Hi Folks, we are almost at August’s midpoint. The seasons don’t change any faster just because there is an election in November. If you can learn to switch time frames from political to natural. Slow down and “find rest in the middle of things” as Frank Otaseski advises. (He is the author of a great book called The Five Invitations – Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully). Ok, nuff of that, actions below when you are rested!
Top Action(s) to Take Today:
Ask Golden and Pingree to vote override the recent Office of Management and Budget’s attempt to align Federal Grants with Right Wing Political Ideology. Russell Vogt, (Nosferatu 2) the director of the OMB has proposed the Federal Financial Assistance Rule (OMB-2026-0034) which could jeopardize as much as 6 billion dollars in federal funding for Maine taking grant making out of the hands of experts and putting it into partisan right wing hands. To read about this effort go to 5calls.org. To find out how this might affect Maine – go here and more broadly here. The House must stop this effort! For an urgent call for Food Assistance in the Waterville/Winslow area please go to Local Actions below. The food requested for August is Canned Mixed Fruit.
For a quick index to this looooong email, here are the sections:* More Actions – Mostly Congressional Calls on Federal Issues* Maine Related Actions* Epstein File Actions* ICE actions* Maine Contacts* Local Actions(to get to the section you wish to peruse, just use the find function (control F) and type in the header you are looking for)
More Actions Today if You Have the Bandwidth
Following up on the killing of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, ask our Maine AttorneyGeneral – Aaron Frey (207) 626-8800 Contact Here; and York County District Attorney Kathryn Slattery 207-324-8001 Email: kmslattery@yorkcountymaine.gov (Website Info here), what progress they have made on the investigation and how members of the public could help. You could also ask your local state legislator to check in on this with Frey and Slattery as well. After your calls please consider donating to Guerrero’s Go Fund Me to provide funds for the family here.
With your extra energy on this today Sign these petitions: Demand a full and transparent investigation of the Biddeford shooting. Call on state officials to enforce ICE Out of Maine laws.
Here are some actions you can take on Maine’s Senate and House races (From the Indivisible Mid Maine Weekly Newsletter) Support Matt Dunlap for Congress, ME-2 Thursday, August 13, 5:30-7:30pm. Fundraiser for Dunlap A fundraiser for Matt Dunlap will be held at a private home in Belgrade. RSVP to Sffeiner@gmail.com Suggested support levels are Host: $500, Champion: $250, Supporter: $125, Friend: $75.Monday, August 17th at 6:30pm. Forum with Matt Dunlap. Join Maine People Powered Movement’s Forum for Matt Dunlap, focused on his 7 policy platform principles, with the opportunity to ask Matt questions. You can sign up to attend here Please share the link with your networks. Support Troy Jackson for Senate Donate to Jackson’s campaign here Volunteer for Troy here. If you are on Facebook, you can join the Facebook group Mainers for Troy Jackson for more information on what you can do to assist his campaign.Local, local, local – for people running for town council, state senate, state representative, some of these facts are critically important regarding how pernicious the Republican agenda is for us here in Maine. Get these links to folks that are running for office so they can use them in their campaigns to get elected. Please forward DefendAmericaAction‘s (a group that is reporting on the impact of the Republicans on working families), latest report documenting how life threatening economic harm is being done to our elders in the oldest state in the nation. From the Joint Economic Committee Report on how much more families are having to pay for goods and services in Maine! The figure totals $3500+ more per year over 2024 figures. For a clearer breakdown by area of services go here. This is the Republican agenda right down from Trump through Collins to Maine State Republicans.
A DC Federal Judge just allowed the Supreme Court’s removal of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians legally in the United States. Keep the pressure on Senators Collins and King to pass Senate Bill 4814 which protects Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Haitians – this bill will allow Haitians to stay legally in the US, until their country is safe to return to and has to be re-authorized in 2029. Ask them both to vote for the bill once it comes out of committee. 5calls.org says “With work permits expiring immediately, the recent Supreme Court ruling taking TPS away, puts all 1.3 million TPS holders at risk of deportation.
Ask Collins and Senator King to vote against the Voter ID act which has been stuck inside a 95 billion dollar budget reconciliation bill just passed by the House. This budget bill also includes a ban on stock trading by Congress which appears to be a decoy to get eyes off the Voter ID bill. Maine’s League of Women Voters offers us an easy way to take action on this bill here.
