5/9/18
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. In yet
another isolationistic move, Trump has withdrawn the US from the Iran nuclear
deal. There will be consequences: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/05/08/5-big-consequences-of-trumps-iran-blunder/?tid=ss_tw&noredirect=on and https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/08/israel-goes-on-high-alert-over-syria-as-trump-quits-iran-deal.html We have
to tell our MoCs that we know this is not normal, that the world will be less
safe, and the consequences will be steep. The American people do not want war.
2. After a report by Alliance for Justice revealed Trump’s judicial nominee Ryan
Bounds had a history of expressing alarming views about the LGBTQ community,
people of color, sexual assault and the rights of workers, both Oregon’s U.S.
senators announced they will not support his nomination moving forward. The
Senate Judiciary Committee is pushing him forward anyway, and will hold a
hearing on his nomination today (http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article210401154.html).
3. Let’s
contact our senators and let them know we expect them to oppose his
confirmation. Gina Haspel will receive
her confirmation hearing to be director of the CIA today. The Senate is moving
forward in spite of her involvement in the CIA’s torture program after 9/11 and
the objections of more than 100 retired military leaders (http://time.com/5250440/gina-haspel-retired-military/). Let’s use these resources from
Indivisible to
urge our senators to treat torture as disqualifying for high office.
4. While we
are at it, Senator Cornyn (R-TX) is frustrated by the efforts to block nominee
Gina Haspel for the post of CIA Director and said that Democrats already
“smeared” one nominee: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/386622-gop-senator-defends-haspel-democrats-already-smeared-one-nominee Let’s let Sen. Cornyn know
that pointing out facts is not smearing: https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/contact
5. Several
prominent websites are rallying to save net neutrality. https://www.wired.com/story/your-favorite-websites-are-rallying-in-a-last-ditch-effort-to-save-net-neutrality/ We can join in this “red alert” by signing
in here and using the resources on our own websites or in our social media: https://www.battleforthenet.com/redalert/ We
can also watch this short video by Our Next Four Years and use their site to contact our MoCs and
the FCC: https://www.ournext4years.org/videos/psa020
6. Maybe it
is time to look at the tax laws again.
When corporations have the ability to pay no taxes, and do it legally,
we need to look at just who is really getting government assistance. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2018/may/03/bernie-s/amazon-paid-0-federal-income-taxes-2017/ Our MoCs need to know that we think that US
corporations should pay their fair share of taxes.
7. In short
succession on Monday night, a piece came out in the New Yorker by
Jane Mayer and Ronan Farrow with accusations from four women about physical
abuse suffered at the hands of NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman: https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/four-women-accuse-new-yorks-attorney-general-of-physical-abuse and then Schneiderman
resigned: http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/386633-new-york-ag-resigns-after-allegations-of-physical-abuse Let’s let Missouri Governor Eric
Greitens and President Donald Trump know that we still await their
resignations:
https://governor.mo.gov/get-involved/contact-the-governors-office and The White
House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington DC 20500 or on Twitter
@realdonaldtrump
8. When it
comes to climate change, everyone is talking about the Paris Agreement these
days. Can we keep warming to under 2˚ Celsius? Will it cost too much? Should we
even try? What gets lost in all this noise is the fact that climate scientists
agree that Paris is a MINIMUM commitment and note that the difference between
2˚ and 1.5˚ is 150,000,000 premature deaths by the year 2100! . https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/5/7/17306008/global-warming-climate-change-scenarios-ambition With
that in mind, let's demand that our MoCs (and everyone else) prevent as many of
those deaths as possible by pushing as hard as possible to reduce use of fossil
fuels, shift to carbon-neutral/negative energy sources, and develop
carbon-capture technology
9. “Imagine
a system of justice in this country that strips its citizens of their
Constitutional rights, voids their existing legal documents, gives others the
right to spend their money and sell their assets, isolates them, and has the
ability to limit the time they can spend with their loved ones. This
description refers to a judicial system that preys on the elderly and is
determined to deem them unable to care for themselves. It is a system that
allows those in control to take full advantage of their “wards of the
state”—legally and under the watchful eyes of judges. It is called
guardianship.” Americans Against Abusive Probate
Guardianship
helps us to understand and fight this. We need to ask for
Federal investigations into these guardianship crimes because the judges
protect their attorney allies in their local bar associations and then the
judiciary protects judges no matter what they do. This is simply major
exploitation of the public they have sworn to protect. Lawyers
coerce people into guardianships as a solution for just about anything
targeting people of wealth. They do not adhere to due process or
inform the family what it will cost if they are wealthy. Families are literally
conscripted into a guardianship mill. The lawyers know exactly how costly
and unaccountable professional guardianships are and that people's assets are
redistributed to layers of lawyers. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffnwcgFu8LI)
Let’s contact every
member who sits on the Special Senate Committee on Aging and let them know that these hearings
have been going on since the 1980s and that exploiting a vulnerable individual
is not be a for profit industry, but a crime and they need to act or they will
not be re-elected. Let's also contact our Senators and Representatives
and tell them the same.
