Contact Federal Government Officials
Fax legislators for free:
or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
White House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
********************************
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. The hearings for Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the
Supreme Court were off to a wild and wooly start on Tuesday morning:
https://www.apnews.com/23fb3e453a224b3fb0d6575ec926bced/Chaos-marks-start-of-Kavanaugh-confirmation-hearing and will likely have continued to shift
as we go to press. Here are some expected issues: http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/404592-5-topics-likely-to-come-up-as-kavanaugh-hearings-begin What will not shift is that we need to
be unrelenting with our Senators – this has been a rushed and disrespectful
process for a nominee that the GOP does not want us to learn more about. Let’s
continue to reach out to our Senators via phone, email, and Twitter and let’s
personally invite ten friends to do the same – particularly those who do not
live in deep blue states.
2. Suit Up Maine (SUM), together with Maine Family
Planning, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, National Resources Council of
Maine, States United to Prevent Gun Violence, using background from several
other Maine organizations has compiled a report on Brett Kavanaugh and
presented it to both Maine Senators. It has detailed information on his stand
on several major issues, SUM is sharing this report publicly as a resource
for for people around the country who are arranging similar meetings with their
own senators and staff. We can download
this report as a PDF. We can learn more about Kavanaugh, and find several key
points to raise with our Senators in their Call to Action.
3. Frustrated and angered by how Senate Republicans are
running the hearings currently underway to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the
Supreme Court? Looking for another way to speak out besides calling elected
representatives? Why not call Kavanaugh himself? We can reach him at his district
court office, and tell him he could stop the proceedings on his own, or else
withdraw his candidacy: 202-216-7180. Remember, let's keep it firm and
polite.
4. Kathleen Kraninger, the nominee to head the Consumer
Financial Protection Board was approved last week by the Senate Banking
Committee in a 13-12 vote, that was strictly along party lines. Senator
Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) claims, “Either she wasn't involved in child
separations or the failed Puerto Rico recovery, which means she doesn't have
the management experience that she claims to have, or she was involved, which
means the Senate would be voting to promote someone who was responsible for two
of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in recent history.” https://www.npr.org/2018/08/23/641359610/senate-banking-committee-approves-cfpb-nominee-kathleen-kraninger. The vote will now move to the full Senate. Let’s
ask our Senators to reject Kraninger’s confirmation.
5. David Katz, gunman in the recent shooting in
Jacksonville, was able to pass gun-buying checks despite clear evidence of
having a mental disorder. https://apnews.com/a339766552364058b2954590c63c538d. This is one more reason why we need to keep
pushing our federal and state legislators on enacting stricter gun control
laws. Let’s contact them now.
6. In his latest attack on the Justice Department, our
so-called “law and order” president is once again exhibiting total disrespect
for the law by complaining that two Republican Congressmen, Chris Collins and
Duncan Hunter, should not have been indicted, simply because they are
supporters of his agenda and would likely win re-election. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/9/4/17818212/trump-attacks-jeff-sessions-chris-collins-duncan-hunter. While some Republican Senators, like Ben Sasse
(R-NE) are speaking out, once again, no one is actually doing anything to
stop the president from trying to subvert the law for his own benefit. Let’s
contact our Senators now and remind them that their job is to put actual checks
and balances on the president, and this should start with not confirming a
Supreme Court Justice who believes that presidents do not need to follow any
laws they consider unconstitutional until they are told to do so by a court. https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/judge-brett-kavanaugh-radically-expansive-view-power-presidency/story?id=56488216
7. Some Americans of Mexican heritage delivered by
midwives, especially those living in the Rio Grande Valley, are being denied
passports because the State Department questions their state-issued birth
certificates and is demanding obscure documentation, like records of the
mother’s prenatal care or rent agreements from the 1960s and '70s:
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29126183/ns/us_news-life/t/midwife-births-raise-citizenship-issues/#.W46VJX4nb5Y Like Trump’s other attacks on immigrant
and Latinx people, we must object vehemently to this one: 202-647-6575 or
Bureau of Public Affairs, US Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Room
2206, Washington DC 20520-2204. Let’s
let our MoCs know how we feel about this, too.
