For the millions of you that will lose your insurance if Obamacare is
repealed please call Paul Ryan. It took me about two minutes, most of that waiting patiently for the recording to end.Paul Ryan is
conducting a phone poll on the ACA (Obamacare), hoping to hear
overwhelming popular opposition to it. If you would like to express your
support for the Affordable Care Act, call (202) 225-3031. Press 2 to
weigh in on the issue. You’ll hear a brief recording about HR-3762, Paul
Ryan’s proposal to gut the ACA, and
President Obama’s use of his veto power to stop it. Then, you will have a
chance to indicate your opinion with the press of a button.Press 1 if you support Obamacare, 2 if you oppose it.
There is also an option after making your choice to leave a voicemail for Speaker Ryan, which I did, and recommend doing, but is obviously not required.
You don’t have to talk to anyone!! Should be easier on anxiety that way.
But make sure you listen to the options.
You will have to listen to 2-3 minutes of blatant lies and propaganda, but it’s worth it to tell this monster that he’s got it all wrong on ACA.
Reposted from something I saw on Facebook
“I just called the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and apparent conflicts of interest. It took me two minutes, and the woman on the phone said that they are absolutely tallying calls – the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.
She said that there’s not much time left, as they are out of the office next week for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.
NOW is your chance to use what’s left of democracy to send a strong message and demand change. Please, do this ASAFP. If you get a “mailbox is full” message, call back in a minute or so – that seems to be the default when lines are busy.
That number again is (202-225-5074). Website here:
“Likes” feel nice in the short term. “Shares” get the word out. ACTUALLY CALLING ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING.”
Another measure to consider voicing support for if you call: Oversight Committee member Rep. Elijah Cummings has already requested that his colleagues investigate Russia’s potential involvement in the election.
Reposted from something I saw on Facebook
“I just called the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and apparent conflicts of interest. It took me two minutes, and the woman on the phone said that they are absolutely tallying calls – the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.
She said that there’s not much time left, as they are out of the office next week for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.
NOW is your chance to use what’s left of democracy to send a strong message and demand change. Please, do this ASAFP. If you get a “mailbox is full” message, call back in a minute or so – that seems to be the default when lines are busy.
That number again is (202-225-5074). Website here:
“Likes” feel nice in the short term. “Shares” get the word out. ACTUALLY CALLING ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING.”
Another measure to consider voicing support for if you call: Oversight Committee member Rep. Elijah Cummings has already requested that his colleagues investigate Russia’s potential involvement in the election.
When we are young, people in Germany are told about what happened in WW II. It’s such a central point in our education that it recurrs in multiple school subjects over years. We know what happened and how it could happen. Why people voted for Hitler, how people stood by in pretended ignorance and used Jews, POC, disabled people and LGTB as scapegoats for everything that went wrong and ignored what happened to them because it wasn’t their problem.
Now, we see something similar in America. We see a man use such violent racism and hatred rise and become the most powerful man in the world. The parallels are there no matter how hard some people try to deny it. If you ask yourself: How could Hitler rise? You have your answer now.
It’s a true reminder that people do not learn from history, but the thing is history will not forget.
Whatever will come out of this? We don’t know.
People in germany have watched the election unfold with so much worry because we know what could happen, but we felt secure because ‘there is no way he would win. It’s so obvious people can’t be that stupid.’ but well…
Take this advice from a german history student: Stay together and support your minorities. If you are white and cishet then it’s not the time to ignore what might happen only because you are going to be unaffected by it. Be a decent human being, if you see discrimination fight against it for the good of the people, speak out against it, make them feel secure because this is their country as well. If more people had felt that way 70 years ago, maybe it might’ve changed something. Do not make the same mistake my grandparents generation did and be a passive supporter of a regime based on discrimination and hatred.
The first sentence of our constitution is ‘Human dignity shall be inviolable’, and it’s not a sentence that should only apply to Germany, but a sentence that should apply to all people.
