Rogan's List

10/26/18 

Contact Federal Government Officials

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

Fax legislators for free: 

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

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

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

Or use StampsLicked to have messages hand-delivered to our own legislators:  https://stampslicked.org/

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.      Rhetoric that encourages and condones negativity and violence has been a mainstay of Trump.  It is difficult to absorb the enormity of what took place in our nation on Wednesday and Thursdays as bombs were discovered en route to several prominent Democrats (including the Clintons and the Obamas) and media outlets. While we might engage in the magical thinking that Trump could rise to this occasion, he cannot. He went forward with a rally on Wednesday night where participants chanted “lock her up” about Hillary Clinton and then sent a disturbing tweet on Thursday morning blaming the press for these woes:  

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/413050-trump-rally-chants-lock-her-up-after-in-wake-of-bomb-threats-to  and  https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/413073-trump-a-big-part-of-anger-in-politics-comes-from-purposely-false-and  and https://www.apnews.com/c4421c77c49e4664bad4e21dfe457843   We know this situation is not going to improve and is likely to worsen. Let’s take the 11 days in the lead-up to the midterms to “leave it all on the field” on every front we have access to in terms of getting out the vote. Let’s also let our MoC know that they are abetting the descent into authoritarianism.

2.      From “wasn’t me” to “fist-fight gone awry” to “premeditated”, Saudi Arabia keeps changing their story about the murder of US resident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-turkey/in-change-of-tack-saudi-arabia-says-khashoggis-murder-premeditated-idUSKCN1MZ128  Let’s let our MoC know that in spite of daily Trump chaos, we are not losing sight of this story and we expect a sufficient reaction from the United States to this blatant attack on the press.

3.      During this Senate home work session, the Senate Judiciary Committee has been quietly meeting, but not with all the members and without any Democrats.  "Senator Feinstein never agreed to hearings during an extended recess, which has never happened before and which clearly interferes with the state work period. The Judiciary Committee is the only committee holding hearings during recess,"  https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/412976-controversial-trump-judicial-nominee-advances-after-two-senators-attend  Let’s tell our MoCs that this is not acceptable and that we want full committee representation at these confirmation hearings. 

4.      In a move that manages to be shocking but not surprising, Trump wants to send 800 troops to the border of Mexico to await the group of asylum seekers who are currently 1100 miles away from that border and are traveling on foot: 

https://www.apnews.com/e7ffd2d5764244cdb1d1474bd895a863  Let’s let Secretary of Defense James Mattis know that this use of our troops is abusive of their time and of our asylum process: https://www.defense.gov/Contact/Mailing-Addresses/

5.      Today is the last day to make public comment on the EPA's proposed rule change to roll back regulations regarding fuel economy, once again lessening our protections.   https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/2018/09/25/trump-fuel-economy-proposal-dearborn-hearing-t/1422632002/  Let's use this link to share our comments to help stop this change:  https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2018-0283-0756

6.      Vice President Mike Pence has gone on record to support the president's claim that there are people of Middle East descent on the caravan that is supposedly making its way from Central America to the border. http://www.masspoliticsprofs.org/2018/10/24/the-experts-and-question-one/?fbclid=IwAR0K0crYZl6Z_n9a4uqDMuhXr3pVvKqK-m8vyr2ivbNhtTlRWd0rrgRhlcA.  Let's call out the president and vice president for their geographical ignorance and tell them to look at a map. They should stop his deliberate divisiveness and fear-mongering fueled by false statements. Let's also make sure to ask our MoCs to make sure that anyone arriving at our border to seek asylum is treated humanely in accordance with U.S. law.

7.      The new director of the EPA, Andrew Wheeler, has been working on 28 deregulatory actions aimed at promoting fossil fuels, and they are in the process of developing 49 more. http://www.post-gazette.com/business/powersource/2018/10/24/Andrew-Wheeler-oil-and-gas-industry-EPA-Marcellus-Shale-Coalition/stories/201810240110.  Let's raise our concerns with our MoCs and ask them to draft legislation to protect the regulations that are currently in place. 

