Contact Federal Government Officials
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including New York Times and Washington Post require
subscriptions, but without one we can see a few articles each month. We can also check with our local libraries to
find out how to get online access through them.
1.
With
Congress on recess until April 9th, now is a good time to look ahead
at the legislative issues that are most likely to be coming up in the coming
months. Indivisible has published a concise, easy guide to our next round of
fights, so let's take a deep breath, get oriented, and line up our thoughts and
sources for the coming battle. https://www.indivisible.org/blog/happen-capitol-hill-april/
2.
Pueblo
Sin Frontieras (People Without Borders) is hosting their annual caravan of
asylum seekers, meant to draw attention to the refugee crisis in Central
America https://reut.rs/2GN1tY5
Trump has reacted in the extreme, threatening to withdraw foreign aid to
Honduras, as well as sending to military personnel to guard the Mexico-U.S.
border https://bit.ly/2H6aKIk https://wapo.st/2uMImsl Let’s
contact our MoC and ask that they oppose stricter immigration and refugee
policies, as well as the cruel threat to withdraw foreign aid. We can also
contact the Department of Homeland Security and tell them that we do not want
to see an end to the “catch and release” program, which enables asylum-seekers
to be released while they wait for their hearings: Phone: 202-282-8495 Email:
DHSExecSec@hq.dhs.gov Twitter: @DHS.gov
3.
Each day
seems to bring new evidence of Scott Pruitt’s corruption – now regarding use of
a loophole to get aides significant raises after the White House said no: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/381376-pruitt-raised-pay-of-two-aides-after-white-house-declined-to-approve Let’s
let him know that we the people await his resignation: : https://www.epa.gov/home/forms/contact-epa or
on Twitter at @EPAScottPruitt We can also call on our MoC to voice their
support for his resignation.
4.
With Ben
Carson at the helm, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has
been scaling back efforts to enforce fair housing and combat discrimination https://nyti.ms/2GtzWv7 https://bit.ly/2q1yK7i
This includes removing anti-discrimination language from its mission statement,
as well as placing six investigations into fair housing discrimination on hold,
including one against Facebook. In response to this, some members of Congress
have written a letter to
Carson, addressing these issues https://abcn.ws/2q0AZYz while
a coalition of civil rights groups have filed a lawsuit against Facebook https://bit.ly/2q1sxs4
Let’s contact Secretary Carson and ask that he remain true to the mission of HUD
and the Fair Housing Act and resume the six investigations that have been
frozen since he assumed his position last year. Mailing address: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410 Phone: (202) 708-1112 Twitter:
@SecretaryCarson
5.
Acting
head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Mick Mulvaney is doing
everything he can to cripple the agency. He’s dropping cases on payday lenders,
and calling on Congress to fund the organization and approve its rules,
subjecting it to party politics, which will threaten its integrity https://trib.in/2q2cBGF https://nyti.ms/2q3aAdk Let’s
make sure that Mr. Mulvaney knows we want the CFPB to remain independent and
remind him that it was set up to protect the interests of consumers, not
bankers. We can contact the CFPB at (855) 411-2372 or comment on their Facebook or Twitter
pages. Let’s also make sure to tell our MoCs not to approve any legislation
that threatens the CFPB.
6.
The
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is denying Puerto Ricans federal
repair grants, which are used to help repair or rebuild homes, because
residents are unable to provide proof of ownership of their houses https://n.pr/2HbVb21 For
many who have applied for these grants, it is because the documentation does
not exist, as their houses were built on informal agreements. Let’s contact
FEMA and tell them that they are placing an unrealistic burden of proof on
these residents, and that we want them to ease their documentation requirements
for federal repair grants for Puerto Ricans. Phone: 1-800-621-3362 Mailing
Address: Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street S.W., Washington,
D.C. 20472 or Administrator Brock Long on Twitter @FEMA_Brock We can also
contact our MoC and ask that they pass the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands
Equitable Rebuild Act (S.
2165/ H.R.
4782) to help provide greater funding relief.
7.
Today
marks 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr’s tragic assassination, and
politicians are busily tweeting their respects. All the while, the Republican
Party continues to actively undermine his legacy and his greatest achievements,
in particular by weakening voting rights. ( https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/georgia/articles/2018-03-30/ap-norc-poll-blacks-think-civil-rights-goals-unachieved). Let’s take this opportunity to call our
members of Congress and tell them that if they really want to honor Dr. King’s
memory, they can prove it by restoring the Voting Rights Act he fought so hard
for.
Election 2018 – General
1.
We’re
less than three weeks away from our next chance to flip a seat in Congress! On
April 24th, ER doctor and
cancer researcher Hiral Tipirneni will face off against the scandal-tarred Republican
former state senator Debbie Lesko in the Arizona Eighth Congressional District.
Dr. Tipirneni wants to expand Medicare access, protect Social
Security and the right to choose and block funding for Trump’s border wall.
