Contact Federal Government Officials
Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu
Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC
********************************
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.
In other
little glimpses of good news this week: “Republican leaders are
considering skipping passage of a GOP budget this year — a blow to the party’s
weakened fiscal hawks that would squash all 2018 efforts to revamp entitlements
or repeal Obamacare.”: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/10/gop-may-skip-budget-kneecapping-2018-ambitions-334946
and when we see Darrel Issa’s retirement in the news, we can thank the over 300
volunteers who protested at his office every Tuesday for more
than 50 weeks. Issa even climbed on his roof to escape them. It’s a good
reminder that your while Representative may never want to hear from you, they
might have to retire to do so. https://escondidograpevine.com/2018/01/10/issa-bites-the-dust-gone-solid-gone-in-2019/ Let’s
keep up our pressure on Republican MoCs to let them know that the Blue Wave is
very real.
2.
Yesterday
morning, the House voted to extend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance
Act (FISA), which was due to expire on January 19. It goes to the Senate
today. The debate around this controversial bill has centered on a provision in
section 702 "that would allow for so-called 'about' surveillance. For some
time, the National Security Agency intercepted communications that mentioned a
surveillance target, even if that information was not sent directly to or from
the target. The agency recently stopped, but the bill would give the government
the legal leeway to restart its efforts, so long as Congress doesn’t explicitly
block them soon."
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/11/16874158/house-702-fisa-bill-vote-nsa-surveillance-spying This is a problem for privacy
advocates, since it basically allows the NSA to intercept private
communications by US citizens without a warrant. While this is a complicated
national security issue, we should let
our Senators know that we think the NSA can both heed the 4th amendment AND
investigate persons potentially threatening our national security at the same
time: they should insist on an amendment that forces the NSA to get a warrant
before intercepting the personal communications of US Citizens.
3.
“Immigration
and Customs Enforcement agents detained immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir
on Thursday after a routine check-in in New York City. Ragbir is the executive
director of the New Sanctuary Coalition of New York and has been nationally
recognized for his work.” https://sojo.net/articles/ice-detains-immigrant-rights-activist-ravi-ragbir-during-routine-check Here’s how we can help: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mMPunHlMYVPJsz2Fn5lPGv7TJ7_nlCi0HNY0CUnoHYI/edit
4. Reuters
reporters Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27, were arrested in Burma/Myanmar in December
for their investigative reporting on state and state-condoned violence against
the Rohingya people. They were formally charged on Wednesday with
violating the Official Secrets Act, and face up to 14 years in prison.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/10/two-reuters-journalists-rohingya-court-myanmar Let’s
follow the lead of the Freedom of Press Caucus and urge Secretary Tillerson to
“use all available diplomatic tools to urge the Government of Burma to drop all
charges and immediately release Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo.” http://schiff.house.gov/news/press-releases/-freedom-of-press-caucus-urges-secretary-tillerson-to-pressure-burma-to-release-two-reuters-journalists Contact: https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform
5. Here’s
an opportunity to help make genuine progress for gun control at the federal
level. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is
considering treating “bump stocks” like the ones used in the mass shooting in
Las Vegas as falling under the legal definition of machine guns. Under laws
already in place, the sale and manufacture of new machine guns for civilian use
is banned and those already in circulation are tightly regulated: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/12/05/atf-and-other-federal-agencies-reviewing-whether-ban-bump-stocks/924347001
The
ATF is seeking comments on its proposed rules until January 25th, and
extremist groups like the Gun Owners of America are urging their members to
flood them with objections. Let’s let them know that we’re here, we are the
majority who want common sense gun safety laws, and we think this would be a
valuable step in the right direction. We can submit our comments here.
6. Donald
Trump, in a meeting with congressional leaders on immigration, asked why
America would want people from ‘sh*thole countries’ like Haiti and some African
nations and expressed a preference for more immigrants from countries like
Norway (http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/11/politics/daca-deal-obstacles-flake-white-house/index.html).
