[ Reader Comments: Swing Voters, Virginia, Progressive Caucus, The
Squad; Films and Set Workers; Spartacus at 60; Langston Hughes;
Palestine and Gaza; Student Vote was substantial; Multi-Cultural
Childrens Books; Help End Blockade of Cuba; more....]
[[link removed]]

TIDBITS - NOV. 11, 2021 - READER COMMENTS: SWING VOTERS, VIRGINIA,
PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS, THE SQUAD; FILMS AND SET WORKERS; SPARTACUS AT 60;
LANGSTON HUGHES; PALESTINE AND GAZA; STUDENT VOTE; MULTI-CULTURAL
CHILDREN'S BOOKS; END BLOCKADE OF CUBA; MORE....  
[[link removed]]


 

November 11, 2021
xxxxxx

*
[[link removed]....]
*
[[link removed]]
*
* [[link removed]]

_ Reader Comments: Swing Voters, Virginia, Progressive Caucus, The
Squad; Films and Set Workers; Spartacus at 60; Langston Hughes;
Palestine and Gaza; Student Vote was substantial; Multi-Cultural
Children's Books; Help End Blockade of Cuba; more.... _

Tidbits - Reader Comments, Resources, Announcements, AND cartoons -
Nov. 11, 2021, xxxxxx

 

Re: New Poll Tries to Understand Blue-Collar Swing Voters (Judy
Atkins; Ted Pearson)
Re: After the Virginia Disaster, the Democrats Better Get to Work (J
David Rice)
Re: Here Are the 6 House Democrats That Voted No (Michael Arney)
What Republican Party Fears  --  meme
Re: How to Rebuild the Democratic Party (Jan Gilbrecht)
The Purpose of Public Education  --  meme
Re: I Work in Set Props and am the Daughter of Martin Scorsese. The
Way Movies Are Made Now Is Broken. (Lorraine Suzuki; John Hawksley;
Derek Hawksley)
Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it  --
 cartoon by Lalo Alcaraz
Re: Why Are Medieval Weapons Laws at the Center of a US Supreme Court
Case? (Lee Zaslofsky)
Re: 60 Years of Spartacus (Gabrielle Theresa Daniels; Rob Prince;
Jerry Judy; Jose Luis Medina; Paul Buhle; Randolph Shannon; John
Thompson; Mel Packer; Peter N. Carroll; Arlene Halfon)
Re: Langston Hughes Was a Lifelong Socialist (Frances Madeson; Jamil
Lateef; Wayne Heimbach)
Guess What? You're a Socialist  -- Dr. Seuss
Re: St. Vincent Nurses Strike Sadly Reaches Eight Months (Buzz Davis)
Re: Photo Reflects Devastation of Palestinian Economy as Gaza Workers
Struggle for Work (George Cohen)
Mister Rodgers Neighborhood  --  cartoon by Mile Luckovich
Re: Global Left Midweek - November 3, 2021 (Dan Morgan; Ethan Young)
Re: Yellowstone Is One of TV’s Biggest Hits. What’s Yellowstone,
Anyway? (Karen Lee Wald)

RESOURCES:

66% of Students Voted in Last Election (The Andrew Goodman Foundation)
40 Multicultural Children’s Books about Christmas (Colours of Us)
5 New YA Books on Native American Lives (Facing History and Ourselves)

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Counter-Mobilization in NYC at Cuban UN Mission - November 15 (New
York-New Jersey Cuba Sí Coalition)
New York Times, Stop Union Busting - New York - November 16 (News
Guild, New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO)

HELP TAKE ACTION:

HELP CHANGE U.S. POLICY TOWARDS CUBA - HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE REPEAT
THE FAILED CUBA POLICIES OF THE PAST? - HELP CONTACT YOUR
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE (LATIN AMERICA WORKING GROUP)

RE: NEW POLL TRIES TO UNDERSTAND BLUE-COLLAR SWING VOTERS

This is not a poll of working class people, so much as a poll of swing
voters who do not have bachelor's degrees. I do object when polls
describe the working class as those without higher education when so
many workers have BA's or BS's or advanced degrees. However, given
this description of the interviewees, it is an interesting poll and
shows what kind of organizing work needs to be done. 

