In California, there is currently a ballot initiative (this is where the public works to create legislation and gather signatures on it, if enough signatures are gathered it can then be put onto a ballot for a vote) that would create a tax against any billionaires currently residing in California, to create a fund to replace money lost to federal funding cuts, and attempts by the Trump Administration to manipulate state legislation by controlling funding. This initiative is the first of its kind, but it is built on the framework of similar legislation in various states that has previous worked. Despite the successes of so many similar tax changes, many politicians and "analytics experts" are throwing a fit about this one. That includes California Governor Gavin Newsom, who has stated that he will do everything he can to kill this initiative before it can become law. For California residents, I am going to be providing two courses of action. One is to support the initiative. Please only endorse the initiative if you are a California resident, doing so otherwise could skew their numbers and jeopardize the initiative. The next is to contact Governor Newsom's office and voice your displeasure with the lack of support he has shown for the initiative
The moment Gov. Wes Moore announced his proposal to reform Maryland’s tax system, in part, by raising income tax rates on high-income househ
Endorse the Initiative:
Below, I will provide a call script that can double as an email template demanding Governor Gavin Newsom stop backing down from his promises to the people of California, starting with changing his tune about this initiative
Gavin Newsom:
Email
Office Number: (916) 445-2841
Script/Template:
[If calling] Hello, my name is [blank] and I am a constituent calling from [address]. [If you want to hear back from their office, you may also provide your email address. Not all offices will email you back]
I am reaching out today to demand that Governor Newsom stop trying to sacrifice actual gain and progress in California for his own image. The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act would be a game changer for our state, but the Governor can't look far enough past his own needs to see that. This isn't the first time Governor Newsom has turned his back on California, and I know it won't be the last at this rate. If he doesn't want to lose his supporters, he will stop this two-faced game. He will, at the very least, stop fighting the progress he is too cowardly to make himself by no longer trying to kill the 2026 Billionaire Tax Act.
[If calling] Thank you for your time and consideration. Have a good day.
As of now, I have heard that the Kids Act has passed the committee by 28-24 votes. Do not be discouraged, no doomerism, no defeatism, we can still win this fight. To lift up your sprits:
Alright, markups over, good news bad news
The bad news is that the KIDS act (KOSA, SCREEN, etc all in one package) has been reported out
Also still confused on some aspects of news about the committee on the votes on could use clarification on them.
So do not panic, continue to fight these bills and call. The fact that the act has barely passed means that our actions are working and that people more than aware about kosa and directly oppose it.
All of the bad internet bills. One website.
KOSA is a censorship bill that won’t make kids safe. Instead, it'll put all internet users at risk, especially youth. If you believe in a fr
The South Florida Soft Sided Detention Facility, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz”, is a federally-funded immigrant detention camp built and operated illegally in the Florida Everglades. Scientific experts, activists, and indigenous residents have criticized the construction for the dangers it poses to the Everglades and its inhumane treatment of detainees. Despite multiple orders to close, the facility remains open and operational. Please take a stand with the Miccosukee Tribe to tell the FL state and federal government HANDS OFF THE EVERGLADES!
Keep reading for more info and ways you can help, including a detailed timeline of events, petitions, and call scripts
(PLEASE SHARE - More people need to talk about this!!!)
Why Should I Care?
• The Everglades are federally protected wetlands located in South Florida, USA. Considered one of the most biologically sensitive natural habitats in the country, they are home to over 100 critically endangered and threatened species
Species include the Florida Panther, American Alligator and Crocodile, Wood Stork, West Indian Manatee, Snail Kite, Eastern Indigo Snake, and 5 species of sea turtles (Loggerhead, Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Kemps Ridley)
• The Everglades are imperative to our survival, providing fresh water to 8 million Floridians.
10 traditional Miccosukee tribal villages are located throughout the wetlands, placing indigenous people at the forefront of the fight.
• Detainees are facing horrific conditions that Amnesty International described as “torture” and “inhumane and unsanitary conditions”, including being chained to the floor in a 2’x2’ cage and left for hours in the elements
• “Alligator Alcatraz” is already serving as an experimental blueprint for more inhumane detention facilities - “Deportation Depot” opened in September in Baker County, FL, and DeSantis has announced plans for a facility at Camp Blanding and another in the FL panhandle dubbed “Panhandle Pokey”; there’s also Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer”, Nebraska’s “Cornhusker Clink”, and Louisiana’s “Camp 57”. Reported conditions detainees face are beyond inhumane.
