We need you for a few hours on Saturday June 2. Canvassing our neighbors in West Augustine!

We need 40 people from 230 PM to 5PM. We have all the materials and scripts you will need to take a small section of West Augustine and knock on doors and talk to your Democratic neighbors. We're encouraging Vote by Mail and making sure registrations are current! Please set aside a few hours to help. Contact indivisible@gmail.com to sign up. We need you.

See how these NEFL Indivisibles have kept on Rubio for over a year. Anyone is welcome to join these visits posted in our newsletter

After all this time, Rubio has never been there but the aides know this group well. They spent last Tuesday with aide Matt on very contentious issues, while remaining respectful and determined. This is a letter they left for the Senator and they do this every time. This group should inspire all of us. Consider going one time. We guarantee it's a good experience.

Sen. Rubio                                                                                                      May 22, 2018

In your recent interviews and Senate testimony you recognize that China poses a significant threat to US leadership and has a detailed timetable and strategy to overtake the US militarily and economically by 2050.  A plausible and troubling scenario is outlined in this Axios article. In short, China has made this effort its national priority and is rapidly developing the resources and infrastructure this effort requires.

Regrettably, the US has no long term strategy and relies on short term knee jerk responses driven by partisanship and the mistaken notion that this country can act in isolation from the rest of the free world.

Here is a partial list of elements and action items for inclusion in a national strategy and commitment that we encourage you and members of Congress to pursue.

·         Encourage and develop the talents and commitment brought to our shores by immigrants and refugees to reflect the fact that the US birth rate is declining

·         Address the threats to our democracy posed by racism, xenophobia and religious intolerance

·         Confront human rights abuses and empower women and children

·         Address the destructive influence of special interests and their money to influence elected representatives, appointed officials and public policy for personal gain

·         Rebuild a crumbling infrastructure

·         Address our culture of guns and violence

·         Balance expenditures on defense with adequate funding for health, education, environmental protection and infrastructure improvements

·         Preserve the independence and impartiality of our system of justice and preclude political and media influence and meddling

·         Preserve and protect our threatened environment

·         Focus our economy on new technologies, renewable energy, robotics, efficient mass transit, artificial intelligence and healthcare

·         Strengthen our relationships with other nations through free and fair trade partnerships

·         Develop the political will to enact a fair and equitable tax policy to sufficiently fund the above and reduce our national debt

——————————————————————————————————————

Regrettably, school shootings continue to dominate the news. More than 1,600 mass shootings have taken place in America since the Sandy Hook massacre.

We applaud your support for ‘red line’ mental health evaluations before granting weapons ownership permits.  However, Federal action is still needed on

• universal background checks
• limits on assault weapons, magazine capacities and bump stocks
• prohibitions on proposed interstate recognition of concealed carry permits

None of the above would have prevented last week’s shooting in Texas but this tragedy underlines our concerns over the national addiction to a culture of unregulated and irresponsible gun ownership.  We encourage you to renounce the NRA and refuse and return campaign contributions you received from this organization that has denied its role to ensure public safety.

——————————————————————————————————————

Our previously submitted questions and concerns regarding the 2020 Census have gone unanswered.

·         We fail to understand how asking a question about one’s citizenship is “necessary to enforce the Voting Rights Act, and to protect against voting discrimination”.  Please clarify and explain the logic or justification behind this claim by the Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Justice.

·         Two of three trial surveys have been canceled for lack of funds and staffing and the third trial did not include the question about citizenship.  How can you be confident that asking the question about citizenship won’t inhibit responses from immigrant communities out of fear of deportation and reprisal against family and friends?

——————————————————————————————————————

Your weekly newsletter reports you introduced S.2856 - A bill to reform the requirements regarding the safety and security of families living in public and federally assisted housing in high-crime areas.  When will the text be available for posting on Congress.org?

