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Contact Federal Government Officials

Find senator’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/RLiotu

Find representative’s contact info here: https://goo.gl/5i7SXC

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

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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.       Unless Congress passes an omnibus spending bill to fund the government through September or passes a short-term bill by this Friday, the government will shut down.  However, many issues are still left hanging. https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2018-01-12/democrats-have-a-shutdown-conundrum-over-daca-and-chip and https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2018/01/14/after-touring-puerto-rico-mass-congressional-delegation-calls-for-more-post-hurricane-aid/a4RJiDH0QnD3o4B0jgweDL/story.html  Let’s make sure our MoCs know that we do not want them to sign on to a bill unless it includes A) a clean Dream Act to save the DACA program, B) the re-authorizing of the CHIP program, and C) a solid helpful financial plan to get Puerto Rico back on track physically and fiscally.

2.      This week in Congress:  the House will be considering fifteen (15) bills this week starting Tuesday.  Let's check out the Majority Leader's Schedule to see what's coming. 

3.      Today, members of Congress will engage in the annual ritual of tweeting out praise of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King. Tomorrow, many of those on the Republican side of the aisle will return to ignoring their opportunity to defend that legacy. Civil rights leaders like Rep. John Lewis have been calling for Congress to restore the Voting Right Act since the day it was gutted by the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder, only to be blocked by Republican leadership (https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-06-22/house-democrats-move-to-restore-key-provisions-of-the-voting-rights-act). Securing this legislation was one of Dr. King’s great victories. Let’s contact our reps and let them know that if they are serious about honoring his memory, they should take action to re-strengthen its protections.

4.      The federal courts have always been a crucial front in the battle to guarantee civil rights for all Americans. Donald Trump’s judicial nominees are set to make that fight much more difficult. He wants to give lifetime appointments to people like Thomas Farr, a North Carolina lawyer with a record of defending racist voter suppression laws and even actively participating in an effort to drive African-American voters away from the polls (http://www.businessinsider.com/thomas-farr-modern-white-supremacist-black-civil-rights-leaders-say-2017-12). Let’s contact our senators and tell them we want them to commemorate Dr. King’s birthday by announcing they will oppose Farr’s confirmation, along with any other nominee who cannot be trusted to stand up for the right to vote.

5.      The Senate convenes on Tuesday at 4:30 pm to resume consideration of the House message to accompany S.139, the vehicle for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Amendments Reauthorization bill. Let's recall that last Thursday, the House passed this bill and forwarded it to the Senate without any amendments to protect Americans from surveillance. We can read more about FISA at Fortune. If we have not already done so, let's tell our Senators that we want protections for Americans added to FISA before they reauthorize it for six (6) years.

6.      Hawaiians, and the rest of us, have now seen how easily an “accidental” nuclear war might begin:  https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/hawaii-missile-alert-test-goes-wrong-terrifies-state-n837551  Trump, however, wants more “low-yield” nuclear weapons, or so a leaked draft of the Nuclear Posture Review, a roadmap for US nuclear strategy published every four years, suggests.  These, the president thinks, could be more readily deployed since they would kill only about 100,000 people at a time:  http://www.businessinsider.com/nuclear-posture-review-trump-huffpost-draft-report-2018-1 Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) have sponsored H.R. 669/S. 200, requiring a Congressional declaration of war before nuclear weapons can be used. Given what we know, it is imperative that we get our MoCs to co-sponsor this bill.  We can call, fax, tweet, or Win Without War will help us write to them: http://act.winwithoutwar.org/sign/dont-let-trump-tweet-us-war/

7.      “Trump has pledged to marshal federal government talent and resources to address the opioid crisis, but nearly a year after his inauguration, the drug policy office, known as ONDCP, lacks a permanent director.” After seven appointees have departed, Taylor Weyeneth, a 23-year-old with no drug experience and a resume riddled with “mistakes” who campaigned for trump rose to the position of deputy chief of staff. “The story of his appointment and remarkable rise provides insight into the Trump administration’s political appointments and the troubled state of the drug policy office.”  https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/meet-the-24-year-old-trump-campaign-worker-appointed-to-help-lead-the-governments-drug-policy-office/2018/01/13/abdada34-f64e-11e7-91af-31ac729add94_story.html?utm_term=.248a7056b5a5  We can’t address the opioid crisis with inept and inexperienced leadership. Let’s demand that our Representatives call on Trump to appoint an experienced candidate to head the Office of the National Drug Control Policy. 

