Daily Yopp! 4.26.17 No Tax Returns, No Budget

California Senator Dianne Feinstein, noted for her bipartisan politics, recently came out with this statement:

President Trump’s so-called tax proposal is devoid of detail. One thing that is clear: It’s little more than a massive tax cut for the rich. 

Changes to our tax code should lift up average Americans, not be a windfall for corporations and the rich. 

Before we can consider the proposal, Trump must release his tax returns so we know whether his proposals are designed to benefit him.

I love this! As many of you know, I had an opportunity to meet with Senator Feinstein last week. I'm still trying to figure out where her true alliances lie, but based on that meeting and her recent activities, I am increasingly hopeful that she is dispensing with her politics as usual stance and beginning to emerge as one of Congress's strongest voices against White House corruption.

Today's Yopp! continues with our plan to deluge our MoCs' offices with calls and emails in the final days of Trump's first 100 days. Please call your Senators and Representatives and ask them to go along with Feinstein's proposal. Before any discussion or debate about the President's budget proposals begin, he must release his own tax returns.

No Tax Returns, No Budget. Period.

Go, Dianne, Go!

Yours in Solidarity.

Daily Yopp! 4.25.17 No Wall Call

Getting this one under the wire to still make it today. As I mentioned yesterday, we need to put the pressure on our MoCs as we head into the final first 100 days. Budget stuff is at the forefront.

JUST ONE #ACTION TODAY [thanks to Daily Action]. This is IMPORTANT—please do it!

NO WALL. NO DEPORTATION FORCE. NO COMPROMISES.

CALL YOUR SENATORS and make it clear that funding for a border wall and a deportation force is NOT on the table. Because the White House has little to show for their first 100 days, they are now trying to cram some of their campaign promises into this discussion. No wall. No deportation force. Let your Senators hear your voice.

CALL BOTH OF YOUR SENATORS

"Hi my name is ____ and I live in ______. I'm calling to let Sen.______ know that I oppose any kind of plan or compromise to fund the border wall. There is no benefit to building a wall, and it will cost us taxpayers billions of dollars. Thank you."
--#SolidaritySundays

Daily Yopp! 4.24.17 Back to the Phones!

Happy Monday! I hope many of you had a chance to attend one of your MoCs town halls or other events while they were back home during the Congressional recess. Between those events and the two special elections in deeply red districts that went to the wire, many of our MoCs should be deeply rattled going back into session. We need to keep them nervous.

As he nears the end of his first 100 days, Trump is very keen on delivering a few of his campaign promises. Many/most of those promises are connected to funding in some way. I'm sure we've all heard about his budget proposals. This is where Trump has been bragging the most about his experience and skills. The author of The Art of the Deal believes he and he alone has what it takes to break through Congressional gridlock.

We're going to prove him wrong.

Starting today, we need to get back on the phones and start jamming those office phone lines. This week, please plan to make three calls a day - one to each of your senators and one to your representative. They should be short and to the point. If calls aren't going through, then email is probably your next best bet. The key point is that we need to make sure that Congress is aware that the resistance community is still here and we are still fighting.

Those of you who have been following this blog for awhile may remember my post that explained why I call it the "Daily Yopp!" In a nutshell, a Yopp! is that one final voice that helps the group dissent get heard. This week, we're getting back to Yopping!

Today's action: Call your MoCs about protecting the Affordable Care Act. 

It's no surprise, but Trump is once again trying to repeal the ACA/Obamacare. By most accounts, he doesn't have the votes, but we need to ensure that our MoCs know that we are watching. Here's what to say:

Representative in the House: Please vote NO on the MacArthur Amendment to the American Health Care Act. Also let your rep know that you are opposed to the AHCA and current efforts to repeal the ACA.

Senators: Let them know that you oppose GOP efforts to repeal the ACA and that you are against any of the Trumpcare plans that you have seen.

Back to the phones!

Yours in Solidarity.

Daily Yopp! 4.21.17 Resistance is the New Normal

A while back I wrote about how all crazy stuff Trump and his administration is doing feels like the huge game of Whac-A-Mole. Every day something pops up that needs attention, and it's exhausting.

Here's a little bit of positive news. As most of you know, groups are springing up all around the country. I'm affiliated with a half dozen or so, including Indivisible, Sister District, Justice Scouts, Swing Left, and my main group - Solidarity Sundays. And then of course there is the Daily Yopp!

