Rogan's List

2/18/20

NATIONAL ISSUES

Contact all Federal Members of Congress

(includes contact info and links to social media)

https://www.contactingcongress.org/

Fax legislators for free:

Reps: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

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

ATTORNEY GENERAL WILLIAM BARR: Over the weekend, 1100 former Department of Justice employees joined forces to call on Attorney General Barr to resign following his intervention in the Roger Stone sentencing: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/16/806525297/1-100-former-doj-employees-call-on-barr-to-resign-after-intervening-in-stone-cas (The list now surpasses 2000: https://www.newsandguts.com/link/abc-news-more-than-2000-former-doj-officials-call-on-attorney-general-william-barr-to-resign/ ) and then eight US Senators wrote a letter with same call for resignation: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democratic-senators-call-on-william-barr-to-resign/ Let’s join in calling for Barr’s resignation: Let’s contact our one Congressional Rep and two Senators to say that we agree with the 1100 former-DOJ employees. Capitol Switchboard is 1-202-224-3121 or we can look up their local office numbers. Let’s also call the Department of Justice Comment line to leave a brief message demanding Barr's resignation 1-202-514-2000 (press 4 - voicemail box). After the beep we can say, "I am calling for Attorney General Barr's resignation due to his corruption."

ROGER STONE CASE: Not content with lauding AG William Barr and smearing the four federal prosecutors who had the temerity to recommend a substantial sentence for his pal Roger Stone, Trump has now gone after both Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who has the thankless task of sentencing Stone on Thursday, and the jury that convicted him: https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/trump-takes-on-judge-amy-berman-jackson-ahead-of-roger-stones-sentencing/2020/02/12/753e2a6e-4db6-11ea-bf44-f5043eb3918a_story.html and https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-stone/after-slamming-prosecutors-and-judge-trump-turns-ire-on-jurors-in-stone-case-idUSKBN20727X If we haven’t already, let’s demand that the House and Senate Judiciary Committees investigate what sure looks like the DOJ’s politically motivated meddling in the Stone case and the president’s effort to intimidate judge and jury.

IMMIGRATION/GREYHOUND RACIAL PROFILING: Greyhound is continuing to allow Border Patrol agents to board its buses, profile the passengers, and demand proof of citizenship (https://nbcnews.to/2PgSnG7, https://hrld.us/3bMb9yH). As the ACLU points out, Greyhound would be within its rights to refuse to allow Border Patrol agents to board the buses without a warrant or probable cause, yet they refuse to do so, becoming complicit in the treatment of riders who are profiled, detained, and/or deported. Most recently, the AP reported that Greyhound has internally acknowledged that it is not legally required to allow Border Patrol agents on their buses, contradicting its public statements on the matter. Let's contact Greyhound, and specifically their CEO and Senior Legal Officer, and tell them to change their policies and stop allowing ICE and Border Patrol to board their buses and harass their passengers: Phone: (214-849-8966) Mailing address: Greyhound Lines, Inc P.O. Box 660691, MS 470, Dallas, TX 75266-0691 Twitter: @GreyhoundBus, Dave Leach, President and Chief Executive Officer Greyhound Lines, Inc. 350 N. St. Paul Street Dallas, TX 75201, Tricia Martinez Senior Legal Officer Greyhound Lines, Inc. 350 N. St. Paul Street, Dallas, TX 75201 e-mail:

Tricia.martinez@greyhound.com

PROTECT SANCTUARY CITIES: The Trump administration is sending the SWAT teams of the Border Patrol, who have undergone training similar to that of Special Forces, including sniper certification, to Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, and Newark, N.J., where they will be from now through May; the obvious, even avowed, purpose of this deployment is to punish local governments, militarize our streets, and further intimidate those “dangerous” immigrants who benefit from living in sanctuary cities: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration/u-s-border-patrol-to-send-tactical-unit-officers-to-sanctuary-cities-idUSKBN2082N6 and https://www.newsweek.com/dhs-faces-backlash-plan-send-swt-teams-out-knock-doors-across-sanctuary-cities-1487643 According to the NY Times, the goal of the mission is to increase arrests in sanctuary cities by at least 35 percent. Whether we live in these cities or not, we must let their mayors know that we stand with them in opposing ICE “detainers” and do not want local law enforcement to turn undocumented immigrants over to Trump’s deportation machine.

GOP-FUNDED CENSUS LOOK-ALIKE SURVEY: All across the country people are opening envelopes which seem to be census documents, but are not. https://www.cleveland.com/metro/2020/02/dont-confuse-this-political-notice-with-the-real-2020-us-census-coming-in-march-the-gop-is-just-fishing-for-info-and-money.html Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) is concerned. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwAy22sHrbQ She is asking that if anyone has received one to complete this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeECTOEXDTbim_-kWk_F1zVOlcKd-MLXIewMIM7VXMJXzWpPA/viewform?pli=1 Let’s help Rep. Porter get to the bottom of this.

