Syrian Kurdish Forces Trump has confounded everyone, including military leaders, by withdrawing U.S. support for Syrian Kurdish fighters, leaving the area open to brutal Turkish reprisals against the Kurds, who have been allies to the U.S. in the fight against ISIS. The House has passed House Joint Resolution 77, opposing the decision to withdraw military support protecting the Kurds against Turkey. All Democrats and a majority of Republicans (129 to 60) voted in favor of this resolution. Is Trump’s support crumbling? Let’s hope. Action: See how your MoC voted on HJ Res. 77: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2019/roll560.xml If they voted in favor, especially if they are Republican, send them a message of thanks - you might want to make a phone call on this one. If they voted Nay, blast them. http://www.house.gov/representatives
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Tongass National Forest Trump is intent on despoiling Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the largest intact temperate forest in the world. Tongass covers over 16 million acres, and under Clinton it was (and currently still is) protected by the “Roadless Rule,” which prohibits logging and the building of roads within the forest. Trump’s USDA Forest Service wants to remove half of Tongass from protection, which would open the area up to the danger of clear cutting. Although Governor Dunleavy and Senator Murkowski are in favor of the rule change, saying that Alaska’s economy is being stymied by the limitation on logging, in fact a very small proportion of Alaska’s economy depends on logging, the most significant sectors being fisheries and tourism. The USDA will be accepting public comments on six alternative plans, ranging from not changing the rule at all to their preferred plan of unrestricted open season on half of Tongass. Action: Email a comment to the USDA stating your opposition to any alternative except Alternative 1. Give your full name and address: akroadlessrule@fs.fed.us Or write to them: USDA Forest Service, Attn: Alaska Roadless Rule, P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, Alaska, 99802 A Break from Angst It seems the only thing that the two parties can agree on is the treatment of animals. There are several genuinely bipartisan bills before the House and Senate which would improve the treatment of animals and protect them from suffering and harm:
1. Contact your Member of Congress and ask them to support H.R. 1155 and H.R. 249. If they’re a cosponsor, thank them. (Cosponsors in links above.) 2. Contact your Senators and ask them to support S. 479. If they’re cosponsors, thank them. (Link above.) Trump Strikes at Immigrants Trump has proclaimed that immigrants will be denied visas to enter the United States unless they have health insurance. This is ridiculous for a number of reasons, not least of which is that health coverage in this country is beyond what most immigrants can afford. Clearly Trump only wants to let in rich folk. Action: 1. Contact the White House to demand that Trump reverse this restriction on immigration. 2. Contact your Member of Congress to complain also. Net Neutrality A federal appeals court has upheld the FCC’s rules which roll back net neutrality but has ruled that the FCC cannot prevent states from enacting their own net neutrality laws. The FCC’s new rules threaten our democracy, which depends on open and equal access to the Internet. Action: Contact your state representative and state senator and urge them to sponsor legislation that promotes net neutrality, such as laws that incentivize net neutral internet service providers and laws that block the state government from doing business with non-net neutral providers. http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/ Impeachment The first step in the impeachment process involves Congress; the final step necessary for the process to come to fruition is a hearing before the Senate. Action: Let your Senators know now that you want them to vote in favor of impeachment if and when Congress sends the matter forward to them. Trump Unhinged Trump has been treating us lately to a display of petulance, bullying, idiocy, and blatant mendacity to a degree which is extreme even for him (e.g. his recent press conference with the President of Finland). His presence in the White House can no longer be tolerated. Action: Even if you have already contacted your Member of Congress about impeachment, do so again. Find Your Representative | House.gov |
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