~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What’s next?

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

pix is from getty images

vote

TAKE ACTION

Are you ready for Election Day? Get registered and register your friends

On Tuesday, the Senate had the opportunity to move forward on the DREAM Act as part of the defense authorization bill. Instead, Senate Republicans blocked the debate from even starting. Not a single Republican senator was willing to stand up for the DREAM Act.

You worked hard to get us to this point. You’ve sent tens of thousands of faxes to your senators on the DREAM Act. This week alone, you’ve made over 43,000 calls into Congress to tell them to support the DREAM Act as a step towards comprehensive immigration reform. Your power got us to this point. This fight isn’t over, and it’s thanks to you that we’ve gotten this far.

Now we know who’s standing with us – and more importantly, we know who’s standing against us.

The senators who stood in the way of the DREAM Act and immigration reform this week have shown that they’re not willing to work with us. It’s time for us to show them where we’ll be standing this Election Day.

Make your voice heard on Election Day.

It’s important that everyone who can vote shows up to the polls on November 2nd. It’s the best way for us to show the politicians and bureaucrats the power of our movement. Some of them recognize our power and have stood up for what’s right. And some have decided they want to ignore us. This Election Day, we must show them all what we’re capable of by turning out to vote in record numbers. Only when they see us voting will they hear our voices.

Click here to make sure you’re ready to vote on November 2nd.

Thank you,
Marissa Graciosa
Reform Immigration FOR America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Take action! Only 48 hours to protect the walrus

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

Crowded, shoulder-to-shoulder, tens of thousands of walrus are clinging to life on a tiny beach along the coast of Alaska. The Pacific walrus have no where else to turn—the sea ice they normally rest on is melting.

And, to make matters worse, scientists worry that walrus calves are in serious jeopardy. It only takes one spooked, one-ton walrus, to turn the beach into disaster—walrus stampeding and crushing each other in a panic.

The effects of global warming are making many species, like the Pacific walrus, endangered. They’re struggling to find a place to live.

This summer, sea ice is reaching another record low—third only to the devastating lows of 2007 and 2008 that stranded unprecedented numbers of walruses on land.

Adding to the urgency, the federal government released a report saying there’s a 40% chance that Pacific walrus will be on a path to extinction by century’s end.

The Pacific walrus need our help—take action today.

Currently, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is deciding whether (or not) to list the Pacific walrus as an endangered species. They can’t survive without the extra protections provided under the Endangered Species Act.

Help give the walrus a fighting chance! The deadline for public comments is this Friday. We have less than 48 hours to help save the walrus. Please speak up by taking a moment to tell the Service that extinction is forever—save the Pacific walrus before it’s too late.

From Alaska,

Melanie Duchin
Arctic Program Director

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

can curiosity save the World?

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

show details Sep 21 (1 day ago)

Union of Concerned Scientists - Scientists are curious for life.

Can curiosity save the world?

Cameron Wake Curious for Life Ad

Cameron Wake and the Union of Concerned Scientists believe that curiosity can save the world—but we can’t do it without your help. Please, support our work to spread the truth—and spread the curiosity—today.

For climatologist Cameron Wake, it all started with childhood questions—endless questions. What lights the moon? Why is the ocean blue? Why do glaciers move?

Cameron is still curious. And it’s his curiosity, and that of other scientists like him, that is the key to solving some of our most pressing environmental, health, and security problems—in particular global warming.

Cameron travels to some of the most remote locations in the world to study the icy interior of glaciers. Detailed studies of ice cores have clearly shown that humans are now a major driver of climate change.

Wake’s science is sound—the problem is making his voice heard among the ideological rhetoric that makes headlines these days. We need your help to amplify his message amidst talking heads intent on misleading and confusing the public. Can you make a donation now to help us spread the facts about global warming?

You and I believe in the rigor of science. And you would think that the debate about global warming would be over—but it isn’t and action is urgently needed. People with financial interests in maintaining the status quo have manufactured controversies and misrepresented the facts about global warming in order to delay desperately needed action. They seek to dull the public’s curiosity by sowing confusion and doubt. And you and I cannot let them succeed.

