2/27/18
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Contact Federal Government Officials
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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
Supreme Court ruled yesterday not to take on the DACA case by passing the
normal judicial process as requested by Trump.
The normal process will proceed, meaning that those who already have
DACA status can apply for renewal. However, new applications will not be
accepted. Some Senators are working on a
three year stopgap measure to try to keep this from going off a cliff: http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/375377-senate-pivots-to-stopgap-dreamers-deal March 5th will be a day of action
in the fight to protect Dreamers and their families (http://bit.ly/2okX8AE), but it's crucial that we maintain pressure
on our members of Congress to pass a clean Dream Act in the meantime. The
previous immigration proposals failed to pass in the senate, but that does not
mean that the fight is over. Let's give our MoC a call and ask that they keep
working to pass a clean Dream Act. 5Calls has a brief synopsis of the issue,
along with a call script that we can use: https://5calls.org/issue/clean-dream-act-daca
2.
Democrats
led by Reps. Deutch and Cicilline have introduced a new assault weapons ban in
the House (http://thehill.com/homenews/house/375659-dems-introduce-assault-weapons-ban). This is common sense legislation that
is proven to help reduce mass shootings. Let's contact our reps and ask them if they
are among the original co-sponsors. If they are, we can thank them, and if they're
not, we can tell them we're disappointed and want them to sign on to this
legislation whether they’re Democrats or Republicans.
3.
Feeling
confused about the “dueling” memos about Russia? These are two very clear
pieces about the details of both:
https://apnews.com/220bfb466c8547299ed8c3217145a888and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/25/democrats-russia-nunes-memo-donald-trump-criticism Let’s let any Republican MoC we have
that their silence is deafening and let’s take a moment to thank Representative
Adam Schiff for his leadership in difficult times: http://schiff.house.gov/contact
4.
Conservative
Jennifer Rubin draws on the wisdom and ethical expertise of Norm Eisen and
Walter Shaub in this op-ed in the Washington Post titled “Don’t hire relatives:
Kushner should have been gone long ago: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/02/25/dont-hire-relatives-kushner-should-have-been-gone-long-ago/?utm_term=.db1402bc1e67 Let’s let President Trump and Chief of
Staff General John Kelly know that it is truly long past time for Kushner to
step away from our nation’s most classified information.
5.
In
thinking about next steps on gun control, advocates have highlighted one
measure that might have actually prevented the Parkland shooting – a gun
violence restraining order statute, or “red flag” law, which would allow family
or law enforcement to petition a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an
individual in crisis: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-shooting-law-analysis/gun-restraining-order-might-have-thwarted-florida-shooting-experts-idUSKCN1FZ30X These
laws are in place in California and Connecticut. We need to fight to bring them
to communities across the country. Let’s check if our members of Congress are
co-sponsoring H.R. 2598, the Gun Violence Restraining Order
Act,
and ask them to sign on if they’re not. And let’s contact
our state legislators to
find out what they’re doing to pass red flag laws in our states.
6.
Some of
the Florida shooting victims do not have sufficient insurance to cover the
costs of medical bills and other expenses and have set up GoFundMe
accounts. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl-florida-school-shooting-gofundme-tallies-20180216-story.html Trump’s
re-election campaign used a photo of himself with a hospitalized shooting victim
in a email call for donations to his campaign.
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/375535-trump-campaign-uses-image-of-florida-shooting-survivor-in-email-asking-for Let’s tell him that we find this very inappropriate
and ask that he donate to the victims GoFundMe accounts. If we can, let’s do the same.
7.
Since
1996, a rule called the Dickey Amendment has prevented the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention from funding any research that could be seen as advocacy
for gun control. In real life this rule has amounted to a ban on funding any
study of gun violence as a public health issue, and the national debate about
gun control has been crippled by the resulting lack of scientific data. Even
the rule's author regrets its effect:
https://www.npr.org/2015/10/09/447098666/ex-rep-dickey-regrets-restrictive-law-on-gun-violence-research, so let's do him and the nation a favor by
telling our MoCs that it's past time to ditch Dickey.
8.
While
limiting access to guns is anathema, legislation that purports to reduce sex
trafficking while actually putting sex workers at great risk is acceptable to
the Republican majority in the House. FOSTA (H.R.