10. The FDA has still not implemented its ban on
electrical stimulation devices (ESDs), or Gradual Electronic Decelerators
(GEDs), leaving the disabled children and adults at the Judge Rotenberg Center
at risk of receiving harmful shocks (https://rewire.news/article/2018/03/16/activists-tell-fda-head-ban-electric-shocks-people-autism/, https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/04/16/will-fda-ban-shock-devices/24980/). The Autistic Self Advocacy
Network has
created a page
of action items, as
well as shareable pdf's we can use to help spread awareness and call out the
need for the FDA to act immediately. We can also use their easy click-to-tweet
messages to
tell the FDA to #StopTheShock against disabled people.
11. We’ve
learned that the Trump administration plans to make border crossing more
difficult for families and are planning to separate children from their
parents.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/may/07/us-border-rules-prosecutions-parents-families When
this proposed rule is published, there will be a public comment period. So, in addition to contacting our MoCs, let’s
make sure to take advantage of this comment period as well. The National Immigration Law Center (NILC) will let us know when the comment
period opens if we sign up here: http://action.nilc.org/page/s/nilc-publiccharge-nr
12. The House of Representatives was supposed to
conduct a hearing yesterday on the controversial citizenship question that is
currently on the 2020 census form. This
dangerous question threatens to undercount people of color, and Congress should
absolutely have a role in determining its legitimacy. However, the person responsible for getting
that question on the census, John Gore, head of the Civil Rights Division of
the DOJ, didn’t show up. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/5/8/17332356/census-citizenship-john-gore-congress-hearing. Let’s ask Trey Gowdy, Chair of the
Oversight and Government Reform Committee, to subpoena Gore to show up. We can
contact the committee at 202.225.5074. Let’s also tell our Representatives,
especially those who are on
the committee,
that we expect them to make sure Gore shows up and provides answers.
13. The U.S. Forest Service is closing a public
road that people have been using to get food and water to anti-pipeline
protesters who have set up an encampment at a proposed pipeline site in
Jefferson National Forest in Virginia. http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/road-closure-violates-the-free-speech-rights-of-pipeline-protesters/article_0557e7ce-135e-5ccf-b54b-bd45a294c1f9.html. A Virginia state senator is now suing the
Forest Service, claiming that this is a violation of the protesters’ first
amendment rights and a threat to their public safety. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/va-state-senator-files-suit-against-forest-service-in-support-of-pipeline-protests/2018/05/02/197cfcf2-4e1f-11e8-b725-92c89fe3ca4c_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.5ca27b026758. Let’s thank
Senator Chap Petersen and
also contact the U.S. Forest Service at Jefferson National Forest at
888-265-0019 or through this form and demand that they open the road
immediately.
Election 2018 –
General
An election guide from Postcards for America: In this Google doc (in process),
each State shows ALL Democratic Candidates running for Congress, Governor, Lt
Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State (if applicable) with links to their
websites and Twitter. Each has a link to a Twitter Thread, a Shareable Facebook
Post and a Document. For most States, there are also Info & Links for Voter
Registrations, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting & Voter ID, Age Requirements
and being a Poll Worker. Let’s check this out and use and
share it: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit
1. Donald
Trump pulling out of the #IranDeal tells the world that the word of the
United States is only as good as its next election (https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-iran-nuclear-deal/index.html). The only way to repair the damage
he's doing is to start putting a check on his power ASAP. Register to vote
here: (https://www.rockthevote.org/resources/online-voter-registration-tool/).
