Sunday, April 16th

(Adapted from Jen Hofmann's Action Checklist for Americans of Conscience)

In these long days since the November election, there has been a constant reminder in the activist community to remember to take care of oneself.  As resistance blogger Jen Hofmann puts it, "It’s time to get serious about your own well-being."

She continues: "45 is not going away. The people he’s given authority are not going away. As the gaslighting, mind games, and polarizing media coverage continue, my concern grows for our resistance. If you’re weary, we lose a vital part of the flock. If you feel energized and resourceful, we can reclaim democracy and make it even better."

Self-care, we are reminded in this article from Slate, is nothing new:

"Self-care originally caught on as a medical concept. Doctors have long discussed it as a way for patients to treat themselves and exercise healthy habits, most often under the guidance of a health professional. Prior to the late 1960s and early 1970s, these patients were usually mentally ill and elderly people who required long-term care and otherwise had little autonomy. Later, academics began to look for ways for workers in more high-risk and emotionally daunting professions—trauma therapists, social workers, EMTs, and so on—to combat stress brought on by the job. The belief driving this work was that one cannot adequately take on the problems of others without taking care of oneself (by reading for pleasure or taking the occasional vacation, for instance)—a sentiment you still hear from activists today. And that applied not just to physical welfare but to mental and emotional health..."

Action for Today

Relax. Enjoy your family and friends. Take a walk with your dog. Read a book. Watch some television. Breathe deeply.  
Read about some recent good news:

• A Stanford microbiologist knits “resistor” hats for the March for Science.

• Oregon proposes a bill to cut its prison population and reduce excessive sentencing.

• A federal judge blocks 7 executions in Alabama.

• Facebook shuts down over 30,000 fake accounts in advance of the French elections.

• Rick Steves donated a $4M apartment complex to to the YWCA for women and children.

• Extra good news here at this website full of weekly celebrations.

And participate in these Acts of Gratitude - expressing gratitude makes us feel better!

• Thank Senators Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Mike Lee (R-UT) for defending Americans’ constitutional right to free speech.
  Address: (CG) 354 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
  Address: (ML) 361A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
  
  
• Thank Rep. Maxine Waters for her inspiring leadership and for speaking up for democracy.
  Address: 10124 S Broadway #1, Los Angeles, CA 90003
  
  
• Thank Senators Bob Corker (R-TN) and Chris Coons (D-DE) for supporting food assistance to Sudan and opposing Trump’s foreign aid cuts.
  Address: (BC) Dirksen Senate Office Building, SD-425, Washington, DC 20510
  Address: (CC) 127A Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510

Friday, April 14th

(Adapted from Rogan's List, the National Law Review, and Senator Michael Bennet's website)

Take Action on Climate Change Today

Polluting Photo: Agustin Ruiz via Creative Commons.

On April 13th, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it is seeking comments from the public on existing regulations that the Agency should consider repealing, replacing, or modifying.  82 Fed. Reg. 17793 (Apr. 13, 2017).   EPA issued the Request for Comment in response to the February 2017 Executive Order issued by President Trump, “Enforcing the Regulatory Reform Agenda,” that seeks “to alleviate unnecessary regulatory burdens on the American people.”  

Public comment is always called for when regulations are changing.  The EPA is now calling for public comment on the proposed rollbacks in EPA regulations -- make your comment today at https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/regulatory-reform  

Comments should “be as specific as possible, include any supporting data or other information such as cost information, provide a Federal Register (FR) or Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) citation when referencing a specific regulation, and provide specific suggestions regarding repeal, replacement or modification.”

Comments in response to the notice must be submitted by May 15, 2017. Information regarding EPA’s other regulatory reform activities can be found on the Agency’s webpage.

Bonus Action

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) has led more than 30 U.S. Senators in the introduction of legislation to rescind President Trump's Executive Order to reverse several landmark U.S. initiatives to combat climate change.

"By halting this Executive Order, we will keep current safeguards in place to combat climate change, protect American jobs, and preserve our path toward energy independence," Bennet said.

The bill, titled the Clean Air, Healthy Kids Act, would block federal agencies from implementing the actions outlined in the Executive Order signed Tuesday by President Trump. These actions include reevaluating the Clean Power Plan, which is currently on track to provide $54 billion in climate and health benefits each year, prevent thousands of premature deaths and asthma attacks in children, reduce electricity bills for homes and businesses, and create thousands of good-paying jobs. 

"This Administration is not operating in reality," Bennet said. "It is operating in the theater of the absurd, where policies have no relationships to problems, facts don't matter, and false promises to struggling Americans are just another political tactic to win a cable news cycle."

Read the full letter. Read the bill.

Thank Senators Schumer and Gillibrand for their support.

Thursday, April 13

Action You Can Take Today

Send postcards to likely Democratic voters in the GA 6th Congressional District for the upcoming special election. If you're not familiar with Ossoff, he's running for the seat that was vacated by Tom Price when he became Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Send a note to [email protected]  and they will send you instructions and 5 addresses.  It's a quick and easy action. You could mention that you live in a formerly red district that has now successfully elected a Democrat to Congress in 5 of the last six election cycles, so IT CAN BE DONE!

Want to learn more? Here's some light reading on Ossoff:

Who Is Jon Ossoff? 10 Things You Need to Know About the Georgia Congressional Candidate.  

Or watch this video.  



Twitter · Facebook

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. 

Monday, April 10

(Adapted from Rogan's List)

If Trump was so concerned about the beautiful children who were killed in the chemical attack in Syria, one would think that he would be as concerned for those who are still alive and seeking refuge. 

http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/One-way-Trump-could-help-the-beautiful-little-babies-of-Syria.html 

Let’s tell Trump that we support letting these war-ravaged refugees into our country. 

Action you can take today:

Call the White House comment line:  202-456-1111 or snail mail him: The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500 or tweet him:  @realDonaldTrump