Daily Archives: 02/23/2012

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help me help Sherrod Brown … Al Franken


Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota

I’ve noticed something about the right-wing attack machine: Great progressives drive them absolutely nuts.

Sure, they’ll attack anyone who doesn’t agree that corporations are people, Social Security is a Ponzi scheme, and global warming is a hoax (that every legitimate scientist is in on).  But they really lose their minds when they encounter a true progressive who gets results for working families.
And they have gone positively crackers in their negative campaign against my friend Sherrod Brown, throwing everything they can at him — to the tune of more than $3.5 million in attack ads on Ohio T.V. already.
I’m helping Sherrod fight back — and you should, too.  His campaign has to raise $200,000 by the end of the month.  Can you knock $20 off that goal by clicking here right now?
I work with Sherrod a lot — and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more forceful advocate for the middle class.  Less raspy?  Maybe.  But more forceful?  No way.
That’s why the right-wing attack machine has zeroed in on Sherrod.  They can’t stand the idea that a guy who wears his progressive values on his sleeve not only gets to serve in the U.S. Senate, but gets things done there.  Sherrod’s won fights on behalf of working people his whole career — and if we want to win these fights in the future, we’d better make sure he keeps his seat in November.
Every right-wing special interest group in Washington has Ohio’s Senate race at the top of their wish lists in 2012.  Sherrod really drives them berserk.  It’s one of my favorite things about him.
And the only thing that would drive these radicals crazier would be if we helped him overcome their attacks and win.
Thanks for helping me help Sherrod keep driving the far right around the bend.
Al
P.S.: I have it on good authority that another thing that makes the right-wing attack machine flip out is when I include an extra “ask” in the P.S. of a fundraising email.  Seriously, they’re reading this right now and just freaking out — pounding on their desks, tearing out their hair, the whole deal.  And if you want to get them completely unglued, you could click here and prove that the “extra ask in the P.S.” trick works by donating $10 or more to Sherrod’s campaign right now!
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from … Philip Radford, Greenpeace


Because of corporate greed, our planet is on the brink. Greenpeace is taking action.
Donate Now!
Help make 2012 our best year yet by making your first gift and joining Greenpeace today.
Donate Now!

Our planet is on the brink because of corporate greed.

  • Tuna companies are killing thousands of sea birds, sea turtles and sharks every year and putting entire populations of tuna at risk of extinction because of destructive fishing practices.
  • Pulp and paper companies in Indonesia are destroying the habitat of the 400 remaining Sumatran tigers while the agribusiness lobby in the Amazon is pushing for a new Forest Code bill that would open up a section of rainforest about the size of Minnesota to possible deforestation.
  • Energy companies are exerting their influence over the political process so that they can continue poisoning our air and water and causing global warming by burning coal.

These are global problems that require a global solution. Greenpeace’s mission is to be part of that solution and we have plans to address each of these problems. And as a global organization that doesn’t take a dime from corporations or governments, we are well positioned to make it happen. But we can’t do it without your support.
Now is the time. Make your first gift to Greenpeace and become a member for 2012.
We have already surpassed our initial goal of getting 2,012 people to become a member online by February 29th. Now help us hit our new goal of 2,500. We only need 7 people fromWashington to make it happen!
Thanks in advance for your support. It’s going to be a great year.
Sincerely,
Philip Radford Greenpeace USA Executive Director

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tell Enterprise Rent-a-Car to stop fighting against a law that would ban renting recalled cars …Jess Kutch, Change.org


Tell Enterprise Rent-a-Car to stop fighting against a law that would ban renting recalled cars.                       
Sign the Petition

Cally Houck’s two daughters, Raechel and Jacquie, rented a PT Cruiser from Enterprise Rent-a-Car in 2004. What they didn’t know about their car was it had been recalled for serious safety problems a month earlier, and that Enterprise didn’t fix the car.

Raechel and Jacquie’s rental car caught on fire because of the very issue that prompted the recall. The young women crashed their fiery car into a tractor-trailer, killing them both.

In just a matter of days, Congress is set to consider a new law that would force rental car companies to fix recalled cars, but Enterprise Rent-a-Car is lobbying against it — and hard. Enterprise’s opposition could block the bill, allowing Enterprise to continue to ignore car recalls like the one that killed Cally Houck’s daughters.

Cally Houck has dedicated herself to making sure that rental car companies fix recalled vehicles so no other parent loses her daughters to rental cars that are known to be unsafe. She says it’s critical to stop Enterprise’s opposition now, before they kill the law. Cally started a petition on Change.org asking Enterprise Rent-a-Car CEO Andrew Taylor to stop opposing the law to force rental car companies to repair recalled vehicles.

Click here to add your name to Cally’s petition.

These two young women weren’t the first to die from rental cars under recall, and they weren’t the last, according to a USA Today report this weekend. Despite knowing the risks, companies like Enterprise choose to keep unsafe cars on the road.

When a vehicle is recalled because of safety or performance issues, the government says all vehicles should be fixed immediately. That why car dealerships aren’t allowed to sell new or used cars under recall that haven’t yet been fixed.

For Cally, it’s hard to imagine why rental car companies would be okay with renting cars that they knew to be unsafe. Before her daughters rented the car that killed them, three other customers had rented it from Enterprise after the safety recall.

There is hope — Hertz, a major rental car company, bucked its competitors and is actually supporting this new law. Cally hopes that by calling attention to Hertz’s willingness to protect its customers — and by showing that Enterprise is willing to let customers drive what she calls “ticking time bombs” like the one that killed her daughters — Enterprise will stop opposing this law.

Click here to add your name to Cally Houck’s petition on Change.org asking Enterprise Rent-a-Car to stop opposing a law to protect drivers from renting recalled cars.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Jess and the Change.org team

P.S. Can you please take a minute to sign these other urgent campaigns started on Change.org?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Urgent: The SEC could cave to Big Oil’s bullying


Take Action!

Urgent: The SEC Could Cave to Big Oil’s Bullying

Two years ago we won a huge victory for transparency when a new law was implemented that ensured oil, gas and mining companies must reveal what they pay to African governments for access to their natural resources.

This law could save millions of people from extreme poverty, but now it’s under attack. »

Without this law, Big Oil was able to spend huge amounts of money on secret deals that was often pocketed by corrupt governments instead going to African people facing extreme poverty.

That meant people facing starvation while their leaders pocketed billions. »

Strongly enforced transparency in these deals could mean this money makes it to the people who need it the most. It could build the infrastructure, hospitals and schools Africa desperately needs to pull millions out of extreme poverty.

But it will be back to business as usual if the SEC caves to Big Oil’s demands for lax regulations and less transparency.

The SEC could be making a decision any day now.

Take action today: It’s up to us to be a voice for the voiceless and stand up to Big Oil’s bullying! »

Thanks for taking action!Ellen B.
ThePetitionSite
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Mobilizati​on underway – 65 days to go

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Earth Day 2012:  Mobilize the Earth is now in  full-swing! Every day, the movement is inspiring people all over the world to  act on behalf of the environment – to send a clear message to world leaders  that the world can’t wait.
What will YOU do?
Keep reading for highlights from the last couple of weeks  and learn how you can get involved.
In This Issue: Lead an Earth Day  Event or Join One Nearby A Billion Acts of  Green Reaches Halfway Point MobilizeU Student  Movement Gains Momentum Resources for  People of Faith

Lead an Earth Day  Event or Find One Nearby:People all over the world are already mobilizing for  Earth Day 2012. You can start an Earth Day event or join one nearby!
Remember to send us a photo of your action!
Here are some inspiring examples:

  • Oman –  Oman’s Ministry of Education is mobilizing to hold Earth Day events in 1,043  schools, engaging more than 524,000 students throughout the country. They also published  Earth Day Network’s green schools lesson plans on their education portal in  Arabic and English.
  • Kurdistan,  Iraq – The provincial government  in Kurdistan is mobilizing to plant five million trees for Earth Day 2012. And  Earth Day Network partner “Together” has already planted 400 trees in honor of  Earth Day 2012 in Salah Al-Din Province.
  • Brisbane,  Australia – Divers with Reef Check Australia are mobilizing for Earth Day.  They’ll be doing an underwater cleanup of Moreton Bay and working to raise  awareness about water pollution and the need for marine conservation.
  • Veracruz,  Mexico – Tortugas Fundacion  Yepez is mobilizing to bring people, NGOs and government officials together in  Veracruz for Earth Day to raise awareness about the delicate ecosystem in the  area and promote reforestation throughout the region.
  • Koung Jor,  Thailand – The Branch Foundation is mobilizing to install solar panels in a  refugee camp in Thailand of 600 Burmese refugees. It will be the first  solar-run refugee camp in the world.
  • Norfolk,  United Kingdom – Deepdale Farm is mobilizing to bring community members and  businesses together on the North Norfolk Coast for Earth Day to learn about  sustainability, conservation, eco-friendly living and renewable technologies.

A Billion Acts of  Green® Reaches Halfway Point: A Billion Acts of Green, the world’s largest  environmental service campaign, recently passed the halfway point! We’ve  inspired over 500 million environmental actions from individuals, businesses,  governments, and faith-based and civic organizations all over the world in what  is being called a global referendum on the environment. Help us make it to a  billion for Earth Day!
MobilizeU Student  Movement Gains Momentum:MobilizeU is an international movement of student environmental  activists organizing for Earth Day 2012. And the international collegiate  competition to generate the most acts of green is less than two months away. Dozens  of college students from all over the world have already signed up to represent  their institutions as regional and school coordinators, and more are coming in  every day. Click here to get involved in this exciting youth movement!
Resources for  People of Faith: Earth Day Network is proud to  introduce its Earth Stewardship Resources for People of Faith webpage. This  living-list webpage will provide people of faith with a wide array of resources  to help develop projects to green their congregation and community.
– The Earth Day Network Team