Entries tagged with state: massachusetts

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Katherine Clark and Ed Markey holding Town Halls

Katherine Clark and Ed Markey are holding Town Halls this Saturday, March 8, in response to the State of the Union.

Katherine Clark, in Waltham:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/town-hall-with-rep-katherine-clark-and-attorney-general-andrea-campbell-tickets-1268910689029

Ed Markey, in Malden:
https://patch.com/massachusetts/medford/s/j6ert/senator-holding-town-hall-in-his-hometown
(can't find a registration link)

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State officials

I've been calling my US senators and representative, and realized that I shouldn't ignore my state-level folks either. Obviously, they can't change federal anything, but I can ask them to make state policies/laws/guidelines that will help mitigate the awful of (insert whichever federal issue here).

I started by calling my state rep, and got an actual person, who seemed rather surprised to get a constituent call (?), recommending that I email the representative so she could see my concerns directly. OK, then.
(Not sure who yours are? This site will tell you if you put in your mailing address.)

( what I focused on today )

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Massachusetts: proposal to coerce organ donation

A Massachusetts legislator is introducing a bill that would coerce prisoners to donate organs and bone marrow:

"Mass. Prisoners Could Choose Between Freedom And Their Organs"

Please, if you live or vote in Massachusetts, write to your state legislator to oppose this.

This is what I wrote to Rep. Honan, in case a script would be useful. (As usual, if you live in the same district, rewriting rather than sending the same exact message would probably be more effective.)

I am writing to urge you to oppose HD.3822. This proposed law would pressure incarcerated citizens to donate organs and bone marrow by offering a reduction in their sentences.

We are rightly horrified at news that China is forcing prisoners to donate organs. It would be equally wrong for Massachusetts to pressure them to do so.

Donating organs is never risk-free. Prisoners do not reliably have access to good medical care, and neither do people who were recently released from prison.

Also, this proposal may be a violation of federal law. It's illegal to pay for organ donations, or to offer donors any significant compensation. This would probably include a reduction in someone's time in prison.

(I got this from

minoanmiss.)

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FYI - The Mapping Project

Hi all. A few weeks ago I got an email from Combined Jewish Philanthropies pointing to the Mapping Project. It seems to be advertised by a lot of people who - like me - are against the unequal treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank.

However, it is absolutely indiscriminate. Yes, there are Jewish organizations in Boston that support Israel unquestioningly and do not hold the government accountable. There are plenty of organizations and individuals that do hold the government responsible and work as hard on that as they do on, say, signing petitions to support Indigenous Americans.

The link to the Mapping Project showed up again in a SURJ (Standing Up for Racial Justice) email and I wanted to cry. I wrote back:

I am very sad to see that you are supporting the Mapping Project. There are better ways to get Israel out of Palestine than to lump schoolchildren and unions in with organizations actively working to harm Palestinians.

This list endangers my American Jewish community. We are lucky to be able to pass for White. I get reminded about once a year that we're not.

Please consider ways to help Palestinians without endangering Jews, and do not condone the work of anti-Semites.

Thank you.

Edit: I should also have said "and the people who wrote this think all Jews are White and that it's a White vs Arab thing."

Please, if you are involved in organizations that support Palestinians, keep in mind that Jews are not a monolithic entity and that we're working to combat racism too... and that we encounter microaggressions all of the time. Blanket advertising of an anti-Israel group that also uses anti-Semitic language - and targets day schools - is not a nuanced response.

Thank you for listening.

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Massachusetts voter registration

I just filled out the annual town census, to send back to the town of Belmont in order to stay on the voter rolls. And it occurred to me, again, that I shouldn't have to do this. I voted in New York City for a quarter of a century and was never asked to say "hey, I still live here" when I walked into the polling place.

I have no idea of this was intended as voter suppression, but it's likely to have that effect. So I wrote to my state legislators, asking them to change it.

What I wrote is,"I just filled out my annual town of Belmont census, to maintain my voter registration. There is no good reason for this to be required: it is likely to have the effect of disenfranchising busy people. [specifics of my background and experience...]

As part of protecting everyone's right to vote, please work to remove this requirement."

Thanks,

redbird

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Abortion rights success in Massachusetts

The state legislature has overridden the governor's veto, and the ROE Act, to explicitly protect abortion rights in Massachusetts, and allow 16- and 17-year-olds to get abortions with permission from a parent or judge, is now law. I got email with the good news both from the activist group that has been working for it, and from my state senator, because I'd written to ask him to make sure this got through.

If you live in Massachusetts, remember: Charlie Baker vetoed a bill to protect abortion rights, because he didn't want teenagers to be able to choose an abortion.

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MA polls tomorrow

Don't forget that tomorrow is the primary election in Massachusetts!

The Democratic side features a hotly-contested Senate seat; middle-aged progressive Ed Markey versus young moderate Joe Kennedy. Here in Medford there's a contest for State Rep between stodgy but kind looooong-time incumbent Paul Donato and progressive idealist Nichole Mossalam. And some others worth researching.

Any Massachusetts resident old enough can observe a polling place for at least half an hour; I can provide information regarding what to look for.

I was supposed to be working for the City of Medford at Ward 8, Precinct 2 tomorrow, but I woke up with the sort of sore throat that's a cold symptom (Edit: now gone again), so I cannot in good conscience do so. I'll call my precinct clerk in a couple of hours so he can get a substitute via the City Clerk's office. This substitute may be a first-timer, and the clerk is a third-timer, and it's easy to forget to check the manual (the link goes to an only-slightly-out-of-date example). So if you can come observe at the fire station at Zero Medford Street, I'd be particularly grateful.

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MA: Drop off your mail-in ballot

From Patch.com:
Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin is urging voters to hand deliver their mail-in ballots to drop boxes and election offices around the state, instead of dropping them in the mail, in an effort to ensure they arrive in time and are counted for the Sept. 1 primary.

The announcement comes as communities across the state are rallying to show support for their local post offices.

"If you are able to do so, the best way to ensure that your ballot is counted is to deliver it in person," Galvin said.

Ballots can be dropped off at early voting locations, and drop boxes outside of town halls and city halls around the state. But they must reach each voter's local election office by 8 p.m. on Sept. 1 in order to be counted.

The directory is here: Find My Election Office

There's also a form to see if your mail-in ballot has been received: Track My Ballot
Two of our three household ballots have been received.

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tracking your Massacbusetts mail-in ballot

If you voted by mail in Massachusetts, you can check whether the state has received your ballot at https://www.sec.state.ma.us/wheredoivotema/track/trackmyballot.aspx

Mine shows as "accepted" and that it arrived on August 17 (they sent it to me on the 10th).

(I found this while wondering how to use the in-person early voting if I had asked for and been sent a postal ballot.)

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Action: police reform

Right now, in the US, if we're working for police reform, that needs to be at the state level.

Which means 50 different state legislatures. In Massachusetts, the state senate just passed S.2800, a reform bill that at least reduces qualified immunity. It's now going to the state house. If you live in Massachusetts, please call or email your state representative about this.

The message I sent was just "The state senate just passed S.2800, a police reform bill that limits qualified immunity. As your constituent, I'm asking you to work to get a companion bill through the state house and on the governor's desk by the end of July."

That works because I already know Dave Rogers is in favor of police reform, and have written to him before. I think I have a few spare spoons if anyone would like help drafting emails or writing phone scripts. I might be able to find non-Massachusetts info, if you need that.

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Massachusetts voting by mail

The governor just signed a bill that makes everyone eligible to vote by mail, and requires the state government to send out applications for mail-in ballots to all registered voters. The applications are supposed to be mailed by July 15, which suggests to me that if you're a Massachusetts voter and don't get one by the 22nd, you should check that you're still registered.

It's not clear from the article I read how long those applications apply: it might be necessary to send in the separate application for voting by mail in the general election in November. (The secretary of state is also required to send those applications to go to all Massachusetts voters.)

Added If you have already requested an absentee ballot for these elections, that's sufficient, and they won't be sending you another application.

Also, for now this only covers the 2020 primary and general elections.

Current Mood: hopeful

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thank you for voting yesterday!

I was working at the polls yesterday. ( Read more... )

Now I'm writing to remind everyone that there is another primary in Massachusetts on September 1, for statewide offices and Congressional seats. The deadline to register or change your party affiliation is August 12. Among other offices, the US Senate seat is contested in the Democratic primary. There are not (yet?) early voting dates. See sec.state.ma.us for more information.

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Massachusetts: the Indigenous Peoples' Agenda

This looks awesome.

Familiarize yourself with the MA Indigenous Agenda including links to all of the bills noted below. Then click on the 6 links at http://maindigenousagenda.org/contact-legislators/ to generate automated emails to all the committees where the bills have been heard. Please make sure to personalize each email (look for the [personalize] text in the email).