1865),
Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, claims to protect
victims of sex trafficking, but many advocates who work with people who have
been trafficked oppose it on the grounds that it fails to distinguish between
trafficking victims and sex workers, eliminates sex workers’ source of income,
and hampers anti-trafficking investigations: https://injusticetoday.com/proposed-federal-trafficking-legislation-has-surprising-opponents-advocates-who-work-with-bf418c73d5b4 Among other things, FOSTA would
criminalize hosting safety information for sex workers online; it would end
harm reduction techniques, like asking for referrals via email; it would
eliminate online community spaces for sex workers and advertising platforms
that allow people to engage in indoor work; moreover, it would
disproportionately affect women and sex workers most at the margins.
FOSTA is coming up for a vote in the House this week: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/375345-week-ahead-controversial-ex-trafficking-legislation-on-verge-of-a-vote. Let’s tell our representatives to oppose
it. Details, including a phone script are here:
https://supporthosechi.tumblr.com/post/171289049055/survivorsagainstfosta
9.
Either
this week or next week, the Senate is set to vote on the Economic Growth,
Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act”,(S.
2155),
which guts key portions of the Dodd-Frank Act. Twelve Democrats have joined
with the Republicans in supporting this legislation under the guise that this
will help community banks address troublesome regulations. The problem,
however, is that the legislation raises the oversight threshold from $50
billion to $250 billion, exempting 25 of the 38 biggest banks, many of whom
received TARP bailout money, from regulation. http://thehill.com/opinion/finance/372764-beware-of-the-bank-deregulation-trojan-horse. Let’s tell our Senators that any bank that
crashed due to unethical practices and was bailed out from being too big to
fail should not suddenly be freed from necessary oversight, and to stand up for
their constituents, not bank lobbyists. The following Senators, especially,
should be contacted, and if they are not our representatives, we should reach
out to our friends in these states: Sens. Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Heidi Heitkamp
(D-ND), Jon Tester (D-MT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Claire
McCaskill (D-MO), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Angus King (I-ME), Gary Peters (D-MI),
Michael Bennet (D-CO), Chris Coons (D-DE), and Tom Carper (D-DE)
Election 2018 –
General
1.
In many
states, teens can preregister to vote as early as age 16. Let’s check out this
list states and their voting registration ages, and let’s reach out to the
teens we know and urge them to (pre)register and to commit to voting in every
election, at every level of government, for the rest of their lives. www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/preregistration-for-young-voters.aspx#Ages The most up-to-date info on voter
registration ages will be one the website of each state’s Secretary of State’s
office.
2.
If we
are women considering first-time bids for local and state level office, or if
we know someone who is, we can check out VoteRunLead. Whether we’re
contemplating running for office or “all in!”, VoteRunLead offers an empowering
series of online videos to assist us in taking inventory of our skills,
determining which public office we should launch our leadership, and a primer
for planning our entire campaign Webinars and workshop trainings are practical,
actionable, nonpartisan and individualized. Cost: Free access to
extensive library of online resources and a 1:1 leadership session with a VLR
expert consultant; additional fees for conferences and workshops. Contact: https://voterunlead.org. We can find more resources to help our
campaign in The Candidate Toolkit here: http://bit.ly/2oncgwR
Election 2018 –
By State
Other Actions
1.
“Georgia's
lieutenant governor on Monday attacked Delta Air Lines for dropping a
partnership with the National Rifle Association. Delta, which is headquartered
in Atlanta, ended a discount program for NRA members on
Saturday after public backlash following the shooting earlier this month
at a high school in Parkland, Florida. "I will kill any tax legislation
that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully
reinstates its relationship with @NRA," Cagle said. "Corporations
cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back." Delta
attempted to clarify over the weekend that the decision was nonpartisan,
painting it as a way to stay out of the debate over guns in the US. http://www.businessinsider.com/delta-nra-georgia-casey-cagle-threatens-retaliation-2018-2 Let’s email Delta a thank you
for their decision to remain bipartisan and remind the Lieutenant Governor of
Georgia who is campaigning for Governor that he works for all his constituents
not just the conservatives in his state. Delta: find email form
here. https://www.delta.com/contactus/commentComplaint If
you are a Georgia resident Email Cagle here https://ltgov.georgia.gov/webform/contact-us or tweet him here @CaseyCagle
2.
The
Parkland teens are raising money for the March 24, March for Our Lives
organizing events, in which hundreds of thousands will be marching across the
country demanding common sense gun reform. We can donate here. https://www.gofundme.com/8psm8-march-for-our-lives
3.