Because the scary thing is that their efforts have been working. More people than ever doubt the scientific evidence that global warming is a human-caused problem with devastating consequences. It is unbelievable, and we cannot let our communities be harmed by false science.

Please support the Union of Concerned Scientists in our efforts to bring sound science to the public, and spread curiosity and the truth about global warming. Your donation allows us to be an independent voice for policy change and to continue developing science-based solutions to crucial environmental, health, and security issues.

Together we can protect our planet and all of its wondrous curiosities.

Sincerely,

Kevin Knobloch
President

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Republicans block DADT repeal

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

Senate Republicans have blocked “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal from receiving a vote!

But we are continuing to fight on all fronts, including the courts.

Tell the Justice Department: Don’t defend “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in court!

Just moments ago, Senate Republicans blocked the bill that contains the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” from even receiving an up-or-down vote. Not a single one broke ranks.

It’s an outrage. But this doesn’t mean the fight is over. Senate majority leader Harry Reid has committed to bringing the bill back up after the November elections – and we’ll have a fighting chance to get it passed then – so we’ll put everything we have into that effort.

In the meantime, we need to pursue every possible avenue to get rid of this law. And the Justice Department may be our best hope.

Here’s why: A federal district court recently ruled that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is unconstitutional. Now, the Justice Department has a choice: they can fight the decision, or they can let it stand and bring “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” one step closer to the dustbin of history.

Add your name to our open letter asking the Justice Department NOT to fight this landmark court decision. Then spread the word to your friends and contacts.

Today’s move by Senate Republicans is an outrage. Not a single Republican senator was willing to even begin debate on this important legislation, which includes a pay raise for our service members.

But we’ve faced setbacks before, and this is not the end of the road. We’ll keep our efforts at full steam as we prepare for another showdown in the Senate after the election.

And if Attorney General Eric Holder agrees not to appeal the recent court decision, discharges under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” could become a relic of the past.

We need to make sure the Attorney General gets the message: he may very well be our best hope to bring about the repeal of this discriminatory law.

Add your name to our open letter.

Then spread the word by email, Facebook, and Twitter.

Thanks for your help. Together, we can and we will end this law once and for all.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
President

~ Recent Post

A message from President Obama …

09/22/2010 Nativegrl77

In the coming weeks, Americans will make a critical choice. Do we continue moving our country forward? Or do we bring back the very same ideas that devastated the middle class and resulted in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression?

There is no doubt that Democrats can retain our Majority in the House of Representatives in the same way that we won in 2008 — by going block by block, house by house, voter by voter.

September 30th marks the final FEC quarterly fundraising deadline of this election, making this the most important deadline we have ever faced. Your support by Midnight on September 30th will decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls.

Contribute before the crucial Midnight September 30th FEC deadline to fund our get-out-the-vote effort and ensure that I keep my great Democratic Partners in the House. Your gift today will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.

The challenges we face as a nation are too great to go back to the same old Republican ideas that got us into this mess in the first place. We simply cannot give the keys to the car back to the very same folks whose ideas led to the worst economy since the 1930s.

Since taking office, I have been fortunate to have extraordinary partners in the House like Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her Democratic colleagues who have fought to move our country in a New Direction. They have put our recovery on track, fought Republican attempts to privatize Social Security, and heroically taken on the powerful special interests. Now they need your help.

When my own campaign for this office began, we weren’t given much of a chance by the pollsters or the pundits. You proved them wrong through your belief that 2008 had to be different. Now I need you to do it again for my great Democratic allies in the House.

We simply cannot afford to spend the next two years wishing we had done more in this final push to keep the House in Democratic hands.

This is our moment to retain a Democratic House so we can continue working to create millions of jobs, strengthen our middle class, and make this economy work for every American.

Thank you.

Barack Obama

P.S. Every dollar you give will help decide how strong our voter contact team is, how far they can extend their reach, and how many Democratic voters they can get to the polls. Contribute today and your gift will be matched by a group of generous Democrats.