Please support H.2776 and S.1877 – Reviewing the State Seal
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Please support H.3665 – Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Please support S.1811 – Protecting Native American Heritage
Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Please support H.2948 – Protecting Native American Heritage
House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling

Please support H.443 and S.247 – Banning Native Mascots
Joint Committee on Education

Please support H.444 – Educating Native Youth
Joint Committee on Education

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Speaking of Letter Writing Campaigns

CAIR-MA Encourages Allies to Write Letters of Support for Muslim Girl Who Received Threatening Letters

(BOSTON, MA, 11/14/18) The Massachusetts chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MA), the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the United States, today encouraged individuals to write letters supporting a 10-year-old Muslim girl in Framingham who had received written death threats in order to counteract the original message of hate. The letters can be mailed to CAIR-MA’s office (address below).

The fifth grade student, whom CAIR-MA is keeping anonymous due to safety concerns [...]

Update 11/29/18: CAIR-MA Receives 500+ Letters of Support for Muslim Girl Targeted by Threatening, Islamophobic Messages

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Next elections - Sept. 4 and Sept. 6

Tuesday, September 4 -- Massachusetts

Thursday, September 6 -- Delaware

If you know anyone in these states, poke them and remind them to vote! Every vote counts!

Just a reminder -- for lots of states, these elections are more than just primaries for the November election. Plenty of local and county offices are ONLY voted on during these early elections, potentially including judges, prosecutors, county commissioners, county election clerks, and more.

Don't let your friends miss out! Remind them to vote!

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Two Wall Street Journal articles Pipeline, Muslim Cemetery

In the Wall Street Journal:

Christopher M. Matthews reports (Dec. 9), in "Judge Denies Developer's Request to Force Approval of Dakota Access Pipeline's Final Stage," that Judge James Boasberg of the District Court for the District of Columbia rejected Energy Transfer Partner LP's request for an order requiring the federal government to approve the last link of the Dakota Access pipeline. The Obama administration denied the permit needed to finish the pipeline. However, Judge Boasberg ordered the lawyers for both sides to file motions by January 31 for continuation of the case--which, of course, might be moot if the new administration reverses the Army Corps of Engineers' decision. However, Energy Transfer Partners said that the delays cost it $450 million, and it would lose $80 million a month from further delays.

Jennifer Levitz reports (Dec. 11), "Dispute Over Proposed Muslim Cemetery in Massachusetts Town Deepens," that Dudley, Massachusetts is the latest site of a dispute over Muslim cemeteries. The Islamic Society of Greater Worcester wants to build a cemetery on a parcel that was formerly farm land. Levitz' article says that "town officials have cited concerns about the scale of the project potential traffic issues and its environmental impact."

The Islamic Society attributed the decision to "100% fear and bias." The town's lawyer, Gary Brackett, said the same concerns would have been raised no matter what the religion that sought to build the cemetery. The Islamic Society applied for a permit in January 2016. Local residents objected at a public hearing, objecting to potential noise, traffic hazards, and "impact of buried bodies on wells." The permit was denied in June. The town of Dudley said that the Islamic Society did not have standing to buy the land, and the town had a right of first refusal on the property. (The town later said it would not buy the property).

The Islamic Society's suit against the town of Dudley was filed in July in Massachusetts state court, and is still pending. In August, Carmen Ortiz, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said her office would investigate whether unreasonable barriers on the Islamic Society's right of religious exercise. Brackett said that the town might submit the permit issue to a townwide vote. On December 11, however, Massachusetts State Attorney General Maura Healey warned the town that communities are forbidden to prohibit, regulate, or restrict the use of land or structures for religious purposes.

The ACLU said that efforts have been made to deny zoning permits for Muslim organizations in other places.

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Petitions & Boston-specific Action re Immigrants

I have made a bunch of link posts at my journal which I will bring over here, but let's begin with yesterday's post, which is something simple you can do right now that might make a difference: sign petitions!

1. Electoral College: Electoral College: Make Hillary Clinton President on December 19 (change.org)

2. Pledge to Fight for Justice: Take the pledge: Fight On for Justice (sponsored by Kamala Harris)

3. Stephen Bannon: STEPHEN BANNON HAS NO BUSINESS IN THE WHITE HOUSE (Southern Poverty Law Center)

4. Myron Ebell: Do Not Allow Myron Ebell to Lead the EPA Transition (petitions.whitehouse.gov)

Also, Boston Peeps who can make a phone call/write a letter, here is something you can do right now: a Boston city councilor who yesterday expressed his desire to make Boston a “sanctuary city” for immigrants, i.e. defy Trump & co. by barring local law enforcement from initiating or participating in deportation actions. (His name is in the post and you should read that post for more information.)