​My Fellow Resisters,

Here are new updates and recommended actions from PAGE (Progressive Action Global Exchange) followed by inspiring reading/watching/listening suggestions from our own Kathy Sherretts (STOP, LOOK, LISTEN).

In solidarity,
Sage


PAGE Update

Just like every week under the Trump presidency, this has been a big one. First, take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief — and congratulate ourselves for every email, fax and call to our Members of Congress — because Obamacare is safe (for now) from legislative dismantling (see here for a rundown of the whole confusing process). But the repeal & replace effort has been a frightening demonstration of our degraded legislative process — rushed votes on mystery legislation, secret men-only committees, and outright lies to reporters — in the service of a bill which would deprive tens of millions of Americans of their health insurance. Let us not forget : THIS IS NOT NORMAL.

This week, we’ll be focusing on using our economic clout to withdraw our economic support for Trump, Jivanka, and the companies that tolerate this administration.
​
PAGE Priority Actions

• Write a thank-you message to someone who fought for healthcare! We stopped the ACA repeal because so many worked so hard. Take a few moments to send an email or some social media love to someone you know who worked hard on this. Some ideas: ADAPT (a disability rights group which traveled to DC, fought for the ACA, and got arrested), and Repairers of the Breach, one of the faith-based organizations who organized hard on this.
  • Get creative! Draw a picture or make a piece of art expressing your gratitude!
  • Amplify your thanks on Twitter! Post your words of thanks to @NationalADAPT and @BRepairers and tag us at @SevillaResist so we can retweet you!
• #GrabYourWallet and Boycott 45 By now, you’re probably heard of Shannon Coulter and the phenomenon that is #GrabYourWallet. But have you grabbed yours?
  • Read up. Find out more about the #GrabYourWallet movement. Some two dozen retailers have dropped Trump products since the beginning of the movement. A new, similar initiative called Boycott45 focuses on bringing the pain to companies that rent real estate from Trump & Kusher.
  • Discuss the boycott movement with your family, friends & fellow resisters. What opportunities do you have to boycott from your country of residence? What will you achieve if you all work together to boycott companies that work with Trump?
  • Now take action. Look at the companies listed on the #GrabYourWallet and Boycott45. It may be hard to give up brands you genuinely love - but don’t you love democracy more? Get in touch with these companies and tell them that they don’t represent your values, and that you will stop patronizing them for that reason. Post on Facebook pages and tweet at businesses that support Trump or carry Trump products. And most importantly — ACTUALLY STOP BUYING THEIR PRODUCTS.
    Get digital support. Download digital tools to help you fight Trump while you shop, using the Boycott Trump app or the #GrabYourWallet Chrome plugin.

 

• Sign up for some social accountability. Once you’ve taken these steps - tell the world about it! Post a message on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and tell the world how you’ve finally cut the cord and stopped buying from Amazon, chewing Trident gum, etc. This will not only inspire others to do the same - it will also keep you honest and encourage you to stick to your personal boycott.
  
  

Bonus Actions

• Take a picture to the world you’re #NotTooFarAwayToCall. Action Together Zurich and Americans Resisting Overseas are organizing a social media campaign called #nottoofarawaytocall that will launch on Sept. 6. This campaign will feature Americans abroad calling their Members of Congress from locations around the world. For example, someone in Switzerland could call her Senator from the top of the Cathedral in Zurich or from a cable car or from in front of an Alpine cow.  Photos can also be funny  (i.e. calling from outside an IKEA in Sweden). Photos will be shared on social media, and a one sentence description of the call, e.g. "Calling Senator Chris Murphy from the Great Wall of China to thank him for supporting increasing the number of overseas refugees resettled in the U.S."
  • • Photos will be shared between September 6th and September 14th under the hashtag #nottoofarawaytocall - so start taking photos now!
    • Questions? Get in touch with Alexandra Dufresne at Action Together: Zürich, CH.

 

• Donate to Organizations Supporting Trans Rights. As you probably heard, Trump Tweeted this week that he would no longer allow Transgender people to serve in the military in any capacity. It’s clear that this policy is designed to exclude, marginalize, and frame Transgender people as “a burden.” Now is an important time to support organizations which work for Transgender rights.
• ​

STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! by Kathy Sherretts

The Philistines be upon us. 
I have found myself thinking about this James Thurber short story from 1931, and after some digging not only turned up the original story, but a short piece by a writer who was smitten with the protagonist's resemblance to Donald Trump well before the election…

Read Thurber's story here, or listen to it read by Keith Olbermann; Part 1 is posted above.

