A.J. Nelson was just four years old when he was killed in a hit-and-run by an intoxicated driver in Atlanta. Now his own mother, Raquel Nelson — who was also hit by the car while trying to save her son — faces up to three years in prison for A.J.’s death.

Raquel and her three children got off a bus and — with several other passengers — attempted to cross a five-lane highway to get to her apartment across the street. Standing at the median, little A.J. reportedly saw someone else jaywalk and ran out into the street to follow. Raquel ran out after him to stop him. But it was too late. Both Raquel and A.J. were hit by a vehicle, and A.J. died in the hospital a few hours later.

The driver, who admitted having a few beers and pain medication that afternoon, spent just six months in jail. This Tuesday, a judge will sentence Raquel Nelson to serve up to 36 months in jail for the death of her own son.

Please sign the Change.org petition to tell Judge Kathryn Tanksley and Georgia Governor Nathan Deal not to jail Raquel Nelson on Tuesday. Improving safety is more important than punishing innocent mothers.

Raquel Nelson’s family will deliver your petition signature to Judge Tanksley at her sentencing on Tuesday. It’s critical to speak out by Tuesday to prevent Raquel from serving a day in jail.

Though the stop itself was directly across the street from Raquel’s apartment where she got off the bus, the closest crosswalk was nearly a mile away. After a long day out in Atlanta, and a missed transfer, Raquel crossed the street with other passengers on the bus, taking the most direct route home.

Raquel was prosecuted for “vehicular homicide” and other charges because she and A.J. didn’t use a crosswalk to walk home. Unfortunately, she is not the first grieving mother to be prosecuted for the hit-and-run death of her child in Atlanta. The same prosecutor who convicted Raquel for her son’s death also convicted another Atlanta mother whose daughter was killed in a hit-and-run while attempting to cross the street.

A Change.org member named Eliza Harris is an urban planner who read about Raquel’s prosecution. She started the petition because she knows it makes more sense to use the money spent to prosecute Raquel to instead create crosswalks and better serve people who use public transportation.

Prosecuting grieving mothers is not the solution — Judge Tanksley should not sentence Raquel to jail, and Cobb County should make streets walkable and safe. Please sign the petition before Raquel is sentenced on Tuesday:

http://www.change.org/petitions/cobb-county-ga-release-grieving-mother-of-hit-and-run-install-a-crosswalk

Thank you for taking action.

– Corinne and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Forcing the poor and middle-class to pay … Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

07/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Republicans are trying to push forward a plan that would gut America‘s social safety net — and unless we act now, they may get their way.

Congress needs to raise the debt ceiling before August 2nd so that the government doesn’t default on its debts, which would wreak havoc on the economy. But Republicans are refusing to vote to raise the debt ceiling unless they can also pass massive cuts to Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, student aid, and other important programs that create opportunity and protect the most vulnerable among us.

Democrats in Congress are holding the line, saying that they won’t accept any cuts to these programs without asking huge corporations, millionaires and billionaires to contribute their fair share.

But as the deadline approaches, Congressional Democrats will be under immense pressure to compromise their principles, even if it means giveaways for the rich while most Americans suffer.

Please join us in calling on the White House and Congress to say NO to any deal that asks people who are already struggling in this economy to sacrifice even more, without asking corporations and the rich to pay their fair share. And please ask your friends and family to join us as well:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/907?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=3

The moral line is clear: the budget must not be balanced on the backs of poor and working folks while millionaires and billionaires pay lower taxes than ever. Americans oppose cuts to Medicare and Social Security by a 2-to-1 margin, and a large majority thinks that keeping benefit levels the same is a bigger priority than short-term deficit reduction.1 And an amazing 72% of Americans are united behind the idea of asking the wealthy to pay their fair share of taxes.2

By speaking out, we can help give the President and Congressional Democrats the political space they need to stand strong against the GOP‘s dangerous demands. It’s especially important that we deliver this message to the House of Representatives, because it’s likely that any budget deal will have to happen with the blessing of Democrats there. If they stand strong, we can avoid the worst of the cuts.

Why do we need to raise the debt ceiling?

Congress sets the maximum amount the federal government can borrow to pay its bills on time. If our debt rises above the limit, the government will begin to default on its commitments. And when that happens, there will be far-reaching consequences for everyone, but especially poor and working folks.

If the government doesn’t pay its bills, it’s a lot like when you or I don’t pay our bills — it ruins our credit, and makes buying goods and services more expensive. Worse, it makes even having debt more expensive, which means that money the government will have to pay higher interest rates — money that won’t go to economic stimulus or preserving the social safety net.

Most reputable economists say that a government default would wreck the nation’s economy, halting the already-weak recovery and possibly taking the world’s economy down with it.3

That fact hardly matters to most Republicans in Washington, who are treating the prospect of default like a high-stakes game of chicken. Many see an opportunity to gut programs that they never could otherwise, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security. It’s a disgusting, cynical strategy.

If enough of us speak out, we can help save the social safety net and force corporations and the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share. Please join us now:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/907?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=5

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
July 24th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU–your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/205?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=7

1. GOP Divided Over Benefit Reductions: Public Wants Changes in Entitlements, Not Changes in Benefit,” Pew Research Center for People and the Press, 7-7-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/908?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=9

2. “Poll: Taxing the rich favored over Medicare cuts,” Politico, 4-20-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/909?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=11

3. “To the limit,” New York Times, 7-1-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/910?akid=2071.1174326.rdN0yZ&t=13

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

DADT … Jim Messina, BarackObama.com

07/25/2011 Nativegrl77

President Obama and our military service chiefs certified the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

In 60 days, it will be done.

This is huge and welcome news for every one of us who opposes discrimination of any kind. But now, the fight for equal rights moves on.

Here’s the next front: This week the President endorsed a bill to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, a discriminatory law that forces the federal government to ignore the rights of those in same-sex marriages, even those performed in states where gay marriage is legal. The New York Times has said it “ranks with the most overtly discriminatory laws in the nation’s history.”

President Obama sees repeal as a moral and legal necessity, while the Republican candidates oppose it. But millions of people — gay and straight — are watching what they’re doing, want this law gone, and will make their voices heard.

Can you be one of them? We’re putting together the group of people who want to be at the forefront of our efforts on this issue as the campaign develops over the next 16 months — the first to know when news breaks, and the first to help spread the word to your friends and in your community. Join us for what’s next:

BARACKOBAMA.COM

Under DOMA, rights afforded to straight married couples — such as receiving Social Security benefits for spouses or filing joint federal income-tax returns — do not apply to same-sex married couples.

It’s no secret that the President has long opposed this law. In February, he directed the Justice Department to stop defending a key portion of it in court. And this week, he endorsed the first Senate bill that would repeal the law in its entirety.

We can already see the direction the other side is headed in response. They called a witness at the Senate hearings this week to testify that repealing DOMA would “pave the way for polygamous and other polyamorous unions.” That’s the type of rhetoric we should be prepared to hear in the run-up to the next election.

But the broad American consensus is on our side. We’ve all seen that change in Washington doesn’t come overnight, and fighting for it can carry significant political risks. When opportunities to make real progress come up, it’s critical to show Washington that millions of voters have President Obama’s back.

This is a defining issue for many of us in this movement, and for this President. Join this fight today:

Thanks for your help,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

DFA … Huge new poll from Wisconsin – Charles Chamberlain, Democracy for America

07/25/2011 Nativegrl77

This is huge — A new poll from Wisconsin shows Democrat Fred Clark beating Republican Sen. Luther Olsen for the first time since the campaign began.

This is a must-win district for progressives. We need to win at least three of the six Republican recall races to take back the Senate and end the Republican war on working families in Wisconsin.

We’re already on the air with a new TV ad showing how Olsen’s votes to give huge tax breaks to millionaires and shut down small town schools has hurt communities across the state

We have never been closer to winning these recall elections and finally ending the Republican war on middle class Wisconsin families than we are right now.

That’s why national media outlets — CNN, The Atlantic, Talking Points Memo — have picked up our new ad taking on Olsen for his vote to destroy unions and middle class families. We were the first ones on the air, on the ground and on the phones, but Karl Rove and the Koch brothers are scrambling to catch up and we need to be ready for when they strike back.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Charles

Charles Chamberlain, Political Director

Democracy for America

~ my 2cents ...

mashup Monday &some News

07/25/2011 Nativegrl77

just another rant …

A Gallup Poll done in April reported that if a vote were taken from We the People for the current members of Congress it would result in 32% voting for Democrats and 31% Republicans. If this is true, folks we definitely need to prepare for Election 2012. I gotta say given the number of folks who stayed home or voted right of center for the Midterms, it is important that those living in states engaging in voter suppression get the ID that will enable you to make your voice count. We all know there is so much more work to do, so much at stake and to be honest the thought of living under a Republican ruler makes me sick. I voted for and know that President Obama is the right one for the position of commander in chief and while my support continues beyond 2012. I do not always agree with what President Obama does and I still have questions about NAFTA, the Public Option and some other things that remain a mystery. I do know that the Democratic members of Congress have either not wanted or are not able to go big or bold enough to move us into the 21st Century but given a choice for 2012 and fact is there is no option; we have to get Democrats back in control. The process of changing the way things get done on the Hill, policy and or making laws are not easy or pleasant but it should not be the reason for changing your attitude or your vote because of it.

Two years ago the HCR Bill, HR3962/HR3590 considered an impossible dream is surrounded by a lot of misinformation as well as being just one of several pieces of legislation that President Obama has presented, urged, and finally passed after much push back from the Republican Tea Party and some Conservadems. I wonder, do people remember the contentious dividing issues like that 15 Dems said they would oppose the HCR bill, that Senator Ben Nelson’s amendment to add abortion language like the stupak-pitts amendment, which, would probably block public or federal funds to women. Thus blocking women the right to buy and or pay for their own insurance that may cover abortions and it may also penalize companies that include it in their HC plans; luckily, Congress tabled it. We also know that Lieberman wanted a Medicare buy in and HCR before he didn’t; and ended up showing how Politicians can easily put aside the rights of their constituents and fellow Americans by voting no, or that in the end the House passed HCR with the issue and problem being in the Senate

It is obvious the new HCR bill will improve the lives of many rather than a select few or keep the status quo. The fact is our President has done more to improve out state here in the US and the journey has been tough and quite long but what President Obama did in his 1^st term is historic and a moment that everyone cannot possibly forget, unless you have been living under a rock or listening to the naysayers. The Media continues to speculate or re-enforce the negative impact on voting yes for good faith legislation that no doubt would be good but impacts all Americans; mocking President Obama’s so-called improbable agenda that includes climate change, immigration overhaul as well as stating that Democrats keep wavering on a votes.

This is a moment that the Democratic Party should be willing to create change that has been needed for quite some time and as the President has stated many times …if not now when -because we may never get this chance for a long time if ever.

CSPAN …