6/29/18
Hundreds of thousands of us will be gathering tomorrow, June 30, to
protest the changes in immigration policy, particularly the cruel separation of
children (like this: https://goo.gl/HzDFw4) from their parents. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/06/28/immigration-families-belong-together-rally-washington-dc-protests/738997002/
There is at least one rally in every state. Let’s show up and be counted:
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.
When a
sitting president condemns the media as “the enemy of the people” as Trump did
in South Carolina this week, and when the former Breitbart star also said this
week that he “can’t wait for the vigilante squads to start gunning journalists”,
one has to wonder if the fatal shooting at an Annapolis, MD newspaper office is
just a coincidence. Although
Yiannopoulos claimed his remark was made as a taunt, nonetheless,
journalists died. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/06/28/milo-yiannopoulos-confirms-his-gunning-down-journalists-comments/743561002/ Again, the time for thoughts and prayers has
long passed. It is time to double up our
calls to all our MoCs for commonsense gun laws so that people can be safe in
their everyday lives. Let’s also be very aware of how words are being used and
abused.
2.
In a
sudden decision on Thursday, ICE announced that immigrants in detention
who face deportation hearings in New York City will have to be heard through
video or audio conferencing instead in person in court. Lawyers representing
detainees claim ICE is “using the presence of a protest group that recently
demonstrated in front of an entrance as a pretext to curtail immigrants'
rights”—although the protest did not disrupt any workings of the court.
NYC, always a Trump target, is the first city to provide all detainees pro-bono
legal representation: https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/ICE-Suspends-In-Person-Deportation-Hearings-at-NYC-Immigration-Court-486758801.html
We must let ICE know that we will not let them use legal protest (nor legal
representation) as an excuse to deprive detainees of due process: in NYC, (866)
347-2423 or 601 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001 or in DC, 1-802-872-6199, 500
12th St., SW, Washington, DC 20024 Let’s
tell our MoCs, too, that we do not agree with this.
3.
While our
first reaction to filling a Supreme Court Justice position might be to want our
MoCs to follow McConnell’s plan of not doing so during an election year, we
really do not want to make such inappropriate use of power the norm in
Congress. However, a better tactic and
one that we could follow no matter who is in the Oval Office, is that no
Supreme Court Justice should be approved while a president is under
investigation. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ)
has suggested that to the other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/bookers_question_how_can_trump_pick_supreme_court.html Let’s tell our MoCs that we support this
approach.
4.
We need
to remember that this border crisis that Trump refers to is of his own
making. The data do not jive with what
he says or does. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/27/5-facts-about-illegal-immigration-in-the-u-s/ and
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/us/politics/fact-check-trump-border-crossings-declining-.html Perhaps
this notion of “fixing a problem I created” resonates with his base as him being
tough and effective, but we know better.
We need to encourage our MoCs to enact legislation to return our
immigration policy to what it was before “zero tolerance” and invasive
ICE/border patrol behavior. Then,
encourage them to find a true bipartisan solution.
5.
Yesterday,
the Senate easily passed their version of the Farm Bill 86-11. It now goes to reconciliation with the House
version with cuts and requirements for SNAP (food stamps) being the contentious
issue as the Senate’s version has none. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-28/senate-passes-farm-bill-opening-fight-with-house-on-food-stamps Let’s tell our MoCs that we do not want SNAP
cuts or work requirements. Most people
who receive SNAP help are already working.
6.
In a
Massachusetts court case against the Judge Rotenberg Center's (JRC) use of
electrical stimulation devices/graduated electronic decelerators (ESDs/GEDs) on
disabled children and adults, the judge ruled in favor of the JRC (http://www.wcvb.com/article/judge-sides-with-school-that-uses-electric-shocks-on-its-students/21971406).
In the article, the FDA is cited as saying that they are still reviewing
comments on the proposed ban on ESDs, though they neglect to mention that the
comments closed more than two years ago (https://bit.ly/2tBMGaO).
