~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Not on my campus

03/11/2013 Nativegrl77

A horribly abusive private prison company wants to put its name on a stadium on my college campus — Florida Atlantic University. I don’t think my school should help a notorious company whitewash its name.

Sign Gonzalo’s Petition

Gonzalo Vizcardo via Change.org

The private prison company the GEO Group has been found to run some of the most disgusting prisons in America. One judge called a GEO prison a “cesspool of unconstitutional and inhuman acts and conditions” — places where children were placed in solitary confinement, guards sexually assaulted inmates, and prisoners regularly attempted suicide.

The GEO Group makes $1 billion a year running private prisons like these — and now they want to spend some of that money to put their name on a stadium on my college campus, Florida Atlantic University.

This is not okay with me. I’m a student at FAU, and I will not see my university help a notorious prison corporation whitewash its name on the side of the tallest and most prominent building on my campus, which can be seen from the highly-trafficked I-95 highway and from the many office buildings and residential neighborhoods near my university.

I started a petition on Change.org calling on FAU’s President and Board of Trustees to reverse their deal with the GEO Group to license naming rights for a stadium on campus — will you click here to sign?

Private prisons are hugely problematic, because they run prisons based on profits, not what’s best for prisoners or for society. For example, an NPR investigation in 2011 found that GEO Group prisons have far fewer guards than government-run prisons. Prisoners have even died waiting for medical attention.

In fact, the GEO Group’s prisons are so bad that the state of Mississippi kicked them out of the state entirely, as did Australia in 2003. I don’t want their name on my university’s stadium if an entire state and country kicked them out.

Students and professors on campus are angry — we’ve staged protests at the university president’s office, and she’s even agreed to meet with us this Friday. I know that if enough people sign my petition, she and the Board of Trustees will see that giving the GEO Group good PR isn’t worth all the bad PR they’ll get for making this deal.

Click here to sign my petition calling on FAU’s President and Board of Trustees to reverse their deal with the GEO Group to put their name on the side of a stadium on campus.

Thank you,

Gonzalo Vizcardo Lake Worth, Florida

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Toxic Democracy

03/11/2013 Nativegrl77

Corporations don’t have a vote.
But when Chevron dumped $2.5 million into a super PAC devoted solely to running negative ads against environmentally-friendly congressional candidates, it exercised the kind of influence over our political system that few voters could ever dream of having.For Chevron, it was a business investment, an investment in congressional hard-liners who refuse to cut corporate welfare subsidies and ignore the overwhelming scientific evidence that suggests we are heading towards catastrophic climate change. Members who side with Chevron and Big Oil on such issues demonstrate by their actions that they would rather prop up the companies’ short-sighted, record-breaking profits than leave their grandchildren a livable planet.Chevron must be held accountable.

Demand that Chevron keep its corporate profits out of We the People’s politics.

Why is Greenpeace involved? Because this sort of corporate meddling in elections is toxic to our democracy, and impedes our ability to pass any kind of comprehensive environmental legislation— including legislation to tackle climate change.

In Chevron’s case, it also appears to be illegal, according to a 90-page complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission by Public Citizen, with Greenpeace’s support.¹

Despite the Supreme Court’s abominable Citizens United ruling, Chevron’s political spending seems to have violated the law because Chevron is a federal contractor. Chevron has received government contracts worth more than $44 million since 2000. The Citizens United ruling didn’t eliminate the laws against bribery in federal contracting, which prohibit contractors like Chevron from directly or indirectly supporting candidates for elected office. Allowing Chevron to get away with this apparent violation would create a self-perpetuating cycle of corruption, in which corporations spend their money to elect candidates, who then reward the corporations with government contracts and other favors, which in turn generate more revenue to be spent on still more candidates— actively destroying our environment in the process.

Help Greenpeace & Public Citizen break the cycle and tell Chevron to keep its corrupting cash out of our democracy.

Thanks for all you do, Your friends at Greenpeace

———————————

¹ http://www.citizen.org/chevron-fec-complaint-super-connected-report-update

Black History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

CONGRESS: Republican led House adjourned after 3mins of work :::::: the Senate led by Democrats is in session

03/11/2013 Nativegrl77

March 2013
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The Senate stands in adjournment until 2:00pm on Monday, March 11, 2013.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
Following morning business, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following:
- Executive Calendar #9 Richard Gary Taranto, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit and
- Executive Calendar #17 Andrew Patrick Gordon, of Nevada, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nevada.
There will be up to 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees on the nominations. Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 5:30pm), there will be up to 2 roll call votes on confirmation of the Taranto and Gordon nominations. It is possible the Gordon nomination is confirmed by voice vote.
We also hope to begin consideration of H.R.933, the continuing appropriations bill received from the House.

5:30pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #9 Richard Gary Taranto, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit

Confirmed: 91-0

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTE

1) Confirmation of Executive Calendar #9 Richard Gary Taranto, of Maryland, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Federal Circuit; Confirmed: 91-0

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Environment and Public Works Committee and Passed S.166, A bill to designate the new Interstate Route 70 bridge over the Mississippi River connecting St. Louis, Missouri and southwestern Illinois as the “Stan Musial Memorial Bridge.”

Adopted H.Con.Res.14, permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony as part of the commemoration of the days of remembrance of victims of the Holocaust.

Adopted H.Con.Res.20, permitting the use of the Rotunda of the Capitol for a ceremony to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Professor Muhammad Yunus.

Adopted S.Res.12, A resolution recognizing the third anniversary of the tragic earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, honoring those who lost their lives in that earthquake, and expressing continued solidarity with the people of Haiti with a committee-reported amendment to the resolution and a committee-reported amendment to the preamble.

Adopted S.Res.74, Supporting the goals of International Women’s Day.

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.505, to prohibit the use of drones to kill citizens of the United States within the United States. (Cruz)

EXECUTIVE ITEMS

Confirmed Executive Calendar #17 Andrew Patrick Gordon, of Nevada, to be United States District Judge for the District of Nevada by voice vote.

*****************************************************************

Last Floor Action: 3/11/13
10:03:30 A.M. – The Speaker announced
that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next
meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on March 12, 2013.

Watch Most Recent House Floor Activity

10:00:00 A.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
10:00:49 A.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Frank R. Wolf to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
10:00:58 A.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Michael Wilker, Church of the Reformation, Washington, DC.
10:02:30 A.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
10:02:36 A.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
10:03:00 A.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on March 7, 2013 at 5:24 p.m.: Appointments to the Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities.
10:03:20 A.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on March 7, 2013 at 2:28 p.m.: that Ms. Roberta Johnson of Iowa, and Mr. Norm Bedford of Nevada were appointed to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance.
10:03:30 A.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on March 12, 2013.