REALITY WINNER UPDATE: “Supporters of Reality Winner, a National Security Agency whistleblower who leaked classified information about Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election, petitioned Donald Trump on Monday for her early release from prison.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/17/reality-winner-nsa-whistleblower-russian-hacking-report-petition-clemency Reality was a whistleblower who was not protected. Let’s send her postcards of support: REALITY WINNER 22056-021, FMC CARSWELL FEDERAL MEDICAL CENTER, PO BOX 27137, FORT WORTH, TX 76127

SPEAK OUT AGAINST THE SAFE THIRD COUNTRY AGREEMENT WITH GUATEMALA: As if the Remain in Mexico (MPP) Program isn’t bad enough, several asylum seekers have been arriving at the U.S. only to have their cases quickly transferred without even being assessed under the administration’s recent “safe” third country agreement with Guatemala. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/the-us-is-putting-asylum-seekers-on-planes-to-guatemala--often-without-telling-them-where-theyre-going/2020/01/13/0f89a93a-3576-11ea-a1ff-c48c1d59a4a1_story.html. Asylum-seekers are being put on planes to Guatemala without even being told where they are going and they are not being given enough information about the asylum process to make an informed decision about whether to apply. Furthermore, Guatemala does not have the resources to support its own citizens and has the same network of gangs that forced these people to flee from their home countries in the first place. Let’s tell our MoCs to do everything possible to stop this program.

“YOU’RE FIRED” POSTCARDS TO TRUMP: Someone on Twitter suggested that we all send postcards to Trump this week with only the words “You’re Fired” on them so let’s join in with this quick and satisfying action: President Trump, The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20500. Then, let’s make sure to vote in November and make it happen.

READY-TO-GO POSTCARDING PARTY: From one of our own: We can find this week's postcarding write-ups here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jk-ZEDSWziJ8cF6O8XXmZvieAoQaX4bvKQVZqOmfsuM/edit?usp=sharing

PERSISTENCE ENCOURAGED: On Sunday, former Ethics official Walter Shaub wrote an incredibly inspiring thread on Twitter about staying in action and the persistence of small actions: https://twitter.com/waltshaub/status/1229158648485761024 Let’s use these thoughts to keep us going.

ELECTION/VOTING

PRIMARIES/CAUCUS CALENDAR: https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_calendar

UNDERSTANDING THE PRIMARY SEASON: Now that primary season is here and so much looks chaotic and confusing, let’s take a look at what actually happens during this time: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/11/how-primary-elections-work.html Let’s keep this in mind as we work for the candidate of our choice.

GET OUT THE VOTE: "Vote Forward and Swing Left are working together to increase civic participation by sending letters to voters. Swing Left can see the email addresses and info about the letter-writing activities of volunteers who sign up through this page. They use this information to measure their impact. They may also follow up with you by email." Let's sign up to encourage our fellow voters to get to their polling stations this fall! Sign up to write letters here: https://votefwd.org/swingleft

CAMPUS VOTE PROJECT: The Campus Vote Project works with colleges and universities to give college students the information they need to register and vote.

https://www.campusvoteproject.org/about Young people are voting at much lower rates than other demographic groups (though trending upward) https://circle.tufts.edu/our-research/broadening-youth-voting . Let’s help change that. Let’s urge the college students in our lives to get involved with the Campus Vote Project: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/sign-up

NEVADA CAUCUS - FEB. 22: The Nevada caucus is coming up! We can find our precinct caucus locations and early voting (Feb. 15-18) information here. This year’s caucus will start at noon on Saturday, February 22. If we are Nevada voters, let's make a plan to participate.

HELP OUT WITH THE NEVADA CAUCUS: The Nevada Democratic Party is looking for volunteers to help out before and during their caucus, this Saturday Feb 22. We can sign up here to receive information about training and the timeline for helping out before and during this Saturday’s Nevada Caucus: https://action.nvdems.com/page/s/help-nv-dems-in-2020?fbclid=IwAR2cvwTwRSJQUibSARf5NmiJZCNWKfmNXe6bHoceDePwjrFZpjQSjEGPk9I

SOUTH CAROLINA PRIMARY- FEB. 29: South Carolina will be the fourth and final state to hold a Democratic primary election in February. If we are SC voters, we can find all the information we need at South Carolina Election Commission. Let's make a plan to vote on Saturday, Feb. 29.

WHEN FLORIDA DEMS VOTE BY MAIL, DEMS WIN! Volunteers with Postcards to Voters continue to exceed expectations, requesting 16,000 addresses per day over the weekend! The effort to encourage all registered Florida Democrats not already enrolled to sign up for Vote By Mail continues. Volunteers quickly finished the list for Collier County (Naples area; see on GoogleMaps) and moved on to Manatee County (Bradenton area; see on GoogleMaps.) Let's help this get-out-the-vote effort by requested 5 addresses for a open campaign.

CONTACT VOTERS IN HIGH VOTER SUPPRESSION STATES: Voter suppression and voter list purging have robbed millions of citizens of their votes over the past few decades. With crucial elections in play for 2020, fighting back is more urgent than ever. That’s why the Center for Common Ground started Reclaim Our Vote, a non-partisan phone bank, post carding and textbanking campaign, focusing on contacting voters of color in voter-suppression states to help them register and vote. Their partners include NAACP, Rapid Resist, Black Voters Matter, Virginia Poor People’s Campaign, DemLabs, Mi Familia Vota, Progressive Coders Network, and VoteRiders. Every vote matters. Let’s makes sure every voter gets made! We can sign up here to phone bank, postcard or text voters of color in high voter suppression States to help them register and vote: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/reclaim-our-vote-signup

STATE/LOCAL

STATES: (All except IL): PASS ANTI-MPP RESOLUTION: Last November, Illinois became the first state to pass a resolution calling for Congress to end MPP (the Remain in Mexico Program). Let’s share this resolution with our state legislators and ask them to introduce a similar resolution in our state. For more information on the MPP, its connection to other immigration policies, and why it’s harmful, let’s educate ourselves with this fact sheet from the American Immigration Council.

