Good news for people who want to do good: Day 322

Kentucky clerk Kim Davis’ bigotry comes back to bite her

In 2015, the Supreme Court ruled that marriage equality is the law of the land — a ruling most of the country welcomed. But Kim Davis became instantly infamous for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky, became a hero to right-wing radicals for her stubborn, bigoted lawlessness.

Now karma is coming to get her:

David Ermold, an assistant professor of English at the University of Pikeville in Kentucky, declared his candidacy for Rowan County Clerk at Coffeetree Books in Morehead on Wednesday. […]

Like so many gay couples across the country, Ermold and David Moore watched history unfold on TV. About a week later, they headed to the local courthouse in Morehead to get a marriage license.

“We were excited,” Ermold told NBC News. “We knew there might be some problems, so we anticipated some feedback.”

That feedback came when Davis, in her role as county clerk, refused to issue a license to the two Davids, citing “God’s authority.”

After four attempts, the couple was finally able to marry. Now Ermold is trying to take Davis’ seat from her, in part, he says because last year’s election convinced him “there needs to be more integrity” and accountability from politicians. He is certainly not wrong.

ACTION ALERT: Save the internet

Donald Trump’s FCC is trying to eliminate net neutrality, allowing major corporations, like Comcast and Verizon, to censor the internet and charge Americans more to access less. The commission is set to vote on Dec. 14, which means there is still time to make your voice heard and send a loud, clear “no.” On Thursday, Dec. 7, you can find a protest at a Verizon store near you to stand up for net neutrality. Why Verizon? Let the protest organizers explain:

The new chairman of the FCC, Ajit Pai, is a former top lawyer for Verizon, and the company has been spending millions on lobbying and lawsuits to kill net neutrality so they can gouge us all for more money. By protesting at Verizon stores, we’re shining light on the corruption and demanding that our lawmakers do something about it. Only Congress has the power to stop Verizon’s puppet FCC, so at the protests we’ll be calling and tweeting at legislators, and in some cities we’ll be protesting right in front of their offices.

Senate Democrats are fighting for birth control for 62.4 million women

The Trump administration is trying to restrict access to birth control, but Senate Democrats are fighting back. In a letter to the acting secretary of Health and Human Services to protect birth control access, the senators warned about the damage that would be done if the the interim final rules (IFR) allowing employers to block birth control coverage are made permanent:

Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health plans are required to cover preventive services, including birth control for women, without out-of-pocket costs. This requirement has helped 62.4 million women have coverage for birth control. As a result, they have been able to make decisions about their reproductive health care that strengthen their economic standing and allow them to decide if and when to start families. […]

By instituting broad exemptions and no guarantee that women have another way to get coverage, these IFRs would undermine access to comprehensive birth control coverage. Rather than taking yet another destructive action to undermine health care, the Trump administration should rescind these IFRs in their entirety.

ACTION ALERT: Get covered now while you still can

Open enrollment ends Dec. 15. If you haven’t signed up for health care yet for yourself and your family, now is the time. You can sign up for health care online, but you can also find a Get Covered event near you to get the information you need to find the right health care plan. Do it now and make sure you have coverage for next year.

Indivisible confronts Missouri senator over his vote for the GOP tax scam

Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt joined his fellow Republicans in voting for the brutal tax hike on middle-class families last week. But on Wednesday, members of Indivisible St. Louis showed up to shame his for his vote with their customized Christmas carol.

Indivisible at @RoyBlunt in Clayton #TaxScamRevolt Caroling to the office! @IndivisibleTeam @MarianneKSDK @maddow pic.twitter.com/W5LXTGQQvJ

— Indivisible St.Louis (@indivisiblestl) December 6, 2017

Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards: “We are not going back. We are not going back.”

If you want to watch something truly inspiring, watch this lengthy interview of Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Richards has been one of the fiercest fighters for women’s rights for a long time, so it’s no surprise she had a lot to say about #MeToo, about the fight to protect health care from the Trump administration, and about “the resilience of women.” Even in the wake of the disastrous Trump election and its constant assault on the American people, particularly women, Richards sees tremendous hope in the way women are on the forefront of the resistance.