Take Action to Protect Whistleblowers!--Today the Washington Post broke the story that FDA managers illegally spied on employees who reported major health and safety issues to Congress. Instead of protecting the lives of Americans, managers used their time to covertly monitor the whistleblowers.  TAKE ACTION! Demand an end to the harassment of health and safety whistleblowers!

 

 

Stop the Biggest Threat to Internet Freedom!--ACTA - a global treaty - could allow corporations to censor the Internet. Negotiated in secret by a small number of rich countries and corporate powers, it would set up a shadowy new anti-counterfeiting body to allow private interests to police everything that we do online and impose massive penalties -- even prison sentences -- against people they say have harmed their business.  Europe is deciding right now whether to ratify ACTA -- and without them, this global attack on Internet freedom will collapse. We know they have opposed ACTA before, but some members of Parliament are wavering -- let's give them the push they need to reject the treaty. Sign the petition -- we'll do a spectacular delivery in Brussels when we reach 500,000 signatures!  Sign the petition now!
 

 

 

 

Stand Up for Student Workers!--Last week, you heard about 73 undergraduate student workers being fired without cause or transparency. There was no student input or say in the matter.  Today the fight continues, and students need your support – will you sign this petition?
 

 

 

Tell Congress to Extend Unemployment Insurance, Before It's TOO LATE!--Millions are struggling to find work in an economy wrecked by Wall Street. Will you help by asking Congress to extend unemployment benefits?

 

 

Take Action Against Torture!--Today, as Congress returns from Thanksgiving break, Senators are poised to take a vote on bringing back torture.  An amendment filed by Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) would effectively revive so-called “enhanced interrogation techniques”, overruling the Executive Order issued by President Obama on his second day in office that banned the use of torture and shut down the CIA’s secret interrogation program.  As the retired admirals and generals who stood with President Obama on that historic day have made clear, torture undermines our national credibility, hinders our ability to effectively fight terrorism, and betrays our core values. And as the interrogators we at Human Rights First have worked with over the years know, torture is counterproductive in interrogations.  In addition, the defense bill this year contains several alarming provisions related to detainee policy, including ones that would undermine our federal courts. Fortunately, an amendment filed by Sen. Mark Udall (D-CO) would strip these troublesome provisions from the legislation.  Votes on these amendments could take place as early as today.  Tell your Senators to support the Udall amendment #1107 and oppose the Ayotte amendment #1068. Take action on this pressing issue now!

 

 

Boycott Philippine Airlines and AirPhil!--Trade unions and church groups in the Philippines have joined together in calling a boycott of Philippine Airlines and Air Philippines in solidarity with the Philippine Airlines Employees’ Association (PALEA).  I’m writing to ask you to make your voice heard in support of this boycott. Let Lucio Tan, owner of both airlines, know that you won’t fly PAL or AirPhil until locked-out workers have been reinstated to their regular jobs.

 

 

Take Action to Protect Our Free Speech and Uncensored Speech Online!--Next week Congress is debating whether to give the government the power to turn off parts of the Internet. If that sounds like a terrible recipe for abuse of power, that's because it is.   If enacted, a new law would make it so a simple allegation of copyright infringement—with no review process—could lead to the shutdown of sites from YouTube to Wikipedia to MoveOn.org.¹ Any website, foreign or U.S.-based, could be wiped out on suspicion and made unavailable to everyone in the world.  For example, if you (or Justin Bieber) wanted to post a video to YouTube of yourself singing a Beatles song, a record company could force the Department of Justice to shut down YouTube. Really.²  But as you may have guessed, Congress didn't come up with this tragically terrible idea on their own. Lobbyists representing Comcast, Pfizer, record and movie companies, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce³ have been pushing Democrats and Republicans to pass bills to allow this new kind of internet censorship. And they're close to getting their way.  But a small number of Democrats are standing strong and saying "No" to these powerful special interest groups. They need our help.  Senator Ron Wyden from Oregon is one of our champions. Next week he will start an historic filibuster of the Protect IP Act where he'll read the names of every person that signs a petition against Internet censorship.⁴ It's the perfect opportunity for 5 million Internet-connected progressives to visibly add their voice to a Senate debate. The more of us that sign, the stronger this effort to block this terrible law will be.  Click here to add your name and say NO to Internet Censorship.

 

 

Support Fair and Reasonable Deficit Reduction Efforts!--The supercommittee negotiations have failed. Why? Because Republicans simply REFUSED to make billionaires and big corporations lift even one finger to help reduce the debt. In fact, they’re demanding TAX CUTS for their biggest benefactors, the top 1%.  Instead, here’s who Republicans think should shoulder the burden: Seniors on Medicare. Middle class families who want to send their children to college. Every American receiving Social Security. The unemployed and all those who are suffering the most in this economy.  There’s no other word for it but disgraceful. Democratic senators won’t stand for it. I won’t stand for it. And I know you won’t, either. It’s time to unite with one clear voice and demand that Republicans stop putting the wealthy at the head of the line.  Sign our petition and stand with Democrats: Deficit reduction must be done fairly, not on the backs of the people who can least afford it.
 

 

 

Take Action to Save Our Democracy!--The movement to amend the U.S. Constitution to get corporate money out of elections is picking up some serious steam. Tens of thousands of activists across the country have already signed PFAW's petition calling for an amendment ... and on November 9, thousands of Americans attended one of more than 200 house parties nationwide -- organized by PFAW, Public Citizen, Move To Amend and other allies, and joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders -- to mobilize and plan for a day of action on the upcoming January 21st second anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC, the Supreme Court decision that unleashed unlimited corporate spending in our elections.  It's high time YOU got on board!  Please take a moment to add your name to the petition now and help restore Government By the PEOPLE!

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama NOT to Approve "Faith-Based" Medicare Expenditures!--In August, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced an interim rule requiring employers who offer group health insurance plans to cover contraceptives as preventative care.  The interim rule already includes an exemption for religious employers, but now many on the religious right are pushing the Obama Administration to greatly expand the exemption.  We need to tell the Administration not to expand the exemption any further.  Americans United supports the use of reasonable and appropriately tailored accommodations to ease burdens on the practice of religion in certain circumstances. Such accommodations, however, must not be applied more broadly than is necessary to protect religious freedom.  Expansion of this exemption would cross that line.  After meeting with the Conference of Catholic Bishops earlier this month, President Obama is weighing his options and is unsure of whether he will ask HHS to create sweeping exemptions that could exempt a huge number of employers from offering their employees insurance coverage for contraceptives.  If HHS were to greatly expand the exemption, it could easily end up swallowing the rule, denying women access to necessary medical services.  President Obama needs to hear from you: giving broad, preferential treatment to religious organizations cannot outweigh providing essential preventative health care for American women.  Contact President Obama now and urge him not to expand the religious exemption any further.

 

 

Tell UC Davis Officials That The Below Behavior Is Unacceptable!--Tell UC officials: "Stop Pepper Spray and Violence against Peaceful Protesters"

 

Caught on Video (Above):  Prosecute Them!--University of California Davis police broke the law when they pepper sprayed nonviolent students. Tell the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute those responsible.

 

End the Assault on Medical Marijuana!--Right now chronically ill Americans are suffering because of an escalating assault on medical marijuana patients and providers by Attorney General Holder.  Urge Attorney General Holder to stop the federal assault on medical marijuana!

 

Take Action to Protect Free Speech on the Internet!--Right now, Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet -- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz!  Under the new law, our government could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located here in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us in America and millions across the world.   We only have days before the vote but we can help stop this -- champions in Congress want to preserve free speech and tell us that a global outcry would strengthen their hand. Let's urgently raise our voices from every corner of America and join Avaaz members across the world to build a massive call urging our decision makersto reject the bill and stop Internet censorship. Click below to sign and then forward as widely as possible -- our message will be delivered directly to key members of the US Congress ahead of the crucial vote:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet_us_a/?vl

 

Tell Your Senators to Oppose Indefinite Detention!--Earlier this year, we contacted you about provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA) that would explicitly authorize the government to indefinitely imprison people without trial, and that would make it more difficult to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.  Unfortunately the Senate Armed Services Committee has again advanced a version of the NDAA that would do those things.  Now, the full Senate is likely to take up this bill.  Please use this model email to contact your Senators now.  There are many Senators who are concerned about these provisions, but they need to hear from you so that they know they have the support of their constituents in continuing to fight against legislation codifying indefinite detention and making it more difficult to close the prison at Guantanamo.

 

Tell John Boehner to Tax Wall Street!--Congress is considering drastic cuts to programs that serve the poor and vulnerable.  And at a time when so many Americans are financially hurting, big Wall Street firms make billions of dollars a year simply by gambling on the market.  Ordinary Americans are being asked to make a great sacrifice.  Now it's time to ask Wall Street to pay its fair share.  Will you join Catholics United in calling on the Speaker of the House and fellow Catholic, John Boehner to allow a vote on the Wall Street financial tax?

 

Stop Darigold's Exploitation of Workers!--Dairy workers at the Ruby Ridge dairy, which provides milk for the Darigold label are going through hell and need your help. More than a third of them have been fired after they dared asked to have a union. They’re suing the dairy for wage and hour violations and even assault. According to workers, the dairy owner, supported by multi-million dollar loan from a major lender, carries a rifle in his truck and has threatened workers.  According to former employee Miguel Cuevas,  the owner told Cuevas, "This rifle is for those people with the union." While most farm workers aren’t in the urban occupy actions, the fight they are in is the same fight against corporate greed that has led to the occupy movement. They are part of the 99%.  Workers and UFW supporters have repeatedly tried to appeal to Darigold about the reported abuses workers who labor to produce their product face, but Darigold remains silent. At the most recent delegation, Darigold greeted folks with security guards instead of coming out to talk.  Worker Rafael Munoz shared this thought: "By not showing their face, they are showing us that they support the mistreatment of workers. We need the support now of the consumer so that our struggle will become even bigger. The more time that passes, the bigger this will become."  Help make this bigger. We've launched a petition drive. Please add your name to it. We’ll present the signatures to Darigold shortly after Thanksgiving.
 

 

Tell Insurance Commissioners to Protect Taxpayers/Consumers, Not Insurance Companies!--It’s no shock the insurance companies hate the new health reform law that requires them to spend most of your premium on your health care – not on their reams of paperwork, marketing, TV ads and CEO salaries. What is shocking is a plan that could put the money you deserve back in the insurance companies' pockets!  Next week a group of little-known state insurance commissioners may vote to tell Congress to undermine this new law. Make sure they know you are watching what they do!  Tell your state Insurance Commissioner to vote for consumers, not the insurance companies!

 

Support Target Employees in Having a Happy Thanksgiving!--While most of America will be sleeping off a belly full of turkey, stuffing, and pie next Thursday night, 29-year-old Anthony Hardwick will be waking up for a long night of work. That's because Anthony has to report for his shift at a Target store in Omaha, Nebraska on Thanksgiving night.   For the first time on "Black Friday" -- the biggest shopping day of the year -- Target stores will be opening at midnight. That means retail employees like Anthony have to miss Thanksgiving celebrations with their families in order to work for big stores' "Black Friday" midnight sales -- or risk losing their jobs.  "All Americans should be able to break bread with loved ones on Thanksgiving," Anthony says.  So Anthony decided to push back. He started a petition on Change.org asking Target to open stores at 5am instead of midnight on Black Friday. Click here to add your name to his petition.

 

Sign Petition Asking Chief Justice Roberts to Voluntarily Adopt the Ethical Code of Conduct for the Supreme Court!--There's nothing stopping the Court from voluntarily adopting the same Code of Conduct that binds every other federal court, and putting an end to the kind of behavior that has left many Americans wondering if Supreme Court justices are becoming "politicians in robes."  Sign the petition now! Tell Chief Justice Roberts to voluntarily adopt the Code of Conduct.

 

Nominate the Walton Family as a Prime Example of the Abuses of the 1%!--Today, the Walton Family Foundation is opening a $1.4 billion art museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. But just last month, the company that made them their billions slashed health care for hundred of thousands of families. 

• According to Forbes Magazine, 4 of the 11 wealthiest people in America are Waltons.

• The Waltons control 48% of Walmart stock, and are predicted to gain a controlling share in the next 12 months.

• Combined, the Walton's net worth is $93 billion.

So join Walmart Watch and Making Change at Walmart in nominating the Waltons as a prime example of inequality in America. The 1% need to have a spotlight shone on their practices. We will all benefit from a closer look at the 1%.

 

 

Tell Gildan and Hanes to Stop Firing Union Organizers/Workers in Haiti!--Can you believe it? Workers in Haiti sewing our college-logo apparel for Gildan and Hanes are being fired for speaking out against sweatshop conditions. It's now or never for us to support workers who are fighting for their rights in the poorest country in the Western Hemipshere - will you tell Gildan and Hanes that they must immediately rehire fired garment worker leaders?

 

Take Action to Ban Cluster Bombs that Hurt Civilians (including Children)!--Ahmad picked up a bright metal object in a park where he was celebrating his 5th birthday in Lebanon. It was an unexploded cluster bomblet, which blew up in his face, killing him slowly in front of his family. Three years ago, public pressure pushed through a ban of these cruel bombs. But now the US is lobbying nations to quietly sign a new law that allows their use -- signing the death warrant for thousands of other children. Most countries are still on the fence on how to vote. Only if we raise the alarm across the world can we shame our governments to block this deadly decision. Positions are being drawn up now. We only have days until countries meet to send our leaders a clear message: stand up for the cluster bombs ban and keep our children safe. Click below to sign the petition -- it will be delivered directly to delegates at the Geneva conference: http://www.avaaz.org/en/cluster_bombs_ii_b/?vl

 

Tell Shell Oil to Own Up, Pay Up, and Clean Up!--There used to be life and hope in the Niger Delta town of Bodo, a village filled with thriving fish ponds and mangrove trees. Then in 2008, two oil spills changed everything -- twice, nearby Shell Oil pipelines spewed toxic oil for weeks before they were repaired.  "It killed all the mangrove trees, the ecosystem, everything we put there. Everything just died in a day." --Bodo resident Christian Lekoya Kpandei   What was Shell Oil's initial response to the devastation in Bodo, to Christian's ruined fish ponds and livelihood? Silence.  Although Shell has accepted liability for these two spills, it is still silent on the issue of undertaking a comprehensive clean-up of the affected area, fully compensating the people whose lives have been devastated by the spills, and rehabilitating the affected area.  Counter Shell's silence with some noise of your own. Tell Royal Dutch Shell's CEO that it's time his company own up, pay up and clean up its human rights mess in the Niger Delta.

 

 

Take Action to Ensure Veterans Have Homes!--Our veterans have always been here, quietly going about the business of making a difference. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t still surprise and inspire us in ways we never see coming.  That was the case this past July in Tacoma, Washington. There, volunteers were asked to help build with Habitat for Humanity. It wasn’t just that veterans showed up; it was that more than 30 veterans recovering from injuries answered the call.  Thirty Wounded Warriors, some overcoming tremendous physical hardship, did what our veterans always do — they responded and gave what they could. Over three days, they worked tirelessly to make sure others could get a place to call home.  There’s no adequate way to thank the men and women who have sacrificed so much for us and have asked for so little in return. But we can start by celebrating with our friends and families their stories of heroism.  And most importantly, as we remember the sacrifices of these Wounded Warriors, we can give voice to their needs and advocate on their behalf.  Start today by asking President Obama to use his authority to maximize the impact of existing Department of Veteran Affairs resources that could make homeownership possible for thousands of returning servicemen and women.
 

 

Stand Up Voting Rights!--If Charles and David Koch have their way, millions of eligible Americans won't be able to cast a vote in 2012.  In recent years, the billionaire political operatives have used their vast fortunes to finance the drafting, promoting and introduction of model bills restricting people's ability to vote, and so far legislatures in 38 states have introduced Koch Brothers-supported legislation. All told, this is the most aggressive and widespread attack on the right to vote since the voting rights restrictions that paved the way for segregation.  This week, Brave New Films debuts a new video shining the spotlight on the Koch Brothers and their role in the voting rights attacks. "Koch Brothers Exposed" is a call to action for all Americans concerned about protecting this most fundamental of rights.  Watch the video and then sign the Stand for Freedom pledge today to fight back:  http://action.naacp.org/voting-rights-video
 

 

Tell Congress to Feed America!--Anti-hunger programs are at serious risk, and that could mean drastic cuts to programs like SNAP, CSFP and TEFAP. But it’s not the programs that suffer—it’s the older Americans and other struggling people in our communities, as well as our local food banks that are already struggling to meet an ever-growing need.   Send your email today!

 

 

Tell Congress to Renew Federal Unemployment Insurance!--A new study shows that because of out of control corporate tax loopholes, most Americans can rightfully complain that they "pay more federal income taxes than General Electric, Boeing, DuPont, Wells Fargo, and Verizon, all put together." [1]  Meanwhile, 1 in 4 children are experiencing food scarcity due to family economic limitations [2], and millions of Americans who are desperately looking for jobs are on the brink of losing unemployment benefits if Congress doesn't renew the federal unemployment insurance program by the time it expires on December 31st.  *Send a letter to Congress telling them to get their priorities straight: Focus on America's families on Main Street, not Wall Street, and renew the federal unemployment insurance program!  http://action.momsrising.org/go/1340?akid=3008.179534.Xw6CgN&t=4

 

Don't Let the Senate Obstruct Terrorism Investigations!--Tell Senators Harry Reid and Carl Levin to put America's safety first. Urge them to strip away dangerous provisions in the defense bill that perpetuate some of the country's worst mistakes in the fight against terrorism. Act now before they finalize language on the bill!

 

No More Wall Street Bail Outs!--Reports are circulating that a settlement of the robo-signing case between the big Wall Street banks and the 50 state attorneys general will be announced as soon as next week. Early indications are that the settlement will amount to yet another unconscionable giveaway to the banks.  The settlement will provide too little money to homeowners, require only trivial financial penalties for the banks, distribute huge amounts of money to individuals who were NOT fraudulently foreclosed upon, and will not have sufficient enforcement mechanisms to ensure that the money banks are supposed to pay actually gets paid—all while falling far short of compensating actual victims for the losses they wrongfully sustained. Worst of all, early reports indicate that the settlement grants civil and criminal immunity to the Wall Street banks and their executives.  That's why I created a petition to Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna on SignOn.org, which says:  Oppose any settlement of the robo-signing case that provides civil or criminal immunity to banks or their executives. Instead, create a program that helps Washington state homeowners damaged by fraudulent bank processes to sue banks for full recovery of damages and punitive awards.  Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=267289&id=32743-1229593-%3DgZSivx&t=2

 

Take Action to Amend Constitution to Reverse the Citizens United Decision!--Now more than ever, the American people are showing just how fed up they are with the explosion of big corporate influence over our politics.  And now more than ever, the Supreme Court is ignoring its own precedents to unleash a torrent of corporate and special interest money in our elections.  We must put the American people back in charge of our democracy.  If the Supreme Court refuses to allow Congress and individual states to regulate the role of money in our elections, we must amend the Constitution to change that -- and together, we are beginning the amendment process this month.  Passing a constitutional amendment is no easy feat -- we've only passed 27 in our entire history, and powerful corporate interests are lining up against us as we speak -- but we can do this by hitting the ground running with a 21st century campaign to restore our democracy. And it all starts with you.  Sign our petition at ReverseCitizensUnited.com to amend the Constitution so Congress and the states can enact common-sense campaign finance reforms.

 

Sign Petition to Tax Wall Street!--The continuing instability in the world economy is at least partly due to the fact that financial markets are still out of control. Wall Street traders are reaping billions on short term speculation, while our economy remains stagnant. As an economist, I know that building a strong, sustainable economy depends on doing something about a bloated and unruly financial sector.   To help get markets back under control, one important policy tool is a targeted tax on Wall Street trading.¹ Please join me in signing this petition to keep pressure on Congress to pass such a tax.  
http://www.civic.moveon.org/rebuildpetition/taxwallstreet/?id=32718-1229593-6aCik2x&t=2

 

 

Sign Petition to Save Tibetan Lives!--Days ago, Palden Choetso walked out of her nunnery, covered herself in petrol and set herself on fire while pleading for a 'free Tibet'. Minutes later she died. In the past month, nine monks and nuns have self-immolated to protest a growing Chinese crackdown on the peaceful Tibetan people.   These tragic acts are a desperate cry for help. Machine gun-toting Chinese security forces are beating and disappearing monks, laying siege to monasteries, and even killing elderly people defending them -- all in an effort to suppress Tibetan rights. China severely restricts access to the region. But if we can get key governments to send diplomats in and expose this growing brutality, we could save lives.  We have to act fast -- this horrific situation is spiraling out of control behind a censorship curtain. Over and over we have seen that when diplomats themselves bear witness to atrocities, they are motivated to act, and increase political pressure. Let’s answer Palden's tragic cry and build a massive petition to the six world leaders with the most influence in Beijing to send a mission to Tibet and speak out against the repression. Sign the urgent petition:  https://secure.avaaz.org/en/save_tibetan_lives/?vl

 

Take Action to Repeal DOMA!--The Defense of Marriage Act may be the one law on the books whose express aim is to force second class citizenship on a group of Americans.  And House Republicans have announced that they're tripling the taxpayer dollars they'll spend to defend it in court. But the tables may be starting to turn.  On Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will meet to consider the Respect for Marriage Act – the historic legislation I introduced that would end DOMA for good.  This is a huge opportunity – and I need your help. On Wednesday HRC staffers will march up to Capitol Hill to hand-deliver petitions urging the Senate to move this legislation forward without delay.  We don't have much time to show my fellow senators how serious this is. Will you help me and HRC collect 50,000 petitions against DOMA in the next 48 hours?  Tell the Senate: DOMA's time has come. Push the Respect for Marriage Act forward now.

 

Take Action to Stop Exploitation of Children!--That’s right, in the US, children as young as twelve can legally work in the fields. They can pick your berries and even drive a tractor. According to a US Department of Labor (DOL) report, tractor-related accidents are the leading cause of death for young farm workers.  Let’s be clear, we’re not talking about the children of growers, but children employed as farm workers.  Much to the dismay of many in agriculture, the DOL has proposed new rules that would begin improving safety for children in the fields--including a ban on children younger than 16 driving tractors. I.e.: Capitol Press (grower newspaper): Tighter child labor regs alarm ag.   The DOL’s proposed rules are a step in the right direction. Please join us in supporting these improvements and send your comment TODAY.

 

Tell America's Mayor's to Respect the Rights of the Occupy Wall Street Protesters!--As the ACLU's Director of Affiliate Support and Advocacy, I've heard some disturbing reports from across the states as the Occupy Wall Street protests continue to spread throughout the country.   When police respond to peaceful protest with excessive force or other types of harsh interference, the result is to make people afraid to exercise their constitutional right to free speech.   That's why the ACLU is writing an open letter to mayors everywhere. We're telling them to respect and safeguard protesters' rights to expression — and we need your signature.   Sign the open letter to America's mayors: "Stop the police crackdowns — respect and defend our rights to peaceful political protest."