FL, NC, WI, MS, AL, MI, GA, PA - WOKE VOTE MASTER CLASS 2020: If we live in FL, NC, WI, MS, AL, MI, GA, PA, and we have at least 2 years of experience within a community organizing group dedicated to empowering marginalized communities, we may be eligible to apply for Woke Vote’s https://wokevote.us/ Master Class 2020. Deadline: February 20. This 4-week class will “dive into an advanced study of key organizing strategies towards increasing voter turnout in marginalized communities of color, training on proper use of tools and software used to manage effective mobilization efforts, understanding program data results and story-telling.” Let’s learn more and apply here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1_60q3stra6SOSH4zL0UQuXPjHpTW6Ki-25SRbIDSYCY/viewform?edit_requested=true

CO: PEOPLE NOT CAGES: "Most people caged in Colorado jails are legally innocent, but they are incarcerated because they can't afford to pay money bond. In fact, 95% of jail population growth is due to a rise in unconvicted people. That's why this year, we are focusing on reducing our pretrial population and bringing our neighbors home. We also remain committed to holding ICE accountable, ending the death penalty, and protecting reproductive rights for all. Learn how to talk to your elected representatives about these issues and help us advance civil liberties in Colorado." Let's join ACLU Colorado for a workshop/action event in Denver on Wednesday, March 11, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. More info and how to RSVP, here: People not Cages --- ACLU of Colorado Lobby Day 2020 | PeoplePower.org

MI: WATER SHUTOFFS: For years, Detroit residents have suffered from water shutoffs, leaving them without access to clean, safe drinking water (https://bit.ly/2Hy3V3a). While Mayor Duggan and water authorities argue that shutoffs are a necessary means to force people to pay their bills, activists and the ACLU of Michigan argue that this is an overly simplistic view of the situation, and that in accordance with the U.N., water is a human right that should be safe, accessible, and affordable (https://bit.ly/2Hwvnyq). Detroit City Council is currently preparing a request to Governor Whitmer, which will ask her to declare a public health crisis for Detroit in order to stop the water shutoffs. Let's join the ACLU of Michigan and the Detroit City Council in asking Governor Whitmer to put an end to water shutoffs, and to make safe, clean water affordable for all Michiganders. Mail: Governor Gretchen Whitmer, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing, Michigan 48909, Phone: 517-335-7858

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS

READING/WATCHING

‘We Knew They Had Cooked the Books’: The Trump administration’s attempt to kill one of America’s strongest climate policies has been a complete debacle - https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/02/an-inside-account-of-trumps-fuel-economy-debacle/606346/

Black History Month is a chance for white parents to learn how to talk about racism - https://mashable.com/article/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race/

World’s Largest Producer of Toxic Pesticide Chlorpyrifos Ends Its Production - https://www.ecowatch.com/chlorpyrifos-pesticide-2645064560.html

Eight Counter-messages for Combating Trump Fatigue and Keeping Hopeful and Active: Saturday's GNR- https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2020/2/15/1919170/-Eight-Counter-messages-for-Combating-Trump-Fatigue-and-Keeping-Hopeful-and-Active-Saturday-s-GNR

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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

2/17/20

On Mondays, Rogan’s List features a listing of proposed rule and regulation changes that are currently accepting public comment. Commenting is the way to show government agencies how we feel about these proposed changes. Our comments also become part of a record that will be reviewed by courts if and when a reg change is contested. Courts use comments to judge whether an agency is acting arbitrarily and capriciously.

Organization

Closing Soon

Recent

Section I - ICE, DHS, DOL, NLRB

Section II - everything environmental - EPA, BLM, DOE

Section III - Civil rights, housing, education, healthcare

Other: More on regulations (tracking the trackers/general information)

(Note: After a couple of weeks items are moved from “Recent” and “Closing soon” into the Roman numeral sections. A note on regulatory processes: there are three stages - Notice, Proposed Rule, and Rule. There’s usually a time lag of a few months to a few years between them, and they must be published in the Federal Register before appearing on Regulations.gov. Comment time varies from 10 days to 2 months, sometimes with extensions.)

In this week’s list includes a plan to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to 2050 with dozens of companies named, major Medicare revisions, Seismic blasts at polar bear dens, a request for climate scientists - lots of stuff.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nW6EIiD6Js9sJQzNZN3a7FB-gt0_Nz0q/view

2/13/20

NATIONAL ISSUES

Contact all Federal Members of Congress

(includes contact info and links to social media)

https://www.contactingcongress.org/

Fax legislators for free:

Reps: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

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

CORRUPTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: Tuesday, as the NH primary was taking place, an emergency was unfolding at the Department of Justice. On Monday, the DOJ made their sentencing recommendations in the Roger Stone case. Overnight on Monday, Trump tweeted out the unfairness of the sentencing recommendation. Tuesday, the DOJ announced a revision to the recommendation. Then, the four DOJ prosecutors resigned from the case in protest of the intervention of Attorney General William Barr. Then Barr announced that that he will be controlling all aspects of cases related to Trump (like the Stone case) which Trump is pleased about: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-stone/trump-hails-barr-for-taking-charge-of-stone-case-democrats-vow-probe-idUSKBN2061NT Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31, but that seems much later than needed. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/02/12/attorney-general-william-barr-to-testify-before-house-judiciary-committee-114601 Regardless of Barr’s willingness to testify, this is a disturbing and dangerous politicization of the DOJ and is not the behavior of democracies. Let’s call our one Congressional Rep and two Senators to say that they must speak out about this assault on the rule of law and that we cannot allow the DOJ to be co-opted in this way. We need to let our MoCs know that we are very concerned about Barr setting up a Giuliani information channel, taking over all Trump related cases and slashing the Roger Stone sentencing recommendations. Capitol Switchboard is 1-202-224-3121 or we can look up their local office numbers. Let’s call the Department of Justice Comment line to leave a brief message demanding Barr's resignation 1-202-514-2000 (press 4 - voicemail box). After the beep we can say, "I am calling for Attorney General Barr's resignation due to his corruption." Let’s call the White House to demand Trump's resignation. These are volunteer operators - please thank them for their service. You need not give your name. The person who answers will say "may I please take your brief message for the president?" and you can say "I am calling for his resignation. Thank you for volunteering." 1-202-456-1111

