Rogan's List

1/24/20

NATIONAL ISSUES

Contact all Federal Members of Congress (includes contact info and links to social media) https://www.contactingcongress.org/ 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

LET THEM KNOW WE ARE WATCHING:  During this Senate impeachment trial, many of us are watching/listening to the trial while others of us are catching the news as we can during our busy days.  In any case, many of us are watching to see how this test of our democracy plays out.  https://www.creators.com/read/connie-schultz/01/20/america-is-watching It is important to be loud and clear that we know this republic needs to be earned.   https://politicalcharge.org/2020/01/23/a-republic-not-earned/ Let us reach out in our social media with the simple words “I am watching.”  We can tag anyone we like.  Let’s show the world the extent of our concern. 

CHIEF JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS’ ROLE:  “While the Constitution doesn’t offer much detail other than that “the Chief Justice shall preside,” a review of the Federalist Papers shows that the founders in fact wanted the chief justice to be much more than a ceremonial officer or a potted plant. They wanted him or her to play an important, substantive role, as one who presides in the sense of a judge overseeing a trial, or even the vice president presiding over the Senate.”  https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/22/founders-wanted-john-roberts-assert-himself-impeachment-trial-101727  When we hear of a trial with no witnesses or evidence and learn of jurors (senators) doing crossword puzzles, reading books, milling around, and playing  with fidgets (https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/gop-senators-turn-fidget-spinner-toys-during-trump-impeachment-trial-n1121401), seemingly in disdain of the process, it does make this all look like a sham.  Let’s tell Chief Justice John Roberts   that we want him to take on that substantive role as a presider to ensure that witnesses and evidence and proper decorum make this a real trial.  The Supreme Court Clerk’s number is:  202-479-3011 or we can use this online form:  https://www.supremecourt.gov/contact/contact_pio.aspx

PERSUADABLE SENATORS?  There are currently several vulnerable senators, either because they are running for re-election and their seats are not a guaranteed win, or they are retiring and so have less fear of retaliation, or they have been rumored to be on the fence.  https://www.newsweek.com/carl-bernstein-six-nine-republicans-wobbly-donald-trump-impeachment-trial-witnesses-1483639  Let’s contact some of these and encourage them to do the right thing and vote to include witnesses and evidence into the impeachment trial: 

Susan Collins: 202-224-2523
John Thune: 202-224-2321
Lisa Murkowski: 202-224-6665
Ben Sasse: 202-224-4224
Shelly Moore: 202-224-6472
Lamar Alexander: 202-224-4944
Mike Braun: 202-224-4814
Richard Burr: 202-224-3154
Mitt Romney: 202-224-5251

DAILY UPDATE ON CURRENT U.S. EVENTS:  Heather Cox Richardson is a history professor at Boston College who has taken it upon herself to give us a daily account, with a historical perspective, of what is happening in Washington.  Richardson’s cogent and compelling daily entries are beneficial to those of us trying to understand.  Let’s follow her on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson/ , or Twitter:  @HC_Richardson, or by subscribing to her daily email: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/

ROLLBACK OF WATER PROTECTIONS:  In another bow to industry and a rebuff to Obama, Trump has taken us backwards in our attempts to keep water clean and healthy.  “Under the new regulations, landowners and property developers will be able to pour pesticides, fertilizers and other pollutants directly into millions of miles of the nation's waterways for the first time in decades.”  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-51225604  Let’s contact our MoCs to tell them that we want these protections addressed legislatively.    

WE CAN ALTER OUR FACEBOOK EXPERIENCE Social Fixer and F.B. Purity are no0ost tools we can use that can customize our experience of Facebook. One of its features allows us to hide sponsored posts—that is, paid ads. Facebook has refused to block political ads that spread disinformation and lies and that micro-target the public to sow social discord. 

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/09/facebook-sticking-with-policies-on-politicians-lies-and-voter-targeting-096597 If we’re not yet ready to quit Facebook, let’s at least install one of these, customize our Facebook views, including the option to hide sponsored posts from our Facebook feed.