For all of us who are in some way supporting local and statewide candidates for office here in Maine, please forward DefendAmericaAction‘s (a group that is reporting on the impact of the Republicans on working families), latest report documenting how life threatening economic harm is being done to our elders. Maine is the oldest state in the Nation, so this report has particular relevance. Please pass this report on to your local representatives for their use in campaigning this fall. According to my sources there is a real chance that Maine’s legislature could get flipped to Republican if Democrats aren’t strongly supported. Big Money is clearly on their side.
Time to ditch Door Dash and tell them why. This company initiated HR 9720, the “D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act” that seeks to permanently revoke DC’s ability to set their own taxes, another blow to the efforts of self rule in DC. This company has also refused to come out against ICE which threatens a significant number of its drivers. Boycotts work. Here are some alternatives to Door Dash – Grubhub, Postmates, Sauce, and Instacart.
A new action writing directly to voters! Postcards to Swing States News Boosting postcards just won the Analyst Institute’s Hal Malchow Award. This award honors an organization that is committed to transparency, even when results run counter to expectations. You can sign up to write News Boosting postcards to voters in Texas and Alaska! Combined with their get-out-the-vote postcards, they believe these postcards can flip the US Senate.The cards are free, the scripts are VERY short, and all you need to pay for is postage. Sign up here! This is a great activity to do with a group of friends!
Ask Collins and King to vote against the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) if it contains the amendment 119-13, to allow the Pentagon to seize land in California, including State Park Land, for Oil Drilling by Sable Offshore by eminent domain.This amendment would allow the same company that caused the Gaviota Coast Oil spill in 2015 dumping 140,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific to create more pipeline. If you can also call the Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker and Ranking Member Jack Reed. They’re the ones leading negotiations right now. THEY HAVE THE MOST POWER TO STRIP THIS AMENDMENT! Wicker’s phone is (202) 224-6253 or (228) 871-7017Reed’s phone is (202) 224-4642 or (401) 943-3100. Keep the pressure on Senators Collins and King to pass Senate Bill 4814 which protects Temporary Protected Status for 350,000 Hatians – this bill will allow Hatians to stay legally in the US, until their country is safe to return to and has to be re-authorized in 2029. Ask them both to vote for the bill once it comes out of committee. 5calls.org says “With work permits expiring immediately, the recent Supreme Court ruling taking TPS away, puts all 1.3 million TPS holders at risk of deportation. “It’s disgusting to say the least but the Senate and House can push back through this legislation. Call or write today!
Contact Collins, King, Pingree and Golden to Oppose the SAVE act. The administration has put the SAVE act into two bills now – the Republican Reconciliation Bill, and the NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act). Let your congress people know that no matter how it is diced and sliced into other bills that you want them to oppose the SAVE act and it needs to be taken out of bills into which it is inserted. For a script for your call please go to 5calls.org.
Contact Pingree and/or Golden to save CIGIE (the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency) I got this from POGO this morning: CIGIE unites and oversees all the inspectors general across the government and holds them accountable to the highest standards of integrity and ethics. It provides resources to watchdogs and whistleblowers. It is the backbone of independent oversight in our federal government.
The Restoring Integrity and Efficiency to Inspector General Oversight Act would dissolve CIGIE and transfer its core responsibilities to the Office of Management and Budget, which, under the direction of Russell Vought, has been actively working to undermine and sabotage the same oversight that CIGIE champions. You can write opposing this legislation through the POGO website here. I just did and it takes 30 seconds. The legislation’s number is HR 9725 and it is currently in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform.
Call/write Pingree or Golden to defund ICE through the Melt Ice Bill – HR 7190. The 22nd person has died in ICE custody. After the killing in our own backyard here in Maine, there is no good reason to continue funding this rogue police force intent on spreading fear and violence throughout our immigrant communities. For more background (which you probably don’t need) on ICE and a script for your call go here.
Ask Collins, King, Golden, Pingree to release statements decrying the behavior of these untrained thugs (ICE/CBP) doing the bidding of a rogue President. They should immediately call for an investigation of this situation, (for starters why weren’t the killers wearing body cams?), and a freezing of the funds for ICE until this situation is dealt with. Please let me know if you are aware of more avenues for Congress to act on this NOW.