2. On
Tuesday, Postcards to Voters launched Campaign 84: Lisa Lott for Superior Court Judge for Georgia's
Western Judicial Court. All four of the current judges were appointed by
the Republican governor and have never been challenged. If we are already
volunteers, let's write 5 cards today. If we are new to the effort, we can
sign up as a Postcards to Voters' volunteer here. While the current Congress is packing
the higher courts with their ultra-conservative nominees, let's do what we can
to keep progressive judges in elected positions.
Election 2018 –
By State
1. CA: In our open primaries, the top
two candidates with the most votes, from either party proceed to a run off. Therefore,
in a race with only two Republicans and four Democrats, splitting the
Democratic vote four ways could end up with the two Republicans advancing to
the run off. For some congested CA races, it is a matter of getting one
Democrat through the open primary—what Fight Back California PAC is focusing on
with polling—as a reality check to help converge on the strongest candidate. We
can see their polling results here to help us decide who to support. https://www.ca7project.com/polls
2. GA: If we are looking for information
about upcoming elections, we can check out 159 Georgia Together’s website, with detailed information on races
and candidates throughout the state. Of particular note is their detailed
coverage of the upcoming Judicial elections on Tuesday. May 22. These
elections matter because any candidate who gets over 50 percent of the vote
will be the elected judge. Runoffs will only happen if no one gets over 50 %,
with the top two finishers facing off on July 24. 159 Georgia Together
reminds us why the stakes are so high for this election: Judicial elections are
important. Judges keep their seats in Georgia for a four or six-year term.
Incumbents are rarely unseated when re-elections occur. While the races
are nonpartisan, judges are human, and their beliefs and ideology can influence
their decisions on how laws are interpreted. Examples of this can be found in
the news accounts of immigration and gerrymandering decisions in recent memory.
Superior and State Court judges have a daily influence on criminal justice
reform and sentencing standards. We can find out more, in depth, about the
judicial, candidates here: https://159georgiatogether.org/the-judiciary
3. ID:
Primary is May 15. Early voting is now through May 11. To vote by
mail, apply now, mail in by May 15. https://idahovotes.gov/
4. NE: Primary is May 15. Early voting is now through May 14. To vote
by mail, apply May 9, mail in by May 15. https://www.votercheck.necvr.ne.gov/VoterView/
5. OR:
Primary is May 15. No early voting. Deadline to apply for mail-in voting
was March 8; mail-in deadline is May 15. http://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/current-election.aspx
6. PA: Primary is May 15. No early voting. Apply for mail-in voting by May
8; mail-in by May 11. www.votespa.com/en-us
Other Actions
1. Code
Pink is circulating a letter of apology from the American people to the people
of Iran, calling, among other things, for the UN to sanction the United
States for violating the nuclear agreement with Iran. We can sign it
here:
https://www.codepink.org/an_apology_to_the_people_of_iran And we should call the White House and
remind Trump not only that a deal is a deal—and that no other country can now
trust the US when it makes a deal—but also that it is the US, not Iran, that is
now in violation of the Iran nuclear agreement; that we want to resolve, not
escalate, conflict in the Middle East; and that we renounce the foolhardy
actions of this administration.
2. The National Mama’s Bail Out—a “coordinated effort by more than a dozen
organizations to reunite families on Mother's Day and bring attention to the
true costs of money bail and mass incarceration”-- is in its final
days. https://www.colorlines.com/articles/national-black-mamas-bail-out-seeks-reunite-families-mothers-day Let’s
contribute what we can:
3. Mandy
Manning is this year's National
Teacher of the Year. She teaches
immigrant and refugee children, and brought letters to Trump from them, but he did not mention her students in his talk. The
press was not invited this year, so we didn’t get to hear Ms Manning’s speech.
