The Power of Many - Minnesota: February 2018

Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Wednesday 2/28 Call to Action

Wednesday

1. Gun Safety Legislation in Minnesota on Thursday!
Yesterday, we discussed state Representative David Pinto’s attempt to get committee heads, Reps. Johnson and Shomacker to hold hearings on gun safety legislation. It has come to light that Rep. Pinto has used a little known House rule to force two bills to come to the floor TOMORROW, Thursday, March 1st.
https://www.twincities.com/…/mn-gun-control-hearing-little…/ via @pioneerpress

The two bills that will be presented tomorrow are the following:
HF1669: This bill calls for universal background checks for private gun sales https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php…

HF 1605: This bill will give police or family members more power to petition courts to issue restraining orders that would prevent a person from possessing a gun for a period of time.https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/text.php…

Here’s where you get involved.
1. If your state Representative is David Pinto (or even if he’s not) give him a call and thank him for getting gun legislation to the House floor.
2. Make plans to attend the hearings. March 1st, 10:15 am, Room 10 State Office Building. Mom’s Demand Action is planning an event. Get more information here: https://www.facebook.com/events/197371537520386/
3. Contact your representative today (especially if they are on the committee) and encourage them to support these bills. You can also send an email. Put the bill in the subject line of your email and it will become part of the public record for the bill.
Here’s a list of the committee members for Public Safety & Security Policy and Finance: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/comm/committeemembers.asp…

This is our chance to see positive gun safety changes in Minnesota. Now is the time for action!

2. Election Integrity
News broke yesterday that U. S. Intelligence agencies have substantial evidence that seven states had either their state websites or voter registration data compromised by the Russians before the 2016 elections. That is crazy! What’s worse is that very little has been done to prevent this from happening again in our upcoming elections.
Director of the National Security Agency and chief of U. S. Cyber Command Adm Mike Rogers, testified before Senate that very little has been done to stop further Russian attacks. Why? Because Trump has not given him the authority to take action.
This is unconscionable. This threat undermines our work to elect quality leaders. If it wasn’t for the incessant barrage of scandal coming out of the White House, this would surely garner more attention. We have got to make addressing Russia’s meddling a priority.

https://www.nbcnews.com/…/u-s-intel-russia-compromised-seve…

https://www.theguardian.com/…/trump-russia-meddling-mike-ro…

https://shareblue.com/claire-mccaskill-trump-nsa-mike-roge…/

Luckily, we have Senator Amy Klobuchar on our side. Read more here about Sen. Klobuchar’s plans to protect our elections:https://www.klobuchar.senate.gov/…/klobuchar-calls-out-cong…
Now contact the Senator and ask her what we can do to help. It’s time to make some noise about this!

3. Did you read this? Jared Kushner lost his security clearance. Wowza!

https://www.nytimes.com/…/jared-kushner-security-clearance-…

https://www.msnbc.com/…/kushner-eyed-over-foreign-contacts-… via @msnbc

https://www.msnbc.com/…/potential-for-blackmail-an-obstacle… via @msnbc

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

What's Going On | Playing For Change | Song Around The World

This song is featured on "PFC 3: Songs Around The World,"…

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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Tueaday 2/27 Call to Action

Tuesday

1. Gun Safety Legislation
We have got to keep talking to our elected officials about smart gun safety legislation. The GOP is hoping we will lose steam and move on to other things. Let’s show them we won’t back down.

Minnesota State Legislature: Last Thursday, state Representative David Pinto was on the House floor and asked Representatives Brian Johnson and Joe Shomacker when their committees would take on the gun violence bills that have been proposed and waiting for a hearing for more than a year. Their committees have found time to have a hearing on the “stand your ground” bill but not bills on gun safety. Both congressmen were entirely noncommittal.
http://theuptake.org/…/mn-gop-wont-promise-a-hearing-on-gu…/

Today, let’s contact our state members of Congress again (especially if they are Republicans) and tell them we want to see progress on smart gun safety legislation.
While you’re at it, contact Reps. Shomacker and Johnson and tell them it’s time to get to work.

