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Contacting Your Legislators  

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February 6, 2019
ACTIVE NONVIOLENCE & PEACEMAKING
action alert small TAKE updateACTION: Update Background Checks
Updating the background check system is not just an important first step for this Congress to take towards ending gun violence; it's also something that the overwhelming majority of Americans can get behind. The landmark H.R. 9 is a bill that will update our background checks law to cover all gun sales and help keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn't have them.  Everytown for Gun Safety urges us to tell our lawmakers to support H.R. 8.  TAKE ACTION          
 
talibanTaliban and Afghan Groups Find Common Ground in Landmark Talks
The Taliban and top Afghan powerbrokers have ended two days of landmark talks in Moscow with a broad but vague statement of shared principles, whose content was perhaps less important than the fact of the meeting itself.  As the departure of US troops draws nearer, the insurgents met with the Afghan government, the powerful men who have fought against them on the battlefield, served in past governments and aspire to rule in Kabul again.  MORE
 
in_abu_dhabiIn UAE, Pope Francis Urges Renouncing 'Every Nuance of Approval' For War
Pope Francis urged religious leaders to renounce all forms of support for violence this week, using the first papal address on the Arabian Peninsula to call it a "duty" of the world's faith.  In a speech to hundreds of Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Sikh representatives at an interreligious conference here, the pope likewise lamented ongoing conflicts across the Middle East.  MORE
NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT
iaeaIAEA Says Iran Is Complying With Nuclear Deal; Warns Against Pressure
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano says Iran continues to uphold its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and warns other countries against trying to pressure the IAEA on inspections in Iran. "If our credibility is thrown into question and, in particular, if attempts are made to micro-manage or put pressure on the agency in nuclear verification, that is counter-productive and extremely harmful," he says. MORE

un_reportUN Report: North Korea Hiding Nukes, Selling Weapons
North Korea is taking action to protect its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and continues to violate an arms embargo and financial sanctions levied against it by the United Nations, according to a report by UN experts. The report indicates North Korea is moving missile assembly and testing systems into civilian facilities to protect them from "decapitation" strikes. MORE
 
billBill Re-Introduced to Eliminate President's Sole Authority to Launch Nukes First
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) have reintroduced bills in the Senate and House of Representatives to prevent the president from launching a nuclear first strike without congressional approval. Rep. Lieu said, "We introduced this bill under the Obama Administration but Trump's Presidency has highlighted just how scary it is that any president has the authority to launch a nuke without Congressional consultation."  MORE
IMMIGRATION
action alert small TAKEtell_big ACTION: Tell Big Banks to Divest from Private Prisons
While professing respect for human rights, Wells Fargo and JPMorgan Chase continue to fund GEO Group and CoreCivic; the biggest operators of private prisons and immigrant detention centers. In doing so, these banking giants are profiting from mass incarceration and the criminalization of immigration. The Conference of Major Superiors of Men urges us to sign their petition which calls on the banks to move their money. TAKE ACTION
 
ice_confirmsICE Confirms Force-Feeding of Detainees on Hunger Strike
ICE has confirmed that it is force-feeding detainees who have gone on hunger strike to protest the conditions under which they are being held. These include claims of verbal abuse and holding inmates in solitary confinement. Eleven of the detainees refusing food, some for more than a month, are in custody at the El Paso Processing Center. Four others are in ICE detentions centers across the country: one each in Miami, Phoenix, San Diego, and San Francisco. MORE
 
thousandsThousands More Troops Heading to Border
The Pentagon is poised to send at least 2,000 more active-duty troops to the southwestern border to provide additional support for the Department of Homeland Security's border patrol efforts. That would come on top of the 2,400 troops who are there now, bringing the deployed number at the border close to the high of 5,900 that it reached in the weeks surrounding the midterm elections in November. MORE
ENVIRONMENT
action alert small TAKE tell_theACTION: Tell the B everage industry to Stop Fueling the Plastics Crisis
A growing group of countries and US States are reducing plastic pollution with container deposits: a small, refundable deposit to incentivize the return of bottles for recycling. The best systems have virtually eliminated littered bottles. But Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and Nestle are key players in a beverage industry which aggressively lobbies against new container deposit laws. The Story of Stuff asks us to tell the beverage industry to support container deposits. TAKE ACTION
 
