Monday, September 30, 2019

Monday 9/30 Call to Action

Monday

It's worth giving House members, especially Republicans a call today.  Since Friday, one Republican Congressmen has come out in favor of an impeachment inquiry.  Mark Amodei (R-NV) won 58-38 and one, Adam Kinzinger has strongly criticized Trump, calling some of his words "beyond repugnant."

 https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/29/us/politics/pelosi-trump-impeachment.html

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/463592-gop-lawmaker-calls-out-trump-for-quoting-pastor-warning-of-civil-war

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/27/amodei-impeachment-inquiry-1517671

The president is coming to Minneapolis next Thursday, October 10.  You can attend a protest.

https://www.facebook.com/events/682336082272247/

 Sign up to become an election judge here: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/get…/become-an-election-judge/

Check out this website to help volunteer and flip in the Senate in 2020.

https://www.howweflipthesenate.com/

Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here:https://cd2action.com/
2020 Democratic Debate Schedulehttps://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/…/2020-democrat…/

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/

Friday, September 27, 2019

Friday 9/27


Friday 9/27

Given the current circumstances, now more than ever we need to focus on keeping the House, flip the Senate, and win the presidency in 2020. Could you imagine how things would be right now if we hadn’t won the House in 2018? We must be vigilant in protecting the 2020 election. We cannot hold hope that Trump will resign or go out without a fight, so we must be ready with action.
It clearly shows that Trump sees himself as a dictator, not an elected POTUS who is answerable to the people, when he mentions the penalty of spies and people convicted of treason received in the old days when discussing the whistleblower. This is appalling conduct from anyone, and the whistleblower needs to be protected.
Speaking at a private event with U.S. diplomatic officials in New York, Trump described reporters as “scum” and raged at the Democrats’ new impeachment proceedings, which were spurred by the whistleblower’s complaint alleging that Trump tried to strong-arm Ukraine’s leader to interfere in the 2020 election.”
““I want to know who’s the person, who’s the person who gave the whistleblower the information? Because that’s close to a spy,” he continued. “You know what we used to do in the old days when we were smart? Right? The spies and treason, we used to handle it a little differently than we do now.””

This isn’t the first time the Trump administration sealed a transcript for political reasons.
“In reference to section II of the complaint, the whistleblower wrote in the appendix: "According to White House officials I spoke with, this was 'not the first time' under this Administration that a Presidential transcript was placed into this codeword-level system solely for the purpose of protecting politically sensitive — rather than national security sensitive — information."”

As of now the GOP Governor of Vermont backs Trump impeachment inquiry. Let’s hope that list grows exponentially. 

While Trump is trying to lead this country like the mob boss he is, Governor Walz wants to revamp the states auto emissions standards. 
Greenhouse gas emissions from cars, trucks and buses have been difficult to cut in Minnesota, and transportation is responsible for the largest share of the state’s climate change-causing pollution.
In response, DFL Gov. Tim Walz has begun rolling out new plans to increase the supply of electric vehicles and reduce emissions. But there’s a catch: The fate of the agenda’s centerpiece — joining California in setting rules that promote low- and zero-emission vehicles — hinges on a court battle with President Donald Trump.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration said it plans to reverse California’s authority to set its own limits for tailpipe emissions — and for other states to follow — saying the Golden State’s rules give it disproportionate power over the country’s auto industry. More than 20 states, including Minnesota, have since joined a lawsuit to challenge the administration’s decision.”
Scientists booted from this administration advisory panel form their own group. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler disbanded the Particulate Matter Review Panel, part of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, in October 2018. 
The 20-member review panel was composed of some of the nation’s top scientists, who were tasked with reviewing how soot and other microscopic air pollutants impact human health. The panel helped the EPA determine what level of air pollution is safe to breathe. 
Now the scientists who once served on the panel will meet on Oct. 10, the anniversary of the day it was disbanded.”
This administration is slashing the amount of refugees this country will admit next year to 18,000, and it is giving states and cities the option for refusing to take them. Between this and having kids in cages I don’t even recognize this country anymore. 
Let this motivate you to make good change. An easy way to start is to get our friends and neighbors registered to vote. https://iwillvote.com/
Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here: https://cd2action.com/
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121









Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Wednesday 9/25 Call to Action

Wednesday 9/25
Time to Impeach!
Well it finally happened. Speaker Pelosi has called for an impeachment inquiry on Trump. While he has committed plenty of impeachable offenses in the past, blackmailing Ukraine seems to be what pushed the House into official action. Maybe it’s because Trump actually confessed to the crime (although he changed his story shortly afterwards) and his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani is in perpetual gaffe mode on cable TV. https://www.theatlantic.com/…/trump-admits-pressuri…/598609/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudy-giuliani-state-departmen…
Crooked Media has a nice overview of what happened yesterday. https://crooked.com/newsletters/
If you are represented by a Congressperson that has called for impeachment, contact them and thank them for it. If your Congressperson is still on the fence, (That’s you, Collin Peterson https://www.minnpost.com/…/all-minnesota-democrats-open-to…/ ) or a Republican, call today and let them know impeaching Trump is the right thing to do. The House is coming up on another recess. It seems prudent that they would skip this break and focus on defending our Constitution. While you are on the phone, why not mention that as well.
Are you wondering what impeachment actually means? Check out this video to learn more. https://www.npr.org/…/what-does-it-take-to-impeach-a-presid…
Here’s a list of all of Trump’s impeachable offenses (per Peter Daou)
TORTURING MIGRANT CHILDREN
EMBOLDENING NAZI TERRORISTS
INCITING VIOLENCE AGAINST THE PRESS
BETRAYING THE PUBLIC TRUST
VIOLATING THE EMOLUMENTS CLAUSE
FLAGRANTLY OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE
ENDANGERING NATIONAL SECURITY
Or check out this opinion piece fro David Leonhardt: https://www.nytimes.com/…/opinion/trump-ukraine-whistle-blo…
McConnell’s Election Security Bill: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
After stonewalling election security bills from the House, Senate Majority Leader Mitch (MoscowMitch) McConnell has agreed to add $250 million to be used by the federal government and states for election security in a way that McConnell feels in appropriate. Ahh, there’s the catch. McConnell would enable corrupt officials to buy whatever hackable, unauditable voting machines they want. We need traceable votes and back-up paper ballots.
Today, please call your Senators, as well as Sens. Schumer, Coons, and Leahy, and tell them that McConnell’s election security funding does not protect voters. They must address this issue now.
Schumer 202-224-6542
Leahy 202-224-4242
Coons 202-224-5042
https://www.npr.org/…/senate-breaks-logjam-on-election-secu…
Climate Disaster
New U.N. climate report: Massive change already here for world’s oceans and frozen regions. The U.N.’s report is out and it’s worse than we thought. If you need motivation to help good people get elected, let me introduce you to this article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/new-un-climate-report-mas…/
If you need inspiration on how one person can create good change, let me introduce you to Greta Thunberg. https://www.theguardian.com/…/world-leaders-generation-clim…
Or how about 4 million of our youngest generation and their supporters fighting to save our planet? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_2019_climate_strikes
Let this motivate you to make good change. An easy way to start is to get our friends and neighbors registered to vote. https://iwillvote.com/
Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here: https://cd2action.com/
2020 Democratic Debate Schedule https://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/…/2020-democrat…/
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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/
Sandy Hook Promise has come out with a new commercial. This is hard, but important to watch. Another reason we need to work our butts off to elect better people.
YOUTUBE.COM
Survive the school year with these must-have back to school essentials. https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/campaign **Please note that this PSA contains graphi...

Monday, September 23, 2019

Monday 9/23 Call to Action

 Monday 9/23 Call to Action

Take a look at the polling place finder to see November 5 local elections:

https://pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us/

If you can, give your Congress-folks a call today, especially Republicans.  Trump's latest conduct is some of his most impeachable conduct so far.

"By all objective standards, this is a monster story. It’s a clear-cut case of not just an impeachable offense, but one that demands impeachment and removal. For a president to invite foreign interference in a U.S. election is a flat-out abuse of power."

...

"Will Americans light up the phones of their representatives in Congress to demand action? Or is this just more background noise for them – just fodder for partisans to yell about, but nothing more?"


https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-09-23/ukraine-scandal-want-to-impeach-donald-trump-call-congress

Finally, remember how these issues are interconnected.