8. Prisoners across the U.S. are continuing their
strike until September 9th, calling for "humane living conditions,
access to rehabilitation, sentencing reform, and the end of modern day
slavery," (https://twitter.com/JailLawSpeak/status/988771668670799872). Among the ten demands is "The voting rights
of all confined citizens serving prison sentences, pretrial detainees, and
so-called “ex-felons” must be counted. Representation is demanded." If we
want these voices to truly be heard and considered throughout policy, incarcerated
people should maintain their right to vote, even while serving their sentence;
a position which is supported by the ACLU: https://bit.ly/2w1hbbt Let's learn more about the Right 2 Vote campaign, why it's so important to ensure the voting rights of those who are
currently imprisoned, and then let's call our MoC and tell them that we want to
see legislation introduced at the federal level to protect the voting rights of
currently-incarcerated individuals. We can also find out where our state currently stands in the
restoration of voting rights, then contact our state legislators and ask them
to do the same.
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.
From one of
our own: Many of us may feel overworked,
over scheduled, and under-slept, but have the desire to GOTV for the November
midterms. We can join MoveOn’s texting team and transform the tiny bits of time
in our week into progressive action in key jurisdictions across the
country. https://front.moveon.org/join-moveon-text-team/
2.
Here’s a way
to use social media to support candidates we support. Let’s take a look: https://sterbalssundrystudies.miraheze.org/wiki/Helping_the_candidates_you_support_on_social_media
3.
From 2009 to
2016, Republicans had all the momentum in state-level elections, and they used
those tremendous gains to stymie President Obama and the federal
government generally. Now that the GOP has seized power at the federal level,
though, we have a chance to flip that dynamic, to turn their president's
unpopular malevolence and bumbling into big gains for Democrats in
gubernatorial and state legislature races across the country. And we need to, in
order to protect the people from what a right-wing White House, Congress, and
Supreme Court could/would foist upon us (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-08-29/democrats-focus-on-governors-races-as-last-line-of-defense). So, let's support organizations like the National
Democratic Redistricting Committee, and find a race or two to support directly
as well (even if it isn't in your own state). https://democraticredistricting.com/2018-targets/
4.
Florida
voters chose progressive Andrew Gillum for Governor in the primary last week.
(Source: NPR) His victory is one of the most significant
progressive victories of the 2018 primary season. We can work with FLIP FLORIDA, a closed Facebook group, to help
increase voter turnout in Broward County, a Florida county that was one of the
keys to Gillum's primary win. (Source: Tampa Bay Times.) We can email flpostcards@gmail.com to request Broward addresses in increments of
30, along with a script of what to write. This postcarding opportunity is open
to those of us in all states. If we are Floridians, let's consider having a
postcarding party. Let's help turn Florida blue!
5.
Postcards For
Virginia now has addresses for the special election in VA House of
Delegates District 8. Democrat Carter Turner is running for this special
election seat after the Republican incumbent resigned. If Turner wins, the
Virginia House will be split evenly. We can read more about this race at The Roanoke Times. We can find out more and sign up to write
postcards at Postcards For Virginia.
Election
2018 – By State
1. Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:
|
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
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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
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September 22
|
Vermont
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Early Voting begins
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General
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(source: by date: https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by
state: https://goo.gl/7gTzvE)
Other
Actions
|
1. From one of our own:
#HandsOffSNAP We anticipate that Congress will move to reconciliation
before the 30th. The Senate version is decent, the House version is terrible.
There are 49 tweets on this sheet. Please share with groups, just do as many
as you can. We also have plans for a #SNAPchallenge. Allotment is $1.40 per
meal per person. What plates can be made for that low cost? I'll update when
we get there but if anyone takes the challenge and snaps the pic please share
for retweet.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kRxCadWi7g2k9A6gqpv0H1MVOgB0UE8jOW2vlcXYmMQ/edit?usp=drivesdk
2. In 2016, NFL player Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during
the national anthem to protest police violence and racial injustice. While he
remains blacklisted from the NFL, he has continued his advocacy work; in January of this
year, he completed his Million Dollar Pledge, and in 2016 he founded the Know Your Rights youth camp. Now, Nike has extended its endorsement deal with Kaepernick,
he will be featured in their ads commemorating the 30th anniversary of the
"Just Do It" campaign, and they will produce new Kaepernick apparel
(https://nyti.ms/2MLktda, https://n.pr/2Cpy9FM). Let's thank Kaepernick for his integrity and
advocacy: on Twitter: @Kaepernick7 or Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaepernick7/ We can also help by contributing to the Know Your
Rights Camp here.
