Fri 8/24: Get ready for your Kava-never weekend…

Sunday, Aug. 26th is National Women’s Equality Day!

The United States Congress passed the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women full and equal voting rights on this day in 1920. In 1971, Rep. Bella Abzug (D-NY) sponsored the resolution and every year since, each president declares this day as Women’s Equality Day.

This should be interesting… The Center for American Progress put out this great list in 2017 of 100 ways the Trump administration is feverishly working to harm the rights of women and families. It should be substantially longer by now, including a threatening gag rule on doctors, attacking the UN’s resolution supporting breastfeeding, attacking SNAP, and gutting the asylum categories most used by women.

We have work to do!

Action #1 – Join in at the “Write For Your Rights” event!

Facebook link here. We will provide a number of letters to elected representatives, regarding reproductive health care, for the public to sign. It’s an easy way to join together to amplify our voices and to spend a little time with like-minded friends.

Action #2 – Join the national day of action to stop Brett Kavanaugh. Bring signs, and American flags!

We can win this fight if we stay united!

Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/events/215280449323095/

If you’re not nearby, go here to find your nearest event.

People across the country, along with People’s Defense coalition, NARAL Pro-Choice America, MoveOn, Indivisible, and more than 30 other organizations, are rising up to demand that their Senators stop Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination, and protect our most fundamental rights. Everyone agrees: the balance of the Supreme Court is on the line with this lifetime appointment. He will rule to gut Roe, criminalize abortion, cut health care, attack voting rights and LGBTQ rights, slash environmental protections, and further damage workers’ and immigrant rights. If Senators vote to confirm Kavanaugh, they would cement into place the worst and most dangerous of Donald Trump’s policies for generations to come.

Action #3 – Call your legislator to tell them what you think about Brett Kavanaugh. They need that support.

Here are some points to use. Pick a different one everyday. Really. Every. single. day. We need to flood our senators’ offices with calls against this one.

Roe v. Wade: Kavanaugh dissented in a ruling that stated an undocumented teenager had a legal right to obtain an abortion, writing that the D.C. Circuit Court majority decision bestowed “a new right for unlawful immigrant minors in U.S. Government detention to obtain immediate abortion on demand.”
Roe v. Wade: He gave a speech in 2017 to the American Enterprise Institute in which he said he agreed with Justice Rehnquist’s dissent in Roe v. Wade.
Untouchable Trump: In a 2009 article in the Minnesota Law Review Kavanaugh argued for a law that would exempt a sitting president from criminal prosecution and investigation, including prosecutorial questioning.
OK with semi-automatic weapons: In 2011, he authored a dissent in a case that upheld a semi-automatic weapons ban in D.C., arguing that the assault weapons ban was unconstitutional.
Anti-environmental: He has sided against the Environmental Protection Agency in many cases involving Obama-era regulations, ranging from the banning of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) (which he opposed) to rules on harmful emissions that cross state lines (which he rejected).
Not a net neutrality fan: He has argued against Net Neutrality.
Not a fan of protecting consumers: He claims that the Consumer Financial Protections Bureau is unconstitutional and has said independent agencies circumvent executive powers.
Not a fan of Americans accessing healthcare: Kavanaugh argued in his dissent in a 2011 case pertaining to the ACA that the president can choose to ignore laws that he or she finds unconstitutional, even if the courts have ruled that the laws are constitutional.
Thinks corporations are more important than individuals: In a 2015 dissent in Priests for Life v HHS, Kavanaugh argued that employers should be able to deny employees coverage for contraceptive care if it violates their religious beliefs.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to vote against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh because his rulings/views on _______ are reprehensible/(out of step with the {21st century/majority of Americans}).

Contact your Legislator
Senator Feinstein: email DC (202) 224-3841, LA (310) 914-7300, SF (415) 393-0707, SD (619) 231-9712, Fresno (559) 485-7430
and Senator Harris: email DC (202) 224-3553, LA (213) 894-5000, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 355-9041, SD (619) 239-3884
Other Contacts: https://hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com

Action #4 – The Senate voted on an amendment to defund Planned Parenthood yesterday.

Check out who tried to sneak Rand Paul’s Planned Parenthood-defunding amendment into the latest spending package here.
Only Collins and Murkowski joined the Democrats to vote “NO”. The vote was 45 “YES” to 48 “NO”, with a 60 vote minimum to pass. This vote allowed legislators to grandstand to their hardcore forced-birther base, but it also showed how quickly funding decisions can be made.
Don’t take any votes against Rand Paul’s Amdt. No. 3967 for granted!
Let CA senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris know you’re out there and you appreciate their staunch support of a woman’s right to self-determination. If you have friends and family whose senators voted “YEA” to this, have them call and remind these legislators to start looking for good deals on moving boxes.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I thank Senator [___] for voting against the Rand Paul’s Amendment No. 3967.