11/19/19
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
|
FY2020/DEFUND
ICE: Trump's insistence on
building a wall is again preventing lawmakers from being able to pass a
spending bill for the upcoming year (https://bit.ly/2NX9oEV). This week, the House plans on
voting for a continuing resolution to prevent a government shutdown and extend
the amount of time they have to work out funding and allocation agreements.
Meanwhile, thousands of families have been separated at the
southern border, and nearly 70,000 migrant children have been taken into custody. Let's
use this time to ask our MoC to take a stand, and #DefundHate by cutting ICE
and CBP funding to their Fiscal Year 2016 levels. We can also ask that our MoC
include language in the bill that will require strict standards for detention facilities
and ensure that people are not held in inhumane conditions. We can learn more
about the #DefundHate campaign, and get a a call script here.
IMPEACHMENT
HEARINGS CONTINUE: Impeachment hearings continue this week in the
House. Let’s get up to speed and see
who is testifying: https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/779377602/impeachment-public-hearings-week-2-who-is-testifying-and-what-happens-next As the Republicans try to flood Congress with
anti-impeachment calls, it’s important that we let our representatives know
that we support the process and appreciate all the hard work they are doing to
get to the truth. We can call our representatives to state our support
for the impeachment process, then call Congressman Adam Schiff to thank him for
his clear, fair, even handed handling of the process.
MORE THAN UKRAINE: While the
infamous phone call with the Ukrainian president was the impetus for the
impeachment hearings, it is far from the only issue being investigated. The House is also investigating if Trump lied
to Mueller during that investigation. https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/18/mueller-secrets-trump-democrats-court-071378
Let’s assure our MoCs that we want all the issues on the table so that the
truth can be ascertained.
PRESSURE
THE SENATE TO TAKE IMPEACHMENT SERIOUSLY: After a week of damning public testimony, Republicans in the Senate are
refusing to consider the many ways in which Trump risked national security for
his own political gain, instead calling on every tactic to deflect the issue to
illegally outing the whistleblower and focusing attention on the Bidens. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/470746-impeachment-hearings-dont-move-needle-with-senate-gop.
Let’s keep telling our Senators that we expect them to put country over party and consider the evidence in the upcoming impeachment as impartial
jurors, the way the Constitution dictates.
MORE MASS KILLINGS: In less
than a week there have been four more mass killings, including at a school, at
a Walmart, at a backyard gathering, and in someone’s home. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/18/california-mass-shootings-gun-violence-control
and https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/18/walmart-shooting-several-wounded-attack-duncan-oklahoma/4228530002/ Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8)
and the Enhanced Background Checks Act
of 2019 (H.R.
1112) have been sitting in the Senate having been passed in early 2010. https://www.businessinsider.com/the-house-gun-control-legislation-mitch-mcconnell-senate-2019-8 Let’s tell McConnell to get this
scheduled. People are dying
needlessly. We can also join countless
other Americans standing up for our children, so they won’t have to stand up to
gunmen. Text READY to 644-33 to join a Moms Demand Action chapter near you.
SPEAK OUT
ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES IN THE REMAIN IN MEXICO PROGRAM: Today the House Subcommittee on Border Security
Facilitation and Operations is holding a hearing on the Remain in Mexico
Program. We can watch this live at this link, but in addition to hearing from experts, we
should raise our concern at the human rights mess that Trump’s Remain in Mexico
policy has created. https://apnews.com/337b139ed4fa4d208b93d491364e04da.
Let’s email
the committee and ask them to take broad and swift action to help end this
crisis.
“UNIFIED SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN”: From one of our own: Twitter warriors (#TW) and Demcast (#DEMCAST) are working together to coordinate social media campaigns across various Resistance and pro-democracy groups. Our purpose is to join the collective power of our voices to support Blue electoral wins in 2020. If your group would like to join us, we will add you to a group in an application called basecamp and as a team will pick no more than 2 campaigns per month to cross promote within our groups. Our first campaign is for ACA - #GetCovered Let’s sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Xqhxz7RPU5vR4JHOSbze-W_4PqmzEQG3se0iHoTrKus/viewform?edit_requested=true
REPEAL THE
LAND EXCHANGE: From one of our own: URGENT CALL TO ACTION! Repeal the land
exchange! Please ask your
Congressional delegation to cosponsor the “SAVE OAK FLAT ACT" (H.R.665/S.173) to
repeal section 3003, Southeastern
Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of the National Defense
Authorization Act for FY 2015.
http://org.salsalabs.com/o/676/p/dia/action4/common/public/?action_KEY=23421&okay=true
and https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-oak-flat-resolution-copper-mine-nepa-environmental-rio-tinto-11391865
and http://apache-stronghold.com/
We can also SIGN PETITION: Protect Apache holy site from Resolution Copper: https://petitions.moveon.org/p/e_iBG_fUWz and SIGN PETITION: Tell Congress: Repeal the
giveaway of a sacred Native American site to a foreign mining company: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/oak_flat_2019_2
STOP
CALIBURN FROM BUILDING ANOTHER FOR-PROFIT CHILD PRISON IN EL PASO: Soon after conditions at the child detention
center at Homestead, Florida hit the spotlight last summer, it was closed down
and Caliburn, the for-profit company that managed the site at a cost of
$720,000 per day (even after it was closed) finally had its contract end. Now
the U.S. has given Caliburn a contract to build a new child migrant detention
center in El Paso. https://apnews.com/337b139ed4fa4d208b93d491364e04da. Let’s
make our message loud and clear to our MoCs and to the Department of Homeland
Security (202-282-8000). Private for-profit prisons for children offer no
incentive to get children out of detention and they are a waste of our taxpayer
money. Caliburn has proven itself to be inhumane and ineffective and this
contract should be canceled.
