ACTIONS FOR WEEK OF AUGUST 24

 

Dear Fellow Citizens,

 

Happy new week. Let’s start off by talking about the post office. We had a protest on Saturday at two post offices, Forest Park and Oak Park.

 

And on Tuesday there’s  a day of action organized by the Postal Workers Union.  

 

Today would be a good day to call our Senators about the postal service.  DeJoy’s conflicts of interest and his deliberate actions to undermine mail-in voting prove he is utterly unfit to lead USPS. Congress must call for his resignation. Demand that they call for the resignation of Postmaster General DeJoy.  

Script: Hi, my name is [NAME] and I’m calling from [ZIP CODE] with  Western Front Indivisible. I’m calling to urge [NAME] to call for Postmaster General DeJoy's immediate resignation due to his conflicts of interest and his clear disinterest in ensuring all Americans can safely vote by mail this fall. The Postal Service is an essential nonpartisan service, not a tool for partisan gain.

On Saturday, the House passed the Delivering to America Act, which would require the Postal Service to restore service to what it was January 1, 2020 and continue at that level until after the pandemic ends. So what we need to do this week is to call or email Senators Durbin and Duckworth and demand that they do more than talk.  We need to have all their power (especially Durbin’s) used to get Senators from across the aisle to force McConnell to bring both this and the Heroes Act up for a vote with $25 billion for USPS and an additional $3.6 billion in election funding to expand vote by mail and maintain safe in-person voting locations. More information here.  Here are the numbers:  Senator Durbin  312-886-3506    Senator Duckworth 312-886-3506.

 

At 2:30 today, there is a  Moral March on Mitch McConnell, from the Poor People’s campaign. You can sign up HERE. You can watch/listen to the livestream, and during this time make a call to Mitch McConnell’s office to demand that he bring the Senate back to pass the two big bills impacting the postal service, the Heroes Act and the Delivering to America Act.  If you can’t watch, please call to Moscow Mitch’s office during this time, if you can, at (202) 224-2541.

 

And TUESDAY is a busy day.  The American Postal Workers Union has called for a national Day of Action. This might be a good time to make those phone calls to Senators.  (See above.)

10 AM   Coffee Klatch  Join us to talk about what's happening in the world, in the country, in your life. Maybe you want to write a few postcards to voters while you are on, or maybe just drink that cup or coffee or tea and connect  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88955311261

Meeting ID: 889 5531 1261   Or by phone 3126266799

 

3-5 PM  IndivisiText Bingo | Textbanking to Swing State Voters

 SIGN UP HERE: https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJElde-tqzIjE9ymXUwy8QRA7pye8xoEXUp2

Never texted before? That's ok! You will need a laptop/tablet and internet access. You do not use your own cell phone to text people. For more details go here.

 

 5:30 PM  Candidacy Launch for Cate Readling who is running for Oak Park Village President.  Go here to RSVP.

 

WEDNESDAY

 

3 PM  Voter Registration Phone Bank Calls for Wisconsin.  The first 30 minutes will be an optional ZOOM training/refresher session followed by 90 minutes of actual calling by volunteers.

Here is the link to sign up.  Once you RSVP you will receive log-in instructions for the session. https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYscO-hrj4pHdfdEeSP7g_UtKq8unnkRMYl

 

5:30 - 6 PM  Indivisible PhoneBank Training

Since we can't canvass in a pandemic, phone banking is the best tool we have for winning in November. If you're new to it, we'll train you up and answer all your questions. Our popular class has already turned hundreds of nervous newbies into cool, confident phone bankers. The time is now. Hosted by Indivisible Chicago. Sign up here: https://secure.everyaction.com/pdIih96hJU20IeMFT2U2Sw2

 

5:30 PM National Truth Brigade Campaign Call. If you have already signed up and want to know about the next campaign, register here for the hour-long call.

 

TRUTH BRIGADE

Maybe you missed the Happy Hour last Friday and all the information about Disinformation and how to combat it.  Well, you are in luck. You can listen to the original presentation  with this YouTube video. This was a presentation at the August 8th Windivisible Boot Camp,  The slides are rather small on the video, so I have attached a copy of them to this newsletter.

