Brady United AgainstGun Violence CA has sent out an urgent notice! These crucial bills — AB/SB 173 Public Safety— would ensure this critical research and data are once again shared so that the research center can study the impacts of gun violence and help save lives. But time is running out: We only have until tomorrow to urge lawmakers to support this vital bill. Please, send your lawmakers an email right now in support of AB/SB 173!
The NRA just sent out their own alert, asking their people to call against this bill, using unfounded excuses. Don’t let their voices be the only ones your legislators hear!
Minimal script : I’m calling from [zip code]and I want Assemblymember/Senator [___] to vote “YES” on [Assm:SB 173/ Sen: AB 173] Public Safety. There was no verifiable reason that the DOJ stopped sharing the vital research and data needed by our highly respected Firearm Violence Research Center, work vital to preventing gun violence, for the use of advocates, law enforcement, public health experts, lawmakers, and more. If we want to create successful, evidence-based policy outcomes, prevent gun violence, and save lives, we need this vital research. Please vote “YES” today.
“It was entirely possible in the 1980s to pay your way through a typical public university with a part-time minimum-wage job. But trends in both tuition and wages have put that strategy out of reach for most today. The average in-state cost for tuition, fees, room and board at a public four-year university last year was $21,370, according to the College Board. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. To pay for college on that wage, a student would have to work 56 hours a week, every week of the year. No wonder about 2 in 3 graduates of public and private nonprofit colleges borrow, a proportion that’s held steady for a decade.“
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to co-sponsor Rep: H.Res.100, which calls on President Joe Biden to eliminate up to $50,000 in student loan debt per borrower.
Action #1: Tell your senators that what happened in Texas proves we need the campaign finance reforms of S.1 – For the People Act.
Action #2: Remind the corporate enablers of Texas SB8 that we SEE them for what they are.
UPDATE – Action #3: Write to CEO’s of Texas-based corporations and tell them to speak up!
(Great video! Action to get doctors qualified immunity already written herein Action #4.)
Corporate values…
Donor transparency sites have had a lot of traffic recently, as people try to find out who’s been funding the misogynistic and extremist legislators behind Texas’ Orwellian forced-birther bill SB8 (info here). The largest donor is a private organization – Texans for Lawsuit Reform (TLR), whose ironic mission is to fight “against new causes of action and new theories of liability.” They’ve donated over $2.3 million since 2018 to support a law that is completey opposite to that. Not much to do about them yet, so we’re moving on to corporations…
(thebrick.house) The “Texas Heartbeat Bill” has been around in the Texas legislature since February 2019, when Rep. Broscoe Cain and four co-authors first introduced it. The version signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott was introduced, SB 8, was introduced in March by Sen. Bryan Hughes with 17 Senate co-authors and five House co-authors.
Sludge reviewed the campaign contributions that the 22 Republican co-authors of the heartbeat bill have received and found that telecom and media giant AT&T has been by far the largest corporate donor to the group. AT&T’s Texas PAC has given more than $570,000 to the co-authors, including many donations that were made after the bill had been proposed.
Rep. Briscoe Cain, the originator of the bill, has received $3,500 from AT&T’s PAC, $3,000 of which was received after he first proposed the bill. Sen. Hughes, the primary author of the version that became law, has received more than $50,000 from the company.
Action #1: Tell your legislators to vote “YES” on H.R. 3755/S.1975 – The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021
Action #2: Expand and rebalance this lawless Court with H.R. 2584/S.1141 – Judiciary Act of 2021. It no longer represents the American public.
Action #3: Help fund non-profit organizations that help women access healthcare.
Action #4: Chat with Joe.
Action #1: Tell your legislators to vote “YES” on H.R. 3755/S.1975 – The Women’s Health Protection Act of 2021
Minimal script for cosponsor: I’m calling from [zip code]. I want to thank Rep./Sen. [___] for cosponsoring [Rep. = H.R. 3755/Sen. = S.1975] – the “Women’s Health Protection Act.” I’m angry that the Supreme Court essentially overturned Roe v Wade by not ruling Texas’ SB8 – the “heartbeat” forced-birther law, blatantly unconstitutional. They shirked their job and now we need [him/her] to step up and push this bill onto the floor right away. It’s possible that [his/her] own constitutents could be sued by forced-birther vigilantes if they offer aid to women in Texas. I expect Rep./Sen. [___] to explore all options to overturning this miscarriage of settled law, including removing the filibuster to ensure the rights of women to make decisions for themselves and their families.
