FEDERAL:

No Military Action without Congressional approval (from The Loyal Opposition)

The Constitution gives the power to authorize military action to Congress. However, in recent decades, Congress has often failed to fully assert its prerogative and has acquiesced to the executive taking various military actions with flimsy Congressional authority. Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Congress authorized the President to take military action against any entity that committed or aided the attacks, or harbored perpetrators, in order to prevent future attacks (the 2001 AUMF). All use of US military force since then, including the Syrian missile strike, have relied on the 2001 AUMF. By any measure, the 2001 AUMF has been stretched far beyond its original intent and there is currently disagreement as to whether President Trump’s missile attack on the Syrian air base is legal and authorized by  Congress. Many in Congress in both parties want Congress to play a more explicit role in authorizing military action in Syria and elsewhere. By dropping a MOAB in Afghanistan and threatening North Korea, Trump appears to be escalating military action, quite possibly as a distraction from the Russia news. With an unpredictable and ill-informed president risking nuclear attack or retaliation, it is imperative that Congress perform its Constitutional duty and reassert its obligation to approve or disapprove of military force before it occurs.

Call Burr, Tillis and Walker

Script  Hi. This is [NAME] and I’m a constituent in [ZIP].

I’m concerned that the White House is carrying out military operations without Congressional approval. I urge [Sen/Rep____] to insist Congress reassert its Constitutional duty and require the president to obtain Congressional approval before any further military action in Syria, North Korea or anywhere else.

I appreciate your time. Thank you!

STATE:

HB239 – House Bill 239 reduces the N.C. Court of Appeals from 15 judges to 12 through attrition. The next three who leave the bench won’t be replaced. This is, of course, because it is the Governor’s job to replace those judges and he happens to be a Democrat. The Republican-run legislature is overstepping its bounds once again and should stop meddling in the business of the Executive and Judicial branches. There is a thing called separation of powers  and it’s there for a reason.

Our Opinion: Legislature swats governor, courts

Call your State Senator (Tillman or Gunn) or Representative (McNeill or Hurley)

SCRIPT: Hello, I am from __________________ in the Senator/Representative’s district. I am calling to urge the Sen/Rep to vote “no” on HB 239, which would cut the size of the Court of Appeals from 15 to 12 members. The court is operating just fine as it is. This attempt to cut the number on the court is another partisan power grab from a General Assembly that has already tried too many times to undermine the separation of powers. NC voters are tired of these games. Thank you for your time.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

 

Rally to Pass HB 13 – Wednesday April 19 – Come support all NC Teacher’s teaching positions! Rally to support the passage of HB-13. 5,500 NC teachers are at risk of losing their jobs next school year, 2017-2018, if HB-13 is not passed. Bring a sign to support all teachers and to ask the NC Senate to pass HB-13.
Halifax Mall is behind the Legislative Building.

Lunch with Lawmakers – Friday April 21, 2017 Archdale Trinity Chamber of Commerce is having a forum to make Reps. Pat Hurley and Allen McNeill and Senator Jerry Tillman available to answer questions from constituents. See the link for the official flyer from the Chamber.

March for Science, Greensboro – The rally and march in Greensboro will include short speeches from local scientists who work at North Carolina A & T, UNC Greensboro, and other local organizations. We will also be featuring performances from local bands Disaster Recovery and Viva La Muerte, and from kid activist Sage Advice. Supporters of science from across the Piedmont Triad will gather at this event.  To help costs related to the march, please contribute to our gofundme page! https://www.gofundme.com/marchforsciencegreensboro  Leftover money will be used to send deserving local children to a local science camp.

People’s Climate March –  Join us April 29th in Washington, DC to let Trump know that we won’t let him pollute the air and wreck the climate on our watch!  There is no denying it: Donald Trump’s election is a threat to the future of our planet, the safety of our communities, and the health of our families. If the policies he proposed on the campaign trail are implemented, they will destroy our climate, decimate our jobs and livelihoods, and undermine the civil rights and liberties won in many hard-fought battles. It’s up to us to stop that from happening before it starts.