Research compiled one year ago by Customs and Border Protection pointed to an overwhelming factor driving record-setting migration to the U.S. from Guatemala: Crop shortages were leaving rural Guatemalans, especially in the country's western highlands, in extreme poverty and starving.

...

Scientists have said the increase in poverty and food insecurity driving migration are due to multiple factors, one of which is climate change."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/trump-admin-ignored-its-own-evidence-climate-change-s-impact-n1056381

Sign up to become an election judge here: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/get…/become-an-election-judge/

Check out this website to help volunteer and flip in the Senate in 2020.

https://www.howweflipthesenate.com/


Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here:https://cd2action.com/
2020 Democratic Debate Schedulehttps://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/…/2020-democrat…/

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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/


Friday, September 13, 2019

Friday 9/13 Call to Action


Friday 9/13

Now is the time to organize, volunteer for everything, and get anyone you can involved. Trump may be spending a lot of money trying to swing this state, but we can be involved in making sure he doesn’t win.
While the GOP hasn’t won Minnesota since Richard Nixon took the state during his landslide victory in 1972, Trump lost to Clinton there in 2016 by a slim 1.5 percentage points. The Trump campaign hired a full-time state director in June and saw an uptick in Republican voter registrations in recent months.”

What does it say about a society that doesn’t help those who are in desperate need? The cruelty is unfathomable. 
“The U.S. will not grant temporary protected status to people from the Bahamas displaced by Hurricane Dorian, an administration official told NBC News.”

The Supreme Court has delivered a devastating blow to the US asylum system.
The justices’ decision effectively reinstated a Trump administration rule that prevents migrants from applying for asylum if they passed through another country other than their own before arriving in the US. That means that asylum seekers from any country but Mexico will now be ineligible for asylum if they show up at the southern border.”

Yesterday the EPA repealed an Obama-era water protection that previously curbed the use of polluting chemicals near wetlands, streams and other bodies of water. 
The big picture, per the Times: Trump's "administration, with help from Republicans in Congress, has often targeted environmental rules it sees as burdensome to the fossil fuel industry and other big businesses." Trump campaigned on Thursday's rollback, deeming the regulation an infringement on property rights — especially for farmers.” 
They don’t care what they do to the environment or how they are leaving it for generations to come. 

More than a hundred CEOs sent Congress demanding action on gun control. It’s time for Mitch McConnel to do his job and let the Senate vote. 
Gun violence has emerged as one of the nation’s most pressing political issues, according to public opinion. And while lawmakers can’t seem to come to a consensus, it seems as if some corporate leaders have: It is time for the Senate to take action.”

Today, make a pledge to adopt a campaign. City, state, and federal campaigns are all important. There are so many to choose from and you can’t go wrong! (FYI, Jason Lewis is running against Sen. Tina Smith-he is particularly distasteful, just ask CD2. She would love your help! Trust me, he’s lousy.)
Join Stacey Abram’s new initiative, Fair Fight 2020. https://fairfight.com/fair-fight-2020/
If you live in Washington or parts of Dakota Country (Senate District 54) We Can Change the World is a fun group. https://wccw-mn.org/
Sign up to become an election judge here: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/get…/become-an-election-judge/
Check out this website to help volunteer and flip in the Senate in 2020. 

Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here:https://cd2action.com/
Klobuchar-202-224-3244
Smith (202) 224-5641
House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

