Topic: Fighting Back Against Authoritarianism with Vinay Orekondy. Join us from 5-6:30pm PT for a weekly discussion about our democracy.
This week's topic: Democracy & Civil Liberties.
Fix Democracy First hosts a weekly Democracy Happy Hour on Wednesdays @ 5-6pm PT. Grab a drink and join us and learn about the latest democracy efforts, challenges, solutions, as well upcoming events and actions.
Democracy Happy Hour - Democracy & Civil Liberties - January 20, 2021 Meeting Recording Links:
Actions, Events & Links:
Next Week’s Democracy Happy Hour Topic:
01/27/21 - Democracy in the U.S. Compared to Other Countries
NEW Fix Democracy First Legislation page: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/legislation
“Eastpointe” Film Screening & Panel Discussion – Jan 18th @ 6 pm PT: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/events/democracy-lobby-week-2021
Democracy Lobby Week – Feb 22-26: https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/events/democracy-lobby-week-2021
“Dark Money” Film Discussion with Meaningful Movies at First Church – Feb 28th @ 12 pm PT: http://firstchurchseattle.org/meaningful-movies-at-first-church-dark-money/?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=a06d5cd0-fbd9-4d91-9097-8b0e85e85d9d
Speak Up School series with Delta Gamma Kappa & LWV:
For the People Act - TAKE ACTION - https://declarationforamericandemocracy.org/takeaction/
FDF Donation Page - http://fixdemocracyfirst.org/donate
FDF Events Page - Past Events- https://www.fixdemocracyfirst.org/events#past-events
In the News Links:
Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president, pleads for unity in inaugural address to a divided nation - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/joe-biden-sworn-in/2021/01/20/13465c90-5a7c-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html
Kamala Harris sworn into history - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kamala-harris-sworn-in/2021/01/20/a184a12e-5aa9-11eb-b8bd-ee36b1cd18bf_story.html
As Trump exits Washington, he tells modest crowd, ‘We will be back in some form’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-leaves-white-house/2021/01/20/bb561da4-5a9e-11eb-b8bd-ee36b1cd18bf_story.html
Hours before leaving office, Trump undoes one of the only measures he took to ‘drain the swamp’ - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-lobbying-executive-order/2021/01/20/4a2afd16-5ae9-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html
A hack job,’ ‘outright lies’: Trump commission’s ‘1776 Report’ outrages historians - https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/01/19/1776-report-historians-trump/
The democracy Trump leaves behind: His 7 most serious tests of the system - https://thefulcrum.us/big-picture/trump-threat-to-democracy
Self-styled militia members planned on storming the U.S. Capitol days in advance of Jan. 6 attack, court documents say - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/conspiracy-oath-keeper-arrest-capitol-riot/2021/01/19/fb84877a-5a4f-11eb-8bcf-3877871c819d_story.html
FBI probing if foreign governments, groups funded extremists who helped execute Capitol attack - https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/fbi-probing-if-foreign-governments-groups-funded-extremists-who-helped-n1254525
The Capitol Insurrection and White Supremacist Infiltration of U.S. Police - https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2021/01/19/capitol-insurrection-police-white-supremacy/US police three times as likely to use force against leftwing protesters, data finds - https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/us-police-use-of-force-protests-black-lives-matter-far-right
The Capitol riot wasn't a fringe 'uprising'. It was enabled by very deep pockets - https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jan/18/the-capitol-riot-wasnt-a-fringe-uprising-it-was-enabled-by-very-deep-pockets
The assault on the US Capitol opens a new chapter in domestic terrorism - https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2021/01/19/the-assault-on-the-u-s-capitol-opens-a-new-chapter-in-domestic-terrorism/
The Long Prologue to the Capitol Hill Riot - https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-long-prologue-to-the-capitol-hill-riot
Republicans Are Using Capitol Breach as Excuse to Promote Anti-Protest Bills - https://truthout.org/articles/republicans-are-using-capitol-breach-as-excuse-to-promote-anti-protest-bills/
ACLU Warns a Domestic War on Terror Could Unfairly Harm People of Color More Than White Supremacists - https://www.democracynow.org/2021/1/19/capitol_insurrection_new_domestic_terrorism_laws
Misinformation dropped dramatically the week after Twitter banned Trump and some allies - https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/16/misinformation-trump-twitter/
