Last night President Obama spoke powerfully about what happened in Arizona.
We were struck by the incredibly strong reaction our friends and family had to the speech, so we’re passing it along in case you missed it:
Thanks for all you do.
–Justin, Kat, Nita, Steven, and the rest of the team
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The dolphins are trapped in a concrete pool next to a highway. They breathe in fumes and smog day after day. There’s no protection from the desert heat or the winter snow. Seventy-five percent die prematurely.
This is the horrifying existence of the dolphins at The Mirage Hotel and Casino’s “Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat.” Imprisoned in pools that are too shallow and too small, they’re forced to do mindless tricks for high-paying guests day after day – until they develop respiratory infections and diseases that claim their lives.
No creature should be treated this way.
Animal protection organizations have appealed to the National Marine Fisheries Service to deny The Mirage’s requests for more dolphins, but as more and more dolphins die — the death count is now at 14 — the Mirage keeps “restocking” its exhibit.
This isn’t the first time The Mirage has faced criticism for its reprehensible treatment of animals. In the past, The Mirage housed tigers in the building — but due to large opposition from the public, the casino is now tiger-free.
This set a clear precedent: If The Mirage believes the public fallout will be worse than the profits it makes from its mistreated animals, it will stop its despicable behavior.
Together, we can build the pressure needed to free The Mirage’s dolphins. Sign this petition today to tell The Mirage to stop imprisoning, mistreating, and causing the deaths of dolphins:
Thanks for taking action,
— Judith and the Change.org Team
To win against The Mirage, we’ll need a lot more people to know about the deadly conditions these dolphins face.
The U.S. Senate is broken, and its rampant dysfunction is slowly hollowing out the other two branches of government. Conservative senators have waged an unprecedented campaign of obstruction against President Obama’s judicial nominees, leaving nearly one in nine federal judgeships vacant . Senators routinely hold uncontroversial nominees hostage to extract petty concessions — Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) once placed a blanket hold on more than 70 White House nominees in order to extort tens of billions of dollars in pork for his home state. In perhaps the most absurd example of Senate obstructionism, Shelby also single-handedly blocked a nominee to the Federal Reserve Board whom he deemed too unqualified to set economic policy, only to have that nominee win the Nobel Prize in Economics a few months later. Because it is now so easy to stall a nominee, potentially keeping an entire federal agency leaderless for years, powerful industry groups have spawned an entire industry devoted to keeping the government from functioning — and no one has mastered this game better than the National Rifle Association.
ENSURING A PERMANENT VACANCY: In 2006, the NRA successfully lobbied Congress to require the Director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to be confirmed by the Senate. Since then, the ATF has never had a Senate-confirmed head. President Bush nominated U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan to head the ATF, but even a Republican president’s choice proved unacceptable to pro-gun lobbyists. The NRA accused Sullivan of “overly zealous enforcement activities” because, while Sullivan served as Acting Director of ATF, the agency revoked several gun dealers licenses to sell firearms. Sens. David Vitter (R-LA), Larry Craig (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) soon took up the NRA’s cause, placing a hold on Sullivan’s nomination until he agreed to comply with the NRA’s demands. President Obama did not nominate an ATF Director until Nov. 2010, in no small part because the administration “had a tough time even finding a candidate interested in the ATF job because of likely gun-lobby resistance.” When Obama finally did nominate Andrew Traver, a 23-year veteran of the ATF and the head of its Chicago office, the NRA officially announced its opposition the very same day. Many of the NRA’s objections to Traver call into question whether anyone actually interested in enforcing the nation’s gun laws could breach the NRA’s wall of obstruction. The gun lobby complains that Traver once was interviewed in a local news segment about a 14 year-old girl who was killed by an AK-47, and it objects to Traver’s belief that civilians should not be able to purchase guns that fire 5 inch long .50 caliber rounds that are capable of punching a fist-sized hole in 2.5 inches of bulletproof glass.
THE PRICE OF OBSTRUCTION: When entire agencies sit without confirmed leadership for years at a time it has very severe consequences for the government’s ability to provide the most basic services. The gun lobby may object to the ATF’s decision to control the most dangerous weapons or require gun dealers to follow the law, but when the NRA gums up this agency’s leadership it also hurts its ability to keep guns out of the hands of Mexican drug cartels or prevent arson and bombings. Agencies without a confirmed head also lack clout within an administration and thus have less ability to assert their need for additional budget appropriations. Accordingly, difficult budgeting decisions wind up being decided based on which agencies’ leaders are able to wield their influence with the Office of Management and Budget rather than on the nation’s actual needs. And leaderless agencies are understandably reluctant to pursue new regulations or other long-term initiatives for fear that they will not be embraced if a permanent leader is ever confirmed. Nor are the costs of Senate obstruction limited to the federal agencies. Because of the Senate’s inability to confirm judicial nominations, a federal court in Illinois currently has only one active judge doing the job of four, and the average civil litigant nationwide must wait nearly two years for a jury trial. And if the Senate isn’t fixed, the judiciary will soon become completely incapable of functioning. Nearly half of the 876 federal judgeships will be vacant by the end of the decade if the current confirmation rate does not speed up, according to the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Policy.
