6/12/18
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
another blow to refugees seeking asylum, Attorney General Sessions yesterday reversed
a decision by a Justice Department immigration appeals court, making neither
domestic violence nor gang violence grounds for asylum in the US. Asserting
that “the asylum statute does not provide redress for all misfortune,” Sessions
challenged both the independence of the appeals court and what constitutes
“membership in a particular social group” for an asylum-seeker. This move will hurt many, especially women who
are sometimes running for their lives.
http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-sessions-asylum-20180611-story.html and https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/jeff-sessions-aslyum-standards-domestic-violence-614158 We need to tell Sessions what we think
of his decision: DoJ, 950 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington DC 20530 or
202-353-1555 and we need to ask our MoCs what they can do about it.
2. The
Boston Globe is referring to family separation at the southern border as the
“new Trail of Tears”:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/06/09/borderseparations/Z95z4eFZjyfqCLG9pyHjAO/story.html and the damage being done to
these children is known: http://www.latimes.com/opinion/readersreact/la-ol-le-children-parents-border-separate-20180606-story.html Let’s ask our senators if they have
signed on to Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) legislation, a bill to limit the separation
of families at or near ports of entry, (S.
3036). Thus far, 31 Democratic Senators have signed
onto this bill. If our Senators are among them, let’s thank them. If not, let’s
remind both Republican and Democratic Senators that this is a moral issue and
that separating families is in violation of international law, and ask them to sponsor and pass this
legislation.
3. After a
disastrous weekend with our allies, Trump doubled down with his accusations
about the European Union and Canada: http://thehill.com/policy/international/391590-trump-doubles-down-on-eu-canada-criticism We need moderate Republicans to
help pull us back from the brink of total destruction of these relationships
and from a trade-war. Let’s let Senators Jeff Flake, Susan Collins, and Bob
Corker know that the time for tweeting their frustration has passed and that we
need them to take action by voting with Democrats:
https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/ and https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact and https://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/home
4. When
Trump slapped a tariff on solar panels last year, it was an obvious sop to the
oil & gas industry. Solar power was poised for a huge breakout at that
point, and although the tariff's long-term effects have yet to be determined,
one thing that's clear is that it has dramatically delayed that breakout, with
$1.5 billion in projects being cancelled already in an industry that employs 3x
more Americans than coal does. A good move for Trump and his cronies, perhaps,
but a bad deal for us. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trump-effect-solar-insight/billions-in-u-s-solar-projects-shelved-after-trump-panel-tariff-idUSKCN1J30CT Let's
tell our MoCs that we don't appreciate the president hobbling one of our
strongest job creators, and that we expect them to legislate for trade rules
that serve us, not oil & gas interests.
5. The
Trump Administration is considering developing a “low-yield” nuclear warhead.
Creating this capacity could trigger a new arms race, and by making the use of
nuclear weapons more conceivable could raise the risk of a nuclear war. Even
more alarmingly, the Trump Administration wants Energy Secretary Rick Perry to
be able to decide whether or not to pursue this project, without congressional
debate (https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/a-decision-too-important-for-rick-perry/562280 Let’s
let Congress know we want them involved, and we want them to say no. We can
call our reps and tell them we want them to support Senator Gary Peters (D-MI)
and oppose any effort to change current law, which requires the development of
a low-yield nuclear weapon by specifically argued by Congress. Let’s also tell
them we want them to back Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA)’s efforts to defund this
project through the appropriations process.
6. 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://bit.ly/2HBNQex). ADAPT protesters have been very active all
year, showing up at FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb's office and condo, asking
that he do the right thing, and enact the rule to ban shock devices, yet he has
still not done so. Now, ADAPT is shifting focus to Health and Human Services
Secretary Alex Azar (https://bit.ly/2JAs4FL). The FDA has already gone through the
process needed before a rule can be put into place, it just needs to take the
final step of enacting it. Let's join ADAPT, and ask Secretary Azar to end the
cruel use of shock devices: HHS, 200
Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20201 or 877-696-6775, or on Twitter
@SecAzar. We can also check out the action
items available
at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.
7. Fox News
has just called out Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross for conflicts of
interests on his investments. http://thehill.com/homenews/media/391646-fox-news-host-calls-out-wilbur-ross-over-conflicts-of-interest-on-investments. Ross is currently negotiating tariffs
despite having continuing ties to steel and auto-parts companies, which means
that he can influence policies that could directly benefit him economically.
Let’s ask the Office of Government Ethics to investigate these claims: 202-482-9300;
1201 New York Avenue, NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC, 2005; contactoge@oge.gov
8. From one
of our own: To protect rights of #LGBTQ youth & deliver needed services, the
Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) asks if children left home
because of “family conflict related to child's sexual orientation, gender
identity, or gender expression”—45’s HHS wants to take this Q away. .. At the
time of drafting this thread, there are only 45 public comments filed. In a
previous #60SecondCTA public comment thread I posted, together #TheResistance filed 554 comments. Let’s see if we can
break that record to protect the rights of #LGBTQ foster children & parents…Follow this
link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=ACF-2018-0003 … Click “comment now” Tell 45's HHS how you
feel about them taking away questions that protect the rights of #LGBTQ foster children & parents. Comment deadline is June 16.
