Act of Resistance: Demand Peace – Oppose Rex Tillerson, nominee for Secretary of State

Rex Tillerson has no government experience. As Secretary of State, he would serve as the President’s chief foreign affairs advisor.

Rex Tillerson is a life-long employee of ExxonMobile, he spent the last ten years as the CEO of ExxonMobil.

Human rights

• During his tenure as executive vice president at ExxonMobil, the company was accused of and charged with human rights violation in Indonesia. ExxonMobil security guards tortured and murdered local Indonesian people who lived and worked nearby. 
• While CEO of ExxonMobil, Tillerson has refused to acknowledge human rights abuses in Saudia Arabia.
• Tillerson supports a Muslim registry

Russian Ties 

Tillerson has maintained a decades-long close association to Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, and Igor Sechin, head of the Kremlin’s security.

Immigration  

“If confirmed, however, one of Mr. Tillerson’s first priorities will be implementing parts of Mr. Trump’s refugee and visa ban, one that many lower-level State Department officials and Foreign Service officers are reportedly condemning as misguided.” - Washington Post

Sources

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/trumps-pick-secretary-state-rex-tillerson-linked-human-rights-abuses-indonesia

http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,169336,00.html

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/30/rex-tillerson-cleared-for-confirmation-vote-in-sen/

Directory of US Senate Representatives: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Directory of US House Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Washington State Senators:

Senator Maria Cantwell

Phone: (202) 224-3441, (509) 353-2507

https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form

Senator Patty Murray

Phone (202) 224-2621, (509) 624-9515

https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Representative Dan Newhouse 202-225-5816, (509) 713-7374

Transcript for phone:

Hello, Please oppose Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State. His human rights record and ties to Russia and Saudi Arabia undermine the global interests and safety of the United States.

Act of Resistance: Demand Peace – Oppose Steve Bannon, Support War Refugees

This is all happening so quickly. I apologize for the brevity of this post – action is needed by you, today. Please call, do not email, your representatives. Phone lines are jammed in the 202 area code of Washington DC. Call the local offices, and you will most likely get through.

Donald Trump made three terrible actions last week:

• Signed an executive order cracking down on US sanctuary cities for war refugees
• Signed an executive order banning Muslims entry to the US
• Named Steve Bannon to the National Security Council. Bannon has no government, intelligence, or high-level military experience.

Banning war refugees is unconstitutional and directly violates the rules of the Geneva Convention. These decisions threaten the security of the US for many reasons. Here are the top two:

• By banning refugees based on faith, this action will be used by ISIS as a recruiting tool, and embolden their claim that the US has declared war on Muslims
• Bannon was the head of Breitbart News, a fake news media outlet that promotes false conspiracy theories, propaganda, and supports white nationalism.

Sources

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/316768-merkel-explained-the-geneva-convention-to-trump-report

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/politics/refugee-muslim-executive-order-trump.html?_r=0

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/29/512295108/with-national-security-council-shakeup-steve-bannon-gets-a-seat-at-the-table

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/homeland-security/316697-trumps-refugee-ban-is-the-perfect-isis-recruiting-tool

https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/terrorism-immigration-risk-analysis

Directory of US Senate Representatives: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Directory of US House Representatives: http://www.house.gov/representatives/

Washington State Senators:

Senator Maria Cantwell

Phone: (202) 224-3441, (509) 353-2507

https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form

Senator Patty Murray

Phone (202) 224-2621, (509) 624-9515

https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Representative Dan Newhouse 202-225-5816, (509) 713-7374

Transcript for phone:

Hello, Please oppose the recent Executive Order banning Muslims entry to the US and vigorously oppose the placement of Steve Bannon on the National Security Council.

