Turn Words into Action: We’re Talking to YOU, Peter Roskam!

Turn Words into Action:  We’re Talking to YOU, Peter Roskam!

Call 202-225-4561 or 630-232-0006

Trump’s embrace of Putin in Helsinki, and his rejection of U.S. intelligence concerning Russian interference in our elections, stunned even the most jaded of us.  Former CIA Director John Brennan may have put it best: 

‘Donald Trump’s press conference performance in Helsinki rises to & exceeds the threshold of “high crimes & misdemeanors.” It was nothing short of treasonous. Not only were Trump’s comments imbecilic, he is wholly in the pocket of Putin. Republican Patriots: Where are you???’

Even our own Peter Roskam, who has been loath to call Trump out on even the most vile of his past actions, and who has voted with Trump 94% of the time, took to Twitter to express displeasure: 

‘Russia’s interference w/ our democratic process is appalling & undeniable. POTUS has a responsibility to confront Putin for attacking our democracy & use all tools avail. to prevent future acts of aggression that could undermine free & fair elections. … We must maintain a united front with our partners around the world to confront Russian aggression. Today’s press conference was an affront to American democracy and the Intelligence Community and a victory for Russian propaganda.’

Nice (surprisingly) job, Peter.  But not nearly enough!  Condemnations of Trump on Twitter are the equivalent of “thoughts and prayers” for school shooting victims – good to hear, but meaningless in terms of actual, needed change.  You and your elected compatriots are the ones who are in a position, NOW, to take meaningful action.  Show some spine for a change; here are just a few thoughts about resolutions YOU can introduce and support:

·        Impeachment

·        Censure

·        Support for and protection of the Mueller investigation

·        Condemnation of Russian interference

·        Support for the intelligence community’s conclusions regarding Russian interference

·        Stronger sanctions against Russia that will be harder for Trump to refuse to enforce

·        A real investigation of cooperation between Russia and Trump and/or his campaign – including subpoenas for his tax records

·        Subpoena the interpreters from the private Helsinki meeting

·        We’re sure you can think of more if you put your mind to it – or ask a Democrat!

Readers:  Call, call and call again!  Let him know what we think and what he needs to do. 

202-225-4561 or 630-232-0006.

DON'T FORGET - Another Great Resource - Local Events

Left Out DuPage now has a website LeftOut DuPage

Check it out http://leftoutdupage.com/

About

Left Out – DuPage Area is a unique local Facebook group that serves as an informational clearinghouse for all Democratic leaning – progressive events occurring in and around DuPage County. It has over 2,700 followers. On a weekly basis, Left-Out – DuPage Area searches Facebook for events hosted by local campaigns and grassroots organizations and reposts them to their followers. It is volunteer-run and has no affiliation with any organization or campaign. You can also view Left Out’s other calendar of events on Facebook.

We would like to encourage community organizations, progressives, unions, engaged citizens, candidates, activists Democratic groups etc.  throughout DuPage to use Left Out as a common platform to share information about upcoming events. This will freely advertise those events to Left Out’s 2,700+ followers, help progressive groups to avoid inadvertently competing for the same constituencies (such as by planning too many events on the same day), and allow progressives to show up and support one another’s events.  This method will allow us to distribute the event information across platforms in emails, on Facebook, websites, twitter, and on paper printed at will.  It will amplify our event participation if everyone posts in one place because it will allow for the public to be better informed and involved.

Eletions Have Consequences: Supreme Court Edition

Elections Have Consequences:  Supreme Court Edition

By Chris Johnson

In case anyone needed convincing, the week of June 25 showed all of us that the President’s power to appoint Supreme Court justices, and the Senate’s power to confirm, can leave an imprint on this country that lasts far beyond the end of the terms of the President or any of the Senators involved.  During that one week, the Court issued decisions that upheld the third version of President Trump’s thinly-disguised Muslim travel ban, and that seriously restricted the ability of public sector unions to fight effectively for the rights of workers.  It is arguable but likely that neither of those cases would have been decided the same way if Merrick Garland, President Obama’s pick for Justice Antonin Scalia’s vacant Supreme Court seat, had not been blocked by Senate Republicans.  The week was capped off by the resignation of Justice Anthony Kennedy, a conservative justice who voted with the majority in those two decisions but who also had been the swing vote, siding with the more liberal bloc on the Court, in several landmark cases over the years.  Kennedy’s resignation potentially gives President Trump and the Republican-controlled Senate yet another bite at the Supreme Court apple. 