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. In a 5-4
decision yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that a state—in this case,
Ohio—may kick people off the voter rolls if they both skip a few elections and
fail to respond to an address notification sent by state election officials. In
his dissent, Justice Stephen Breyer noted that in 2012, Ohio sent out such
notices to roughly 20 percent of the state’s registered voters, although only 4
percent of Americans move outside their county each year. Voting rights
advocates say practices like this one will disproportionately disenfranchise
minority and younger voters, who move more often and are less attentive to
“snail mail”:
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/ohio-voter-purge-supreme-court-ruling-636483 It is critical that we protect the
vote; Reclaim the American Dream provides a place to begin—a list of national
organizations that provide legal and other expertise as well as helping to
organize campaigns state by state:
2. Young
people—18-29-year-olds—have a notoriously low voter turnout rate, especially in
mid-term elections. Cap, Gown, Vote! https://capgownvote.org/ has a toolkit to empower young people
themselves to remedy that. Let’s check it out and spread the word.
3. With the
courts striking down their voter ID law as racially discriminatory, North
Carolina Republicans are trying again – this time by adding an amendment to the
state constitution requiring photo identification for voting in person. The
amendment would need to be approved by 3/5 of each house of the state
legislature, and then by the voters (https://www.wral.com/amendment-would-put-voter-id-in-nc-constitution/17611888/). We’re not going to allow this sort of
blatant voter suppression to go unanswered. We can donate to the North
Carolina Democratic Party and the North
Carolina NAACP to support their efforts to fight back, and then Tweet at North
Carolina House Speaker Tim Moore (@NCHouseSpeaker) to let him know we’ve done so. We can join
activists nationwide in calling for Apple and Amazon not to move their
headquarters to North Carolina as long as this is on the table by
signing here. And if we live in North Carolina, we can contact our state legislators and let them know we want them to stop
this amendment before it goes any further.
4. Election
2018. Seven (7) states have elections on Tuesday, June 12. Primaries will
be held in ME, NV, ND, SC and VA. In NJ, a municipal election is taking place in
Newark. (note: State abbreviations linked to state-specific Ballotpedia pages.)
In WI, special elections for state senate and
assembly seats are happening. Postcards to Voters volunteers wrote
get-out-the-vote cards for two WI candidates: 1) Campaign 89: Caleb Frostman for State Senate. 2) Campaign 90: Ann Groves Lloyd for State Assembly. Let's make a plan
to vote if we are in any of these locations.
Election 2018 –
By State
1. Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
June 12
|
Connecticut
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
June 12
|
North Dakota
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Same Day registration
|
|
June 12
|
Maine
|
In person absentee voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
Utah
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
Maine
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
Nevada
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
North Dakota
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
South Carolina
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
Virginia
|
Election date
|
Primary
|
|
June 12
|
Wisconsin
|
Election date
|
Special-State Assembly District 42
|
|
June 12
|
Wisconsin
|
Election date
|
Special-State Senate District 1
|
|
June 14
|
Maryland
|
Early Voting Begins
|
Primary
|
|
June 15
|
New Hampshire
|
Filing Deadline
|
(source: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1WJiqNAZNlWPSCAvuRpQ5e5dFiC5IY3O3epicrCuHINs/edit#gid=514224366 We can also see this info by state
here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IMWqHIktIBS7jPxS4mVV1--YKYVa-2yYWjV8QHsi1F4/edit#gid=1798528701)
2. Five
states have primaries today. If we live
in any of these states, let’s make sure to VOTE and encourage others to as well:
3. CT: Introducing FLIP CONNECTICUT, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by
state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:
4. HI: Introducing FLIP HAWAII, a Facebook group
dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project that came out
of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones elected by
squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here, get some new
ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state
by state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:
5. MN: Introducing FLIP Minnesota, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
the Bluest it’s ever been, so let’s start getting our country back, state by
state! We can check the group out, then, if we like it, join here:
6. VT: Introducing FLIP VERMONT, a
Facebook group dedicated to winning elections! It's part of a 50-state project
that came out of the success of FLIP ALABAMA in helping to get Doug Jones
elected by squeezing every possible vote out of the state. We can join here,
get some new ideas and meet new folks. Together we can turn our beautiful state
Blue, so let’s start getting our country back, state by state! We can check the
group out, then, if we like it, join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlipVermont/
Other Actions
1. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA)
visited detainees from the border in her home state. “Thank you to
the Washington
Post for covering this story. I promised the women I would tell their
stories so everyone in America knows what is being done by the Trump
Administration in our names. I ask our news media to PLEASE cover this. We need
you to lift up these voices." https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/10/mothers-could-not-stop-crying-officials-blast-trump-policy-after-visiting-detained-immigrants/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.d175986b7be4
Let's contact our favorite media outlets to see how they are covering this
tragedy that is playing out across our country.
