4/12/18
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.
At long
last, we are finally seeing movement on legislation to protect the special
counsel investigation, with a new version of proposed bills now on track for a
markup within the next week (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/11/senate-bill-protect-mueller-514494). Let’s contact our senators and let them
know we have had enough stalling, and we want them to swiftly move this bill
forward. And let’s call our House members and tell them that if the Senate
passes this legislation we want a prompt vote on it, and we expect them to vote
yes.
2.
Trump
signed an executive order on Tuesday—titled “Reducing Poverty in
America”—meant to force low-income recipients of food assistance, Medicaid and
low-income housing subsidies to join the work force or face the loss of their
benefits and directed at “any program that provides means-tested assistance or
other assistance that provides benefits to people, households or families that
have low incomes”:
https://www.vox.com/2018/4/10/17221292/trump-welfare-executive-order-work-requirements Trump’s domestic policy chief, Andrew
Bremberg, in announcing this order, used Trump’s pejorative “welfare” to
encompass both cash assistance and safety-net programs like Medicaid—a
distinction neither Trump nor his followers seem to recognize. We need to
point out to the officials charged with overseeing these social programs that
they are inadequate as is and, moreover, that ¾ of recipients already work:
Alex Azar, Health & Human Services, 877-696-6775 or 200 Independence Ave,
SW, DC 20201 and Sonny Perdue, Agriculture, 202-720-2791 or 1400 Independence
Ave. DC 20250
3.
Demonstrating
yet again his disdain for Latin America—and, as one Democrat put it, his
inability to “walk and chew gum at the same time”—Trump has used Syria as an
excuse to skip the Summit of the Americas in Peru where, unlike Saudi Arabia
and China, he was not likely to be greeted with pomp and adulation. He is
the first president to miss this gathering of heads of state in the Western Hemisphere
since 1994: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-americas-summit-trump/trump-cancels-trip-to-latin-america-prompting-relief-and-criticism-idUSKBN1HH223 and https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/trump-cancels-trip-latin-america-crisis-syria.html Let’s tell the White House that
neither Trump’s legal problems nor his war-mongering justify this “appalling
demonstration of disrespect for Latin America.”
4.
Every
day there’s another sign that the Republican majority in the House is in
serious jeopardy, but due to a challenging map the Democrats have a tougher
hill to climb to take the Senate (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/28/senate-races-midterm-elections-488706). Fortunately, we’ve got some great
candidates running like Rep. Beto O’Rourke in Texas, and we can start helping
them lay the groundwork for victory right now. We can sign up to text voters to
help Beto unseat Ted Cruz at
this link.
5.
Trump is
continuing to threaten a military response to the horrible chemical weapons
attacks in Syria. But he does not have the legal authority to do so without
congressional approval, and senators on both sides of the aisle are pushing him
to follow the law ( https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/10/politics/congress-reactions-syria-aumf/index.html, http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/382316-gop-senator-wants-vote-before-trump-uses-force-in-syria). Let’s use this script from 5Calls to add
our voices and let our reps know we want them to do their job and not give
Trump a blank check to make war: https://5calls.org/issue/congressional-approval-aumf.
6.
Commerce
Secretary Wilbur Ross announced last month that the 2020 Census would have a
question on citizenship, which numerous attorneys general argue is
unconstitutional. We have a few things we can do to fight back against the
administration's strategy to misrepresent various districts across the U.S. A)
Let's call our senators and make sure that they cosponsor and support S. 2580: Every Person Counts Act. B) While we're on
the phone with them, we can also join civil rights groups in asking that Congress hold hearings to
examine the methods used to develop the citizenship question. C) Finally, let's
check to
see if our attorney general has joined the lawsuit against the Department of
Commerce, and if they have, thank them. If they have not, let's be sure to call
our attorney general and ask them to join the lawsuit. We can use the
information and call script at Indivisible to help guide the conversation.
7.
A vote
is expected this Thursday, April 12th on the appointment of coal
lobbyist Andrew Wheeler as Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency. With Scott Pruitt's remaining time at the EPA so uncertain, it is even
more important to we make sure that have a second-in-command who will not
continue to dismantle environmental protections. Let's read more about Andrew Wheeler, then contact our
senators and ask that they oppose his nomination. We can use the call
scriptavailable
at 5calls.org
8.