Why I did not attend the Women's March, and why I regret that choice

Original publication date, January 25, 2017 Methow Valley News

I did not attend the Women’s March on Saturday.
I had a million lame excuses to stay home: I didn’t know what it was all about, the president was already elected, there were loads of laundry to wash, a house that needed cleaned, articles to be written, I don’t like crowds. Ask me why I wasn’t planning on attending and I could name off any number of avoidance reasons.
But after the march was done and it was too late to participate, I read the Facebook post of a childhood friend. I met her at summer camp when we were 8 years old. We grew up in the same church, became first-year college roommates. I was her bridesmaid in her wedding, and helped plan her first baby shower. Her post read, “The ultimate demonstration a woman can make is in the closet on her knees. The feminist movement is a humanist movement. Don’t be deceived ladies by worldly arguments.”
The excuses I made to not march on Saturday suddenly became feeble, embarrassing. I needed to march because today, in the year 2017, my contemporaries believe that human rights are a “worldly,” that is, “evil” cause. Her post was a reminder of how far I had come from the world I grew up in, and the bigoted, repressive, ignorant beliefs that continue to permeate the voting public.
My mother’s birthday was last week, Jan. 17. Years ago, she passed away from ovarian cancer. During the week of her birthday I can’t help but remember everything about her. How she burst into song during the most mundane of tasks. Her giggles and laughter that were uncontrollable and contagious. She lit up a room when she breezed through the door with her bright smile.
This same beautiful, outgoing woman believed that women who wore pants and makeup were dangerous. That feminists destroyed the moral fiber of the country by encouraging women to work outside the home and get an education. That the pursuit of equal rights and human rights degraded the moral norms of a society. She held these beliefs and taught them to me, until I reached my teen years and counteracted with my own thoughts about human rights and our own moral obligation to provide equal opportunities to everyone in this country.
For several years, our relationship was contentious. And then, she made several courageous changes. She got a job outside the home. She donned pants and makeup. She asked my opinion about human rights, and carefully considered my viewpoints before changing her own. Before she passed, she said to me, “I wish I had your courage. My life would have been so different.”
With that thought, I am going to show my courage. On my blog, www.joannabastian.blogspot.com, I will begin making regular posts about the current issues up for debate that affect us all personally. The short posts will contain an overview of the subject, cite reputable sources, and include email and phone contacts to make your voice heard. I will share transcripts of the emails and voicemails that I send to our representatives. Anyone is welcome to use my words as a boilerplate for their own communications to our representatives.

Act of Resistance: Oppose nomination of Andrew Puzder to US Labor Secretary

Andrew Puzder is currently being considered for US Labor Secretary. As labor secretary, Mr. Puzder would oversee the federal apparatus that investigates violations of minimum wage, overtime and worker safety laws and regulations.

He is, “a man whose business record is defined by fighting against working people.” -Richard L. Trumka, president of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.

• Opposed efforts to increase minimum wage nationally
• Staunch opponent of overtime pay and rules
• Criticizes paid sick leave policies
• Supports a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act
• Active opponent of employment laws
• Outsourced the technology department of his fast food empire to the Philippines
• His nationwide fast food chain conglomerate, CKE, was found guilty of wage-theft violations in dozens of cases

In an interview with Business Insider, Mr. Puzder was supportive of increased automation because machines, “never take a vacation…there’s never a slip-and-fall or an age, sex, or race discrimination case.” The man clearly supports employing robots instead of people.

Sources

http://www.businessinsider.com/andy-puzder-outsourced-jobs-to-philippines-2017-1

http://www.businessinsider.com/puzders-business-methods-raise-questions-2017-1

http://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-puzder-to-be-named-labor-secretary-2016-12

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/08/us/politics/andrew-puzder-labor-secretary-trump.html?_r=0

List of US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Washington State Senators:

Senator Maria Cantwell

Phone: (202) 224-3441

https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form

Senator Patty Murray

Phone (202) 224-2621

https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Transcript for phone/email:

Hello Senator _____,

Please oppose the nomination of Andrew Puzder for US Labor Secretary.

He does not support working Americans. (Your Name)

Daily Resistance Action: Oppose Jeff Sessions, nominee for US Attorney General

Jeff Sessions is currently being considered for the position US Attorney General. If approved, he will represent the United States in legal matters.

He is, “amnesty’s worst enemy” – National Review

• Fought legal immigration, including guest worker programs
• Supports anti-LGBT initiatives
• Science Denier, in a 2015 hearing Sessions stated, “Carbon pollution is CO2, and that’s not really a pollutant; that’s plant food, and it doesn’t harm anybody…” (as any high school science student knows, CO2 is an asphyxiant, exposure to concentrations of 10% can cause death)
• In 1986 a Senate committee denied Sessions a federal judgeship due to his connections to the KKK and racist comments

Contact these Senators today

Senate Judiciary Committee Chair, Chuck Grassley (R-IA) 202-224-3744

SJJC Ranking Member, Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) 202-224-3841

List of US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

Washington State Senators:

Senator Maria Cantwell

Phone: (202) 224-3441

https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form

Senator Patty Murray

Phone (202) 224-2621

https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme

Transcript for phone/email:

Hello Senator _____,

Please vote NO on Jeff Sessions for Attorney General.

His record in legal matters would be disastrous to the economic vitality of the United States, and our nation’s civil rights laws.

(Your Name)