This day, three years ago, was our beginning, as well as the start of organized resistance against our corrupt administration all across the country. 4.1 million people peacefully took part in that first march in the U.S., along with 300,000 worldwide. It was the largest single-day march in U.S. history.
Today, we’re featuring FOUR great events to put on your calendar, including our pizza/postcard party happening today! Ventura’s resistance movement is strong and varied. Check out the entire list and keep track here. Send additions for the list to indivisibleventura@gmail.com
Today: Postcards to disenfrachised voters in Galveston County, TX!
Action #1: Start here! Call to urge passage of S.1111 – Central Coast Heritage Protection Act.
Greetings Friends of the Los Padres National Forest:
The Sierra Club supported U.S. Senate legislation to preserve and protect some of the most wild and pristine ecosystems within the Los Padres National Forest of Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties as well as the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo county needs a boost from YOU.
Senate bill S.1111– Central Coast Heritage Protection Act (Harris D-CA) needs to have a hearing before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources before the bill can move to a full U.S. Senate vote.
I would like to ask each of you to contact Senator Harris and request of her to officially request a full committee hearing on S.1111. (Senator Feinstein is the only cosigner)
“You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”
-Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride.
We thought that the Soliemani assassination was a suspiciously well-timed and bloody wag-the-dog from Trump’s impeachment, but it’s worse than that. News stories say that he may have felt pressured to kill the Iranian general to curry favor with some of his future jurors in the Senate. “High crimes and misdemeanors” is an apt phrase for a president willing to starting a war to save himself. But using military force without proof of imminent attack is more than abuse of presidential power – it’s actually illegal and should rightfully be added to the articles against him. His trial is no longer just about whether he extorted a foreign country to smear a political rival. Over 200 people from seven countries have died as collateral damage from those Jan. 3rd drone strikes. This struggle to hold on to his ill-gotten seat has turned into a bloodsport and we will not accept a sham trial.
Events since the original two impeachment articles were approved:
John Bolton, former national security advisor, and the “first-person witness” the GOP has stated they want, has volunteered to testify, though Trump plans to block him his appearance, claiming executive privilege to “protect the office.”
Lev Parnas, a Soviet-born associate of Rudy Giuliani, has just submitted the contents of his cellphones, including audio and video recordings, to the House Intelligence Committee.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Trump’s possible influence from senate supporter and potential impeachment jurors to strike against Gen. Soliemani, a possible war crime.
Today in MORE terrible things to do to immigrants.
Our little band of white supremacists led by Stephen Miller, and ably seconded by acting USCIS director Ken Cuccinelli, would like to have your opinion on how they can make people who seek asylum here more miserable. We’ve already submitted comments on why its barbaric for the U.S. to charge entry fees to asylum seekers. Now we are asked to comment on new ways to disqualify and economically cripple asylum seekers. This horrific process is described by immigration expert Marshall Fitz as the Trump administration’s “relentless cruelty” toward our country’s immigrant population.
Here are some of the administration’s main points.
From the same thought pattern that separated kids from their parents to “discourage” families from crossing the border, this proposal wants to discourage “frivolous” asylum applications by doubling the time asylum seekers must wait to a year before they can apply for and EAD (Employment Authorization Document), despite their willingness to work immediately to pay their own way and that asylees aren’t eligible for state or federal benefits.
Eliminates the issuance of recommended approvals from asylum officers. “The “recommended approvals” for affirmative asylum — protection sought from asylum-seekers away from the border and within a year of entry to the US — have been issued in the past to those whose cases are deemed worthy of an asylum grant but whose background investigations or other matters have not been fully approved. The recommended approval allows the asylum-seeker a chance to apply for a work permit before the 150-day wait period. The proposal would cut the approval and force asylum-seekers to wait for their clearance or other matters to be completed.”
Children:400,000 children have been dropped from Medicaid under this administration. Poor healthcare in childhood could have ramifications throughout their lives.
Medical bill “bake sales”:A third of GoFundMe campaigns are for medical bills, and that 25% are to aid under-insured patients. Begging strangers for help to pay medical bills does not happen in other first world countries.