Fortunately, in an interview with Amy Goodman, we are able to learn what she
had to say: https://www.democracynow.org/2018/5/7/meet_the_teacher_who_staged_a Let’s
congratulate Mandy Manning on her award and thank her for her work with some of
our most vulnerable students: Ferris
High School, 3020 E. 37th Ave., Spokane, WA 99223
4. Who
*doesn't* want to win a trip to go see Hamilton
in Washington D.C. WITH its creator, Lin-Manuel Miranda? By donating at least
$10 to this sweepstakes, we not only have a chance to win this prize, but also
support the Centre for Popular Democracy in Action, Let America Vote, BlackPAC,
and Latino Victory Project, four great grassroots organizations "that
spend every waking minute educating voters, eliminating barriers to vote, and
getting people to the polls, not just for national elections, but for crucial
state and local elections as well." Find out more about this fabulous
opportunity and how to enter/donate, here:
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1. “On May 19th, we want you and everyone
who attends your [school] walkouts to join us as our movement takes its next
steps: to envision a future free from gun violence so that we can start to
craft a platform and an agenda together. We want every school to host a
meeting where you’ll discuss the impact gun violence is having in your
community and create a list of what you want the student-led movement to
tackle. We want you to play a central role in creating the strategy with
us.” Sign up to host or attend a meeting here: https://www.nationalschoolwalkout.net/whats-next-1/
2. Indivisible Marin In California is hosting a
fundraising event on June 3. They are raising funds to send
volunteers to battleground districts in CA, AZ and NV to canvas for Democrats
to turn red to blue. You can help by attending the event, donating an item or
making a monetary donation. Details can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/indivisible-marins-benefit-to-take-back-congress-tickets-45425427677
States
1. MANY:
“Despite improvements since
Russia's attack on the 2016 presidential race, the U.S. elections
infrastructure is vulnerable — and will remain so in November.”
https://www.npr.org/2018/05/08/599452050/the-u-s-voting-system-remains-vulnerable-6-months-before-election-day-what-now It is
imperative that we let out state election officials know that we know that a
paper backup is the only way to go. We can find those offices here: https://www.usa.gov/election-office
2. IA: "Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed one of the country's most
restrictive abortion bills into law on Friday." https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/05/05/608738116/iowa-bans-most-abortions-as-governor-signs-heartbeat-bill "The 2018 Iowa gubernatorial
election will take place on November 6, 2018, to elect the Governor of
Iowa. Incumbent Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is running for election to a
full term. Primary elections will be held on June 5, 2018” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iowa_gubernatorial_election,_2018 Let's vote this woman out. Register to
vote here:
https://mymvd.iowadot.gov/Account/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fVoterRegistration. Planned Parenthood plans to file a lawsuit
challenging the legislation Reynolds signed.
https://www.apnews.com/07f9127a79534eeba4af65ddbb7be518 We can donate to them too, here:
3. NY: NY State Legislators decide
replacement for NY AG #Schneiderman in a Joint Session. New Yorkers, contact
your Reps NOW about who they will choose. Find them here http://nyassembly.gov/mem/ And here https://www.nysenate.gov/contact Mentions so far include Preet Bharara, former
United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York who was fired by
Trump, and Hillary Clinton.
Reading/Watching
1. “The 315 people connected to the
Russia probes’ - https://www.politico.com/interactives/2018/trump-russia-investigation-ties/
2. Donald Glover continues to draw our attention to
white supremacy and racism in the U.S., in his latest song and video release
"This Is America." From writer Ijeoma Oluo: "Glover's facial
expressions in This Is America as he stares at the camera are such an
indictment of the viewer as a consumer of black culture and brutalizer of black
people." Let's watch the video and read more about it here: https://www.colorlines.com/articles/whats-really-happening-america, https://www.npr.org/2018/05/07/609150167/donald-glovers-this-is-america-holds-ugly-truths-to-be-self-evident
3. Ta-Nehisi Coates has written a very powerful
piece in The Atlantic titled “I’m Not Black, I’m Kanye” – it is worth the read: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/05/im-not-black-im-kanye/559763/
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.