6/25/18
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.
This
week in Congress: Twenty-five (25) bills and resolutions are on the
House Majority
Leader's Schedule for
this week starting on Monday at noon. Additionally, we can
look at this week's House committee schedule here. Let's know what's coming. The Senate begins
their Monday session at 3pm by resuming consideration
of H.R.5895, Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act,
2019. (Source: Senate Calendar). This bill has already passed in the House.
We can read arguments for and against HR5895 at IssueVoter.org. We Rogan's Listers are most likely against
this bill because it does not promote responsible use of our water, ocean, and natural
resources, scales back funding for clean energy innovation, and undermines safe
nuclear waste disposal. Let's tell our Senators to oppose this HR5895 for
these reasons.
2.
We all
know that an exorbitant amount of money is going to process, house, feed the
huge detention of border crossers, but now we learn that some of this money is
being diverted from other programs, including what is usually spent on the
critical issue of drug smuggling at the border.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/06/22/zero-tolerance-immigration-crackdown-diverting-resources-drug-cases/727532002/ Let’s tell our GOP MoCs that this unnecessary
immigration policy is taking away from real crime efforts.
3.
While we
are distracted by the terrible destructive actions at the border, House GOP
quietly prepares a fast track stealth bomb budget bill that repeals ACA,
slashes Medicare and Medicaid and will still take effect even if they lose the
majority. That’s right, even if we win, we LOSE BIG. Topher Spiro explains it
here: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1009119248826929153.html We
can read more about the plan to spread our safety net here, then call Congress
and use our social networks to get our friends to call too. Let’s alert our groups to call Congress now!
4.
In a
breath of bipartisan fresh air, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein
(D-CA) are working together on immigration.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/22/cruz-feinstein-immigration-663319 Let’s encourage our own senators to join in
and get this done right.
5.
“Scott
Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, discussed hiring a
friend of a lobbyist family that owned a condominium he was renting for $50 a
night, newly released emails suggest. The files also show communications
involving the lobbyist’s client interests that have not previously been
disclosed, suggesting a closer relationship between the lobbyist, J.
Steven Hart, and the agency than previously known. The emails, released as part
of a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club, an environmental group, contradict early
assertions by Mr. Pruitt and Mr. Hart that Mr. Hart hadn’t lobbied the E.P.A.
last year after concerns arose that Mr. Hart’s wife had rented the condo to Mr.
Pruitt. Mr. Pruitt faces 13 federal investigations into his spending and management
practices. At least two of those are aimed at Mr. Pruitt’s living arrangements
and the circumstances of his $50-a-night lease for the days he slept in the
Capitol Hill neighborhood.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/24/climate/pruitt-epa-lobbyist-landlord-emails.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur Please call your Reps and demand
Pruitt’s resignation.
6.
Still
hanging on to the now-defunct reasoning that undocumented workers are
responsible for a growing violence problem in the country, Trump held an angel
family event at the White House last Friday where he once again exploited
grieving families and compared them to the families that have separated at the
border whose children are, at least, alive.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-cites-context-statistics-honoring-angel-families-children/story?id=56091326 Let’s
tell Trump to get in facts in order and to undo his harmful “zero tolerance”
policy that has created the real crisis.
7.
“The
Trump administration issued an ambitious proposal Thursday to shrink government and
reorganize how services are delivered to citizens, a plan that touches on
nearly every corner of American life, from pizza to postal delivery.” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/trump-shrink-federal-agencie-661976 While
the government may be in need of an overhaul, some fear that the reorganization
of social safety net programs may make it easier to whittle them away. Let’s tell our MoCs that we are counting on
them to keep an eye out for those who benefit from those safety nets.
8.
After
the House realized they didn’t have enough votes to pass the so-called
“compromise” immigration bill, they postponed the vote, but the president then
told Congress to stop “wasting their time” on immigration until after the
midterm elections https://www.vox.com/2018/6/22/17492400/trump-immigration-tweet-congress-family-separation. Let’s remind our reps that there are
several bipartisan proposals on immigration that should be considered, and that
DACA recipients and incarcerated families need us to act now. Therefore, they
should sign the discharge petition that will force the Speaker to bring these
proposals to the floor for a vote: USA
Act of 2018 (HR
4796)
and Dream Act of 2017 (HR
3440).
9.
In yet
another nose-thumbing at the Constitution, Trump is now calling for the
immediate deportation of immigrants, whether or not they are seeking asylum,
without any legal hearing at all, thereby thwarting due process. http://time.com/5320551/trump-immediate-deportation-no-court-hearing/ Let’s
tell our MoCs that due process needs to be protected for anyone in the US.
