ORGANIZING NOTES
February 4, 2025
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Did The Democrats Choose A Loosinng Strategy By Mistake?
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We are in a Constitutional crisis and we need all Members of Congress to fight back. Join all patriots to tell Senators Markey and Warren that we demand they use every tool at their disposal to fight back against the coup perpetrated by Trump and the unelected Elon Musk. The likely architect of this coup is Russel Vought, Trump’s nominee for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
By illegally forcing out civil servants Musk has gained unfettered access to extremely sensitive government information at OMB and the Treasury Dept. which usurps Congress’ constitutional power and allows him to implement Trump’s unconstitutional federal funding freeze.
Our Senators must act now to stop Musk and halt the OMB nomination process of Russell Vought – the architect of this takeover and author of Project 2025.
Indivisible Mass Coalition encourages local Indivisible Groups, and anyone concerned, to visit Senators’ offices in Boston: 2/4 Tue. 10am HERE, 2/5 Wed. 1pm HERE; and Springfield: 2/4 Tue. 12pm HERE, 2/5 Wed. 10am HERE), to demand they shut down the nomination proceedings by leveraging every available second of debate time and refusing unanimous consent on every possible vote. You can read more about these procedural options and other tools available to Democrats HERE.
Bring signs and posters (see suggestions HERE). Record your visit, take pictures, and post them online to demonstrate that there are real people applying real pressure to their Members of Congress. Send your pictures to us at: events@indivisible-ma.org
Remember, Trump voters may not be hearing about this from their preferred news networks. Our job is to let them know, and to turn up the heat on Congress to act now to protect all of our futures!
In Solidarity,
The IMC Coordinating Board
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ICE Raids in Massachusetts – Know Your Rights
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An ICE raid is believed to have occurred in East Boston on January 22nd, following videos and photos shared by NBC of federal agents entering homes and detaining at least one individual. This came just two days after Donald Trump signed an executive order expanding deportations. Despite Massachusetts being considered a “sanctuary state,” local communities cannot legally prevent ICE raids from taking place.
Shortly after, Massachusetts Republican State Representatives Michael J. Soter (Bellingham) and Kenneth P. Sweezey (Pembroke) filed a bill proposing a 36-hour buffer for law enforcement to hold individuals beyond their scheduled release if ICE has placed a detainer on them. This practice had previously been removed from Massachusetts law in 2017. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling in Lunn v. Commonwealth prohibits state and local law enforcement from holding individuals solely on the basis of an ICE detainer.
In response, many organizations are mobilizing to help community members protect themselves from ICE enforcement:
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The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) is hosting several Know Your Rights trainings to educate individuals on what to do if approached by ICE. One such training is scheduled for February 6th, and individuals can sign up here.
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ACLU’s Immigrants’ Rights webpage offers information in multiple languages.
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City of Somerville Know Your Rights trainings and resources are available in multiple languages via the SomerViva website.
Find information about your rights here in English or here in Spanish. Be sure to keep copies with you or share them with those who might need them. For immediate legal assistance, an immigration helpline is available to Massachusetts residents at (508) 293-1871.
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Our Revolution Massachusetts
Representative Council Is Expanding
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Last Fall, ORMA’s membership voted to ratify a By-Laws change to increase the number of ORMA members not belonging to local groups on the Representative Council from two to nine, (one from each of the nine Congressional Districts). This was a recognition of the reality that most members of ORMA do not belong to active local affiliates. It is consistent with our commitment to ensure that the leadership of ORMA reflects ALL of our members. Instead of the current one-year term, each newly elected Representative will serve for two years. The transition will take two years. Elections from Congressional Districts 1,2,3,6 and 7 will take place this year. The remaining district elections will take place next year.
If you live in any of the Congressional Districts listed above and wish to represent unaffiliated members, (members who are not part of a local ORMA group (FCCPR, Concord, Arlington, Metro West, Medford, Cambridge, Jamaica Plain, Blue Hills, Greater Fall River), in that district, please fill out the Unaffiliated RC Candidate Form by February 5, midnight. Following the close of nominations, the RC will distribute ballots listing all candidates together with their statements to the unaffiliated members in the District.
ORMA members will be asked to vote for two candidates by ranked-choice voting. The candidate with the most votes will be the Representative and the candidate with the second most votes will be an alternate. Both will serve for a two-year term. Each District will have one vote on the Council.
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Trumps’s Tax Cuts:
A Giveway To the Wealthy at The Expense of the Working Class (PostScript, What is Elon Musk doing at AID? He Must be Stopped!)
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President Donald Trump’s push to extend and expand tax cuts is a massive windfall for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families. Building on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, his new proposals aim to make corporate and individual tax reductions permanent while offering additional breaks to high-income earners. This includes lowering the top income tax rate, reducing capital gains taxes, and expanding write-offs for businesses. These changes would overwhelmingly benefit the top 1%, widening the already alarming wealth gap in the United States. Trump’s proposals are also expected to add $4.6tn to the deficit.
While cloaked in the language of efficiency and job creation, these tax cuts come with a steep price: devastating cuts to essential social programs. Medicaid, which provides healthcare to low-income Americans, is a primary target. Trump’s proposals include imposing work requirements and capping federal Medicaid spending, which could force states to reduce coverage or cut eligibility. Additionally, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and its subsidies are also under threat, with plans to roll back expansions that have helped millions gain healthcare access. If enacted, these measures could leave countless low-income families, seniors, and people with disabilities without necessary healthcare.