Minimal script for NON-cosponsor: I’m calling from [zip code]. I want Rep./Sen. [___] to know that I’m angry that the Supreme Court essentially overturned Roe v Wade by not ruling Texas’ SB8 – the “heartbeat” forced-birther law, blatantly unconstitutional. They shirked their job and now legislators have to step up, so I want to know why Rep./Sen. [___] hasn’t signed on as a cosponsor of [Rep. = H.R. 3755/Sen. = S.1975] – the “Women’s Health Protection Act.” It’s possible that [his/her] own constitutents could be sued by forced-birther vigilantes if they offer aid to women in Texas. What they’re doing to protect the rights of women to decide on matters of the health and welfare of themselve and their families?
Rep-check here: Reps. Brownley and Carbajal are cosponsors.
Senator-check here: Sens. Feinstein and Padilla are cosponsors.
Contact:
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26):email, DC (202) 225-5811, Oxnard (805) 379-1779, T.O. (805) 379-1779
or Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24): email. 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 Padilla: email, DC (202) 224-3553, LA (310) 231-4494, SAC (916) 448-2787, Fresno (559) 497-5109, SF (415) 981-9369, SD (619) 239-3884
5 actions! Seriously?!Yep! But they’ve all got easy scripts for you to follow and won’t take more than 30 seconds each.
Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act
Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.
Action #3: State Action – CALL your state senator to pass the VISION Act.
Action #4: State Action – CALL your state assemblymember to pass SB2 – Kenneth Ross Jr. Police Decertification Act of 2021.
Action #5: State Action – Dark money smackdown – Call out two assemblymembers for misusing their power.
Action #1: Federal Action – CALL the White House NOW and Urge President Biden to Use the Bully Pulpit to Pass S.1 – For the People Act
Pick an option that works for you, or make your own…
Call script option 1: In his Philadelphia speech, the President told the country about the danger to our democracy: “the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War” Since that’s the threat, he needs to do much more. He needs to use the bully pulpit to push for filibuster reform so that the Senate can pass S.1. The choice is simple: keep the filibuster as it is, or save democracy. We elected him so he could make the right choice.
Call script option 2: (from Center for Common Ground) Hi, my name is [NAME], and I’m calling from [CITY, STATE]. I’m calling to urge President Biden to do everything in his power to protect our freedom to vote by pressuring the Senate to overcome the filibuster and pass the S.1 – For The People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. These bills are common-sense reforms to unrig our political system and make sure the voices of the American people are heard. Thank you.
Call script option 3: (from Jessica Craven of Chop Wood, Carry Water): I voted for President Biden, and am grateful for all he’s doing, but I’m calling to ask him to do much more to pressure Democrats in Congress to pass voting rights legislation—namely HR1 the For the People Act and HR4 the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. And I want him to vocally support abolishing or reforming the filibuster to get this done. If we don’t protect our ability to vote now we will never get this chance again.
Contact: 202 456 1111 (Open only Tues-Thurs, 11am-3pm Eastern)
Action #2: Federal action – Call Feinstein EVERY DAY(!) until the S.1 – For the People Act passes the Senate.
“The right to vote is the most sacred and fundamental right we enjoy as American citizens and one that the foot soldiers fought, bled and died for in my hometown of Selma, Alabama. With the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, we’re standing up and fighting back. By preventing states with a recent history of voter discrimination from restricting the right to vote, this bill restores the full promise of our democracy and advances the legacy of those brave foot soldiers like John Lewis who dedicated their lives for the sacred right to vote.” – Rep. Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.)
Protesters have said that because it is unlikely enough Republicans will join Democrats in the Senate in passing voting rights legislation, they want to see the elimination of the filibuster — the 60-vote threshold that allows a united minority of 41 senators to block legislation from becoming law.”
We cannot continue to let Republicans hold our democracy hostage. We must eliminate the filibuster to save our democracy. Call your Senators and let them know you want them to eliminate the filibuster to pass the For the People Act and other progressive priorities. We don’t have time to waste.
Action #1: Call your senators to do their jobs to protect voting rights!
None of Emanuel’s actions from that time are forgotten and none are forgiven. This should have been clear after a previous attempt to make him secretary of secretary of the Department of Transportation was met with protests from leaders of public service unions, civil rights groups and progressive organizations. Not only is Biden’s nomination an immense miscalculation for a post for which any number of candidates would be better suited temperamentally, but it is an huge affront to the Black voters who helped put him in office.
UPDATE! H.R. 4 – the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act has PASSED the House. Now we need our senators to ditch the filibuster for voting rights and get this through the Senate.
Hot off the our resistance communication lines…
ACTION #1: All hands on deck! Save CA from this GOP-scam of recall at taxpayer expense.
See our action here on how to alert to alert your social circles on:
the importance of voting “NO, GOD, NO!” on the recall election.
stopping these abusive and possible unconstitutional wastes of taxpayer money from happening in the first place with scripts to contact our legislators.
how to find postcarding campaigns, phonebanking, textbanking, literature drops and canvassing opportunities to join in. tinyurl.com/Antiracist-events-Ventura. Many are accessible for those living outside Ventura County.
