Week 72 Actions

[Actions for Americans]

Hi all!

This past weekend I had the honor of attending a friend's wedding. During the wedding, the mother of one of the brides noted how wonderful it was that two women can finally get married legally in this country. Amen to that! That comment was a reminder to me about why politics and activism matter. With the right leaders in place, our lives can get a whole lot better, but with the wrong leaders, our lives can get a whole lot worse and prejudices can override love and truth. Even some of the best leaders need our help to get them on the right side of each issue, so make sure you keep calling your elected officials to help get them on the right side of history!

Useful resource for finding your elected officials (save the numbers in your phone!!): myreps.datamade.us

Tips on effective communication with elected officials, see Chapter 4 Advocacy Tactics: Indivisible Guide: Local Advocacy Tactics that Work

1. Keep calling your Senators to oppose Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State 

Pompeo's Senate confirmation hearing was last week and it was bad. Pompeo falsely stated that the President has the authority to attack Syria without Congressional approval (he doesn't), and he also didn't rule out a ground war in North Korea. He is unfit to serve our country as Secretary of State. Call every day this week on this one if you can!

For more: Politico: GOP to Push Forward on Pompeo

Say: Indivisible: Reject Mike Pompeo Scripts

2. Call your MoCs to voice support for the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Syria 

The chemical weapons use in Syria is devastating, but bombing the people of Syria isn't going to prevent another attack on them by Assad. Call your MoCs and ask them to publicly voice support for the work being done by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in Syria. While you're on the line, ask them to accept more Syrian refugees into America. So far this year, only 11 Syrian refugees have been accepted into the US.

For more: NPR: Why No World Power Wants to Topple Syria's Assad

Say: Indivisible: Trump Escalated the Situation in Syria

Read: NY Times: Trump Scraps New Sanctions Against Russia

Donate: 7 Charities Helping Syrians

3. Call your Senators to pass S. 1741, the Special Counsel Independence & Integrity Act 

The Senate proposed a new bipartisan bill that would provide a check on Trump's ability to fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller, and effectively end the Russian collusion investigation. Make sure your Senators support it, and support the rule of law.

Read: VoteSmart.org: Booker, Graham, Coons Tillis Introduce Legislation
For more: Time: Nearly 500 Former Justice Department Employees ask Congress to Act Forcefully if Trump Fires Mueller
Say: "Hi, I'm a constituent of Senator _____'s and I'm calling today to ask them to support the bipartisan Special Counsel Independence & Integrity Act. It would protect Special Counsel Mueller from being fired by the President, and would also support the rule of law, which this country is founded on. If Senator _____ doesn't support this bill, I will do everything I can to make sure they're voted out. We need elected officials who value our country more than they value political points. My zip code is _____."

For our Texans:

1. Donate to candidates!

Each week, I'm going to highlight a statewide candidate so you can get to know them a little and volunteer for or donate to their campaigns if you're able. This week, meet Mike Collier, an accountant running to unseat the hateful Dan Patrick. Mike is big on improving public education, straightening out our property tax situation (did you know that businesses get to come up with their own property tax appraisal value!?), and stopping rampant corruption in our state. Dan Patrick is...interested in wasting time on bathrooms in order to bully transgender kids. In my opinion, this is THE MOST IMPORTANT RACE IN TEXAS, and I support Mike!

For more: Mike Collier on the Issues

Volunteer: Volunteer for Mike
Donate: Donate to Mike
Meet Mike: Upcoming Events
Read: Dallas News: Opinion - Dan Patrick is Giving Conservatism a Bad Name in Texas

2. Attend a Teach-In about the School-to-Prison Pipeline in Houston ISD Thursday, 4/26 6 - 8 pm

Houston ISD (independent school district) relies on police officers to enforce disciplinary rules, resulting in students being arrested and funneled into the criminal justice system for typical misbehavior. School arrests disproportionately impact students of color and students with disabilities and must be reversed. Join ACLU Texas, ONE Houston, and the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition on Thursday, April 26th to learn more about what we can do to help teachers and students end the school-to-prison pipeline.

Event: Eventbrite ; Facebook Event

For more: ACLU: School-to-Prison Pipeline

Keep up the great work!

Much love,

Marieke

@actionsUSA