7/16/19
NATIONAL
ISSUES
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(Including Emails & Twitter)
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
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CONTINUED IMMIGRATION ATROCITIES: As the awareness grows of the Trump
administration-made humanitarian crisis, there are many ways we can help. Past Rogan’s List suggestions
are still appropriate to work on: http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/06/62519-nationalissues-deplorable.html
http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/07/7219-nationalissues-addresses-district.html
http://roganslist.blogspot.com/2019/07/7419-nationalissues-addresses-district.html
Here are more:
DEFEND AGAINST ICE RAIDS: Trump’s ICE raids are started Sunday in 10
cities across the US. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/politics/ice-raids-undocumented-immigrants/index.html ICE
enforcement isn’t, shall we say, an exact science, and therefore all of us,
immigrant or not, should be prepared. The National Immigration Project of the
National Lawyers Guild has two important resources: 1) A hotline to report ICE
raids and other activities in our communities. Let’s save that number
to our cell phone contacts list: 844-363-1423, and 2) A
simple, clear Know Your Rights graphic. Let’s follow the instructions
at
https://www.nationalimmigrationproject.org/iceWatch.html to
download it into our devices.
DRIVERS’ LICENSE CAMPAIGNS AND DRIVERS’
LICENSE FACIAL RECOGNITION: One of the ways ICE has been able to target
undocumented residents is through facial recognition software on drivers’
license records. The state of Oregon has recently forbid the FBI and ICE from
accessing these records. https://www.oregonlive.com/commuting/2019/07/fbi-and-ice-wont-have-access-to-oregon-drivers-records-for-facial-recognition-sweeps-oregon-lawmaker-says.html. Other states
prohibit undocumented immigrants from obtaining drivers’ licenses, which puts
people in peril from being arrested for driving without a license when they are
simply trying to go to work, and also makes the roads less safe for all of us. If
our state allows undocumented residents to legally drive, let’s ask our state
legislators to follow Oregon’s lead in preventing ICE from accessing driver
records. If our state doesn’t allow drivers’ licenses, let’s contact our state
legislators and ask them to introduce a law that would allow undocumented
residents to obtain drivers’ licenses and would also prevent ICE from accessing
driver records.
TELL BUSINESSES NOT TO COOPERATE WITH ICE: In response to
pressure from activists, Marriott and Choice hotels are refusing to allow their
properties to be used to detain immigrants during ICE raids. https://abcnews.go.com/Business/marriott-choice-hotels-serve-detention-centers-ice-raids/story?id=64291249. However, other
businesses, like Enterprise, are allowing ICE to rent vans to round up
immigrants. https://www.ajc.com/news/breaking-news/metro-atlanta-bracing-for-immigration-enforcement-raids-this-weekend/v36fRGNrypKT9tluSRnr8L/. Let’s
thank Marriott (10400 Fernwood Road, Bethesda, MD
20817, Facebook,
Twitter: @Marriott) and Choice Hotels (301-592-5000; Facebook,
Twitter: @ChoiceHotels) and call out Enterprise for their cooperation:
(314-512-5000; Facebook,
Twitter@Enterprise. We can also call other hotel and car rental companies and
ask them not to cooperate.
TRUMP’S EFFORT TO END ASYLUM FOR CENTRAL AMERICANS: “According to a new rule published in the Federal Register, asylum seekers
who pass through another country first will be ineligible for asylum at the
U.S. southern border. The rule, expected to go into effect on Tuesday, also
applies to children who have crossed the border alone.” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/trump-moves-to-end-asylum-for-central-american-migrants
While we know this will be caught up in court, let’s tell our MoCs that we need
legislation to help keep us a welcoming nation.
LET IMMIGRANTS
KNOW THEIR LEGAL RIGHTS: As ICE prepares to
step up their raids, let’s do everything we can to make sure that immigrants
are aware of their legal rights. The Immigrant Defense Project has flyers
and infographics on what people should do in the event of an ICE raid in
numerous languages here. Let’s
investigate, post, and share with residents in our communities.
