Thurs 2/13: Stoned.

Indivisible Ventura is busy today writing up some great local judicial candidate interviews for our upcoming voting guide, so thank goodness for Rogan’s List for today’s actions!

Action #1 – Emergency at the Department of Justice. Call your legislators!

On Monday, the DOJ made their sentencing recommendations in the Roger Stone case, based on the face that he is actually a criminal who lied under oath. Overnight on Monday, Trump tweeted out the unfairness of the sentencing recommendation. Tuesday, the DOJ announced a revision to the recommendation. Then, the four DOJ prosecutors resigned from the case in protest of the intervention of Attorney General William Barr. Then Barr announced that that he will be controlling all aspects of cases related to Trump (like the Stone case) which Trump is pleased about. Barr has agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on March 31, but that seems much later than needed.  Regardless of Barr’s willingness to testify, this is a disturbing and dangerous politicization of the DOJ and isnot the behavior of democracies.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Sen/Rep [___] to know that we are very concerned about the following unacceptable actions by Attorney General Bill Barr:

  • setting up a Giuliani information backchannel
  • taking over all Trump-related cases (how can we even be saying this!)
  • slashing Roger Stone’s sentencing recommendations.

Contact
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/senator?:https://whoismyrepresentative.co

Action #2 – Send a postcard or note of thanks to the attorney that resigned in protest.

Continue reading “Thurs 2/13: Stoned.” →

Wed – 2/12: Waking the sleeping giant, one person at a time. Voter registration today.

Indivisible Ventura and the Unitarian Univeralist Church are teaming up to reach out to college students today! Join in!

Continue reading “Wed – 2/12: Waking the sleeping giant, one person at a time. Voter registration today.” →

Wed 2/12: Two messages from Sierra Club’s Jim Hines & two actions. Do one with your first cup of coffee.

Action #1 – Call your legislators with support for two local environmental bills.

(Message from Jim Hines, Sierra Club)
Good Morning Ventura and Santa Barbara County Friends!: 
Noon (west coast time) February 12th…vote on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on:

Both bills protecting lands within Ventura and Santa Barbara counties.

It has been exciting working on these two bills, lobbying members of congress for passage and now we will see tomorrow if we are successful. 

for the wild,
Jim

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep. [___] to know how important [his/her] support for HR 2199 – Central Coast Heritage Protection Act and HR 1708/S.774 – Rim of the Valley Corridor Preservation Act is for the protection of our environment and wildlife.

  • Rep-check for HR 2199 here – Brownley has cosponsored, Carbajal is the original sponsor.
  • Rep-check for HR 1708 here – Brownley has cosponsored, Carbajal has not.

Contact
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 – Put your legislator on notice – “Don’t let selling off our public lands and our national parks to destructive industries happen on your watch.”

“There’s a quiet, almost covert, effort to dismantle the public lands management infrastructure,” said Jim Lyons, who was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management at the Interior Department in the Obama administration. “It’s very effective. I call it evil genius.” So let’s let in a little sunshine, folks!

(Message from Jim Hines, Sierra Club below)

Hello Friends:

APOCALYPSE NOW COMING TO A NATIONAL PARK YOU LOVE 

Continue reading “Wed 2/12: Two messages from Sierra Club’s Jim Hines & two actions. Do one with your first cup of coffee.” →

Tues 2/11: Judges matter. Call your senators! Brasher is up today!

There’s struggle on this one – call now!

“This is an unacceptable threat to our democracy as we know it,” said Lisa Rovinsky, who serves as advocacy chairwoman for the Atlanta branch of the National Council of Jewish Women…

…The groups opposing Brasher point to a brief he wrote as part of a lawsuit that ultimately led to a rollback of the Voting Rights Act, and they say that in another case he defended an Arizona law that required people to submit proof of citizenship before registering to vote.”

If they can get him through, Senate will turn to the these nominations, which include at least two Federalist Society members, and one, Joshua Kindred, who has a terrible environmental record. 

Andrew Brasher, a rightwing extremist, is up for a lifetime judicial seat in the 11th Circuit Court. Call your senators!

Senator Kamala Harris’ video statement here.

The non-trial is over and McConnell isn’t wasting any time.  He’s only guaranteed until November to turn the judicial branch into a extremist right-wing rubber-stamp for Trump’s policies.  At the beginning of Trump’s reign, lawyers told us that we shouldn’t worry about young extremist Trump-udges, that essentially they would fall in line with the years of precedent that was slowly moving America towards a more just nation. Um, no. Even before Trump, there were huge setbacks, such as 2010’s Citizens United v. FEC, and in 2013, parts of the Voting Right Act (Shelby v. Holder). Now the march back to the 1950’s has accelerated, as these new judges are pushing off the guardrails and starting to deliver on their destructive potential. (See “Deep Dive” below)

Per the Hill, the Senate is expected to take its first procedural vote on the slate Monday evening, on Andrew Brasher’s nomination to be a judge on the 11th Circuit, the court that oversees federal cases originating in the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. 

