Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Jindal Versus Louisiana Schoolchildren … a repost


By

Another Republican chooses to sue the Administration

bobby-jindal-cc

Bobby Jindal, the Republican Governor of Louisiana, filed suit against the Obama administration on Wednesday. He argues that the Department of Education has exceeded its constitutional authority by offering states grants if they choose to opt-in to the Common Core standards.

Jindal’s Complaint claims the Common Core is “an attempt by the executive branch to implement national education reform far beyond the intentions of Congress; in fact, in contradiction to 50 years of Congressional policy forbidding federal direction or control of curriculum, the cornerstone of education policy.”

While this lawsuit makes little sense for a variety of reasons, perhaps the strangest is the complete about-face Jindal made. Not only did he sign the legislation implementing the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), his administration actively pushed the legislature to enact them. Back in 2012, Stafford Palmieri, Jindal’s top education policy adviser, wrote: “I frankly don’t foresee a controversy over this and if there is one and we come out swinging about how impt [sic] this is that helps not hurts our case. We stand very firmly behind CCSS as you know,” according to emails obtained The Times-Picayune.

However, in Louisiana, Bobby Jindal is one of only a few politicians to choose politics over kids.

Back in May, a bill to repeal the Common Core didn’t even make it out of the Louisiana Senate Education Committee. And in April, the corresponding House committee shot down two Jindal-backed repeal bills. While a fraction of the state legislature tried to stop implementation by suing Education Superintendent John White, their request was denied. White, too, remains an ardent supporter of the standards.

Jindal marks the far-right on Common Core: only a handful of states are not participating in the voluntary program. If Jindal gets his way, he will join a select group of flip-floppers:

  • Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, who once supported their implementation, signed a bill this June to repeal them.
  • South Carolina first adopted the standards in 2010, but also had them repealed this summer.
  • Indiana led the way with its repeal in March, though its new state standards are remarkably similar.

By choosing to sue the Obama administration, Bobby Jindal enters a league of his own on the Common Core. He himself has protested unnecessary lawsuits, once remarking: “This bill will help stop frivolous lawsuits and create a more fair and predictable legal environment, and I am proud to sign it into law.” Unfortunately, he and other Republicans are gumming up the legal system instead of helping ordinary Americans.

BOTTOM LINE: When your duly elected state legislature and elected members of your Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Superintendent of education that you appointed all believe that the Common Core is good for Louisiana’s students, you should listen. Choosing politics – and a possible 2016 presidential run – over schoolchildren is wrong.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

WA meet Tami Green, Democratic Party


There’s a lot to be excited about this year –

Tami Green is running for State Senate in the 28th District

Click here and say:
I’m with Tami

We have a great opportunity to unseat one of the most conservative voices in the State Senate.

In his one year in office, State Senator Steve O’Ban has led efforts to allow businesses to deny services to gays and lesbians.

He’s worked to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for basic services, like mammograms, diabetes, and autism screenings.

Our state needs leaders who will move our state forward.

Rep. Tami Green has been representing the 28th District for 10 years. She has a strong record of accomplishment in the 28th District, and she is challenging Steve O’Ban for State Senate.

Will you sign our petition and show your support for Tami Green for State Senate?

Tami Green is a trusted nurse and legislative leader known for her integrity, courage, and willingness to bring people together.

In her 10 years in the Legislature, Tami has earned a strong reputation as an experienced leader who is focused on results.

She is a strong advocate for the values we share. She’s worked to strengthen the middle class, protect our environment, expand access to health care, and protect a woman’s right to choose.

With Republicans in power in the State Senate, we haven’t gotten the results that will help Washington’s working families.

This year, the Republican State Senate majority refused to compromise and failed to pass a Transportation or Capitol Budget. This has killed jobs and hurt our middle class.

Steve O’Ban was in step with the State Senate majority the entire way.

We need to elect leaders who are willing to come to the table, get to work, and do what’s best for our communities and working families.

We need Tami Green in the State Senate. Join us now and sign on as a supporter today.

In solidarity,

Jaxon Ravens
Washington State Democrats Chair

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Murder and Police Cover-Up?


Did police cover up Alfred Wright’s murder?Alfred Wright and his two sonsDemand Texas officials and the Department of Justice uncover the truth and bring justice for Alfred’s family.Take Action

an Update entry 3/13/2014

Mounting evidence suggests a police cover-up in the possible murder of Alfred Wright. Recently, a private investigator hired by Alfred’s family condemned the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department for not following basic police procedure, calling its investigation, “one of the worst in Texas history.”1

Nearly 40,000 ColorOfChange members have already called on Texas authorities and the United States Department of Justice to conduct a full and proper investigation. Unless enough of us urge federal and state officials to make Alfred’s case a high priority — and dedicate the resources necessary to uncover the truth — Alfred’s death, like so many others involving Black victims, may go unsolved.

Please join us in calling on the Department of Justice, Governor Rick Perry, and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to conduct a thorough investigation into Alfred’s death and the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department’s mishandling of the case. It only takes a moment.