Judy Atkins
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

This is all well and good, except that the historical reality is that
white supremacy and U. S. history (and capitalism) are inseparable,
and real solutions to economic and social problems will elude us
forever unless creative ways are found to address that. The truth has
been hidden from our people. It is the most massive cover up of the
most massive crimes against humanity.

I think that solidarity among exploited and oppressed people can be
built in struggle. That sets the stage for the kinds of discussions
that can reach the heart of the matter. History also shows that the
Labor Movement and the class struggle is the most fertile soil for
this process, but the demands of Black, Latinx and First Nations
cannot be sidelined.

Discussion if history does not have to be shaming people. But it does
have to teach social responsibility: the collective responsibility of
us all to face these problems and deal with them, and it has to teach
that the oppressed are the most qualified to project policies and
programs to end their oppression.

Ted Pearson

RE: AFTER THE VIRGINIA DISASTER, THE DEMOCRATS BETTER GET TO WORK

I don’t consider Virginia a disaster. McAuliffe has never been a
great candidate (too close to the Clintons) and Virginia traditionally
flips and flops. I’ve watched the cable commentators making their
hyperbolic doom and gloom statements. The Fox folks are so giddy that
you’d think they believed Republicans were never going to win
another election. Generally cable news commentators are just biased
rabble rousers. They present a distorted picture of everything because
they think, perhaps correctly, that Americans are so conditioned to
this nonsense that without it, no one will watch their shows.

J David Rice

RE: HERE ARE THE 6 HOUSE DEMOCRATS THAT VOTED NO

I wrote the following (slightly edited) response to Team AOC in
response to its "Let's Talk About What Happened" email dated Monday,
November 8.

Dear Team AOC,

The Squad was alone in the NO vote category. The entire rest of the
Progressive Caucus saw the need to vote YES. This email from you
implies that "the progressive" thing to do was to vote NO. If so, is
the Progressive Caucus misnamed?

The only reason the Squad was able to vote NO was because enough
Republicans crossed the aisle and voted YES. All of them now have
targets on their backs from the conservative movement, all of them
will be primaried. Had no GOP votes been anticipated, the Squad would
have been needed to vote YES for the bill to pass.

So it wasn't a principle issue then, was it? It was a tactical move:
the Squad was able to vote NO without the fear of the bill failing.
Had the bill failed on the basis of the Squad voting NO, all eyes
would have been on the Squad, and common people like many friends and
family members would have said, "What is wrong with the Democratic
Socialists? Why can't they vote for infrastructure? Why would they
join with the GOP to kill Pres. Biden's agenda?"

I severely disagree with the Squad's vote. The fact that this mailer
is asking for people to click the button to give approval to the Squad
shows me that the Squad is helping to teach more likely younger
followers that these reckless tactics are OK. The problem: the balance
of forces are so tight, the Democratic majority is so thin, that the
Squad's position on this linkage does not come from a hand of
strength. And after the November elections? The strength of the hand
of progress has grown much weaker.

Don't get me wrong. I am far more sympathetic with the program of the
Squad versus the program of most other members of Congress. But I was
shocked and very disappointed with the Squad's vote.

Sincerely,

Michael Arney

WHAT REPUBLICAN PARTY FEARS  --  MEME

RE: HOW TO REBUILD THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

(posting on xxxxxx Labor
[[link removed]])

How about "The time is right to build a genuinely progressive
alternative to the Democratic Party that can win elections"

Jan Gilbrecht
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC EDUCATION  --  MEME

RE: I WORK IN SET PROPS AND AM THE DAUGHTER OF MARTIN SCORSESE. THE
WAY MOVIES ARE MADE NOW IS BROKEN.