Andrew Brasher is so disturbingly extreme that his confirmation has been opposed by the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human rights. Alliance for Justice, The National Council of Jewish Women, the AFL-CIO, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The League of Conservation Voters, People for the American Way, Lamba Legal, National Urban League, and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Call your senators and contact your family/friends groups to contact theirs, especially those with GOP senators.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Sen [___] for opposing the confirmation of Andrew Brasher, whose extremist views are in direct conflict with the interests and rights of the population he serves. Also thanks for opposing the nomination of Joshua Kindred. Continue reading “Tues 2/11: Judges matter. Call your senators! Brasher is up today!” →

Mon 2/10: Deadline tonight (11:59pm EST) Start by telling Immigration that asking people running for their lives to pay an entrance fee is morally wrong.

The story behind the poem on the Statue of Liberty

The USCIS has started “an unprecedented weaponization of government fees.”

“Once again, this administration is attempting to use every tool at its disposal to restrict legal immigration and even U.S. citizenship,” said Doug Rand, a founder of Boundless Immigration, a technology company in Seattle that helps immigrants obtain green cards and citizenship. The Trump administration is planning on charging asylum seekers for entry, a dubious distinction shared by only three other countries in the world. Here’s an overview of their fee weaponization for the most common uses:

  • Asylum seekers would be charged $50.
  • DACA renewals would go up 55% from $495 to $765, and would still have no access to fee waivers for financial hardship.
  • Citizenship fees would rise from $640 to $1,170, a $530 or 83% increase, and fee waivers for low income people earning between 150-200% of poverty level would be eliminated.
  • Genealogy fans – Index search and records requests are proposed to go up from $65 each to $240 (175% increase) and $385 (320% increase) respectively.

How to comment. You have until 11:59pm EST tonight

  • Comment here.
  • Read the proposal here. The proposed fee schedule is here.
  • Read other comments here for inspiration ONLY. Direct copying with get your comment removed.

Making the poorest and most vulnerable populations pay a fee that costs more to collect than the fee itself is disrespectful to our own immigration history.

Continue reading “Mon 2/10: Deadline tonight (11:59pm EST) Start by telling Immigration that asking people running for their lives to pay an entrance fee is morally wrong.” →

Fri 2/7: Judges matter. Call your senators!

Andrew Brasher, a rightwing extremist, is up for a lifetime judicial seat in the 11th Circuit Court. Call your senators!

Senator Kamala Harris’ video statement here.

The non-trial is over and McConnell isn’t wasting any time.  He’s only guaranteed until November to turn the judicial branch into a extremist right-wing rubber-stamp for Trump’s policies.  At the beginning of Trump’s reign, lawyers told us that we shouldn’t worry about young extremist Trump-udges, that essentially they would fall in line with the years of precedent that was slowly moving America towards a more just nation. Um, no. Even before Trump, there were huge setbacks, such as 2010’s Citizens United v. FEC, and in 2013, parts of the Voting Right Act (Shelby v. Holder). Now the march back to the 1950’s has accelerated, as these new judges are pushing off the guardrails and starting to deliver on their destructive potential. (See “Deep Dive” below)

Per the Hill, the Senate is expected to take its first procedural vote on the slate Monday evening, on Andrew Brasher’s nomination to be a judge on the 11th Circuit, the court that oversees federal cases originating in the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. 

Andrew Brasher is so disturbingly extreme that his confirmation has been opposed by the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human rights. Alliance for Justice, The National Council of Jewish Women, the AFL-CIO, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, The League of Conservation Voters, People for the American Way, Lamba Legal, National Urban League, and NARAL Pro-Choice America.

Call your senators and contact your family/friends groups to contact theirs, especially those with GOP senators.

Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to thank Sen [___] for opposing the confirmation of Andrew Brasher, whose extremist views are in direct conflict with the interests and rights of the population he serves. Continue reading “Fri 2/7: Judges matter. Call your senators!” →

Thurs – 2/6: Waking the sleeping giant, one person at a time.

There are 3 actions, with one event happening today!

We need everyone to vote. If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines, it’s time to join in to make this happen. 

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The GOP is a minority party. The only way they can stay in charge of a huge populace who disagrees with their policies is by cheating and voter suppression, including repressive laws and  divisive social media campaigns, the latter aided by their Russian allies.  The 2016 election was close enough to allow  the Electoral College system to take it away from the majority for the second time in the last five elections. We won’t be able to fix the iniquities of this system before the November election, so let’s focus on what we can do. What we need is a landslide. What we need is the 91 million voters. What we need to do is wake the sleeping giant amongst us. Today we are concentrating on just two strategies.

