Monday, February 27 at 6:30 pm

Tonight at 7:30 at the Putnam County Office Building, 40 Gleneida Ave, Carmel, NY 10512, Room 318

Sunday, February 26th

(Adapted from 3NoTrump & actionnetwork.org)

(Photo: Freedom House)


Protesting has been one of the most effective ways we’ve been able to get our voices heard. Since the election, hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets, and (in contrast to what might be emphasized in some media) 99% of these protests have been peaceful and appropriate. 

Lawmakers in ten states (Colorado, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan*, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, North Dakota** Virginia, and Washington) have recently proposed laws that would make it a serious crime to assemble in groups and express political dissent.  (Read more from The Washington Post and NPR)

For people who live in states (listed above) currently considering anti-protest legislation:

(1) Call your State Senator and Representative. You can find your state reps here.

Script:
Hi, my name is _____ and I’m calling from _____. I’m disturbed by the bill aimed at silencing protesters, which directly threatens our democracy. Our right to protest is a fundamental First Amendment right. Please vote against this bill.

(2) Use the Weekly Resistance automatic calling tool to contact the governor’s office if you live in one of the above-named states. They have a script you can use, or you can use the one above, just changing the words “vote against” to “veto.”
 

For those living outside these states:

(3) Protect Yourself:

-- WhatDoIDoAboutTrump has compiled a number of excellent resources to use if your safety and livelihood is being threatened by your activism.

-- Have a look at some good advice for protestors.

--  Take note of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's Digital Security Tips for Protestors

(4) Keep Protesting: This Protest Calendar will help you find events nearby so you can keep resisting. Let’s take these anti-protest bills as a sign that we’re being seen as a threat! The resistance is working.

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**North Dakota’s bill, which went as far as to allow a motorist to run over a protester blocking a highway, as long as the act “wasn’t intentional,” has been voted down and *Michigan’s bill has also been tabled, for now. However, it may still be useful for Michigan and North Dakota people to voice opposition to this type of legislation and thank the people who killed it in case these bills come back.

Saturday, February 25th

Today there are rallies all over the country in support of the ACA and universal healthcare.  The closest one to Philipstown is at 10am at the Brooklyn office of Congressman Donovan (details here).

You can still speak out on healthcare without leaving home.

• The Dept. of Health & Human Services has proposed new rules around the ACA. There is a public comment period until March 7^th on rules that will increase premiums, reduce benefits, reduce networks, and increase deductibles. 
  
  Add your comment, then share this link everywhere to encourage other folks to do the same: https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=CMS-2017-0021-0002 
  

• Paul Ryan has said he plans to have the House vote on repeal before the Easter recess in early April. 45 has said a replacement plan is coming in March.  A draft of the House Republican repeal package was published yesterday on Politico. A Kaiser Health Tracking poll on the ACA released yesterday shows 48% of Americans favor the ACA, with 42% opposing it. 
  
  
  Tell Paul Ryan that a majority of Americans favor keeping the ACA. 
  
  
  Since Ryan has blocked his office phones and fax numbers, and is turning away people who show up to deliver petitions, people are mailing post cards to his home address and district offices saying NO to defunding Planned Parenthood, NO to repealing the ACA, and NO to privatizing Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security! 
  
  Home
  Paul Ryan, 700 St. Lawrence Ave., Janesville, WI 53545
  
  Washington, DC Office
  233 Longworth HOB, Washington, D.C. 20515, Phone: (202) 225-3031 Fax: (202) 225-3393
  
  BTW: Paul Ryan apparently lives in his office when in Washington (read more)
  
  Kenosha Constituent Services Center
  5031 7th Avenue Kenosha, WI 53140 Phone: (262) 654-1901 Fax: (262) 654-2156 
  
  Janesville Office
  20 South Main Street, Suite 10, Janesville, WI 53545, 1-888-909-RYAN (7926) Phone: (608) 752-4050 Fax: (608) 752-4711 
  
  Racine Office
  216 6th Street, Racine, WI 53403, Phone: (262) 637-0510, Fax: (262) 637-5689
  
  

• Tell our Members of Congress that you stand behind them in supporting the ACA.
  
  

  Use the script at 5 Calls, it is UNBELIEVABLY easy.
  
  

  
  Contact Senator Chuck Schumer
  
  Washington DC Office
  322 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, D.C. 20510
  Tel: (202) 224-6542, Fax:  (202) 228-3027

  Albany/Capital District Office
  Leo O'Brien Building, Room 420, 11A Clinton Avenue, Albany, NY 12207
  Tel: (518) 431-4070, Fax:  (518) 431-4076 
  
  Peekskill
  One Park Place, Suite 100, Peekskill, NY 10566
  Tel: (914) 734-1532, Fax:  (914) 734-1673
  [email protected], Email form

  
  
  Contact Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

  Washington, DC Office
  478 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
  Tel. (202) 224-4451, Fax (202) 228-0282
  
  Albany/Capital District Office
  Leo W. O’Brien Federal Office Building, 11A Clinton Avenue, Room 821, Albany, NY 12207
  Tel. (518) 431-0120, Fax (518) 431-0128
  
  Hudson Valley Office
  PO Box 893, Mahopac, NY 10541
  Tel. (845) 875-4585, Fax (845) 875-9099
  
   Email form
  
  
  
  Contact Representative Sean Patrick Maloney

  Washington DC:
  1027 Longworth House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515
  Tel: 202-225-544, Fax: 202-225-3289
  
  District Office:
  

  123 Grand Street, 2nd Floor, Newburgh, NY 12550

  Tel: 845-561-1259, Fax: 845-561-2890

   Email form

Friday, February 24th

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

Action for Today:

You only think you won’t get taken by fake news. Here’s how to recognize it and combat it:

- Read "Why Students Can't Google Their Way To The Truth" from Education Week
- Read "Fighting Fake News: How Libraries Can Lead The Way On Media Literacy" from American Libraries Magazine, published by The American Library Association.

And have a look at this great infographic from the Harvard Library's Research Guides:

Source: http://guides.library.harvard.edu/fake

Thursday, February 23

(Adapted from The Loyal Opposition's Daily Call To Action)

Support Senator Chuck Schumer's call for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any investigations into Michael Flynn or the President & his campaign team’s interactions with Russia. This is clearly a case where recusal is appropriate, so much so that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has called for AG Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation related to the broader Russia investigation.

Despite Flynn’s initial denial to the FBI that he discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador, the DOJ and FBI do not plan to indict Flynn on the premise that, when pressed in his FBI interview, Flynn said he could not remember for certain. Given the flimsy pretext for the FBI not pursuing the matter, there is significant concern that the decision to not prosecute was based on Attorney General Sessions’ long involvement with Flynn, Trump and the campaign. Furthermore, DOJ guidelines mandate that the AG recuse himself from an investigation or prosecution if he has a political relationship with any person involved in the conduct that is the subject of the investigation or who would be directly affected by the outcome. 

Action You Can Take Today:

Call Senator Schumer and thank him for calling for Sessions to recuse himself.  

Call Senator Gillibrand and Congressman Maloney, and ask that they publicly call for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any investigations into Michael Flynn or the President and his campaign team's interactions with Russia. If either has already made a public call, please make sure to thank them.

*If you don’t already have their numbers in your phone, you can get them by entering your zip code in the Congressional Contact Info tool on the Loyal Opposition's website.