10/3/18
34 DAYS UNTIL MID-TERM ELECTIONS
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White House contact:
https://www.usa.gov/federal-agencies/white-house
********************************
Many newspapers, 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. Whether
or not the FBI can corroborate Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony, it’s
important that we press our Senators to hold Supreme Court nominee Brett
Kavanaugh for lying under oath, both in the recent hearing about his drinking
behavior https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/lindsey-graham-wont-care-if-kavanaugh-lied-under-oath/571885/
and in a previous hearing last month about receiving documents that were
allegedly stolen from Democrats. https://www.newsweek.com/brett-kavanaugh-perjury-lied-oath-hearing-1147604.
Let’s continue to be unrelenting with
our Senators (and reach out to friends and family to do the same) that
Kavanaugh has failed his job interview on several fronts: disposition, repeated
lying, and the nature of the multiple allegations against him about sexual
violence. Suit Up Maine has
formulated a detailed list of all the reasons Kavanaugh should not be confirmed:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15IY-l5rfyNQLCl26pYpjeZK_wax79lZp94_qnToZj00/edit#
Let’s remind our Senators that lying
under oath is a disqualifying offense, the same offense for which President
Clinton was impeached. And let’s especially remind Senator Jeff Flake, (R-AZ) (202-224-4521)
who called for the FBI investigation in the first place, to hold to his
statement that evidence that showed how Kavanaugh lied under oath would be a
disqualifying offense. We can see on
this continually updated spreadsheet from Indivisible where each senator
stands: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1IhksP1EBXbIxirXRILNBOjTH89drJp8im3d2ELnvlSg/edit#gid=1913565360
2. The
Trump administration is proposing a rule which would allow the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) to deny permanent legal status to green card holders
and legal immigrants if they have received SNAP benefits, welfare, Medicaid,
Medicare Part D, or Section 8 housing (https://politi.co/2MRpAUo). Disability rights advocates at the
Autistic Self-Advocacy Network point out that this "public charge"
regulation has a long history in our country, and discriminates on the basis of
income and ability (https://bit.ly/2R0xP3T).
Let's read through the public charge argument, and keep it in mind once the proposed
rule is published at the Federal Register.
3. As
the Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination rages on, the Trump administration has
announced that they will halt visas for unmarried same sex-partners of
diplomats and United Nations employees from other countries:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/10/02/trump-halts-visas-same-sex-partners-diplomats-un-employees/1495218002/ Let’s
let our MoC know that we understand that other countries may not offer the
marriage option to their citizens and that the United States does not need to
be stepping back in civil rights on any front and that we are setting a poor
tone for the world.
4. Congress
has added $2.4 trillion in debt in FY 2018, largely due to the new tax law. The
GOP’s claim that economic growth resulting from the law will cause the deficit
to shrink has been refuted by the CBO. https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/409457-congress-added-24-trillion-in-debt-in-fiscal-year-2018-watchdog.
Last week, while we were distracted with the Kavanaugh hearings, the House
quietly passed “Tax Reform 2.0,” which would make some of the individual tax
cuts in the recent law permanent. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/27/house-poised-to-pass-tax-cut-bills-despite-unlikely-senate-vote.html.
The GOP plan has always been to use the rising deficits as an excuse to cut
social programs. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/blowing-up-the-deficit-is-part-of-the-plan/548720/.
While there is no plan to take up Tax Reform 2.0 in the Senate, at least not
until after the midterms, our Senators still need to hear that we do not want
to see the budget balanced on the backs of the most vulnerable. Tax laws should
be reformed in a way that works toward balancing the budget and assuring that
the rich pay their fair share.
5. From
one of our own: Comments and actions
ending week of October 5th. The methane rule still hasn't been published.