The Wall Street Journal reported that

·         “Mortgage rates this week jumped to their highest level since 2011, signaling a shift from a period of ultracheap loans to a higher-rate environment that could slow home price appreciation and squeeze first-time buyers,"

·         "The spike this year has been faster than many economists predicted as a surging economy, the prospect of wage gains and a steep rise in prices for commodities such as lumber and gasoline stoke inflation worries."

·         "A one percentage point increase in [mortgage] rates can lead to a reduction in home sales of 7% to 8%."

·         Rising interest rates are the market’s reaction to the ballooning Federal deficit caused by the ill advised and ill timed Tax Cut Act.

·         Premiums for health insurance plans sold on the federal marketplace are expected to increase by nearly 16.9 percent in Florida next year due to changes in the Affordable Care Act, according to a new analysis released Friday.

What is your response for bringing relief to middle class Americans who will be forced to  subsidize tax cuts with higher consumer prices and health care costs caused by inflation?

——————————————————————————————————————

On May 7, Donald Trump sent Congress a list of $15 billion in proposed cuts to previously approved congressional spending, including a staggering $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Another $2 billion in cuts would come from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund, which sets aside emergency funds for state CHIP programs in case of unexpectedly high enrollment.

These cuts were proposed as part of a process called rescission, where the government reverses spending authorization decisions after the fact by simple majority votes. Trump is expected to use this process frequently in the wake of the massive deficit generated by Republicans’ fabulously unpopular tax bill.

We urge you to oppose cuts to healthcare for children, tightening requirements for SNAP eligibility and reductions in other essential public services.

——————————————————————————————————————

We encourage you to support a clean and sustainable environment for the sake of future generations.

Plastic Pollution - The Facts Are Overwhelming

The proliferation of plastic products in the last 70 years or so has been extraordinary; quite simply we cannot now live without them. We are now producing nearly 300 million tons of plastic every year, half of which is for single use. More than 8 million tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans every year.

Plastic is cheap and incredibly versatile with properties that make it ideal for many applications. However, these qualities have also resulted in it becoming an environmental issue. We have developed a “disposable” lifestyle and estimates are that around 50% of plastic is used just once and thrown away.

Plastic is a valuable resource and plastic pollution is an unnecessary and unsustainable waste of that resource.

•      Packaging is the largest end use market segment accounting for just over 40% of total plastic usage.

•      Annually approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used worldwide. More than one million bags are used every minute.

•      A plastic bag has an average “working life” of 15 minutes.

•      Over the last ten years we have produced more plastic than during the whole of the last century.

Beverage Bottles Alone

•      According to the Container Recycling Institute, 100.7 billion plastic beverage bottles were sold in the U.S. in 2014, or 315 bottles per person.

•      57% of those units were plastic water bottles: 57.3 billion sold in 2014. This is up from 3.8 billion plastic water bottles sold in 1996, the earliest year for available data.

•      The process of producing bottled water requires around 6 times as much water per bottle as there is in the container.

•      14% of all litter comes from beverage containers. When caps and labels are considered, the number is higher.

https://plasticoceans.org/the-facts/

The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006:

•      Producing the bottles for American consumption required the equivalent of more than
17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation

•      Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide

•      It took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water

http://pacinst.org/publication/bottled-water-and-energy-a-fact-sheet/

Invisibles The Plastic Inside Us  By Chris Tyree & Dan Morrison

Recent studies have shown the shocking extent of plastics in the world’s oceans and lakes. Orb Media followed with a new question: If microscopic plastic is in oceans, lakes, and rivers, is it in drinking water as well?

In the first public scientific study of its kind, we found previously unknown plastic contamination in the tap water of cities around the world.

Microscopic plastic fibers are flowing out of taps from New York to New Delhi, according to exclusive research by Orb and a researcher at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. From the halls of the U.S. Capitol to the shores of Lake Victoria in Uganda, women, children, men, and babies are consuming plastic with every glass of water.

More than 80 percent of the samples we collected on five continents tested positive for the presence of plastic fibers.

Microplastics — tiny plastic fibers and fragments — aren’t just choking the ocean; they have infested the world’s drinking water.

