1/7/20
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
|
ALL-HANDS-ON-DECK:
IMPEACHMENT TRIAL AND WAR WITH IRAN: A lot has been happening during the Rogan’s List holiday hiatus
regarding convincing the Senate to hold a fair impeachment trial (including Monday’s
announcement that Amb. John Bolton is “willing” to testify if subpoenaed by the
Senate: https://apnews.com/a64ea4327e68348f2cb923da7d191d94 )
and regarding Trump’s decision to assassinate Iranian Military Leader Qasem
Soleimani: (https://apnews.com/6e761a5f7817ba8da1b54176ab8b65b9) This
is an all-hands-on-deck time in our nation’s history. Let’s review the list of
US Senators and think about which states with GOP Senators are where our
friends, classmates, former colleagues, family members, etc. live. Then let’s
send the people in our lives individual emails/Facebook messages etc. with
their Senator(s)’ contact information with a request for them to call their
Senator(s) to ask for a fair impeachment trial with witnesses including Bolton
and to ask for a more reasoned foreign policy approach than what Trump is doing
via Twitter:
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?Class=1 People who are not regularly engaged
in political action can feel overwhelmed by the details of contacting their
representatives so providing contact information for their Senators and some
very brief suggested language can go a long way to moving them to action.
IRAN
CRISIS: Iran has announced that
it will abandon some of the constraints on its nuclear program—though it has
not ejected international inspectors; Iraq’s parliamentarians have passed a
nonbinding resolution to force American forces out of the country; meanwhile,
Trump has threatened Iraq with severe sanctions and Iran with the bombing of 52
sites (one for each of the 1979 Iran hostages), including cultural sites that
are protected by international law, while illegally refusing a visa to an
Iranian diplomat due to address the UN Security Council on January 9 and
railing at the Democrats. All this as a result of Trump’s impulsive and illegal
order to kill Gen. Qassem Suleimani—a decision made without Congressional
consultation, much less authorization, and without, it seems, any future
strategy or concern for its effects here or abroad: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/05/us/politics/trump-iran.html or https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2020/jan/06/donald-trump-impeachment-news-today-iran-latest-updates
Let’s tell our MoCs that they must demand that they--and we—have access to
the intelligence about “imminent” attacks on which Trump claims to have
depended, and they must reclaim their constitutional authority over war powers.
PREVENTING
WAR W/IRAN: Senator Tim
Kaine (D-VA) has introduced a War Powers Resolution (S.J. Res. 63) which "requires that any hostilities
with Iran must be explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific
authorization for use of military force," thereby preventing the president
from bypassing Congress unless under the threat of imminent attack (https://bit.ly/2N2vftD, https://bit.ly/2QUWh7g).
Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) are introducing a
companion resolution in the House (https://bit.ly/2ZVTvCR). Let's be sure to read through the resolution, then call our MoC in the House
and Senate to demand Congressional approval for any use of military force in
Iran, and to support War Powers Resolution S.J. Res. 63. If we can’t call, much the more
effective way, the Action Network makes it easy to send an email to our MoCs:
MORE ARTICLES
OF IMPEACHMENT? Now that it has come to light that the Pentagon repeatedly
warned the OMB that holding back money to Ukraine would be against the law,
that it was Trump who directed the hold, and that Barr and the DOJ redacted incriminating
sentences, perhaps there will be more articles of impeachment forthcoming. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/devastating-blow-schumer-says-newly-unredacted-emails-show-why-senate-n1109641
and https://www.justsecurity.org/67863/exclusive-unredacted-ukraine-documents-reveal-extent-of-pentagons-legal-concerns/
Let’s tell our House reps that we hope this is being looked into as it
certainly points to a coverup.
IRANIAN
DETENTION: Since Trump's
escalation with Iran within the past few days, Iranian-American U.S. citizens
have started being detained at U.S. borders (https://politi.co/2SZq958, https://bit.ly/2QtsNhW).
Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection is denying that there is
any specific targeting of Iranian Americans. If we are among those who
have been detained at Washington state ports of entry, we can
contact CAIR-WA Executive Director Masih Fouladi at 714-801-0349 for
assistance. We can also contact Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal to
report detentions: E-mail: WA07PJ_casework@mail.house.gov. Let's all be sure to share
the Council on American-Islamic Relations' Know Your Rights for our
Iranian-American friends, particularly those who are traveling and returning to
the United States: https://www.cair.com/KnowYourRights
FOREIGN
INFLUENCE IN U.S. POLITICS: The
law meant to protect our government against covert foreign influence, FARA
(Foreign Agents Registration Act), has a massive loophole that exempts
lobbyists by deferring to a weaker law, the LDA (Lobbying Disclosure Act). The
original idea was that lobbyists advocate for commercial interests, whereas
FARA regulates political interests. However, we know that the commercial and
the political can`t really be separated in the real world, and this is proven
by the sharp decline in FARA registrations since the LDA was enacted. https://www.lawfareblog.com/justice-departments-new-unprecedented-use-foreign-agents-registration-act
and https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2016/a1624.pdf
(pg. 17-18). Let`s tell our MoCs to respect the Office of the Inspector
General`s report by sponsoring new legislation to remove the LDA exemption from
FARA.
