9/26/19
NATIONAL
ISSUES
(Including Emails & Twitter)
Fax
legislators for free:
Or use Resistbot: https://resist.bot/
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White
House contact: https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
|
IMPEACHMENT: The whistleblower complaint and scandal
with Ukraine has pushed many to support opening an impeachment inquiry (https://bit.ly/2lEXELS) and
there are now 218, a majority of the House, votes for an Impeachment Inquiry,
with 217 Democrats declaring support and one Independent, Justin Amash (MI),
concurring. https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/25/majority-of-house-supports-impeachment-inquiry-1512897 For those of us with Democratic
representatives in the House, let's check
to see if our MoC is among those supporting an impeachment inquiry,
and if they are, let's thank them. If they have not yet come out in support of
the inquiry, let's call them and ask them to do so. Indivisible has an updated
call script that we can use here.
For those of us with Republican House members who will not be running for
re-election, let's also reach out to them and ask them to support the
impeachment inquiry: https://n.pr/2mB5vKE Let’s also call the White House
daily to ask for Trump’s resignation: 202-456-1111. As a reminder, these are
volunteers at the comment line – let’s thank them and be brief. We need not say
our name and can just note that we are calling for the president’s resignation.
CANCEL HOUSE RECESS
AND EXPEDITE IMPEACHMENT PROCEEDINGS: Now that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is finally on board with launching
full-scale impeachment proceedings, https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-inquiry/pelosi-announce-formal-impeachment-inquiry-trump-n1058251
time is of the essence. Every day that Trump is in office, our democracy is
further at risk. If we have any doubts about this, we can check Amy Siskind’s weekly list on
the number of ways our basic rights are eroding. Indivisible.org is now
asking us to make sure every MoC is on record in support of holding
public hearings on impeaching Trump. They are also asking us to call
(Nancy Pelosi 202-225-4965) and ask her to cancel the upcoming two-week House
recess.
CLIMATE
ACTIVISTS: This past
weekend, over 500 young activists came together from around the world for
the UN Youth Climate Action Summit. While many of us are
familiar with Greta Thunberg, there are still more outspoken activists whose
words have not gotten traction in mainstream media. Let's take the time
to learn about these nine other young leaders, listen to what they have to say,
and take their advice to heart to do our own part in protecting the
earth: https://www.insider.com/greta-thunberg-activists-climate-change-who-are-they-2019-9
REPUBLICANS TALKING
POINTS ON UKRAINIAN SCANDAL REVEALED
Republicans have
compiled a set of talking points to counter the national outrage and impending
impeachment investigation after Trump withdrew aid from The Ukraine, then asked
their prime minister to conduct a meritless investigation on his political
rival Joe Biden. Since these attempts to shift blame and attention away from
the President’s possible impeachable acts were mistakenly emailed to the
Democrats, we can now see them for ourselves. We can read the
Republican Talking Points on the Ukrainian Scandal here in White House
Correspondent Jim Acosta’s tweet (https://mobile.twitter.com/Acosta/status/1176896651727908866),
then share them with our friends on social media. If our Representatives are
Republicans, we can challenge them to go beyond their prescribed narrative and
condemn this abuse of Presidential power.
EXPAND REFUGEE QUOTAS
AND SUPPORT THE GRACE ACT: In
2016, the U.S. allowed 85,000 refugees. Last year, we admitted only 30,000 and
this year the administration’s advisors are pushing to let in no more than
15,000 refugees; some are even recommending a number of zero. https://www.gazettenet.com/Brown-letter-28663163.
Last month, a bipartisan group of Senators urged the U.S. Refugee Assistance
Program to increase this number arguing that refugees are the most well-vetted
travelers in the world and contribute “billions more in taxes than they receive
in benefits. The Grace Act (HR 2146/S 1088) would establish a minimum refugee threshold at
95,000, still a very small number for a rich country, considering there are 25
million refugees worldwide, half of whom are children. Let’s ask our MoCs to
support and pass the GRACE Act and let’s tell the White House that it’s time
for us to show our humanity and caring for people around the world.