If we
want to organize for change, we can read about these powerful, movement-building
insights from Marshall Ganz about organizing and communicating in a way that
invites and supports coalition-building. Looking to genuine personal,
meaningful connection to build movements, Ganz has no interest in the passive
“liking” of campaigns or clickbait petitions asking people of power to start
act nicer. Instead, he sees every ‘member’ as also a leader. Strategy,
narratives, and effective actions can all be learned, learned by doing. Ganz
teaches collective, shared leadership, asking, how can WE do this? Roles and
assignments are part of creating value; creating mission, goals, strategy, and
tactics. It is striking that there are never too many leaders when leadership
is collective. Collective leadership works best when leaders check their egos
at the door. The focus is on the doing, on good days.” Let’s see how we can use this: https://websterweb.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/marshall-ganz-narrative-and-organizing-our-people/
4.
West
Virginia teachers rank 48th in the nation in average pay, and many have to rely
on public assistance to get by. They’re also struggling with rising premiums
and co-pays for health insurance benefits. Today, they’re entering their fourth
day on strike for the salary and benefits they deserve (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/west-virginias-statewide-teachers-strike-continues.html). Let’s show them we’ve got their backs.
Progressive activists have set up a strike fund on GoFundMe to help support
teachers and school service personnel while they’re out. We can donate to it
here: https://www.gofundme.com/wv-teachers-strike-fund/
5.
Network for Public Education wants to our thoughts about school safety. “Recent
surveys on gun violence in schools often report their finding by political
party affiliation and whether or not you own a gun. They do not report out
results for the most important groups of all--those who suffer the consequences
of gun violence in schools. If you
are a pre-K -12 parent, a teacher, or a student between the ages of 14-25 we
want to hear what YOU think. Please
take this very short survey here.”
6.
For the
educators among us- the New York Times has published a guide on how we can help
our students understand current events regarding DACA and the Dreamers. The
guide includes detailed lesson plans we can use in our classroom as well as
links to other lesson plans from the Anti-Defamation League and PBS. Let's
check it out and take advantage of this great resource http://nyti.ms/2ose3Bn
7.
From Postcards from Kate: Today
we're thanking conservative columnist Mona Charen for expressing her
disappointment with the republican party's support of "sexual harassers
and abusers of women" in their party during a panel on feminism and the
#MeToo movement at CPAC last week. She was booed by the audience and
immediately escorted out by security after the panel. “I am disappointed in
people on our side for being hypocrites about sexual harassers and abusers of
women, who are in our party, who are sitting in the White House, who brag about
their extramarital affairs, who brag about mistreating women—and because he
happens to have an ‘R’ next to his name we look the other way.” Charen,...also
criticized the event’s organizers for inviting Marion Le Pen, the niece of the
far-right French politician Marine Le Pen.
We need honesty, and people unafraid to speak out against hypocrisy now
more than ever. So let's send her a note of thanks: Mona Charen, Senior Fellow, c/o Ethics and
Public Policy Center, 1730 M St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Listen to her interview on "The Daily" podcast here. Or read her NYT Op-Ed here.
Listen to her interview on "The Daily" podcast here. Or read her NYT Op-Ed here.
8.
Another
way to oppose the easy acquisition of firearms in our country is to boycott
retailers who sell them. We can consider ending our relationships with the
following stores and brands: A) Walmart, B) Cabella's, C) Dick's Sporting Goods, D) Bass Pro Shops, and E) Vista, which now owns
Camelbak, Giro, Bell Helmets, Bollé, Camp Chef, and Blackburn, and others (https://www.adventure-journal.com/2018/02/vista-boycott-ooutdoor-brands/)
9.
Let’s
make a point to support these businesses that Second Amendment Check asks “freedom loving Americans to boycott
anti-gun companies until they improve their policy.” http://www.2acheck.com/the-boycott-list/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
Everyday an average of 700,000 people are condemned
to local jails and separated from their families, and a majority of them are
there simply because they cannot afford to pay bail (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/04/the-dangerous-domino-effect-of-not-making-bail/477906/). While we fight
to end money bail, the National Bail Out campaign is trying to get these folks
back to their families as soon as possible. We can join the movement by signing
up for the toolkit at
https://nomoremoneybail.org or by taking
part in a webinar TONIGHT at 7:00PM EST, which we can sign up
for here.
States
1.