 

Once you’ve watched the videos and gone through the slides, you’re going to want to join Indivisible’s Truth Brigade and you can do that by going here.  And they are launching a new campaign as part of this venture, to be announced in a Zoom call the Thursday at 5:30 PM and you can register at this link. And we will be talking more about the Truth Brigade and this new campaign at our Happy Hour this Friday at 4:30 PM. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82011233258

Meeting ID: 820 1123 3258   Or by phone at 3126266799

 

SATURDAY, AUG. 29

 

Maybe you can't write postcards.  But you can help support those who do by donating to our special fundraiser for GOTV expenses.  Contribute through ActBlue today and you can have your money doubled through a matching grant from Indivisible.

 

But if you are writing postcards . . .

2 PM  Virtual Postcard Writing Party. Join us as we write postcards to voters in swing states. This is part of a campaign to contact 16 million voters.  Here’s the info: Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82716106893

Meeting ID: 827 1610 6893   Or by phone 3126266799

 

VOTING ISSUES

 

Get you questions about voting answered On Thursday, SEPT 3 

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM In a Zoom meeting by Forest Park Public Library

Join the La Grange Area and Oak Park/River Forest League of Women Voters for a non-partisan review of voter registration, new vote-by-mail processes, and expanded early voting. There will be a short presentation followed by a Q&A discussion. Registration is mandatory and the link is here.

 

BE A POLL WATCHER

This probably is most relevant to young people, so if you’re not, pass this on to someone you know who is. 

If you are in Cook County and are interested, you can go here to find out  more.

 

Don’t watch the RNC.  You can get reports afterwards from trusted new sources, from podcasts, or maybe you just want to tune into late night talk shows. I might check in with Stephen Colbert or Seth Myerson.  Whatever you do, please do not amplify the lies and misinformation from the current administration.

 

Also, put this on your calendar: our next monthly meeting is SATURDAY, SEPT. 12 at 3 PM. It will be an important meeting where we will discuss what we need to do for the last big push for our election. You’ll want to come, and invite friends and neighbors.

 

Let’s support our postal workers this week. Buy some stamps. You can order them online if you don’t want to step in the post office.

 

And remember, November 3 is only 70 days away. What are you going to do this week?

 

Etta

 

PS  If you have any questions or want to be removed from this mailing list, please email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com

 

Actions for Indivisible Week of Action August 17-23

Dear Friends,

Happy Week of Action!  You are invited to participate in a smorgasbord of actions this week as we push towards the November 3rd election.

Wait a minute, you say, what about the Post Office? Aren't we concerned about the post office?  Of course we are because we are worried about how that impacts the Vote By Mail push.  I could write an entire action list about the USPS but instead, I’ll include a link and ask you to go over to the blog and read more about what we can do to save the USPS.

Well, there’s a new bill to support. There's a chance to call Mitch McConnell’s office and demand that he pushes through the Heroes Act with funding support for the USPS. And there’s even a protest this next Saturday, at your local post office. There’s so much information with all the possibilities (including writing the  USPS Board of Governors) that I created a blog post. Please go read that post.

And this week, the week of action? There are so many possibilities, from texting to tweeting, to writing postcards, to protesting in person. And also watching the Democratic National Convention.  I’ve included links to everything in the schedule for the week  (If a link is missing it’s because I don’t have it yet.)

I’d like to see you this week. Stop by our Coffee Klatch on Tuesday, our Happy Hour on Friday, or our Postcard Party on Saturday, if you can.

Schedule for this week. Yep. There’s lots to do this week. It’s our Week of Action from Indivisible. Here are some things you can decide to do. And I have included all the links.

MONDAY  17

 

2:30 PM  Poor People’s Campaign live stream w Rev. Dr. William J. Barber

5:30 - 7 PM   Training for Indivisitext Text Banking

8 - 10 PM   Democratic National Convention

TUESDAY 18

10 - 11  Western Front Coffee Klatch 

3-5  Text Banking for Kansas

7-8 PM  Text bank training  Register here 

  

8-10 PM    Democratic National Convention 

WEDNESDAY  19

12-2   Vote by Mail Tweetstorm

8-10 PM    Democratic National Convention 

THURSDAY 20

3- 6 PM  Tweetstorm in support of the Biden/Harris ticket

5 - 7 PM  Text Banking for  for Pennsylvania

7-8 PM  Wisconsin Voter Registration Training

8-10 PM    Democratic National Convention 

FRIDAY 20

4:30 - 5:45 PM   Happy Hour--Let’s Combat Disinformation

7 PM  Week of Action Live Stream from Indivisible featuring Rep. Ayanna Pressley

SATURDAY   21

10 AM - 1 PM  Fair Tax Phone Bank

11 AM to Noon   USPS Protest at Forest Park Post Office  ( in person and car caravan)

2-3:30      Virtual Postcard Writing Party

SUNDAY  22 

7- 8 PM   #DitchMitch National Indivisible Call. Sign up here for an email invite.