Pompeo sent a letter saying same-sex partners of UN employees on G-4 visas
won't be allowed in the US unless they are married - deadline is the end of
October - but there's no regulation on it or petition yet that I could find. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J1KQMkV2Bv0pDlzFG_Jp4lWAssjE8PNb/view
6. “Two
U.S. Senators — Sens. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) —
are applying for federal money for themselves under a $12 billion bailout
program set up by the White House to help farmers hurt by trade hostilities,
spokespeople from their offices said. Grassley pressed the Trump administration
this spring to relieve farmers who have been pummeled by Chinese tariffs on
their exports amid the wider trade war. Tester has also criticized the impact
of the tariffs on farmers and called on the administration to help Montana
ranchers.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/09/28/sen-charles-grassley-apply-bailout-money-farmers-under-white-house-program/?utm_term=.efea009a1f53
How
is this even fair that two senators with the ear of the WH pressure the WH for
money that ends up in their pockets? Let’s ask our Congress persons to consider
laws to stop these conflicts of interest for those persons while serving in
office.
7. “The
Trump administration is abruptly ending a decades long program that trained
national wildlife refuge managers with law enforcement capabilities in
order to police often remote spots of public land. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) announced to employees on Sept. 21 that refuge managers who were
also trained to police the area would no longer be able to act in any
enforcement capacity and would be stripped of their firearm, according to an
internal FWS email shared with The Hill.”
https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/409455-trump-administration-ends-key-law-enforcement-program-at-wildlife
We really need to pressure congress to make
laws that protect our planet. We can’t leave it up to WH policies that can be
easily overturned. Call your Congress persons, your governors and ask why
we are not protecting our natural resources. Ask that the enforcement program
be restored immediately.
Election
2018 – General
1. If
we are or know someone who is a survivor of domestic violence, voting becomes
an act of courage since voter address records are public. However, Nonprofit Vote tells us, “Address
Confidentiality Programs (ACP) and Confidential Voter Listings are programs
administered by the state that enable survivors of domestic violence (and
sometimes victims of sexual assault and/or stalking) to vote without fear of
being found by their abusers by providing a substitute address for all public
records. Confidential Voter Listings only provide confidentiality on
election-related public records. The
National Network to End Domestic Violence provides a list of currently available programs. For more
information on ACPs and Confidential Voter Listings in your state contact your
local elections officials.”
2. We
are heading into the homestretch now, with Election Day coming on November 6th,
but there's still time to build the Blue Wave higher. Let's have a look at
Indivisible's handy tool for finding local groups and GOTV events:
http://www.indivisible.org/events/.
Do a quick search, find an event, then participate! What could be easier?
3. We
only need to flip one seat in the NY Senate for it to become Majority
Democrat. Now, we can write with Postcards To Voters' Campaign 114: James Skoufis to
extend our participation in turning the NY State Senate blue. Let's write 5
postcards for James today. If we are new volunteers, we can sign up here.
4. Second
Chances Florida is trying to get Amendment 4—the Voting Restoration Amendment (https://ballotpedia.org/Florida_Amendment_4,_Voting_Rights_Restoration_for_Felons_Initiative_(2018) )—passed
this November. We can help them get the 60% of the vote they need,
wherever we are, by signing up to make calls urging people to vote: https://secondchancesfl.org/remote-events/
5. Black
voters in the South need our help! Fortunately, Black
Voters Matter, dedicated to fighting back against voter
suppression and turning out Black voters across 7 states in the south, is here.
This is critical work, especially in the age of Trump, Kemp and others, where
more and more voters of color are purged and disenfranchised. Today they start
off in FL and NC. We can join them in texting voters with these simple
steps: A) Read the instruction
sheet: https://rr.team/bvm-instructions,
B) Sign up here to start texting:
https://resistancelabs.com/volunteer/text,
C) If you we are new to texting with them, we can take this short
training: https://rr.team/bvm-training,
and D) Join their SLACK group to stay in the loop and get answers to questions
you may have about this texting project. We can find out more and sign up
here:
6. From
one of our own: If you know any
volunteers in blue states who want to help a red state (we do often get calls
and emails from other states, which is so sweet), the Democratic Party of
Georgia (DGP) and superstar gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams are in a very
tight race here and they are set up to take out of state help if you know
anyone who wants to give it. When elected -- and we're all working 24/7 to make
it happen -- Stacey will be the first black female governor ever, which will
have a tremendous ripple effect throughout the South and the entire country. The DGP is managing the largest commitment to
grassroots voter contact by a campaign or party in Georgia in a generation. Out
of state friends and family members who'd like to help, either remotely or by
traveling here, can sign up here for the Georgia Blue Wave program:
7. “Red2Blue
mobilizes volunteers and connects them to campaigns with a single goal in mind:
electing Democratic candidates. We identify strategic elections and progressive
candidates where our contribution can make a difference. We recruit volunteers and work with campaigns
to amplify candidates' efforts. Our support enables them to focus on work that
can only be done inside their districts.”