"Why is it in America that we feel the need to make a movie in six
weeks when it should take 10 to 12? To save money because some
executive in an office has decided this is how much it should cost?
That's not the real cost. The real cost is coming at the expense and
the well-being of everyone involved in the production."

Lorraine Suzuki
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Strike!

John Hawksley
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

I was fortunate to have more then enough work on stage. The movies I
worked on (only local) were grueling and usually uninteresting though
the hourly wage was higher. Never liked movies except the craft
services!

Derek Hawksley
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

THOSE WHO DON’T LEARN FROM HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT  --
 CARTOON BY LALO ALCARAZ

Lalo Alcaraz
October 27, 2021
pocho.com
[[link removed]]

RE: WHY ARE MEDIEVAL WEAPONS LAWS AT THE CENTER OF A US SUPREME COURT
CASE?

Why is an outdated, harmful 18th century amendment part of the
Constitution?

Lee Zaslofsky
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

RE: 60 YEARS OF SPARTACUS

Well, I'm not Spartacus.  But it was a great film, and it may have
broken the Blacklist.

Gabrielle Theresa Daniels
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

I saw Spartacus in the Loews Valencia theatre on Jamaica Ave and 166
Street in Jamaica, Queens, NY shortly after it first appeared. It was
the same theater in which I saw Pyscho either just before or just
afterwards. 

But I will never forget the Spartacus showing. 

At that dramatic moment when the Roman military leader asks Spartacus
to step forward... and Kirk Douglass does so,, he is followed by half
of his captured army. "I'm Spartacus", "I'm Spartacus." One of the
most moving examples of solidarity on film from that time onward.
Still gives me chills. 

And so it was in the Loews Valencia... where after hearing the cast
stand forward with their "I'm Spartacus" comments, someone - a kid -
in the audience, moved as I was - stood up  and joined the film...
"No, I'm Spartacus" he yelled so everyone could hear... and one after
another virtually everyone in the whole theater, myself included,
stood shouting "I'm Spartacus" as well...and then we all cheered. 
Only time I ever saw anything like that... in a movie theater in Tunis
watching the Battle of Algiers where the whole audience was more
participants than spectators.

An aside, Kirk Douglas, and I went to the same little college upstate
New York - St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York. As the legend
has it, Douglas whose original name was Issur Danielovitch, hitchhiked
to Canton, New York with nearly no money in his pocket and talked the
admissions officer into giving him a football scholarship. He
graduated from there - as I did some 30 years later.

Rob Prince
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

That's a great story,,,and a great movie...my favorite KD movie would
have to be " lonely are the brave" filmed in new mexico late fifties
or early 60s. The greatest show of solidarity I witnessed was with the
UFW of course

Jerry Judy
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

On 6 October 1960, the film Spartacus opened in New York City’s
DeMille Theatre. Time Magazine celebrated “a new kind of Hollywood
movie: a super spectacle with spiritual vitality and moral force.”

Jose Luis Medina
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Many nuances missed here, but esp the alternative script project by
Abe Polonsky. Never mind, it's a good subject

Paul Buhle
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Based on book written in prison by Howard Fast.

Randolph Shannon
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Spartacus was more than a film about a slave revolt against the Roman
Empire. The film dealt a blow against the Hollywood Blacklist at a
time when the masses were beginning to rise once more against the
injustices and could no longer be repressed.

John Thompson
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

The script-writer was none other than Dalton Trumbo, who was also the
author of "Johnny Got His Gun", one of the finest anti-war novels ever
written and in some way, mostly unconsciously, an influence on my life
and politics. It think I was quite young when I stumbled across it and
was blown away. A few years ago, while Emily and I were hiking and
training across parts of the US, we wound up in Grand Junction CO, a
relatively small town that had quite a bit of "art" in the way of
statuary on the streets in it's small business section. One of those
was a man sitting in a bathtub and writing and I thought it looked
like Dalton Trumbo. As it turns out, it was and he spent his early
years in that town. Apparently soaking in the bathtub was one of his
favorite places to write.