 

Take Action to Make the Supreme Court Accountable!--The Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges lays out ethical guidelines to protect the integrity of our judicial system, and its rules bind every federal judge... except nine. Can you guess which?  That's right... the Code of Conduct for U.S. Judges applies to every federal judge except the nine justices of the Supreme Court.  As Slate.com Senior Editor Dahlia Lithwick put it in AFJ's latest film, "When you tell people that the Code of Conduct applies to everyone but Supreme Court justices, they think it's a joke. That's how preposterous it is."  But we can change that, right now. Send a message to Chief Justice John Roberts and let him know that it's time for every Supreme Court justice to follow the same rules that govern every other federal judge in America.

 

Take Action to Rein in Banks!--Tens of thousands of Americans have taken to the streets to demand accountability for the banks. But some members of the Obama administration—including members of his Cabinet—are pushing for a terrible deal to let the big banks off the hook for selling bad mortgages and then illegally foreclosing on homeowners—destroying the American Dream for millions of families.¹  The president's top campaign advisors have said that he's going to run for re-election on his record of holding Wall Street accountable²—but that'll be impossible if his administration pushes for another giveaway for the Wall Street banks who crashed our economy. And that could happen any day now.³  Can you sign our petition to President Obama right now telling him that we need a full investigation into the banks' wrongdoing, not another "deal" that lets them off the hook?  Add my name to the petition to hold the banks accountable.

 

Tell the Department of Justice to Support the Rights of the Occupy Wall Street Protesters!--You may be thinking the above quote from President Obama was talking about the Occupy Wall Street protests -- but he wasn't. He was talking about the protests in Iran this past year.  Yet every morning, we read another story from a DFA member involved in an Occupy Wall Street action -- stories about how protesters are struggling with authorities just to be able to exercise their basic rights. Every day we hear about some new dirty trick being pulled in an effort to stifle and break up the movement.  The tactics are varied. Some days it's the Mayor of New York attempting to forcibly evict protesters from Zuccotti Park under the guise of "cleaning" or taking away the power supply. Other days, it's mass arrests in Boston in the middle of the night. And just days ago it was the horrific story of police firing dangerous weapons on unarmed peaceful demonstrators in Oakland -- and even seriously wounding a United States marine who served in Iraq.  The truth is: the universal rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters to free speech and assembly are not being protected right now. It's time for our nation's top law enforcement agency to stand up and defend its own civilians who are under attack -- from New York to Oakland and every occupation in between.  Tell the Department of Justice to make a statement protecting the rights of Occupy Wall Street protesters to demonstrate in safety and peace. Sign the petition now.

 

 

Tell Congress to End Big Oil Handouts!--ExxonMobil has reported 3rd quarter profits of over $10 billion. Chevron announced $7.83 billion in profits, and BP earned nearly $5 billion.  But do you know the worst part? While the Big Oil companies rake in obscene profits, they’re also getting billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded subsidies.  Tell Congress: It’s time to end Big Oil handouts. Click here to add your name to the petition.

 

Stop Congress from Gutting Whistleblower Protections!--Today the House introduced several toxic amendments to the Whistleblower Protection Act. We need your help now to fix the bill before it goes to mark-up tomorrow! Please urge your members of Congress to stand up now for whistleblower protections.  TAKE ACTION! Stop the Congressional Attack on Basic Rights for Whistleblowers!

 

Tell Mayor McGinn--Hands Off Occupy Seattle Protesters!--Tell Seattle's Mayor Mike McGinn that First Amendment rights cannot and must not be superseded by local or state law.  That's why I created a petition to Mayor McGinn on SignOn.org, which says:  We demand that you call off the police and that Occupy Seattle be allowed to exercise free speech and voice its opposition to corporate control by demonstrating in Westlake Park, which is in the city center where the targets of these protests—the multi-national corporations and banks—are located. We demand no restrictions on First Amendment rights to assemble, including attempts to seek protection from the weather, any time—day or night.  Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:  http://www.moveon.org/r?r=266289&id=32545-1229593-L88393x&t=2

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Take a Stand Against Corporate Greed!--Greedy, reckless decisions by wealthy bankers created the financial meltdown that has pushed 60 million people around the world into poverty.  A new proposed "Robin Hood Tax" could help repair the damage they caused by placing a tiny tax (only 0.05%!) on huge financial transactions and using that money to fight hunger, poverty, disease and more.  This tax could generate $400 billion each year to put toward these causes – imagine what a difference those funds could make in the lives of poor people. In Europe, this measure already has great support, and polls suggest that the majority of Americans are also on board.  But President Obama's administration has been blocking progress, actively lobbying against the idea in Europe – and working to prevent other countries from implementing it.  Tell President Obama: Take a stand against corporate greed – stop blocking progress and support the Robin Hood Tax at the G20 Summit.

 

Tell Mayor Jean Quan to Do the Right Thing by Iraq Veteran Scott Olsen!--The violent police assault on Occupy protesters in Oakland left Iraq War Veteran Scott Olsen in critical condition with a cracked skull, and hundreds of others injured and sick. This is unacceptable.  It’s time for Oakland Mayor Jean Quan to do the right thing by Scott Olsen.

 

Stop U.S. Sale of Weapons to Bahrain!--The U.S. State Department is coming under fire for considering a $53 million arms sale. Why? Because since February of this year, the military, security and police forces of the prospective buyer -- Bahrain -- have used such weapons and military equipment to inflict deaths and injuries on protestors demanding greater political freedom. Moving forward with this arms sale would provide more weapons and equipment to the very Bahraini security forces who have already shot protestors. It would also cross a clear line of U.S. responsibility to protect human rights. That's why right now members of Congress, led by Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Jim McGovern, are drawing a sharp line with a resolution aimed at blocking this arms sale. Urge your Senators and Representatives to join the call to stop the U.S. arms sale to Bahrain!

 

Tell Congress: Don't Legislate Indefinite Detention!--The Senate is considering legislation that would authorize the government to detain people indefinitely without trial for a potentially unlimited period of time.  The same legislation would also make permanent provisions that inhibit efforts to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay.  As people of faith, we know the importance of respecting the dignity of all human beings.  As Americans, we know the importance of the rule of law and due process.  Let's not override the values we cherish.  The provisions are part of S. 1253, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012.  Please write to your Senators today to tell them to remove these sections (sections 1031, 1033, and 1034) from the bill.  A model email is available for you to customize and send to your Senators.

 

Tell Super Committee "Hands Off" Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security!--We need the Supercommittee to hear from you, they are accepting public comments right now and we need to overwhelm them with the voices of average Americans across the country. That's why we have partnered with Progressives United to to call on people across the country to write into the Super Committee and tell them Hands Off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  Make you voice heard and submit your comments directly the super committee -- tell them Hands Off Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.

 

Tell Congress to Repeal the PATRIOT Act!--You can send your letter using DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

 

Take Action Against Sex-Trafficking of Children!--By the time Norman Barnes was picked up by Massachusetts state troopers, he had made $19,000 forcing a 15-year-old girl to have sex with up to 8 men a day for 10 days.  He couldn’t have done it without Backpage.com, a classified website owned by Village Voice Media.  Backpage.com is reported to be the nation's #1 online platform for advertising sex with minors. A recent letter from 51 Attorneys General to Village Voice Media's lawyers cites over 50 cases (in 22 states) of trafficking or attempted trafficking of minors for sex using the site. Although such use violates Backpage.com’s terms of service, the site continually fails to identify and remove ads selling sex with children.  Driven by the universal moral imperative to end child sex trafficking, a new multifaith action network called Groundswell has started a petition on Change.org.  Sign Groundswell's petition now to shut down the adult services section of Backpage.com -- the only effective way to end child sex trafficking on the site.

 

Please join Walmart Watch in calling on Walmart to pay its fair share of associates' health care costs and disclose the real cost to associates and communities.--Last week, the New York Times reported that Walmart will be significantly increasing the burden of health care costs it places on its associates. These are people who already struggle to make ends meet. Because of Walmart's system of scheduling, many are unable to predict how many hours they will work each week and how they will budget for these increased costs to them and their families.  Notably, recently-hired and newly-hired part-time Walmart employees will no longer be eligible for any health care plans. This is particularly troubling as Walmart pushes more and more employees to part-time status.  Walmart has refused to admit how many people are going to be affected by this change, how many currently work part time, or what the increased burden will be to tax payers and communities who will likely have to subsidize health care for many of these workers through public assistance. But Walmart Associates, who are coming together through the Organization United for Respect at Walmart (an organization of, by and for current and former hourly Walmart employees), were able to share how these changes are going to directly effect them:

• Girshreila Green appeared on ABC and CBS Nightly News,

• Barbara Collins spoke out on National Public Radio, and

• Bonnie Shoaf appeared in hundreds of newspapers around the country with this story from the Associated Press

Please join Walmart Watch and Making Change at Walmart in calling on Walmart to pay its fair share of associates' health care costs and disclose the real cost to associates and communities.

 

 

 

Take Action to Make Sure American Kids Don't Go Hungry!--In 2010, food stamps (now called SNAP — Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) lifted 1.7 million children out of poverty. That's more than any other program, and more than any year in history. Simply put, connecting kids with nutritious meals works.   But now the new federal "super committee" has been given the task of cutting $1.5 trillion from the federal budget — and SNAP and other critical anti-hunger and anti-poverty programs are on the table.   It's critical that we take action today. Please stand up and make sure Congress knows not to cut off kids when they need us most.

 

 

 

 

Tell Congress to Extend Unemployment Insurance!--Almost two million out-of-work Americans will lose their federal unemployment insurance in January -- and millions more later in 2012 -- if Congress does not renew the benefits before they expire Dec. 31.  A new report by the National Employment Law Project¹ shows that if we don't act soon, 35,200 people in WA will lose their unemployment insurance and slip into poverty.  Millions are struggling to find work in an economy wrecked by Wall Street. Will you help by asking Congress to extend unemployment benefits?
 

 

 

FDA Whistleblowers Need Your Help!--Over the past three years, an unprecedented group of eleven distinguished Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists and physicians explained in letters to Congress that managers at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health have: corrupted and distorted the regulatory review of new medical devices, ignored or overturned scientific conclusions, and retaliated against FDA physicians and scientists who have refused to go along quietly.  These brave FDA physicians and scientists have risked their careers to protect the public, yet FDA's top leadership seems indifferent to, and incapable of, protecting their own physicians and scientists. As a result, six of these physicians and scientists have been fired or otherwise removed from the FDA.  TAKE ACTION! Demand FDA Stop Retaliating Against Physicians and Scientists!

 

 

Stop Starbuck's Fair Trade Charade!--What's the point of Starbucks having fair trade coffee if you can't buy a cup of it?  Starbucks says a lot about supporting small farmers through fair trade. But try buying a cup of brewed fair trade coffee in any American Starbucks and you're in for some blank looks and a long wait.  Fair trade fights common forms of labor exploitation including human trafficking, child labor, and other abuses. No wonder Starbucks wants to promote the fact that they source coffee from fair trade certified farms. But walk into any Starbucks in the U.S., and it’s likely that you won’t see a fair trade coffee on the menu. Ask for it specifically and you’ll have to wait for a whole new pot to be brewed before you can even get your hands around a cup of it.  Former Starbucks barista Sam Greenblatt has started a petition on Change.org asking Starbucks' CEO Howard Schultz to live up to Starbucks’ fair trade ideals by making a fair trade option brewed and available to every customer. Sign Sam's petition to get a brewed fair trade option available to every American Starbucks customer, every day.

 

 

Save Amtrak!--A Congressional subcommittee recently passed a budget proposal that would effectively eliminate state-supported Amtrak service and reduce Amtrak's operating assistance by 60%. Washington is one of 15 states that would be penalized for making investments in passenger rail and will likely lose service if this budget passes. The United Transportation Union and other unions representing Amtrak workers have partnered with the National Association of Railroad Passengers and other groups to help educate the riding public on how disastrous this budget would be for Amtrak and its employees. Read more [ http://www.thestand.org/2011/10/congress-dont-kill-state-supported-amtrak/ ], and *TAKE A STAND [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6487/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8076 ]* by contacting Congress and urging against these short-sighted cuts!

 

 

Sign Petition Supporting All US Citizens' First Amendment Rights!--There's an URGENT need to speak up.  Mayors across the country are threatening to shut down peaceful assemblies of Occupy Wall Street participants. Friday plans to clear Zuccatti Park in NY were canceled after a nation wide outpouring of support for the Occupy Wall Street movement, but it's not over yet.[1]  Earlier this week I brought my kids and several of their friends to a children's event at Occupy Wall Street in New York City.  It was a wonderful experience for them.  Eleven-year-old, Nisa, had this to say:  "I thought Occupy Wall Street was very moving and inspiring. The moving part of it was that so many people were taking time out of their life to stand up for people in this country."  The Occupy Wall Street gatherings are generating critical and much-needed coverage about the economic issues ordinary families are facing when they try to feed, clothe, and educate their children.  Every day, MomsRising members fight for leaders to prioritize Main Street, not only Wall Street--and the Occupy Wall Street movement is bringing more attention to these issues and must not be shut down.  Right now mayors are considering whether or not to shut down these gatherings.[2]   *Take a moment to sign on to our open letter to mayors across the country--including the mayors of New York City, Boston, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, and other cities--urging them to allow the Occupy Wall Street participants to peaceably assemble as a constitutional right:  http://action.momsrising.org/go/1302?akid=2981.179534.bJwy1R&t=4
 

 

Take Action to End All Wars Immediately!--End ALL The Wars Immediately Action Page: http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1084.php

 

 

Sign Petition to Take a Virtual Stand with the Occupy Wall Street Protestors!--Help us send a message straight to Eric Cantor, Speaker Boehner, and the rest of reckless Republican leadership in Congress:  Sign our petition right now and help us reach 100,000 strong standing with #OccupyWallStreet protestors across the country >>

 

 

 

Take Action for Workers' Rights!--Walmart is the largest private employer in this country and nearly 60 percent of its hourly employees are women. Unfortunately, according to many of its Associates, Walmart is not truly a place of opportunity for women. So today, we're joining with national groups that advocate for women and workers to push for Walmart CEO Mike Duke to meet to discuss our concerns.  Want change for women at Walmart? Sign our open letter to Mike Duke!

 

 

Take Action Against Racial Profiling in Alabama!--In the seven days since Alabama's extreme anti-immigrant law has been in effect, the impact on communities across the state has been chilling.  It's one of several racial profiling laws that the ACLU has taken on in court, and unfortunately Alabama's is also one of the most extreme, going so far as hindering or blocking access to schools. And from the moment the decision was announced, it's drastically altered the lives of families across the state, with many fleeing their homes.  There is no denying that this decision is a setback for our efforts, but we cannot allow it to dishearten us. We need to press harder, and make sure more states do not pass laws that legalize racial profiling.  Take action: Keep anti-immigrant "show me your papers" laws OUT of our country.

 

 

Take a Stand Against Voter Suppression Efforts!--Citing false and exaggerated allegations of election fraud, many states have recently imposed new restrictions on voting that threaten to roll back the hard-won right of American citizens to participate in our Nation’s democratic processes.  Such restrictions could discourage or prevent thousands or even millions of eligible citizens from registering and voting, including minorities, low-income persons, senior citizens, voters with disabilities, and students.  The Lawyers’ Committee has joined with other civil rights leaders and groups to speak out against these unabashed efforts to suppress voting rights.  To combat these efforts, we have developed an Interactive Map of Shame that illustrates the extent to which states have recently enacted voting restrictions and have widely disseminated the Map to decision-makers, community activists, and the media.  Stand with us and speak out now against voter suppression efforts!

 

 

Tell Congress to Work on Infrastructure NOW!--Tell your members of Congress: America is ready to get to work on our bridges, transit, rail, airports, highways, schools and the rest of our failing infrastructure:  http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2895

 

Demand House of Representatives Investigate Koch Brothers' Business Dealings with Iran!--Controversial Republican billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch -- who have spent untold millions bankrolling right-wing candidates and causes -- are now the subject of a new Bloomberg investigation that shows Koch Industries profited from doing business with Iran.  This is all despite American trade sanctions against Iran and the country’s known links to financing terrorists.  House Republican Leadership’s response: Silence.  This is unacceptable. We can’t let this stand.  Sign our petition right now demanding that House Republicans immediately demand an investigation of Koch Industries’ business dealings with Iran.
 

 

Tell Department of Justice to Investigate Clarence Thomas' Unethical Behavior!--Efforts to hold Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accountable for ethics violations just jumped to the next level.  A group of 20 House Democrats led by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) are now pushing for a Justice Department investigation into Justice Thomas' possible serious violations.   Please sign our petition supporting the call for an investigation now.

 

 

Drop All Charges on the "Occupy Wall Street" Arrestees!--SIGN THE ONLINE PETITION AT: http://bailoutpeople.org/dropchargesonoccupywallstarrestees.shtml 

 

 

Tell Bank of America to Drop New $5 Debit Card Fees!--Bank of America just can't help itself. The nation's largest bank just announced that it will force customers to start paying a new fee of $5 every month -- just to use a debit card.  This is the same bank that nearly tanked our economy with their reckless behavior, took $45 billion in taxpayer money, has kicked tens of thousands of families out of their homes, and has been repeatedly criticized for gouging consumers.  It's just one fee too many for Bank of America customer and Change.org member Molly Katchpole. "I can barely afford to make ends meet," said Molly, who works two part-time jobs in Washington, DC. "Now I'm expected to hand over money to Bank of America each month just for using my own debit card?"  Molly started a petition on Change.org demanding that Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan cancel the bank's new $5 monthly debit card fee. Sign her petition now to stop Bank of America's new fees.

 

 

Tell Congress to Take Action on Jobs Now!--Millions of people who are ready, willing and able to work are unemployed or underemployed. But instead of focusing on job creation, Congress is getting ready to take up unfair, job-offshoring trade deals.   With more than 25 million people desperately searching for full-time jobs, the last thing our leaders should focus on is these unfair trade deals. It's the wrong thing to do, and it's a huge distraction from our jobs crisis.  Tell Congress: Get moving on jobs, and drop these unfair trade deals:  http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2917

 

Tell Department of Labor to Prevent Pay Discrimination!--As a fair pay advocate, you stood hand-in-hand with Lilly Ledbetter and Betty Dukes as they fought for fair pay against some of the largest employers in the United States. As courageous as they have been, women like them shouldn't have to go at it alone.  It's time that Lilly and Betty have some back-up. Take action today: Tell the Department of Labor to help protect women from pay discrimination.

 

 

 

Tell the US and Canada: Stop Promoting Land Grabs!--Did you know that nearly 1 billion people in the world - 80% of which are small food producers - live in a state of hunger? The root causes of hunger are not lack of food, but rather lack of justice.  This is why we need you to stand with us and take action today. Land grabs - a global phenomenon of massive thefts of land from local communities - are one of the most recent trends contributing to this injustice. Grassroots partner the Via Campesina reports that over 45 million hectares of land are already the object of land grabs, with 30 million of these hectares being stolen from communities in Africa. But there’s something we can do about it.  At the World Social Forum in Dakar, Senegal this past January, organizations representing sectors most impacted by the food crisis drafted the  “Dakar Appeal against the Land Grab.” This appeal exposes those who are most responsible and lays out concrete steps that we can take to stop land grabbing.  In the U.S. and Canada, we have both a responsibility and role to play in this struggle. Many of the corporations and institutions which are profiting from land grabs are based in North America, and our governments have also been playing one of the most disturbing roles in international negotiations around land tenure.  This is why I’m asking you to contact U.S. and Canadian delegates to the UN’s Committee on World Food Security (CFS). The CFS was created to address the food crisis and is unique because it actually has an official way for organizations of people most impacted by the food crisis to be involved in developing solutions.  We still have time to influence the outcomes, if we act now.    The next CFS meeting begins on October 10, 2011. Grassroots International is joining the US Food Sovereignty Alliance, the National Farmers Union (Canada), Via Campesina, FoodFirst Information and Action Network, WhyHunger, Food and Water Watch, and others to take collective action to demand that principles of food sovereignty are included in the CFS’s framework. With your support, we will gather thousands of letters from people and organizations, sending a resounding message to our governmental delegates that we need them to change course, and start listening to the solutions that come from the real experts - those most impacted by the food crisis.   Please join us and  take action today!

 

 

Tell Congress to Strengthen Consumer Privacy Rights Online!--Right now, a company you likely never heard of could be compiling a profile of you – your home value, your marriage or divorce, your traffic tickets and more – and selling it to anyone with a credit card.  These profiles from ‘data aggregators’ have no guarantee that someone else's bankruptcy or criminal record won't appear in your record. Worse, if you want to know what’s in these profiles about you, you have to pay money to see them!  Congress is already looking at legislation to strengthen our online privacy, and this is another critical component. Tell your lawmakers you want control over your personal information, wherever it appears! 

 

 

Tell Congress to Pass "American Jobs Act" Now!--It's been over two weeks since President Obama proposed the American Jobs Act -- a plan made up of ideas that both parties have endorsed in the past and should be able to get behind now.  But Congress has yet to take any action on the bill. Take a moment now to remind Congress that families across the country need them to act quickly to rebuild our economy.  *Tell Congress not to let politics get in the way of creating jobs in our nation and urge them to act to pass the American Jobs Act now!  http://action.momsrising.org/go/1274?akid=2958.179534.9jFqq0&t=4

 

 

 

Sign Petition for Worker's Rights to Paid Leave!--Nearly two decades ago, Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), giving millions of workers the right to unpaid time off to bond with a new child, recover from a serious illness or care for a sick family member.   This historic legislation — written and defended by the National Partnership for Women & Families — was the first federal law to help workers manage the dual demands of work and family. Unfortunately, 18 years later, it's still the only one.  But millions of workers can’t afford to take the unpaid time off the FMLA provides. It was only the first step. It's time — past time — for more progress.  That’s why we’ve teamed up with Working Mother magazine to raise awareness about the urgent need for paid leave. You can help by signing our new petition calling for a national paid leave standard.  Add your name to the petition today »
 

 

Take Action: Stop Ohio State's Corrupt Deal with Dallas Cowboys!--Just a couple of days ago, my fellow USASers and I called out Dallas Cowboys' Jerry Jones and OSU's Licensing Director Rick Van Brimmer in the New York Times. We exposed what we had suspected all along - that our University rigged an unfair deal to hand over our multi-million dollar apparel licensing program to the Cowboys, who are notorious for their track record of sweatshop abuse around the globe.  E-mail OSU President Gordon Gee to let him know that you oppose this corrupt, backdoor deal with the Cowboys, that they should be immediately disqualified from the bidding process, and that Van Brimmer be fired; then call him at (614) 292-2424.