PODCAST OF INTEREST: The Brown
Girls Guide to Politics is a blog and podcast which was created as a space for
women of color to learn about the current state of women in politics, to
support others breaking into the political sphere, and to celebrate incredible
people changing the course of the country. On the blog, you can read the
stories of women of color at all levels of politics, listen to The BGG podcast,
and find out about Brown-girl friendly organizations and upcoming events. We
can visit
www.thebgguide.com to
learn more and sign-up for the newsletter to keep updated at https://www.thebgguide.com/signup.
BORDER PATROL PILOT
PROGRAM: The Department of
Homeland Security has fulfilled a demand made by Trump and immigration
hardliners by establishing a pilot program allowing some asylum-seekers
claiming “credible fear” to be interviewed not by trained asylum officers
versed in U.S. and international refugee law, but by the very law enforcement
agents from the agency that apprehended them: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-border-patrol-cbp-agents-now-screening-migrant-families-for-credible-fear-under-controversial-pilot-program/
Let’s contact our MoCs and join Physicians for Human Rights to let
Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan that we want this program
stopped:
US MEMBERSHIP IN
UNIVERSAL POSTAL UNION: Some
walls are invisible. The Trump administration is currently set to withdraw the
US from the Universal Postal Union on October 17th, which is likely to severely
disrupt the sending and receiving of international mail. This would be a
nightmare for both communication and commerce with other nations and would also
jeopardize the ability of overseas Americans (military personnel included) to
vote. Let's tell our MoCs that we have no interest in cutting ourselves
off from the world, or in disenfranchising millions of Americans. https://time.com/5680413/trump-universal-postal-union/
MEMORANDUM? TRANSCRIPT? Yesterday’s release of the memorandum
of the Trump/Ukraine phone call puts us in mind of Barr’s summary of the
Mueller Report. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/25/trumps-phone-call-with-ukraines-president-read-the-full-transcript Our trust has been lost. Let’s let our MoCs know that we want them
to be able to see the true, full transcript.
ONLINE HARASSMENT
FIELD MANUAL: “In response to
the growing threat that online hate and harassment pose to free expression, PEN
America has developed a first-of-its-kind digital toolkit, the ONLINE
HARASSMENT FIELD MANUAL, based on extensive research and interviews with
writers, journalists, technology experts, editors, newsrooms, and advocacy
groups.”
https://pen.org/online-harassment-field-manual/ Let’s check it out and use its
advice: https://onlineharassmentfieldmanual.pen.org/
EPA THREATS AGAINST
CA. “Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler sent a letter Monday to the California Air Resources
Board threatening to withdraw billions of dollars in federal highway money
unless the state clears a backlog of air pollution control plans.” https://www.npr.org/2019/09/24/763876070/trump-administration-escalates-battle-over-environmental-regulations-with-califo Let’s
contact Andrew Wheeler at the EPA and remind him that He works for us and
we all deserve clean air and water. Threats against CA clean air and
water are threats against all of us. Every single state should be
worried. tweet him at @EPAAWheeler or email Wheeler.andrew@Epa.gov.
HIGH HOLIDAY ACTIONS
FOR IMMIGRATION JUSTICE: Bend
the Arc, a Jewish voice for immigration justice has been coordinating actions
across the country during the “Days of Awe,” (the period between Rosh Hashanah
and Yom Kippur) to demand that Congress Defund Hate and Close the Camps.
Everyone (Jews, non-Jews, immigrants, activists, allies, etc.) is welcome. Let’s
find out if there’s an event in our area and sign up to attend here.
