September 27, 2023
Demand Supreme Court ethics, call out violent Border Patrol overreach, protect firefighters, and more!
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:
HOLD SUPREME COURT JUSTICES TO ETHICAL STANDARDS
Once again, Clarence Thomas is in the news for unethical practices. There is now a clear pattern and the question of what will show up next. Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a US ethics watchdog, has asked for Thomas’ resignation, even before this latest revelation. Let's remind our MoC that we have not forgotten about this issue; we want the Supreme Court to be held to the same ethical standards as every other federal judge in the United States, and our MoC can do this by passing the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency Act (S. 359/H.R. 926).
CALL OUT CBP FOR BEHAVIOR DURING BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS
A report from the American Immigration Council has found that Customs and Border Patrol agents, whose general role is limited to Border Patrol, were deployed in several cities holding the 2020 protests against the killing of George Floyd and that CBP agents, engaged in violent acts against the protesters and did not receive any training in First Amendment rights. Let’s read the report here and express our concerns to the White House, DHS, and our MoCs and ask them what they plan to do to hold CBP accountable and address the allegations of the agency’s deeply rooted institutional racism.
SUPPORT JOHN LEWIS VOTING RIGHTS ADVANCEMENT ACT
Last week, Representative Terry Sewell (D-AL) re-introduced a bill that would restore many of the rights protecting discrimination against voters of color lost in recent Supreme Court Decisions. The bill was passed by the Democratic House last year but failed due to a Republican filibuster in the Senate. While its chances of passage this year are slim, due to the House Republican Majority, we can still talk up the bill with our GOP MoCs and debunk the myths that Republicans are using to sink its momentum. Let’s contact our MoCs, write letters to the editor, and work to elect more Democrats in 2024 so that we can get this bill over the finish line.
GET FOREVER CHEMICALS OUT OF FIREFIGHTER GEAR
The fight to stop forever chemicals includes better protection for our firefighters. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are used extensively in firefighter gear to make it heat, oil and water-resistant, putting those who face the flames at higher risk for thyroid, kidney, bladder, testicular, prostate and colon cancer. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) has introduced the PFAS Alternatives Act (HR 4769) to support the development of PFAS-free firefighter equipment. Let’s contact our members of Congress and ask them to co-sponsor this legislation.
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS IN OHIO
In August, the Ohio ballot board approved summary language that completely obscures the content of a proposed amendment to protect reproductive rights. On Tuesday, the Ohio supreme court ruled that the ballot board must rewrite the summary to clarify who the amendment would regulate, but it also ruled that the term "unborn child" and the misleading information around viability may remain in the summary, rather than using the actual text from the proposed amendment. This presents a challenge in making sure that Ohioans fully understand what they are voting for on November 7th. Let's do everything we can to get the word out about the content of the amendment, and speak out against the summary language. We can share the actual proposal on social media, support Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, and if we live in Ohio, we can submit a letter to the editor of our local newspaper and urge Ohioans to vote "yes" on Issue 1.
STATE-SPECIFIC ACTIONS
VA—GET CONNECTED TO A POSTCARD GROUP
What if we’re Virginians who want to work with others to get Democratic voters to the polls this November and block MAGA Republican control of Virginia’s state government—how do we find our people? Postcards for Virginia can help! We can use their Virginia Postcard Groups Directory to find a community of postcard writers near us. Let’s check it out, join up, and start writing!