ASK
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES TO VISIT THE BORDER: The Homestead Detention Center shut down last year in part due to the
massive outcry, which was exacerbated by media-covered trips to the border by
many of the Democratic candidates for president. Now, asylum-seeking children
and families are facing serious risks of violence, as thousands are camped out
on the Mexican border waiting to have their cases heard. https://www.unicefusa.org/stories/immigration-policies-put-migrant-families-serious-risk-violence/36827.
Let’s call all the Democratic candidates for president (Bennet, Biden,
Bloomberg, Booker, Buttigieg, Delaney, Gabbard, Klobuchar, Patrick, Sanders, Steyer,
Warren, Williamson, and Yang) and ask them to join the call to bear personal
witness to what is going on and visit the Texas/Mexico border.
ASSURE FAIR ACCESSIBLE COURT HEARINGS AND DUE PROCESS FOR ASYLUM-SEEKERS: The administration is now scheduling court hearings in El Paso Texas for people attempting to cross the border in Arizona, forcing them to travel more than 350 miles at their own expense. https://tucson.com/news/local/u-s-now-returning-asylum-seekers-to-sonora-to-await/. (Previously, the government drove people who had court hearings in El Paso to Juarez, the Mexican town on the other side of the border). Let’s make sure to speak out about this latest violation of due process to our MoCs and ask them to join the call for fair hearings and due process.
LINDSEY
GRAHAM WANTS SENATE IMPEACHMENT RULES CHANGED: “Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O.
Graham suggested Sunday that Republicans should try to change Senate rules
governing impeachment if House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to withhold the
charges against President Trump — an unlikely 11th-hour bid to begin a trial
within days without the actual documents.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-impeachment/senate-republican-eyes-rule-change-to-kick-start-trump-impeachment-trial-idUSKBN1Z40LO
and https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/top-republican-suggests-changing-senate-rules-to-begin-trump-impeachment-trial-within-days/2020/01/05/4e5bebe6-2fdb-11ea-898f-eb846b7e9feb_story.html
Let’s tell Graham to stop wasting time on his antics and
prepare to have a fair trial with witnesses. Tweet him @LindseyGrahamSC Let’s also tell our own MoCs how we feel about
this self-serving tactic.
POSTCARDS
TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT FOR MORALE:
From Postcards For
America: We Can Help keep up the
spirits of those who remain at State! This is so important!! Civil servants – like those you saw testify
at the Impeachment Hearings – keep the wheels of democracy turning. It makes a difference. (People at these
agencies have tracked me down through the website to say how much it meant to
them when we have postcarded in the past. Some agencies had them up in the
hallways.) Here’s what we can do: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10oIzaVJArsZkcfEaWtmzk8cil4xYGykxStEoMblWrDA/edit
CHIEF
JUSTICE JOHN ROBERTS: In his year-end report, Chief Justice of the Supreme
Court John Roberts expressed concern that Americans are taking democracy for
granted: https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/jan/01/supreme-court-chief-justice-john-roberts-age-of-false-information Let’s
take a moment to let Chief Justice Roberts know that in his role as Chief
Justice and in overseeing the Senate Impeachment Trial we do not want him to
take democracy for granted either: https://www.supremecourt.gov/contact/contactus.aspx
POSTCARDING
TO GO: From one of our own: a weekly list of already
written up postcard activism: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xs5ysjc5ZNKrDvPsEwQr1B4tz-YYHfahYc42-HdV3w4/edit
AUSTRALIAN
WILDFIRES/WILDLIFE CARE: Millions of wildlife have
been killed in the Australian wildfires, with even more struggling to survive.
Some species even face the possibility of extinction (https://bit.ly/39FqyQl).
The Animal
Rescue Collective Craft Guild and The Rescue Collective are asking crafty volunteers to
help create joey pouches, bat wraps, and blankets to help the injured animals (https://bit.ly/36rz03C). Let's
check out the above pages for patterns and measurements, as well as information
on where to send completed projects. For those of us who may not sew, knit, or
crochet, but who still want to help out, we can also check out The Rescue
Collective's wishlist here.
AUSTRALIAN
WILDFIRE RESOURCE LIST: From
volunteer firefighters, to First Nations communities, and from displaced
families to injured wildlife, Australia needs help. Cnet has published a
thorough explainer on the Australian wildfires, including a detailed list of
all the ways we can help. Let's be sure to educate ourselves on what is
happening, and what we can do to pitch in: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/australian-fires-everything-we-know-and-how-you-can-help/
TRUMP SEEKS
CHANGE IN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY:
Only once has the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) been amended in its
50-year history, but now, as Australia burns and Jakarta floods, Trump is
proposing to relieve federal agencies from the obligation to consider climate
change when they approve pipelines, highways and other big infrastructure
projects; moreover, those projects that still require an environmental review
would not have to consider their “cumulative” effects—like their effect on
climate: https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/476727-expected-changes-to-environmental-law-would-nix-consideration-of or https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/03/climate/trump-nepa-climate-change.html
Once the proposed rules are filed in the federal register this week, we will have 60 days to comment on them. We need to keep track of this filing (https://www.federalregister.gov/) and stop passage of a final regulation, which the administration expects before the presidential election in November.
