Contact Federal Government Officials
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Many
newspapers, including New York Times and Washington
Post require subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles
each month. We can also check with our
local libraries to find out how to get online access through them.
1.
The
House has already passed their version of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child
Protection Act (H.R.
36) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) plans to bring
the Senate version (S.
1922) to a vote today, perhaps in time for the
State of the Union address and in a calculated move to target Democrats before
the midterms: http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2018/01/senate_to_vote_on_new_abortion.html Let’s read this woman’s story:
https://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/20-week-abortion then, contact our senators and tell them we
believe this is an issue between a woman and her medical and support team, not
the government. It’s very unlikely to
pass given the number of pro-choice senators, but let’s be sure to call in
anyways and tell them we’re watching this attack on women’s rights very
closely. And let’s also remind them that we will hold them responsible at the
ballot box for their votes for anti-choices federal judges, not just
anti-choice laws. Even the American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is against it: https://www.medpagetoday.com/obgyn/pregnancy/70792
2.
U.S.
Border Patrol agents may stop us within 100 miles of the border and ask us if
we are US citizens. Two hundred million people—2/3 of the US population—live
within this zone. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/two-thirds-americans-live-border-zone-what-are-their-rights-n841141 People have recorded videos of their
encounters with these checkpoints. www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-teacher-border-patrol-20170724-story.html Let’s A) learn more: https://www.aclu.org/other/constitution-100-mile-border-zone
B)
know our rights:
https://www.acluaz.org/sites/default/files/field_documents/aclu_border_rights.pdf , and C) tell our MoCs that we want
Congress to investigate what’s going on at interior border checkpoints.
3.
Trump
and Ryan Zinke started off the year with a late holiday gift to Big Oil,
announcing they want to open huge swaths of our public waters to offshore
drilling. This comes over the objections of Republican and Democratic governors
alike: https://www.axios.com/six-coastal-governors-wants-offshore-drilling-e-1515619586-92590bda-e098-4425-a015-9aacf7a6ee45.html Today is the FINAL day the Department of
Interior is accepting comments on this destructive plan. Let’s let them know
that progressives and conservatives stand united in saying no at this
link: https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=BSEE-2017-0008.
4.
Following
on the heels of the news that Trump tried to fire Robert Mueller last year, CNN
is reporting that Trump has expressed the desire to fire Rod Rosenstein as well:
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/371009-trump-talking-about-firing-rosenstein-report It’s clear that the ones who really deserve
to be fired are the members of Congress who are not demanding action on
legislation to protect the investigation from being obstructed. Let’s
call our members of Congress and tell them we want immediate action on proposed
bipartisan bills to protect the special counsel, like the Graham-Booker Special Counsel Independence
Protection Act or
the Tillis-Coons Special Counsel Integrity Act, and a commitment to vote to override any
vetoes of these bills by Trump if they’re passed. (And let’s commit to rallying
in protest if Trump fires Mueller at this link.)
5.
Adding
onto the news from last week that Trump actively tried to fire Special Counsel
Robert Mueller, news has come out that he has been pushing to release the
classified Russia memo that has been making headlines of late: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-sought-release-of-classified-russia-memo-putting-him-at-odds-with-justice-department/2018/01/27/a00f2a4c-02bb-11e8-9d31-d72cf78dbeee_story.html?utm_term=.140f6c4ea330 The Washington Post and The
Guardian both published thoughtful editorials/op-eds on these issues:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/shall-we-protect-robert-mueller-now-mr-mcconnell/2018/01/26/54f9c0a2-02da-11e8-9d31-d72cf78dbeee_story.html?utm_term=.76883c2929d5 and https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jan/27/trump-fbi-us-constitution Let’s let Senator Majority Leader
Mitchel McConnell know that we are disgusted with Trump flouting the rule of
law and that we expect him to protect Mueller:
https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform or on Twitter: @SenateMajLdr and
then let’s be clear about the same with our MoC
6.
Mass
shootings are back in the spotlight, and with that, a reminder of Congress'
stagnancy in passing gun control legislation. Thankfully, state governments are
picking up the slack, by passing legislation to ban bump stocks (devices which
accelerate a firearm's rate of fire, utilized by the Las Vegas shooter) http://wapo.st/2DJKtNz Let's call our U.S. MoCs and remind
them that this still matters to us. We can ask them to cosponsor and support
the Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act (S.
1916/H.R.
3947) ,
if they have not already done so. We can also call Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell (202)
224-2541)
and House Speaker Paul Ryan (202) 225-3031) and ask them to bring these bills to a
vote.
7.
Today is
the last day to submit a comment regarding the USDA Secretary's proposed rule
which would lower nutritional standards for school meal programs:
http://read.bi/2B59dxu The American Heart Association has been
vocal in its opposition to this rollback http://bit.ly/2FmPhbY If we have not already done so, let's
be sure to leave a comment, voicing our opposition to this unnecessary,
regressive rule http://bit.ly/2Ajm7JE
8.
