[mpen-dayton] FW: "No Women’s Open at Trump golf course" & The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump, Part 1&2: The Russians" & "Needed: Progressive Governors EVERYWHERE" and more

FYI. Best, Munsup

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• FW: Sign the petition: "No Women's Open at Trump golf course"
• FW: The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump, Part 1 and 2: The Russians
• FW: Sign the petition: No business as usual until we have an independent Russia investigation
• FW: Needed: Progressive Governors EVERYWHERE
• FW: Sign the petition: Not one dime for Trumps "voter fraud" commission

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From: Judy Burnette
Subject: FW: Sign the petition: "No Women's Open at Trump golf course"
    

USGA and LPGA: Dump Trump The petition to the Ladies Professional Golf Association and the United States Golf Association reads: "A sexist, serial abuser should not host the most prestigious women's golf tournament in America. Sever ties with Donald Trump and move the 2017 U.S. Women's Open from Trump National Golf Club, Bedminster." Add your name:   It makes no sense. The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) are holding the country's top women's golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. Donald Trump is a misogynist and serial sexual predator. He routinely demeans and harasses women. He is shamelessly using the presidency to enrich his family, brand and businesses. It is offensive that the USGA and LPGA are planning to legitimize and reward Trump's hate by giving him millions of dollars in revenue and helping to promote and sanitize his brand. Our friends at UltraViolet have been pushing the USGA and LPGA to move the tournament for months, but so far the sporting organizations have refused to do the right thing. That's why we are joining UltraViolet to help ramp up the pressure. Can you add your name to our petition now? Tell the LPGA and the USGA: Move the Women's Open from Trump's golf course. Click here to sign the petition. Golf has a history of racism, sexism and discrimination against people with disabilities. The LPGA did not even begin until 1950. The Professional Golfers' Association of America banned men of color until 1961.1 Golf clubs across the country and the world have a long history of maintaining all-male and all-white memberships.2,3 It took a Supreme Court ruling to stop the PGA Tour from mistreating disabled golfers.4 It is through this lens that the LPGA and USGA need to reconsider the decision to hold the U.S. Women's Open at a Trump course. Affiliating with a racist, misogynist like Trump would double down on golf's legacy of discrimination instead of moving away from it and send the wrong message to young, aspiring golfers and survivors of abuse. There is precedent for golf associations standing up to sexism and discrimination. Two years ago, the PGA of America fired its president after he attempted to belittle a male golfer as "a little girl."5 Golf organizing bodies in the United States and abroad have forced changes to discriminatory membership policies by refusing to hold tournaments at clubs that discriminate against women or people of color.6 There's already been intense pressure on the LPGA and USGA to move the tournament. In October, Sens. Bob Casey, Edward Markey and Dick Blumenthal wrote a letter asking them to decline "future association with a brand that degrades women."7 UltraViolet has been organizing protests at LPGA tour events. We need to build momentum now to keep the pressure on. Tell the LPGA and the USGA: Move the Women's Open from Trump's golf course. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/LPGA_Trump?t=6&akid=23060.399700.MQ7sdJ Add your name:    References: "PGA Group Abolishes 'Caucasian,'" Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Nov. 10, 1961. Alexandra Topping, "Muirfield golf club to allow women to join for the first time," The Guardian, March 14, 2017. Jaime Diaz, "Racism Issue Shakes World of Golf," The New York Times, July 29, 1990. Michael Bamberger, "This time around, few would deny Casey Martin a ride at the Open," Golf Magazine, June 12, 2012. "Ian Poulter tweet leads to exit of American PGA president," BBC, Oct. 25, 2014. Henry Young, "Tokyo 2020: Golf course bows to pressure over female membership," CNN, March 20, 2017. Adam Peck, "Senators call for the LPGA to move women's major away from Trump course," ThinkProgress, Oct. 26, 2016.