Why should you care? Microplastics have been shown to absorb toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses, and then release them when consumed by fish and mammals.

https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_plastics/multimedia

Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics Source United Nations Environmental Programme

Global Lessons and Research to Inspire Action and Guide Policy Change

https://plasticoceans.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/UNEP-research.pdf

Synthetic Polymer Contamination in Global Drinking Water

https://orbmedia.org/stories/Invisibles_final_report/multimedia

——————————————————————————————————————

We express our deep concern over the actions taken by President Trump to limit expression of free speech and impose a gag rules designed to block access to preventive care at Planned Parenthood health centers.  These centers serve more than 40% of the four million patients who rely on Title X (the nation's program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care).  These gag rules include two unprecedented attacks on patients and doctors:

1.      Doctors and nurses across the country are forbidden from referring patients for abortion. Even if someone asks for information, even if their health is at risk, even if a safe and legal abortion is their best option.

2.      There's no guarantee that you're getting full and accurate information about your health care. If someone discovers they're pregnant after being diagnosed with cancer, for example, their health care provider may not tell them that abortion is even an option.

Respectfully, on behalf of Northeast Florida Indivisible

David Johnson, dj.jj@icloud.com, Orange Park, FL 32073, 904-514-4304

TWO great things to do tomorrow night! Spread the word.

A fun and relaxing time from 530-7ish to meet Chris King, gubernatorial candidate and several local candidates at the Ice Plant. Afterwards, join us downtown at the Plaza for a Vigil for the victims of the TX and GA school shootings. Please come!

Publix Action Memorial Day Weekend. Flyer and great letter to the editor.

INDIVISIBLE FL MEMBERS POST THESE IF YOU WANT TO USE FACTS TO CREATE AND SEND YOUR OWN LETTER 

Over the last three years, the Publix Super Market chain has donated $675,000 to the campaign of Adam Putnam, Republican candidate for governor.  Let’s see what they have on their shopping list. 

As agriculture commissioner, Putnam oversees regulation of Publix’s 800 Florida stores. In 2016 seven Tampa-area Publix stores failed health inspections.  According to the Tampa Bay Times, Putnam responded by pulling the inspections from the department’s website and eliminating the pass/fail grading system.  He replaced it six months later with a new rubric. Instead of a failing grade, the worst rating issued now is “re-inspection required.”

The Palm Beach Sun Sentinel reports that, in 2017, Putnam was criticized as an “NRA sellout,” a term he quickly embraced.  (Putnam has an A+ rating from the NRA.)  On Twitter in July, he wrote: “The liberal media recently called me a sellout to the NRA. I'm a proud #NRA Sellout!”   In April, during an appearance at the Forum Club of the Palm Beaches, he indicated he wouldn’t use that phrasing today. He said it was “months pre-Parkland, and it was in a very different context.”   (Translation:  “Things are kind of hot right now.  I had better put my NRA lapel pin in the drawer for awhile.”)  Putnam says that he would enforce Florida’s new legislation enacting reasonable measures for gun safety even though he does not support them.  As governor, he would enforce the law—a bold and noble sentiment.

Publix is not new to funding Republican candidates over Democrats.   According to the Center for Responsible Politics, from 2010 through 2016, approximately 64% of Publix donations went to Republican candidates.  To date, the 2018 distribution to R’s is 88%. 

I will not be returning to Publix, but here is a tip for those who do:  I hear that those wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat receive additional discounts.     

Name:  _____________________________

Americans for Conscience this week: Gratitude. Ironically you get more than you give.Get ready to feel a bit better.

Americans of Conscience Checklist

Week of May 20, 2018

By Jen Hofmann

80 weeks down, 24 (two dozen!) weeks to mid-term elections.

This checklist features clear, hype-free actions for Americans who value democracy, equality, voting, and decency. Additionally, we practice gratitude, self-care, and celebration to stay engaged.

Note: To give us a lift, this week’s edition features only gratitude and good news.

Reminder: Next week the checklist takes its monthly break. We’ll be back on June 3 with some exciting new developments!

