Monthly Archives: August 2012

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Latesha and Loretta Taylor


 

Safe at School
Promoting Safety and Fairness for Children with Diabetes

My name is Latesha Taylor and I’m scared for my child‘s future.

Every day my 9-year old daughter Loretta goes to school — her life is at risk.

Why? Because without someone available every day to check her blood glucose and administer insulin, Loretta could enter into a coma … or worse.

Join us in supporting the American Diabetes Association's efforts to keep our children safe at school - Donate NowHelp the American Diabetes Association keep Loretta, and children like her, safe at school.

You see, Loretta has diabetes. Yet her school system doesn’t believe that it’s their job to provide basic care for a child with diabetes when a school nurse isn’t available. Other states have adopted laws that allow school employees to provide diabetes care as trained volunteers … but not mine.

Instead, I’m forced to leave my job every time the nurse is absent or unavailable because the school system refuses to train other staff members in how to care for her. And that means I get fired. A lot.

It also means Loretta is falling way behind in school. She can’t pay attention or keep up with her schoolwork when her blood glucose hits an extreme. And because she has so many absences from leaving school when there’s no nurse available, she’s even been cited for truancy!

Now I’m fighting for my child’s rights … and her safety. And I’d like you to join me. Help fight for the care that children like Loretta deserve at school.

Will you please send an urgent donation to help the American Diabetes Association? Your support could help them fight for the diabetes care that children like Loretta deserve at school, as well as support the Association’s research, information, advocacy and education programs.

Many of the over 200,000 children with diabetes in America have no support system in school when they need insulin or face a diabetes emergency. Some are even turned away from their neighborhood school simply because they have diabetes.

I’m sure you’ll agree with me that this is discriminatory and must be stopped. School personnel who aren’t health care professionals can — and should — be trained to provide diabetes care when a school nurse isn’t available.

Please give whatever you can today.

Not only will your generosity help give voice to those like Lorettta who are denied rights because of their diabetes, it will also help fund critical research to prevent, cure and manage diabetes.

I simply can’t thank you enough.

Sincerely,
Latesha Taylor
Latesha Taylor

P.S. The American Diabetes Association had already won key victories in multiple states, allowing school employees to volunteer to be trained in assisting children with diabetes. Help us move forward! Your gift today will help the American Diabetes Association improve the lives of children and adults with diabetes. Donate today and help STOP DIABETES®

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No Justice , No Pizza


TELL COSTCO: SUPPORT PALERMO’S PIZZA WORKERS

Laura Torres, a single mother of six, has worked at the Palermo’s Pizza plant in Milwaukee for 10 years. After safety issues led to thousands of dollars in fines from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, she and her co-workers began organizing to form a union to secure safe working conditions.[1]

Palermo’s executives could have taken the high road and sat down with Laura and other workers to hear their concerns. Instead, they chose to start an intimidation campaign that has forced the National Labor Relations Board to investigate claims of unlawful threats and firings.[2]

Laura and her co-workers have been on strike for two months now, but with every passing day management is digging in its heels. Workers, though, are not giving up and are joining together with working families across the country to take the next step in the campaign for justice at Palermo’s. And you can help.

As the largest purchaser of Palermo’s products, Costco can put pressure on Palermo’s to stand with workers. Thousands already have sent letters to Costco and held events outside Costco stores in multiple cities asking the company to support Palermo’s workers.

Click here to stand with pizza workers and let Costco know they should, too.

Costco has built a reputation on its commitment to a strong Supplier Code of Conduct. A major part of this code sets forth a “continuing commitment to the protection and improvement of employees’ rights” and allows Costco to audit its suppliers, like Palermo’s, to make sure they are in compliance with the code.

By asking Costco to take a stand and letting Palermo’s know Costco won’t tolerate the company’s lack of workplace safety and unfair treatment of workers, we can put pressure on Palermo’s to finally do the right thing for their workers and customers.

Tell Costco to put pressure on Palermo’s to end its intimidation campaign, improve conditions and let workers have a voice on the job.

Thank you for your support of Palermo’s Pizza workers in their struggle for dignity and justice on the job.

In Solidarity,

Andy Richards
Digital Strategies, AFL-CIO

P.S. Workers have been on strike for two months and have relied on the generous support of donations to the strike fund to keep them going. But the strike fund is dangerously low. Can you make a donation of $5 to support the workers’ strike fund?

[1] www.theuptake.org/2012/06/10/records-show-palermos-strikers-safety-concerns-are-real/
[2] www.milwaukeelabor.org/in_the_news/article.cfm?n_id=00276

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VIDEO: U.S. Guns, The Awful, Shocking Truth


Brave New FoundationDonate
Creating Media That Makes An Impact

The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado demonstrated the devastating lethality of AR-15 type guns, and has caused many to question whether it makes sense to allow the purchase of this type of military-style assault rifles. What a lot of people don’t know is that this type of rifle is also the weapon of choice among Mexican drug cartels. In the last 5 years, over 60,000 people have lost their lives in Mexico’s wave of violence.
Click here to WATCH this powerful video and SIGN the petition demanding that President Obama enforce the authority he has to stop this tragic warfare.
Here is the brutal truth: 70 percent of the AR-15s and other guns used by drug lords, gangs, and kidnappers in Mexico come from the United States. Right now, President Obama has the authority to:
1) Enforce the existing ban on the importation of military-style assault weapons. 2) Require gun dealers to report bulk sales of military-style assault weapons. 3) Tighten enforcement of sales in U.S. border towns.
He has the authority, now it’s time to make him ENFORCE it!
Cuéntame has partnered with WOLA (Washington Office For Latin America), and a powerful coalition of partners*, to produce a short animated video exposing how these guns get into the U.S. and are trafficked to Mexico, who profits from their sale, and empower people to tell President Obama to enforce the ban of this kind of trafficking.
Add your signature NOW. It is the most important action you can take to demand President Obama to act now. We need thousands of signatures and it starts with YOURS.
Together we can make an everlasting impact.

Yours, Axel Caballero and the Cuéntame team.

*Coalition partners: Latin America Working Group, Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, Global Exchange, Propuesta Civica, Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity, Violence Policy Center, and Alianza Civica.
Black History

CONGRESS: the Republican led House H.R.4240 for 5minutes – the Senate in Pro Forma Sessions


Schedule for Pro Forma Sessions only, with no business conducted   …

(note that beginning on Tuesday, August 7th, the pro forma sessions will be held in Hart 216 while repairs are being made to the Senate Chamber)

–          Friday, August 3rd at 10:15am

–          Tuesday, August 7th at 11:00am

–          Friday, August 10th at 11:00am

–          Tuesday, August 14th at 2:30pm

–          Friday, August 17th at 11:30am

–          Tuesday, August 21st at 10:00am

–          Friday, August 24th at 10:00am

–          Tuesday, August 28th at 2:30pm

–          Friday, August 31st at 11:30am

–          Tuesday, September 4th at 11:30am and

–          Friday, September 7th at 12:00pm

If the Senate receives a message from the House that it has adopted S.Con.Res.59, providing for a conditional adjournment or recess of the Senate and an adjournment of the House of Representatives, the pro forma sessions above will not occur and   …

the Senate will adjourn until 2:00pm on Monday, September 10, 2012.

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