THURSDAY 6/1/17 CALLS TO ACTION: We’ll always have Paris (not really)

FEDERAL:

Well, it looks like it’s going to be contest between Trump and our NCGA as to who can ruin NC first. Signed by an actual president, President Barack Obama, the Paris Agreement was a deal to limit greenhouse gases in order to combat climate change. It has been signed by 175 countries and took effect in November 2016. The Trump Administration is going to keep on deregulating oil and gas, denying climate change and then pulling the US out of the Paris Accords. Yes, Virginia, he is an idiot. And he obviously hates Barack Obama more than he loves America.

Meanwhile in NC: The Department of Defense has identified coastal North Carolina as “one of the nation’s most vulnerable regions to climate change.”  The Union of Concerned Scientists has determined that sea levels in this area could rise between 3 and 6 feet by the end of this century. I guess it’s a good thing the NCGA has already outlawed sea-level rise! Recently Trump signed an executive order expanding drilling for oil off the coast and in the Arctic. He has also opened up the Carolina coast for seismic blasting. I guess we can look forward to our own Deepwater Horizon incident. Bring on the tarballs, oily pelicans and beached dolphins!

Call the White House Comment Line at at 202-456-1111 and tell the Trump Administration how foolish it would be to vacate the Paris Agreement.

Send some postcards to the “President” and let him know that we will not compromise on climate change.

climate change is real (no address)

climate change is real (addressed)

STATE:

From Stronger NC –  The state budget and its ramifications for education in NC “We are concerned about the fact that the House, just like the Senate, broke its promise to fund Specials in NC. As of this exact moment, the budgets on the table include NO funding to restore the funding for specialists that the NCGA’s class size law strips from the schools. Worse, the Senate budget draft also prohibits schools from moving funds from one allotment to another, which has the functional effect of making it illegal for schools to fund specialists.”  Please follow the link for their calls to action. They are very thorough.

How will the House budget impact education in NC? (from Public Schools First NC)

 

Here is the contact info for our Randolph County legislators

House:

Allen McNeill, Pat Hurley

House Appropriations Committee

House Finance Committee

Senate:

Jerry Tillman, Rick Gunn

 

HB 746 – NC Constitutional Carry Act

This is a bill they’re getting ready to take up in the House that allows people to carry concealed handguns without a permit. That means the requirement to take the handgun safety classes would be null and void. Any yahoo with enough cash can go buy an easily concealable pistol and tote it around without one whit of training. You’d think legislators like Allen McNeill, who used to be in law enforcement, would balk at this bill. Hopefully he will, but I’m not going to hold my breath

Call your state representative: .

SCRIPT: My name is _________ calling from Rep. ____________ district. I would like to urge the Representative to oppose HB 746, the NC Constitutional Carry Act. It is a bad idea for people who have not taken proper handgun training to be able to legally carry a concealed weapon in this manner. It will make it much more dangerous for law enforcement officers to do their jobs when anyone and everyone feels as if they can carry a concealed gun. There is also the danger of untrained people accidentally shooting someone else because of this lack of training in the handling of their weapon. Please oppose this bill. Thank you for your time.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March for Truth – On June 3 at Bicentenial Plaza, 1. E. Edenton St. Raleigh, NC, thousands of people in dozens of cities across the nation will gather and march to call for

* special counsel and independent investigation of Trump’s ties to Russia and Russia’s role in the 2016 election
* release of Trump’s tax returns
* full investigation of Trump’s foreign ties
* prosecution of any wrongdoing that is or has been revealed.

Equality March for Unity and Pride – Sunday June 11, 2017 First Ward Park 301 E. Seventh St. Charlotte, NC

NCDP Unity Dinner (Formerly Jefferson-Jackson Dinner) July 15, 2017 – Details TBA