8.     From Postcards for America:  The U.S. Department of the Interior manages America's vast natural and cultural resources.  The department employs some 70,000 people, including expert scientists and resource-management professionals, in 9 bureaus. For purposes of this PC2A, I have chosen 3 sections which I believe may be having some of the most difficult times. Let’s thank them and boost their morale! Without career government employees, the US Government will cease to function.  We need them in place when we get our country politically back on the right track!  Here’s the link:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IRSSFv7Tbrlg7p9Df2oMCuSHzSr2le8H_4ShG0hLlPs/edit

9.      “The same Russian government-aligned hackers who penetrated the Democratic Party have spent the past few months laying the groundwork for an espionage campaign against the U.S. Senate, a cybersecurity firm said in a report Friday.”  
https://apnews.com/9a6888c2163f43a7913c808e8cf9bc6e  Let’s contact our MoC to ask what they’re doing to protect US entities from hackers.

10.  The Education Department has awarded a contract to a debt-collection company with ties to the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos. 
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/368930-company-with-devos-ties-awarded-education-dept-debt-collection Let’s contact our MoC to ask them to look into potential conflicts of interest in the way that the Education Department awards contracts. 

11.   Trump’s “s***hole” comment earned our nation an understandably rebuking letter from all 55 African nations:  http://thehill.com/policy/international/368866-african-union-trump-shithole-remarks-dishonor-american-creed Let’s be in touch with our MoC to say that our country needs to be better than this and that we are looking to them to stand up as leaders.

12.  Although in the room when Trump made his disparaging remarks, both Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) “do not recall” him saying them, in spite of several consistent accounts of the situation: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/368745-gop-senators-say-they-do-not-recall-trump-referring-to-shithole Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that it was "unfair" to call Trump a racist http://nbcnews.to/2AZ9VfO Let's contact these senators and let them know what we think about them defending Trump's blatant racism. Senator Tom Cotton: 124 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-2353 Senator David Perdue: 455 Russell Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Phone: (202) 224-3521 Senator Rand Paul: 167 Russell Senate Office Building Washington DC, 20510 Phone: (202) 224-4343

13.  While starving the EPA and the Census Bureau, not to mention the Departments of Labor, Education, Interior, and Housing & Urban Development, Trump has apparently ensured that Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), like the military, can have all the resources it wants.  Enough, this week, to raid 98 Seven-11 stores in 17 states so as to arrest 21 workers suspected of illegal employment: https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/01/11/577271488/ice-targets-7-eleven-stores-in-nationwide-immigration-raids  We must strenuously object to this allocation of our taxes while vital federal functions languish for lack of funding.  Let’s tell the White House and the Acting Director of ICE Thomas Homan at 1-888-351-4024 or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, 500 12th St., SW, Washington DC 20536

14.  In a stealth attack on our future, Trump plans to appoint Tom Brunell, who literally wrote the book on Gerrymandering, to oversee the census. Redistricting, elections, the balance of power and social programs are all in jeopardy from this blatantly partisan pick. Ben Wikler of MoveOn explains why this pick is so dangerous, what we can do and gives us a script for calling Congress:  

Election 2018 - General

1.       Despite having more registered Democrats than Republicans, Florida, because of gerrymandering, has a Republican-controlled state house. But 2018 might herald a new era. This year, Florida’s district maps are fairer, thanks to a constitutional amendment and court order. Let’s help Sister District’s efforts to elect Democrat Margaret Good (FL-72) in a special election to be held February 13, 2018, by participating in a get-out-the-vote postcard campaign. https://www.sisterdistrict.com/margaret-good-florida-72/ ; https://www.sisterdistrict.com/programs/postcards/ . We can sign up here and find and find a postcard campaign near us: https://www.sisterdistrict.com/

Election 2018 – By State

1.       IA:  Iowa House of Representatives District 6 special election on Tuesday, January 16.  Vote for Democrat Rita DeJong, https://www.ritaforiowa.com/