How much time can you devote to working to save our democracy this week? And how many other people can you interest in this. If you have any questions on how to get more involved, please email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com .  In fact, just email me if you get this list today and let me know that you’ve looked at it and are considering what you can do this week.

Thanks. Now let’s get to work!

Etta

HOW YOU CAN SAVE THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

 Well, I know at least I have gotten your attention. You, like me, are concerned about Trump's attack  on the postal system.

A little history. "Forty percent of all votes in the 2016 election were cast by mail-in ballot. That's 57.2 million votes. Trump raised no objections at the time. Instead, he falsely claimed that 3 million undocumented immigrants voted, robbing him of a popular vote victory over Hillary Clinton. In subsequent elections, Trump cast his own vote by mail.

It wasn't until April of this year, as the pandemic made in-person voting potentially dangerous for many people, did Trump begin to falsely claim the mail-in voting was vulnerable to fraud."  Read more about what has happened and is happening by going here.

So, what can we do. Well, first off, grab your phone. 

 

There’s new bill in the House from Oversight Chairwoman Maloney called the Delivering for America Act would prohibit the Postal Service from implementing any changes to the operations or level of service it had in place on January 1, 2020, until the COVID-19 pandemic has ended.  This legislation would maintain current service standards as well as the integrity of our elections and bedrock democratic principles. As you may remember the House instituted remote voting procedures months ago. They could move this bill now (because clearly this is now an emergency), doing two things: putting us in a stronger position to be able to organize around the bill being included in a future COVID funding package and giving us the ability to point to something really concrete that Senate Republicans are refusing to act on to ensure seniors can receive their medications on time (outside of the additional funding they continue to sit on in the Heroes Act).
We now have a script and more details from Indivisible - https://indivisible.org/tell-your-representative-act-now-save-us-postal-service 

You have heard that Speaker Pelosi is cutting short the vacation for the House of Representatives so they can take up this issue. So first thing to do is to call your Representative (Go here for phone numbers.) and demand that they co-sponsor the Delivering for America Act. There may be more legislation that is proposed this week as well. Stay tuned.

IN THEIR FACE

Here's another idea. Let's all call and/or email the board of governors of the USPS. 

 

TAKE ACTION: Here’s the contact information for the US Postal Service Board of Governors. They can fire Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, review his actions in sabotaging the USPS,

and direct changes in policies and practices to ensure the timely delivery of the mail.

You know what to do. Inundate them.

Robert Duncan: mduncan@inezdepositbank.com

John Barger: mailto:barger.jm@gmail.com

Ron Bloom: ron.bloom@brookfield.com

Roman Martinez: mailto:roman@rmiv.com

Donald Moak: mailto:lee.moak@moakgroup.com

Wiliam Zollers: directoraccessmailbox@cigna.com

 

Possible email wording or snail mail  (please email indivisidually):

Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service
Postal Service Headquarters
475 L’Enfant Plaza SW
Washington, DC 20260

To the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service,

I write to express my shock and dismay at the steps that have recently been taken by the Postmaster General to neuter the beloved United States Postal Service, on which tens of millions of Americans like me rely and which will serve as the lynchpin for a safe and fair election in November. I am deeply troubled and outraged by reports of slowdowns in mail delivery (which I am personally experiencing); the unexplained deactivation of mail sorting machines; the removal of letter collection boxes in swing states; and the decision to force election officials to pay higher first-class rates for mail-in ballots to ensure on-time delivery—after previously treating ballots as speedier first-class mail while charging a lower marketing mail rate.

It is no secret that the President of the United States sees slowing mail delivery as a means of assuring his re-election. But this is the United States of America: I still believe in the rule of law and the promise of Democracy, and I call on you to do what you know is right—to resist pressure to use one of the oldest and most venerated institutions in our nation as a partisan tool. You must instead to do everything in your considerable powers to ensure that the Postal Service will again, as it has throughout its long and storied history, help our Democracy continue to pursue a more perfect union. By pushing for the funding that the USPS needs; by reversing the previously mentioned disastrous policies; and by working with all relevant stakeholders, you can help America run a free and fair election, even in the midst of a devastating pandemic.