Let’s check out how we can help: https://red2blue.org/
8. Every
Tuesday leading up to the November 6th election, March For Our Lives is issuing
a new call to action to young people across the United States. Their mission is
clear: to encourage all eligible voters to elect morally just leaders on all
levels of government. If we are a young activist, we can sign up to join their
#TurnoutTuesday mission and weekly training calls with national organizers from
March For Our Lives. And when we complete your mission every Tuesday, we
can post pictures on social media with the hashtag #TurnoutTuesday so the world
can see! We can sign up here:
https://marchforourlives.com/turnout-tuesday/
Election 2018 – By State
1.
ALL: Upcoming voting dates and deadlines: by date:
https://goo.gl/gjFv2u by
state: https://goo.gl/7gTzvE
2.
ALL: If we are not sure where to start looking for
information about candidates, issues, etc., we can check out the League of
Women Voters’ website: https://www.vote411.org/
3.
ME: Suit
Up Maine has created a new GOTV Dashboard, a
one-stop shopping site for the Maine voter. Do you need information on: A) Voter registration? B) Who's
running this year? C) Ranked choice voting? D) Volunteering for a
campaign? E) Upcoming public
candidate forums? The GOTV Dashboard
offers that, and more. Take it for a spin...and share it with your friends!
Help us get out the vote on November 6! Share
this link: https://www.suitupmaine.org/maine-votes/
Other Actions
1.
“So at the risk of repeating myself, let’s recognize that we’ve been given an
incredible gift: rage at the best possible moment. We’re far enough from the
most important election in our lifetime that our efforts can dramatically
impact the outcome, but close enough that we won’t lose momentum. We’re now in
the sprint finish to the marathon we’ve been running – and the GOP just goosed
us in the butt in the last 50 yards. So
how do we channel that rage to make it the most effective?” https://mailchi.mp/0bbec6dc6584/your-weekly-pep-talk-a-special-channel-your-rage-edition?e=4a9124dbd5 If
we don’t already follow Michele’s Weekly
Pep Talk this is a good time to start!
This week’s edition includes a pdf version of The Busy Woman’s Guide to Channeling Your Rage.
2. On
Monday, our sexist Trump insulted ABC News reporter Cecilia Vega by saying,
apropos of nothing, that she “never thinks”:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/trump-insults-abc-s-cecilia-vega-saying-she-never-thinks Let’s
thank Ms. Vega for enduring in a difficult work environment: ABC News, 1717
DeSales St NW, Washington, DC 20036. Let’s also call the White House comment
line to express anger about Trump’s treatment of women: 202-456-1111
3.
Whistleblower Reality Winner was removed
last week from the Georgia county jail in which she's been held for over a
year. However, rather than being sent to a federal facility for processing, she
was taken to a Florida county jail for reasons that remain unclear. Let's read
more at The Intercept.
We don't know how long she will be at this Florida facility. Let's write notes
of support anyway: Reality Leigh Winner Pod 6 Cell 1, Baker Co. Detention
Facility, PO Box 1629, MacClenny FL 32063. Reality is staying with ICE
detainees and she has requested that we send paperback books in Spanish to her
for them to read. Some important things to remember when sending books to
an inmate: a) Do not send more than 3 books at a time. b) All
books must be new and soft cover (no hardcover or spiral bound)
c) Always ship USPS. (Source: PrisonPro)
Ordering directly from Amazon or another retailer is suggested.
4. Kavanaugh's
second accuser, Deborah Ramirez, has had to deal with some of the same kinds of
threats that caused Dr. Blasey Ford to flee her house and hire security. https://www.denverpost.com/2018/09/26/boulder-kavanaugh-accuser-deborah-ramirez-threatened/.
In fact, so has Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence, a domestic
violence organization where Ramirez serves as a board member, Celeste Pewter
points out. https://twitter.com/Celeste_pewter/status/1045315858627670016 Let's
show we support Ramirez, and all women who have been subjected to violence and
assault, by donating to this worthy organization here:
5.
