CALL TO ACTION: Protect Freedom of Religion; Fight White Supremacy (March 18, 2019)
PROTECT FREEDOM OF RELIGION
FIGHT WHITE SUPREMACY
Freedom of religion is a fundamental American value protected by the Constitution.
So when the US president was informed of the attack on two mosques in New Zealand, killing 50 people, Trump sent a note offering support. It’s hard to believe he was sincere. In fact, the alleged NZ shooter praised Trump. He hailed our president as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.”
Trump has signaled his racism from his first days in office with the Muslim ban. His immigration goals are to keep out anyone who is not white, whether they are from Central America fleeing terror, or suffering in “shithole” countries.
Just as bad, Trump has cut programs designed to track and prevent extreme right-wing violence.
Astonishingly, he has not dismantled the white supremacist’s social media network. It inspires, recruits, connects and encourages acts of hate globally. Tellingly, the US did block much of ISIS’s social media access.
It’s not a stretch to charge that Trump is aiding and abetting domestic and international white supremacist terrorism.
Fight to Protect Freedom of Religion!
Fight Trump’s Reign of Racism!
**ACTION ONE: CALL OUR SENATORS**
SAMPLE SCRIPT for Senators Wyden and Merkley:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because . . .
. . . the massacre of Muslims in New Zealand by an avowed white supremacist once again reveals the consequences of Trump’s racism. I ask the Senator to:
- Demand that the US dismantle violent white supremacists’ social media networks
- Call for hearings and funding to counter white supremacy extremist groups
- Push for a vote on Chris Coons’s “Muslim Ban and Asylum Ban Repeal” (S246).Thank you for co-sponsoring this bill.”
SENATOR RON WYDEN
Portland: (503) 326-7525, DC: (202) 224-5244
Salem: (503) 589-4555, Eugene: (541) 431-0229
Medford: (541) 858-5122, Bend: (541) 330-9142
La Grande: (541) 960-7691
https://www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/
SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
Portland: (503) 326-3386, DC: (202) 224-3753
Salem: (503) 362-8102, Eugene: (541) 465-6750
Medford: (541) 608-9102, Bend: (541) 318-1298
Pendleton: (541) 278-1129
https://www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
**ACTION TWO: CALL COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN**
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WALDEN:
“My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [town/city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because . . .
. . . the massacre of Muslims in New Zealand by an avowed white supremacist once again reveals the consequences of Trump’s racism. I ask Greg Walden to:
- Demand that the US dismantle violent white supremacists’ social media networks
- Call for hearings and funding to counter white supremacy extremist groups
- Co-sponsor and push for a vote on Representative Judy Chu’s “Muslim Ban and Asylum Ban Repeal” (HR810).
Thank you.”
COMPLICIT GREG WALDEN
DC (202) 225-6730, Medford: (541) 776-4646
Bend (541) 389-4408, La Grande (541) 624-2400
https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me
**ACTION THREE: BE AN ACTIVIST**
Visit the ORD2 Indivisible Event Calendar on a regular basis to keep updated on our local activities. Participate with us as often as you can. Check out the following:
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Oregon AFL-CIO Labor Lobby Day – Salem
March 19 @ 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-oregon-afl-cio-labor-lobby-day-salem/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Jackson County Mental Health Services Information Forum – Medford
March 21 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-jackson-county-mental-health-services-information-forum-medford/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: Take Action in Salem to Stop Jordan Cove LNG – Salem
March 28 @ 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-take-action-in-salem-to-stop-jordan-cove-lng-salem/
Non-ORD2 Indivisible Sponsored Event: “Awakening the Dreamer” – Grants Pass
April 13 @ 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm
https://ord2indivisible.org/event/non-ord2-indivisible-sponsored-event-awakening-the-dreamer-grants-pass/
SUBMIT EVENTS TO BE ADDED TO THE ORD2 INDIVISIBLE EVENT CALENDAR
Help us keep current with our event postings. https://ord2indivisible.org/submit-your-event/
SOURCES:
NY Times March 15, 2019: “The Roots of the Christchurch Massacre: All Those who have helped spread the worldwide myth that Muslims are a threat have blood on their hands” https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/15/opinion/new-zealand-mosque-shooting.html
New Yorker, March 16, 2019: “It’s Time to Confront the Threat of Right-Wing Terrorism” https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/its-time-to-confront-the-threat-of-right-wing-terrorism
NYTimes March 13: “No Hate Left Behind” op-ed by Thomas Edsall. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/13/opinion/hate-politics.html
The Atlantic, October 29, 2019: “Trump Shut Programs to Counter Violent Extremism”https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/trump-shut-countering-violent-extremism-program/574237/
NY Times Magazine, November 3, 2018: “U.S. Law Enforcement Failed to See the Threat of White Nationalism. Now They Don’t Know How to Stop It. For two decades, domestic counterterrorism strategy has ignored the rising danger of far-right extremism. In the atmosphere of willful indifference, a virulent movement has grown and metastasized.”…..https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/03/magazine/FBI-charlottesville-white-nationalism-far-right.html?module=inline
Esquire, January 28, 2019: “The President’s Racist Brain on Full Display in the Latest Trump-Era Breach Read”https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a26061526/team-of-vipers-trump-immigration-stephen-miller/
Department of Homeland Security, April 7, 2009: “Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment”https://fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf
NBC News, March 15, 2019, opinion: “The New Zealand shooting was inspired by the hate America is exporting. We need to deal with that reality.”
George Washington University, September 2016: “Nazis vs. ISIS on Twitter: A Comparative Study of White Nationalist and ISIS Online Social Media Networks”https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs2191/f/downloads/Nazis v. ISIS.pdf
