Actions

Weekly Actions

Members of Congress

  • Sen. Patty Murray
    (202) 224-2621 | Email

  • Sen. Maria Cantwell
    (202) 224-3441 | Email

  • Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st)
    (202) 225-6311 | Email

  • Rep. Kim Schrier (8th)
    (202) 225-7761 | Email

  • Rep. Adam Smith (9th)
    (202) 225-8901 | Email
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    For the Week of Dec 16, 2024

    🔷 We learned at the monthly Washington Indivisible Network’s leaders meeting that nearly 500 Washingtonians have reached out Indivisible to be connected to an existing group, or start a new one. Seven new chapters are forming (West Seattle, Milton, Toledo, Eatonville, Harstine Island/Shelton, San Juans, SE King County) and five dormant ones are reenergized. Indivisible Eastside has had over 70 people join our mailing list or facebook group! Welcome one and all!

    🔷 If you or someone you know is facing health insurance claim denial, Propublica’s tool can help you find out why your health insurer denied your claim, and help you get the documentation you need to appeal.

    🔷 How can we take action against harassment if we don’t know what to do? Right To Be is offering free, one-hour, interactive training to train people on how to safely intervene when you witness harassment — or experience it yourself. View and sign up for different topics on different dates.

    🔷 Save the date Jan 11, 2025, 2-3:30 for Indivisible Eastside’s first In Person meeting of 2025 at Redmond Library. Agenda TBD, but we’ll surely be talking about the 2025 Legislative session, as well as celebrating our 8th birthday!

    Here are your 2 actions and a Bright Spot.

    ✊ Action 1 – Tell President Biden to Commute Death Row Sentences

    From ACLU

    Donald Trump executed more people during his first term as president than all of the past 10 administrations combined, and he has promised to expand the use of the death penalty even more in his second. We must take action immediately before he is sworn into office. The federal death penalty system is plagued by systemic flaws – racial bias, errors in sentencing, and wasted resources. Furthermore, evidence has consistently shown that capital punishment does not deter crime or make us safer. The death penalty instead perpetuates injustice – particularly for Black, Brown, and economically disadvantaged people, who are most vulnerable to wrongful convictions and executions. Continuing the federal death penalty in this country only deepens the systemic inequalities that already infect our criminal legal system.

    As a growing number of Americans across the political and faith spectrum urge an end to this outdated and inhumane practice, President Biden has the power to cement a legacy of compassion and justice by commuting all federal death sentences before he leaves the Oval Office. This decision would fulfill his campaign promise to act on the death penalty and uphold his commitment to racial justice and community safety, and save lives. Urge President Biden to commute all federal death sentences before his time as president ends.

    Three different options to take action:

    • Sign ACLU’s petition HERE
    • Text ‘SIGN PONUOO’ to 50409 (Resistbot – script below will be sent)
    • Contact the White House 1-202-456-1111 | EMAIL

    Suggested Script:

    During your 2020 campaign, you pledged to eliminate the death penalty at the federal level, recognizing its disparate impact on people of color and those suffering from mental illness along with the alarming number of those sentenced to die who were ultimately exonerated. While this work remains incomplete, there is still an opportunity in these final weeks of your presidency to live up to the spirit of this promise. Forty people currently remain on federal death row, awaiting the arrival of a president who aggressively used capital punishment in his first term and is set to do so again. Please honor your commitment to justice and to your supporters and issue a blanket clemency commuting all their sentences to life imprisonment without parole before you leave office.

    ✊ Action 2 – Support Transgender Military Families

    From Olympia Indivisible

    The National Defense Authorization Act, which will enact the first federal anti-LGBTQ+ law in over a decade and targets the trans kids of military service members with bans on coverage of their gender affirming care, just passed with 81 Democratic votes. This bill and the votes of several Democrats are seen as a severe betrayal of transgender constituents. Now, passed by the House, it is expected that this policy will severely disrupt the lives of transgender service members by jeopardizing their access to care and stripping transgender family members of vital healthcare coverage. Although some Democrats supported the bill, Representative Adam Smith , Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, issued a statement in opposition to the anti-transgender provisions.

    Action: Contact your Democratic Members of Congress.

    There are two scripts. The first script is intended for Democratic Representatives who voted YEA, to tell them how disappointed you are. The second script is for Representatives who voted NAY, to thank them for doing the right thing. Please feel free to personalize your message.

    Script for elected who voted YEA – to target the trans kids of military service members

    🔷 Rep. Kim Schrier (8th): DC 202-225-7761 | Issaquah 425-657-1001| EMAIL

    I am profoundly disappointed by your Yea vote on the NDAA bill that contains an amendment taking care away from trans youth enrolled in TriCare. Your vote enacts the first federal anti-LGBTQ+ law in over a decade and actively targets transgender servicemembers and transgender children of military families by limiting their access to gender-affirming healthcare. Eliminating this care forces transgender servicemembers into the cruel situation of having to choose between accessing health care and serving our country.

    This was your first opportunity to resist the Republican Party’s anti-trans campaign and you shirked it. I had expected, based on previous statements you have made, that you would protect the LGBTQ community and demonstrate your commitment to honor and support the sacrifice of all of our servicemembers. You failed on both scores.

    Please demonstrate your integrity and backbone; do not obey in advance.

    Script for electeds who voted NAY – to prevent harm

    🔷 Rep. Suzan DelBene (1st): DC 202-225-6311 | Kirkland 425-485-0085 | EMAIL

    🔷 Rep. Adam Smith (9th): DC 202-225-8901 | Renton 425-793-5180 | EMAIL

    Thank you for voting against the National Defense Appropriations Act (NDAA). In doing so, you showed courage by rejecting what is most likely the Republicans’ first, and certainly not last, attack on the LGBTQIA community. And you stood up for empathy, healthcare, human rights, and fairness, as well as demonstrating your commitment to honor and support the sacrifice of all of our servicemembers.

    Thank you for not “obeying in advance” and for standing up to the politicians who want to take medical services away from our service members and their trans children.

    We salute you!

    â›… Bright Spot

    From Indivisible Eastside member Laurie W:

    I really like former UW professor David Domke and the Common Power organization. They do great work for democracy across our whole country and are continuing!

    These new 3 lectures are really good. Domke does a great job of tying together trends and facts. Lots of research similar to Dr. Heather Cox Richardson. Lecture #3 begins by dispelling the mistruths that FOX et al are promoting that the Democrats got crushed, annihilated, humiliated etc in the last election. They did not and we need to be vocal about this.

    I paid for the lectures, but asked Domke for permission to forward them on and he enthusiastically gave it. So you can forward them too.

    I hope you find some time to watch. I am watching ½ hour at a time.

    Peace, Laurie

    Beating the Backlash: How Democracy Might Actually Be Winning in America

    Calendar of Events

    Recorded events to check out:

    … and More:

    More Resources for Your Activism:

    • Indivisible.org has specific actions you can take by zip code or topic area search. Sign up to receive emails from them HERE and donate HERE.
    • 5calls.org 5 Calls list calls to make to your congresspeople, organized by topic, including script and phone numbers, and a way to log/track your 5 Calls actions if you choose.
    • Chop Wood, Carry Water is a daily political activism newsletter that comes out 6 days a week. Free or paid subscriptions HERE.
    • Suzi and Eric LeVine are local activists. Their newsletter gives actions and insight that can inspire and keep you motivated. Subscribe to their newsletter HERE.

    Resources:

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