Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Tuesday 6/12 Call to Action

Tuesday
The news full of discouraging, terrible things this week. Above all else, keep you eyes on November and do everything you can to vote better leaders into power.
1. H.R. 2851, Stop the Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act
Controlled substances are categorized by the government according to their abuse potential. The higher a drug is ranked on the schedule, the more regulated it is by the government. This bill would make a new category, Schedule A, for synthetic opioids and would allow the Attorney General (that’s Jeff Sessions right now) to add substances to this schedule as he wishes.
The bill would broadly expand penalties for drug offenses, concentrate power within the Department of Justice, punish people who lack criminal intent, and overcriminalize certain behavior.
The United States’ opioid epidemic is a very serious concern, as lives are ruined by addiction. Rather than seeking to treat addiction through diversion and rehabilitation, the Stop Importation and Trafficking of Synthetic Analogues Act relies on harsh penalties and expansive powers given to the Attorney General under the guise of “doing something” to address this epidemic.
In short, this bill is a repeat of the “War on Drugs” that was a huge failure in the past. Criminalizing drugs doesn’t work. This short video gives you a nice overview of why. Check it out. https://youtu.be/wJUXLqNHCaI
Want to read more about this bill? Here you go.
https://www.countable.us/bills/hr2851-115-sitsa-act
http://www.freedomworks.org/…/key-vote-no-stop-importation-…
https://beverlytran.blogspot.com/…/conyers-statement-for-ma…
Now call your members of Congress and let them know that this bill is just a harsher version of policies that have already been tried and have been proven to fail. No. No. No.
2. Asylum Seekers
Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions has ordered immigration judges to stop granting asylum to most victims of domestic abuse and gang violence, a move that could block tens of thousands of people, especially women, from seeking refuge in America.
The decision, which immigration advocates are sure to aggressively fight, comes as Sessions seeks to use the authority of his office to sharply change U.S. immigration law to make it less friendly to asylum seekers.
Remember, the Trump administration is also separating families seeking asylum at our borders.
The Trump administration’s new policy of separating families seeking asylum is in full effect. The parents are beside themselves not knowing what will happen to their kids. The children, many of whom have already experience trauma abroad, are facing new drama as they are stuck in a foreign land without a parent. Who does that to people? Apparently, we do.
Senator Jeff Merkley reports that the within the containment facilities, children, some as young as 4 years old, are kept within chain link enclosures, forced to sleep on hard concrete floors with little more than foil space blankets to keep them warm. Who does that to children? Apparently, we do.
Read more about it here: https://www.thenation.com/…/senator-jeff-merkley-saw-immig…/
The American Civil Liberties Union is fighting hard to protect these families. Read more here: https://www.bloomberg.com/…/aclu-suit-over-child-separation…
As Americans, is this who we want to be? Now call your members of Congress and tell them to start talking about this. Senator Klobuchar has no official statement about this. It’s time for her to start speaking up for these families.
3. Voter Suppression
The Supreme Court, in a 5–4 decision by Justice Alito, allows Ohio (and other states) to purge voters from the rolls for their failure to vote. This is a massive blow to the Motor Voter Act that will likely lead to a huge amount of disenfranchisement.
https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-980_f2q3.pdf
https://slate.com/…/supreme-court-greenlights-ohio-voter-pu…
This is a nightmare scenario for voting rights advocates. SCOTUS has effectively given red states the green light to engage in voter purges that disproportionately affect minority and low-income communities. Before this ruling, federal law protected your right *not* to vote (as it should). Now, every time you skip an election, you may imperil your ability to vote in the future. The days of "use it or lose it" are back.
4. Have you signed up to help a local campaign yet? Time to get busy! This handy article lists all the Minnesota candidates running for a House seat in November. Adopt one (or two, or more) and commit yourself to creating a wave of successful campaigns. Check it out: https://www.minnpost.com/…/who-s-running-minnesota-house-20…
Are you a middle aged woman from the suburbs? This article states that you, more than any other group, are busy organizing and making change for the better. Great Job! https://democracyjournal.org/…/middle-america-reboots-demo…/
5. Check out this list from DFL.org that shows the platform resolutions that were voted on at the DFL convention last weekend in Rochester. Anything over 60% passed. https://www.dfl.org/…/2…/06/2018-Platfrom-Ballot-Results.pdf
Sites to Check:
If Trump fires Mueller or Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, please be ready to take to the streets in protest.
https://act.moveon.org/…/mueller-firing-rapid-respo…/search/
CD2Action https://cd2action.com/, @CD2action
League of Women Voters MN https://lwvmn.org/ Check out their calendar of activities here: https://www.lwvdakotacounty.org/calendar
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/
YOUTUBE.COM
Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, perform Rent's…

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