7/23/19
NATIONAL
ISSUES
(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
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
CONTINUED IMMIGRATION ATROCITIES: As the awareness grows of the Trump
administration-made humanitarian crisis, there are many ways we can help. Suggestions in previous editions of Rogan’s
List are still appropriate to work on.
COMMENT ON THE LATEST ASYLUM
ELIGIBILITY RULE: The “interim rule” for excluding asylum seekers
from the US who have not applied for asylum in another country through which
they traveled en route—whether that is a “safe third country” or not—has now
been posted in the Federal Register: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2019/07/16/2019-15246/asylum-eligibility-and-procedural-modifications
Last week, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the American Civil Liberties
Union, and the Southern Poverty Law Center, filed a lawsuit challenging Trump’s
newest asylum restrictions, which effectively deny migrants from Northern
Triangle countries and Africa access to the U.S. asylum process; a hearing has
been set for Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in federal court in San Francisco. If
we are in San Francisco, we should find out whether an action is planned;
otherwise, we have until AUGUST 15th to comment on this rule, either by mail or
email or courier; instructions and addresses are in the Federal Register
notice, and all comments must cite EOIR Docket No. 19-0504 and the Homeland
Security Department.
WAYS TO HELP IMMIGRANTS DURING
ICE RAIDS: As ICE gets bolder and Trump’s Anti-Immigrant polices get more
draconian, we need to know ways to help people caught up in these dangerous
situations. Fortunately, the website Lifehacker has gathered information on
several ways to help people caught in an ICE Raid. When we click here,
we will find information on apps, strategies and actions we can take to help
immigrants caught in ICE Raids: https://lifehacker.com/how-to-help-immigrants-during-an-ice-raid-1836459316
FREE FARMWORKERS ARRESTED BY
ICE: Three farmworkers who were active in organizing for workers’ rights
were arrested in Vermont last month, and there have been rallies all over the
country to free them. https://www.vpr.org/post/border-patrol-arrests-farmworkers-spur-rally-newport#stream/0.
Let’s join Action Network’s call to write letters on their behalf and demand
that they be released. More information is available here.
REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT CAP: Adviser
Stephen Miller, along with his allies John Zadrozny of U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services (USCIS) and Andrew Veprek of the State Department, are
urging security officials to drop next year's refugee cap to nearly zero (https://politi.co/32E50Qg).
In 2016, before Trump took office, the U.S. limit for the number of refugees it
allowed into the country was at nearly 85,000, and has dropped each year since
then (https://politi.co/2KCLnhn).
Not only would eliminating entry for refugees be nationalistic, but it would
leave those in limbo who have already begun the years-long application process
(https://bit.ly/2H0tA1K). Let's
contact Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper
and tell them to maintain the current cap, which is already at a forty-year
low: U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520,
Acting Secretary Mark Esper, 1000 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC
20301-1000, https://www.defense.gov/Ask-Us/,
703-571-3343
IMMIGRANT CHILD DETENTION: The
Trump administration is planning on using Oklahoma's Fort Sill, a military post
and previous site of Japanese American internment, to detain undocumented
children (https://nbcnews.to/2XUZQRj, https://bit.ly/2JI6Jww).
Numerous groups of protesters have showed up, including members of Native
American tribes, Japanese Americans, ACLU, and Black Lives Matter. Let's
join the #CloseTheCamps campaign by voicing these demands to Oklahoma Governor
Kevin Stitt: 1. Ban the use of any state resources for immigrant
detention and the opening of any private immigration Detention centers in OK.
