Insurrection Act, Project 2025, postcarding, and more!
APR 9 & 10
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:
- FIX THE INSURRECTION ACT – BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE
Donald Trump has made it repeatedly clear that in his second term, he plans to abuse the Insurrection Act to put the U.S. military in the streets in predominantly Democratic cities. This terrifying move would not be reviewable by the courts and is subject to few restraints. Given his coup co-conspirators’ suggestions that the Insurrection Act be put to work in their effort to seize power, his repeated threats to use it against protesters for racial justice, and his demonstrated contempt for the rule of law and democracy, the risk of authoritarianism inherent to this plan is clear. While the politics are challenging and Trump’s willingness to ignore boundaries on his power raises the degree of difficulty, there are changes we can make to the Insurrection Act to put obstacles in his or any other president’s way – as experts have argued, this is something that should win support from both parties. The Brennan Center has proposed multiple reforms, including restoring judicial oversight and setting time limits on the use of troops unless an extension is explicitly approved by Congress, limiting the circumstances in which the Insurrection Act may be invoked, and forbidding its use to impose martial law or suspend habeas corpus, and this week a bipartisan group of former White House officials (including some from the Trump Administration) rolled out a similar set of principles and urged Congress to act. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) has pushed the CIVIL Act (S 3902 in 2020), which also requires the President consult with Congress before deploying troops and get joint certification from the Secretary of Defense and the Attorney General. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and urge them to take up these or other reform proposals as soon as possible. We can do so via ResistBot by texting SIGN PRHFET to 50409 or hitting the sign petition button here. - Project 2025: The GOP Blueprint Going Forward. Project 2025, the brainchild of the Heritage Foundation, a far-right conservative think tank, is the game plan should the GOP win the White House. Project 2025 presents an apocalyptic vision of a United States whose dark problems can be fixed only by a minority assuming power under a strongman and imposing their values on the rest of the country. Tokyo Sand, of Political Charge, shares her insight into the project in her series of seven short eye-opening videos. While the words that are used can sound innocent enough, a deeper dive shows that their meaning reveals a very different life than we are used to. Let’s take a look at a couple of groups working against this project and see how we can help: Stop the Coup 2025 and The Authoritarian Playbook for 2025.
- GRANDMOTHERS FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE 2024 POSTCARD KICK-OFF Grandmothers for a Brighter Future’s first 2024 postcard campaign is in support of Marine veteran Rep. Ruben Gallego’s bid to become the U.S. Senator from Arizona. He’s running against Trump-backed Republican MAGA candidate Kari Lake. The Grandmothers are targeting Arizona women voters, and inviting us to write our postcards now and hold them for mailing on September 15. The Grandmothers will send us a list of names and addresses, instructions, and a postcard template that we bring to our local copy shop for printing on canary yellow card stock. To get started, let’s fill out this form. We don’t have to be Grandmothers to participate!
- FROM THE TRENCHES: ON ADVOCACY AND DEMOCRACYIn his blog Uncertain Times, former Massachusetts State Representative Jay R. Kaufman recently wrote advice for those who want to be effective advocates when dealing with their elected representatives. He elaborates on the importance of speaking from our hearts, the pitfalls of absolutism, the reality that change requires persistence and resilience, and more. Let’s read Kaufman’s essay “On Advocacy and Democracy,” share it with others, and apply its lessons as we continue the work of forming a more perfect union.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
- AZ – SPEAK OUT AGAINST A BILL THAT WOULD MAKE KILLING UNDOCUMENTED MIGRANTS “TRESPASSING” ON PROPERTY LEGALThe Arizona legislature has advanced HB 2843 which would allow the use of deadly force against anyone trespassing on people’s property, whether occupied or not. This addition to a current law that legalizes killing people who enter your home puts undocumented migrants at more risk, who often must walk across large ranches on the U.S./Mexico, even when their intent is to turn themselves into border patrol and request asylum. Let’s reach out to our state legislators and tell them this bill goes too far in disregarding the value of human life. Let’s also make sure that Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs knows that if the bill reaches her desk, we want her to veto it.
Russian disinformation, abortion rights, eclipse glasses, and more!
- RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION CONTINUES Now that the GOP House Intelligence Committee chair has admitted that Russian propaganda is being spoken by other GOP members on the House floor and the GOP House Foreign Affairs Committee chair said “Russian propaganda has made its way into the United States, unfortunately, and it’s infected a good chunk of my party’s base”, we can only hope that other legislators will start to pay attention to what we’ve known for several years. Lately, the Russians have mimicked US news sources and websites with the intent of confusing consumers. They have also targeted US Ukraine funding by providing disinformation about our southern border. There are also social media accounts being created by foreign entities that are spreading disinformation and causing confusion and havoc. There’s ample evidence that the Russians will once again interfere with our November elections. Let’s implore our legislators to take this disinformation and interference seriously this time around not to be misled. Let’s also be on guard ourselves to disinformation.
- ANOTHER PACKED STATE SUPREME COURT ATTACKS ABORTION RIGHTS
The packed Arizona Supreme Court issued a devastating decision for reproductive rights on Tuesday, ruling that a 160-year-old near-total abortion ban (still on the books from a half-century before Arizona became a state) is enforceable. The court put its decision on hold for 14 days so lower courts could consider additional constitutional challenges, and Democratic state attorney general Kris Mayes immediately announced no one would be prosecuted under the law while she was in office, but the decision could shutter clinics statewide. This ruling further raises the stakes for a ballot initiative guaranteeing abortion rights which should be up for a vote this November. Let’s show our support for reproductive rights in this state by signing up to volunteer with Arizona for Abortion Access or considering a donation to their efforts. (We can also give to the Abortion Fund of Arizona here.)
- WHAT TO DO WITH ECLIPSE GLASSES NOW? Now that the solar eclipse is over for the continental USA, there are bound to be thousands of those special eclipse glasses hanging around. Some people will want to keep them for the next time, but others need to know how to dispose of them. Happily, there are several places to which they can be donated, including to astronomers and Latin American children, Let’s check these options out!
- LET’S BE VOTERS! Let’s register to vote, check our registration, and sign up for election reminders here.
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