Daily Archives: 08/05/2010

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Don’t let the FCC cave on net neutrality.



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We can’t allow Chairman Genachowski to cut a backroom deal that would eviscerate net neutrality.

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Right now, the FCC is convening closed-door meetings with a few massive corporations to cut a deal to eviscerate net neutrality protections.

This is deplorable. FCC Chair Julius Genachowski has pledged to protect an open Internet. He has all the authority he needs to take action to protect American consumers, and he has the backing of Barack Obama and the Democratic leadership of the House and Senate to stand up for net neutrality. The only thing Genachowski seems to lack is the will to actually do so.

Call him today and tell him not cave on net neutrality.

The deal under consideration would let broadband providers build priority access reserved only for the largest companies that can afford to pay the toll. AT&T and Comcast would be allowed to favor their own video services, voice applications and social media. Verizon would be allowed to insulate itself from competition by upstart innovators that want to show consumers how things can be done better and more cheaply.

A free and open Internet is an important part of 21st Century democracy. We can’t let the Information Superhighway turn into a toll road simply because the Chair of the FCC doesn’t want to ruffle the feathers of the telecom industry.

Call Genachowski today and tell him not to cave on net neutrality. Let’s give him the spine to end the backroom deal-making that endangers the Internet’s future, and live up to his promises to protect the public.

Click here for the number to call and a sample script.

Thank you for working to preserve a free and open Internet.

Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

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Target is feeling the heat — call them now!


Thanks so much for telling Target that you won’t shop there unless they stop trying to buy elections. Over 175,000 people signed on so far, a new Facebook group calling for a boycott has almost 32,000 members, and media outlets from NPR to the Huffington Post are covering the story. Your voice is being heard!
But we’re not done yet. Target’s CEO wrote an email to company employees where he tried to justify taking advantage of the Citizens United ruling and using company money to buy elections. He said the donation was made for “business objectives such as job creation and economic growth.”1

Clearly, Target hasn’t gotten the message: Whatever the reason, trying to buy an election is unacceptable. And especially when the candidate you’re supporting is a right-winger who actively threatens many of Target’s customers’ values!
Target must be thinking that they can ride out this wave of public outrage—that it’ll blow over if they just ignore us. We can’t let that happen—Target, and companies across the country watching this case, need to understand how serious this is to customers and voters nationwide. So we’re aiming to turn up the heat TODAY by flooding their phones with calls from outraged customers.

Can you take a moment right now to call Target? Just speak from the heart and tell them why you’re not shopping there until they apologize and promise not to buy an election ever again. You don’t need to be an expert on Target, or on Tom Emmer’s candidacy, to speak your mind.
Here’s the number to call:
(612) 304-6073
(Press 1 until you get to speak to a “customer relations” representative. You’ll hear a recording directing you to their website, just stay on the line.)
Please click here to share how your call went once you’ve done it:
If they say that you’re the first call today, don’t believe ’em! They’ve set up a special phone line to take these kinds of calls. And the more they hear from us, the more they’ll understand the gravity of what they’ve done.
Let’s make those phones ring off the hook.
Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Robin, Anna, Mari, and the rest of the team

P.S. If you’re on Facebook, check out and join the Boycott Target group: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89742&id=22261-9640874-scYHlox&t=2

Source:

1. “Target CEO defends donating to anti-gay gubernatorial candidate—Boycott gains momentum,” Ann Arbor Examiner, July 30, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=89744&id=22261-9640874-scYHlox&t=3

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Federal judge declares Prop. 8 unconstitutional!


Human Rights Campaign


BREAKING NEWS:

Federal judge declares Prop. 8 unconstitutional!

The two loving couples who were plaintiffs in this case deserve our gratitude.

Today we moved a step closer to full equality.

After the first-ever federal trial on whether it’s legal to ban same-sex couples from marrying, the district court ruled that Proposition 8 violated the U.S. Constitution.

This court’s ruling will undoubtedly be appealed, so our struggle is far from over. But it was a tremendous step forward for equality and a critical win.

The two courageous couples who acted as plaintiffs in this suit opened up their lives to months of public scrutiny and helped bring about this victory, fighting alongside the legal team of Ted Olson, David Boies and the American Foundation for Equal Rights. They deserve our gratitude. Will you take a moment to thank them?

Here is another way to get involved. Today, people in cities across the country will be gathering for peaceful “Day of Decision” rallies to take advantage of this moment and show the broad support for marriage equality among both LGBT and straight Americans. Find out if there’s a rally near you.

This case was a landmark. Over the course of the months-long trial, the plaintiffs introduced substantial testimony and evidence to finally show that Prop. 8 had discriminatory motivations – and that same-sex couples are entitled to equal rights. Because this is a district court decision and will most likely be appealed, it may not have an immediate effect on marriage bans in California or any other states. Nonetheless, it’s a significant moment. It’s a vindication of the grassroots work we’ve done across the country to give every loving couple the same rights – and a shot of momentum to continue that work.

The trial also showed that the other side remains as ferocious as ever. Not content with simply defending Prop. 8, they tried to persuade the judge to stop California state agencies from recognizing the marriages of the 18,000 same-sex couples who tied the knot in the months before Prop. 8 passed.

So without question, the forces of bigotry will appeal this ruling. After the Court of Appeals, this case could very well end up before the highest court in the land – just another reason we must fight to get fair-minded judges like Elena Kagan on the Supreme Court.

We know we will prevail in the end. Because we are on the right side of history and the law. Because public opinion is increasingly in our favor. Because even conservatives like Ted Olson – who argued for the George W. Bush side in Bush v. Gore – share a passion for this cause.

But it will take more sacrifice and more grueling hard work. It will take more people like you standing up for what you believe – and more heroes like the plaintiffs in this case refusing to accept second-class status.

Thanks for your continued support on this defining issue.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President

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Dangerous Drilling: BP is at it AGAIN
Brave New Foundation
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Click here to watch the video
BP is at it again!

Despite the catastrophe in the Gulf, BP is moving forward with a controversial project to drill in the Arctic. In order to get around the Obama Administration’s moratorium on off-shore drilling, BP has built “Liberty Island” three miles off the Alaskan Coast and plans to drill two miles under the sea and then six to eight miles horizontally to tap an underwater reserve.

An oil spill in the Arctic would be far worse than what continues to unfold in the Gulf. There is no proven technology for cleaning up oil in icy water and the nearest emergency and relief supports are thousands of miles away.

Ignoring the lessons of this most recent disaster, Federal regulators even allowed BP to write its own environmental review for the project. We cannot allow for history to repeat itself.

Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, has the ability to STOP this catastrophe before it happens and YOU have the ability to influence Secretary Salazar.

Tell Secretary Salazar to stop BP’s dangerous and unregulated drilling in the Arctic

Sincerely,
Robert Greenwald and the Brave New Foundation team