Volume I, Issue 4a The Newsletter of Minuteman Indivisible Lexington March 29, 2017
(edited)
Muster (verb) – assemble, especially for inspection or preparation for battle
Welcome to Minuteman Muster, the weekly e-newsletter of Minuteman Indivisible Lexington. Here you will find action steps that take as little as a few minutes to do, news from Minuteman Indivisible, upcoming events, links to articles of interests and more.
MI HAPPENINGS
Minuteman Indivisible Tax Day Rally has been Approved!
We have been approved to hold a rally on the 18th of April (official Tax Day) at Fletcher Park in Lexington to demand tax transparency from our president. Please join us and bring your sign! Sign up here to let us know you'll be there!
"Obamacare is the law of the land." Paul Ryan, March 24th
Indivisible and other progressive groups can celebrate this stay of execution for the ACA and its role in keeping the pressure on our representatives. However, we must not forget that it was the right wing of the Republican Party, as much as progressive movements like ours that executed this victory for healthcare. That should give us pause and keep us on notice to redouble our efforts, and to recognize that ACA is not working well and still needs substantial reforms. See morning coffee actions for ideas and reading on how to keep the pressure on this important issue that is not going away.
Some ideas on building consensus on healthcare by conservative David Frum: The Republican Waterloo
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Constitutional Democracy Team Meeting
Wednesday, March 29th, 2017
7:15 pm - 8:45 pm
Lexington Community Center Dining Room, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington
New members welcome.
Team Leaders Meeting
Monday, April 3,
7:00pm-9:00pm
Lexington Community Center Arts/Crafts Room, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington
Sign Making Meeting
Monday, April 3,
6:00pm-9:00pm
Lexington Community Center Arts/Crafts Room, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington
Healthcare Team Meeting
Tuesday, April 4,
7:00pm-9:00pm
Location TBD
New members welcome.
Elections Team Meeting
Thursday, April 6,
7:00pm-9:00pm
Location TBD
New members welcome.
Sign Making Meeting
Monday, April 10,
6:00pm-9:00pm
Lexington Community Center Arts/Crafts Room, 39 Marrett Road, Lexington
All Member Meeting
Wednesday April 12th,
7:30pm-9:30pm
First Parish, Parish Hall, 7 Harrington Rd., Lexington
Come hear what all the teams have been working on and what we've been working on with other area indivisible groups. Come get inspired, join a team, and bring friend!
All are welcome.
JOIN A TEAM
If you haven't had had a chance to sign up for a team and would like to get involved, just fill out this form:
(Actions you can do while enjoying your morning cup!)
Demand that Rep. Nunes recuse himself from the Russia Investigation!
Register your Demand that Rep. Nunes Recuse himself from the from Russia House Intelligence Committee For more information and a script click here.
Demand a Russian Interference Special Prosecutor!
Our attorney general may have committed perjury and a foreign government may have interfered in our democracy. The American people need answers about Russian involvement in the 2016 presidential campaign – and what role Attorney General Jeff Sessions may have played. Only an independent special prosecutor can ensure a full investigation free of partisan politics and conflicts of interest, the kind of investigation the American people deserve. In America, no one is above the law, no matter their political connections. Demand that Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Russian interference and any role by the Trump campaign.
"Contact Us" Form: https://www.justice.gov/contact-us
Department Comment Line: 202-353-1555
Department of Justice Main Switchboard: 202-514-2000
Snail Mail:
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001
Support the Resolution to Demand the Release of Trump's Tax Returns
Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) has introduced a Resolution of Inquiry (H.Res. 186) directing the Treasury Secretary to provide to the House of Representatives Trump’s tax returns from 2006 through 2015, as well as other financial documentation. If you think that Trump’s tax returns need to be made public, tell your MoC to cosponsor H.Res. 186. Here’s some background and script for asking your Representative to cosponsor the resolution.