 

 

From: Judy Burnette
Subject: FW: The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump, Part 1 and 2: The Russians

http://democracyandclasstruggle.blogspot.co.uk/2017/05/45-minute-dutch-documentary-that-aired.html?m=1

Democracy and Class Struggle | "45-minute Dutch documentary that aired last week,
titled 'The Dubious Friends of Donald Trump, Part 1 and 2: The Russians.' ...

The first installment of the investigative reporting series, produced by Zembla, does what no American TV network has yet dared to do—take a deep look at the organized crime links and corrupt international business strategies used by Trump and his partners in his properties.

RICO and FARA Charges from Grand Juries already aimed at Trump Associates".  - Watch this space.

 

 

From: Murshed Zaheed; Political Director, CREDO Action from Working Assets
Subject: Sign the petition: No business as usual until we have an independent Russia investigation
    

Tell Senate Democrats: Special prosecutor or shut it down Petition to Senate Democrats: "Refuse to proceed with all regular Senate business until the Department of Justice appoints a special prosecutor to investigate Trump and Russia and Trump's outrageous abuse of power in firing FBI Director James Comey." Add your name:   Donald Trump fired FBI Director James Comey because Comey is leading an investigation that could bring down Trump's illegitimate regime. Trump and his staff are now openly admitting this fact and giving every appearance that it was an attempt at obstruction of justice.1 Independent experts are condemning this outrageous abuse of power. Formerly wishy-washy Democrats have found a spine, and even some Republicans appear troubled.2 There are even reports that Comey requested additional money and personnel to expand the Russian investigation days before he was fired.3 But Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others are circling the wagons by ruling out a special prosecutor and putting their narrow agenda ahead of our democracy itself.4 It is time for Democrats to be bold. That is why we are joining our allies, including #AllofUs, Alliance for Quality Education, Bend the Arc Jewish Action, Daily Kos, Demand Progress, Friends of the Earth Action, Journey for Justice Alliance, Presente and UltraViolet Action to say that Senate Democrats must refuse to allow business as usual until a fully independent special prosecutor is investigating Trump. Tell Senate Democrats: Special prosecutor or shut it down. Click here to sign the petition. In a scathing editorial, The New York Times editorial board did not mince words: This is a tense and uncertain time in the nation's history. [Trump], who is no more above the law than any other citizen, has now decisively crippled the F.B.I.'s ability to carry out an investigation of him and his associates. … The obvious historical parallel to Mr. Trump's action was the so-called Saturday Night Massacre in October 1973, when President Richard Nixon ordered the firing of the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, prompting the principled resignations of the attorney general and his deputy. But now, there is no special prosecutor in place to determine whether the public trust has been violated, and whether the presidency was effectively stolen by a hostile foreign power. For that reason, the country has reached an even more perilous moment.5 It is now clear that Trump decided to fire Comey and demanded that the Department of Justice provide an excuse. After months praising Comey for interfering in the election, according to reports, Trump became angry at the FBI director for refusing to tamp down the Russia investigation and support his claims that President Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower. Comey's handling of the Clinton email saga, while outrageous, is nothing but a cover for Trump's abuse of power.6 The man leading the Department of Justice, Jeff Sessions, has perjured himself to cover up his ties to the Russian government and broke his promise to recuse himself from the investigation by recommending that Comey be fired. Mitch McConnell, who is now blocking a special prosecutor, knew about Russian interference in the election from briefings but was complicit in keeping it quiet to help his candidate win. Only a fully independent investigation will restore faith in the rule of law and our democratic institutions. Tell Senate Democrats: Special prosecutor or shut it down. Click here to sign the petition. Democrats must use all means at their disposal to force an independent investigation. Senators can refuse to consider the nomination of a new FBI director or block funding for Department of Justice programs. More boldly, they can and should withhold "unanimous consent" to proceed with basic Senate business as long as McConnell continues his disloyal campaign to hold onto power. There are already some indications that Senate Democrats understand the gravity of the situation and what is required. But it's up to us to insist that they resist the temptation to back down – and instead stand up for our democracy and the rule of law. Tell Senate Democrats: Special prosecutor or shut it down. Click below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/Comey_Shutdown?t=7&akid=23058.10312106.FQ1e0c Add your name: References:     Peter Baker and Michael D. Schear, "Trump Shifts Rationale for Firing Comey, Calling Him a 'Showboat'," The New York Times, May 11, 2017 Greg Sargent, "In the wake of Trump's brazen firing of Comey, it's time to go nuclear. Here's how." The Washington Post, May 10, 2017. Matthew Rosenberg and Matt Apuzzo, "Days Before He Was Fired, Comey Asked for Money for Russia Investigation," The New York Times, May 10, 2017. Sargent, "In the wake of Trump's brazen firing of Comey, it's time to go nuclear. Here's how." The New York Times Editorial Board, "Donald Trump's Firing of James Comey," May 9, 2017. Sargent, "In the wake of Trump's brazen firing of Comey, it's time to go nuclear. Here's how."

