21: Black Lives Matter requests…

BLM’s powerful “Now, We Transform” video here.
BLM’S “These Three Words” video here.
Support BLM here.

Action #1: Tell Your Rep(s) to Support Rep. Cori Bush’s Resolution H.Res. 25

There are still people in Congress who played a role in the violent insurrection a few weeks ago, which attempted to overturn the election and incited a white supremacist attack. Denouncing the white supremacy behind the attack now, after amplifying Trump’s lies for months, is too little, too late. We must remove its endorsers from Congress — Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Lauren Boebert, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the over 100 Republicans who voted against certifying the electoral college and condemn all targeted and malicious efforts to disenfranchise Black, Brown, and Indigenous voters.

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] for Rep. [___] to support Rep. Cori Bush’s Resolution H.Res. 25 to investigate and report on whether members of the House who have sought to overturn the 2020 presidential election have violated their oath of office. If they are found to have violated their oath of office, I want [him/her] to support serious sanctions, including removal from the House of Representatives.

Rep-check here. Neither Brownley nor Carbajal are signed on as cosponsors yet.

Contacts

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
Who is my representative/senator?: https://whoismyrepresentative.com

Action #2: Support the COUP Act – Congressional Oversight of Unjust Policing Act

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CEJA’s 2020 CA Environmental Scorecard is out!

Image: Assemblymember Monique Límon with her A+ Courage Score poster from 2019.

It’s “Thank or Spank” time for CA legislators!

(from CEJA) “Today, the California Environmental Justice Alliance (CEJA) released its 8th annual Environmental Justice Scorecard. The scorecard is the only one in the state to grade legislators and the Governor on their voting and veto record on environmental justice bills. The scorecard highlights last year’s underwhelming performance by lawmakers and the Governor. …Only 5 lawmakers earned A+ grades by supporting critical Environmental Justice legislation at every turn — down from 30 in 2019. Only 17 California legislators scored 90% or higher on the Scorecard in 2020 compared to 61 legislators in 2019.” (Available in English, Spanish, Chinese or Korean)

Action #1: Please email a quick note of thanks to our “A” level legislators!

We expect more from legislators who have “Democrat” after their name, and it comes as no surprise that one of those “A+” grades went to our retired Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson (!!!), another one went to Sen. Henry Stern and Assemblymember (now Senator) Monique Límon got an “A.” We can’t thank them by bringing big posters to their offices like we’ve done before, but that doesn’t mean we can’t show our legislators that we appreciate their fighting for our environment. Please send a short “Congratulations/Thanks” note to the legislators who’ve made us proud!

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“‘The enemy is within.” Expel Greene.

Quote by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House.

David Hogg, from March for our Lives has asked for our help.

“Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene launched her career by attacking me and my classmates. She called to EXECUTE lawmakers and cheered on armed white supremacists at the Capitol. A resolution to expel her from the House is being introduced today – ask your Rep. to support it” -David, March For Our Lives

Action #1: Call your legislator

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to not only call for QAnon believer Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s immediate removal House Education and Labor Committee, but to also support Rep. Jimmy Gomez’ resolution to expel her from the House completely.

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There is no more time to wait! D.C. statehood NOW! YES on H.R.51/S.51 and H.R.1/S.1.

Updated: 2/12/21 – New postcard resources!

The recent insurrection clarified a serious issue…GOP refusal to vote for DC statehood last year put its residents in danger.

Phone/email and postcard scripts! Join in! LET’S COMMIT TO REVERSING THIS INJUSTICE NOW!
(Very enlightening interview with the D.C.’s shadow legislator – Sen. Paul Strauss. )

The residents of what is now the District of Columbia lost their full democratic rights to self-government and a government of, by and for the people over 221 years ago. Ever since then, they have been demanding that Congress restore the full rights of American citizenship. Now, with future insurrectionists planning their next attacks, being without full rights is not just unjust. It’s also dangerous.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said, “We must get statehood on the President’s desk within the first 100 days of the 117th Congress. Congress must immediately transfer command of the District of Columbia National Guard from the President of the United States and put it squarely under the command and control of the District of Columbia.”

