DECEMBER 2024 NEWSLETTER
Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
“On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”
–H.L. Mencken, Baltimore Evening Sun, July 26, 1920
“Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged
by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
Greetings. As we continue to process the current state of affairs, there is one thing we can still do that will benefit Veterans and Military Families and all U.S. citizens during Universal Human Rights Month. We can contact the President and the Vice President and after thanking them for all their work, we can request that they make sure the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is published. Email them on the form you find at this link or send a letter to the White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.Washington, DC 20500 or even call Comments: 202-456-1111, Switchboard: 202-456-1414. Request that they make sure ERA is published as the 28th Amendment to the Constitution before they leave the White House. This would be a fantastic legacy that would benefit all Americans. We can also contact our Members of Congress.
ERA has met all the requirements to become the 28th Amendment to the Constitution but it still has not been published because the Archivist refuses based on a memo from the previous Presidential Administration. RSVP here for free viewing December 7th of the ERA movie RATIFIED at 10AM EST/ 4PM CET free for Democrats Abroad.
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) Overview
We the People support ERA! Spread the word on social media!
We the People have faith that the 28th Amendment guaranteeing Equal Rights for all U.S. citizens will be published by the Biden-Harris Administration! What a send off that would be! Time is running out to get this done in 2024 so please take action today!
In Unity!
Robert Scott and Terese Sarno
DAG VMF Caucus Co-Chairs DA Germany
“In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican.” –H.L. Mencken
Send us your suggestions: [email protected]
Ready to join our caucus? Be part of the conversation and make your voice heard!
THE GHOST ARMY WITH RICK BEYER
The fascinating Ghost Army program presented by Rick Beyer, the renowned historian, published author and filmmaker, was an illuminating history of how a special contingent of artists helped us win WW II. We even learned that one member of the Ghost Army, Helmet Isenberg, is buried in Wiesbaden. In the future when we are looking for a place closer to home to commemorate our Veterans, we can plan an event in Wiesbaden! We have already laid a wreath at the grave of George Peddle, who is buried in Luxembourg as is General Patton.
Diane Haven shared: “While watching my granddaughter slide down a rubbery/plastic water slide that we blew up with air I was thinking how wonderful modern times were! Little did I know that this had been done before—during WWII! Watching Rick Beyer talk about his documentary, “The Ghost Army” was fascinating. That Bradley’s 3rd Army used inflatable tanks, planes and artillery to fool the Germans was brilliant. They also used artists and actors to create fake sets. And General Patton thoroughly enjoyed these types of war games! This was a wonderful zoom presentation and I hope more people will see it!”
Many thanks to Nicole Gross for her technical expertise!
Check out: DAG Veterans and Military Families Caucus Speaks with Rick Beyer, The Ghost Army on DA Germany YouTube as well as The Ghost Army and the PBS documentary
H.R.1572 - To award a Congressional Gold Medal to the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, known as the "Hello Girls" When their nation called in 1917, the Hello Girls answered! Tell Congress to answer their call in 2024!
The Doughboy Foundation needs our help! The Hello Girls waited almost 60 years for America to recognize their service as America's First Women Soldiers in WWI.
H.R. 1572, with 300 Cosponsors has the 290 cosponsors needed to get a vote in the House of Representatives. There is more that needs to happen before this bill joins its companion that has already passed the Senate and becomes law. There will be a lot going on during this "lame duck" session taking place after the November election and before the beginning of the new Congress. We can help in two ways. Check if your U.S. Representative has already become a cosponsor of H.R. 1572, the Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Bill. If they are not, request that they do so now.
Use the online toolkit to check whether your Representative has answered the call. The toolkit has links to all Congressional Offices in all states; you can look up their phone number and call, or send them an email message. Call the Washington, D.C. offices of the Speaker of the House (202-225-4000), and the House Majority Leader (202-225-0197), or email them to bring H.R. 1572 to a vote immediately.
RINGING THE BELLS OF PEACE at 11 AM on NOVEMBER 11th
HONORING OUR VETERANS
DECEMBER
2024 Theme: Our Rights, Our Future, Right Now
UN Women Strategic Plan 2022-2025
Through December 10th – 16 Days To End Violence Against Women
December 1 – World AIDS Day
December 1 – Civil Air Patrol (USAF Auxiliary) Birthday.
December 2 – International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
December 3 – #GivingTuesday Tuesday after Thanksgiving
December 4 – VA Education Benefits GI Bill Education 101 at 1:00 p.m. ET Virtual
Register at Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams
December 7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
December 7 – ERA movie RATIFIED at 10AM EST/ 4PM CET free RSVP here
December 10 – Human Rights Day The Universal Declaration of Human Rights
December 12 – International Universal Health Coverage Day
December 13 – U.S. National Guard Birthday The National Guard celebrates 388 years.
“On this date in 1636, the first militia regiments in North America organized in Massachusetts. The descendants of these first regiments – the 181st Infantry, the 182nd Infantry, the 101st Field Artillery, and the 101st Engineer Battalion of the Massachusetts Army National Guard – share the distinction of being the oldest units in the U.S. military.”
December 14 – National Wreaths Across America Day 2024 Theme: Live With Purpose
December 15 – Bill of Rights Day Bill of Rights Day commemorates the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, with the National Archives documenting its celebrations. The Bill was introduced by James Madison, who later became the fourth President of the United States.
December 18 – International Migrants Day The recognition of the contributions of individual migrants and the United States’ actions to support safe, orderly, and humane migration around the world
December 27 – International Day of Epidemic Preparedness
Upcoming DA Activities
"We will organize in our communities. We will fight through the courts. We will argue our case through the media. We will reach out to the people who have lost faith in the government’s ability to improve their lives." --Robert Reich
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Jill Biden to attend grand re-opening of Notre Dame cathedral in final trip as first lady
The first lady will continue to focus on the topics that she has championed throughout her stay in the White House, such as support for military families, education, and women's health and cancer research.
“The basic bargain used to be that if you worked hard and played by the rules, you’d do better and your children would do even better than you.”
OPEN SEASON FOR FEDERAL/POSTAL HEALTH PLANS ENDS DECEMBER 9th
Double-check three P's: Premiums, providers and prescription drugs for 2025
The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) is an independent Agency in the Executive branch of the U.S. Government. The AFRH provides residences and related services for certain retired and former members of the U.S. Armed Forces
PREPARE FOR VA’s SECURE SIGN-IN CHANGES
In 2025, VA will transition to two sign-in account options: Login.gov and ID.me. Veterans will no longer be able to use usernames and passwords for My HealtheVet after January 31, 2025, or DS Logon after September 30, 2025. To access your data and manage benefits online, you must create a new account. This helps meet Veterans’ requests for a simpler sign-in experience and continues to improve security standards, comply with federal policies, and ensure data and identity protection.
SUPPORT DA GERMANY’s GOTV EFFORTS
Your monetary donations to Democrats Abroad Germany stay right here and are used exclusively to organize and get out the vote among Americans in Germany. We are already planning for the mid-term elections! Please consider making a donation today!
And don’t forget to request your absentee ballot for 2025. All overseas U.S. citizens must do this each calendar year. Go to www.VoteFromAbroad.org January 1, 2025 (not before!) to start the New Year!!