Action #1 – Reach out to disenfranchised voters across America.

Continue reading “Thurs – 2/6: Waking the sleeping giant, one person at a time.” →

Tues 2/4: Not a trial. Not an acquittal. Not America.

Keep our eyes on the prize – removal of those who don’t deserve to represent America!

Republican Senators have refused to call witnesses for a fair trial– even though a large majority of Americans want to see witnesses testify. At this moment, it is important to make our voices heard. As the final vote in the Senate trial is scheduled to happen Wednesday, Feb. 5th, on that afternoon, hundreds of thousands of Americans will mobilize with a simple demand: Reject the Cover-Up.

Historian Heather Cox Richardson wrote “People are saying this is the end for American democracy, but I see the opposite…” and read her great essay here on how the GOP just jumped the shark.

Action #1 – Sign up to text voters for the Payback Project.

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Indivisible National is launching the Payback Project, a new peer-to-peer textbanking campaign to engage voters across nine target states to take action with Indivisibles in their area and mobilize locally to flip their Senate seats. No matter if you’re brand-new to this or a long-time leader, sign on right now to commit to do the work to win back the Senate this fall — sign up here and they’ll send you everything you need to start reaching key voters!

Action #2 – Vote on their first newpaper ad

Vote on the Payback Project’s first newspaper ad. We’re going to place a full-page newspaper ad in one of our target states, showcasing a senator’s bad vote on impeachment and funneling people directly into our payback plans. Who do you most want to see voted out? Vote and let us know.

Action #3 – Join a Reject the Cover-Up event near you.

Our “leaders” take their cue from us: If they do brave things, it’s because they know we have their backs. So it’s up to us to mobilize like never before — and ensure that this dark moment in our nation’s history is followed by an unprecedented level of civic action.

Continue reading “Tues 2/4: Not a trial. Not an acquittal. Not America.” →

Reject the CoverUp Rally, Ventura County and Friends

reject

Our “leaders” take their cue from us: If they do brave things, it’s because they know we have their backs. So it’s up to us to mobilize like never before — and ensure that this dark moment in our nation’s history is followed by an unprecedented level of civic action
This evening hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans and others who love this country will mobilize with a simple demand:  Reject The Coverup!

Map of protest

For us here in Ventura County, we’ll see you at the Ventura County at the Government Center!  

When: 5:30 pm on Wednesday, February 5th
Where: Corner of Victoria and Telephone in front of the Ventura Country Government Center. 800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura
Bring: A flashlight to light the night! Bring American flags, signs, friends and your unbridled enthusiasm! Bring cookies or snacks if you can. We will have a voter registration table, music, and a special surprise! You may print signs from here.
RSVP: On the Facebook event page  (share, share, share! Use the share–invite friends feature)
More info and stay up to date: Visit RejectTheCoverUp.org or the Facebook event page

This Wednesday, hundreds of thousands of Americans will mobilize with a simple demand: Reject The Coverup.

Together, we’ll demand:

Accountability — Trump and the Senators and members of Congress who voted to cover up his crimes will be held accountable by their constituents.

Democracy — Now more than ever Continue reading “Reject the CoverUp Rally, Ventura County and Friends” →

Sat. 2/1: The resistance is strong with this county! TODAY is packed with activities – pick some and join in!

Find local resistance events here. Have one to share?  Send to indivisibleventura@gmail.com.

#1. Is single-payer health insurance a viable system? Is it a desirable system? You got questions? Get them answered here! – 3:00- 5:00 PM

Go to this  public informational forum on single-payer healthcare, with an experienced panel of speakers/physicians.

  • WHO: Physicians for Progress – Ventura County is a chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP)
  • WHEN: Saturday Feb. (TODAY!) 1st, 3:00- 5:00 PM
  • WHERE: Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura, 5654 Ralston Street
  • COST: None

Why is this so urgent now? Read more about the issues here!

#2. Go see a movie! The League of Women Voters is hosting “On the Basis of Sex – Celebrating 100 years of Women Voting” – 6:30- 9:30 PM

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Facebook link here. More information about the film, the League and getting tickets here.

  • WHO: League of Women Voters of Ventura and the Museum of Ventura Co.
  • WHEN: Saturday Feb. (TODAY!) 1st, 6:30- 9:30 PM
  • WHERE: Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main Street, Ventura
  • COST: Tickets – $8- $12. Eventbrite link here.

#3. Ventura CAUSE Action Fund Election Kick Off! – 10 AM – 1 PM

Continue reading “Sat. 2/1: The resistance is strong with this county! TODAY is packed with activities – pick some and join in!” →