Rogan's List

8/30/18 

We are looking for a few people who are interested in being regular contributors to Rogan’s List.  If you are interested, or even curious, please send me an email and we can chat about it.  This is all volunteer (along with me), but you will know you are helping the #resistance in yet another way.  Thanks!  Susan Rogan

Contact Federal Government Officials

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

Fax legislators for free: 

Reps:  https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

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

or use Resistbot:  https://resist.bot/

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.       U.S. citizens are being denied passports and are being jailed in detention facilities as the Trump administration questions the legitimacy of the citizenship of people who appear Hispanic. - https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/us-is-denying-passports-to-americans-along-the-border-throwing-their-citizenship-into-question/2018/08/29/1d630e84-a0da-11e8-a3dd-2a1991f075d5_story.html?utm_term=.8664d0d4d467 If nothing else, let’s express our outrage to our MoCs and the White House.   

2.      Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer has made a deal to fast- track the appointments of seven federal district court judges, raising the number of Trump’s confirmed judiciary appointments to 60. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-28/mcconnell-s-senate-continues-to-rapidly-confirm-trump-s-judges, Let’s remind Senator Schumer that in the current political climate where courts are essential to assure limitations on executive overreach and an extremely conservative agenda, he should not be making it easy to confirm extremist judges. Furthermore, we should tell him that we are expecting him and his fellow Democrats to be much more aggressive in stopping the upcoming Kavanuagh Supreme Court Justice confirmation. We can reach him at 202-224-6542 or via this form.

3.      With the White House Don McGahn’s forced fall departure from the job, talk once again is that Trump may pardon Manafort.   As we learn more about the extent of white collar crime involved, a pardon would not be a very honorable move.  https://www.newsweek.com/even-republicans-dont-want-trump-pardon-paul-manafort-poll-1096630  Let’s use the info from 5 Calls to voice our opposition to a pardon for Manafort:  https://5calls.org/issue/paul-manafort-pardon

4.      The GOP might look again at trying to repeal Obamacare once Senator McCain’s replacement is named, since McCain was one of the three Republican Senators who voted against last year’s Obamacare repeal bill. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/404089-gop-eyes-another-shot-at-obamacare-repeal-after-mccains-death  This is one more reason we have to make sure that the Democrats take back Congress this November. In the meantime, let’s make sure to tell our MoCs that we want to see Obamacare remain in place. The health of too many people in our nation will be compromised if we once again let insurance companies run rampant and start discriminating against the sickest and most vulnerable members of our society. 

5.      Betsy DeVos has championed the rights of for-profit colleges and their predatory marketing practices and has not championed the rights of their students who have taken on too much debt.  https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2018/08/for-profit-college-students-are-saddled-with-debt-they-cant-pay-back/568834/  Now, DeVos wants to rewrite the sexual misconduct rules for higher education so that they favor the rights of the accused rather than the accuser. https://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2018/08/29/new-campus-sexual-misconduct-rules-from-betsy-devos-protect-accusers-and-colleges/#7a92afad7dde  The proposed rule will have a public comment period.  Let’s make sure we comment when it begins.

6.      Having left Canada out of his NAFTA talks with Mexico and threatened a 25% tariff on Canadian autos if Trudeau’s government doesn’t fall into line, Trump is intent on a vote this Friday to ratify his deal with Mexico.  Congress must approve any trade pact, and if Trump wants to make an agreement only with Mexico, he will also need Congressional approval to bring an end to NAFTA: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/28/world/canada/trump-nafta.html We must tell our MoCs to oppose this Trumpian power play and protect the Canadian economy from our irresponsible president.  

7.      Saying that Mick Mulvaney, Trump’s budget director and acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has “turned his back” on student borrowers, Seth Frotman, the student loan ombudsman at the CFPB, has resigned.  His office fields about 23,000 complaints a year about lenders, debt collectors, and companies selling fraudulent “debt relief” services:  https://www.npr.org/2018/08/27/642199524/student-loan-watchdog-quits-blames-trump-administration  Let’s contact Mulvaney on his undermining of the CFPB and his abandonment of millions of vulnerable student borrowers: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/office-of-management-and-budget or on Twitter: @MickMulvaneyOMB   

8.     The U.S. has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the industrialized world, and it has been getting worse each year (https://n.pr/2wwgjLl, https://bit.ly/2PKThsK). Meanwhile, for the past fifteen years, federal funding for STD prevention and control programs has been decreasing. Let's join David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors in asking Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to declare STDs a public health crisis to help bring attention to this issue, and to encourage funding to help combat the spread of STDs in the U.S.: E-mail Address: Secretary@HHS.gov Phone: 202-690-7000 Mailing address: Office of the Secretary U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 We can also contact our MoC and tell them that we want to see more funding go towards STD prevention and control programs.