Timeline:
6/26-6/30: Project announced and construction begins, protests begin, first lawsuit filed by activists, research supplement list
7/1-7/4: First detainees arrive, facility floods the same day Trump visits, lawmakers denied entry to facility, DOJ files lawsuit against the activists’ lawsuit
7/5-7/16: Miccosukee Tribe file to join activists’ lawsuit, second and third lawsuits filed, only 1/3 of detainees have a criminal record, reports of conditions in facility
7/17-7/19: US Trial Judge Jose Martinez recused himself and is replaced by US District Judge Kathleen Williams, ACLU files class-action lawsuit, deportations begin
7/20-7/29: Civil rights lawyers and religious leaders allege violations of rights, FL Democrats introduce “No Cages in the Everglades Act” to defund facility, Trump admin offers $608million to states for additional similar camps
7/30-8/8: Federal Judge orders two-week halt on construction, District Judge orders government officials for legal transparency, said officials change existing laws then apply them retroactively in response
8/9-8/14: Detainees go on hunger strike, Judge Williams delays ruling, reports of immigrants in the country legally with no criminal record being sent to facility
8/15-10/27: Judge Williams orders all construction and operation to cease, appeals court allows it to continue, federal officials approve FL for $608 million reimbursement, government shutdown stalls one lawsuit, community caravan to facility
How Can I Help?
• Join activists onsite at their next protest - interfaith gatherings are held every Sunday
• Sign and share petitions 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
• Support activists fighting for the Everglades
Betty Osceola and the Miccosukee Tribe
Friends of the Everglades
Center for Biological Diversity
Florida Interfaith Coalition
• Boycott companies involved in the facility’s construction and operation
Friends of the Everglades: "Dear Gov. DeSantis and Attorney General Uthmeier, Don't make the same mistake Florida avoided 55 years ago. I'm urging you to STOP the reckless plan to build an "Alligator Alcatraz" detention center in the heart of the Everglades. This land is critical to the future of the Everglades - that's why thousands of Floridians joined forces to stop the Everglades Jetport from paving over this very ground in 1970. Now Attorney General Uthmeier wants to do what even President Nixon's administration knew was wrong: open the door to development in one of America's most fragile and iconic ecosystems, surrounded by Everglades National Park and Big Cypress National Preserve. You have the power to stop this anti-Everglades proposal, and I'm calling on you to use it. NO AIRPORTS. NO ROCK MINES. NO PRISONS on this land. ONLY EVERGLADES! Sincerely, [your info here]"
Jessica Namath: "My name is (name] and I'm calling to ask that you help protect our nation's FIRST National Preserve - Big Cypress - and stop "Alligator Alcatraz". The Everglades are no place for ANY 1,000 person facility. The infrastructure can't support it, and the impacts to the indigenous community and ecosystem would be catastrophic. Please oppose this terrible idea!"
Sierra Club FL Chapter: "Dear Governor DeSantis - You have repeatedly claimed to be a defender of the Everglades. Now is the moment to back up those words with action. The proposed "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE facility would devastate a vital part of the Everglades - undoing decades of restoration progress and wasting billions of taxpayer dollars already invested in protecting this unique ecosystem. This project threatens to destroy the very heart of the River of Grass, undermining the hard work of generations of advocates and scientists dedicated to restoring Florida's natural heritage. I urge you to listen to the thousands of Floridians who stand against this plan. Show real leadership by rejecting this harmful project and fully committing to protecting and restoring the Everglades for future generations. The time to act is now. Stop Alligator Alcatraz, and stand by your promise to protect the Everglades. Sincerely, [your info here]"
More Reading:
Pedro Lorenzo Concepción, a Cuban Immigrant the US Deported to Mexico
How 'Alligator Alcatraz' Exposes 200 Years of Indigenous Erasure
Betty Osceola Talks About Her Life and Alligator Alcatraz
Franklin Adams Talks About His Life and Alligator Alcatraz
How the Miccosukee Tribe is Protecting its Land - interview with Talbert Cypress
Please please please share this information! It’s important to keep the conversation going and the support flowing in. Countless lives are relying on your support!!
so in a more practical application of the "larp a republican if you're gonna call them" post that got huge, North Carolina is about to have abortion access slashed if nothing's done about it.
SB20 got passed and went up to Gov. Cooper who vetoed it, but there's very very slight veto-proof supermajority in the legislature. Unless at least one Republican breaks ranks the veto will be overridden.
I made a google doc to organize, and you don't have to be a North Carolinian to participate:
Operation NC Abortion Freedom Park your cursors here when not actively typing: ======================================================= ||
Even if you can't participate, please share. A lot of people might lose yet more of their rights very soon.
