November 21, 2023
Holiday virus awareness, more gun dealer background checks, lawyers defending democracy, and more!
** THANKSGIVING WEEK SCHEDULE ***
We here at Rogan’s List will be honoring the holiday with a brief break! We will be off Wednesday through Friday before returning to our normal schedule on Monday, November 27th.
We hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving! Our list is now over 15,000 strong, and we are grateful for every single one of you.
– Susan, Jeri, Joe, Kelly, Dina, Jen, Amy, Melek, Lou and Kathleen
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:
- NAVIGATING VIRUSES FOR THE HOLIDAYSThe wonderful blog Your Local Epidemiologist has published a guide to minimizing sickness and maximizing family & friends time in this fall/ winter season of increasing COVID-19 and winter virus infections. Let’s read the guide and take its recommendations to heart so we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and our communities safer this holiday season.
- SUPPORT REQUIRING THOUSANDS MORE GUN DEALERS TO RUN BACKGROUND CHECKS
The ATF has proposed a new rule that would strengthen the definition of “engaging in the business as a dealer in firearms” so that between 24,500 and 328,000 sellers would have to register for a federal license – and thus be required to run background checks. This would be the broadest expansion of firearms background checks in decades, a giant step towards closing the online and gun show loopholes. The ATF is seeking public comment on the proposed rule until December 7th. Let’s make sure we make our voices heard in support of this crucial measure here. We can also use this tool from Everytown for Gun Safety.
- NO HEALTH CARE FOR HEALTH CARE CALL CENTER WORKERS?
Call center workers at Maximus, the federal government’s largest call center contractor, held a one-day strike on November 9th demanding a living wage, affordable health care, longer break times and the right to organize. Maximus workers handle millions of Obamacare, Medicare and CDC info line calls, but are facing trouble accessing health care for themselves. The workers are calling for Secretary of Health and Human Services Xavier Becerra to investigate Maximus for its racial disparities and to ensure it is a responsible federal contractor, and to require Maximus to pay $25/hour and provide employees with adequate health benefits. We can use this tool to contact Becerra and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure in support of the workers here. We can also reach the HHS comment line at 202-205-5445.
- LAWYERS DEFENDING AMERICAN DEMOCRACYFrom a reader: Lawyers Defending American Democracy (LDAD) is an organization of attorneys whose mission is to galvanize lawyers to defend the rule of law in the face of an unprecedented threat to American democracy. LDAD believes the voice of lawyers is needed to protect the rule of law. Their executive director describes this challenge to the profession in an article for the Journal of the DuPage County Bar Association. If we are an attorney, let’s check this out and consider signing their Democracy Commitment and take the first steps to help.
- CONSEQUENCES FOR TPUSA ASSAULTS ON CAMPUS
Activists with Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA followed, harassed, and assaulted a queer instructor named David Boyles at Arizona State University after he taught a class on LGBTQ+ youth in pop culture and politics. In response, United Campus Workers Arizona is calling on TPUSA to be banned from campus and unregistered as student organizations at both ASU and the University of Arizona. Let’s sign their petition to university leadership here.