ACTION #2: UPDATE! H.R.4 – John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 is now in the SENATE!
No matter how many signatures a petition to recall Ron DeSantis collects, the Florida governor can breathe easy – his state doesn’t allow for recalls. In fact, only 20 states have such mechanisms, and of those, eight require a serious act of malfeasance or a violation of their oath of office. CA is one that doesn’t, which makes it the easiest pathway for the GOP, whose policies and values are completely at odds with most California voters, to “rig the system and create a low turnout election where they have a better chance” to grab the governor’s office through the weird mathematics of a “simultaneous recall election.”
Action #1 – Treat this recall election as a civic emergency that it is!
Share this toolkit with all parts of your social media. (More videos at bottom of this post)
Send it to anyone who asks your opinion on the recall!
Use this app to send a message to your contacts. Outreachcircle.com – Code SEF710
Don’t assume that everyone understands the gravity of this issue!
The toolkit contains graphics and sample texts that you can add to your postings on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in both English and Spanish.
Aug. 30 is the LAST day to register for a mail ballot for the Sept. 14 election.
You can still register and vote on Sept. 14th at an in-person location.
Remind anyone with a criminal history who’s not currently serving a felony sentence in county, state, or federal prison, that their voting rights have been restored. Information here.
Scan through the “Official Voter Information Guide.” GOP candidates are running on platforms that include their normal mix: “starving” government, removing environmental protections, destroying public schools, rolling back gun safety laws,”freedom” from public health requirements, removing sanctuary protections, inserting religion into state business, prioritizing forced-birth policies, and the promoting antiquated solutions regarding wildfires and water issues. A debate among three of them revealed contempt for women, lack of support for a minimum wage, and at least one multimillionaire candidate who, like Trump, has to be sued to pay his bills.
If any of these unqualified candidates replaces Newsom through January 2, 2023, our state, whose economy ranks as the fifth largest in the world, will suffer a year of chaos and wasted time during a time of massive global warming and pandemic issues. A GOP governor could issue executive orders to rollback environmental protections, criminal justice reform and the social safety net, and reshape the 2022-23 budget with line item vetoes. Hundreds of bills may be vetoed by an incoming governor. And though he/she wouldn’t get any major bills passed because of a Democratic supermajority in the state legislature, they can make toxic appointments to boards, commissions and the courts, state constitutional offices and U.S. Senate seats, which would change the current balance of power in the United States Senate.
Action #2 – How should I fill in the second question?
Action #1: Press our government to speed the process and accept more refugees – both targeted women and citizens who aided our soldiers
Action #2 – Email action for legislators.
Action #3 – Email Biden
Action #4 – Sign this petition to Biden
Action #5 – Join in helping displaced Afghan citizens
As we watch this 20-year-long, two-trillion dollar ball of conflict unravel, the end of a 9/11 chain reaction that ultimately killed 6,000 Americans and wounded 20,722, we are bombarded by partisan shouting from both sides. Two great posts by historian Heather Cox Richardson help reconstruct the steps that brought us to this moment: here and here. Judd at Popular Information has a great post on how mainstream media is once again using untrustworthy narrators in assessing the withdrawal. The full details of the Taliban’s takeover, which was estimated to take 90 days, but took only ten, will be teased out over time. Meanwhile, some of that history is already being erased. (The link lauding Trump’s now-missing “accomplishment” page for his Taliban deal is here. Experts note that his “deal,” which undercut the legitimacy of the Afghan government, contained no enforcement mechanisms and included no penalties for failing to comply with its terms.)
In the meantime, here are some useful things to do.
Action #1: Press our government to speed the process and accept more refugees – both targeted women and citizens who aided our soldiers
(Action from Chop Wood Carry Water/Small Deeds Done)
“Pro-West” Afghan women are now being hunted door-to-door, but only 44 senators signed on to a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging the administration to to take “swift, robust action to protect and support Afghan women leaders facing unparalleled danger following the Taliban’s violent sweep across Afghanistan and seizure of Kabul.” This would include, at minimum, a humanitarian parole category specifically for these women, streamlining the paperwork process to relocate them to safety, expanding processing capacity within U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, appointing an interagency refugee coordinator and increasing and supporting evacuation efforts.
Meanwhile, H.R. 3985 – “ALLIES Act of 2021″ still needs to be passed through the Senate.
‘They’re going door to door, targeting any woman who had a role in the development of society.’
Minimal script for senators who signed letter (includes Padilla & Feinstein): I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank the Senator for signing the letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas regarding the plight of Afghan women now in danger from the Taliban. In addition to pushing for all the actions in that letter to help these women, I want Senator [___] to support H.R. 3985 – “ALLIES Act of 2021” with a flexible higher limit as necessary to prevent a possible massacre of Afghan citizens whose actions to aid our military puts both them and their families in mortal danger.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 