ACTION - It's legal for US employers to pay disabled people far below minimum wage
For almost a century, it has been legal in the US to pay disabled people less than non-disabled people for doing the same job. I'm talking literally pennies on the dollar.
The Transformation To Competitive Integrated Employment act is a key first step to helping us access good jobs with the supports we need to succeed. This bill will recognize our rights, and build the infrastructure we need to exercise them.
If passed, the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act would end subminimum wage for disabled people, and create new opportunities to help us get and keep real jobs with real pay.
If you're in the US, contact your representatives here:
People with disabilities live better lives when we are included in our local communities. That’s just as true when it comes to work as it is
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network makes it a very easy process!! You input your information, you're given a pre-written message that you can edit if you wish, and it's automatically sent to your senators and federal representative. And if you're able to call your reps as well, they find all 3 of your reps with all the phone numbers you need to dial, and a script to read off of.
Hi- I live in a district where my congresswoman is undecided regarding the abominable new healthcare bill #wealthcare. I am planning to call tomorrow, but this will be my first time calling. Any advice/a suggested script to follow to properly convey my horror and disgust???
Good morning, angel. What a day in America, huh? For those of you who have had to isolate yourself from “knowing” what is “happening politically” because it makes you want to “throw yourself off a building,” today Congress will vote on a new and even worse Republican healthcare bill – one that stripmines boring stuff like special education and Medicaid and penalizes stuff like “being a woman” so millionaires can get a giant tax break. Trickledown!!!
This bill is so fucking cruel and incoherent and garbage that House Republicans do not want to read it, and do not want it to be scored by the Congressional Budget Office. They literally admit that they do not care what a human and fiscal disaster it is: they just want it to pass. Oh, and if you have employer health insurance, that whimsical funhouse ride? We’re not safe either! LOLOLOL.
Anyway! I’m so proud of you, my diamond the size of a duck’s egg, for choosing to call today. I know it can feel difficult, but i cannot, i canNOT overemphasize how important it is, especially if you have a Republican representative. Here is a series of easy steps.
Either google your Representative’s office and call that # directly, or call 866-426-2631 and enter your zipcode.
If you cannot get through, I am begging you to keep calling. Every phone in the House of Representatives should be constantly ringing off the hook. These trash people need to know that their jobs are on the line and their bosses – who are us – are watching.
Use one of these INCREDIBLY HELPFUL call scripts from Indivisible. I will copy a slightly amended version of one of them below, the one for those of you whose reps may be wavering on the issue.
Caller: Good morning/afternoon! My name is [your name] and I’m a constituent from [your town]. Can you tell me [your Congressperson’s] position on the American Health Care Act and the Upton proposal?
Staffer: I’m not sure if Rep. _____ supports or opposes the American Health Care Act at this time.
Caller: I’m disappointed to hear that. I would ask Rep. ______ to oppose this bill. These new proposed amendments still undermine critical protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and [I/my family member] am at risk of losing [my/his/her] insurance. [I/ my family member] have a pre-existing condition that before the ACA could be used by insurance companies to discriminate against me. My health depends on Rep. ____ voting against the American Health Care Act. I expect Rep. _______ to publicly state his/her opposition to this destructive bill and prioritize the health and wellbeing of his/her constituents.
Staffer: I will certainly pass on your concerns to Rep. ______.
Caller: Please do, and please take down my contact information to let me know when Rep. ______ has made up his/her mind. I’m eager to hear what he/she decides, since it will determine my support or opposition to Rep. _____.
Brief personal stories are really useful here. It’s okay if your voice shakes. It’s okay if you stumble over your words. (When I called my own Rep this morning I accidentally yelled the words “IRRESPONSIBLE AND EMBARRASSING!!!!” because i was worked up.) These people are taking hundreds of calls; they don’t care and won’t remember and also, their opinion of our eloquence or lack thereof is IRRELEVANT to us and to the future of this country. What matters is that we express our stance and our power as voters.
Republicans are scared. They’re seeing huge pushback in their districts; their jobs are rapidly becoming thankless. They do not want them to become more thankless. Call them and let them know that if they pass this irresponsible flaming shitshow of a bill it can get worse. They are counting on our feelings of paralyzed helplessness to protect them, but we are not helpless.
I LOVE YOU. I’M PROUD OF YOU. I LOVE THAT YOU ARE REFUSING TO NOT SHOW UP. Here’s a palate-cleansing photo of my cat.
