Monthly Archives: July 2017

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

stop bees from going EXTINCT!


According the the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, bees are in “a race against extinction.”[1]

The rusty patched bumblebee is now on the endangered species list.

This news stings — but it should send us all BUZZING into action. We MUST work together to save these incredible creatures.

Bees play a much-overlooked — but essential — role in our ecosystem.

These tiny creatures are responsible for pollinating our crops and supporting necessary plant growth for natural food chains.

Without them, our food supplies will dwindle and our ecosystems will fall apart. This is an important matter to all of us.

we need your help right away. Please add your name to help save bees facing extinction:

http://go.saveanimalsfacingextinction.org/Save-the-Bees

-SaveAnimalsFacingExtinction.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Joe Kennedy III … An act of malice

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Organizing for Action
Friend —

Mercy.

It is about how we care for the least among us — not how we treat the powerful.

It calls on us to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the sick.

It is kindness. It is grace.

There is no mercy in a system that makes health care a luxury. There is no mercy in a country that turns its back on those that are most in need of protection: the elderly, the poor, the sick, and the suffering.

There is no mercy in a cold shoulder to the mentally ill.

There is no mercy in a policy that takes for granted the sweat, the tears, and the sacrifice that working Americans shed every day so that they might care for their families’ basic needs: food, shelter, health, and hope for tomorrow.

So when Speaker Ryan called his repeal bill “an act of mercy” last week, I knew I had to speak out.

It is an act of malice.

We, as Americans, are better than this. Every working family deserves better than this. And when millions of people have their access to health care put on the chopping block, we have to stand up to this.

Join OFA and show congressional leaders they must stop this catastrophic and merciless path toward destroying the very lifeline so many Americans depend upon.

Get involved in the fight now.

https://my.ofa.us/Get-Involved-Now

Thank you.

Congressman Joe Kennedy III
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Tai’s story could be my story


Brave New Films

I have a confession, when I was younger, I was with my best friend when she got caught stealing bathing suits from a department store.

We were lucky, the outcome of this event could have been drastically different. My friend got a slap on the wrist, I was not charged as an accomplice, and we both continued a normal life without a criminal record. But we all know this is not the case for so many other Americans caught up in the criminal justice system.

On July 16, 2016, Tai Sherman, a 20-year-old from Oakland California, found herself in a similar situation to me when she didn’t know her friend was shoplifting. The difference is that Tai and her friends were charged, and Tai was slapped with $100,000 bail. A year later Tai is still picking up the pieces of her life, collateral damage of an unfair and rigged system.

We are telling Tai’s story, and we need your help. Will you donate $10 so we can continue to tell this story? With every donation, big or small you will get a free link to the film we made about Tai when it is officially released next week.

Tai’s story is featured in a short film series, The Bail Trap, which was produced as part of a major campaign to end the unjust and ineffective system of money bail. Her story is a classic case in point of what is wrong with money bail and illustrates the racial and economic bias so rampant in our criminal justice system. With your support, we’ve already organized over 100 screenings of this film. Right now, we need resources to continue telling this story.

Please consider donating $10 right now. With every donation, big or small you will get a free link to the film we made about Tai when it is officially released next week.

Thank you for your support.

Kimber Kissel, Development Associate
BRAVE NEW FILMS 

P.S. Help us get to 150 Screenings of The Bail Trap. Click here to screen the film.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

OZLEM … Turkey just arrested Avaaz staffer ~ Set her free !


Turkey just arrested Özlem, an Avaaz staffer! She’s just one person caught up in a crackdown on civil society, but to us she’s so much more. If we make Özlem famous with a massive petition and media campaign, she’ll be more trouble than she’s worth for a government in political crisis. Add your name to the urgent petition and let’s set her free:

FREE ÖZLEM

Turkey just arrested Avaaz staff member Özlem! Let’s set her free.

Özlem’s being held without charges after attending a meeting of human rights defenders.

To the Turkish government, she’s just one person caught up in a crackdown on civil society.

But if we build a massive international petition and use the media to make Özlem famous, she’ll be more trouble than she’s worth for a government in political crisis.

Our petition will be delivered to the EU foreign minister next week ahead of a crucial meeting with Turkey — so add your name urgently and let’s set Özlem free:
Turkey’s President Erdogan is arresting and firing thousands of people who don’t agree with his government. Now Özlem’s been caught up in the net, together with 9 other human rights defenders, but she isn’t a valuable target. As Turkey heads into critical meetings with the EU over a trade deal next week, the last thing Erdogan needs is an international headache over someone he’s probably never heard of.

But to us, she means so much. She works at Avaaz because she shares so many of our values. For years she’s worked so hard for a world where people can organise for peace, justice, and human rights without being sent to jail. She’s brought hundreds of our campaigns alive for Turkish Avaazers.

Now she’s being held under threat of ridiculous armed terrorism charges! The closest Özlem has been to any arms is the tear gas and the batons used AGAINST her in the countless times that she’s fought for justice.

It’s time we stand up for Özlem, and the others arrested with her, by shining our giant spotlight on her imprisonment. When a million sign, we’ll deliver our call directly to the EU foreign minister ahead of next week’s meeting to up the pressure — let’s set Özlem free:

Click to free Özlem!

Our community has stood alongside human rights defenders in places from Saudi Arabia to Morocco, from Canada to Indonesia. It’s at the very heart of what our movement’s about. But now, one of our own is in trouble — and depending on us to help. Let’s come together as never before for Özlem and her friends.

With hope,

Danny, Alex, Marigona, Luca, Emma and the rest of the Avaaz team

More information:

Turkey detains 10 at human rights meeting, U.S., EU concerned (Reuters)
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-security-detentions-idUSKBN19R0E6

Turkey crackdown: Rights groups outraged by latest arrests (BBC)
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40532742

Turkey must free jailed human rights defenders (Amnesty International)
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2017/07/turkey-must-free-jailed-human-rights-defenders/

Rights defenders ‘must not be silenced,’ says UN office, urging Turkey to release activists (UN)
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=57134#.WWUqKNPyuqA