The Man in the Bathtub in Downtown Grand Junction
[[link removed]]

Mel Packer
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

There are errors in the article about the Hollywood 10. One is that
the author confuses HUAC which investigated the Hollywood 10 in 1947
and charged them with Contempt of Congress and Senator Joe McCarthy.
Obviously the 2 branches of Congress are blurred.

Moreover, there was no "trial" of the Ten, but they were indicted for
contempt and the courts refused to hear their appeals. 

Peter N. Carroll

      =====

This article, especially the brief mention of its sexual politics
brought back reminders from 50 years ago. I reviewed George Gilder's
first major book, "Sexual Suicide", for a Psychiatry Journal. Gilder
argued that the then nascent Women's Movement would destroy our so
vital culture; one like the world had ever seen (nothing I'm saying is
an exact quote, as I'm much older than I was then). I remembered a
passage in Howard Fast's book where her owner asks Lavinia (Spartacus'
wife) how Spartacus could have tried to destroy the greatest culture
the world had ever known and I quoted that line in my Review. I've
since learned that every attempt to improve society and social
conditions is met with some form of the same question. "We are
perfect, why would you try to change us?" It's asked whether we're
discussing immigration, homelessness, race, poverty, mental illness
and any other underdog issue. Oh, will they never learn?

Arlene Halfon Washington CC (Colony of Colombia)
Yes, Spartacus (at least the book) was universal and it's too bad it's
no longer being read en masse.

RE: LANGSTON HUGHES WAS A LIFELONG SOCIALIST

Omitted from the article is an important accomplishment. Hughes wrote
the libretto for Troubled Island, an opera composed by William Grant
Still about the Haitian Revolution that broke the color barrier at the
NYC Opera in 1949. It's gorgeous!!!

"Troubled Island" Opera Music - William Grant Still
[[link removed]]

[[link removed]]

Frances Madeson
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Back when being a socialist was cool

Jamil Lateef
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

    “Listen, Revolution,
    We’re buddies, see —
    Together,
    We can take everything:
    Factories, arsenals, houses, ships,
    Railroads, forests, fields, orchards,
    Bus lines, telegraphs, radios,
    (Jesus! Raise hell with radios!)
    Steel mills, coal mines, oil wells, gas,
    All the tools of production.
    (Great day in the morning!)
    Everything —
    And turn ’em over to the people who work.”

Wayne Heimbach
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

GUESS WHAT? YOU'RE A SOCIALIST  -- DR. SEUSS

 

RE: ST. VINCENT NURSES STRIKE SADLY REACHES EIGHT MONTHS

(posting on xxxxxx Labor
[[link removed]])

Good article!  Not good situation Biden should call that CEO into his
office and play hard ball.

Buzz Davis 
Vets for Peace in Tucson

RE: PHOTO REFLECTS DEVASTATION OF PALESTINIAN ECONOMY AS GAZA WORKERS
STRUGGLE FOR WORK

Thank you so much for publishing this piece. Quite a revelation for me
, even though I have kept up with the relationship between Gaza and
Israel for decades. And even more importantly, exhibiting that photo.
I predict that it will go down in history as a game-changer. If it is
given the chance to effect millions of Americans, by being generally
revealed, for example, to the media, I think it will make a huge
splash. (((BTA, I was the staff photographer for the  US Weekly
Guardian newspaper,  in the 70s. I continue to do my thing as a
Social Documentary photog.

Thanx again. Keep up the good work.