(from MN Indivisible Local)
Health and Human Services Reform and Policy Chair: Joe Schomacker
509 State Office Building
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul MN 55155
HF2891 (allow health dept to collect info)
HF1678 (Taylor Hayden Gun Violence Prevention)
HF1605 (petition court to remove firearms)

Public Safety & Security Policy and Finance Chair: Brian Johnson
359 State Office Building
100 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
St Paul MN 55115
HF2781 (slide-fire stock as trigger activator)
HF1669 (background checks)

Here are some Senate bills as well.
SENATE Human Services Finance and Policy Chair: Michelle Benson
3109 Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Avenue W
St Paul MN 55155
SF2726 (allow health dept to collect info)
SF1263 (Taylor Hayden)

Judiciary & Public Safety Finance & Policy Char: Warren Limmer
3221 Minnesota Senate Building 95 University Avenue W
St Paul MN 55155
SF2601 (slide-fire stock as trigger activator)
SF1261 (background checks) SF1262 (gun violence protective orders)

Federal Legislature: House Democrats are planning to introduce a new assault weapons ban on the floor this week.
https://twitter.com/JStein_WaPo/status/967195043084820480
Minnesota Representatives Peterson, Walz, Nolan, Emmer, Lewis, and Paulsen are not on the list of supporters. Reps. McCollum and Ellison are. Today, you can call your member of Congress and either thank them for their support or encourage them to add their support.

Here are some more ideas from Vox on what needs to happen to see real change. https://www.vox.com/…/170…/gun-violence-us-statistics-charts

Remember, the best way to change the trajectory of our laws is to vote in leaders who will work for us. This November’s midterm election will be hugely important for the future of Minnesota. We have got to start working now to get quality representation into our state and federal legislature. Commit to help a campaign and get out the vote. http://m.startribune.com/midterm-mayhem-half-of-minnesot…/…/

Sick of making phone calls? Switch it up this week and join CD2 Action by sending postcards of encouragement to the Parkland, Florida students. Check it out: https://cd2action.com/send-words-of-support-to-parkland-st…/

2. House Speaker Paul Ryan has decided not to renew Matthew Masterson’s term as head of the Election Assistance Commission. Masterson’s job was to keep America’s elections safe from hackers. In light of what we have learned about Russia’s interference in our 2016 elections, this seems like a terrible idea. Now is not the time for partisan appointments. We need someone who has experience and knowledge protecting our votes. Read more here: https://www.politico.com/…/paul-ryan-election-agency-replac…
Now call your members of Congress and remind them that election integrity is paramount.

Cher - Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (Official Video) | Original Version ᴴᴰ

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Sunday, February 25, 2018

Monday 2/26 Call to Action

Monday

1. This is kind of a combination Russia/Gun action item. The FBI is investigating the NRA for accepting Russian political donations. From Rogan's list:

The NRA has been accused of illegally conducting political spending while reaping the tax benefits of being a non-profit:
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/apr/21/nra-illegal-political-spending-lobbying-pac and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a complaint (http://crew.3cdn.net/9d9bdeceea844c1be0_fam6yx6ix.pdf) with the IRS in 2015 and updated its findings in 2016 that "the NRA has failed to disclose $60 million in political spending since 2008." (https://www.csgv.org/action/tell-fec-irs-investigate-nra-violations-federal-law/) Let’s tell IRS Commissioner David J. Kautter to launch investigations into the NRA’s fraudulent activities immediately: 1111 Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20224-0002 or (202-317-7070) or Fax: (202) 622-5756 We can also send information that raises questions about an exempt organization’s compliance with the Internal Revenue Code by submitting Form 13909, Tax-Exempt Organization Complaint (Referral) Form: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f13909.pdf Form 13909 and any supporting documentation may be submitted via: mail to IRS EO Classification, Mail Code 4910DAL, 1100 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75242-1198, fax to 214-413-5415, or email to eoclass@irs.gov

2. It's worth taking a look at the Democratic rebuttal to the Nunes memo.

https://www.vox.com/world/2018/2/24/17048936/democrat-rebuttal-nunes-schiff-memo

Having now read both memos, I can say with confidence: Schiff makes his case. Schiff quotes key FBI documents that explicitly contradict the Nunes memo’s core arguments. Any fair-minded observer who reads these two documents side-by-side can only conclude one thing: Nunes is either deeply misinformed or straight-up lying.

Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121
MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators
Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/
Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Friday, February 23, 2018

Friday 2/23 Call to Action

Friday

1. School Safety
Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos want you to think that school safety is a priority but their actions state otherwise. Trump’s FY’19 budget request included major funding cuts for violence prevention and recovery assistance programs in public schools. The money Trump would like to eliminate could be used for counselors, and programs designed to curtail violence in school. If Trump gets his way. he will cut the Education Department’s funding for school safety activities by 36%. DeVos has called for the dismantling of the Project School emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) and Project Prevent Grant programs.

This is just another reason to call our members of Congress and tell them to oppose Trump’s budget.
https://thinkprogress.org/trump-budget-cut-school-safety-p…/
https://www.vox.com/…/1…/trump-budget-2019-release-explained

2. Net Neutrality
Yesterday, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) published their revocation order in the Federal Register. Net neutrality rules will officially roll back on April 23rd. Multiple attorneys general, including Minnesota’s have sued the FCC over the repeal. https://ag.ny.gov/sites/default/files/petition.pdf

Senate Democrats are working hard to compile enough votes to restore net neutrality as well. At this point they are just one vote away from success. https://www.engadget.com/…/democrats-just-one-vote-shy-of-…/ An online day of action is planned on February 27th, in hopes of convincing one more senator to get on board. https://www.engadget.com/…/tumblr-sonos-back-net-neutralit…/
If nothing is done, over the course of this year you will most likely see internet providers introduce tiered plans that will provide better access to the web for more money (much like television cable services). That sounds like a disaster.

Today, you can call Minnesota’s Attorney General Lori Swanson and thank her for fighting for net neutrality.
Office of Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson
445 Minnesota Street
Suite 1400
St. Paul, MN 55101-2131\

Twin Cities Calling Area:
(651) 296-3353
Outside the Twin Cities:
(800) 657-3787

Contact your federal members of Congress and remind them to keep fighting for a free and open internet.

Contact your state members of Congress and ask them what plans they have to save net neutrality at the state level.

Watch this video from Burger King that gives a good example of why net neutrality is important. It’s pretty fantastic. https://youtu.be/ltzy5vRmN8Q

3. Don’t forget the Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence that will take place on Friday, 2/23 in Lakeville starting at 6 pm. . https://www.facebook.com/events/1611913975513045/

David Bowie - Changes (Live, 1973)

David Bowie performing Changes live at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1973. Watch more live videos from David Bowie…

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Thursday, February 22, 2018

Thursday 2/22 Call to Action

Thursday 2/22

1. Gun Control

Yesterday students in Minneapolis and in Rochester marched to City Hall wanting action and effective gun control. We need to continue to push our local and national representatives to do what is right. Stop taking money from the NRA and pass legislation for gun control that keeps our schools and students safe. If they won’t, vote them out. Tell your lawmakers that we want our educators armed with resources, not guns.

http://cqrcengage.com/neamn/app/write-a-letter?0&engagementId=441273

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns/u-s-students-protest-gun-laws-trump-considers-arming-teachers-idUSKCN1G51QY?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social

http://www.startribune.com/minneapolis-students-walk-out-march-to-city-hall/474739233/

Did you see that Florida’s lawmakers voted down hearing a bill that would ban semi-automatic weapons while that Parkland students watched? If you should feel inclined to send those lawmakers a note, here are their office addresses.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LBGywKfcVvXXbzGT43waqCXr-HMicsAgTDsDZDnku20/edit