With
Chief of Staff John Kelly losing control in the White House, and the
president’s anger escalating due to the recent raid on his lawyer, Michael
Cohen, the possibility that the president would fire Special Prosecutor, Robert
Mueller has never been greater. http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/382583-the-memo-fears-rise-of-trump-move-against-mueller
We need to tell our MoCs loudly and clearly
that this move would spark a constitutional crisis and acceptance of this move
by anyone on any side of the aisle would show complicity with obstruction of
justice. We should also tell our MoCs to pass the Special Counsel Independence
Protection Act (S. 1735/H.R. 3654) and The Special Counsel Integrity
Act (S. 1741/H.R. 3771) now. If Mueller is fired, we need to make
sure to take to the streets at events that will be organized across the
country. We can find an event in our area here.
9.
HR 620, The Americans with Disabilities Education
and Reform Act, has passed the House and is now in the Senate. According to the
ACLU, this dangerous bill makes it much harder for disabled individuals to
assure that businesses make accommodations for public access. https://www.aclu.org/other/hr-620-myths-and-truths-about-ada-education-and-reform-act. Let’s make sure our Senators vote against
this bill.
10. Marc Rotenberg, president of the nonprofit
Electronic Privacy Information Center, wants reporters and members of Congress
and their staff to ask better questions than the ones being aimed at Facebook
CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Rotenberg’s questions are here: https://www.facebook.com/marc.rotenberg/posts/10155256252406875 Let’s send them along to our MoCs and
tell our MoCs that we want answers.
11.
A member of the US National Parks Advisory
Board is harkening a warning that, “For those who care about the
environment, every day since Donald Trump took office is a Humpty Dumpty day
—with something being broken beyond repair.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/02/20/trump-breaking-environment-beyond-repair/sc8Kg39ehzrMCh7jBKNtlJ/story.html Let’s
let our MoCs know that we are counting on them to keep damage to a minimum.
Election 2018 –
General
1.
Current Postcards
to Voters opportunities no matter where we live:
A)
Campaign 73 is for Harvey Epstein running for
State Assembly in New York, NY. His district is very safely Democratic but
with the possibility of Democratic votes being diverted to 3rd parties, it
makes sense to write to a specially-targeted list of Democratic voters. Also,
this gives us an opportunity to recruit some new postcarders in New York. We
can fill out a new volunteer registration form here. Let's tell our Manhattan friends about this
campaign.
B)
Campaign 74 is our first in the state of Texas as
we write in support of Cecil Webster in his run for State House District 13.
Cecil is running in a ruby-red district: Writing to Democratic voters here is
more of a mission to help them lay the foundation for the hard work ahead to
make TX HD 13 purple. Let's show our support for Texas by writing 5 cards for Cecil.
If we're new, let's fill out a new volunteer registration form and get started. Let's make sure our
Texas friends and family know about this campaign.
Election 2018 –
By State
Other Actions
1.
CORRECTION: Cosecha (“harvest” in Spanish) is a
recently-formed diverse and decentralized nonviolent movement using our power
as workers and consumers to fight for permanent protection, dignity, and
respect for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US; it is made up of
of local “circles” working independently--once 3 people decide to join Cosecha,
they can form a circle and get full support from the movement. As Trump
prepares to send National Guard troops to the Mexican border and tries to end “
catch and release,” which afforded children, families, and asylum-seekers
relief from deportation until their cases were heard (https://www.vox.com/2018/4/9/17190090/catch-release-loopholes-border-immigrants-trump), perhaps we should consider forming
Consecha “circles” to aid in our local fights for immigrant protection: see
information about Movimiento Consecha at:
http://www.lahuelga.com/about/
2.
Trump
may characterize the FBI raid on the offices of his personal lawyer Michael D.