Podcast:
WNYC: On the Media: The messaging War over Single-Payer Health Care (12 min.)
For over 100 years, single-payer healthcare has been associated with a fear-mongering campaign over socialism. Florida State University's Jill Quadagno leads us through the hundred-year messaging war over universal healthcare in the U.S., including a recent rise in public support for a single-payer system.

Article:
Washington Post: I’m blowing the whistle on the Trump administration by Joel Clement
Removing a civil servant from his area of expertise and putting him in a job where he’s not needed and his experience is not relevant is a colossal waste of taxpayer dollars. Silencing civil servants, stifling science, and endangering communities have never made America great. 

Article:
The Conversation: Give and Take: A look at anti-panhandling measures by Brendan O'Flaherty and Gwendolyn Dordick 
The courts are saying that down-and-out Americans have a right to seek curbside alms despite efforts to ban the practice. Two scholars have come up with an alternative to anti-panhandling ordinances.

My Fellow Resisters,

Here are news updates and recommended actions from PAGE (Progressive Action, Global Exchange) followed by inspiring reading/watching/listening suggestions from our own Kathy Sherretts.

Onward!
Sage
​

PAGE UPDATE
In the past couple of weeks, there has been some great news: the House of Representatives rejected an Islamophobic bill, House women protested restrictive dress codes with #SleevelessFriday, 14 cities have posted deleted EPA climate data, Trump intervened to let Afghan robotics team into the US to compete in international robotics competition after public backlash at visa denials of 6 girls on the team, Oregon will now give low-level drug offenders treatment instead of jail time and Chicago eradicates wealth-based detention, health insurance companies come out against the Senate healthcare bill. Finally,on the 10-year anniversary of the HPV vaccine the cervical cancer rate has been halved.
​

PAGE PRIORITY ACTIONS

• Defeat Trumpcare. While TrumpCare has stalled, the fight isn’t yet over. Here’s an update from the folks from Indivisible about what’s going on, and a script you can use to call your Senator.  
  • If you haven’t done so yet, write a letter to you a letter to the editor of your local paper advocating for universal healthcare coverage. Adapt this letter from PAGE, and check out this example, published last week!
  • Thank three Republican senators for putting their foot down on outright repeal of ACA. Thank you for listening and your compassion for the needs of Americans.
    • Sen. Shelley Moore Capito 172 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
    • Sen. Susan Collins 413 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
    • Sen. Lisa Murkowski 522 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

• Prepare for midterm elections by advocating for a fair, free, and open election for voters.
  • 10% of Americans can’t vote because they can’t satisfy requirements, and these often stem from law that explicitly target those of certain races and demographics. (Bonus: read about one woman grappling with her own racism)
  • Advocate for the bipartisan Voting Rights Amendment Act - see here whether your state is attempting to restrict voting access.
  • Call: Your one House Rep (lookup or leave message). Script: Hi. I’m calling to ask Rep. [name] to support the bipartisan bill called the Voting Rights Amendment Act. It matters to me because the bill prevents racial discrimination and improves transparency. I would like [name] to support voting rights and co-sponsor this bipartisan bill. Thanks.
• Oppose the Wall. Site preparations for the border wall have begun. Recently, Trump’s new communications director said he was “on missile lock” to build the border wall.
  • Call: Or write all three MoCs (look them up here or leave a message with Stance, a neat app!). Script: Hi. I’m calling from [ZIP] and understand that funding for a $2.1 billion border wall is in the 2018 budget. I want to be clear that I will never, ever support this. I want my tax dollar to support things like schools, bridges, medical care, public housing, and food stamps, not a border wall. Especially since a wall won’t solve the drug trade problem, violates sacred Native lands, and puts 93 endangered species at risk. Does [name] support a taxpayer-funded border wall?

EXTRA ACTIONS
​

• Tune into an Interview On Facebook Live Women's March - Milan will be interviewing LGBT Muslim activist Wajahat Abbas Kazmi on the Women's March Global Facebook page! It will be streamed live on Tuesday at 19.00 CET. Wajahat is a young gay Muslim activist and filmmaker in Bergamo. He started the Allah Loves Equality awareness-raising campaign, which is now becoming a documentary about LGBT Muslims.

Thank you for your progressive action!
​

Graphic:
The Washington Post: A guide to the five major investigations of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia by Kevin Uhrmacher and Kim Soffen 
The criminal investigation led by the special counsel is charged with determining if anything illegal occurred. Meanwhile, each of the four major congressional fact-finding investigations is working to expose transgressions it finds unethical. Despite their differing goals, all the investigations are moving simultaneously and using much of the same information. 