IMMIGRATION - PRESSURE COMPANY TO END CBP
CONTRACT: Ogilvy & Mather, a marketing and communications
company is continuing to work with Customs & Border Patrol, to recruit new
CBP employees, despite concerns from staff (https://bit.ly/2LVQj5e, https://bit.ly/2xL0i5f). The CEO,
John Seifert, sent an e-mail out, defending the decision to contract with CBP,
arguing that Ogilvy was not doing any work that goes against their values and
beliefs. Let's contact Seifert and ask him if he supports sexual
assault, racism, the separation of families, and dehumanization of illegally
detained individuals (https://politi.co/30uecEY). If he does not,
let's ask him to end the contract with Customs & Border Patrol. We can
reach him directly on Twitter: @jseifert79, or we can contact the Ogilvy
& Mather head office: Phone: 1-212-237-4000, Address: 636 11th
Avenue New York, NY 10036
IMMIGRATION—KNOW YOUR RIGHTS CARDS: Catholic
Legal Immigration Network, Inc., has “Know Your Rights” pocket cards in Arabic,
English, Farsi, Haitian Creole, and Spanish.
https://cliniclegal.org/resources/know-your-rights-cards The
Immigration Legal Resource Center has them in Arabic, Chinese, English, French,
Hmong, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese. https://www.ilrc.org/red-cards Let’s
print some out and leave them in coffee shops, supermarkets, banks, libraries,
playgrounds, and benches—anywhere they can be found by people in our
communities who might need them.
DEFEND AGAINST DEPORTATION APP: brought
to us by United We Dream, "Use
Notifica to plan, learn and act if you are at risk of being detained by
deportation agents." Those at risk, and allies, can download it here: https://notifica.us
ICE—HOW WE GOT HERE, THINGS TO DO: Informed by the monitoring
of ICE raids and in-depth research, including materials secured from the
government through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation, “Defend
Against Ice Raids and Community Arrests: A Toolkit to Prepare and Protect Our
Communities” by the Immigrant Defense Project is a comprehensive look at the US
immigration industrial complex. Let’s learn how we got here and how we
can make change—download the toolkit:
FREQUENT
FLYER MILES: Please consider donating your frequent flyer miles and
credit card points to
Miles4Migrants to reunite refugee families. To learn more about the group
from its cofounders, watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LuTb0JoXPs&feature=youtu.be. For details on how to donate,
visit: https://www.miles4migrants.org/donate.php. (h/t Colorado Foothills Action Alliance (CFAA) )
CONCENTRATION CAMPS: Over 700 Lights for Liberty vigils took place
on Friday in opposition to the concentration camps where asylum seekers are
being detained in the US:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/07/12/lights-liberty-dc-immigration-vigil-hundreds-gather-protest/1710297001/ If
we attended a vigil, let’s be sure we have shared photos on social media and
thanked the organizer of the one we attended.
IMMIGRATION—“NEVER AGAIN IS
NOW” PROTESTS—Jewish
activists and their allies are continuing to hold protests around the country,
sounding the alarm and demanding an end to Trump’s inhumane concentration camps
and cruel immigration policies, https://www.neveragainaction.com .
Let’s check this page and join a protest near us: https://www.facebook.com/pg/NeverAgainAction/events/?ref=page_internal
TRUMP ADMIN OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE: Former
special counsel Robert Mueller’s congressional testimony, which has been
delayed for one week, should be
required viewing for all citizens. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/07/12/mueller-testimony-delayed-by-one-week-1412004
Catch it here on July 24th:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g58MjV528Ws Let’s
all watch and learn!
IMPEACHMENT: In
a new low in the time of his presidency, Trump took to Twitter on Sunday to
tell four women of color who serve in the US Congress to go back to the countries
they came from. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Rep.
Rashida Tlaib were born in the United States. Rep. Ilhan Omar became a citizen
in her teens. The GOP has been nearly mute about the issue in the 24 hours
since and Trump is doubling down at every turn:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/453116-trump-steps-up-attacks-on-minority-congresswomen Let’s
contact our MoC to say thanks if s/he has already come out in favor of
impeachment
(https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/full-list-house-members-who-favor-starting-trump-impeachment-inquiry-n1011981)
and if not, let’s ask why not. This trajectory for our nation is not
sustainable.
PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED: From one of
our own: Comments and actions week
ending July 21, 2019 includes more Alaska, Drinking water, Nuclear weapons,
LCBTQ health, Redefining how the government measures things - poverty rates,
pollution index. LGBTQ and Trans rights, RoundUp, Ozone, privacy, exposing
miners to diesel exhaust, ACA: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FentJ3IHNptyqgLLAO3ouGiqWTLiiiTW/view Let’s post public comments on the issues
that are important to us.
FIGHT FAKE NEWS—Researchers created an online game to see if it was
possible to inoculate players against fake news (misinformation,
disinformation, misleading tweets and headlines, etc.) In the Bad News Game,
players create and spread fake news to gain followers. In doing so, they learn
six typical ways that misinformation is spread. Preliminary data suggests that
people who play the game become savvier about recognizing fake news in the real
world, https://www.niemanlab.org/2019/06/yes-its-worth-arguing-with-science-deniers-and-here-are-some-techniques-you-can-use. Let’s
check out the game, and let’s spread the word about it:
POSTCARDING: From one of our
own – Here are this week’s
issues/addresses write-ups for postcarding: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VGczyfwf4AR1YatN4uYy7yC-Dh23p9fgbKySn1LGR8o/edit Look them over and choose the ones
that speak to you. Thank you for speaking out!
