Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

We want this to be a conversation, so we made this video

06/17/2013 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

Hi, all —

In the past few weeks, people from all over the country have written in to the White House to share the stories of how their families came to America. Each one we read is a reminder that many of us share a similar experience. That’s certainly true for my own family — my parents came as newlyweds from Bolivia. These are narratives that Washington needs to hear as this town debates the right way to reform our broken immigration system.

At the White House, we’re no different from any other office anywhere else in America. As a team, we have a lot of stories that began outside the United States.

To help make this an actual dialogue about who we are as a country, we thought we’d share some of those stories with you.

That’s why we put together this video. Watch it, then pass it along to help get a conversation going in your community about your American immigration stories.

President Obama wants the result of this debate to be legislation that reflects who we are as a country — as much a nation of laws as we are a nation of immigrants. And he wants his White House to reflect who we are as a people — individuals from different circumstances united by a shared set of values and a common set of goals.

This issue is personal, as much for my colleagues here as for people anywhere else. And the thing I love about this video is that these folks help to make it clear why it’s important to fix this broken system. All of them are fulfilling huge dreams, and if others get the chance to have that same opportunity, we’ll all benefit as a nation.

And if more people understand that the motivation for this reform is about living up to our values as Americans, it will be easier to get this done.

So will you take a minute to watch?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/share/wh-immigration-stories

Thank you so much!

Cecilia

Cecilia Muñoz Director, Domestic Policy Council The White House

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

TAKE ACTION: Protect Arctic Marine Mammals From Oil Exploration

06/17/2013 Nativegrl77

We’ve almost reached our goal of 50,000 public comments but we need your help to get there before the June 27 deadline!

After taking action, please share this with your friends:

Thank you again for taking action to protect northwest orcas from being delisted from the Endangered Species Act. The National Marine Fisheries Service is still reviewing public comments, including yours. We promise to keep you updated on the fate of southern resident orcas, but in the meantime, we wanted to let you know about an action that you can take to protect Arctic marine mammals, including beluga and bowhead whales, from oil exploration:
The Arctic’s marine mammals use sound for survival, but planned oil exploration activities could strip them of that ability.
Take action: Tell the National Marine Fisheries Service to say no to Arctic oil exploration that would harm marine wildlife!
Marine mammals—such as bearded and ringed seals, beluga whales, and the endangered bowhead whale—depend on sound to communicate, find food, and avoid prey. Oil exploration activities fill the ocean with loud noise that can interfere with these basic functions. Seismic surveying, for example, uses air-guns to detect oil beneath the sea-floor. The blasts—loud enough to cause deafness—occur day and night for months, and cover vast areas of the ocean.
The federal government is proposing moving forward with loud and risky oil exploration methods even though it has not completed an assessment of the cumulative impacts on Arctic marine mammals. Tell your government to take responsibility for protecting the marine mammals of the Arctic.
The remote Arctic Ocean and its wildlife are already under great stress from climate change. Why add the stress of oil exploration?
Tell the government not to permit any Arctic Ocean oil exploration until it completes a full analysis of the effects and understands how to mitigate the damage to marine mammals.
Sincerely,

Erik Grafe Staff Attorney, Alaska Office Earthjustice
P.S. We’ve almost reached our goal of 50,000 public comments but we need your help to get there before the June 27 deadline! After taking action, please share this with your friends:

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

ThinkProgress

06/15/2013 Nativegrl77

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You Might’ve Missed

There have been 14 mass shootings in the six months since Newtown.

Louisiana chemical plant that exploded hadn’t been inspected by OSHA in two decades.

Eight inspiring moments since Newtown.

Another terrible consequence of Britain’s failed austerity policies.

U.S. to arm Syrian rebels following confirmation that Assad regime used chemical weapons.

Congressman freaks out over office visit by DREAMers.

Another GOP senator says it’s OK to allow employers to fire people just because they are gay.

Report: undocumented immigrants can contribute more than $600 BILLION toward strengthening Social Security.

How clean energy and climate solutions can help us grow the economy.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Fatima Goss Graves, National Women’s Law Center

06/15/2013 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - Stop Discounting Women

The data are clear.
Women are still being paid less than men in almost every occupation. And fields dominated by women pay less than fields dominated by men. Here’s the part that really drives me crazy — women are even paid less in jobs that are dominated by women, such as nursing, teaching and waitressing.
Are you fired up?
Take a stand in support of equal pay by sharing this graphic today.

When our supporters share our graphics, it helps educate the public about the wage gap.
Here’s the problem: When women bring home smaller paychecks, families have less to pay for basic necessities. At a time when families are relying increasingly on women’s wages, addressing the wage gap is incredibly important.
But to do this, we need people to know about the wage gap. We have to reach beyond our core group of supporters — so that the broader public joins our efforts to close the wage gap once and for all. That’s why we need your help.
Please join us by sharing this graphic today. It’s one small thing you can do to help.
Thanks again!
Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves Vice President for Education and Employment National Women’s Law Center

P.S. Want to read more? Check out NWLC’s new report outlining the barriers to achieving fair pay and practical steps to close it. Also check out our new website at mywagegap.org.