7/10/18
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.
Last evening,
Trump chose Brett Kavanaugh as the Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice
Kennedy. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/09/brett-kavanaugh-who-is-he-bio-facts-background-and-political-views-703346 From
of our own: Let’s call our Senators and
tell them they need to scrutinize Trump’s Supreme Court nominee not only on
abortion but on voting rights, civil rights, protection of immigrants,
separation of church and state, the ACA, and the environment. Tell them also
that until Trump has been cleared of any collaboration with Russia there should
be no vote. We cannot let a Supreme Court Justice be picked by a foreign power.
Tell them to take all steps necessary to delay the vote. This is going to be
one of those drumbeat items we call about over and over. If you know people in
Maine, Alaska, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia also ask them
to call. It wouldn’t hurt to throw in Tennessee and Arizona although those are
long shots.
2.
The ACLU
reports that the Trump administration is likely to miss the court-ordered reunification
deadline for half of the youngest separated children:
https://apnews.com/25528d4880b541b798ba26ba645627aa Let’s
let our MoC know that we expect our nation to focus on this issue with the same
level of intensity that Thailand has managed for the children trapped in the
cave and then let’s say the same to DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and HHS
Secretary Alex Azar: https://www.dhs.gov/contact-us and https://www.hhs.gov/about/contact-us/index.html
3.
One way
that we can take action to protect and expand voting rights is through
automatic voter registration, in which all eligible voters are registered to
vote when they interact with government agencies. At the federal level, the
House and Senate have introduced the Automatic Voter Registration Act (S. 1353/H.R. 2876).
Let's be sure our MoC cosponsor and support this bill. We can also check out
the Brennan Center's Automatic Voter Registration page to see where our
state stands, then contact our state legislators and ask them to introduce and
support legislation to either implement or expand automatic voter registration.
4.
Now that
the Dept. of Justice is seriously looking to denaturalize some citizens, it
looks like they will start with this grandmother: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/396140-trump-justice-dept-suing-to-denaturalize-miami-grandmother Let’s
ask our MoCs what they are doing about such absurdities and wasting of our tax
dollars that could be better spent elsewhere.
5.
A
group of Republican senators has pushed Trump to submit the Kigali Amendment to
the Senate for ratification. This treaty would phase out hydrofluorocarbons, a
super-potent greenhouse gas commonly used in air conditioning and refrigerators
(http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/391689-gop-senators-push-trump-to-submit-pollution-treaty-amendment-for).
Let's tell our senators we want them to join this push and publicly commit to
voting for this treaty and insisting Trump support it.
6.
The
Senate is expected to vote this week on the nomination of Brian Benczkowski for
head of the Department of Justice's criminal division. His nomination is highly
concerning given his history with Alfa Bank, the Russian bank under
investigation by the FBI for potential connections to the Trump organization (https://www.cnn.com/2017/07/25/politics/brian-benczkowski-confirmation-hearing/index.html).
Let’s tell our senators that this is the wrong time to be putting people with
Benczkowski’s potential conflicts in positions of authority at the Justice
Department. We can use this script from 5Calls here.
7.
“The
spotlight on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is about to become
brighter as Congress weighs the Trump administration’s request for a huge
spending boost even as a growing number of Democrats want the agency abolished.” http://thehill.com/latino/395903-clash-looms-over-ICE-funding With our
disgust with ICE, this is not the time to give ICE more money to engage in more
questionable tactics. Let’s tell our
MoCs know that we do not want more money to go to ICE, in fact we want ICE to
be abolished or changed back to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
8.
While
Majority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) left lunch at a restaurant on
Saturday, protesters greeted him by asking where the babies were. https://www.bustle.com/p/immigration-protesters-ask-mitch-mcconnell-where-are-the-babies-video-9693292 While
McConnell cannot find the missing children, he is the only one that can bring
legislation to the floor that will address the “zero tolerance” program that is
causing so much pain to so many people.
Asylum seekers are not criminals.
So, let’s ask McConnell to make this happen: https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/officelocations or on
Twitter: @SenateMajLdr
9.
Laurence
Tribe, a leading Constitutional lawyer, tweeted: "A president under active
criminal investigation of whether he won legitimately and whether he has
obstructed that very investigation should not be permitted by a mere Senate
majority to designate the justice whose votes could prove pivotal to the fate
of his presidency." Now that Brett
Kavanaugh has been named the nominee, we can use MoveOn’s Toolkit to
Resist the Supreme Court Nomination. We can find a event planned at our
Senator’s office or set one up ourselves, suing their planning kit: https://savescotus.indivisible.org/moveon/
10. “The Trump administration is suppressing an
Environmental Protection Agency report that warns that most Americans inhale
enough formaldehyde vapor in the course of daily life to put them at risk of
developing leukemia and other ailments, a current and a former agency official
told POLITICO.” https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/06/epa-formaldehyde-warnings-blocked-696628 Time
to call our MoCs to enact legislation that calls for the publication of all
reports having to do with public health.
