Indivisible Bangor

Category: Bold Coast Civic Alliance Actions

  • Bold Coast Civic Alliance Action Items- Monday, September 8th

    Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!) Scroll down to the matching number of your option: 

    1. Call or email Janet Mills and urge her to take the Come and Take It Pledge and fight back against Republican redistricting 
    2. Demand that our state use its resources to fight the federal power grab 
    3. Keep the Epstein files front and center 
    4. Keep fighting to get rid of RFK, Jr. 
    5. Fight the Save Act–both Maine’s version and the federal version
    6. Save our National Forests 
    7. Chalk our message everywhere it’s legal to do so (sidewalks and roadways) 

    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: 

    Senator Susan Collins:  

    Email: http://www.collins.senate.gov/contact/email-senator-collins/form  

    Phone: (202) 224-2523 (DC office), (207) 945-0417 (Bangor office) 

    Senator Angus King:  

    Email http://www.king.senate.gov/contact 

    Phone: (202) 224-5344 (DC office), (207) 945-8000 (Bangor office) 

    Representative Jared Golden: 

    Email: golden.house.gov/contact 

    Phone: (202) 224-3121 (DC office), (207) 249-7400 (Bangor office) 

    (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)      Call or email Janet Mills and urge her to take the Come and Take It Pledge and fight back against Republican redistricting: 

        She should do the same thing Governor Newsom has done, and push to respond with reciprocal redistricting in Maine so that Democratic candidates have the edge in the second district, if and only if other states join Texas in redistricting to the advantage of Republicans: 

         To call: https://indivisible.quorum.us/campaign/redistricting-call-comeandtakeit/  

         To email: https://indivisible.quorum.us/campaign/redistricting-email-solidarity-states/ 

    2)      Demand that our state use its resources to fight the federal power grab: 

         Yes, I’m repeating the action from my last email. I feel this is something we really have to grab hold of with both hands and start acting on in big way. And do call, if you can, rather than email. Everything I’ve been reading says that phone calls have exponentially greater impact than emails. Let’s make some good trouble at our state level by urging our officials  to exercise their powers under states’ rights to nullify unconstitutional actions/orders by the federal government: 

    And, of course, contact your representatives in the state legislature, which depends on your district: 

              To learn more about what is in these lawmakers’ power to do:  

    https://rachelandthecity.substack.com/p/you-cant-sue-the-government-like

    https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/blue-states-have-90-days-to-kill

    https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/its-time-for-americans-to-start-talking\

              To see some scripts for these calls (be sure to personalize them, though!): 

    https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/5-phone-calls-can-stop-american-fascism

    3)      Keep the Epstein files front and center: 
         A discharge petition to force a House vote on a bill requiring the Justice Department to release the Epstein files within 30 days. Right now, 2 more votes are necessary to reach the required number required to compel the vote. Four Republicans and all Democrats have signed on, and the rest of the Republicans are under huge pressure from the administration and Mike Johnson to not sign on. But there are currently 4 vacant seats in the house, three of which are in deep blue districts where the Democrat is expected to prevail in special elections slated for later this year. Two of those elections will happen this month, and both of the Democratic candidates are vowing to sign the petition as soon as they arrive on Capitol Hill.   
         Call Jared Golden to thank him for signing on to the discharge petition, but also to ask him to urge his Republican colleagues to cross over and do the right thing. Write a letter to the editor. We want to make sure our lawmakers in Congress know that we’re not letting this get swept under the carpet. 

         Of course, if you’re registered to vote in another state—not Maine—and have a Republican representative, call them asap and demand that they sign on to the discharge petition. 

    4)      Keep fighting to get rid of RFK, Jr: 

         He’s systematically destroying all legitimate healthcare in the U.S. and the lives of all Americans. His lunatic depredations—attacks on public health and essential scientific research, extreme vaccine denialism, conspiracy theories, and harmful “alternative” treatments—must stop.  

         Call Senator Collins, Senator King, and Representative Golden to demand that they move to impeach and fire Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Health Secretary. 