DOJ AND PRESIDENTIAL INTERFERENCE: The four prosecutors who made sentencing recommendations against Roger Stone have withdrawn from the case, and one has resigned from the Department of Justice (DOJ) after the DOJ sent a court memo recommending a shorter sentence for Stone (https://n.pr/39qQzSk). Since then, House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler has stated that the Judiciary Committee will "get to the bottom of this," and the government watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for communications between the DOJ and U.S. Attorney's office. However, with Republicans leading the Senate, there is a greater likelihood that the issue of DOJ and presidential interference in the Stone case will be largely ignored. With enough public pressure though, they may have to take action. Let's join Senators Harris and Blumenthal in asking Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham to call Attorney General William Barr to testify before the committee. Mailing address: 290 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510, Phone: (202) 224-5972, Fax: (202) 224-3808

SEND POSTCARDS OF THANKS TO US ATTORNEY WHO RESIGNED IN PROTEST: Assistant US Attorney Jonathan Kravis just resigned from the Washington Bureau of the DOJ rather than carry out Barr’s slashing sentencing recommendations for Roger Stone. https://www.vox.com/2020/2/11/21133622/roger-stone-prosecutor-aaron-zelinsky-resigns We can send him postcards of support at this address where he is teaching a course this semester: Jonathan Kravis, Professorial Lecturer in Law, George Washington University, 2000 H Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20052

POVERTY IN A BOOMING ECONOMY: We are told that the economy is in great shape; that the stock market is thriving. However, household debt levels made the biggest jump in 14 years. https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/11/Household-debt-levels-make-biggest-annual-jump-in-14-years/7511581443571/ In addition, 40-50% of Americans not do have $400 readily available for emergencies, one in five children is living in poverty, our life expectancy is lower than Canada. https://www.recorder.com/my-turn-hynes-IncomeInequality-32233688 “When the Trump administration first came into office, it promised to remember the “forgotten man and woman.” We were told we’d have the “greatest economy ever,” that wages would skyrocket, and millions would be lifted from poverty. Instead, the administration has made the work we do as leaders in the fight against poverty even more difficult.” https://www.insidesources.com/we-cant-let-the-trump-administration-pretend-poverty-away/ Let’s contact all our MoCs and ask what they are doing to address these trends and remind them that the economy is not really “great” for everyone.

DISABILITY RIGHTS: It's been seven years since the U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture determined that electronic shock devices (ESDs), used by the Judge Rotenberg Center, an institution for people with disabilities, "often meet the criteria for torture," at the very least are" inhuman and degrading," and are always in violation of international law. Nearly six years ago, the FDA held a hearing in which it ultimately determined that ESDs should be banned. In the fall of 2018, then-FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb announced that ESDs would finally be banned in the upcoming year. These decisions are snapshots of a decades-long story in the fight against the Judge Rotenberg Center's tortuous practices. Most recently, Senator Chris Murphy is again leading a group of senators, asking FDA Commissioner Dr. Stephen M. Hahn to finalize the rule banning the use of ESDs on people with disabilities. Let's read the letter from the senators, then join them in asking Dr. Hahn to finalize the rule: Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, Commissioner of Food and Drugs, Food and Drug Administration, 10903 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20993

TRUMP’S BUDGET: Yes, it’s only a budget proposal at this point, but it proposes cuts of $1 trillion to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, $180 billion to food and nutrition assistance, $1.7 billion to school meals for low-income children, $170 billion to student loan programs, $75 billion to Social Security disability programs, and cuts as well to the EPA and housing for low-income families: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BUDGET-2021-BUD/pdf/BUDGET-2021-BUD.pdf and https://americansfortaxfairness.org/issue/trumps-groundhog-day-budget-tax-cuts-rich-paid-slashing-services-rest-us/ We must make sure our MoCs know that we know--and won’t tolerate this shredding of the social safety net.

STONEMAN DOUGLAS ANNIVERSARY: Friday, February 14th marks the second anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. To honor the lives lost and support the national March For Our Lives movement, join or support a chapter near you: https://marchforourlives.com/chapters/. If there is not a chapter near you, you can sign up to start one at https://marchforourlives.com/start-a-chapter/. On Friday, please call your Senators and tell them you want universal background checks. S.42, the Background Check Expansion Act, is in the Senate; it has 41 cosponsors (all of them Democrats and Independent). Check to see if your Senators are supporting the bill here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/42/cosponsors Background checks are a no-brainer. 97% of Americans want background checks, for God’s sake! (h/t Small Deeds Done)

HISTORY ACCORDING TO TRUMP: Last month, David S. Ferriero, the chief archivist of the US, announced that ICE could start destroying records from Trump’s first year, including detainees’ complaints about civil rights violations and shoddy medical care; the Department of the Interior and the National Archives have decided to delete files on endangered species, offshore drilling inspections, and drinking water safety; the State Department will start using algorithms to separate the “historic” from the “temporary” and does not plan to turn these records over to the National Archives — a clear violation of the Federal Records Act: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/04/opinion/archives-document-destruction.html Ferriero’s response to historian Matthew Connelly, who wrote about this:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/opinion/letters/national-archives.html
And Connely’s retort: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/takeaway Before we blame Ferriero, however, let’s demand that our MoCs provide resources to the wildly underfunded, understaffed National Archives, whose budget has been cut every year for the past three.

