To Do List: Jan 30 - Feb 5

Weekly To Do List

Well. A lot has happened this past week. It's easy to feel overwhelmed and even paralyzed by it all.

We have calls to make. Protests to attend, if able.

There are a lot of things going on, but it's important to keep our focus on the most pressing and urgent issues. Check what's on the calendar. Follow the lead of your Local Indivisible Group (you have joined, right?), and others you trust - I follow Celeste of It's Time To Fight, who's worked for Congress for 16 years, and Emily Ellsworth, who worked for Congress for 6 years.



To Do Checklist: January 30 - Feb 4

{ See also other To-Do lists at these sites: It's Time To Fight || 5 Calls  || Resistance 365 ||
Flood The Gov || What Do I Do About Trump?}

URGENT Call Your Reps! Here are some of the most urgent issues and their deadlines: THE MUSLIM "TRAVEL" BAN No deadline, but good to keep this at the forefront of everyone's mind. Call your Senators & Reps, ask them to sponsor, co-sponsor, or otherwise support any bills to overturn the travel ban. STREAM PROTECTION REPEAL Passed in House Senate votes: Feb 2 Call your Senators, ask them to OPPOSE repealing the Stream Protection Rule.  CABINET NOMINEES Call your Senators - tell them to vote NO: TBD - Jeff Sessions - Attorney General TBD - Betsy DeVos - Sec. of Education TBD - Scott Pruitt - EPA  (TBH The first two are controversial, but Pruitt will likely make it through) STEVE BANNON White Nationalist Publisher Steve Bannon has no place on the Security Council. John McCain has spoken out about this. Tell your reps to oppose this unprecedented move. OTHER ISSUES The ACA Rollback I don't have scripts for this yet, but try at 5 Calls, or ItsTimeToFight, or here. HR 7 I don't have scripts for this yet, but try here,  or here. More Issues Call about what concerns you most. The border wall, defunding the arts & sciences, #NoDAPL, false voter fraud claims & impact on voting rights.

OTHER TO DOS Help Refugees & Immigrants 13 Ways to Help Take a Poll Our voices are getting heard by Congress, now make sure the media knows too!     Fox News Polls Read/Explore WhatDoIDoAboutTrump See what 30+ organizations are doing and how you can play a part. The Resistance Manual Lots of information here. Pick a few issues and dive in. How To Make Your Congressperson Listen Join Indivisible and SURJ Protest There are many protests scheduled regarding Trump's Muslim Ban. Join if you can, but keep in mind these might NOT be tame like the  Women's March. Already there have been arrests and tear gas. Donate The ACLU, NLG, and CAIR have been doing some good work this week to help those stranded by Trump's ban and those protesting the ban. Organizations supporting Immigrants and Refugees (see also here, and here) Google your Senators & Reps What is their stance on the issues? Have they spoken out about the Muslim Ban? The Border Wall? Are they in favor of or opposed to the cabinet nominees? What is their stance on the ACA Rollback? Are they committed to developing a replacement before rollback? How do they feel about #NODAPL? What have they said/ how have they voted and what bills have they introduced that are about issues important to you?

BOOKS TO CONTINUE READING Or find another book here. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Era of Colorblindness - by Michelle Alexander If you can't afford to buy it, it is  available as an ebook at many libraries with Overdrive Between the World and Me - Ta Nehisi-Coates If you can't afford to buy it, it is available as an ebook at many libraries with Overdrive White Like Me - Tim Wise

PREVIOUS TO-DOS -- Did you do them yet? Read The Indivisible Guide: Strategic activism for resisting Trump's agenda 10 Ways to Continue the Fight Join Your local Indivisible Chapter Sign up for 5 Calls Get to know your Senators & Reps Don't know? Find them on WhoIsMyRepresentative Follow on FB and/or Twitter Sign up for their emails/newsletters Check them out OnTheIssues

I'm a Pro-Life Democrat (but that probably doesn't mean what you think it does)

I hate abortion; I've been a Christian since I was eight years old.

I'm also a Democrat who supports Planned Parenthood.

These things are not mutually exclusive. In fact I'd argue, if you are truly pro-life, and you truly care about saving the lives of unborn babies, you'll vote Democrat (or Green) pretty much every single time.

As I'm writing this, Evie is nestled into my shoulder, looking out the window. Her tiny little hands are squeezing my arms as she snuggles in close.

Life is precious.

But here's the thing. As much as I admire the goal of many pro-lifers, and their desire to protect unborn babies: most conservative and pro-life policies actually do more harm than good.

How can this be? Well, studies show that making abortion illegal doesn't do anything to reduce the abortion rate, it only reduces the number of mother-safe abortions. Women still have abortions, legal or not. At first this may seem strange, but it actually makes perfect sense. Because making abortion illegal doesn't reduce the number of women with unwanted pregnancies who feel their back is against a wall. And illegal abortion is very cheap, even if unsafe.

What actually brings down the abortion rate? Greater access to affordable birth control (see also this , this and this). And making birth control more affordable is what things like Planned Parenthood and the ACA ( Obamacare ) do.

It's also helpful to look at why women choose to have abortions. Up to 73% say that it is due in part to the fact that they feel they can't financially support a child. So it stands to reason that increasing the affordability of pregnancy and raising a child would decrease the amount of women who have an abortion due to financial hardship.

