The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Harper Teen, $10.99)
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill, $11.99)
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, $15.99)
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit, $16.00)
Sheila Avelin, November 2016
Friday, November 25, 2016
Sheila's Five Escapist Books to Nurture Resistance in Hard Times
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Harper Teen, $10.99)
Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill, $11.99)
The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit, $15.99)
Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie (Orbit, $16.00)
Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Community Organizing: Practical Resources for the Post-Election Times
Here is an attempt to organize a post compiling local and national information on different actions and such. It necessarily won't be complete, but if I could manage compiling papal visit logistics last year, this ought to be possible...
So. This is an enormous amount of information. Please take what you need, and if you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of wanting (or feeling expected) to do it all, know that any one thing you do will add to the whole. "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." - Talmud, Pirkei Avot
Note: Taking that quote for myself, I'm going to post what I have at this point, with further refinements in updates going forward. I think getting the information centralized and out there quickly is more important than what it looks like, and whether I have things complete or in the right order.
So please bear with me, and do check back.
Thank you.
compiled by Jennifer Sheffield, Web Manager
most recent update: 12/8/16
-----------
Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century
by Timothy Snyder, Housum Professor of History
Yale University
Similar clearinghouses of information:
Makeitrightphl.com is a local website offering all sorts of concrete ideas and actions to take post-election, in an interactive flow chart format. Significantly, it has sections for both "take action" and "take care".
"We're His Problem Now" Calling Sheet. This spreadsheet highlights certain specific issues, offers scripts for those and many others, and provides phone numbers -- including district phone numbers, which are more likely to be effective than DC numbers -- for Congress members.
Weekly Actions to Resist Trump: This website similarly offers highlighted actions, plus more actions if you want to keep going, in an interactive format instead of a spreadsheet. It includes phone numbers and scripts, plus a place to click that you've made each call, and they're tallying those numbers.
What to Do This Week -- Actions for Democrats, Independents, and Republicans of Conscience. Here's another spreadsheet of actions, many with additional sources for fact-checking.
In the City
City of Philadelphia: Resources For Supporting Diversity And Inclusion - from Mayor Jim Kenney, 11/18/16
Big Blue Marble
We at the store, alongside our community, are reeling from the results of the election. We also know we have important resources here: books, writers, activists, and space. Workshops and conversations and organizing events are on their way -- check the events page of our website and our newsletters (go ) for forthcoming announcements.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, or wants to provide training, organizing, or skill-sharing, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
On Fridays, We Fight Back:
Last Friday we began On Fridays, We Fight Back, a series of communal actions. More than 25 people joined us through the afternoon to make phone calls to protest the appointment of white supremacist Steve Bannon as White House advisor.
Friday actions will be ongoing. If you have ideas for actions, or workshops you'd like to offer, or ideas for authors or speakers, please contact us. We believe in the strength of our diversity and the possibilities of our voices.
Friday, November 18: Stop Bannon.
We called PA reps to thank them for statements or urge them to repudiate DT's appt of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 11/18 Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, November 25: Write to electors.
We'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
Friday, December 2: Electors, HOC, and Standing Rock. (Also Sanctuary Cities, and the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act)
This week, we'll be focusing on the Electoral College, on pressuring the House Oversight Committee, and supporting the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 12/2 Facebook Event for issues and various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, December 9: Contacting the Electoral College, and Getting Out the Vote in LA.
This week, we'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
Northwest Philly Sanctuary Project
"A call for artists, musicians, storytellers, community members, poets and anyone interested in community building to come and join Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) in partnership with Mt. Airy USA, Sarah Napolitan and Community Circle to collaborate on ideas for the NW Philadelphia Sanctuary Project, a project designed to bring the community together through artistic expression of positive messages to people in our community in a tumultuous time.
"The NWPSP is in the beginning stages of planning and devlopment, and is a project that will involve the fostering and cultivation of support, acceptance, and love for our community and its members through positive messages that the community makes through art, written expression, storytelling and poetry. The event will take place on December 11th from 1-5 p.m. in the brand new amazing space of the Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub. The entrance is on the side on Westview Ave., in the basement of High Point Bulk Coffee Center."
Here is a link to a Facebook event for the first planning meeting, which already happened (11/21), but check it out for a detailed description of the project.
Steve Bannon
Facebook Initiative: Postcard Avalanche to Denounce Bannon (Saturday, Nov. 26, through Monday, Nov. 28)
6 Things You Can Do To Keep Steve Bannon Out Of The White House
US Representative Lamar Smith, Chair of House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology - and climate change denier - has a one question survey on his website about congressional priorities for the year. Please select Other and write in "Mitigate climate change". His website is: lamarsmith.house.gov.
More to come.
Contacting the Electoral College Before 12/19 Vote
There are several campaigns to ask electors from Trump-winning states to become "faithless" and to vote against Donald Trump.
- How to write to the Electoral College. This contains mail-merge letters to personalize (and edit, if preferred) and address labels to print. (Total cost for postage: $122, if you write to ALL of them. Also broken down by state.)
- And here are the (modified) PA address list and argument suggestions from last week's On Fridays, We Fight Back!