While
many are touting the victory in Congress finally funding CHIP, Dreamers are
being left behind http://reut.rs/2Ga4v5y We need more than empty promises- we
need our MoC to take action. We help them do this by demonstrating how
important a clean Dream Act is to us. Indivisible has a helpful toolkit that
can help us plan a "Thank You/Accountability" action https://www.indivisible.org/resource/dream-action-planning-guide/ We can also check out the resources
available with We Are Here to Stay, where we can tweet or call our MoC directly
from the website http://weareheretostay.org/
9.
“To
report that two students were killed in their school was once the kind of story
that would dominate the news of a week. And to be sure, the deplorable deaths
and bright lives of those two youngsters have received intense attention. But
the killings in Kentucky were the 11th school shooting of the year, and the
first month of the year is not over. There have been almost 300 school
shootings in the United States since 2013, according to the gun control
advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety.”
https://www.npr.org/2018/01/27/581216851/school-shootings-are-sad-but-no-longer-surprising Let’s
continue to pressure the Congress and our own state governments to make common
sense gun laws.
Election 2018 -
General
1.
Last
week with only four (4) days into Postcards to Voters' Campaign 50, more than 1500 volunteers had written
37,000 postcards to voters in Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district
(PA18). Democrat Conor Lamb is running for this Southwestern PA US
congressional seat. We can support the Democrats and Conor Lamb by
writing five (5) postcards to Democratic voters in PA18. We can join the fun by
emailing: JOIN@TonytheDemocrat.org or check the Postcards to Voters website for texting instructions. Let's
make sure we tell our friends and family about this national postcard campaign,
especially those in Pennsylvania.
2.
When,
against all odds, voters in Alabama's special election rejected the Republican
candidate Roy Moore late last year, it was due the votes of black women. 98% of
black women voters voted for Doug Jones, as compared with 63% of white women
voters (https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/alabama-exit-polls/?utm_term=.cbc57b1acaa6). Let's thank black women and help realize
the political potential of women of color by choosing a candidate that speaks
to you and donating to their campaign. This database of black women candidates
is being compiled by activists and is fully searchable: http://database.blackwomeninpolitics.com/
3.
“… the
millennial generation, now 44 percent minority, is the most diverse generation
in American history. While its lasting legacy is yet to be determined, this
generation is set to serve as a social, economic, and political bridge to
chronologically successive (and increasingly) racially diverse generations.” https://www.brookings.edu/research/millennials/ Let’s
do what we can to help get millennials registered and voting.
Election 2018 –
By State
Other Actions
1.
One of
the best ways to combat racism and white supremacy is to expose our (white
folks) children to diverse and challenging books and media. Even very young
children internalize the subtle messages they see and hear around them. Here
are some suggestions for books we can borrow from our local libraries or
purchase (preferably from local book shops):
http://www.booksforlittles.com/silence-is-violence/ It's
also important to think about how different subjects are handled in our
children's books so we can have meaningful discussions with our children.
Making conversations about race and privilege commonplace in our (white folks)
day-to-day lives is one way to combat systemic racism and white supremacy. Here
is an example from Oakland Public Library of how to unpack the way police
interactions are portrayed in children's books: http://bit.ly/2FmLKup
2.
Trump’s Immigration
deal, designed by extremist nativist Stephen Miller, is an unacceptable “white supremist
wish list” including using the Dreamers as bargaining chips to get his wall. We
can tweet against it here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19g0muQjEVJBmk6nS47n4mKy9YwYi58j6w_Wxy9Vz8HQ/mobilebasic We
can draw from these talking points to write our own tweets, or just to become
more informed. Talking points:
3.
In honor
of the fifth anniversary of Moms Demand Action, host a peace potluck or bake sale. All the proceeds go to Everytown for Gun Safety to support the work of Moms Demand
Action. Let’s find out here: http://www.bakeamericagreat.org/
4.
New
Jersey’s new governor, Phil Murphy (D), has stepped into support a church’s
offering sanctuary to an ICE victim. http://www.newsweek.com/phil-murphy-new-jersey-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-immigration-792373 If we
live outside NJ, let’s ask our governors if they are willing to do this as
well. Let’s also thank Governor Murphy: Office
of the Governor, PO Box 001, Trenton, NJ 08625, and let’s also thank the church,
The Reformed Church of Highland Park, 9 S 2nd Ave, Highland Park, NJ 08904. Let’s donate to their cause if we can.
5.
Story-telling
is central to success in issue advocacy and campaigns. Personal videos,
shared friend-to-friend on social media are especially powerful. This
father's video about his daughter in the Alabama
election, for instance got over 5 million views. High costs and complexity have
made recording and collecting such videos out of the reach for many campaigns.
A new app from Democracy Labs has changed all this and making it
affordable for even the smallest campaigns. It allows you to create a link
which includes background information and the question you want to be answered.
The link can be distributed through email, Facebook or Twitter to supporters
who can record their own video clip on a laptop or smartphone. The clips
include the campaign's hashtag and website. They can share their video with
their friends on social media increasing the awareness of your campaign. The
campaign manager gets all the videos and can choose the best clips to amplify
further. This short video shows how easy it is to use to create a
Link and start collecting videos for your campaign. It costs just
$29/month (including support) and is already in use by several campaigns.
