Concealed Carry Reprocity Act of 2017 H.R. 38/S. 446 This bill was introduced into the House in January. Under this bill, a person who is allowed to carry a concealed weapon in one state would also be allowed to carry that weapon in any state which permits concealed carry. The problem is that certain states have much weaker - or no -permitting requirements. For example a bill was recently introduced into the Texas state house which would have removed the requirement of a permit for concealed carry. Thus - under H.R. 38 - any Texan would be allowed to carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the United States without a permit. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate (by none other than the senior senator from Texas, John Cornyn). Action: 1. Call your Member of Congress and ask them to oppose H.R. 38, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. 2. Call your Senators and ask them to oppose S.446, the Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2017. Senate contact info: www.senate.gov House contact info: www.house.gov Free faxes to representatives: www.faxzero.com
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Net Neutrality The FCC may be trying to cover up some shady goings on. Was it a coincidence that their server was taken down by a “cyberattack” at the exact moment when pro net neutrality comments were attempting to come in to the FCC comment site? Did they steal names to post fake favorable comments on their site? Were the big cable companies acting in collusion? The answers to these questions may be contained in documents which American Oversight, among others, is attempting to obtain via a Freedom of Information Act request. The FCC is stalling and stonewalling. Chairman Ajit Pai has claimed he wants to increase transparency at the FCC. Apparently not. Action: 1. Contact your Member of Congress and insist that the FCC maintain transparency, comply with the law, and release all documents requested under the Freedom of Information Act. 2. Leave a similar comment at the FCC comment site: http://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/filings/express. Under "Proceeding(s)," type "17-108." 3. Leave a similar comment for FCC Chairman Ajit Pai here: http://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/ajit-pai. For Sunday inspiration, here is a timely passage from Herman Melville's Moby Dick .... Jonah did the Almighty's bidding. And what was that, shipmates? To preach the Truth to the face of Falsehood! That was it! This, shipmates, this is that other lesson; and woe to that pilot of the living God who slights it. Woe to him whom this world charms from Gospel duty! Woe to him who seeks to pour oil upon the waters when God has brewed them into a gale! Woe to him who seeks to please rather than to appal! Woe to him whose good name is more to him than goodness! Woe to him who, in this world, courts not dishonor! Woe to him who would not be true, even though to be false were salvation! Yea, woe to him who as the great Pilot Paul has it, while preaching to others is himself a castaway! But oh! shipmates! on the starboard hand of every woe, there is a sure delight; and higher the top of that delight, than the bottom of the woe is deep. Is not the main-truck higher than the kelson is low? Delight is to him - a far, far upward, and inward delight - who against the proud gods and commodores of this earth, ever stands forth his own inexorable self. Delight is to him whose strong arms yet support him, when the ship of this base treacherous world has gone down beneath him. Delight is to him, who gives no quarter in the truth, and kills, burns, and destroys all sin though he pluck it out from under the robes of Senators and Judges. Delight, top-gallant delight is to him, who acknowledges no law or lord, but the Lord his God, and is only a patriot to heaven. (From Chapter 9, "The Sermon.") Gratitude By 6 pm ET on Friday, Lisa Murkowski’s Facebook post about her vote opposing the GOP health bill had elicited 110 “angry face” responses, but 2,323 “loves” and 8,211 “likes.” Susan Collins hadn’t posted explicitly about her vote, but there were hundreds of comments about it on her most recent post, the overwhelming majority of which thank her for her courage and integrity. John McCain’s recent post about his vote, had 1,333 “angry faces,” but 5,009 “loves” and 16,135 “likes.” Not even close. These comments and responses shows how Americans feel about the health care issue, and these three senators are to be congratulated for having the courage to stand with the people instead of their party. And of course all our Democratic senators are to be thanked for standing in our corner with us. Action: 1. Express your heartfelt thanks to Murkowski, Collins, and McCain, by fax, email, or mail. You can also add to the Facebook comments and reactions. 