Daily Archives: 04/02/2012

~ the Senate ~ Congress ~Republican led House

Congress: the Republican led House – continues the War on Women,Seniors,our College Students,Voter and Worker Rights – Both Chambers back on 4/16 – the Senate resumes S.2240 & S.2230


the Senate Convenes: 2:00pmET April 16, 2012

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.2240, the Paying a Fair Share Act.
  • As a reminder to all Senators, cloture was filed on the motion to proceed to S.2230, the Paying a Fair Share Act on Thursday, March 29th.
  • At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #460, Stephanie Dawn Thacker, of WV, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit with up to 60 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees.
  • Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of the Thacker nomination. There will then be a 2nd roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.2230, the Paying a Fair Share Act.
  • If the House does not adopt S.Con.Res.38, the adjournment resolution, the Senate will also meet on the following dates at the following times in pro forma sessions only, with no business conducted:
  • Monday, April 2nd at 2:00pm
  • Thursday, April 5th at 11:00am
  • Monday, April 9th at 10:00am
  • Thursday, April 12th at 2:00pm

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The next meeting in the HOUSE is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on April 16, 2012.

~ politics petitions pollution &pop culture

The Rebuild America Act lays out a vision of a better America for women and their families … Joan Entmacher, National Women’s Law Center


National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
Thank Senator Harkin for Working to Rebuild America
                The Rebuild America Act lays out a vision of a better America for women and their families.
Take Action

Now this is more like it! You and I both know that we’ve had to spend a lot of time playing defense to protect critical programs and hard-won rights. But while we’ve been on the defensive, we’ve also been advocating for policies that lift up and support ALL Americans and that provide a clear path to a better future.
Now our efforts are paying off. Just yesterday, Senator Tom Harkin introduced the Rebuild America Act, which would improve economic security for women and their families. The Rebuild America Act makes investments to promote widely shared prosperity and finances them in a fair and fiscally responsible way.
This type of opportunity doesn’t come along every day. Join us in saying ‘Thank you!’ to Senator Harkin for introducing this important bill!
What kinds of prosperity are we talking about? First and foremost — jobs. The Rebuild America Act recognizes the need for quantity and quality when it comes to job creation. The bill provides funding to help states and localities hire teachers and other public service workers — an especially crucial sector for women, who have lost nearly 70 percent of the public sector jobs cut since June of 2009. It also invests in infrastructure and manufacturing — and increases support for job training and education to expand access to these jobs among underrepresented populations.
And that’s not all. The bill also would increase the minimum wage and the tipped minimum wage, advancing fair pay for women who represent nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers; provide significant new funding to make child care more affordable for families, help states improve the quality of child care, and increase the supply of high-quality programs in low-income communities; give workers access to paid sick days, which could also be used to care for a sick child or aged parent; and improve Social Security benefits. And these critical investments would be financed by ensuring that the wealthiest Americans pay their fair share of taxes and closing tax loopholes.
Please thank Senator Harkin today for standing up for the prosperity of all Americans.
We’ll continue to need your help in fighting defensive battles. In fact, just yesterday, in a nearly party-line vote, the House approved the extreme and dangerous budget introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), which would devastate services vital to women and their families at every stage of their lives and repeal the Affordable Care Act — while giving trillions of dollars in new tax cuts to millionaires and corporations. But we also need to take the time to thank leaders like Senator Harkin who are working to restore an economy that works for everyone and expand opportunities for women.
Sincerely,
Joan Entmacher Joan Entmacher Vice President, Family Economic Security National Women’s Law Center   

P.S. Want to know more? Be sure to check out our new fact sheet on the Rebuild America Act. For more information on the child care and early learning provisions in the Act, check out our more extensive summary.
~ politics petitions pollution &pop culture

Special message to Planned Parenthood & Supporters … from President Obama


by     on Mar 27, 2012

President Obama knows how important women’s health is, and he respects the right of every woman to make her own medical decisions.

Watch the video to see his special message to Planned Parenthood Action Fund supporters — and then sign our letter thanking him for standing strong for women’s health:

http://bit.ly/GU7tG4

Already, 20 million women have received preventive care without a co-pay because of the health care reform law. When the health care reform law is fully implemented, women will no longer be discriminated against by insurance companies, and essential services including cancer screenings, birth control, and HIV testing and counseling will be covered with no co-pays.

