HF322 – House threatens to SLAPP & silence activists

January 25th, 2017

How better to silence activists than by threatening to sue them for costs! This is an obvious attack of #blacklivesmatter, and is so offensive that I’m almost speechless… OK, calm down, look this up, and write!  In particular, us older white women need to stand up here, older white men too!  It’s my understanding that the St. Paul City Attorney spoke out against this, and am looking for verification.

HF 322, is in essence authorization of a SLAPP suit by local governments to recover costs for response to demonstrations, and to assess anyone convicted of any of several crimes. From the House Research Summary:

Here’s the full text:

“… public safety response costs…” will be determined how?  “… being PRESENT at an unlawful assembly…”  WHAT?  And how on earth would costs be assigned and apportioned?  EH?  One protester assessed ALL costs?  Those of that person’s arrest?  On a percentage based on number of convictions/total number of protesters?  Those pesky details.

SLAPP suits are not OK in Minnesota, where we have statutory protections of free speech and public participation.  PAY ATTENTION — THIS IS IMPORTANT:

CHAPTER 554. FREE SPEECH; PARTICIPATION IN GOVERNMENT

Table of Sections
Section Headnote
554.01 DEFINITIONS.
554.02 PROTECTION OF CITIZENS TO PARTICIPATE IN GOVERNMENT.
554.03 IMMUNITY.
554.04 FEES AND DAMAGES.
554.045 ACTION IN DISTRICT COURT.
554.05 RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER LAW.
554.06 RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

In the STrib:

Bill to crack down on Minnesota protesters appears to be national trend

Minnesota GOP charts new course in response to traffic-blocking protests

What to do?

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters, Legislative & Policy, Political Sense (non?)
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tRump’s Memoranda & Executive Orders

January 24th, 2017

There’s been a flurry of activity, and finally they posted the actual documents so we can see what’s going on, or what won’t be going on.  This was part of my “One a Day” plan to send off a missive to the White House every day, something of substance.  When the Contact page was blank on Monday morning, I started calling, ALL DAY LONG, and got through around 7 p.m., when a human answered, and hung up.  I called back, got that same human, who wouldn’t tell me who I should talk to about the Executive Orders (presumed that’s what they were as that’s what was said) and said the Comment office person was gone so I had to leave it online, and she got pissy when I said that the Comment page was blank, and hung up again.  OK, whatever…

Civics Lesson from USA Today, Presidential memoranda vs. executive orders. What’s the difference?

Here are the Memoranda thus far from the White House page (these are not required to be published in the Federal Register, so ???, but they are now on the White House Memoranda page:

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Streamlining Permitting and Reducing Regulatory Burdens for Domestic Manufacturing

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of American Pipelines

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline

Presidential Memorandum on January 24, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline

Presidential Memorandum on January 23, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding the Hiring Freeze

Presidential Memorandum on January 23, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding Withdrawal of the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Agreement

Presidential Memorandum on January 23, 2017

Presidential Memorandum Regarding the Mexico City Policy

Presidential Memorandum on January 20, 2017

Memorandum for the Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

And here are the Executive Orders, from the White House Executive Order page:

Executive Order on January 24, 2017

Executive Order Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects

Executive Order on January 20, 2017

Executive Order Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal

Now maybe they’ll have the routine down and keep up with what they’re doing.  Drives me crazy to be loating around in the dark — it’s hard enough to know or guess what these might mean in practice, but without an actual document to look at, it’s just blather.  Well, it’s just blather anyway, but here it is.  Read it and get busy!

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters, Energy, Fracking & Frac Sand, Legislative & Policy, Pipelines, Political Sense (non?), Power Plants - includes Mesaba coal gasification, Rail, Solar, Transmission
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Tuesday’s Executive Orders from tRump

January 24th, 2017

Of course there’s nothing on tRump’s Executive Orders page.

Trump clears way for Dakota Access, Keystone pipelines

And via email to the EPA:

Trump bans EPA from giving updates to reporters, bars new contracts, grants

“New EPA administration has asked that all contract and grant awards be temporarily suspended, effective immediately,” read the e-mail, which was shared with the Washington Post. “Until we receive further clarification, which we hope to have soon, please construe this to include task orders and work assignments.”

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters, Energy, Fracking & Frac Sand, Legislative & Policy, Pipelines, Political Sense (non?), Power Plants - includes Mesaba coal gasification
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National Day of Patriotic Devotion?

January 23rd, 2017

Are you kidding me?  Get over yourself, Donald…

It’ll be in the Federal Register tomorrow.  Here’s the link, really, I am not making this up.

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/01/24/2017-01798/special-observances-national-day-of-patriotic-devotion-proc-9570

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters
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Today’s Executive Orders a la tRump

January 23rd, 2017

Three Executive Orders today — and no record of what theyactually say yet:

Trans Pacific Partnership:

Trump signs executive order on TPP

Here’s the TPP Executive Order from Federal Register:

Trade: Trans-Pacific Partnership Negotiations and Agreement; United States Withdrawal (Memorandum of January 23, 2017)

by the Executive Office of the President scheduled for publication on 01/25/2017.

Hiring Freeze:

Trump issues executive order freezing hiring for federal workforce

Here’s the Hiring Freeze from the Federal Register:

Government Agencies and Employees: Hiring Freeze (Memorandum of January 23, 2017)

by the Executive Office of the President scheduled for publication on 01/25/2017.

“Global Gag Rule”

Donald Trump Reinstates Ronald Reagan’s Abortion ‘Global Gag Rule’

Here’s the Memorandum, of “Mexico City Policy” a/k/a Global Gag Rule:

2017-01843_Mexico City Policy

Posted by Carol A. Overland
Filed in Disasters, Legislative & Policy, Political Sense (non?)
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