CLIMATE CHANGE: In
concert with Greta Thunberg’s warnings and Trump’s EPA rollbacks, a “United
Nations-backed report on climate change released Wednesday is raising even more
alarm about the world's warming climate. More than 100 scientists spent the
last three years looking at the impact of climate change on the Earth's oceans
and the ice locked around the North and South Poles and in mountain areas.” https://www.cbsnews.com/news/climate-change-un-ipcc-report-today-oceans-warming-rising-faster-tipping-points-severe-weather-2019-09-25/ Let’s remind our MoCs, at all levels, that
if the climate is not addressed, not much else really matters.
ROHINGYA: The
attacks on the Rohingya (https://www.unhcr.org/en-us/rohingya-emergency.html)
have been off the radar lately, but yesterday the House passed the Burma
Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2019 ( H.R.3190)
which authorizes sanctions against those involved in the human rights
violations. Let's tell McConnell and
the Leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that we want to see
them take analogous action pronto; •
Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Majority Leader, 217 Russell Senate
Office Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-2541, • Senator Jim Risch
(R-ID), Chair, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 219 Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-4651, • Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ),
Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 219 Dirksen Senate Office
Building, Washington DC 20510, (202) 224-4651
FREE APPS FOR ADVOCACY: With the help of DemLabs, Black Voters Matter created
this video to train partners to make their own videos highlighting issues that
matter to their communities and encouraging people to vote. The
training uses a free app (Lumen5) to combine content from social media
and other sources. We can do this, too for our own cause. Let’s learn more here: https://thedemlabs.org/2019/09/25/black-voters-matter-uses-clips-of-policing-in-video-campaign-to-encourage-people-to-vote/
BORDER WALL NATIONAL
EMERGENCY: “The Senate voted
Wednesday to block President Donald Trump’s national emergency declaration over
the southern border for the second time.”
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/25/senate-votes-to-block-trump-national-emergency-over-border-wall.html The 54-41 vote is not veto-proof, however. Let’s
call our Senators and thank them if they voted for this, and to urge those who
did not to vote on the right side of history should it come back for a veto
vote.
CLIMATE QUIZ: We all
know that changing our mindset and habits is one of the ways to affect climate change. We’ve become more aware of what needs to be
done, so let’s take this quiz and see what we still need to learn and
do: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2019/04/specials/climate-change-solutions-quiz/
ELECTION/VOTING
UPCOMING
ELECTIONS: In order to keep track of upcoming elections,
we can use this from Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_calendar
KEEP UP THE
MOMENTUM: The 2018 Big Blue
Wave ushered in by *us* has brought us to this point, where a political
spectrum of House Democrats is coalescing around impeachment. Let’s let this
inspire us to redouble our efforts. Because, even if Trump were to be impeached
by the House and convicted in the Senate—very big ifs—we will still have voter
suppression, profit-making off of mass incarceration and immigrant detention,
economic entanglement of communities with the prison-industrial complex,
federal courts stacked with anti-democratic judges, climate inaction and
environmental reversals, inaction on guns, inequality, injustice…you get the
idea. So, while Congress does its job, let’s keep doing ours. Let’s:
- Help flip Virginia blue in 2019 with
Postcards for Virginia https://postcards4va.com/ and Flippable https://flippable.org/our-targets/virginia/
- Build an electorate that will vote for
inclusive, just, democratic values in 2020 by supporting the voter
registration efforts of Woke Vote https://wokevote.us/donate and the grassroots
mobilizing efforts of Movement Voter Project https://movement.vote/
STATE/LOCAL
ALL: EPA
REVOKES CALIFORNIA CLEAN CAR STANDARDS: Federalism seems to be a Republican article of faith only when
it’s convenient, for example for restricting women’s reproductive rights or
withholding the vote; when it comes to environmental regulations, suddenly “states’
rights” holds no force. As Trump promised when he withdrew the long-standing
waiver allowing California to set higher fuel emission standards than the
federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a rule
revoking California's authority to set their own clean car standards,”
standards other states have adopted as their own https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-09-17/epa-to-unveil-plan-to-yank-california-s-car-emissions-authority Now he is threatening to withhold
California’s federal highway funding:
https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article235397887.html
We must urge our governors to fight
these moves and protect our air and water.