Let's contact FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb and tell him that two years is
more than enough time to go over comments, and that we need the FDA to
implement the ban on ESDs now: We can reach him via e-mail: CommissionerFDA@fda.hhs.gov, on
Twitter @SGottliebFDA or by mail to Scott Gottlieb, M.D. Commissioner of Food
and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human
Services, 5630
Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061 Rockville, MD 20852. We
can also contact Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and ask him to
do the same: HHS, 200 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C.
20201 or 877-696-6775, or on Twitter @SecAzar. Let's also check out
the action items available
at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
7.
Rep.
Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) urged the Justice Department to swiftly finish the
investigation into Russian election interference, saying that the probe has
“torn” the American people apart. He urged the department to present evidence
of any wrongdoing by President Trump, if they possess it. “There’s an old
saying that justice delayed is justice denied,” Gowdy said. “I think right now
all of us are being denied. Whatever you’ve got, finish it the hell up, because
this country is being torn apart.” http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/394579-live-coverage-rosenstein-fbi-director-face-lawmakers Let’s
remind Trey that he investigated Hillary for 2 and 1/2 years at the
taxpayer’s cost of 7.8 million dollars. He came up empty! In just one
year Mueller has issued more than 12 indictments and has several guilty
pleas. Tell Tray to leave Mueller alone to finish his work. Tweet
8.
Our best
hopes on the GOP for blocking the President’s Supreme Court pick are most
likely Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Senator Collins, especially, has a pro-choice voting a record and a rating of
83% by NARAL. http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Susan_Collins_Abortion.htm.
Senator Murkowski has only a 14% rating from NARAL, but she has been a
supporter of planned parenthood. http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Lisa_Murkowski_Abortion.htm.
Let’s contact Senator Collins (202-224-2523) and Senator Murkowski
(202-224-6665) and tell them that the women of the country are depending on
them not to vote for any Supreme Court Justice who will overturn Roe vs. Wade.
We should also ask them in the matter of fairness, to abide by the McConnell
rule and delay the vote until after the midterm elections.
9.
Judge
David Porter is the latest addition to a list of extremist judges who received
a hearing from the judiciary committee despite the objection of a home state
senator, https://triblive.com/state/pennsylvania/13731637-74/pittsburgher-david-porter-testifies-ideology-wont-be-a-factor-as-federal-judge,
and Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Chuck Grassley, (R-IA) is continuing to
process nominations even when a home state senator objects. When Obama was
president, Senator Grassley honored the “blue-slip” process and refused to
consider any judge a home-state senator objected to. Let’s contact Senator
Grassley (202-224-3744, https://www.facebook.com/grassley/,
Twitter: @ChuckGrassley) and tell him that it’s an insult to our democracy and
to his own integrity as a Senator to change the rules just because his party is
now in the White House. We should also tell him he can show some true
leadership and respect for democracy by refusing to hold hearings for the new
Supreme Court nominee until after the the special counsel investigation is
over.
Election 2018 –
General
An election guide
from Postcards
for America: In this Google doc (updated
regularly), 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:
1.
We've
got our next chance to flip a House seat in a special election for the
Ohio 12th Congressional District on August 7th, where young county
official Danny O'Connor is the Democratic nominee against Republican Troy
Balderson, a longtime member of the extremely conservative state senate (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/ohio-special-election-emerges-democrats-next-best-chance-stun-gop-n883916). Let's do what we can to help! Postcards to
Voters is writing postcards to get out the vote for Danny O'Connor, and we can
sign up to help here. We can also make calls with the campaign to
help them identify their voters - the virtual phone bank is linked here, and instructions and scripts can be
found here.
2.