ELECTION/VOTING

PRIMARIES/CAUCUS CALENDAR: https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_calendar

ATTENTION DEMS ABROAD: "Starting February 18th, we'll be able to download your Primary ballot from the Democrats Abroad website, vote it, and email or post it back in. We can also wait until our Primary week - March 3rd through 10th - and vote in-person at a voting centre in our country. A reminder: Democrats abroad may only vote in one presidential primary. Those who'd like to vote in the Global primary cannot vote in their state's presidential primary. (We may vote down the rest of our state's ballot - for US Senator, Congressperson, governor, etc)." All the info we need to vote in the Global Presidential Primary is right here:

https://www.democratsabroad.org/the_2020_global_presidential_primary_facts_and_figures

HELP WISCONSIN GET OUT THE VOTE. Indivisible Chicago Alliance and the same team that organized 200,000 handwritten postcards to voters in IL-6 in 2018 have partnered up to organize a project to send 500,000 handwritten postcards to WI voters ahead of the April 7th primary. The organization will send us the postcards, instructions and addresses; we just need to provide the stamps. We'll be mailing the postcards between March 20-26, which gives us lots of time to write them. We can order postcards in increments of 100. Let's request postcards today for writing at home or for hosting a postcarding party at postcards2WI.com.

NEVADA CAUCUS: FEB.22. In Nevada, early voting for the Democratic presidential primary runs from Feb. 15 - 18 prior to the Saturday, Feb. 22 caucus. Nevada will NOT be using the election app that caused so much trouble in Iowa. (Source: LATimes) We can find our precincts and more information at NVDems.com.

VOTE BY MAIL, FLORIDA! Registered Democrats in Florida who are signed up for vote by mail have already begun receiving their presidential primary ballots. The primary is scheduled for MARCH 17. If we are FL voters, we can find more information at the Florida Division of Elections.

RESIST VOTER SUPPRESSION. Three weeks ago, Florida's Supreme Court ruled that convicted felons must pay “all terms of sentence” before they can vote. This includes not only terms of a person’s imprisonment and supervision, but also fines and other obligations imposed as part of a punishment. (Source: The Hill.) Floridians overwhelming passed Amendment 4 which would allow 1.4 million former convicts to vote. Since then, the Republican governor and legislature have worked hard to block this from happening. (Source: Miami Herald) The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is helping former felons regain their right to vote. We can help with a tax-deductible donation to cover fines and fees at wegotthevote.org.

APPLY FOR SWING LEFT’S SUPER STATE YOUTH COUNCIL: In an effort to turn out the youth vote in historic numbers, Swing Left has created a Super State Youth Council (SSYC) for college students interested in organizing to get young people to the polls in 12 “super” states (AZ, CO, FL, GA, IA, ME, MI, NC, OH, PA, TX, WI) to win federal and state elections. We can learn more here, https://swingleft.org/p/youth-council , and apply here: https://swing-left.breezy.hr/p/a388432cee6f-college-network-lead-member-of-the-super-state-youth-council

STATE/LOCAL

ALL: PRISON GERRYMANDERING: While many of us are familiar with gerrymandering, something that often goes under the radar is the issue of prison gerrymandering, in which the census counts prisoners where they are incarcerated, rather than at their home address. This artificially inflates the population, giving more voting power and representation to those districts, often white and rural, while taking it away from their home district (http://www.naacpldf.org/case/prison-based-gerrymandering). Some states are taking action; New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy recently signed a bill to end prison gerrymandering, and in Michigan, a bill was just introduced in the Senate to do the same. Let's take action to fix the problem at the state level; the Prison Gerrymandering Project has information on where our state currently stands, along with legislation that has been proposed, and model legislation we can send to our legislators as we urge them to make sure that prisoners are counted correctly, in their home district:

https://www.prisonersofthecensus.org/legislation.html

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS

JOIN THE #AAPA TWITTER TOWN HALL TODAY AT 2 PM EST: Caucus season has begun, and 40% of the #AAPI, Asian American Pacific Islander, vote is still in play. It’s time for a Town Hall focusing on AAPI concerns and it’s happening today or Twitter! Candidates Biden, Bloomberg, Buttigieg, Klobuchar, Sanders, Steyer and Warren Niall all be participating, moderated by @NBCAsianAmerica. We can join the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans and the Asian American Journalists Association for the #AAPI 2020 Twitter Town Hall TODAY at 2pm Eastern Time. When we click this link, we can find more data about AAPI concerns and to preview the questions to be asked.

https://aapidata.com/events/aapi2020-twitter-town-hall/

ATTEND LOVE NOT HATE EVENTS ON THE BORDER: FEBRUARY 14-17. Four days’ worth of activities are being planned for the weekend of February 14-17 as part of the witnessing actions on the border of Brownsville Matamoros. These include attending tent courts, witnessing deportations at the Brownsville Airport, vigiling at the courthouse, and participating in several protest rallies. Let’s see if we can attend and/or let our friends and neighbors know. The schedule is here. More information is available on the Witness at the Border Facebook Page.