HOLDS FOR SALE : The gun lobby may be the most effective special interest group at ensuring that the agency that oversees its members is completely unable to function, but it is far from alone in exploiting the broken Senate. Indeed, as ThinkProgress’ Lee Fang recently reported, corporate lobbyists have created an entire holds-for-sale industry which connects powerful interest groups with senators willing to place a hold on Senate business which could hurt the interest group’s bottom line. One lobbying firm, Endgame Strategies LLC, openly advertises to potential clients that it can help its clients find just the right “backbench Senate Republicans” to “exercise their prerogatives to delay or obstruct.” And this firm is hardly a lone wolf. The American League of Lobbyists recently pitched a seminar to DC lobbyists with a provocative question and answer: “Can you turn Congressional rules and procedures into a tactical advantage for achieving your policy goals? Absolutely!” In other words, while the United States slowly loses its ability to function due to its broken Senate, corporate lobbyists are wildly profiting off that very dysfunction.
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No doubt about it: Information and truth are powerful tools. Armed with them, there’s almost nothing we can’t do. But for a lot of reasons, information can be hidden, or distorted. That can make it hard to see the truth, even though it’s always still right there in front of us. This can be especially true when it comes to the climate crisis. This is where Repower America comes in. I’m Josh Nelson, and I’m the Repower America New Media Director. I believe in the powerful role that online tools like blogs can play in exposing the truth about the climate crisis and what it’s doing to our planet, and I’d like to introduce you to the Repower Blog. Meant to be a resource for people who want to know the facts about the climate crisis, over the past few months, we’ve really kicked our Repower Blog into high gear. As we begin to make decisions about what content we will post in 2011, I’d like to get your thoughts. Check out the Repower America Blog and share your thoughts by leaving a note in the comments. http://acp.repoweramerica.org/repowerblog On the Repower Blog you can find stats on clean energy solutions and talking points on the latest climate science. You can share posts with other climate voices across the Repower America community — and help us tell a story about positive action to address the climate crisis that’s already happening across the United States, even if it’s not happening in Washington yet. But more than anything, our blog is about you — and we want your input. What would you like to see us blog more about in the future? We’ve just posted an open thread on the blog to gather your ideas — please visit it now and share your thoughts: http://acp.repoweramerica.org/repowerblog After you comment, take a look through some of our recent posts. To make it easier to find what you’re looking for, our posts are divided into the following categories:
Click on any of the categories above to explore our previous posts. The Repower Blog is a chance for all of us to shine a light on the truth about the climate crisis. The more you contribute to it, the more powerful it can be. The truth is a powerful thing. Thanks for all that you do. Josh Nelson |
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Prop. 8 ended marriage equality in California and shocked a nation. I’m writing because New Hampshire could be next. Right-wing lawmakers have taken over the New Hampshire legislature – and they’re already working on four distinct bills to take the right to marry away from loving, same-sex couples. And that’s not all. Hateful groups are trying to ban same-sex marriage in Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Iowa, and West Virginia. Equality is under attack: along with the anti-LGBT wave in the U.S. Congress, 20 state governments are now under the control of conservative legislatures and governors – twice as many as are under more pro-equality leadership. We have staff on the ground around the country and plans to deploy even more. We’re bolstering state groups, even as we fight against hostile federal bills and amendments. But to make it work, we need 2,011 new members like you – that works out to just 17 more from Washington – to join HRC in the next week. Once you do, we’ll stop sending reminders and get back to the work of securing equality. You already know what we’re defending against in our nation’s capital. A U.S. House led by right-wingers. A whopping 53 more anti-equality representatives and five more anti-equality senators in Congress. But the front line in the battle for marriage equality is in the states. Conservatives now hold more state legislative seats than they have since 1928. Hateful groups like the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) are pushing their agenda in more states than ever before. But there are also some important new opportunities. Your support, right now, could tip the balance.
Just as we did with the successful campaign to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” we’re always working with leaders in both parties to achieve progress on equal rights. But we won’t ever shy away from taking on new legislators who are beholden to the most conservative wing of the Republican Party – and straight, pro-equality Americans like you are a critical part of that effort. LGBT and straight, young and old, of all backgrounds and beliefs, HRC members aren’t satisfied with just sitting back and watching what happens. They’re willing to step up and fuel this fight for equality. In 2011, as state battles heat up and a hostile House of Representatives plays politics with our rights, we’re going to need more members, more strength, and more resolve. State legislatures are already in session; we need you now. Congress. State capitols. Schools. Churches. Corporate headquarters. Wherever equality and acceptance are at stake, HRC is at work – and HRC members are leading the charge. Thank you for everything,
P.S. I’m so grateful if you’ve already put a check in the mail or given to HRC through some other method. If you’ve yet to contribute, though, Your gift is critical to maintaining our fight against hate and bigotry in all its forms. |
Be a Seed for Change 