~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

I told a lie that put my dad in prison

02/05/2014 Nativegrl77

When I was eight years old, my mom scared me into telling a lie that would change the course of our family’s life.

One day when I was at home watching my dad work, I came out of the bathroom and my mom asked me if my dad had ever touched me. Confused, I said no. But then she asked me again. And I said no. She kept asking, and I kept saying no, until she became angry and threatened to beat me with a belt until I said yes. I was too young to know that my mom was using drugs at the time, and I was scared. So I said yes.

My dad was convicted of sexually assaulting me and has been in prison for over 15 years for a crime he didn’t commit. Now that I’m an adult and a mom, I’m working hard to right this wrong that should have never happened. I started a petition on Change.org asking for the Governor of New York to pardon my innocent father. Click here to sign my petition.

My dad has been in prison for decades for a crime he didn’t commit, all because I was forced into telling a lie about him when I was eight years old. Help my dad get pardoned by signing my petition.

Sign Chaneya’s Petition

I remember sometimes during dinner my mom would make excuses to leave so she could find drugs. When my dad would try to stop her, they would fight, and I would cry. Now I know it’s because he wanted her to stay home with the family that he was working so hard to keep together.

After my dad was sent to prison, my siblings and I went to live with my grandmother. I told her the whole truth: that my dad had never touched me, and that my mom taught me all the words to say that would get him in trouble. My mom even admits now that this happened during one of her drug binges, and she doesn’t know why she did it.

I’ve been fighting to set my dad free with this evidence since I was 15 years old — but all of my appeals have been denied. I was recently interviewed about my story by national news, and I believe that this wave of public support can help my case. That’s why I started this petition to pressure Governor Cuomo into pardoning him. Will you help me by signing?

Ask Governor Cuomo of New York to pardon my dad Daryl Kelly, an innocent man, by signing my petition on Change.org.

Thank you so much for your support.

Chaneya Kelly

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Great Stat (This is AWESOME)

Image 02/05/2014 Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Standup to ALEC’s Anti-Immigration Agenda

02/05/2014 Nativegrl77

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) doesn’t just put corporations before current Americans – they’re actually fighting to make life more difficult for the next generation of citizens by pushing anti-immigration laws across the country.

Again and again, they use pay-to-play politics to stall commonsense reform and divert critical law enforcement resources to unfairly target aspiring Americans. Today, I’m asking for your help to continue this work by contacting your state legislators to demand they stop working with ALEC behind closed doors to put corporate profits before the American Dream.

http://www.StandUpToALEC.org

In state legislatures across our country, millions have worked to pass reform that gives aspiring Americans a chance at a better life. And yet in our statehouses, ALEC has put their extreme corporate agenda first.

We need you to fight back, today. ALEC-backed anti-immigrant legislation has been partially struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court, and now it’s time to strike down the ALEC agenda.

Stand up for aspiring Americans everywhere, and the American Dream they work towards every day, by demanding your legislators oppose ALEC’s anti-immigration agenda.

http://www.StandUpToALEC.org

Thank you,
Marisol Garcia

p.s. Hyperlinks above not working for you? Copy-and-paste WWW.STANDUPTOALEC.ORG into your browser’s address bar and make your voice heard!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

#NoKXL

02/05/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Thousands Attend Anti-Keystone Pipeline Vigils

Last Friday, the State Department released its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS) on the controversial tar sands pipeline. This is not the final step in the process and the decision ultimately rests with President Obama, but climate activists wanted to be sure their message was once again heard and loud: No KXL.

To that end, activists organized almost 300 vigils across the country. Thousands turned out in 48 states to make their voices heard.

Here are a few snaps from yesterday’s actions:

San Francisco, California

Washington, D.C.

Nashville, Tennessee

Chicago, Illinois

Lincoln, Nebraska

Vermillion, South Dakota

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Atlanta, Georgia

(All photos taken from the nokxlvigils Flickr.)

BOTTOM LINE: Since we know this pipeline will significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution, we hope that President Obama will hold firm on the commitment he made in his climate speech and reject the pipeline.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

FDA to Teens …

02/05/2014 Nativegrl77

FDA to Teens: Consider ‘Real Cost’ of Tobacco Use

02/04/2014 06:00 AM EST

FDA has launched its first public health education campaign, called ‘The Real Cost,’ to prevent and reduce tobacco use among young people ages 12-17 who are open to smoking or have started to experiment with smoking.

Mitch Zeller, director of FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, explains why the agency is undertaking this effort, and how it will work.

Read this Consumer Update to learn more about FDA’s efforts to prevent young people from using tobacco products by making sure they know ‘The Real Cost’ to their health.