Huffington Post: 32 Nonpartisan, Non-Ideological Reasons The Electoral College Must Reject Trump
National Archives and Records: About the Electoral College
Atlantic column: The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President
Voter Suppression, Gerrymandering, and Election Integrity
Update, 11/27: Wisconsin to Recount Ballots After Claims of Irregularities
Update, 11/25: Jill Stein's campaign for donations to request vote recounts has reached enough of their goal to request a recount in two (WI, PA) of three states (MI pending). If you live in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you can also volunteer to monitor a recount, should they occur. For Pennsylvania, they're also requesting three people from each election district to submit the requests.
Update: Here are two articles suggesting that vote audit is possible (but only at the instigation of the candidates), two urging that vote audits become normal practice, and one saying that calling the DOJ will not change anything unless you have evidence of specific wrongdoing. (Hm. Do Voter ID laws count?)
Meanwhile: Federal Court: Wisconsin’s Republican-Drawn Redistricting Maps Are Unconstitutional
Donald Trump's Finances and the House Oversight Committee
"Please call the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump's financials and apparent conflicts of interest. They are absolutely tallying calls - the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.
There’s not much time left, as they are out of the office soon for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.
NOW is your chance to make a difference. Please, do this ASAP. If you get a "mailbox is full" message, call back in a minute or so - that seems to be the default when lines are busy. If the voicemail is accepting messages, leave a message!"
Note that the decision is to be made asap the week after Thanksgiving. I've heard recommendations to call first thing on Monday morning, 11/28 (Unless it's Tuesday they come back; not sure).
Followup - calling members of the committee directly, when the main number's mailbox is full.
Standing Rock
Update 11/6: The Army Corps of Engineers has refused to grant the easement for the pipeline, which means they have blocked it (at least temporarily) from its proposed path through Standing Rock. Yay! Links to come.
A #NoDAPL Map by cartographer Carl Sack (11/2/16-11/4/16)
Two links about banks that are funding the pipeline:
Who's Banking Against the Sioux infographic from Food & Water Watch
How to Contact the 17 Banks Funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (9/29/16)
from truth-out: Don't Be Passive Observers of Last Night's Terrorization in Standing Rock: Here's What You Can Do. This article lists numbers to call and also an address to send supplies. (11/21/16) See also script and action below.
How to Contact the People Sending Militarized Police to Standing Rock (10/31/16)
How To Talk About #NoDAPL: A Native Perspective (10/27/16)
from the "We're His Problem Now Calling Sheet (above):
**Breaking Issue*** Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors Injured
I’m --- ---- calling about the 167 water protectors injured by law enforcement at Standing Rock today. Attacking the water protectors with hoses in sub-freezing temps is inhumane, cruel, and unacceptable. I want to :
*Allow water protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly/protest.
*Immediately stop attacking water protectors with tear gas, water cannons, hoses, or other violent means.
*Refrain from arresting/interfering with peaceful demonstrators.
Morton County Sheriff → Morton County Sheriff's Dept: 701-667-3330
Morton County Sheriff's Office (if the first one is continuously busy): 701-328-8118
Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier of Morton County: 701.667.3330
ND Governor Jack Dalrymple → 701.328.2200 or 701-328-2200
White House → (202) 456-1111, 202-456-1414 or White House Situation Room: 202 456 9431
Army → Army Corps of Engineers: 202-761-8700; National Guard ND: 701-333-2000
The Affordable Care Act
Note: This doesn't involve talking to anyone if you don't want to.
Circulating:
"Paul Ryan is conducting a phone poll on the ACA (Obamacare), hoping to hear overwhelming popular opposition to it. If you would like to express your support for the Affordable Care Act, the numbers to call are (202) 225-3031 OR try 202-225-0600. Press 2 to weigh in on the issue. You'll hear a brief recording about HR-3762* (grit your teeth and wait it out to get to where you have to register your stance!), Paul Ryan's proposal to gut the ACA, and President Obama's use of his veto power to stop it. Then, you will have a chance to indicate your opinion with the press of a button.
Press 1 if you support the ACA, 2 if you oppose it.
Then you hear a pre-recorded spiel from Ryan about how he cares about what we think about issues, etc., etc., and you have a chance to leave a message."
*which they don't mention includes a freeze on federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Confirmation from Snopes:
Connecting to the Speaker. You can give the House Speaker your opinion on the Affordable Care Act — if you're patient.
Climate Change
Trump’s Plan to Eliminate NASA Climate Research Is Ill-Informed and Dangerous
Info for LBGTQ/quiltbag Americans
Some articles from Jerner & Palmer, the attorneys who worked with us on our second-parent adoption:
Trans Relief Project
HR 2802, the so-called First Amendment Defense Act
I want to highlight that we have to reframe this bill. Do not let it get away with being called a defense of the 1st amendment. Add "so-called" when you can. Call it HR 2802. Call it a travesty. I don't know. I do know that that when the "Defense of Marriage Act" and the "welfare reform bill" were both passed in 1996, I was raging that the latter would never have happened if it had been called the "Be Mean to Children" act. And I immediately began calling the former the "Discrimination of Marriage Act".
