12/21
WEDNESDAY WAG: MV CAN
A weekly newsletter from MV CAN
[EVERYONE CAN MAKE CALLS THIS WEEK—SEE CALL SECTION AT THE END]
We are MV CAN: the Mill Valley Community Action Network. We are citizens of a democracy that is on the verge of a nervous breakdown because we are facing the installation of an extreme right wing and potentially authoritarian government. We are here to keep democracy alive.
Last week we were 75 people. Now we are 150. Everyone has a role to play. We are meeting, we are educating ourselves, we are organizing. Remember, you are not alone. Across the country, we are millions of people.
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WHAT WE DID THIS WEEK:
- Over a dozen of our members participated in Jared Huffman’s Environmental Town Hall in San Rafael, attended by 700 people. Three of our questions were fielded by Huffman, two of them live on camera. Here’s the story in the Marin Independent Journal.
- Before the San Rafael event, we introduced ourselves to Huffman at an event at the Redwoods attended by 70 people.
- CALL & COFFEE: On Friday morning we made 150 calls to lawmakers on Trump’s business conflicts and Russian hacking.
- We mobilized many members to call and email the electoral college with the message: “Don’t vote for Trump.”
- We attended a 50-person United Marin 2020 event at College of Marin. We are coordinating with their leadership as well as linking up with other groups in Marin similar to ours.
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IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS!!!:
- MV CAN Mobilization Meeting: Sunday Jan 8, 4-6pm, Mill Valley Community Center. There will be a welcome orientation for new members, Action Team work sessions and we will plan for the BIG MARCH IN SF…
- Marin Mobilizes for Women March Saturday Jan 21st at 4pm in San Francisco. This will coordinate with events all over the country in response to the Trump inauguration. It’s our biggest event so far, and is not just for women. This will be an all-Marin event—we’re all going together.
- ACTION ALERT: As you go to holiday parties, talk up the January 8th Mobilization Meeting and the January 21st March in San Francisco!
>12/28 Potluck postponed due to holiday conflicts.
>Stay tuned for more event news! There is something for everyone to do, and lots of opportunities to learn new skills.
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ACTION TEAM REPORTS:
- Environment/Climate Change: The team identified key US senators, Democrats and Republicans, whose votes are crucial to fight the confirmation of Trump’s EPA nominee: Scott Pruitt. >>More on this action to follow.
- Women’s Rights: Working on the Women’s March on Washington and the March in San Francisco. If you are planning on going to DC please let Elyse Foster know.fosterel22@gmail.com
- Dump Trump: We spearheaded the electoral college calls and emails. Our next task will be to encourage our elected officials to take concrete steps to resist the Trump administration. We will discredit Trump’s corruption due to Russian ties and financial conflicts. >>See action below.
- Civil Rights/Immigration: We have reached out to Canal Alliance, MLK Day organizers, a Tam High government teacher, the MV Islamic Center and local ACLU chapter. Actions pending.
- Outreach/Communications: We distributed 250 MV CAN flyers at the Huffman Town Hall. We are working on an identity, voice and messaging with Craig Frazier, a world-renowned illustrator and designer based in Mill Valley. We have a number of projects in the works to support the other teams, giving them tools and strategies to be more effective and ways to turn people’s anger and anxiety into productive work.
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SOMETHING EVERYBODY CAN DO! CALLS TO MoCs.
(A NEW ACRONYM! MEMBERS OF CONGRESS)
HERE’S THE ASK: We are asking every member to make some calls this week. If you’ve never done it, we’ll teach you how. The purpose of the calls is to push for investigation of Trump’s many conflicts of interest. We will introduce new calls each week, as issues arise.
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TIPS FOR MAKING CALLS TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS:
1. THE SCRIPTS ARE A GUIDELINE—FEEL FREE TO PERSONALIZE.
2. CALLS MAY VERY BE BRIEF AS LONG AS YOU IDENTIFY THE SPECIFIC ISSUE YOU ARE CALLING ABOUT.
3. IF YOU ENGAGE A STAFF MEMBER IN CONVERSATION YOU CAN ASK WHERE THE MoC STANDS ON THE ISSUE, THEN REINFORCE OR POLITELY OPPOSE.
4. LEAVE A MESSAGE WITH YOUR MAIN POINT IF YOU ARE ABLE.
5. IF YOU ARE FROM THE STATE IN QUESTION, OR HAVE DONATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL, INDENTIFY YOURSELF AS SUCH.
6. TALLY YOUR CALLS AND REPORT BACK: THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TRIES IS FINE.
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WHO TO CALL:
REPUBLICAN:
>>Rep. Jason Chaffetz, Utah, Chairman House Oversight Committee (try Utah office first) Utah Phone: (801) 851-2500, Wash DC: (202) 225-7751
TALKING POINTS:
1. Tell them who you are and that you have some serious questions about Trump and the law.
2. Ask for Chaffetz’s position on Trump’s many conflicts of interest e.g. his interests in China and Russia and how that may conflict with American policy interests.
3. Ask if he’s going to be tough on this and what exactly is he going to do to make sure that the president is working for the American people and not his personal business interests.4. Tax returns. Where are Trump’s tax returns. We want to see them now.
DEMOCRAT:
>>Rep. Elijah Cummings, Ranking Democratic—call to support his efforts, 202-225-4741
TALKING POINTS:
1. Tell them who you are and that you are calling to support everything they are doing to pressure Trump and his advisors on their conflicts of interest.
2. Tell them you know it’s a tough fight and you are behind them 100%.
3. Tell them to push like hell on Trump’s tax returns.
>>Democratic House Oversight Committee Offices —call to reinforce: 202-224-2541
(same as above)
Thank you for making these important calls!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
“We’ve just got to fight the bastards. And we’ve got to make it fun.”
(From our friend Huey Johnson, Secretary of Resources under the first Brown administration, and founder of the Resource Renewal Institute in Mill Valley)
See you all on January 8th!
June, Danny, Suz, Bernard, Lucy, and others at MVCAN