4/06/18
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.
Today is
the last day to submit a comment on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
proposal to lease off land near Colorado’s Great Sand Dunes National Park to
oil and gas companies https://bit.ly/2DIVIFf We can read through Sierra Club’s rundown of
the many concerns regarding this proposal and submit a comment through their website. Or, we can e-mail our comments directly to
the Bureau of Land Management: blm_co_rg_comments@blm.gov
2.
As
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos threatens to rescind Obama-era instructions
that racial disparities in public schools are not to be tolerated and as Trump
fantasizes about arming schoolteachers, the non-partisan Government
Accountability Office has issued a new report (https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-258) finding that regardless of the type of
disciplinary action, regardless of the level of school poverty, and regardless
of the type of public school attended, black students, boys, and students with
disabilities are disciplined at wildly disproportionate rates: https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/04/04/590887226/persistent-disparities-in-school-discipline-says-government-watchdog We must tell DeVos, who claims to be
on a “listening” tour, that this disparity is not tolerable: 400 Maryland Ave.
SW, Washington, D.C. 20202 or 202-401-3000
3.
The
American Medical Association has let Secretary of Defense James Mattis know
that they think his take on transgender troops distorts the evidence https://bit.ly/2qbqD86 Let’s let Secretary Mattis know that we
expect adherence to the scientific evidence rather than the trampling of civil
rights: Secretary of Defense James Mattis, US Dept of Defense, 1400
Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC, 20301-1400
4.
Trump is
continuing his efforts to turn our oceans into oilfields, with his
administration proposing to resume leasing areas of Alaska’s Beaufort Sea to
oil drilling as soon as next year (https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29032018/arctic-offshore-drilling-oil-lease-sale-beaufort-sea-alaska-trump-boem-2019). This would put coastal communities at risk
and deepen America’s dependence on fossil fuels. We can submit public comments
about this plan right alongside the oil industry’s at the Federal Register until April 30th. Let’s tell him
to leave the Beaufort Sea off-limits.
5.
Recent news
has been inundated with reports that Scott Pruitt and the EPA are rolling back
rules for higher fuel efficiency in automobiles. Those rules, which are the
second phase of a national standard called CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel
Efficiency), are projected to save us over 3 million barrels of oil per day,
and create full-time jobs for over 500,000 people (https://www.ucsusa.org/clean-vehicles/fuel-efficiency/fuel-economy-basics.html). CAFE is a no-doubt win for the country, so
let's not let the auto industry take it away from us. Let’s call our MoCs and
tell them that we support CAFE standards. We can also contact Ford CEO Jim
Hackett and ask that he immediately implement CAFE standards, or we will be
happy to purchase our vehicles elsewhere: Mailing address: 1 American Road Dearborn,
MI 48126 Phone: 1-313-322-3000
6.
Yesterday,
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) tweeted, "It may be surprising, but paper
ballots need to be embraced in the 2018 elections. It's one of the safest,
smartest systems because Russia cannot hack a piece of paper like they can a
computer." More and more people are realizing that this needs to
happen: https://www.vox.com/2018/4/3/17189906/russian-election-hacking-paper-ballots Let's make sure that our MoCs know
that we support paper ballots and want them to as well.
7.
Susan
Combs, a political appointee picked by President Trump to oversee
wildlife and parks at the Interior Department has a history of opposing
endangered species protections. She was recently appointed by Trump as acting
assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks and is the nominee for this
position. Combs views endangered species protections as federal
overreach. Let's read more at The Hill. Let's contact our Senators to let them know
that we oppose Combs' nomination to the Interior Department.
8.
The
recent publicity about Sinclair media news anchors being forced to read the
same script disparaging other media as fake news makes it even more clear how
dangerous it would be if the company were to acquire Tribune Media, which would
extend the network’s reach into 70% of households. https://www.cnet.com/news/sinclair-media-awaiting-massive-broadcast-merger-gets-trump-defense/. Journalists employed by the company who
have objected to these practices and wanted to quit are faced with the
possibility of losing 40% of their annual salary due to non-compete and damage
clauses in their contracts. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-03/sinclair-employees-say-their-contracts-make-it-too-expensive-to-quit. Let’s express our strong opposition to the
Sinclair-Tribune merger and these unfair labor practices to the FCC
(888-225-5322) and our MoCs.
9.
Rep. Dan
Donovan (R-NY) is planning to introduce legislation that will mandate that post
offices of the U.S. Postal Service display official portraits of the
president and vice president side-by-side. We can read about this at The Hill. Let's preemptively email our own House
representatives to let them know that mandatory photo display is a sign of an
authoritarian regime and we object.
Election 2018 – General
1.