The GOP’s Anti-LGBT, Anti-Women ‘Religious Freedom’ Law on Steroids
The First Amendment Defense Act would allow hospitals, governments, universities, and businesses to ignore same-sex marriage, deny women health care, and fire gay people.
Note that the bill was introduced in 2015. Here's the full text.
To come: Find information about Public accommodation.
Islamophobia/Religious Discrimination
CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations
NAACP Statement on Proposed “Muslim Registry”
No Religious Registry Act (H.R. 6382)
DelBene Introduces Bill to Prohibit Religious Registry
Calling Senators to oppose Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor. Here's a sample script from a friend:
"President-elect Donald Trump has appointed General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. General Flynn has called Islam 'a cancer' and has said 'fear of Muslims is rational.' Our country was founded on freedom of religion. PA has more than 80,000 Muslims. I ask the Senator to call out General Flynn on these statements and to oppose his appointment. While I realize that Congress does not have to approve the National Security Adviser, it is still possible for the Senator to issue a strong statement opposing General Flynn and his radical statements about a peaceful religion practiced by millions of Americans."
Truth, Fact-Checking, and Fake News
Snopes.com: a place to check the truth/rumor status of circulating stories.
This Is How You Can Stop Fake News From Spreading On Facebook. Not clear is how the fake news status is verified within Facebook.
From The Philadelpha Inquirer: Fake news? Bias? How colleges teach students not to be duped
From NPR, All Tech Considered: Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts
Some links about the process of calling:
Known Issues for Calling
Pennsylvania Representation
Phone numbers for some of our representatives in Congress. Always better to call local or regional offices than DC office.
Senator Bob Casey released a statement condemning Bannon. Call his office and thank him:
Senator Casey (202) 224-6324, (215) 405-9660, (814) 357-0314, (610) 782-9470
Representative Dwight Evans Phone: (215) 549-0220
He has signed a letter from 169 Representatives to Donald Trump, so please call to thank him.
Senator Toomey (215) 241-1090, (717) 782-3951, (610) 434-1444, (202) 224-4254
He can use more persuasion. When I called on 11/18 I was told he "has not yet made a statement".
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
Transition Team
(As of 11/16, from Elliott's calling plan)
Calling President Popular Vote Loser's transition team members. These are hard-core supporters, but you'll be talking to their staff members, so be nice. 2 are from PA, so we have a special role in calling them.
These are the numbers for the transition team members who currently hold office:
PA Representative Tom Marino 202-225-3731
PA Representative Lou Barletta 717-525-7002
TN Representative Marsha Blackburn 202-225-2811
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi 850-414-3300
NY Representative Chris Collins 202-225-5265
Rep. Devin Nunes 202-225-2523
Reince Priebus 202-863-8500, Option number 1"
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
Petitions
Here are some petitions I have seen circulating.
from change.org: Demand An Audit Of The 2016 Presidential Election
from We the People: Investigate Allegations of Election Tampering
from We the People: We the People ask President Obama to immediately appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court (Here's a Washington Post opinion piece from April explaining why this might be possible. I think President Obama would have to give them a deadline first, though.)
Update: This one has reached enough signatures to be considered by the White House. It still keeps counting beyond that, however, so you can still add your name!
from Southern Poverty Law Center: Bannon Must Go.
from actionsprout: Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline
Multiple issues from the Anti-Defamation League's advocacy center: RAISE YOUR VOICE HERE: Tell your Members of Congress where you stand on the following ADL issues.
Signatory Letters
Info to come.
Demonstrations and Marches
Info to come.
Local and National Organizations for Volunteering or Donations
Philly Groups Organizing Campaigns for Economic and Racial Justice by Robin Markle
City of Philadelphia: Resources For Supporting Diversity And Inclusion - from Mayor Jim Kenney, 11/18/16
Anti-Defamation League: #NeverIsNow.
Planned Parenthood
Trans Relief Project
Southern Poverty Law Center
CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations
So. This is an enormous amount of information. Please take what you need, and if you feel overwhelmed by the enormity of wanting (or feeling expected) to do it all, know that any one thing you do will add to the whole. "You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it." - Talmud, Pirkei Avot
Note: Taking that quote for myself, I'm going to post what I have at this point, with further refinements in updates going forward. I think getting the information centralized and out there quickly is more important than what it looks like, and whether I have things complete or in the right order.
So please bear with me, and do check back.
Thank you.
compiled by Jennifer Sheffield, Web Manager
most recent update: 12/8/16
-----------
Contents:
Note: Top level links should work now.- General
- At the Store and Nearby
- Appointments So Far
- Some Quick Actions
- Details on Some Issues
- Contacting the Electoral College Before 12/19 Vote
- Voter Suppression, Gerrymandering, and Possible Election Fraud
- Donald Trump's Finances and the House Oversight Committee
- Standing Rock
- The Affordable Care Act
- Climate Change
- Info for quiltbag/LBGTQ Americans
- HR 2802, the so-called First Amendment Defense Act
- Islamophobia/Religious Discrimination
- Truth, Fact-Checking, and Fake News
- Calling Our Representatives
- Other Kinds of Actions
General
Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century
by Timothy Snyder, Housum Professor of History
Yale University
Similar clearinghouses of information:
Makeitrightphl.com is a local website offering all sorts of concrete ideas and actions to take post-election, in an interactive flow chart format. Significantly, it has sections for both "take action" and "take care".