In Solidarity-

George Cohen

MISTER RODGERS NEIGHBORHOOD  --  CARTOON BY MILE LUCKOVICH

i

Mike Luckovich
November 10, 2021
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
[[link removed]]

RE: GLOBAL LEFT MIDWEEK - NOVEMBER 3, 2021

It is very sad to see that the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) has
joined the imperialist campaign against China, because this campaign
is now the greatest threat to world peace and stability.
Apart from the usual distortions of Marx, stripping him of his
revolutionary approach, the criticisms of China are also the usual
ones we hear in the present campaign. The unproven accusations of
human rights abuses in Xinjiang emanate from pro-imperialist sources.
They ignore the real danger of separatist terrorism, financed by the
USA and Turkey in particular, which has been suppressed by measures of
detention and re-education - nothing like the bombings of whole
regions, and Guantanamo style torture used by US imperialism.

The Hong Kong ‘democracy’ protests, with violent occupations and
burning of public buildings, again financed and encouraged from
outside (the usual culprits) have been dealt with judicially. This is
not “intensifying violations of human rights”. Many protesters
were calling for ‘independence’, a totally unacceptable demand
when Hong Kong was only torn from China by British imperialism as part
of that country's century (and a half) of humiliation. Taiwan is also
an integral part of China – Chiang Kai-shek did not retreat to a
foreign country in 1949.

Of course China is very nationalist, and makes some territorial claims
not accepted by others in the region. But it does talk about
negotiated settlements. In 1979, under Mao, it did invade Vietnam but
has done nothing similar since – unlike the real imperialist powers
in the world. Where is China’s hegemonism? Does it interfere to
destabilize or topple governments around the world? No – unlike the
real imperialists. Does it invest in a win-win way to help countries
develop? Yes. China’s growing influence threatens the USA’s
ability to bully and dominate the world, and this is what is behind
the campaign to smear China, to try and throttle its economy and to
threaten it militarily.

Progressives in imperialist countries, particularly the USA but also
Britain, Japan and others, with powerful propaganda machines, need to
carefully examine how they are manipulated. A major geopolitical
battle is underway, and aiding the imperialist campaign against China
does damage to the fight for peace and progress across the world.

Dan Morgan
Posted on xxxxxx's Facebook page
[[link removed]]

      =====

Dan Morgan's comments raise a slew of questions. The most important:
When does criticism of China become part of the imperialist campaign
against China? When it contradicts the CPC's claims about its
treatment of civilians in minority regions? When it questions the
Chinese state's territorial claims, which are highly controversial in
east Asia? 

Is the only way to oppose Washington's new cold war to 'hear, see, and
speak no evil' regarding one of the most consequential world powers?

If the international left says yes to the last question, we will be
empty-handed in the fight for peace, sovereignty, and democracy.

Ethan Young

RE: YELLOWSTONE IS ONE OF TV’S BIGGEST HITS. WHAT’S YELLOWSTONE,
ANYWAY?

(posting on xxxxxx Culture
[[link removed]])

Writers (and editors) shouldn’t assume that all readers are familiar
with certain “popular culture” TV shows (or anything else for that
matter). It limits your scope of readers. (I’d never heard of much
less seen “Succession” so it was not useful to tell me Yellowstone
was a ranch set version of it).

I was taught that as a journalist I should never assume all readers
had read yesterday’s news, and that all articles should be
self-explanatory to someone picking up a a newspaper for the first
time.

The form of media has changed greatly, but this basic principle should
not

Karen Lee Wald

66% OF STUDENTS VOTED IN LAST ELECTION (THE ANDREW GOODMAN FOUNDATION)

[[link removed]]

We can't get over this incredible report from the Institute for
Democracy and Higher Education!

Students built on the momentum of 2018 and voted at even higher rates,
jumping from 52% in 2016 to 66% in 2020. That 14 percentage point
increase outpaces that of all Americans, who jumped 6 percentage
points from 61% to 67%. That students, often younger and first-time
voters, turned out at rates commensurate with the general public is
nothing short of stunning

You can read the full report here [[link removed]]

THE ANDREW GOODMAN FOUNDATION
[[link removed]]

40 MULTICULTURAL CHILDREN’S BOOKS ABOUT CHRISTMAS (COLOURS OF US)

I know Christmas is around the corner when my daughter pulls out her
German Christmas Song CD and listens to it non-stop (usually way into
the new year…). Time to search the internet up and down for the
best multicultural children’s books
[[link removed]] about
Christmas! Get your family into a festive mood with some of these
treasures I found!

