#neveragain We have all read about Trump’s recent ignorant, racist remarks, remarks which he has defiantly failed to retract. In case there was any remaining doubt about his intentions, he stood by silently and failed to rebuke a crowd at one of his rallies chanting, “Send her back.” Action: Make your profile picture on Facebook a photo of Representative Ilhan Omar. A screenshot of (part of) her official congressional photo on her page works well. Weaponized Ticks? Did the American military experiment with weaponizing ticks in second half of the 20th century? It’s long been a rumor, and the rising number of cases of Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses makes it a question worth asking. The House has just added an amendment to the 2020 defense authorization bill which would require the Pentagon inspector general to tell Congress whether the department experimented with weaponizing disease-carrying insects and whether they were released into the public realm — either accidentally or on purpose. The Senate bill does not (yet?) contain this amendment, and it remains to be seen whether it is part of the final version of this bill. Action: Contact your MoC and ask them to make sure that the amendment is part of the final 2020 defense authorization bill. If you or people you know have have Lyme (etc.), be sure to mention this. Censuring Trump, Part 2 The House has passed H.Res. 489 a resolution condemning Trump’s racist comments directed at members of Congress. Action: Contact your MoC. If they voted in favor of this resolution, thank them. If they voted against, complain. (If your MoC was one of the four Republicans who voted Yea, thank them especially.) Roll call here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll482.xml Censure Trump Trump has made some rude, ignorant, racist, ridiculous comments about four congresswomen of color. Among other things, he said they should go back to their own countries, which shows how completely dumb he is, as three of them are U.S. born and bred, and all four are American citizens. Action: Contact the White House to denounce Trump’s utter stupidity. https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ ICE Raids The long-threatened ICE raids may now in fact be imminent. Action: Once again, publish advice on social media about a person’s rights if stopped or approached by ICE officials, whether out in public or at home. Video in English: www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj48MJoBUCs Videos in other languages: www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/know-your-rights-discrimination-against-immigrants-and-muslims?redirect=immigrationKYR Donate: to ACLU to protect immigrants’ rights: https://action.aclu.org/give/now?ms=menu_gift&ms_aff=NAT&ms_chan=web&initms=menu_gift&initms_aff=NAT&initms_chan=web Attend a Lights for Liberty event this evening, Friday, July 12: www.lightsforliberty.org/localevents Ice Detention Centers Does your state house any ICE detention centers? Good question. If you go to the ICE Detention Facility Locator page on the ICE website, you can input your state and get a list of facilities. (These may also house other types of inmates; it’s not clear.) Action: Contact your state representative. Tell them the list of ICE facilities listed in your state. Ask them to tell you what they know about these facilities. Ask them how many people are housed there and why; ask what are the conditions, how long is the average stay, and where the residents have come from in the U.S. Ask them if they have visited any of these facilities, and if not, why not. Invite them to go with you to visit one of these facilities. Donate The Migrant Clinicians Network is active at the border, keeping an eye on the treatment of detained migrants, advocating for their health, and insisting on proper medical treatment for all in need, including relocation to medical facilities which can handle more difficult health problems. Only 9% of the funds raised go to fundraising and administrative costs. www.migrantclinician.org/donate/campaigns |
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November 2019
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