Andrew
Janz, a Democrat won a spot on the CA ballot for congress in November against
Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA). Nunes has raised millions to keep his seat. Even if
you aren’t a CA resident, Nunes is an issue for all of us. If you can donate 5
bucks to his campaign, here is the link. https://secure.actblue.com/donate/janz_donate_bs
Election 2018 –
By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
June 29
|
Minnesota
|
Early voting begins
|
Primary
|
June 30
|
Vermont
|
Early voting begins
|
Primary
|
June 30
|
Wisconsin
|
In person absentee voting begins
|
Primary
|
July 2
|
Georgia
|
Early voting begins
|
runoffs
|
July 2
|
Alabama
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Runoffs
|
July 3
|
Tennessee
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
July 6
|
Wyoming
|
In person absentee voting begins
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by
state: https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
Other Actions
1.
“Advocates
say the fastest way to help immigrants separated from their children: Post
their bail.” https://www.marketwatch.com/story/this-is-what-it-costs-to-free-one-immigrant-from-detention-2018-06-20 Let’s help by donating to this worthy cause
through this FB page that has already gathered so much attention and
praise: https://www.facebook.com/raicestexas/posts/10156004958409678 All money goes to RAICES.
2. Justice
Kennedy is retiring. What happens next will redefine our country for
generations to come. We all need to act to save our constitutional rights,
starting with the right to choose (https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/27/politics/anthony-kennedy-retires/index.html). Let’s sign up for alerts from Demand
Justice, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, People for the
American Way, and Alliance for Justice, who are organizing on judicial
nominations. This would also be a great time to donate to Democratic
Senate candidates, both challengers like Kyrsten Sinema, Jacky Rosen and Phil Bredesen,
and incumbents like Senators Bill Nelson, Claire McCaskill, Sherrod Brown and Heidi Heitkamp.
And we can sign up to text for Beto O’Rourke against Ted Cruz here.
3. Sen.
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is giving away free “Persist” stickers that include our
state on it. Let’s find more info here
and sign up for one: https://my.elizabethwarren.com/page/s/state-persist-sticker-giveaway-a
4. The
products we use every day during our morning routine -- shampoo, deodorant,
hair gel -- can create plumes of emissions as we go about our day. Let's read
about this in the Colorado Public Radio article: "Why Your Deodorant
Puts The Stuff That Comes Out Of Your Tailpipe To Shame." We can use the link in the article
to listen to Matthew Coggon, an atmospheric scientist with the Cooperative
Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, as he tells
Colorado Matters about his work measuring these emissions from our bodies.
5. People
all over the country are getting fed up with ICE’s strong-armed tactics and
many places local officials are cancelling deals to detain immigrants. https://nytimes.com/2018/06/28/us/migrant-shelters-ice-contracts-counties.html
Let’s ask our own local officials to follow suit.
6. ACLU
has a do-it-yourself (DIY) fundraising platform we can use. Whether we
have a birthday coming up, a road race we’ve been training for, or another
special event in our life, we can use Team ACLU to rally our network around our
big day while raising funds and awareness for the civil rights issues we’re
passionate about. We can start our campaign at Team ACLU here.
7. We
have helped Together Rising raise over $3.5 million and they are closely
monitoring what's happening on the ground at our southern border and are working
to distribute the funds where they will have the greatest impact on the
families. In addition to given, there
are volunteer opportunities across the country. You can check them out
here: https://bit.ly/2tOJt6U
8. A
6-year-old boy from Atlanta raised $3,000 for separated families through a
lemonade stand and an accompanying “GoFundMe page.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/394343-6-year-olds-lemonade-stand-raises-13k-for-migrant-kids As the hot weather intensifies and our kids
look for things to do over school vacation, let’s duplicate this effort across
the country.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
Today, June 29, at senator’s offices
around the country, “lawyer moms around the country are organizing to gather at
our senators’ offices and deliver an open letter stating our opposition to the
current federal policy of separating migrant children from their
parents. Each of us would do anything to keep our children safe.