TELL THE
SENATE TO PASS HONG KONG RIGHTS ACT AND SUPPORT STUDENTS: As we watch in horror at the tear gas and rubber
bullets fired on protesting Hong Kong Polytechnic University students, there is
something we can do for them. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/what-the-us-congress-is-and-isnt-doing-about-hong-kong/2019/11/18/d51ab226-0a19-11ea-8054-289aef6e38a3_story.html
and https://www.vox.com/2019/11/18/20970453/hong-kong-protests-2019-polytechnic-police
We can speak up in their defense by demanding the Senate pass The
Hong Kong Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 (H.R. 3289),
which sanctions human rights violations and send a strong message about our
support for democratic values. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongkong-protests-usa/u-s-senators-seek-quick-passage-of-hong-kong-rights-bill-idUSKBN1XO2EU
Let’s call our Senators at (202) 224-3121 and ask that they pass it as soon as
possible.
RACIST
“IMMIGRATION ARCHITECT,” STEPHEN MILLER: White House spokespeople attacked the Southern Poverty Law
Center as “an utterly-discredited . . . far-left smear organization” after the
SPLC’s Hatewatch published a trove of emails from and to Stephen Miller,
Trump’s policy advisor, indicating his affiliations with white
nationalists: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/11/12/stephen-millers-affinity-white-nationalism-revealed-leaked-emails and https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/nov/14/stephen-miller-leaked-emails-white-nationalism-trump
and https://www.wnyc.org/story/7a5a2893bce83d4409189df3 In
a blatant bid for some kind of credibility, they have, moreover, implied that
the report is an anti-Semitic attack on Miller: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/14/us/politics/immigration-trump.html
We need to join those pressing the White House to oust Miller; the SPLC has
detailed the opposition: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/11/15/demands-stephen-millers-resignation-grow-following-splc-report a
Any number of petitions are available for us to sign, among them those
from Ocasio-Cortez, Move On, The National Council of Jewish Women:
https://act.ocasiocortez.com/signup/stephen_miller/; https://petitions.moveon.org/sign/remove-stephen-miller; https://www.ncjw.org/act/action/stop-stephen-miller/
A move is also underway to defund Miller’s immigration agenda; to support this,
we should contact our MoCs. For details on Trump’s immigration funding
demands:
GRATITUDE
FOR IMPEACHMENT TESTIFIERS: Let’s
join Postcards
for America in sending postcards of support to William Taylor, George Kent,
and Marie Yovanovitch for serving our country with courage and integrity,
including by testifying in the House impeachment inquiry. Addresses
here:
FAKE NEWS: It's a real problem, and it takes vigilance not
to be fooled by the misinformation all around us. Let's test our news
literacy with this short and informative quiz from News Literacy
Project, a national education nonprofit: https://newslit.org/get-smart/how-news-literate-are-you-quiz/
FOR POSTCARDING
PARTIES: From one of our own: Here are this week's issues/addresses
write-ups. Please use/share/distribute as you see fit. Thank you for speaking
out! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RAyvju_fJS9TKjyoWWVJAoxvk_qYJbY95aSuIsTekiA/edit?usp=sharing
LEAN CARS
MEAN CLEAN AIR.: “Starting
immediately, California state agencies will no longer buy gas-powered sedans,
officials said Friday. And starting in January, the state will stop purchasing
vehicles from carmakers that haven’t agreed to follow California’s clean car
rules.
The decision
affects General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Toyota and multiple other automakers
that sided with the Trump administration in the ongoing battle over tailpipe
pollution rules. The policy will hit General Motors particularly hard;
California spent more than $27 million on passenger vehicles from GM-owned Chevrolet in 2018.”
If you are
looking for a new car, consider following CA and buy from a car company that
continues to follow the CA clean air act. trump may not care about the planet,
but we can show we care with our dollars. Ask your state
legislatures to follow CA lead and purchase their state vehicles from clean car
manufacturers.
OVER-REACHING
BARR: “Attorney General William
Barr vociferously attacked Democratic lawmakers and federal judges on Friday
and accused them of trying to limit Trump's presidential power.” https://www.npr.org/2019/11/16/780092237/barr-accuses-democrats-of-trying-to-cripple-the-trump-administration-s-power Barr has crossed the line and is now acting
as Trump’s attorney instead of our nation’s attorney. The DOJ is in danger of losing its
long-standing reputation and goal of being non-partisan. Let’s tell Barr that it is time for him to
step down and let’s let the Department of Justice know our concerns, too: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us
DO-IT-YOURSELF
IMPEACHMENT VIDEOS: C-Span makes
it possible for us to create clips of our favorite impeachment-hearing moments.