~ Live green Promote green Business/Political Action, ~ politics petitions pollution &pop culture

Stop the fires in Indonesia and save Sumatran orangutans … Lindsey Allen, Rainforest Action Network

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Rainforest Action Network
 
Urge the President of Indonesia to stop the fires in Indonesia’s Tripa Swamp forest
Tripa Forest fires
Take Action

Over ninety-two fires burn out of control in the Tripa swamp rainforest of Indonesia—home to one of the largest remaining populations of wild orangutans in the world. The fires now ablaze in Tripa started as palm oil companies rushed to clear forests once they realized that community groups had gone to court to try and stop their plantation expansion.
Sumatran orangutans could be completely wiped out if these fires are allowed to continue. We must all take collective action now to save these orangutans.
Demand that the president of Indonesia declare a state of emergency in Tripa and deploy firefighting units immediately to stop the burning.
The current crisis in Tripa could have been avoided with greater palm oil expansion oversight and attention to forest protection, species conservation and community rights.
President Yudhoyono stated this past September, “I will continue my work and dedicate the last three years of my term as president to deliver enduring results that will sustain and enhance the environment and forests of Indonesia.”
Please hold Indonesia’s president to his word. Urge President Yudhoyono to order palm oil companies to cease the burning of Tripa immediately.
Thank you for your rapid response to this urgent crisis.

Lindsey Headshot

For the forests,
Lindsey Allen             Forest Program Director             Twitter: @probwithpalmoil #savetripa
~ politics petitions pollution &pop culture

a message to Mark Oxner – Alan Grayson just say NO to Racism



Someone Please Explain This to Mark Oxner.           

           

           

           

In 2010, my opponent Dan Fanelli ran a TV ad arguing that white people should not be “pulled out of line at the airport,” because it’s an “invasion of our privacy,” and it’s “time to stop political correctness.”

Apparently, Fanelli had never heard of white terrorists Timothy McVeigh or Ted Kaczynski.  But he may have heard later about Jared Loughner, who killed six people in his attempted assassination of Rep. Gabby Giffords, and Anders Breivik, who killed 93 people in Norway.

Well, the Silly Season is upon us again.  My opponent Mark Oxner has topped Dan Fanelli.

Oxner is running an ad depicting Barack Obama, our first African-American President, as the captain of a slave ship.  Populated by white children in chains.

The ad does feature some utterly incoherent, random references to “corporate subsidies,” “free healthcare,” bank bailouts, “the 99 percent,” Guy Fawkes, Cialis and “my husband’s solar company.”   Much like a fevered, quick-cut dream of a junkie, strung out on meth.  Or Glenn Beck.  One or the other.

But the centerpiece of the ad is a maniacal photoshopped image of President Barack Obama, shouting “uh, no questions on this ship.”  Plus a tight close-up of two 10-year-old white girls, in chains, rowing furiously.   And in case you missed that oh-so-subtle point, there are balloons with the President’s campaign logo gently floating up and down, and the ship is called the “U.S.S. Obamaboat.”

In other words, prejudiced, demented garbage.

And I’m in the ad; my head is photoshopped onto the body of a parrot.  Because, as everyone knows, I never have any thoughts of my own.

When Oxner posted this ad on YouTube, he understandably disabled the “like/dislike” ratings function, perhaps knowing that in Fanelli’s case, “dislike” beat out “like” by 10-to-1.  Oxner also has assiduously deleted the cascade of criticism that was posted.

But he can’t censor the entire Internet.  What did people say about Oxner’s ad?  Well, I’ll give you a hint.  If you google “Oxner racist,” you get 26,000 hits.  Alternet called it “overt racism.”  The Huffington Post called it “bizarre.”  Facebook, without even bothering to comment on it, simply banned it.

Why is Mark Oxner running for Congress?  Because KKK Grand Wizard David Duke isn’t a Florida resident?

I try really hard to give people good reasons to vote for me.  Things I stand for.   Things I care about.  Things I’ve done.  Things I’m going to do.  But Mark Oxner has provided one of the best reasons I can think of:  if I’m elected to Congress in November, then Mark Oxner won’t be.

We have set up a special ActBlue page, in honor of Mark Oxner, called “Beat the Bigot.”  Because in every election, even if there isn’t always someone to vote for, there’s always someone to vote against.  If you are just as disgusted with racist cranks like Mark Oxner as I am, then click here, and do something about it.

Courage,

Alan Grayson