OPPOSE TRUMPCARE, THE CUBA EMBARGO, GUN VIOLENCE!

 ​My fellow Resisters,

As our weekly action plan for American Resistance Sevilla, we're sending out the plan prepared by Progressive Action Global Exchange (PAGE). And we're introducing STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! This collection of articles, podcasts, and other materials (shown below) has been chosen by American Resistance Sevilla to help us find our way together though today's complex political landscape.

THIS WEEK'S PAGE ACTION PLAN

• Stop TrumpCare! The US Senate is trying to force through its TrumpCare bill (the American Health Care Act) without any public hearings, in complete secrecy. We have much cause for concern, as the TrumpCare bill passed in the House would cause 23 million people to lose coverage, hurt folks with pre-existing conditions, raise premiums, defund Planned Parenthood, and give tax breaks to wealthy folks and corporations. Take five minutes to call your Senators with these call scripts or tweet, fax, or write to the Senators most vulnerable.
• Oppose the Cuba Embargo. Trump’s decision to roll back Obama’s progress with Cuba is reactionary, hypocritical, and damaging to Cubans, US Americans, and US foreign policy. He’s using the excuse of human rights, even as he sells weapons to countries engaged in human rights violations. Sign this petition to ask Congress to intervene and return the land at Guantanamo to Cuba.

• Support the Movement for Black Lives. This week, gun violence has been in the news in the US once again — largely because a white man shot Republican congresspeople, staffers, and security on June 14. The White House and others are trying to use this event for their own causes, ignoring the need for increased gun control. Their policies continue to hurt communities of color the most. So this week, learn about and support the Movement for Black Lives. Their platform opposes the criminalization of black and brown bodies, mass surveillance, militarization of law enforcement, and mass incarceration. 

Bonus Action: Take care of each other! 
We’re 6 months into Trump’s presidency, and it may be feeling challenging to keep up the energy. Take time to build community with those in your social/resistance circles. MoveOn.org is promoting Resistance Community Cookouts across the US over the next few weeks. Can you host one abroad? 

RESISTANCE SUMMER COOKOUTS

David Daley’s “Ratf**cked” examines the legacy of the redmap initiative. From the New Yorker.

​STOP, LOOK, LISTEN!
Interested in learning more about Resistance in all its forms? Members of American Resistance Sevilla have selected key resources we think will help us all learn more about the madness — and figure out what we can do to fix it.

Podcast:
The Ezra Klein Show, Episode: “Bryan Stevenson on why the opposite of poverty is not wealth, but justice”
Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has helped more than 115 wrongly convicted prisoners. “The question is not whether a criminal deserves to die," he says, "but whether the state deserves to kill.”  This podcast discusses America’s history, our justice system, our prejudices — the value of shame, and the way we honor it in the justice system even as we dismiss it in our national dialogue. (93 min.)

Podcast:
RadioLab: More Perfect, Episode 5: The Political Thicket 
Chief Justice Earl Warren considered “Baker v. Carr,” a 1962 redistricting case, to be the most important of his career. It pushed one Supreme Court justice to a nervous breakdown, brought a boiling feud to a head, put one justice in the hospital, and changed the course of the Supreme Court — and the nation — forever. (44 min.)
​
Article:
The New Yorker: Drawing the Line by Elizabeth Kolbert
Today, when party functionaries draw district lines, they have at their disposal detailed census results, precinct-level voter tallies, and a cloud’s worth of consumer choices. The result, David Daley argues in the book Ratf**ked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America’s Democracy, is a system so rigged that it hardly matters anymore who’s running for office.

That's what we're working on this week. Thanks for being part of the Resistance, amigos, and stay tuned for more!

In solidarity,
​Sage

---