When we are young, people in Germany are told about what happened in WW II. It’s such a central point in our education that it recurrs in multiple school subjects over years. We know what happened and how it could happen. Why people voted for Hitler, how people stood by in pretended ignorance and used Jews, POC, disabled people and LGTB as scapegoats for everything that went wrong and ignored what happened to them because it wasn’t their problem.
Now, we see something similar in America. We see a man use such violent racism and hatred rise and become the most powerful man in the world. The parallels are there no matter how hard some people try to deny it. If you ask yourself: How could Hitler rise? You have your answer now.
It’s a true reminder that people do not learn from history, but the thing is history will not forget.
Whatever will come out of this? We don’t know.
People in germany have watched the election unfold with so much worry because we know what could happen, but we felt secure because ‘there is no way he would win. It’s so obvious people can’t be that stupid.’ but well…
Take this advice from a german history student: Stay together and support your minorities. If you are white and cishet then it’s not the time to ignore what might happen only because you are going to be unaffected by it. Be a decent human being, if you see discrimination fight against it for the good of the people, speak out against it, make them feel secure because this is their country as well. If more people had felt that way 70 years ago, maybe it might’ve changed something. Do not make the same mistake my grandparents generation did and be a passive supporter of a regime based on discrimination and hatred.
The first sentence of our constitution is ‘Human dignity shall be inviolable’, and it’s not a sentence that should only apply to Germany, but a sentence that should apply to all people.
Trump is an asshole 100%, but he had much better ideas than Hillary did. Don’t make this about her not being the first woman president or people being scared about getting their rights taken away because that can’t happen, Trump cannot take away anyone’s rights. Just stop with all of this hatred for Trump and his supporters. Hillary supporters are just as nasty as his are by harassing Trump supporters. Hillary is a better person, Trump is the better choice for America’s future.
How have I harassed Trump supporters? I’ve made literally one original post since the election, saying we shouldn’t let People magazine try to normalize this man through their fluff cover story. If that showed up on your dash, feel free to unfollow whoever put it there, especially if it’s me, because I have no idea what you could possibly have in common with people who don’t support Trump.
I don’t care about anything you have to offer, and you certainly don’t care about anything we do. If we get through this without a huge loss of rights and progress, let alone lives, it won’t be because of a lack of trying. People will have fought against it, not you, I’m sure, but many others, who could have been fighting to actually move things forward, instead of trying to stop them from slipping back.
What are his great ideas? You’ve seen who he’s appointed. You’ve seen what he said before he was elected. You’ve seen how ill prepared he is to even be in the White House at all.
I haven’t harassed Trump supporters but notice that YOU came to MY inbox. Unfollow us. Cut off ties. You have put us in literal danger. What could you possibly have to offer to make your company worth it? I don’t care what you have to say about anything, about f/f, about kittens, about space, about video games, about anything. I have been very quiet on here over my years on Tumblr, posting gifsets and reblogging other posts, but I will say right now that if you supported Trump and aren’t doing everything to stop him now, I do think you deserve nothing good. Fuck you and yours for the rest of your lives.
Trump is an asshole 100%, but he had much better ideas than Hillary did. Don’t make this about her not being the first woman president or people being scared about getting their rights taken away because that can’t happen, Trump cannot take away anyone’s rights. Just stop with all of this hatred for Trump and his supporters. Hillary supporters are just as nasty as his are by harassing Trump supporters. Hillary is a better person, Trump is the better choice for America’s future.
How have I harassed Trump supporters? I’ve made literally one original post since the election, saying we shouldn’t let People magazine try to normalize this man through their fluff cover story. If that showed up on your dash, feel free to unfollow whoever put it there, especially if it’s me, because I have no idea what you could possibly have in common with people who don’t support Trump.
I don’t care about anything you have to offer, and you certainly don’t care about anything we do. If we get through this without a huge loss of rights and progress, let alone lives, it won’t be because of a lack of trying. People will have fought against it, not you, I’m sure, but many others, who could have been fighting to actually move things forward, instead of trying to stop them from slipping back.
What are his great ideas? You’ve seen who he’s appointed. You’ve seen what he said before he was elected. You’ve seen how ill prepared he is to even be in the White House at all.
I haven’t harassed Trump supporters but notice that YOU came to MY inbox. Unfollow us. Cut off ties. You have put us in literal danger. What could you possibly have to offer to make your company worth it? I don’t care what you have to say about anything, about f/f, about kittens, about space, about video games, about anything. I have been very quiet on here over my years on Tumblr, posting gifsets and reblogging other posts, but I will say right now that if you supported Trump and aren’t doing everything to stop him now, I do think you deserve nothing good. Fuck you and yours for the rest of your lives.
How Best To Harass Your Local Civil Servant
Since @beesmygod has been posting a lot about bothering your local elected representative, I thought I should help a little as someone who understands government work. I live & work outside of the US, but I suspect this is applicable to many local & state/provincial governments.
ALWAYS REQUEST A CALLBACK
- If you want someone to actually look at your issue, to do more than write “Feedback noted” in a complaint system resolution field, ask for a callback. Demand a callback. You can ask for an email too, but I will be blunt: the effort that is put into returning an email is less than half of the effort you force me to put in when I call someone back.
- Pick a phone number you will be reached at during 9-5 hours (b/c that’s when government workers do their callbacks). Calls are what I recommend simply because a call requires that person to put more effort into addressing your complaint even before they pick up the phone. They have to do more than send a pre-written email template to brush you off, and it allows you to actively engage back with them rather than starting from square one when you send a return email and end up in the system at the bottom of the queue again.
- If you go with an email, pick an email address that you check regularly. You can even make a professional looking email address for your complaints, which is guaranteed to get better answers than if you ask someone to email xxbigdaddysephirothxx@gmail.com
- When you make your complaint, ask what the time you can expect to wait is, and if you don’t hear back by that length of time, call back and raise hell over it. If there is a ticket system of some kind for tracking complaints (and there usually is when we’re talking government work and accountability), ask for your ticket number. Keep it on hand. Keep all of your numbers on hand.
- Be prepared for a callback. Have your feedback/goals already written down somewhere you can easily pull up on the fly so you don’t get caught flatfooted. Don’t get sidetracked. Stay on point and have a clear end goal – you want to see your local representative support a specific bill, you want them to issue a statement on a subject.
- Get a name. Get a phone number you can call them back at. Make them accountable for anything they say or promise.
- DO NOT USE ABUSIVE LANGUAGE. DO NOT MAKE THREATS OF VIOLENCE. If you use abusive language, I don’t have to engage with you. In fact, if what you write is vile enough, I can refuse to answer future complaints from you. So be passionate, be angry, be uncompromising, but keep that language clean and keep it clear of threats. I can’t do anything to get rid of someone who is pissed but does not cross the line.
I answer a lot of dumb complaints in my particular field. After a while, it gets easy to start tuning complaints out and assuming that people are just mad for no good reason. Callbacks force me to engage. They force me to look into a problem before I call someone back – to actually investigate instead of assuming. It’s harder to tune someone out when you’re holding me accountable.
a really really great post from a professional who knows how it works
How Best To Harass Your Local Civil Servant
Since @beesmygod has been posting a lot about bothering your local elected representative, I thought I should help a little as someone who understands government work. I live & work outside of the US, but I suspect this is applicable to many local & state/provincial governments.
ALWAYS REQUEST A CALLBACK
- If you want someone to actually look at your issue, to do more than write “Feedback noted” in a complaint system resolution field, ask for a callback. Demand a callback. You can ask for an email too, but I will be blunt: the effort that is put into returning an email is less than half of the effort you force me to put in when I call someone back.