Acts of Gratitude

Get out your stamps, postcards, and sparkle markers for some gratitude mail.

Thank Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), and Angus King (I-ME) for voting against Gina Haspel to lead the CIA. I appreciate your support of leaders with integrity.

Addresses:

DF: 11111 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 915, Los Angeles, CA 90025

KH : 501 I Street, Suite 7-600, Sacramento, CA 95814

RW: 911 NE 11th Ave., Suite 630, Portland, OR, 97232

MH: 400 Gold Avenue SW, Ste. 1080, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102

AK: 202 Harlow St., Suite 20350, Bangor, ME 04401

Thank the Reverends William Barber and Liz Theoharis of the Poor People's Campaign for spearheading non-violent advocacy for the most vulnerable members of our society. In times of growing intolerance and greed, your leadership provides hope for us all.

Addresses on Twitter:

Poor People’s Campaign: @unitethepoor

WB: @RevDrBarber

LT: @liztheo

Thank Del. Meagan Simonaire (R-MD) for advocating for LGBTQ equality. Banning "conversion therapy" for LGBTQ youth prevents suicide and gives them a more accepting world. I especially appreciate your sharing your coming out story to support this bill. Thank you.

Address: House Office Building, Room 156, 6 Bladen St., Annapolis, MD 21401

Thank Christopher Wylie for blowing the whistle on Cambridge Analytica for alleged misuse of Facebook data. Thank you for speaking out about the undemocratic practices of your employer on behalf of all Americans.

Address on Twitter: @chrisinsilico

Thank FEC commissioners Caroline Hunter (R), Ellen Weintraub (D), Matthew Petersen (R), and Steven Walther (I) for ruling that candidates with children may use campaign funds to cover child care costs during a federal campaign. This will allow better representation in our democracy. Thank you.

Address: 105 First Street NE, Washington DC 20463

Thank Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) for promising to introduce a House discharge petition to the match the Senate's recently passed net neutrality legislation. This issue affects the privacy and rights of every American. Thank you for your leadership.

Address: 2637 East Carson Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203

Thank Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), John Kennedy (R-LA), and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) who joined with Senate Democrats to support a neutral internet for all Americans. Thank you for putting people over party.

Addresses:

SC: One Canal Plaza, Suite 802, Portland, ME 04101

JK: SRB11, Russell Senate Building, Washington, DC 20510

LM: 510 L Street, Suite 600, Anchorage, AK 99501

Thank Reps. John Katko (R-NY) and David Trott (R-MI) for endorsing a discharge petition to protect young people brought to the United States as children. They are Americans in everything but paperwork. Thank you for putting people over party.

Addresses:

JK: 440 South Warren St., 7th Floor Suite 711, Syracuse, NY 13202

DT: 625 East Big Beaver Road, Suite 204, Troy, MI 48083

Thank Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) for demanding accountability from immigration authorities. Your bill requiring immigration and border agents to document all stops, searches, and interrogations would enforce a higher ethical standard. Thank you.

Address: Leo W. O’Brien Federal Office Building, 11A Clinton Avenue, Room 821, Albany, NY 12207

Thank Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) for prioritizing election security. As doubts about the integrity of our elections grow, it matters that you sent an expert to monitor voting in Broward County following concerns about ballot destruction. Thank you for doing the right thing.

Address: The Capitol, 400 S. Monroe St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0001

Good news

Decent people everywhere are speaking up and working together. Just look.

National

• Formerly incarcerated individuals lead the national effort to secure voting rights.
• The national Black Mama’s Bail Out coalition raised more than $400,000 in time for Mother’s Day.
• Abdul, whose work for the US government endangered his life, is granted asylum and freed from unjust ICE detention.
• Representatives Grace Meng (NY-6) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-7) joined immigrant and refugee mothers for a Mother's Day press call, asking Congress to match their words to actions when proclaiming family values.
• About 4,000 people were able to reunite with families and loved ones along the El Paso and Ciudad Juarez border this Mother's Day weekend.
• Paul Ryan agreed to hold a classified election security briefing rather than an unclassified briefing.

