8/8/19
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
|
FBI AFRAID TO FULLY INVESTIGATE WHITE NATIONALISTS: Dave Gomez, a
former FBI supervisor, told the Washington Post that “he thinks FBI officials
are wary of pursuing white nationalists aggressively because of the fierce
political debates surrounding the issue” (in other words, that it will anger
Trump’s base). https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fbi-faces-skepticism-over-its-anti-domestic-terror-efforts/2019/08/04/c9c928bc-b6e0-11e9-b3b4-2bb69e8c4e39_story.html.
Let’s contact the FBI (202-324-3000) and ask them to use the full extent of
their resources to stop domestic terrorism. Let’s also contact our House Reps.
and ask them to hold hearings on the role that white nationalists are playing
in destabilizing our country.
FOX NEWS AND WHITE SUPREMACY:
On Fox News on Tuesday evening, host Tucker Carlson said that white
supremacy is a “hoax”:
https://apnews.com/e0f9f2ea88dc435db914c8e53dcaf59e Let’s
contact Fox News to call for the firing of Carlson: https://www.foxnews.com/contact or
on Twitter @FoxNews
WHITE NATIONALISM AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT:
State Department official Matthew Gebert has been discovered
to be a white nationalist movement leader: https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2019/08/07/us-state-department-official-involved-white-nationalist-movement-hatewatch-determines Let’s
contact the State Department to demand his firing:
https://register.state.gov/contactus/contactusform or
on Twitter @StateDept
HOMESTEAD DETENTION CENTER MAY NOT REALLY BE SHUT DOWN
While there are no children in the Homestead Detention Center
now, the facility has apparently been put on “warm status”: ready and available
to house more children when needed. https://amp.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article233546697.html?.
Meanwhile, there is still no clear information as to where the children
were taken, many of whom were carted into buses in the middle of the night to
avoid being seen by witnesses who have been at the site for over 150 days. Let’s
ask our MoCs to write a letter of inquiry to HHS and demand a full accounting
of the whereabouts of every single child who was removed from Homestead during
the past few weeks. Let’s also stress that we do not consider this issue
resolved until every child in any U.S. detention center is released into the
custody of a family member of a safe home.
PROTECT FOIA: Senators Feinstein (D-CA), Cornyn (R-TX).
Grassley (R-IA), and Leahy (D-VT) have introduced legislation in the Senate
called the Open and Responsive Government Act of 2019 (S. 2220),
that would safeguard Freedom of Information Act requests and ensure the
public’s right to information:
https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2019/jul/24/Senate-FOIA-bill-b4/
and http://www.tamatoledonews.com/page/content.detail/id/609184/National-Newspaper-Association-cheers-senators-for-Freedom-of-Information-Act-bill.html?nav=5002
This legislation is in its early
stages, but we should begin right now to urge our senators to sponsor it and
make sure Mitch McConnell brings it up for a vote.
HELP REUNITE IMMIGRANT FAMILIES: Hundreds of immigrant children have
been separated from their families and Immigrant Families Together (IFT) has
been actively working to reunite them. IFT partners with legal, advocacy,
service and religious organizations nationally working case-by-case with a
network of volunteers and sanctuary groups to bring migrant families back
together. Their initiative partner, Miles4Migrants,
provides flight coordination and will cover the cost of airfare, using donated
miles and points, to reunite children with their parents as quickly as
possible. If we have information that could lead to the rightful
reunification of a child with their family member, we can call Immigrant
Families Together. 818-533-1974 or click this link https://www.ifteverylastone.org/contact. If
our organization needs assistance with a case, they can also provide
resources in English and Spanish to assist us. We can find out more about the
organization here: https://immigrantfamiliestogether.com/
“MASSACRE MITCH”: If Trump is the ugly face of
racism and white supremacy, NRA champion and Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell is Congress’s puppet master. In the past few weeks, he has
refused to bring House-passed legislation requiring the use of paper ballots
and funding the Election Assistance Commission to a Senate vote https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/454742-mcconnell-blocks-two-election-security-bills ;
he has refused since February to bring HR8, a bipartisan Background Checks Act,
to the Senate https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-bill-for-stronger-background-checks-on-guns-mitch-mcconnells-stalls-senate-vote/;
he did everything he could to block Fix NICS, which would incentivize states to
supply data to the National Instant Background Check system
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-bill-for-stronger-background-checks-on-guns-mitch-mcconnells-stalls-senate-vote/
Last week’s “Moscow Mitch” has become, this week, “Massacre Mitch.” We
must continue to barrage McConnell with our dismay at his unwillingness, even
in the face of mass shootings and election fraud, to allow the Senate to vote
on crucial election and anti-gun legislation: 202-224-2541 or 317 Russell
Senate Off. Bldg., Washington DC 20510. And we must tell our
Senators we expect them to stand up to McConnell’s bullying and do their job.
