Wed – 12/19: The Resistance stands up.

There was a choice…

The GOP has been working hard to erode or destroy long-standing democratic institutions that do not serve them. For the midterms, they disenfranchised every potential Democratic voter they could with oppressive voter ID laws, under-equipped polling places and wandering mail-in ballots. After the election, lame-duck GOP legislatures began stripping powers from incoming Democratic governors and attorney generals. Our side is rightly angry and New Jersey Democratic legislators decided that they too could play zero-sum politics, by proposing to embed gerrymandering into the state constitution.

The resistance had a choice: silently watch the flames of this “burn-it-to-the-ground” power play by Democrats as payback for what the GOP richly deserved or stand up for American values of fairness and decency and stop this action.

The Resistance stopped it.

Action #1 – Another choice. Despite its bipartisan support, say “NO” to “The Israel Anti-Boycott Act”.

A group of bipartisan representatives and senators are trying to inject language in a must-pass spending bill that would make it a crime for U.S. companies to participate in anti-Israel boycotts.

How did we wander so far down this anti-First Amendment highway?

In the 1970’s, the Export Administration Act was passed in response to the Arab League’s boycott of Israel, which required U.S. businesses to join them as a condition of doing business. To prevent foreign countries from bullying U.S. businesses into compulsory boycotts, the EAA prohibited U.S. companies from entering into agreements with foreign governments to boycott countries friendly to the United States. Supporters of HR 1697/ S.720 – “The Israel Anti-Boycott Act” say that their new legislation just expands the definition of bullies from foreign governments to international organizations, like the United Nations Human Rights Council, whose resolution of March 24, 2016, urged countries to pressure companies to divest from, or break contracts with, Israel.

Prioritizing the concerns of Israel over Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed First Amendment protections, has already infiltrated to the state level. In 2017, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott signed the law that made Texas the 17th state to prohibit companies from boycotting Israeli, barring offenders from being contracted by state agencies. Already, a speech pathologist in the Texas public school system has lost her job because she refused to sign this oath pledging not to boycott Israeli products.

Minimum Script: I’m calling/emailing from [zip code] to thank Rep/Sen.[___] for joining with the ACLU in not cosponsoring this most un-American bill (Rep. = HR 1697/ Sen. = S.720)– “The Israel Anti-Boycott Act” and ask them to insist on removing this language from any spending bills.

• Check your reps  here. (Neither Reps. Brownley or Carbajal have signed on.)
• Check your senators here. (Neither Feinstein or Harris have signed on)

Call or email our legislators with thanks!

Rep. Julia Brownley: email, (CA-26): DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal: email. (CA-24): DC (202) 225-3601, SB (805) 730-1710 SLO (805) 546-8348
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
Who is my representative?: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com 

Action #2 – Help your family and friends in other states find legislators, Democrats or otherwise, who aren’t doing the right thing and call them out.

HR 1697/ S.720 – “The Israel Anti-Boycott Act”

• Check their reps  here.
• Check their senators here.
• They can contact their legislators here: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com 

Net Neutrality – Some Democrats who’ve taken ISP contributions haven’t signed on yet. – Deadline Dec. 21.

• Check this list of House legislators.
• If they’re not on it, go here.
• They can contact their legislators here: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com 
• These Democratic reps haven’t signed on yet.
  • Rep. Tom O’Halleran (AZ-1)
  • Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-9)
  • Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16)
  • Rep. David Scott GA-13)
  • Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10)
  • Rep. Pete Visclosky (IN-1)
  • Rep. G.K. Butterfield (NC-1)
  • Rep. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5)
  • Rep. Robert Brady (PA-1)
  • Rep. Dwight Evans (PA-2)
  • Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-7)
  • Rep. Brandon Boyle (PA-13)
  • Rep. Matt Cartwright (PA-17)
  • Rep. Vicente Gonzales (TX-15)
  • Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
  • Rep. Gene Green (TX-29)
  • Rep. Filemon Vela (TX-34)

Withdrawing US support for war in Yemen

• Check for House reps here and senators here.
• If they’re not on it, go here and ask them to sign on.
• They can contact their legislators here: hq-salsa.wiredforchange.com 
• 5 Democratic reps voted to block ending support of Yemen.
  • Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16)
  • Al Lawson (FL-5)
  • Collin Peterson (ND-7)
  • Dutch Rupperberger (MD – 2)
  • David Scott (GA-13)
• Reading on Jim Costa (D-Fresno) here.