HUMAN RIGHTS AT RISK:
Trump’s State Department fundamentalist henchman, Mike Pompeo, has established
a “Commission on Inalienable Rights,” which “will provide fresh thinking about
human rights discourse where such discourse has departed from our nation’s
founding principles of natural law and natural right”: jttps://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/05/30/2019-11300/department-of-state-commission-on-unalienable-rights Those
founding principles, as others have pointed out, allowed slavery and the
disenfranchisement of women, since neither the enslaved nor women were regarded
as having “natural rights”; it’s not even worth mentioning LGBT people: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/watch-secretary-of-state-pompeo-unveils-creation-of-human-rights-commission We
should be very afraid, and we should say so: contact Emily Sissell,
202-647-3599 or Kiron K. Skinner, Director, Policy Planning, Dept. of State,
2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520
TRUMP’S RACISM: In the midst of talk of “denaturalization,” “collateral deportations,” a citizenship question (which would identify not only undocumented immigrants, but green card holders, who are also not “citizens”), the rise of white nationalism, and concentration camps on the border, Trump’s racist attack on four, non-white, progressive women House members demands that we respond: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48982172 Trump called for these representatives—citizens all, and all but one native-born—to “go back” to countries they "originally came from " and then shared Lindsay Graham’s diatribe claiming "We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists": https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/453062-trump-shares-graham-quote-calling-ocasio-cortez-anti-america Where is Democratic leadership? We must demand that Pelosi and Schumer defend their freshwomen colleagues in no uncertain terms: Pelosi 202-225-4965 or 1236 Longworth H.O.B., DC 20515 and Schumer, 202-224-6542 or 322 Hart Senate Office Bldg., DC 20510.
TRUMP’S RACISM: In the midst of talk of “denaturalization,” “collateral deportations,” a citizenship question (which would identify not only undocumented immigrants, but green card holders, who are also not “citizens”), the rise of white nationalism, and concentration camps on the border, Trump’s racist attack on four, non-white, progressive women House members demands that we respond: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48982172 Trump called for these representatives—citizens all, and all but one native-born—to “go back” to countries they "originally came from " and then shared Lindsay Graham’s diatribe claiming "We all know that AOC and this crowd are a bunch of Communists": https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/453062-trump-shares-graham-quote-calling-ocasio-cortez-anti-america Where is Democratic leadership? We must demand that Pelosi and Schumer defend their freshwomen colleagues in no uncertain terms: Pelosi 202-225-4965 or 1236 Longworth H.O.B., DC 20515 and Schumer, 202-224-6542 or 322 Hart Senate Office Bldg., DC 20510.
TRUMP’S
RACIST TWEETS: “Unbowed by searing criticism, President Donald Trump on
Monday emphatically defended his tweet calling on four Democratic congresswomen
of color to go back to their “broken and crime infested” countries.
Condemnation of his comments “doesn’t concern me because many people agree with
me,” he declared.” https://www.apnews.com/9924c846abf84cfeabb76e6045190b42
The person who holds the highest office in the land is unable to support what
this country has long-honored, our diversity.
Let’s contact all our MoCs and make sure they let us know where they
stand on this issue by making a public statement.
CULTURAL PROPERTY ADVISORY
COMMITTEE: Trump removed the only
Native American from the committee. “Trump's replacement appointee Stefan C.
Passatino has no known experience in protecting cultural heritage resources and
has been under investigation by the House of Representatives Oversight
Committee for ethical misconduct. Mr. Passatino will replace Shannon Keller
O’Loughlin, citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, and Executive Director
and Attorney for the Association on American Indian Affairs. Ms. O’Loughlin was
the first and only Native American ever appointed to the Cultural Property
Advisory Committee within the U.S. State Department. Ms. O’Loughlin has deep
expertise regarding U.S. law that protects cultural heritage and has served on
the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act Review Committee as
well.”https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/the-press-pool/trump-removes-native-american-presidential-appointee-from-cultural-property-advisory-committee-tdtKh0H4NEaznh9zVB1nXA
Trump continues to add his inept and unethical friends to
political appointments. Let’s tell the WH to put Ms O’Loughlin back in her
rightful place. We need our experts to protect American’s cultural
heritage.