But it is Democratic policies, not Republican ones that help support low income populations, especially low income women and children. It is Democratic policies, not Republican ones that increase the minimum wage, expand food stamp assistance through WIC, provide more affordable healthcare,  and increase the social safety net for the poorest in our communities. This may help explain why abortion rates and the number of abortions have the sharpest dropoffs during Democratic presidencies (see, for example CDC charts from 1974-2004 -- keep in mind data reporting is most consistent after 1995 -- and 2004-2013).

This is why I am pro-life, but am profoundly and deeply at odds with the so-called "pro-life" movement. It's because when it comes down to it, Republican policies increase the demand for abortions. And I won't stand for that.

{ Note: Here's a more in-depth discussion than I've got here.

            Really do take a moment or two and read it. It's excellent.
Thank you, Abigail, for sharing it with me!}

Are there things that Planned Parenthood counseling, and the ACA could do better? Sure. Are there state-level interventions that can have an impact? Yes. I'm always an advocate for improving any organization or system! But right now Planned Parenthood is a major provider of affordable birth-control and prenatal services, and the ACA has reduced birth control costs by $250 per year for women. Which, in turn, means fewer unwanted pregnancies. Which means fewer abortions.

So what does that mean? Well, I'm going to be here hugging my own two babies close, and I'm going to be fighting for things like Planned Parenthood, for protecting/updating the ACA, and for expansion of social assistance programs so that fewer women have unwanted pregnancies. So that fewer women feel their back is against the wall. I'm going to fight so that all women can be as well supported and financially secure during their pregnancy as I was during mine. So that more women get to experience the joy and beauty of pregnancy and raising their children as free of worry and hardship as I did.

I vote Democrat because I am pro-life.

Further Reading:

How I Lost Faith in the Pro-Life Movement

I'm Pro-Life and I'm Voting For Hillary, and Here's Why

Hillary Clinton is the Best Choice for Voters Against Abortion

I am a Priest and this is why I am Pro-Choice

Can Democrats Reduce Abortion More Than Republicans? - BeliefNet

To Do List: January 23-29

Weekly To Do List

We marched, and marching was a great reminder of how many of us there are.

But now it's time to channel that energy into the real work.

There are a number of great Trump Resistance "To Do" lists out there. My favorite? It's Time To Fight.
Since the woman behind It's Time to Fight  (btw, follow her on Twitter for frequent updates about what's going on) has worked for Congress for 16 years, I'm going to largely take her lead as to what issues to call about at what times (focused, concerted efforts are more effective, and some battles are not worth fighting). I'll add my own action items too.

To Do January 23-29

URGENT Call Focus calls on the most important, immediate issues that will be voted on. Right now, that's: Cabinet Nominees Call Senate Committees (and your Senators if they are on the committee) to oppose Trump's most problematic cabinet nominees: Jan 31 - Betsy DeVos - Sec. of Education Next Week- Jeff Sessions - Attorney General    *his vote was pushed back for fuller review Call your Senators for nominees that have gone to a full floor vote: Next Week - Rex Tillerson - Secretary of State The ACA Rollback I don't have scripts for this yet, but try at 5 Calls, or ItsTimeToFight, or here. HR 7 I don't have scripts for this yet, but try here,  or here. Other Issues Call about what concerns you most. The border wall, the Muslim refugee ban. Defunding the arts, #NoDAPL, immigration & DACA.

OTHER TO DOS Read The Indivisible Guide: Strategic activism for resisting Trump's agenda    (but also read this thread on sit-ins) 10 Ways to Continue the Fight Join Your local Indivisible Chapter Sign up for 5 Calls Get to know your Senators & Reps Don't know? Find them on WhoIsMyRepresentative Sign up for their emails/newsletters Check them out OnTheIssues

BOOKS TO BEGIN READING The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Era of Colorblindness - by Michelle Alexander If you can't afford to buy it, it is  available as an ebook at many libraries with Overdrive Between the World and Me - Ta Nehisi-Coates If you can't afford to buy it, it is available as an ebook at many libraries with Overdrive White Like Me - Tim Wise

Why this blog?

On January 20th, a rude, racist, sexist, xenophobic man who is unfit to be president, became our president.

What do I mean by that? Well, he makes lewd, derogatory, and sexist comments about women, racist remarks about Mexicans, has bankrupted 4 of his businesses, mocked John McCain's military service and status as a war hero, thinks he doesn't always need to pay those who work for him, shares "facts" from fake news sources and neo-nazis, has said he wants to ban an entire religion from entering the U.S., doesn't respect the Geneva Conventions (which govern treatment of civilians and POWs, including a ban on torture), makes flippant and potentially dangerous remarks about other countries (e.g. North Korea), is accused of sexual harassment (by nearly a dozen women, no less), and even brags that he sexually assaults women.


This is not okay.

This kind of person should not be our president.

However despite losing the popular vote by nearly 3 million votes, but with Russia's help, he is.

We must not let this behavior become normalized.

We must actively call out, oppose, and resist racism, sexism, xenophobia, and bigotry wherever it appears in our legislation, in our politicians and public figures, and in our daily lives.

We must join the active resistance.

I've created this blog to organize my thoughts and collect materials and resources for my personal daily resistance. I'm making it public in case these resources are helpful to others.

Here you'll find General Resources, and Info For Contacting Your Reps. The site is in its infancy. I'll be constantly adding to it. Look for weekly news roundups and to-do lists soon.

I hope you'll join me in my daily resistance. We got this.


Love is love is love.

- Carissa