Corporations are cutting back: Even big companies, like FedEx and Amazon, are paring back health benefits to their workers and restricting out-of-network coverage. Many are now steering employees towards telehealth options and in-plan provider networks.
“Choice” is a myth: The healthcare industry pays millions to gaslight Americans into supporting the private insurance model. Read the whole thread here.
When I worked in the insurance industry, we were instructed to talk about “choice,” based on focus groups and people like Frank Luntz (who wrote the book on how the GOP should communicate with Americans). I used it all the time as an industry flack. But there was a problem. 2/11
Action #2 – Trump can use”emergency powers” to stop impeachment. His action of war against Iran is a warning.
Read yesterday’s post about the terrifying powers our immoral president can use “in case of emergency.” This is no mere “wag-the-dog” comedy. Make the calls to your legislators supporting all anti-war bills now.
Action #3 – Don’t send the articles to the Senate Chipper-Shredder of Oblivion yet!
Our more antsy legislators want to put up a white flag to McConnell and hand the articles of impeachment over to a rigged “trial” and certain dismissal or acquittal. (See Sen. Schumer’s statement here about McConnell’s misleading claims of similarity to the Clinton impeachment) There’s no hurry other than handing Trump a win before his Feb. 4th SOTU address. Our country deserves better. New developments will lead to additional charges and those involved need to speak on the record, using Congress’ power of inherent contempt if necessary, and be questioned by people who care about the answers. That means that the House has more work to do. Don’t let everything done so far evaporate in McConnell’s hands. This impeachment is worth a war to Trump. It’s worth a wait.
“In the first 48 hours after this attack, what did we hear? Well, we heard it was for an imminent attack. Then we heard, no, no, it was to prevent any kind of future attack. Then we heard from the vice president himself, no, it was related to 9/11. And then we heard from press reports of people in the intelligence community saying that the threat was overblown.”Elizabeth Warren.
Our wars start with lies. This one is no exception.
This is not hyberbole. It’s part of a dark alchemy that those in power use – to transform the base metal of fear into hate, hate into “patriotism”,”patriotism” into war, war into money, and at the end… into gold – a small star to mark the sacrifice of a son or a daughter, a husband or a wife.
2003’s version: Colin Powell now calls his lie something that will “always be a part of my record” when he deliberately fabricated “evidence” of “weapons of mass destruction” (WMD) and ignored repeated warnings that what he was saying was false. As of June 2016, his lie has caused the deaths of 4,424 soldiers and 31,952 wounded in action (WIA) and the extinction of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians.
2020 version: After a number of literally false starts, Mike Pence is having his own Colin Powell moment, trying to link Iran to Al Queda and 9/11, to justify both the assassination of General Suleimani, (there’s no connection, according to actual experts) and to legally engage in war. Because if they can make us believe their story, the administration can use the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), to “use all necessary and appropriate force…”. Iran has already responded by completely pulling out of the nuclear deal and Trump just threatened Iraq for disinviting our 6000 troops.
How to fight back? Read this excellent article by currentaffairs.org called “How to avoid swallowing war propaganda” and share it widely. It will help us all cut through bad arguments, Hitlerized enemies, euphemisms, rabbit holes like Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman, and let us see murder for what it is. And with Trump is charge, that it could be something more.
Trump is going all in with lethal force because he’s playing for keeps. And he’s not focusing on countries far away.
When: 5:00 pm on Thursday, January 9th 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, peace and impeach flags, signs, friends and your unbridled enthusiasm! Bring cookies or snacks if you got ’em. We will have a voter registration table, music, and a special surprise! RSVP:On the Facebook event page (share, share, share! Use the share–invite friends feature) More info and stay up to date:Visit nowarwithiran.org or the Facebook event page
We will not be forced into another war so a corrupt president can wag-the-dog away from his impeachment or increase his election chances. The bodies of our soldiers are not GOP party favors.
Singers and musicians from the public are welcome to join in! Starts TONIGHT!
Print out and share this flyer here. Contact Dr. Angela Timmons or Dr. Iva Jeffreys for additional information. There is no requirement to go to all of the rehearsals.
“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.” Come “Dream” Believe, and Act” together on Jan. 20th!
“The problem of racism, the problem of economic exploitation, and the problem of war are all tied together. These are the triple evils that are interrelated.”