"We're His Problem Now" Calling Sheet. This spreadsheet highlights certain specific issues, offers scripts for those and many others, and provides phone numbers -- including district phone numbers, which are more likely to be effective than DC numbers -- for Congress members.
Weekly Actions to Resist Trump: This website similarly offers highlighted actions, plus more actions if you want to keep going, in an interactive format instead of a spreadsheet. It includes phone numbers and scripts, plus a place to click that you've made each call, and they're tallying those numbers.
What to Do This Week -- Actions for Democrats, Independents, and Republicans of Conscience. Here's another spreadsheet of actions, many with additional sources for fact-checking.
At the Store and Nearby
In the City
City of Philadelphia: Resources For Supporting Diversity And Inclusion - from Mayor Jim Kenney, 11/18/16
Big Blue Marble
We at the store, alongside our community, are reeling from the results of the election. We also know we have important resources here: books, writers, activists, and space. Workshops and conversations and organizing events are on their way -- check the events page of our website and our newsletters (go ) for forthcoming announcements.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, or wants to provide training, organizing, or skill-sharing, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
On Fridays, We Fight Back:
Last Friday we began On Fridays, We Fight Back, a series of communal actions. More than 25 people joined us through the afternoon to make phone calls to protest the appointment of white supremacist Steve Bannon as White House advisor.
Friday actions will be ongoing. If you have ideas for actions, or workshops you'd like to offer, or ideas for authors or speakers, please contact us. We believe in the strength of our diversity and the possibilities of our voices.
Friday, November 18: Stop Bannon.
We called PA reps to thank them for statements or urge them to repudiate DT's appt of Steve Bannon as Chief Strategist
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 11/18 Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, November 25: Write to electors.
We'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
Friday, December 2: Electors, HOC, and Standing Rock. (Also Sanctuary Cities, and the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act)
This week, we'll be focusing on the Electoral College, on pressuring the House Oversight Committee, and supporting the Water Protectors at Standing Rock.
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the 12/2 Facebook Event for issues and various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Friday, December 9: Contacting the Electoral College, and Getting Out the Vote in LA.
This week, we'll write to members of the electoral college to encourage them to vote their consciences.
And we'll call to Get Out the Vote in Louisiana, where one senate seat still hangs in the balance.
Northwest Philly Sanctuary Project
"A call for artists, musicians, storytellers, community members, poets and anyone interested in community building to come and join Mt. Airy Art Garage (MAAG) in partnership with Mt. Airy USA, Sarah Napolitan and Community Circle to collaborate on ideas for the NW Philadelphia Sanctuary Project, a project designed to bring the community together through artistic expression of positive messages to people in our community in a tumultuous time.
"The NWPSP is in the beginning stages of planning and devlopment, and is a project that will involve the fostering and cultivation of support, acceptance, and love for our community and its members through positive messages that the community makes through art, written expression, storytelling and poetry. The event will take place on December 11th from 1-5 p.m. in the brand new amazing space of the Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub. The entrance is on the side on Westview Ave., in the basement of High Point Bulk Coffee Center."
Here is a link to a Facebook event for the first planning meeting, which already happened (11/21), but check it out for a detailed description of the project.
Appointments So Far
- Chief Strategist and Counselor: Steve Bannon
- Chief of Staff: Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus
- Attorney General: Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency: Kansas Rep. Mike Pompeo
- White House National Security Adviser: Retired Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn
- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley
- Secretary of Education: Betsy DeVos
- Health and Human Services Secretary: Georgia Rep. Tom Price
- Transportation Secretary: former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao
- Treasury Secretary: Steven Mnuchin
- Commerce Secretary: Wilbur Ross
- Defense Secretary: Retired Gen. James Mattis
- EPA Administrator: Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt
- Housing and Urban Development Secretary: Ben Carson
- Homeland Security Secretary: Retired Gen. John Kelly
- Labor Secretary: Andy Puzder
Steve Bannon
Facebook Initiative: Postcard Avalanche to Denounce Bannon (Saturday, Nov. 26, through Monday, Nov. 28)
6 Things You Can Do To Keep Steve Bannon Out Of The White House
Some Quick Actions
US Representative Lamar Smith, Chair of House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology - and climate change denier - has a one question survey on his website about congressional priorities for the year. Please select Other and write in "Mitigate climate change". His website is: lamarsmith.house.gov.
More to come.
Details on Some Issues
Contacting the Electoral College Before 12/19 Vote
There are several campaigns to ask electors from Trump-winning states to become "faithless" and to vote against Donald Trump.
- How to write to the Electoral College. This contains mail-merge letters to personalize (and edit, if preferred) and address labels to print. (Total cost for postage: $122, if you write to ALL of them. Also broken down by state.)