Today’s Indivisible Mid Maine’s newsletter offers a great action to take this Monday. “Sign up to protect our Elections with Indivisible’s Hands Off Our Vote project. Hands Off Our Vote is Indivisible’s national program to ensure all eligible voters get to cast their ballot, and that those ballots get counted.
Ask our Congresspeople to vote AGAINST the third reconciliation bill pushed by Trump: it includes BILLIONS of dollars more for Trump’s Iran war and the voter suppression SAVE act (included in this supposed “budget bill”). We need this money to be used for basic needs like healthcare, to lower food costs, to lower gas and heating oil costs, etc. The SAVE act is a complete boondoggle effort to make it harder for people to vote and does not belong in a budget bill in the first place. It is Trump’s current focus on cheating his way through the midterms to keep Republicans in power.
Call/write our Congresspeople to take action on the move by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to cancel the Teen Pregnancy Prevention(TPP) program and substitute – an abstinence only, get married and have kids approach to Teen pregnancy. This is yet another attack on Reproductive Choice for women by the administration and it is illegal. Congress already appropriated these funds and now HHS is cancelling grants and redirecting them. Having worked for 30 years with teen parents I know how vital this program is in shaping the trajectory of young women’s lives. They want young women back in the kitchen barefoot and pregnant. It’s a tragic move based on theology not democracy. For a full rundown of the issue with a script for your call go here.
Act on Trump Family Corruption. With news breaking that Trump and family made 1.4 Billion dollars on Crypto in his first year in office, the time is right to call out his corruption. One way to do this is to ask our Senators to vote NO on the Clarity Act which makes this kind of corruption easier and more legal. Consumer Reports has more on this here. More on Corruption Issues at POGO (Project on Government Oversight).
Join the Environmental Voter Project in their effort to highlight climate change as a major issue in the upcoming election. Watch their video (11 minutes) here. Then you can sign up for their phone banks here. And become a monthly donor here. The environment is the foundation of everything – we are a “wholly owned subsidiary of the environment, not the reverse.” to paraphrase the Environmental Economist Herman E. Daly. (Thank you Jess Craven for covering this group) Contact Representatives Pingree and Golden today and ask them to sign Representative Raskin’s discharge petition in the House banning Trump’s 1.776 billion dollar “anti-weaponization” slush fund which will allow money to flow to January 6th insurrectionists and other Trump cronies and sycophants. The petition is part of the “No Carte Blanche” Act which seeks to ban such funds in the future as well. For background on this effort go to 5calls.org and read this brief article.
Call/write our Senators to reform FISA section 702 to stop Government Surveillance. Ask them to vote against reauthorization of this section unless the “Data Broker Loophole” and the “Backdoor Search Loophole” are closed. Also ask them to not support the addition of the SAVE act (Voter Suppression) to this measure. 60% of the President’s daily briefing comes from information gathered by this act, and even though the authorization has lapsed the intel gathering continues because the law stipulates that companies have to comply with Gov’t requests for information. Trump is trying to add things like the SAVE act and anti-trans legislation to this reauthorization. Demand that our Congress people reject these attempts as well. More info. on this here and on 5calls.org. I know this is in the weeds, but if this law is used to quell public protests, and organizing entities, our privacy and our efforts to win our democracy back are at stake here.
Call/Write Senator Collins to vote against the Anti-Trans Legislation that just passed in the House – HR 2616 (the “Stopping Indoctrination and Protecting Kids Act”) she sits on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions which the bill is in front of now. This act prohibits public schools from discussing “gender ideology” and requires schools to get Parental Permission before changing a student’s pronouns & sex-based accommodations. With her vote the bill can die in committee or get voted out not to pass.
Call/Write your Congresspeople to investigate the conditions at ICE/CBP detention centers, close detention centers with multiple abuses like Delaney Hall, call for the release of children from these camps, and refuse to pass funding for ICE/CBP until these abuses have been addressed. There have been over 170 allegations of sexual abuse in these agencies, now detainees are going on hunger strikes to bring attention to the conditions there! Go to 5calls.org for background and talking points on this.
Call/Write your Congressional reps to speak out on the recent gutting of our Voting Rights Act by the Supreme Court. The following are three actions they can take: 1. Call out the attack on voting rights for minorities especially in Southern States, 2. Support the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 3. Support a Federal ban on gerrymandering. For more background go to 5calls.org.
