Weekly Actions: Week 6

• Today’s call: Attorney General Jeff Sessions LIED under oath during his Senate confirmation hearings about his contact with the Russians. Turns out he met with the Russian ambassador twice. He no longer needs to recuse himself from any investigation into Russian influence over the election. HE NEEDS TO RESIGN! Call your Senators and Representatives.
  • Patty Murray 202-234-2621
  • Maria Cantwell 202-234-3441
  • Pramila Jayapal 202-225-3016
• Petitions – Jeff Sessions must resign:
  • https://act.credoaction.com/sign/sessions_resign
  • http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
  • http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/sessions-must-go-special

General Information

• Call Senator Maria Cantwell at (202) 224-3441 and urge her to co-sponsor Elizabeth Warren’s bill to end Trump’s conflicts of interest:
  • Note:  Patty Murray has already signed on as a co-sponsor.  Here’s a sample script:
  • “I am a constituent from zip code 98070 in Vashon, Wa. I’m calling to urge my senator to co-sponsor Senator Warren’s bill (S.65) requiring Donald Trump to divest and end his financial conflicts of interest.”
• From our friends at the White House:  We want to know what issues you want President Trump to focus on and your ideas for the future of our country.  I think you should share your thoughts…
  • https://www.whitehouse.gov/joint-address-issues-survey
  • You can edit my response to question 3 “What are your ideas to make America great again” (remember, be kind):
  • Protect our climate by focusing on a global market in renewable energy systems, Put coal miners to work installing and maintaining renewable energy systems (and keep them from contracting black lung), Don’t build a southern border wall – spend the money on road, rail and smart electricity grids that will make our industries more competitive to improve our economy, honor your promise to save Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and reflect that promise in your budget submission, Divest in all your business holdings – the blind trust plan you proposed is not adequate – divestiture will allow the American people to trust that you are really working in our best interest and not your personal wealth, Release your tax returns to also allow us to trust you are working for us without conflicts of interest, Publicly state that Putin is a dangerous dictator who kills his political and media opponents and is no friend of the United States, Publicly pledge your continued support to the most effective multi-national peace keeping alliance in history – NATO – and thank them for flying their AWACS aircraft to protect our nation following 9/11 when our AWACS aircraft were all busy overseas.
• Petition – Tell Chuck Schumer that Virginia Senator Joe Manchin should not be on the Democratic leadership team (but, you should also know Joe Manchin is from a state that Trump won handily in 2016, so he risks being replaced by a Republican if he leans too far left.  You be the judge.):
  • https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Manchin_Schumer
• Petition – tell our Members of Congress to host Town Hall meetings with their constituents!
  • http://act.standupamerica.com/page/content/stand-up-recess-week/
• Petition – Oppose Steve Bannon on the Principles Committee of the National Security Council:
  • https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/stop-steve-bannons-national-security-take-over/
  • https://act.mpowerchange.org/sign/stop-bannon-nsc/
• Petition – tell senators to protect the federal consumer protection agency:
  • https://act.credoaction.com/sign/trump_cfpb
• Enjoy Michael Moore’s latest advice for dealing with the current administration:
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/do-these-10-things-and-trump-will-be-toast_us_58ac605ae4b07028b704264a

Vashon-Activism (get local – join a team)

