1/9/20
NO WAR WITH IRAN PROTESTS/VIGILS
Today (Thursday) there are No War With Iran: Day of
Action events
taking place around the country to protest Trump’s
reckless actions
this past week and to call for peace. Let’s find and
attend an event near us:
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
|
TRUMP AND
IRAN: Tuesday night was a
difficult night in our nation’s history as Iran fired on our bases in Iraq as
retaliation for our assassination of Qasem Soleimani. Although there are some
efforts at de-escalation, it is unclear what will happen next: https://apnews.com/d40501d9b0a712d02e2a6626f607ead2 and
https://www.suitupmaine.org/no-iran-war/
Let’s contact our MoC to say that we should not be fomenting war with Iran and
that Trump is deeply unfit to lead our nation. When we contact our Senators,
let’s also remind them that we expect a fair impeachment trial in the Senate
with witnesses. Let’s also contact friends and family in our own state and
other states and ask them to do the same – providing the Capitol Switchboard
phone number (1-202-224-3121) and suggesting some simple language to help move
them into action.
CALL
CONGRESS TO RESTRAIN TRUMP’S WARMONGERING:
Although it appears that
war may be averted (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2020/01/08/us-officials-warned-missile-launch-iraq-bases-troops/2842200001/),
by bringing us to the brink of war with Iran, Trump has shown us once again how
reckless and dangerous his erratic foreign policy decisions can be. It is
urgent that Congress does its Constitutional part to restrain him from plunging
us into any future wars, and both houses now have a Joint Resolution to do
so. We can call the House, (202) 224-3121, to ask our Rep to vote for
Elissa Slotkin’s War Powers Resolution today, ending military hostilities with
Iran in 30 days unless further Congressional action is taken. https://thehill.com/homenews/house/477320-democrats-ramp-up-calls-for-war-powers-vote-after-iran-strike
Then, we can call our Senators, also at
(202) 224-3121, to vote yes on Tim Kaine’s resolution to stop Trump from acting
unilaterally. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/476702-kaine-introduces-resolution-to-block-war-with-iran.
With Republican leaders like Lindsay Graham, Mike Lee, and Mitch McConnell also
calling for de-escalation of tensions, https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/477301-gop-senators-call-on-trump-to-deescalate-tensions-with-iran
and https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/insulting-demeaning-lawmakers-rip-trump-administration-after-iran-briefing-n1112596,
this resolution should be a no-brainer. Let’s make sure that our MoCs know that
we expect them to act quickly and responsibly.
We need to help to build a veto-proof majority by pressuring our MoCs
now. Trump seems to have side-stepped war this time, but that is no
assurance our erratic and impulsive president will continue to do so.
IMPEACHMENT
PROCEEDINGS: “Some Senate
Democrats are beginning to question the wisdom of the House continuing to
withhold the articles of impeachment against President Trump from the Senate
and delaying the trial in the upper chamber.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-impeachment-trial-democratic-senators-break-with-pelosi-on-withholding-articles-of-impeachment/ Speaker Pelosi, however, does not want to
forward the articles of impeachment to the Senate until she is certain there
will be a fair trial. Pelosi “continued
to hammer McConnell for his earlier remarks that he would be in
"total
coordination" with the White House on strategy for the impeachment
trial.” https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/477259-pelosi-refuses-to-back-down-on-impeachment-rules-fight Let’s contact our senators to say that we,
too, want a fair trial in which the jury does not collaborate with the defendant.
“HOW TO”
CALL OUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS: If we want to call our MoCs about Iran, or any other
issue, and are still a little hesitant and need a little help getting started,
we can watch Jessica Craven of Chop
Wood Carry Water demonstrate how to make these calls: https://www.facebook.com/ChopCarry/videos/3213892418639138/ If we are not on Facebook, we can watch this YouTube
video from International anti- poverty organization ONE, for a demonstration on
calling our MoCs on any topic: https://youtu.be/07XycFuN2VY If we’ve been reluctant to call, let’s
watch these and try it out ourselves!
WOMENS’
RIGHTS AND THE ERA: While
the Dept. of Justice has ruled that the deadline for the ERA has expired (
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/08/politics/equal-rights-amendment-justice-department-opinion/index.html)
the text of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), first introduced in 1923, reads
as follows: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." One
would think this unobjectionable, but, appallingly, not until Virginia's
Democratic legislature votes, would the requisite 38 states have ratified its
inclusion in the Constitution. Most Americans think that this equality is
already law. The League of Women Voters asked
for the removal of the deadline so that when the next state ratified, it would become
law. https://www.lwv.org/lwvus-urges-house-and-senate-remove-ratifcation-deadline-equal-rights-amendment Unfortunately, efforts from the right to
block its passage continue. Let’s urge our MoCs to do whatever is in
their power to ensure the rights of women, and let’s make it clear that to fail
to support this effort is to forfeit the support of women voters.
