April 6, 2023
Actions on celebrating Wisconsin win, violence in Tennessee, Parents Bill of Rights, and more!
Contact all members of Congress:
- By phone: (202) 224-3121
- By email: democracy.io
- By US mail: Representatives / Senators
- By fax: Representatives / Senators
- By Resistbot: Resist.bot
Contact White House or other federal agencies:
- CELEBRATE A WIN IN WISCONSIN!
Judge Janet Protasiewicz won a smashing victory in the race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, defeating election denier and forced-birther Daniel Kelly by more than 10 points and flipping the court for liberals. This win opens the door for a 19th-century abortion ban to be struck down instead of enforced and for an end to some of the nation’s worst gerrymandering. So very many people around the country helped to make this happen. Let’s reach out to Judge Janet’s campaign and to the Wisconsin Democratic Party to thank them for all their hard work on this race. We can also sign up for future updates from the Wisconsin Dems and consider a donation if we’re able to help them continue the fight in one of the swingiest of swing states. - OPPOSE VIOLENCE AND SILENCING IN TENNESSEE
We’re seeing more and more frightening developments in Tennessee, where three lawmakers who participated in a peaceful protest calling for gun control laws are threatened with an expulsion vote today. Rep. Gloria Johnson has reported receiving a visit from the Tennessee House head of HR and an ethics lawyer, indicating she could keep her health benefits if she resigned instead of being expelled. Meanwhile, Justin Kanew, who founded the progressive news site Tennessee Holler, announced that someone shot at his family’s home over the weekend. We need to make sure the good people in Tennessee know we have their backs, wherever we are. If we’re in Tennessee, let’s contact our state reps ASAP and let them know we want them to oppose today’s expulsion vote and focus on common sense gun safety, and consider today’s scheduled protest at the Capitol Building. If we’re outside the state, let’s heed local activists’ call to contact Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton and demand he stop this nonsense, and reach out to Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson to let them know we stand with them. And let’s all sign up for free subscriptions to the Tennessee Holler and follow them on social media to let them know we won’t let them silence Justin and his team. We can also send Justin a note at TheTNHoller@gmail.com.
- PARENTS BILL OF RIGHTS NOT WHAT IT APPEARSThe House recently passed H.R.5. ‘The bill’s supporters call it a “parents bill of rights,” another example of the deceptive but familiar ploy of using popular, digestible labels to disguise unpopular and destructive schemes.” The bill would undermine local control, bypass the expertise of school administration and staff, and create even more division within the school and the community. This bill will not fix anything. While it appears that the bill will not get serious consideration in the Senate, let’s contact our senators and make sure it doesn’t.
- ACCESSIBILITY FOR DISABLED VOTERSApproximately one in four adults in the U.S. has a disability, yet this community continues to be underrepresented at the polls, due to a multitude of barriers. Among these barriers are physically inaccessible polling locations, and registration procedures and voting machines that are not accessible for people who are blind or visually impaired, and staff that have not been trained in accessibility. Let’s help turn out voters with disabilities and make the voting process more accessible by 1) completing the ADA and/or Election Assistance Commission checklists for polling locations, 2) Offering the ADA’s suggested temporary solutions to our local election clerk when applicable, 3) Reporting any violations or difficulty in registering to vote, getting to the polling location, voting absentee, or having assistance during the voting process to our local Protection & Advocacy Agency and to our local election official, 4) Asking our local election official to work with organizations like our local National Disability Rights Network agency and/or the National Federation of the Blind to train poll workers on accessibility.
- QUALITY AFFORDABLE CHILD CARE NEEDEDLack of quality affordable childcare hurts children, families, and the nation as a whole. The Child Care for Every Community Act, sponsored by Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Milkie Sherrill (D-NJ11), would, if enacted, ensure universal access to early childhood care, guarantee affordability, provide for high-quality programs and investments in the childcare workforce. Let’s tell our two Senators to co-sponsor S.388 and our Representative to co-sponsor H.R.953.
CORRECTIONS AND UPDATES
There was an incorrect link in this entry from yesterday and it has been updated below. Thanks to our readers for keeping us honest!
- NO WAR WITH MEXICO
In recent weeks, an alarming new proposal has gotten substantial public support from prominent Republicans: using the US military to strike the Mexican cartels, with or without the Mexican government’s permission. This view has been expressed by everyone from Lindsey Graham to James Comer to Donald Trump himself. Republican representatives including Dan Crenshaw and Marjorie Taylor Greene have already introduced an authorization for use of military force resolution that would allow the president to use force against foreign nations, organizations or persons who have violated or attempted to violate the Controlled Substances Act – turning the War on Drugs into an actual war. While this is obviously dead on arrival with Joe Biden in the White House, this idea is sufficiently dangerous to demand we make our opposition known as early as possible. Let’s sign on to Win Without War’s call on Congress to oppose MTG’s war, and contact our members of Congress directly to tell them we expect them to stand up against a new war with Mexico.