Instructions are here: https://static.c-span.org/assets/documents/New+Video+Player+Release+-+Clipping+Guide+and+Release+Notes_v2.pdf
AMY
SISKIND'S WEEKLY LIST: Experts
in authoritarianism advise us to keep a list of things subtly changing around
us, so we’ll remember. Amy Siskind is keeping that list for us. Amy
writes, "...public impeachment hearings started, with three career diplomats
testifying before the House Intelligence Committee." Let's
review Week 157.
ELECTION/VOTING
2020 ELECTIONS: If we are looking for 2020 Election information
or if we have some to share, we can check out Equal Vote Local’s BlueWave
Database 2020. We can click here to find information about candidates,
voting and more arranged by state. This editable document also allows us to add
our groups and any candidates running for office: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ir8YGs1F0Lfayl6T7XR7tklnYrEk4VcEzTkPumLVWAI We can also
find out more about Equal here at their website: https://www.equalvotelocal.com/
LOUISIANA ELECTION RESULTS: Incumbent
Governor John Bel Edwards (D) was re-elected in the special election on
Saturday. Edwards won by about 40,000 votes with strong support and high
voter turnout in the state's more populated urban areas. We can read more
at NPR. Thanks to our Postcards To Voters' volunteers who
wrote to help get out the vote. (P2V
Campaign 181). Let's keep generating voter enthusiasm!
GET OUT THE VOTE! We can always count on Postcards To Voters
to have at least one active, open campaign! a) SC: Campaign
182: Dr. Kristin Beard for Aiken School Board. Let's help create
change at the local level! b) FL Voter By Mail: The campaign
continues with Florida's Palm Beach County as we write to registered Democrats
to urge them to sign up for vote by mail. Let's request 5 addresses
today for an open campaign. (We can request as few as one (1) address
at a time if that works better for us!)
FAIR VOTE TEXT BANKING: “Fair Fight Action [started by
Stacey Abrams] learned that Georgia’s Secretary of State is set to purge over
300,000 registered voters from the voting rolls across the state. On November 21, just one day after the
Democratic Presidential Debate in Atlanta, we will hold virtual phone banks and
text banks across the state and a phone bank in the Atlanta area to notify
voters and help them stay on the rolls.” More info here: https://www.facebook.com/FairFightAction/
We can help
wherever we live. We can sign up
here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScMgi5_BVggKVLunG0MwT0kEDAUh44KABtC9shyDT3-FDpEJw/viewform
JOB OPENINGS—Black Voters Matter works on voting: registering
voters and getting out the vote; advocating for voting rights and voting
access; and organizing for civic engagement. https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org/the-project Black
Voters Matter currently has job openings for a State Coordinator (PA), for a
Field Outreach and Travel Assistant (GA, with lots of traveling), and for a
Communications Director. https://www.blackvotersmatterfund.org/jobs Let’s
spread the word!
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
WEBINAR ON ENGAGING PEOPLE WHO DO NOT VOTE: The unique, nonpartisan, and scalable Right Question Institute’s Voter
Engagement Initiative offers an educational strategy designed to increase
voting rates for the long term. The free webinar is on Nov. 19 at 3pm EST. Let’s sign up to learn about their
innovative, simple, and powerful approach to engaging people who traditionally
don't vote. Register now: https://bit.ly/2NeNw7D (H/T)
CLIMATE STRIKES CONTINUE: From Future Coalition: On Nov 29 & Dec 6, we strike again! Youth
across the U.S. will lead a #ClimateStrike on
Nov 29 & Dec 6 to demand legislative action to combat the climate
crisis. Strike with us! Let’s find or host an event: https://strikewithus.org/
MORE CLIMATE STRIKE: The climate
crisis is accelerating and slowing it down will require our sustained
attention and effort, and that climate strike we marched in back in September
was just the beginning. On December 6th, as world leaders gather at the
UN’s annual climate conference, young people across America will join a
national #ClimateStrike to take the momentum from September to our elected
officials’ doorsteps. Climate change is the biggest issue humanity has ever
faced, so let's all pledge to help our kids tackle it, here: https://www.sunrisemovement.org/climate-strike
ATTEND A NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW RALLY: MoveOn is
sponsoring “No One is Above the Law Rallies on the night before the House votes
on Articles of Impeachment. We can sign up here to organize or attend an event in our
area.
READING/WATCHING
The
impeachment hearings are a battle between oligarchy and democracy - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/nov/16/the-impeachment-hearings-are-a-battle-between-oligarchy-and-democracy
Fractured
Into Factions? What The Founders Feared About Impeachment - https://www.npr.org/2019/11/18/779938819/fractured-into-factions-what-the-founders-feared-about-impeachment
TED
Salon: Border Stories, “What’s really happening at the US-Mexico border—and how
we can do better,” by immigration lawyer Erika Pinheiro -
‘Zone
Rouge’: An army of children toils in African mines - https://www.nbcnews.com/news/all/army-children-toil-african-mica-mines-n1082916?
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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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