Rogan's List

6/20/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials

Find elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials

Fax legislators for free:  Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

and Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

White House contact:  https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house

 

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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.       Despite all other unfinished business and national upheaval, “House Republicans unveiled a 2019 budget proposal Tuesday to send a message to their core supporters that repealing Obamacare, cutting taxes and partially privatizing Medicare remain high on their agenda.”  This bill, which is on a fast track and could be vote on next week, “lays out a platform for the Republicans to run on in November.“  https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-19/house-gop-unveils-budget-to-fast-track-tax-cuts-end-obamacare  Our MoCs need to know that we do not support the ACA repeal, Medicare or Medicaid cuts, or tax cuts that hurt our most vulnerable. 

2.      Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, tweeted yesterday afternoon that it is time to fire Jeff Sessions and end the Mueller investigation.  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/19/brad-parscale-fire-jeff-sessions-654199  Should that happen, let’s make sure we are all signed up for the rapid response events that will take place:  https://www.trumpisnotabovethelaw.org/event/mueller-firing-rapid-response/search

3.      The Trump administration has more unsavory anti-immigration plans in the works before the midterms, thanks to Stephen Miller who knows how to pander to the GOP far right.  https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/18/trump-aides-plan-fresh-immigration-crackdowns-before-midterms-652246  Let’s tell all our MoCs that they need to work on a bill together to address the real immigration needs.  We need our foreign workers who do jobs Americans won’t, we need students from around the world to study here, and we need to stop splitting families as they arrive. 

4.      Any activist knows that stepping away from an issue won't help change it. And yet this is exactly what the U.S. wants to do with the UN Human Rights Council. Citing anti-Israeli bias, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley says the US will withdraw from the Council (after saying the same about the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation, or UNESCO). Neither of these acts will solve anything, since "the US 'will have to be in the room' in order to make any significant change to the council." https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-us-un-human-rights-council-nikki-haley-israel-north-korea-iran-a8401281.html?amp From our perspective, it really looks just like another petulant act designed to alienate the international community. Let's let Haley know that 1) being absent isn't going to solve the legitimate issues with the Council 2) criticism of Israel is perfectly justified given recent events in Gaza, and 3) the US is committing human rights violations at our southern border at this very moment. https://usun.state.gov/con

5.      The Senate has amended the defense policy bill to block Trump from letting ZTE off the hook for sanctions violations - after the Chinese government invested in a resort he's involved in developing in Indonesia. But they need to reconcile the bill with the House now, and it's not clear that the House is interested in standing up to Trump (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-zte-congress/senate-backers-of-zte-measure-will-battle-trump-over-chinese-firm-idUSKBN1JF2MF). Let's call our House members and tell them we want them to insist we stay tough on ZTE. We can find talking points here.

6.      Trump's got plenty of cruelty left over for children in the United States, too - he's still pushing to cut the Children's Health Insurance Program to pay for his tax cuts for billionaires (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/05/22/trump-spending-cuts-kids-health-insurance-559137). His measure has passed the House, but we'll need at least one Republican in the Senate to say no if we want to block it there. Let's call our senators and tell them we want them to protect our kids. Scripts can be found here.

7.      Not content with his inhuman immigration policy and despite Air Force opposition, Trump, undaunted, has called for the creation of a sixth branch of the military, the “Space Force”; “It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space.  We must have American dominance. . . .” Trump announced: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-space-moon/trump-orders-creation-of-u-s-force-to-dominate-space-idUSKBN1JE249  Luckily, Congress will have to approve the money; let’s make sure our MoCs vote against funding this latest Trump folly.   

8.     Tuesday, Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced Trump’s new rule exempting “association health plans” from providing the “essential health benefits” required under the ACA and from covering those with a “prior condition.”  According to the LA times, 95% of health-care groups that commented on the proposed rule were opposed or had serious questions; no group representing patients or the health insurance industry submitted comments in support , the NY Times reported.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-health-202/2018/06/19/the-health-202-the-trump-administration-will-allow-people-to-buy-cheaper-health-plans-but-they-won-t-have-certain-obamacare-benefits/5b27f49b1b326b3967989b4a/  Let’s contact Acosta: 1-866-487-2365 or 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington DC 20210.

9.      "A youth care worker who quit his job at a Tucson detention center for unaccompanied minors is speaking out about inadequate facilities, untrained staff and inhumane policies, after witnessing the devastation of family separations firsthand." 

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-border-migrant-shelter-20180614-story.htmland https://www.democracynow.org/2018/6/18/whistleblower_i_quit_my_child_detention  Time to step up the pressure on Trump and our GOP MoCs to end this cruel situation.