9.      Because the loud sonic booms from aircraft breaking the sound barrier harm people and wildlife, a 1973 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation banned civilian flight at supersonic speeds over U.S. soil, restricting supersonic speed to travel over the ocean. Section 5017 of Senate Bill S. 1405, the FAA Reauthorization Act, would reverse that protection. Let's read more about this issue at The Center for Biological Diversity. Let's contact our own Senators to let them know we object to Section 5017 of S1405 and do not want supersonic flights to resume over the US. 

10.  Faced with a report from the George Washington Univ. School of Public Health, Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico has finally acknowledged that the Hurricane Maria death toll was not the 64 he once claimed but 2975, more than Katrina’s toll of 1833.   

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45338080  Trump falsely claims his administration did a “fantastic job” helping Puerto Rico recover (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/29/donald-trump-hurricane-maria-response-puerto-rico-fantastic/1123481002/) and he may not have regarded Maria as a “real catastrophe,” but as hurricane season reaches its peak, -  https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/29/hurricane-season-coming-life-atlantic/1132669002/ --let’s put the White House on notice that we expect the federal government to provide better assistance to those affected by storms—even if their skin is brown.

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

1.       Postcards To Voters' volunteers wrote get-out-the-vote postcards for two of Tuesday's elections. 1) Campaign 95: Lora Nastase for Sahuarita AZ Town Council.  2) Campaign 99: Maryin Vargas for Miami-Dade FL County Commission.  Both of these candidates lost their bids for these seats. We are proud to have supported progressive candidates in these communities.  Today, we can support another progressive candidate with Campaign 102: Rachel May for NY State Senate.  Rachel is running in the Sept. 13 primary against an incumbent Democrat who votes with the Republicans. We can sign up as new Postcards To Voters' volunteers here. 

2.      In our efforts to end the current presidential administration, one comforting thought has been what happened to Nixon in 1974. Alas, the current Republican Party lacks the loyalty to country that it had in 1974, so this time we're going to have to do it ourselves (https://theconversation.com/todays-gop-leaders-have-little-in-common-with-those-who-resisted-nixon-100801). Let's keep this distinction firmly in mind when deciding how much to help make the November midterms the historic elections they need to be to protect our democracy. Let’s volunteer for or donate to candidates who embody the ideals of civil service, phone bank for a local GOTV effort, bug our friends about registering to vote, and above all else, make our own vote count!

3.      “If we can put a man on the moon, we can put a piece of paper in every citizen’s hand on election day.  No excuses.  The campaign’s tool connects every citizen with their election officials at the Federal (and soon, state and local) level(s) and provides pre-filled texts and posts making it extremely easy to contact their election officials via phone, email, and in some cases, facebook and twitter as well.”  Let’s check out #WeWantPaperBallotsNow:  http://wewantpaperballotsnow.org/

4.      Who knows whether Representative Ron DeSantis, the Republican nominee for governor in Florida, meant to use a racist “dog whistle’” on Wednesday within hours of his primary election or whether he’s just dismally ignorant, but in a Fox interview, he told voters not to “monkey this up” by electing his opponent, Andrew Gillum, who would be the state’s first black governor:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/29/ron-desantis-racism-monkey-up-andrew-gillum-florida-governor-election  Let’s make sure Gillum gets our support, especially if we’re in Florida-- https://andrewgillum.com --and let trump’s yes-man DeSantis know what think of we think of his racism-- https://desantis.house.gov/contact. 

5.      If we turn up, we win! While we know this is true, it also has been a struggle to get Democrats and sympathetic Independents to the polls. Fortunately, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign has found out the key elements to get our voters to the polls: heavy voter contact, at precisely the right time, with the right kind of listening and engagement. With our help, Beto’s campaign can implement this strategy and WIN!  They are launching the largest volunteer voter contact program in the history of the state, and there are several ways we can help out. We can volunteer to be trainers, organizers and contact people in offices set up all over the state. We can donate space for one of the pop-up offices, or if we are able to, we can chip in to help the campaign rent office space.  If we are able to volunteer full time for a week, we can sign up to manage pop up offices. If we are coming from out of state, they will connect us with local volunteers and staff. Whatever role we chose, we will receive training to cover everything we need, so let’s be part of something great, for Beto, for Texas and for our country!  We can click here to find out more about the plan and the ways we can get involved. Once we have done so, we can share this with our friends on social media.  Let’s check this out:  https://betofortexas.com/plan/