 

 

Take Action to Stop Voter Suppression in Colorado!--Colorado Secretary of State Scott Gessler has been in office less than a year, and has already made a mockery of his position as the chief elections officer in our state. I've talked to you in previous alerts about Gessler's attempt to moonlight at his old right-wing elections law firm, his witch hunts for "illegal voters" for which he can provide no hard evidence, and his changes to rules governing campaign finance disclosure to reduce transparency.  In the last few weeks, it's gotten much, much worse.  This week, Scott Gessler filed a lawsuit to stop Denver County from mailing ballots to all registered voters as they have in previous elections. The Denver Post reports that over fifty thousand voters in Denver could be affected--legal, registered voters who won't get mail ballots to vote in this year's elections if Gessler gets his way! [1] It's no secret who Gessler is targeting with this action: urban and minority populations. If Gessler wins, which many legal experts say he won't, it could begin a vicious circle of registered voters becoming "inactive," no longer receiving mail ballots, and disengaging from the electoral process. (Colorado Independent, 9/22/2011) [2]  Don't let Scott Gessler get away with suppressing the vote: sign our petition demanding that Gessler stop his partisan attacks on legal, registered Colorado voters.
 

 

Become a Citizen Co-Sponsor of Bill to Protect Social Security!--The truth is that, today, according to the Social Security Administration, Social Security has a $2.7 trillion surplus and can pay out every benefit owed to every eligible American for the next 25 years.  Further, because it is funded by the payroll tax and not the U.S. Treasury, Social Security has not contributed one nickel to our deficit.  Now -- in a prolonged recession that has decimated the poor and middle class and pushed more Americans into poverty than at any point in modern history -- we need to strengthen Social Security. That's why I, along with nine co-sponsors, have introduced the "Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act." This legislation would lift the Social Security Payroll tax cap on all income over $250,000 a year, would require millionaires and billionaires to pay their fair share into the Social Security Trust Fund, and would extend the program for the next 75 years.  Join me now as a citizen co-sponsor of the Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act.

 

Tell Amazon.com Not to Run or Support Sweatshops!--When you order a book from Amazon, do you know why it's so cheap and arrives so fast? Because employees at an Amazon.com warehouse are literally working in a sweatshop.  New details have emerged that working conditions are so horrendous – with temperatures inside a Breinigsville, PA, warehouse often soaring above 100 degrees – that Amazon keeps an ambulance parked outside.¹ Amazon would rather pay to take sick, overheated workers out on stretchers than turn up the air-conditioning.  Tell Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos you won't stand for the company's shameful disregard for worker safety and health.

 

 

Help Stop Racial Profiling by Border Patrol!--The U.S. Border Patrol is supposed to secure our borders. But far from the border in Washington state, Border Patrol agents have been stopping individuals based on their appearance and accent — without any suspicion of wrongdoing. Tell your members of Congress to stop this illegal racial profiling.

 

 

Tell Darigold They Must Take Action to Protect Ruby Ridge Workers!--Please add your voice to Rafael’s and tell Darigold to take responsibility for Ruby Ridge’s behavior. It’s time to pay workers what they’re owed and to settle this dispute with the UFW. Take action today!

 

 

Take Action to Protect Farm Workers!--They call it the “green monster.” It's slang for tobacco poisoning and it strikes tobacco farmworkers every day. Caused by nicotine, the green monster can soak through clothing and gloves, causing workers to become extremely sick.  Farmworkers throughout the country get paid little for backbreaking work, and face systematic abuse, chronic underpayment, and constant exposure to toxic chemicals. For tobacco workers it’s even worse – in a given day, tobacco workers can absorb the equivalent of smoking nearly two packs of cigarettes.  Major corporations like Reynolds Tobacco haven’t taken the health and safety of their workers seriously for years – but if there is a public outcry, we can make sure they do.  Tell Reynolds Tobacco: meet with workers in your supply chain, end the abuse and ensure that they have a safe and sustainable working environment.

 

 

Tell Congress to Pass Warren Buffett's Rule!--The wealthiest Americans don't need further tax cuts and in many cases aren't even asking for them. Requiring that they pay their fair share is the only practical way forward. The Republican alternative is to drastically slash education, gut Medicare, let roads and bridges crumble, and privatize Social Security. That's not the America we believe in -- but many in the Republican leadership actually prefer those policies, which explains their refusal to act.  That's why they'll say "tax increase" over and over again, trying to muddy the waters and trick ordinary Americans into thinking the Buffett Rule will hurt them. And if we don't speak out right now, they just might get away with it.  If you stand with President Obama in this fight and want to see the Buffett Rule passed -- say you'll get his back now.

 

Tell your lawmakers to start fixing America's jobs crisis--and let them know you'll hold them accountable if they won't: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2813 .

 

 

Stop Federally-Funded Discrimination!--At a Town Hall Meeting in College Park, Maryland, on July 22, 2011, President Obama made comments causing us to wonder whether he has changed his position on federally funded employment discrimination. At the Town Hall, he stated that religious organizations have "more leeway" to "hire somebody who is a believer of that particular faith." We hope that these words do not indicate a shift away from his promise to end federally funded religious discrimination.  In a campaign speech in Zanesville Ohio, President Obama stated that: "If you get a federal grant, you can't use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help and you can't discriminate against them - or against the people you hire - on the basis of their religion." Unfortunately, President Obama has not changed the policies of the previous administration that allow such discrimination and federal funds are still being expended every day under the same inadequate constitutional protections.  We encourage you to ask President Obama to clarify his comments and to urge him to stick to his promise. If he has reversed his policy position on the issue of government-funded religious discrimination, we need to know that. If not, he should take concrete steps to fulfill his pledge and end the practice of federally funded discrimination.  Write to the President and urge him to clarify his remarks and reaffirm his commitment to ending federally funded religious discrimination!  Tell President Obama Federally Funded Discrimination Must End Now!

 

 

 

Help Protect Workers' Rights!  Tell Congress to Oppose and Vote "NO" on HR 2587!--Please help us stop these attacks on workers-combined with a get-out-of-jail-free card for Boeing-now. Click here to take action: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2796

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama it is time to close the "School of the Americas (SOA)"!--Our hearts and voices join in solidarity with our other sisters and brothers in this hemisphere as we continue our struggle to close the SOA and break this culture of militarization.  Join the SOA15 in calling on Obama to close the SOA: click here to send a message now!

 

 

Tell Congress: Don't Make a "Super" Mistake!--We know there are better ways to use our health care dollars... to provide better care, not less care!  So I urge you to join me — for the health of our nation. It's time to take action.   Contact your members of Congress today »

 

Why Doesn’t Darigold Stop this Outrageous Behavior?--“It’s like revenge; she wants to corner me, she wants me to quit, she wants my coworkers to laugh at me, she wants my coworkers to stop talking to me.” -Angel Aragon, Ruby Ridge worker, discussing owner Ruby.  When Angel Aragon, the father of 3 children and a Ruby Ridge worker since 2008, went in to work  one evening, he noticed that posted on the wall was the declaration in which he exposed the abuses that are being committed at Ruby Ridge. He knew it meant the beginning of worse things to come.  “It’s like she’s taunting me. It’s so that my coworkers will think less of me, so that they won’t hang out with me, so that they see me as a person who caused them problems. She wants them to think less of me.” Angel tells us that when  owner Ruby Bengen found out that Angel was fighting for union representation in order to improve his working conditions, she retaliated by reducing his pay by twenty five cents per hour. Since 2008, Angel has not received a wage increase, nor has he been  restored the twenty five cents per hour which  were reduced from his pay.  “I’m not going to have the same resources for my sons, my three sons. One of them is 5 years old, the other is 3, and the third one is only 2 years old.”  Angel reports that Ruby Bengen has retaliated against Angel by assigning him the most difficult position in the company.  We’ve brought reports like Angel’s to Darigold’s attention in the past but to date they’ve taken no action that ensures Ruby Ridge workers like Angel are treated respectfully.  “In the milker position you don’t have time to eat anything. You don’t have any time to rest--not even two or three minutes. You’re always walking and walking and walking and you don’t stop. You only have a certain time period to accomplish the work and if you don’t she gets mad.”  “She asked me how I could ask her for a better position when I had caused her problems.”  The milk workers like Angel and his co-workers produce at Ruby Ridge dairy is sold under the Darigold brand. It’s time for Darigold to take action to ensure Angel is restored his prior wage rate and that Ruby Ridge dairy stops retaliating against him.  Take action now at: http://action.ufw.org/darigold

 

 

Tell Your Members of Congress Cheney is Wrong!--This week, Mr. Cheney is in Washington, DC, promoting his book – and torture – as Congress returns to work. Unfortunately, some Members of Congress still believe that our nation should use torture – euphemistically called “enhanced” interrogation techniques – and Cheney’s book may embolden them. We need to urge all Members of Congress to oppose Mr. Cheney’s message and resist all efforts to enact legislation that would allow our nation to resume the use of torture.  Please write to your Members of Congress today!  Tell them not to be misled by former Vice President Cheney – torture is always wrong!

 

 

Take a Stand for Democracy!--Extremists in Congress will do anything they can to make it harder for workers to form unions.  Last month they shut down the FAA when they attempted to change union election rules to count non-voters as "no" voters. 74,000 workers were forced off the job, construction projects were halted, and the United States lost $30 million a day in uncollected airline taxes when the FAA authorization expired.  In 10 days, it could happen all over again.¹  Shameless lawmakers are determined to hold the FAA reauthorization hostage once more in their desperate attempt to annihilate workers' rights – unless we do everything we can to stop them!  Tell your representative: Don't allow anti-union provisions in the FAA bill.

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama We Want Jobs and NO CUTS to the Public Safety Net!--Since the creation of the powerful deficit-reduction Super Committee in Congress, we’ve heard an outpouring from people around the country who are worried that it will target Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to reach its goal of $1.5 TRILLION in budget cuts.  On September 8th, President Obama will give a speech laying out his agenda to create jobs. He is also expected to ask the Super Committee to consider his plan for reducing the deficit by $4 TRILLION. The President was negotiating that plan with House Speaker John Boehner in July.  We need to draw a line in the sand now before President Obama makes his speech and tell the White House: No cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.

 

 

Tell Congress to Move Forward with the Healthy Families Act!--Take action and contact your members of Congress to urge them to move the Healthy Families Act forward here: http://action.momsrising.org/go/1166?akid=2919.179534.VfCZ3n&t=4
 

 

 

Tell Hershey to Stop Exploiting Student Workers!--Hundreds of foreign exchange students paid to come to America this summer, expecting opportunities to learn English and experience American culture.  Instead, the exchange students found themselves forced to work in back-breaking, round-the-clock production lines packing chocolates at a Hershey's plant in Pennsylvania at low wages. When the students complained, Hershey's threatened to have them deported.  Now the exchange students are fighting back. They just walked out of the Hershey's plant and into the streets to protest the abusive conditions and to demand big changes to Hershey's deceptive "cultural exchange" program.  And they've teamed up with the National Guestworker Alliance to start a petition demanding that Hershey's compensate the exchange students, and turn their work into good jobs for local workers. Click here to add your name.

 

 

 

Tell Gov. Brown (CA) to Protect Farm Workers from Preventable Death on the Job!--It's hot out there, really hot. And farm workers are working. California's blazing sun may have already claimed two farm worker lives. And summer is in full swing with six more weeks of the hottest days still ahead. On July 7, a 47-year old Blythe area farm worker died while driving a tractor, harvesting cantaloupes in 102-degree weather. In addition 56-year old Miguel Estrada died earlier this season in April while harvesting corn in 84-degree heat in Imperial County. He was breaking off ears of corn from stalks and tossing them up into a moving trailer when he began to feel dizzy and nearly fainted. He died on the way to the hospital.  Our organizers bring back stories daily about the lack of shade and water as well as the intense pressure from supervisors that stops workers from taking their much needed breaks.   TAKE ACTION TODAY and tell Governor Brown enough is enough!  http://action.ufw.org/heatdeaths2011

 

 

Tell Monster.com "We Will Not 'Cease and Desist'"!--Two weeks ago, when we heard that major online job sites like Monster.com were hosting ads that said the unemployed need not apply, we were outraged.¹ How are we supposed to solve our employment crisis if the only way to GET a job is to already have one?!  So together, USAction/TrueMajority members gathered more than 26,000 signatures asking these companies to stop hosting  help-wanted ads that discriminate against the unemployed. We also ran Facebook ads that targeted their staff and executives asking them to refuse these ads  Well, one of the companies called back, but not with the answer we'd hoped for: Monster.com sent us a “cease and desist” letter, demanding that we stop mentioning them in our campaign^.2 It's not going to work – Monster's threats only prove that we've got their attention. And now, we're starting to get the attention of major media outlets like the Huffington Post and Daily Kos too.  Help us show these corporations we will never "cease and desist" speaking up for the unemployed - click here to sign the petition or tell your friends.

 

 

Tell the Koch Brothers that We Like Public Schools and Oppose Segregation!--Our latest video connects the dots and reveals how the Koch brothers fight against public education in every possible way.  Their efforts began in North Carolina where they funded an effort to resegregate schools in an award winning school district. Using the same language as Gov. George Wallace in the 60s, Koch-supported school board members attempted to make “segregation always” a policy for tens of thousands of families.  While David and Charles Koch drink down the high life, they are causing tens of thousands of families in North Carolina to lose their opportunity at enjoying educational equality and a free and fair shot at success. It’s part and parcel of the Kochs’ ideology to dismantle public service generally.  Watch the video, then take action.  Call David Koch at his Manhattan office at 212-319-1100 and tell him to "stop funding school resegregation now."

 

 

 

Tell Your Representatives to End the War in Iraq On Time!--“Dammit, make a decision.”  These are the words new Defense Secretary Panetta had for the Iraqi government, pushing them to decide whether to keep American troops in Iraq beyond the December 31, 2011, deadline.  But the American and Iraqi people already made a decision. We want this war to end. So why is the administration practically begging the Iraqi government to extend the war? [1]  Click here to tell your representative to cosponsor the Iraq Withdrawal Accountability Act, which prohibits funding for keeping troops and military contractors in Iraq after 2011.

 

 

 

Stand with Verizon Workers in Fighting for Fair Treatment!--One billion dollars. That's how much much telecommunications giant Verizon is trying to squeeze from its workers by making deep cuts to their health plans and their pensions.  But instead of coming to the bargaining table for a fair discussion, Verizon has refused to negotiate seriously over their outrageous demands.¹  You may have seen it in the news: After Verizon repeatedly failed to show up to bargaining sessions with their unions, 45,000 workers went on strike.  They're out picketing right now – Can you stand with them by urging Verizon to negotiate with its workers? Write Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam NOW.

 

 

Take Action for Workers' Rights!--Great news! The NLRB--the independent agency responsible for enforcing labor law--has proposed new rules to start cleaning up the broken, loophole-ridden union election system that gives employers the opportunity to harass, intimidate and even fire workers trying to have a union at work. Right now, the NLRB is accepting public comments about the new rule. Can you let the NLRB members know workers are counting on them to help level the playing field?  Act now: Support the NLRB's commonsense rule to help level the playing field for workers:  http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2676.

 

 

Take Action Against Corruption in Military Contracts!--Our nation's obsession with militarism is tearing us apart. Our loved ones return in coffins or with trauma from wars and other military operations. Wasted resources on war and weapons means fewer jobs. War industry executives get rich from lucrative contracts at our expense. Our bloated war budget and military empire are wrecking our country and hurting others around the world.  The congressional commission created by the debt ceiling deal (as painful as it was) provides a major opportunity, so we're working overtime to launch a new campaign, War Costs, to push for real cuts to war spending. The debt deal makes possible around $1 trillion in war spending cuts over 10 years. These cuts can help save our economy, but military contractors plan to dump lobbying and campaign money on committee members to protect their profits. In fact, committee members have already taken around $1 million from the companies since 2007. To counter them, we must:  Demand that committee members fully disclose any meetings held with military contractors and that they stop taking financial contributions from these companies as long as they serve on the committee. Please sign our petition to congressional leaders on this topic.

 

 

Stop the Closing of Public Law Libraries!--Sign petition now at: http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-closing-of-west-virginias-public-law-libraries

 

 

Tell Cook County to Stop Forcing Teens to Falsely Confess to Crimes!--Recent DNA testing has proven the innocence of 10 Black men who were were only children when they were forced by Illinois police to confess to murders they didn't commit.  Some of them have been imprisoned for nearly 20 years, but despite the overwhelming evidence, which has even linked the crimes to the real killers, the state of Illinois refuses to recognize their innocence.  If enough of us speak out, we can expose these injustices and force the state of Illinois to do right by these men. Please join us in demanding that State Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately agree to overturn their convictions. It takes just a moment: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/Cook_County/

 

 

Tell Verizon to Stop Attacking America's Middle Class!--As of midnight Sunday, more than 45,000 Verizon Communications Inc. workers from New England to Virginia-members of the Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Electrical Workers (IBEW)-went on strike to stop the company's attacks on the middle class.  These Verizon workers are in the fight of their lives, and they need our support. This is a huge deal that has broad implications for our entire economy.  Act now: Demand that Verizon's CEO, Lowell McAdam, stop attacking the middle class and share his company's success with those who made it possible:  http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2661

 

 

Take Action for Workers' Rights!--Imagine what it would feel like to work on your hands and knees for hours every day – while knowing that your employer could save you from the agonizing pain just by providing simple tools that most people already have in their homes.  Mega-hotel chain Hyatt is publicly opposing a law that would require hotel companies to give their housekeepers tools like mops that are proven to reduce workplace injuries. Thousands of activists have already sent a letter to Hyatt, asking them to stop standing in the way of a bill that will make work safer for their housekeepers – Can you join them?

 

 

Please Sign the "Americans Want to Work" Petition!--Add your name to the "American Wants to Work" petition. We'll deliver it to Congress, the White House and major media outlets: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2640
 

 

Tell "Dolce & Gabbana": Stop Using "Sandblasting" Which Can Kill Workers!--D&G uses a process called "sandblasting" to give its jeans a distressed look. Workers fire sand under high pressure at clothing, which propels dangerous dust into the environment -- and workers’ lungs. Many of these workers develop incurable lung conditions, and die.  Even though companies like Versace, Gucci, H&M, and Levi’s have now stopped using sandblasting because of the hazards it poses to workers, D&G is still holding on -- with disastrous consequences.  Sign the petition telling Dolce & Gabbana to update ban sandblasting in its factories and fashion lines.

 

 

Stop Hiring Discrimination Against the Unemployed!--It's outrageous enough that 14 million Americans are out of work. But discriminating against jobless people who just want to feed their families and stay in their homes?  Employers should not penalize applicants for a job status that they cannot control, especially when prohibiting the unemployed from applying only compounds the issue.  We need to get America back to work. By signing our petition, you can let employers know that discriminating against the unemployed will not be tolerated.

 

 

Take Action for Humane Farming Conditions!--Boy picking bell peppers collapses from heat  I want to share a story--a travesty that illustrates why CA farm workers so desperately need a law that would allow them to protect themselves. Please read the story of 16-year old farm worker Nicholas Chavez and send your message to CA Governor Jerry Brown. 

 

Take Action to save 90,000 American Jobs!--Tell your members of Congress the FAA needs to get up and running immediately. Republican House leaders' hostage-taking needs to stop: [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2569 ].

 

Stop Private Prisons from Killing for Profit!--Watch our video and sign the petition to demand an investigation into Medina's death!

 

 

Stop Taxpayer Funds to Bachmann's "Pray Away the Gay" Unlicensed "Clinic"!-- Take action now at:

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/bachmann_clinic_funding/?rc=LA_Bachmann_07212011_e2

 

 

Reject Bachmann's Support of anti-gay "therapy"!--Michele Bachmann and her husband, Marcus, hold some of the most extreme and disturbing anti-LGBT views of any presidential candidate and spouse – and Marcus has admitted to using "reparative therapy" in his Minnesota clinic. We can't let these dangerous actions go unchallenged. We're calling on all of the Republican presidential candidates to speak out against the Bachmanns' alarming views and activities before more damage is done. take action now »

 

 

Help End Solitary Confinement!--For nearly three weeks, prisoners in California’s Pelican Bay State Prison have waged a hunger strike to protest their conditions of confinement including long-term solitary confinement. They have been joined by prisoners from a dozen other California prisons. Many of these prisoners are held in long-term solitary confinement which is a form of torture. So far, state officials have not taken action to address the prisoners’ concerns about abusive treatment.  While the hunger strike is focused on the treatment of prisoners in California, inhumane conditions exist in prisons and jails across the country. In particular, tens of thousands of prisoners are held in prolonged solitary confinement – a situation which can cause long-term physical and psychological damage to prisoners.  Call for an end to the use of prolonged solitary confinement.

 

 

Tell the FBI: Include All Rapes in National Statistics!--In a recent speech at the University of New Hampshire, Vice President Joe Biden recounted the story of a college freshman he called Jenny.  Jenny was raped after a party on campus. She tried to pursue a case against her rapist only to be asked if she had been drinking, what she was wearing, and whether she was dancing. The university never took action against her assailant.  As Biden said, "Rape is rape is rape."  Yet each year the FBI omits hundreds of thousands of rapes from its Uniform Crime Report (UCR) because it’s using an 80-year-old definition of rape.  The FBI’s outdated definition of rape is limited to "the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will."  Sign the petition to tell the FBI to update their definition to include all forms of rape.

 

 

 

Stop Voter Suppression and Disenfranchisement!--State voter ID bills and laws have swept the nation recently, threatening to roll back the hard-won right of American citizens to participate freely in our Nation’s democratic processes, and to disenfranchise many voters including minorities, low-income persons, senior citizens, voters with disabilities and students.  These proposals are truly a “solution in search of a problem,” since the issue they purport address – impersonation of voters at the polls by other individuals – is practically nonexistent, and states already have numerous protections in place to ensure that this type of fraud does not occur.  Therefore, photo ID requirements are NOT needed to stop potential impersonation voter fraud.  It is obvious that other, more partisan issues are at play here.  Today, Lawyers’ Committee executive director, Barbara Arnwine, joined members of Congress and fellow civil rights leaders on Capitol Hill to speak out against the most blatant attempts to suppress voters’ rights since the days of poll taxes and literacy tests.  Now that South Carolina has submitted the voter ID law it adopted this year to the Department of Justice for preclearance under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act, you have a chance to take a stand as well.  Stand with us and speak out against voter suppression legislation today!

 

 

Urge Your Representatives to Support the Polis-Paul Amendment to the Financial Services Appropriations Bill!--For more than 20 years, the federal government has spent lavishly on its own Ministry of Drug Propaganda with virtually nothing to show for it. Our illustrious Drug Czars have crisscrossed the country spreading lies and misinformation while pouring more than a billion taxpayer dollars into an Anti-Drug Media Campaign sinkhole.  But U.S. Reps. Jared Polis (D-CO) and Ron Paul (R-TX) have a great idea: Defund the Drug Czar's office entirely! And they are introducing an amendment to do just that in the next few days.  The Marijuana Policy Project, which for years has taken on the Drug Czar's office directly through formal complaints at the state and federal levels and through lobbying to decrease funding for the Media Campaign, fully supports this amendment and hopes you do too. If you want to see the Drug Czar and his gross exaggerations about marijuana tossed out of the executive branch for good, please take a moment to urge your U.S. representative to support the Polis-Paul amendment to the Financial Services Appropriations bill. We have pre-written e-mails all set to go.