We’ve been through this before, and we know what happens next. Lawmakers tweet and issue
statements insisting they are shocked and
appalled by Trump’s racism… and consider their responsibilities fulfilled. With
deadlines on DACA looming for our immigrant friends and neighbors, let’s make
sure they know that strong words are not enough. If they really disapprove of
Trump’s racist immigration policies, they should take strong action and support
a clean Dream Act now, whether Trump likes it or not.
7.
“National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs
and Practices, was launched in 1997 and is run by the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. Its website lists 453 programs in
behavioral health—aimed at everything from addiction and parenting to HIV
prevention, teen depression, and suicide-hotline training—that have been shown,
by rigorous outcomes measures, to be effective and not quackery.” The Trump administration has ended this program. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-administration-halts-program-that-evaluates-substance-abuse-and-behavioral-health-therapies/ Let’s
tell our MoCs that this valuable program helps guide treatment all over the country
and is too valuable to be tossed aside.
8.
In an
effort to address last year’s massive Equifax data breach, Sens. Elizabeth
Warren (D-MA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) have introduced “a bill to create an
Office of Cybersecurity at the Federal Trade Commission (S.
2289) for supervision of data security at
consumer reporting agencies [and]…to impose penalties on credit reporting
agencies for cybersecurity breaches that put sensitive consumer data at
risk.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-equifax-data-breach-fines-20180110-story.html Let’s
call our Senators urging them to support this bill.
9.
“President
Trump’s companies sold more than $35 million in real estate in 2017, mostly to
secretive shell companies that obscure buyers’ identities,
continuing a dramatic shift in his customers' behavior that
began during the election.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/01/10/trumps-secretive-real-estate-sales-continue-unabated/1018530001/ Let’s call our MoC to urge them to look
into just who’s investing in Trump’s business so that we can ensure there’s no
conflict of interest.
10. Earlier this week, Trump promised to "take
a very, very strong look" at creating a federal libel law, which revived a
theme from his 2016 campaign and was a thinly veiled threat delivered to the
mainstream media as their cameras broadcast his sinister words (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/01/10/trump-puts-federal-libel-law-2018-agenda-escalates-complaints-against-media-putting-federal-libel-la/1020913001/).
In our next chat with our MoCs, please consider telling them that we've no
interest in turning White House news coverage into the same tedious, fawning
media circus that Vladimir Putin so enjoys:
11.
U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spent Wednesday morning
executing a nationwide raid at ninety-eight 7-11 stores, in an attempt to round
up undocumented workers, under Acting Director Thomas Homan's authority:
http://bit.ly/2FmDwTR http://nyti.ms/2CPkfsh Acting
head of ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations Derek Banner threatened that
“This is what we’re gearing up for this year and what you’re going to see more
and more of is these large-scale compliance inspections, just for
starters." Let's make sure to call our senators and let them know that
know this is not how we want to see resources spent, and that we expect them to
oppose Thomas Homan's nomination as Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement.
12. ICE continues to live up to its ruthless
reputation, as it has denied a stay of deportation to Yancarlos Mendoza, the
caregiver of a 6-year old paraplegic boy http://cin.ci/2AQUtCa While
ICE maintains that they will deport Mendoza, his immigration attorney has
advised that comments regarding the decision can be sent to the director of
ICE's Detroit office, Rebecca Adducci, via e-mail Rebecca.j.adducci@dhs.gov or
phone (313)
568-6036. Let's send the director our thoughts on
this ICE decision, and ask that Mendoza be granted a stay of removal so that he
may be reunited with his family. We can also contact ICE's regional community
relations officer Valentina Seeley at valentina.seeley@ice.dhs.gov
13. Unless the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (CHIP) is funded and a “clean” DACA bill is passed, we should urge
Democratic MoCs to vote against the 2018 budget on January 19th.
Let’s let Chuck Schumer know that Democrats will lose credibility otherwise:
Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY): https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/office-locations
14. Anti-gay, pro-torture judicial nominee Howard
Nielson has said he wants to “bring back a hell of a lot worse than
waterboarding.” Nielson has fought efforts to ensure equality in education
for people of color; has advocated against regulating greenhouse gases; has
frequently litigated against the Affordable Care Act; and has defended severe
burdens on women’s exercise of their reproductive rights. Let's read more about
Nielson at Alliance for Justice and here: http://www.newsweek.com/president-trumps-new-judicial-nominee-believes-gay-judges-shouldnt-hear-lgbt-771447 We have plenty of reasons to oppose Nielson. Let's tell our Senators about them.
