11/19/18
Rogan’s List is taking the rest
of the week off to
celebrate gratitude with our families and friends.
We wish you a happy Thanksgiving, too!
Contact Federal Government Officials
Find elected officials: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Fax legislators for free:
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
********************************
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: The House and
Senate are both out of Washington DC for state work periods during the
Thanksgiving holiday week and will be returning next week. (Sources: House calendar, Senate calendar.)
2.
Under the authority of Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos, the Department of Education is proposing significant changes to Title
IX, and the standards of evidence for sexual harassment and assault in the U.S.
(https://bit.ly/2BflW4e, https://n.pr/2PvNVW7).
While DeVos is arguing that these new rules will protect the accused, survivors
advocates make it clear that it will discourage victims from reporting, for a
crime which is already significantly under-reported (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/four-five-acts-campus-sexual-assault-go-unreported-police).
Before these changes go into effect, they will be subject to an open-comment period at
the Federal Register for 60 days. We can sign up to
receive an alert as soon as the proposed rule is published, and in the
meantime, learn how to write an effective comment here.
3.
Unsurprisingly, Trump is dithering about the
report of the CIA regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and he is taking a
tone similar to the one he had in Helsinki with Putin: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/417255-corker-everything-points-to-saudi-crown-prince-ordering-khashoggis-killing Let’s
let our MoC know that we have not forgotten about this brutal murder of this US
resident and journalist and that we expect more clarity in the response from
the United States.
4.
It is difficult to wrap our heads around the
level of devastation in California from the wildfires. When Trump visited the
fire sites on Saturday, he was asked about whether there has been an impact of
the fires on his perspective on climate change: “No. I have a strong opinion. I
want great climate and we’re going to have that and we’re going to have forests
that are very safe.”: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-wildfires/teams-search-for-1000-missing-in-californias-deadliest-wildfire-idUSKCN1NM0DJ Let’s
be a clear voice to our MoC that they are going to have to be leaders about
climate change since our president is incapable.
5.
Congresswoman-elect Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez
(D-NY) is already taking the lead in calling for swift action on climate change
and was one of 200 activists protesting outside Nancy Pelosi’s office last week
to call for a Green New Deal that would spearhead a transition to 100%
renewable energy. http://time.com/5453510/ocasio-cortez-climate-change-activists-pelosi/.
Now that the Democrats have taken the House, it’s time to hold their feet to
the fire and let them know that we will not tolerate inaction on this very
important issue. Let’s contact our House Reps. and urge them to join with
Congresswoman Ocasio Cortez in making bold and progressive climate change legislation
a strong focus of their agenda. According to a recent report from the
United Nations, we are very close to climate catastrophe,
and this warning must be taken seriously.
6.
Trump announced on Friday that he is planning to
nominate former coal lobbyist and acting EPA Director Andrew Wheeler to be the
new head of the EPA. https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/417159-trump-to-nominate-acting-epa-chief-wheeler-for-senate-confirmation.
As acting EPA administrator, Wheeler has continued the administration’s agenda
of continued environmental policy rollbacks that have been predicted to lead to
80,000 deaths and
increased respiratory issues for over one million people.
While Mr. Wheeler has not faced accusations of unethical behavior like his
predecessor, Scott Pruitt, his former background as a coal lobbyist, along with
his anti-environment
record, should raise significant questions on his
ability to truly promote the mission of the EPA, which is environmental
protection, NOT making life easier for fossil fuel companies. Let’s talk to our
Senators now about opposing his nomination.
7.
“Hats have been banned from the House chamber
of the Capitol for nearly two centuries — 181 years, to be exact. Under a
new proposal from Democrats, the rule would be relaxed to allow religious
headwear, like a hijab or kippah.” With
the election of Representative-elect Ilhan Omar, this is a reasonable
move. https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/hats-congress-religious-garb-exception Let’s tell our reps that we want them to
approve this change.
8.
December 10 is the deadline for public comment
on the draconian “public charge” rule change proposed by the Department of
Homeland Security; under this new rule, US immigration officials could deny
green cards to those who are poor, have a preexisting health condition, or have
received public benefits. The rule is explicit--low wages, being a child
or a senior, having a number of children, not speaking English well, or having
a medical problem would all be held against those seeking legal status.
The full rule and a way to comment are here:
9.
We can find even more issues needing public
comment here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1K3Mx5mNJ6-lauvUY3t1Eyx_o0glP1__F/view
10. On
November 9th, Trump signed a proclamation intended to block asylum seekers who
arrive in the U.S. anywhere other official ports of entry; since then, border
agents have stopped asylum seekers from entering at these official ports of
entry. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/08/trump-administration-blocks-asylum-claims-by-those-crossing-border-illegally The
1965 Immigration and Nationality Act states that any foreigner who arrives in
the USA, "whether or not at a designated port of arrival," may apply
for asylum; likewise, a UN treaty signed in 1951 by the United States says
"refugees should not be penalized for their illegal entry" because
extreme situations sometimes "require refugees to breach immigration
rules." We must let the White House and our congresspeople know that
we object to this illegal and immoral policy.