2. If your senator is a Democrat, they too should be thanked for their vote. Zinke’s Threats Against Murkowski Trump’s Interior Secretary, Ryan Zinke, called both Alaskan senators to threaten Alaska with the administration’s displeasure and disfavor if Senator Murkowski persists in opposing the GOP health “care” legislation. This intimidation amounts to blackmail. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), the top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee, has called for an investigation into this political vendetta. Action: 1. Contact Secretary Ryan Zinke to censure his evil conduct in the strongest possible terms. 2. Contact Senator Lisa Murkowski to express your support for her and her stance. 3. Contact Rep. Raul Grijalva to thank him for his call for an investigation. He doesn’t accept emails except from constituents, and we don’t want to tie up his phone lines. Instead, send him a fax: http://faxzero.com/fax_congress/G000551 4. Option extra action (in case you’re feeling extra angry like we are): go to www.trumpcaretoolkit.com on your smartphone - it’ll bring up the phone numbers of all the swing senators, to whom you can then put through a phone call direct from your touchscreen. Ask them to oppose ALL VERSIONS of the GOP health “care” bill. More Health Care The GOP’s repeal-without-replace legislation was voted down today, thanks to dissenting votes from the following Senators: Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) Susan Collins (R-ME) Dean Heller (R-NV) John McCain (R-AZ) Rob Portman (R-OH) Lamar Alexander (R-TN) Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) Action: 1. Contact one or more of the above senators to express heartfelt thanks for safeguarding Americans’ health care. Ask them to keep standing in the breech to protect us all from the madness that is the GOP health “care” legislation. Stress that we need to go back to the drawing board and have a long period of sober reflection before ANY legislation is passed. 2. If your own senator voted in favor of Repeal-Without-Replace - i.e. any Republican apart from those listed above - contact them and yell a lot. www.senate.gov Health Care Keep Hammering the Message Confusion and uncertainty reign on the Hill, although the GOP was dealt a blow today, with the Senate rejecting a proposal to repeal-and-replace. The GOP’s search-and-destroy-Obamacare mission has been about nothing except ideology, payback, party politics, and bullying. It has had nothing to do with a sincere quest to deal with Americans’ real needs and concerns. Action: 1. Call your own senator at as many of their numbers as you have time for. Leave whatever message is closest to your heart, whether it be a call for single-payer, a plea to keep Obamacare, a reprimand for putting party above people, or whatever you choose or is applicable. 2. If you have extra time, call some of the the swing senators again: http://www.trumpcaretoolkit.org/. If one of these senators is your own senator, push extra hard. Health Care It’s all kinds of crazy in Washington, D.C. right now, and it’s anyone’s guess what will happen next. However - bottom line: we don’t want what they’re selling. Action: 1. Sign up to receive text alerts from MoveOn.org about breaking news and urgent actions. MoveOn.org is focussed on health care at the moment. 2. Go to www.trumpcaretoolkit.org/, where you will find information about which senators to call or Tweet at. If you only call one, call Shelley Moore Capito (WV). EMERGENCY action. Republicans are preparing a Motion to Proceed on Tuesday, which could lead to a vote on one of the GOP health bills. Text CARE to 668366 to receive MoveOn.org's alerts this week, possibly the most crucial week in the health care battle so far.
Deportations Trump’s inhumane and paranoid stance on immigration is causing heartbreak. The New Yorker just published an article about four women who have been the victims of Trump’s vendetta. The anxiety and deprivation forced upon their children and families by this heartlessness is beyond description. Maribel Trujillo Diaz was snatched off the street, despite having complied with her obligation to check-in regularly with ICE officials. She has young children - American citizens - who depend on her, but she is now in Mexico. Alejandra Ruiz has been in this country since the age of two and did not find out she was undocumented until she was 24. She was imprisoned but is now released pending a deportation hearing. Dolores Bustamente Romero and Idalia Fuentes-Morales are two more women described in the New Yorker article who have found themselves caught in the ruthless jaws of Trump's deportation machine. Action: 1. Contact DHS and request that Maribel Trujillo Diaz and Idalia Fuentes-Morales be returned to the U.S. and that the deportation action against the other two women (mention them by name) be dropped. 2. Contact I.C.E. to complain that they are implementing cruel policies and that their own conduct is reprehensible. |
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