Specifically, I demand that you immediately fire the Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy, who is clearly doing the President’s bidding and turning the USPS into a partisan tool. I also remind you that while the present administration encourages lawlessness—so long as it serves the President’s interests—a future administration may very well prosecute crimes committed now. I therefore note the following federal statute, of which you are likely well aware and would do well to keep in mind over the coming months:

“Whoever knowingly and willfully obstructs or retards the passage of the mail, or any carrier or conveyance carrying the mail, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.” Federal Criminal Law (18 USC 1701)

Moreover, criminal referrals have already made, for instance to the New Jersey Attorney General, to investigate the actions you and the agency you oversee are undertaking to subvert the election. As I have no doubt you know, the President cannot pardon state crimes.

Sincerely,

 

Here was another shorter suggestion:

Dear _____________________

As you are a Governor on the United States Postal Service Board I am requesting you review Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's recent actions in sabotaging the USPS, and direct changes in policies and practices to ensure the timely delivery of the mail.

This obstruction of mail service is jeopardizing the health of our brave Veterans. The Veterans Administration fills 80 percent of their prescriptions via the United States Postal Service!

Additionally both the Covid-19 pandemic and the upcoming Presidential election make the efficient running of United States Postal Service the highest priority.

Every Veteran deserves the efficient delivery of their prescriptions.

No one should have to die to vote and no one's vote should go uncounted.

Sincerely,

And here's the quick easy way. Go the this link to send a bulk email to the governors.

NO TIME BUT YOU WANT DO DO SOMETHING ?

Try ResistBot.

 

 

 

 

 

FLOOD THE PHONES TO SENATE LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL

Join with the Poor People's Campaign the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber at 2:30 Monday, August 17th, during which time you can also help jam the links the Senator Leader Mitch McConnell’s office to demand that he bring the Senators back to work to pass a new relief bill that will include funds to protect the USPS.  You’ll need to RSVP for this event and here is the link. What we are talking about is the Heroes Act. Mitch has been sitting on it and needs to bring it to the floor. 

Call in and demand a just and compassionate stimulus plan now! Here are all the phone numbers for Mitch. Why not try all of them? 

Louisville Office
Phone: (502) 582-6304

 Lexington Office
Phone: (859) 224-8286

Fort Wright Office
Phone: (859) 578-0188

London Office
Phone: (606) 864-2026

Bowling Green Office
Phone: (270) 781-1673

Paducah Office
Phone: (270) 442-4554 

Washington Office
Phone: (202) 224-2541

 A PROTEST ON SATURDAY 

Just this morning I received a notice from MoveOn calling for a national protest at all of our local post offices on Saturday, August 22 at 11 AM local time.  Here's the link to sign up or find where local actions are taking place.  We will be doing something in Forest Park and we will email out information on that when we have finalized details. I'd like to include a car caravan as well, going between the Forest Park Post Office and the South Oak Park Post Office.

OR BUY STAMPS

Daily Kos is again calling for people to buy stamps to help support the Post Office.  This is great when we are writing postcards to voters and need postcard stamps. Good news is that you can order them directly from the post office from their website.  Here's the article with all the details.

The American Postal Workers Union has a number of action opportunities as well. Check out their site. 

I will update this post as I get more information, but what can you do TODAY to make a difference.  Make sure to share this information on social media and with friends, neighbors and family by email or just by talking to them.  Our democracy is at stake here. The chance for a fair election is at state. Please do something. 

WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK

Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Fellow Activists, 

I’m excited. You may wonder why. There has been the usual amount of crazy and bad news the past week.

I am excited because on Saturday I spent most of the day with hundreds of other activists at the Windivisible Bootcamp event.  I am excited because the focus was on how we are going to win in the November  election. And win big.

So, it’s to start really doing things!  This week. And continue until November 3rd. So, let me tell you what’s going on this week.

MONDAY

 

2:30 to 4 PM 

The Poor People’s Campaign is coming back for a second Moral Monday March on McConnell, where we will stage a digital “sit-in” and massive call-in to Senator McConnell’s offices to demand he stop causing misery, meanness and mayhem for our people and nation.  RSVP here.

 

7:30 PM

Indivisible Brookfield will have a special guest for an hour for "Defund the Police, Explained".  Tanya Watkins, Executive Director of Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL Chicago) will discuss what the Defund the Police movement means, and what steps we can take to push for racial justice.

Please bring an open mind, a listening ear, and your questions for this thoughtful and insightful discussion event. This event will take place via Zoom. In advance of the event, please click here to register and then receive the Zoom link to join us.

