9/21/18
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1.
Whether
we realize it or not, we all know someone who has been sexually assaulted. Our culture does not make it easy to come
forward as we see with Kavanaugh’s accuser, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, who has
been facing death threats since going public. She has had to hire 24-hour
security and also relocate from her home. https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/407428-gofundme-campaign-raises-over-90k-to-cover-kavanaugh-accusers.
Nonetheless, Ford has agreed to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee
next week if fair terms can be reached and her safety can be assured. Yes,
sadly, if her safety can be assured: https://www. theguardian.com/us-news/2018/
sep/20/brett-kavanaugh- supreme-court-confirmation- battle-stalemate We
cannot trust the GOP Senators on the Judiciary Committee, some of which have
already stated that they don’t believe her, to give her
a fair hearing, not when it’s clear that they already have an agenda. “Eight Democratic
Senators who previously served as prosecutors renewed calls for an FBI
investigation of allegations that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh
committed assault in high school.” https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/407639-senate-democrats-increase-pressure-for-fbi-investigation-of-kavanaugh The Senate Judiciary Committee CAN ask Trump
to “instruct the FBI to become involved”:
https://www.npr.org/2018/09/20/649853869/fact-check-can-the-senate-enlist-the-fbi-to-reopen-a-kavanaugh-investigation
Let’s contact Sen. Grassley (R-IA), the Chair of the Judiciary Committee (https://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact)
and ask him to do this. Then, let’s keep
pressuring our Senators to do the right thing and allow for an independent and
non-partisan investigation of the incident.
What would we want done had it been our daughter, sister, or mother?
What’s the rush for a vote?
2.
Dr.
Christine Blasey Ford deserves to be heard, but more than that, she deserves a
thorough investigation of her allegations of sexual assault against Brett
Kavanaugh. If she acquiesces to the Senate Judiciary Committee's demand for a
hearing with just the accuser and the accused, the only possible result is a he
said/she said stalemate, just like it was with Anita Hill and Clarence Thomas (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/us/politics/kavanaugh-accusations-trump-blasey-ford.html). That is not a path to
truth. If the FBI ends up punting responsibility, the duty to investigate falls
to Attorney General of Maryland, where the alleged assault took place. Let's
call AG Brian Frosh (http://www.marylandattorneygeneral.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx) and ask him to step up for justice.
6. Two
weeks ago, the House passed the Community Safety and Security Act (H.R. 6691).
This bill would drastically expand the definition of violent crimes, including
attempts to flee law enforcement officers and "intending to overcome
resistance." Congressman Beto O'Rourke describes the way in which the bill
sped through the process, with no testimony, discussion, or committee
consideration, as well as at was introduced merely seven days before it was
passed. Let's read through Congressman O'Rourke's concerns, along with why he
voted "no" on the bill here,
and let's read through the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
coalition opposition to the bill: https://civilrights.org/oppose-h-r-6691-the-community-safety-and-security-act/ Then,
let's be sure to call our senators ASAP to ensure that they not only take the
time to go through the legislative process, but that they also vote
"no" on this dangerous bill.
7. The
“tax reforms” of 2017 have added about $100 billion to the national debt and
will add an estimated $1 trillion over the next ten years; Trump's “Tax Reform
2.0” aims to make the 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy permanent and will add a
projected $657 billion to the deficit; the betting is that this new “reform”
will not pass the Senate as is:
8. Fears
that Carolina “hog lagoons” would overflow in the flooding following Hurricane
Florence, causing long-term water pollution, have gained legitimacy as North
Carolina admitted that 13 lagoons have already overtopped, with scores more at
risk; in South Carolina, 200,000 tons of coal ash lie in the path of the
deluged Waccamaw river, which is expected to reach a record flood stage this
week: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/19/hurricane-florence-carolinas-pollution-hog-lagoon-coal-ash
We might reasonably expect that a government entity called the Environmental
Protection Agency would offer its expertise and assistance: 202-564-4700
or @EPAAWheeler or Mail Code 1101A, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington,
DC 20460
Election
2018 – General
1. No matter where we live, we can help
Georgia turn blue! If we want to
help by making texts or calls from home, go here:
2. The Movement
for Black Lives' Electoral Justice Project (EJP) focuses on
supporting Black-led grassroots organizations, as well as expanding and
mobilizing the Black electorate: https://ejp.m4bl.org/ Now,
the EJP is "offering mini-grants to local Black-led organizations leading
transformative electoral organizing ahead of the midterm election." The
application deadline is September 28th. Let's read more and if we qualify,
apply here.
