Daily Archives: 10/29/2013

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Next Progressive Radio Northwest Community Forum, October 29


radioProgressive Radio Northwest (PRNW) invites you to join American blogger and former Seattle talk radio host David Goldstein on Tuesday, October 29, for the second in the PRNW series of monthly get-togethers to meet, mingle and discuss issues central to the mission of bringing progressive radio back to the region. Goldstein addresses the question of “What’s the Way Forward for Progressive Talk?”

The Forum begins at Seattle’s Montlake Branch Library at 6:30 pm and then moves to the Montlake Ale House at 7:45 pm for those wanting to continue the Meet & Mingle.

Montlake Branch Library, 6:30 – 7:45 p.m., 2401 24th Ave. E.,  Seattle, WA 98112, (206) 684-4720

Montlake Ale House from 8:00 pm;  2307 24th Ave E; Seattle, WA 9811; (206) 726-5968

RSVP by Friday, October 25 at progressiveradionorthwest@gmail.com and visit the website: www.progressiveradionorthwest.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Our bees are dying


Tell the EPA: Save our bees and crops! Ban toxic pesticides!

Take action!Disaster struck for Mark, a Minneapolis beekeeper last month. His precious backyard bees were spilling out of their hive “like they’re drunk” and falling to the ground dead — victims of toxic agricultural pesticide.

[1] A quarter of everything we eat — from apples to onions — depends on pollination.

[2] But now, Mark and fellow beekeepers from around the world are reporting a pandemic of the worst bee population collapses ever recorded. While you and I know chemical-giant Bayer for aspirin and alka seltzer, their toxic agricultural pesticides are unfortunately linked to this unprecedented bee die-off.

[3] The EPA has the power to ban the pesticides, but so far has bowed to pressure from Bayer.

[4] Our nation’s food supply is at risk — it’s time for the SierraRise community to step in and speak out! Over 1 million people have stood up for the health of our bees and our food — will you join them?

[5] The EPA has the power to protect our bees and our food supply. Let’s send 50,000 more letters by Tuesday, demanding they ban Bayer’s toxic pesticide! The same story of shocking bee die-off — called Colony Collapse Disorder — has been heard all over the country. Bret Adee, whose family owns Adee Honey Farms of South Dakota, the nation’s largest beekeeper, described mounting losses. “We lost 42 percent over the winter. But by the time we came around to pollinate almonds, it was a 55 percent loss,” he said in an interview.

[6] This isn’t just bad for our nation’s food supply — it’s also crippling family businesses like Bret’s and the local economies. Independent, unbiased studies have linked Bayer’s pesticides to colony collapse — when picked up by bees, the chemical can act like a nerve agent, compromising a bee’s ability to feed and make its way back to the hive.

[7] It’s no wonder the European Union just adopted a continent-wide ban on these toxic chemicals. It’s time we do the same![8] The EPA continues to dither while Bayer peddles its toxins and puts our nation’s crops at risk. Not on our watch — together, we are more powerful than any chemical company. Make sure the EPA knows where you stand. The safety of our food supply is at risk.

Demand the EPA stands up to big chemical companies like Bayer and bans bee-killing pesticides! In it together, Ashley Allison SierraRise Senior Campaigner P.S. To keep up with the latest about climate change and other campaigns from SierraRise, like us on Facebook and follow @SierraRise on Twitter! Share this page on FacebookShare this page on TwitterShare this page with other services

References:

[1] Colwell, Hailey (2013 September 16). “U investigates sudden slew of bee deaths.” Minnesota Daily.

[2] Collman, Ashley (2013 June 14). “What your supermarket will look like if bees die out: Empty shelves, scant produce options.” Emerging Truth.

[3] Carrington, Damian (2013 March 28). “Study: Pesticides Make Bees Forget the Smell of Food.” Mother Jones.

[4] Staff (2013 August 22). “EPA announces new bee warning labels for neonicotinoid containing pesticides.” Underground Health.

[5] DeWitt, Dan (2012 March 31). “A Pasco County beekeeper knows why bees are dying and colonies are collapsing.” Tampa Bay Times.