NATIONAL PILGRIMAGE TO CLOSE THE CAMPS—Tsuru for Solidarity, a non-violent, direct action project of Japanese American social justice advocates, is leading the planning of a gathering of Japanese Americans from across the country in Washington, DC, June 5-7, 2020. The purpose of the gathering is to express solidarity with immigrant and refugee communities under attack in the US. Attendees will bring 125,000 paper cranes (tsuru) to represent the Japanese Americans who were imprisoned in concentration camps by the US government during World War II. We can support the pilgrimage by holding “Tsuru Fold-ins” to bring to D.C. or to mail them to Tsuru for Solidarity by May 1, 2020. To organize a fold-in, receive updates, register to attend and learn of other ways to participate, let’s visit: https://tsuruforsolidarity.org/2019/11/13/125000-paper-cranes-to-dc-in-june-2020-for-tsuru-for-solidaritys-national-pilgrimage-to-close-the-camps/

READING/WATCHING

Why all white people are racist, but can't handle being called racist: the theory of white fragility - https://stateofopportunity.michiganradio.org/post/why-all-white-people-are-racist-cant-handle-being-called-racist-theory-white-fragility

Trump's greatest vulnerability is the economy – just ask poor Americans - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/feb/11/trump-economy-poor-americans-vulnerability

How to Cope with Trump-era Depression - https://kirschnerskorner.com/2020/02/02/trump-anxiety-disorder/

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2/11/20

NATIONAL ISSUES

Contact all Federal Members of Congress

(includes contact info and links to social media)

https://www.contactingcongress.org/

Fax legislators for free:

Reps: https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php

Senate: https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php

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

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CORRUPTION: Senator Lindsey Graham took to a Sunday show over the weekend to share the disturbing news that Rudy Giuliani has a direct connection to the Department of Justice to share news from Ukraine about “corruption”:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/feb/09/lindsey-graham-rudy-giuliani-ukraine-information-doj This raises more significant questions about the corruption of Attorney General William Barr, the role (and pay source) of Rudy Giuliani, and the general malfeasance of the GOP. Let’s contact our MoC to ask for impeachment of AG Barr and let’s call The Department of Justice Comment Line to demand Barr’s resignation 1-202-514-2000 (then press 4 to leave voicemail) or we can use the comment form: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us

DEMAND ICE FREE A FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD WITH A SKULL FRACTURE: Every Last One has been fighting to save Marco, a 5-year-old boy in detention with a skull fracture. With his life is at risk, he’s not getting the care he needs and ICE further endangering his health by giving him the top bunk. To protect him, his mother crams him into her lower bunk and neither one sleeps. Since ICE has been known to respond to public pressure, Every Last One started a petition. We can sign here to demand Marco be released to get the treatment that could save his life: https://www.everylastone.org/marco

(h/t Chip Wood, Carry Water)

SCHOOL CHOICE: One of Trump’s pitches in the State of the Union speech, written by Stephen Miller and friends, was for “school choice” of the kind Betsy DeVos has been touting; but rather than talking about “public” schools, Trump spoke of “failing government schools”:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2020/02/05/state-union-trump-makes-clear-his-aversion-public-schools/ and, the view from the Right,

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/trump-in-state-of-the-union-is-right-to-call-them-government-schools We need to attend closely to this change of locution and those like it, which, as the director of the National Education Policy Center put it, attempts “to reframe what we understand as our societal obligation to our kids":

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12/2020/02/government-schools-public-schools-trump-devos-school-choice.html If we believe public education is a social good, if we support the underpaid public school teachers who walked out of their classrooms in desperation at the conditions there over the past 18 months, we need to strenuously oppose this rhetoric in letters to the editor, in op-ed pieces, and to the Department of Education: 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20202 or (202) 401-3000: Fax (202) 260-7867.

SUPPORT ONGOING WHITE HOUSE PROTESTS: The so-called "Kremlin Annex" protests have been going on outside the WH twice or three times a week since July 2018. They are creative, fun, get the word out, and serve as a way of reminding the occupant of the WH what we think of him. Now, the National Park Service is threatening to shut the protests down unless the organizers can come up with $120/day for permits. Freedom of speech shouldn't cost money. Let's chip in to keep these protests going if we can, and follow these folks on Twitter at @KremlinAnnex:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/occupylafayettepark

GRATITUDE FOR LT. COL. ALEXANDER VINDMAN—“Vindman’s synagogue in Springfield, Virginia, is accepting letters of support on his behalf.” https://forward.com/fast-forward/439731/alexander-vindman-s-synagogue-is-accepting-letters-of-support-following/ Let’s express our gratitude to this war hero and patriot: Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman c/o Congregation Adat Reyim, 6500 Westbury Oaks Court, Springfield, VA 22152. If we want to publicly show our support, we can order these shirts: https://justslaying.threadless.com/designs/teamvindman

ANOTHER NORTH AMERICAN PIPELINE IGNORING NATIVE RIGHTS: “Indigenous activists in Canada have vowed to continue their fight against a multibillion-dollar pipeline project across their traditional territory after three female leaders were arrested by police early on Monday.” “The Wet’suwet’en nation have lived on their territories in what is now British Columbia for thousands of years. They have never signed treaties or sold their land to Canada.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/10/canada-protest-indigenous-wetsuweten-pipeline The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have invaded this Indigenous land are forcibly removing land defenders from their unceded territory and are violating the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People.

http://priceofoil.org/2020/02/07/hey-justin-why-are-you-jailing-loving-grandmas-in-the-name-of-gas-pipelines/ We can get live updates (and amplify them) on the Unist'ot'en Camp’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/unistoten/, we can contribute to the Unist'ot'en Legal Fund: https://actionnetwork.org/fundraising/unistoten2020legalfund, we can use the Unist’ot’en Supporter Toolkit: http://unistoten.camp/supportertoolkit2020/, and we can follow/amplify on Twitter: @UnistotenCamp and #AllEyesOnWetsuweten and #WetsuwetenStrong

MAKING FEDERAL BUILDINGS BEAUTIFUL AGAIN: Every time we think Trump has found the last expression of his authoritarianism, he finds another. A draft executive order called “Making Federal Buildings Beautiful Again” would establish the neoclassical style, inspired by Greek and Roman architecture, as the default for federal buildings in Washington and throughout the country, without regard for energy efficiency or sustainability:

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/481804-trump-plans-on-making-federal-buildings-beautiful-again-with-new or https://federalnewsnetwork.com/facilities-construction/2020/02/draft-eo-to-make-federal-buildings-beautiful-again-causes-stir-with-current-former-officials/ or https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/05/arts/design/trump-modern-architecture.html As The Guardian points out, “Hitler’s chief architect, Albert Speer, also appropriated the tradition and grandeur of neoclassicism to serve the Nazi project, just as Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italy used it to recall the might of imperial Rome.” Architects are objecting: https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14466-will-the-white-house-order-new-federal-architecture-to-be-classical#AIA And we should too.

PROTECT CHINESE RESTAURANT BUSINESSES: In the panic following the coronavirus, Chinese restaurants in America are taking a hit, e.g.,

https://ny.eater.com/2020/2/7/21123274/coronavirus-chinatown-nyc-restaurants-sales. These businesses are central to our local economies. Let’s be sure to dine in or take out from our favorite local Chinese restaurant this week.

READY-MADE POSTCARDING: From one of our own: We can find this week's postcarding write-ups here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GbXCfRiJsx7D9mernKqVIYHsi3-VDUItsjwc7ucFhhQ/edit?fbclid=IwAR3in9MLMacJYbo4B2SUq4-ZQqduH0MubsLcuDUa8ya7HaZM6UJB_fsP4VY Let’s get writing!

JOB OPPORTUNITY: Field Team 6 is a partisan voter registration organization working to register Democrats in key swing states. They’re looking to hire a Staff Coordinator/Assistant to the Executive Director—job description here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qpUxSKQwF52n5p1OmTXbfTczJySxiyZu/view. Let’s apply or spread the word.

ELECTION/VOTING

PRIMARIES/CAUCUS CALENDAR: From Ballotpedia:

New Hampshire	New Hampshire (statewide)	Primary election	February 11, 2020
Wisconsin	Wisconsin (statewide)	Primary election	February 18, 2020
Nevada	Nevada (statewide)	Primary election	February 22, 2020
South Carolina	South Carolina (statewide)	Primary election	February 29, 2020

(https://ballotpedia.org/Elections_calendar)

NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY: Today, all eyes turn to New Hampshire for the first in the nation presidential primary: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election/klobuchar-gains-ground-in-new-hampshire-sanders-holds-lead-in-polls-idUSKBN204166 If we are New Hampshirites, let’s help get out the vote in our neighborhoods and if we are outside New Hampshire, let’s tune into ways to be of greatest use to our favorite primary candidate.

JOB OPPS FOR GETTING OUT THE 2020 VOTE: Vote Save America has a list of paying and volunteer opportunities with organizations that are working to get-out-the-vote all over the country. Let’s apply, or spread the word: https://jobs.votesaveamerica.com/

LAWYERS NEEDED IN BATTLEGROUND STATES: If we’re lawyers and want to offer pro bono legal support to Field Team 6, which is registering Democratic voters in swing states, let’s fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSelWnrqzDX3uQkq-ZiiT-Rm-h4iTlnVGZwClRNjAJiCqwhFEg/viewform

VOLUNTEER FROM HOME FOR FIELD TEAM 6: From catering and cooking to data entry to programming and much, much more, we can support the work of registering Democratic voters from home. Let’s fill out this volunteer questionnaire and win in 2020: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf62jqVKlOBLHZov3oxei0MtSffc-nvnGuuwjuGL9TN-nnPRQ/viewform

BECOME A DEEP CANVASSER: Changing the Conversation Together (CTC) “is an organization of concerned citizens building a national corps of deep canvassers who bridge political divides and help elect Democrats to take us forward.” Deep canvassing involves knocking on doors and persuading through truly human encounters—sharing of experiences, hopes, and dreams—with the voter who answers the door. CTC is “organizing a corps of deep canvassers in swing states to elect a qualified and compassionate President in 2020.” We can see a video of deep canvassing in action, support the work of CTC, and sign up to help by visiting their website: https://www.ctctogether.org/

MONEY TALKS. We can signal our displeasure with Republican senators' impeachment acquittal votes by making small contributions to any of the Democratic candidates' campaigns we support. Links on candidates' names will take us to the Ballotpedia information on each candidate which includes a link to their campaign websites where available. If we have friends and family in any of these states, let's forward the appropriate information to them. If we are not in these states, let's consider "adopting" a candidate to support in one of these battlegrounds:

ARIZONA: MCSALLY REPLACEMENTS. Sen. Martha McSally (R) said that "Impeachment is about decapitating the government. "(Source: AZCentral). The November 3 general election will include a special election for this seat that was formerly John McCain's. McSally was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in 2018. The winner of the special election will fill the term through 2022. (Ballotpedia). Let's take a look at the current Democratic primary candidates for this position. a) Mohammad Arif; b) Sheila Bilyeu ; c) Mark Kelly; d) Juan Angel Vasquez. The Arizona primary is scheduled for AUG. 4. If we are AZ voters, let's mark our calendars and start getting to know the candidates.