- And here are the (modified) PA address list and argument suggestions from last week's On Fridays, We Fight Back!
Huffington Post: 32 Nonpartisan, Non-Ideological Reasons The Electoral College Must Reject Trump
National Archives and Records: About the Electoral College
Atlantic column: The Electoral College Was Meant to Stop Men Like Trump From Being President
Voter Suppression, Gerrymandering, and Election Integrity
Update, 11/27: Wisconsin to Recount Ballots After Claims of Irregularities
Update, 11/25: Jill Stein's campaign for donations to request vote recounts has reached enough of their goal to request a recount in two (WI, PA) of three states (MI pending). If you live in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, or Michigan, you can also volunteer to monitor a recount, should they occur. For Pennsylvania, they're also requesting three people from each election district to submit the requests.
Update: Here are two articles suggesting that vote audit is possible (but only at the instigation of the candidates), two urging that vote audits become normal practice, and one saying that calling the DOJ will not change anything unless you have evidence of specific wrongdoing. (Hm. Do Voter ID laws count?)
- Jill Stein hopes to request election recounts in battleground states.
She's looking for donations because it's a costly process. - Experts Urge Clinton Campaign to Challenge Election Results in 3 Swing States
- Want to Know if the Election was Hacked? Look at the Ballots (This one also clarifies items in the previous article.)
- The election probably wasn't hacked. But Clinton should request recounts just in case.
- The Department of Justice is not going to conduct a vote audit based on your phoned-in outrage
Meanwhile: Federal Court: Wisconsin’s Republican-Drawn Redistricting Maps Are Unconstitutional
Donald Trump's Finances and the House Oversight Committee
There’s not much time left, as they are out of the office soon for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.
NOW is your chance to make a difference. Please, do this ASAP. If you get a "mailbox is full" message, call back in a minute or so - that seems to be the default when lines are busy. If the voicemail is accepting messages, leave a message!"
Note that the decision is to be made asap the week after Thanksgiving. I've heard recommendations to call first thing on Monday morning, 11/28 (Unless it's Tuesday they come back; not sure).
Followup - calling members of the committee directly, when the main number's mailbox is full.
Standing Rock
Update 11/6: The Army Corps of Engineers has refused to grant the easement for the pipeline, which means they have blocked it (at least temporarily) from its proposed path through Standing Rock. Yay! Links to come.
A #NoDAPL Map by cartographer Carl Sack (11/2/16-11/4/16)
Two links about banks that are funding the pipeline:
Who's Banking Against the Sioux infographic from Food & Water Watch
How to Contact the 17 Banks Funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (9/29/16)
from truth-out: Don't Be Passive Observers of Last Night's Terrorization in Standing Rock: Here's What You Can Do. This article lists numbers to call and also an address to send supplies. (11/21/16) See also script and action below.
How to Contact the People Sending Militarized Police to Standing Rock (10/31/16)
How To Talk About #NoDAPL: A Native Perspective (10/27/16)
from the "We're His Problem Now Calling Sheet (above):
**Breaking Issue*** Dakota Access Pipeline Protestors Injured
I’m --- ---- calling about the 167 water protectors injured by law enforcement at Standing Rock today. Attacking the water protectors with hoses in sub-freezing temps is inhumane, cruel, and unacceptable. I want
*Allow water protestors to exercise their right to peaceful assembly/protest.
*Immediately stop attacking water protectors with tear gas, water cannons, hoses, or other violent means.
*Refrain from arresting/interfering with peaceful demonstrators.
Morton County Sheriff → Morton County Sheriff's Dept: 701-667-3330
Morton County Sheriff's Office (if the first one is continuously busy): 701-328-8118
Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier of Morton County: 701.667.3330
ND Governor Jack Dalrymple → 701.328.2200 or 701-328-2200
White House → (202) 456-1111, 202-456-1414 or White House Situation Room: 202 456 9431
Army → Army Corps of Engineers: 202-761-8700; National Guard ND: 701-333-2000
The Affordable Care Act
Note: This doesn't involve talking to anyone if you don't want to.
Circulating:
"Paul Ryan is conducting a phone poll on the ACA (Obamacare), hoping to hear overwhelming popular opposition to it. If you would like to express your support for the Affordable Care Act, the numbers to call are (202) 225-3031 OR try 202-225-0600. Press 2 to weigh in on the issue. You'll hear a brief recording about HR-3762* (grit your teeth and wait it out to get to where you have to register your stance!), Paul Ryan's proposal to gut the ACA, and President Obama's use of his veto power to stop it. Then, you will have a chance to indicate your opinion with the press of a button.
Press 1 if you support the ACA, 2 if you oppose it.
Then you hear a pre-recorded spiel from Ryan about how he cares about what we think about issues, etc., etc., and you have a chance to leave a message."
*which they don't mention includes a freeze on federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Confirmation from Snopes:
Connecting to the Speaker. You can give the House Speaker your opinion on the Affordable Care Act — if you're patient.