CHILDREN AND THE LARGEST IMMIGRATION RAID IN A DECADE: “U.S. immigration
officials raided seven Mississippi chicken processing plants Wednesday,
arresting 680 mostly Latino workers in the largest workplace sting in at least
a decade.” https://www.apnews.com/bbcef8ddae4e4303983c91880559cf23 Apparently, no concern was given for the
workers’ children who were in school. https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2019/08/07/what-happens-children-people-detained-ms-ice-raids-immigration/1947642001/ Let’s ask our MoCs that they find a way to
help protect these children whose parents are taken.
EQUINOX AND SOULCYCLE:
“Equinox and SoulCycle are
facing backlash after a report that the brands' chairman is holding a
fundraiser for President Donald Trump.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/equinox-soulcycle-face-backlash-over-chairmans-trump-ties-2019-8 If we are members at Equinox Fitness
Clubs, PURE Yoga, Blink Fitness or SoulCycle, let’s let chairman Stephen Ross
know how we feel and find alternative places to use and support: https://www.related.com/our-company/contact-us
(scroll down for contact options)
ASSAULT WEAPONS BAN:
Although Trump claims there is no “political appetite” for a ban on assault
weapons (https://www.npr.org/2019/08/07/748848662/trump-heads-to-el-paso-and-dayton-amid-skepticism-from-local-leaders),
“(t)he most recent national polling on guns, a
Marist-NPR-PBS survey conducted in mid-July, showed that 57 percent of
Americans support banning the sale of “semi-automatic assault guns such as the
AK-47 or the AR-15,”
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2019/08/06/daily-202-unanimity-on-gun-control-among-2020-democrats-reflects-the-party-s-realignment-toward-the-suburbs/5d48f9fb88e0fa1454f801a0/) Let’s let our MoCs know that we want the
ban on assault weapons reinstated. Let’s
start with supporting H.R.1296
- Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 and S.66 -
Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 both of which have been languishing in Congress since
winter.
OIL PIPELINE PROTEST: "Energy Transfer Partners is
now planning to double the amount of oil the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL)
carries, to over a million barrels a day. And they’re doing this — once more —
without the informed consent of the local indigenous community. Leaders from
Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, Pine Ridge, and Rosebud have partnered with the
Lakota People's Law Project to demand a public hearing. Together we're asking
for transparency and an opportunity to have our say." Let's add
our voice by using this link to send an email to North Dakota's Public Service
Commission: https://www.lakotalaw.org/our-actions/dapl-hearing
PROTECT NON-DISCRIMINATION PROTECTIONS: The Trump
administration is trying to roll back Rule 1557--Nondiscrimination in Health
and Health Education Programs or Activities--existing non-discrimination
protections; such a rollback would severely threaten trans people's
access to all forms of healthcare and would also threaten access to health care
for queer people, people seeking reproductive care, and those who aren't
proficient in English. We can comment to the Department of Health and
Human Services until AUGUST 13; here’s an easy way:
“BOYS WILL BE BOYS” IS NO LONGER AN EXCUSE: “Democratic congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez slammed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign on
Tuesday for invoking the "boys will be boys" defense in response to a
Facebook photo of a young group of men wearing "Team Mitch" t-shirts
while choking and groping a cardboard cutout of the lawmaker.” https://www.newsweek.com/aoc-slams-mcconnell-campaigns-boys-will-boys-defense-boys-will-held-accountable-their-1452903
Let’s remind his campaign that we no
longer buy the notion that “boys will be boys”.
It is time that boys be respectful and behave appropriately: @Team_Mitch or comment on a Facebook
post: https://www.facebook.com/McConnellForSenate/
or email: contact@teammitch.com Let’s
remind McConnell, too: https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/officelocations
TRUMP: From the airplane, in between unwelcomed visits to
Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas, our esteemed president took to Twitter to
blast politicians and members of the media. Yes, while traveling
from one community reeling from a mass shooting to another community reeling
from a mass shooting:
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/456591-trump-lashes-out-at-cable-news-coverage-of-biden-speech-while-flying Let’s
reach out to the White House to call for his resignation: The White House, 1600
Pennsylvania Ave, Washington, DC 20500; comment line 202-456-1111; on Twitter
@realdonaldtrump
DISABILITY RIGHTS/SESAME STREET: The
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN) has ended its years-long partnership with
Sesame Street (https://bit.ly/2M5QKej).
While ASAN and Sesame Street had previously worked together on the See Amazing
campaign, focusing on inclusion and the value of autistic individuals, Sesame
Street's latest PSAs have promoted Autism Speaks' Screen For Autism Initiative
and 100-Day Kit, both of which include dangerous, stigmatizing language that
demonize autism. ASAN, an autistic-led organization, did reach out to Sesame
Street to communicate their concerns, yet Sesame Street refused to stop
promoting the ideals of Autism Speaks, an organization run overwhelmingly
by non-autistic people. Let's read through the Autistic
Self-Advocacy Network's statement, then reach out to Sesame Street and amplify
ASAN's message: "We call on Sesame Street to recognize the damage they are
doing, end their partnership with Autism Speaks, and commit to producing and
promoting only content which increases the inclusion, acceptance and well-being
of autistic children."
