Charlene Benton was a hero in her community and an inspiration to those who knew her—including me. (Earthjustice)

Communities are defended by the heroes who live in them

Charlene Benton was a lion in her community who never backed down in the face of wealthy and powerful polluters. The best way to honor Charlene’s memory is to carry on her fight. And we will.

On August 6, 2012, a fire and explosion at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, Calif. caused 15,000 people to seek medical treatment. (Nick Fullerton/CC BY-NC 2.0)

Toxic chemical plants thought they could ignore this West Virginia community

Residents living in the so-called “Chemical Valley” have fought for years to win stronger protections against toxic chemicals. If Scott Pruitt thinks that an illegal two-year delay on the Chemical Disaster Rule can stop them now, he’s got another thing coming.

Earthjustice attorney Patti Goldman is one of the lawyers fighting Trump's 'two-for-one' executive order. (Genna Martin for Earthjustice)

President Trump has created a “shadow regulatory process”…

…so remarked the federal judge hearing our challenge to Trump’s 2-for-1 executive order. The administration prefers working in the shadows because when communities get the opportunity to speak up, they demand clean water and air, healthy and safe communities and civil rights.

Workers wear protective gear as they remove asbestos, one of the substances regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act. (Bartco/Getty Images)

Chemical industry executives write gutless toxic chemical protections

So families, teachers, workers, low-income and indigenous communities are suing to set ground rules for how the EPA will prioritize chemicals for safety review and then evaluate the risks of those chemicals.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

[Poll] Should U.S. rename bases named for Confederate leaders

08/23/2017 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

Leonidas Polk was a slave-owning Confederate General who was killed in action during the Atlanta Campaign of the Civil War. Today, more than 10,000 troops are stationed at Fort Polk, the Army base that bears his name in Louisiana.

But Fort Polk is just one of ten bases that carry the name of Confederate leaders, many of them iconic installations with names recognized by service members and civilians alike: Fort Benning, Fort Hood, and Fort Bragg just to name just a few.

Every single day, more than 100,000 members of the U.S. military — individuals of every race, color, and creed — work at military installations named after people who fought against the United States to preserve slavery. How in the world can we ask them to go to work every day in a place named after people who thought they and their ancestors were less than human?

But we want to know what you think. There’s a bill in front of Congress that would require Defense Secretary Mattis to change the names of any military base that is “currently named after any individual who took up arms against the United States during the American Civil War or any individual or entity that supported such efforts.” Tell us where you stand:

Take VoteVets’ poll and tell us if you support legislation that would change the names of military installations named after Confederates who fought to preserve slavery during the Civil War.

Thanks for joining us in making your voices heard.

All my best,

Will Fischer
Iraq War Veteran and Director of Government Relations
VoteVets

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Earthjustice … It starts with community

08/22/2017 Nativegrl77

Earthjustice

In the aftermath of the despicable series of events fueled by racism and hatred at the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA, our nation is coming to grips with a president whose words, deeds and policies provide support and encouragement to white supremacists while inflicting harm on our communities.

Violence, bigotry and hatred cannot be tolerated, especially when they come from the highest levels of government. We stand in solidarity with the people and organizations dedicated to fighting for racial and social justice.

We understand that a truly just and equal society upholds the right of all people to be protected from bigotry and hatred, as well as their right to clean air, clean water and a healthy environment. We will continue to fight the Trump administration’s efforts to eliminate environmental protections and environmental justice programs where we work best: in the courts. Using the power of the law, we are working with communities to stand up against this administration’s destructive policies.

Marchers in New York City's 2014 Peoples Climate March. Heightened activism at the local level has garnered a breakthrough for environmental justice in this city. (Joe Brusky/CC BY-NC 2.0)

Environmental protections will be won block by block

From the South Bronx to Denver, communities disproportionately affected by pollution are winning the fight to make local governments translate problems into action.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Reject white supremacy! Reject Trump and the Confederate “culture”

08/22/2017 Nativegrl77

Dear Friends …

by colorofchange.org Take Them Down! No Confederate Statues in the US Capitol

While we were happy to see Steve Bannon leave the White House last Friday as a result of your work to put pressure on the White House, we cannot forget Trump has still been spending his time tweeting praise for memorials to Confederates as “beautiful” and planning to host an incendiary rally tomorrow in Arizona. Let’s be clear, Trump is speaking of white supremacy when he praises the “culture” of men who committed treason against the United States in order to continue a society based upon enslaving Black men, women, and children. When Trump talks about good people fighting for Confederate statues he’s talking about people who chanted “Jews will not replace us” and threatened a Black church the night before killing someone in Charlottesville.

Trump is desperately tweeting because he sees the writing on the wall, white supremacy is now under direct attack. His white nationalist chief strategist has been forced to resign, and these symbols of hate are coming down across the country. Senator Cory Booker has announced that he is introducing a resolution to meet our demands: removing all Confederate statues from the US Capitol. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi has also come out to demand that the United States Capitol Hill Statuary Hall as well. We are winning, Bannon is out of power and these monuments are coming down across the country.

Join us in pushing back against Trump’s open advocacy for white supremacy and join us in supporting Senator Booker’s resolution to remove these memorials to the Confederacy from the United States Capitol Hill Statuary Hall. Sign my petition today. Below you will find my original email.

Thank you,

Rachael Payton

Rachael Payton just started a petition to

Kick Confederates out of the Capitol!

Sign now

I just started a petition titled “Take Em ALL Down! No Confederate Statues in the US Capitol”

Following the acts of white supremacist terrorism in Charlottesville, congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle made statements condemning the violence. Paul Ryan wrote, “The views fueling the spectacle in Charlottesville are repugnant. Let it only serve to unite Americans against this kind of vile bigotry,” and Ted Cruz wrote in a statement “…white supremacists are repulsive and evil, and all of us have a moral obligation to speak out against the lies, bigotry, anti-Semitism, and hatred that they propagate.”

Will you sign the petition to tell Congress that they should kick the Confederates out of the Capitol?

These words ring hollow when Confederate leaders are enshrined with honor in the statuary hall at the US Capitol. Men who committed treason against the United States to keep Black people enslaved should not be in the most hallowed halls of government. Each of these statues were installed despite the obvious betrayal of these Confederates against America in response to the recognition of the humanity of Black Americans. These statues in the capitolare there to project the power of white supremacy directly from the states’ Capitol. These statues Join us and tell members of Congress to remove the Confederates from the Capitol.

Join us if you don’t want to see Black people passing Confederates whenever they visit Congress!

Thousands of white supremacist gather across the country and commits violent acts of terror and intimidation in the name of these Confederate symbols. These people have been emboldened by Trump who continues to promote racism and signal his approval to white supremacists. While Trump has inflamed these white supremacists, the statues honoring Confederates in the halls of the United States Congress are proof that white nationalism has long needed to be confronted in America.

Congress should not keep Confederates in a place of honor, kick Confederates out the Capitol!

Together we can help kick the Confederates out of the Capitol and send a strong message to white nationalists and Trump. After the terrorism of Charlottesville we can no longer silently allow the Confederacy and its cause to keep Black Americans enslaved to be honored in the halls of Congress.

Will you pledge to join the fight to kick the Confederates out of the Capitol!

Thank you,

Rachael Payton