#call your congressperson

[news4dzhozhar]

[fairuzfan]

What's new(ish) in the settler-colonial state of the US is that a series of bills have been passed in the House (the Baby Senate as I like to say) and are on their way to the Senate that make it harder to voice support for Palestinians while also making sure your direct taxes aid the genocide in Gaza.

These bills affirm the US's stance on the settler-colonial Zionist Entity and the implicit ties that the government has with Israel and really — just goes to show you how Israel is just one big base for American Imperialism.

Anyways, there's still time to call your senate and tell them that you don't want these bills that only further spiral the US into fascism so even if you think it might not do much — it's important that we document our dissent in official sources. And while you're at it — call your congressperson and tell them that if they voted for this you're not voting for them next election. If they voted against the bills, still call your congresspeople and tell them you support their decision to vote against these bills.

Here are the bills:

📍Resolution: HR 6126

Resolution Name: Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act Description: Gives $14.3 Billion To Israel From The IRS (Taxes You Pay). Like straight up. Just takes it from an IRS project, which used our tax dollars to begin with, to give to Israel "defense." Link to check summary: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr6126

📍Resolution: HR 798

Resolution Name: "Condemning the support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations at institutions of higher education, which may lead to the creation of a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff." Description: Will Penalize Students On American College Campuses For Supporting Palestine. This includes "Free Palestine" Protests as according to Rep Owens who introduced the bill (Click). Link to check who voted: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/118-2023/h578

📍Resolution: HR 3266

Resolution Name: "Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act" Description: They will be examining Palestinian education materials to see if it promotes "hate" or "violence" (aka are they teaching their children to become murderers??). Will inevitably require Revision Of Text Books In Palestinian Schools To Portray The Occupation In A Positive Light. Link to summary: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr3266

📍Resolution: HR 340

Resolution Name: "The Hamas International Financing Prevent Action" Description: Claims to stop financial support for "terrorist" organizations but considering that Gaza's government is run by Hamas, then this would mean Gaza will receive absolutely no aid and donating to people in Gaza could get you in legal trouble. Link to summary: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/118/hr340

There's a button for most of these bills that allows you to contact your representative directly. Please do take the time to contact them — while many of this isn't especially new to Palestinians, the difference is now that we have a larger power in numbers than we did in the past. Please make sure to advocate for you Palestinian comrades in the US whenever possible! Help us Free Palestine one step at a time!

[makingqueerhistory]

Let the story of Oscar Wilde inspire you to learn more about abolition.

Let the story of Victoria Arellano inspire you to call a congressperson about abolishing ICE

Let the story of Holly Woodlawn inspire you to hire queer people and pay them well.

Let the story of Dwayne Jones inspire you to donate to the first human rights organization in the history of Jamaica to serve the needs of LGBT peoples.

Let the story of Lou Sullivan inspire you to question and challenge the continued transphobia in our medical systems.

Let the story of Frieda Belinfante inspire you to fundraise for Rainbow Railroad.

Let the story of Marsha P. Johnson inspire you to support Black trans people now.

Let the story of Claude Cahun inspire you to make and distribute anti-fascist zines in your area.

Let the story of Amrita Sher-Gil inspire you to support safe and legal abortions in your country.

Let the story of Magnus Hirschfeld inspire you to do queer work in your field of interest.

Let the story of Rita Hester inspire you to attend the nearest TDOR event.

Queer history isn't just about learning, sometimes, it's a call to action. A reminder that no matter the time period, solidarity, community, and creation are the ways progress happens. Queer history is intersectional, inspirational, and integral to our continued existence. Learn it, and let it move you.

[notquiteinsanity]

I’m so fucking tired of all these protests that “just want peace”. Then stop being so fucking antisemitic. Just fuck off. Go tf home and do something productive like call your gddamn congressperson. Screaming antisemitic statements just shows your racism.

[iwriteaboutfeminism]

Please call and/or email your Congressperson now and ask them to join in the House Resolution to call for a de-escalation and ceasefire in Palestine.