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to join a group of fantastic women who met with California Senator Dianne Feinstein. I'm still digesting that meeting, but one thing that really jumped out at me is a term she used - the RESISTANCE COMMUNITY. As I said, I'm still working out my thoughts on the meeting, but that term keeps coming back to me. More on that in a bit.

Anyway...so in looking for Yopps! in this Whac-A-Mole world, I came across the Action Alliance website. They define themselves as, "a loosely federated group of organizations that, in the wake of the 2016 election, are sharing daily or weekly calls to action." I bookmarked it a while back and just came back to it today.

HOLY SMOKES!! There are a LOT of groups listed on this first page, and these are just the folks doing calls to action. As much as we are dealing with Trump's Whac-A-Mole politics, the Resistance Community has emerged and is responding in a similar fashion. And we have two things going for us. Our numbers are larger and we are on the right side of history. That's what happens when you up against the ruffians. Resistance has become the new normal.

So take a look at the Action Alliance website and click on some of the links on their front page. I've listed the groups below, but these aren't live links.

*************

Today's Call To Action:

The Affordable Care Act is under attack again. One thing that helps your MoC is personal stories about how an issue affects you. Each of us has a different situation related to health care, but I'm confident that all of us agree that people need access to health care and that health care costs should not bankrupt people.

Please take some time today to write a letter to one or more of your MoCs and let them know how health care affects you and your family. In my case, I'm going to talk about the obscenely high premiums I have to pay to cover my healthy family. I get that health care is complicated, but 25% of my paycheck (no joke) is too much...dontcha think?

So...write a letter (or three) with your health care story. I'm told by Feinstein's aides that these are very helpful.

Yours in Solidarity.

Aggregators of Calls to Action

• Action Hub - What Do I Do About Trump?
• Tell All Your Friends

Websites That Send Daily Emails

• 2 Hours a Week
• Call to Activism
• Center for American Progress Action Fund
• Daily Grab Back
• Do A Thing 
• Rogan's List
• The Loyal Opposition
• The Night Owl Activist
• Trump Resistance Today

Apps

• 5 Calls
• Alder (iOS) 
• Amplify 
• Capitol Call
• fourteen61  
• HelloGOV
• iMarch
• Stand Up
• Udara
• Voices

Bots

• Daily Action (daily text messages)
• Daily Resistance (daily Facebook messages)
• OneCall (calls you every day)

Websites Without Email Lists

• 100 Acts 100 Days (Medium)
• 100 Calls, 100 Days
• Action Together Network
• Activism Engine
• All The Good We Can 
• Call You Next Tuesday
• CivikOwl
• Couch Activism
• Pantsuit District
• Resistance Manual
• Serve 306
• Thank You Campaign
• The Something I Can Do
• TrumpWatch/CorpWatch 

Apps & Bots in Development

• Action Aggregator
• Advocacy Commons
• Agitatr  
• CallParty
• CallThem 
• CallYour
• Data for Democracy
• I+CAN 
• RISE Movement
• Take2

Websites That Send Weekly Emails

• 5 Calls
• 3NoTrump
• Action Checklist for Americans of Conscience
• Action Now 
• America Will Be
• Americans Resisting Overseas
• Attrition Coalition 
• Call Them In
• Damsels in Defiance
• Dream Corps Love Army
• Fight Trump
• Five Minute Resistance
• Flippable
• High Five Action
• Indivisible
• Movement to Oppose Trump
• My Civic Workout
• Public Advocates / Carson Watch
• Re:act
• Resist Trump Tuesdays 
• Rise Stronger
• Small Deeds Done 
• Solidarity Sundays
• The 65
• The Activist Cartel
• The Orange Resistance
• The Resistance: Peaceful Action
• Together We Will USA
• UniteBlue
• VoteProChoice
• Wall of Us 
• Weekly Actions to Resist Trump

Facebook Groups & Pages

• 7 Minutes of Justice
• 270 Love Wins
• 72 Days of Justice (secret)
• Action and Empathy
• Connecting The Dots
• Dems Reunited for Action (secret)
• Easy Activism
• Order of the 1460 
• Postcards for America
• Project Hindsight (secret)
• Radical Women's Resistance
• SAVE U.S. (secret)
• Stand Together Act Together
• Strong Women Action Network
• The Good Fights (Instagram)

Daily Yopp! 4.19.17 Attacks on Syria

Sorry for the lateness on this Yopp! Yesterday, I had the great fortune to be part of a small group that met with California Senator Dianne Feinstein. I'm still digesting what we discussed and will share some thoughts in a day or two. For now, I'm passing on a CTA (Call to Action) from one the Sixty Five, which is of the many groups that are part of the "resistance community." That's a term that Senator Feinstein used in our meeting. I hadn't heard it before and it's gotten me thinking about our movement and the many groups that have sprung up organically since the "election." I'm still pondering...