 

 

From: Action Alert (via Civic Action)
Subject: Needed: Progressive Governors EVERYWHERE

SIGN OUR THANK YOU CARD NOW >> THANK GOV INSLEE

"I think we understand the massive economic inequity that is creating anxiety that hurt us in Wisconsin and Michigan and Pennsylvania… We need to think about ending inequity in everything." - Governor Jay Inslee

Here at Civic Action, we keep a close eye on politicians from both parties… and one has caught our eye. Our very own Washington Governor Jay Inslee has been a champion for progressive values for DECADES.

From getting voted out of Congress after courageously taking a stand against gun violence to being the first Governor to accept Syrian refugees, Governor Inslee is exactly the kind of leader we need in order to fight back against the extreme GOP agenda.

Governor Inslee's bold and brave policies have made him an example for our progressive movement. Democrats around the country should take notice: incrementalism in these times will not be enough!

Sign our card TODAY to thank Governor Inslee for standing up for our progressive values >>
   

SIGN OUR CARD >>

Our governors matter. We need more progressive champions like Governor Inslee!

Paid for by Civic Action

 

From: Arisha, Rashad, Hope, Johnny, Chad, Kristen, Thomas, Malika, Kwesi, Shannon, the rest of the Color Of Change team
Subject: Sign the petition: Not one dime for Trumps "voter fraud" commission

Trump just announced a election commission run by the worst vote suppressors in the country. Tell Congress not to approve a single dime for this commission! TAKE ACTION

In the wake of blowback about the heightening investigation into his collusion with the Russian government, Donald Trump once again used the myth of voter fraud to distract from real issues at hand. Trump is attempting to manipulate the election process by announcing the Pence-Kobach Presidential Commission on Election Integrity¹.

This sham of a commission is made up of an all-star crew of vote suppressors. That this commission is led by Vice President Mike Pence, who directed Indiana to last in voter participation as governor²; and Kobach, whose Interstate Crosscheck system targets Black people for voter roll purges³; shows that the commission has one goal: ensure fewer Americans are able to exercise their freedom to vote.

Members of Congress must take a stand today to protect our freedom to vote and not allow Trump's voter suppression squad to further reduce our freedom to vote. Donald Trump attacked Black communities and Black voters repeatedly while he was on the campaign trail⁴. Now that he is President, he's targeting the Black community and voters who opposed him to launch a program of voter suppression to maintain control and influence over future elections.

Tell Members of Congress it's time to stand for Americans against this assault on our voting freedom: not one dime for this sham of a commission!

Almost to a person, Trump's team for the commission is all-star line up of the most vicious anti-voting freedom officials from across the country.

Vice President Mike Pence, the chair, implemented voter suppression tactics in Indiana as governor⁵ that led the state to have the lowest voter participation in the entire country. The goal of government should be to make certain that more people are voting not fewer and Pence has demonstrated he is in no way qualified to lead a commission about our electoral system.

