We’re at the point where I’m repeating myself a lot with these civic actions. Lately there are some really huge things going on that require our unflagging focus and repeated entreaties to our legislators. The two big ones are, of course, Venezuela and the Epstein files. Trump has chosen to distract us from the Epstein files with Venezuela’s oil, but both involve criminal actions by him and both are yet more grounds for impeachment. I am suggesting calling/writing every day and encouraging friends and family to do the same (in person and on social media), because numbers matter: We need to flood our legislators’ phone lines and inboxes with demands for action.
As always, choose the actions that speak to you the most, and if you want more, go back over the most recent Action Items emails.
Action Items to choose from (or do all of them: your choice!) Scroll down to the matching number of your option:
- Stop the illegal war on Venezuela and impeach Trump
- Keep up the focus on the Epstein files
- Speak up to protect trans youth AND the right of medical professionals to make decisions about patient treatment without the government butting in
- Maine-specific action
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 the illegal war on Venezuela and impeach Trump:
After campaigning on a “no more wars” policy, Trump has bypassed Congress to strike Venezuela, kidnap their president, and arrest him on trumped-up (pun intended) charges of massive drug trafficking (shortly after he pardoned the president of Honduras, who was guilty of major drug trafficking). Now he’s threatening Mexico, Panama, Canada, Greenland, and other countries. What the hell?
Contact Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden to demand that Congress immediately begin the process to impeach Trump. Enough is enough, and we are way, way past “enough.”
Add that it is past time for Congress to take back its constitutional authority and stop Trump’s aggressive and illegal acts of war. (Susan Collins especially needs to hear this: She voted against last November’s joint resolution directing the cessation of US military involvement in any non-Congressionally-authorized hostilities against Venezuela.)
Do this every day, if you can. Also post on social media to encourage others to contact their legislators in Congress.
2) Keep up the focus on the Epstein files:
The DOJ has just blown past the statutory deadline (set by the Epstein Files Transparency Act) to submit to Congress written justification for any documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files that were redacted or withheld. So far we’ve learned from the files already revealed that “co-conspirators” definitely existed (federal prosecutors once considered charging them), that people of power/money traveled repeatedly on Epsteins private aircraft, and that Epstein maintained access to staff and services from Mar-a-Lago. Recently released video footage has also contradicted prior official statements regarding the surveillance system at the federal detention facility where Epstein died in August 2019. This is serious stuff and must be brought to light.
It’s not enough that the Epstein Files Transparency Act was enacted by overwhelming bipartisan majority. Now that Act must be enforced. Congress has plenty of ways to respond to the DOJ’s stonewalling, including invoking contempt powers, conditioning appropriations, and initiating impeachment proceedings against officials who knowingly violate federal law. As in everything going on these days, Congress must step up and assert its authority.
Pressure Senators King and Collins and Rep. Golden, every day if you can, to demand that their colleagues in Congress to do the right thing and enforce the law with every tool at their disposal.
3) Speak up to protect trans youth AND the right of medical professionals to make decisions about patient treatment without the government butting in:
Trump is sidestepping Congress (as usual) to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth by using the rulemaking process. The proposed rule, RIN 0938-AV87, would bar any hospital system that participates in Medicaid or Medicare from offering gender-affirming care to transgender youth, regardless of whether that care is paid for with federal funds or privately.
Please note that regardless of how you might feel about gender-affirming care, this rule would set a very bad precedent for the insertion of government between doctors and their patients, and especially for the rights of women (or anyone, for that matter) to make their own decisions about their own health.
The rule must first go through a 60-day public comment period, which ends at 5pm on February 17th. We can do our part by submitting our comments. During this comment period, this rule can still be challenged, delayed, and fought, but only if people show up and refuse to let it move forward quietly. The Human Rights Campaign is making it easy for people to compose and submit comments: https://act.hrc.org/page/183931/petition/1 (their form is at the bottom of the webpage)
4) Maine-specific:
Help get Nirav Shah on the ballot as a gubernatorial candidate:
Wendilee is collecting signatures for Nirav Shah to get his name on the ballot. To sign you must be a registered democrat. You can sign for multiple candidates. Contact Wendilee (wendileeheathobrien@proton.me) if you want to sign; she will come to you or you can go to her gallery (316 Main Street in Winter Harbor). She has sheets for Winter Harbor and Gouldsboro.
Yours in Civic Action,
Bold Coast Civic Alliance