Oklahoma
has some of America’s lowest-paid teachers, and almost 20% of their school
districts cannot afford to keep the lights on five days a week. But GOP State Rep. Kevin
McDugle thinks the real problem with education is teacher decorum during the
walkout, and he has vowed not to vote “for another stinking measure when
they’re acting the way they’re acting” (http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/teacherwalkout/go-ahead-be-pissed-at-me-oklahoma-lawmaker-upset-at/article_b2ad7075-7b66-50f0-8c1f-a42587e8b739.html). Longtime educator Cyndi Ralston is
stepping up to run against him. Let’s show solidarity with the teachers by
supporting Ralston. We can donate to her campaign through her Crowdpac page here, and we can follow her on Facebook and Twitter to amplify her message.
Election 2018 – By State
1.
FL: Floridians,
with the highest
disenfranchisement rate in
the U.S., are working to restore voting rights to felons. Meanwhile, state
officials are working against them, appealing a court ruling which ordered the
state to create a new process of determining felons’ voting rights https://bit.ly/2uNBKtz Let’s be sure to show up at the ballot this
November so that we can pass the proposed constitutional amendment, and give
voting rights back to 1.5 million Floridians https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_4,_Voting_Rights_Restoration_for_Felons_Initiative_(2018)
Other Actions
1.
It has
been more than two weeks since Stephon Clark was shot in the back and killed by
Sacramento police, and the officers involved have still not been charged https://n.pr/2GBfaWy https://bit.ly/2qa0YNr Let’s join Color of Change, and call Sacramento District Attorney Anne
Marie Shubert, asking that she indict Officers Mercadal and Robinet http://act.colorofchange.org/call/Stephon_Clark_Day_of_Action/ For those of us with the means, we can also
offer financial support to Stephon Clark’s children by contributing to their
fund here.
2.
First it
was West Virginia, then Oklahoma and Kentucky. Teachers are striking to
protest poor pay and poor working conditions (https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/04/the-larger-concerns-behind-the-teachers-strikes/557171/). It is no wonder; U.S. teachers are
among the poorest paid in the developed world (https://qz.com/1243717/oklahoma-teachers-strike-us-teachers-are-among-the-worst-paid-in-the-developed-world/). New York Times wants to hear from public
school teachers about conditions in their classrooms and the current protests.
Let’s show some solidarity and give the public school teachers we know a chance
to speak: https://nyti.ms/2GCf8Sk We can also step up and tell our teachers we
support them and will do whatever we can (voting, running for school board,
being on committees) to help them achieve better pay and working conditions.
3.
For at
least 5 years, around Easter, Pueblo Sin Fronteras has organized groups of
Central American migrants to travel together to Mexico, hoping that their
numbers will keep them safe on their journey. Trump’s hysteria about
“caravans” of illegal immigrants coming to “take advantage” of DACA (the
requirements for which the president does not seem to know) is just the latest
attempt by our xenophobic president to rouse anti-immigrant feeling, this time
against a group of people who mostly do not intend to enter the US and an
advocacy organization that advises them not to: http://www.straitstimes.com/world/united-states/trump-tweets-transform-immigrant-caravans-into-political-cause-celebre The current conditions in the
immigrant encampment in Oaxaca state, where 300 children and 400 women await
transport to Puebla, are dismal (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/world/americas/mexico-trump-caravan.html); we can consider making a donation to this
humanitarian effort at the Pueblo Sin Fronteras website: http://www.pueblosinfronteras.org/
4.
In the
late 1960s, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. began the Poor People's
Campaign: https://poorpeoplescampaign.org/index.php/poor-peoples-campaign-1968/ More recently, Rev. William Barber has
picked up that torch and is organizing it once again. Let's listen to
Rev. Barber: https://poorpeoplescampaign.org/index.php/watch-rev-dr-barber-on-the-legacy-of-martin-luther-king-jr/ and share the Poor People's Campaign website with our family and community
and ask them to sign the pledge and commit to the PPC. https://poorpeoplescampaign.org/
5.
Google
employees are pressuring the company to withdraw from a Pentagon contract that
uses artificial intelligence to improve the targeting of drone strikes https://on.mktw.net/2q7IlJO https://nyti.ms/2uOPm83 Let’s tell Google that we also do not want
the company to be involved in war efforts. We can write to them at 1600
Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, or comment on their Facebook or Twitter pages.
6.
Scholars
have studied school security for decades and have recently come out with a new
statement: http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2018/018838/school-security-it-s-academic Their "8-point statement is
endorsed by organizations and individual experts in relevant fields."
Let's read it and share it with our lawmakers: https://curry.virginia.edu/prevent-gun-violence
7.
The
Santa Fe Public Schools Board took a vote Tuesday night on whether they
would accept funding from the National Rifle Association. The board unanimously
voted to not accept funds anymore, but ensured they would find an alternate
funding source for the JROTC program. Carrillo said his move was not about gun
rights but about principle. “This vote tonight is about one thing.
