~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Keystone XL pipeline

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

Keystone XL would be nine times larger than the Arkansas tar sands pipeline that spilled through backyards.
Ten days left to submit your official comment.
Take action!

The ExxonMobil tar sands pipeline spill — photo courtesy of the Sierra Club‘s Glen Hooks, on the ground in Arkansas.

There are two things you need to know right now.

First — stopping Keystone XL is key to stopping the deadly tar sands, no matter what Big Oil and its allies say. Alternative tar sands pipelines are running into equally stiff opposition and have been delayed. TransCanada executives openly admit that without Keystone, production will be slowed. So if the tar sands don’t need Keystone, why is Big Oil spending millions on lobbyists to ram it through? ^[1]

Second — there are only ten days left to submit your official comment against Keystone XL. Take action today and push the total to one million comments!

The tar sands are a disaster, from start to finish. Not only are they absolutely toxic for the climate, the mining process destroys the pristine Boreal Forest and threatens Canadian First Nations.

Then, because the tar sands are so heavy and corrosive, the export pipelines are more likely to spill than conventional pipelines ^[2] — we saw this just days ago when rivers of oil poured through Arkansas backyards where children usually play. Two other spills happened that same week in Canada and Texas, and the first Keystone pipeline spilled 12 times in its first year alone. The 2010 Michigan tar sands spill, which sickened children and killed family pets, still hasn’t been fully cleaned up. ^[3]

Ask yourself: Do you want this in your home? Do you want it in your town? Do any Americans deserve to live in a community with these risky pipelines — or in a world with a threatened climate?

TransCanada executives get the profits, the rest of us get the risks. Submit your official comment to the State Department against this toxic export pipeline today!

Over the next ten days, the Sierra Club will be partnering with top environmental allies to highlight ten reasons to oppose Keystone XL. Keep an eye on our blogs and social media to learn more about the climate, the families already harmed by tar sands pipelines, alternative energy solutions, the threats tar sands pose to American Indians and First Nations, wildlife issues, and much more.

Today, we’re reminded that tar sands will not help our energy security. Keystone XL is almost assuredly an export pipeline that would send oil through America, not to America — its destination refineries export 60% of their products. Furthermore, top scientists say the tar sands are “game over” for the climate ^[4] — and the Pentagon has routinely identified climate change as a threat to our national security. ^[5]

There are countless reasons to oppose the tar sands, one of the most extreme fuels on earth. Stopping Keystone XL will be a huge step forward in that effort — submit your comment today!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Marx
Sierra Club Beyond Oil Campaign Director

P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this alert to your friends and colleagues — five comments will have even more impact than one!

References

[1] Israel, Josh. “Supporters Of Keystone XL Outspend Opponents 35 To 1.” Climate Progress. 20 February 2013.

[2] Swift, Anthony. “Tar sands pipeline risks – examining the facts.” NRDC Switchboard. 30 March 2013.

[3] Rowan, Anne. “EPA Orders Enbridge to Perform Additional Dredging to Remove Oil from Kalamazoo River.” EPA. 14 March 2013.

[4] Hansen, James. “Game Over for the Climate.” New York Times. 9 May 2012.

[5] Fitzsimmons, Jill. “15 Military Leaders Who Say Climate Change Is A National Security Threat.” Media Matters. 30 May 2012.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Is $300 justice? Brian, Campaign for a Fair Settlement

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

Support the May 18-25 Week of Action!

Bringing Justice to Justice

Connect with the Campaign for a Fair Settlement

“Breaking the law is not a trade secret.” – Sen. Elizabeth Warren, April 11, 2013

$300. For having your home taken from you illegally.
Is that your idea of justice? The federal bank regulators think it is. Want to know why? Sorry, they can’t tell you – that would mean revealing “trade secrets” of the banks.
It’s true. This week some 4 million families whose homes were stolen by Wall Street criminals in 2009 and 2010 will be getting a total of $3.6 billion in compensation. Most will receive less than $1000. For losing their homes. That amount was arbitrarily determined by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and when asked why in a Senate hearing yesterday, they said turning over the information would mean turning over confidential “trade secrets”.
To which Sen. Warren responded, “Breaking the law is not a trade secret.” [1]
Exactly. That’s why hundreds of homeowners from around the country are going to DC this May to demand an end to Too Big to Jail. You can support their fight by signing on to this call to AG Eric Holder and President Obama to start criminal prosecutions of criminal Wall Street bankers.
If our system of justice worked, two things should have happened: (1) those responsible should have been prosecuted for their crimes, and (2) borrowers should have been compensated for these violations. You already know that Attorney General Holder and the Justice Department have given the bankers get out of jail free cards. Now the federal regulators have allowed them to pay pennies on the dollar to people who lost their homes. That’s what happens with Too Big to Jail.
In hearings on April 10th, Senator Warren posed the right question: “Have the families been protected, or have the banks been protected?” So far the regulators and Justice Department have thrown down with the banks, not with families. That’s what happens with Too Big to Jail.
We’ve made calls, sent petitions, written letters – and we’re still not seeing the change we need. So next month members of the Home Defenders League, supported by the Campaign for a Fair Settlement, are taking things right to the steps of the Justice Department in DC.
Add your voice to those going to DC by signing on to the petition to the Administration here. We can guarantee your signature will be delivered as part of dramatic and bold actions at the very heart of law enforcement in the United States.
Delivering the 333,000 signatures on April 2 was just the beginning. And we’ve got Too Big to Jail in our sights.

