Indivisible – Upper Yellowstone

Indivisible Upper Yellowstone
July 10, 2017 General Meeting 6PM
MSU Extension Classroom Livingston

We began the meeting by reviewing the Trumpcare demonstration on June 24 and the Montana Women’s For parade presentation on July 2. We were very pleased with the turnout (25) and the reach of the Trumpcare demonstration (more than a 1000 cars on a Saturday morning went by). Next time (which may be soon) we’ll need to fetch the old signs, make new ones, remember to bring duct tape, pens, water bottles and other protest supplies.

Issues:

1. As it has been for a while now, protest of the Senate version of Trumpcare is the number one consideration. The Senate is back in session and McConnell has ‘vowed’ to continue pushing the bill (the one with 12% support), however, he has gone back to crafting a ‘new bill’ in secret, which will supposedly be revealed by the end of the week, scored by the CBO early the next week, followed by a vote around July 21. Maybe. The prospects for the bill are murky and many tricks are possible. We will need to be ready to roll out another demonstration, if and when it looks like there will be a vote. (Nelson is lobbying with Indivisible National to synchronize a country-wide demonstration.) – Meanwhile all IUY members are urged to call Daines and Tester to express opinions about the status of the GOP bill. We agreed that at every opportunity, especially with congresspeople, we advocate for “Single Payer” or “Medicare for All”.

2. Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument is one of those monuments on the list for “review” by the Interior Department, however, due to quick action by governor Bullock and the familiarity of Secretary Zinke, it looks like Montana’s only monument is not in danger of losing territory. While we can individually support efforts in other parts of the county, we agreed that for now this issue is not an IUY action priority.

3. Land Use – Public Access. We discussed at length about the controversy involving a Forest Service ranger reassignment in the South Region of the Crazy Mountains and the public access to the forest through private lands, which is now being denied. This is an egregious case of “Money talks and hikers don’t walk.” We agreed this is a local issue we can wholeheartedly join. Mike Bunker agreed to do some research on the issue and provide the group with background articles and a summary. (Articles with another email.)

4. We discussed Rita Rozier’s request that we consider supporting pressure on banks that are funding the Standing Rock pipeline section (e.g. Wells Fargo). We need further information, hopefully at the next meeting. We also discussed the issue of Trump Impeachment, which some feel should be a visible priority. The consensus was that the issue is important and should be kept “on simmer” pending a trigger event such as a Democratic House in 2018 or Trump event that forces the GOP to turn against him. [On Tuesday, with the Donald Jr. emails, we moved a step closer to that.]

As a piece of business, we’ve had difficulty getting coverage of IUY activity from the Enterprise. Nelson felt it would be a good idea if he wasn’t the named source. Kim and Karrie West agreed to make the contacts with the Enterprise and any other info outlets (eg. Montana Women’s For calendar).

Finally, after some debate about the “best” evening for meetings, we settled on:
Meetings: 2nd Monday of every month, 6PM, MSU Extension Classroom, 119 S. 3rd, Livingston. Next meeting: August 14.