- Pick a phone number you will be reached at during 9-5 hours (b/c that’s when government workers do their callbacks). Calls are what I recommend simply because a call requires that person to put more effort into addressing your complaint even before they pick up the phone. They have to do more than send a pre-written email template to brush you off, and it allows you to actively engage back with them rather than starting from square one when you send a return email and end up in the system at the bottom of the queue again.
- If you go with an email, pick an email address that you check regularly. You can even make a professional looking email address for your complaints, which is guaranteed to get better answers than if you ask someone to email xxbigdaddysephirothxx@gmail.com
- When you make your complaint, ask what the time you can expect to wait is, and if you don’t hear back by that length of time, call back and raise hell over it. If there is a ticket system of some kind for tracking complaints (and there usually is when we’re talking government work and accountability), ask for your ticket number. Keep it on hand. Keep all of your numbers on hand.
- Be prepared for a callback. Have your feedback/goals already written down somewhere you can easily pull up on the fly so you don’t get caught flatfooted. Don’t get sidetracked. Stay on point and have a clear end goal – you want to see your local representative support a specific bill, you want them to issue a statement on a subject.
- Get a name. Get a phone number you can call them back at. Make them accountable for anything they say or promise.
- DO NOT USE ABUSIVE LANGUAGE. DO NOT MAKE THREATS OF VIOLENCE. If you use abusive language, I don’t have to engage with you. In fact, if what you write is vile enough, I can refuse to answer future complaints from you. So be passionate, be angry, be uncompromising, but keep that language clean and keep it clear of threats. I can’t do anything to get rid of someone who is pissed but does not cross the line.
I answer a lot of dumb complaints in my particular field. After a while, it gets easy to start tuning complaints out and assuming that people are just mad for no good reason. Callbacks force me to engage. They force me to look into a problem before I call someone back – to actually investigate instead of assuming. It’s harder to tune someone out when you’re holding me accountable.
a really really great post from a professional who knows how it works
what you can do to prevent a white supremacist from working in the white house
A white supremacist like Steve Bannon should be unacceptable as chief strategist in the White House, whether you supported Trump or not. President-elects have had to back down on appointments before, for comparatively minor reasons. Let’s not assume this is a done deal.
Social media activism can help raise awareness, but concrete action is important. My friend offers these steps you can take to prevent this appointment:
1) If you live in the US, call your Senators and Representatives and tell them this is unacceptable. Note that the Senate must approve Cabinet appointments: http://www.senate.gov/senators/contact. [See script at end of post. Also, I know this isn’t a Cabinet post but it’s still important to register your objection.]
2) Paul Ryan is feigning ignorance again. Call his office at (202) 225-3031 and let him know that this is not ok. Same with Majority Leader McConnell, (202) 224-2541.
3) Call out the media when they report the Bannon appointment as a straight news story or refer to him as a “Breitbart executive” or a “provocateur,” but don’t call him what he is: a white supremacist, anti-Semite, and misogynist. Don’t let them normalize.
4) Where protests are ongoing, make this a focus, with signs, chants, etc. Speak out on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
5) Reach out to any groups you know that might join this effort, from religious groups to community organizations.
6) Contact other people of influence—college presidents, high-profile coaches and anyone else who has a public megaphone—and ask them to speak out against Bannon’s appointment.
7) Sign and share this petition from the Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/stephen-bannon-has-no-business-white-house
*If you are unsure of what to say when you call your reps, here is a script that worked for someone else:
“Hi! My name is redacted and I am a constituent of Rep. Smith’s. I’m calling to see if and when he’ll be condemning the appointment of Steve Bannon to the White House.”
Them: The Congressman isn’t in yet today and I’m not sure anyone has had a chance to ask him.
“When you do, please also remind the Congressman that he has Jewish constituents in his district, including me, and we are highly concerned about having a white nationalist in the White House.”
Them: Hold please.
Them: Yes, just checked again, and we are not sure his response.
“OK. Well, I’d like a call back, [gives info] and I hope the Congressman is looking carefully at what this man has said and what he believes.”