Students should not face retribution for peacefully protesting political manners. It is their constitutional right.

https://www.aclu.org/other/tinker-v-des-moines-landmark-supreme-court-ruling-behalf-student-expression

2. Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act. (S. 2.155)

“House Republicans voted to gut the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law this past summer with legislation called the “Financial Choice Act.” Now, on the heels of a huge giveaway to the rich and corporations with the #GOPTaxScam, the Senate is back with its own version of Wall Street de-regulation. Tell your Senator to vote no the deceivingly-titled “Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (S. 2155).””

There’s more information about this in the link along with a handy calling script for you.

https://www.indivisible.org/resource/republicans-planning-unravel-wall-street-reform/

3. DACA

Time is running out for DACA recipients. Call your representatives and tell them you want a clean Dream Act.

Join the Rally in the Rotunda for Sensible Gun Laws today (2/22) from 2-3:15 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/117965695681922/

Don’t forget the Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence that will take place on Friday, 2/23 as well. https://www.facebook.com/events/1611913975513045/

If you would like to follow what is happening locally I recommend getting to know these two groups.

Minnesota Indivisible Local http://indivisibleminnesotalocal.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/MinnesotaIndivisibleLocal/

Watch Your Reps MN https://watchyourrepsmn.tumblr.com/

Klobuchar-202-224-3244

Smith (202) 224-5641

House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121

MN Legislators: https://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legislators

Resistbot: https://resistbot.io/

Governor Dayton- https://mn.gov/governor/contact-us/

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Wednesday 2/21 Call to Action

Wednesday

1. Coastal Drilling vs. Marine Life
Last month, the Trump administration announced it would reverse environmental protections imposed by the Obama administration that prevented offshore oil and gas drilling in the United States coastal waters. (https://nyti.ms/2E6p8gU )
Now the Trump administration is allowing companies to explore the shores off of the Atlantic coast for oil reserves using seismic air guns. The sound waves help to survey thousands of miles of seabeds. The air guns create a very loud sound that research shows could harm a vast array of marine life from whales to even plankton. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has assured us that he will make sure the government protects the environment. It seems like his track record says otherwise. Read more about it here: https://n.pr/2Hh9MZx

All of this comes at a time when the United State’s most important institutions are being dismantled from within. Earlier this week EPA’s Scott Pruitt announced that he was closing the National Exposure Research Laboratory in Las Vegas. The Trump administration plans on cutting the EPA’s budget by 23% and slashing programs. The loss of experienced workforce will affect us for decades to come. Read more here: http://wapo.st/2o1c7z2?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.b869b96fdc3b Or here: http://thehill.com/…/374167-the-79-million-plan-to-gut-epa-…

If we can no longer rely on our federal government to protect our country, let’s make sure that our state government is up for that task of protecting Minnesota. Give your state and federal members of Congress a call and tell them we want Minnesota’s lands and wildlife to be top priority.

Contact EPA Chief Scott Pruitt and let him know we are paying attention.
(202) 564-4700
Pruitt.Scott@epa.gov
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EPAScottPruitt
Twitter: @EPAScottPruitt.

Contact Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and tell him leave marine animals in peace.
(202) 208-3100
Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington DC 20240
Twitter: @SecretaryZinke
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SecretaryRyanZinke/

2. Guns in Americans
Just days after experiencing devastating trauma, students from schools in Parkland, Florida made the 400 mile trek to their state capitol in Tallahassee to urge lawmakers to take steps to prevent another massacre. Unfortunately, the Florida House voted down a motion to take up a bill that would ban assault rifles. Another blow to kids who have already gone through too much. https://www.pbs.org/…/days-after-high-school-shooting-flori…

Did you know that since 1996, the government has prohibited funds for gun related research? How can our legislators make informed decisions without insight into the whole story? The answer is, they can’t. It’s time for us to demand that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) gets proper funding to study gun violence in America. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/…/cdc-still-cant-study-caus…/
Did you know that Minnesota has its own bans on collecting gun related information? That’s nuts!

