Weekly Actions: Week 4

150 150 34th Democrats

Urgent

Urgent Actions

  • Deadline Friday, 2/17/2017 – Get big $ out of politics – read the legislation summary, then call WA State members of congress listed at the end of the legislation.
  • Saturday, 2/18/2017:  Backbone Indivisible Chapter meeting, Open Space, 1PM.  Sign up here.
  • Call our Member of Congress and ask them to schedule a Town Hall meeting during the Congressional Recess this next week.

General

General Actions

Vashon-Activism (get local – join a team)
  • Fossil Fuel Free Puget Sound Energy
    • Brought to you by the Vashon Climate Action Group
    • Join the team to develop alternatives to build a natural gas power plant
      • And prepare material to inform the community
    • Join the community outreach team to spread the word about this “once in a lifetime opportunity” to replace PSE coal plants with renewable energy and conservation
    • Contact Kevin Jones: kevinjonvash@gmail.com
  • Earth Day Vashon (well, the day AFTER the official earth day)
    • Brought to you by the Vashon Climate Action Group
    • Join the team who is imagining, defining and recruiting talent for this Vashon High School event:
    • Sign up here
  • Become a Vashon School District Green Team supporter!
    • Brought to you by the Vashon Climate Action Group (I sense a trend here…)
    • Provide support for Green Team events and activities
    • Encourage Green Team advisors for all school grade levels
    • Are you a VSD student or parent that seeks a meaningful, vibrant and growing Green Team? Join us!
    • Contact Kevin Jones: kevinjonvash@gmail.com
Letter to REI

Subject:  US Bank Contract renewal – bad policy

I understand you want to hear from REI members who support the Standing Rock Sioux and stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

I am opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline, which has not completed Environmental Impact Statement assessment, have not addressed the risk of pipeline breakage and have not considered the climate change damage that will result if the fossil fuel the pipeline carries is brought to market.

As an environmentally friendly company, who sponsors our ability to appreciate our natural world, it is inconsistent that you would do business with financial institutions who invest in projects that are likely to harm the environment.

Please review your policies and divest from financial institutions that support the Dakota Access Pipeline.

http://www.naturalnews.com/055870_Sunoco_pipeline_leak_environmental_damage.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/us/california-oil-spill/index.html

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pipeline-santa-barbara-coast-20150519-story.html

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/21/oil-pipeline-burst.html

Thanks,

Your Name

REI #  xxxxxx

Praise

Praise

  • Supporting presidential tax transparency
    • Write: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) (221 Dirksen Senate Office Bldg.
      Washington, D.C., 20510), Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) (136 Hart Senate Office Bldg. Washington, DC 20510), and Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) (241 Cannon Building, Washington, D.C. 20515).
    • Script: Thank you for introducing your Presidential Tax Transparency bill in the _Senate or House_. I’m grateful for your efforts to obtain President Trump’s tax returns and those of future presidents and nominees. Name, State
  • Advocating for ethics and integrity
    • Write: Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), 367 Valley Brook Ave., Lyndhurst, NJ 07071.
    • Script: Thank you for recommending a way forward to releasing Trump’s tax returns. Transparency is important!  Name, State
  • More kudos to Wa State AG Bob Ferguson (360-753-6200): 
    • On Feb 16, by a unanimous vote of 9-0, the Wa State Supreme Court Justices held that it is illegal in Washington for a business to offer services to opposite-sex couples and yet refuse those services to same-sex partners.

