Empowering younger voters is important in this political climate. We will be visiting local colleges to make sure that students are aware of the importance of their vote in the upcoming elections.
If you have never joined in on a voter registration event, this YOUR opportunity to make a difference and – don’t worry – there will be experienced folks on hand to teach you the ropes!
July 17th at Ventura College, 10-2PM
4667 Telegraph Rd, Ventura, CA 93003
At the MCE/MCW Quad on the east side of campus past El Camino High School (see map here)
Look for our tent!
House Res. 489 passed nearly along party lines, 240-187, with four GOP ( Brooks – IN, Fitzpatrick – PA, Hurd – TX, Upton – MI) and the one newly minted independent Amash – MI, crossing the aisle. Nine GOP sat it out.
Action – Contact your friends and relatives who have GOP legislators and ask them to rattle their offices.
Minimal script: Hi, I’m calling from [zip code] and I want to ask how and when Congressperson/Senator [___] is planning to publicly condemn Trump’s racist and anti-American remarks from last weekend. FDR stated (with a couple of exceptions) “that all of us… are descended from immigrants and revolutionists”. Why does the [representative/senator] stay silent when [his/her] colleagues are demonized as un-American for raising legitimate concerns where we has fallen short of our potential?
More script if you want it: If [Representative/Senator] is too fearful to take a stand as part of a co-equal branch of government against a wayward president, then we will need to replace [him/her] with someone with a spine and moral fiber.
If your legislator’s phone person tells you that their bossdoesn’t think that the president’s words were racist, remind them that neither their boss nor Trump gets to define what’s racist. Rep. John Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, who was nearly beaten to death in Alabama in 1965, gets to say and he’s all over it.
Action #1 – Call your congressperson’s office this morning and tell them to vote “YES” on HR 2615 – “U.S. Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act”.
In June, our president cut millions of dollars in aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to spank them for the thousands of migrants seeking asylum at our border. Rational lawmakers on both sides opposed this, stating that it’s counterproductive to cut off aid to countries grappling with hunger, crime and climate change and would lead to more people trying to leave.
“As feared, a presidential tantrum will limit our nation’s ability to actually help address the challenges forcing people to flee to the U.S.,” Democratic Senator Bob Menendez said on Twitter. UnicefUSA endorses HR 2615, a bi-partisan bill that authorizes$577 million in foreign assistance to Central America and prioritizes efforts to fix the root causes that force people from their homes. The bill would also require annual progress reports on economic development and the underlying causes of poverty and food insecurity in each Northern Triangle country.
HR 2615 – Neither Brownley, nor Carbajal are cosponsors.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] and I want Rep [___] to cosponsor and support HR 2615 – “U.S. Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act”.
Action #2 – Call your legislators offices this morning and tell them to vote “YES” on two bills against the child prison camps.
Action – If you think your comment might be considered a copy, please submit it again with more personal add-ons. Or try writing one for the first time.
Way back in April, we asked everyone to write comments to prevent the Trump Administration from removing Endangered Species Act protections from wolves and declaring open season of an animal that is still functionally extinct in much of its former range. (Why? See “Background” below) We asked that people read other people’s comments here for inspiration if they needed it but to channel their 7th grade creative writing class and mix it up. The government will throw out DUPLICATE/OR NEAR DUPLICATE COMMENTS. However…There are still a lot of exactduplicates! If you feel that maybe your comment will be considered a copy, or just have some writing-zen going, please submit again. (These are the starts for what look like the most popular copies)
“(David Bernhardt) I am alarmed that the Trump Administration is ..”
“I am appalled by the Department of the Interiors decision to strip …”
“ Scientists estimate that hundreds of thousands of wolves once inhabited …”
The proposed regulation to wipe out wolves is here
Action – Allies: arm yourself with information and be ready to step in and help.
Tomorrow, Sunday, July 14th, our president will start terrorizing peaceful people living amongst us in order to crank up his base and dislodge a string of embarassments from the news. These may include: his 4th of July event bankrupting DC’s security fund, retroactively creating a Revolutionary War airforce, the government’s own lawyers trying to jump off the census question ship, he and Jeff Epsteinhaving to pay 28 women to give them the time of day, or former President Jimmy Carter saying that “He lost the election, and he was put into office because the Russians interfered on his behalf.”
What we do know is that allies who stood together with those who may be affected at yesterday’s 700800(!) Lights for Liberty vigils have more work to do. We’ll be asking you to make calls and write to legislators, but we’ll also ask that you use your “superpowers” when you can. Those of us who are cloaked in the invincibility of citizenship and knowledge of our laws have a responsibility to monitor the actions of our increasingly out-of-control government.
Being confronted by law enforcement in any circumstance is a stressful experience. The potential trauma of family separation or being placed in an inhumane detention camp can make it even harder for someone to think clearly. Or even breathe. Although allies can’t physically interfere with arrests, we can give people time to regain composure, document law enforcement actions, and help protect their rights. Continue reading “Sat. 7/13: “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.””→
As of this morning, the protest count has reached over 700!!! Find your closest event here. Or come to ours here. Additional information and actions you can take here and here.
President Reagan bequeathed us a complicated legacy, including the origination of some of the worst problems we’re facing today through the same kind of lies that Trump uses every day. He did, however leave behind one true gift – this great speech on the importance of immigrants to America.
Our own Congresswoman Julia Brownley steps up, as you can see in the video below. Let’s do her proud this evening. (Call and thank her in DC (202) 225-5811 or email her.)
