Urgent Actions
- Make sure to send some “You’re Fired” postcards to the White House and Trump Tower this Wednesday!
General Actions
General Information
- Find your issue – make some calls – 5 Calls is your private multi-issue activism network. Try it today:
- Anti-regulation bills to enter the Senate, where they can be blocked by filibuster – call your Senators to oppose:
- Regulatory Accountability Act: The proponents of the bill insist that it will improve federal regulation, but the real purpose and effect of the bill is to stall the overall process — making it harder for federal agencies to adopt rules that prevent companies from harming their workers, their customers and their neighbors. (Source: https://news.utexas.edu/2017/02/03/regulatory-accountability-act-threatens-health-and-safety )
- REINS Act (Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act): Under the REINS Act, no major regulation could take effect unless it is approved by both houses of Congress in a small window of time. This would make it impossible to protect the public by shutting down the entire regulatory system including attacks on the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and many other consumer protection measures. (Source: http://lwv.org/content/league-opposes-hr-26-reins-act-2017 )
- Midnight Rules Relief Act: H.R. 5982 would amend the Congressional Review Act to enable Congress to bundle numerous rules finalized during the final year of a president’s term into a single vote on a joint resolution of disapproval. Alarmingly, once these rules have been invalidated through this process, the agency may not adopt a subsequent similar rule absent express authorization by Congress. (Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-hank-johnson/the-so-called-midnight-ru_b_13074236.html )
- Sign this petition:
- Petition – let’s keep up the pressure for Trump to release his tax returns:
- Anyone want to join the Impeach Trump now team?:
- Petition – Limit the amount of our tax money spent on the Trump family’s vacations and business trips:
- In case anyone is getting too sidetracked by the Russian spy drama, the following bills have been introduced:
- HR 861 Terminate the Environmental Protection Agency
- HR 610 Vouchers for Public Education
- HR 899 Terminate the Department of Education
- HJR 69 Repeal Rule Protecting Wildlife
- HR 370 Repeal Affordable Care Act
- HR 354 Defund Planned Parenthood
- HR 785 National Right to Work (this one ends unions)
- HR 83 Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Bill
- HR 147 Criminalizing Abortion (“Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act”)
- HR 808 Sanctions against Iran
- Concerned? Call your Members of Congress!
Vashon-Activism (get local – join a team)
- Indivisible Chapter of the Backbone Campaign:
- The Indivisible Chapter now has four active teams that you can join for camaraderie and to make a difference. Help us initiate team actions to Resist Trump! To join the chapter, sign up here:
- http://www.backbonecampaign.org/indivisible_backbone_signup
- 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
- 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 susiemurf@gmail.com
- Fossil Fuel Free Puget Sound Energy
- Brought to you by the Vashon Climate Action Group
- Join the team to develop alternatives to a Puget Sound Energy 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/
Praise
- Thank WA State legislators for passing H.B. 1501 which requires firearm dealers to report all cases where an application to purchase a firearm has been denied and for the Washington State Patrol to maintain a database of such denials:
Calendar
Election Actions
Electoral College Repeal
- No actions this week
Preserving Democracy & Justice
- Petition- To Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente: Appoint a special prosecutor to investigate possible perjury by Attorney General Jeff Sessions and potential Russian interference in the 2016 race.
- Petitions – Jeff Sessions must resign, and a special prosecutor must investigate Trump’s ties to Russia:
- Call your Members of Congress, tell them Jeff Sessions must resign: Use this call tool to connect with Members of Congress:
- Petition – Postpone the Supreme Court hearings until after Russian investigation:
- Petition to Wa State House, Senate and Governor – Stop lawmakers from punishing peaceful protests. Protect our rights to free speech and our rights to gather and express our opinions:
Return US House and Senate to Democratic control
- NEW! Building a Progressive Majority:
- This new team met on Sunday, March 5, to discuss an approach to this critically important topic. Working at the State and National level, this team is developing action steps to evaluate which key races are close and deserve our attention. Want to join?