Climate Change
Trump’s Plan to Eliminate NASA Climate Research Is Ill-Informed and Dangerous
Info for LBGTQ/quiltbag Americans
Some articles from Jerner & Palmer, the attorneys who worked with us on our second-parent adoption:
- After the Election: Things LGBTQ Families Should Know Now
- After the Election: Things Trans People Should Know Now
- Jerner & Palmer, P.C. offers pro bono and reduced fee services for gender marker changes to U.S. Passports
Trans Relief Project
HR 2802, the so-called First Amendment Defense Act
I want to highlight that we have to reframe this bill. Do not let it get away with being called a defense of the 1st amendment. Add "so-called" when you can. Call it HR 2802. Call it a travesty. I don't know. I do know that that when the "Defense of Marriage Act" and the "welfare reform bill" were both passed in 1996, I was raging that the latter would never have happened if it had been called the "Be Mean to Children" act. And I immediately began calling the former the "Discrimination of Marriage Act".
The GOP’s Anti-LGBT, Anti-Women ‘Religious Freedom’ Law on Steroids
The First Amendment Defense Act would allow hospitals, governments, universities, and businesses to ignore same-sex marriage, deny women health care, and fire gay people.
Note that the bill was introduced in 2015. Here's the full text.
To come: Find information about Public accommodation.
Islamophobia/Religious Discrimination
CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations
NAACP Statement on Proposed “Muslim Registry”
No Religious Registry Act (H.R. 6382)
DelBene Introduces Bill to Prohibit Religious Registry
Calling Senators to oppose Michael Flynn as National Security Advisor. Here's a sample script from a friend:
"President-elect Donald Trump has appointed General Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser. General Flynn has called Islam 'a cancer' and has said 'fear of Muslims is rational.' Our country was founded on freedom of religion. PA has more than 80,000 Muslims. I ask the Senator to call out General Flynn on these statements and to oppose his appointment. While I realize that Congress does not have to approve the National Security Adviser, it is still possible for the Senator to issue a strong statement opposing General Flynn and his radical statements about a peaceful religion practiced by millions of Americans."
Truth, Fact-Checking, and Fake News
Snopes.com: a place to check the truth/rumor status of circulating stories.
This Is How You Can Stop Fake News From Spreading On Facebook. Not clear is how the fake news status is verified within Facebook.
From The Philadelpha Inquirer: Fake news? Bias? How colleges teach students not to be duped
From NPR, All Tech Considered: Fake Or Real? How To Self-Check The News And Get The Facts
Calling Our Representatives
Some links about the process of calling:
- Emily Ellsworth's experiences as a staffer: Calling is more effective than email. Personal letters to the district office (rather than DC) seem to be in between.
- Shy Person’s Guide to Calling Representatives
- How to Call Your Reps When You Have Social Anxiety
- If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use.
Known Issues for Calling
- Call on our senators to issue a statement opposing Michael Flynn's appointment as National Security Advisor, based on his anti-Muslim statements.
- Call those responsible for the 11/20 violence toward peaceful protestors at Standing Rock, ND
- Call the House Oversight Committee to demand DT release his financial information (by 11/28 or 29).
- Urge our representatives (or anyone) to reject and speak out against Donald Trump's appointment of Steve Bannon as chief strategist. (Or Jeff Sessions. Or Mike Pompeo. Or...)
- Urge the Senate to do their jobs and confirm Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court.
- Let them know your personal fears about this administration.
- Call the automated survey that Paul Ryan has set up for your feelings (+/-) on the Affordable Care Act
Pennsylvania Representation
Phone numbers for some of our representatives in Congress. Always better to call local or regional offices than DC office.
Senator Bob Casey released a statement condemning Bannon. Call his office and thank him:
Senator Casey (202) 224-6324, (215) 405-9660, (814) 357-0314, (610) 782-9470
Representative Dwight Evans Phone: (215) 549-0220
He has signed a letter from 169 Representatives to Donald Trump, so please call to thank him.
Senator Toomey (215) 241-1090, (717) 782-3951, (610) 434-1444, (202) 224-4254
He can use more persuasion. When I called on 11/18 I was told he "has not yet made a statement".
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
Transition Team
(As of 11/16, from Elliott's calling plan)
Calling President Popular Vote Loser's transition team members. These are hard-core supporters, but you'll be talking to their staff members, so be nice. 2 are from PA, so we have a special role in calling them.
These are the numbers for the transition team members who currently hold office:
PA Representative Tom Marino 202-225-3731
PA Representative Lou Barletta 717-525-7002
TN Representative Marsha Blackburn 202-225-2811
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi 850-414-3300
NY Representative Chris Collins 202-225-5265
Rep. Devin Nunes 202-225-2523
Reince Priebus 202-863-8500, Option number 1"
If you're on Facebook, check out the discussion in the bookstore's Stop Bannon Facebook Event for various scripts that Elliott printed out for us to use. If not, try some of the other links listed above.
Other Kinds of Actions
Petitions
Here are some petitions I have seen circulating.
from change.org: Demand An Audit Of The 2016 Presidential Election
from We the People: Investigate Allegations of Election Tampering
from We the People: We the People ask President Obama to immediately appoint Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court (Here's a Washington Post opinion piece from April explaining why this might be possible. I think President Obama would have to give them a deadline first, though.)
