December 23, 2024

Mercy for the holidays, what Musk won last week, wrapping up the year, and more!

SCHEDULING UPDATE

With Congress out of session and the government funded, Rogan’s List will take a break from publishing for the holidays. Barring any unexpected developments, we will resume our usual schedule on January 2nd, 2025. We hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, bright and meaningful Kwanzaa and a joyous and peaceful New Year’s.

Contact all members of Congress:

• By phone: (202) 224-3121

• By email: Congress.gov

• By US mail: Representatives / Senators

• By fax: Representatives / Senators

• By Resistbot: Resist.bot

Contact White House or other federal agencies:

• usa.gov/federal-agencies

• MERCY FOR THE HOLIDAYS

  As we approach the holidays, we should spare a thought for those folks on tenterhooks, still waiting to hear from the White House if they’re going to spend this season of joy with their families or still in prison – and for those who fear this will be their last holidays at home with Trump threatening to lock them up. President Biden has the power to give these folks the gift of mercy via pardon or commutation - and early this morning announced he would do so for most of the inmates on federal death row, after advocacy from many of our team and others nationwide. Let’s take a moment to contact the White House, thank the President for this step, and encourage him to use this power again for:

  • Native American activist Leonard Peltier (sample language here)

  • Environmental lawyer Steven Donziger (sample language here)

  • Survivors of sexual abuse at FCI Dublin (sample language here)

  • Women punished for defending themselves against their abusers, those still suffering from unfair sentencing disparities, and the elderly and chronically ill (sample language here)

  • All those still imprisoned for non-violent federal cannabis-related crimes (sample language and Resistbot petition here)

  • Liz Cheney and other possible targets of political persecution by Trump (sample language here)

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• SHUTDOWN AVOIDED – BUT WHAT DID IT TAKE?

  With Republicans folding on Trump’s last-moment demands on the debt ceiling, we managed to avoid a government shutdown – at least until the new agreement runs out in March. But it came at a cost. Key provisions from the original bipartisan agreement were excised from the final deal, including criminalizing revenge porn and targeting junk fees, help for kids with cancer, and new restrictions on investment in China that would have hurt Elon Musk’s profits. While some of the funding for pediatric cancer research was restored thanks to maneuvering by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), much was lost, and there is work still to be done. Let’s reach out to our members of Congress and let them know this can’t be the last word and they must fight to make these measures law. Let’s also share with our networks exactly what Musk means by government efficiency: stopping better treatments and coverage for children fighting cancer and avoiding anything that hurts his bottom line.

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• LAST-MINUTE GIFTS… WITH A CAUSE

  For those of us who still have some gift shopping to do, here’s a couple great ways we can give while giving back and staying in line with our values.

  • The Parks Project supports underfunded parks across the country by donating to organizations dedicated to preserving these national treasures. We can find their shop here.

  • Fair Trade Winds has collected a list of fair trade gifts that provide safe and fair employment for artisans while also supporting well-deserving non-profits – from socks that plant trees to jewelry that clears bombs from land in Laos. Let’s check it out here.

  • The AFL-CIO has put together a guide to gifts made in union shops we can consult here.

  • And let’s make sure to show solidarity with strikers in this season. Starbucks Workers United are calling on us to boycott all Starbucks for the duration of their unfair labor practice strike.

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• WHO TO CALL IN A CRISIS
  The next few years are likely to be hard, especially on those in marginalized communities who will be targeted by this administration and the right. This webpage, curated by a group of inclusive therapists that take consciously take patient identity into account, offers a number of help lines that do not involve calling the police. This is key for protecting vulnerable people. Let’s be sure to share this resource widely.

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• SAYING THANKS
  The end of the year is an opportunity to reflect. While 2024 was a challenge for those of us invested in American democracy, it was a challenge many did their level best to rise to, and with our defeats the work they did often went unacknowledged. Over the holidays, let’s take a moment to identify someone whose efforts for this country and our movement we’ve appreciated this year, household name or local door-knocker, and sent them a note thanking them for doing their part.

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