INCO Weekly Newsletter 11/12

“It takes all of us to look after all of us.” — Sasha Miller "After this past week, people in the Resistance are exhausted. But they’re not resting." -- Michelle Goldberg, New York Times Why We Rallied - Why Congress Must Act Jeff Sessions’ forced resignation/firing as Attorney general has created a Constitutional crisis. Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker has argued against the Mueller investigation and is now overseeing it. This means the Mueller investigation is defenseless. Mueller must complete his work. Congress must act now to pass legislation that protects Mueller. We must stop Trump from destroying our Constitution and the Rule of Law. We must call AND email AND text/Resistbot our Members of Congress EVERY DAY until Whitaker recuses himself and legislation to protect Mueller is passed. Call EVERY DAY   Email EVERY DAY Text/Resistbot (50409) EVERY DAY Tell Your Members of Congress Trump is Not Above the Law.  •  The news about the Russia investigation changes daily. Trump could keep Mueller in place, but continue to undermine the probe by cutting funding, narrowing its scope, or degrading oversight. As of November 9, Democrats in Congress are contemplating a lawsuit contesting the appointment of Matthew Whitaker as Acting Attorney General to oversee the investigation. Tell your Members of Congress to back this lawsuit. •  "Senator Jeff Flake announced that he and Senator Chris Coons would force a roll-call vote on the "protect Mueller bill" when the Senate reconvenes. Donald Trump floated a trial balloon for authoritarianism, and we just popped it. Our actions are playing a critical role in shaping the response to this power grab."  -- MoveOn.org Punishment Proposed for Being Poor Our lives should be defined by how we contribute to our communities—not by how much money we have. But a proposed new Trump regulation would ensure only wealthy immigrants could build a future in the U.S. The proposed policy expands the definition of a “public charge” to anyone in lower-income thresholds who has used section 8 housing, subsidized health care, etc. These people are paying taxes, and blocking these services to parents will hurt children.  Please comment! Comments are due December 10.  HAPPENINGS Check for details and new posts on our events page. All Indivisibles are welcome at all these events and meetings.   THIS WEEK Tuesday, November 13 - Seaside-Gearhart Community Group monthly meeting, 6:30 - 8 pm. For location and directions, contact kathleenannmacdonald@yahoo.com. Saturday, November 17 - Warrenton Community Group meeting, NEW MEETING TIME!11:30 a.m., Dooger's Seafood & Grill, Hwy 101, Warrenton UPCOMING Wednesday, November 21 - INCO Vote the Future Team meeting, 6:30 pm, Seaside Library Board Room. All Indivisibles interested in voting and elections issues (including National Popular Vote, gerrymandering, voter suppression) are welcome. Wednesday, November 28 - INCO Book Club, 6:30 pm, in Astoria.  We’ll discuss  a novel,  A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hosseini,  Penguin Books, 2013.  Among the reviews were the following:  "Just as good as, if not better than, Hosseini's best-selling first book, The Kite Runner."  Newsweek.  "Hosseinni has the story telling gift." Los Angeles Times. Contact cebeady@outlook.com for directions. Saturday, December 1 - Astoria Community Group monthly meeting,  1 pm, Street 14 Cafe, 1410 Commercial, Astoria Wednesday, December 5 - A-Team/Advocacy Team monthly meeting. 6:30 pm, Seaside Library Board Room. Everyone welcome as INCO tackles crucial issues facing our country. Saturday, January 19 - INCO Women's March and Regional Summit More Recognition for Indivisible Enjoy this exciting interview about Indivisible's accomplishments and plans with Indivisible founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin.  Here's a great NY Times article about the important impact of our resistance. Protesting against the appointment of a Trump loyalist as Acting Attorney General, 150-200 people gathered on November 8 in Astoria to rally with INCO for the rule of law. Our rally was one of hundreds around the country insisting that nobody is above the law. The new appointment threatens effective oversight of the Mueller investigation. Many experts, including some Republicans, consider this appointment a violation of the US Constitution because it is not being submitted to the Senate for confirmation. The appointee, Matthew Whitaker,  has oversight of the Mueller probe, but has long been openly critical of it.  