Thanks,

Matt Nelson Director of Organizing, ColorOfChange.org

References

1. “Family Searching for Answers After Man’s Mysterious Death,” ABC News, 02-05-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3356?t=3&akid=3331.1174326.KMvxC0

A Sabine County, TX community suspects foul play and a police cover-up after the tragic disappearance and death of Alfred Wright — a 28-year-old Black husband and father of three.1

In November, Alfred went missing in a section of Texas notorious for racial violence and hostility directed at Black residents.2 Days after Alfred’s mutilated body was located by a family-organized search party — in an area police claimed was searched repeatedly by trained dogs3 — the county medical examiner released an autopsy claiming his death was “accidental” and caused by “combined drug intoxication.”4 But a separate, family-ordered independent autopsy found evidence of severe head and neck trauma and determined there was a “high likelihood of homicidal violence.”5

Growing doubt with the official story and the two conflicting autopsies have forced the Department of Justice and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott to launch independent investigations into Alfred’s disappearance and death. But this is not enough. Your voice can help ensure that the DOJ, Texas Governor and AG feel the pressure of a national spotlight, are compelled to make the investigation a high priority, and dedicate the resources necessary to find the truth and hold local law enforcement accountable.

Please join us in demanding that the Department of Justice, Governor Rick Perry and Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott conduct a thorough investigation into both Alfred’s death and the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department’s mishandling of the initial investigation. It only takes a moment.

Violent and unsolved murders when the victim is Black are an old story in this part of Texas and Alfred’s family has good reason to suspect racially-motivated foul play. In 1998, just 45 minutes away from where Alfred’s body was discovered, James Byrd was beaten to death by three white supremacists, chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged by his ankles for three miles.6 The three men responsible for James Byrd’s lynching and murder were convicted only after strong and sustained public pressure forced the government to prosecute and enact historic hate crimes legislation.7

Call on state and federal officials to conduct a thorough investigation into Alfred’s death and the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department’s mishandling of the initial investigation.

Law enforcement officers across the country often use deeply ingrained stereotypes to demonize Black men and boys as drug addicts and “thugs” in order to justify the violence perpetrated against them.8,9 These dangerous notions lead to a culture of impunity where Black folks like Alfred are seen as undeserving of police resources, including a thorough investigation.10

Due to the Sabine County police department’s egregious history of racially-motivated attacks against Black residents, few in that community trust that the Sheriff’s Department can conduct a proper investigation when the victim is Black.11 In 1987, a Black man named Loyal Garner was arrested in Sabine County, charged with drunk driving and taken to the county jail where he was severely bludgeoned, hospitalized and eventually died from the brutal assault. The three white police officers responsible for Loyal Garner’s death were quickly acquitted of civil rights charges.12

Our elected officials and leaders in government have a duty to hold law enforcement to a high standard of conduct and ensure that the murders of Black people do not go unsolved.

Please join us in demanding a thorough investigation into Alfred’s death and the Sabine County Sheriff’s Department’s mishandling of the investigation. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

Thanks and Peace,

–Matt, Rashad, Arisha, Aimée, Jamar, and the rest of the ColorOfChange team    February 28th, 2014

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way.

References

1. “Alfred Wright’s Death Shrouded In Mystery,” Huffington Post, 02-07-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3277?t=10&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

2. “A Missing Man and Familiar Old Wounds in Jasper,” Texas Observer, 11-21-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3278?t=12&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

3. “Death of East Texas Man Shrouded in Mystery,” ABC News, 02-08-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3279?t=14&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

4. “County-paid autopsy report lists ‘drug intoxication’ as cause of Alfred Wright’s death,” KLTV, 01-08-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3239?t=16&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

5. “Another Tragic Murder of a Black Man Near Jasper, Texas #Justice4AlfredWright,” BK Nation, 10-09-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3304?t=18&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

6. “Cover-up? A mysterious death in Texas,” CNN, 02-16-14 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3303?t=20&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

7. “Today marks the 15th anniversary of the murder of James Byrd Jr.,” Dallas Voice, 06-07-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3344?t=22&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

8. “No Country for ‘Black Teens’,” Huffington Post, 04-05-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3284?t=24&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

9. “Black Man Vs. Criminal,” New York Times, 03-13-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3285?t=26&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

10. “Why black people don’t trust the police,” CNN, 03-23-12 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3286?t=28&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

11. “A Missing Man and Familiar Old Wounds in Jasper,” Texas Observer, 11-21-13 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3278?t=30&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

12. “Race and Justice: A Killing in East Texas – A Special Report; Death as a Ripple in Deep Racial Current,” New York Times, 05-11-90 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3345?t=33&akid=3316.1174326.45AtPJ

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The most important petition we’ve ever done — on fire!


 

In days, when the UN holds an emergency summit on climate change, we need to deliver the largest petition ever for a world powered by 100% clean energy. The petition number will be read out to every world leader at the summit! Click now to sign the petition!

SIGN THE PETITION