TX CONGRESSWOMEN DECLINES TRUMP INVITE: U.S.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, whose district encompasses the
Walmart where 22 people were fatally shot and dozens more were injured,
announced Tuesday that she declined a White House invitation to join Trump in
El Paso — linking Trump’s rhetoric toward Mexicans and immigrants to that of
the shooter’s. “I declined the invitation to accompany the President because I
refuse to be an accessory to his visit,” Escobar wrote
on Facebook. “I refuse to join without a true dialogue about the pain his
racist and hateful words and actions have caused our community and this
country.”
https://www.texastribune.org/2019/08/07/trump-el-paso-veronica-escobar-shooting
It would be nice if more of our MOCs would do this. You can send her a
note of thanks. Here is a list of her office addresses:
ELECTION/VOTING
VOTING RIGHTS: The Brennan Center for Justice
has released a report which shows that voter purge rates from 2016-2018 are
much higher in counties with a history of voter discrimination (https://bit.ly/2OKS1ts).
While the report does note instances where removing a name from voter rolls are
legitimate (e.g. death, change of address) the discrepancy in purge rates among
states is troubling and indicates that discriminatory practices when
determining who to remove from the voter roll is likely continuing. Let's read through the report, then verify our voter registration
status: https://www.headcount.org/verify-voter-registration/
ENVIRONMENTAL VOTER PROJECT—The Environmental Voter
Project identifies citizens who care about environmental issues but decline to
vote, and then turns them into voters. Let’s get involved: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/
STATE
SPECIFIC ISSUES
MOST:
END CONTRACTS WITH PRIVATE PRISONS: The Denver City Council is the latest
government entity to end contracts with private prisons. https://www.coloradoindependent.com/2019/08/06/denver-city-council-corecivic-geo/.
Let’s check to see if there are private prisons in our state,
and then ask our state
and/or municipal legislators to ban them.
MOST: END PRACTICE OF DEPUTIZING LOCAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS TO ACT AS ICE AGENTS: 287g agreements allow local
municipalities, such as county sheriff’s offices to deputize their officers as
immigration enforcement agents. This practice leads to racial profiling and
keeps our communities less safe, since immigrant victims of crimes are afraid
to come forward. According to the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, 7,000 people were deported in 2018 as a result of these
agreements. This number is projected to increase. Let’s use this
map (scroll down to bottom of the page) to see if our county has a 287g
agreement, and also research whether our county is considering joining the
program. Then let’s use this toolkit to put pressure on our county to end or
refrain from participating in the program.
CA:
COMMENT ON PROPOSED ETHNIC STUDIES CURRICULUM TREATMENT OF AMERICAN JEWISH
EXPERIENCE: A Proposed Model
Curriculum for Ethnic Studies raises strong concerns for the California
Legislative Jewish Caucus. Of particular concern, given the recent rise in
Anti-Semitism in our country, is the overall lack of representation of Jews,
lack of any discussion of Anti-Semitism, degradation of Jews and of Israel in
sample curricular materials. We can read the California Legislative
Jewish Caucus’ letter about Proposed Model Curriculum for Ethnic Studies, and
it’s omission of American Jewish experience and possible anti-Semitic content
here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_LNvdDqJa0A-ougc9deePJ-XyB7JurNz/view We can find links to the model curriculum
documents, make our own judgments and leave our comments, if we wish to,
before the August 15 deadline: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmcpubliccomment.asp
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
NATIONAL NETWORK ASSEMBLY: The first National
Network Assembly, made up of hundreds of local grassroots leaders and organizers
from around the country is happening in Des Moines, IA, August 22 to 25. https://mailchi.mp/thedemlabs/nationalnetworkassembly
There will be workshops, sessions, and meetings in
which participants will strategize, plan, and learn skills to take home to
their groups. The 2019 National Network
Assembly will strengthen the
connective tissue between grassroots groups by bridging multiple networks and
organizations that
represent over 1,000 leaders across all 50 states. We can find more information, register to
attend, and donate to the scholarship fund here: https://www.nationalnetworkassembly.org/
We can use this document to invite others to attend: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oKWdGLESqQYFVIa3JXQrtsXO9zrZv7ihCdGfnmSZ0-M/edit
GLOBAL CLIMATE STRIKE—Young people around the world
are taking to the streets September 20-27, 2019, to end the regime of
fossil fuels. Young or old, we can get involved here: https://globalclimatestrike.net/.
If we organize our own climate strike event, we can include voter registration
with the help of the Environmental Voter Project: https://www.environmentalvoter.org/
READING/WATCHING
Cyntoia Brown released from prison after celebrity
support - https://www.apnews.com/b6515e08c251460791f1301be99cfb6d
The men behind the US's deadliest mass shootings have
domestic violence — not mental illness — in common - https://www.businessinsider.com/deadliest-mass-shootings-almost-all-have-domestic-violence-connection-2017-11
Texting for Political Campaigns Report - https://www.techforcampaigns.org/2018-texting-analysis
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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