Other critical programs are also on the chopping block. House Republicans are eyeing significant funding cuts to green energy initiatives, climate policies, and infrastructure projects, including those funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. These cuts not only jeopardize environmental progress but also threaten jobs and community investments. Medicare payment policies may also face changes that could reduce healthcare access for seniors, while broader spending caps could deeply affect the federal safety net, including housing and food assistance programs. These proposals are part of an effort to offset the cost of extending tax breaks for billionaires and corporations, prioritizing the wealthiest over the needs of everyday Americans.
Billionaire Elon Musk, in President Trump’s newly created Department of Government Efficiency,is spinning these cuts as “streamlining” government operations. But there are smarter ways to cut waste without harming vulnerable Americans. Revising overpriced defense contracts, empowering Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices for lower costs, and eliminating corporate tax loopholes could generate billions in savings.
The proposed windfall for billionaires is likely to be coupled with an end to taxes on tips so that Trump can claim the package benefits workers. Massachusetts residents must resist this betrayal of working families. By remaining vigilant about Trump’s proposals and actions, we can demand policies that prioritize fairness and justice over tax giveaways to the rich.
P.S. As this is being sent out, Elon Musk without any security clearance is taking over the Department of AID. Clearly a coup, Musk is ravaging the department in his search to fund the billionaire tax cuts. This is only the beginning of an illegal takeover. Call your senators and Congress people and tell them they must take action.
Sign up with Indivisible or another organization of your choice in preparation for quick mobilization.
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Act on Mass, ORMA, and 28 other organizations have submitted a letter to House Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka demanding changes in rules and operations to increase legislative transparency. To broaden the coalition, organizers made the strategic decision to focus on reforms, leaving issues such as the power of the Speaker, to other groups and other times.
The reforms fall into four categories.
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Improving Public Access to Information → including publicizing committee votes & testimony!
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Increasing Opportunities for Public Engagement in the Legislative Process → such as providing adequate notice of hearing schedules!
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Creating a More Open, Robust, and Timely Committee Process → including requiring a public committee session & publishing committee reports!
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Provide More Time to Read Legislation → an end to bills being released 4 hours before the vote!
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HARVARD: Lost On The Road To “Veritas”
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Over the past ten days, Harvard University, whose slogan is the Latin “veritas” (truth), banned a class because it did not include a political message supported by the administration and adopted a definition of antisemitism that the American Civil Liberties Union says “equates protected political speech with unprotected discrimination. Enshrining this definition into regulation would chill the exercise of First Amendment rights and risk undermining the Department of Education’s legitimate and important efforts to combat discrimination.”
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Palestinian children wounded in Israel strikes are brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on, Oct. 11, 2023
Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley banned an elective class on the medical crisis in Gaza because only Palestinian, and not Israeli patients would participate. According to the Harvard Crimson, following the cancellation, the administration agreed that instead of the class students could host the event. Then, the administration blocked the student-run event as well.
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In another action that is likely to be welcomed by Trump and Netanyahu, Harvard adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)’s working definition of “antisemitism”. According to the IHRA’s definition, “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” “drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis,” and “applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation” are all examples of antisemitism. Kenneth Stern, the lead member of the team that originated the IHRA definition has written often that it is not appropriate to apply it to academic institutions.
Harvard students have asked community members to urge the university to reverse these decisions and return to its pursuit of “Veritas”. Write to:
Dean of the Faculty of Medicine of Harvard Medical School, George Q Daley at george_daley@hms.harvard.edu
Dean for Medical Education, Bernard Chang at
bernard_chang@hms.harvard.edu
Dean for Students, Fidencio Saldaña, at
fsaldana@hms.harvard.edu
Links to the ACLU and Kenneth Stern statements can be found here, here, and here.
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Phone Bank To Save Democracy in Wisconsin
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The State Supreme Court Race in Wisconsin is the most important election of 2025. On April 1st, Judge Susan Crawford will face Scott Walker’s former Attorney General to fill an open seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court . Call Democrats to let them know!
Mondays 6PM REGISTER
Recruit Poll Observers To Save Democracy in Wisconsin
Help protect the vote by recruiting poll observers for the April 1s Spring Election!
Wednesdays 5PM REGISTER
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Virtual Round Table For Communites Fighting Airport Expansion
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Register for our upcoming Roundtable for Communities Fighting Airport Expansions on February 5th. We’re looking forward to a productive discussion and knowledge-sharing session with everyone. Please Sign Up HERE
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Biden Permanently Bans Offshore Drilling
Across 625 Million Acres of Ocean
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On January 6, President Biden announced an executive order permanently banning offshore oil and gas development across 625 million acres of ocean. This decision will prevent oil companies from securing leases for new drilling along the entire East Coast, the eastern Gulf of Mexico, the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, as well as portions of Alaska’s Northern Bering Sea.
This order is particularly significant because it is exceptionally difficult to reverse. While Donald Trump vowed to “unban” offshore drilling in these newly protected areas “immediately” after taking office, the legal framework behind Biden’s decision presents a formidable obstacle. Biden leveraged the 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which grants presidents sweeping authority to withdraw federal waters from oil and gas development. However, the act does not permit a president to reverse such withdrawals. To overturn Biden’s order, Trump would need Congressional approval to amend the law—a challenging and uncertain path.
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If you would like to work with ORMA Members on
- Climate Change
- Community-Based Alternative Emergency Response Teams
- Ranked-Choice Voting
- Housing For All
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ORMA depends on your support to continue Bernie’s Political Revolution to create a society, a politics, and an economy that works for everyone, not just billionaires, corporations and the political elite.
If you value Organizing Notes and its twice a month distribution schedule, please make a donation to ensure its continued existence.
Invest in Change Now!
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Please send requests for action items, articles or upcoming events
for the next Organizing Notes to
beccobrien.orma@gmail.com by Thursday, February 13th
We’d love to have you send us your favorite pictures of Bernie here in MA!
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Campaigns End, Movements Endure
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