3. Nike has taken a bold stand by hiring Colin Kaepernick for
their “Just Do It” campaign. There has been strong support, but also,
unsurprisingly, a serious backlash. With shares down 3.2 percent on
Tuesday, people burning their sneakers and #Nike Boycott trending on Twitter,
it is time to let Nike know how we feel. If we want to write a brief letter
or postcard of support, we can send them to the following addresses. Mark
Parker, Chairman, CEO, and President, Andy Campion, Executive VP and Chief
Financial Officer, Michael Spillane, President of Categories and Product, Erik
Sprunk, COO
Nike, Inc., One Bowerman Drive, Beaverton, OR 97005. We can also call here: Phone: 1-503-671-6453 (7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. PT, Monday - Friday (except holidays))
4. Whistle-blower Reality Winner, who has been in jail since
June 2017, entered a guilty plea this June and in August received her 63-month
sentence, the longest punishment ever imposed for this kind of
violation. However, she's still sitting in a Georgia county jail waiting to
be transferred to a federal facility in Texas. We can send good
wishes and words of support to: Reality Winner, PO Box 970, Lincolnton GA
30817. We can also sign this petition asking the
president to pardon Reality or commute her sentence to time served. He might
be receptive based on his comments calling the sentence "unfair".
(Source: ABCNews.)
|
5.
Here’s a chance to a) educate ourselves
and b) support some serious resistance work. The new documentary, Active
Measures, connects all the dots on Putin’s interference in our politics
and features a huge number of original interviews from some really prominent
politicians and experts. http://www.activemeasures.com/ The
doc is showing in some theatres and streaming on multiple platforms, so is
widely accessible. Since trolls have reportedly bombed ratings, let’s watch the
documentary and then give it a great rating on imdb.com.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
1.
If we are concerned about the Kavanaugh nomination and are ready for a direct-action
protest, we can sign up here to engage in a women-led, direct action in
Washington DC starting September 4th, 2018 through the Senate
Confirmation hearings for SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh. By agreeing to
risk arrest, we are committing to engage in a nonviolent act of civil
disobedience. Civil disobedience is a key tactic used to draw attention to
unjust laws, nonviolently resist, and make movements’ demands impossible to
ignore. We can click here to learn more about civil disobedience and direct
action: http://beautifultrouble.org/tactic/direct-action . Once we sign up,
we’ll receive more details and follow up about travel support requests
shortly. We can also check out this website: https://www.cancelkavanaugh.com/
2.
Beginning tonight, Wednesday, September 5, and on
subsequently Wednesday in September, Organizing for Action (OFA) is hosting a
Campaign Organizing Bootcamp to help volunteers become effective campaign
workers. We can RSVP here.
3.
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.)
4.
National Drive Electric Week, September 8-16,
2018, is a nationwide celebration to heighten awareness of today's widespread
availability of plug-in vehicles and highlight the benefits of all-electric and
plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, and more. Each of the
296 events is led by local plug-in drivers and advocates. We can find events
near us here. If we are not already
driving or familiar with electric vehicles, let's attend an event to learn more
about this clean option.
5.
She the People, www.shethepeople.org, a network to advance the political power of
women of color for progressive goals, is kicking off a 3-year initiative with a
summit on Thursday, September 20 in San Francisco.
Registration is open to the public. Let’s go! https://www.shethepeople.org/#summit-section
6.
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.
7.
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
Reading/Watching
1.
Why We Need Civil Disobedience Now More Than Ever - https://www.brennancenter.org/blog/why-we-need-civil-disobedience-now-more-ever
2.
Unless It Changes, Capitalism Will Starve Humanity
By 2050 - https://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhansen/2016/02/09/unless-it-changes-capitalism-will-starve-humanity-by-2050/#477c81947ccc
3.
Juan Williams: Trump's 'majority' is fake - http://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/404720-juan-williams-trumps-majority-is-fake
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