Tell the White House: Jared Kushner is Dishonest, Unelected and Unqualified
Tuesday, April 11th
(Adapted from Jen Hofmann's Weekly Checklist for Americans of Conscience)
Tell the White House you believe in a government led by qualified, trustworthy representatives,
not the President's son-in-law.
Action for Today: Protest Jared Kushner’s dishonesty.
Call: White House Comment Line: 202-456-1111
White House Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Email: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
Tweet: @realdonaldtrump, @potus
Write: The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500 **
What to say? Here's one suggestion:
To receive a security clearance, Jared Kushner had a responsibility to report seven years of meetings with foreign officials. He lied by omission by not including recent meetings with a Russian bank owner and Russian ambassador. His security clearance should be revoked, and he should step down from his role in the White House. Let the President know that Americans will not tolerate dishonesty.
Bonus action: Call your Members of Congress and tell them the same thing!! (Philipstown MoCs here, lookup others here).
** Instructions from the White House on letter writing (really):
If you write a letter, please consider typing it on an 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. If you hand-write your letter, please consider using pen and writing as neatly as possible.
Thank Governor Cuomo for Making History
Sunday, April 9
On Friday, April 7th, New York State passed a budget which made us the first state in the country to offer free tuition at four year public colleges.
(Photo: Mary Altaffer/AP)
As noted in the Washington Post,
"The $163 billion state budget agreement includes the Excelsior Scholarship, which covers tuition for any New Yorker accepted to one of the state’s community colleges or four-year universities, provided their family earns less than $125,000 a year.
Proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in January, the scholarship taps into one of the Democratic Party’s most popular ideas and advances a bipartisan movement to lower the cost of college that is taking shape across the country....The scholarship program will be phased in over three years, beginning for New Yorkers making up to $100,000 annually in the fall of 2017, increasing to $110,000 in 2018, and reaching $125,000 in 2019. Nearly 1 million families will qualify for the scholarship....In-state tuition at community colleges in New York pencils in at $4,350, while tuition at State University of New York schools is $6,470 for residents. The City University of New York schools cost about the same as their state counterparts."
Let's thank Governor Cuomo for taking this important step for New York families.
Call: 1-518-474-8390
Email · Twitter: @NYGovCuomo · Facebook
Mail:
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224
Tell Advertisers: Thanks for Leaving The O'Reilly Factor Behind
Wednesday, April 5th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Following up on yesterday’s notice that Mercedes-Benz was pulling ads from Bill O’Reilly’s show after sexual harrassment claims & settlements against O'Reilly were reported, 24 other companies (and counting) have done the same (read about them here).
Action you can take today:
Advertisers recognize the power of consumers.
Use this spreadsheet (below) to thank these companies via Twitter, and encourage the remaining few to stop supporting Bill O'Reilly and Fox's culture of misogyny:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q_ZNcml-rN7I6XRakgXZdRQAxygVeB5P45zQYsZEQ_A/edit#gid=0
Take Action: Decrease Your Carbon Footprint
Sunday, April 2
(Adapted from Shannon & Jane's Do A Thing)
Today's Action: Decrease Your Carbon Footprint
The car in this picture is 19 years old, and well-oved by its owner. It seems like a responsible act, using something as long as possible. But this car also gets terrible gas mileage, mostly under 20 mpg. It turns out that buying a new car might be one of the best things some of us can do for our carbon footprint, according to this NYT article, which says that if every American household drove a car getting 56 mpg, we could reduce US carbon emissions by TEN PERCENT.
That's big.
Small adjustments can add up too, though. For example, we could decrease emissions by another 2.2% if we each did ALL of these things:- Reduce the distance you drive by 1.2% (that's 13 miles/mo for the avg American driver)
- Keep your tires inflated to the recommended pressure for max efficiency
- Just be a chill driver; no speeding, hard stops, or gunning it
- Fly 10% less
- Turn down your thermostat by 3 degrees for 8 hrs/day in the winter
- Replace 1 out of every 5 incandescent light bulbs with an LED
- Eat 2% fewer calories (roughly, the # of calories in a miniature box of raisins)
- Reduce meat consumption by 7%; about a pound per month, if you're an average American adult
- Reduce the amount of food you throw away by 13%. Make a meal plan so you cook or freeze everything you buy before it spoils! Plan your leftovers carefully so you actually eat them!
Effort matters - take nothing for granted!