11.
From Indivisible
East Bay: With
votes still being counted and recounted in close races, Republican efforts to
disenfranchise voters, especially black voters, also continue. Trump’s judicial
nominee, Thomas Farr, worked to rig a system that subverted the will of the
people and violated their civil rights. He has argued in support of
unconstitutional racial gerrymandering and an illegal voter ID law which the
court said targeted African-Americans “with almost surgical precision.” Farr
has been the go-to lawyer for the North Carolina GOP in their efforts to
gerrymander and suppress the black vote.
If confirmed, he could end up deciding who gets to vote and which votes
are counted--something he clearly cannot be trusted to do in a fair and
non-partisan way. McConnell’s cloture motion today means
we are at most 2 workdays away from a final vote on Farr. Let’s call our
senators and tell them to vote “no”.
Election/Voting
1.
Postcards to Voters' volunteers are on track to
write to every Democrat in Mississippi for Campaign 137: Mike Espy for
US Senate. The President plans to appear in Mississippi later this
month to shore up support for Espy's challenger Republican Sen. Cindy
Hyde-Smith, whose once-bulletproof bid for another two years in the chamber has
become increasingly imperiled following comments involving a public hanging and
voter suppression. (More at Politico.)
If we have not yet written cards for Espy, let's request 5 addresses today to
help finish the list and get out the vote for this important election. New
volunteers can find out more information here.
2.
From one of our own:
Disappointed by the outcome of Stacey Abrams' race in Georgia? Want to help
stop voter suppression in GA? Help ensure the right to vote next time around?
Help elect a GA Democratic Secretary of State--John Barrow. The runoff election
is December 4th. You can help in GA or remotely. Sign up here to
help.
Other Actions
1. The
students of the Judge Rotenberg Center continue to be subjected to electric
shocks through the use of Graduated Electronic Devices (GED) (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/nov/16/judge-rotenberg-center-massachusetts-electric-shocks).
We've joined ADAPT before in asking the
commissioner of the FDA to ban these devices, whose open
comment period ended more than two years ago, then asking the Health and
Human Services Secretary to step in, and then calling on the
governor of Massachusetts to appeal the court ruling which
allowed these shocks to continue. Let's continue to support the rights of
people with disabilities by joining Disability
Rights International and contacting Dr. Paulo Abrao,
Executive Secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and
asking that the Commission take measures to stop the Judge Rotenberg Center
from utilizing electric shocks, restraints, and seclusion: Dr. Paulo Abrao
Executive Secretary Inter-American Commission on Human Rights Organization of
American States, 1889 F St NW Washington, D.C. 20006
2. Lin-Manuel
Miranda, Audra McDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Josh Groban, and other
award-winning artists donated their time and talent to the new bilingual
children’s album, “Singing You Home: Children’s Songs for Family
Reunification.” Proceeds will be donated to RAICES
and ASTEP,
nonprofit organizations that help to reunite and support families at the
border. Let’s consider purchasing this during this holiday season: https://www.ghostlightrecords.com/singing-you-home-childrens-songs-for-family-reunification.html
3. Winning
at the ballot box is important, but the ultimate measure of progress is the
improvement we bring to people's lives. For the farm workers who produce
the milk that we all use, many of whom are undocumented, isolated and
vulnerable to unethical treatment by employers, law enforcement, or others
in their community, life is often precarious. One organization we can
support, the Milk with Dignity Standards Council, is sharply focused on
building coalitions among all groups to ensure an ethical and prosperous environment
for the production of our dairy goods: https://milkwithdignity.org/
4. The
2019 Women's March is mid-January, but some local organizers are taking
objection with the Women's March leadership to separate themselves from
antisemitism, in particular with Louis Farrakhan.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/womens-march/555122/
Although the Women's March leadership came out with a public statement decrying
antisemitism, they still defend" Linda Sarsour and Tamika Mallory, who
have been accused of aligning themselves with Louis
Farrakhan."
https://www.jta.org/2018/11/12/news-opinion/womens-march-statement-condemns-anti-semitism-while-standing-with-leaders-linda-sarsour-and-tamika-mallory
Some local groups, such as Chicago Women’s March,
are distancing themselves from Women's March.
Perhaps the leaders of the Women's March need to hear from
us. We can see the irony when we say that folks who are for Trump
may not be racist, etc., but we know they support someone who is.
Email: info@womensmarch.com,
Twitter:
@womensmarch
Let’s ask our local march organizers where they stand.
5. Jennifer
Mendelsohn of Resistance Genealogy,
inspired by the synagogue shooting tragedy in Pittsburgh on October 27, has
started a fundraiser on her Facebook page for HIAS (Hebrew Immigrant Aid
Society). “HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced
to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious,
and sexual minorities. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees
rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.” https://www.hias.org She’s
raised a good deal so far, but let’s push the total higher if we can. People
should never be in danger for simply being who they are: https://www.facebook.com/CleverTitleTK/posts/2125641234133478
6. A
Leavenworth County Commissioner in Kansas, Louis Klemp, used the term “master
race” regarding his own race during an open hearing when talking with an
African-American woman:
https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article221764735.html
Let’s take a moment to let the Board of County Commissioners know that it
is time for Mr. Klemp to resign: bocc@leavenworthcounty.org
7. “.