Once the proposed rules are filed in the federal register this week, we will have 60 days to comment on them. We need to keep track of this filing (https://www.federalregister.gov/) and stop passage of a final regulation, which the administration expects before the presidential election in November.
IMPEACHMENT
SOAP: “The owner of P.E.I.'s
Island Potato Soap Company has come up with a new soap he hopes will appeal to
some customers south of the border.” https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/pei-impeachment-soap-dec-2019-1.5411216 We
can buy some of this conversation-starting soap here: https://www.islandpotatosoap.com/store/p18/impeachment-soap.html
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
PARTY LIKE IT’S 2020: To win as many elections as possible in 2020,
we need to register new voters in swing states who are likely to vote for
Democrats. Doing so is a lot more fun when we do it with others! Let’s
take a look at this house-party kit from Vote Forward, and let’s gather with
friends to send voter registration forms to citizens of swing states: https://votefwd.org/vote-forward-party-kit.pdf
CREATE INEXPENSIVE CAMPAIGN VIDEOS: Campaigns need good, tight, quality videos to inform
and help persuade voters. Most budgets
for small campaigns need a lot of creativity, especially when there is not a lot
of money. Let’s check out these “three
free video creation apps give even the smallest group the chance to be heard.
They are simple to learn and easy to use.”
https://thedemlabs.org/2019/12/07/three-free-apps-to-create-campaign-videos-with-just-a-laptop/
GET OUT THE VOTE: POSTCARDERS WANTED: We can help get out the
Democrats out to vote one voter at a time with Postcards to Voters (P2V).
Current campaigns include a) Florida - Vote By Mail (VBM). We
are encouraging all registered Democrats in Duval County (Jacksonville area) to
register to vote by mail. VBM voters vote at a higher, more consistent rate.
b) Texas - Campaign 187: Eliz Markowitz for State House. This
is our second chance to help our first-choice candidate. The runoff election
will by Jan. 28. Let's request 5 addresses today for one of P2V's
active campaigns.
STATE/LOCAL
KY: GOOD LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES NEEDED FOR WINNABLE
SEATS BY FRIDAY: With deadline to file
to run for legislative offices this Friday, there are several seats we could
win with NO Democrats in the running. It’s great that we elected Andy Beshear,
but now we need strong allies in the legislature to back him up. We can
check here to see which potentially winnable districts still need good
candidates, then file to run or, if we have a good candidate in mind, urge them
to toss their hat in the ring. https://robertkahne.com/candidates-2020/
We can access filing forms here and find more
information here:
WISCONSIN: Last month a judge ordered the purge of
200,000 Wisconsin voters who may have moved and didn’t respond within 30 days
to notification sent by the elections commission in October. Conservatives are
pushing for an immediate purge. We can read more at APNews.
We expect to see more voter purges in 2020 as conservatives try to suppress
liberal votes. We can check our voter registration status any time
at http://www.vote.org and
the US government site usa.gov
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
JOIN TWITTERSTORM FOR A FAIR IMPEACHMENT TRIAL
WITH WITNESSES: When Impeachment
moves to the Senate, we need to do everything we can to get a fair trial and
not the rush to exoneration that McConnell has promised Trump. If all the
Democrats and just four Republicans vote for it, the Senate can call witnesses
such as Bolton, Pompey, Mulvaney, Giuliani and more to put clearer picture of what
happened before the American people. We can help pressure key Senators
to do the right thing and vote to hold a fair Impeachment trial in the Senate,
when we join Action Together Network’s Twitterstorm Thursday, January 9 from 8-9pm Eastern Time. We can find the event
here: https://facebook.com/events/s/fairtrial-impartialjustice-tw/475790759806385/?ti=icl We can send out prewritten tweets from
this sheet with just a few clicks. Adding a few of our own words and waiting a
minute or two between tweets will help us from being shut out by Twitter’s new
rules: http://shorturl.at/mGHIT
Let’s stand up for a fair impeachment trial today!
2020 Women’s March: January 18, 2020 in Washington, D.C. and
sister marches worldwide. Click here
for more information: https://womensmarch.com/home2020
and here to find or host a sister march:
http://womensmarch.com/sister-march
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
You
know that trainload of hundreds of bills Senate Republicans have blocked?
Here's a linked list - https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/12/26/1906015/-You-know-that-trainload-of-hundreds-of-bills-Senate-Republicans-have-blocked-Here-s-a-linked-list
Fresh
Cambridge Analytica leak ‘shows global manipulation is out of control’ - https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/04/cambridge-analytica-data-leak-global-election-manipulation
To
Produce Citizenship Data, Homeland Security To Share Records With Census - https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793325772/to-produce-citizenship-data-homeland-security-to-share-records-with-census
Was It
Legal For The U.S. To Kill A Top Iranian Military Leader? - https://www.npr.org/2020/01/04/793412105/was-it-legal-for-the-u-s-to-kill-a-top-iranian-military-leader
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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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