From Watch Your Reps MN:
Minnesota Statute 144.05, Subd.5. Firearms data. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the commissioner of health is prohibited from collecting data on individuals regarding lawful firearm ownership in the state of data related to an individual’s right to carry a weapon under section 624.714.
624.17, Subd. 20. Monitoring. (d) Nothing contained in any provision of this section or any other law requires or authorizes the registrations, documentation, collection, or providing of serial numbers or other data on firearms or on firearms’ owners.

If this bothers you take the time today to contact your federal and state members of Congress.

Join the Rally in the Rotunda for Sensible Gun Laws tomorrow (Thursday) 2/22 from 2-3:15 pm https://www.facebook.com/events/117965695681922/

Don’t forget the Vigil for Victims of Gun Violence that will take place on Friday, 2/23 as well. https://www.facebook.com/events/1611913975513045/

If you would like to follow what is happening locally I recommend getting to know these two groups.
Minnesota Indivisible Local http://indivisibleminnesotalocal.org/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MinnesotaIndivisibleLocal/

Watch Your Reps MN https://watchyourrepsmn.tumblr.com/

Whale Sounds - music for relaxation

sounds from the ocean

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Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Tuesday 2/20 Call to Action

Tuesday

1. Sensible Gun Control
Is now finally the time when our elected officials will take the steps to provide sensible gun control laws? It seems like our children may be leading the way towards effective change. If you haven’t already, watch this moving speech by Emma Gonzalez, a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. She calls out politicians who take money from the NRA. https://www.cnn.com/…/florida-student-emma-gonza…/index.html
Wow.

#NoNRAMoney has a website that allows voters to pledge to oppose any candidates who take NRA money. It also allows candidates to publicly reject the NRA. https://www.nonramoney.org/
The survivors of the Parkland shootings are organizing a march on Washington D.C. on March 24, to demand action on gun violence. http://abcnews.go.com/…/florida-teen-shooting-surviv…/story…

The Network for Public Education is calling for action on April 20th, the anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings. They encourage us all to plan and participate in acts of protest in our own school communities. Learn more here: https://networkforpubliceducation.org/…/join-us-day-action…/
And here: https://twitter.com/schoolwalkoutUS Or here: https://www.facebook.com/nationalhighschoolwalkout/
Check out this spreadsheet that lists all the activities planned for April 20th. Create your own and add it to the list.
https://docs.google.com/…/1fbpir2Mz83LiOkDV75iL6QKv72…/edit…

Check out Moms Demand Action’s “Throw Them Out: An action plan to kick out lawmakers beholden to the gun lobby”.https://everytown.org/throwthemout/…

2. Local Gun Legislation
Minnesota’s state legislators get back to work today. Check out this list of pending gun legislation. (Thanks, S.K. from Indivisible Minnesota Local)

Stand Your Ground ( HF0236, SF0292): This bill allows you to shoot and kill a felon even if there are non-lethal options available.

No Permit Needed to Carry a Concealed Gun (HF0188, SF0650): This bill eliminates the need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Gun Violence Protective Orders Authorized (HF1605, SF1262): This bill would allow law enforcement or a family member to petition a court to prevent a dangerous individual from possessing a gun.

Universal Background Check Required for Private Gun Sales (HF1669, SF1261): Currently, there are no laws in Minnesota requiring background checks for private gun sales.

Bump Stocks Outlawed (HF2781): This bill would outlaw devices that turn semi-automatic weapons into automatic ones.

Call you state legislators today. Welcome them back and let them know that Minnesota wants action.

Watch Your Reps MN https://watchyourrepsmn.tumblr.com/

Lissie - Best Days (Live on The Current)

Lissie performs the song "Best Days" from her forthcoming album, "Castles" (out March 23, 2018), live in The Current…

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