Corruption is at the heart of the Trump Regime. Contact Collins, King, Golden or Pingree to speak up on the following issues: 1. Congress Must Regulate the Prediction Markets which allow administration officials to do insider betting; 2. Investigate Government involvement in the Critical Minerals Industry, 3. Investigate contracting scandals at the Department of Homeland Security. To track how much Trump and his family are increasing in worth from all their corruption go to theTrump Family Digital Grift Tracker. More on Corruption Issues at POGO (Project on Government Oversight). Ask Collins and King to Support Child Care Initiatives: The SEED act which extends educator tax deductions for early childhood educators for the first time, and the Farm Bill which establishes a three-year rural childcare initiative, which directs USDA to prioritize projects that address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in agricultural and rural communities. (thanks to Jess Craven for these suggestions)
On the Climate: Ask your Congress People to vote against the “Stop Climate Shakedown Act of 2026” which would hold Oil and Gas companies immune from lawsuits based on their effect on the climate. “It would bar states, cities, and private citizens from filing lawsuits against oil and gas companies” You can sign a petition on this here. Now trying to put it into Budget Reconciliation as noted above!
Write Senators King and Collins and your Representative to vote against the Save ACT. Maine’s League of Women Voters has it all set up to do this here. Go to 5calls.org for more information on the SAVE ACT, and 5calls.org for more information on the MEGA act and a script for a call/contact. As above, Trump is trying to include this in a budget reconciliation package to fund the Department of Defense.
Let our Congressional Reps know that we need them to oppose the recent Executive Order issued by Trump that he doesn’t need to abide by the Presidential Records Act. Go here for more information on this. (Thank you to Noreen for this!) Maine Related ActionsHelp bring Universal Health Care to Maine: Health Care for All Maine is starting a citizen’s initiative directing the Maine Legislature to write and pass a plan for comprehensive, publicly funded health care coverage for every Maine resident— You can volunteer to collect signatures for this ballot initiative now – go here to learn more. (Thanks Noreen for this one!)
Keep ICE out of our DMV records. Ask Secretary of State Bellows (207) 626-8400, and your local Representative and Senator to act to prevent ICE from having access to our Motor Vehicle records without a Judicial Warrant. So far 5 states have blocked ICE including: Washington, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Minnesota with Oregon in process. Blocking ICE will achieve greater Public safety from preventing illegal scrutiny of our movements, illegal deportations, as well as increasing trust between immigrant communities and law enforcement. For more on this go to 5calls.org. If you haven’t yet, please email Aaron Frey Maine’s Attorney General and ask him to join Rob Bonta, California’s Attorney General in launching an anti trust suit against the companies that will be owned by one man – David Ellison – a huge Trump backer. An Anti-Trust suit is in order, and the States Attorney Generals can get one going. More at 5calls.org on this. At the same time request that he sue to find out what DOGE did to our Social Security data – a whistleblower is alleging that it has been transferred to a non-governmental actor.From the Maine League of Women Voters: Sign up to support fair elections with the Maine League of Women Voters here. Iran War Related Actions: See above. Show original message ICE has 45 billion dollars to build/rent/purchase prison camp facilities – see a full report on this
here from the Brennan Center.Maine’s Attorney General Aaron Frey has started an ICE tip-line Citizens are urged to report intimidating and excessive federal enforcement behavior to CitizenReporting.OAG@maine.gov. “Emailers should be advised that any content sent may be subject to public dissemination under Maine’s Freedom of Access Laws.
The Maine Immigrant’s Rights Coalition (MIRC) has set up a resource hub on responding to ICE. If you see what you identify as an ICE vehicle in your town call the ICE Watch hotline in Maine:207 544 9989. You can also text them a photo of what you believe to be an ICE vehicle, or any ICE actions in your area.
Activate Maine has an ICE toolkit including links to sign up for ICE verifier and de escalation trainings.If you want to get more involved check out
this training manual for becoming an ICE verifier.
The Maine ACLU has a page on being prepared for ICE actions in Maine: go here.
Other resist ICE resources: Resources from the Democracy Security Project: Printable De-Escalation Pocket Guide Printable Protest Pocket Guide Other DSP Resources
Finally, consider volunteering and/or donating to one of the worthy immigrant support organizations listed below:
Capital Area New Mainers Project, Mainers for Humane Immigration, Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, (all Maine based), and the Immigrant Legal Resource Center, go here to donate to the Capital Area New Mainers Project.