10.  While she is responsible for the oversight of the child detention centers at our southern border, she has yet to visit one since Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy began.  http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/392992-dhs-nielsen-hasnt-visited-child-detention-center-since-family  Let’s tell her that we want her visit some of those centers and give a briefing immediately afterwards.  Contact:  Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen: Email:DHSSecretary@hq.dhs.gov  or Twitter: @SecNielsen  or Phone:  202-282-8000

11.   On Monday evening, the White House press briefing was delayed a few hours as Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen flew in from New Orleans for the briefing (and it is rumored that Press Secretary Huckabee Sanders refused to be the one to face the press first) which proceeded regarding family separation at the border with more lies, feigned ignorance, and misdirection:https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/jun/18/us-immigration-border-families-separated-children-kirstjen-nielsen  Let’s let Sec. Nielsen and Ms. Huckabee Sanders know that the lies and what the lies cover are deplorable and that we await their resignations: https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us and The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500 or on Twitter @PressSec  Let’s tell our MoCs, too.

12.  While many key issues clamor for our attention, the corruption of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt only seems to deepen:

 http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/392903-republican-senator-calls-for-face-to-face-with-epas-pruitt  and  https://www.forbes.com/sites/danalexander/2018/06/18/lies-china-and-putin-solving-the-mystery-of-wilbur-ross-missing-fortune-trump-commerce-secretary-cabinet-conflicts-of-interest/#799c144e7e87   Let’s let them know that we expect their resignations: https://www.epa.gov/home/forms/contact-epa  and 

https://www.commerce.gov/page/contact-us  Let’s tell our legislators the same.

13.  “More than 600 United Methodist clergy and laity say they are bringing church law charges against U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, a fellow United Methodist, over a zero tolerance U.S. immigration policy — a policy that includes separating children from parents apprehended for crossing into the U.S. illegally. Specifically, the group accuses him of child abuse in reference to separating young children from their parents and holding them in mass incarceration facilities; immorality; racial discrimination and “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrines” of The United Methodist Church. All are categories listed in 2702.3 as chargeable offenses for a professing member of a local church.  “I really never would have thought I’d be working on charges against anybody in the Methodist connection, much less a lay person,” said the Rev. David Wright, a Pacific Northwest Conference elder and chaplain at the University of Puget Sound in Washington State, and organizer of the effort to charge Sessions.”  http://www.umc.org/news-and-media/church-charges-brought-against-sessions#.Wyh6I-IOez8.facebook. This is an encouraging light. Maybe Sessions will now understand that his quotes and his actions are not CHRISTIAN! We can tell Sessions that we know his church is preparing charges against him and to stop hiding behind his lies. 

14.  The EPA is in the process of re-writing the rules that currently require developers to pay for the mitigation of wetlands. This practice, which was started by President George H.W. Bush, has assured no net loss in U.S. wetlands. However, the new rules would more narrowly define what constitutes a wetland and threatening this vital habitat.  

https://journaltimes.com/ap/national/move-to-redefine-water-rule-threatens-wetlands-banks/article_4e44742e-5f96-5907-8a29-8e7519bba7f3.html. Let’s make sure to tell our MoCs and the EPA (pruitt.scott@EPA.gov; https://www.facebook.com/EPA/; Twitter: @EPA) that we do not want to see these rules changed.

15. Thirteen GOP Senators sent a letter to their former colleague Attorney General Jeff Sessions asking him to stop separating families.  “In addition to Hatch [Utah], GOP Sens. John McCain (Ariz.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Bob Corker (Tenn.), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Dean Heller (Nev.), Cory Gardner (Colo.), James Lankford (Okla.), Bill Cassidy (La.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) signed on to the letter to Sessions.”  http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/393108-dozen-gop-senators-ask-administration-to-pause-separation-of   Let’s contact these senators and ask them to please work with Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) on S.3036 (the Keep Families Together Act).  She is willing to modify the bill. 

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:  

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit

Election 2018 – By State

1.       Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:

June 21	Maryland	Early Voting ends	Primary
June 21	Oklahoma	Early Voting begins	Primary
June 22	Utah	Early Voting ends	Primary
June 23	Oklahoma	Early Voting ends	Primary
June 25	South Carolina	In person absentee voting ends	Runoffs
June 26	Colorado	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary
June 26	Colorado	Election date	Primary
June 26	Maryland	Election date	Primary
June 26	New York	Election date (Federal primary)	Federal primary
June 26	Oklahoma	Election date	Primary
June 26	Utah	Election date	Primary
June 26	South Carolina	Election date	Runoffs
June 26	South Dakota	Election date	Runoffs
June 27	Rhode Island	Filing Deadline
June 29	Minnesota	Early voting begins	Primary
June 30	Vermont	Early voting begins	Primary
June 30	Wisconsin	In person absentee voting begins	Primary

(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)

1.       KS:  The Blue Wave is coming to Kansas, so let’s make sure we’re all registered and ready to vote! If we need to register, want to make sure we are still registered or help someone else register, we can check out www.ksvotes.org. Indivisible Kansas recommends this as the ONLY site people should use in KS. It bypasses the Sec. of State's draconian website (which actually makes it harder to register and fails to register others!)  One thing to note on the ksvote site: when we click the button "check your registration" we will be  directed to:   https://myvoteinfo.voteks.org/VoterView/RegistrantSearch.do  -- There’s no need to worry; this is a legitimate site operated by Kansas. We got the tools, now let’s get ready to vote!