Census battle ends as Trump administration gives up on excluding undocumented from apportionment - https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/census-battle-ends-as-trump-administration-gives-up-on-excluding-undocumented-from-apportionment/2021/01/16/bd17025c-57ba-11eb-a931-5b162d0d033d_story.html
Voting rights advocates claim multiple spots on 'top feminists' list - https://thefulcrum.us/feminist-movement
Kemp: Photo ID requirements for absentee ballots ‘front and center’ this year - https://www.ajc.com/politics/kemp-photo-id-requirements-for-absentee-ballots-front-and-center-this-year/6LXZHEUZKJEVVILOVZORQDYAOI/
The Biden Administration’s Opportunity for Change - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/policy-solutions/biden-administrations-opportunity-change
ROCK BOTTOM FOR DEMOCRACY SHOULD FOCUS AMERICANS ON ELECTION REFORMS - https://www.sightline.org/2021/01/12/rock-bottom-for-democracy-should-focus-americans-on-election-reforms
DEMOCRATS HAVE THE SENATE, HOUSE, AND WHITE HOUSE. WHAT SHOULD THEY DO? - https://www.sightline.org/2021/01/12/democrats-have-the-senate-house-and-white-house-what-should-they-do/
Biden to ban special bonuses for appointees, expand lobbying prohibitions in new ethics rules - https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/biden-ethics-administration/2021/01/18/56a9a97a-59bd-11eb-a976-bad6431e03e2_story.html
Senate Democrats Announce First Order Of Business For New Majority: Fixing Democracy - https://www.huffpost.com/entry/senate-democrats-for-the-people-act_n_600756f7c5b697df1a09b3bf?ri18n=true&ncid=newsltushpmgnews
S 1, For the People Act of 2021 - https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/SIMPLE-SECTION-BY-SECTION_S.-11.pdf
How the Capitol Riot Is Affecting Corporate Political Spending - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/how-capitol-riot-affecting-corporate-political-spending
Lawmakers who objected to election results have been cut off from 20 of their 30 biggest corporate PAC donors - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/01/19/gop-corporate-pac-funding/
Impact of corporate PAC promises may be limited - https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/01/corporate-pac-promises-symbolic
Companies Pause PACs While Fighting Democracy Reforms - https://readsludge.com/2021/01/18/companies-pause-pacs-while-fighting-democracy-reforms/
Dark-money GOP fund funneled millions of dollars to groups that pushed voter fraud claims - https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/13/dark-money-gop-fund-funneled-millions-groups-that-pushed-voter-fraud-claims.html
Please Don’t Follow This Money - https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/19/business/dealbook/supreme-court-dark-money.html
Court will hear Koch-linked group’s appeal over disclosure - https://apnews.com/article/san-francisco-charles-koch-us-supreme-court-california-courts-0c61a138f17e1b5458b8fa4c602ac48c
Credibility Crisis: 'Dark Money' Influence Could Soon Become a Constitutional Right - https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/2021/01/12/credibility-crisis-dark-money-influence-could-soon-become-a-constitutional-right/
Equal Citizens Files Alaska Suit on Super PAC Spending - https://equalcitizens.us/equal-citizens-files-alaska-suit-on-super-pac-spending/
THE NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE INTERSTATE COMPACT REQUIRES NO CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL - https://www.sightline.org/2021/01/19/the-national-popular-vote-interstate-compact-requires-no-congressional-approval/
Democracy & Civil Liberties Links:
Civil Rights vs. Civil Liberties - https://civilrights.findlaw.com/civil-rights-overview/civil-rights-vs-civil-liberties.html
United States Bill of Rights - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Bill_of_Rights
Bill of Rights Amendments - https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/billofrights
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights - https://www.ushistory.org/gov/10.asp
Civil Liberties, Democracy, and the Performance of Government Projects - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5217496_Civil_Liberties_Democracy_and_the_Performance_of_Government_Projects
Unbundling democracy: Political rights and civil liberties - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147596714000596
How Democracy Is Undermining the Constitution and Civil Liberties - https://fee.org/articles/how-democracy-is-undermining-the-constitution-and-civil-liberties/
Democracy Persists ACLU - https://www.aclu.org/news/civil-liberties/democracy-persists/
Democracy, Justice, and Civil Liberties in 2021 - https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/democracy-justice-and-civil-liberties-2021