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| U.S. Capitol, 9 PM, January 20, 2017. Photo by MLMalinconico during evening walk, checking out any preparations for next day's Women's March (nothing set up yet, still removing Inauguration traffic barriers). |
By 10 pm Eastern standard time on
election night, November 8, 2016, liberal-progressive American voters were
getting the uneasy feeling that the likely, but not guaranteed (71% chance
according to FiveThirtyEight),
election of Hillary Clinton to the US Presidency was not going to happen. The
next day, pro-Clinton voters, started to go through the various stages of grief
with anger and disbelief being most common, walking around like aimless
zombies. With sustained Republican majorities in the House and Senate, a
combination of fear and uncertainty has gripped left-to-moderate citizens
concerned about what promises by conservative candidates (or, in some cases,
those running as Republicans but whose commitment to even conservatism is not
clear) may actually be enacted and become law.
There are a range and number of
issues that could be severely affected, changed, undone: government-mandated
health care, immigration policy, women's health access, gender rights,
environmental regulations, federal science funding, etc. The large number and
variety or breadth of endangered policies is part of the confusion among many
citizens yearning to be come more civilly active: where to start, what exactly
can one do now? Even now in the Spring 2017, I hear these questions. They are
voiced both by those who had worked/volunteered for campaigns of Democratic
candidates and those who did not. In contemplating this, I have assembled
a list of some possible ACTION CHOICES:
A) Do GENERAL advocacy for
multiple liberal/progressive positions: I have come across these various
initiatives for involvement that cover a range of issues.
1) The
"Indivisible Guide" (https://www.indivisibleguide.com/), "Practical Guide on Resisting the Trump
Agenda" written by former Congressional staffers, outlines
using the strategy of the successful Tea Party movement for the benefit of
liberal causes. The essential point is start local and small, forming groups to
influence municipal/state/federal legislators for the benefit of liberal causes. The website has a search
feature to find contact information for groups in one's area. As of
mid-February 2017, over 7000 local groups are being reported. One issue on the
liberal agenda is gerrymandering. In many states, the state
legislature determines federal Congressional district boundaries after each
10-year census (next census 2020), and gerrymandering in favor of the political
party with a state-legislature majority is common. In Pennsylvania,
district boundaries in 2011 were determined by the conservative Republican
state legislature, and will not be redrawn until around 2021. (Note: Pennsylvania state supreme court re-drew the gerrymandered districts for 2018 mid-term election.) Therefore,
focusing on state elections in the next few cycles can have an eventual effect
at the federal level.
2) To become
or continue to be active in local established political parties is always an
avenue: one may not have to wait until the 2018 midterm Congressional elections
to volunteer for a campaign, since some gubernatorial elections will be in late
2017. One can always volunteer across state lines. A friend from the blue
Democratic District of Columbia may commute up here to the flipped-red state of
Pennsylvania to volunteer for the 2018 mid-term Congressional election.
3) Daily
Action (dailyaction.org) is an example of an issue alert service that texts members one urgent issue suggestion every day with background information and touch-activated phone number for relevant legislators so they can quickly and conveniently convey their opinion.
4) The Women's
March on Washington, which morphed into a
nationwide and international event, occurred on January 21, 2017. As follow-up,
the March website (https://www.womensmarch.com/100/action2/)
outlines future actions, and provides activity agenda for the formation of
small local groups (huddles). Like Call to Action, the Women's March tries to
make advocacy easy for eager participants by outlining series of action steps
and activities.
5) The
Resistance Calendar (https://www.resistancecalendar.org/)
lists advocacy events all across the country by date with links to
event/organization websites.
B) Pick ONE issue area that is
important to you and focus on that. When I looked back at my own history, I realized that I had a record of active support for
federal science spending through participating annually, since 2011, in
Geoscience Congressional Visits Day (GeoCVD). I wrote about GeoCVD in a
November 2015 blogpost, and it will be even more vital now that I continue
to participate in GeoCVD, take part in other science events, and, as is
the intention of any Congressional visit, nurture those established
relationships during the year through written/phone communication, visits to
local Congressional district offices, and/or town hall meetings to voice
related science (or perhaps other) concerns. (Some friends, on the other hand,
want to diversify and pick one issue very different from their work life; a few
in education (school social worker and a principal) are investigating options
distinctive from their daytime work with children and families.)
Here are some
science-related events and resources, particularly earth and environmental
science issues and legislation:
1) The March for Science (https://www.marchforscience.com/;
@ScienceMarchDC; also on Facebook), Earth Day April 22, in Washington, DC and
satellite locations around the world. This has now been endorsed by numerous
professional science societies which may also have March information on their
websites or Facebook pages.
2) "Protect our Air, Water, & Public Lands - Call Your Reps
& Senators!" A fantastic easy-to-follow spreadsheet updated
frequently by a group of paleontologists, listing coming legislation with bill
number, brief synopsis, action stage, which committee or member to contact, and
separate lists of House and Senate members and their Committee memberships. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1o3Y77WeXlbf3VJL5nPoiRX0bj5kqMu6BmSaSEZe7958/htmlview)
3) If you are a member of a professional scientific society, check
out their science policy pages and resources they offer. One may also be able
to sign up for policy alert services. Geoscience societies with US-focused
policy programs include: American Geophysical Society (AGU;
http://sciencepolicy.agu.org; http://actioncenter.agu.org/home),
Geological Society of America (GSA; http://geosociety.org/GSA/Science_Policy/GSA/Policy/Home.aspx), American Association for the Advancement
of Science (AAAS, https://www.aaas.org/programs/programs),
American Geosciences Institute (AGI,a federation of 51 geoscience societies
including AGU and GSA, https://www.americangeosciences.org/policy-critical-issues).