In solidarity,
Brian Kettenring Executive Director, Action for the Common Good Campaign Director, Campaign for a Fair Settlement

PS. If YOU want to go, you can register your interest by clicking HERE. Home Defenders League staff will contact you with more details.

[1] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD7zM9K0X4c http://www.campaignforfairsettlement.org/
-=-=- Campaign for a Fair Settlement · 11 Dupont Cir, Suite 240, Washington, DC 20036, United States CFS is a multi-sectoral coalition. Common Good and Action for the Common Good staff provide strategic and logistical support to the effort. This email was sent to ynative77@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. You can also keep up with Brian, Campaign for a Fair Settlement on Twitter or Facebook. -=-=-
Created with NationBuilder, the essential toolkit for leaders.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Affordable Safe and Accessible Health care

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

I hope you saw this important message. Join me and stand with the women of Mississippi to keep the last abortion provider open in the state. We can’t let back-door bans take away women’s rights.

Thanks,

Ilyse.

Anti-choice politicians in Mississippi are trying to close the state’s last remaining abortion provider.

If we don’t stop them, the last clinic in that state could shut its doors for good.

Stop the bans big

Contact the state health officer to say that Mississippi women and families deserve access to abortion care.

Your help is needed to take a stand for choice right now. As states like North Dakota and Kansas pass unconstitutional bills directly aimed at banning abortion, others are using a sneakier approach. We call them “back-door bans” and they use regulations clearly designed to block women’s access to abortion in their states.

Next week is the culmination of a relentless campaign by lawmakers in Mississippi to put the Jackson Women’s Health Organization out of business. It’s the one remaining abortion provider in that state. Send a message that you won’t stand for these back-door abortion bans.

We call these back-door bans TRAP laws, short for “Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers.” Like all medical professionals, abortion providers already comply with important health and safety regulations. But TRAP laws are something different: they create a costly and confusing mine-field of additional requirements and regulations not imposed on other medical providers. Anti-choice politicians pretend that TRAP laws are about protecting women’s health, but their real goal is to close down clinics.

And that’s just what’s happening next week in Mississippi. For more than a year, the Jackson Women’s Health Organization has fought for survival in the face of 35 pages of new requirements designed to shut it down. On April 18, the state health department will hold what may be the final hearing on the future of the clinic. Send a message now that Mississippi women and families should be able to make their own reproductive choices without the interference of these burdensome and unnecessary regulations.

In many cases, providers targeted by back-door abortion bans are the sole resource for women in their communities or even their entire state. And yet, they come under extraordinary scrutiny from politicians whose only goal is to deny services to women.

Help us fight for this clinic and the women in Mississippi who depend on its services. Send a message now that these back-door bans are wrong. Tell leaders in Mississippi that the women of their state must have the right to control their futures. For the sake of women’s health and women’s rights – let’s keep the Jackson Women’s Health Organization open for business.

Thank you for helping make choice real for all women.

Ilyse Hogue Ilyse G. Hogue President, NARAL Pro-Choice America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

mondaish Monday

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

079 Capitol Hill United States Congress 1993 (Photo credit: David Holt London)

just another rant …

It’s the middle of April , technically spring, the last day to file taxes, but some Americans are still battling snow or summer like temperature while others hear birds chirping and it feels like spring , though if you live on the left coast …. It still feels like fall.

The weather is like politics …right, seemingly straight forward with designated seasons only to find as the years progress, little bumps appear that turn into malicious masses and in spite of it those who happen to be addicted to politics like so many wait to see when and where the sequester hammer will fall. Though the sequester is only about a month old the media seems to have moved on to sizing up how Hillary will do against the various Republicans wanting to be King; I mean President.

If you did not know better and took what the media spews as the truth, it seemed as if we were closer to 2016 than the beginning of President Obama’s 2^nd term. Telling viewers that gun safety legislation was more than impossible and a filibuster was imminent; then President Obama gave a fabulous speech with families of victims of gun violence standing with President Obama in support of better gun safety laws. This led Newtown families to be advocates for their and our futures asking that members of Congress to do their jobs and let the debate on gun reform happen on the floor of the Senate and the first test vote to move forward and debate Gun Reform was taken on the Senate floor and passed 68 -31. Unfortunately, two Democratic Senators decided to side with Republicans and while gun reform seems like a no brainer to me we should give props to anyone for their bipartisan efforts to move gun laws into the 21^st Century.