2. When Trump
attempted to quash ACA enrollments, ACA Signups stepped into the breach, and
the results were staggering. With half the enrollment period and no budget.
2017 enrollments ended up at 95% of 2016! This year, they are taking the
first steps to making the 2019 ACA Signup Project even more effective than last
year by creating a large list of folks who are willing to share state-specific
graphics, PDF's and articles on a weekly basis. The "15 Minutes for
the Affordable Care Act" is aiming for 10,000 participants by September
30th! Want to help? We can sign up here. https://emailoctopus.com/lists/ed1e1f13-6c1e-11e8-a3c9-06b79b628af2/forms/subscribe Let's do this!
3. “Melody Herzfeld,
a drama teacher who hunkered with her students in a classroom at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School in February as a gunman massacred 17 people in its
hallways, accepted the excellence in theater education prize at the Tony Awards
on Sunday evening.” Some of her drama
students surprised here at the ceremony with their rendition of “Seasons of
Love”. https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/theater/dance/2018/06/11/parkland-teacher-honored-tonys-and-students-surprise-her-with-performance/MJ41EjtdEe3u20yTsoNo2J/story.html Let’s congratulate her on her award and thank
her for her dedication to her students: Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School, 5901 Pine Island Rd, Parkland, FL 33076
4. Be Smart For Kids is
a campaign from Moms
Demand Action for Gun Sense in America and Everytown for Gun Safety,
which focuses on how we can reduce suicides and unintentional shootings through
responsible gun storage and by communicating openly with our children. Let's
read about the five steps we can take to Be Smart, check out the resources
available, and find ways to get involved here. Then, let's be sure
to contact our MoC at the state and federal level and ask them to introduce
legislation to address children's access to firearms.
5. On May 8th, the
Brookings Institution officially launched a new initiative on the Future
of the Middle Class. The goal of the initiative is to improve the
quality of life of America’s middle class and to increase the number of people
rising to join its ranks. Let's bookmark the Future of the Middle Class as a information resource
and read this article "Seven reasons to worry about the American middle class."
6. Awareness of
single-use plastic, especially plastic straws, is increasing nationwide.
We can read more in this NPR article. Can't live without straws? Let's check
out this USAToday article about eco-friendly alternatives.
Let's continue to increase our awareness of single-use plastics and to
encourage the restaurants we frequent to ask before giving out straws.
7. From Postcards for
America: Here's an article on one of
the reasons why I keep the Postcards of Support to medical personnel and
victims current. It can make a huge difference to many individuals. https://www.propublica.org/article/pulse-shooting-first-responders-ptsd-diagnosis Here’s the list: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1zOvQQAth1DpRanI7mKMELRsg0Q145pLjYBjqkY82D0g
8. “Trump, Giuliani,
Hannity, and Fox News are pushing the lie that the Mueller probe is a witchhunt
that has come up with nothing. Recent polling indicates that 59% of our fellow
Americans are not aware that indictments, criminal charges and guilty pleas are
the concrete results of the probe by Robert Mueller.” The Equal
Justice Society has created a video, featuring Sam Waterson, to help
explain: https://equaljusticesociety.org/2018/06/11/most-americans-do-not-know-about-the-successes-of-mueller-probe-please-forward-this-video/
Let’s share this video.
9. Calling all data
geeks! Open Secrets, the Center for Responsive Politics, is looking for
researchers to comb through data and discover money-in-politics anomalies—like
“lawmakers receiving more than 50 percent of their itemized contributions from
out of state” or “PACs giving at least $7,500 to a candidate’s Leadership PAC
but nothing to the candidate’s committee.” Let’s check this out and see how we
can help: https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/06/rewards-4-money-politics-anomaly-discoveries/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms
to attend/organize
1. Given the Supreme
Court’s draconian ruling on purging voter rolls this week, we must redouble all
efforts to protect the rights of voters and Organizing For America is
ready to go, presenting a Voting Rights Webinar TODAY, Tuesday, June 12
at 7pm CT/8pm ET. This informative conversation with the Brennan Center for
Justice will discuss some of the barriers to voting in communities across the
country, how we can work to overcome them, and why it’s important that we are
all involved in protecting our democracy in2018. We can register here. https://bit.ly/2sXxkvU
2. On Thursday, June
14, thousands of people across the US will join marches, rallies, and
vigils to protest the administration’s cruel and inhumane treatment of
immigrants and asylum seekers and their children. Let’s find an event near us: http://map.familiesbelong.org/search.php
States
Reading/Watching
1. “Unconscious Reactions Separate Liberals and
Conservatives” - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/calling-truce-political-wars/
2. “Inside
Obama’s secret meetings with 2020 contenders” - https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/11/obama-2020-elections-sanders-warren-635165
3. “What
Grief Looks Like: Documenting The Mementos Left After School Shootings” - https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2018/06/05/616816652/what-grief-looks-like-documenting-the-mementos-left-after-school-shootings
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