6.
As
January comes to a close, let's take a look ahead to see what may happen in the
next month https://www.indivisible.org/blog/what-could-happen-in-february/
7.
Rebekah
Mercer, “a leading Trump donor who supports groups that deny climate science,” has joined
the board of trustees of the American Museum of Natural History, inspiring an
outcry from scientists and tenured curators.https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/26/arts/design/natural-history-museum-rebekah-mercer.html
Let’s
contact the American Museum of Natural History urging them to remove Mercer
from the board: https://www.amnh.org/about-the-museum/contact-us/visitor-comments or American Museum of Natural History,
Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192.
8.
In
response to recent reports that ICE may soon conduct immigration raids in
Northern California cities, a school superintendent issued a reminder of the
Board of Education’s safe haven policies:
https://www.wccusd.net/Page/10781 and https://www.wccusd.net/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=11572&dataid=14988&FileName=Res%2054-1617-02172017103923.pdf Let’s be in touch with the officials
overseeing the public schools in our districts and ask them what policies are
in place to protect and educate all children regardless of immigration status.
9.
From Suit Up Main: Trump’s
plan to appoint ultra-conservative, extremist judges to lifetime positions in
the federal court system is a weapon that will continue to harm Americans long
after he is out of office. Trump inherited 100 judicial vacancies and is
expected to get many more as current judges retire, and he is methodically
filling these vacancies with the most conservative and least diverse group
of candidates seen since Reagan held office. While many vacancies have
already been filled, there is still time to stop others that should be
disqualified from judicial service. The three most concerning nominees
right now are Kyle Duncan, David Stras, and Thomas Farr, all of whom are
expected to have imminent senate votes. https://www.suitupmaine.org/unqualified-and-extremist-judicial-appointments-demand-their-opposition/ Let’s
make sure our senators know that these are not the judges we need in any
position.
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1.
Tomorrow is Trump’s first State of the Union
address. There is a push to encourage people not to watch it to not give him
the ratings he feels are so important. It
will be important to watch Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) give the Democratic response
following, however )https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/01/26/representative-joseph-kennedy-iii-deliver-democratic-response-state-union-address/OohmntAyR3J49lwV9HNomK/story.html),
as it will be to watch Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) give her response on “Angela
Rye’s State of the Union” on BET: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/371002-maxine-waters-will-respond-to-trump-after-state-of-the-union
2.
An alternative to watching the State of the Union
is to participate in the State of OUR Union which is also happening on Tuesday
at 8pm. Let’s see how we can watch at
home or attend an event: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/the-state-of-our-union
3.
If we are on Twitter, on Tuesday night we can also
take part in the State of the Union
#MamaState Tweetstorm sponsored by Mothering Justice. Here is the link to the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/582004578805972
4.
Another alternative is happening tonight. “Mark Ruffalo, Lee Daniels, Michael Moore and
Whoopi Goldberg are among celebrities who plan to attend an evening of speeches
and music at “The People’s State of the Union,” billed as a “public
alternative” to President Donald Trump’s first State of the Union address.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2018/01/26/mark-ruffalo-alyssa-milano-plan-peoples-state-union-counter-events/1070650001/ “Host
organizations include unions, organizers of the Women’s March and Planned Parenthood.
The event will be live-streamed at peoplessotu.org
5.
While Trump delivers his State of the Union
address, we can join the Digital #StateOfTheDream address instead,
supporting our dreamers and immigrants, call for and expressing our vision for
a more inclusive, progressive America. We can create our own brief videos
describing our dream for America, or we can use the social media Toolkit which
will be provided closer to the 30th. We can post our videos simultaneously
at 6pm PST/9pm EST with the hashtag #StateOfTheDream on all of our social
channels. After the video blast, we can proceed to post tweets from the toolkit
or our own messaging, continuing the unifying tweetstorm with the
#StateOfTheDream hashtag. We can learn
more about the event here
https://t.co/Y6NTRO5YjE?amp=1 Alyssa Milano is promoting this event on
twitter. We can follow her at @AlyssaMilano, to learn more about this and
other Resistance actions on twitter.
States
1. Many
states are looking at changing voting laws, some to open voting and others to suppress. Let’s take a look at what’s happening so we
can keep on top of our state legislators: https://www.brennancenter.org/analysis/voting-laws-roundup-2018
Reading/Watching
1.
“Marianne
Williamson asked white people to apologize. She got it right.” -
2.
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, "The fabric of our country is changing at an alarming pace,
although in the chaos, related news is garnering little media coverage or
attention. Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is becoming
increasingly active and emboldened, using Gestapo-type tactics to target
immigrants living lawfully in our country, as Trump and his regime continue to
openly target and disparage marginalized communities." Let's
review Amy Siskind's list week 63.
3.
And, as
always, our weekly dose of Small
Victories: https://www.celebratesmallvictories.com/