3. With
all eyes focused on flipping the US House and possibly the US Senate on Nov
6, let’s also remember the importance of electing progressive candidates to
state legislatures. The states draw the congressional districts, so changing
Congress begins with the states. And states controlled by Democrats are more
likely to have better laws on the environment, health care, and gun control.
Let’s visit www.flippable.org and
see how we can support progressive Democrats running for state legislative
seats.
4.
Text the vote—but only to friends! VoteWithMe is
a free app that shows us who in our personal networks are infrequent voters so
that we can call or text them and remind them to vote on Nov 6. We’ll will
be reaching out to people we know, not to strangers, and we will be doing the
outreach, not a bot. Let’s try it: https://votewithme.us/index.html
5.
Postcards
To Voters takes us from "sea to shining sea" with two new midterm
get-out-the-vote campaigns: 1) Campaign
109: Gil Cisneros for
Congress in CA. The CA 39th Congressional District is one of the most
competitive House races in the country. It includes parts of Los Angeles,
Orange, and San Bernardino counties. 2) Campaign
110: Chad McEvoy for
NY State Assembly. The 101st district is perhaps the most
gerrymandered district in New York state. It cuts through 7 counties and is
190-miles long! Let's write 5 cards today for one or both new campaigns. We can
sign up as new volunteers here.
6.
Roll
Call elections analyst Nathan L. Gonzales has 12 updates to his House ratings,
all in favor of Democrats. We see the ratings changes and watch the video
for more on Republicans' efforts to discredit Democrats in key races at Roll Call. If we are in any of these districts,
let's find opportunities to help the Democratic candidates by volunteering or
donating.
Election 2018 – By State
2.
An election guide from Postcards for America: In this Google doc (updated
regularly), each State shows ALL Democratic Candidates running for Congress,
Governor, Lt Gov, Attorney General, Secretary of State (if applicable) with
links to their websites and Twitter. Each has a link to a Twitter Thread, a
Shareable Facebook Post and a Document. For most States, there are also Links
for Voter Registrations, Absentee Ballots, Early Voting & Voter ID, Age
Requirements and being a Poll Worker. Let’s
check this out and use and share it:
3. FL: A report produced by Daniel
Smith, chairman of the political science department at the University of
Florida, found that about 1 percent of all Florida mail ballots cast are
rejected and not counted. Smith said that rate is about 10 times higher than
for voters voting in person either early or on election day. The main
reasons why mail ballots are rejected are that a voter didn’t sign the ballot
envelope or that the voter’s signature on the envelope did not match the
voter’s signature on file with the county elections office. Let's read more
at Miami Herald.
We still want to encourage people to vote by mail, especially those who would
not vote otherwise, and we need to be aware of these potential issues.
Other Actions
1.
Who in
our lives is especially likely to be affected by the tenor of the current
national conversation about women’s worth and appropriate responses to sexual
violence? Let’s be sure to reach out to offer support and solidarity.
2.
Although
now closed, a GoFundMe campaign raised over $200,000 to cover security expenses
for Dr. Christine Blasey Ford. The fundraising
campaign was started by Heidi Feldman, who identifies herself as a law
professor at Georgetown University. “Due to death threats, Dr. Christine Blasey
Ford (who uses “Dr. Blasey” professionally) and her family have had to
leave their residence and arrange for private security,” Feldman writes. “Let’s
create a fund to cover her security expenses, to do just a bit to make it
easier for women in her position to come forward despite great risks.” https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/407428-gofundme-campaign-raises-over-90k-to-cover-kavanaugh-accusers. Since
we can no longer contribute to the fund, let’s send her bright colorful
postcards (that do not require opening and are clearly not hate mail) to her
with words of gratitude for her courage: Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Palo Alto
University,1791 Arastradero Rd, Palo Alto, CA, 94304
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
2. The
Women’s March is planning protests on September
20 and September 24 in Washington DC to declare public support for
Kavanaugh’s accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, and call awareness to the numerous
reasons Kavanaugh would be an abhorrent choice for women’s rights. We can find
out more at www.cancelkavanaugh.com and also donate to the effort if we can’t personally attend.
3. From Saturday,
September 22 to Saturday, September 29, When We All Vote will
celebrate a week of action. Communities across the country will host voter
registration events throughout the week in cities big and small with the help
of volunteers like us. On September 23, Michelle Obama will be
hosting the Las Vegas event and on September 28, she will host the Miami
event. We can sign up to volunteer or RSVP for one of the events at When We All Vote. Let's look for an event near us.
States
Reading/Watching