Colours of Us [[link removed]]
P.O.Box 2678
Plettenberg Bay 6600
South Africa

5 NEW YA BOOKS ON NATIVE AMERICAN LIVES (FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES)

by Kaitlin Smith
November 10, 2021
Facing History
[[link removed]]

This November is Native American Heritage Month--a national observance
that draws our attention to the histories, contemporary experiences,
and insights of Indigenous peoples of the United States. As valuable
as this heritage month can be for drawing increased attention to this
area that demands greater attention in our classrooms and in the wider
society, Native American Heritage Month also beckons to the importance
of surfacing and centering these themes all year long. One common
hurdle that undermines these efforts is the struggle to identify
appropriate resources that are written by and about Native peoples
with the adolescent in mind. There are a host of books and other
materials that we can turn to as we construct lesson plans and
recommend reading to our students, and what follows are five texts to
consider.

Members of our staff are exploring these five new books published
within the last year and we invite you to explore them alongside us
and share your reactions in the comments. Written by a group of
Indigenous authors across North America for readers ages 12 and up,
these texts address themes including Indigenous youth navigating
adolescent identity, community, resistance, and imagining new futures,
as well as questions that Native and non-Native young people may have
about the history and contemporary experiences of Native American
populations. Excerpts from each text’s publisher - here
[[link removed]]

Facing History and Ourselves [[link removed]]
16 Hurd Road  
Brookline, MA 02445

COUNTER-MOBILIZATION IN NYC AT CUBAN UN MISSION - NOVEMBER 15 (NEW
YORK-NEW JERSEY CUBA SÍ COALITION)

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 15 2:00 PM Counter-Mobilization in NYC at Cuban UN
Mission

NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY CUBA SÍ COALITION
[[link removed]]

NEW YORK TIMES, STOP UNION BUSTING - NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16 (NEWS
GUILD, NEW YORK CITY CENTRAL LABOR COUNCIL, AFL-CIO)

NEXT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 AT 12PM. Join these media workers to
denounce NY Times' anti-union activity! 

New York City Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO
[[link removed]]
post on Facebook

HELP CHANGE U.S. POLICY TOWARDS CUBA - HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE REPEAT
THE FAILED CUBA POLICIES OF THE PAST? - HELP CONTACT YOUR
CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVE (LATIN AMERICA WORKING GROUP)

Cubans are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. FOOD
SHORTAGES, LONG LINES, AND A LACK OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO ADDRESS THE
COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAVE PUSHED THE ISLAND NATION INTO THE WORST
ECONOMIC AND HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IT HAS FACED IN RECENT HISTORY. It
is critical, now more than ever, that the United States take immediate
action to allow humanitarian assistance to reach the Cuban people and
take concrete steps to foster constructive engagement with Cuba,
leading to the normalization of U.S.-Cuba relations.

What's Going On?
Representatives James P. McGovern (D-MA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Gregory
Meeks (D-NY) and Bobby Rush (D-IL) are circulating a Dear
Colleague LETTER
[[link removed]] to
President Biden regarding changing U.S. policy towards Cuba to address
the humanitarian and economic crisis and restore engagement with our
Caribbean neighbor. The letter calls for the SUSPENSION OF U.S.
REGULATIONS THAT PREVENT FOOD, MEDICAL SUPPLIES, AND OTHER
HUMANITARIAN AID FROM REACHING THE CUBAN PEOPLE and for the LIFTING
ALL RESTRICTIONS ON CUBAN AMERICANS SENDING REMITTANCES TO THEIR
FAMILIES AND ON NON-FAMILY DONATIONS, allowing nonprofits and faith
groups to provide humanitarian assistance and start-up capital for
Cuban small businesses and civil society. It also urges a rollback of
the Trump Administration’s travel restrictions to Cuba and calls for
a return to a policy of dialogue and engagement.  
These members of Congress have signed Congressional letter to change
policy. Can you help get your Congressional representative to sign?