Maine Contacts
Find Your State Senator: By name:
Find your State Representative: By name: Here , By District:Here
For Maine State Legislative Calendar day by day go here For links to US Legislative Calendars go here
Check complete bill listing here. Find the text of any bill here Instructions for testifying are here
Local Actions A coffee house is reopening as the Loon Room on August 14th. Check out their Facebook page
here.
The Hannah Pingree for Governor campaign needs a room for a staffer who will be in Waterville until the second week in November. If you know of someone who could rent a room for this purpose please let me know at emanuelpariser@gmail.com!
Winslow Community Cupboard Food Pantry Urgently Needs Specific Food Donations. As reported by NewsCenter 6 and the REM newsletter on Monday, Kristi Letourneau and Winslow Community Cupboard food pantry (which also serves the greater Waterville area) are urgently in need of local nonprofits and businesses to conduct on-site, monthly food drives around ONE SPECIFIC FOOD ITEM.For more information regarding which one specific food item it will be most helpful for YOUR organization to “food-drive” around, please contact Kristi Letourneau at Winslow Community Cupboard, 207-616-0076 or WinslowCupboard@Gmail.com.
Support Patric Moore who is a Democrat running for State Senate in Maine District 16 by contributing to his clean election fund here and supporting seed money for his election expenses here. Patric will be running against Republican Scott Cyrway who votes party line Republican. (Do the same for Cassie Julia, Flavia DeBrito, and Taylor West (if you are in their District) who are running for representative seats in our area go here to contribute to their clean election fund!)
Three council member seats on the Waterville City Council are up for grabs. Please support these Democratic Nominees by helping them get the signatures they need to run for office – Ward 2 Erik Thomas, Ward 6 Scott Beale, Ward 4 Chris Rancourt. For School Board Ward 2 Mary Pletcher, Ward 4 Melissa Sheets, Ward 6 Amelia Auner-Montgomery, Mayor Mike Morris.
Support our LGBQT+ brothers and sisters by donating to the Rainbow Closet. See poster below.
Matt Townsend who is running for House District 67 in Fairfield and is crucial in the effort to maintain Democratic control of Maine’s house, needs drivers for his campaign. You can sign up for a shift here.
Join Mid Maine Indivisible (Kennebec and Somerset Counties) Please join us if you are in the Mid Maine area. To sign up: go here.
Tuesdays: 12:00-1:00 (and every Tuesday) Tesla Charging Stations at Elm Plaza, Waterville Stand with us to remind the traffic that we need to WAKE UP and start resisting the authoritarian take over of our Government. We have been at this l location since Tuesday, Feb. 4th 2025!
Wednesdays: 12:00 – 1:00 Mainers for Reproductive Freedom (MRF)(And every Wednesday) demonstrates across from Resolve, the local anti-abortion center.
Thursdays: (And Every Thursday) Fairfield Benton Bridge 4-5 pm:….stop the coup, support Democracy, ICE OUT
Fridays: Third Act Climate Protest, At Noon – Upper Main Street 2 blocks towards Downtown, Hold one of 13 signs about Climate Change! contact for more info. contact Dick Thomas <mailto:richardmacomberthomas@gmail.com>,
First Saturday of Each Month: Somerset Stands Up Rallies 2:30-Margaret Chase Smith Bridge, downtown Skowhegan. Bring your signs, American flags, your voice, your friends, families and neighbors for this peaceful gathering of concerned residents of Somerset County.
Sundays: 1:00 (and every Sunday) on KMD by the CVS Waterville: Stop the Killing, (ICE, Venezuela, USAID closing, ACA extensions dropped, etc.)
SOLIDARITY
*If you would like to join Maine People’s Alliance Federal Lobby Group, please contact We meet Mondays at 2 pm on Zoom. Email Jim Parakilas to join.
Thanks for your actions to support our pro-Democracy movement.
As always, throw a little sand in their gears!
Emanuel
Some facts to pass on to your local dems running for State Legislature:
from the Joint Economic Committee Report on how much more families are having to pay for goods and services in Maine! The figure totals $3500+ more per year over 2024 figures. For a clearer breakdown by area of services go here. If you know a Dem who is running for state rep or senate, pass this info on to them.