The crowd - including several candidates - loved the Big Tent Election Night Party that INCO co-sponsored. Celebrating election victories and regretting losses with good people and good food was a well-deserved treat for all who ran, campaigned, and got out the vote. INSIGHTS “...mid-way between moral and immoral, ethical and unethical is nowhere. Accommodating the immoral, the unethical, the crazies out there simply dilutes one's position and doesn't make it MORE honorable but LESS so. We need to firmly avow our position as long as it is anchored in truth and justice.” --Meridee Faber HOORAY FOR PROGRESSIVE VICTORIES AT THE MIDTERMS Voting Rights FLORIDA: Passage of Amendment 4 restores the right to vote to 1.4 million people with prior felony convictions MARYLAND: Election Day registration passed NEVADA: Automatic voter registration passed MICHIGAN: A package of voting reforms including automatic voter registration, same day voter registration, no-excuse absentee ballots, straight-ticket voting, and election audits passed. Redistricting MICHIGAN: Voters back a constitutional amendment to create a nonpartisan, independent redistricting commission. COLORADO: Voters pass two measures to create an independent redistricting commissions to draw state legislative and congressional maps.  MISSOURI: The Clean Missouri initiative passes that requires a fairer redistricting process so that no one political party will have an advantage in drawing state legislative maps. UTAH: The Better Boundaries initiative passes that creates an impartial commission to draw voting maps and sets important standards to stop gerrymandering. CALIFORNIA: Local measures that set up independent redistricting commissions for municipal voting maps passed in Santa Barbara County and Long Beach.  Ethics & Campaign Finance PUBLIC FINANCING: Local small donor campaign public financing programs passed in Denver and Baltimore, while New York City voted to strengthened their existing successful program.  NEW MEXICO: Voters approve a constitutional amendment to create an independent ethics commission. MISSOURI: The sweeping Clean Missouri initiative mentioned above passed that includes provisions on transparency, campaign finance, ethics, and redistricting. NORTH DAKOTA: Voters approve an initiative to create an independent ethics commission, ban foreign money in North Dakota elections, ban lobbyists gifts to public officials, and increase transparency in state government. FLORIDA: Voters approved a constitutional amendment that creates new, important ethics rules for Florida’s elected and government officials and makes strong improvements to Florida’s lobbying rules. LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA: A local initiative to create a municipal ethics commission passed.  DARK MONEY: Phoenix, AZ voters approved a dark money disclosure ordinance OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED: Measures calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United passed statewide in Massachusetts and locally in Wisconsin. ACTION PRIORITIES Focus on the issues you care about most  Tell Your Members of Congress to: • Uphold the rule of law and protect our democracy. • Condemn the administration's authoritarian speech, actions, and policies. • Pressure your GOP colleagues to assert Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government, not as a servant of the President. • Protect Mueller, Rosenstein, and the Russia investigation that has already led to indictments and convictions of Trumpsters and Russians. • Restore trust in the judiciary, media, and in all the other civic institutions being purposely undermined by Trump and his administration • Defeat the administration's white supremacist actions and promotion of bigotry against people of color, naturalized citizens, foreign students, and non-Christians. • Protect all Americans. • Stand with people who need help getting medical care and enough food to eat. • Stop the administration's attacks on America's allies and embrace of America's totalitarian enemies. • Demand effective government actions to deal with climate change. • Provide meaningful help for Puerto Rico's recovery from Hurricane Maria. • Oppose  nominees to be federal judges who fail to support equal rights for all people • Develop a humane and practical immigration policy.    Check out the new Americans of Conscience website where you can sign up for the weekly Action Checklist. This week's checklist is here.   www.indivisible.org    Contact elected officials here.    www.incoregon.org

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS  All INCO Indivisibles are invited to get active with INCO's Advocacy Team, Vote the Future Team,  Book Club and Community Groups. Contact Laurie at incoregon@gmail.com for more information.   Questions, suggestions, & photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com. INCO has 3 websites: our main one; Vote the Future; and Really Do Care INCO Under 40s  Join INCO's closed Facebook group for more actions, information, and discussion. Share this newsletter with other resisters. INCO is supported entirely by donations. Please donate here or mail your check to INCO c/o PO Box 536, Warrenton, OR 97146 Deb Vanasse and Laurie Caplan, INCO Co-chairs INCO Weekly Newsletter   November 12, 2018