 

 

 

Tell Congress to Support Workers' Rights!--As you read this, paid sick days activists from across the nation are descending on Capitol Hill to visit with their members of Congress.  Their mission: Urge policymakers to support family friendly legislation like the Healthy Families Act.  These dedicated activists are just like you — women and men from all walks of life and from all over the United States who share something in common: the belief that all workers deserve the right to earn paid sick days.  So help make sure their message is heard, loud and clear, in the halls of Congress.  Send a message to your senators and representative in support of paid sick days.

 

 

Tell Congress to Protect the People!--BREAKING: Reports say the president just offered to cut Social Security benefits, if Republicans agree not to let the U.S. default on its debts.¹  It's his offering to the out-of-control Republicans, who are threatening to crash the economy in order to ram through savage cuts to crucial government programs.  It's sickening to think that millions of seniors would have to sacrifice in order to appease Republican hostage-takers. Especially because every poll shows overwhelming majority of Americans support raising taxes on the rich and protecting Social Security and Medicare.²  But there's still time to stop this "bargain" in its tracks. Whatever deal the president offers Republicans will need Democratic votes to pass Congress. So we need Democrats in Congress to stand strong and oppose any benefit cuts to Social Security and Medicare.  Can you sign our emergency petition to Democrats in Congress and tell them to stand up and tell the President they will not vote for Social Security and Medicare benefits cuts?  Add your name here.

 

 

 

Take Action for Food Safety and Human Health!--While we want to ensure that our lettuce and spinach are always safe to eat, it doesn't make sense to create food safety rules that only the biggest farms can follow. Unfortunately, that's just what USDA is suggesting with its proposal to establish a national Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement. If we're not careful, this strategy will hurt small farms and allow Big Ag to write its own rules for food safety.  Can you tell USDA not to let the biggest players in the produce industry write their own food safety rules?

 

 

 

Tell Congress: Stop offshoring jobs. Start rebuilding America. Vote "NO" on all three unfair trade agreements. Go to: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2507
 

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Protect Access to Higher Education!--Right now, congressional Republicans and President Obama are negotiating a budget deal, and Pell Grants are on the table.  Cuts to Pell Grants would follow the elimination of the Summer Pell program earlier this year.  So far, needy students have “contributed” $4 billion to debt reduction through cuts to Summer Pell, but they may be asked to make more sacrifices, even if it means that they can’t pay for college.  Tell President Obama that putting Pell Grants on the chopping block is the wrong decision.

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Respect State's Rights!--Two days ago, without any public comment, President Obama broke the above campaign promise to medical marijuana patients when his Justice Department issued a new departmental policy for enforcement of federal marijuana laws in states with medical marijuana programs. Deputy Attorney General James Cole stated that while federal prosecutors should not go after sick and dying individuals, they may choose to prosecute businesses that provide marijuana to patients, even when the providers are abiding by state law.  To put it simply, this is absurd. Please email the White House today, and ask the Obama administration to respect the rights of the states – and the needs of the patients – by leaving medical marijuana providers who act in compliance with state law alone. 

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Protect Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security!--These negotiations are a farce and it's time for President Obama to cut bait and stop trying to negotiate with Republican extremists.  Tell President Obama: Call the Republicans' bluff on the debt ceiling. Click here to automatically sign our petition.

 

 

End Prohibition!--H.R. 2306, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, would remove marijuana from the federal Controlled Substances Act and limit the federal government's role in marijuana enforcement to cross-border or interstate smuggling. States would be able to legalize and regulate marijuana, or to continue to prohibit it, as they individually choose.  Please use our web form to contact your US Representative and your two US Senators in support of this historic bill. 

 

 

Tell Your Senators: "We Need the FACTS"!--Join us and people of faith across the country in marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (June 26) by asking your Senators to support the public release of the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation into CIA interrogation practices.  Send an e-mail to your Senators TODAY!

 

 

Clean Drinking Water Please!--Every day in the United States, people like you and me walk a few feet to a clean and private bathroom, turn on the tap and a small miracle happens: a flow of fresh, clean drinking water gushes out.  At the same time, there are women and girls all around the globe are not as fortunate. Instead, they have to make a dangerous trek of more than three and a half miles, on average, to gather water for their family. The water they collect, while desperately needed, isn't always clean or safe for human consumption. When they need to use the bathroom, they often retreat to the forest or bush because there is no toilet available; which then contaminates the very water supply they are drinking.  By taking action today, you can encourage the United States to be a leader in tackling this solvable problem.

 

 

Take Action for Farm Workers!--We are the food workers' union, and together with our brothers and sisters working at farms across the country, we put food on the table for America's families. And we think all farm workers deserve a union voice on the job. That's why our farm worker allies need your help! The Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act (SB 104), a bill that would give California farm workers the choice to join a union, has passed the California Senate and Assembly and is now in the hands of Governor Jerry Brown. He can either choose to sign or veto this bill.  Please help our brothers and sisters today! Sign the United Farm Workers' online petition to Gov. Jerry Brown and urge him to sign SB104, the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act.

 

 

 

Take Action to Support the Paycheck Fairness Act!--It’s clear that it’s up to Congress to fight for fair pay for women. Ask your members of Congress to stand up for women and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act right away!  http://action.momsrising.org/go/1001?akid=2794.179534.jIWDMg&t=4

 

 

Join the Campaign to End Corporate Rule!--We are asking you to sign the Petition to End Corporate Welfare and Expand Medicare. By closing this no-negotiation loophole, taxpayers—and Medicare—will save one trillion dollars in ten years. Please sign the petition

 

 

 

Take Action for Women, Children, and Families!--Please send a message to your House member to protect programs on which women and their families depend and to oppose right-wing efforts to pass dangerous measures, such as a balanced-budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.  As negotiations to pass the 2012 budget proceed, even more radical proposals are being advanced in the name of forcing harsh austerity measures on an already fragile economy. In addition to deep funding cuts to domestic programs that disproportionately serve and employ women, extremists in the House are also proposing a number of measures that would permanently shrink federal budgets. These radical proposals would throw hundreds of thousands out of work (jobs mostly held by women) and create long-term economic problems for our nation.  Conservative lawmakers are withholding their votes to increase the debt ceiling (which needs to be done in the next few weeks) in exchange for passage of their extreme and dangerous proposals. Your House member needs to hear from you!  Please tell your House member that: 1) Funding for vital social programs that help women and their families must be protected; 2) Such measures as the balanced-budget amendment, across-the-board spending caps, and reduction in the cost-of-living allowance will be harmful to the economy and to millions of working women and their families. Take Action NOW!

 

 

Stop Government Waste!--Two days from now marks the 40th anniversary of Nixon's declaration of the war on drugs – a war that's destroyed countless lives and cost the American public more than $1 trillion.  We're fed up with these disastrous policies – Congress MUST finally end this shockingly wasteful, counterproductive war. To make sure they get the message, we've designed a trillion dollar bill to symbolize this staggering waste of money.  On Friday, we will hand deliver a trillion dollar bill to each member of Congress and we want to include at least 25,000 letters of support. Please sign our letter now to make sure your name is included!

 

 

Stop Republicans from Disenfranchising Voters!--You need to know this: Republican governors and state legislatures are working to pass laws to suppress voter turnout in 2012. Texas, Wisconsin and Florida have already passed legislation including restricting early voting. Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maine might be next.  These are all crucial swing states in 2012. If Republicans can prevent Democratic voters from exercising their right, we could lose the White House. And we could lose the Senate. It's that simple.  Republicans can't win on the merits – look how unpopular their plan to kill Medicare is. But they might very well capture the Senate if they keep Democrats from voting. I need your help to fight back now. We need 100,000 people to stand with us and draw attention to the undemocratic actions of these Republican state legislators and governors. Will you add your name?  Click here to call out the Republican tactics to suppress voter turnout. Trying to prevent Americans from exercising their right to vote is wrong, and we won't stand for it.

 

 

 

Take Action to Protect America's Food Supply!--If we don’t believe having a safe food supply matters, just look to Germany – 31 people dead, 3,100 more infected, and millions of dollars in destroyed crops, all apparently due to a deadly new strain of E. coli bacteria.  While this particular strain hasn't been seen here yet, similarly dangerous bacteria have, and we continue to have outbreaks of foodborne illness. That threat prompted Congress just six months ago to modernize our nation’s horribly outdated food safety laws, which hadn't had a major change since the 1930s.  But TODAY, the House may turn back that progress on food safety in the United States! We need you to send an email right now so your Representative in Washington knows what you think of this plan.  Tell your Representative now isn’t the time to weaken our nation’s food safety system!

 

 

Tell Congress to Retain Power to Debate War!--The House of Representatives passed a new defense bill two weeks ago that strips Congress' critical role in warmaking decisions, and forces the armed forces to take on a new mission as judge, jury and jailor of all future foreign terrorism suspects. The Senate Armed Services Committee will decide whether to follow suit or change course starting this Wednesday.  Tell the Senate Armed Services Committee to protect Congress' role in deciding whether to go to war and limit the mission of our armed forces to prosecuting wars, not people. Not only are such choices smarter national security, they uphold the rule of law and American values.

 

 

Take Action for Farm Workers!--Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez collapsed in a field after nine hours of picking grapes in the hot sun, deprived of water and shade.¹ When she was admitted to the hospital, her body temperature was over 108°. Two days later, she died in her fiancé's arms.  Maria was one of six farm workers who died in California in 2009 of heat-related illness.  A bill that would help enforce worker safety standards, the kind that could have saved Maria, is about to be delivered to Governor Jerry Brown's desk. Brown will have 12 days to sign it into law, but he hasn't given any indication of where he stands.  Sign the petition to Governor Brown: Make the Fair Treatment for Farm Workers Act law.

 

 

Take Action to Protect Whistleblowers!--This day marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the Pentagon Papers in the New York Times, and today, the Times ran an op-ed by NWC Executive Director Stephen M. Kohn that tells the story of the first-ever whistleblowers in the United States. In 1777, a group of American sailors and marines blew the whistle on the first Commodore of the US Navy, accusing him of misconduct that included the torture of British soldiers. The Continental Congress did not throw the whistleblowers in solitary confinement, prosecute them, or execute them. Even in a time of war, the government did not use the "state secrets" privilege to hide these abuses. Instead, they passed a law that all whistleblowers should be protected, released all the records related to the whistleblowers' concerns, and used funds from Congress' meager treasury to protect the whistleblowers from retaliation.  TAKE ACTION! Stop Prosecuting National Security Whistleblowers

 

 

Take Action for Equal Pay Now!--In honor of the 48th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act, join us in telling Congress to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, to strengthen the law and help close the wage gap.

 

 

Keep Food Safety Off the Political Bargaining Table!--The E. coli outbreak in Europe is a somber reminder of the work that needs to be done to protect the public from threats to the safety of our food. Incredibly, in the midst of this crisis, our government is considering severe cuts to programs that are essential to the health of our food system here at home. Take action today to prevent budget cuts to important food programs!

 

 

Tell Congress, We Want Fair Change, NOT Spare Change!--Ten years ago this week, this dangerous plan was set in motion when President George W. Bush signed into law massive tax cuts for the wealthy. Since that time, some Members of Congress have used deficits primarily caused by those tax cuts as justification for cutting programs that millions of women and families depend on.  But on this not-so-happy anniversary, we urge you to take action on a bill that would help restore fairness to the tax code, protect critical services, and bring deficits under control. Tell your Representative to support the Fairness in Taxation Act.

 

 

 

Tell Congress to Pass the  Faster FOIA Act of 2011!--While Democrats and Republicans may have fundamentally different ideas about the role of the federal government, we should all agree that the government works best when citizens know what is going on.  The Faster FOIA Act of 2011 will reduce FOIA request backlogs, create a commission to streamline the FOIA process, and investigate whether or not federal agencies have been too quick to deny reasonable information inquiries from the public.  The LeahyForVermont.com community — including you —  played a key role in advancing similar reform legislation I introduced last year, but the House of Representatives still hasn't voted.  Send your representative a quick note today, imploring him or her to promote good government by improving the Freedom of Information Act and passing my Faster FOIA Act of 2011.

 

 

Take Action to Protect Patient's Access to Medicine!--Members of Congress recently introduced three new bills that would protect people who grow, sell and use medical marijuana from federal arrest and prosecution.  Now it is up to us to rally support for these crucial bills. Urge Your Rep. to co-sponsor bills protecting medical marijuana today.

 

 

Take Action for Univ. of Chicago Workers!--Right now at the University of Chicago, students are holding a study-in at President Robert Zimmer’s office until we get a commitment from him that our campus housekeepers and food service workers will not lose their jobs and many other benefits they’ve fought hard to get from their contracted employers. This is during our finals week but we’re not leaving until our campus workers get the respect they deserve.  Please support us by emailing President Zimmer and calling 773.702.8001 to tell him to stop the firing of dozens of campus workers!

 

 

Support Elizabeth Warren, Protect Consumers!--Professor Elizabeth Warren, an avid consumer advocate, is the frontrunner for being appointed as Director of the CFPB.  Warren has a long history of fighting for consumers.  She has made frequent site visits throughout the nation—including to NCLR’s Affiliates—to assess the fallout of the economic crisis.  She knows how our families struggle.  However, petty politics is rearing its ugly head once again, and some members of Congress are trying to weaken the CFPB’s influence by denying Warren’s appointment and maintaining the status quo.  Ask your senator to support Elizabeth Warren so American families can finally pull their heads above water! 
 

 

 

Call on Walmart to Disclose Political Contributions!--As Walmart's Shareholder Meeting approaches, now is the time to call on Walmart to let the public know the truth about its political giving.  Click here to take action now!

 

 

Take Action to Reform the Food System!--The Farm Bill is a massive piece of legislation that affects nearly every federal program that deals with food. It's passed every five years and dictates how our food is produced, sold, and distributed, and who has access to healthy, sustainable options for their families. The process of passing this bill has historically been dominated by corporate agribusinesses that push the interests of small farmers and consumers aside in order to secure huge profits.  We know that good, healthy, and sustainably-produced food is possible — let's get started by taking a stand for policies that will level the playing field for small farmers and provide healthy food for our families.   Here's our vision for the next Farm Bill:  1) Level the playing fields for all farmers, so that huge multinational corporations and mega factory farms don't control our food system; 2) Create food system infrastructure that will support new markets for farmers and eaters in every part of the country to make sure that everyone has access to healthy, safe, affordable and sustainably produced food; 3) Protect and build upon the progress we made in the last Farm Bill that promotes sustainable agriculture, local food systems and fair contracts for farmers.  You can help build the momentum for fair food by taking the first step. Sign the Fair Farm Bill Vision: http://action.foodandwaterwatch.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=5597

 

 

Tell Walmart to Demand Release of Human Rights Workers in Bangladesh!--Last summer, our friends and worker rights activists in Bangladesh were jailed and tortured for calling for an increase in the minimum wage, and they are still facing trumped up charges for speaking out for the lowest paid sweatshop workers in the world. As the largest buyer of Bangladesh's garment exports, Walmart has the responsibility and influence to demand these charges be dropped.  Tell Walmart to stop profiting from the jailing of Bangladeshi worker rights activists and to demand that all charges be dropped against them.

 

 

Tell the UW to Cut Contract with Human Rights Abuser!--Can you imagine handing millions of dollars to a corporation charged with everything from racial discrimination and poverty wage rates to union busting and price gouging?  Neither can the students of the University of Washington.  That's why they started a campaign to urge UW President Phyllis Wise to cut the university's contract with food service provider Sodexo,an international human rights abuser. Click here to sign their petition. 

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Ban All Political Contributions from Companies that Receive Substantial Money from Government Contracts!--Secretary Reich goes over how the "Military-Industrial-Congressional Complex" uses our tax money to lobby and fund politicians who, in turn, award those same companies ever more lucrative contracts for high-tech weapons and private security forces. It's a perverse cycle. Corporations that get most of their money from taxpayers shouldn't be allowed to spend that money backing candidates for office and lobbying in Congress.  The President doesn't have to wait for Congress to act. He can issue the order immediately and stop the flow of tax dollars into political and lobbying campaigns by giant government contractors.  Watch the video and ask President Obama to stop the political spending:  http://pol.moveon.org/militarycontractors?id=27605-1229593-9v26K4x&t=5

 

 

Make Single-Payer Healthcare a Reality in Vermont!--Single-payer health care is on the move in Vermont. We need your help to make it a reality.  Today Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin signed into law a plan that could put Vermont on the path to becoming the first state with a truly progressive universal health care system.  If successful, Vermont’s plan would provide health coverage to every resident of the state without forcing people to become customers of the private insurance industry. Yet Vermont won’t be able to fully achieve this goal without multiple waivers from federal health care programs to pursue its better plan.  Kathleen Sebelius is President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. She’s a critical decision maker in allowing Vermont to pursue its plan for a more effective unified health system. Can you sign our petition to Secretary Sebelius asking her to grant Vermont favorable terms on every waiver the state requests?  Make truly progressive universal health care a reality. Sign our letter to Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to grant Vermont favorable terms on every waiver the state requests.

 

 

Tell Congress to Honor Veterans by Providing Affordable Housing for Service Men and Women!--Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have given their lives serving our country. At Habitat for Humanity, it’s also a time to reflect on the gratitude we owe those men and women who return home. We need your help to make sure leaders in Congress know that veterans need a real chance at homeownership.  Please make sure that your members of Congress honor our veterans by protecting affordable homeownership.

 

 

 

Tell Psychology Today that Racism is UGLY!--Since Monday, more than 50,000 ColorOfChange members have called on Psychology Today to address it's decision to run an article that uses false science to argue that Black women are “objectively” less attractive than women of other races. Still, they've remained silent.  Can you help us get to 70,000? It takes a second to add your voice to the call, demanding PT apologize and explain how this won't happen again. Once we get to 70,000, we'll deliver your petitions to Psychology Today's headquarters to increase the pressure. http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/psychtoday

 

 

Take Action to Support Terminally Ill Patients!--This is big news, and we are hoping you will help spread the word in Washington.  All three bills would benefit medical marijuana patients and their providers. The “States’ Medical Marijuana Patient Protection Act,” which has been introduced in past sessions of Congress, would modify federal law so that individuals acting in compliance with state law are immune from federal prosecution.  The other two bills – the “Small Business Tax Equity Act of 2011” and the “Small Business Banking Improvement Act of 2011” – have never been introduced before and address critical tax and banking issues faced by medical marijuana centers and dispensaries as they attempt to serve patients, comply with statewide regulations, and pay their fair share of taxes.  Having lobbied Congress for years on these issues, MPP is excited to see the sponsors of these pieces of legislation sending a strong message to the rest of the nation about the need for the federal government to respect state medical marijuana laws and to treat fairly the individuals following them.  Now that these bills have been introduced, we need members of the House to sign on as co-sponsors. This is where you come in. We have drafted an email for you to send to your U.S. representative. With less than two minutes of your time, you can let your representative know that his or her constituents care about this issue. This really makes a difference.

 

 

Tell Congress to Retain Control Over War Decisions!--There is good news. Yesterday, the president threatened to veto provisions that would undermine our federal courts in trying terror suspects and restrict the president's ability to safely transfer innocent men trapped at Guantanamo back home. Federal courts have convicted more than 400 people of terror related crimes. They have more criminal statutes available to them to incapacitate terror suspects than military commissions do, and they have more than 200 years of precedent on which to rely. The new and untested commissions do not compare.  Yet, Congress has increasingly tried to tie the president's hands in counterterrorism. The administration's statement yesterday is its strongest signal to date that it will not tolerate further interference with executive branch authority. Urge your representatives to vote for amendments that would strip the NDAA of provisions that take away Congressional oversight in warmaking decisions and militarize our law enforcement and federal courts. Tell Congress that we have the tools that we need to fight terrorism!

 

 

 

Oppose Wisconsin-Style Cuts to Collective Bargaining Rights in Washington State!--Gov. Chris Gregoire has reportedly asked the Legislature to pass an agency consolidation bill (ESSB 5931) with weakened collective bargaining rights so more state services can be privatized. The only difference from this attack on state employees and what happened in Wisconsin is scale, the philosophy is the same: blame the impact of recession and the failures of management on the public employees and solve the "problem" by taking away their rights.  Under current law, state agencies have the option of contracting out work IF it can be demonstrated it will result in savings AND state employees have had the opportunity to present alternatives or bid to retain the work. ESSB 5931 consolidates several state agencies, but in the process, it abandons those bidding safeguards for taxpayers and state employees. It requires the state to solicit bids every biennium for contracting out services at this new consolidated agency, shuts public employees out of the bidding process, and permits the agency to proceed with privatization if its chief financial officer thinks its cheaper or more efficient.  Like the workers' compensation bill that was rammed through on Monday, ESSB 5931 is expected to be acted upon at any time as the Legislature rushes to pass a budget and adjourn by Wednesday's deadline. *CLICK HERE to contact your legislators [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/261/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2227

 

 

Tell Congress to End the Crack/Powder Sentencing Disparity!--When Congress voted to narrow the unjust disparity in sentences for crack and powder cocaine offenses last summer, lawmakers didn't apply the change retroactively. As a result, thousands of people are still locked up under the old laws that treated crack, which is often found in low-income Black communities, as if it were 100 times worse than powder cocaine.  The U.S. Sentencing Commission will vote soon on whether to do its part in righting this wrong. In the run-up to a June 1st hearing on the issue, they’ve asked for public input. Could you take a moment to tell the commissioners that people serving federal sentences for crack offenses should not be behind bars simply because deeply flawed laws put them there years ago? And after you do, please ask your families and friends to do the same. It only takes a moment: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/retroactive

 

 

Join Ohio State Univ. Students in Taking a Stand for Human Rights!--Right now at the Ohio State University, over 80 students have occupied the office of President Gordon Gee -- the highest-paid public university president in the nation -- to take a stand with Sodexo workers on our campus and around the world fighting for their human rights. When Gee met Carina Mieses, a Dominican worker fired by Sodexo for organizing against sweatshop conditions, he said to her face, "human rights are ... not my problem." We won't leave unless Gee terminates OSU's $100 Million contract with this global outsourcing giant.  Stand with us and email president Gordon Gee to tell him to finally kick out Sodexo. Then call President Gee’s office at 614-292-2424 expressing your support of the students sitting in.

 

 

Tell Secretary Clinton to Say NO to the Kochs!--Could there be a better opportunity to strike the Kochs where it hurts? Help us stop Koch Industries, Inc. from profiting off a pipeline that would carry the dirtiest oil on Earth through six states, one of America’s most important aquifers and almost 2,000 miles of American homes and farmland.  The Koch brothers stand to make millions off of this destructive act, and Congressional Republicans this week are trying to speed the project's approval.  But Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the ability to stop this.  She alone has the power to approve or reject the pipeline.  Sign our petition and help us reach our goal of 50,000 individuals telling Secretary Clinton to say No to the Kochs and Yes to protecting Americans.