(pdf of the Resolution)

This resolution was written by Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01), and is co-led by Reps. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Andre Carson (IN-07) Summer Lee (PA-12), and Delia Remirez (IL-03). (If these people are your Reps, call or email to thank them!!)

This is what I said in my voicemail:

My name is [name]. I live in [city], zip code [xxxxx]. I'm calling to ask the Congressman to join Representatives Cori Bush and Rashida Tlaib in their House Resolution calling for a de-escalation and ceasefire in Palestine.

Find contact info for your Congressperson here:

https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Or call the Capital Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to their office.

We must never be silent in the face of genocide, especially one carried out with our tax dollars!

Text of the Resolution:

RESOLUTION

Calling for an immediate de-escalation and cease-fire in Israel and occupied Palestine.

Whereas all human life is precious, and the targeting of civilians, no matter their faith or ethnicity, is a violation of international humanitarian law;

Whereas, between October 7 and October 16, 2023, armed violence has claimed the lives of over 2,700 Palestinians and over 1,400 Israelis, including Americans, and wounded thousands more;

Whereas hundreds of thousands of lives are at imminent risk if a cease-fire is not achieved and humanitarian aid is not delivered without delay; and

Whereas the Federal Government holds immense diplomatic power to save Israeli and Palestinian lives: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) urges the Biden administration to immediately call for and facilitate deescalation and a cease-fire to urgently end the current violence; and

(2) calls upon the Biden administration to promptly send and facilitate the entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza.

[scientia-rex]

Long ask. I didn't see that you had answered anything similar.

How do I do activism? Yes, I could Google it, but I would rather learn from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience on Tumblr than from a stranger with claimed yet unverifiable experience anywhere else, and I'm here and so are you and we can talk and have a [para]social interaction. I won't bore you with a condensed autobiography, but I have a lot of experience fixing mistakes, not unlike being a physician, but far less noble, what David Graber would call a "duct-taper". It's partly what led me to socialism. I fixed mistakes but could not fix the root causes and, when I investigated those causes, I ran into structure. I couldn't explain the human behavior I witnessed as human nature, because it wasn't my nature and, as far as I know, I'm human, so the only explanation I could come up with was that the structure of the company I worked for created the problems I was trying to solve, and I had no power to change that structure, and no desire to join the psychopaths failing up the corporate ladder. I expanded my thinking outward and saw the problem inherent in capitalism and all the associated -isms and -archies, all the while trying to figure out what I could do that could possibly change any of it. I dove into progressive politics, read theory, consumed all the lefty content I could find, and thought, and keep running into the same problems. But even if the root causes cannot be addressed, the effects still need to be, because the effects are people, hence activism.

How do I talk to congresspeople? I email them about issues, but am frankly afraid to call them. Shall I get voice mail, or does a person pick up? If the latter, I'm assuming it will be a secretary. I don't want to be mean to a person answering phones. I've been one of those people getting yelled at or threatened because of events I did not cause and could not possibly prevent or change and, maybe I'm oversensitive or have PTSD or just a hyperactive amygdala, but I cannot overstate the damage those negative experiences cause. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, the lives that can be saved or improved outweigh a few people's hurt feelings or possible psychological trauma, but I would prefer not to turn this into a trolley problem if at all possible. Maybe it's a stupid question. Maybe I'm overthinking it. I can be charming and I have no lack of empathy; I can politely disagree. Shall I have to argue with anyone? Or is it a thank-you-for-your-participation-I-will-tell-the-congressperson-have-a-nice-day situation?

How do I get a job doing good things for people? This is somewhat pressing as I quit my corporate job five years ago, to have what turned out to be a midlife crisis, and have been living off savings (that are running out) ever since. I want to help and don't want to be ashamed of what I do for a living. I've always been able to do anything I've ever tried to do, but I'm 45 with little formal education or qualifications, and am thinking it's maybe too late to go back to school. Most of the non-profits I see seem like little more than scams. And perhaps the most serious complication: I'm a loner, more out of habit than inclination. I'll spare you the background, but I have no connections and no idea how to make them, and I don't believe I have any particular skills so valuable that should confer an immediate advantage or demand for my labor, but then again I don't know what is in demand.