8.     We have only until Election Day, November 6, to comment on the proposed rule “Apprehension, Processing, Care, and Custody of Alien Minors and Unaccompanied Alien Children,” which would give the government a blank check for jailing kids in family detention.  https://www.npr.org/2018/09/09/646018019/update-on-separated-children-and-the-flores-agreement   Let’s not let anxiety over the election keep us from submitting our comments on this critical rule change here: 
https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/09/07/2018-19052/apprehension-processing-care-and-custody-of-alien-minors-and-unaccompanied-alien-children

9.      When we hear that Trump has lied we accept it as status quo.  It is happening more and more, and the consequences are getting worse.  

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/fact-checkers-identify-increasing-rates-of-false-claims-by-the-president  It appears that this is how Trump works, but it is not how our government is supposed to work.  Our MoCs, particularly our GOP MoCs, are responsible for this being allowed to continue.  Let's contact all our MoCs and ask why they allow this to continue and what they are going to do about it.

Election 2018 – General

1.       The Georgia NAACP filed complaints Tuesday with state election officials alleging that some voting machines mistakenly showed votes cast for Democrat Stacey Abrams registering for her opponent Republican Brian Kemp. Let's read more at USAToday. We need to be aware of and alert to this type of voter disenfranchisement. 

2.      Resistance Labs has plans to send over a million GOTV texts in the next 2 weeks. They use Hustle, which is the easiest texting platform, and can be done from your phone. They need a LOT OF TEXTERS! Please sign up! (You can also fill out a form to host a texting party and they'll send you everything you need to get started. These guys are ORGANIZED!!)  (from Chop Wood Carry Water)

3.      From one of our own:  The Kansas Democratic Party is combating this suppression by raising funds and recruiting volunteers to ensure all eligible Dodge City voters are able to vote and have their vote counted. To support this effort, please go to: http://KansasDems.org/DodgeGOTV

4.      Have a little extra time, or a few dollars to put toward (re)enfranchising eligible voters? Spread the Vote is spearheading direct action on the ground in Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, Texas, and the current big bad daddy of voter suppression, Georgia (https://www.spreadthevote.org/volunteer/). Pick a state, then help its besieged voters get their voices heard in these crucial last days before Nov. 6th!

5.      We are into the final stretch to write postcards to voters. The last day to mail in time for the Midterms is next Tuesday, Oct. 30. We have another opportunity to get out the vote in Georgia with Postcards to Voters' Campaign 128: Abrams and Parr.  Stacey Abrams is running for governor in one of the nation's hottest races. Cynthia Parr is running for a critical school board position in Cobb County (Marrieta area). Let's check out this campaign and the others currently open at Postcards to Voters and write 5 postcards for one campaign or more.

6.      Now available: Postcards to Voters' "Voting is my Super Power" buttons on Amazon. A set of 4 buttons is $7.75. Sales will help support Postcards to Voters' operating costs. Great gift for all our activist friends. Supplies are limited! Let's order a set today.

7.      The 2018 ProChoice Voter Guide is now available.  We can use our address to discover which of our candidates share our progressive, prochoice values.  It features endorsements from over 150 organizations and partners.  We can also use and share this social media toolkit:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vSDuZl7KDlD3LvpXnK2_7b1-5P026X05p-ln5ehPsJ4/edit

8.     If we need a ride to the polls or voter ID office, know someone who does, or can give people rides, we can sign up at Carpool vote to be matched with riders or drivers.  https://carpoolvote.com/  We can also help by signing up to join the campaign, supported entirely by a network of volunteers who believe passionately that democracy is for everybody.  There are a variety of roles for people with any amount of time to give. This could involve joining the volunteer pool who take on small tasks that help the project take big leaps forward. If we’re a web developer, we could contribute  to the  website on GitHub. There are several strategic roles for those who want to remain actively involved until Election Day. We can complete this quick questionnaire if we’d like to get involved. 