Podcast:
Radiotopia: Ear Hustle, Episode 1: Cellies. (24 min) 
[For background, check out the 5-minute intro, This is Ear Hustle:
Finding a roommate can be tough. Finding someone to share a cell with is a whole 'nother story. At San Quentin Prison, the typical cell measures approximately 4’ x 9’ and contains a bunk bed, toilet, sink, two men, and their six cubic feet of belongings. In our first episode of Ear Hustle, hear stories of negotiating this space and the relationships that come with living in such close quarters.

Article:
Foreign Policy: Tillerson to Shutter State Dept War Crimes Office by Colum Kynch
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson wants to reorganize the State Department to focus on what he sees as key priorities: pursuing opportunities for American businesses and strengthening U.S. military prowess. Those changes are coming at the expense of programs that promote human rights and fight world poverty, which have been targeted for steep budget cuts.

Here is the latest from PAGE (Progressive Action Global Exchange) and Kathy's suggestions in STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! 

This week, our actions focus on defending the right of US residents to good healthcare, protecting our environment, and expanding our historical knowledge.

Priority actions:
Oppose the deregulation maelstrom at the EPA.
As recent reporting has noted, the Trump administration’s malevolence has far outpaced its incompetence in one area - dismantling environmental regulations that protect our air, water and climate. The EPA administrator, Scott Pruitt, has been taking much more input from industry than from his own staff. However, we can work together to create a record of public opposition to these efforts, giving support to those who wish to stop them - or reinstitute them in the future.

1. Fill out a brief comment form by clicking here, and tell this administration it’s important to you to protect our nation’s water from pollution from coal plants! 

2. Support the Sierra Club as they stand up for the EPA and climate progress. Send a message to Pruit here. You can give money to the Sierra club here. Or check out any of their dozens of campaigns protecting the environment here.

Input into our Single-Payer Healthcare letter to the editor. PAGE is writing a letter that members can adapt and send to their local papers about experiences with public health insurance. Last week, we asked for your stories, and this week we are asking you for your input. The AHCA is not having an easy time in the Senate; Senator Mitch McConnell has said that if the bill does not pass, they will have to work with Democrats to prop up ACA markets. Those of us living with single-payer healthcare know that we can do better.

• Please suggest concrete points to include (studies, statistics, anecdotes) on this Google doc.

Extra Action

• Learn about other “revolutionaries”: The Fourth of July just happened, but we have many national holidays ahead of us. Indigenous people, descendants of slaves, and other marginalized folk are often feel excluded from these celebrations, and with good reason. As good accomplices, we should learn about other revolutionaries and counter-histories. Use PAGE'S  Anti-Oppression Guide’s Anti-Oppression Education Reading List to discover new heroes!  As a good start you can read An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz​

​

​STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! 
by Kathy Sherretts
​
I visited the new Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia last week, and heard a part the famous speech given by Frederick Douglass on July 5, 1852. It should have been part of last week's recommendations—the speech is an important reminder of what we're celebrating and who is being left out.  
Read Fredrick Douglass' speech
Hear it read by James Earl Jones

Podcast:
NPR: Hidden Brain: Is He Muslim? (28 min.)
In a five year period from 2011 to 2016, just twelve percent of terrorist attacks in the United States were perpetrated by Muslims. More than fifty percent, on the other hand, were carried out by Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, or other far right groups. So why do Americans spend so much time worrying about "radical Islamic terrorism?" This podcast looks at how the media over-covers some acts of terrorism — and quickly forgets others; also some of the psychological reasons we have a hard time putting the threat of terrorism in perspective.

Article:
Blue Virginia: “Rural Progressives”:  It’s Not an Oxymoron by Anthony Flaccovento
A message that “attacked inequality and trickle-down economics” appealed to people in rural areas. So why isn’t the left doing better in the red parts of states like Virginia? Because whether focused on politics or the economy, progressive and liberal organizations are largely clueless when it comes to rural communities, says the author. A group from southwest Virginia has developed the Rural Progressive Platform, written by rural residents, grounded in rural values, priorities and language. 

Article:
Vox Media: Study: cities rely more on fines for revenue if they have more black residents by German Lopez
Using data from more than 9,000 cities, researchers found that cities with larger black populations rely more on fines and court fees to raise revenue. They also found that having at least one black person on the city council reduced the relationship between race and fines by about 50 percent. “What a lot of cities do is rely on a source of revenue that falls disproportionately on their black residents,” says Michael Sances of the University of Memphis. “And when blacks gain representation on the city council, this relationship gets a lot better."