 

 

 

Tell Wal*Mart to Stand Up for Human Rights!--In the next few weeks, the Walmart Corporation will help decide if three activists live or die.  See, Walmart relies on cheap subcontractors across the developing world, many of which force workers to toil in unimaginable conditions.  Three Bangladeshis, Kalpona Akter , Babul Akhter, and Aminul Islam, had been fighting to help the workers at some suppliers in their country.  Rather than treat workers fairly, these suppliers have filed false criminal charges against the trio. The accusations are demonstrably false. For example, the supplier claims that Kalpona and Babul destroyed property on a day when multiple witnesses saw them at a meeting 35 kilometers away. But so far, that hasn’t mattered. Kalpona, Babul, and Aminul were imprisoned and tortured for their activism. They now await a sham of a trial that could begin as soon as June 1st. If it doesn’t go well, they could be sentenced to death -- and once the trial begins, the process is almost impossible to reverse.  If Walmart demands that the suppliers drop the charges, the activists will likely go free. But there are only two weeks until the window for intervention closes.  Let’s create a huge uproar that shows Walmart executives that customers around the globe are watching their decision. Please sign the petition calling on them to demand that false charges be dropped immediately: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-walmart-intervene-before-labor-activists-are-sentenced-to-death

 

 

Tell UMD to Drop Daycon!--Last Friday, during finals, I was one of more than 15 students who held a study-in at the office of University of Maryland President Wallace Loh to end our contract with Daycon, a $50 million union-busting company that operates out of the mid-Atlantic region.  E-mail President Loh right now and urge him to listen to students and Drop Daycon!

 

 

Tell Attorney General Holder to Keep His Promises!--Despite the Obama Administration's promise to respect state laws, lawyers in the federal government are now threatening to arrest and prosecute people who are legally licensed to grow medical marijuana under state law.  These ideologues are trying to block sensible regulation – and they've already succeeded in Washington State.  We must stop them from erasing all the progress we've made and from leaving patients out in the cold.  Write U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder today to demand that the federal government keep its promise to respect state medical marijuana laws.

 

 

Tell Farmer's Markets to Respect Free Speech!--Washington farmers markets are open for business, but not all of them are open to free speech. We've gotten reports from across the state of market organizers banning or limiting signature gathering or political signs or leafletting. Sign our petition to the Washington Farmers Market Association asking them to keep these community gathering places open to free speech.

 

 

 

Tell IKEA to Stop Union-busting and Intimidation of Workers!--In Sweden, almost all of IKEA's workers are in unions. They earn about $19 an hour minimum and get five weeks of paid vacation.  But at an IKEA subsidiary factory in Danville, Virginia, workers report they are facing pay cuts, mandatory overtime, racial discrimination, and dangerous conditions on the job. The workers want a union to stop the mistreatment. But instead of respecting its workers' right to form a union like IKEA does in Sweden, its subsidiary in Virginia hired unionbusting consultants and discouraged union membership in mandatory employee meetings. And, worst of all, workers who support forming a union have now been fired!¹  Tell IKEA's CEO: Stop the intimidation. Make sure your workers have a fair shot to join a union!

 

 

Tell NC Judge to Stop Plan to Remove Children from Mother's Custody because of Mother's Cancer Diagnosis!--Alaina Giordano was diagnosed with breast cancer three and half years ago. That was bad. This is worse: On April 25th, a judge in North Carolina used Alaina's cancer as a key reason to transfer custody of her 5-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter to her ex-husband (a man Alaina describes as "abusive" and who lives more than 700 miles away). This is happening even though Alaina says her kids "know that I have cancer, they know that I go for treatment once a month now, they know that it's stable. They know me as mom, and it doesn't affect our daily life."  She has just two weeks to appeal, and her hope is that a huge outcry from the public and local elected officials can help reverse the decision. Thankfully, that outcry is growing quickly. A petition started by Alaina's sister Lauren has more than 7,000 signatures, Alaina was interviewed on Good Morning America and the Today Show, and media throughout North Carolina and the U.S. are now covering the injustice. But time is short, and the wrong outcome here sets a dangerous precedent for mothers and fathers with cancer or other serious diseases. Please sign Lauren's petition asking that Alaina Giordano's breast cancer not be used as a reason to take away her kids: http://www.change.org/petitions/do-not-allow-nc-judge-to-take-alaina-giordanos-children-just-because-she-has-cancer

 

 

Tell UW President to Drop Sodexo and Stop Privatizing the UW at the Expense of Students and Workers!--Right now we're with over fifty students of the UW Kick Out Sodexo Coaltion, taking a stand for worker rights by occupying the office of University of Washington President Phyllis Wise.  Stand with us - E-mail President Wise to tell her to listen to students and terminate Sodexo's $3.4 million contract with the UW.

 

 

 

Tell Your Representatives to Support Tax Fairness!--If we can get 100 Representatives to sign on in support of tax fairness this month, we'll be on our way to forcing a vote before the nation defaults on its debts. Will your Representative help? Do they support tax fairness – or are they willing to let the country default so that millionaires and billionaires can keep their bonus checks?  Check here to find out and ask your Rep. to support tax fairness before it's too late!

 

 

Tell Pres. Skorton to Stop Supporting Sweatshop Abuse!--Right now, members of Cornell Students Against Sweatshops are holding a "study-in" our President’s office to demand that our University stop paying the corporate-run Fair Labor Association (FLA), a corrupt factory monitoring group that whitewashes the biggest brands like Nike and adidas, giving them good PR at the expense of worker rights.  Call and e-mail President Skorton and let him know that a decade and a half is too long for our tuition money to go toward the FLA: (607) 255-5201!

 

 

Tell House Members to Stop Anti-Whistleblower Bill--Republicans in the House of Representatives have proposed a radical anti-whistleblower bill (the Grimm bill) that, if passed, will completely undermine the ability of corporate whistleblowers to expose fraud and violations of securities laws.  TAKE ACTION!  Help Stop Corporate Fraud!

 

 

 

Ask Pres. Obama to Investigate the Abuse of Solitary Confinement!--Please send an email to the President  asking for an investigation into the use of prolonged solitary confinement in U.S. prisons.

 

 

Tell Congress to Vote NO on Privatizing Medicare!--You’ve worked hard throughout your life. And you’ve contributed your fair share to Medicare so you – and your parents and children – don’t have to beg, borrow or steal during retirement to get decent health care.  But now, some members of Congress want to break that deal. They want to privatize Medicare and turn your healthcare in retirement over to the insurance companies. That’s right. The same insurance companies that rake in billions in profits and refuse to cover people who are getting older, are seriously ill, or have pre-existing conditions. Does this sound like a good idea to you?  If you think it’s a bad idea, tell Congress now! A budget to privatize Medicare has already passed the House, and may be voted on soon in the Senate!

 

 

Tell Congress, "Defend Consumers, Not Just Wall Street and Big Banks!"--Less than one year after Congress enacted landmark financial reforms, some of its members want to REVERSE course. Why? Is it because our economy has improved so much? No. Because the tricks and traps in consumer loans have disappeared? Hardly.  Some lawmakers are trying to gut the reforms because Wall Street and big banks are lobbying them to do so, even though these actions put both American families and our economic recovery at risk.  TAKE ACTION

 

 

Support Fair Trade--OPPOSE FREE TRADE!--The KFTA and the Columbia and Panama deals, which are coming up soon, override national, state, and local sovereignty over health, labor, and environmental standards. These agreements are worse than NAFTA.  The House is on recess May 16–22. Click here to take action.

 

 

Tell Louisiana Legislators that FACTS MATTER!--There's no such thing as evolution. There's no such thing as climate change. And that's the law.  Outrageous as it sounds, this is the situation that thousands of science teachers find themselves in as more and more states pass radical laws promoting the teaching of creationism and climate-change denial in public classrooms.  But in Louisiana, one high school senior is fighting back.  Zack Kopplin is just 17 years old, but he knows what's right: He wants his science teachers to teach him science, not religion. Zack is spearheading a campaign to repeal the Louisiana law that pushes science teachers to deny evolution and climate change.  Zack wrote a letter to the Louisiana state legislature, and 42 Nobel Prize winners have signed it, too. Now, he's asking you to join his fight on Change.org.  Zack's campaign is working: On April 15th, Louisiana State Senator Karen Carter Peterson introduced a bill to repeal the repeal the recent legislation, but Zack still needs help to keep the pressure up.  Please sign the petition today to tell the Louisiana legislature to let science teachers teach science: http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-louisiana-to-teach-real-science-in-public-schools-not-creationism-and-climate-change-denial

 

 

Tell Congress to End the FAILED WAR ON DRUGS!--Since the declaration of a "war on drugs" 40 years ago, America has spent at least $1 trillion on the drug war. It cost U.S. taxpayers at least $51 billion in 2009 at the state and federal level. That’s $169 for every man, woman and child in America.  If Congress wants to cut wasteful spending, this is a good place to start. Tell Congress to end the war on drugs: http://www.democrats.com/end-the-war-on-drugs

 

 

 

Take Action to Ensure Hospitals Provide Healthy and Clean Services!--For older patients and those with multiple health problems, a trip to the hospital can be dangerous and even deadly. It’s just not right. Hospitals should be places that make us better. Make us whole. Help us heal. We should be able to rely on hospitals to take good care of us, not put us at greater risk.  There is a better way. And that’s why we’ve launched the Healthy Hospital Initiative, a nationwide movement of patients demanding better care at the bedside and beyond.  We need your help.  Add your name to our Healthy Hospital petition — and then find out if your own hospital is on board.

 

 

Sign Petition to Show Support for Tina Anderson!--http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/isupporttinaanderson/

 

 

Tell Congress to Urge President Obama to Close School of the Americas!--Urge your Representative to also pressure President Obama to shut down the School of the Americas (SOA/ WHINSEC) by executive order.  Click Here to Send a Message to Your Representative

 

 

Join Tucson Students in Demanding Ethnic Studies Remain on Campus!--Today there are three simple things you can do to Turn the Tide from hate to human rights.  1. Watch this inspiring video of Tucson Students taking action to defend their right to learn.  2. Sign their petition to save ethnic studies in Tucson  3. Sign up to attend the National Turning the Tide Summit in Virginia at the end of this month.
 

 

 

Stop NewsCorp From Selling Self-Destructing E-books!--By day, Andy Woodworth is a mild-mannered librarian. By night, he's still a librarian, just less mild-mannered.  Andy is kind of famous in the librarian community, mostly for getting the Old Spice guy to do a video about how great libraries are, and unsuccessfully campaigning to get Ben & Jerry's to create a flavor called the "Gooey Decimal System." (If you don't get the pun, just ask someone ten years older.)  Oh, and now he's using Change.org to help lead the charge in a fight against NewsCorp, one of the world's most powerful companies.  See, more and more libraries are beginning to buy e-books, like those read on a Kindle or similar device. They're programmed to be like normal books -- lent out to one reader at a time, returned, and downloaded by another reader. It's simple, and especially great for working parents or the disabled who have a hard time making it to a library.  But publishing giant HarperCollins (owned by NewsCorp) is trying to force libraries to only buy e-books that literally self-destruct after the 26th reader in an attempt to maximize profits.   Having to repeatedly buy the same book will be a financial and logistical disaster for libraries, one that could force a few to close their doors. Even worse, there are signs that other publishing companies may soon follow the lead of HarperCollins, which could devastate libraries all around the world.   Some amazing librarians have launched a full boycott of HarperCollins until the decision is reversed, but they urgently need widespread support to force NewsCorp to back down. Andy's petition demanding an end to self-destructing e-books has a goal of 100,000 signatures -- click here to add your name now:  http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-harpercollins-limited-checkouts-on-ebooks-is-wrong-for-libraries

 

 

Tell Boehner to Stop Wasting Tax Money Supporting Discrimination!--The media is buzzing. King & Spalding, the law firm hired by House Republican leaders to defend the discriminatory Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), decided to drop the case.  Last week, we ran a public campaign calling out K&S's hypocrisy: the firm touted its efforts to recruit and retain lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lawyers, while choosing to argue against their equality in court.  As I wrote in today's Washington Post, we just couldn't stay silent while K&S advertised a high rating on HRC's Corporate Equality Index, even as it sought to defend discrimination.  K&S made the right call in the end – and we thank them. But House Speaker John Boehner is still planning to spend more than half a million of our tax dollars on defending DOMA in court.   We need to build on the momentum of K&S's decision – and make it clear to Speaker Boehner that he's out of touch with the American people.   Add your name to our petition to Boehner: "Don't waste my tax dollars defending discrimination. Repeal DOMA!"

 

 

Tell Wal*Mart to STOP EXPLOITING WORKERS!--Fueled in part by Walmart's subcontractor factory, the crackdown on peaceful labor advocates in Bangladesh continues without an end in sight.  Make sure Walmart hears from YOU! Sign our online petition

 

 

Take Action for Working Families!--Republicans in the House of Representatives recently passed a budget that turns Medicare over to insurance companies and gives seniors a voucher to buy their own health coverage—costing them $6,000 more a year when fully phased in. And the Republican plan would raise the Medicare eligibility age to 67, from 65 today.  Don't make us work until we die: Sign the petition!

 

 

Tell Internet Service Providers and Communications Providers to Protect Your Privacy!--The things we do and say online leave behind ever-growing trails of personal information. This was dramatically demonstrated last week when security researchers revealed that Apple's iPhone tracks users' locations and saves them to a secret file on the device — and onto users' computers when the two are synced. Apple has promised to fix the problem, but things like this happen all too often. With every click, we entrust our conversations, emails, photos, location information and much more to companies like Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google. But what happens when the government asks these companies to hand over their users' private information?  Tell the companies you use that it's time to protect your privacy!
 

 

 

Tell Congress to Hold Israel Accountable for War Crimes!--The UN Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict found that Israel committed violations of human rights and international law, war crimes and possible crimes against humanity before, during, and after "Operation Cast Lead," Israel's Dec. 2008 to Jan. 2009 onslaught against the Gaza Strip, which killed more than 1,400 Palestinians.  Even before the fact-finding mission was established, and ever since, the Obama Administration and Congress have worked hard to discredit the UN mission and prevent the international community from acting upon its findings.  Now, the House of Representatives is upping the ante by considering a resolution to withhold payment of U.S. dues to the UN until it retracts the final report of the fact-finding mission.  Please take action right now to prevent this from happening.

 

 

Stand with Tulane University Students Against Oppression!--Just moments ago, I and other students began to occupy the President's office at Tulane University. For over a year and a half, students and workers have organized together in a campaign for living wages and fair working conditions here on the Tulane campus in New Orleans. We believe the time is now to urge the University to reconsider their contract with Sodexo in response to overwhelming evidence of the billionaire corporation's human rights violations and worker mistreatment locally and globally.  Take a minute to show your solidarity with students and workers and email President Scott Cowen, then call his office at 504-865-5201 to demand that the University stop doing business with Sodexo.

 

 

 

Take Action for Food NOT Bombs!--http://www.capwiz.com/peaceactionwest/issues/alert/?alertid=42839501&type=CO

 

 

Tell Your Senators to Protect Working Families!--On April 15, nearly every House Republican voted to give massive new tax cuts to corporations and the rich while demolishing services for seniors, children and low- and middle-income Americans.  This isn't a budget bill--it's a political payback bill that raids Medicare, Social Security and education to reward corporate CEOs with massive tax cuts.  Urge your senators and President Obama to stand firmly with working families and reject the radical House Republican Robin-Hood-in-reverse plan: [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=2012 ].

 

 

Support Emory University Students in Demanding They Discontinue Contracting with Sodexo!--My name is Andrea Nicholls and I am a student at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Right now, we are occupying the Emory administration office to demand that President James Wagner 1.) terminate the university's contract with Sodexo and 2.) uphold its ethical values by raising Emory's employment standards for subcontracted workers. Over 100 students just rallied outside with MLK's nephew, Isaac Farris Jr., and state senator Vincent Fort.  Stand with us! E-mail President Wagner right now!

 

 

Support Students in Demanding Living Wages at William & Mary!--Hey! This is Maggie from William and Mary's Living Wage Coalition, a USAS affiliate. We are occupied the President's Office beginning at 9:00 AM today because the administration is still being unresponsive to implementing living wages after 10 years of struggle! After over 15 meetings with the administration, and tons of rallies and creative actions, the administration has still failed to take any concrete steps to include living wages in next year's budget.  Please e-mail President Taylor Reveley

 

 

 

Take Action for UMiami Students' First Amendment Rights!--Donna Shalala - former Clinton cabinet member, rumored candidate for Secretary of Education, and UMiami President - is trying to shut down our progressive student organization, Students Toward A New Democracy (STAND). STAND organized campus support for the janitors' ground-breaking UM Living Wage strike in 2006, and now we're leading the faculty and student support for leaders of Overtown, a historic Black community where UMiami is expanding.  E-mail Donna Shalala and tell her she cannot silence student voices. Then call her office at 305-284-5155.

 

 

Support Washington's College Students!--You saw the story in the Seattle Times, right? Too many of our students can’t get into a four-year college in Washington. And too many students struggle to afford college.  Why? Our state has been balancing its budget on the backs of Washington’s current and future college students for the last few years.  We asked high school and college students about how they’ve been treated in the state budget. See their faces and the messages they want YOU to help send to state lawmakers.  Take action on behalf of Washington’s college students.

 

 

Stop Blocking Out Progressive Protests!--A sparsely attended Tea Party rally in Washington, D.C., on March 31 in support of federal spending cuts received generous media attention. One report (Slate, 3/31/11) suggested there was "at least one reporter for every three or four activists," and a Republican politician joked that there might be more journalists than activists at the event.  An antiwar rally in New York City on April 9 was in some respects very similar. Protesters were speaking out on an equally timely issue (wars in Afghanistan and Libya), and connecting them to the budget and near-government shutdown in Washington.  The difference? The ratio of activists to journalists. The antiwar protest had thousands of attendees--and received almost zero corporate media coverage.  According to the Nexis news database, the rally was apparently deemed not remotely newsworthy. The local New York Times didn't cover it--though it did have time for the D.C. Tea Party rally (4/1/11). NPR's Morning Edition (4/1/11) and the PBS NewsHour (3/31/11) reported on the Tea Party rally, which was also mentioned a few times on CNN and previewed on NBC's Today show (3/31/11).  Who did cover the antiwar rally? You could find reports from local New York outlets like the news site Gothamist (4/10/11), WABC and NY1, the left-wing Socialist Worker (4/11/11) and a handful of other sites.  What explains the wildly different treatment of the events? The organizers of the antiwar rally say they put serious resources into media outreach, and held a press conference the day before the event (which was reportedly attended by one reporter from Russia Today). The rally was framed as a way to talk about war and the budget debate, so it's hard to argue that it wasn't timely or relevant.  This isn't the first time this have focused on Tea Party events while ignoring progressive activism that was comparable or greater in size:  --In September 2009, a Tea Party march in Washington attracted tens of thousands of participants. So did a gay rights march the following month--and it elicited far less media attention (Extra!, 12/09).  --In June 2010, media demonstrated almost no interest in the progressive U.S. Social Forum, which drew thousands to Detroit. A tiny Tea Party convention in Nashville earlier in the year was widely covered (Extra!, 9/10).  --Two thousand protesters marched on the Washington offices of Koch Industries on April 5 to protest Charles and David Koch's funding of an array of right-wing interest groups. Few media were on hand to cover the event (FAIR Blog, 4/5/11)  It's time for to media explain why it seems that any Tea Party event, no matter how small, is considered far more newsworthy than progressive citizen activism.  Sign FAIR's petition today!

 

 

Tell Congress to Represent the People!--On Friday, John Boehner's House Republicans plan to ram through their rightwing TeaParty budget for 2012, which would destroy Medicare to pay for bigger tax breaks for billionaires.  But the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) fought for - and won - a separate vote on the "People's Budget," which fights for the priorities we and most Americans support.  Tell your Representatives to vote for the CPC People's Budget.

In a nutshell, the CPC People's Budget:

1. Eliminates the Deficit by 2021 without devastating Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

The CPC budget targets the true drivers of deficits: the Bush Tax Cuts, the wars overseas, and the causes and effects of the recent recession. By implementing a fair tax code, by building a resilient American economy, and by bringing our troops home, it achieves a budget surplus of over $30 billion by 2021.

2. Puts America Back to Work & Restores America's Competitiveness

The CPC budget rebuilds our roads and bridges, ensuring that those who use it help pay for it. It rebuilds our education system by training more and better teachers, restoring schools, helping each student graduate, and supporting community colleges.

3. Creates a Fair Tax System

The CPC budget ends the Bush Tax Cuts and estate tax breaks and creates fair tax brackets for millionaires and billionaires. It ensures the banks that wrecked our economy pay a modest financial responsibility fee and that exotic trading by Wall Street traders is taxed. It guarantees that hedge fund managers do not get special treatment by taxing capital gains and dividends as ordinary income. It eliminates charity to oil companies making record profits from price gouging at the pump. And it taxes US corporate income as it is earned, in much the same way Americans are taxed.

4. Brings Our Troops Home

The CPC budget responsibly ends our wars that are currently paid for by American taxpayer dollars we do not have. It also realigns conventional and strategic forces, resulting in $2.3 trillion worth of savings.

Tell your Representatives to vote for the CPC People's Budget.

 

 

Take Action for a Fair Farm Bill!--Here at Food & Water Watch, we're sowing the seeds for a Fair Farm Bill. We know the change needed to fix our food system is going to start small and that we'll need nothing short of a national movement to fight the corporate special interests that have been dictating our bad farm policies for decades. It's time to get started. Join us by signing our petition and backing our vision for a better food system!
 

 

 

Tell Your Senators to Set Up a Withdrawal Plan for Afghanistan Now!--"Unbelievable.” That’s how a retired army colonel described a new report that details rising catastrophic injuries to US troops. General Petraeus may have just testified to Congress that we're making progress in Afghanistan, but the number of soldiers losing more than one limb tripled in 2010. [1]   These numbers are tragic, but they don't lie. The war in Afghanistan continues to spiral out of control, and it’s unconscionable for our government to expect soldiers to continue this enormous sacrifice in an unnecessary war. Tell your senators to cosponsor Sen. Boxer’s bill requiring the president to set a timeline for withdrawal, starting in July.

 

 

 

Tell Congress We Need Some Sanity When It Comes To Security!--The TSA's out-of-control security measures have shocked us before. But this latest story is undeniable proof that we need a change: They frisked a 6 year-old who was left confused and in tears because she thought she did something wrong.¹ Aviation security requires striking a delicate balance between the personal safety of passengers and their right to privacy. Unfortunately, the TSA has developed increasingly invasive methods of searching passengers — methods that are clearly encroaching on our rights.  We must rein in these invasive, out-of-control searches and implement security measures that ensure passenger privacy. 
Tell Congress: We need some sanity when it comes to security.