Cohen as an “Attack on Our Country,” but it would seem actually to be an
investigation into Cohen’s efforts to silence women who claim to have had
affairs with Trump:
https://upload.democraticunderground.com/10142033923 [or here’s the original NYT
article https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/10/us/politics/trump-russia-mueller-rosenstein.html]. While the president accuses Deputy
AG Rod Rosenstein and special counsel Robert Mueller of a “witch hunt,” it is
worth noting that all of the top law enforcement officials involved in the raid
are, in fact, Republicans and Trump appointees. Nonetheless, Trump is
threatening to fire Rosenstein and/or Mueller, and we need to be prepared; Here
is the handy rapid response tool: https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search/
3.
“Last
week, the state of Michigan approved a permit that would allow Nestle to
significantly increase the volume of fresh water it currently pumps with no
extra cost. Four days later and 100
miles away, residents of Flint, Michigan were told they would no longer be
receiving free bottled water from the government.” https://www.sciencealert.com/flint-michigan-residents-clean-water-nestle-pump-gallons-cheap Nasty Women Action
Network is asking
us to call the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Michigan today. Tell them
their work is far from done in Flint, and they need to continue to supply the
community with clean water. Shame them for giving away Michigan's clean
drinking water to Nestle for pennies when they have an entire city of
Michiganders who can't even drink from their taps. Contact info: Gov. Rick Snyder: 517-373-3400 or governorsoffice@michigan.gov and Lt. Gov. Brian Calley: 517-373-6800 or brian.calley@michigan.gov
4.
“A
Republican group defended special counsel Robert Mueller against
attacks by President Trump in an ad that aired Wednesday
morning during “Fox & Friends” — a show that Trump is said to
frequently watch.” Here is the 30-second
piece by Republicans
for the Rule of Law: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFXWlFnb_tk Let’s
thank this group in comments on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/republicansfortheruleoflaw/
5.
Sinclair
attacking is now CNN, requiring that their affiliates show video accusing CNN
of airing fake news. Sinclair needs to know that this is simply unacceptable
and we can tell them now, by filling out comment forms on the affiliate
websites. Here’s a step by step explanation of how to do it: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/984114252842721280.html?refreshed=yes
6.
ProPublica,
a nonprofit investigative journalism newsroom, is holding political campaigns
accountable for the ads that they place on Facebook, and has already discovered
deceptive ads, campaigns breaking FEC rules, and political groups making
misleading claims. We can help by adding their Political Ad Collector tool to
our browsers. Here’s how: http://politicaladcollector.com/
7.
Bank of
America “announced Tuesday that the bank will stop lending money to
companies that manufacture "military-style" rifles that are available
for civilians to purchase.” http://thehill.com/policy/finance/banking-financial-institutions/382521-bank-of-america-will-stop-lending-to-assault Let’s
thank BOA: 100 North Tryon Street, Charlotte, NC 28202-0001 or 704-386-5000
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
June
22-23: 2nd Annual Virginia Women’s
Summit 2018 hosted by Network NoVA - Pre-summit networking on
Friday Evening, full day conference on Saturday (8-5pm), and ½
day training by Emily’s List. $45.00: workshops, speakers, panels,
representatives from 11 Congressional districts, and more. Women’s
Summit E-News Women’s Summit FB Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womens-summit-2018-tickets-36166656443
States
1.
WY: The public comment period is open for a draft of a regulation regarding grizzly bear hunting season
as Wyoming seeks to re-establish grizzly bear hunting. Let's read more at
the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. We can submit public comments
until April 30 on-line
here or
write to: Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Hunting Season/Regulation
Comments, 3030
Energy Lane, Casper, WY 82604
Reading/Watching
1.
Young activists lead the way in the
#NoCopAcademy campaign, calling out Chicago's investment in a new police
academy, and subsequent closure of schools:
2.
"Increasing voter turnout will strike at
the heart of the NRA." Let's work together to take back control from the
NRA. http://thehill.com/opinion/civil-rights/380884-increasing-voter-turnout-will-strike-at-the-heart-of-the-nra
3.
"America's Three Bad Options in Syria"
–
4.
Part 3 of The Information War Handbook gives us
a first-person account of winning a fake news battle with Russian Intelligence
during the Doug Jones campaign. This gripping story also gives us hope and
suggest ways future battles can be won. - https://medium.com/@joohnchoe/the-resistance-information-warfare-handbook-part-iv-a375993f3dc0
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