Other Actions

1.       ProPublica wants to hear from families separated at the US/Mexico border, workers at detention centers, and people who aid families who have been affected by Trump’s family separation policies: border@propublica.org or 347-244-2134. Let’s spread the word!

2.      Laura Ingraham said on Fox News that the facilities where children are being kept at the border are “essentially summer camps”: http://thehill.com/homenews/media/392922-laura-ingraham-describes-child-detention-centers-as-essentially-summer-camps  Let’s let Fox News know that we have had enough: Fox News, 1211 Avenue of the Americas, NY, NY 10036 

3.      Here's a succinct article by Celeste Pewter explaining the many ways we can "help families being separated under the new zero tolerance policy." Included are instructions/information for how to ask our electeds to act; what to say to the Department of Justice; as well as non-legislative ways to assist, whether by volunteering for or donating to the organizations already doing work on the ground. The whole package is right here. Let's use it: https://medium.com/@Celeste_pewter/how-to-help-families-being-separated-under-the-new-zero-tolerance-policy-791fd475b41e 

4.      From one of our own:  We can file a with the International Criminal Court over the child separation situation at the border.  Some of us may have been eye witnesses to what is happening there, but we all have documentary evidence of a crime that needs to be investigated.  Here’s how:  https://www.justicehub.org/article/how-can-people-report-crimes-icc

5.      Amazon claims to oppose intrusive government surveillance, but actions speak louder than words. The company is moving quickly to sell (and support!) its powerful facial recognition tool, Rekognition, to law enforcement agencies nationwide. Rekognition can scan images and compare faces with massive databases in real time, and identify up to 100 people in a single image. https://www.aclunc.org/blog/amazon-teams-law-enforcement-deploy-dangerous-new-face-recognition-technology. This is a dangerous system because of the likelihood that some law enforcement agencies would abuse it, and because of the scale of that potential abuse. The mere existence of such a threat would corrode our democracy through its chilling effect on dissent and activism. Let's join the ACLU in its fight against this attack on our privacy and freedom. https://action.aclu.org/petition/amazon-stop-selling-surveillance

6.      Since Trump’s lie about blaming Democrats for family separations has not stemmed the moral outcry, he has shifted his messaging with even more outrageous statements insinuating that gang members are using children to get into the country and claiming that undocumented children later get involved with MS-13. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/392977-trump-dems-want-illegal-immigrants-to-infest-our-country. His latest statement that immigrants are “infesting” the country, is another attempt at dehumanization, and reflective of Hitler’s language describing Jews as vermin and parasites. We need to keep calling out these lies and this language. Let’s also do some research to learn more about the lives of the people who are already here in this country or trying to come here and write to the editors of our local newspaper about the very human experience of these people. We can use the Internet to find news stories and post these stories on social media. We can also check out books like Crossing the Boulevard, an exposé on the immigrant experience in Queens, NY.

7.      Post article tells us about some we may not have considered and how to secure them.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/15/hands-off-my-data-15-more-default-privacy-settings-you-should-change-on-your-tv-cellphone-plan-linkedin-and-more/?utm_term=.503c6b1a9c47&wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1   In case we’ve been meaning to check our privacy setting, but haven’t gotten around to it yet, we can also review this article to make sure our basic privacy settings are secure.  https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/06/01/hands-off-my-data-15-default-privacy-settings-you-should-change-right-now/?utm_term=.defef92499bb

Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       The Parkland students who formed March for Our Lives are on a nationwide tour to get young people registered to vote.  https://www.npr.org/2018/06/16/620486174/parkland-survivors-launch-tour-to-register-young-voters-and-get-them-out-in-nove  Tour is happening now, check here for dates/places and join in:  https://marchforourlives.com/tour/

2.      Saturday June 30th will be a national day of action to speak out against separating children from their parents at the border. There will be a huge rally in Washington, DC, with smaller rallies scheduled all over the country for those who can’t get to Washington. Let’s make sure to sign up at this website  to go to DC or go to a rally in our local area. We should share this information widely and encourage our friends and colleagues to raise their voices with us.

 States

Find elected state officials: https://openstates.org/

1.       MOST: “A bipartisan group of governors on Monday called on the Trump administration to reverse its decision to argue in court that ObamaCare’s pre-existing condition protections should be overturned.”  http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/392850-bipartisan-governors-denounce-trump-move-on-pre-existing-conditions  If our governor is one of these, let’s give thanks.  If our governor is not, let’s ask why not.

2.      MOST:  Several state governors have announced their withdrawal of National Guard troops or other state resources to actions at our southern border. 

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621446245/opposing-family-separation-governors-cancel-national-guard-troops-on-the-border   Let's check with our state governor to see where our state stands on this use of state resources.  If our governor has, let's give thanks.  If not, ask why.

Reading/Watching

1.       “The Government Has No Plan for Reuniting the Immigrant Families It Is Tearing Apart” - https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-government-has-no-plan-for-reuniting-the-immigrant-families-it-is-tearing-apart

2.      “How Anti-Immigration Passion Was Inflamed From the Fringe” -  

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/18/us/politics/immigration-children-sessions-miller.html

3.      “Separation of migrant families: What other countries do” - https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44374756