 

 

End Discrimination in the Workplace!--Take Action Now: Write your senators and urge them to co-sponsor the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) because every worker should be judged on the merits, not because of their gender or sexual identity.  Did you know that in most states, someone can be discriminated against, fired, or not hired simply because he or she is or is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender? In fact, there is currently no federal law protecting individuals from job discrimination based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.  Today, however, Senator Jeff Merkley, D. Ore., and Senator Mark Kirk, R. Ill. are reintroducing the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employment discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.  ENDA is modeled on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on race, religion, gender, national origin, and color. This bill would protect a group of people who have been historically, and are currently, discriminated against. In a nation which prides itself on opportunity, it is deplorable that hardworking Americans would be kept from supporting their families and contributing to the economy because of characteristics that have no bearing on their ability to do a job. But Congress has the opportunity to remedy this injustice by passing ENDA.  Take a stand against job discrimination - write your senators and urge them to co-sponsor ENDA.

 

 

Tell the IMF to Use Record Profits to Help People!--These days, the news is all about budget cuts. Aid to poor countries is on the chopping block in Washington and around the world. But believe or not, one institution, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is actually facing a surplus – of almost $3 billion –  and it's trying to figure out what to do with it.  Please take action today by signing our petition urging the IMF to use its nearly $3 billion in windfall profits to support poor people around the world struggling with hunger and poverty.

 

 

Tell Northeastern University to Respect Human Rights by Declining to Contract with Human Rights Violators!--This week, my university may hand over a multi-million dollar contract to the global human rights abuser, Sodexo, refusing to take seriously input from the students and workers who the contract affects.  Click here to e-mail President Aoun and tell him to stand up for human rights and reject Sodexo's bid. Then, call him at 617-373-2101 to make sure he gets the message.

 

 

 

Take Action for Affordable Housing!--Please click here to send this message to your Senator today:  "Please pull 2SHB 1128, SHB 1699, and EHB 1398 out of Senate Rules.  Each of these bills will help ensure that more people will have the opportunity to live in safe, healthy and affordable housing and exit homelessness."

 

 

Tell Congress to Pass the Paycheck Fairness Act!--Next Tuesday is Equal Pay Day, the day when an average woman's wages will catch up to those of her male counterparts in 2010. That's right — the wage gap equates to over THREE MONTHS' worth of women's work. A steep discount, and it's outrageous!  Fortunately, some of our allies in Congress think that the wage gap is as outrageous as we do. So in honor of Equal Pay Day, they are reintroducing the Paycheck Fairness Act on Tuesday!  Ask your Members of Congress to co-sponsor the Paycheck Fairness Act today!

 

 

Help couples get equal treatment in Washington--Hawaii and Illinois joined a growing number of states that are recognizing same-sex relationships. But those relationships are not legally recognized here in our state, even though voters approved domestic partnerships for Washington residents. Imagine if you had to get married in every state you pass through, just to protect your right to be a family. Same-sex couples face this problem every time they travel. Tell Governor Gregoire to sign HB 1649, a bill that protects the rights of legally recognized same-sex partnerships from other states and countries.

 

 

 

Tell Costco to Stop Selling Gold Mined by Child Labor!--Gold is mined by child and slave labor in 17 countries around the world. Children as young as five have been found working in gold mines, and children under 14 are regularly forced to handle dangerous chemicals and perform backbreaking labor. Much of this gold ends up in jewelry and consumer electronics sold in the U.S.  Costco can become a leader in the movement to stop child exploitation in the gold industry –– and our best chance to make that happen is by acting right now to pressure Costco to follow Target's good example.  Tell Costco to stop selling gold mined by children and exploited workers:  http://www.change.org/petitions/urge-costco-to-sell-ethical-gold?alert_id=hlFrOkxWfN_gKrRoxrUpu&me=aa

 

 

 

Save the Babies from Mutilation!--When you think about an infant boy being circumcised, what comes to mind? For me, it’s a screaming child being restrained against his will, with a doctor looming over him, clamp or scalpel in hand.  For more than a third of America’s infants, this painful, unnecessary trauma is still happening, every single day—at the hands of the very physicians America’s parents are supposed to trust.  At Intact America, we know that any form of genital cutting of babies is wrong—ethically, morally, and medically—and it’s time our pediatricians, family physicians, and obstetricians tell parents the truth about infant circumcision: it doesn’t aid in hygiene, it doesn't make the normal penis "look better," and it does not prevent disease.  Send a message to the doctors who matter—the members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), and the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)—and tell them to stop performing circumcisions. Tell them to Put Down The Knife!

 

 

Say "No" To Another "NAFTA" and Protect Working U.S. Families!--Did you know that over the coming weeks Congress is slated to pass the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KorUS FTA) that would be the largest trade deal since the passage of North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)? NAFTA devastated livelihoods for millions of peasants, family farmers, and workers in Mexico, the U.S., and Canada while allowing corporations to make exorbitant profits.  Now is the time to tell your U.S. Representatives and Senators that we need to learn from the mistakes of the past, not repeat them.

 

 

Today is World Water Day: Stand Up for the Human Right to Water!--Take Action to Stop Water Privatization Around the World!
 

 

 

Tell Congress to Repeal the Entire PATRIOT Act!--The "library records" provision of the so-called Patriot Act could also be known as the "gun records" provision, because it also allows the FBI to seize the forms you use to buy guns.  This infamous provision, Section 215, is a direct assault on your Fourth Amendment rights because it allows the FBI to obtain personal information about you, without a warrant and without your knowledge.  Section 215 is set to expire in May, along with two other provisions. But Congress will probably renew these provisions unless it hears from YOU.  Tell Congress to repeal the ENTIRE Patriot Act, and renew NONE of its provisions.

 

 

 

Stop A New Financial Disaster!--Tell Congress: Repealing the Wall Street Reform Act will lead to future financial disasters and is totally unacceptable: [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1736 ].
 

 

 

Say "No" to Life-Destroying Cuts!--The Republicans are winning the battle over the budget, hands down, even though what they're fighting for is, put simply, immoral. A cut of at least $400 million from a crucial program that puts food on the table for pregnant women and small children. Crippling the EPA. Completely eliminating funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, AmeriCorps, and high-speed rail.¹  Instead of creating jobs, the Republican budget would destroy 700,000 of them. Our only hope is a public outcry strong enough to stiffen Democrats' spines and cause Republicans to back down.  Sign our petition to Congress and the president, asking them to say "no" to these brutal cuts.

 

 

 

Keep American Money For American Jobs!--$7 million. That's how much America's taxpayers gave Philips Global in stimulus funds to continue investing in U.S. manufacturing jobs.  But Philips would rather take the money and run.  Philips is about to close one of its most profitable lighting plants, leaving 275 workers in Sparta, Tennessee, jobless and an entire community devastated. Where are those jobs going? Mexico.  The attacks on middle class jobs in Wisconsin and other states have galvanized Americans to stand up against shameful moves like this. Now these workers need our help.  Tell Philips' CEO: Keep the lights on in Sparta, Tennessee, and keep good jobs in America!

 

 

 

Repeal DOMA!--It's official: Speaker John Boehner has announced that the House of Representatives will fight on for discrimination by defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court.  Now, we need to send the Speaker an announcement of our own.  When President Obama instructed the Department of Justice to stop defending DOMA in court, it was a major step for LGBT equality — but it wasn't a done deal. The Department of Justice had to give Congress a chance to keep defending this unjust law.  And after consulting with the "Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group" — a sham panel that was guaranteed to support him — Speaker Boehner has made his choice. I hope you'll join me today in sending him the ACLU's response.  Tell Speaker Boehner: "DOMA is an unconstitutional and discriminatory law. If you want to keep defending it, then we'll see you in court!"

 

 

Take Action to Protect Workers' Rights in WA!--Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said he wanted to balance the budget. But last night, Wisconsin Senate Republicans used a cheap political trick to rubber stamp the governor's attack on collective bargaining--and it won't save Wisconsin taxpayers one dime.  Now their true motive--paying back CEO campaign donors by stealing workers' rights to bargain for a middle-class life--is exposed for all to see.  Tell your WA lawmakers: Don't try this in my state. Attacks on collective bargaining will not stand. Politicians who ignore the will of the people will pay the price at the ballot box: [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1691 ].

 

 

 

Stand Up With Working Americans!--Here in Ohio, the attack on workers’ rights has gone farther than in Wisconsin, if you can believe it. Tomorrow, the House may pass a bill that strips away collective bargaining rights from an even broader group of workers than the bill in Wisconsin that has sparked weeks of protests: Even Ohio’s police and firefighters would lose their rights.  Stand with Ohio workers and students, and tell Governor Kasich and Speaker Batchelder to stop the attack on workers’ rights.

 

 

Tell ABC to Cut the Hypocrisy!--ABC World News With Diane Sawyer kicked off its "Made in America" series on February 28, encouraging consumers to buy U.S.-made products in order to spur job growth. But why focus on consumers and not major corporations like ABC parent Disney, who are the ones who actually choose to manufacture products overseas?  The February 28 report consisted of reporter David Muir touring one family's home, discovering that the vast majority of the family's possessions are not made in the United States. Muir even checks the children's toys, only to discover that they are mostly made in China.  Consumers, of course, do not choose where the products offered in their local stores are manufactured. Instead of focusing on what consumers should do with their limited choices, why not focus on the much more powerful decisions made by major corporations--like Disney? FAIR founder Jeff Cohen (CommonDreams, 2/27/11) checked the label at the Disney Store website:  What would be more helpful is a TV news series that scrutinizes the powerful U.S. corporations that make decisions every day determining what products mainstream Americans have access to.  I scrutinized Disney myself by going to DisneyStore.com -- "Official Site for Disney Merchandise." The first 40 products I looked at were all listed as "Imported."  As Muir put it at the close of the segment, "Economists say if we spent 1 percent more than what we're spending now on American goods, we could create 200,000 jobs immediately."  "That's 18 cents a day!" anchor Diane Sawyer exclaimed. The following night (3/1/11) Sawyer reiterated that point, telling viewers that spending just $64 a year will create 200,000 U.S. jobs.  Why is the focus on consumers--and not corporations? Will the ABC series talk about Disney, whose reliance on cheap labor is well-documented? The company's history is not encouraging. As FAIR pointed out (Action Alert, 11/20/00), ABC News killed critical investigations into Disney theme parks and sweatshops, evidence of a larger pattern: One ABC producer says that the need to avoid news stories that might displease Disney "comes up all the time" because "no one here wants to piss off the bosses" (New Yorker, 8/14/00).  The closest ABC came on February 28 to mentioning Disney was noting that the family being profiled lives on Snow White Drive.  ACTION: Tell ABC that its "Made in America" series should focus more attention on corporations like Disney that choose to rely on overseas labor in order to maximize profits.  CONTACT:  ABC World News with Diane Sawyer  Go to: http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/ And leave a comment in their "Share Your Thoughts on Made in America" section on the right-hand side of the screen.

 

 

 

Support Wisconsin Workers!--The Wisconsin 14—the brave Democratic state senators who left the state to stop the Republican attacks on workers—are under increasing pressure to return to Wisconsin.  Governor Walker is even threatening to lay off thousands of state workers to blackmail Democrats into coming back.¹ And as soon as just one Democratic senator returns, Republicans will be able to jam through their terrible bill.  Unfortunately, over the last 24 hours there have been credible reports from blogs and local news reporters that this is imminent.²  These senators have been away from their homes and families for almost two weeks now, at great personal cost. Their bravery has made this whole fight possible, and it can't be easy. That's why we need to show them that they have the support of millions of progressives nationwide—and that as long as they stay strong, we'll stand with them.  Will you add your name to our emergency statement of support? We'll deliver your signatures and comments electronically, throughout the day, to the senators or their staffs, so they can see how much support they have.  Click here to add your name  for additional action on this issue, visit here: http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1551

 

 

 

Support the Women of Wal-Mart!--As you may already know, the women of Wal-Mart have taken their fight for fair pay all the way to the Supreme Court.  Today the National Women's Law Center, together with the American Civil Liberties Union and 32 other organizations, took a stand in support of the women of Wal-Mart by filing a friend-of-the-court brief in Wal-Mart v. Dukes, the Supreme Court case.  Pledge now to Stand with the Women of Wal-Mart and to continue to fight against pay discrimination.

 

 

Take A Stand Against Slavery!--"If there are some atrocities going on, it’s not our business."  That's what Publix supermarket spokesperson Dwaine Stevens said when he was asked about the workers who pick tomatoes for Publix. Workers who suffer horrifying abuses.  Publix is a Florida-based company, and farmworkers there have been mistreated for decades. We've learned that the workers in Florida's tomato fields -- the workers who pick tomatoes for Publix -- endure widespread sexual harassment. Poverty-level wages. Wage theft. Even slavery.  Here's an example of the sorts of violations we're talking about: In 2008, investigators found more than a dozen people enslaved as tomato pickers in Florida. They were forced to sleep in box trucks and shacks, charged for food and showers, denied wages, and beaten if they tried to leave. Traffickers confiscated their identification documents, invented debts they could never repay, and hooked them on alcohol to keep them working.  "If there are some atrocities going on, it's not our business."  But it is their business. It's how they make their profits. And it has to stop.  The Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) has asked Publix to join its internationally recognized Campaign for Fair Food –– a campaign whose partners already include companies like Whole Foods, McDonalds, and Subway. The goal of the campaign is to prevent serious human rights abuses precisely like those occurring in Florida's tomato fields.  Abuses that can only be described as atrocities.  So far, Publix has refused even to engage in conversation with the CIW, let alone consider joining the Campaign for Fair Food. But the CIW is taking action –– and Change.org can help.  Next week, the CIW will be hosting marches and demonstrations at Publix stores in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. And if we can get 20,000 signatures on the petition to help Publix tomato pickers in time, they'll deliver those signatures to Publix management as part of the big event.  We need to take swift, decisive action to help Florida's tomato workers. Because there are atrocities going on. And it is our business.  Click here to tell Publix to join the Campaign for Fair Food to ensure its workers are treated with dignity.  https://www.change.org/petitions/tell-publix-to-sell-slave-free-tomatoes?alert_id=ULHpiGFRHv_FjvamitWuz&me=aa

 

 

Stop Oppression of Louisiana Mayor!--It's like a scene from the 1960s — a Black mayor stepped out of line with powerful White politicians in a small Louisiana town, and it cost him his freedom. Now it's up to us to help win it back.  Bobby Higginbotham, mayor of Waterproof, LA, started making policies intended to bring the town more revenue and give it more control over police matters. In doing so, Higginbotham made mistakes, but he didn't commit any crimes. But District Attorney James Paxton took advantage of the errors to arrest Higginbotham on 44 trumped-up charges and install a political ally in his place.  After being forced to represent himself in trial, Higginbotham was convicted before a nearly all-White jury in a parish where the majority of residents are Black. This isn't the first time a Louisiana prosecutor has abused his power against Black folks who don't "know their place" — a similar scene played out in the case of the Jena Six. But if enough of us speak out, we can expose his behavior and help free the former mayor. Please join us in calling on Paxton to end his bogus prosecution of Bobby Higginbotham, and then ask your friends and family to do the same: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/mayor

 

 

Stop the Violence: We Need Better Police Training!--Last week, we learned that the King County Prosecutor decided not to criminally charge former Seattle police officer Ian Birk with the murder of John T. Williams. Last month, the Spokane County Prosecutor declined to bring criminal charges against Deputy Brian Hirzel for the murder of Pastor Wayne Creach. Over the past year, we have seen an increase in police-involved deaths in places such as Tacoma, Federal Way, and Gold Bar.  All officers would benefit from improved training to learn how to reduce these deadly interactions.  Most police officers are caring and dedicated, and many officer-involved deaths are avoidable when officers have been adequately prepared.  Officers need to be taught that just because they can use force doesn’t mean that they should use force.  Appropriate police training protects civilians and officers by providing alternatives to violent confrontation.   You can help us prevent needless deaths in the future. Sign a petition asking the Criminal Justice Training Commission to revamp police training to ensure these public servants become the peace officers that we deserve.

 

 

We Must Protect the People to Protect the Nation!--The budget battle in Congress is getting ugly fast. Both the Republicans and Democrats are focused on cutting the deficit and both are cutting programs essential to the health and welfare of Americans.  The one thing that is off the table for cuts is the Security Budget – funding for military, domestic security and intelligence. This makes up 66% of federal discretionary spending. President Obama seeks to cut $1 trillion over the next decade. With security spending continuing to grow all other discretionary spending will face a freeze or deep cuts. This sharpens the conflict between the civilian budget and the military budget.  The Security Budget vs. the Necessities of Americans describes how the $1 trillion in cuts Obama seeks could be taken out of the military without undermining national security. The U.S. would still be the strongest nation in the world, by far.  Indeed, because the civilian economy would be protected our economic security would grow which is really the backbone of national security.  The conflict between military spending and the civilian economy has been a long-term reality. Fifty years ago President Eisenhower warned the nation about the military-industrial complex in his farewell address in 1961. Since that time real spending on the military has doubled.   It is not a coincidence that over that time the nation’s economy has been hollowed out, infrastructure has deteriorated, industry has disappeared and worker’s wages have remained stagnate.  Closer to the beginning of his presidency, in 1953, President Eisenhower could see the “burden of arms draining the wealth and the labor of all peoples; a wasting of strength that defies the American system . . . to achieve true abundance and happiness . . . .” In that “Cross of Iron” speech he famously declared: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms...is spending the genius of its scientists, the sweat of its laborers, the hope of its children.”  Today in our nation’s economic collapse under the burden of record spending on weapons and war we see the fruit of 50 years of a permanent war economy. Now, President Obama gives into the power of the military industrial complex by turning the burden of military debt onto the American people by taking necessities from us while increasing spending on weapons and war.  If you would like to write Obama and your representatives in Congress about the budget please click here.  We provide you with a model letter, but you can edit it and re-write it in your own words if you prefer.

 

 

 

Join the Call to Impeach Justice Clarence Thomas!--Could it possibly get any worse? It just recently came to light that so-called "Citizens United", nothing more than a corporate sponsored astroturf lobbying organization, the very same group he ruled in favor of to decimate our campaign finance laws last year, was the driving force in paying for and running ads to promote the confirmation of Thomas himself to the Supreme Court.  The standard for a justice to step aside from hearing a particular case is supposed to be whether there might be an "appearance of impartiality". Yet here we have a member of the Supreme Court handing decisions to the people who were instrumental in putting him on the court in the first place. It is simply unacceptable to have a someone sitting on the Supreme Court with such patent contempt for simple
fairness.  Impeach Thomas Action Page: http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1076.php

 

 

Tell Congress to End DOMA!--Just hours ago, President Obama instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court, dealing a serious blow to this unconstitutional and discriminatory law. The president's action comes in response to a series of lawsuits challenging DOMA, including a critical case filed by the ACLU in November 2010.  DOMA prohibits the federal government from recognizing any marriage that is not between a man and a woman.  With today's actions, we are getting one big step closer to the end of an era of discrimination against LGBT Americans. Just months ago, we helped bring an end to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But, while this is a huge step forward, there will undoubtedly be forces who will be angered by President Obama's decision — and will do everything they can to bolster DOMA. That's why we need you to take action right now. The Department of Justice is required to give Congress an opportunity to defend the law. And Speaker of the House John Boehner has until March 11 to defend it.  Urge your member of Congress to stay out of this litigation and not defend DOMA.

 

 

 

Preserve UN Funding to Protect National Interests!--Last week we asked you to tell your Representative to say “no” to cutting UN funds in the House Continuing Resolution (CR). Unfortunately, the House did not listen -- and as a result, the CR passed by the House will withhold UN funding for peacekeeping, security, and global health programs.  House Republicans say we are saving money, but at what cost?  Tell your Senator to preserve full UN funding in the Senate version of the CR. Let them know this is important to you, your country, and your world.

 

 

 

Take Action--No Amnesty for Torturers!--We, as human rights advocates, ask that Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. consider that those who enable torture must face effective and ethical prosecution by the Department of Justice. Scott Bloch as former U.S. special counsel had been appointed to head the federal agency responsible for protecting the rights of federal workers and ensuring that government whistleblowers are not subjected to reprisals.  As human rights defenders, we have grave concern that Attorney Scott J. Bloch had not protected the vulnerable children of this nation when he chose to summarily dismiss the whistleblower reports of mandated reporters of child abuse. US Attorneys are supposed to protect our children.  Attorney Scott Bloch wiped his computer in the face of an FBI investigation and thus prevented the FBI from seeing his computer files.  Scott Bloch pled guilty to criminal contempt of Congress and now that he knows he faces jail time he wants to withdraw his plea.  Please sign Medical Whistleblower’s petition to stop giving amnesty to those who enable or perpetrate torture and abuse.  http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-amnesties-for-enablers-or-perpetrators-of-torture-15

 

 

Stop Human Rights Abuse Against Peaceful Protesters!--As pro-democracy protests continue to spread throughout the Mid-East, we're getting alarming reports of governments brutally cracking down on protesters. [1]  In Bahrain, where the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet is based, government forces attacked an encampment of thousands of protesters while they slept. There are similar stories coming out of Libya. Will you click here and stand up for the basic rights of the protesters?

 

 

Protect Vulnerable Families from Dangerous Cuts!--The budget blueprint for 2012 President Obama released this week includes cuts to important programs that could have a disproportionately negative impact on our most vulnerable populations.  We recognize the importance of controlling the nation’s debt, but it’s critical that these key federal programs continue to play their vital role.  Recent statistics continue to paint the picture of minority and low-income communities suffering tremendously from the recession.  Historically, these communities have also been the last to recover and, without support for important government programs, this year may be no different.  The Lawyers’ Committee is monitoring the budget debates closely and will be working with Congress to seek ways to maintain necessary support for vital federal programs, but we need your help!  Tell Congress we need to protect the most vulnerable residents in our communities!

 

 

Cut Funding for Pentagon?!--Congress is voting today on an essential bill to keep the country running. And despite what you might have heard about cuts that would hobble the Department of Defense, here is what's really happening: proposed Pentagon spending is increasing.  "[The spending bill] would shave the DOD budget by only 2.8% from Obama's request, which translates into an $8-billion increase in funding over fiscal 2010." – Los Angeles Times, Feb. 15  That’s why we're launching the Not $1 More campaign – and we want YOU to sign on first. Tell Congress to "put the guns on the table" and make the Pentagon live by the same budget rules as everyone else: Sign here to support Not $1 More.

 

 

Tell Congress to Repeal the PATRIOT Act!--Remember, we're always working with other groups on these fights, so you're not alone. This combined resistance .* Helped defeat last week's two-thirds vote in the House . . .* Which pushed the Patriot Act into the media spotlight . . .* And emboldened the Patriot Act's Congressional critics.  Without your pressure, these bad provisions of the Patriot Act would have been extended to December. But now, because you withdrew your consent, we'll be able to fight again in just three months! In the meantime, let's maintain the pressure.  Tell Congress once again that you want the Patriot Act repealed.

