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4/06/18


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.       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.
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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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