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.
Kara
Eastman is a social worker and non-profit executive who has spent her career
working to get more people access to health care and housing. Now, she’s
challenging a Republican for Congress in the Omaha area, running on a bold
progressive platform of single-payer and overturning Citizens United (https://www.omaha.com/news/politics/sen-elizabeth-warren-endorses-kara-eastman-for-omaha-area-house/article_5a9375e7-4f65-5ab7-b2fa-a639c721684a.html). This is a great opportunity to see if this
message can win in a swing-seat electorate and toss out one of Trump’s toadies.
We can help by phone banking from anywhere in the country! You can start making
calls at https://call.eastmanforcongress.com/.
2.
From Dem
Labs: The
Supreme Court just ruled for aggressive purging of voter rolls.
"States can now kick people off the rolls if they skip a few elections and
fail to respond to a notice from election officials". Find out where this'll have the impact and see what
you can do to make sure you're not purged - and helped the groups working to
make sure all Americans can vote.
3.
Postcards4VA
is challenging us—whether we’re in Virginia or elsewhere—to take the
180-postcard challenge to flip Congress 180 degrees! Let’s learn more and sign
up at their website: https://postcards4va.com/
4.
"Take
a moment and think about the interactions you’re having with people about the
upcoming elections, whether conversations in person, messages you’re sending
via email, or social media posts you’re writing. Can you shape those
conversations and messages into an invitation?" https://politicalcharge.org/2018/07/07/how-do-we-make-people-vote/ Let's read this and start asking the
right questions!
Election 2018 –
By State
1.
Upcoming
voting dates and deadlines:
|
July 10
|
Delaware
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
July 10
|
Ohio
|
In person absentee voting begins
|
Special-Aug 7 congressional dist 12
|
|
July 12
|
New York <state level>
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
July 12
|
Hawaii
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 13
|
Tennessee
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
|
July 15
|
Wisconsin
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary (postmark)
|
|
July 17
|
Kansas
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 17
|
Alabama
|
Election date
|
Runoffs
|
|
July 17
|
North Carolina (FED ONLY)
|
Election date
|
Runoffs
|
|
July 20
|
Louisiana
|
Filing Deadline
|
|
|
July 22
|
Alaska
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 23
|
Georgia
|
Early voting ends
|
runoffs
|
|
July 24
|
Minnesota
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 24
|
Georgia
|
Election date
|
Runoffs
|
|
July 28
|
Tennessee
|
Early Voting ends
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Arizona
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Florida
|
Voter Registration Deadline
|
Primary
|
|
July 30
|
Arkansas
|
Early Voting begins
|
State Senate Dist 8
|
|
July 30
|
Hawaii
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
|
July 31
|
Kansas
|
Early Voting begins
|
Primary
|
(source: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by
state: https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
2.
KS: Ready to rumble Kansas? July 17 is
the LAST DAY we can register to vote before the Kansas Primary. We can register
to vote online at ksvotes.org. Kansas Indivisible recommends
ONLY using this site to avoid any possible voter suppression. If we have moved or changed our name, we need
to UPDATE your registration. Documentary proof of citizenship is NOT
required when registering to vote, per the Federal District Court ruling on
June 18, 2018, by Judge Julie Robinson declaring the Kansas Documentary Proof
of Citizenship law violated the National Voter Registration Act and the U.S.
Constitution. We can access ksvotes
here: https://ksvotes.org
Other Actions
1. 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 click on the Facebook link
directly below this sentence to go to a public, shareable post where we can
join the email list, then share the post to encourage others to do the same!
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2468746626684978/permalink/2468766243349683/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2468746626684978/permalink/2468766243349683/
2.
As we
hear horrifying accounts of children separated from their parents in our name,
we can hold the worst profiteers responsible. MVM, Inc. won an $8 million
contract with ICE and the Office for Refugee Resettlement (ORR) to
"provide assistance in emergency shelter operations for unaccompanied
children [that] extends through September 2022"; they have earned $42.9
million in less than a year transporting minors to centers in Texas--MVM CEO:
Kevin Marquez, marquezk@mvminc.com. Giant defense contractor General
Dynamics too has contracts with ORR--General Dynamics CEO: Phebe Novakovic,
3.
pnovakovic@generaldynamics.com: https://www.thedailybeast.com/defense-contractors-cashing-in-on-immigrant-kids-detention. The bus company transporting the kids (in
caged buses) is TrailBoss, Inc., 907-338-8243, trailboss@trailbossinc.com We should also call the Customs &
Border Protection field office in Tornillo, TX, where a tent city is being erected
to warehouse children, at 915-765-2800, and file a complaint against ICE with
the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties within the Dept. of Homeland
Security at 202-401-1474.