 

 

Take a Stand for Free Speech!--On February 16, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on a bill to curb political surveillance. Washington needs this legislation to protect free speech. Law enforcement agencies in Washington have monitored, collected, and shared phone calls, e-mails, and records or innocent people without suspecting criminal activity. Tell your senator to protect our rights by supporting SB 5048!

 

 

 

Tell Congress to Oppose Cuts that will Hurt Families!--The Republican House leadership is proposing major cuts in programs that affect women and families. The House is expected to vote on this "continuing resolution" later this week.  Please help us fight back by sending a clear message to the House of Representatives — Vote against the Continuing Resolution.   The Continuing Resolution for FY 2011 proposed by House Republican leaders cuts supports for women and girls at every stage of life. It:

• Eliminates the Title X family planning programs that provide funding for contraception and other preventive care to over five million women and men each year

• Cuts Head Start and child care for 368,000 children

• Cuts millions from nutrition programs for pregnant women and their children

• Cuts funding for prenatal care

• Eliminates funding for the Women’s Educational Equity Program that helps schools comply with Title IX

• Cuts funding for Pell grants, which help low-income women afford college, by more than $800 per student

• Cuts funding needed to keep Social Security offices open and for meals, housing, and other supports for elderly women

In addition, the Continuing Resolution also cuts funding for education, housing, food safety, environmental protection, and more.

Take action today and make sure your Representative opposes these drastic cuts.

 

 

Tell Congress Post-Secondary Education is Important!--Students received no love this Valentine's Day from leadership in the House of Representatives.  Both the Continuing Resolution, which will fund the federal government through the remainder of fiscal year 2011, and President Obama's proposed budget for fiscal year 2012 were recently unveiled and are at major odds over education spending.  President Obama's proposal keeps the maximum Pell grant award at $5,550 for next academic year; however, this preservation comes by eliminating Pell Grants for summer school and government subsidies on the interest rates graduate students pay on their loans while still in school.  While cutting pieces of the Pell Grant and other aid programs in order to preserve the maximum award amount is certainly not ideal, it is the best shot we have right now at keeping federal funding flowing to low-income students considering the anti-spending political climate.  The House leadership's Continuing Resolution cuts the maximum Pell Grant award by $845, bringing the total down to $4,705 for the remainder of fiscal year 2011. In addition, the resolution:
 

• Eliminates the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG) program.

• Reduces federal funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions by 78%

• Eliminates federal support for tribal colleges.

• Cuts a third of federal funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

• Eliminates operational funding for AmeriCorps.

Take action against these crippling cuts!

• Call your elected representative in the House and Senate. Click here to download the call-in script with more information on these programs and cuts. 

• Send a letter to your elected officials.

• Submit a letter-to-the-editor to your local paper.

• Share your story with USSA: Pell Grant or other federal aid recipient? What would these cuts mean to you?

The goals of USSA's Where's the Funding?! campaign are not lost in these actions.  We need to be mindful of the fact that the proposed cuts in the federal budget are coming almost entirely from domestic programs that make up only about 15% of the budget.  A small portion of the pie is being devoured while the rest remains untouched.  We must look at the federal budget with a critical eye and ask, where is the federal government's funding going, if not to vital programs like the Pell Grant?

If you're drowning, it's important to get your head above water before reaching for the rescue boat; in a similar vein, we must acknowledge the political realities requiring cuts to the Pell Grant in order to save it from deeper reductions.  We must ultimately move beyond just keeping our proverbial heads above water and get to a point where higher education is the ship taking the United States to a place of economic and social strength. We will get there, but we have to be strategic and steadfast in our organizing.

Let's take action now and keep the Pell Grant and other vital higher education programs afloat so that on them we can build a nation in which education is a right for all!

 

 

Tell Congress: Save NPR and PBS!--We're only a few weeks into the 112th Congress, and Republicans are already attempting to pull the plug on public media.  In a budget proposal made public on Wednesday, House Republicans announced plans to zero out all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the nonprofit responsible for funding public media including NPR, PBS, Pacifica and more.  If the Republicans are successful, it would be a tremendous blow to the entire public interest media sector.  We cannot allow Republicans to destroy public media.  Tell Congress: Fully fund NPR and defend public service media. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

 

 

Take Action for American Workers--STOP OUTSOURCING!---For years, America's political leaders have pursued unsustainable and unacceptable trade deals that decimate American jobs.  For all those years, there has been broad consensus that--at a bare minimum--people who lose their jobs because of unfair trade deals like NAFTA deserve help and training for finding new jobs. After all, it's the least our country can do for someone who works a lifetime in an industry, only to see his or her job shipped off to China, right?  But the basic bipartisan consensus to help people whose lives have been turned upside down by outsourcing ended yesterday, when the House Republican leadership abruptly refused to schedule a vote to extend help for victims of outsourcing.  The expiring program--called Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)--provides financial help and training for workers who lose their jobs or see their hours or wages reduced due to outsourcing, offshoring or increased imports.  Sign our electronic petition to Speaker Boehner. It says: "It's inexcusable that our leaders keep promoting policies to encourage outsourcing. Doing nothing for the victims of these policies is totally unacceptable." Go here:  http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1384

 

 

 

Support the People of Haiti and Egypt!-- Click here to demand that President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton:

end support for Mubarak and support the Egyptian people's will;

allow Aristide to return and allow real democracy in Haiti.

The maintenance of Egypt’s 30-year dictatorship and the deposal of Haiti’s elected president would have never been possible without U.S. support. Egypt is the second largest recipient of U.S. military aid, with $1.3 billion going into its military coffers each year. Haitian president Aristide would not be in exile had the U.S. not given its support to the coup that removed him, nor would Baby Doc and his father have ruled Haiti ruthlessly for decades if not for continued support of several U.S. administrations. The US government has long supported repressive regimes over popular will, most notably in Latin America through institutions like the School of the Americas.

President Obama and Secretary Clinton stand at the crossroads of history. They have before them the possibility of continuing a historic cycle of U.S. support for repressive dictatorships and puppets in the Middle East and Latin America, or opening the door to a new tradition of honoring the sovereign will of people to choose their own form of government.

Help them decide which choice to make by taking action now!

 

 

Tell Congress to Repeal the PATRIOT Act!--The bill, S.193, WOULD BE AN IMPROVEMENT. But it's NOT what we want. If we call for outright repeal of the Patriot Act . . . * Congress may be awakened to its abuses and start investigations  * Even if we don't get an outright repeal, more members might start calling for reform and endorse measures like S.193 On the other hand, if we ask for something like S.193 as our starting point . . . * We'll have no chance of repealing the Patriot Act, which is what we want (as illustrated in the letter below)  * Even a compromise like S.193 will end up being more watered-down than it would have been if we had asked for repeal directly.  That's why we, at DownsizeDC.org, are calling for REPEAL of the Patriot Act, even while others are calling for mere reform. If you agree with our analysis, then please ask Congress for what you want. Tell your Representative and your two Senators to repeal the Patriot Act.

 

 

Tell Congress--Hands Off the Internet!--Communications black-outs are more likely to cause widespread panic and outrage than to assist in any form of security enhancement during a crisis.   The "Internet kill switch" bill was promoted by Senators Joe Lieberman and Susan Collins in the last Congress. The bill would have granted President Obama the power to shut down much of the Internet in the event of a "cybersecurity emergency."  The good news is that Congress adjourned before passing it.   The bad news is that, on the very same day Egypt's dictator Hosni Mubarak imposed an Internet blackout on his country, Collins announced her intention to re-introduce the bill.   But as the letter below indicates, giving the President this power is extremely dangerous and won't protect us from cybersecurity attacks.  Please tell Congress to defeat this bill using DownsizeDC.org's Hands Off the Internet campaign.

 

 

 

Help Stop GOP from Re-Defining Rape!--Here's the deal: Right now, federal dollars can't be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger.  But the bill, introduced by Republican congressman Chris Smith, would narrow that use to "cases of 'forcible' rape but not statutory or coerced rape."  As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape - a lack of consent does. This bill is scary - so I signed a petition telling Congress to stand up and oppose the bill. Can you join me at the link below?
http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?r_by=-18507350-PG54u0x&rc=mailto.alt.fb.ads.ck.sb.SW2.3.A13
 

 

 

Protect the Privacy of Your DNA!--In America, our Constitution guarantees the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Many people who are arrested are never charged, let alone convicted. But proposed legislation would expand mandatory DNA collection and permanent storage to include people who are merely arrested.  DNA is a person's most private information. Collecting DNA from the innocent will do nothing to make us safer. Tell your legislators that you oppose this expansion of government power.

 

 

Take Action Against Fraudulent Colleges!--Shannon Croteau was 11 classes away from a degree from Kaplan University Online (a for-profit college owned by The Washington Post Company) when she learned she was out of financial aid, $30,000 in debt, and here's the kicker – the degree she was working toward would be worthless in her state of New Hampshire. She was billed for loans she never signed up for, enrolled in classes she didn't choose and, when she complained, was given the runaround by a succession of fake "loan officers" who wouldn't tell her the truth, let alone their last names. "They lied and cheated," Shannon told us at Change.org. "It has ruined me."  She's just one of millions of students to have her financial life devastated by the fraudulent and predatory practices of for-profit colleges. Countless other Kaplan students have come forward, saying they've been charged for classes even after they've withdrawn, stalked by aggressive admissions officers or had their degrees held hostage if they don't ante up "surprise" fees.  Shannon has started a petition on Change.org, demanding that the Washington Post Company stop preying on low-income students. Click here to add your name. 

 

 

 

Tell Your Legislators to Produce a Balanced Unemployment Insurance Bill!--The State House of Representatives is about to consider legislation that balances Unemployment Insurance tax cuts for business with a $15/week children's benefit for families suffering unemployment.  *Please contact your state legislators *and urge them to support this balanced approach and pass HB 1091, as amended. It's not just businesses that are hurting, families are suffering, too. Amid this session's heartbreaking budget cuts to social services, these families desperately need help to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.  *Click here to TAKE ACTION* [ http://act.aflcio.org/c/261/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=1252 ] and send an email to your state legislators.
 

 

 

Don't Let Pregnancy Centers Deceive Women!--There are 46 pregnancy centers in Washington State providing misleading information about the services they offer. Women facing unexpected pregnancies have entered these "clinics" expecting to receive medical care and information about all of their options. Instead they find that the their client privacy is not protected, their test results and pregnancy records are withheld, and they are denied needed referrals for reproductive health care. Proposed legislation would require all pregnancy centers to disclose what services they do and do not provide.  Tell your legislators that you support the right of women to know what kind of services they can expect before they walk in the door.
 

 

 

Tell Congress to Stand Up for the UN!--The 112th Congress has been in session for just a few weeks, and some members of Congress are already targeting the United Nations.  Tell your Representative to stand up for the UN and the UN programs and agencies that support American and global interests.

 

 

Tell Congress: Create Jobs Now!--What is the State of the Union? Unemployed!  14.5 million Americans are officially unemployed. Millions more have given up looking.  Yet the Tea Party Republican Congress wants to slash jobs to give bigger tax cuts to the rich.  Tell Congress: Create Jobs Now! http://democrats.com/create-jobs-now

 

 

Stand By the Women of Wal*Mart!--When Lilly Ledbetter fought back against pay discrimination, you were there. After thousands of e-mails, phone calls, and letters to the editor, we helped to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and were just two votes short of moving forward with the Paycheck Fairness Act last fall. Now it’s time to come together behind another group of brave women fighting pay discrimination. The women of Wal-Mart have taken their fight for fair pay all the way to the Supreme Court and they need our support.  Pledge now to stand with the women of Wal-Mart and to continue to fight against pay discrimination.

 

 

Take Action to Insure Human Rights--Corporations are not People!--Corporations aren't people. We all know that. But in last year's Citizens United decision, the Supreme Court gave corporations the same First Amendment rights as you and me. And in the last election, we saw what this corporate takeover of our democracy looks like.  We must take our democracy back. So starting today, on the one-year anniversary of Citizens United, we're asking every state legislator in the country to support the most direct remedy we have left to correct the Supreme Court's awful decision: a constitutional amendment clarifying that corporations are not people.  Can you sign the petition to your state legislators asking them to support a resolution calling for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United?  Please click here to sign the petition: http://pol.moveon.org/constitutionalamendment/?id=25870-5425778-Z.EoNdx&t=3

 

 

Take Action to Protect Healthcare Reform!--Save lives, help small businesses, cut the deficit, and grow jobs. [1,2,3,4,5]  How could anyone be against that?  Yet the U.S. House is expected to vote TONIGHT on a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, i.e. the health care reform bill, before it’s even fully implemented as is planned over the next several years.  Changing course now would harm our children, our businesses, our jobs, and our nation.   Approximately 129 million people could be denied care without the Affordable Care Act pre-existing condition protections. [1] The new benefits of health reform have already saved lives and freed millions of Americans from worrying that they’ll lose or be denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions when the law is fully implemented in 2014.  Additionally, health care reform has begun providing tax credits for small businesses to purchase coverage for their employees, growing jobs, cutting the deficit, as well as ensuring that our children are not dropped from coverage just when we need it most--and the sweeping benefits of health reform are not even fully implemented yet. [2]  *Please join me in signing this letter to Congress and state legislators telling them that we've come too far to turn our backs on kids, businesses, families, and our economy.  Keep moving forward implementing health care reform! Click below to sign on: http://action.momsrising.org/go/451?akid=2504.179534.4bX3Yk&t=4

 

 

Take Action to Protect Federal Whistleblowers!--AHRP has received an appeal for help to prevent the firing of courageous, honest FDA scientists who risked their careers to save lives by informing Congress about serious safety concerns involving dangerous, FDA-approved drugs and medical devices.  FDA employees should not be afraid to speak honestly and freely about misconduct that threatens the health and safety of all Americans.  Take Action by sending a message to Margaret Hamburg, FDA Commissioner. See suggested text at: http://www.capwiz.com/whistleblowers/issues/alert/?alertid=22364531&type=ml

 

 

 

Protect Students from Discrimination!--Our state's students need your support again. Last session, you helped us to pass Washington's first comprehensive law to protect students against discrimination. Now, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) is considering rules that would roll back the civil rights we fought for and allow Washington School Districts to avoid legal liability for acts of discrimination.  These proposed rules threaten to weaken the law and undermine existing protections. Submit your comment to Randy Dorn, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and tell him not adopt the proposed regulations.
 

 

 

Tell NFL to Ban Child-Trafficking!--Every year, children as young as 11 are trafficked involuntarily to Super Bowl cities. There, football fans – usually men, often inebriated – will pay traffickers to have sex with them. The Texas Attorney General estimates these kids have a life expectancy of just seven years from the time they're first trafficked.  This year, the Super Bowl Host Committee is charged "to engage in responsible planning . . . to ensure the readiness of North Texas to host the first Super Bowl in the Cowboys’ new stadium."  Local anti-trafficking groups have repeatedly offered to help the Committee use its influence to educate fans and the public about the dangers of child trafficking -- which could help to prevent thousands of rapes and abuses at America's biggest sporting event.  But the Host Committee has refused to take meaningful action. And thousands of children will pay the price.  Tell the 2011 Super Bowl Host Committee to take a stand against child trafficking. 

 

 

Tell Pres. Obama to Protect and Strengthen Social Security!--Next week, President Obama will make his annual State of the Union address. It’s important that he use the speech to send a clear message to those who want to put Social Security on the chopping block: Social Security should be strengthened — not cut! President Obama has opposed cutting and privatizing Social Security before. But we need him to speak out now in support of protecting and strengthening it. Tell President Obama: Women Are Counting on You to Fight for Social Security!

 

 

Haiti: One Year Later--Click here to send a fax to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to demand a withdrawal of military troops and a redirection of funds to humanitarian aid.
 

 

 

A Call for Legitimate Debate and an End to Hate!--The tragedy in Tucson has shaken us all to the core. Facts are still coming in, and we all must be careful not to jump to premature conclusions. But in the wake of this disaster one thing is clear: We must put an end to the rhetoric of violence and hate that has exploded in America over the past two years.  That's why we're launching a petition calling on every member of Congress, as well as the major TV and cable news networks, to put an end to the hateful rhetoric and all overt or implied appeals to violence. Click here to sign the petition:  http://pol.moveon.org/debatenothate?id=25761-5425778-LjLRJLx&t=3

 

 

Tell Ruby Ridge Dairy to Cut the Crap!--He carries a rifle in his truck and threatens pro-union employees with it. He shouts abusive language and racial slurs at his workers. He refuses to grant lunch breaks. His employees drink from the same water barrels as his cows.¹  His name is Dick Bengen, and at Ruby Ridge Dairy in Washington, workers say he imposes some of the most unspeakable working conditions we've ever encountered.  So we're helping bring attention to the injustice at Ruby Ridge. On Tuesday, workers will protest at the headquarters of Northwest Farm Credit Services, the lender that bankrolls Ruby Ridge, and will deliver a petition demanding that it stop funding the dairy. Can you add your name before it's delivered?  SIGN NOW: Northwest Farm Credit Services, stop funding Ruby Ridge until the illegal, inhumane conditions end!

 

 

Stop Unchecked Government Surveillance!-- Law enforcement agencies monitor, collect, and share phone calls, e-mails, and records without suspecting criminal activity. Innocent people in Washington are being targeted for unpopular political and religious beliefs. Such unchecked government surveillance erodes free speech rights.   Tell your lawmakers to protect free speech!

 

Take a Stand Against Institutionalized Rape!--Earlier this year Millicent Gaika, a 30-year-old South African woman, was tied up, beaten, strangled, tortured and raped for five hours by a man as he screamed that he would “cure” Millicent of her lesbianism.  Ndumie Funda, a local community activist whose lesbian partner was murdered in the course of a similar “corrective rape,” reached out to Millicent through a small local charity she set up to rescue and support survivors of “corrective rape.” But last month they both had to go into hiding after the South African government released the perpetrator they had helped to jail on 60 rand (less than $10) bail.  Ndumie, Millicent and others decided to fight back against the rapists and the lack of accountability for their crimes. From a Cape Town safehouse for survivors of ‘corrective rape,’ the women created a petition on Change.org targeting South African Justice Minister Jeffrey Radebe.  Please, they wrote, declare 'corrective rape' a hate crime, which would both empower and require South African police to take a harder line on the vicious crime.  Click here to add your name to the petition.

 

Tell Giant Eagle to Stop Oppressing Employees!--They've sent threatening letters. They've had security teams follow workers. They've even called the police to have an employee arrested.  Grocery chain Giant Eagle has launched a campaign of intimidation against its own employees.  Why? Because workers were chatting about their union. But Giant Eagle knows full well: it's not illegal to talk with your coworkers!  Write to Giant Eagle CEO David Shapira and demand an end to the anti-union harassment.

 

Tell Olympia: It's Time for Responsible Marijuana Laws!--It's time to start treating marijuana use as a public health issue instead of a crime. It's time to start regulating its use and sale. And it's time to start taxing it, so that we can collect hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues for our strapped government budgets. Washington's marijuana laws are failing our communities. They waste scarce public safety resources. They have failed to decrease marijuana use. And they unfairly burden families, individuals, and especially communities of color with the harsh consequences of marijuana convictions. With responsible marijuana law reform, we could tax, control, and regulate marijuana -- a much more effective solution. Tell your legislator to support marijuana law reform.

 

Extend ONLY Middle Class Tax Cuts Action Page: http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1062.php

 

Stop Wall Street Lobbyists from Destroying Whistleblower Protections!--As reported in today's Washington Post, historic corporate whistleblower protections passed this summer are in danger of being destroyed by aggressive Wall Street lobbying. Your help is urgently needed to ensure that this does not happen.  TAKE ACTION! Demand the regulators protect corporate whistleblowers!

Take Action to Stop Airlines from Violating Your Privacy!--Planning to fly this holiday season? You've probably already braced yourself for long lines, delays and extra fees just to check your luggage. Unfortunately, you can also expect another hassle at the airport this year. 70 airports around the country are now using controversial body scanners—also known as "naked scanners." These machines use low-dose radiation to produce strikingly graphic images of passengers' bodies, essentially taking a naked picture as passengers pass through security checkpoints.   Yes, authorities at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) say you can opt out of the naked scan. But doing so will subject you to new and highly invasive manual searches of your body, including your breasts, buttocks and inner thighs.  All of us have a right to travel without such crude invasions of our privacy. Tell DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to put in place security measures that respect passengers' privacy rights.

 

Take Action to Stop Secret Election Spending Now!--Spending on this year's election didn't just break records, it obliterated them. $4 billion in total.¹  In the wake of Citizens United, corporations like ExxonMobil and AIG can give hundreds of millions of dollars to a shadowy front group to swing an election. And they can do so in 100% secrecy.  Imagine how this election could have changed if voters knew which corporations were supporting Republican candidates with anonymous attack ads against Democrats.  Earlier this year Congress nearly passed a bill—the DISCLOSE Act—that would force front groups to let voters know which corporations and CEOs are funding their political attacks.  The bill came up short because some Republican senators said they didn't want to pass the common sense measure until after the election.² Now that the election is over we have an opportunity to pass this bill, but it won't happen unless we push hard on Congress to act before the end of the year.  Click here to tell Congress to pass the DISCLOSE Act and end secret political spending:  http://pol.moveon.org/discloseact?id=25122-5425778-qsOxgKx&t=3

 

Join the ACLU with HEAL's Support in the fight for LGBT Rights!--The ACLU filed a lawsuit yesterday on behalf of Edie Windsor. The lawsuit aims to strike at one of the underpinning efforts to deny LGBT Americans their constitutional rights—the "Defense of Marriage Act."   At the heart of our lawsuit is a beautiful story of love and commitment of a couple that was together for 44 years. And there is no one who can tell that story better than Edie herself.   Please watch the video (you may want some tissues nearby), and then take action.

 

On several different fronts, you and the ACLU are at the center of an historic struggle to bring outrageous denials of LGBT people's constitutional rights to an end. Please watch the video, and then take action.
 

Take Action to Reduce Child Care Costs in WA!--Thousands of working families across Washington are about to lose their lifeline: Their child care.  Governor Chris Gregoire is proposing to cut $14.78 million in child care funding.  These cuts could leave thousands of parents without child care - in a time when many families are already stretched to the limit.  Tell the Washington Department of Early Learning not to allow cuts to this critical funding. Make sure they know just how important child care is to working families: 
http://action.momsrising.org/go/416?akid=2339.179534.YnQAee&t=4
 

 

Take a Stand for the Rights of Indigenous People!--Eneyda Pena lives in a remote village in the Peruvian Amazon, an indigenous community that is deeply affected by Peru’s first ever natural gas field and pipeline project. The Camisea gas project presents both environmental threats and economic opportunities to Pena’s community. Yet indigenous communities like Pena’s often struggle to have their voices heard when their governments make decisions about the use of natural resources located on their lands.  Indigenous peoples are among the world’s poorest and most marginalized populations. Oxfam has worked for years alongside indigenous communities in the United States, Peru, and around the world – and now you have an opportunity to support them.  Right now, the U.S. government is reviewing a declaration – the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – that would give communities like Pena’s the foothold they need to make decisions about their land and resources.  Tell President Obama to endorse the UN declaration – so communities like Eneyda’s can make decisions about how their resources are used.