2.      SC:  South Carolina House of Representatives District 99 special election on Tuesday, January 16. Vote for Democrat Cindy Boatwright, https://www.cindyboatwrightforsc.com/

3.      WI:  Upcoming special elections on Tuesday, January 16 in A) Wisconsin State Senate District 10. Vote for Democrat Patty Schachtner, https://www.pattyforsenate.com/, B) Wisconsin State Assembly District 58. Vote for Democrat Dennis Degenhardt, 
https://www.degenhardtforassembly.com/, and C) Wisconsin State Assembly District 66. Vote for Democrat Greta Neubauer, www.votegreta.com/ 

Other Actions

1.       For the educators among us, the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance has some helpful resources for teaching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. First, let's check out the "Do's and Don'ts of Celebrating MLK Day" http://bit.ly/2B0KIS4 Then, let's use this advice not just on Dr. King's birthday, but also throughout the year, as we connect it to current movements, like Black Lives Matter https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/from-mlk-to-blacklivesmatter-a-throughline-for-young-students

2.      Over the weekend, former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele, tweeted, “As we take this weekend to reflect on the leadership and the moral strength that girded the actions and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, I want to share his example with those in my Party who have not yet found the strength they need.”  With his tweet he shared a meme with this quote from MLK: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”  https://twitter.com/MichaelSteele/status/952029131956539392  The leadership of the RNC has been woefully silent during the growing concerns about Trump, Russia, and leadership issues.  https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2018/01/10/where-republican-outrage-trump-turns-america-into-banana-republic-gabriel-schoenfeld-column/1015009001/  Let’s contact the RNC and ask them about their commitment to American values and their silence on the matter.  Contact:   ecampaign@gop.com, or 310 First Street SE, Washington, DC 20003, or 202-863-8500 or tweet the current Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel @GOPChairwoman

3.      While we talk and hear a lot about “collusion”, Instead, we need to start using the words that Special Counsel Robert Mueller is probably using: "conspiracy" and "coordination."  https://www.usnews.com/opinion/thomas-jefferson-street/articles/2018-01-11/retire-collusion-from-national-vocabulary-on-trump-campaign-and-russia  Let’s work on using those two words instead of collusion.

4.      Andy Slavitt, who ran Medicare, Medicaid & ACA for President Obama, is doing his best to keep us updated on what is happening, and can happen in the healthcare arena.  We can sign up for his updates here to help stay aware and find out how we can help.

5.      As we continue our activism, we have so much to learn from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Let’s tap into his wisdom by taking a look at these wonderful resources:  A) The Martin Luther King, Jr., Papers Project, https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/about-papers-project, B) Letter from a Birmingham Jail, 
http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/kingweb/popular_requests/frequentdocs/birmingham.pdf, C) Selected Bibliography from The King Center, www.thekingcenter.org/books-bibliography, and D) A great resource to find books for children about black history, ideas for teaching the values of MLK to children, online quizzes to test your knowledge of MLK and more:  https://www.familyeducation.com/entertainment-activities/martin-luther-king-day

6.      Long before the current need, the Syracuse Cultural Workers has been “speaking for justice --giving voice to resistance since 1982”.  Check out their selection of relevant postcards:  https://www.syracuseculturalworkers.com/products/type/card/card-type/Postcards  While on their site, check out all the other items, too!

7.      On Dec. 4, 2017, fifty (50) years after the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. launched his Poor People's Campaign, the Rev. William J. Barber II and the Rev. Liz Theoharis summoned Americans to a new Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival. The Campaign intends to challenge the evils of systemic racism, poverty, the war economy, ecological devastation and the nation’s distorted morality. We can read more about it at the Albany Times-Union and at the Poor People's Campaign website.  Let's consider joining the campaign.

8.     One way to celebrate Martin Luther King’s birthday and his commitment to poor and working people is to school ourselves in the effects this administration has had on them.  Only by understanding these can we effectively fight the inequality we see around us.  Here's a place to begin: the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank created in 1986 to include low- and middle-income workers in economic policy discussions, has published a list of ten actions that have hurt workers during Trump’s first year: http://www.epi.org/publication/ten-actions-that-hurt-workers-during-trumps-first-year/  Let’s read this and use it to help our community.

