Last Thursday in Washington, D.C., I joined 30 OFA volunteers and three
gun violence survivors as they delivered our petition to Congress with
more than 1.4 million signatures — including yours. It was an amazing
day, and a reminder that we’re nowhere near done with this fight.

What impressed me most on Thursday was getting a chance to talk with survivors like Pam Simon, Sami Rahamim, and Lori Haas.

You’ll see in the video that these folks have turned their personal pain
into action, and a force for good. It’s enough to change hearts and
minds.

OFA volunteers got a chance to meet with a few leaders in Congress, like
Rep. Mike Thompson, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, and House
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who asked all of us to keep fighting —
and even gave folks a few tips on how to keep the pressure on their
fellow lawmakers.

Senator Reid even tweeted: “Today, we received a petition from over 1.4
million Americans who demand action on background checks. This fight is
not over.”

I am more confident than ever that, if we keep working and making our
voices heard, we can and will win this. The petition delivery was a big
moment — but it’s not the end of this fight.

Watch the video and please, pass it along to anyone else who should see it and ask them to say they’re in, too:

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Dying Social?

05/14/2013 Nativegrl77

By ThinkProgress War Room

Guns & Alcohol Don’t Mix

If there’s one thing Americans don’t need a coupon for, it’s an outing mixing guns and alcohol. Unfortunately, LivingSocial seems to think otherwise.

A new report out today from CREDO Action and the Gun Truth Project calls out the daily deal and experience company for offering booze and bullet-fueled experiences from coast to coast. The wide variety of deals even sometimes feature AR-15s, the same assault rifle used to kill 20 children and 6 educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Other experiences include AK-47s, semi-automatic pistols, and rifles.

Beyond perhaps being in poor taste, the experiences suggest that guns and alcohol go together. They don’t.

CREDO didn’t mince words when it came to calling out LivingSocial:

“In the wake of Newtown, I’d like to know how the people who own or work for LivingSocial can justify profiting from the packaging of AK-47 shooting sprees with an evening of bourbon shots,” Becky Bond, CREDO’s political director, said in a statement.

The company, she added, “is endangering the public health by suggesting pairing assault weapons with alcohol binges is just good clean fun.”

Data shows just how dangerous guns and alcohol can be when combined:

Mixing guns and alcohol is unfortunately common among those attracted to risky behaviors. As the report notes, 86 percent of homicide offenders were drinking at the time of the homicide. Gun owners also have far higher binge-drinking and chronic alcohol abuse rates than people who don’t own guns. People who carry concealed weapons or have confronted someone with a gun are more than twice as likely to drink heavily than non-owners.

In contrast to LivingSocial, its main competitor, Groupon, cancelled all gun-related deals in North America after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

LivingSocial, which lost $650 MILLION last year and $50 MILLION so far this year, has received more than $30 MILLION in tax credits from the District of Columbia, which, ironically, has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation.

To find out more, check out the entire report HERE. If you think that guns and alcohol shouldn’t mix, you can contact LivingSocial using this form and tell them so.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

Minnesota passes marriage equality.

GOP congressman claims the president covered up Benghazi by calling it “an act of terror” instead of “terrorist attack.”

Obama mocks charges of Benghazi cover up.

Clothing retailers agree to upgrade safety in Bangladeshi factories.

Seven outlandish things the Heritage Foundation’s remaining employees believe.

Illegal abortion provider convicted of murder.

GOP senator launches hypocritical attack on Health & Human Services Secretary.

The IRS went after the NAACP in 2004.

Why the Department of Justice is going after the Associated Press’ records.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

37 Times the Charm

05/14/2013 Nativegrl77


	People Before Politics



	Tell Congress to oppose the repeal of the health care law.

Thirty-six. That’s how many times some leaders in Congress have forced a vote on repealing the health care law. But there’s nothing like lucky 37. Yep, you heard me right — this week, the House of Representatives is poised to vote for the 37th time to repeal the health care law.
Tell your Representative to oppose the repeal of the health care law.
They know this is the law of the land, but they have decided to waste time and taxpayer dollars by holding this vote to play to their political base. Here are three reasons why repealing the health care law would hurt Americans:

Nearly 27 million women would stop getting preventive services without co-pays.
More than 3 million young adults would lose the health coverage they get from their parents’ health plans.
129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions would continue to be at the mercy of the insurance industry.

Enough already! Congress needs to stop the politics and get back to the people’s work. Tell your Representative to oppose the repeal of the health care law.
Thank you for all you do for women and their families.
Sincerely,