It has been a doozy of a week. And more is coming down the pike.
Some of you like to make calls, some of you want to take to the streets. I'm trying to include a sample of a variety of actions one can take in this email.
I also want to acknowledge that not every issue strikes each of us in the same way. Some of us may have different beliefs/feelings on certain things. That's okay. You can choose to participate in what you want to. The goal of our group, at this point, is to inform and draw together to work with neighbors on the things that are important to us, and not everything will carry the same weight.
For those that like to make calls, 5calls.org is the best resource I have seen. I'm not including every call in this email, but you can look there for others to make. Here are two below to make to Pramila Jayapal, 202-225-3106. Mention the bill number below (it begins with H.R.) and express your concerns about eliminating the Election Assistance Commission and your desire to Ensure the Protection of Federal Lands.
Election Assistance Commission
While the Senate was voting to confirm Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, the House Committee on House Administration voted 6-3 (along party lines) in favor of H.R. 634, the Election Assistance Commission Termination Act, which would shut down the federal agency that helps states regulate voting systems and administer election standards. Created after the chaotic presidential election of 2000, the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) secures our voting process and infrastructure, providing support that local election officials rely on. Now, the House Committee has decided that we no longer need it.
In 2014, President Obama’s Presidential Commission on Election Administration tasked the EAC with modernizing our severely outdated voting machines with more efficient, secure technology. Terminating the EAC would abruptly end its important work, putting our democratic process at a higher risk for voting irregularities, machine failures, and hacks. This is a stunning move by Congress, especially after Russia’s proven attempts to hack into state voter registration databases and destabilize our entire presidential election.
Ensure the Protection of Federal Lands
On January 24th, Republican representative Jason Chaffetz introduced two bills, H.R. 621 and H.R. 622, designed to shift control of federal lands (national forests and other lands preserved for recreation, hunting, fishing, conservation, etc) from federal government authorities (the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Forest Service) to individual states. If this legislation passes, state governments may privatize these lands for a variety of uses, including mining, logging, construction, and other destructive activities.
* H.R. 621 would have resulted in the sale of 3.3 million acres of federal lands to the states and was withdrawn on February 2nd after a large public backlash.
* H.R. 622 is still in play. It removes legal authority from the BLM and the Forest Service, transferring it to individual states and local law enforcement. The major loss of federal resources and oversight will burden local governments, which will likely decriminalize destructive private use or simply fail to enforce existing laws, thereby deprioritizing the protection of public lands.
For those that want to take to the streets:
Stand with Planned Parenthood in Kent this Saturday from 8:30-11. More information here: https://www.facebook.
Black Lives Matter/Tax Day March: Saturday, April 15th, 2pm-6pm at Westlake: https://www.
Save Our Planet March in Seattle, April 21st (anti-nuclear weapons): https://
March For Science April 22nd (Earth Day): https://www.
I will be sending out some information on civil disobedience training soon.
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