by Kate Turner '21
October 1, 2018
[Taken down for site construction and re-uploaded 5.21.19]
what are the dems up to?
From the Dems E-board: We believe women, and we stand with survivors. We stand with Dr. Ford.
As part of our ongoing effort to make sure at least 1,000 Mount Holyoke students vote in the 2018 midterms, the Dems will be tabling in Blanch until November 6! Find us in the entrance to the Dining Commons every Monday and Thursday from 5:30-7:30 if you’d like to register to vote, request an absentee ballot, or let us know you’ve voted!
Dan Carey visited our meeting this past Sunday! He talked about his primary race, being (potentially) one of five new legislators representing Western Massachusetts in the state house after these elections, and his experience working in public schools and for the Northwestern District Attorney.
No meeting next week! It's fall break and we will all be taking a much-deserved rest, but meetings will resume as usual on Sunday, October 14th.
Reminder that Dems general meetings are held every Sunday at 8:00 in the South Rockies common room.
in the pioneer valley
Northampton has been awarded a $100,000 state grant to create a regional opioid database. This record will include information related to drug uses, overdoses, and treatment. City officials hope that in tracking the opioid epidemic in the area, they’ll be better equipped to understand and deal with the crisis as it’s affecting their community.
Survivors of sexual violence gathered in downtown Northampton on Thursday for a “Solidarity Speakout.” They shared their stories and listened to others that morning in solidarity with Dr. Christine Blasey Ford as she testified before the Senate.
state-wide
The 2016 legislation protecting the rights of transgender people in public spaces is in danger of being repealed. The law, which prevents discrimination against transgender people in public spaces (ie, locker rooms and restrooms, the workplace, and in housing) was one of the first of its kind in the country, and if repealed, could be followed by repeals of similar laws in more conservative states. The law is being addressed by referendum, and is on the 2018 ballot. Vote YES ON THREE to protect the rights of transgender citizens in Massachusetts and across the country.
Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) is meeting with the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition to launch the new Massachusetts Business Coalition on Immigration. One in every five workers in Massachusetts is foreign born; the Coalition is meant to better-understand that portion of the workforce and ensure that Boston “remains a global innovation hub.”
In a town hall in Holyoke on Saturday, Elizabeth Warren told supporters that she is seriously considering a presidential run. “It’s time for women to go to Washington and fix our broken government, and that includes a woman at the top,” she said. “So here’s what I promise: After Nov. 6, I will take a hard look at running for president.”
national news
On Thursday, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Ford is one of three women who have credibly accused Kavanaugh of assault, but the only to testify. Ford was composed and courageous as she strove to answer all of the committee’s questions. Kavanaugh was belligerent, explosive, and viciously partisan. Even if he wasn’t guilty of sexual assault, his behavior on Thursday would have disqualified him from a position on the Supreme Court. Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote is scheduled a week from the testimony, after an FBI investigation into the allegations against him.
Since the Kavanaugh hearings, the National Sexual Assault Hotline has seen a 201 percent spike in calls received.
If you’re struggling with the news of the Kavanaugh hearings, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE or visit for online counseling at online.rainn.org.
Mount Holyoke students can also reach out to our Title IX coordinator, emergency counseling services, or the health center if more extensive or permanent help is something you feel you need.
Meanwhile, Bill Cosby — accused of sexual violence before the #MeToo era — has been sentenced to 3-10 years in prison. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for life.
Hundreds of migrant children have been moved from government detention facilities to tent camps close to the border, where there is no school, limited access to legal aid, and no regulation of their care. These moves are made to deal with surging shelter populations, as numbers of migrant children held by the US government continues to skyrocket.
Get involved with local organizations like the Texas Civil Rights Project, the Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, and the Florence Project to help prevent the imprisonment of children and the separation of families at the border.
The Trump administration announced on Saturday that immigrants legally using public services (ie, food assistance and housing vouchers) could be denied green cards in an effort to reduce the presence of immigrants deemed a “drain” on national resources.
The EPA plans to dissolve its Office of the Science Advisor, a post that “was created to counsel the EPA administrator on the scientific research underpinning health and environmental regulations,” according to the New York Times.
about elections
Wondering whether you’re registered to vote, how to request an absentee ballot, or about what races are important in your home state? The Dems are tabling in Blanch on Mondays and Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 to help you with all of that! We will register you to vote and mail in your absentee ballot requests for you — just stop by and say hello during our open hours!
Not a Monday or a Thursday? Check out Vote Save America, where they’ll do some of the work for you instead.
The 2018 midterms are some of the most important elections we have seen in our lifetimes. There’s no excuse not to vote in them!
get involved
Right now, our most important issue is still preventing Kavanaugh from being confirmed to the Supreme Court. Even with the issues of sexual assault aside, he has demonstrated a volatile temperament and partisanship that make him unfit for the position. He is also still more conservative than most of the Court’s sitting Justices, and poses a threat to the rights of women, workers, and racial minorities should he ascend to the Supreme Court.
Call your senators to demand that they vote no on Kavanaugh’s confirmation for all of these reasons, even if you have already!
And whether or not you’re a constituent, call these four key or undecided senators to let them know exactly how disastrous Kavanaugh’s nomination would be.
Jeff Flake (R-AZ) 202-224-3954
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) 202-224-6665
Susan Collins (R-ME) 202-224-2523
Joe Manchin (D-WV) 202-224-3954
As always, here’s this week’s Americans of Conscience checklist. Do what you can and be sure to take care of yourself.
stories we saw this week
From Kate: Today, Be Kind to Yourself