Political Activism - Please share any groups or events that we can support.
Yesterday's call in was a success and is still going on.
Today's call in:
unixiscool said:
Is Maplewood a Sanctuary City? It seem like this could be a local initiative that could help local families.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city
I saw this on Rachel Maddow last night. 'http://player.theplatform.com/p/7wvmTC/MSNBCEmbeddedOffSite?guid=n_maddow_hodges_161115' height='500' width='635' scrolling='no' border='no' >
Here is what some in my old home town did. Saw images of the name coming off the building today.
Morganna said:
Tom do you want to post a link to the petition here? Or if you wish you could PM a link. Some may wish to add it to their page.
That's not the point. I'm not sure I support the position that I signed very strongly. The point is that if you have a cause, walk it around, don't just shout it out your window.
Morganna,
You sound as "mad dog" as the Republican Congressmen who refuse to consider President Obama's nominees to the federal judiciary.
TomR
Tom_R said:
Morganna,
You sound as "mad dog" as the Republican Congressmen who refuse to consider President Obama's nominees to the federal judiciary.
TomR
How so?
Morganna is a sane and reasonable person. The Republicans who refused to even consider President Obama's SCOTUS pick are beyond unreasonable.
Sweetsnuggles,
Morganna is advocating that we contact our Congressmen to reject a person who has not been nominated by our President-Elect.
If you find that reasonable, I don't think you and I have a lot of common ground.
TomR
@Tom_R As you know the call in is to ask our Congressmen to consider Merrick Garland.
Trump has not wavered in his desire to overturn Roe v Wade. He chose Pence. His response Sunday was it should go back to the states. When asked what would happen in the states where abortion was made illegal Trump blithely explained women would have to go to another state.
Mad dog? Maybe Feral Cat.
Donate to the ACLU. they will be spending a great deal of time in court.
Tom_R said:
Sweetsnuggles,
Morganna is advocating that we contact our Congressmen to reject a person who has not been nominated by our President-Elect.
If you find that reasonable, I don't think you and I have a lot of common ground.
TomR
Could you walk me through the steps as to how you go from asking people to contact Senators to ask them to hold a hearing on an existing Supreme Court nominee, to what you claim is being advocated?
For those interested in gun control legislation:
There will be a vote in Trenton on Monday on legislation regarding not letting people convicted of domestic violence to purchase or own a firearm. Text of bill here: http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2016/Bills/A4500/4126_I1.PDF
People will be calling on their state legislators to support the bill.
Morganna said:
@Tom_R As you know the call in is to ask our Congressmen to consider Merrick Garland.
Trump has not wavered in his desire to overturn Roe v Wade. He chose Pence. His response Sunday was it should go back to the states. When asked what would happen in the states where abortion was made illegal Trump blithely explained women would have to go to another state.
Mad dog? Maybe Feral Cat.
I know not of what "call" you write, but I am quite aware that Judge Garland, and too many other nominees, are not being given the consideration to which the President's nominees are entitled.
That being stated; I have no idea what your post has to do with my expression of disapproval of your exhortation that we contact members of Congress, and urge them to reject persons who have not even been nominated by our President-Elect.
TomR
nohero said:
Tom_R said:
Sweetsnuggles,
Morganna is advocating that we contact our Congressmen to reject a person who has not been nominated by our President-Elect.
If you find that reasonable, I don't think you and I have a lot of common ground.
TomR
Could you walk me through the steps as to how you go from asking people to contact Senators to ask them to hold a hearing on an existing Supreme Court nominee, to what you claim is being advocated?
I am sure I am not understanding this query.
I've not asked people to contact Senate members. Although, I do think that the Senate should consider, and approve, our President's nominees to the federal judiciary, including Judge Garland's.
Your first query of me on this thread, I thought but a feeble attempt at sophistry; but this last, I really am just not getting it.
Please elaborate.
TomR
@Tom_R This is what I posted. Its a call in to press the Senate to hold hearings for Justice Merrick Garland. That is it pure and simple.
Morganna said:
Cut and paste from a closed site with a membership of 10,000. They are doing a phone in to protest the appointment of Steve Bannon as Trump's Senior Advisor.
1. Call your Senators and Representatives to let them know that you want them to publicly denounce Steve Bannon's appointment.
Senator Bob Menendez (D): (202) 224-4744
Senator Cory Booker (D): (202) 224-3224
Rep. Donald Norcross (D) (District 1): (202) 225-6501
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R) (District 2): (202) 225-6572
Rep. Tom MacArthur (R) (District 3): (202) 225-4765
Rep. Chris Smith (R) (District 4): (202) 225-3765
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) (District 5): (201) 389-8772
Rep. Frank Pallone (D) (District 6): (202) 225-4671
Rep. Leonard Lance (R) (District 7): (202) 225-5361
Rep. Albio Sires (D) (District 8): (202) 225-7919
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) (District 9): (202) 225-5751
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D) (District 10): (202) 225-3436
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) (District 11): (202) 225-5034
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) (District 12): (202) 225-5801
Find your congressional district: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Sorry for misunderstanding your post of 14 Nov.