[6] Wines, Michael (2013 March 28). “Mystery Malady Kills More Bees, Heightening Worry on Farms.” New York Times.

[7] Eban, Katherine (2010 October 8). “What a scientist didn’t tell the New York Times about his study on bee deaths.” CNNMoney.

[8] Carrington, Damian (2013 April 29). “Bee-harming pesticides banned in Europe.” The Guardian.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Campaign for a Fair Settlement Tell Chase: No tax breaks for Wall Street crime


Take Action
Chase CEO Jamie Dimon at the DOJ, trying to deflect accountability for Wall Street crime

$13 billion for committing Wall Street crime. That’s what the Department of Justice hit JPMorganChase for this past week, specifically for selling the toxic mortgage backed securities they and other Wall Street criminals used to destroy our economy and steal our homes.
While this settlement will only recoup a small part of the damage JPMorgan Chase and Wall Street caused, it is a refreshing change from past behavior by Attorney General Eric Holder and the Obama Administration. It’s especially promising that this time, according to news reports, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refused to negotiate away the right to criminal prosecutions.
However, corporate tax law likely allows Chase to deduct all or some of the record penalty they will be paying. That’s outrageous. First they strip the wealth from our homes with predatory loans, then use those loans to blow up our economy, then use the Great Recession as an excuse to steal our homes through foreclosure, and now want to use our tax dollars to help pay their fine.
Tell Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorganChase: No tax breaks for Wall Street crime. Our tax dollars will not go to subsidize Chase’s role in causing the Great Recession, creating the foreclosure crisis, and stealing our homes. 1

The fact that Chase is on the hook for this record penalty and still might face criminal prosecutions is a testament to the pressure people like you have put on the bankers and the Obama Administration to hold Wall Street bankers accountable.

In March, when Attorney General Holder testified before Congress that Wall Street banks couldn’t be prosecuted because of their outsized wealth, you joined with 333,000 others from Action for the Common Good, CREDO, MoveOn, Campaign for America’s Future, and the Courage Campaign to demand the Obama Administration end “Too Big to Jail”. Some of you helped deliver those petitions to US Attorneys in cities across the country. And you stood with 500 home defenders from around the country who risked arrest at the Department of Justice in order to demand accountability for Wall Street criminals in May. That action ended with 28 arrests and non-violent protestors tazed, while seven more were arrested at the high-end Wall Street law firm Covington and Burling protesting the revolving door between the DOJ and Wall Street. Then just two weeks ago over 500 of you called AG Holder’s office demanding a strong deal with Chase. You and people like you are true warriors for justice.
That’s why it is simply unacceptable for any of us, as taxpayers, to pick up part of the $13 billion tab for Chase’s wrong doing. Tell Dimon: Don’t demand any tax deductions from this settlement.
Reuters explains it this way:

“If $11 billion [of the $13 billion total penalty] is tax deductible, and assuming a 38 percent tax rate, the tax deduction could save JPMorgan as much as $4.18 billion, [tax expert Robert] Willens said.The government, however, could negotiate an exception and require that JPMorgan agree not to deduct some of those expenses from its taxable income, he said.” 2

Simply put, it would be unconscionable for this agreement to allow Chase to use our tax dollars to pay for the criminal acts and economic destruction of which we’ve borne the brunt. Click here to tell Chase their agreement must prohibit tax deductibility for any of the $13 billion.

In Solidarity,
Brian Kettenring, Executive Director, Action for the Common Good
[1] Recent agreements between the DOJ and other corporations show clear precedent here, including one from November 2012 with BP, forbidding them from deducting any of the $4 billion they owe for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill disaster. “Government doing more to prevent corporations from deducting settlements,” Washington Post, December 31, 2012 http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-12-31/business/36103880_1_tax-deductions-million-settlement-federal-agencies
[2] “Exclusive: JPMorgan settlement could cost bank closer to $9 billion,” Reuters, Oct. 22, 2013. http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/22/us-jpmorgan-penalties-idUSBRE99L19720131022?ak_proof=1
http://www.campaignforfairsettlement.org/

Black History

the Senate ~~ CONGRESS ~~ the House


matthew 25

The Senate stands adjourned until 10:00am on Tuesday, October 29, 2013.  Following any Leader remarks, the Republican Leader or his designee will be recognized to move to proceed to S.J.Res.26, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President’s exercise of authority to increase the debt limit with the time until 12:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15pm, there will be a roll call vote on adoption of the motion to proceed to S.J.Res.26. Following disposition of S.J.Res.26, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board with up to 2 minutes of debate equally divided and controlled prior to a cloture vote on the Griffin nomination.