Kennedy resignation and replacement

At just about any other time in history, progressives and liberals might be joyful about Justice Kennedy’s departure from the Supreme Court.  We will remember him for, and be grateful for, his pivotal swing votes on issues such as same-sex marriage, abortion and the death penalty; but he in fact voted with the conservative majority in far more than 50% of cases during most of his career on the Court (see https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/politics/supreme-court-2017-term/?utm_term=.2a98a2c64cad), including every year of his tenure except the three terms from October 2014 to July 2017.  In the 2017-18 term alone, he voted with the conservative majority – and the Trump administration – on the travel ban, union rights, immigrant detention, abortion, voter registration, the DC gun ban and other issues.

And this is NOT any other time in history.  This is the time in history when a backbone-less Congress is marching in lockstep with a President who now appears to be less a hostage of the far right than its emperor.  His chosen appointee, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, when (if?) he gets a Congressional hearing, will say all the right things about respecting precedent and deciding each case that comes before him on its own facts, and will refuse to say anything substantive on the basis that it could be seen as improperly pre-judging a matter that could come before him.  He is already ON record, though, with opinions in cases that came before him on the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, as (among other things) favoring restrictions on abortion; being skeptical of executive agencies’ regulatory power; being sympathetic to religious challengers in Free Exercise cases (Hobby Lobby); and finding that semi-automatic rifles are constitutionally protected.  See https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/09/politics/kavanaugh-on-the-issues/index.html and https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/10/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-abortion-guns-environment.html.  

Democrats and independent progressive groups have pledged to use every tool at their disposal to slow or stop the process.  WE CAN HELP.  Here are some ways: 

·        Call voters in Maine (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time, https://www.openvpb.com/vpb_bycode/D57572P-269862) and Alaska (noon to midnight Central time, https://www.openvpb.com/vpb_bycode/4A8572C-883647), and encourage THEM to tell Sens. Collins (Maine) and Murkowski (Alaska) to oppose this nomination.

·        Call our Sens. Durbin (202-224-2152 or 312-353-4952) and Duckworth (202-224-2854 or 312-886-3506) and urge them (a) to REMAIN STRONG in their opposition to voting on the nomination until after the November 6 election; (b) to insist on release and review of all 1,000,000+ pages of Kavanaugh’s White House documents before any hearing is held; and (c) to support procedural measures including –

o   Slowing Down the Senate through withholding consent and filibustering: https://www.indivisible.org/resource/senate-withholding-consent-filibustering/

o   Shutting Down the Senate by either depriving the Senate of a quorum or threatening to ‘break a quorum”:  

§  https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2018/6/20/17480304/how-democrats-can-shut-down-senate  

§  https://www.vox.com/mischiefs-of-faction/2018/7/3/17518824/democrats-shut-down-senate-supreme-court-quorum-breaking

Janus v AFSCME decision

The plaintiff in Janus v AFSCME was an employee of the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and a non-member of his public sector employee union.  He objected to paying the “fair share” of union dues that Illinois (and 21 other states) allowed unions to collect from non-members to cover the costs of negotiating collective bargaining agreements that benefited both union members and non-members.  Under a prior line of Supreme Court decisions, the “fair share” payments were upheld, as long as those fees were used only for collective bargaining costs and not for the unions’ political activities.  Janus argued, in essence, that the union’s failure to take Illinois’ fiscal crisis into account in negotiations for higher wages and benefits constituted a political position with which he did not agree.  The five-judge conservative majority ruled in his favor, announcing that the collection of “fair share” fees violated public sector employees’ First Amendment rights.  Read more, including some unions’ plans to regroup following Janus, at https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/06/janus-afscme-public-sector-unions/563879/.

Trump v Hawaii decision

In upholding the third version of Trump’s travel ban, the five-judge conservative majority agreed with the administration’s argument that the countries named in the ban had flawed vetting processes, thus creating a national security issue when persons from those countries enter the United States.  The Court applied the “rational basis” standard – the lowest level of scrutiny for a Constitutional question – and determined that the administration’s argument was not totally divorced from fact, and that the ban decision was within a president’s discretion.  Although the majority made note of Trump’s history of anti-Muslim comments, it found that because the executive order did not mention religion, and because the order did not affect Muslims traveling to the United States from other countries, the executive’s inherent authority overrode the significance of statements that Trump had made in different contexts.  Read the full opinion at https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-965_h315.pdf.