MI: STATE BUDGET/SANCTUARY PROVISIONS: The proposed state budget includes
language that would withhold County Jail Reimbursement Program funding from
counties that limit or prohibit cooperation with federal agencies, such as
ICE. Let's call Governor Whitmer and ask her to block this provision
from the budget. We can learn more and use the call script from Michigan Immigrant Rights Center: "Hello, my name
is _________________ and I am calling about the County Jail Reimbursement
program. I am asking Gov. Whitmer to block the immigration condition on the CJRP.
I believe local leaders should not be punished for protecting their residents'
constitutional rights. Thank you." Phone: 517-373-3400
WI:
FREE CAMPAIGN TRAINING WORKSHOP THIS SATURDAY:
Wisconsin Dems! To
win 2020, we need to bring our A+ game. So, this Saturday, we can join the
Wisconsin Democratic Party and the National Democratic Training Committee in
Stevens Point, Wisconsin for a free one-day training to take our skills up
a level. We can learn cutting-edge skills on digital, communications,
fundraising, and field organizing. There are separate tracks for candidates and
for campaign staff and volunteers. If we’re thinking about running for office
in 2020, if we want to help Dems win, let’s go to this. Plus: it's free! We
can click here to sign up for the The Nat'l Dem Training Committee & @WisDems
one-day event to teach us how to run, to staff, or to volunteer—for the maximum
win: https://traindemocrats.org/event/ndtc-blue-bench-training-stevens-point-wisconsin
RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS
FRIDAY CLIMATE STRIKES: As
per Greta Thunberg’s tweet: “Last Friday over 4 million people striked for the
climate. This Friday we do it again! 170 countries and 6383 events so far in #weekforfuture
Find or register your strike at Fridays for Future: http://fridaysforfuture.org or local
websites.”
MARCH FOR BLACK WOMEN: Join the
March for Black Women on Saturday, October 5, in Washington D.C.
We will drive home the message that our everyday lives are political and we are
worth fighting for. We can find more information
and toolkits here: https://www.blackwomensblueprint.org/copy-of-all-about-the-march
and follow their Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/marchforblackwomen/
END OF YEAR FUNDRAISING PLANNING WEBINAR COURSE: In this four-session October webinar
we can learn the essential strategy, tactics, and tips for a successful End of
Year Fundraising Digital Strategy in this 4-session live course. More info and application
here: https://community.thedigitalplan.com/end-of-year-fundraising-digital-strategy/
IMMIGRATION CONFERENCE: From Justice
for Our Neighbors: Families separated at the border, threats of
increased deportations and ICE raids, enormous historic backlogs in
naturalization applications and all-time-lows in refugee admissions: All of
these issues and so many others will be at the forefront of topics
@nationalimmigrantintegrationconference this October 20-22, 2019 in
Detroit, Michigan. Let's learn more and register here: https://niicnewamericandreams.org/
DIGITAL ORGANIZING BOOTCAMP: Have you been trying to figure how best to
use digital organizing strategies and tactics to accentuate the organizing work
you do? Do you have a little experience working in digital organizing but want
to fine tune your strategies? Then, check
out this Digital Organizing Bootcamp to be held in Nashville, TN from Jan.
26 through Feb. 1, 2020. Applications
close at midnight November 30, 2019: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeD8tt90Os-YDuUK28q-NPCX1SJ_HEIPl6JbFkqBa4vpAlzDA/viewform
READING/WATCHING
The Press Is
Embracing False Equivalence—Again - https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/09/patient-zero-of-the-next-false-equivalence-epidemic/598573/
Why whistleblower
standoff represents a 'unique juncture' for U.S. government - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7CX-HniTF8
Merriam-Webster
defines 'transcript' and 'memorandum' after White House releases Ukraine call - https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/462968-merriam-webster-defines-transcript-and-memorandum-after-white-house
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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