Not about the Second Amendment, not about the firearms, but just about the
district not taking NRA funds," Carrillo said. http://www.koat.com/article/santa-fe-public-schools-will-no-longer-accept-nra-funds/19677863 Let’s check with our own
school districts to determine if they take NRA funds and ask that they not
accept monies from the NRA.
8.
Fox News
reporter Ed Henry did his job on Wednesday and grilled EPA Administrator Scott
Pruitt about his corruption: https://bit.ly/2uIPhCA Let’s take a moment to thank Mr.
Henry: Fox News, 1211
Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036 and if we have not yet been in touch
with Pruitt to call for his resignation, let’s do that: https://www.epa.gov/home/forms/contact-epa or on Twitter at @EPAScottPruitt
9.
At least
15 companies have pulled their ads from Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show after
she publicly mocked Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/laura-ingraham-advertisers-drop-show-she-goes-on-vacation/. Let’s contact three of the remaining
advertisers: Allstate Insurance 800-255-7828; Rocket Mortgage 800-671-1544; and
Arby’s (fast food restaurant) 800-599-2729 and tell them we will not buy their
products if they continue to support the show. Arby’s will ask if we are
calling about Ingraham and if we say yes, they will direct us to an automated
line. Otherwise, we may be able to express our views directly to a customer
service representative.
10. A Boston judge acquitted 13 pipeline
protesters on the grounds that the climate crisis made it necessary for
them to commit civil disobedience. The necessity defense, when a crime is
committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is allowed only when a defendant
meets a very specific set of conditions. Let's read about the case and the
conditions at the Sierra Club. Let's make sure we understand the
conditions under which "legal necessity" would apply as we plan our
own protests.
11.
Yesterday,
we took a look at Part 1 of Joohn Choe’s The
Resistance Information Warfare Handbook. Today, we learn more about information
war, defined here as “the practice of manipulating the culture of a specific
target entity using weaponized information to achieve a strategic outcome.” We
can see, in depth, how Russia’s strategic situation and goals affect the
timing, production, and distribution of this “weaponized information,” or “Fake
News.” https://medium.com/@joohnchoe/the-resistance-information-warfare-handbook-part-ii-bbd3149bb19e
12. ProPublica has created a valuable research
tool, Trump Town. This database contains detailed information of about 2,684
political appointees in the Trump administration, including their jobs and
offices, employment history, lobbying records, ethics documents and financial
disclosures. If we are researchers or journalists, we can use this searchable
database for our own research topics, or to explore conflicts of interest, such
as the pipeline from conservative think tanks like The Heritage Foundation to
the White House, connections between regulators and lobbyist and the lack of
diversity in the overall administration. We can learn more about this
project and how we use it here. We can access the data base here.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
States
1.
ALL: State
governors have to authorize dispatching their national guard to the border.
While it look like Republicans Doug Ducey of Arizona, Susana Martinez of New
Mexico, and Greg Abbott of Texas will give their go-ahead, the White House
might have a fight on their hands from Jerry Brown in California (https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/politics-and-government/nevada/titus-urges-sandoval-to-reject-sending-nevada-guard-to-border/, http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/tns-trump-governor-national-guard-border.html). If we live in Arizona, New Mexico, or
Texas, let's call our governors and tell them we disagree with their decision
and urge them to rescind it - or at minimum require Congress to ensure it's
funded first. If we live in California, let's urge our governor to say no. And
if we live in any other state, let's contact our governor and tell them we want
them to announce right now they would not approve such a use of our national
guard.
2.
OK: Even
as we support the teachers on strike in Oklahoma, we know that children
entitled to free or reduced breakfast and lunch at school are at risk of going
hungry while schools are closed. Here is a list of sites serving meals to Tulsa
children: http://www.tulsaschools.org/3_Parents/tulsamealsites.asp. Let’s spread the word. H/T: Democratic
candidate for Congress Amanda Douglas: https://squareup.com/store/amanda4congress
3.
IA: The
Iowa House of Representatives have passed a bill (S.F.
481) which
would punish sanctuary cities and counties by cutting off state funding (https://dmreg.co/2JjoIr2). The bill was passed in the State Senate
last year, but because of the changes made in the House, the bill will have to go
back to the Senate for approval. Let’s be sure to call our state senators and
ask them to oppose this legislation https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Reading/Watching
1.
What Happens When You Put Young People of
Color at the Center of #NeverAgain https://www.thenation.com/article/what-happens-when-you-put-young-people-of-color-at-the-center-of-neveragain/
2.
"The
Midterm Turnout Problem Democrats Need to Fix" - https://politicalcharge.org/2018/04/04/the-midterm-turnout-problem-democrats-need-to-fix/
3.
Prisoner Lacino Hamilton makes a compelling
argument against solitary confinement in his article, "I Am Buried Alive in a Michigan Prison."
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