Senator Lesko is an advocate for school vouchers who opposes common sense gun
control measures (https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/arizona/2018/03/18/after-pennsylvania-upset-jake-lamp-az-dems-see-success-congressional-races/425241002/). Her campaign has set up virtual phone
banking so we can help her get out the vote from home, anywhere in the country.
Let's sign up to make a difference at this link: http://hiralforcongress.com/phonebank/.
Election 2018 – By State
1.
CA: In
our open primaries, the top two candidates with the most votes, from either
party proceed to a run off. Therefore in a race with only two Republicans and
four Democrats,
splitting the Democratic vote four ways could end up with the two Republicans advancing to the run off. For some congested CA races it is a matter of getting one Democrat through the open primary—what Fight Back California PAC is focusing on with polling—as a reality check to help converge on the strongest candidate. We can see their polling results here to help us decide who to support.
splitting the Democratic vote four ways could end up with the two Republicans advancing to the run off. For some congested CA races it is a matter of getting one Democrat through the open primary—what Fight Back California PAC is focusing on with polling—as a reality check to help converge on the strongest candidate. We can see their polling results here to help us decide who to support.
2.
CA: Central
Valley Indivisible and Fresno County Young Democrats are sponsoring Rep Ted
Lieu (CA D-33) in Adopt a Democrat for a town hall meeting this Thursday,
April 5 for California District 22. You can register here to attend.
Representative Devin Nunes (R) has refused to hold town halls in his
district. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rep-ted-lieu-adopt-a-district-town-hall-tickets-44088063585
3.
MI:
Attorney General Bill Schuette is running for governor. He wants us to
take his "Trump Approval Survey"..Let's help: https://billschuette.com/survey-el/elections-97967/ When
you get your first email from his campaign, feel free to unsubscribe.
Other Actions
1.
Dan
Rather tweeted yesterday, "News anchors looking into a camera and
reading a script handed down by a corporate overlord, words meant to obscure
the truth not elucidate it, isn't journalism. It's propaganda. It's Orwellian.
A slippery slope to how despots wrest power, silence dissent, and oppress the
masses." Rather was referring to the mandated text to be read at
Sinclair-owned TV stations https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/02/598794433/video-reveals-power-of-sinclair-as-local-news-anchors-recite-script-in-unison
This article on
the Sinclair Media Group, which now owns the most TV stations in America, explains
why we have every reason to be on our guard. One station in Wisconsin has
refused to comply http://thehill.com/homenews/media/381352-sinclair-owned-tv-station-chooses-not-to-air-media-bias-promo Let's
thank WMSN/FOX47 Madison: 7847
Big Sky Dr, Madison, WI 53719 or (608) 833-0047
Then, let's contact our local Sinclair stations and ask them to do the
same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stations_owned_or_operated_by_Sinclair_Broadcast_Group
2.
The FCC
might be OK with internet service providers taking and selling our personal
information, but that doesn't mean we have to let it happen. Public utilities provide
millions of homes with water and electricity, so why not internet service too?
The ACLU is leading an effort to push local governments to provide this as
another public service, and to commit to the principles of net neutrality and
individual privacy that have become so important to our lives and our
democracy. Let's follow the 5 steps outlined in their Public Internet
Option guidelines, and make sure that all Americans have free access to online
information. https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/internet-privacy/public-internet-option?
3.
Russian
Intelligence has been waging a systematic “war” against the United States,
aiming to disrupt our political system, undermine our faith in it, polarize the
electorate and create chaos. It is a virtual certainty they will interfere in
the 2018 elections, and it is extreme unlikely that the Trump administration
will do anything to prevent this. That said, once we understand these attacks,
there is much that we can do to effectively resist them. We can find out more
about this very serious crisis here, from Joohn Choe, an activist who has
had firsthand experience combatting, and defeating fake news campaigns in the
recent Alabama Senate race between Doug Jones and Roy Moore. In the first of
this five part series, Choe describes what we are facing; an elaborate
ecosystem of fake news, weaponized misinformation, and then points out some of
our opponents’ key weakness that we can attack. https://medium.com/@joohnchoe/the-resistance-information-warfare-handbook-part-i-317e24e7b667
4.
Following
multiple protests at the Golden 1 center in response to the death of Stephon
Clark, the Sacramento Kings have announced that they are partnering with the Build.Black
coalition “’ "to support the education of young people and to
provide the workforce preparation and economic development efforts" in a
multiyear effort.’” https://bit.ly/2Gu3EjQ
Let’s thank the Sacramento Kings for joining in the effort to prevent systemic
racism and support justice http://www.nba.com/kings/contact-us
5.