School Board District 86 Eliminates the 'Buffer' Zone

School Board District 86 Eliminates the 'Buffer' Zone

By Sachin Shiva

On June 18, 2018, the D86 school board, representing Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, voted to eliminate the buffer zone in a 5-2 vote. The 5-2 vote reveals a geographical and ideological split on the board, with Jennifer Planson and Robin Gonzales voting against eliminating the buffer zone: they also reside in the buffer zone. The buffer zone is an area that is approximately in the middle of the district, where students have the option of choosing to attend either Hinsdale Central or Hinsdale South. According to U.S. News, Hinsdale Central is ranked 13th in the state and Hinsdale South is 20th. The vast majority of families end up choosing Hinsdale Central, however, despite the fact that both schools are some of the best in the state. The elimination of this buffer zone has triggered anger and frustration for buffer zone residents.  Elimination of the buffer zone will allow the school district boundary lines to be redrawn, inevitably causing some buffer zone homes to wind up in the Hinsdale South zone.   (Hinsdale South is believed to be significantly less crowded than Hinsdale Central).

The decision will likely lower property values of those in the buffer zone, and its abrupt removal will likely put siblings in different schools. However, the school board believes that if boundary issues are resolved, they can garner more support for the upcoming referendum to fund improvements for both D86 schools, including a new pool at Hinsdale Central.

Recently, Zachary Mottl, a Burr Ridge trustee has brought up a case with the U.S. Department of Education regarding boundary decisions. He argues that the members of the school board have “made boundary decisions that seem to seclude a more white and affluent population on one side of town and they seclude a more diverse socio-economic and racially diverse [population] on the other side of town,” according to ABC Chicago. If it turns out to be true, the D86 board must work diligently to create better boundary decisions.

Raunak Malhotra, a 2018 graduate of Hinsdale Central and a resident of the buffer zone, hopes that one day these boundary decisions will take into account the importance of keeping neighborhoods together. At the moment, residents of his block attend three different schools, even though they all live just houses away from each other.

“Families Belong Together” Rallies and Marches June 30

“Families Belong Together” Rallies and Marches June 30

By Chris Hotchkin

At least 600 people, many wearing white to show solidarity with immigrants, rallied in Fishel Park in Downers Grove on a very hot Saturday afternoon, June 30. Many carried signs calling for families to stay together, for our country to support immigrants, for love to trump hate.  The rally was one of 700 rallies and marches held nationwide on June 30 to protest the Trump administration’s policy of zero tolerance at our borders, the taking of children from parents as they cross the border to ask for asylum, and the holding of children in detention centers, sometimes in cages. Even though Trump has signed an order ending the taking of children from their parents, some 2000 children remain separated from their parents and the administration seems to have no way to reunite them.

The Chicago march and rally reportedly had 60,000 participants, making it one of the largest in the country. In addition to Chicago and Downers Grove, rallies and marches were held throughout Illinois in Arlington Heights, Aurora, Barrington, Carbondale, Champaign, Elgin, Frankfort, Glenview, Highland Park, Joliet, Macomb, Ottawa, Peoria, Quincy, Rockford, St. Charles, Springfield, Sycamore, and Ullin.

The Downers Grove rally was organized by Anne Stava-Murray, candidate for State Representative in the 81^st District in Downers Grove, along with Indivisible Naperville. Speakers at the rally included Democratic State Representative Linda Chapa LaVia; Grace Arimura who was interned with her family in a Japanese Internment camp during WWII while her brother served in the U.S. Army; Moon Khan, community activist; Meggie Hernandez-Zayas, survivor of domestic violence and advocate/educator; Prevail Bonga, recent high school graduate and newly-minted activist whose Congolese parents sought asylum in the U.S.,; Azam Nizamuddin, attorney, law professor and president of the Muslim Bar Association; and Regina Brent, community activist. In addition, brief and emotional stories of first-hand experiences of parents and children separated at the border were read. Dianne McGuire of Indivisible Naperville and her husband Fred Greenwood, and congressional candidate Sean Casten, led the crowd in chants of “This is what Democracy Looks Like,” “Immigrants are welcome here,” “Resist,” and “Never Again.” Speaker Regina Brent led the crowd in singing “We Shall Overcome” to end the rally.

Many local candidates (all Democrats) were in attendance, including Sean Casten for the 6^th Congressional District, Laura Ellman for State Senate District 21, Val Montgomery for State Representative District 41, Lynn LaPlante for DuPage County Board Chair, Liz Chaplin for County Board District 2, Irfan Ibrahim for Forest Preserve District 3, Jeff Jacobson for 18^th Judicial and Linda Davenport for 18^th Judicial.

Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” Immigration Policy – A Manufactured Crisis

Trump’s “Zero Tolerance” Immigration Policy – A Manufactured Crisis

By Joanna Williams

Today over 2000 migrant children have been separated from their parents and sent to foster homes, camps and housed in cages. Outrage over the separation policy has been building for months – on June 30^th hundreds of thousands of Americans protested in over 700 marches across the US.

How did we get here?

 - In March 2017, just weeks after Trump’s inauguration, administration officials began talking about separating families at the border as a deterrent to illegal immigration.

 - Then in April 2018 Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced a “Zero Tolerance” policy calling for prosecution of ALL individuals who enter the US illegally, which ESSENTIALLY ENSURES the separation of parents and children since minors cannot be kept in criminal detention facilities.  Many of the families apprehended at the border come from Central America fleeing gang violence, domestic abuse and poverty and are attempting to seek asylum - which is not illegal.

Truth or Lies?  Trump has said his administration is simply “following laws that were given to us and forced upon us by the Democrats”.  Clearly untrue: there is no immigration law requiring family separation and Democrats, in the in the minority in Congress, did not “force“ Trump to mandate family separation. Referring immigrants for prosecution is not a new policy, but under previous administrations families were detained together, sent back immediately or paroled into the country.  Further proof that no law was involved in the Zero Tolerance Policy is the fact that Trump reversed it with an executive order on June 20^th.

What is the effect on the children separated from their families? 

Colleen Kraft, M.D., the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, explained the damage to children that can be caused by the Zero Tolerance policy. “Separating children when they are really young can do irreparable harm and create what is known as toxic stress.”

“Young children have this stress response, which increases their cortisol and their fight-or-flight hormones in response to fear. When these children are exposed to scary things like traveling from their home countries to the U.S. or being separated from their parents, they remain with those chemicals high in their system. And they have no adult to buffer their stress, so they remain on red alert all the time.”  This, she added, can cause long-term damage, including developmental delays in speech and the ability to develop social bonds. If it continues, it can be a lifelong problem.

 Reuniting the families – where are we now?

On June 27^th a federal judge ordered the government to reunite children and parents:

     In 14 days for children under 5

     In 30 days for children 5 and over

As of this writing, more than 2000 migrant children still remain in government custody after being separated from their parents at the border, more than a week after a court ordered the Trump administration to reunite families.

The Trump administration is currently in the process of reuniting families, in part by using DNA tests to confirm whether they are related. But the government has yet to return children to their parents in immigration custody which means the families split up are only being reunited if the parent agrees to deportation (giving up all rights to an asylum claim) or if the child was released to another relative in the U.S.

This is a Manufactured Crisis, doing exactly what it was meant to do: Create utter and complete chaos with no thought of the harm to children and families.

Importance of Young People in Social Justice

The Importance of Young People in Social Justice

By Sachin Shiva

When Betsy Ross joined the American revolution in 1776, she was just 24 years old. Alexander Hamilton was 21 years old. Marquis de Lafayette – 18 years old. From the American Revolution over 240 years ago to protests against gun violence today, social change often starts with active, young voices. In a political environment where kids are often overlooked and seen as naive, it’s important to encourage them to get and stay involved. After all, decisions that are made today will be affecting youth for years to come.

Nancy Deutsch, director of the University of Virginia’s Youth-Nex Center, explains that “many young people engage in their communities … in ways that are not captured by traditional civic makers. And such activity is developmentally important to teens.” After all, finding a positive movement allows young people to create tangible change and develop civic habits that can last a lifetime.

A case in point: Heidi Wittwer, a student at Carthage College and a graduate of Hinsdale Central, recently attended Pride fest in Chicago. Pride fest is an annual festival that commemorates the Stonewall riots of 1969, which sparked the gay rights movement. At the festival, Heidi joined a million more in the parade before meeting local activists who champion LGTBTQ+ rights in our community every day. The third largest Pride fest in the country, it brought together many young activists who got a chance to exercise their citizenship muscles. Heidi told me that “as someone who comes from privilege – white and straight – it is important to celebrate pride … to make sure that it is ok to be different and it’s normal to be gay.” I couldn’t agree more.

We, the youth of not only America but the world, are the future and we should have a voice in the world that we inherit. Protest is a fundamental part of that idea, and it should be encouraged, not repressed, whether it be on the field, in the streets, or in a parade. If you’re a parent or a concerned citizen, encourage students to participate in local movements or bring your kids to the next protest. It can and will make a difference.