. . millions of Americans looking forward to their tax refunds are about to be
disappointed, even upset. They will not see their expected refunds when they
file their returns in 2019. Even worse, many will be required to pay extra
taxes. Why the change? The Republicans’ push to sell their tax law to the
American public is the culprit.” https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-the-tax-windfall-that-wasnt-20181101-story.html Let’s check the IRS withholding calculator to
make sure we’ll have enough taken out so that we’ll be set for the next tax
year: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-withholding-calculator
8. Kansas
Gov. Jeff Colyer ® is calling for the resignation of a white county official
who made a comment about being part of the “master race.” Klemp, who was
appointed by the Republican Party, made the comments, which were recorded on
camera, as an African-American woman was presenting for a landscape and
architectural firm. https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/417299-kansas-governor-calls-for-resignation-of-county-official-who
We can thank the republican governor for
calling him out and asking for the resignation of Klemp, a county
commissioner. Tweet him here. @GovJeffColyer
9. California
is burning; the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that we have
only 12 years in which to limit global warming to 1.5C (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/08/global-warming-must-not-exceed-15c-warns-landmark-un-report);
Trump continues to nominate “climate change deniers” (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-ferc-mcnamee/trumps-ferc-nominee-to-seek-counsel-if-coal-bailout-plan-returns-idUSKCN1NK2Q3).
Now, before next month when governments from around the world meet to prepare
to implement the Paris climate agreement, let’s show that people everywhere,
especially in the U.S., support the People’s Demands for Climate Justice. We
can sign these demands here: https://www.peoplesdemands.org
10. In
deep red Oklahoma, Resistance Labs and the Oklahoma Democratic Party are
recruiting Democrats just like us to run for school board, the first step
toward taking back the heartland. It’s a bold move and we must act quickly
since the deadline to file is Dec.5. For decades, Republicans have exploited
every toehold to solidify their power and deny the rest of us a voice. They
started decades ago at the local level and built their machine relentlessly.
Democrats barely responded, so now we’re paying the price. But today we’re
fighting back. Today, we can help to build the next wave by texting our fellow
Democrats in Oklahoma and asking them to run for school boards. We can
click this link to sign up and get started. With the Dec. 5 filing deadline in
Oklahoma less than 3 weeks away and Thanksgiving around the corner, this is our
last chance to reach these folks and get them in the game: https://resistancelabs.com/volunteer/text/
State Actions
1. MI: From the ACLU of Michigan-
The ACLU of Michigan and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center are hosting a
training that will enable attorneys to represent detained immigrants, who are
entitled to a bond hearing in Immigration Court. This training will include
procedural and practical advice to prepare you to take on a case pro-bono.
Attorneys from all practice are welcome. No prior immigration experience is
required. Please purchase your ticket for this training and lunch. We hope to
see you there on Friday, Dec. 7! Please contact Abril Valdes with any
questions: avaldes@aclumich.org Facebook
event:
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
1. If
we are interested in Electoral Politics. Movement Technology. Grassroots
Organizing. Digital Strategy. Capacity Building, we can check out Roots
Camp, where all of these facets of our movement meet. Held from
November 27-December 2 in Baltimore
MD, it’s a chance to be a part of an “unconference” where
participants design all sessions and leaders from all parts of the
movement – organizers, campaigners, data directors, have a dynamic
exchange of ideas. This year, they’re looking at how to practice a more
inclusive politics and thinking about ways that we can transform our democracy
so that our people win and collectively thrive. They’re interested in
expanding understandings of what justice looks like for all our people, and
equipping our leaders with the skillsets, tools, and frameworks to take this on
and thrive. We can learn from one another, dream up new ideas, make
lasting connections, and strengthen our networks. The conference aims to be
inclusive, and there are several ways to defray the cost of attending. If
we would like to find out more, including information about travel stipends, or
volunteering in exchange for admission costs, we can check it out
here: https://www.wellstone.org/events/rootscamp-2018
2. EmpowerandHelp
and The Swell Collective have gotten planning underway for a
wellness and community engagement retreat for community organizers in April of 2019, venue and location TBD.
The retreat will give those of us in need an opportunity for a weekend
away to focus on resilience building activities, personal intention and goal
setting, and “in real life” collaborative social networking with others in the
movement. We can sign up here to stay in the loop or get involved: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYVFWZy-t1N0OcKknDdwegFnUpt-RQWzE7jrNpL74Nuj0Wew/viewform
Reading/Watching
1.
For Our
White Friends Desiring to Be Allies - https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies
2.
Texas: Bishop refuses to allow border wall on
church property –
3.
The
Midterms Were Brought to You By Women Who Busted Their Asses - https://www.kveller.com/the-midterms-were-brought-to-you-by-women-who-busted-their-asses/
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