 

TUES.

10 AM  Coffee Klatch

 

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/756102112

Meeting ID: 756 102 112  or by phone at 312-626-6799  Come join us. And here’s an idea. Grab a few postcards to write as well, so we can connect with voters in other states as well as talk.  And, don't be alarmed--we may talk about twitter as well.

 

3 - 5 PM

Textbank Bingo into New Mexico: Here’s the FB post with more info. That explains the couple of things you need to do in preparation for the event.  And here is how to register:

https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vcOmrpjIjE9ZvYy8yp6Hx32PG-TBpoeZ2

WED

3-5 PM   Phonebank Bingo to MA  https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUkd-GvpzgrHddTj4gVeTTEOsG_fCqcR89m  Have you tried phone banking yet? This is a great way to do so. In a Zoom room with some training and some support as you start making calls.

THURS

3-5 pm. Textbank Bingo into MA.  Same as on Tuesday,  and register here  https://indivisible.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYucu-grD4vEtI5Qh4shmKI0lFiPaLowaEi

5 PM  Phonebank Training for Voter Registration Calls to Michigan Voters. Indivisible Chicago is teaming up with Statewide Indivisible Michigan (SWIM), Rust Belt Rising, and Register2Vote on "8 Million Voters,” a project to increase the number of registered voters in Michigan over that threshold during the months of August and September. Register2Vote is mailing targeted unregistered people a voter registration application and we will call them about completing their registration. This training will get you comfortable using the virtual phone bank and helping people get registered to vote in Michigan.  Here is the link to register for this important program.

FRI

4:30 HAPPY HOUR

Join us to talk about what has happened this week, and what our response should be. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82011233258

Meeting ID: 820 1123 3258 Or by phone 312-626-6799 

SAT

2 PM    Virtual Postcard Party

Join us to write postcards to voters in swing states, urging them to get out and vote. You'll need to have postcards ahead of time. That and a pen or two. And you'll be ready to go. How many can you write in an hour and a half? This time we’ll have some live cello music to inspire our work.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84539980412

Meeting ID: 845 3998 0412   Or by phone 312-626-6799

BUT THERE’S MORE

There are phone calls you can make this week to our Senators and Representatives. Many of these relate to the election and voting rights.  Go to our blog page CALLS TO MAKE to see the scripts for all of these issues.

ELECTION DATES TO REMEMBER

This may be something you want to print out and put on your refrigerator. Or maybe email to some friends or family members. This is especially important in a year when many of us will be voting by mail.

Did you know that all early voting sites will have drop boxes where you can safely deposit your mail-in ballot?  Where are early voting sites?  Go to the board of elections site for information on that.  And, they will be announcing more locations for ballot drop boxes on Sept. 10th.

For late-breaking news on the elections and other events, please join our Facebook Group.. And you can follow us on Twitter @WFIndivisible.  And you can generate your own tweets using these suggestions for this week

CAN YOU HELP THOSE IN NEED? 

We’ve been hearing about a program that the Third Unitarian Church in Chicago is doing in the Austin community, an outdoor pop-up pantry on Saturdays, 10am-Noon, at the church.  Support is needed for this--food and money donations, volunteers, and helping spread the word. Learn more about this program by reading this blogpost.

Also, and this is a repeat from last week.  The Refugee Community Connection in Chicago  is seeking donations of quality, used laptops, smartphones, and diapers. Mary-Beth Heine is coordinating the electronics portion of the drive. Chris Martin has volunteered to handle collecting diapers. These are the items currently in greatest need.   Electronics should be five years old or less.  Mary-Beth can be reached via text at 563-639-9781 or by email marybethheine@gmail.com. Chris can be reached at 708-477-1986. 

 

DO SOMETHING

 

Whatever you do, please do something!  There are always postcards to write to voters. We just got in new ones to send to voters in Florida. If you are out of postcards or if you want to join our postcard writing team or have friends who want to, email us at westernfrontindivisible@gmail.com.

So have a good week. Please find some event to join in on this week. And watch the news. I’m pretty sure we’ll find out Biden’s VP pick this week.

Keep on,

Etta

PS  I want to mention one thing about next week. We are planning a special Happy Hour session on Friday Aug. 21st about Disinformation and the Truth Brigade.  You won’t want to miss this one! Put it on your calendar and Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsd-uopj0rG9dmYCnFL8e5y8rorbAqZkec