Who Profits from Migrant Detention? Follow the Money.

Who Profits from Migrant Detention? Follow the Money.

By Maryann Vazquez

When it was announced that the Trump administration was detaining more migrants and separating children at an increasingly rapid rate, initially I thought he was just pandering to a racist base. However, I now believe it to be a case of corporate greed or perhaps something far more nefarious.

As news outlets often do, they give the human costs of holding detainees, heart-tugging stories of families torn apart; details of human rights violations, and inhumane living conditions; children kept in cages alone, without parents and even without any comfort from an adult. It was all very disturbing and upsetting. News sources then began breaking down the financial costs in addition to the emotional costs. The costs of detainment under the “no tolerance policy” were compared to the Obama Administration policy of keeping families together.

The gap between the two is startlingly huge.  The Family Case Management Program used during Obama’s term – a program that delivered a 99% effectiveness rate in managing immigrants with ankle monitors, while they were awaiting court hearings and check-ins with immigration authorities - cost $36 dollars a day!  But instead of continuing this successful and inexpensive program, the Trump administration ended it in June 2017 and decided on a more expensive option. Detention center costs can be between $140-$200 a night per person, or families can be kept together with a price tag of $300-$375 per night. Further, the rate of immigrant detention is accelerating to the point it has become necessary to set up tent cities near the border for about $700 to $800 a night.

Who would have known that providing shelter to migrant children as well as migrant adults could be so (expletive) lucrative? Well, it turns out that locking up children is big business, meaning big contracts for big donors! Let’s see who benefits most.

According to Open Secrets and several other sources, some of the biggest beneficiaries are GEO Group, headquartered in Boca Raton Florida; Core Civic of America, Nashville; and Southwest Key Programs, an Austin based non-profit that has received close to $600 million dollars in the past two years. What is probably more disturbing than the contracts these organizations have been awarded is what some of them have donated, and to whom.  A subsidiary of Core Civic donated $250,00 toward the Trump inaugural festivities, GEO Group donated $250,00 to the Trump inaugural committees, and one of its subsidiaries gave $225,00 to a pro-Trump super PAC. 

Have I gotten your interest yet?  Watch this space next month!

What’s Your Story…Why Are You a Democrat? Tim's Story

What’s Your Story…Why Are You a Democrat?  Here's Tim's Story

By Tim Curtin

Once upon a time, there was an ocean liner on choppy seas.  She was a fine craft and everyone felt mostly confident she was up to the crossing, depending on who the Captain was.  

Shortly after leaving port, the passengers in First Class decided it would be thrilling if they could get the ship to its destination in record time.  To this end, they proposed burning all the lifeboats in the furnaces, to build up more steam.  The people in steerage all thought this was a terrible idea.  They all liked the lifeboats just fine.  Even the ones who liked the sound of beating the record all wanted the lifeboats around in case they should need them.

The First Class passengers suggested a vote.  Simple majority rule.  But they only made up one percent of the population.  How, some asked, could they possibly win an election that requires 50% plus one vote?  Maybe some of the people in Second Class would vote for them, but ultimately, they needed a lot of the people from steerage as well.  And those people loved the lifeboats, every one of them.  Even the ones who said it would be exciting to beat the record.

But those people also hated a bunch of the other people in steerage, strangely enough.  Some of them looked different, or talked different, or prayed different.  Some of the “other folks” seemed like they were doing better than them and it made them jealous.  So the people in First Class promised them “we’d never burn YOUR lifeboats, we only want to burn THEIR lifeboats.  They don’t deserve lifeboats anyway.”  And before you could imagine, they had all the votes they needed and started burning ALL of the lifeboats, while belowdecks, the people in steerage who’d voted with them seethed and gloated at the people they hated.    

How does the story end?  It hasn’t yet.  The ship is still out there.  But over a long enough timeline, you can bet your ass they’re going to need those lifeboats sooner or later.

I’m a firm believer in having lifeboats.  

That’s why I’m a Democrat.

DGTD Office Hours July 2018

DGTD Office Hours July 2018
906 Curtiss, Downers Grove
** Friday Hours extended for DG Car Show

Monday 1:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 1:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday 1:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Thursday 1:30 – 6:00 p.m.
Friday 1:30 – 8:00 p.m.**
Saturday 9:00 a.m. – noon
Sunday closed