TRUMP CENSUS SURVEY: Trump
is asking if we think the citizenship question should be on the census. Let’s tell him: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/landing/2020-census-survey
ELECTION/VOTING
VOTING: Even though nearly 65% of the people of Florida voted to restore voting
rights to felons who have completed their sentences, the Republican legislature
passed a law requiring them to pay all back fines and court costs before being
able to register. In many cases this amounts to thousands of dollars. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/us/florida-felon-voting-amendment-4.html. We
Got the Vote is taking donations to help ex-felons in Florida pay these fees.
Let’s help by donating here. We
can also help support a legal challenge to the “fees and fines law,” by
donating to the ACLU
of Florida, the Brennan Center, or the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
(from the Americans
of Conscience Checklist)
DISABLED VOTER TURNOUT: The 2018 election showed a sharp increase in
voter turnout for people with disabilities, which is especially significant as
approximately 1 in 4 people who live in the U.S. are disabled (https://bit.ly/2LfqvSb). However, the turnout rate still lags behind that of
people without disabilities for various reasons, including inaccessible voting
locations. The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) launched
the REV UP campaign in 2016, which "aims to increase the
political participation of the disability community while also engaging
candidates and the media on disability issues." This week is National
Disability Voter Registration Week (NDVRW) where the AAPD will focus even more
on registering voters, increasing awareness of disability rights issues, and
making sure candidates are familiar with the needs of the disability community
(including making the campaign websites accessible). Let's check out
the NDVRW page to learn about different ways we can get involved and make sure
that disabled people are not ignored with election cycle: https://www.aapd.com/advocacy/voting/national-disability-voter-registration-week/
STATE
SPECIFIC ISSUES
CA: ACLU ADVOCACY TRAINING FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS: California High School students are
invited to apply to the ACLU’s ADvocacy Training held this October 11-14 at
UCLA. This four-day program will bring student activism to the next
level. Through interactive seminars and activities, California High
School students will learn strategies for grassroots organizing and build an
activist network across the state as they explore the most important social
justice and civil liberties issues facing California today. This
program is open to all California students in grades 10, 11, or 12 in
the 2019-20 school year. Full and partial financial aid is available for those
who qualify. We can find out more about the training and apply here. https://www.aclu.org/california-advocacy-institute
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
ONLINE SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WORKSHOP FOR ELECTED WOMEN
& WOMEN ACTIVISTS: If we are an
elected woman politician or a women social media activist, we can check out
this online seminar from social media experts Cheryl Contee and Rachel
Campbell of Do Big Things. In this online seminar, today, June 16 at
1pm EST, we can learn about cutting edge social media strategy and tactics,
including content best practices, the algorithms and mechanics of social media,
how to leverage influencers, and fundraising on social media. They
will have Q&A, so we can ask the experts about our own
situations. We can also learn more about the workshop presenters and their
organization here www.dobigthings.today.
We can sign up here: https://voterunlead.org/event/rep19-voterunlead-present-power-through-education-summer-webinar-series-social-media-for-electeds-with-cheryl-contee/
SIGN UP FOR
CANDIDATE TRAINING: Emily’s List is offering a
Candidate training on Saturday, July 27 in Philadelphia from 9:30
am to 2:30 pm. We can find out more about the event, Run to Win 101, a
free half-day training for pro-choice Democratic women thinking about running
for elected office and sign up, if we choose to, here: https://secure.emilyslist.org/page/s/20190713_email_RunToWinPhiladelphia
NATIONAL NETWORK ASSEMBLY: The first
National Network Assembly, made up of hundreds of local grassroots leaders
organizers from around the country is happening in Des Moines, IA, August 22
to 25. https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs/nationalnetworkassembly
There will be workshops, sessions, and meetings in
which participants will strategize, plan, and learn skills to take home to
their groups. The 2019 National Network
Assembly will
strengthen the connective tissue between grassroots groups by bridging multiple
networks and organizations that represent over 1,000
leaders across all 50 states. We can
find more information, register to attend, and donate to the scholarship fund
here: https://www.nationalnetworkassembly.org/
We can use this document to invite others to attend: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKWdGLESqQYFVIa3JXQrtsXO9zrZv7ihCdGfnmSZ0-M/edit
READING/WATCHING
Are you OK with a racist
president, Republicans? -
There are People in Concentration Camps.
Why Aren’t We in the Streets? - https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/06/there-are-people-in-concentration-camps-why-arent-we-in-the-streets
Americans slashed their charitable deductions by $54
billion after Republican tax-code overhaul - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/americans-slashed-their-charitable-deductions-by-54-billion-after-trumps-tax-overhaul-2019-07-09
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We can stay up-to-date on Congress by checking out their
schedules. a) The House publishes a weekly schedule at The Weekly Leader (published and dated Friday)
as well as daily schedules at The Daily Leader. b) The Senate updates
their schedule daily at the Senate Floor Schedule
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