It's OK if you can't answer some of these things. I simply have no one to talk to about them who can give any actual advice and figured you might. Thanks.

How to do activism: The first thing you need to know is your axe to grind. It was easy for me. I've been out since I was 13, nobody ever believes a girl is bisexual, it's always "you want attention" or "you're secretly a lesbian." That was in 1997. I went through hell and I'm bitter about it. So when I realized I liked medicine, I realized I could turn my life into an extended revenge arc by moving home and telling everybody it's OK to be gay. Two birds, one stone. I work with a woman who didn't get her axe to grind until about three years ago. She realized she was fed up with people abandoning dogs. She's one of the most active volunteers at the local shelter now. She's saved a lot of dogs' lives. She didn't start out knowing anything about it, but she told the shelter she wanted to volunteer, and they've helped her grow through the rest of it. My husband works with the local food bank, because his mom's neighbor (who is a family friend and sweetheart) wrangled him in to serving on the board, so now in addition to board meetings once a month he goes in sometimes to do things like help his mom's friend unload trucks. Sometimes the cause picks you, sometimes you pick the cause, sometimes you are the cause. And no matter what the cause is, someone else is already working on it. Someone else already cares deeply and if you show up ready to be hands on and help out, with humility because you know that you don't know everything, they will help you learn how to be effective. I started out in medicine by volunteering at the emergency room near where I lived. I pushed a linen cart around and restocked gowns in rooms, and when I couldn't fit any more washcloths into drawers I cleaned doorknobs. One of the nurses once told me she really appreciated that I cleaned all the doorknobs, because it wasn't getting regularly done. I am in medicine now because of many, many people I asked for help and who helped me because they wanted to contribute to justice and equity in medicine, whether for queers or rural people or women. This is, and has always been, a combined effort. Alone we beg, together we bargain.

Calling elected representatives: Oh god I know, me too, calling strangers is the LITERAL WORST. I'm 40 and I'd rather pepper-spray myself than argue with a human on the phone. Wait until after hours and you'll get a voicemail. I like to leave voicemails that start with "My name is Dr. Rex, I'm a constituent of yours, and I VOTE, and I'm calling about ____." That's honestly about all it takes--when I was hanging out with the lobbyist she told me they keep lists with tick-marks for how many calls, emails, etc., they get on a topic. Calls count for more. The more effort you have to put in, the more engaged they know you are. So call, but if people scare you (and the people who pick up are almost always nice, if you do get a person, and they will 99/100 times say "thank you for your call, we will pass your concerns along to so-and-so"), call at night.

Going back to school is probably unnecessary. Spin your past experience aggressively and start applying to nonprofits. (You "took time off from the working world in order to sharpen your focus on what matters most to you," which will be whatever this particular group does.) It's OK if you pick a bad one to start with; most of them are shit-shows, and lots of them still accomplish good things. Nonprofits are a bloodbath when it comes to actually being an employee--they know that part of the compensation is the sense of living ethically and they will use your altruism against you--so keep your resume updated and be prepared to bail if grant funding doesn't come through, but most areas have food banks and pet shelters and human shelters and jails and medical clinics and hospitals (for every doctor who works at the local hospital there are at least 10 support staff by the numbers, and they are utterly critical and always under-staffed). Sometimes if you start by volunteering somewhere, once they realize you're dependable, you can get a job there. I am zero percent kidding about working for a hospital, clinic, or jail, by the way. Those are places I know well, and there are always civilian jobs available. You want to make a patient's day better? Be the front desk, front line staff who use the right pronouns and cheer them up.