Election 2018 -
General
1.
Earlier,
we posted this link to 100 black women who are running for election this
year: https://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/black-women-in-politics Our friends at Craftivist
have turned the information into a Google doc arranged by state for our
convenience: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v-JR7b0435yW1PW34C6l07PfUfyk6mHvuOLx3d4enO8/edit
Election 2018 –
By State
Other Actions
1.
Address
correction: Shep Smith, FOX News host
fact-checked Trump’s claims that the Russian investigation is a hoax by the
Democrats and stated, ““The president again calling the Russia investigation a
‘Democratic hoax’,” Smith said. “It is not. Fox News has been reporting and will
continue to report that two people have pleaded guilty.” http://thehill.com/homenews/media/368374-foxs-shep-smith-fact-checks-trump-on-air-after-russia-comments Thanks thank Shep Smith for speaking truth at
Fox: 1211 Avenue of The
Americas, New York, NY, 10036
2.
Prior to
Representative Issa announcing his retirement, Indivisible San Diego spent each
week protesting at his district office, forty-nine weeks in a row. The protests
were well-organized, safe, and creative. Let's check out Indivisible San
Diego's rundown of how they successfully showed up and protested each week;
they are a fantastic representation of an enduring resistance http://bit.ly/2qUyb2Q Then,
let's use this information to help effectively mobilize our local Indivisible,
or other action group.
3.
“Joan
Blades and John Gable want you to make friends with people who vote differently
than you do. A pair of political opposites, the two longtime pals know the
value of engaging in honest conversations with people you don't immediately
agree with. Join them as they explain how to bridge the gaps in understanding
between people on opposite sides of the political spectrum -- and create
opportunities for mutual listening and consideration (and, maybe, lasting
friendships).” - https://www.ted.com/talks/joan_blades_and_john_gable_free_yourself_from_your_filter_bubbles Let’s
work on trying to do the same.
4.
For
those creative crafting resisters amongst us, there is a website and newsletter
just for us! “The purpose of the
organization is threefold : enable self-care through crafting, encourage
real-world meetings for craftivists and provide specific, timely, manageable
political actions. In both craft and politics, Craftivist welcomes all levels
of experience, from novice to expert. We're all in this together.” https://www.craftivist.net/what-we-do/ Let’s check it out, sign up and maybe start
our own local groups!
5.
Alt National
Parks Service, which “formed in response to the new administration, who
has shown little mercy for the environment and wildlife”, has created a
website. There are 59 national parks, check if your favorite park is part of
this group. Their mission “Stand up for the National Park Service to help
protect and preserve the environment for future generations to come.” You can
find much more here at the new site: https://altnps.org/about
6.
From Loyal Opposition: ProPublica
has a site that allows you to browse the latest votes & bills, see how
often lawmakers vote against their parties and compare voting records: https://projects.propublica.org/represent/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1. Tuesday,
Jan. 16 at 8pm EST: "We Have Always
Done it this Way: Understanding the Ways Faith Institutions Maintain White
Supremacy Culturally and How to Interrupt It" - This Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) Faith webinar, featuring Jessica Vazquez Torres and
Emily Drew from Crossroads Anti-Racism Training, seeks to identify how white
supremacy culture is baked into faith/spiritual institutions. Register for
free, here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/d0558b68209642d5dc2040ba88984b7b
States
Reading/Watching
1. “Girls Can Change the World—But We Have to
Invest in Them First” by Malala
Yousafzai: http://time.com/5087352/malala-yousafzai-girls-can-change-the-world/
2.
“Obstruction
of Justice, Explained” by Cindy Otis: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/obstruction-of-justice
3.
“The
Voters Abandoning Donald Trump” - https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/the-voters-abandoning-donald-trump/550247/
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