Election 2018 – By State

1.       ALL:  Upcoming voting dates and deadlines:  by date:  https://goo.gl/gjFv2u   by state:  https://goo.gl/7gTzvE

2.      ALL:  If we are not sure where to start looking for information about candidates, issues, etc., we can check this out:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NCYjsm3xKb79z19Gx7PWt5Zs9lkLiTqglHBHYs9mlX8/edit

3.      KS:  With races so close, it’s all about turnout and every vote counts. Fortunately, our friends at Indivisible  Kansas City have a method that boosted participation by over 25% in the primary, the online tool for the Voter to Voter project. We can use this website to connect  with the everyday voters we  know. As an ambassador for our team, we’ll have a dashboard where we can identify friends, family, or peers, and guide them through the process of becoming engaged voters. The tool will let us keep track of their progress, and will provide tips, timely messaging, and optional tasks to help us get them to vote.  Here's how we get involved:  A) We can find Indivisible KC  in the list on the website, click, and join their efforts, B) If you've heard about Voter to Voter but want to learn more, visit our Be A Voter website and sign up to get an overview training of the effort and this tool, C) If you have questions, contact Lindsay at 

lindsay@mainstreamcoalition.org or call (913) 220-1400.  If we don’t want to wait, see these simple instructions and click here to sign up for MainStream’s Team!   If we have any questions, we can learn more about Voter to Voter at our website.

Other Actions

1.       If we don't already follow her, Michele of Small Deeds Done's Weekly Pep Talk and Action List has some encouraging words for us. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OuMMNWN4WE&feature=youtu.be

We can find her weekly newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/9cb6054d50e3/your-weekly-pep-talk-action-list?e=4a9124dbd5

2.      Right now, it's definitely all about the midterms, but we should remember that the fight to take back our democracy will not end there whether there's a blue wave (or not). So, let's invest our time and money (if we can) into this worthwhile and hopefully successful project: "Future Now Fund is building the power to improve Americans’ lives – by winning state legislative majorities and working with them to achieve goals for the common good. We win state legislative majorities by focusing on strategic races and chambers, crowdfunding with Giving Circles, and providing substantial-on-the-ground support. Future Now [its partner organization] is developing the most robust state legislative support system ever built, to help state legislators achieve meaningful results." Let's find out more and sign up to help here: https://www.futurenow.org/about

3.      While Republicans are basing their midterm election hopes on the booming economy, let's remind our friends and family who are undecided that wages are flat, https://thehill.com/policy/finance/401341-wages-drop-despite-economic-boom.  and the stock market recently lost all its gains from 2018. Some economists are attributing this to the president's aggressive tariff wars.     

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trumps-trade-dares-have-vaporized-the-dows-gains-for-2018/2018/06/29/5d54a3f8-7967-11e8-80be-6d32e182a3bc_story.html?utm_term=.0f037933353a  This is an important point to raise with voters as we get to the final days before the midterms. 

4.      The internet, especially Twitter, is filled with completely unsubstantiated claims that the pipe bombs sent to former and current Democratic leaders are really “false flag” tactics undertaken by left-wing anti-fascists: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2018/10/24/instant-inevitable-cries-false-flag-after-bomb-threats-targeting-clintons-obamas-cnn/  Before this dangerous narrative gains any more credibility, let’s take to Twitter, Face Book, and any other internet vehicles we use to point out that no one—perhaps especially the alt-right—knows anything yet about either the viability or the source of these bombs.

5.      Enrollment for ACA has been shortened from 90 days to 45 days. You can register at this link beginning November 1 through December 15. Mark your calendars. https://www.healthcare.gov

6.      A new 72-page report conducted by the White House Council of Economic Advisers published on Tuesday warned Americans of a socialist “comeback in American political discourse” and took aim at discrediting Medicare for All. The White House report compares Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to communist leaders. Let's read more about this government-sponsored propaganda at Newsweek. We need to be aware that these types of reports are being published and our taxes are paying for them.

 Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize

1.       January 19, 2019 is the date of the third Women’s March with the main event to be held in Washington, D.C. with sister marches all over the country.  Let’s find more information here:  https://www.womensmarch.com/2019

States

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

Reading/Watching

1.       White men can be terrorists, too - http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-picciolini-white-supremacists-20181007-story.html

2.      Trump tries to spur Republicans to vote with false claims and dystopian warnings of Democratic 'mob' rule - http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-trump-false-claims-election-20181023-story.html

3.      Guns Have Divided America. Here’s What Happens When 245 People Try to Meet in the Middle - http://time.com/5433987/guns-common-ground/