Each of us swore an oath to defend the Constitution. We will not let this
unconscionable practice stand on our watch. Join us. Let's make some
noise.” More info here at Lawyer Moms of America: https://www.facebook.com/events/1308273125973346/
2.
Today, June 29, 1-2pm EDT, the National
Immigration Law Center is presenting a webinar on “The Muslim Ban Decision
& Family Separations/Family Detention”.
We can use this link to RSVP: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/6615756358483207169
3.
Tomorrow, June 30, thousands across the
nation are organizing with the theme “Families Belong Together” to demand Trump: A) Immediately reverse the “zero-tolerance”
policy which created this crisis, B) Reunite migrant children with their
families., C) We will not tolerate trading children in cages for indefinite
family camps, and D) Donald J. Trump and members of his administration will be
held accountable for this horror. Let’s find an event to attend or create our
own here: https://act.moveon.org/event/families-belong-together/search/ If we want to catch a bus to the DC event, we can
find info here: http://rallybus.net/families-belong-together-dc/
4.
On Tuesday, July 31, Grannies
Respond/Abuelas Responden will be
coordinating grannies, friends and allies on a 6-day road trip from New York
City to Texas, holding rallies along the way with the hope that a message of
basic human decency can overcome fear and inhumanity. We can rally with
them or join the caravan at any of these stops:
A) Tuesday July 31: Reading, PA, B) Wednesday Aug 1: Pittsburgh, PA, C) Thursday
Aug 2: Louisville, KY, D) Friday Aug 3: Montgomery, AL, F) Saturday Aug 4: New
Orleans, LA, and G) Sunday Aug 5: Houston, TX.
On Monday Aug 6, they will reach their border
destination, still to be announced because the situation is so fluid. We
can learn more, join or start our own caravans here. We can also follow on Facebook or Twitter Let’s build
a movement of caring and kindness that rises above politics… and reunite and
free migrating families. Go,
Abuelas/Grannies!
States
1.
MA: The Massachusetts
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders will be deciding whether
she will file an appeal against a court ruling which allows the Judge Rotenberg
Center to continue its use of electrical stimulation devices on disabled
individuals (http://www.wcvb.com/article/judge-sides-with-school-that-uses-electric-shocks-on-its-students/21971406). Let's be sure to contact Secretary Sudders and
urge her to file an appeal. We can cite the UN Report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture, which
found "that the rights of students at the Judge Rotenberg Educational
Center have been violated under the United Nations Convention against
Torture." Email address: marylou.sudders@state.ma.us Mailing address: 1 Ashburton Place, 11th
Floor Boston, Massachusetts 02108 Phone: 617-573-1600 Fax: 617-573-1890
2.
OH: Ohio House
Bill 658 would
require teachers to report children who may be transgender to parents. The
bill requires any government agent (which includes teachers)
immediately report to all parents or guardians if a
child "demonstrates a desire to be treated in a manner opposite the
child's biological sex" or exhibits symptoms of gender dysphoria, which is
when someone identifies with a gender other than the one they were assigned at
birth. The Ohio Education Association, a teachers' union that represents
more than 124,000 Ohio teachers, opposes the bill. Let's read more
at Cincinnati.com. If we are Ohioans, let's contact our state legislators to let them know that we are opposed to
HB658. Let's protect our kids!
Reading/Watching
1.
“A Supreme Court Vacancy: Your Moment
of Zen” - https://politicalcharge.org/2018/06/28/a-supreme-court-vacancy-your-moment-of-zen/
2.
“Here’s a map of shelters where immigrant
children have been housed” - https://www.revealnews.org/article/heres-a-map-of-shelters-where-immigrant-children-have-been-housed/
3.
Justice
Kennedy retires and yes, it’s bad. Celeste Pewter tells us how we can fight and
why we MUST defend EVERY Senate seat and WIN at least two more. Action plans in
the thread. Note she uses a common, salty expletive at the start, so please
avoid this thread if that disturbs you. https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1012035043919736833.html