10. We know that Stephen Miller, the resident
White House white supremacist, was behind the “zero tolerance” policy and he
has been rightfully targeted. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/stephen-miller-family-separations-immigration-policy-664278
Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.) is calling
on Trump to fire Miller. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/21/mike-coffman-fire-stephen-miller-664274 Let’s
call the White House and show our agreement.
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.
If we
want to stop Trump's horrors, we need to elect a Congress with the guts to
stand up to him. One of the biggest things we can do to flip is help Beto
O'Rourke defeat Ted Cruz for the Senate in Texas. Cruz has repeatedly enabled
Trump, where O'Rourke has personally led protests against family separation (https://www.dallasnews.com/news/immigration/2018/06/17/protesters-led-beto-orourke-gather-outside-tents-holding-immigrant-children-separated-parents). We can sign up to text for Beto from
anywhere in the country at this link.
2.
We
need to turn outrage against Trump's cruel, hateful policies into votes at the
ballot box. 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.
Election 2018 –
By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
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)
2.
CO: Primary tomorrow: Colorado
6/26 Primary: At a Glance
3.
MD: Primary tomorrow: Maryland
6/26 Primary: At a Glance
4.
OK: Primary tomorrow: Oklahoma
6/26 Primary: At a Glance
5.
UT: Primary tomorrow: Utah
6/26 Primary: At a Glance
Other Actions
1.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) meet with 66 detained
children who were separated from their parents at the border. He brought cards and letters for those
children from families in Chicago. http://abc7chicago.com/politics/-durbin-meets-with-some-of-66-separated-children-being-held-in-chicago/3636105/ Let’s follow through on Sen. Durbin’s
tweeted request: “I encourage kids across the country to show children who’ve
been separated from their parents that we're thinking of them & we care.
Send your cards to: UAC/ORR Program ATTN: Cards for Kids 330 C Street, SW 5th
Floor Washington, D.C. 20201” For other
kid-friendly ICE protests ideas, let’s check here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zvpIZ1d9uNg4kGJCAvCAzPuIwD4fw53Qcd0RWcAskUQ/edit?ts=5b295353
2.
As we look for ways to help immigrants currently in
crisis, we can refer to this state by state list of advocate organizations
and resources from Postcards for America: https://bit.ly/2yjJQMj We can also refer to this list of
detention facilities where the children are currently being held. If we have
additional information about a facility near us that has immigrant children
who have been separated from their parents, we can send it here and it will be
added to this List.
3.
Email: postcardsforAmerica@outlook.com We also need to get both Photographs and DNA
on these children, so a database can be formed and used to reunite them with
their families. We can ask our local Congressperson, or Governor to
facilitate gaining access to make this happen. https://pc2a.info/ListingImmigrantChildDetentionFacilities
4.
Since not much help is coming from within, it is
time to ask for outside help and report Trump’s crimes against humanity. We can file a with the International Criminal
Court (“The Hague”) 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. https://www.justicehub.org/article/how-can-people-report-crimes-icc Let’s all send complaints to the International
Criminal Court and encourage others to do so as well. Contact:
Information and Evidence Unit, Office of the Prosecutor, Post Office Box
19519, 2500 CM The Hague, The Netherlands / otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int / Fax +31 70 515
8555 or Liaison Office of the International Criminal Court to the United
Nations, Head of the Office, Ms Karen Mosoti, 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite
476, New York NY 10017 / Tel: 1 212 486 1346/47/62 / Fax: 1 212 486 1361
5.
After seeing Melania’s I-don’t-care jacket, graphic
artist Justin Teodoro knew he had to respond to it artistically and came up
with the now-famous meme of the back view of the also now-famous little girl in
pink holding the hand of the Statue of
Liberty whose robe reads, “We all should care”.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/artist-reimagines-melania-trumps-i-really-dont-care-jacket-for-statue-of-liberty/ Let’s thank the artist for this hopeful
reaction. We can comment on his Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Justin-Teodoro-111747754764/ or tweet him #jadoreteodoro or purchase
something from his online shop: http://www.justinteodoro.com/
6.
From Everytown for Gun
Safety: Are you a
student [or know one] who wants to get involved in the movement to end gun
violence? Text STUDENTS to 644-33 and join #StudentsDemandAction
7.
Here’s the chart we should be following to locate
reliable news sources. We want to use the best sources to combat the fake news
lies that trump promotes. Here’s a great article on the chart and some info on
the woman who created it and updates it regularly: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/how-biased-is-your-news-source-you-probably-wont-agree-with-this-chart-2018-02-28 Let’s share this widely.