- Contacts:
- Suzanne Greenberg: suzanneggreenberg@gmail.com
- Noah Roselander: noah.roselander@gmail.com
Climate & Environment Actions
The Environment
- Petition – Protect the Marbled Murrelet (follow-up to last week’s request to write the DNR):
- Petition – Protect the Salish Sea from oil spills: Support Wa State House Bill 1611 which would stop certain oil barges from traveling through Puget Sound without tug escorts.
- http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
- And please call your Washington elected officials about this important legislation:
- Eileen Cody: Olympia – 360-786-7978, Seattle – 206-389-2590
- Joe Fitzgibbon: Olympia – 360-786-7952, Seattle – 206-435-7034
- Sharon Nelson: Olympia – 360-786-7667, Seattle – 206-435-7032
- Petition – tell your member of Congress to protect the EPA from Republican anti-environmentalism in Congress and the White House:
- Petition – shut down the Hilcorp Alaska pipeline that is spilling natural gas into Cook Inlet, endangering sea life:
Climate Change
- Petition – Protect the climate – Preserve the Bureau of Land Management’s Natural Gas flaring and venting rule:
- When Fossil fuel companies drill on our public lands, they often burn away — or flare — natural gas. This sends climate-busting CO2 straight into the atmosphere. And it pollutes the air in local communities.
- They used to be able to do this for free. But President Obama changed that. His Administration made a rule that makes the fossil fuel industry pay taxpayers and tribes for the wasted natural gas. This made Big Oil think twice about destroying our wild places.
- Now, Congress is trying to undo the Obama administration’s action. Thanks to a 2015 investigation, companies like ExxonMobil, which is now running the State Department through former CEO Rex Tillerson and Devon Energy, which was so close to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt that back in Oklahoma they actually drafted letters for him to copy and paste onto his letterhead when he was state Attorney General, are beneficiaries.
- Reversing the rule would be a huge win for companies like these — and a huge loss for taxpayers and the climate!
- http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/
- Petition – Keep the World’s Largest Methanol Refinery from being built in Washington State:
Civil Rights Actions
Anti-Hate Actions
- No actions this week
Criminal Justice Reform
- No actions this week
Immigrations/Citizenship
- No actions this week
Racial Justice & Black Lives Matter
- Now that Wa State AG Bob Ferguson has said the current administration “capitulated” on many provisions of the Immigration (aka: Muslim) Ban, it is not clear we have any legal leverage against this new executive order. That doesn’t mean you can’t complain, via these petitions:
- And this one, to assure those detained are provided legal counsel:
Women’s Rights
- No actions this week
LGBTQ Rights
- Petition – Ask the NCAA to pledge not to host any tournament events in any state that passes discriminatory anti-LGBTQ laws:
Healthcare Actions
Aging / Medicare / Social Security /Health Care
- Petition – Despite the cartoon above, recent legislation defunds Planned Parenthood. Tell our Senators this is not acceptable:
- Petitions – Protect the Affordable Care Act:
- Petitions – reject the GOP American Health Care Plan, which would roll back Medicaid expansion for our poorest citizens, defund Planned Parenthood and end health care subsidies in favor of tax deductions, which favor only the wealthy:
Financial Actions
Economy/Income Inequality
- Petition – Tell congressional and state lawmakers that “right to work” is bad for states and the country: “Right to Work” laws are actually anti-union laws, which give more power to corporations and less power to workers.
- Submit a public comment, deadline March 17: Retain Obama administration requirement that financial advisors must comply with fiduciary requirements – meaning investment recommendations they make are in the best interest of the client, not an investment that makes money for the seller.
Get Big Money Out of Politics
- No actions this week
Gun Safety Actions
- Petition – Stand with Steven Colbert and call on congress to pass gun safety legislation:
Education Actions
- No actions this week
Foreign Policy/Defense Actions
- No actions this week
Miscellaneous Actions
- No actions this week
Photo of the Week
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.