• NEW!  Indivisible Chapter of the Backbone Campaign:
  • The Indivisible Chapter is building our foundation while creating action teams.  Help us develop our social media / website / Facebook presence, meet to discuss strategy and initiate team actions to Resist Trump!  To join the Chapter, contact Kevin Jones at kevinjonvash@gmail.com
• NEW!  Legislative Action Team of the Indivisible Chapter:
  • This group visits our elected Members of Congress at their offices and at town hall meetings.  Join this group for periodic meetings to exchange the latest political information, discuss opportunities for engagement with Members of Congress and their staffers and arrange meetings between Members of Congress and Vashon / Maury Island citizens.
  • Contacts:
    • Juniper Rogneby at juniperkb@gmail.com
    • Merrilee Runyan at merrileerunyan@gmail.com
    • Jennifer Zeisig at catrix2007@aol.com
• NEW!  Immigrant / Refugee team of the Indivisible Chapter:
  • Join the Immigration/Refugee Group meeting to begin planning strategy and additional actions both on and off island to protect our immigrant population.
  • Contact:
    • Susie Murphy at susiemurph@gmail.com
• 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
  • Join the team here:
  • https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ2ePsvox6WKpNxMOe8gShzfGPSMrQemS-hlQQcApBXOGkbA/viewform?c=0&w=1
• 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
• Write to Resist – Every Thursday, 3 – 5PM, Snapdragon
  • Marie Browne organizes this group
  • Drop in – contribute stamps – enjoy the discussion
  • Please join the Facebook page and RSVP to the group
  • https://www.facebook.com/events/1417973131588388/

• What about Patty Murray?  Call her office and tell them you want her to support this legislation also!
• Sign the card thanking four New England Patriots players for their bold stand to boycott the team visit to the White House:
  • https://act.colorofchange.org/sign/stand-for-something/
• Support Washington Governor Jay Inslee – protect immigrant’s rights:
  • http://www.jayinslee.com/action/executive-order-img/a>
• Dan Rather is speaking out against the Trump administration.  Like and Follow his Facebook page:
  • https://www.facebook.com/newsandguts/

View this weeks events!

Electoral College Repeal

• No actions this week

Instant Runoff  Voting

• Petition to governors to support the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact:
  • You can add this text to the petition:
  • “This is important.  The Electoral College, intended to keep unqualified candidates from the presidency, has now shown it is unable to perform its most basic function.  Pass the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in your state!”
    • https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-abolish-the-electoral-college
  • And see this article:
    • http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/11/9/1594792/-The-surprisingly-realistic-path-to-eliminating-the-Electoral-College-by-2020

The Environment

• Everyone loves to see Orca whales….to the point that there are dozens of high speed “tourist” boats that patrol the west side of San Juan Island where the Southern Resident Orcas feed.  Now only 78 in number, it’s time to ask boaters to back off and let the whales survive.  Sign the letter to the National Marine Fisheries Service to protect our Orcas!
  • http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
• Petition – tell new DNC Chair Tom Perez to protect the environment:
  • http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
• Petition – tell Chuck Schumer to not let Trump gut the EPA:
  • http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
• Petitions – tell Trump to protect the environment and support climate change protection measures:
  • https://secure3.convio.net/lcv/site/Advocacy;jsessionid=00000000.app313b
  • http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/561/456/068/
• Petition – Tell your Members of Congress to fight to protect the national monuments named in the last year of the Obama administration:
  • https://sierra.secure.force.com/actions/National

Climate Change

• Petition – tell the Senate to vote No on House Joint Resolution 36 which would allow methane gas pollution from oil and gas drilling.
  • https://secure3.convio.net/lcv/site/Advocacy

Anti-Hate Actions

• No actions this week

Criminal Justice Reform

• Demand an end to private, for-profit prisons:
  • Private, for profit prisons will need a never-ending supply of “customers” to be profitable. That’s how business works. If Trump thinks that for-profit incarceration is a good business model, then there’s no hope for America’s most vulnerable people.
  • Call the US Department of Justice at 202-353-1555.
  • Recommended script:
    Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m a constituent from [CITY, ZIP].
    I’m calling to demand an end to private, for-profit prisons. Last year, the Department of Justice issued a report that shows that they are significantly more dangerous than government-run prisons. In endorsing private prisons, the Trump Administration is blatantly ignoring the data.

