Thur. 10/17: “What can I do? I’m just one person.” Answer: “A lot.” Join us today for 3rd Thursday – Pizza, comradery, & postcards!

In honor of Congressman Elijah Cummings, please take some actions today to protect democracy. We’ve listed some on our 10/16 post and we have more below.

Action #1  – TODAY! Meet at Santino’s for pizza, comradery, and social justice – every Third Thursday starting at 11:30 am

• Where: Santino’s Pizza. It’s at 4231 Telegraph Rd., Ventura, 93003
• When: Thursday, Sept. 19th, 11:30am – 1:30pm.
• RSVP for our supporters: Nope. Just come. Invite your friends!
  We do, however, reserve the right to refuse any volunteers and their services.
• What to bring: We provide the pizza, postcards, stationary. If you prefer, you may bring your own stationary. A postcard stamp is $0.35. (300) postcards equals $105. Donations of stamps are always gratefully accepted. 
• Questions? Email indivisibleventura@gmail.org

Today’s Menu:

Postcards: We’re going to be writing 300 postcards to voters in Dallas in connection with the NAACP and the Center for Common Ground‘s – Reclaim our Vote campaign!

Why do we need a RECLAIM OUR VOTE campaign? Community of color voters are being placed on “Inactive” or “Unregistered” lists at a 16% higher rate than whites. The ability to vote of people in minority communities was already being systematically undermined over the last decade, by the imposition of strict new voter ID laws, by the reduction in polling places and early voting, and through many other tactics.

 Cards of support: We’ll also send cards of support to Rep. Adam Schiff and staff. President Trump has focused his vitriol, and the rage of his followers against this incredibly brave legislator overseeing the inquiry that threatens his corrupt presidency.

Action #2  – Mark your calendars! Jim Hines of the Sierra Club needs our help! (Please share!)

A vast pristine ocean area where some of the largest kelp beds in the world grow, numerous whale species swim and feed, sea otters frolic and giant Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtles glide through the clear waters. All currently protected by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS).

But those protection’s could all change in the future because of a commitment by the current Presidential Administration to reduce in size or weaken protections for America’s national marine sanctuaries (NMS) including CINMS off our coast.

While America’s national marines sanctuary program is administered by a business agency – the U.S. Dept of Commerce, there is a overreach into the management of NMS’s by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, whose agency would like to lease out large tracts of CINMS for oil and gas drilling operations as early as 2020.

Former Interior Secretary and Santa Barbara resident Ryan Zinke would often tell me that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross allows him (Ryan Zinke) to rule over America’s NMS’s. A similar tone is echoed by current Interior Secretary Bernhardt. Apparently Secretary Ross has other priorities for Dept. of Commerce and really is not interested in National Marine Sanctuaries. In fact there has been some planning on a Presidential order which would move America’s NMSs from Commerce Dept to Dept. of the Interior.

We need to speak out at the two public meetings on the new CINMS management plan and urge CINMS managers to:

• NOT in any way reduce the current boundaries of CINMS.
• TO in fact expand the current boundaries of CINMS
• TO not give in to the higher powers in DC and reduce any of the current protections which the marine environment and marine species have in the current sanctuary.

There are two public meetings next week on the proposed update to the sanctuary management plan in our area, please attend the one which is closest to where you live and join us as we speak out for protection of our endangered and precious ocean ecosystem.