Asked how she would have responded to the riot had she been a governor instead of a mayor, Bowser said, “We would not be restricted in any way for how to deploy the Guard, so we wouldn’t have to clear a deployment plan with the secretary of the Army.”

Call your legislators! – The Senate just introduced their own statehood bill – S.51

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to thank Rep./Sen. [___] for being an original cosponsor for the [Rep. – HR.51/ Sen. – S.51] – Washington, D.C. Admission Act. I’m also requesting the Rep./Sen.[___] cosponsor [Rep. – H.R.1/Sen. S.1] – For the People Act of 2021, which includes support for DC statehood.

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Tues 1/26: Three Quick Actions!

These 3 actions will take you less than 10 minutes…

#1 – Tell your legislators to support the American Rescue Plan.

(5calls.org) The new Biden-Harris administration has put forth a 1.9 trillion dollar package, the American Rescue Plan, aimed at economic aid for struggling families, relief for small businesses, and a national vaccination program to increase testing and vaccine distribution. (White House fact sheet here.) (Comparison between previous COVID relief plans and this one here.)

The American Rescue Plan would:

provide $1,400 in direct payments to most Americans,
increase the federal per-week unemployment benefit to $400 until September 31st,
increase the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour,
extend the eviction and foreclosure moratoriums until September 31st,
increase the Child Tax Credit to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under 6), which would reduce child poverty by at least 50%,
give $170 billion for K-12 schools and institutions of higher education,
provide $350 billion in state and local government aid,
add an additional $50 billion toward Covid-19 testing, and
provide $20 billion toward a national vaccination program.

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep./Sen. [___] to support the American Rescue Plan. [you can point out issues from the list above that are especially important to you and your family.] People have been kept waiting for this too long and there is true suffering in our country. Please move this through quickly.

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The GOP is gaslighting us again. Try, convict, and disqualify Trump.

Call out your senators to do their job. Our Constitution requires them to hold an impeachment trial.

(Header quote here.) What the GOP wants: In the live-action Constitution class which is now our country, Republicans, just off their last performance of subverting that document and two centuries of precedent to overturn our election, are backing an argument by former Judge Michael Luttig against holding a Senate hearing of Trump’s impeachment charges. His opinion, as restated by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.): “The Senate lacks constitutional authority to conduct impeachment proceedings against a former president. The Founders designed the impeachment process as a way to remove officeholders from public office—not an inquest against private citizens.”

Update: Rand Paul just forced a vote on the constitutionality of an impeachment trial.

What the experts say: Steven Calabresi, the co-founder of the GOP’s beloved right-wing Federalist Society and 170 others across the legal spectrum confirmed that not only can Trump be tried by the Senate, but it is, in fact, their constitutional duty, not a choice, to try any official impeached by the House, whether in office or not. The letter was also signed by Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State University, who is the “leading scholar on the specific question of whether former officials can be impeached.”

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code]. I want to make sure Sen. [___] knows that 170 Constitutional experts such as Steven Calabresi, co-founder of the Federalist Society, have determined that the Senate has a constitutional duty to try Trump for inciting insurrection. And though they can no longer remove him from his seat, we want [him/her] to strongly support his conviction and the constitutional remedy of disqualifying him from future federal office.

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Friday 1/22: Get ready to flush the filibuster!

Image and new movie date: In Frank Capra’s classic film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Jimmy Stewart’s everyman hero uses a filibuster to shame a corrupt Senate baron into confessing his schemes.

We have only 2 years before the next election and we have a lot to fix NOW!

This is a great video explainer from 2019 explaining what a Senate filibuster is.

The potential of the Democratic majority in the Senate actually passing progressive legislation has so alarmed now-Minority (oh, say that again!) Leader Mitch McConnell, that he’s already begun obstructing Joe Biden’s policy agenda. He’s threatened to delay an Organizing Resolution (which determines the power-sharing agreement in the 50-50 Senate) unless Democrats commit to keeping the archaic filibuster rule intact, hobbling ourselves on his hope that a majority of GOP will be ushered in at the midterms.

However, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stated: “I don’t think there is any way that Democrats would find it acceptable to invoke new rules that McConnell certainly never volunteered to abide by himself.” Encourage and embolden our senators by calling them!

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Senator [___] to be sure that Majority Speaker Schumer is willing to end the filibuster as necessary to get the will of 81 million Americans pushed through the Senate.

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Thurs 1/21: In the beginning, there was H.R.1.

H.R.1/S.1 – For the People Act of 2021: The most important bill for our democracy is still the first one.

HR 1, first introducted in 2019, is a collection of reforms to campaign finance, voting rights, and government ethics for all three branches of government. After Trump’s real-time master class in corruption, we need this bill’s stronger guardrails more than ever.
(This helpful video, from 2019, is a great conversation with the bill’s author, Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD-3). More videos from him on this bill here.)

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to ask Rep./Sen. [___] to cosponsor [House: H.R. 1/Senate: S. 1], the For the People Act and urge [him/her] to work to swiftly pass this legislation.

More script if you want it: Addressing corruption, protecting voting rights, and reforming campaign finance should be bipartisan priorities to make our democracy better for all Americans, regardless of their political affiliation.

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Fri. 1/15: Senators – Convict Trump NOW!

Action #1: Call out your senators. What are they waiting for?

Your calls for impeachment worked, and reports suggest we’re close to having the votes to convict in the Senate. But we need to keep pressuring Senate Republicans to act immediately — Leader Schumer has already agreed to do this and on January 12th, the New York Times reported that Mitch McConnell agreed that Trump committed impeachable offenses. Hell is freezing over and pigs are flying. The people have important work to do, and the Senate needs to open up for business now! (Contact info. at bottom of post.)

Minimal Script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen. [___] to tell Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell to use their emergency powers to immediately reconvene the Senate for Trump’s second impeachment trial, and that I expect Senator [___] to vote to convict and then disqualify Donald Trump from ever holding federal office in the future.

More script if you want it: Please be sure that Trump’s failure to act – gleefully watching insurrection on live tv while refusing calls for help, is included in your charges. (Slate)(WaPo)

If you are emailing: Add in the ACLU’s charges. You can also use their comment link and sign their petition as well:

Repeatedly made knowingly false statements about voter fraud and improprieties designed to undermine the legitimacy of the election results, including in a series of frivolous lawsuits, without evidence to support the claims
Pressured election officials in several states, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, to interfere with the results of the election, including a January 2 taped phone call
Sought to disenfranchise people of color by targeting many of these efforts at counties and jurisdictions with predominantly Black or Brown populations
Directed Vice President Pence to block Congress’s certification of the Electoral College results, where the Vice President had neither the authority nor the grounds to do so
Urged an unruly mob to riot at the United States Capitol on January 6, in an effort to prevent the certification of the Electoral College results and to intimidate members of Congress from carrying out their constitutional duties

Action #2: GOP – You want unity? Where’s that personal responsibility you’re always talking about?!

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Tick, tock! We’re waiting for resignations!

Quote from Washington Post. Image of Capitol from Tyler Merbler

Reps. Andy Biggs, Paul Gosar, & Mo Brooks helped set the stage for tragedy. Make ’em resign before they are arrested.

Extreme right-wing activist Ali Alexander, originator of the fraudulent “Stop the Steal” movement, reported that he had able assistance from Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ-5), Paul Gosar (R-AZ-5), and Mo Brooks (R-AL-5) in planning the January 6th event in DC. “We four schemed up of putting maximum pressure on Congress while they were voting,” Alexander said in a since-deleted video. The plan, he said, was to “change the hearts and the minds of Republicans who were in that body, hearing our loud roar from outside.” Whether the legislators knew that the crowd, riled up by speeches by Trump and others, was going to breach the Capitol and kill people is immaterial. The intent of their event was to scare legislators into changing their vote – overthrowing an election and a democracy for fear for their lives. Not only is that sedition, but with deaths involved, each of these men should face criminal charges of, at minimum, involuntary manslaughter.