Need for five Republican patriots, Pride and Target, land mines, 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:
- FIND FIVE REPUBLICAN PATRIOTSEvery Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives has signed the Discharge Petition to stop the U.S. from defaulting. If just five Republicans join them, there will be enough support to go around the obstruction of Speaker Kevin McCarthy and force the House to vote on lifting the debt ceiling. As the country teeters on the edge of economic catastrophe, Republican leaders are sending everyone home for the weekend without a resolution. Let’s watch this 92-second video, in which House Minority Whip Katherine Clark seeks five patriots from the Republican party to sign the petition and stop the default. Then, let’s use this tool to see if our U.S. Representative is a Republican and if they are, let’s call their office early and often and demand that they show their patriotism by signing the Discharge Petition, H.Res.350.
- ADMONISH TARGET FOR RESPONSE TO BACKLASHCiting concern for staff safety, Target has yielded to the loudest voices and will be removing some LGBTQIA+ Pride items from their shelves. Let’s remind Target that when they give in to the worst impulses in society, those impulses will grow and that we expect them to stand firmly with the LGBTQIA+ community or cease their rainbow-washing completely. We can write to Target here: Corporate.Responsibility@target.com and we can comment on social media @Target. Let’s also consider making Pride purchases from Kohl’s which supports the Trevor Project. We can thank Kohl’s by messaging them.
- FUND GLOBAL DEMINING EFFORTS
Land mines have been banned for more than two decades by most countries, and yet they continue to destroy lives in former warzones from the Caucasus Mountains to Laos and Vietnam, killing more than 2,000 people in 2021 alone. Unfortunately, global financial support for mine action has been decreasing, with as more mines are buried in Myanmar and Ukraine. A bipartisan coalition in Congress led by Reps Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) and Bill Johnson (R-OH) annually push for more funding for global demining programs. Let’s join the leading mine removal non-profit APOPO in asking our members to sign on the Houlahan-Johnson letter this year.
- SOUTH ASIAN AMERICANS FOR DEMOCRATSThey See Blue is a political organization that mobilizes and engages Americans of South Asian heritage to help Democrats win elections up and down the ballot. Chapters exist in targeted states around the country. Let’s explore They See Blue’s website, and if we like what we see, let’s join up.
- PROTEST RIGHT-WING FUNDING OF VIOLENT VIGILANTES The Right—nationally, not just in New York–has rushed to the defense of Daniel Penny, the Marine veteran accused of murdering homeless Jordan Neely on the NYC subway, to the tune of $2 million. The mental state of Neely, who was apparently shouting about his hunger on the subway, has been the subject of much conjecture; the mental state of the man who put him in a lethal chokehold has gone unquestioned. To the contrary, Gov. DeSantis has called Penny a “good Samaritan,” and the defense funds have been raised through GiveSendGo, a Christian fundraising website which while claiming to provide “hope for people’s spiritual needs” and “not to take one side or another politically,” has nonetheless hosted fundraising drives for vigilante Kyle Rittenhouse and for January 6 insurrectionists. Let’s tell GiveSendGo what we think of their questionable fundraising efforts. If we are able, let’s also consider donating to the fund organized by Jordan Neely’s family.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- CT – SUPPORT BETTER CONDITIONS FOR WAREHOUSE WORKERS
With more and more reports of insufficient safety practices at Amazon warehouses, where injury rates are close to twice as high as the company’s competitors, state lawmakers are taking action. Senator Martin Looney is pushing a bill with new rules for warehouse workers, including guaranteeing them time to go to the bathroom. Amazon is pushing back, so let’s make sure our legislators know we’re with the workers. We can contact our state legislators and Governor Lamont and let them know we support SB152.