Weekly Check In

[tassosss]

A lot of information has been going through this comm this week, and a lot of it is scary and depressing, so I just wanted to have a check-in post for folks. How are you all doing?


How are you coping? Have you done something to take care of yourself this week?
How goes getting involved?


Three easy things you can do from your computer that take 2 minutes
1. Find the phone numbers for your (onerepresentative and two senators and program them into your phone.
2. Sign a petition for:
Audit on the vote tally for the 2016 Presidential Election More info here
Pledge to Fight for Justice: Take the pledge: Fight On for Justice (sponsored by Kamala Harris)
Stephen Bannon: STEPHEN BANNON HAS NO BUSINESS IN THE WHITE HOUSE (Southern Poverty Law Center)
Myron Ebell: Do Not Allow Myron Ebell to Lead the EPA Transition (petitions.whitehouse.gov)
3. Set up donations to an organization through the smile.Amazon.com program (may be different for folks in UK)


Two easy things that you can do from your computer that require money
1.Donate to an organization that’s gonna need the money in the new administration You can set up monthly donations if you have the funds.
2. Donate to Foster Campbell, the Democrat running in the U.S. Louisiana Senate Run-off race on Dec 10


One challenge-but-you-can-do-it thing you can do with your phone
1. Call your representatives and express your opinion on
a. Bannon’s appointment
b. Oversight of Trump’s financial’s
c. Affordable Care Act - for this you can call Paul Ryan’s office at (202) 225-0600 since he’s doing an automated survey and you don’t have to talk to a person
Call (202) 225-0600
**WAIT** The earlier phone number (before it was overwhelmed) had silence for 40 seconds. This phone number might not, but be patient if necessary
Press 2 to participate when you get prompted to take the survey.
Listen to the long (biased) message
Press 1 to register your support for the ACA
It will give you an option to leave Paul Ryan a message at the end, but his mailbox may well be full.



Let us know how it’s going! I’ll make badges! Even if you haven’t done anything yet, we want to hear from you. We’re also happy to take feedback on the comm to make it smoother. tanaqui and I are figuring things out as we go.

Urgent Need for Electoral Reform Across All States

[lynnenne]

A friend linked to this article in the Detroit Free Press, and I thought it was worth reposting here:


Nation can't survive system that distorts the majority's will


Even as Republicans strengthen their grip on the legislative process, America’s electoral majority continues moving steadily to the left.

What if the same anomaly becomes commonplace, not just in presidential balloting, but in congressional and state legislative elections? How will voters react if their preference for one party’s candidates are routinely expressed as electoral victories for the opposing party?

Michigan has already witnessed the normalization of this disconnect between the voters’ electoral preferences and those of their elected representatives.

other good people to follow

[snickfic]

Some recs of people/blogs I've found:

* leupagus is a fandom person who is ON TOP OF IT in terms of ways we can engage with our elected officials. Their Twitter is also a quality follow.

* #ACallADay (keeps fascism away) is a great newsletter full of activism suggestions. I appreciate that it includes a lot of informational links about issues, in addition to the calls to action.

* And finally, reckoningofjoy is a blog "intended as a record and remembrance of our progressive, civil- and human-rights victories, even in the course of the difficult and bleak times that the next few years are likely going to be for our country.

"Not because any of them will be enough, will mean we’re done, or that everything’s fine now. But because it’s going to be vital to remember, especially now, what we’re capable of, that good things still happen, and how they happen."

Action: Call Your Representative: Support the Presidential Accountability Act

[alexseanchai]

Press release from US Rep. Katherine Clark. Pull quote:

Congresswoman Katherine Clark has introduced legislation to ensure that U.S. Presidents are required to resolve any conflicts of interest with regard to financial interests and official responsibilities. Current law prohibits federal office holders from engaging in government business when they stand to gain profit. The President and Vice President are currently exempt from this statute. Clark’s Presidential Accountability Act removes this exemption and requires the President and Vice President to place their assets in a certified blind trust or disclose to the Office of Government Ethics and the public when they make a decision that affects their personal finances.

Call your federal representative and tell them to support HR 6340. Here's a script:

Hello, my name is [NAME] and I am a constituent of [REPRESENTATIVE]. I am calling to support the Presidential Accountability Act, because I understand the President-elect to have a great many potential conflicts of interest, [such as his daughter's presence at a meeting with the Japanese prime minister, even though she is supposed to be running the President-elect's businesses without his interference, and potential profit from diplomats interested in currying favor with the new administration by staying at a hotel he owns]. I think it is unconscionable for a President to gain profit from being the country's most prominent public servant. I hope [REPRESENTATIVE] will speak against the President-elect's conflicts of interest and I hope [REPRESENTATIVE] will vote for the Presidential Accountability Act. Thank you for your time.

Take out the bracketed bit with the links if you want a shorter script.

New York Governor Issues Rallying Cry Against Trumpism

[lynnenne]

Governor Cuomo Calls on New Yorkers to Unite in the Fight for Justice

Read the full speech