From our friends at Bold Coast Civic Alliance-
There are so many, many things for us to speak up about, and I try hard not to share too many in these emails. There’s nothing like the feeling of overwhelm to make a person freeze like a deer in the headlights and instead of acting, do absolutely nothing. Deep breaths, everyone, and then take the next step in our long march. (How’s that for corny? LOL)
Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!) Scroll down to the matching number of your option:
- Stop the mass starvation in Gaza!
- URGENT: Call our Senators to oppose Andrea Lucas’ confirmation as Chair of the EEOC
- Support a resolution for a “No Kings” constitutional amendment
- More to do on Epstein
- Tell the FTC to protect everyone from AI voice deepfakes
- The proposed Kids Online Safety Act could cause more problems than it fixes
- A Maine action, for those who don’t like Chik-fil-A or approve of their politics
Contact info:
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.
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
Actions
Actions
1) Contact Senator Collins, Congressman Golden, and the White House to oppose the mass starvation of the Palestinians in Gaza:
The situation is absolutely dire. Here is what Angus King had to say about this (and yes, you can call him to thank him and encourage him):
“I cannot defend the indefensible. Israel’s actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency. What appears to be a deliberately-induced famine among a civilian population—including tens of thousands of starving children—can never be an acceptable military strategy…While clearly justified in responding to the horrific attack by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens, that tragic event cannot in turn justify the enormous toll on Palestinian civilians caused by Israel’s relentless bombing campaign and its indifference to the current plight of those trapped in what’s left of Gaza…I in no way accept or condone the actions of Hamas, but recent events have placed a moral burden on Israel to ameliorate the current crisis, a burden it has thus far totally failed to meet…For these reasons, I am through supporting the actions of the current Israeli government and will advocate—and vote—for an end to any United States support whatsoever until there is a demonstrable change in the direction of Israeli policy. My litmus test will be simple: no aid of any kind as long as there are starving children in Gaza due to the action or inaction of the Israeli government.”
Here’s what we have to ask Collins, Golden, and Trump (www.whitehouse.gov) to do:
1. Stop shipments of offensive weapons to IDF units in Gaza and the West Bank. These units are credibly implicated in the commission of gross violations of human rights. Enforce the Leahy Laws (22 U.S. Code § 2378d – Limitation on assistance to security forces
U.S. Code: “No assistance shall be furnished under this chapter or the Arms Export Control Act [22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.] to any unit of the security forces of a foreign country if the Secretary of State has credible information that such unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.”
2. Stop funding the ad-hoc Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Bring back UN and NGO groups with demonstrated expertise in distributing humanitarian aid. (https://www.vanhollen.senate.gov/news/press-releases/van-hollen-welch-19-senators-call-for-answers-on-gaza-humanitarian-foundation-press-administration-to-cease-funding-ghf)
Personal note for transparency: When I condemn Israel’s actions, I speak as a Jewish person who has lived in Israel and who believes in Israel’s right to exist. But I absolutely condemn the Israeli government’s actions in its obvious attempts to utterly destroy Gaza and the people who live there. If you feel differently, you are free to ignore this Action Item.
2)Tell Senators Collins and King to oppose the confirmation of Andrea Lucas as Chair of the EEOC:
In addition to its name being pretty clear on what it stands for, the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) states its “vision” and “mission” right on their website:
The EEOC’s Vision is: Fair and inclusive workplaces with equal opportunity for all.
The EEOC’s Mission is to: Prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination and advance equal opportunity for all.
Andrea Lucas, however, is a conservative activist who, as Acting Chair of the EEOC, has been using her position to accomplish the opposite of the EEOC’s stated mission and vision. From 5calls.org:
“During her brief tenure as EEOC Acting Chair, Lucas has abused her position to launch unlawful investigations against Trump’s critics and adversaries, shaking down law firms under the guise of “illegal DEI” programs, and thwarting free speech in universities—in some cases, even sending questionnaires to faculty on their personal cell phones asking if they identify as Jewish. She also has announced her intent to prosecute employers for engaging in “anti-American national origin discrimination”—in other words, for hiring workers who were not born in the United States. She has specifically targeted the rights of LGBTQIA+ workers, ending EEOC investigations of LGBTQIA+ workplace discrimination.”
It seems very clear to me that she is possibly the wrongest [sic] person for this job, and we should make clear to Susan Collins and Angus King that they should oppose her confirmation.
3) A resolution has been introduced in Congress for a constitutional amendment declaring that no president is above the law. Right now, to build momentum, we need to get as many members of Congress as possible on record in support of this “No Kings” amendment. Public Citizen has a petition/letter that we can sign. Obviously, this will never pass in the current Congress, but the more names on the the petition, the better. Congress must be put on notice that their constituents care. You can sign here: https://act.citizen.org/page/86233/petition/1
4) More to do on Epstein:
All seven Democrats on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, along with Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi invoking a little-known law called “the rule of five” to force the Trump administration to turn over material related to the Epstein investigation.
Contact Senators Collins and King to vocally support this effort. You can read the letter here: https://static01.nyt.com/newsgraphics/documenttools/d1193ded99f0a9a9/ced71823-full.pdf
And if you’re interested, the Rule of Five states: “An Executive agency, on request of the Committee on Government Operations of the House of Representatives, or of any seven members thereof, or on request of the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate, or any five members thereof, shall submit any information requested of it relating to any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee.”
5) Tell the FTC to protect everyone from AI voice deepfakes:
Artificial intelligence “deepfakes” of people’s voices are becoming increasingly easy to create, and it can be done without your consent or even your knowledge. The FTC prohibits impersonating government officials or business officials, but not us ordinary folks, leaving us all ever more vulnerable to being scammed.
Consumer Reports is lobbying to change this. You can sign their petition here: https://action.consumerreports.org/nb-20250317-aideepfakepetition
6) Tell Senators Collins and King to oppose S.1748, the “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA):
KOSA, the “Kids Online Safety Act” doesn’t look like the right answer to a real concern. Its language is too unclear, leaving big loopholes that could allow the Trump administration’s partisan FTC to block any speech it disagrees with. See: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2025/05/kids-online-safety-act-will-make-internet-worse-everyone
7) Reported in the Press-Herald: Maine Turnpike Authority’s new Executive Director, Andre Briere, is considering adding Chick-Fil-A to the service plazas along the Maine Turnpike. Chick-Fil-A is an ardent supporter for “traditional families”, and they are outspoken activists against gay marriage and the entire LGBTQ+ community. They’re also closed on Sundays. Is Chik-Fil-A the way Maine wants to greet its visitors? And shouldn’t Sunday drivers have full options at our service plazas? Does Chik-Fil-A’s stated vision jibe with Maine: The Way Life Should Be? If you want to oppose this, you can call Mr. Briere directly and leave him a voicemail: MTA: (877) 682-9433, ext. 124.