ALL: A growing bipartisan number of state
governors have joined calls for a reconsideration of gun laws and school safety
measures after the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., a sign that resulting
legislative changes could extend far beyond Florida in the coming months. The
impact of the shooting rippled through the winter meeting of the National
Governors Association in Washington this weekend, as state leaders expressed
willingness to consider new limits on gun ownership and stepped up efforts to
address mental-health factors. But most said they were opposed to President
Trump’s proposal to allow more teachers to be armed. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/more-governors-willing-to-consider-gun-law-changes-after-florida-shooting/2018/02/25/eac08ec0-1a33-11e8-b2d9-08e748f892c0_story.html?utm_term=.f8f90a8dd1ba Let’s
continue to pressure our Governors, our state legislatures and Congress to
provide us with sensible guns laws. New polls show 70% of the country are in
favor of this.
2.
AZ, FL,
OK, WY: In attacks on our first amendment rights to separation of church and
states, last week legislature in some states started passing bills to require
"In God We Trust" to be displayed in all public schools.
(Souce: Americans United) a) AZ: The Arizona Senate passed a
bill SB1289 that would allow public school teachers
to post “God Enriches” on the walls of their classrooms. (Source: AZ Central). Let's tell our AZ
state representatives that
we oppose this bill. b) FL: The Florida House adopted a bill,
[Florida] HB
839,
that would require the words “In God We Trust” to be displayed in a conspicuous
place in every public school. (Source: NPR.) The Florida Senate has introduced an
identical bill, S1158. Let's tell our FL
state senators that
we oppose S1158. c) OK: the Oklahoma Senate Committee on General Government
passed [Oklahoma] Senate Bill SB1016, which would require school superintendents
and officials of state agencies to place a poster of “In God We Trust” in
school classrooms and public buildings that are maintained or operated using
state funds. (Souce: KOSU). Let's tell our OK state senators that we oppose SB1016. d) WY: The
Wyoming House passed [Wyoming] House
Bill 133, which
requires the posting of “In God We Trust” “in the state capitol building, the
library and each classroom of each public elementary and secondary school of
the state, the lobby of each public building or facility owned by the state and
within the leased space of any building or facility leased by the state.” A
final vote on the bill in expected today, Tuesday 2/27.
(Source: WGAB) Let's tell our WY state representatives that we oppose H133.
3.
MI: From the Michigan Education Association - “Add
your name to our petition against concealed weapons in schools -- and share
your ideas about real solutions by answering, "Instead of more guns in
schools, arm us with..." https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/instead-of-more-guns-in-schools-arm-us-with
4.
NY:
37 other states have early voting, but not New York. Gov. Andrew Cuomo
put $7 million in his budget for early voting, but now NY’s representatives
have to okay it. Let’s join the Thunderclap to urge them to
approve: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/68328-early-voting-call-in-day
5.
SC: A
South Carolina Senate panel has approved legislation, the so-called
"Personhood Act" (Senate bill S217), that would effectively ban all abortions
in the state by giving legal rights to fertilized eggs from the moment of
conception. The bill is endorsed by Gov. Henry McMaster (R) and Lt. Gov.
Kevin Bryant (R), who sponsored the bill. We can read more at The Hill. Let's contact our SC
state senators to
let them know we oppose this anti-choice bill.
6.
SC: South
Carolina state representative Wendy Brawley (D-District 70) is proposing
legislation that would ban the sale, use and possession of assault weapons,
high-capacity magazines and bump stocks. SC house bill H4975 would prohibit the sale or possession
of all semi-automatic centerfire rifles with a detachable magazine with a
capacity of 21 or more rounds, all semi-automatic shotguns with a folding stock
or a magazine capacity of more than six rounds, any firearm that has been
modified to operate as an assault weapon and any part of a combination or parts
designed to convert a firearm into an assault weapon. We can read more at
the Sumter Item. Let's contact our SC state house representatives to let them know we support H4975.
Reading/Watching
1.
Malcolm Gladwell offers a plausible social
model for how and why the mass shooting epidemic in America is be escalating;
how the reasons may transcend the individual and be linked more to dynamics of
a group - https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/10/19/thresholds-of-violence
2.
“Black Teens Have Been Fighting for Gun Reform
for Years” - https://www.teenvogue.com/story/black-teens-have-been-fighting-for-gun-reform-for-years
3.
Many of our MoCs have worked in Congress for a
long time. It's important to know how their voting record on certain issues
stacks up. Here's a helpful all-in-one tool to check "how your
state's representatives and senators have voted on major gun legislation over
the past two-and-a-half decades." There are even brief descriptions of all
the bills. An amazing resource we can use to keep our MoCs accountable! https://www.npr.org/2018/02/19/566731477/chart-how-have-your-members-of-congress-voted-on-gun-bills
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