9/11 Call to Action

Wednesday September 11, 2019
Today is the 18th anniversary of 9/11. Take a moment to think on that and make a commitment to do an act of service today and every day in memory of those who lost their lives.
If you haven’t already, give your members of Congress a call and welcome them back to work. So many issues to talk about: kids in cases, gun violence, impeaching Trump, and on and on!
John Bolton Out
Trump’s third national security adviser, John Bolton, or as Trump calls him, Michael Bolton, -lol-(https://www.cnn.com/…/trump-calls-john-bolton-mike-moos-pkg… ) is out. The White House is a disaster. Rumors are swirling that Sebastian Gorka may be his replacement. Oh lordy.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/ddc1987c-d3eb-11e9-86ac-0f…
North Carolina Special Election
Republican State Senator Dan Bishop squeaked out a win against Democrat Dan McCready in a North Carolina special election for a federal House seat last night. Why was there a special election? Well, the results from the actual election last November had to be thrown out due to suspicions of ballot fraud by the GOP candidate. Trump won this district by about 15 points in 2016, so the fact that Bishop only won by about two points is a win, I guess. What is really frustrating is the fact that only 35% of voters made it to the polls. Part of that is probably due to various forms of voter disenfranchisement, including over 1,600 polling places (countrywide) that have closed since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013. Or perhaps a large part of the voting population is just not compelled to get out and vote. THIS is what we should be focused on starting NOW for the 2020 elections. We need every body to get out and vote.
Today, make a pledge to adopt a campaign. City, state, and federal campaigns are all important. There are so many to choose from and you can’t go wrong! (FYI, Jason Lewis is running against Sen. Tina Smith-he is particularly distasteful, just ask CD2. She would love your help! Trust me, he’s lousy.)
If you live in Washington or parts of Dakota Country (Senate District 54) We Can Change the World is a fun group. https://wccw-mn.org/
Sign up to become an elections judge here: https://www.sos.state.mn.us/…/get…/become-an-election-judge/
Sixth Person Dies from Vaping-Related Illness
Kansas health officials have confirmed a sixth death due to vaping. If you are currently vaping, this is probably a good time to stop. Both the CDC and the FDA are on the case, trying to figure out what has caused these deaths. Keep in mind, we have thousands of gun-related deaths each year and the CDC is not allowed to research those, despite that the majority of Americans want a solution to all this gun violence.
Today, why not call Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (651) 296-4875 and Senator Warren Limmer (651) 296-2159 and ask them to stop blocking our two gun safety bills. We need to pass the Criminal Background Checks and Red Flag bills NOW!
Afterwards, you can call Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith and tell them to get the House-passed gun safety bills on the floor ASAP!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/sixth-person-dies-vaping-…/
https://www.npr.org/…/poll-most-americans-want-to-see-congr…
Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here:https://cd2action.com/
2020 Democratic Debate Schedulehttps://www.uspresidentialelectionnews.com/…/2020-democrat…/
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 Walz https://mn.gov/governor/
YOUTUBE.COM
The terrifying things Trump's National Security Advisor John Bolton say are slightly more tolerable when sung by Grammy winner Michael Bolton. Subscribe To "...

Friday, September 6, 2019

Friday 9/6 Call to Action


Friday 9/6

Congress reconvenes on Monday. 

Trump is diverting military funding to pay for his wall. What will be affected if Congress approves this? Roughly $400 million in Puerto Rico projects to help with the recovery after Hurricane Maria. About $770 million to help Europe defend against a Russian attack. 
The Trump administration announced last February it would find $3.6 billion from previously approved military construction projects to fund the wall effort. But it wasn’t until Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s letter outlining the funding diversions was released to the public on Wednesday evening that the full scope of the financial diversion became clear.”
“It’s therefore fair to say that Trump is trading bolstering Puerto Rico and Europe’s security for fewer than 200 miles of border wall. For Trump, a self-described great dealmaker, that trade-off is apparently worth it.”

We are permanently harming kids. They will never forget what they have gone through and they will never be the same. I am desperate to do anything to close these camps. 
“Facilities reported that addressing the needs of separated children was particularly challenging, because these children exhibited more fear, feelings of abandonment and post-traumatic stress than children who were not separated,” said Deputy Inspector General Ann Maxwell. “Separated children are also younger than the teenagers facilities were used to caring for.”

Minnesota Republican operatives are sowing distrust of Muslims. How can we stop this? Keep speaking out against it. 
At first glance, Alpha News appears to be just another right-leaning site. A banner declares it an “independent voice for Minnesotans.” Though it has little to no advertising, it studiously mimics the tone of mainstream media, with stories about pro-life events, elections, and crime. Yet this style is embedded with a variety of rhetorical devices used to perpetuate conservative tropes without saying much explicitly radical.”

Keep tabs on all the great things going on in CD2 here: https://cd2action.com/ 

Klobuchar-202-224-3244

Smith (202) 224-5641 

House of Representative switchboard: (202) 224-3121