I also regret that I conflated appointments requiring Senate approval; with discretionary Executive appointments.
Do I correctly understand that you advocate that we contact our Congressmen to oppose discretionary Executive appointments?
TomR
nohero,
In the event that your queries were founded upon my misapprehensions, as expressed above; I regret my response to said queries.
TomR
I would not call PBS corrupt because of the pull. I agree it is troubling, but Koch underwrites major programs. Very smart on their part. It is hard to bite the hand that feeds you. I do watch PBS. It is far less hysterical than CNN. It has its limitations, but the news I see there is not corrupt.
Tom_R said:
Morganna said:
Cut and paste from a closed site with a membership of 10,000. They are doing a phone in to protest the appointment of Steve Bannon as Trump's Senior Advisor.
1. Call your Senators and Representatives to let them know that you want them to publicly denounce Steve Bannon's appointment.
Senator Bob Menendez (D): (202) 224-4744
Senator Cory Booker (D): (202) 224-3224
Rep. Donald Norcross (D) (District 1): (202) 225-6501
Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R) (District 2): (202) 225-6572
Rep. Tom MacArthur (R) (District 3): (202) 225-4765
Rep. Chris Smith (R) (District 4): (202) 225-3765
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D) (District 5): (201) 389-8772
Rep. Frank Pallone (D) (District 6): (202) 225-4671
Rep. Leonard Lance (R) (District 7): (202) 225-5361
Rep. Albio Sires (D) (District 8): (202) 225-7919
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D) (District 9): (202) 225-5751
Rep. Donald Payne Jr. (D) (District 10): (202) 225-3436
Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) (District 11): (202) 225-5034
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D) (District 12): (202) 225-5801
Find your congressional district: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
Sorry for misunderstanding your post of 14 Nov.
I also regret that I conflated appointments requiring Senate approval; with discretionary Executive appointments.
Do I correctly understand that you advocate that we contact our Congressmen to oppose discretionary Executive appointments?
TomR
In this case, that is the idea. The current count of members of Congress who have issued statements asking the President Elect to reconsider his appointment of Bannon is I believe 167, Of course we all recognize that it is his choice but this appointment has been quite controversial.
The idea of the thread was for activists to have a place to see what is going on and to have a space to post what they are doing or what they have heard is going on.
I've seen by the posts that people have focused on a wide range of issues. That was the idea. I personally will be very active when the choice of Secretary of the Interior and Secretary of Agriculture are chosen as my activism is more closely related to those issues.
There are call ins on the Affordable Care Act and I will post that but I am by no means an expert on that issue. I would hesitate to phone in myself to leave my opinion because I recognize that I have no well formed opinion to share. I'm still listening and learning. But if the President Elect chooses Sarah Palin for Secretary of Interior, which is being whispered I will have a very strong opinion and will actively advocate against. her. I will probably go into more depth on that on another thread I have started called Animal Rights Animal Wrongs.
I hope that explains the purpose but thank you for the exchange and please share your thoughts
I'm gonna hug my woobie real tight and suck my thumb until the world goes away. I implore all to do the same.
Nine moments of solidarity that will give you hope for America's future:
Those are inspiring @paulsurovell. I once bought some great bumper stickers at an event at Seton Hall that had messages of peace and were designed with symbols of every faith. I let my students help themselves, now I wish I had them as a model to make some now or knew where to get them. With the holidays upon us, some lawn signs with a peaceful message might be great. Does anyone know what organization would have made them?
Montclair is holding a march and vigil today. Consider joining our neighbors to the north in creating a community of resistance:
TODAY, Saturday, November 19th at 4 PM. Beginning at the Montclair Public Library, 50 S. Fullerton Ave in Montclair.
In the wake of the election, many are feeling devastated, angry, afraid, divided, even targeted. Many of us were feeling these things even before the election. But if the election has given us anything it has told us that something has to change. Now is the time to band together as a community to help each other find resources and solace.
Please join us in a peaceful march to promote diversity, togetherness, strength, inclusivity, bridge building, and action. This is a march that says we know we have work to do as a country and even within our Montclair community, and we are willing to start doing it. The walk will start at the Montclair Public Library, continue up Bloomfield Avenue, and turn down Valley Road to end at Edgemont Park. We will end with a vigil at the park.
Marchers are encouraged to:
*Wear bright colors!
*Please make a sign/poster with a message of embracing community in all its diversity.
This is not an anti-Trump march, but will rather serve to make a statement that we are offended by his speech and policies that threaten so many of us. We will march in solidarity to uphold the rights and dignity of all human beings. Let's make a positive show of love for each other rather than a negative statement of hate. Sticking up for each other and standing together is how we get through. Regardless of who you voted for, we want to make a statement that we are a community that values inclusion and rejects discriminatory language and policies. Our march is a statement that, regardless of politics, we are united in our acceptance of one another and our belief in the democratic values of our country.
