Once again, a reminder that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many “older” actions are still relevant and bear repeating.
Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!). Scroll down to the matching number of your option:
1) Stop ICE
2) Demand that Congress do its job and work for the people
3) Keep after our reps to demand transparency (Epstein, Homan)
4) Try a backdoor to our reps’ ears: donor accountability
5) Participate in NO KINGS DAY (10/18)
6) Maine-specific actions
Reminder: When you call vs when you email via our reps’ websites (best way to contact them in writing), don’t forget to begin with: “Hi, my name is [name] and I’m a constituent calling from [zip code]. That is important, because if they don’t know you’re actually a constituent, your opinion will be ignored.
Contact info: Angus King
DC: (202) 224-5344
Augusta: (207) 622-8292
Susan Collins
DC: (202) 224-2523
Augusta: (207) 622-8414
Bangor: (207) 945-0417
Chellie Pingree
DC: (202) 225-6116
Portland: (207) 774-5019
Waterville: (207) 873-5713
Jared Golden
DC: (202) 225-6306
Bangor: (207) 249-7400
Caribou: (207) 492-6009
Lewiston: (207) 241-6767
Find your State Representative:
By name: Here
By district: Here
(Please note that for those of you receiving this email who are not represented by Senators or House members in our district, I have to leave it up to you to find the contact info for your own representatives.)
Actions
1. STOP ICE:
Contact Senator King, Senator Collins, and House Rep. Golden to protest ICE’s continued assault on immigrant children. In the recent raid on an apartment building in Chicago, they zip-tied children, some of whom were US citizens (not that that should matter!), and left them in vans for hours. On Friday, they launched a plan called “Freaky Friday, targeting immigrant minors and threatening them with the punishment of their parents. Ask our reps why there hasn’t been an outcry against such treatment of kids and demand that they speak up. ICE has to be stopped. Ideally, Congress must declare, in clear and binding law, that the U.S. military shall not be used as a domestic police force or a political weapon.
Call out U-Haul and Budget Rent-a-Car:
According to CBS News Chicago, rented vehicles from U-Haul and Budget were used in that recent military operation raiding a Chicago apartment building. You can:
- Call out Budget & U-Haul on social media, asking why they’re allowing their vehicles to be used for this. Announce that you will not rent from either company until they make a statement condemning the raid operation in Chicago and commit to do no business with the government or the military until these anti-American military actions cease.
- For those of you on TikTok or Instagram, share this video from IndivisibleChicago: https://www.tiktok.com/@indivisiblechicagonw/video/7556626839548988727?_r=1&_t=ZT-90DaCBAUt0B
2. DEMAND THAT CONGRESS DO ITS JOB AND WORK FOR THE PEOPLE:
Yet again, Mike Johnson has given the House the week off. He is avoiding swearing in the new Representative-elect from Arizona, who has said she will provide the 218th signature need to force a vote on releasing the Epstein files. John Thune is refusing to negotiate with Democrats in the Senate to work out a budget proposal that will be acceptable to all. Republicans are turning a blind eye to the harm they’re inflicting on their voters.
Tell Senator King and Representative Golden that this is no place to compromise, and that no proposed workarounds, not even bipartisan ones like what Golden claims to be working on, are acceptable. Angus King and Jared Golden should issue clear statements that they:
- are FOR healthcare for all their constituents, not just the rich ones;
- are FOR keeping the power of the purse under Congressional control and away from the hands of power-hungry people like Trump and Russell Vought.
Tell Senator Collins that any budget that threatens the healthcare of so many of her constituents is unacceptable, as is a budget that gives Trump a blank check on a silver platter. Remind her that every time this administration impounds misspends money, it is undoing hours and hours of her own hard work. She was not voted in to the Senate to protect the cushy lives of her rich donors at the expense of everyday Mainers. Tell her to speak out against her colleagues for refusing to negotiate with the Democrats to get a budget that will work for the majority of Americans and not just the wealthiest ones.