Election Actions

Election Actions

Return US House and Senate to Democratic control
  • No actions this week

Climate Actions

Climate & Environment Actions

The Environment
  • Support the water protectors at Standing Rock
    • Trump recently said that he’s gotten “no calls” complaining about the Dakota Access Pipeline (source).
    • Use your voice: Use the White House contact page, Twitter, or Facebook to tell Trump you do have a complaint about DAPL.
    • Script: By failing to do an environmental study on the impact of the DAPL pipeline under Lake Oahe, we are violating a sacred agreement and legal treaty rights. I oppose this action and am asking for the environmental study to proceed.My letter to the White House is here.
  • Another Defund DAPL opportunity:
    • Are you a member of REI who supports Standing Rock?
    • REI member services is taking feedback on their contract renewal with US Bank in light of US bank’s decision to invest in the Dakota Access Pipeline. They are “taking feedback seriously” as a cooperative and “socially responsible” company.
    • Email them at Member@REI.com
  • Oppose legislation that makes corruption easier.
    • Companies that extract oil and other resources abroad should not be allowed to bribe those countries’ officials and cover it up (source).
    • Call: Both your senators .
    • Script: Hi! I’m a constituent from ZIP. Do you know how _senator_ plans to vote on overturning the Cardin-Lugar anti-corruption rule? I’m concerned because overturning it would make corruption easier for oil companies and increase poverty in other countries. I am asking my senator to defend Section 1504 and stand up against corruption and poverty.
  • Petition – Defend Alaska’s wildlife from Congressional Attack:
  • Petition – Don’t let oil companies destroy the Arctic:
Climate Change
Letter to the White House regarding DAPL Pipeline:

To the current administration,

Despite statements in opposition to my strongly held belief, I and many others do indeed have concerns about the executive order that authorizes resumption of work on the Dakota Access Pipeline.  It is critical that the Environmental Impact Statement be fully reviewed and the pipeline not allowed to proceed if the environmental impacts are not justified.

I personally believe they are not justified.  For example, multiple recent news reports show that pipelines break, leak and cause severe drinking water and environmental damage.  Here are just a few recent articles:

http://www.naturalnews.com/055870_Sunoco_pipeline_leak_environmental_damage.html

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/22/us/california-oil-spill/index.html

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pipeline-santa-barbara-coast-20150519-story.html

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2015/1/21/oil-pipeline-burst.html

In addition to this risk to our drinking water there is the risk to our climate due to the combustion of the fossil fuels transported by this proposed pipeline.    As you have heard from senior GOP statesmen like former Secretary of State Jim Baker and former Secretary of State George Shultz, Climate Change is real, is caused by human combustion of fossil fuels and threatens to damage waterfront communities, species extinction, ocean acidification and agriculture.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/gop-senior-statesmen-making-push-for-a-carbon-tax/ar-AAmIpLz?li=AA5a8k&ocid=spartanntp

Your discussions with former Vice President Al Gore would have addressed this same risk.

So yes, I am very concerned about the Dakota Access Pipeline, the potential damage to drinking water and the damage to the climate caused by combustion of the fossil fuels the pipeline transports to market.

In conclusion, by failing to do an environmental study on the impact of the DAPL pipeline under Lake Oahe, we are violating a sacred agreement and legal treaty rights. I oppose this action.

Please use the power of your office to direct the environmental study to proceed.

Civil Rights Actions

Civil Rights Actions

Healthcare Actions

Healthcare Actions

  • No Actions this week
  • UPDATE: Senators Murry and Cantwell vote AGAINST lower cost drug imports – whAAAT??
    Two weeks ago we reported that our Washington senators Cantwell and Murray voted AGAINST the Sanders amendment to allow lower cost imported medications, citing a “lack of consumer protection” in the legislation.  We also mentioned Patty Murray’s Facebook post that says (paraphrasing) “we’re committed to making this happen and we are working with Senator Sanders on a bill that will include important consumer protections”.
    At this time, there is evidence that Sen Wyden (D-Or) has developed an amendment (SA 175) which calls for “Changes in laws … shall bring down the price of drugs as promised by the President-Elect”, which Senator Murray apparently supports (but is not a co-sponsor).  However, this amendment has not yet been proposed (this is still the situation as of 11PM, 2/9/17), meaning it is not yet being considered by the Senate (https://www.congress.gov/amendment/115th-congress/senate-amendment/175 ).

    • Action:  Who would like to visit the Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell Seattle offices to talk with them about this promised legislation?  Let me know by return email and I will work with you to find a day / time to accommodate.