Therefore, Senator should expect 2 roll call votes at 2:15pm on Tuesday:

–          Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.26, joint resolution of disapproval regarding the debt ceiling and

–          Motion to invoke cloture on the Griffin nomination.

During Monday’s session of the Senate, cloture was filed on the following nominations in the following order:

–          Executive Calendar #53, Alan Estevez, of the District of Columbia, to be Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense;

–          Executive Calendar #307, Katherine Archuleta, of Colorado, to be Director of the Office of Personnel Management;

–          Executive Calendar #242, Thomas Wheeler, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission;

–          Executive Calendar #63, Jacob Lew, of New York, to be the United States Governor to the following International Banks:

–          International Monetary Fund,

–          International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

–          Inter-American Development Bank, and

–          European Bank for Reconstruction;

–          Executive Calendar #209, Melvin L. Watt, of North Carolina, to be Director of the Federal Housing Agency;

–          Executive Calendar #327, Patricia Millett, of Virginia, to be United States Circuit Judge for the District of Columbia Circuit.

If cloture is invoked on any of these nominations (60-vote threshold), there would be up to 8 hours for debate on each of the nominations, except for the Millett nomination, which would have up to 30 hours of post-cloture debate, prior to a vote on confirmation of the nomination. Unless an agreement is reached, the first cloture vote will occur one hour after the Senate convenes on Wednesday, October 30.

During his opening remarks this morning, Senator McConnell moved to proceed to S.J.Res.26, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President’s exercise of authority to suspend the debt limit, as submitted under section 1002(b) of the Continuing Appropriations Act. Under the previous order, the time until 12:30pm will be equally divided between the two Leader’s or their designees. The Senate will then recess until 2:15pm for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 2:15pm today, we expect two roll call votes in relation to the following items:

–       Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.26, joint resolution of disapproval re: debt limit; and

–       Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.

2:15pm The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to proceed to S.J.Res.26, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President’s exercise of authority to suspend the debt limit, as submitted under section 1002(b) of the Continuing Appropriations Act.

Not Agreed to: 45-54

2:39pm The Senate began a 15-minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board

Invoked: 62-37

Cloture was invoked on the Griffin nomination (General Counsel of the NLRB) by a vote of 62-37. By consent, the Senate will vote on confirmation of the nomination at 5:00pm today.

5:00pm vote:

Confirmation of Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board.

At 5:06pm the Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on confirmation of Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board;

Confirmed: 55-44

This will be the last vote of the day.

The Senate is in a period of morning business until 7pm, for debate only and with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Senator Alexander asked unanimous consent the Senate take up and pass S.1590, A bill to amend the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to require transparency in the operation of American Health Benefit Exchanges.

Senator Harkin objected.

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTES

1)      McConnell motion to proceed to S.J.Res.26, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President’s exercise of authority to increase the debt limit; Not Agreed to: 45-54

2)      Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #344, the nomination of Richard F. Griffin, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board; Invoked: 62-37

3)      Confirmation of the Griffin nomination; Confirmed: 55-44

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Discharged the Judiciary Committee and adopted S.Res.254, designating November 2, 2013, as “National Bison Day”.

Adopted S.Res.276, designating October 2013 as “National Work and Family Month”.

Completed the Rule 14 process of S.1592, the Delay Until Fully Functional Act. (Rubio)

Additional EXECUTIVE ITEMS

Confirmed Executive Calendar #242, Thomas Wheeler, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission.

Confirmed Executive Calendar 377, Michael O’Rielly, of New York, to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission.

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Last Floor Action:
9:51:23 P.M. – The House adjourned.

The
next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on October 29, 2013.

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