Tell all three—King, Collins, Golden—to issue statements:
- denouncing Trump’s and Vought’s threats to fire masses of federal workers and withhold federal money from blue states;
- denouncing Mike Johnson for extending the House vacation during a shutdown and refusing to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva.
3. Keep after our reps to demand transparency (Epstein, Homan):
- Demand the release of the Epstein tapes
- Demand the release of the evidence on the Tom Homan bribery case
4. Use this backdoor to our reps’ ears: donor accountability:https://open.substack.com/pub/cmarmitage/p/how-anyone-with-a-phone-can-ruin
5. Participate in NO KINGS DAY (10/18):
Strength in peaceful numbers speaks!
6. Maine-specific issues and actions:
Voting in Maine:
- Today, October 6th, is the first day absentee ballots can be submitted. If you need one or want one for any reason, you can pick one up (and submit it, too) at your local town office; or you can request one online: https://apps.web.maine.gov/cgi-bin/online/AbsenteeBallot/index.pl
- Keep educating everyone and anyone on the importance of voting NO on Question #1 this fall. Put up signs, talk to people, use social media.
- Share the need for voting YES on Question #2: The institution of a Red Flag law. You can read more here: https://www.mainegunsafety.org/
Encourage our officials in Maine government to step up and support states’ rights:
It’s time that the states under attack by Trump—generally blue states but also purple with blue leadership, like Maine—consider ways to defend themselves via states’ rights. Among other things, Maine can:
- start withholding federal tax money;
- commit to denying any request from the administration to deploy National Guard troops in Maine to conduct federal law enforcement activities;
- commit to threatening to arrest federal agents who commit crimes (like grabbing and attaining people without due process) on Maine soil;
- continue to refuse requests from this administration to turn over voter records.
Governor Janet Mills: 287-3531 or https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/contact/share-your-opinion
Attorney General Aaron Frey: 207-626-8800 or email attorney.general@maine.gov
Secretary of State Shenna Bellows: 207-626-8400 or https://www.maine.gov/sos/about-us/contact-us-form
State Controller Douglas E. Cotnoir: 207-626-8420 or douglas.e.cotnoir@maine.gov
State Treasurer Joseph C. Perry: 207-624-7477 or Joseph.C.Perry@maine.gov
Maine’s New Climate Guide:
From the Maine Climate Council: “Maine Won’t Wait is a comprehensive plan to tackle climate change across industries, communities and landscapes. At nearly 200 pages, it can be daunting for someone new to climate solutions to pick up. The Maine Climate Council has also heard from community members who want more educational resources around climate action.
“That’s why the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future (GOPIF) is pleased to share its newest resource: Maine’s Climate Action Plan: A Guide. This abridged version of Maine Won’t Wait uses plain language, visuals, and real stories to explain climate strategies in a clear and accessible way.
“Think of Maine’s Climate Action Plan: A Guide as a young adult reader: perfect for middle and high schoolers and college students, educators, and anyone looking for a straightforward introduction to how Maine is tackling climate change.”
I’ve attached a copy in case you’re interested in reading it.
A thought on messaging:
I think we need to try to keep as much of our public messaging as positive as possible. For example, Democrat lawmakers who are speaking out are saying things like, “Republicans are lying,” or “We’re NOT trying to give health insurance to illegal aliens—that’s illegal!,” or “We’re just trying to stop the GOP from rolling back the ACA.” But those are all examples of negative messaging: it’s defensive.
It seems to me that it’s stronger to go on the offensive, by which I really mean stating the facts clearly and without emotion: “Republicans are shutting down the government to protect their Billionaire Tax Cuts—cuts they’re paying for by eliminating health insurance for 17 million people and raising the costs of healthcare for everyone else.”
Ideally, we need some seriously positive messaging: a vision that could simply and clearly paint a picture of the future, of how a really effective and efficient our government could be while protecting people’s rights, making sure no one gets left behind and that everyone has a chance to be healthy and work to improve their life. If any of you have any thoughts on that, I’d love to hear them!
Yours in Civic Action,
Bold Coast Civic Alliance