2. Prohibit any local law enforcement collaboration with ICE and CBP and put an
immediate end to all 287(g) Contracts. We can visit https://closethecamps.us/ to
send a tweet to the governor, or we can contact him directly: Capitol Building
2300 Lincoln Blvd., Rm. 212 Oklahoma City, OK 73105, Phone: 405/ 521-2342 - Fax:
405/521-3353
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
IMMIGRATION-RELATED COMMITTEES: From
one of our own: This is a list of all
House of Representatives that serve on Immigration-Related committees. I've
also included contact information for House Leadership, members of the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and a few Senators who have put up Immigrations
bills in the Senate. The addresses and phone numbers are for you to write and
call them to tell them what you think. This
spreadsheet
has 3 tabs: Contact Sheet, Committee Key, and Other Resources. While the Contact Sheet and the Other
Resources tabs are self-explanatory, the Committee Key is really the most
helpful. It explains what the 5 main House Committees are that deal with
Immigration issues. It shows that each of those main five will have
Subcommittees which each have a more focused responsibility. There's a column
for "what we want" from each Committee or Subcommittee. There's a
column of "Sample Messages" which were generated when my friends and
I wrote our postcards this past weekend. Obviously, if the messages are too
long, feel free to shorten them! They're yours to use now. Please feel free to
circulate this sheet's URL (https://bit.ly/32guDGE)
to your friends and family, yes, but also possibly to: 1) Your Church Group, 2) Your School Campus
Groups, 3) Your Other Social Media Pages, 4) Your Crafting Groups, 5) Your
Alumni Groups. 6) Your Parenting Groups, and 7) Anywhere you believe that folks
can be invited to take action and tell Congress what we want! #CloseTheCamps #FamiliesBelongTogether 
IMMIGRATION RESOURCES—Informed
Immigrant is “a collective of nationally recognized immigrant-serving
organizations, lawyers, technologists, and allies dedicated to helping the
undocumented immigrant community.” Their portal helps undocumented immigrants
nationwide to find trusted lawyers, social workers, and service providers in
their neighborhoods and surrounding areas. Let’s spread the word by
sharing among our networks the link to their website: https://www.informedimmigrant.com/
“NATIONAL CONSERVATISM”: We have been alerted
by Max Boot, conservative anti-Trumper and columnist for the Washington Post,
to a high profile conference on “national conservatism” last week, offering
“Trumpism for intellectuals,” according to the New Yorker:
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/conservative-nationalism-is-trumpism-for-intellectuals
Justin Amash (I-MI), Republican defector, characterized “national conservatism”
as “collectivism rebranded for the right. It’s a form of socialism built upon
fear of the new and different”; Boot adds “Maybe it should be called “national
socialism” instead? If only that term weren’t already taken”:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/22/what-comes-after-trump-may-be-even-worse/
With an eye toward 2024, we must keep ourselves informed about this movement: https://www.vox.com/2019/7/17/20696543/national-conservatism-conference-2019-trump and,
for the old-style conservative view,
https://reason.com/2019/07/18/the-new-conservative-nationalism-is-about-subverting-individual-liberty/
Let’s make certain our MoCs know that we know what the “national
conservatives” are up to and check to see which of them have allied themselves
with this group.
TRUMP VETO OVER SAUDI ARMS SALE? “Nearly a month after the Senate supported 22
resolutions disapproving of Trump’s plan for billions of dollars in weapons
sales despite Congress’ objections, the House passed three of the 22, two on a
vote of 238-190 and the third by a 237-190 margin, largely along party lines.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms/house-rejects-saudi-weapons-sales-trump-to-veto-idUSKCN1UC2US Most likely, this will be met with a Trump
veto. Let’s contact our MoCs to make
sure they know that we expect them to override any veto that provides arms and
support to Saudi Arabia’s deadly regime.
HARMFUL CHLORPYRIFUS NOT BANNED: “The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday
said it would not ban chlorpyrifos, a pesticide used for killing insects,
citing a lack of scientific evidence and drawing ire from environmental groups
that say it could cause harm to the children of women who are exposed to the
pesticide when pregnant.” https://www.forbes.com/sites/leahrosenbaum/2019/07/19/epa-rejects-ban-on-common-pesticide-linked-to-brain-damage-in-children/#71d376781026 Despite our continual requests to ban
chlorpyrifos, the Trump administration sided with industry instead of safety of
children. Let’s ask our MoCs to take
this up legislatively to protect our kids.
RACISM/IMPEACHMENT: Late last week Trump attempted to
back off his racist nightmare rally in North Carolina on Wednesday night but
has since doubled-down, tripled-down, and on and on:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/454035-trump-doubles-down-says-minority-congresswomen-should-apologize-to Let’s
be in touch with our MoC to say that we can endure a white supremacist in the
White House and that impeachment is needed.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Three states, Illinois,
Massachusetts, and Maryland are defying Trump’s executive order that would
prevent planned parenthood and other centers that receive federal funds from
making referrals to abortion clinics. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion/illinois-to-defy-trump-administrations-abortion-referral-gag-rule-idUSKCN1UD32V.
They are doing this by substituting Title X funds with state funds. Let’s
ask our governor and state legislators to enact similar measures. Even if we
live in a state that has recently passed draconian anti-abortion laws, we should
still make our voices heard.
SUPPORT ABORTION ACCESS AND EDUCATION: The organizers of
the Abortion Access Front travel the country, using comedy to educate people
about the numerous insidious ways misogyny has taken hold in our culture and to
organize networks of activists that can support each other, and expand abortion
access and support for clinics that provide abortion in hostile states. Let’s
learn more about what they do and consider donating here.
GRATITUDE—Matthew Scully, owner of The Scullery restaurant in Greenville, NC, the city where Trump incited his racist crowd to chant, like an army of brownshirts, “Send her back!”, is donating 100% of his restaurant’s proceeds from the day of Trump’s visit to the American Immigration Council,https://www.newsweek.com/north-carolina-restaurant-owner-donates-proceeds-immigration-1449992 He is giving the immigrants rights group an impressive $5,800. Let’s send a note of gratitude to Mr. Scully for his decency and generosity and for standing against racism: Matthew Scully, The Scullery Restaurant, 431 Evans St, Greenville, NC 27858.