8.
“Fox and Friends” organized a
spirited discussion about left-wing language on Sunday that
opened with a clip of an MSNBC personality comparing Trump voters to
Nazis. Arguing for the right, David Bossie — a former senior Trump
campaign aide and president of the conservative group Citizens United. For
the left, Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist and a black man. We mention
the latter fact for reasons that will become apparent. And
when Payne said extremist conservative rhetoric “looks like
Charlottesville,” Bossie rolled his eyes. “Oh, please!”
9.
And so on. Bossie kept talking over the
Democrat, waving his hands and cranking up his indignation until, finally,
he told Payne: You’re out of your cotton-picking mind!” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/06/24/youre-out-of-your-cotton-picking-mind-a-fox-news-guest-explains-hate-speech-to-a-black-man/?utm_term=.002b8183a7c3. Wow, using that
phrase to insult a Black Man is absolutely outrageous. Let’s tweet David Bossie
and tell him that he showed his Racism to the whole world with that one
insult @David_Bossie
10.
Volaris airlines has offered to reunite separated
immigrant families for free. http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/393723-mexican-airline-pledges-to-reunite-immigrant-families-separated. Let’s thank them
on Facebook and/or Twitter
@flyVolaris.
11.
Yahoo news has reported on five major companies
involved that have made millions on the president’s zero tolerance border
policies. https://www.yahoo.com/news/businesses-made-millions-off-trumps-child-separation-policy-023106551.html. Other companies
are also participating in transportation and in building new prisons. Let’s
contact the companies on this list and tell them to
stop participating in these immoral policies.
12.
As we continue to grapple with the administration’s
accelerated efforts to arrest and deport immigrants who are already here, let’s
make sure that people are aware of their rights. For example, ICE agents are
not police, even though it’s legal for them to say they are, which has led to
people letting them in on false premises and without a required warrant. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-immigration-deportation-ruses-20170219-story.html. The Immigration Defense Project has resources for
immigrant communities and advocates/organizers on knowing your rights. Let’s
make sure we’re up to date on what ICE can and can’t do, so that we can follow
the inspiring example of Tiana Smalls, who was able to thwart an illegal ICE
check on a greyhound bus. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny-news-greyhound-bus-border-patrol-20180614-story.html.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
As the House Budget stands ready to slash the ACA,
Medicare and Medicaid, EVEN IF they LOSE the Midterms, we must stand up and
fight back. We can join Action Together Network’s Twitter Warriors
#SaveOurHealthcare twitterstorm this Tuesday, June 26 at 8pm EST. When
we click on this link, we will find more information about the storm and a link
to prewritten tweets that we can send out with just a few clicks: https://www.facebook.com/events/2090892354503131 We also can tweet directly from this
sheet this Tuesday at 8pm EST:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-R-eV5VOL7iRRm8iZR0mdfR7XCSn9kXkz-JjkTSkEfw/htmlview
2.
Mass civil disobedience action against the family
detention policy at the border on Thursday, June 28, in Washington,
D.C., sponsored by Women’s March and partners. More info here: https://www.endfamilyseparation.us/
3.
On Thursday, June 28, families, advocates,
and allies will hold a rally beginning at 11am in the park across the street
from the Brownsville Federal Court, where immigrants are being prosecuted en
masse for crossing the border into the United States. More information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1834781589914906/ and here: https://www.aclutx.org/en/events/families-belong-together-rally-border
4.
“On June 29, 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/
5.
On 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. Currently, there is no plan to
reunite thousands of kids with their parents.
End the indefinite detention of children & 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/
States
Reading/Watching
1.
Experts in authoritarianism advise us to keep a
list of things subtly changing around us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind
is keeping that list for us. Amy writes, "Generations from now will
mark this week as the moment Americans realized we were losing our country as
we have known it. This week the world looked on in horror as the atrocity
of separating families at our southern border was finally exposed by widespread
media coverage." Let's review Amy
Siskind's list week 84.
2.
Linguist George Lakoff’s take on “Why Trump’s Baby Jails Strategy Backfired,
Unleashing Waves of Empathy” - https://medium.com/@GeorgeLakoff/why-trumps-baby-jails-strategy-backfired-unleashing-waves-of-empathy-a1d91f92a95
3.
As always, 0ur summertime, bi-weekly dose of Small
Victories: https://mailchi.mp/peaceisloud/small-victories-we-should-all-care?e=86890239c4
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