Thanks, and No Thanks Senator John McCain (R-AZ) continues to condemn the use of torture for any reason. He rightly affirms that we demean ourselves and lose whatever claim we have to the moral high ground if we fall prey to the temptation to use “enhanced interrogation” methods. For this reason he rejects Gina Haspel as a suitable candidate to be Director of the CIA. Action: Contact Senator McCain to thank him for speaking out against the forces of evil in the White House. .......................................................................... AG Jeff Sessions has been down at the border, threatening draconian measures against those attempting to cross the border illegally, especially those participating in the Caravan. Action: Contact the Department of Justice, condemning Jeff Sessions’ actions and words and affirming that the United States should be characterized by mercy, compassion, and a welcome for those desperate enough to risk the perilous journey across the border.
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Medicare for All Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) has introduced a Medicare for All bill into the Senate, and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) has taken up the mantle in the House, following the resignation of Rep. Conyers (D-MI) and is now the lead sponsor of the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, HR 676. Action 1. Contact your Senators and ask them to co-sponsor Sen. Sanders’ Medicare for All Act of 2017, S. 1804. Or if one or both are already co-sponsors, thank them. 2. If one of your Senators is on the Senate Finance Committee, to which S. 1804 has been referred, contact them to say how much you approve this bill and ask them to smooth its path through Committee. 3. Contact your MoC and ask them to support HR 676. If they are already a co-sponsor, thank them. No to Haspel Trump’s pick for CIA Director, Gina Haspel, has a history of supporting “enhanced interrogation” methods, i.e. in plain English: torture. She was on the point of withdrawing from the nomination process but has been persuaded by GOP luminaries to stay the course. Anyone with her record on torture is not fit to serve in public office. Action Contact your Senators and ask them to OPPOSE the nomination of Gina Haspel on the grounds that we will not tolerate the use of torture for any reason. National Popular Vote Interstate Compact Connecticut legislators have just voted to enter the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact, and Gov. Malloy is set to sign the bill into law. Connecticut joins ten other states and Washington, DC, bringing the electoral college votes in the Compact to 172. If other states bring 98 more Electoral College votes into the Compact, then it will no longer be possible for a candidate to win the presidency if he or she loses the popular vote. There is a good explanation of the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact in this Washington Monthly article, but in brief, the NPVIC provides that it will go into effect if and when states whose EC votes total the 270 needed to elect a President enter the Compact, at which time those states will automatically pledge their EC votes to whichever candidate wins the popular vote nationally. Action Check out the National Popular Vote website, click on your state, and follow the suggested actions, whether or not your state has already passed the NPV. http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ Sunday https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5ZUDImTIQ8 PAC Money The number of Senators and Members of Congress who are pledging to refuse corporate PAC contributions is growing. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Rep. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) have joined Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), and others in rejecting all corporate PAC money. Given that the swamp continues to fester and that corporate contributions are just another name for bribery, this is definitely the direction we should be heading in. Action: If you representatives are among those who have pledged to reject PAC money, please thank them. If not, contact your representatives and ask them to pledge to refuse to accept any more corporation campaign contributions or PAC money. Contact info here: www.senate.gov www.house.gov Donation Suggestion End Citizens United Only 11 Syrian Refugees Trump has drastically cut the number of refugees who are admitted into the United States. It is particularly shocking that so far this year the number of refugees entering the U.S. from one of the worst areas of unrest in the world today - Syria - is 11. The number of refugees admitted to the U.S. is down across the board, with Muslims being especially discriminated against. Since Trump took office, the number of Muslim refugees to this country has declined by 91%. As usual, Trump is talking deceitfully and misleadingly about the subject, as FactCheck.org confirms. Action: 1. Contact the Attorney General and demand that the number of refugees be increased to pre-Trump levels and that no preference is given based on religious faith. http://www.justice.gov/doj/webform/your-message-department-justice 2. Contact your Member of Congress to demand that the number of refugees be increased to pre-Trump levels. |
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November 2019
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