Filibuster Gorsuch
There are several schools of thought on this. Filibustering is a risky proposition: It can result in risk to moderates from swing districts in the 2018 election, and risks a sweeping change to filibusters across the board, not just to Supreme Court nominees, enabling Republicans to sweep in dodgy legislation. However, we come down on the side of filibuster for the reasons stated in the Washington Post and Slate. In a nutshell: With the ongoing investigations into Trump/Russia, it is not clear that his presidency is legitimate, therefore lifetime appointments by him should be delayed until there is clarity. Also, if they drop the filibuster rule, better to have it now, with some possibility of a Gorsuch replacement, rather than with Justice Kennedy who will likely retire soon.
Warren and Markey both actively oppose Gorsuch, but could use your support on the record with a phone call.
Articles FOR the Filibuster : Slate, Politico
Articles Against the Filibuster : The Hill
Let Markey and Warren know You Oppose H.R. 998 SCRUB Act
It's one of those boring and dangerous bills you’ve never heard of, but you know who doesn’t think this is boring? Corporate lobbyists—and they’re hoping you don’t notice. The Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) would create an unelected board to make recommendations to Congress on cutting regulations. This may not sound like a big deal—but it is. It’s a quiet way to give big business a big gift: the end of regulations essential to protecting our environment, health, and workplace safety. This bill has already passed the House and is currently before the Senate: here’s our script for telling your Senator to vote NO on this dangerous legislation.
Help Elect James Thompson to the KS 4th (house seat vacated by Mike Pompeo)
Let's build an army of strong progressives to the Trump regime in the house. The first of the special elections for house seats vacated by Trump's appointees will be the KS 4th race, held April 11th. Donate a half hour to phone banking for James Thompson any day from 11 AM to 9:30 PM. For more information on the calling, click here. For more color on the race, click here.
Minuteman Indivisible Tax Day Rally -- It's Confirmed! Tuesday, April 18, 2017 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
Fletcher Park, (Farmers Market location),
Corner of Mass. Ave and Woburn St. in Lexington
Minuteman Lexington rallies support for tax transparency in our president.
Reception support of Congresswoman Annie Kuster, NH 2nd Congressional District Thursday, April 20, 6-7 pm 325 Harvard Street, Cambridge, MA
Host: $500+ | Sponsor: $250 | Supporter: $100 | Friend: $50 | Ticket: $25
To RSVP, please contact Meg Scribner at meg@kusterforcongress.com or (603) 225-3327
March for Science April 22, 2017 12 noon – 5:00 pm Boston Common
The March for Science champions publicly-funded and publicly-communicated science as a pillar of human freedom and prosperity. We unite as a diverse, non-partisan group to call for science that upholds the common good, and for political leaders and policy makers to enact evidence-based policies in the public interest. This group is inclusive of all individuals and types of science! To register and for information, click here. (Submitted by MI Protests and Marches Team)
People's Climate March Saturday, April 29, 2017 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Washington, DC
The Climate March in Washington DC is promising to be huge! A "sister" march in Boston on April 29 is still TBD; we hope to have confirmation in the upcoming week. For those that would like to march and must stay local, in absence of an organized sister climate march in Boston, we propose to march for climate concerns as part of the March for Science on April 22 (see above). For those that would like to march in Washington, there are buses available leaving from Alewife and other stops, leaving late Friday night April 28, going straight to the march, and then returning Saturday night to arrive back in the Boston area early Sunday Morning. Bus tickets are $110+ fee, sponsor tickets are $130.
Click here for more information about the march. For Bus Information click here. (Submitted by MI Protests and Marches Team, and MI Climate and Environment Team)
HELP WANTED
In addition to team members we are also looking for people for the following positions:
You must be a member of Minuteman Indivisible Lexington.
Items should be no longer than 50 words, and are subject to editing by the compiler. You may include links to pages with more details.
Items must be submitted by 5:00 pm Thursday for inclusion the following Monday to muster@minutemanindivisible.org
No more than one submission per member per week please.
Items will be identified by source, such as “Submitted by a Minuteman Indivisible Member”. Submissions by Teams will be identified as such. Items may not be included at the discretion of Minuteman Indivisible Lexington.
All items are subject to the discretion of the editor.
Our Mission:
We the people of Minuteman Indivisible unite to uphold the rights and dignity of all people. Our mission is to exercise and defend our Constitutional rights and democratic institutions. Our principles are informed by our humanitarian values and respect for well-established scientific knowledge and governance expertise.