State

• VT Governor Phil Scott signs mandate that all public single-use bathrooms be marked gender-neutral by July 1, 2018.
• US District Court Judge Orlando Garcia ruled that Texas must comply with the National Voter Registration Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution.
• Vermont Governor Phil Scott signed legislation that would prohibit employers from considering salary history when hiring.
• Connecticut and Hawaii legislatures have passed bipartisan bills that close the gender gap in the workplace.
• Maine legislature voted to increase the payment rates for child care providers that serve families receiving child care assistance.
• The Sen. Rebecca Saldana-sponsored Washington Voting Rights Act (WVRA), SB 6002, passed with bipartisan support in the state Senate.
• Paulette Jordan became the first female gubernatorial candidate in Idaho. If elected, she will also be the first Native American governor in any state.
• MD Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan signed the Youth Mental Health Protection Act into law on Tuesday, making the state the 11th to ban “gay conversion therapy” for minors.
• ME voters overruled their legislators with a "people's veto" to permit ranked choice voting for their June 12 primaries.
• CO's November ballot will contain two issues that change the redistricting method to thwart gerrymandering and encourage competitive elections.
• LA House bill grants voting rights to some formerly incarcerated persons on probation and parole.
• Colorado is leading the way on hack-proof voting.

Corporate/business

• Google is providing its free cyber attack shield to political campaigns, candidates, and political action committees.
• University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel has accepted Native American community members’ recommendations for increasing public and student awareness of the complicated history between the Native American community and the white population around Burt Lake.

Local

• Cities across the country are addressing the affordable housing crisis by developing innovative programs and policy labs.
• Washington, D.C. Council unanimously passed the Student Fair Access to Schools Act, which reexamines the guidelines for out-of-school suspensions and encourages trauma-informed instruction.
• Formerly-homeless poet and writer Del Seymour founded Code Tenderloin, a nonprofit that seeks to rehabilitate, train, and find employment for the disenfranchised residents.
• After nine years of waiting—due to a rape kit backlog—Henrietta Sykes finally obtains some peace after a man is charged with the crime.
• Voters in North Carolina's largest county ousted their sheriff last week and elected Gary McFadden. No longer will  undocumented immigrants be arrested on unrelated crimes.
• Roman Catholic parishes in Texas are providing church-issued identification cards to undocumented immigrants not eligible for ID issued by the state. Local police have been officially given discretion to accept the church-issued cards as valid identification.
• A Florida man accused of plotting a mass shooting in a Jacksonville mosque was convicted of a federal weapons charge.
• Youth voter registration sets a record in Nashville.

News with heart

• We sent notes of gratitude to Azadeh Shahshahani and she sent this thanks.
• A four year old who calls himself President Austin and wears a cape hands out sandwiches to homeless people and asks them to "share the love."
• See more good news at Small Victories, Marla’s Good News, and What Went Right.

Spread the word

Know someone who could use some good news and clear actions? Please share!

Print: Our new Americans of Conscience flyer to share at in-person events.

Tweet: Need a lift? Practice gratitude and celebrate good news in this week’s @AoCChecklist. This is how we #persist. https://goo.gl/fDdm7r

Post on Facebook: Need a lift? Practice gratitude and celebrate good news in this week’s Americans of Conscience Checklist. This is how we #persist. https://goo.gl/fDdm7r

Housekeeping

• Sign up: Subscribe to the weekly Americans of Conscience Checklist here.
• Stay inspired: Complete the Self-Care Worksheet.
• Stay focused: Complete the Action Worksheet (or Kelly Wooten’s artistic version).
• Connect: If you have a question, correction, or action suggestion. With thanks!
• Nerd out: See archives of past AoC Checklists here and scroll down.
• Gratitude: Big thanks to the JEBitor, Week 3 social media volunteers, the Research Sous Chefs teams, and to the amazing angel patrons who make it possible.

Note: This checklist is always ad-free and no-cost. If you’re able, support Jen’s time on patreon or paypal.