    5)      Fight the SAVE Act—both Maine’s version and the federal version: 
         Currently, the Tea Party Patriots Action (TPPA) group is in the middle of a countrywide bus tour to, among other things, promote the anti-voter legislation known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. They’re calling on Congress to attach the policy to either a budget resolution, an omnibus spending bill or the annual National Defense Authorization Act, so the SAVE Act would be forced through as part of avoiding a government shutdown this fall.  
        Maine’s upcoming referendum is similar: Both claim to be protecting the integrity of our elections, but both are really designed to limit who can actually vote. Both need to be stopped. 
    Call Senators Susan Collins and Angus King to demand that they vote against the SAVE Act. 
         Continue to do everything you can—talking to people, writing letters to the editor, putting up signs, chalking sidewalks and streets (see Action #7)—to let Mainers know that they should vote NO on this referendum no matter how sensible the Republicans make it sound. They are lying. People need to understand that this is a voter suppression bill—no more, no less. 
     

    6)      Save our National Forests: 
         The public comment period for the USDA’s next step in rescinding the 2001 Roadless Rule closes on September 19th, 2 weeks from now. They are trying to claim that this is a necessary move to protect the forests from wildfires, but proper forest management is all that’s needed, not logging and development of these old forests. Get your comments in now: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16581/special-areas-roadless-area-conservation-national-forest-system-lands 
     

    7)      Chalk our message everywhere it’s legal to do so (a messaging idea from Mid Maine Indivisible): 
         Be prepared: Carry a piece of sidewalk chalk around with you for those moments when inspiration and opportunity strike! Chalk something like RESIST or DEFEND DEMOCRACY on the sidewalk or road. It’s not illegal, it might feel empowering, and who knows who you might inspire to join the resistance!  

    Yours in Civic Action, 

    Bold Coast Civic Alliance

  • Bold Coast Civic Alliance Action Items – Friday, August 15th

    Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!) Scroll down to the matching number of your option: 

    1. Contact Senators King and Collins to oppose the nomination of E.J. Antoni as the Commissioner of the Board of Labor Statistics 
    2. Tell Congress to take back its power and reverse Trump’s damaging tariffs 
    3. Support bills to mitigate the negative effects of the Big Bad Bill 
    4. Save our VA hospitals 
    5. Consider supporting Washington, D.C., becoming a state 
    6. Fight the EPA’s planned repeal of the 2009 “Endangerment Finding” rule 

    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

    (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)      Contact Senators King and Collins to oppose the nomination of E.J. Antoni as the Commissioner of the Board of Labor Statistics: 

         Antoni is part of the Heritage Foundation, which was the driving force behind Project 2025. In keeping with that institution’s drive toward Christian nationalism, Antoni’s doctoral dissertation from Northern Illinois University thanks his “spiritual patrons: Our Lady of Victory, St. Joseph, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Jude, St. Joseph of Cupertino, and Sts. Peter and Paul. Thank you, most especially, to Our Lord, with whom anything is possible.” Antoni is known primarily for media work, including appearances on the Fox News Channel, where he has relentlessly cheered on Trump’s policies. 

         Dominic Pino of the conservative National Review wrote today that Antoni is “nowhere near qualified to be BLS commissioner,” noting that “he has demonstrated time and again that he does not understand economic statistics.” As J.V. Last of The Bulwark notes, destroying faith in statistics by cooking the books is actually Trump’s plan, illustrated in his announcement of Antoni’s nomination when he wrote: “Our Economy is booming, and E.J. will ensure that the Numbers released are Honest and Accurate.” Project 2025 calls for consolidating the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Census Bureau, and Bureau of Labor Statistics into a single office and aligning their “mission with conservative principles,” as well as putting as many loyalists into statistical positions as possible. 

    (Credit for the above information goes to Heather Cox Richardson) 

         This man should not be allowed any position of power in our government, let alone one where he will cook the books for Trump and Project 2025.  

         You can also sign a Resistbot letter about this to our senators by texting SIGN PFBABY to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram. 