In the meantime, like many of you, I am concerned about what's happening in Syria and our nation's response to it. There are no simple answers to how we should act, but there should be checks and balances to the decision process. The situation in the Middle East is complex. How do we emerge victorious from the quagmire? Leave the battlefield waving Betsy Ross's flag higher? How can we as a nation do the right thing while also protecting our national interest?

Whatever the merits of military action in Syria, a President with a history of volatile and unpredictable behavior should not make decisions about air strikes unilaterally. Senator Chris Murphy says it perfectly, "Yes, Bashar al-Assad should pay a price for the slaughter of civilians in Syria. But the decision over the nature of that consequence is not for President Trump to make alone" (read the rest of his statement here). Make no mistake; the administration is setting the tone for how they'll handle military authorizations. As tensions mount with North Korea, VP Mike Pence has pointed to recent actions in Syria in Afghanistan as examples of our country's "strength and resolve." That's no way to de-escalate. Make sure you're clear with Congress. Tell them: don't sit by while the POTUS unilaterally decides to use military force.

 Calling Script

Hi, I'm [NAME], a constituent who is devastated about the gas attacks in Syria and deeply concerned about how our government should intervene. I'm calling to ask [Senator or Representative's NAME] to make a public statement urging Trump to get congressional approval for any continued military action in Syria. I do believe that Bashar al-Assad should be held accountable for the atrocious acts of violence he has committed against the Syrians, but I don't think President Trump should make decisions about this matter unilaterally. I'm also deeply concerned that the administration has pointed to recent action in Syria as examples of our strength and resolve in discussions about North Korea. Please urge [Senator or Representative's NAME] to speak up for checks and balances and a government that works together to make important decisions about how and when to use military force. Thanks for taking my call.

(Be sure to identify any Hamilton lyrics you see in this Yopp!)

ADDENDUM:

I recognize that the above script is pretty unwieldy and awkward to read out loud. For those that are comfortable speaking off the cuff, I suggest calling with bullet points and talking like a normal person. Key issues are:

• President is using military force unilaterally against Syria per war powers granted by the Constitution
• Congress needs to speak up for checks and balances with regards to military force
• According to the Constitution, the Prez has until June 5 (60 days) to come up with a legit plan in Syria

My experience in talking with my MoCs staffers (which I do A LOT) is that they get pretty tired of hearing scripts, so the more you can have a conversation, the better. All they are doing is writing your name, zip, and essence of your concern. Those concerns then get tallied at the end of the day and the MoC gets a daily report.

One thing that helps is a deeper understanding of the issue you are calling about. I found this article particularly helpful: Did Trump-ordered missile strikes fall under the War Powers Resolution

Daily Yopp! 4.18.17 Prep Your Resistance "Go Bag"

In earthquake-prone California, many of us pack and keep "go bags" at the ready. A go bag is a small bag packed with essential items that you will need in case of an emergency like extra clothing, food, medicine, etc. As I've begun regularly attending marches, protests, and town halls, I've dedicated a satchel to take to these events. In this bag, I keep a variety of supplies that I might need while I'm out rabble rousing.

For those of you whose schedules are also starting to fill up with resistance events, today's Yopp! is to prepare your Resistance Go Bag. The next time you are rushing out the door towards a last minute protest, you can just grab your Go Bag and know that you've got your critical supplies at the ready.


TOWN HALL/INDIVISIBLE MEETING GO BAG (Basic Kit) - If you are going to an indoor rally or action where you'll be sitting down, you won't need a whole lot more than what you'd normally carry, but it helps to have a few extra supplies on hand

• Bag/satchel - with some way to hold it hands-free
• A couple ballpoint pens
• At least one Sharpie
• Small notebook
• Business cards
• Portable phone charger (charged)
• Red and green paper to express agreement
• Reading material
• Blank cardstock or thick paper for a quick sign
• Granola bar
• Water bottle
• Tissues
• Gum

PEACEFUL PROTEST MARCH/DEMONSTRATION GO BAG - If the demonstration is outside and involves walking, you'll need a few additional supplies.