AB-32, CA’s bill to close private detention centers within our state passed from the Public Safety Committee, thanks to Sen. Jackson and all you callers! Now it’s on it’s way to Appropriations.
This just in! The House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines Thursday to authorize subpoenas for documents and testimony related to the “zero tolerance” policy for illegal border crossings, detention or short-term custody of children or migrant families, and “discussions about or offers of presidential pardons to Department of Homeland Security officials or employees.”
Bad news!
The government is searching in five U.S. cities for properties large enough to imprison up to 500 hundred kids (fortune). Properties with20-year leases... No, guys, the Flores agreement stated 20 DAYS!
ICE just did what Congress told them not to do…they opened up three new for-profit immigration detention centers in the last few weeks.(mother jones)
What you can do on…Join in on Friday for the Lights for Liberty vigil.
Throw your friends and family in a car and join us! Almost 50 community groups will be participating in a peaceful protest for LightsForLiberty, this Friday 7/12, at the ICE offices in Camarillo. Facebook post here. It’s an evening vigil,from 7-10, so bring a flameless candle (law enforcement has asked for no real flames.) Continue reading “Thurs 7/11: Get ready, get set…Join us at the #LightsforLiberty vigil tomorrow.”→
“It’s a massive hijacking of the state of California.” – Michael Aguirre, former city attorney of San Diego.
Action – The Assembly may have already voted. So head to Gov. Newsom’s corner and start there.
Earlier post here, includes background information and script for Limón.
Minimal script to Governor Newsom: We didn’t elect you to let PG&E’s lawyers stampede you like a newbie and lock us into a terrible energy deal. CA is supposed to lead the way on energy in this new century. This Wall St. bailout is a throwback to Enron’s energy endrun of 1996 and the corruption that followed. Stop this now. Do not sign this legislation.
Contact:Governor Gavin Newsom:CALL HIM at(916) 445-2841 and WRITE HIM atemail.
(This is Indivisible Ventura’s email…Feel free to use your 6000 allowable characters in any reasonably-polite way you’d like. Use facts from our article and those of others.)
Dear Governor Newsom,
Please read our original message to our members in this link .
If AB-1054 were a good bill, it could stand the test of scrutiny. You did not give it time. You deliberately snuck it through during a holiday period, in a move that would make Mitch McConnell proud.
There were other options, if you had taken the time to clear your head from the entreaties, threats and empty promises of PG&E’s lawyers and lobbyists. Like any other bankruptcy, the company could have sold off other assets and re-organized. Legislators could have clipped off the bad bits and written good amendments. Instead, you delivered the citizens of your states to the tender mercies of Wall Street bankers, higher risks and a future of endless, unstoppable bonds.
“It’s a massive hijacking of the state of California.”
– Michael Aguirre, former city attorney of San Diego.
Action – Tell your assemblymembers the bandits are in charge of the stagecoach again and to vote “NO” on AB 1054. – Oh, and Gov. Newsom too! Voting today or tomorrow!
Governor Newsom has been cracking the whip to get AB 1054 – “Public utilities” wildfires, pushed through under “urgency” conditions. PG&E, who declared bankruptcy after the recent wildfires caused by years of their negligence, along with their lawyers and their Wall St. creditors are excited…shareholders and executives see a quick way to wriggle out of their problems. (PG&E surged 16%, the most since April 12! Edison was up as much as 2.6%!) Bad sign. We say “NO”. Too fast, no transparency, no time for amendments. This proposed legislation forces us, the ratepayers, to cover the costs of their negligence, removes safety protections, and opens us up to endless bonds with no voter input. Our legislators need to say “NO” and have the time necessary to fully examine the concepts of this bill, along with other ideas, like having PG&E sell off assets to repay victim compensation.
Minimal script: I’m calling from [zip code] to ask the Assemblymember [___] to vote “NO” on AB 1054. This bill is a rushed second bailout of PG&E that gives them permission by default to pass liability costs on to ratepayers, rather than having to bear the costs of mismanagement themselves.
Contact: State Assemblymember Monique Limón (CA-37): SAC (916) 319-2037 Not your people?:findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov.
Minimal script to Governor Newsom: We didn’t elect you to let PG&E’s lawyers stampede you like a newbie and lock us into a terrible energy deal. CA is supposed to lead the way on energy in this new century. This Wall St. bailout is a throwback to Enron’s energy endrun of 1996 and the corruption that followed. Stop this now. Do not sign this legislation.
Action – Write a comment telling HUD Sec. Ben Carson what you think of his plans. Deadline Tueday night (7/9) tomorrow at 11:59 EST.
The Trump Administration is doing what it does best… Just like the debacle of their health insurance reveal, the GOP is bankrupt of any good ideas to solve America’s affordable housing crisis. So they’re using their go-to distraction plan…inflaming the racists and xenophobes amongst us and pitting the poorest against each other, while stealing the homes and security from 55,000 American kids. All the trauma without making anything better for anybody.
Comment by Tuesday, July 9th, at 11:59 pm ESThere!
Ben wants all non-eligible family members out. That includes DACA kids, work permit and U visa holders as well. Or the whole family.
He want to change the rule so that non-eligible adult can no longer be leaseholders for citizen minor children. The rule specifically says that the sole eligible member can be a minor.
We would like Ben to go back to buying overpriced dining tables and leave us alone. No one in the video wanted to go to the dark place of forcing ol’ Ben to explain why some kids are more American than others.
If you need inspiration, cruise the comment section here. However, NOTE! DO NOT COPY VERBATIM anybody else’s comment. COPIES AREN’T COUNTED.
INDIVISIBLE VENTURA 