During a
vigil for Stephon Clark, a sheriff’s vehicle hit a 61-year old woman, and then
drove away from the scene https://n.pr/2GTJHlR https://bit.ly/2GAwuv2
While we are still waiting for the officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark
to be charged, let’s contact the California Highway Patrol, who is leading the
investigation of the hit-and-run, and ask that they hold the Sacramento deputy
responsible. Phone: (916) 681-2300 Address: (252) South Sacramento 6 Massie
Court Sacramento, CA 95823
6.
"The
ACLU’s Summer Advocacy Institute will bring together a diverse group of
students entering their junior and senior years of high school from across the
United States to participate in an advanced, firsthand learning experience for
the next generation of social justice advocates." Let's check here
for details and pass them on to a young person we may know: https://www.aclu.org/issues/aclu-summer-institute
7.
The
"March Craftivist newsletter is out and includes the latest
craftivist patterns and options for supporting young activists. Plus, a
reminder on our April 8th meeting to create heart pins for gun
violence survivors. Sign up for our monthly missive on our website. https://www.craftivist.net/contact/"
Check out the Facebook group, too: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Craftivist.net/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to attend/organize
States
1.
All: From
one of our own: If you know teens who care about gun violence
prevention, please spread the word about #50More.
Some amazing teens in WI marched 50 miles from Madison to Janesville, Paul
Ryan's hometown, to speak out about his failure on gun reform. They are now
calling on teens in every state to have a 50 Miles More march to the home or
office of a legislator, before the midterms. Help them turn this map
yellow: https://www.facebook.com/50MilesMore/ and https://50milesmore.org/
2.
All: In
response to the systemic issue of police shootings, coupled with a significant
lack of accountability, California lawmakers have introduced legislation which
would change the wording of when police officers can open fire from “reasonable
force” to “necessary force” https://bit.ly/2GLSgzh
Because the “shoot first” mentality is so widespread, pushback on the
legislation is expected. The ACLU of California has offered more detail on two
bills that have been proposed, as well as their statement on police
accountability https://bit.ly/2Ip1tdO As
recent evidence revealed that 22-year-old Stephon Clark was shot 8 times in the
back by the Sacramento Police https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/03/30/stephon-clark-independent-autopsy-results-announced-friday/472507002/,
and was clearly not a threat, let’s make sure our legislators understand that
we need this law to help curb police violence. If we are from California, let’s
make sure that our legislators support the Police Accountability and Community
Protection Act and S.B.
1421 For those of us from other states, let’s
check out the proposed legislation, and ask our state legislators to introduce
something similar. We can find our state legislators here.
3.
TX: Folks
are taking to the streets in Houston to protest the police killing of Danny Ray
Thomas, an unarmed African-American man who was shot to death in the midst of a
mental health episode (http://abc13.com/protesters-confront-sheriff-over-shooting-death-of-unarmed-man/3295087/).
The Trump Administration has made it clear they won’t step in to protect people
from police violence, so we need to step up. Those of us in the Houston area
should consider coming to a meeting of the Texas Organizing Project TOMORROW at
7:00pm at 2404 Caroline in Houston, Texas, where they will be discussing how to
change protest into policy change in the criminal justice system. (We can
contact tkoontz@organizetexas.org for
more information.) And all of us can sign up for updates from the Texas Organizing
Project here and
follow them on Twitter.
4.
LA: On
June 8-10th, there will be a My Louisiana Equality and Equity
Summit, “a nonpartisan gathering of activists, nonprofit leaders, social
enterprisers, policymakers, and other stakeholders committed to pursuing a more
just, equitable Louisiana for all of us.” The Summit will take place in Baton
Rouge, and registration is free. Let’s check it out! http://mylouisianasummit.org/
5.
MI:
Although they concede that the majority of public comments were opposed to it,
the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has announced that they
have approved Nestle’s water pumping permit
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2018/04/state_approves_nestles_controv.html Next, MDEQ will have to approve Nestle’s
monitoring plan. We can contact MDEQ to tell them that they can expect
opposition from Michigan residents every step of the way: 800-662-9278 Then,
let’s contact our state legislators and ask that they draft legislation to
protect our land, groundwater, and Great Lakes, and impose greater regulation
against companies like Nestle who seek water withdrawal https://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/
Reading/Watching
1.
Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand
Action for Gun Sense in America, wrote this wise piece for Medium titled “We
have to say never again to police violence too”: https://medium.com/@shannonwatts/we-have-to-say-never-again-to-police-violence-too-b3e8f54b9164
2.
Corey Robin, author of “The Reactionary
Mind,” issues an important warning against imagining a burnished past, against
the backdrop of which Trump seems unusual as opposed to typical:
https://harpers.org/archive/2018/04/forget-about-it/2/
https://harpers.org/archive/2018/04/forget-about-it/2/
3.
If we
need help understanding or explaining the problem with adding a question about
citizenship to the 2020 Census, here's an Actions To Withstand
with Kristin Brey episode
to help! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrDq9X85Tw0