SPEAK OUT
AGAINST DEPORTING ASYLUM-SEEKERS TO GUATEMALA: Since November, the Trump administration
arranged a cooperative agreement with Guatemala that allowed our country to
deport some asylum seekers from other Central American countries there. This
controversial program has just been expanded to include Mexican nationals. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/trump-immigration-deporting-refugees-mexico-guatemala-border?
Guatemala is just as dangerous as the countries these refugees are fleeing, and
this is another violation of their due process rights to have their asylum
cases be heard. The choice of where to seek asylum should be left to the
individuals involved; this is not a role our country should be playing. Let’s
speak out against his program to our MoCs and ask them to introduce legislation
to stop this inhumane policy.
PUERTO RICO
NEEDS HELP – STILL AND AGAIN: “A
6.4 magnitude earthquake that killed one person in Puerto Rico on
Tuesday is one of hundreds of tremors that have rattled the island for more
than a week. And experts say the shaking is not over yet.” https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/08/us/puerto-rico-region-hundreds-of-earthquakes/index.html Still reeling from 2017’s Hurricane Maria,
Puerto Rico has not gotten all the federal help it expected then and is now in
need of more. While Trump approved federal
emergency funding yesterday, his “authorization also comes as the
administration has been slow to release long-term Hurricane Maria
reconstruction funds managed by other federal agencies, angering Puerto Ricans
and congressional leaders who approved said funds.” https://thehill.com/latino/477346-trump-approves-puerto-rico-emergency-declaration Let’s make sure our MoCs know that we want
our fellow citizens in Puerto Rico to be treated with dignity and assistance to
help re-build their island. We can also
check here to see how we can help Puerto Ricans: https://www.inquirer.com/news/puerto-rico-earthquake-how-to-help-donate-donations-20200107.html
DEMAND THAT KEY WITNESSES BLOCKED BY THE WHITE HOUSE TESTIFY IN A SENATE TRIAL: Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, claims that he has the votes to set the rules for an impeachment trial without witnesses, and it looks like Republican moderates Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) are among his support. https://www.npr.org/2020/01/07/794254074/mcconnell-will-move-ahead-with-impeachment-trial-rules-without-democrats-support. The claim is that these are the same protocols that were set in the Bill Clinton trial; however, the circumstances are extremely different in that key witnesses were blocked from testifying by the White House, and a key cornerstone of the Republicans’ argument is that there isn’t enough hard evidence. Let’s tell our Republican Senators that their party’s blatant coordination with the White House is a violation of their constitutional duty to examine all evidence related to the situation, and insist that people like John Bolton and Mick Mulvaney be subpoenaed to testify because witnesses are essential for a Fair Impeachment trial. Let’s call our friends and host a letter writing/tweeting/calling party to our MoC’s and Mitch.
IMMIGRATION/FAMILY
SEPARATION: PBS Frontline
has released a new documentary, Targeting El Paso, which looks at
family separation, child detention, and how Trump's immigration policies have
played out at the Clint Board Patrol Station in El Paso, Texas. The documentary
will include the firsthand account of Dariana, a nine-year-old girl who was
separated from her father and detained in the border patrol facility. Let's
be sure to take the time to watch the hour-long documentary:
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/targeting-el-paso/
IDENTIFYING FAKE PHOTOS: To help identify fake photos and help stop disinformation, “the International Fact-Checking Network developed a step-by-step guide to teach citizens how to verify images, from asking simple and rhetorical questions to using reverse image search on cell phones.” https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2020/how-to-use-your-phone-to-spot-fake-images-surrounding-the-u-s-iran-conflict/ Let’s check this out and use it to help stop the spread of disinformation.
IDENTIFYING FAKE PHOTOS: To help identify fake photos and help stop disinformation, “the International Fact-Checking Network developed a step-by-step guide to teach citizens how to verify images, from asking simple and rhetorical questions to using reverse image search on cell phones.” https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2020/how-to-use-your-phone-to-spot-fake-images-surrounding-the-u-s-iran-conflict/ Let’s check this out and use it to help stop the spread of disinformation.
CRAFTERS TO
THE RESCUE! “I’m sure you’ve heard of the wildfires in
Australia and the devastation they are having on wildlife. It can feel very
hard to help from this far away.
I know some of
you knit and crochet based on the response I had to the CTA about plastic yarn
(plarn) blankets. So I’ve got another for you!