• Plastic rain poncho - The kind that folds into a tiny package is best. You won't want an umbrella if you are carrying a sign.
• Extra socks - Nothing worse than wet feet
• Whistle or small noisemaker
• Duct tape - for on the fly sign making/repair
• Small first aid kit
• Sweatshirt
• Candles and lighter - in case of a last-minute candlelight march
• Sunscreen
• Emergency phone numbers on paper - in case your phone dies
• Transit card/bus fare
• Hand sanitizer - because Porta Potties are gross
• Identification
• Cash
• Personal hygiene products
• Medication

PASSIVE RESISTANCE GO BAG - Speaking for myself, I'm not quite ready to take the risk of getting arrested for my activism, but I completely respect those who are willing to engage in nonviolent civil disobedience. If this is a possibility, then be sure your Go Bag has the following additional supplies. If getting arrested is very likely or even your intention, you might want to downsize the basic kit to just the bare necessesities.

• Vinyl gloves, swim goggles and a bandana - just in case of pepper spray or tear gas
• Phone numbers written on your arm - in case your bag gets consfiscated
• Three notecards with the following information:

• Your emergency contacts' phone numbers on it, in case your phone dies and you don't have these memorized. 

• Emergency legal counsel contact information.

• List of your rights, if you don't already know them by heart or are prone to drawing a blank under pressure. The ACLU's pamphlet on your rights when questioned or under arrest is a good place to start.

ACTIVIST PARENTS - Here are some suggestions for supplies you might need if you are bringing children to a demonstration. Obviously anyone bringing a child to a demonstration should steer away from any potential violence or risk of arrest.

STREET ACTIVISM - Let me start by saying that I do not endorse violence or rioting by any stretch. That said, if you are choosing to participate in a protest where this kind of thing might happen, you should be prepared for the possibility that you might get arrested or injured. I'm not going to go into detail on this blog, but the Hopes and Fears website has this webpage with suggestions for how to gear up for street activism that could turn violent.


So decide on your level of activism and then assemble your Go Bag accordingly. Let's go!

Yours in Solidarity!


DAILY YOPP EASTER EGG FOR HAMILTON FANS: I've intentionally included a random line from the musical Hamilton in the last two Daily Yopps! If you spy one of them, let me know and I'll give you a shout out in the next Yopp!

Daily Yopp! 4.17.17 - Return of the Yopp!

Hello! I am back after a brief(ish) vacation from the Daily Yopp! So what did I miss?

I'm going to make this short and sweet. As many of you may know, Congress is on a recess right now. There are many town halls happening (I'm heading to one later this morning) as well as several planned demonstrations.

Today's Yopp! is for you to get out your calendar and commit to AT LEAST ONE event over the next month or so.

Let's start with the demonstrations...and there are a bunch. Some of you might have attended a Tax March this past weekend. I went to the one in San Francisco, and it was great to get out there with the giant inflatable chicken that became a sort of mascot and beacon. I also enjoy reading the various protest signs at these marches. Coming up, we've got the following marches:

March for Science: Saturday, March 22 - The main march is in Washington, DC but there are over 500 satellite marches with options in every state and many other countries. If you believe that science is real, then you should march. Check the link for the list of satellite marches.

Climate March: Saturday, March 29 - Again, the main march is in DC, but there are multiple sister marches. There should be a fair bit of crossover between the science and climate marches.

May Day Strikes: Monday, May 1 - There's not really much central organization to this movement, but there will be a DC march as well as many local marches. If you want to participate, consider not going to work that day (be sure you are aware of any impacts this might have on your employment) and search out a demonstration in your area.  "Historically “May Day” has been a global day of mass working class action. Immigrants restored the tradition of May Day to the United States in 2006, when they organized rallies of millions and hundreds of thousands went on strike as part of the “Day Without an Immigrant” in response to brutal Republican attacks." (Jacobin)

Immigrant March: Saturday, May 6 - This one does have a centralized organization, but it's still a work in process.

Okay...so now that you've got the demonstrations marked on your calendar, be sure to schedule at least one town hall. Indivisible has made a nifty guide for how to best use these events. Your best bet is to call your senators and representative. And once you know the date of a town hall, be sure to get a ticket right away. The one I'm going to in a little bit got booked up within two hours. Come prepared with some questions and red and green paper to visibly express your support or dissent.

Speaking of the town hall...I gotta jet.

Yours in Solidarity!

Daily Yopp! 4.1.17 Vote With Your Dollars

I am impatient today. The nonsense with both the House and Senate Intelligence Committees has me up in arms and ready to demand a recall election of Congress...which it turns out is not permitted under our Constitution (probably for good reason, my impatience notwithstanding).

