Solidarity Action Alerts for week of August 28
Monday (Aug 28): 2 ACTIONS: 1 local and 1 federal
Stop Solitary Confinement of 16 and 17 year olds in Onondaga County Jail and Prison
Next Tuesday September 5, Onondaga County Legislature will vote on
whether to continue the practice of putting youth aged 16 & 17 in
solitary confinement. DA Fitzpatrick has been pushing to keep this
practice in place – reprehensible!
Please call your Onondaga County legislator and urge him/her to vote
against keeping this inhumane policy in place. Consider attending a
meeting of the county legislators to make your voice heard more
forcefully on this decision.
To find your county legislator: http://ongov.net/legislature/
and then click on 2012 District Maps (on the left-hand side of the page).
Find your home on the map, identify your district #,
then find the name and phone number for your legislator:
http://ongov.net/legislature/members.html
Stop the Rollback of ACA Birth Control Coverage! Call Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), today.
Since 2011 the ACA has required that female contraception must be covered by insurers without a co-pay. The existing mandate gives exemptions to certain organizations that object to birth control for religious reasons, including houses of worship, certain religiously affiliated hospitals and universities, and closely held private companies (recall the Hobby Lobby Supreme Court case of 2014).
Despite these accommodations, the Trump Administration is pushing further exemptions to the contraceptive mandate, with the finalization of a new rule expected in the coming days.
The new rule expands exemptions, making them available also to:
- all employers, including large, publicly-traded, for-profit companies, on the basis of religious beliefs or moral convictions, and
- health insurance companies that have religious or moral objections to providing birth control.
This broad expansion of the exemption is in line with the Trump Administrations record of seeking to roll back womens healthcare and rights by undermining access to critical, affordable birth control. When this rule is published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the exemptions will go into effect immediately.
Call Tom Prices office at 202-205-5445. HHS is driving legislation related to this issue.
Here is a script for the phone conversation.
Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m calling from Syracuse.
I’d like to leave a message for Secretary Price.
I’m calling to express my objection to any change in the contraceptive mandate in the Affordable Care Act. Adding more exemptions to the contraception mandate will erode access to preventive healthcare for millions of Americans. I ask the plan to publish this new rule be abandoned, or at the very least, allow for a period of public comment.
Thank you for your hard work answering the phones.
Tuesday (Aug 29): Phone calls to federal legislators to defend DACA.
Defend DACA.
Reports are circulating that Donald Trump is getting ready to eliminate the DACA program. Created in 2012, the program has allowed 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children to live and work lawfully. They are American, they are a part of our communities, and they belong here.
Let our members of Congress know that you oppose elimination of the DACA Program, and ask them to sign on as co-sponsors to their House or Senate bills:
HR 3591 Please call Rep. Katkos Syracuse office (315-423-5657) and ask that he co-sponsor the bill.
S1615 Please call Sen. Gillibrand at her Syracuse office 315-448-0470 to ask her to sign on as a co-sponsor.
Sen. Schumer is already a co-sponsor. Please call his Syracuse office at 315-423-5471 and thank him for his support.
Read more about DACA here.
Wednesday (Aug 30): (Call our senators today)
Call Senators Gillibrand and Schumer to oppose confirmation of Samual Clovis as Undersecretary of Agriculture for Research, Education and Economics.
Samual Clovis is an ally of Trump, a fellow climate science denier and proponent of birtherism. Aside from that he lacks all necessary qualifications for the position of undersecretary.
Gillibrand is on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry which will schedule his confirmation hearing sometime after Congress reconvenes on Sept. 4.
Please see Union of Concerned Scientists blog about Clovis here, which provides background on his lack of appropriate experience/qualifications, plus some questions that should be asked by his Senate interrogators.
Sen. Gillibrands Syracuse office can be reached at 315-448-0470.
Sen. Schumers Syracuse office can be reached at 315-423-5471.
Thursday (Aug 31): 2 ACTIONS: (1) rally at Congressman Katkos office, and (2) call federal legislators to demand new authorization to use military force in Afghanistan.
*CANCELED: Congressman Katko: Use Your Position on the Homeland Security Committee to Address White Supremacist Terror
Congressman Katko is a prominent member of the House Homeland Security Committee. Come join us as we demand that he moves the committee to take action to address the growing threat of White Supremacist terror that is facing our nation.
Rally Details:
Noon
Thursday, August 31
Congressman Katko’s Syracuse Office
440 S Warren St ,Syracuse, NY 13202
*Please note we canceled this rally due to concerns that Congressman Katko and the GOP led House Committee on Homeland Security would use hearings on White Supremacist Terror as an opportunity to attack groups like Black Lives Matter that work to defend targeted communities. Instead we encourage you to support and attend a rally that will be happening on September 5th to preserve DACA. We will provide more details as they become available. Thank you.
Demand a new authorization to use military force in Afghanistan: call Members of Congress
In his speech to the nation on August 21st, Trump announced his strategy in Afghanistan but offered few details about an actual plan. In response, Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ) have introduced a bipartisan Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) to replace the over-broad AUMF currently in effect.
The bill, which has a 5-year sunset period, would authorize military action against three specific terrorist groups (al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and ISIS/ISIL) and grant Congress some oversight powers in determining which individuals/groups to fight and where. The bill would also require the President to present a strategic plan to Congress about his plans to protect the US from three terrorist groups and provide regular status updates.
If we are to proceed with military action in Afghanistan, the public deserves a clear understanding of the mission and desired outcome, and Congress must be able to hold the President accountable.
Please make calls to all three of our Members of Congress to support a revised, time-limited authorization for military action against three specific terrorist groups. Syracuse office numbers:
Sen. Gillibrands Syracuse office can be reached at 315-448-0470.
Sen. Schumers Syracuse office can be reached at 315-423-5471.
Rep. Katkos Syracuse office can be reached at 315-423-5657.
Here is a script for your call:
Hello, my name is [NAME] and Im a constituent from Syracuse.
Im calling to express my support for the bipartisan Authorization for Use of Military Force introduced by Senators Jeff Flake and Tim Kaine. It is time to end the overly broad and outdated 2001 authorization and reintroduce appropriate congressional oversight of the fight against terrorism. I urge [NAME OF SENATOR or CONGRESSMAN] to work towards accomplishing this necessary change.
Thank you for all your hard work answering the phones.
Friday (Aug 31)-Saturday (Sept. 1): no actions today
Sunday (Sept 2):
10-11am: Hail Working Men and Women Parade, beginning at corner of Mill and Owasco Streets in Auburn. For more info, Charlie at cgreene@greenemeadow.com
Save the date for these upcoming events:
Sept. 10, time and location TBD: CNY Solidarity Coalition meeting.
Sept. 10, 7-10pm: Concert for a Cause to benefit Center for New Americans, Nelson Odeon, 4035 Nelson Rd., Cazenovia 13035.
Sept. 18, 6:30-8pm: Roving Teach-In on the Trump Administration and the Constitution, Palmyra Community Library.
Week of Sept. 18: CNY Solidarity Coalition meeting, day/time/location TBD.
Oct. 1, time and location TBD: CNY Solidarity Coalition meeting.
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