The Animal Rescue Craft Guild (https://www.facebook.com/groups/arfsncrafts/)
is asking crafty folks (knitters, sewers, crocheters and you generally crafty
people) to create joey pouches, wraps, blankets, mittens and more. Please go to
their facebook page and click on their large banner image (which says Click
Here for FAQs Design Files and Drop Locations). They have specific design
patterns that their wildlife experts have chosen, so please use those.”
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
HELP GET OUR NEIGHBORS REGISTERED TO VOTE: MoveOn
wants to help us to help our neighbors who may not be voters to get registered. They ask us to sign up here and they will “will
match you with folks in your area who may not be registered to vote.” https://act.moveon.org/survey/vpc_voter_reg_volunteer
MAKE CALLS FROM HOME TO RECRUIT FLORIDA VOLUNTEERS &
REGISTER VOTERS: Florida will be a key
state to win in this year’s elections, so how do we win there? By recruiting
volunteers and registering more voters! After years of razor thin losses
in Florida, Democrats are now organizing to register 200,000 new voters for
this crucial election year. We can help by making calls from home from this virtual phone
bank. We can click here to get started: https://www.openvpb.com/vpb_bycode/997053J-948613 We can read more about Democratic efforts to
reach new voters here:
STATE/LOCAL
MI, OH: TRUMP RALLY PROTEST: From MI Resistance:
"Everyone knows how important Michigan, Ohio & Wisconsin will be to
getting rid of the orange menace. And he knows it too. Just a few weeks
ago, he held a rally in Battle Creek, MI. In partnership with the #OUTNOW
movement and other groups, the resistance had a strong showing outside the
arena. And now, this Thursday, January 9th, he'll be in Toledo, Ohio. Not too
far away for many Michigan Resisters to show up and use our voices." For
those of us who are able, let's take a road trip and stand up against Trump:
Thursday, January 9th, meet at 4:00 PM in Promenade Park (corner of N. Summit
& Madison in Toledo) to march to Huntington Center where Trump is speaking.
Carpool from Detroit Area to Toledo: Leaving at 2:15 PM from the John D.
Dingell Transit Center, 21201 Michigan Avenue, Dearborn, MI. For more
information about carpooling, e-mail detroit@refusefascism.org
MI: LGBTQ BALLOT PROPOSAL: A coalition of
organizers are launching a petition drive to get a measure on the 2020 ballot
to prohibit discrimination against LGBTQ individuals by including sexual
orientation and gender identity or expression in the definition of
"sex" under the Michigan Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act of 1976 (https://bit.ly/2Qy81O4). The
petition language has been submitted to the Board of State Canvassers. Once it
is approved, we will have until May 27, 2020 to gather at least 340,047
signatures. Let's read more from Fair
and Equal Michigan, then sign up to stay up to date on the status of the
proposal, so we can be ready to canvass as soon as the Board of State
Canvassers approves the petition language: https://www.fairandequalmichigan.com/
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
NO WAR WITH IRAN DAY OF ACTION (TODAY): MoveOn
is organizing #NoWarWithIran protests tonight, January 9 at 5pm local time. Find more information here as well as
locations: https://act.moveon.org/event/no-war-with-iran/
If we don’t see one close to us, we can host one by clicking here: https://act.moveon.org/event/no-war-with-iran/create/
M4BL
ELECTORAL STRATEGY CALL TONIGHT: The Movement for Black Lives' Electoral Justice Project is
hosting a call on Thursday, January 9th at 6pm EST to share the strategy to
turn out Black voters and demand electoral justice in 2020. Let's register and
join in the call. We can register here: https://bit.ly/2QAcUGE
JOIN TWITTERSTORM TONIGHT 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 today, 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
CLIMATE CRISIS SUMMIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL AND MIDDLE
SCHOOL STUDENTS: The Sunrise
Movement is holding a youth summit, February 15-17, 2020, in Washington,
D.C. Student activists from across the country will meet each other and learn
important organizing skills like recruitment, communications strategy, action
planning, fundraising, building partnerships, and more. Let’s encourage
interested high school and middle school students to apply—deadline is January
16 at 11:59 p.m. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGlcpVyT_ch7Y6MPLdbuUCycrQfNSZdrvffGVmNP-pyGSnYA/viewform
READING/WATCHING
Why The
U.S. Embassy In Iraq Became A Target Of Anger Again:
Trump
Ratings Remain Low Around Globe, While Views of U.S. Stay Mostly Favorable - https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2020/01/08/trump-ratings-remain-low-around-globe-while-views-of-u-s-stay-mostly-favorable/
On the
Brink of War: Your Moment of Zen - https://politicalcharge.org/2020/01/08/on-the-brink-of-war-your-moment-of-zen/
Fact-Checking
President Trump’s Address on Iran - https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/politics/fact-checking-president-trumps-address-on-iran/2197719/
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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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