4) Apply for
policy or media internships/fellowships. Many professional scientific
societies, including AGU, GSA, AGI, AAAS listed above, sponsor such programs
including Congressional Science Fellowships, media fellowships, policy
internships for scientists in various stages of education and career.
5) Attend a
Congressional Visits Day! Geoscience Congressional Visits Days are
traditionally in September and information can be found on the professional
society policy pages above. In the spring is the large SET-CVD
(Science-Engineering-Technology: http://setcvd.org/);
this year, it will be held April 25-26. One must pay their own travel/lodging
expenses to attend.
6) In the second part of a recent AGU blog 3-post series by earth scientist Dr. Christy Till, Arizona State University, she also
contemplates what to do now, and lists her areas of focus: conversation,
science mentoring, advocacy connections, community involvement, and education
with helpful web links. For the last, education, she is both becoming involved
in local public school outreach and, focusing on assuring the high quality of
her own science research and teaching.
7) Dr. Till, above, also mentions 500 Women Scientists (https://500womenscientists.org/), a group similar to the Women’s March that is
building a network of local groups (pods) of women scientists. Even if there is
not a pod near you, you can follow and support through their website.
8) Join an
environmental organization like the Nature Conservancy, American Rivers, Sierra Club, etc., that matches your interests and goals. These
organizations range from the small and local to large national and international
groups. Many have policy or action webpages.
C) DONATE money or join (pay
membership in) an advocacy organization such as a non-profit organization,
scientific society, or political party. Do NOT think that just giving money is
lazy!! Even though you can easily do this sitting on your couch with your dog,
credit card, and laptop while watching The Big Bang Theory, this is a
VERY important contribution. Organizations' advocacy and policy activities and
staff require financial operational support. Organizations may have special
funds, like AGU's Capitol Cause,
that directly support public policy programs. However, funding of advocacy and
policy activities (including staff, interns, fellows) of an organization may
come directly from membership, other income, or from associated foundations.
(The American Geosciences Institute did an innovative GoFundMe campaign to raise
money for Spring 2017 policy interns,
this campaign website seems to still be open despite the 12/31/16 deadline). What
happens when organization income decreases? Programs are cut. The American
Association of Petroleum Geologists recently closed their ten-year-old
Washington, DC, Geoscience and Energy Policy office and laid off the 2 policy
specialists (plus decreased general staff at AAPG headquarters) because of
serious budget shortfalls during the recent downturn in the petroleum industry
and resulting decreases in membership and conference income.
So how best to contact one's
Senator or Representative? AAPG Geoscience and Energy Policy Office Director
Edie Allison's concluding communication, "DIY Advocacy", outlined how
to contact elected representatives, track bills, and provided general
background on federal regulation (http://www.aapg.org/publications/news/explorer/column/articleid/36952/diy-advocacy).
Phone calls, email, faxes, post cards are best. Snail mail in envelopes to
Congress goes through an extensive and slow physical security screening since
the anthrax attack of late September 2011, so not recommended. There are all
sorts of advice out there about which method is best with some that just do
not seem true. Someone on Facebook posted that a friend of a friend of a friend
who was a former Congressional staffer said that offices only track phone calls
and discard, don’t log, paper mail and email. Fake news!! Emails, faxes,
postcards are all counted regarding topic and position (for/ against).
There were rumors that the office
of my Republican Senator Patrick Toomey was not answering phones in January 2017, so
thousands of people sent faxes. I sent two Toomey emails, got
immediate general thank you replies with a promise of a more detailed reply,
and that I did, a few weeks later! Interestingly, I got more responses from
Toomey than from my Democratic Senator and Representative.
Most important in whatever
communication form one uses is to be succinct, brief, and to the point. Some of
the action services will give one talking points for phone calls. Remember,
you have only a minute or two to convey your message. Think “elevator talk”. Many
others may be trying to call in. For emails, make sure the first paragraph says
upfront exactly what you want. I had started one email to my Congressmen
pointing out that I had visited their offices during GeoCVD which promotes the
importance of federal science spending; then in the second paragraph, my topic
sentence was my issue of concern and my stance (the importance of international science collaboration in the wake of the January 2017 immigration executive
order).
However, Senator Toomey's reply was on his support for federal science funding
(good), but missed addressing my specific point. Totally my fault for not
putting the "ask" right in the first sentence.
Remember, EVERY little bit counts.
This revitalized liberal effort to make one's voice heard is not a contest of
who does more, or how frequently. The goal should simply be to do something.
However, the most important aspect in whatever strategy one chooses, is
CONTINUED SUSTAINED EFFORT or communication= "persistence".
On The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) on February 1, 2017, Senator Cory Booker
(D-NJ) voiced his concern about "outrage fatigue", that interest
would fade. Indeed, some initial criticism of the Women's March on Washington
(January 20, 2017) was that, if the event was a one-and-done event, its impact
and legacy could be minimal. Recognizing this is why the Women's March supports
and encourages continued advocacy, as outlined above.
". . .We must put to
rest threats to science, while at the same time seeking friends among
opinion-makers who understand the power, beauty, and usefulness of science and
the need to incorporate it into public policy. . . to confidently,
respectfully, and clearly explain the connection between scientific advancement
and our economic progress, human well-being, and national security. . . The
need for scientists and scientific institutions to effectively communicate
about science and its relevance is more important than ever." AAAS
CEO (physicist and former Congressman) Rush Holt, December 20, 2016.
Keywords: science advocacy, science policy, March for Science
Keywords: science advocacy, science policy, March for Science
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