Sunday, April 23rd

(Adapted from CREDO Action)

Another anti-LGTBQ bigot in the Trump administration?

Donald Trump recently announced that he is nominating Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green to be the new Army Secretary of the United States.¹

Sen. Green has dedicated his political career to fostering inequality and bigotry based on religious ideology, and there’s no reason to believe that would stop if he’s confirmed as secretary of the Army. Last fall, Sen. Green was videotaped telling the Tea Party of Chattanooga that “[being] transgender is a disease.²” In his time as senator in the Tennessee Legislature he has relentlessly attacked LGBTQ equality, and he is a proponent of dangerous and out-of-control gun laws that would allow anyone to carry guns without permits.

The Army secretary is tasked with treating all members of the armed services fairly and equally. Bigoted, right-wing extremist Sen. Green won’t do that. The Senate must block his nomination.

Tell the Senate: Block bigot Sen. Green as Army Secretary. Click here to sign the petition.

Sen. Green has built his political career on pushing ultra-conservative legislation grounded in legitimizing discrimination against LGBTQ people and women.³ He has sponsored and endorsed a multitude of harmful bills designed to discriminate against people in Tennessee, including a bill that would make it illegal for transgender students to use the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity,⁴ one that would make it illegal for the government to not work with or fund businesses or agencies that promote anti-LGBTQ discriminataion,⁵ and one that would allow all educators to opt out of teaching material that conflicts with their religious and moral beliefs⁶ – like material about climate change or LGBTQ rights.

He also believes that mental health practitioners should have the freedom to withhold treatment from LGBTQ people seeking help⁷ and physicians should have the right to withhold contraceptives and the morning-after-pill from women.⁸

The Army secretary is responsible for developing, implementing and enforcing all policies related to members of the armed forces. It sets the tone for behavior in the Army. If confirmed, Sen. Green’s elevation to this position would validate and condone anti-LGBTQ and anti-women sentiments and actions. Women in the military already experience violence and sexual assault at twice the civilian rate,⁹ and LGBTQ people have only been able to serve openly since 2011.¹⁰ It is a disservice to bring in an Army secretary who will turn back the clock on equality and safety for LGBTQ and women service members.

After Sen. Green’s nomination was announced, the LGBTQ and military community immediately and forcefully pushed back.¹¹ We are pushing with them. Our military personnel deserve better than a bigoted, right-wing extremist committed to discrimination. The Senate must block his nomination.

Tell the Senate: Block bigot Sen. Green as Army Secretary. Click the link below to sign the petition.

https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Green_Army_Secretary?t=6&akid=22653.12545118.vu1O8o

Thank you for your activism,

Tessa Levine, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

References: 
1. Michael Collins, “President Trump nominates Tennessee state Sen. Mark Green for Army secretary,” USA Today, April 7, 2017. 
2. Amanda Terkel, “Trump’s Pick To Lead The Army Believes Being Transgender Is A Disease,” The Huffington Post, April 7, 2017. 
3. Nathaniel Frank, “Trump’s Expected Pick for Army Secretary Is a Stealth Anti-LGBTQ Extremist,” Slate, April 5, 2017. 
4. Sen. Mae Beavers, "Tennessee Senate Bill 771," introduced Feb. 9, 2017. 
5. Sen. Mark Green, “Tennessee Senate Bill 127,” accessed April 14, 2017. 
6. Sen. Mark Green, “Tennessee Senate Bill 14,” introduced April 4, 2017. 
7. Sen. Jack Johnson, “Tennessee Senate Bill 1556,” introduced Feb. 10, 2016. 
8. Billy Hallowell, “Sparks Fly Over Bill That Would Protect Counselors From Treating People With ‘Behaviors That Conflict With a Sincerely Held Religious Belief,’” The Blaze, April 7, 2016. 
9. Joachim Hagopian, “Sexual Assault against Women in the U.S. Armed Forces,” GlobalResearch, March 23, 2014. 
10. Nicole Puglise, “'Don't ask, don't tell': military members 'out and proud' five years after repeal,” The Guardian, Sept. 27, 2016. 
11. Helene Cooper and Maggie Haberman, “L.G.B.T. Advocates Criticize Nominee for Army Secretary,” The New York Times, April 7, 2017.

Saturday, April 22nd

(Adapted from Rogan's List)

Chlorpyrifos is a neurotoxic pesticide that was banned by the Obama EPA. Scott Pruitt's EPA has reversed that.

Corporate pressure is big: Dow Chemical is pushing Trump administration to ignore studies of this toxic pesticide, as noted by the LA Times

Action You Can Take Today

Let’s make the people’s voice big, too Let's unite and apply consumer pressure by contacting the largest food corporations to tell them that we don't want chlorpyrifos used on the products they sell us.

Let’s contact: 1) Conagra, 222 W. Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago IL 60654 phone: 800-252-0672 2) General Mills, PO Box 1113, Minneapolis MN 55440 phone: 800-328-1144, 3) Kellogg Company, PO Box CAMB, Battlecreek MI 49016 phone: 800-62-1413, 4) KraftHeinz, 3 Lakes Dr, Northfield IL 60093 phone: 800-431-1001, and 5) Nestle USA, 800 Brand Ave, Glendale CA 91203 phone:800-225-2270.

More about Chlorpyrifos from Wikipedia:

Chlorpyrifos is moderately toxic to humans, and exposure has been linked to neurological effects, persistent developmental disorders and autoimmune disorders. Exposure during pregnancy retards the mental development of children, and most home use was banned in 2001 in the U.S.^[6] In agriculture, it is "one of the most widely used organophosphate insecticides" in the United States, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and before being phased out for residential use was one of the most used residential insecticides. On March 29, 2017, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt denied a petition to ban chlorpyrifos.

March For Science on Saturday, April 22nd

(Organized by Science March Hudson Valley)

From the organizers:

Hudson Valley March Information

Thursday, April 20th

(Adapted from Rogan's List)

Here’s another way we can help get out the vote!  Spread the Vote will help Americans get the ID they need to vote.  Take a look around their website then click here to volunteer to help: https://www.spreadthevote.org/volunteer/ 

You can also like them on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SpreadTheVoteUS and/or follow them on Twitter:  @SpreadTheVoteUS

Wednesday, April 19th

(Adapted from Rogan's List)

Action You Can Take Today

Plenty of activists and even Amazon Employees have written a letter to Amazon owner and CEO Jeff Bezos to stop advertising on Breitbart. You can read about their action here: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/328784-hundreds-of-amazon-employees-ask-company-to-pull-advertising 

Keep the pressure on, and send him a letter or postcard now.

Write to: Jeff Bezos, CEO, Amazon, 410 Terry Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98109

You can also use Twitter or Facebook to get your message through: Twitter: @JeffBezos, @Amazon  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jeffamazon123/

Bonus Action

Write to Amazon's officers and tell them Breitbart must go. 
(Same physical address, Twitter links where available) 

	Brian T. Olsavsky,  Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer @bolsavsky		Jeffrey M. Blackburn, Senior Vice President, Business Development @jeffblackburn
	Andrew R. Jassy, CEO Amazon Web Services @ajassy		Shelley L. Reynolds, Vice President, Worldwide Controller & Principal Accounting Officer
	Jeffrey A. Wilke, CEO Worldwide Consumer		David A. Zapolsky, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary @DavidZapolsky