Election 2018 – By State

1.       Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:

September 1	New Hampshire	Voter Registration Deadline	Primary by mail: in person-same day
September 3	Alaska	Voter Registration Deadline	REAA
September 4	Massachusetts	Election date	Primary
September 6	Delaware	Election date	Primary
September 11	New Hampshire	Election date	Primary
September 12	Rhode Island	Election date	Primary
September 13	New York	Election date (State primary)	State Primary
September 17	Alaska	Early Voting begins	REAA
September 17	Illinois	Early Voting begins	General
September 21	Minnesota	In person absentee voting begins	General
September 21	South Dakota	In person absentee voting begins	General
September 21	Wyoming	In person absentee voting begins	General
September 22	Vermont	Early Voting begins	General

(source:  by date:  https://goo.gl/gjFv2u  / by state:  https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)

2.      Upcoming Primaries:

A)    Tuesday, 9/4

MA:  Massachusetts 9/4 Primary: At a Glance

B)    Thursday, 9/6

DE:  Delaware 9/6 Primary: At a Glance

C)     Tuesday, 9/11

NH:  New Hampshire 9/11 Primary: At a Glance

D)    Wednesday, 9/12

RI:   Rhode Island 9/12 Primary: At a Glance

Other Actions

1.       Late last year, the Justice Department withdrew guidance documents for the Americans with Disabilities Act (https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2018/01/04/justice-scraps-ada-guidance/24546/). While this did not change the law, the documents were important in helping businesses, individuals, and organizations understand and comply with the ADA. Now, ProPublica is asking how the Trump administration's disability policies are affecting individuals with disabilities, caregivers, small business owners, and contractors and architects. If we have personal experience with this, let's share our stories with ProPublica to help raise awareness: https://www.propublica.org/getinvolved/whats-your-experience-with-the-americans-with-disabilities-act-we-want-to-know

2.      Prisoners across the country are continuing their strike until September 9. Their ten key demands include an end to labor exploitation, improved prison conditions, and voting rights restoration. https://www.vox.com/2018/8/17/17664048/national-prison-strike-2018. The Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee lists ways you can support or donate to the effort here.

3.      In 2015, six major banks, all of whom are on record of supporting the Paris Climate Change agreement, adopted new policies that restricted financing to the coal mining industry. However, in 2017 when the new administration came into power, these banks once again significantly increased their lending.  http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/energy-environment/404140-trumps-new-coal-policy-is-dangerous. The administration’s recent Affordable Clean Energy rule, which would gut safe emissions standards by letting states make their own pollution control plants, serves to further threaten public health, with EPA estimates of up to an additional 1,500 pollution-related deaths. Let’s tell Bank of America, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo to stop funding the coal-mining industry. If we have funds in any of these institutions, we should threaten to divest if they don’t take action. We can get the actual data from the Rainforest Action Network here.

4.      The National Bail Out campaign is launching a fellowship for mothers and caregivers they have bailed out of jail.  The fellowship is an opportunity to join with others directly impacted by this system; it will support their leadership and advocacy efforts by providing a political education curriculum connecting caregivers from across the country, a stipend to the mothers and caregivers, as well as a trip to the national conference of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls.  The estimated cost over the next two months is $2000/person.  Let’s help as much as we can: https://brooklynbailfund.org/national-bail-out-day-donate

5.      Update from Together Rising:  Here's What You Are Doing to Reunite Families - There is no such thing as other people's children. With you -- because of you -- we will not rest.  Because of your radical love, to date Together Rising has deployed $3,931,367.69 for advocacy and reunification of families separated at the border.  More specific updates here:  https://www.facebook.com/glennondoyle/videos/vb.178909129709/175178553303595/?type=2&theater  We can still contribute to this essential work:  https://togetherrising.org/give/

6.      Families Belong Together sponsors a weekly “Lunchtime for Change -- Virtual Event, Anywhere” on Wednesday.  Even though we missed yesterday’s, we can still do the recommended actions:  https://actionnetwork.org/events/lunchtime-for-change-families-belong-together  Here’s one:  Mariee Juarez was 18 months old. She died of an illness she contracted while in an ICE detention facility. According to the following NPR article, "a pediatrician who reviewed Mariee's medical records says she did not receive adequate care." Help people find out about Mariee's story and remember why we are continuing this campaign. The lives and safety of children are at risk. It is our duty to fight for these children. It is our duty to win. Share this NPR article far and wide: https://www.npr.org/2018/08/28/642738732/a-toddlers-death-adds-to-concerns-about-migrant-detention

Marches/events/webinars/TwitterStorms to attend/organize

1.       On September 8, the Peoples Climate Movement will lead a national mobilization for climate, jobs, and justice. We can find a Rise for Climate event near us here, or we can sign up to organize our own.  (Note:    Rise for Climate, Jobs, and Justice action in New York City will be held on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 at 5:30 p.m. at Battery Park.)