I think it's completely reasonable to have procedural questions about how all of this works, and I am grateful to you for giving me a chance to talk about it a bit. Please feel free to ask any follow-up questions. And for reference, when I was just starting out in research at a time when the market for research-trained people frankly sucked, I applied well over 300 times and got well over 300 rejections (I was counting) before I ended up with a job that I loved (even though it was hellishly stressful and I made just barely more than minimum wage for working well over my alleged, salaried "hours") and felt like I was making a positive difference for the world with. And from there, I kept making changes as I realized what I wanted and needed. Just keep doing it. You don't have to feel good about every step, you don't have to know what you're doing, just keep putting one foot in front of the other as you try to figure out what will make you happy. Because nothing else is a good proxy for happiness, and happiness, for a whole lot of humans, means finding something meaningful to do in life. Helping others. Be okay with changing, be okay with sacrificing who you are right now for the sake of who you can become. You've survived four decades on this bizarre and cruel planet, and you have inherent, intrinsic worth as a human being. You deserve your own kindness.

[batboyblog]

Hi, idk if you're a Mdni page or not, but I'm really scared. I'm 15f, I live in a mostly red state, I've grown up here, and everyone I know is voting red. I was previously in the middle, I didn't care either way who won. I'm terrified of the election after reading about everything the Republican candidate did and plans to do. I wanna know if there's anything I could do to help prevent Trump from winning the election? I have a younger sister, and I don't want her to have to live in a country where her rights are being stripped from her. I just wanna know how to help. Thank you for reading and feel free to delete if I broke a boundary.

for the record I don't mind anyone sending me an ask, everyone is welcome to interact respectfully.

that out of the way, I remember working for Hillary in the 2016 election (by my math you would have been 7?) and our intern was your age and he was... he was everything he was so dryly sarcastic, smart, unflappable, could do anything, he kept us sane and he saved our asses with his can do (and tech skills) more times than I can count.

So to any teens out there who are not yet old enough to vote and think "oh there's nothing I can do" in 2016 we won a Senate race by 1,000 votes, which 100% was the doors we knocked and the voters we talked to out of our office, a 16 year old intern working his ass off saved Obamacare in 2017, not a word of a lie, you can make a difference as an intern or volunteer

Now, from the tone of what you're saying it sounds like your parents would into that, idk if you're parents are the kind of people who let you explore your own thing, or the kind of people who just wouldn't notice, or if they're the kind who would seriously object to you volunteering for the Democrats or progressive groups.

A lot of people assume because they live in Red States or Blue states they don't matter, but for example there are key Senate races this year in Texas, Montana, Ohio, and Florida (Red) and Maryland (Blue) Alaska is a traditionally red state but its one and only Congressperson is a Democrat who will run a very close race to get re-elected again this year. So where ever you live there is a key race, even if it's local. And lots of chances to call voters or send them postcards in swing states

Any ways everyone check out ways to Volunteer Run for Something also supports younger local candidates so if you live somewhere very red or very blue it can be helpful to find locals running for school board or city Council

now for you personally young person, and everyone else, have real and serious conversations with people in your life about this stuff, I can not TELL you how often I knock on someone's door and we talk politics and they tell me "oh well I'm a Democrat, but everyone around here is really a Republican" but like I just talked to 4 other people who were Democrats in their neighborhood, they just saw one Trump sign and gassed themselves up about it. People are often much more swingable than you think, feel everyone out, if there's an adult in your life thats convincible, work on them find out what they care about and bring them facts, be claim and reasonable and work on them. Each of us doing one on one work with people who know us is WAY! more impactful than any TV ad a campaign can buy.

finally if your parents won't let you volunteer for Dems, reach out to the League of Woman Voters, they're not partisan, so they're not Dems or Republicans, they believe in voting. When I was in High School I organized a voter registration drive in my school at lunch time, thats a great thing to do, call your county/town clerk's office and talk to your school, get a social studies teacher involved they love that shit, young people are much more likely to be Democrats so just registering them is helpful.

best of luck, in the words of Hitchhiker's Guide, Don't Panic.

