Hi, all, and happy Saturday,
I’m sending this truncated newsletter out today becasue I never got one out yesterday and it contains a few important items I wouldn’t want you to miss. Again, I will be on vacation next week so after “Extra! Extra!” tomorrow there will be a one week lull before you see another newsletter.
So what was so important that I write you on a Saturday? Well, among other things, one of my subscribers has composed a Resistbot letter about the Sable Oil land grab, so I hope you’ll send it, if not now then on Monday. Another subscriber asked me to include an Extra Credit item about DoorDash, so I’ve done that as well.
But mostly I wanted to let you know that, in great part because of your calls and emails, Serafinah has been released from ICE detention! She was so sick she had to be rushed straight to the ER. She was immediately admitted to the hospital, and that’s where she still is now, surrounded by family and friends. But she’s OUT! Thank you so much for helping with this case. We’re not sure what will happen next, but getting her out of detention and into a hospital very likely saved her life, so thank you to every single one of you who took an action on her behalf.
One thing I would ask us to do is to thank the Democratic Congressmember who worked the hardest to get Serafinah out, and that is Morgan McGarvey. He really went above and beyond and deserves all of our praise. More on that below!
OK, all. I’m half in vacation mode already, so I’ll leave this here. I hope everyone has a great week, and if you’re in Michigan vote vote vote on Tuesday!
I’ll be back with renewed vigor the week of August 10th, and we’ll get straight into midterm mode!
See you then!
Extra Credit #1 ✅
Food delivery company DoorDash is backing Republican efforts to strip the city of Washington, DC, of several powers that are integral to Home Rule, the city’s right to govern itself like any other state. This is a move against the principals of democracy.
Specifically, DoorDash is supporting HR 9720, the “D.C. Taxing Authority Review Act” that seeks to permanently revoke DC’s ability to set their own taxes, a move that would be both insulting and destructive. Rep. Maxwell Frost called it, “the worst attack on Home Rule since 1973.” Worse yet, DoorDash not only supports the bill but admits they instigated Congress into action on it. Unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of DoorDash’s problematic policy positions, such as their refusal to come out publicly against ICE, who threatens many of their delivery drivers.
The organization Free DC is asking people to boycott DoorDash, delete the DoorDash app, and let DoorDash know why.
You can contact DoorDash through their app before deleting it and/or message them on social media. Here is an example of what subscriber Kacey M. sent to DoorDash:
I am disgusted with DoorDash’s support of HR 9720. I am writing with the following demands, in the name of democracy and human decency:
—Immediately withdraw your support for HR 9720.
—Issue a public statement against ICE and other federal police who are hunting and killing delivery drivers in the street
—State publicly that the “D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force” should end
Until these demands are met, I will boycott DoorDash and encourage others to do the same.
Thank you.
Extra Credit #2
Please call Rep. Morgan McGarvey at (502) 582-5129 or (202) 225-5401 and simply say something like:
My name is _____ and I’m calling from ____ to thank the Congressman for his hard and diligent work getting Serafinah out of ICE detention. Without his intervention she well may have died. Thank him for his service, please, and for doing the job he was elected to do, and then some. Have a great day!
Get Smart! 📚
On Wednesday, August 5 at 7:00 PM ET BigTentUSA will host a timely virtual conversation featuring Dr. Maya Kornberg, Senior Research Fellow at The Brennan Center for Justice and author of STUCK: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress, and Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14). This discussion will examine the forces that have reshaped Congress over the last five decades and what they mean for the country’s future.
Together, Dr. Kornberg and Rep. Underwood will explore how campaign finance, media incentives, political polarization, institutional changes, and the growing threat of political violence have altered the way Congress operates—and why meaningful reform has become so difficult. They’ll also discuss what can be done to build a legislative branch that is more effective, accountable, and responsive to the public.
If you care about democracy and the future of Congress, this is a conversation you won’t want to miss.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all three reps] [H/T JustRaven on Substack] [Text SIGN PQPNOW to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
Strip the Sable Offshore provision from the FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act before the Senate votes on it. The amendment from Representative Wesley Hunt of Texas cleared the House by a single vote, 215 to 214, and it would hand the Secretary of Defense eminent domain power to take permanent easements along the Santa Ynez Pipeline System, including land owned by the State of California.
This is not a defense program. It is one private oil company using the federal government to seize state parkland on the Gaviota Coast so it can restart the pipeline that ruptured in 2015 and spilled more than 450,000 gallons of crude near Refugio State Beach. Sable now faces 21 criminal charges from Santa Barbara County prosecutors, five of them felonies, over its work on that same line.
I do not want a corporate favor dressed up as a national security necessity. If the Pentagon can condemn a state park for a drilling company, no public land in any state is safe from the next company with a lobbyist. Vote to remove this provision, and oppose any defense bill that still carries it.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
I emailed my Senators about Sable Offshore, with this added:
Allow Senator Schiff's investigation and the California federal court case to proceed.
It was a pleasure to call the Kentucky representative and thank him. We have to sing our praises when anyone in Congress does great things.