Immigrations/Citizenship

• No actions this week

Racial Justice & Black Lives Matter

• ACLU call to host an ACLU sponsored Resistance Training event on March 11 – you provide a space, screen, speakers and wifi and they do the rest.  Interested?
  • https://go.peoplepower.org/signup/host

Women’s Rights

• Call your senators – ask them to support Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley’s bill to oppose withdrawal of US foreign aid to global health care organizations who provide maternity and child care, family planning guidance, birth control, and even malaria treatment to their patients.
• Petition – Tell senators to protect access to reproductive health care:
  • https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/tell-senate-democrats-stop-trumps-anti-woman-regime-3

LGBTQ Rights

• No actions this week

• For those concerned about the “health” of the ACA this will be an important action.
  • Democratically elected U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan has turned off all of his public telephones and fax machines due to overwhelming protests in favor of Obamacare, Planned Parenthood, and Medicare. He is also turning away voters delivering signed petitions.
    So here is the new tactic:
  • Mail postcards to his HOME address:
    • PAUL RYAN, 7-00 St Lawrence Ave, Janesville, Wi  53545
      700 ST. LAWRENCE AVE.
      JANESVILLE, WI 53545
  • Please paste and copy this info into your status. Let’s see what 67 million cards in the driveway looks like.
• New Information:  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”.
  • Here is the new info:
    • Today (2/28/2017), U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) joined Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), and 28 other members of Congress in introducing legislation in the House and Senate to lower the skyrocketing cost of prescription drugs by allowing Americans to import safe, low-cost medicine from Canada.
  • Thanks for your calls on this subject!  Let’s help our Members of Congress stay strong.  Meanwhile….
  • Email from Senator Murray on this topic – not good enough – call her office and ask when she will support the new legislation (see below)
• Petition – support Senator Sanders legislation to import safe and affordable prescription drugs:
  • https://act.credoaction.com/sign/trump_sanders_big_pharma

Response from Senator Murray:

Dear Mr. Jones:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the importation of prescription drugs. I appreciate hearing from you about this critical issue.

I’ve heard from patients and families in Washington state and across the country who are finding it increasingly difficult to pay the soaring prices of their prescription drugs, and that absolutely needs to change. That’s why I strongly support allowing patients to import lower-cost prescription drugs from Canada with the right safeguards to protect patients from unsafe or ineffective drugs, as well as other efforts to bring relief to the many families struggling to make ends meet. And I am committed to working with my colleagues in Congress—on both sides of the aisle—to get this done and make sure prescription medication and lifesaving treatments are not just available, but accessible and affordable.

I am also fighting back on President Trump and Congressional Republicans’ reckless push to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could reverse our efforts to close the Medicare “donut hole” that has reduced the amount that seniors have to pay out-of-pocket for the prescriptions they need.

Again, thank you for contacting me about this deeply important issue.  If you would like to know more about my work in the U.S. Senate, please sign up for my updates at http://murray.senate.gov/updates.  Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Patty Murray
United States Senator

Economy/Income Inequality

• No actions this week

Get Big Money Out of Politics

• Petitions – support the constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United:
  • http://petitions.signforgood.com/endcitizensunited

• Ask your Wa State members of congress to support legislation for gun violence prevention:
  • http://action.wagunresponsibility.org/page/speakout/vote-yes-for-gun-responsibility

• Petition – support Wa State legislation to reduce the number of Kindergarten through grade 2 student expulsions – keep kids in school!
  • https://ssl.capwiz.com/aclu/wa/issues/alert/

• Petitions – support the Lieu / Markley bill to restrict US first launch of nuclear weapons (preserves the retaliatory strike authorization):
  • http://petitions.signforgood.com/TrumpNukes
  • https://act.credoaction.com/sign/restrict_nuclear_war_la/

• I won’t normally use this forum to distribute bad news, but if you have any doubt about the disturbing influence on our national politics represented by the views of Steve Bannon, please read this:
  • http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/2/23/1637009/-Bannon-Reveals-His-Intention-To-Deconstruct-The-Administrative-State-i-e-Destroy-The-Country