 

Stop Expansion on Domestic Surveillance!--Did you hear about this? The Obama administration is seeking to expand the government's ability to conduct invasive surveillance online.¹  This outrageous proposal would mandate that all online communications services use technologies that would make it easier for the government to collect private communications and decode encrypted messages that Americans send. This includes communications sent using texting platforms, BlackBerries, social networking sites, and other "peer to peer" communications software such as Skype.  While the country tends to other issues, the administration and law enforcement officials are seeking greater power to invade your privacy. We must take a stand against this proposal before it even makes its way to Congress.  Sign the ACLU's petition to Attorney General Holder: Rein in FBI surveillance power.

 

Take Action Now to Stop Injustice and Impunity!--Last week SOA Watch founder Fr. Roy Bourgeois, and SOAW's Partnership America Latina (PAL) Director, Lisa Sullivan, returned from La Paz, Bolivia. Fr. Roy and Lisa had traveled to La Paz, upon invitation, to accompany Bolivians who have been struggling to bring those responsible for a bloody tragedy known as "Black October" to justice.  In a powerful report back written upon returning to the U.S., Lisa writes:  That tragedy, known as "Black October" took place 2003, in El Alto...The spark was the decision of President Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada ("Goni") to bring in private companies to pipe gas - Bolivia's greatest natural resource - to the U.S., via Chile...Goni's formula and promises of "trickle down" were nothing new. However, the base of political power among Bolivia's native population was new, thanks to the massive influx of people into the new booming city of El Alto...Thus, when a protest against the gas sale in an outlying small town met with government repression, massive protests and blockades ensued in El Alto. In response, Goni issued Supreme Decree #27209 which sent the military to escort gas trucks to La Paz. Within hours, 30 were dead from the military free-for-all, and within days the number rose to 67, with over 400 wounded. Outrage against the government ensued, and on Oct. 17th, Goni and his Defense Minister Sánchez Berzaín fled the country for the United States, where they currently reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland and Miami respectively.  Since 2003...  The "victims" organization (The Steering Committee for the Trial of Responsibility of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada and his Accomplices), however, has done remarkable things...They have moved through mountains of red tape to bring to trial in Bolivia the 5 high level generals responsible for Black October, two of them SOA graduates, along with 2 of Goni's ministers. In November 2008 the Bolivian government served the U.S. State Department with an official extradition order for Goni and Sánchez Berzaín. For the past year, a trial by Bolivia's Supreme Court has been unfolding in the capital of Sucre, and a verdict is expected soon.  The moment has come for us to join our Bolivian sisters and brothers in the struggle. We must make it clear to the State Department that the United States is not a place of refuge for criminals like Goni and Berzaín!  Click here to take action NOW!

 

Take Action to Protect Civil Right to Privacy!--Tens of thousands of supporters added their names to the ACLU's Protect Our Privacy Petition—calling on Congress to update and strengthen the decades-old Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA).  But now, the Obama administration is proposing its own changes to ECPA aimed at weakening—not strengthening—your personal privacy.  ECPA is one of the few laws that can protect our privacy online, but the administration's proposal would warp this crucial law—expanding the government's power to collect Americans' email and internet use records in national security investigations.  That's a huge step in the wrong direction for personal privacy even as we're trying hard to advance our privacy protections.  Sign our petition and demand changes that strengthen, rather than weaken, our personal privacy.

 

Take Action for Women's Rights!--Women get short-changed every day. We’re paid less than men. We struggle to afford child care. As we age, we’re at greater risk of poverty. Women need real economic security — good jobs with fair pay, decent child care and a secure retirement. Because when women thrive, so do our families, our communities and the economy.  Advocating for common-sense policy solutions to help women and their families in these difficult economic times is essential. That’s why we’re launching a new public awareness effort — Stop Discounting Women. Our goal is to educate and mobilize the public to help bridge the economic inequalities women face.  And the first target of our effort is to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act! With the rallying cry “Women Are Not Worth Less,” we are launching a major social media campaign and continuing our national advocacy to ensure immediate action on the Paycheck Fairness Act in September.  Join us! Take the I Am Not Worth Less pledge to help make sure our Senators stop discounting women’s needs and women’s paychecks!

 

Tell The Senate to Say "No" to Permanent US Bases in Afghanistan!--This week, Walter Pincus reported in the Washington Post that despite growing public opposition to the war in Afghanistan, and despite President Obama's pledge to begin withdrawing troops in July 2011, "[t]hree $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan illustrate Pentagon plans to continue building multimillion-dollar facilities in that country to support increased U.S. military operations well into the future." [1]   But Pincus also reported that while the House has approved the money for this "enduring base" construction, the Senate has yet to vote on it.  Will you join us in urging the Senate to reject or restrict this funding for "enduring" U.S. military bases in Afghanistan? You can write to your two Senators here: 
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/afghanistanbases

 

Working people need a tough and effective champion in charge of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Urge President Obama to nominate Elizabeth Warren--http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=593

 

Tell Wal-Mart to Stop the Attack on Workers' Rights!--At 2:00am this morning in Bangladesh, Kalpona Akter was arrested by 20 police and taken away.  Just months ago, Kalpona sat with USASers at our Midwest Regional Conference speaking about her important work as garment worker and a labor organizer with the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS).  Take action: Tell Wal-Mart to stop the attacks on worker activists like Kalpona!

 

You Can Help Hardworking Farmers Fight Corporate Agribusiness--Take action for fair prices for consumers and farmers

 

Tell Your Representative to Save Jobs!--http://act.aflcio.org/c/18/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=407

 

Take Action for Net Neutrality!--Big news: according to reports, Google is about to cut a terrible deal with Verizon that would end the fair, open Internet as we know it.¹  The reported Google-Verizon deal would allow giant corporations to control which websites load quickly and easily on the Internet and dump everyone else onto an Internet slow lane. This is exactly the kind of unequal playing field that Google itself has opposed in the past.²  We only have a few days to stop it, so we're launching a grassroots protest calling on Google to scuttle the deal. Will you sign our emergency petition to Google? Click here to sign: http://pol.moveon.org/google/?id=22335-5425778-RLxbGWx&t=4

 

Take Action to Protect Social Security!--You can't make this stuff up. The economy is in shambles, unemployment is at record levels and home foreclosures are soaring. Congress can't get it together to act on these issues. But there's growing momentum in Washington to—wait for it—slash Social Security?  Believe it. Republicans are campaigning on benefit cuts. Conservative Democrats like Steny Hoyer are echoing their talking points.¹  Everyone's counting on the Deficit Commission to do the dirty work. The commission is stacked with conservatives who've embraced cutting Social Security, and both houses of congress promised to fast-track a vote on its recommendations.² 3 That means that even though no jobs bill can pass congress right now, Social Security cuts might.  To stop the cuts, we need to send a crystal-clear message to members of Congress: Americans reject benefit cuts, and we expect them to do the same. Can you sign our promise to oppose cuts to Social Security? We'll use your signature to pressure them to sign a pledge protecting Social Security while they're home in Washington for recess. But we need a strong response to make our point. Click below to add your name:  http://pol.moveon.org/sspetition/index.html?id=22309-1229593-bU1zuAx&t=3

 

Take Action for Workers' Rights!--For Mott's workers, these past few months have been far from sweet.  Even though the parent company of applesauce and juice-maker Mott's raked in $555 million in profits last year, it's trying to slash wages and is even scheming to take away its workers' pension plan!  For months, Mott's refused to negotiate in good faith with its workers. By May, 305 workers in Williamson, NY were left with no choice: go on strike, or take up to $1.50-an-hour pay cuts lying down. And now, as the strike heads into its tenth week, things took an abrupt turn for the worse: the company is hiring strike breakers – better known as scabs.¹  Why? Because Mott's management thinks that in a depressed economy, they can get away with it! But they're wrong: we've got more than 100,000 committed activists on our side, and we're not giving up.  Tell the CEO of Mott's: Your workers are what makes your company successful. And you can't get away with screwing them over. Not on our watch!

 

Take Action for More Transparency in Government!--In July 2010, the Obama Administration made a decision to cement the secrecy around the multi-million dollar, U.S. taxpayer-funded SOA/ WHINSEC program and deny human rights organizations like SOA Watch access to who trains and teaches at the school. This means the staggering volume of human rights violations cited in the FOR/ USOC report linked to SOA/ WHINSEC graduates could be much higher given the thousands of Colombian soldiers who have passed through the school in the last few years.  SOA Watch compiled the names, course, rank, country of origin, and dates attended for every soldier and instructor at the SOA/ WHINSEC from 1946 to 2003. After researchers exposed several cases of known human rights abusers attending the WHINSEC (despite claims that the "new" school was committed to human rights), and shared this research with Congressional decision-makers, the Department of Defense (DOD) refused to disclose any future information about who was training and teaching at the WHINSEC.  The human rights community and the U.S. Congress did not agree with the decision. In 2008 and again in 2009, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to the Defense Authorization bill demanding that the DOD release this information to the public. Last year, this measure was signed into law by President Obama, However, SOA/ WHINSEC supporters in Congress managed to slip in the caveat that Robert Gates, the Secretary of Defense could issue a waiver to ignore the public's right to know and refuse to release the information, if he "determines it to be in the national interest."  Predictably, Obama's Secretary of Defense used the waiver to deny human rights organizations and the public access to any more information.  Important reports like the one described above are essential resources for Congress and Administration officials making decisions about foreign military training. Despite the value of transparency, openness, and the public's right to know, the Obama Administration made a clear decision to value secrecy instead, and to prevent further exposure of the negative impact the SOA/ WHINSEC has in Colombia and the rest of Latin America.  Next month, Colombia's human rights status will be reviewed by the State Department. Please amplify the call for justice and transparency and help to implement the recommendations of the report by sending a free fax to the White House and to Secretary Clinton today!

 

Tell Congress To Protect Medicaid and Food Stamps for America's Most Needy!--A minority of Senators are forcing their colleagues to make the impossible choice between slashing Medicaid programs or cutting food stamps for the most vulnerable women and families.  Tell your Senators to ensure the neediest women and families continue to have access to health care by extending Medicaid funding to the states, but without slashing critical funding for food stamps.

 

Don't Let Racial Profiling Spread!--You may have already heard that today a federal judge in Phoenix blocked the most egregious provisions of Arizona's racial profiling, "show me your papers" law from taking effect tomorrow.  Many people have been working hard to stop this law from ever being enacted. And we still have a long way to go, but today's ruling is an important and critical first step.  I can tell you from first-hand experience that the reactionary forces that have been pushing this law will stop at nothing to see it enacted. And they'll keep trying to spread their misguided tactics in statehouses across the nation. But, I also know that there are millions of people like you who care about justice, freedom and upholding the Constitution. That's why your voice is so critical. So, on the heels of this big victory today, help make sure the poisonous policy of racial profiling doesn't spread to other states. Tell Gov. Gregoire and all other governors that you won't tolerate unconstitutional racial profiling in your state or anywhere in the United States. Sign the ACLU's petition.

 

Stop Funding War!--In the wake of 90,000 leaked documents finally exposing the truth of how completely misguided the occupation of Afghanistan is, and how badly it's really going, the New York Times is reporting that "In Congress, House leaders were rushing to hold a vote on a critical war-financing bill as early as Tuesday, fearing that the disclosures could stoke Democratic opposition to the measure."  Stop The Afghanistan War Funding Action Page: http://www.peaceteam.net/action/pnum1053.php  (No more money for fighting until all military families housed, fed, and debt-free). 

 

Make Sure Food Labels Are Accurate!--It simply isn't right to take advantage of new parents when they're vulnerable. But baby formula companies are doing just that.  And this is especially wrong because empty infant formula advertising claims undermine evidence-based messages like "breastfeeding is best for babies."  This has got to be fixed, and we have a chance right now to change the way these infant formula companies and other food manufacturers do business so that parents get the facts, and not just empty hype on labels.  Tell your Senator that the Child Nutrition Act should include independent scientific reviews of formula and other foods so parents can make the best choices for their infants.  http://action.momsrising.org/go/WIC/282?akid=2222.179534.ZoYRDC&t=4

 

Take Action to Protect American Lives and Property!--"Tap water set on fire... 50-foot-high flare expected to continue burning for three or four more days...Twenty-eight cattle quarantined...Drinking water turned brown."  These are just a few of the news items hitting headlines in the last month, from Pennsylvania to Texas, and they're all related to an increasingly-used destructive practice called hydraulic fracturing. Can you ask your representative to protect drinking water, communities and the environment by passing the FRAC Act?

 

Take Action to Protect Agricultural Workers!--Would you like a job as a migrant farm worker? Pundit Stephen Colbert would – he's agreed to take the United Farm Workers' challenge to "Take their jobs." Anti-immigrant forces have argued that immigrants, particularly the undocumented, have been taking jobs from Americans. Despite studies clearly showing that comprehensive immigration reform would help the American economy, they’ve insisted on using the economic crisis as a way to stall real reform. That’s why UFW – and now, Stephen Colbert – are showing the whole country that farm workers’ jobs aren’t easy.  Everyone who works in agriculture knows that it’s hard work. And because so many immigrants work on farms, Congress proposed the AgJobs bill, which would protect the workers who bring food to our tables by granting them temporary protected status. That status would help keep them from being exploited by farm owners.  Watch Colbert decide to try being a farm worker, and then tell Congress to pass AgJobs.

 

Take Action to Help the Downsized!--Imagine that your two-year-old son is diagnosed with Leukemia. You think it can't get any worse and then your husband loses his job. Now, six months later he's still desperately trying to find work and Congress is cutting off his unemployment benefits--despite the fact that there are still five applicants for every available job in this country.  That's what's happening to Autumn, a MomsRising member from West Virginia, and to 2.1 million other Americans in similarly desperate situations who have been cut off from their unemployment insurance benefits.  Members of Congress are returning to Washington D.C. this week after their 4th of July break. Tell them that failing to extend unemployment insurance and fiscal relief to the states is driving millions of families to the edge and threatening the economic recovery for all of us.  http://action.momsrising.org/go/UI_2010/262?akid=2194.179534.GTN9PU&t=4

 

 

Establish Stronger Online Privacy Laws!--Few people realize that the law designed to protect the privacy of our electronic communications hasn't been updated since 1986.  Think about it. In 1986, mobile phones were bigger than your head and the Internet as we know it didn't even exist.   The longer our privacy law remains out of date, the more your privacy is at risk.  We need you to change that. Tomorrow, Congress turns its attention to updating this law as the House of Representatives holds hearings on how cell phone records reveal and track our location. Now's the time to let Congress know Americans want them to update the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and protect our privacy. Tell Congress you want our electronic privacy law updated.

 

Please Take Action to Stop Female Genital Mutilation!--Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is an extremely dangerous, inhumane, and medically unnecessary procedure that affects nearly 170,000 girls and women in the United States, and 140 million around the world. FGM is currently illegal in this country under federal law, but Congress must do more to ensure this barbaric destruction of female genitalia -- which can lead to death -- is permanently and completely eradicated. U.S Reps. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) and Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) have recently introduced the Girls Protection Act (H.R. 5137) which would make it a crime to transport minors outside the U.S. for the purpose of performing FGM.  Take action NOW!  E-mail your members of Congress today and urge them to support this important legislation. Insist that they advocate for the passage of the Girls Protection Act (H.R. 5137).

 

Take Action for Fair Pay!--Children have an innate sense of fairness. If I tried to pay one of my sons 77 cents to wash my car and the other a dollar, I'd never hear the end of it. Right now, Congress is deciding what to put on its agenda for the June work period so it's time for each of us to get in touch with our inner child and demand fair pay!  Tell your Senators to co-sponsor and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act now!  http://action.momsrising.org/go/fairpay_5/164?akid=2130.179534.Goub04&t=4

 

Take a Stand for Academic Integrity!--Have you heard about what's going on here in Texas? History is being rewritten. And not in a good way.  The state of Texas sets national standards for school textbooks -- and on Friday, the State Board of Education is casting its vote on updated social studies and history textbooks.  Those books are changing the record on slavery, celebrating the Confederacy and shedding a positive light on Jim Crow laws. And the Texas NAACP has spent the past several months fighting back. We've written thousands of emails, placed hundreds of calls, and people are starting to notice.  I'm writing because we need your help. No matter the result of tomorrow's vote, make sure these bad ideas don't spread into your state. Sign the Not in My State Pledge:  http://action.naacp.org/NotInMyState

 

Tell Congress to Help Working Families Now!--Congress is trying to use a bucket to stop a flood ― and it’s not working.  Over 15 million Americans are still unemployed, and nearly half have been out of work for six months or more. States have already cut health care, education, child care, domestic violence shelters, and other vital services ― and deeper cuts and major layoffs of teachers and others who provide these services are looming. At the same time, additional federal support for struggling families and states provided by the Recovery Act, including extended unemployment insurance benefits, COBRA subsidies for health insurance coverage, additional federal support for Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families ― will soon run out. While the economy is beginning to add jobs, it will take years to recover the millions of jobs that have been lost. Families and states have exhausted any reserves they had. Yet, Congress is stalling as the economic picture for state and local governments is worsening. Tell Members of Congress to stop standing by while states are drowning!

 

Stop Mutilation of Baby Girls in US!--We thought America's baby girls were safe from genital cutting, until now... Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued a new policy statement proposing changes to the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) Act, a law that has prohibited any form of FGM in the United States since 1996.  But now the AAP wants to change the law to allow a "ritual nick" of girls' genitals, so families whose cultures accept FGM don't send their daughters overseas for the full genital cutting procedure.  At Intact America, we know that any form of genital cutting of babies is wrong – ethically, morally, and medically.  We can't afford to allow our leaders to destroy the progress we've made in outlawing genital mutilation for our baby girls. We must act quickly – send a message demanding that the AAP revoke its policy statement IMMEDIATELY.

 

Take Action for Human Rights and Workers' Rights!--I sent you a message last week asking you to support Carmelo Agamez and other human rights activists unjustly detained in Colombia.  Now we're hearing that the Prosecutor General could decide on his appeal any day. We need to ask the State Department to pressure Colombia on Agamez's case before this decision is made.  Sign our petition TODAY to urge that Agamez and other Colombian activists be treated fairly.

 

Tell Congress to Break Up the Big Banks!--America's four largest banks - Citibank, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and WellsFargo - have assets of $7.4 trillion, equal to 52% of our entire GDP.  The collapse of any one would endanger the American economy, even the world economy. They are truly "too big to fail." They also have too much economic and political power because of their enormous size.  Tell Congress: Break Up the Big Banks Now  http://www.democrats.com/break-up-the-banks-now

 

 

Help Ban Toxins In Household Products!--How many times a day do you wash your hands? What about doing dishes or brushing your teeth? Most of us do these things throughout the day. Unfortunately, many products like hand soap, toothpaste and dish soap contain a toxic chemical called triclosan. This chemical is being widely used in the U.S. despite evidence that it is a real and imminent threat to public and environmental health. Can you take action today to help ban this unnecessary chemical?

 

Demand Poison-Free Food for American Families!--After way too many food recalls and contamination scares in everything from peanut butter to spinach, Congress is taking action. The U.S. Senate is about to consider a critical food safety bill that would ramp up protections against food contaminants like E.coli and salmonella. This is already an incredibly important bill for moms and families, and it is backed by unusually strong bipartisan support- but there’s even more to this story.  In addition to addressing the potential risks of accidental food contamination, the Senate is also poised to address other hidden dangers lurking inside most food cans. Specifically, the Senate could address the food packaging additive Bisphenol-A (BPA), which leaches from bottles and cans into our food and our kids, causing significant health risks. MomsRising has been working hard across the country to protect our kids from BPA exposure. Now we have a unique opportunity to include a BPA phase-out, along with these other measures for making food safer, in the Food Safety bill- and we need your help TODAY to make it happen.  Urge your U.S. Senators to co-sponsor the Ban Poisonous Additives Act that will ban BPA from food and beverage containers – and then ask them to support amending it to the Food Safety Modernization Act so everyone, especially our kids, will be protected.   http://action.momsrising.org/go/letter_27254/103?akid=2051.179534.2bi59i&t=4

 

 

Take Action for Women's Health!--One of the country’s biggest health insurance companies has a target on the back of women who need coverage. And not just any women — women suffering from breast cancer.  Unconscionable. Sign our petition and tell Wellpoint to immediately stop dropping sick women from their insurance coverage.

 

NEW YORK STATE FACES INVOLUNTARY OUTPATIENT TORTURE BECOMING PERMANENT.  YOU CAN HELP STOP IT.--On Tuesday, April 27, 2010, WE THE PEOPLE and allies will be meeting with Assemblyman Felix Ortiz, Chair of the Mental Health Subcommittee to oppose Involuntary Outpatient Torture being made permanent or being extended. "Kendra's Law" which exhibits structural and institutional racism and classism was suppose to sunset in June 2010 - and the new proposed aw is even more social control than its previous version.  The proposed new law includes provisions such as increasing the original court order from 6 months to one year; not requiring doctor testimony, requiring fiscal management, allowing an expired order to be renewed 60 days after it expires without needing a new hearing, and viewing "non-compliance" with drugs, urine or blood tests, or drugs and alcohol use as grounds for "dangerousness".   Hundreds of millions of tax-payer dollars have been spent on Kendra's Law legislation, which was first enacted in 1999 after a young woman - Kendra Webdale - died when struck by a train after being pushed off a subway platform by Andrew Goldstein. The law allowed for people who were accused of "mental illness" but not considered a present danger to be court ordered to receive outpatient drug treatment.  Andrew Goldstein was an individual who had been institutionalized and drugged. After he was released from lock-up he sought voluntary outpatient treatment. However, he was repeatedly turned away by "mental health" treatment providers. He received no compassion, - no support, - no services, - not even the medications he was accustomed to and was willing to take. He was refused help- and then pushed Kendra Webdale - and then got attention. He would not even have qualified or been subject to the law named after his victim.  This law is just an attempt to draw attention away from the real problem, which is lack of real help and assistance from providers, and a knee-jerk response of social control and blaming the victim.  WE THE PEOPLE are survivors and escapees of the current treatment methods of organized psychiatry. WE THE PEOPLE maintain that too many people have been victimized by experimentation, drugging, and electro-convulsive "therapy". They continue to state national statistics that people who have been treated as "mentally ill" die an average of 25 to 30 years younger than their contemporaries.  WE THE PEOPLE view the "mental illness industry" as cruel, costly, powerful, and profitable. As citizens of the United States we maintain that the human rights of ALL people must be protected and promoted. When the needs of people are met, force is not necessary. Forced drugging and unwanted "treatment" is torture. We will be heard.  ACTION: Please sign on your support and offer comments on your opinion at http://www.NoIOC.org