2.      On September 22 there will be a protest at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago in Florida in commemoration of the first anniversary of Hurricane Maria:   

http://thehill.com/latino/401578-trumps-mar-a-lago-to-be-greeted-with-massive-protest-on-hurricane-maria-anniversary   Let’s put this on our calendars if we will be nearby.

3.      The 2018 March for Black Women will occur in Washington, D.C. on September 29 and New York City on September 30, with sister marches all over the country.   Let’s fine more information here:  https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/march-for-black-women and here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/187741818714062/ Let’s learn how to start a sister march/townhall here:    https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/town-halls-sister-marches

States

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

1.       CA: The California State Assembly on Tuesday voted 43-32 on a bill that aims for 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, one of the nation's toughest clean energy mandates. 

CA SB100 was approved in the state Senate last year. Both chambers now must agree on amendments, but it is expected to be finalized by Friday before heading to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk for approval. We can read more at the LATimes.  If we are Californians, let's call our own state legislators today to let them know we support SB100.

2.      CA:  From Los Angeles Indvivisible: Food and Watch along with Restore the Delta urge us to help stop The Twin Tunnel Water project while there is still time. This controversial project builds massive tunnels to divert the Sacramento River to the Central Valley for giant agribusinesses and oil companies to use. Much of this water could be used in fracking operations, which could pollute our state's already precious water resources.  Now Assemblyman Bloom has put an amendment on a bill AB2469 which removes oversight on the water budget, contracts and the whole Delta water tunnel project. If these contracts are automatically extended they will go to 2085. Without all the financial impact data it is completely irresponsible to hold this hearing. To stop this, we need to call his office 916 319 2050, and, if we choose to, use this script:  "I urge Assemblyman Bloom to pull the bad bill he introduced AB2649 to remove basic oversight on the DELTA TUNNELS and the state water contract. It's outrageous that CA elected democrats are considering this when the Trump administration is trying to take control of California Delta water! We need more oversight and public transparency on the state water contract and tunnels – not less! Pull AB2649!"  We can read more about the bill and its problems here:  https://ournextmove.blogspot.com/2018/08/call-atkins-bloom-mitchell-water-lies_28.html

3.      MI: Ferris State University faculty members have been striking, after administrators refused to negotiate a fair contract (https://bit.ly/2NuL5eC).  "University President David Eisler’s compensation has grown by 128 percent since 2001. During that same time period, faculty wages have increased 44 percent. The FFA is seeking a 2.75 percent increase, down from 6 percent originally. However, the university has not budged from its offer of a 1.5 percent increase, which amounts to a pay cut for many faculty when combined with continuing health care cost increases," (https://mea.org/ferris-faculty-strike-for-fairness/). Let's support the Ferris Faculty Association (FFA) and tell the Ferris University President and Board of Trustees that the FFA deserves to have contracts negotiated in good faith: Karen Huisman Secretary to the Board and Admin Assistant to the President 1201 S. State St. CSS 301F Big Rapids, MI 49307 Phone: (231) 591-2505

4.      MI: “Michigan has shifted $4.5 billion from K-12 education funding to universities and community colleges since 2010. That's according to a new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy.  The funds have been appropriated from the School Aid Fund, established in 1955 as an amendment to the Michigan Constitution. The School Aid Fund is used exclusively to fund K-12 schools. Funds for post-secondary education, on the other hand, come from the General Fund.”  http://www.michiganradio.org/post/report-state-took-45-billion-k-12-funds-plug-budget-holes  Let’s contact our state MoCs and tell them we want the money put back and used for its original intention, and to plug the loopholes that allow this to happen. 

Reading/Watching

1.       Republicans Who Oppose Teacher Protests are Losing Their Primaries, Even in Red States - https://theintercept.com/2018/08/28/2018-primaries-teachers-strikes-red-states/

2.      Why Russian “Soft Power” is Much More Dangerous than Western “Soft Power” - https://demwritepress.com/2018/08/29/why-russian-soft-power-is-much-more-dangerous-than-western-soft-power/

3.      Despite strength of U.S. economy, many Americans struggling to get by - https://www.pressherald.com/2018/08/28/despite-strong-economy-many-americans-struggling-to-get-by/