Signatures on Cuba Letter – 11/10/21 @ 10:30 PM (23):
DEADLINE TO JOIN LETTER:  COB FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19TH

    James P. McGovern (MA) – co-lead, Rules Committee Chair
    Barbara Lee (CA) – co-lead, SFOPS SC Appropriations Chair
    Gregory W. Meeks (NY) – co-lead, HFAC Chair
    Bobby L. Rush (IL) – co-lead, Energy SC Chair, E&C
    Nydia M. Velázquez (NY)
    Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
    André Carson (IN)
    Steve Cohen (TN)
    Peter Welch (VT)
    Dwight Evans (PA)
    Andy Levin (MI)
    Jake Auchincloss (MA)
    Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04)
    Rashida Tlaib (MI)
    Mike Doyle (PA)
    Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ)
    Jared Huffman (CA)
    Jan Schakowsky (IL)
    Alan B. Lowenthal (CA)
    Donald M. Payne, Jr. (NJ)
    Anna G. Eshoo (CA)
    Adriano Espaillat (NY)
    Grace Meng (NY)

What's YOU Can Do
We need you to get in touch with your representative and urge them to
sign onto the letter NOW! The deadline for sign ons is Friday,
November 12. Find your representative HERE
[[link removed]].
Then, here’s what you do:

* Call the number for your representative’s office.
* Ask to speak to the office’s foreign policy aide.
* Once connected, read (or adapt) the script below.
* You might be asked to just leave a message, either with the front
desk or on voicemail. Should that happen, read the same script.

SAMPLE SCRIPT:

 
_“My name is [FIRST AND LAST NAME] and I’m a constituent calling
from [CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE]. Cuba is currently facing the worst
economic and humanitarian crisis the island has seen in recent
history. Food shortages, long lines, and a lack of medical supplies to
combat the COVID-19 pandemic have exacerbated the suffering of Cubans
on the island and of their families in the United States who are
desperate to help but often unable to._

_I’m calling you to urge Rep. [YOUR REP’S LAST NAME] to sign onto
Rep. Jim McGovern’s dear colleague letter to President Biden, urging
him to advance a U.S. policy towards Cuba that addresses the
humanitarian and economic crisis and restores a policy of engagement.
The letter calls for immediate and concrete actions to alleviate the
crisis, such as lifting specific licenses required to send medical
supplies and ending restrictions on sending family remittances and
lifting restrictions on travel. These are just a few actions President
Biden can take to improve the quality of life in Cuba. These actions
will also guide us down a path of engagement with Cuba in areas such
as migration, disaster response, and climate change. Protecting human
rights in Cuba, including the right to protest, can only be achieved
through engagement, rather than unilateral isolation, which has proven
time and time again to be a failed policy._

_Is this something Representative [YOUR REP’S LAST NAME] can
support? I hope you will consider my request, and thank you for your
time.”_

 
HOW MUCH LONGER WILL WE REPEAT THE FAILED CUBA POLICIES OF THE PAST?
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, AND WE CANNOT KEEP BARGAINING WITH CUBAN
LIVES. 

The Latin America Working Group (LAWG) and the Latin America Working
Group Education Fund (LAWGEF) mobilize concerned citizens,
organizations, and networks to call for just U.S. policies towards
Latin America and the Caribbean. We advocate in the halls of power for
human rights, peace, and social, economic, and environmental justice.
We work closely with civil society partners in Latin America to
amplify their human rights campaigns and make sure their voices are
heard in the policy debates that take place in Washington, DC but
shape the lives of millions throughout the region.

Latin America Working Group (LAWG) [[link removed]]
2029 P St NW, Suite 301
Washington DC 20036

(202) 546-7010
[email protected]

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