COLORADO: GARDNER REPLACEMENTS. Sen. Cory Cardner (R) voted to acquit. (Transcript of this statement at CPRNews). Eleven (11) candidates are currently running in the CO Democratic primary. (Ballotpedia) They are: a) Diana Bray; b) Lorena Garcia; c) David Goldfischer; d) John Hickenlooper; e) Dustin John Leitzel; f) Christopher Hawkins Critter Milton; g) Andrew Romanoff; h) Stephany Rose Spaulding; i) Erik Underwood; j) Michelle Ferrigno Warren; k) Trish Zornio. The Colorado primary is scheduled for JUNE 30. If we are CO voters, let's mark our calendars and start getting to know the candidates.

REPLACE IOWA SEN. ERNST: After voting to acquit in the impeachment trial, Sen. Joni Ernst (R) warned that Congress would vote to impeach Joe Biden immediately if he were elected president. She has since tried to walk back that statement. (Source: The Hill.) Iowa is considered a battleground for the Senate this year. Let's take a look at the 5 Democrats currently running for this seat (Ballotpedia): a) Michael Franken; b) Kimberly Graham; c) Theresa Greenfield; d) Eddie Mauro; e) Cal Woods. This primary is scheduled for JUNE 2. If we are Iowa voters, let's mark our calendars and start getting to know the candidates.

KENTUCKY: MCCONNELL REPLACEMENTS. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), currently the majority leader, must go. #DitchMitch. Ten Democratic candidates are currently running in this primary. (Ballotpedia). They are: a) Jimmy Ausbrooks; b) Charles Booker; c) Mike Broihier; d) Maggie Jo Hilliard; e) Andrew Maynard; f) Amy McGrath; g) Eric Rothmuller; h) John Sharpensteen; i) Bennie Smith; j) Mary Ann Tobin. The Kentucky Democratic primary is scheduled for MAY 19. If we are KY voters, let's mark our calendars and start getting to know the candidates.

MAINE: COLLINS REPLACEMENTS. Sen. Susan Collins (R) said the president has "learned his lesson." She has already had to back off that statement, saying she "hopes" he has. (The Hill.) Five (5) Democratic candidates are currently running to take her seat. (Ballotpedia). They are: a) Michael Bunker; b) Sara Gideon; c) Bre Kidman; d) Ross LaJeunesse; e) Betsy Sweet. The Maine primary is scheduled for JUNE 9. If we are ME voters, let's mark our calendars and start getting to know the candidates.

TEXAS: CORNYN REPLACEMENTS. Sen. John Cornyn "has made bedfellows with President Donald Trump, and their connection will determine whether the longtime senator will win another term or get voted out of office." (Source: Dallas Morning News.) Let's make sure he's voted out! Twelve (12) Democrats are running in the primary. (Ballotpedia) They are: a) Chris Bell; b) Michael Cooper; c) Amanda Edwards; d) Jack Daniel Foster Jr.; e) Annie Garcia; f) Victor Harris; g) Mary Jennings Hegar; h) Sema Hernandez; i) D.R. Hunter; j) Adrian Ocegueda; k) Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez; l) Royce West. HOT! HOT! HOT! The primary for this race will take place on Super Tuesday, March 3 with a runoff election scheduled for May 26. If we are TX voters, let's make a plan to vote and get to know the candidates.

NEW POSTCARDING CAMPAIGN! This weekend Postcards to Voters kicked off their next (20th!) Florida Vote-By-Mail campaign. This time the focus is Clay County, which is west of the St. Augustine (St. John's county)/Jacksonville (Duval county) area. The county seat is Green Cove Springs. Let's continue to encourage Florida registered Democrats to sign up for vote by mail by requesting 5 addresses for this campaign today.

STATE/LOCAL

NEW ENGLAND: NEW ENGLAND STUDENT GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION SUMMIT—Students and parents from all over New England are invited to attend this late March three-day summit in New Haven, CT, being hosted by the Connecticut GVP Coalition, which includes the Jr Newtown Action Alliance, Newtown Action Alliance, CT Against Gun Violence, Yale School of Public Health, and more. Let’s learn more and register to attend: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2iz6JYF3m1S-LuvUsiQtQ4unhGz2QilUCNGgUNHetCsI92A/viewform

NEW YORK: In New York State, if we want to vote in any party's 2020 primary, we must be registered in that party by FRIDAY, February 14, Here’s the link that will enable New Yorkers with a driver's license or non-driver state ID to register online:

https://voterreg.dmv.ny.gov/MotorVoter/ And here’s the paper form, which must be *received* by Friday: https://www.elections.ny.gov/NYSBOE/download/voting/voteform_enterable.pdf

RALLIES/GATHERINGS/TRAININGS

READING/WATCHING

Combatting Disinformation - https://terikanefield-blog.com/combatting-disinformation/

What a State of Our Union - https://www.creators.com/read/connie-schultz/02/20/what-a-state-of-our-union

The Billion-Dollar Disinformation Campaign to Reelect the President - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/03/the-2020-disinformation-war/605530/

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