[homosekularnost]

hi just dropping by to say that if you're american + take a few minutes out of your day to bother a congressperson about a ceasefire in gaza i will do a free commission for you ! more under the cut

email + call = one portrait (bust)

email + call several days in a row = 2-4 panel comic

if interested, please

provide some evidence of the action youve taken (sc of an email / call history) / let me know which actions you plan to take

describe what youd like me to draw for you : - )

(+if the attacks stop / things change before your days of calls are up, youre getting the art anyways)

i can do ocs / any fictional characters / real people if provided reference photos

[burins]

librarian voice: if you are in the US, here is a tool to list all of your reps (local, state, and national)

calls are almost always more effective than emails. i know, i know. but they really do count for more. per my friend who worked for a state rep's office, start with your name, address, phone number, and say that you're a constituent.

your message doesn't need to be super long to be effective! it's helpful to write out what you're going to say ahead of time, especially if you get flustered on the phone. there are a number of scripts going around you can personalize. I liked @pagemelt's quite a bit, but JVP also has a great one.

you probably will get a voicemail, but if you get a live staffer, don't panic. you can give them the same message you would have given a voicemail box. they'll note down the gist of what you said (what you called about and what issue it was about) and tally it up to give to your rep. if you get your actual rep, that's even better, but you can still give them your same message! that's why you wrote it out ahead of time.

if your congressperson is supporting palestine and calling for a ceasefire (Working Families has a ceasefire tracker), call them to let them know you appreciate it! positive reinforcement is also important.

this is a long haul fight, and this probably is not the last time you will need to call your reps. consider saving them in your phone- back in 2016 i had a whole little directory, with POL at the beginning of each name so I could find them all with one search.

if you really truly have crippling phone anxiety, emails are better than nothing! try to personalize the email somewhat, as form emails/templates don't carry the same weight. but anything is better than nothing.

get out there <3

[totallyboatless]

Hey friends, I made a thing. Below is a google doc that compiles a twitter thread from congress reported Andrew Solender of all of the Democratic senators and congresspeople that attended Netanyahu's address. I included some notes at the top for how to find out who your reps/senators are if you don't know along with their phone numbers. I also wrote a couple of sample scripts.

This is a great time to call your reps and shame them for refusing to boycott a war criminal's speech. Please feel free to reblog or share around if you find it helpful.

[fr0ggs]

made a simple call script for calling congresspeople about the numerous genocides taking place worldwide currently, urging them to respond and call for intervention/ceasefire. feel free to use this, and if anyone has any advice for additions, please let me know. please do what you can, the people will be free.

 Hello, my name is [name, optional], and I am a constituent of [congressperson]. I am calling about the numerous genocides happening worldwide. At this point in time, you are likely already aware of the genocide of Palestinian people, but there are many more genocides happening in the world, and the overlooking of such happenings, while innocents continue to suffer, must end.

Currently, Congolese, Armenian, Tigrayan, Yemeni, Guatemalan, Rohingya, Haitian, Native American, Kashmiri, Kurd, Sudanese, Ukrainian, Argentinian, Afghan, Moroccan, Libyan, Syrian, Lebanese, and many more people are experiencing genocide (or close risk of it, according to genocidewatch.com), ethnic cleansing, displacement, and the like. Also currently, the United States government continues to be not only complicit, but supportive of these attacks out of ignorance and selfish benefit.

In order to maintain current support, it is dire that you side with the people. Please do research on each and take a look into doing whatever possible to save the innocent people around the world from living a life of constant abuse and murder. Thank you for your time."

[fairuzfan]

Hello sorry to bug you but I didn’t know who else to ask. In your how to show support for Palestine you mentioned that I should be calling my representatives and telling them that I will not vote for them in upcoming elections so I was just wondering if this was ok:

“As a voter I would not feel comfortable supporting and voting for any representative in any upcoming elections unless they urge the White House to stop funding and supporting Israel.”

I feel like it’s too clunky and idk I feel like I can’t get my point across. Again sorry for asking you it’s just that I haven’t seen a template and idk I feel dumb ?????