The Montclair Public Library is not affiliated with this event.
If you have friends/relatives who live in districts with Republican representatives, have them call their office and ask, to what extent are they going to defy the Repub leadership and resist Trump's destructive proposals.
I think Susan Collins, Republican Senator from Maine, who went on record as not supporting Trump would be the perfect place to start. So if you have any friends or relatives up there please encourage them to make the call. Her office number is 207-622-8414.
A message from an ally in Scotland:
For those of you who are contemplating the women's march in January, I write this to describe how a wee bunch of Scots used humour, song and dance to oppose fascism despite being incredibly frightened. Maybe it will help your resolve/ give you comfort that actions such as this can make a positive difference.
I come from a small town in Scotland where a lifelong friend of mine has worked tirelessly to help vulnerable young people. Three years ago, I noticed that she was helping to organise a local rally in response to a right wing group who had been given permission to demonstrate against the users of our local mosque.
I called her to ask her if she could use the services of an egyptian dancer that day as part of the rally and I was in! In the run up, I was cautioned me strongly about the dangers of being publicly involved against the group. It would be easy for me to be a target. I became terrified and questioned if I was assisting human rights or if I was vaingloriously putting myself in the limelight and fanning flames of antagonism. Nonetheless I trusted my friends involvement and knew that she would only be involved in something worthwhile so I held fast.
That day, we walked peacefully through the town and arrived at the mosque in weather that would have merited the construction of Noah's ark. It was here that we danced- people of all ages, faiths and nationalities, children, politicians and even the local police joined in. We were soaked and freezing but we were together, laughing and sharing.
We had previously been barred from coming face to face with the other group, but owing to our good behaviour, the police advised us we could go to the place where they were demonstrating. En route we encountered 3 superheros in brightly coloured latex who were also on their way from the mosque. Again we danced and laughed as we walked through the town, with the superheros waving at children.
When we arrived, there was a pensive atmosphere. It was organised with us on the opposite side of a wide road from the other group. Although many of them looked like frightened children to me, it was still scary when they all took their cameras out and started taking photographs of us. Many of them screamed at us. We hadn't planned to be face to face and were a bit unsure what to do.
We began to produce enthusiastic sound effects as our super heroes gathered together balls of light and threw them across the road to the other side. In accordance with our peaceful aims, when anyone shouted 'nazis off our streets' we shouted 'nazis off our sheep' and then bleated (a small country town, go figure). We then started singing 'we are blacks, whites, muslims, jews and gays'. It was particularly powerful when our entire group managed to sing the Beatles 'all you need is love'. The right wing group stared at us open mouthed. Maybe they could take a wee bit of our compassion home with them?
We all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the group were finally escorted back to their buses by the police (and shed a few exhausted tears). One young guy from the mosque was walking around telling everyone 'we really feel united now'. It was then that it began to sink in, we had done it and people were already feeling the strengthened bonds of community. Later, many of us sat in the pub and we all thanked one another as we all sat around the table holding hands in a circle.
We listened to each others stories of why the rally was important to us and what had brought us together. I honour the courage and dedication of those who organised the rally and everyone who participated. Maybe we were a small group in a small town, but making a stand for unity that day from a place of peace and love was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. It was an honour to stand shoulder to shoulder with these people. All you need is love ...some friends...some shimmying and maybe some superheros with the occasional sheep.
Too bad I missed the rally in Montclair. My activism today was simply taking some homeless kittens to my adoption event at Petco.
There is a FB page that is private and is letting people know where groups are forming and making arrangements for the Washington march. Although it is national, local chapters are forming and meeting. Anyone interested just PM me. I'm sure many folks know about it but in case you do not I'll share the name privately. I think many people would like to do something local as its both personal and convenient. I'm open to either approach.
Its been eye opening to see the hostility on some FB pages against any attempt to express frustration about the situation. My page is public as it is for animal rescue and advocacy. However recently I shared many news opinion pieces on the election, I was surprised at the anger it induced from a couple of people that I knew or thought I knew.
I learned from the private page that so many people are uncomfortable with sharing their opinions publicly and that they may prefer such a space.
I'm going to try to find out about more local protests but if anyone wants to try to organize something, please post it here I would be happy to join.
Has anyone seen this article? The House Oversight Committee was flooded with calls. They are counting the calls that are coming in. House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump's financials and apparent conflicts of interest.
I reserved a seat on the bus to Washington on January 21st. Called my congressman and p**** off a lot of trump supporters on my facebook page.
Sponsored Business
Promote your business here - Businesses get highlighted throughout the site and you can add a deal.
Here's something! https://petitions.whitehouse.gov//petition/provide-electoral-college-vote-mr-trumps-tax-returns-do-due-diligence-potential-conflicts-interest