Financial Actions

Financial Actions

Get Big $ Out of Politics
  • SB 5108 is exactly the type of “get money out of politics” legislation that we need…and our State Government Committee in Olympia is planning to ignore it! Read this common-sense legislation and then contact the members of the State Government Committee and ask that they vote to move this bill from committee to the Senate Floor for a vote. Take the time, make the call, write the email…
    • DEADLINE IS TOMORROW, FEBRUARY 17TH.
    • CONTACT THESE INDIVIDUALS:
      • Mark Miloscia (R), Chair – Mark.Miloscia@leg.wa.gov
        Phone: 206-212-6153 (Federal Way), 360-786-7658 (Olympia)
      • Hans Zeiger (R) – Hans.zeiger@leg.wa.gov
        Phone: 360-786-7648 (Olympia)
      • Sam Hunt (D) – Sam.hunt@leg.wa.gov
        Phone: 360-786-7642 (Olympia)
      • Patty Kuderer (D) – Patty.kuderer@leg.wa.gov
        Phone: 360-786-7694 (Olympia)
      • Kirk Pearson (R) – Kirk.Pearson@leg.wa.gov
        Phone: 360-786-7676 (Olympia)

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1.

The legislature finds that the public has the right to know who is contributing to election campaigns in Washington state and that campaign finance disclosure deters corruption, increases public confidence in Washington state elections, raises the level of debate, and strengthens our representative democracy.

The legislature finds that campaign finance disclosure is overwhelmingly supported by the citizens of Washington state as evidenced by the two initiatives that largely established Washington’s current system. Both passed with more than seventy-two percent of the popular vote, as well as winning margins in every
county in the state.

One of the cornerstones of Washington state’s campaign finance disclosure laws is the requirement that political advertisements disclose the sponsor and the sponsor’s top five donors. Many political action committees have avoided this important transparency requirement by funneling money from political action committee to political action committee so the top five donors listed are deceptive political action committee names rather than the real donors. The legislature finds that this practice, sometimes called “gray money” or “donor washing,” undermines the intent of Washington state’s campaign finance laws and impairs the transparency required for fair elections and a healthy democracy.

Therefore, the legislature intends to close this disclosure loophole, increase transparency and accountability, raise the level of discourse, deter corruption, and strengthen confidence in the election process by prohibiting political committees from receiving an overwhelming majority of its funds from one or a combination of political committees.

Gun Actions

Gun Safety Actions

  • No actions this week

Education Actions

Education Actions

  • No actions this week

Foreign Policy Actions

Foreign Policy/Defense Actions

  • Action: Support investigation of Russian interference in US elections.
    • On January 6, an official report of the CIA, FBI, and NSA assessed with high confidence that Vladimir Putin ordered a 2016 campaign to undermine public faith in the US democratic process. Thankfully, three Senate and House bipartisan committees are now examining Russia’s actions.
    • Call: Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
      • Chair, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) 202-224-3154 (press 2)
      • Ranking Mmbr, Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) 202-224-2023 (press 1)
    • Call: House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
      • Chair, Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) 202-225-2523
      • Ranking Member, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) 202-225-4176
    • Call: Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Terrorism
      • Chair, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) 202-224-5972 (press 1)
      • Ranking Member, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) 202-224-2921
    • Script: Hi! I’m calling in regard to _name’s_ role on the _committee name_. I strongly support his work on resisting attempts to “move on” from Russia’s interference in the 2016 election. I am looking forward to learning the outcome of the committee’s findings.
    • Also call your senators:  Ask them to fully support investigations into the Trump White House and Trump Campaign involvement with Russia, to disclose the results of the investigation and to hold individuals to account to the fullest extent provided by law.
  • Petitions – tell the GOP to demand an independent investigation into Trump and his connections to Russia:
  • Petition – Urge your members of Congress to cosponsor the Markey-Lieu bill, which would prohibit the president from launching a nuclear first strike without a declaration of war from Congress:  Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.  Note the “first strike” emphasis.  Retaliation?  Still a no holds barred situation…

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous Actions

  • No opportunities for action this week

Photo of the Week

Photo of the Week

Mountain Side Picture
Contact Elected Officials

Find your elected officials here!

Regarding petitions:  To amplify your voice on any petition, contact by phone or email the person the petition is intended for.  Phone calls have more impact than emails.