No you're totally ok!! This is *great* honestly!! I would just add something like:

“As a voter I would not feel comfortable supporting and voting for any representative in any upcoming elections unless they urge the White House to stop funding and supporting Israel. I am calling to urge [Representative] to back the Ceasefire Now resolution authored by Representatives Bush and Tlaib.”

There is also this script from the US Campaign For Palestinian Rights: https://act.uscpr.org/a/callforgaza

Check here if your congressperson is backing the ceasefire now resolution: https://theintercept.com/2023/10/16/gaza-ceasefire-house-democrats/

There have been more people who signed on so I would google it if you don't see your rep!

If they are, please still call them and thank them for backing the resolution, so you can combat the people complaining about it.

I promise you, if you're worried about being mean/unprofessional to them—don't. At this point, if they're not supporting the ceasefire now resolution, then they're actively and willingly participating in genocide. They don't deserve platitudes.

[breha]

quick u.s. jewish organizing round-up: you can call or email your congressperson about not supporting escalation and sign the jews reject aipac public letter right now. tonight (10/17), ifnotnow is having a national strategy call at 8pm anyone can attend. in person, there are actions tomorrow (10/18) in d.c., boston, seattle, and dayton, ohio. there's a community meeting in boston also tomorrow (10/18), and an nyc community meeting the next day (10/19). more public actions 10/19 san diego and 10/20 montpelier vt.

[crimeronan]

Ik this is dumb but do u have tips for folks w bad phone call anxiety … I really want to participate

this is about US constituents calling our house of representatives reps to support cori bush's ceasefire resolution re: israel's genocide of palestine.

i just made a post but you can find your rep's contact info thru your zip code here, they should have an email publicly available. my rep has a website and contact page that allows me to email directly through the site -- it asks for my address and my name, so that i can prove that i am indeed a constituent and registered voter.

the house of reps can't currently do anything because of the GOP's theatrics; if you have a republican congressperson, i would Also tell them to insist that jim jordan end his bid for speakership & to work with democrats on a resolution. jim jordan is a MAGA extremist whose control of congress will stymie any humanitarian aid and peace efforts.

as for phone calls, which i still recommend making if you're able:

if you call after business hours, you will likely get a voicemail inbox

politely state your name, town of residence, and reason for calling. "hello, my name is X, i am a constituent from Y. i am calling about my concerns regarding the violence in palestine. as a voter, it is important to me that my representative support cori bush's ceasefire resolution to prevent further loss of life in israel and palestine."

if you get connected to a real person, the script is nearly the same. "hello, my name is X, i'm a constituent from Y. i know that the house of reps can't currently vote on legislation, so i'm just calling with a message asking your office to support cori bush's ceasefire resolution once you can. this is important to me as a voter who cares deeply about the loss of life in israel and palestine. thank you very much for your time"

it will be a short phone call. all you need to provide is name, town, you support cori bush's ceasefire resolution.

you don't need to convince the person on the other line. you're just leaving a message. it's important to be polite and direct.

the person on the line will already be receiving a LOT of calls related to the current speakership fiasco. this is okay and good, it's their job. you as a person will not be memorable or important to them.

to that end, remember that it's about quantity over quality. it's not on you as an individual to save the entire world or to have all the right answers. your phone call is one small drop in a much larger bucket. it matters because of the collective, not because of you as an individual.

i PROMISE you are not going to make anybody's day worse. in fact, as long as you're polite, you are WAY more likely to make the other person's day BETTER. the job of congressional staff is Not Fun right now. polite phone calls are a breath of fresh air.

[iwriteaboutfeminism]

I just left a voicemail for my Congressperson.

"My name is [name]. I live in [city], zip code [xxxxx]. I'm calling to ask the Congressman to support a ceasefire in Israel and to end funding Israel's genocide of the Palestinian people."

You can find contact info for your Congressperson here: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Or call the Capital Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to be connected to their office.