9.      Over 30,00 Syrian refugees are suffering, starving, in Idlib, the last Syrian Province not under Assad’s control.  Now as new bombings are planned, a major humanitarian crisis is about to get much worse.  Crammed into tents in the harsh winter cold, awaiting more bombings, with little hope of protection or escape, these people need our help. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/13/syria-idlib-refugees-assad-migration-rebels  We can click here to find prewritten tweets, raising awareness, showing the damage that has already been done, and demanding the that the UN takes action. With just a few clicks, we help raise awareness and hopefully save some lives.  Click to tweet links available here: http://j.mp/2mBHzDS 

10.  "Zeta Global inherited a hate speech problem late last year when they acquired Disqus. We're calling on the leadership to enforce Disqus' hate speech policies by cutting ties with Breitbart. Emails: David Steinberg, Co-Founder & CEO: dsteinberg@zetaglobal.com Steve Gerber, President & COO: sgerber@zetaglobal.com Template: Hi David/Steve, I'm reaching out to ask if you're aware that your business is now powering Breitbart's hate speech via your recent acquisition of Disqus. Over 3700 advertisers have already cut ties with Breitbart since last year. As a member of the Sleeping Giants campaign, I'm calling on you to do your part and end your business relationship with Breitbart. For your consideration, I'm including a few screenshot examples with this email. Thanks, [Your Name]" Screenshots for the e-mail can be found on the Sleeping Giants Facebook page: 

11.   Celebrate MLK Day with a commitment to social justice, and set up a recurring monthly donation to the NAACP. This org has been crucial in getting out the vote in special elections throughout 2017. 
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/despite-the-obstacles-black-voters-make-a-statement-in-alabama/548237/ A monthly donation can help the NAACP continue to support and mobilize the most disenfranchised voters throughout 2018. https://donate.naacp.org/page/contribute

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       On January 18 at 7pm CT/8pm ET, Organizing for Action, in partnership with the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), led by President Obama's former Attorney General, Eric Holder, will be conducting a webinar to teach us how to host a training about the effects of gerrymandering.  We need to educate our communities and this training will give us everything we need to start a conversation with family, friends, and neighbors. We can register for the training here:  http://bit.ly/2myS6Qc

2.      The national Women’s March will be held in Las Vegas this weekend and we can register here:  http://www.powertothepolls.com/rsvp.html  If we can’t make it there, there are a growing number of sister marches being planned.  Let’s check for one close to us and attend:  http://www.powertothepolls.com/anniversary.html

States

1.       Various:  Scott Lloyd, director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), is attempting to prevent a fourth young immigrant from obtaining an abortion http://bit.ly/2D4rD6F The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, but eleven state attorneys general have filed a brief in support of the Trump administration http://bit.ly/2Dpj0S1http://bit.ly/2zkYfXg If our attorney general is one of those who signed, let's be sure to contact them and tell them that we do not support the violation of constitutional rights, nor do we condone forced pregnancy.

2.      FL:  All hands on deck: Florida is one of only four states that permanently deprives people of the right to vote because of a past conviction. A state ballot initiative to restore the vote to 1.6 million disenfranchised Floridians needs more than 35,000 citizen signatures in the next 18 days to get on the ballot in 2018. Whether or not we live in Florida, let’s visit this page and find out how we can help: https://florida.ourstates.org/

Reading/Watching

1.       “Data point to a new wave of female political activism that could shift the course of US politics” - https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2018/01/10/a-new-wave-of-female-political-activism/


2.      “Heartland Democrats to Washington: You’re Killing Us” - https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/11/terry-goodin-rural-democrats-indiana-216273

3.      Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember.  Amy Siskind is keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "This is the longest weekly list so far, and contains historic moments. Senator Dianne Feinstein released 300 pages of Fusion GPS testimony on the Steele dossier ... Trump’s “shithole” countries statement prompted worldwide condemnation and questions of whether he is eroding US moral authoritywhile concerns about his fitness for office continued to swirl."  Let's review Amy Siskind's list week 61.

4.      And, as usual, our weekly dose of Small Victorieshttp://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-know-your-rights?e=86890239c4







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