The
Nationalist’s Delusion”: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/11/the-nationalists-delusion/546356/ Not
light holiday reading but worth the effort.
3.
Michigan
Anti-Gerrymandering group, Voters
Not Politicians, has already acquired the signatures necessary to submit
their ballot proposal for 2018 http://bit.ly/2mOd1kN
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