September 12, 2023

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Contact White House or other federal agencies:

SUPPORT REINSTATEMENT OF NET NEUTRALITYLast week the Senate finally confirmed Anna Gomez as the 5th FCC Commissioner, breaking a 2-2 deadlock between Democrats and Republicans. This could allow the FCC to reinstate net neutrality, a requirement for Internet providers to treat access to all aspects of the Internet equally, which was repealed by the Trump administration in 2017. Public Knowledge, a pro-net neutrality organization has documented the many subtle ways that Internet providers have manipulated the user experience in this summary. Let’s tell the FCC that we want them to use their regulatory authority to re-implement net neutrality, which never should have been repealed in the first place.
CHAMPION DEMOCRACY—BE A POLL WORKERFree, fair, and valid elections can’t work without citizens who step up to be poll workers. Recruiting and retaining poll workers is an ever-green issue, made more challenging by the COVID-19 pandemic and right-wing harassment of election workers. We can strengthen our democracy by stepping up ourselves to serve as poll workers on local, state, and federal election days. The United States Election Commission “Become a Poll Worker” and “Poll Worker Resources for Voters” pages have lots of great information. Let’s read them and learn how we can sign up to help administer elections as champions of democracy.

ASK CONGRESS FOR A TRUTH AND HEALING COMMISSION: The United States has a dark history of abuse and cultural genocide of American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians. One means of accomplishing this was through government and/or church-supported boarding schools, in which children were physically, sexually, and spiritually abused, sometimes tortured, and even killed. While the Department of the Interior did launch the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative, to investigate these atrocities, it was limited in its approach and findings. The National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) is working towards fully uncovering the truth of what happened in these boarding schools, and its lingering impacts today; they have created an interactive digital map which displays the currently-known Indian boarding schools that operated in the U.S., and are advocating for a truth and healing commission via Senate bill 1723: Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act. Let’s explore the map, read through this explainer on the importance of establishing a truth and healing commission, then let’s contact our senators and ask them to support S. 1723.

RUN FOR LOCAL SCHOOL BOARDSchool boards are making big decisions for our children. They are addressing curriculum, book bans, reducing gender protections, and more. Be the parent that gets a voice on the board and listens to your community. Be a participant on a board that reverses book bans, provides equal rights to all students, adds a student representative, and provides meaningful and authentic curriculum. Check out this link from Ed Post about how to get started to run for school board. There are links for each state as well so you can see what it entails in your state/district.

JOIN THE ETHICS COMPLAINT AGAINST JUSTICE ALITOSupreme Court Justice Samuel Alito accepted a six-figure private jet flight from hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, and not only failed to disclose it, he did not recuse himself from cases that Singer had before the Court, likely in violation of federal law. As ethics violations by various justices pile up, a bill (S.359) has been introduced in Congress to impose a code of ethics on the Supreme Court. Alito has publicly alleged that such a law would be unconstitutional, a position that legal experts dispute. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), the bill’s author, has filed a formal ethics complaint with Chief Justice/Judicial Conference Chair John Roberts against Alito for improperly opining on a legal issue that may come before the court, and for possible involvement in an “organized campaign to block congressional action with regard to a matter in which he has a personal stake.” Let’s contact Chief Justice Roberts and tell him that we are signing on to Senator Whitehouse’s ethics complaint, and that it’s long past time that he lead the justices toward adopting and enforcing a clear code of ethics on themselves. Let’s also tell our Senators to co-sponsor S.359. (h/t Chop Wood, Carry Water)

STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS

WI – STOP IMPEACHMENT OF NEWEST SUPREME COURT JUSTICERepublicans are not happy with newly elected Judge Janet Protasiewicz’s statements on abortion or redistricting, so they are trying to remove her from power. “In response to the Republican impeachment threats, the state Democratic Party and Democratic lawmakers have announced a $4 million dollar effort to defend Protasiewicz from the impeachment threat through ads, phone calls and a door knocking campaign, seeking to put pressure on GOP lawmakers to reject impeachment in districts that voted for Protasiewicz.”. We can get involved and/or donate to this cause here.

AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS

LAST WEEK’S WINS
We’re in this battle for the long haul, so it’s important to acknowledge the victories we’re earning along the way. Here’s a summary of some of the best news from the last week from our friend and ally Jessica Craven at Chop Wood, Carry Water, including victories against racial gerrymandering in Florida and Alabama, another co-sponsor for the assault weapons ban in the Senate, and the Biden Administration canceling oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.