CORRECTION:  EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT—VA, with its newly flipped state government, became the 38^th state to pass the ERA, a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit discrimination based on sex. With ¾’s of the states having ratified the ERA, it is now ready to be added to the Constitution—except that the deadline for ratification has passed. Let’s tell our two senators and one representative to sign on to S.J.Res.6 and  H.J.Res.79  the joint resolution that would eliminate the deadline for ratification of the ERA and allow for its adoption.

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  

NEW APP FOR RESEARCHING OUR ELECTIONS—Ballotpedia is a nonprofit organization that offers a free digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. 

https://ballotpedia.org/Ballotpedia:About They are creating a new smartphone app that will allow us to research the elections and candidates on our ballots, save our choices, and access important election information. The app, called My Vote Ballotpedia, will be available for download in March 2020 in iTunes and the Google Play store. Let’s sign up to be notified when the app is available: https://ballotpedia.org/My_Vote_Ballotpedia

SEEKING PRO-CHOICE CANDIDATES:  Do we know of a candidate running for office who is a "Pro-choice Champion"?    Voter Pro-Choice is in the midst of recruiting and endorsing amazing prochoice candidates and needs our help getting their application out to qualified candidates. We can share their application (www.vpcapp.us) amongst colleagues, staff, organizers, and candidates we may know.  They are currently endorsing candidates across the country who are running for office in 2020! They ask all candidates seeking endorsement to fill out our application, which should take under 30 minutes.  Additionally, if we’d like to discuss candidates our organization, PAC, or team has endorsed, please connect with Julielyn Gibbons,  director of politics and political strategy at julielyn@voteprochoice.us. Let’s help Voter Pro-Choice.

DEADLINES TO REGISTER TO VOTE IN UPCOMING PRIMARIES: “Typically, the three ways you can register are online, by mail, or in person. A few states also let you register on the day as long as you have the right documentation. But most make you do it ahead of time.”  Let’s make sure that we, and friends and family, are registered to vote on time.  Here are the dates for every state and US territory:   https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-register-to-vote-when-to-register-deadlines

STATE/LOCAL

ME:  PEOPLE FOR PEACE:  With the recent assassination of Iranian General Soleimani and growing violence in the Middle East, members of our community have come together to form ‘People for Peace.’  We are holding our first public gathering on Sunday, January 26. If we can make it, let’s join in:  Gathering at Mechanics Park, Main Street, Biddeford, Maine

Sunday, January 26, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. Bring candles, posters.  Wear warm clothing.  FMI:  207-730-1799

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS

REFUSE FASCISM PROTESTS:  RefuseFascism.org “ is a movement of people coming from diverse perspectives, united in our recognition that the Trump/Pence Regime poses a catastrophic danger to humanity and the planet, and that it is our responsibility to drive them from power through non-violent protests that grow every day until our demand is met.”   Let’s find a protest near us and join in or support:  https://www.facebook.com/pg/RefuseFascism/events/ or https://refusefascism.org/2019/12/23/in-january-2020-join-the-outnow-movement/#times

LAUNCH PARTIES FOR THE GREEN NEW DEAL—The Sunrise Movement, a youth-led anti-climate change organization, https://www.sunrisemovement.org/ , is giving us a way to recruit millions of young people and their allies to gather momentum for the passage of the Green New Deal. Let’s consider organizing a 2020 launch party on January 29—we can sign up here:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/our-plan-to-win-the-gnd-2020-launch-parties

READING/WATCHING

Judge Andrew Napolitano: Trump's Senate impeachment trial -- What does it take to remove a president? - https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/trumps-senate-impeachment-trial-judge-andrew-napolitano

Let them speak: Most Americans want witnesses in Trump impeachment trial - Reuters/Ipsos poll - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment-poll-idUSKBN1ZL33O

Opinion: Trump’s impeachment trial was barely live and Fox News was already working on the coverup - https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-01-23/fox-news-schiff-hannity

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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