Update: This one has reached enough signatures to be considered by the White House. It still keeps counting beyond that, however, so you can still add your name!
from Southern Poverty Law Center: Bannon Must Go.
from actionsprout: Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline
Multiple issues from the Anti-Defamation League's advocacy center: RAISE YOUR VOICE HERE: Tell your Members of Congress where you stand on the following ADL issues.
Signatory Letters
Info to come.
Demonstrations and Marches
Info to come.
Local and National Organizations for Volunteering or Donations
Philly Groups Organizing Campaigns for Economic and Racial Justice by Robin Markle
City of Philadelphia: Resources For Supporting Diversity And Inclusion - from Mayor Jim Kenney, 11/18/16
Anti-Defamation League: #NeverIsNow.
Planned Parenthood
Trans Relief Project
Southern Poverty Law Center
CAIR: Council on American-Islamic Relations
Monday, November 21, 2016
Elliott's Five Favorite Books from 2016 Author Events
I started reading these stories while waiting for Sam's event to begin, and could barely stop in order to sell the book to everyone else. Remarkable, haunting, funny, smart.
This Is Not a Confession: Essays by David Olimpio (New Jersey)
Essays that take on the lingering effects of sexual abuse, divorce, and grief and still manage humor and playfulness. This book moved me deeply, and I fell in love with David's online pictures of his dogs, too.
Green Shoots of Democracy within the Philadelphia Democratic Party by Karen Bojar (Philadelphia).
Interested in changing the nature of the national Democratic Party? That change starts locally - only 2 of Philadelphia's Democratic wards are actually run through a democratic process. Karen Bojar explores how we got here, and shows us successful ways to organize for change.
god's breath hovering across the waters by Henry Israeli (Ardmore).
This new collection of poems by Saturnalia Books editor Henry Israeli was written and published before this election, but are eerily timely. Written in the wake of the death of his mother, who barely escaped from Nazi Germany as a young child, The ugly power of nationalism and fascism haunt these poems: "Germany created a Hitler, / and, in turn, Hitler created / a Germany he could embrace / without flinching."
Flat Head Zed by Ellen Marcus (Philadelphia).
This imaginative picture book tells the story of a girl who does NOT want to make the same kind of snowman as other children. Instead, she creates a fun-loving block monster she names Flat Head Zed. What will happen when the other kids see her unique creation??
Events Coordinator Elliott bat Tzedek, November 2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Community Organizing: Books for Troubled Times
I asked those who came whether they'd like to recommend a book, and here is what they came up with, from inspiring to intense to comforting:
from Anndee Hochman:
19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East by Naomi Shihab Nye
"Nye, a Palestinian-American poet, speaks with clarity, curiosity & humanity. 'How Long Peace Takes' is essential reading!"
from Stacia:
The Last of the Just by André Schwarz-Bart
"Epic novel of the history of persecution of Jews, by a French author"
from Nora:
Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson
"Hilarious, great storyline"
from Karen Bruhin:
Liber Null by Peter J. Carroll
"Perfect introduction to chaos magic"
from Blair Thornburgh:
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
"It will make you laugh out loud and also weep -- in a very short span of pages."
from Agatha Andrews:
Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time by Paul Rogat Loeb
"This is a beautiful book about how to move from inaction to action as a citizen. Beautifully written, gentle, and inspiring!"
from Rahul Mehta:
Diving Makes the Water Deep by Zach Savich
"A beautiful, wise, brave book about how to live fiercely and fully -- and with radical hope -- during difficult times."
from Robert Bingham:
Start where You are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön
"This book is a gift that keeps giving. I have returned to it again and again during difficult times."
from a 12-year-old visitor:
Hamilton by Ron Chernow
"A look at the founding of the U.S. government and what it was like back then (before Trump was president 😞 )."
from Sonia Rosen:
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander
From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
"Reading both of these together is really useful. Together they do a good job tracking the relationship the Black community has with the criminal justice system and political institutions, and putting forth a vision for Black liberation."
from Ryan Lovett:
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
"Historical fiction about Chechnya -- familiarize yourselves with the history of our coming Russian overlords."
from Mel:
Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill
"Little bit Harry Potter set in vampire world. Female hero and just a good series."
from Genie Ravital:
Quantam Night by Robert Sawyer
from Sarah Napolitan:
Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino
"A whimsical journey through the universe, clever, personified, and distracting."
Come next week for another round of calls: same time (or maybe an hour off...check back), same place!
Thursday, November 17, 2016
Community Organizing: Books and Bookstores as Sites of Resistance!
We at the store, alongside our community, are reeling from the results of the election. We also know we have important resources here: books, writers, activists, and space. Workshops and conversations and organizing events are on their way -- check the events page of our website and our newsletters (go ) for forthcoming announcements.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
Our first such action:
Friday, November 18, 2:00-6:00pm.
Community Organizing - Stop Hate! Protest Steve Bannon.
We'll be phone banking from the store this Friday. Stop in to make phone calls to our elected officials and members of the president-elect's transition team to protest the role of white supremacist/anti-Semite/misogynist Stephen Bannon in the new government-elect.