Today: Advocate for Science
Friday, March 31st
(Adapted from the folks at the March for Science)
Advocate for Science Today
Tuesday, March 28th, the President proposed an immediate $18 billion cut from research, education, and additional programs. Although there are many hurdles before this version passes Congress, it’s important to make our concerns heard now. Take the time today to call your Member of Congress to push back against extreme budget cuts to the federal medical funding. These changes put everything at risk, including our health, our children's future, and the American economy.
Click here, enter your address and find contact info for your your members of Congress. Here’s a quick script, but always remember to personalize it and share why medical research funding matters to you.
“I’m calling because I want to urge Representative [Last Name] to oppose the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts to the National Institutes of Health. NIH’s research saves lives every day and the basic research they do creates new treatments and new medicine. It’s hard to believe we’re actually debating whether or not to fund an agency that saves lives, creates jobs and keeps the United States leading the world in medical research. Is my representative against these cuts or are they going to remain silent in the face of these unprecedented attacks on American science and people’s health?”
No Russia Probe, No SCOTUS Robe
Thursday, March 30th
(Adapted from #NoRussiaProbeNoSCOTUSRobe & Center for American Progress Action Fund)
Senate Republicans held the Supreme Court vacancy open for more than a year and now are trying to rush through a nominee despite serious concerns over the administration’s possible interference in our elections.
Trump should not be able to move forward with Gorsuch’s nomination until an independent investigation into Russia’s interference is complete. Now is the time to ramp up the pressure on your Senator.
Action for today
Visit NoRussiaProbeNoSCOTUSRobe.com for all the info you need to resist Gorsuch’s nomination - it's a comprehensive compilation of actions that you can take if you have one minute, two minutes, or more.
Then turn out on Saturday in NYC for The People's Filibuster.
Tell the Ethics Officer: No Role for Ivanka Trump in the Administration
Wednesday, March 29th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Some rights reserved by ThatMattWade
A top advisor in an unnamed position in the White House is not normal.
There should be no security clearance for Ivanka Trump, nor should she have an office in the White House.
Action you can take today:
- First, read all about it here: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/ivanka-trump-white-house-236273
- Then, write a letter or a postcard to the Ethics Office and tell them all about your concerns:
US Office of Government Ethics 1201 New York Ave NW # 500, Washington, DC 20005
Keep Online Privacy Intact: Call Congressman Maloney Now
Tuesday, March 28th
(Adapted from ACLU & DailyKos)
On March 23, Republican Senators voted to overturn privacy rules implemented by the FCC in 2015 that protect your personal data online. These rules require internet service providers to get your permission before they sell your personal data.
The House votes today, TUESDAY, on a bill that will allow companies to sell your online data without your permission. The Senate already passed this bill on a partisan vote (50-48).
Action You Can Take Today
This is your opportunity to tell Congress to vote NO on S.J. Resolution 34. If the House removes these rules, Comcast and other internet service providers will be free to sell your personal information and online behavior history to the highest bidder without your consent or knowledge.
Call our Representative Representative Sean Patrick Maloney at (202) 225-5441 today and tell him you want the House to leave these important privacy rules in place.
House Intelligence Conflict of Interest: Rep. Nunes Must Step Down
Tuesday, March 28th
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Representative Devin Nunes must step down.
The actions of Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) as Chair of the House Intelligence Committee are unprecedented. If you haven't been following the details of investigations into Trump and Russia, here's some background on Nunes, who leaked information to Trump without presenting it to his own committee.
We need a completely independent investigation, and you can read all about it here:
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/devin-nunes-russia-trump-investigation-democrats-236471
Action for today:
Call Rep. Nunes and let him know his conflict of interest means he must step down:
Nunes Clovis office: (559) 323-5235
Nunes Visalia Office: (559) 733-3861
Nunes DC office: (202) 225-2523
Tell the House Intelligence Committee: The Public Deserves A Hearing
Monday, March 27
(Adapted from Rogan's List)
Action for Today:
Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking Minority member of the House Intelligence Committee is asking the public to call his fellow committee members and demand the public hearing on the Trump/Russia connection that Nunes canceled.
If you haven't been following this story, you can learn more here:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/24/politics/devin-nunes-paul-manafort-house-intelligence/
Contact Majority (GOP) members of the House Intelligence Committee:
Contact Minority (DEM) members of the House Intelligence Committee:
