Meetings this week! Join I-RISE This Thursday!
Join I-RISE for the first monthly meeting of 2025 this Thursday, February 13th, 6:30-8:30 pm downstairs at the Senior Center in Newburyport. We will endeavor to share a zoom link for those who can't make it in person:
please RSVP here and we will make sure to send out the link if we can get it done!
You can also join the Newburyport Dems
Tuesday, February 11th, 7:00 PM upstairs at the senior center. Folks will share their perspective and insider knowledge about the chaos in Washington DC -- and talk about what we can do as Democrats and concerned citizens.
Save These Numbers in Your Phone
We each have three Members of Congress (MoC) who represent us: our two Senators, Markey and Warren, and our Congressperson -- for most of us, Seth Moulton. Save their MA and DC phone numbers in your phone, or use the 5calls.org app, and commit to calling every day. You can call to thank them for speaking out, or to urge them to take action...just make sure they hear from you!
They don't have to be long, you can leave a voicemail if you can't call until after work, and you can cover several concerns in one call. This link from political staffer Emily Amick has a good overview that simplifies and demystifies how to make these calls. If you are on the social media app Bluesky follow Celeste Pewter, another excellent resource for scripts, updates, and more.
Senator Ed Markey
Boston office - (617) 565-8519
DC office - (202) 224-2742
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Boston office - (617) 565-3170
DC office - (202) 224-4543
Congressman Moulton
Salem office - (978) 531-1669
DC office - (202) 225-8020
Help Wisconsin Dems Win a Supreme Court Seat
Wisconsinites need our help to elect Susan Crawford to the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Crawford will help protect Wisconsin's (currently) fair election maps, abortion rights, and other progressive values. She's a superb candidate, but she faces opposition, and the election is soon — April 1. For more information about the election, see the writeup on Ballotpedia HERE.
There are two opportunities for phone banks, postcard writing, or you can donate. And our partner Force Multiplier is holding a Zoom fundraiser on Monday 2/17 to meet and hear from Susan Crawford and Ben Wikler, Chair of the Wisconsin Dems.
Oppose the SAVE ACT (recommended by VoPro Pros)
The SAVE Act is a disaster! It will make it significantly harder, if not outright impossible, for millions of eligible voters to register to vote and have their voices heard. It would require every single American citizen to appear in person and provide very specific documents proving citizenship -- chiefly a passport or an original copy of their birth certificate -- when registering to vote and anytime they need to update their voter registration.
Make calls and send emails to Members of Congress (House and Senate) voicing strong opposition to the SAVE Act. You can:
- Complete this Sign-And-Send Petition prepared by the Declaration for American Democracy Coalition, which will send an email to your elected officials.
- Call your MoCs and use the script in the link above.
Make a Privacy Complaint Against Musk
Email to make a formal complaint against wanna-be President Musk's totally illegal power grab by writing to the Office of Financial Research. Their website states: "The Office of Financial Research (OFR) accepts formal written complaints about a problem with or violation of privacy protections, or harm or violation of an individual’s constitutional rights in the administration of programs and operations of the OFR."
Email them at privacy@ofr.treasury.gov using the subject line and text below. Extra credit: forward this to everyone you know to do the same.
Subject Line: Civil Liberties Complaint
I am making a civil liberties complaint under the Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a. It has been brought to my attention that Elon Musk and his associates, under the guise of a directive of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) (an IT office in the White House), have acquired access to Treasury Department Records in Systems of Records as defined in the Act. As an individual covered by the Act, I believe that there may be records about me in these Treasury Department systems, and I am concerned for the following reasons:
1. Elon Musk is not an elected official.
2. Even if Musk were an elected official, the System of Records Notices (SORNs) governing the Treasury Department Privacy Act systems do not allow for disclosure to Musk and his associates per the Routine Uses.
3. Disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive personally identifiable information (SPII) to Musk and his associates would be an unauthorized disclosure and therefore breach of information.
The Treasury Department must (1) quickly investigate what Privacy Act records that Musk and his associates have unlawfully accessed, (2) reveal to the public what unauthorized disclosures were made, (3) stop further access, (4) force any files acquired by Musk and his associates to be returned and/or permanently destroyed, and (5) seek criminal penalties against Musk and his associates for violations of the Act.
[insert name and contact information]
Focus on the States
From reproductive rights to gun safety, we need the states now more than ever. Our longtime partner Sister District just announced their new State Bridges partners -- grassroots organizations that work to elect fair and effective leaders at the state level. This work is vital to the groundwork of taking back seats in 2026 and 2028. Please learn more at one of these online meetings and support them!