PUBLIC COMMENTS NEEDED:
From one of our own: Comments and
actions week ending July 28, 2019 includes Trump’s Asylum Ban, 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, and more: https://drive.google.com/file/d/17l_bRWXcxpobfQHVn3Fdm9jFk9_a9Hlf/view
ALL THE PRESIDENT’S CRIMES: Looking for a group that’s on
top of the administration’s crimes and is actually doing something about it?
Follow CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington: Citizensforethics.org). If we donate to this amazing org
during July, a donor will be matching our contributions up to $70k! https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/support-crews-work-2018
MAUNA KEA: “. . .demonstrators are trying to halt construction
on the controversial Thirty Meter Telescope” on the tallest mountain on the
island of Hawaii. “Despite its place in
Native Hawaiian culture as hallowed ground that contains ahus —
religious altars made of stones — and serves as burial grounds for many of the
island's ancestors, Mauna Kea's summit is the ideal location for the powerful
TMT, scientists say.” https://www.npr.org/2019/07/15/741990200/hawaii-protesters-block-access-road-to-stop-construction-of-massive-telescope The protesters are now in the thousands: https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2019/07/21/mauna-kea-day-7-crowd-swells-into-the-thousands/ Let’s let the indigenous people of Hawaii know
we support them as they try to stop construction of the HUGE TMT telescope on
Mauna Kea, a sacred place to the people:
https://www.change.org/p/gordon-and-betty-moore-foundation-the-immediate-halt-to-the-construction-of-the-tmt-on-mauna-kea
POSTCARDING: From one of our own – Here are
this week’s issues/addresses write-ups for postcarding: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1enOtFOvsk8yjLdfXxbRsSVBGXho-hq6D15lw384Mzso/edit Look them over and choose the ones
that speak to you. Thank you for speaking out!
LEVITY FOR THE RESISTANCE—We’ve all probably experienced it:
we’re engaged in a political discussion, hit a nerve, and get personally
attacked. Star Trek’s inimitable Mr. Spock has a ready response for us. Let’s
check it out:
ELECTION/VOTING
VOTER PARTICIPATION—An award for high schools that
get 85% of their senior class registered to vote, company-wide campaigns for
employee voter registration and voting, mentors to help new citizens and young
voters navigate election day. What if we aimed for a voter participation rate
of 80% in all communities across the US? Let’s read what this report
says about how to do it, “Getting to Eighty Percent: A Symposium Advancing
Voter Participation,” https://ash.harvard.edu/files/ash/files/getting_to_80_conference_proceedings_final.pdf,
and let’s start mobilizing.
TURN UP VOTER INVOLVEMENT: "And what I know for a FACT is that this
message--that Trumpism is a threat to everything we care about and love about
this country--is what will inspire the Dem base to vote...and THAT is what this
election is about..." https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1152930670093787141.html Let’s work with whatever groups we can to “DRIVE
UP TURNOUT” in the upcoming elections.
FLIP MODERATE VOTERS IN STATES WHERE RIGHT WING EXTREMISM
US RISING: How do White
Nationalist Extremists like Steve King keep getting elected to Congress?
And how do we stop it in 2020? If we are interested in answering these
questions, we can check out Shift The Country a new
organization working to help elect a Democratic President and
Congress by deliberately create key moments of ideological
change: “tipping points, in the places where we live, online, &
across platforms + people + networks... With coordinated and
strategic attention, activity, buzz, and action that can create noticeable
shifts and real-world change in communities everywhere. “We can read their
Proposal here - https://counterfear.com/shift-the-country/the-proposal/. We
can sign up to be on the Team here: https://counterfear.com/subscribe/. We can join the conference call launch event
the evening of July 31 to get things rolling…
https://www.facebook.com/events/1191725924342971/
We can also follow on social media: Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/ShiftTheCountry/ and Twitter
at:
STATE
SPECIFIC ISSUES
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
LEMONADE STANDS FOR MIGRANT
FAMILIES: The Lawyer Moms Foundation https://www.lawyermomsfoundation.org/ is
organizing Kids Take a Stand—lemonade stands set up all over the country on
Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, to raise awareness of the plight of
migrant families and to raise funds to support the Rio Grande Valley Rapid
Response https://www.rgvrapidresponse.com/ and
KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) https://supportkind.org/ . Let’s take a look
at the Kids Take a Stand toolkit and set up a lemonade stand with our families:
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 and 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
Americans say the nation’s
political debate has grown more toxic and ‘heated’ rhetoric could lead to
violence - https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/18/americans-say-the-nations-political-debate-has-grown-more-toxic-and-heated-rhetoric-could-lead-to-violence/
“I used to work in US
intelligence advising presidents on risk. The biggest threat to our country
today is the Republican Party” - https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-gop-climate-change-fbi-russia-racism-us-intelligence-a9009441.html
“If the GOP wants to stake its
electoral chances on red-baiting politicians’ seedy plots to give people free
healthcare and a livable planet, so be it: there are more of us than there are
of them.” - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/jul/22/republicans-progressives-red-baiting-socialism
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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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