4. Mark
Benioff, CEO of Salesforce has told employees who protested the contract the
company has with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will continue because
it’s technology isn’t involved in the CBP’s U.S.-Mexico border policies.
Over 650 employees asked Benioff to re-examine the deal. https://techcrunch.com/2018/06/28/salesforce-reportedly-wont-cancel-its-contract-with-border-agency-despite-employee-petition/.
He has made a donation in support of the separated families, but we know
that a powerful business person like Benioff can pressure the WH to stop ICE
and it’s cruel processes. Let’s join those brave employees and tell Benioff he
can do more to pressure the WH and we expect him to step up. You can
tweet him here @Benioff, or email him here. ceo@salesforce.com.
5. The
Barr Foundation is giving $1 million ($500,000 in grants plus $500,000 in
personal gifts from Barr’s founding trustees) in response to the
Trump/Republican zero-tolerance and family separation policies. We can read the
announcement to learn where the money is going, https://www.barrfoundation.org/blog/barr-announces-1-million-response-to-family-separation-crisis,
and we can and wessages of gratitude to the co-founder and chair of the
board: Barbara W. Hostetter, Barr Foundation, Two Atlantic Avenue, Boston, MA
02110, or feedback@barrfoundation.org
6. If
you are looking for a list of issues for your postcarding group, check out What
If Knits: http://www.whatifknits.com/
7. EveryChildReturned.com
gives us another way to bring notice to the displaced families. “This website contains an evolving list of
every location reported by major press outlets to be caring for or placing
separated babies and children. We call on concerned citizens to take a shift by choosing a
facility near them and making time each week to sit watch -- for an hour or a
few -- until every child has been reunited.”
Let’s take a look and see where we can help.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
The Parkland/March for Our Lives students are still
on tour” to get young people educated, registered, and motivated to vote.” This week they are in TX, NM, CO, and
UT. Let’s meet up with them. Here are their July dates and locations: https://marchforourlives.com/tour/
2.
July
22
at 3pm EDT, Issue Voters of Northern Nevada will be presenting a webinar on “Voter
Mobilization: Strategies and Best
Practices”. Here is the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/191292124873267/ We can register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_vEbS2tQKQKyrs-yoroJ2qA
3.
The immigrant-led
activist group Cosecha is calling for us to take the next step, with a
national day of action to end cooperation with ICE on July 31st,
demanding cities, counties, companies and all institutions stop working with
them. Let's get involved. We can check out the #WeWillNotBeComplicit Action
Guide at this link.
States
1.
IL: The House and
Senate have passed HB 4469, which would ensure that eligible voters who are
awaiting trial are able to submit a ballot, by requiring county jails and
election authorities to work together to create a process of voting while in
jail (https://bit.ly/2FYp7wL). The bill would also require that convicted
prisoners to be informed of their right to vote when they are released from
custody. Let's contact Governor Rauner and urge him to sign this bill to
protect voting rights across the state: Mailing address: Office of the Governor
207 State House Springfield, IL 62706 Phone: 217-782-0244
2.
ME: Governor
Paul LePage (R) has vetoed six (6) new bills, including a ban of
‘conversion therapy.’ Other vetoed bills included two omnibus packages
that would overhaul Maine’s medical marijuana program in several ways, as well
as two others that revolve around jail funding and state park fees. Let's read
more at Bangor Daily News. The Legislature will need to muster
two-thirds votes in both chambers to overturn the vetoes, which also
include start-up funding for Medicaid expansion. Let's contact our Maine state legislators to let them know that we want them to work to
overturn LePage's vetoes.
3.
NJ: New Jersey
Governor Phil Murphy (D) has approved the "Civic Info Bill," a bill
that dedicates $5 million to strengthen local media outlets in the state. The
state legislature had passed this bill last month. Let's read more at The Hill. Let's send our thanks and support to Gov.
Phil Murphy and our
own NJ state
legislators.
Reading/Watching
1.
“Abraham
Lincoln’s Warning: The 16th
president of the United States knew what the 45th does not. The Declaration of
Independence is at the core of our political inheritance” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/07/declaration-of-independence-lincoln-trump-fourth-of-july/564431/
2.
An excellent interview with Madeleine Albright,
former US Secretary of State:
3.
“The Propaganda Schemes of Trumpputinism”
- https://demwritepress.com/2018/07/06/the-propaganda-schemes-of-trumpputinism/
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