From
Dona Kim Murphey and Project
Lifeline: Hundreds of people of good conscience,
physicians, and faith leaders gathered this weekend in a 3 city, 4 event
campaign to bring more visibility to the 134,000 migrant children detained by
immigration annually. In ICE/CBP processing centers, they face incarceration in
the mixed company of adults and profound dehumanization and deprivations as
documented by hundreds of pages of Flores declarations published this summer.
From there, the next couple months to couple years they spend in ORR
'shelters,' reminiscent of a haunting legacy of Indian boarding schools in this
country. And now, finally, the government is moving to concentrate some 1,600
and growing to a 'tent city' in West Texas. We came fully prepared to
have our offer of supplies and services rejected. But it was still painful when
it happened. This clip . . . https://www.facebook.com/savemainstnow/videos/758086151204042/
gives me hope. But, hope is work, and we
need your help. Please like and follow Project Lifeline and see how we can help: https://www.facebook.com/projlifeline
6. The
ACLU Congressional Scorecard evaluates votes by members of Congress on key
legislation affecting civil liberties and civil rights since January 2017. The
scores indicate how members of Congress voted in accordance with the ACLU’s
positions on legislation. Let's take a look at the scorecard here and find how our own legislators,
especially those up for re-election, have scored. Then, let’s use this information in our
election efforts.
7.
From one of our own: I am contacting
the office of the State Bar of Arizona indicating that Ms. Mitchell the
attorney the GOP hired to question Christine Blasey Ford during the hearing] has
rendered an inappropriate assessment of Dr. Ford, based on her own words that
this format was not the appropriate venue nor modus operandi for speaking with
a sex assault victim........and that whatever fairness she was lending to the
information gathering she appeared to be doing, was cut short by the
Republicans, thus rendering said assessment as incomplete, and therefore, in
appropriate. https://www.azbar.org/ContactUs JOIN ME!
8.
Jason Kander, the
American attorney, author, combat veteran, and politician, who began Let
America Vote and had been in Missouri state government
and was running for mayor in Kansas City, has withdrawn his name for
consideration and has temporarily stepped away from Let America Vote. As he tweeted yesterday, “I suffer from
depression and have PTSD symptoms. After 11 years, I'm finally ready to do
something about it.” https://jasonkander.com/
Let’s send our best wishes to Jason and thank him for publicly acknowledging his
illness and treatment plans. It could be
so motivating for others to get needed help.
We can write him at his campaign headquarters: PO Box 413736, Kansas City, MO 64141, or
tweet him at @JasonKander
or comment on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jasonkander/
Marches/events/webinars/Tweetstorms to
attend/organize
1. On
October 3-5, the Center for Popular
Democracy, Women’s March, Housing Works, and Birddog Nation are sponsoring a We
Can Stop Kavanaugh effort. We can learn
more and sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfe1qMxy2BFypszJoc5DgiH6YEz1KKsLWR_R8VwfcRqZWWPJw/viewform We
can see if there are events near us or create one, too: https://act.moveon.org/event/stop_kavanaugh_vigils/search/
2. On
October 7, the Action Together
Network is hosting their first webinar in The Sunday Network Assembly series:
"Team Building in a High Pressure GOTV Environment," led by Leslie
Boyd. We can find more information here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/178102423083517
and register here now:
3.
January
19, 2019 is the date of the third Women’s March with the main event to be
held in Washington, D.C. with sister marches all over the country. Let’s find more information here: https://www.womensmarch.com/2019
States
Reading/Watching
1.
Should We Teach About
Consent In K-12? Brett Kavanaugh's Home State Says Yes - https://www.npr.org/2018/09/28/652203139/should-we-teach-about-consent-in-k-12-brett-kavanaughs-home-state-says-yes
2.
Dear dads:
Your daughters told me about their assaults. This is why they never told you
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/newsfeature/dear-dads-your-daughters-told-me-about-their-assaults-this-is-why-they-never-told-you/ar-BBNPCiK
3.
America's
image worsens under Trump - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-image-survey/americas-image-worsens-under-trump-idUSKCN1MB3V9