Now, the media focus still seems to want viewers to accept that nothing positive can be done in Congress and we hear all their skepticism they have leaped frogged from 2016 elections to the pushing public cynicism on all that is on the Congressional calendar. Yet, this is the time that voters, people who have friend’s family or co-workers fallen victim to gun violence make calls to a Republican member of the House

This week, in Congress the political games are just about to begin; the so-called debates heated and the word filibuster will probably make its way into even the youngest members of our society’s vocabulary, but as Margaret’s Mead said fits …

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead

Black History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

:::::: CONGRESS :::::: S.649

04/15/2013 Nativegrl77

The Senate stands in adjournment until 2:00pm on Monday, April 15, 2013.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate be in a period of morning business until 5:00pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
At 5:00pm on Monday, April 15^th, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #21, Beverly Reid O’Connell– to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California with up to 30 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time (approximately 5:30pm), there will be a roll call vote on confirmation of the O’Connell nomination.
The Senate will continue to consider S.649, the Safe Communities, Safe Schools Act of 2013 during the week of April 15^th.

5:39pm The Senate began a roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #21, the nomination of Beverly Reid O’Connell, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California;

Confirmed: 92-0

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTE

1) Confirmation of Executive Calendar #21, the nomination of Beverly Reid O’Connell, of California, to be United States District Judge for the Central District of California; Confirmed: 92-0

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Began the Rule 14 process of S.729, the Disarm Criminals and Protect Communities Act. (Cruz)

Began the Rule 14 process of S.730, the Firearm Straw Purchasing and Trafficking Prevention Act. (Cruz)

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

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

April 2013
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30

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

Last Floor Action:
2:38:04 P.M. – The House adjourned. 4/12/2013

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on April 15, 2013.

12:00:40 P.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
12:00:50 P.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable George Holding to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
12:01:00 P.M.		MORNING-HOUR DEBATE – The House proceeded with Morning-Hour Debate. At the conclusion of Morning-Hour, the House will recess until 2:00 p.m. for the start of legislative business.
12:13:22 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 P.M. today.
2:00:25 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of April 15.
2:00:34 P.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
2:01:38 P.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
2:01:43 P.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Wilson of SC to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
2:02:17 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with one minute speeches.
2:12:20 P.M.		The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for approximately 5:00 P.M. today.

5:01:29 P.M.		The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of April 15.
5:01:35 P.M.		The Speaker announced that votes on suspensions, if ordered, will be postponed until a time to be announced.
5:02:13 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 1162 — “To amend title 31, United States Code, to make improvements in the Government Accountability Office.”
5:02:25 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:02:26 P.M.	H.R. 1162	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1162.

5:11:36 P.M.	H.R. 1162	At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
5:12:09 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. H.R. 1246 — “To amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to provide that the District of Columbia Treasurer or one of the Deputy Chief Financial Officers of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer of the District of Columbia may perform the functions and duties of the Office in an acting capacity if there is a vacancy in the Office.”
5:12:25 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:12:27 P.M.	H.R. 1246	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1246.
5:28:05 P.M.	H.R. 1246	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
5:28:10 P.M.	H.R. 1246	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
5:28:38 P.M.	H.R. 882	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended. H.R. 882 — “To prohibit the awarding of a contract or grant in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold unless the prospective contractor or grantee certifies in writing to the agency awarding the contract or grant that the contractor or grantee has no seriously delinquent tax debts, and for other purposes.”
5:28:48 P.M.	H.R. 882	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:28:50 P.M.	H.R. 882	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 882.
5:45:52 P.M.	H.R. 882	At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
5:46:23 P.M.	H.R. 249	Mr. Issa moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill. H.R. 249 — “To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that persons having seriously delinquent tax debts shall be ineligible for Federal employment.”
5:46:32 P.M.	H.R. 249	Considered under suspension of the rules.
5:46:33 P.M.	H.R. 249	DEBATE – The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 249.
6:19:08 P.M.		The House received a message from the Senate. The Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 8.
6:19:51 P.M.	H.R. 249	DEBATE – The House resumed with debate on H.R. 249.
6:32:25 P.M.	H.R. 249	At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
6:32:38 P.M.	H.R. 1162	in the Government Accountability Office.”
6:57:49 P.M.	H.R. 1162	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 408 – 0 (Roll no. 103).
6:57:50 P.M.	H.R. 1162	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
7:00:00 P.M.		MOMENT OF SILENCE – The Chair led the House in observing a moment of silence for the victims in Boston.
7:01:11 P.M.	H.R. 882	Considered as unfinished business.
7:08:01 P.M.	H.R. 882	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays (2/3 required): 407 – 0 (Roll no. 104).
7:08:30 P.M.	H.R. 882	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
7:08:47 P.M.	H.R. 249	Considered as unfinished business. H.R. 249 — “To amend title 5, United States Code, to provide that persons having seriously delinquent tax debts shall be ineligible for Federal employment.”
7:16:46 P.M.	H.R. 249	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Failed by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 250 – 159 (Roll no. 105).
7:17:14 P.M.		ONE MINUTE SPEECHES – The House proceeded with further one minute speeches.
7:26:08 P.M.		SPECIAL ORDER SPEECHES – The House has concluded all anticipated legislative business and has proceeded to Special Order speeches.
8:55:04 P.M.		Ms. Frankel (FL) moved that the House do now adjourn.
8:55:44 P.M.		On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
8:55:45 P.M.		The House adjourned. The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on April 16, 2013.