Bring your phone! We'll have phone numbers, a simple short script, and comforting hot tea.
Here's a Facebook event for tomorrow's action. It includes some phone numbers and various calling scripts, so if you can't make it and want to do calling on your own, there's a place to check in for some resources.
Finally, I will make an attempt, over the next week or so, to organize a post compiling local information on different actions and such. It necessarily won't be complete, but if I could manage compiling papal visit logistics last year, this ought to be possible...
So do check back.
If your group wants a space to meet and plan, please contact us! We have the third floor community room, which is open all day, and the performance space on the second floor available after hours.
Our first such action:
Friday, November 18, 2:00-6:00pm.
Community Organizing - Stop Hate! Protest Steve Bannon.
We'll be phone banking from the store this Friday. Stop in to make phone calls to our elected officials and members of the president-elect's transition team to protest the role of white supremacist/anti-Semite/misogynist Stephen Bannon in the new government-elect.
Bring your phone! We'll have phone numbers, a simple short script, and comforting hot tea.
Here's a Facebook event for tomorrow's action. It includes some phone numbers and various calling scripts, so if you can't make it and want to do calling on your own, there's a place to check in for some resources.
Finally, I will make an attempt, over the next week or so, to organize a post compiling local information on different actions and such. It necessarily won't be complete, but if I could manage compiling papal visit logistics last year, this ought to be possible...
So do check back.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Jen's Five Children's Books About Children's Books
Okay, so I was all set to work on a grim list of dystopic books starting with The Handmaid's Tale and Native Tongue, and then thankfully I noticed a brand new picture book by Andrea Davis Pinkney about Ezra Jack Keats, author of The Snowy Day*. I picked it up and was won over by her tribute to both a poor Jewish child of immigrant parents and the African American child he chose to bring to life in stories designed to diversify the world of picture books. And then I thought simultaneously of the nearly-as-new bio of E.B. White and the rather older story of Margret and H.A. Rey escaping the Nazis. And a more compassionate list was born.
A Poem for Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson (Viking, $18.99)
The publishers of The Snowy Day were on the side of diversity, too, even back in 1962. Keats was expecting to use a snow sculpture on the cover, and his editor insisted he use an image of Peter instead.
Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books, $18.99)
Another heartfelt tribute. An illustrated biography full of collages of images and letters and early drafts of White's books. Note: Charlotte's Web didn't originally have that arresting first line the world has come to know and love...
The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond (Houghton Mifflin, $8.99)
The Reys were German Jewish expatriates living in Paris when the Nazis swept through France. They escaped by bicycle shortly before the occupation of the city, and among their few possessions was the manuscript of Curious George. This book, beautifully illustrated, follows the story of their lives, both before and after their daring escape.
Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray (Viking, $16.99)
This is the story of the creator of the classic book Millions of Cats, and her struggles to keep art in her life while helping her family. Her name, by the way, rhymes with bog, not bag. (Assuming you pronounce "bog" with an "ah".) She added the accent herself. And Deborah Kogan Ray is a local author who's read at our Kids' Literary Festival!
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Little, Brown, $18.00)
Before Winnie was immortalized as Winnie-the-Pooh, she was a small brown bear, rescued in wartime and taken to the London Zoo, where she met a kid named Christopher Robin. Actually met. Meaning he was allowed into the enclosure, and they got to hang out together.
*which last year passed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the store's number one bestseller.
The publishers of The Snowy Day were on the side of diversity, too, even back in 1962. Keats was expecting to use a snow sculpture on the cover, and his editor insisted he use an image of Peter instead.
Some Writer! The Story of E.B. White by Melissa Sweet (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books, $18.99)
Another heartfelt tribute. An illustrated biography full of collages of images and letters and early drafts of White's books. Note: Charlotte's Web didn't originally have that arresting first line the world has come to know and love...
The Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond (Houghton Mifflin, $8.99)
The Reys were German Jewish expatriates living in Paris when the Nazis swept through France. They escaped by bicycle shortly before the occupation of the city, and among their few possessions was the manuscript of Curious George. This book, beautifully illustrated, follows the story of their lives, both before and after their daring escape.
Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw by Deborah Kogan Ray (Viking, $16.99)
This is the story of the creator of the classic book Millions of Cats, and her struggles to keep art in her life while helping her family. Her name, by the way, rhymes with bog, not bag. (Assuming you pronounce "bog" with an "ah".) She added the accent herself. And Deborah Kogan Ray is a local author who's read at our Kids' Literary Festival!
Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick, illustrated by Sophie Blackall (Little, Brown, $18.00)
Before Winnie was immortalized as Winnie-the-Pooh, she was a small brown bear, rescued in wartime and taken to the London Zoo, where she met a kid named Christopher Robin. Actually met. Meaning he was allowed into the enclosure, and they got to hang out together.
*which last year passed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows as the store's number one bestseller.
Tuesday, November 08, 2016
Nasty Women Getting Out the Vote! ...With Cake!
Come to the store on Election Day with your "I voted!" sticker, and we will have Election Cake for you!
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