    2)      Tell Congress to take back its power and reverse Trump’s damaging tariffs: 
         Prices are rising, and it is pretty clear that the blame lies square on Trump’s tariffs. Among other sources, see https://apnews.com/article/producer-prices-inflation-trump-tariffs-economy-0f6613cc6f9e1b76939fdcf2c9ad8d03    
         Call Senators Angus King and Susan Collins and Rep. Jared Golden to demand that they push both houses of Congress to take back its power and reverse the tariffs. According to the Constitution, only Congress can set tariffs on foreign countries. So Congress should be able to stop these ridiculous economy-killing tariffs. 

    3)      Support bills to mitigate the negative effects of the Big Bad Bill: 
         Senate Democrats have introduced two pieces of legislation to reverse the worst of the cuts in Trump’s Big Bad Bill: The Protecting Healthcare and Lowering Costs Act (S. 2556) to repeal the healthcare cuts, and the Lowering Electric Bills Act (S. 2681) to reverse his take hikes on clean energy. Contact Angus King and Susan Collins to demand that both Senators support both bills.  
         Contact Representative Golden to urge him to support H.R. 4849, the Protecting Health Care and Lowering Costs Act of 2025.  
     

    4)      Save VA hospitals: 
         According to a new report, every single VA Hospital in the country is facing critical staff shortages. These shortages are a direct result of DOGE cuts and other Trump policies. That is utterly shameful for a country that claims to revere its veterans, the men and women who have laid their lives on the line for our freedoms.  
         Contact our Senators and House Rep to urge them to demand the immediate restoration of the previously Congress-allocated funding. 
     

    5)      If you agree, support Washington, D.C. becoming a state: 
         There are bills in the Senate (S. 51) and the House (H.R. 51) to grant DC statehood. If you agree that this should happen, urge our senators and house rep to support these bills. I believe Jared Golden voted against it, or at least declined to cosponsor it in the House; King has not yet joined as a cosponsor in the Senate; I don’t expect Collins to support it, but we should demand that she do it anyway. 
     

    6)      Fight the EPA’s planned repeal of the 2009 “Endangerment Finding” rule:  
         The EPA’s original 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards established that greenhouse gases like CO2 and methane “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations” and set the stage for regulations to limit greenhouse gas emissions across the economy. Now they want to repeal all that. This repeal “would not only erase all current limits on greenhouse gas pollution from cars, factories, power plants, and other sources. It would prevent future administrations from trying to tackle climate change, with lasting implications.” (The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/03/climate/trump-epa-endangerment-finding-climate-change.html?unlocked_article_code=1.eE8.46fu.6gbHqjVkCooS&smid=url-share ) 

         This proposed repeal would be an enormous step backwards for our country, effectively making pollution of air, water, and land the standard by which we will must all live…and die. There is nothing positive about this for anyone except the dirty energy companies. Next thing  you know, they’ll be making seat belts and cancer warnings on cigarette packs illegal, and Energy Star appliances will be replaced by required installation of coal-burning appliances.  
         Bottom line: The Environmental Protection Agency wants to eliminate its own authority to combat climate change and fight for public health. That is insane.  
         The EPA’s Proposed Rule for Reconsideration of 2009 Endangerment Finding and Greenhouse Gas Vehicle Standards is open for public comment NOW through Sep 15. Here’s the link to review the proposed rule and submit a comment (use the green “submit a public comment” button near the top right):  https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/01/2025-14572/reconsideration-of-2009-endangerment-finding-and-greenhouse-gas-vehicle-standards?     

       They need to hear from as many people as possible to hopefully stop this repeal from happening. 

    Yours in Civic Action, 

    Bold Coast Civic Alliance

  • Bold Coast Civic Alliance – Action Items – Thursday, July 31st.

    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: 

    1. Stop the mass starvation in Gaza! 
    2. URGENT: Call our Senators to oppose Andrea Lucas’ confirmation as Chair of the EEOC 
    3. Support a resolution for a “No Kings” constitutional amendment 
    4. More to do on Epstein 
    5. Tell the FTC to protect everyone from AI voice deepfakes 
    6. The proposed Kids Online Safety Act could cause more problems than it fixes 
    7. 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.