So yeah...2018 seems a long way off. There's lots of hubbub about Jon Ossoff running in the special election for Georgia's 6th district, but that's really little more than a shot across the bow politically. What can we do NOW???

There is one way that we vote every day, and that's with our money. When you go online or to the store, you are choosing where to put your dollars. And honestly, while they might clamor for political power, what these oligarchs and kleptocrats are really after is money. "Follow the money," said Deep Throat (**brief pause while I call on the ghost of Mark Felt to come haunt the halls of the FBI and inspire someone there to blow the whistle**). We may not be able to negotiate shady international oil drilling contracts in Siberia, but we CAN refuse to purchase gasoline from Exxon. As individuals we can't do much, but collectively we can make a huge difference.

Today's Yopp! is to rethink your spending habits and strive to divest yourself as much as possible from Trump and his associates. Here are ten ways you can vote with your dollar TODAY!

1. NEVER Buy, Use, or Support Trump Products: This includes Trump Hotels, Trump Winery, Trump golf courses, Scion Hotels, Ivanka Trump clothing line, 555 California Street in San Francisco, 1290 Avenue of the Americas in New York City, Sentient Jets, and the Donald J. Trump Signature Collection. Investopedia has more details on these companies.

2. Vote at the mall: Grab Your Wallet has selected 10 retailers (both brick and mortar and online) to boycott on account of them selling Trump family products or supporting Trump's election. They are Macy's, LL Bean, Bloomingdale's, Zappos, Amazon, Hudson's Bay, TJ Maxx, Lord & Taylor, Dillard's, and DSW.

3. Stop or Limit Using Amazon: This is a tough one, trust me. Amazon continues to sell Trump products and advertise on Breitbart. On the flip side, CEO Jeff Bezos has been a vocal critic of Trump. As I see it, Amazon is like Switzerland during World War 2. Unwilling to take a firm stand politically, but always there when there's money to be made. I'm also going to admit that I am an Amazon Prime member and regularly use it for convenience. But whenever I can, I buy local instead.

4. Monitor Your Online Shopping: There's a lot to watch out for, so folks have made tools to warn you before you buy a Trump or Trump-supporter product. If you do a lot of online shopping, the #GrabYourWallet Chrome plugin will monitor your shopping and alert you. If you'd prefer an application over a plug-in (so you can choose when you are being monitored), consider downloading the free app BoycottTrump.

5. Boycott ExxonMobil: Let's get real. You can't drive a gasoline-powered car without being somewhat complicit in the horrors inflicted on this planet and its people by gas companies. The worst of the worst is ExxonMobil, which used to be run by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Terrible environmental record. Very shady political dealings. Your best bets for gas are BP, Sunoco, and Shell in that order...but don't kid yourself that you're making a good choice. Get rid of your car and get a bicycle if you really want to have a clean conscience.

6. Change banks/financial institutions: Another tough one. It's easy to not buy Ivanka Trump's ugly clothes, but pulling your money out of institutions like Goldman-Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup and putting it into credit unions and banks like Amalgamated Bank would start hurting them where it counts. Again, easy to say, hard to do.

7. Change the channel: The following TV shows and films fill the pockets of Trump and his supporters. Don't watch them. Miss Universe/Miss USA/Miss Teen USA pageants, "The Apprentice," "Celebrity Apprentice," "Pageant Place," "The Ultimate Merger," WWE wrestling, and "Seinfeld" reruns. And while you are changing the channel, don't watch FoxNews either.

8. Give the gift of charity: Next time you have a birthday or wedding gift to give, consider making a donation to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Environmental Defense Fund, or any of the organizations listed on the Operation Gift List spreadsheet. As a bonus, you'll get a lot of deductions come tax time.

9. Donate to progressive campaigns: While the 2018 elections are a ways off, there are a lot of groups laying the groundwork for progressive campaigns. Consider donating to Justice Democrats, She Should Run, and Brand New Congress.

10. Invest in the Fourth Estate: Fake news had an impact, but mainstream news has fallen down on the job. It's time to start supporting quality investigative journalism via organizations like NPR and ProPublica. Donating to these groups will go a long way in ensuring that the truth is revealed. And while they can be biased and a bit tunnel-visioned, The Young Turks has a point of view that needs to get amplified. They are running a fundraising campaign through the first 100 days of the Trump presidency. The Washington Post and New York Times, while mainstream, tend to be the last bastions of old-school quality journalism, so consider subscribing.

That's what I've got for you today. I'm planning/hoping to do a series of health care related Yopps! over the next week. Stay tuned!

As always, share the heck out of this.

Yours in solidarity.