trumpTrump Chooses David Bernhardt, a Former Oil Lobbyist, to Head the Interior Dept.
President Trump has announced he would nominate David Bernhardt, a former oil lobbyist and current deputy chief of the Interior Department, to succeed Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, who resigned amid allegations of ethical missteps. Mr. Bernhardt has been quietly pulling the levers to carry out some of the largest rollbacks of public-land protections in the nation's history, opening millions of acres of land and water to oil, gas and coal companies.   MORE
HUMAN TRAFFICKING
one_hundred169 Arrested In Human Trafficking Investigation Leading Up To Super Bowl
There were 169 arrests during an 11-day FBI investigation into human trafficking throughout metro Atlanta leading up to the Super Bowl. Among those arrested before the Super Bowl were 26 suspects alleged to be sex traffickers and 34 suspects who allegedly attempted to engage in sex acts with minors. Nine juvenile victims of sex trafficking were rescued, including a 14-year-old. Nine other trafficking victims were also identified. MORE
 
kidsKids Trafficked to Congo Orphanage, Adopted in Belgium
Belgian prosecutors are asking for DNA samples from 15 families in a bid to track down the biological families of trafficked adopted children. It emerged this week that Congolese children were kidnapped, taken to an orphanage, and put up for adoption in Belgium after their parents sent them off to what they believed was a holiday camp. The Belgian families who later adopted the children thought their biological parents were dead. MORE
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & SEXUAL ASSAULT
murderMurder of Teacher Prompts New Domestic Violence Protections
A former judge and Ohio legislator from Cleveland is accused of killing his estranged wife Aisha Fraser in Shaker Heights last November. The man had a previous conviction after attacking Fraser in 2015. Fraser sustained serious injuries in that attack that required facial reconstruction surgery. Now a new bill in Ohio, dubbed Aisha's Law, would provide better protections for victims by way of early intervention and lethality assessment. MORE
 
newNew Bill in Kentucky Would Allow Rape Victims to Track Assault Kits Online
A new bill presented in the 2019 Legislative Session in the state of Kentucky would allow victims of rape and sexual assaults the ability to track their assault kits online. SB 97 would create and implement an online tracking process for the forensic evidence kits. The legislation would also establish a public portal to allow victims to anonymously access the system and provide information to the Kentucky State Police. MORE
POVERTY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
action alert small TAKE supportACTION: Support the Raise the Wage Act Of 2019
While huge corporations rake in record profits, their workers struggle to make ends meet. Corporations have blocked any attempt to raise the U.S. federal minimum wage for over 10 years, resulting in wages that don't keep pace with the cost of living. But a growing movement of workers has raised their voices to demand a $15 an hour minimum wage. Corporate Accountability invites us to tell Congress to raise the minimum wage. TAKE ACTION
 
chicagoChicago Woman Rented Hotel Rooms for Homeless People During Polar Vortex
A Chicago woman's act of kindness helped people who are homeless stay warm during last week's dangerous polar vortex. Candice Payne impulsively charged 20 hotel rooms on her credit card before it snowballed into a lifesaving effort by a group of strangers.  Their generosity made sure dozens of people in need had a warm place to sleep when conditions outside were life-threatening. MORE
DEATH PENALTY

action alert small Scheduled 
Executions 
scheduled
Dominique Ray is scheduled to be executed on February 7 by the state of Alabama for the murder of Tiffany Harville. Please hold Dominique, Tiffany, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Billie Wayne Coble is scheduled to be executed on February 28 by the state of Texas for the murders of Zelda, Robert, and Bobby Vicha. Please hold Billie, Zelda, Robert, Bobby, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

CORPORATE PUBLIC STANDS 

 corporate_standsThe Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton Iowa have taken the following corporate stands:

Death Penalty

Nuclear Weapons

Immigration Reform

Human Trafficking 

 

  

phone HOW TO CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS
phone
Contacting your elected officials is one of the most effective ways to bring about positive change.  You can find the names and contact information of your local members of congress by entering your zip code at:

                  Here are phone numbers for elected officials for Clinton, Iowa:
 
President
Donald Trump    

(202) 456-1414

Senators - Iowa
Chuck Grassley   
Joni Ernst

(202) 224-3744
   
(202) 224-3254
US Representative
Clinton area District 2 
Dave Loebsack 


(202) 225-6576
Governor - Iowa
Kim Reynolds       


(515) 281-5211


   The main switchboard for Congress is: (202) 224-3121