Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Refugee children …. Republican political footballs


Children fleeing violence are seeking refuge in the United States in record numbers. Every child is entitled to an immigration hearing, but there is no guarantee these children—who may have experienced unspeakable trauma—will have legal support.The MoveOn community is raising funds for much-needed legal support for these children—donating every penny to Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), the leading organization providing legal representation to children entering the U.S. alone. Can you make a donation to KIND to ensure these children have the legal counsel and support they need when they face an immigration judge?

Chip in $3

Dear MoveOn member,

Thousands of children fleeing violence from their home countries have come to the United States—sometimes traveling long distances without their parents—seeking refuge. This humanitarian crisis has overwhelmed the existing support the United States provides for children who have been victimized by violence.

These children—some just barely older than toddlers—are crowded into temporary shelters, detention centers, and even facilities on military bases.

United States immigration law guarantees all children from certain Central American countries due process, including an asylum hearing in front of an immigration judge. These hearings are crucial to protecting refugee children. Sending some of these kids back could be, in the words of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, “to send them back to certain death.“1

During the hearings, an immigration judge hears from each child and determines if that child is eligible for refugee status or humanitarian protection. But these children aren’t guaranteed legal representation when they face the court and could find themselves alone in the hearing that will determine the rest of their lives.

That’s why we’re coming together as a MoveOn community to raise funds for Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), an organization dedicated to providing legal support to children. We’ll give every penny of your contribution to KIND.

Can you chip in to make sure these refugee children get the legal counsel and representation they need?

Yes, I can contribute $3 to help a child seeking refuge from violence receive legal support.

Since 2012, the number of children seeking refuge in the United States has soared from three Central American countries: Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Stories of the violence these children are fleeing are chilling. This region, known as the Northern Triangle, has some of the highest murder rates in the world, and children may come to the United States having witnessed family members and friends hurt, raped, or killed in rampant outbreaks of gang violence.2

For many of these children, what happens during these immigration hearings could be the difference between life or death. No child should be forced to appear in court alone.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that nearly two-thirds of the children and families from Central America may be eligible for humanitarian protection under international guidelines3—but we are treating them like criminals.

Can you contribute $3 to make sure these children have legal representation when they appear before an immigration judge?

MoveOn members across the country have stepped up before to provide support for those impacted by major humanitarian crisis. When Hurricane Sandy left thousands without power, food, and shelter, MoveOn members opened their homes to help. And MoveOn members helped provide temporary housing for more than 30,000 people displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

By making a contribution now, you can help again, and make sure children looking to the United States for protection from deadly violence receive the chance they are legally guaranteed to share their stories and plead their cases.

Thanks for all you do.

–Anna, Stephen, Matt, Maria, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. “O’Malley: U.S. shouldn’t send immigrant children back to ‘certain death,'” CNN, July 11, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=299998&id=98878-17809870-QP8qysx&t=4

2. “Why are so many minors fleeing Central America for the U.S. border?” KSHB, July 16, 2014 

http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=299999&id=98878-17809870-QP8qysx&t=6

3. “Children on the Run,” United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees, March 12, 2014 

http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=300000&id=98878-17809870-QP8qysx&t=8

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ABB Introduces the Schedules that Work Act!
Dear Friend,
Today, A Better Balance is headed to the U.S. capitol to demand fair schedules for all workers. ABB Co-President Sherry Leiwant will be speaking this afternoon at a Congressional Briefing on the Schedules That Work Act, introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives (see the image below for more information on the briefing). This groundbreaking legislation would alleviate the burden of abusive scheduling practices that wreak havoc on millions of working families.
Currently, workers at all income levels experience difficulties caring for their families while holding jobs that require around-the-clock availability. Low-wage workers are hit the hardest, often facing erratic yet inflexible schedules that make arranging childcare and transportation a daily struggle. A lack of control over hours makes it difficult for many workers to hold a second job or advance their education, and dramatic fluctuations in weekly or monthly pay make effective budgeting impossible.
The Schedules That Work Act would give workers greater control over their work hours. Among other protections, it would give workers a right to request a schedule change without fear of retaliation, create a right to schedule changes in certain situations, like a childcare emergency, and provide additional payment for workers called in at the last moment. ABB is proud to have worked on this bill, and we hope you will join us in spreading the word about the need for fair schedules. If you’d like to learn more about the Act, we encourage you to read our blog post and join our upcoming webinar this Thursday. Please click here to register. 
Thank you for all that you do,
Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Liz, Elizabeth, Risha, Rachel & Morenike 
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The New Populist Movement


“More liberal, populist movement
emerging ahead of 2016 elections.”

Front page, The Washington Post, December 1, 2013:

The past two years have been scarred by a government shutdown, the sequester, the near default of the US government and a Tea Party Congress blocking everything.

campaignForAmericaLgo

And yet –

In the midst of the wreckage, we’ve helped build a populist movement that the media and the politicians no longer can ignore.

That movement – that you, the Campaign for America’s Future and others are forcing onto the table the changes that the American people want.

Take a look at last year:

  • We blocked politicians from cutting one dollar of Social Security and Medicare benefits — and now our champions in Congress are pushing to expand those programs.
  • We put economic inequality on the national agenda and drove demands for a higher minimum wage.
  • We pushed for investment in jobs and full employment and against job-killing austerity.
  • We demanded prosecution of banks and bankers who tanked the economy – and pushed to break up too-big-to-fail financial institutions.
  • We stopped Larry Summers from becoming Federal Reserve chairman.
  • We challenged job-killing trade agreements and the corporations that wrote them in secret.

In this election year, we need to keep up the fight. We need to support political champions like Senator Elizabeth Warren. We must keep up the fight for the minimum wage and pre-school for every child. We can’t do this without you.   We need your energy and we need your help with a donation.

Can you help with a $10 donation to build this movement?

Thanks for all you do,

Roger Hickey & Robert L. Borosage
Co-Directors, Campaign for America’s Future

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Aurora, two years later


Everytown for Gun Safety

My heart sank when I heard the news about the shooting two years ago in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. It was opening day of The Dark Knight Rises and 12 people had just been shot and killed at a midnight showing — 58 wounded.

The only thing I could think to do was go to Aurora. I visited the survivors and family members in the hospital.

One of the amazing survivors of the shooting I met was Steve Barton — a guy who just happened to be passing through on a cross-country bike trip when he stopped to go to the movies with friends.

Tomorrow marks two years since the Aurora shooting. Click here to watch Steve’s moving story and then share it with your family and friends to mark this somber anniversary.

Watch Steve Barton's powerful message

After the shooting, Steve focused his incredible talents on fighting for public safety measures that will prevent others’ lives from being affected by gun violence like his was. I’m inspired by his resilience and dedication.

The fact is, there’s a lot more we can do to cut down on gun violence. After the Aurora shooting, Colorado passed a strong law that has already blocked criminals from easily buying guns without a background check.

But making that kind of progress in other states or at the federal level is going to require elected officials with the backbone to act. That’s why it’s so important to support local, state and federal candidates who will push for common-sense gun laws.

On this sad anniversary, let’s all recommit ourselves to turning tragedy into meaning.

Watch Steve’s powerful message now and then spread the word:

http://every.tw/aurora-two-years

It’s an honor to stand with Steve, with you and with all Americans fighting to reduce gun violence.

Thank you,

Christian Bale

Christian Bale