Kris Kobach is the draconian Secretary of State in Kansas who has spent state money fighting to remove thousands of voters from the rolls and enacting the most restrictive voter ID laws in the nation⁶. He has spread his attacks on Black voters and other voters of color nationwide by developing the Interstate Crosscheck system which some states use to purge voters. The system has been shown in multiple reports to over represent Black voters and has purged numerous eligible voters from the rolls stripping them of their freedom to vote.⁷ Announcing Kris Kobach as a Vice-Chair of the "Presidential Commission on Election Integrity" also tells us the intent of the commission is to nationalize voter suppression laws he has piloted at the state level. Kobach has also repeated lied parroting Trump's ludicrous assertion about millions of fraudulent votes in the 2016 election.

During the 2016 election, Connie Lawson, the Indiana Secretary of State and commission member, used the Indiana State Troopers to raid a voter registration operation working in Black communities in Indianapolis and sent the troopers to several voters houses to scare them from exercising their right to vote.⁸ She refused to turn over the records seized and thousands of voters were denied the opportunity participate in the 2016 election.

When he was the top elections official in Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell used his power as Secretary of State to serve his partisan agenda. He manipulated and misinterpreted election rules in all sorts of questionable ways, consistently defying logic--and even court orders--to increase Bush's chances of winning in Ohio. Blackwell's policies in 2004 consistently made it harder for people in Black and low-income areas to vote, and it appears that this was a major part of his strategy to manipulate the vote in Ohio to Bush's favor.⁹

This commission is a direct attempt to attack the our freedom to participate in crucial elections!

The other members of the commission have not been announced but it has been speculated that the Democratic Secretaries of State from Maine and New Hampshire have been asked to join. This transparent attempt to give the commission legitimacy falls far short of what is needed. Maine and New Hampshire are two of the smallest and least diverse states in the nation and do not represent the needs needs of Black communities or our nation's diverse electorate.

Congress should not participate in this attempt to justify Trump's attacks on the Black community. It's clear from the members of the team that the goal of this Pence-Kobach commission is to attack the freedom to vote of Black voters and the rising new majority. All members of Congress need to stand up to Donald Trump and say no to the Pence-Kobach Commission. We will not allow Donald Trump to erode our freedom to vote any further. Mike Pence, Kris Kobach and Donald Trump plan to use Black voters as targets to attack our democracy and we will not be silent!

Make sure your voice is heard here!

References:

1. "President Trump launches commission on 'election integrity'" ABC News, 11 May 2017. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/7911?t=7&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
2. "Was Indiana No. 1 in failing to do our civic duty?" IndyStar, 12 November 2014.http://act.colorofchange.org/go/7913?t=9&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
3. "The GOP's Stealth War Against Voters" The Rolling Stone, 24 August 2016.http://act.colorofchange.org/go/7914?t=11&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
4. "Trump Says Black Communities Are 'in the Worst Shape They've Ever Been'" The Atlantic, 21 September 2016https://act.colorofchange.org/go/7915?t=13&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
5. "Group accuses Mike Pence of voter suppression after state police raid registration program in Indiana" The Washington Post, 15 October 2016. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/7917?t=15&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
6. "Kris Kobach voting law may disenfranchise Kansas voters, panel says" Kansas City Star, 6 February 2017. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/7918?t=17&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
7. "Greg Palast in Ohio on GOP Effort to Remove African Americans from Voter Rolls in Battleground State" Democracy Now, 8 November 2016. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/7919?t=19&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
8. "Indiana Officials Target A Black Voter Registration Drive On A Technicality" Huffpost, 22 October 2016. http://act.colorofchange.org/go/7920?t=21&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM
9. "Ohio's Secretary of State Subverts Voting Rights" 9 October 2012. https://act.colorofchange.org/go/7921?t=23&akid=7469.239715.zU79EM

Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. Help keep our movement strong.

 

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