Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Extinction doesn’t get a second chance … Ashley Schaeffer, Rainforest Action Network


Rainforest Action Network
 Click on the photo above for even more info
 Extinction doesn’t get a second chance.
Donate today

Endangered orangutans are hovering on the very edge of extinction.  Palm oil companies have deforested so much of the forests orangutans depend on for survival, they literally have nowhere left to go.
Mankind’s closest relative urgently needs our help.
Wild orangutans are nearly extinct and need us to take a stand.  You can help this important work by chipping in just $10 today.
The footage below, which I filmed in Borneo, shows a pregnant orangutan trapped inside an area of active palm oil development on the border of Tanjng Puting National Park.  Because orangutans cannot swim, she cannot reach the protected lands on the other side of this river, condemning her to inevitable death by starvation or at the hands of plantation workers.

Watching her broke my heart.
Donate today
Palm oil companies prioritize profit over life. Horrific scenes like the one captured above must come to an end.

RAN is pushing big industry buyers like Cargill to take responsibility for the very real impacts of their supply chains, their role in land conflicts affecting Indigenous communities, and the role palm oil is playing in species extinction.
By donating just $10 today, you are joining with hundreds of other donors to make sure that we are saving orangutans, like the one above, from extinction.
Deforestation in Indonesia has reached crisis proportions — but a narrow window of time remains to stop this historic tragedy before it is too late. During the past decade orangutan populations have decreased by about 50% in the wild. This means that without drastic intervention, orangutans may soon be extinct as biologically viable populations in the wild.

RAN is working hard to pressure the Indonesian government and palm oil industry giants like Cargill to end this tragedy once and for all.

Please be generous.  Extinct orangutans don’t get a second chance.

Ashley

For the forests,

Ashley Schaeffer             Rainforest Agribusiness Campaigner

The House of Representatives: Bills that may be on the Flr. Week of 6/25


Text of Bills for the Week of Jun. 25, 2012

First Published:        June 22, 2012 at 03:35 PM Last Updated: June 22, 2012 at 07:00 PM      XML

The following are links to the text of legislation scheduled for consideration during the week of June 25, 2012

For the complete schedule, please visit the Majority Leader’s site.

Items that may be considered under suspension of the rules

H.R. 4850 Enabling Energy Saving Innovations Act           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 5625 Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 3173 To direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to reform the process for the enrollment, activation, issuance, and renewal of a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) to require, in total, not more than one in-person visit to a designated enrollment center           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 4251 Securing Maritime Activities through Risk-based Targeting for Port Security Act           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 5843 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit use of certain grant funds for training conducted in conjunction with a national laboratory or research facility           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 4005 GAPS Act           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 1447 Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2011           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 5889 Nuclear Terrorism Conventions Implementation and Safety of Maritime Navigation Act of 2012, as amended           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 4223 Safe Doses Act           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 4018 Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Improvements Act of 2012, as amended           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 3501 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 125 Kerr Avenue in Rome City, Indiana, as the “SPC Nicholas Scott Hartge Post Office”           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 3276 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2810 East Hillsborough Avenue in Tampa, Florida, as the “Reverend Abe Brown Post Office Building           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 3412 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1421 Veterans Memorial Drive in Abbeville, Louisiana, as the “Sergeant Richard Franklin Abshire Post Office Building”           [PDF]                  [XML]
H.R. 3593 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 787 State Route 17M in Monroe, New York, as the “National Clandestine Service of the Central Intelligence Agency NCS Officer Gregg David Wenzel Memorial Post Office           [XML]                  [PDF]
H.R. 3772 To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 150 South Union Street in Canton, Mississippi, as the “First Sergeant Landres Cheeks Post Office Building”           [PDF]                  [XML]
Senate Amendment to H.R. 2297 To promote the development of the Southwest waterfront in the District of Columbia, and for other purposes           [PDF]
              Added              06/22/2012 at 05:42 PM

Items that may be considered

H.Res. __ Resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Eric H. Holder, Jr., Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena duly issued by the committee on Oversight and Government Reform           [PDF]
              Added              06/22/2012 at 06:13 PM

Items that may be considered pursuant to a rule

H.R. 5972 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013           [PDF]                  [XML]
              Added              06/22/2012 at 06:56 PM
H.R. 5973 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2013           [PDF]                  [XML]
              Added              06/22/2012 at 07:00 PM

Support Sherrod Brown


It’s a clip of Sherrod on Rachel Maddow’s show talking about the millions of undisclosed, special interest, Karl Rove-directed dollars pouring into the Ohio Senate race.
Watching it makes me proud to be on Sherrod’s team.
Click — to hear about what we’re fighting for straight from Sherrod — then make a contribution to help us get this message out!


We need to reach $500,000 in our Truth Fund this month. It’s a huge goal, but we’re on our way.
And with $10 million already spent against Sherrod on TV ads, now’s the time for you to act.
I hope you enjoy the video — and I hope you’ll consider making a grassroots investment in our campaign today.
Thank you so much,

Sarah Benzing Campaign Manager Friends of Sherrod Brown

This Week’s Top 5 on ThinkProgr​ess: The Vagina Monologues Edition


If you’re looking for a progressive take on the current political news, ThinkProgress has you covered. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past week that you may have missed:

  –  Massive Crowd Gathers For Reading Of Vagina Monologues At Michigan Capitol

When two female legislators were banned from the Michigan House floor last week after saying the word “vagina” during a debate about an anti-abortion measure, people across the country spoke out for the right to discuss and defend women’s health.

–   Romney To Republican Governor: Discussing The Economic Recovery Will Hurt My Election Chances

  Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) is touting his state’s increasing economic growth and stability, but Mitt Romney doesn’t want to hear it.

–   Over Two Decades, Abortion Rate Dropped For Women In Their 20s Because Of Contraception Access

The growing accessibility of birth control is having a hugely positive effect on women’s health, contributing to a significant drop in unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates for women in their 20s.

–   The 7 Major Issues Mitt Romney Won’t Take A Position On

Immigration isn’t the only issue Mitt Romney is evading.

–   Members Who Supported Massive Giveaway To Big Oil Have Received $38.6 Million From The Industry

The House of Representatives just passed legislation catering to oil and gas interests at the expense of environmental concerns – and the members who voted for the bill are lining their pockets with oil and gas money.

Thanks for supporting ThinkProgress as we do this work!

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

Obama for America TV Ad: “Mosaic”


Jun 20, 2012 by    

Get the facts –>   http://OFA.BO/hq2TYP
Mitt Romney in 2002: “I’m going to reduce taxes.”
As Governor, Mitt Romney did cut taxes…on millionaires like himself.
But he raised taxes and fees on everyone else:  $1.5 billion.

Over a thousand fee hikes:
On health care.  On school bus rides.  On milk.  On driver’s licenses.  On nursing homes.  On lead poisoning prevention.  On meat and poultry inspection.  On fishermen and gun owners.  On nurses.  On electricians.  On hospitals. On funeral homes. On mental health services.  On hospice care. On elevator repair.
Romney Economics didn’t work then. And won’t work now.