How to help in Vegas, victory for Planned Parenthood's patients, and President Obama

Welcome to a new daily series at Shareblue Media, providing you with links to important news, interesting stories, useful information about actions of resistance — and a picture of President Barack Obama for a moment of respite. When Donald Trump whined about how much money the United States was spending to help Puerto Ricans — […]

By Alison R. Parker - October 04, 2017

When Donald Trump whined about how much money the United States was spending to help Puerto Ricans — American citizens — recover from Hurricane Maria, it was yet another repugnant example of his absolute dearth of competence and leadership. And Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer was not having it:

Schumer to Trump: “Stop blaming Puerto Rico…roll up your sleeves and get the recovery on track. That’s your job.” (via ABC) pic.twitter.com/Q12RQEw0hS

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 3, 2017

Mr. President: enough. Stop blaming Puerto Rico for the storm that devastated their shores. Roll up your sleeves and get the recovery on track! That’s your job as president. I don’t remember the president telling Texas that they threw our budget out of whack after Harvey, or Florida after Irma … When one part of the country has trouble, the rest of the country reaches out to them and says, ‘We’re going to help you.’ They did it for New York after Sandy, New York and New Jersey. They did for Texas after Harvey, and Florida after Irma, and Puerto Rico should be just the same.

In that spirit, and to show Trump how it’s done, there are organizations you can donate to who are on the ground, working to get lives back on track in Puerto Rico.

House Republicans may have passed their callous, unconstitutional 20-week abortion ban, but that’s not the end of the story. A promising turn of events in the unlikely state of Missouri proves the fight for reproductive justice is still going strong. After years of severely restricted abortion access due to onerous regulations, Planned Parenthood affiliates in that state will now be able to resume offering abortion services in multiple locations, thanks to a ruling from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals, lifting a temporary stay on an earlier decision which blocked the harsh restrictions. In a statement, Planned Parenthood Great Plains interim president and CEO Aaron Samulcek, lauded the ruling:

Today’s win is a victory for Missouri women who rely on Planned Parenthood for quality, compassionate care, including abortion. The last thing that should stand in the way of their access to sexual and reproductive health care is an extreme politician who doesn’t know the first thing about health care delivery. We look forward to serving Missourians in more locations across the state and expanding access to safe, legal abortion.
The more than 500 people injured in the mass shooting in Las Vegas will also need our help: If you’re able to do so, donating blood is paramount. Funds are always needed, as well — Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak has set up a GoFundMe page to support the victims and their families.

The shooter’s motive and mental state are not known, but that didn’t stop House Speaker Paul Ryan from suggesting that “a diagnosis of mental illness” may have been a factor — anything to steer the conversation away from gun safety, of course. Ryan’s Democratic colleague, Rep. Joe Kennedy III of Massachusetts, had a key point to make in rebuttal to Ryan’s purported concern about mental health care:

All due respect Mr. Speaker, you and your party celebrated taking mental health care from millions just months ago at the White House. https://t.co/NHolw88hw9

— Rep. Joe Kennedy III (@RepJoeKennedy) October 3, 2017

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, where 20 small children were killed in the horrific mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, offered an important reminder to any congressional Republicans who are once again looking to side with the NRA against common sense gun safety measure:

In the coming days, Republicans who call for sensible changes in our laws will be told that their position is politically unsustainable — the gun lobby will defeat them if they advocate for gun-safety laws. But even this is a fiction: In 2016, four states had gun-law referendums on their ballot, three passed. The winners of three top U.S. Senate races — New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Nevada — all won with the support of advocates in the anti-gun-violence movement. (Two Democrats and one Republican, by the way). The gun lobby is certainly politically powerful, but it loses as many races as it wins.

And when the NRA loses, the nation, its people, and its future all win.

But we know the Trump administration and this Republican-controlled Congress are still aiming to chip away at reproductive rights until there’s little to nothing left. It’s crucial that everyone remain informed, involved, and in it for the long haul.
You know what everyone needs in their life on a regular basis? Sen. Elizabeth Warren giving what for to bankers who enrich themselves by going after working Americans’ pocketbooks. And when she questioned Wells Fargo CEO Timothy Sloan about his company’s multiple scandals, from fake accounts created in customers’ names to active duty service members having their vehicles seized, she did not disappoint.

.@SenWarren to #WellsFargo CEO: “At best you were incompetent, at worst you were complicit and either way you should be fired.” pic.twitter.com/IxzjWQ5SiV

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 3, 2017

Mr. Sloan, you say you’ve been making changes at Wells Fargo for 30 years, but you enabled this fake account scam, you got rich off it, and then you tried to cover it up. At best, you were incompetent. At worst, you were complicit. And either way, you should be fired. Wells Fargo needs to start over, and that won’t happen until the bank rids itself of people like you who led it into this crisis.

In case you were wondering, that right there is what the fire emoji come to life looks like.

The deadline for DACA renewals is Thursday, Oct. 5th. Please urge DREAMers in your community to submit their applications ASAP. United We Dream has all the information people need to apply.

Alison R. Parker