Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill has been re-introduced. Citibank and Barclays wield significant influence in the country, but have so far been silent. Tell the two banks to speak up now and help stop the terrifying bill from becoming law.

Sign the Petition

Citibank and Barclays could save the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Uganda.

The Ugandan legislature could vote any day on a so-called “Kill the Gays” bill that could result in legalizing the death penalty for any LGBT person in the country. But Citibank and Barclays together have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Uganda and wield significant influence in the country, just as banking lobbyists wield influence with Congress in the US. If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the “Kill the Gays” bill, Ugandan legislators will take notice in a hurry.

Collin Burton is a Citibank customer — he’s also gay. Collin started a petition on Change.org asking Citibank and Barclays to speak out against the “Kill the Gays” bill. Click here to sign Collin’s petition right now.

Citibank and Barclays are both big supporters of LGBT rights for their own employees, yet they invest money with a government that is threatening to execute LGBT people. “I expect Citibank and Barclays to live up to the values of equality and fairness, not just list them on their websites,” Collin says.

If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the “Kill the Gays” bill, Ugandan legislators will see that they are risking the business relationships that keep their government afloat.

Click here to sign Collin’s petition asking Citibank and Barclays to issue strong statements condemning Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill. The bill could come up for a vote any day, so swift action is essential.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Eden and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

HCAN has a New website! Defends Affordable Care Act & Medicare&Medicaid

03/01/2012 Nativegrl77

HCAN has a cool new website!

Our goal was to create a visually pleasing site that provides unique information about our federal and state campaigns. HCAN is pushing to defend and implement the Affordable Care Act, protect Medicare and Medicaid, and hold corporations and the GOP accountable for attacking our health care, the public sector, labor unions and all things that benefit the 99%.

On our home page, we highlight our most recent actions, reports and important news items. Scroll down to see a list of the latest Press Releases, a revamped B log and our Grassroots in Action section, which highlights the work of our partners and features videos and photos of actions. The Must Read section has top news stories affecting HCAN’s work, health reform and progressive change. In the HCAN In The News area, we highlight the workHCAN and our partner organizations are doing to ensure access to quality, affordable health care and to expose the role of corporations in undermining our democracy.

Further down the page there are Resources, a little bit more about our organization, and the many ways you can connect to Health Care for America Now through social media.

One of the most useful new features on the site is the Our Issues area, where visitors will find in-depth information about the specific topics we focus on:

Hope that you enjoy using the new site!

Will O’Neill
Health Care for America Now

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Rated “R” … Mark Anthony, Change.org

02/28/2012 Nativegrl77

Katy Butler knows how it feels to be bullied. When she was 12, four boys came up behind her. They called her names and shoved her into a wall — then they slammed a locker on her hand and broke her finger. “I held back tears while I watched them run away laughing,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do so I stood there, alone and afraid.”

So Katy, now in high school, was thrilled when she heard about a new documentary, Bully, that sheds light on America’s bullying epidemic. The film’s distributor, The Weinstein Company, even had plans to screen the film in middle and high schools across America.

But it was just announced that the Motion Picture Association of America has decided to give Bully an “R” rating, meaning no one under the age of 17 can see the movie — and it can’t be screened in middle and high schools.

Katy thinks it’s ridiculous that the MPAA would prevent teens from seeing a movie that was made specifically to help them fight back against bullying.

So Katy started a petition on Change.org asking the MPAA to give Bully a PG-13 rating. Click here to sign Katy’s petition — and watch a two-minute preview of this compelling film.

The Weinstein Company appealed the MPAA’s initial decision to give Bully an R rating (unsurprisingly, language used in the film — especially by bullies — is coarse). But news broke on Friday that they lost the appeal. According to news sources, a two-thirds vote was needed to change the rating to PG-13 — but Bully came up one vote shy. Katy thinks it’s time for the MPAA to make an understandable exception for a film that could impact the lives of countless American teens.

Katy knows about the power of online petitions. Last year, when the Michigan legislature was considering a problematic bill to address bullying, Katy and another Michigan teen started a petition asking the legislators to improve the bill — and it worked.

Now Katy needs your help again. Click here to sign Katy’s petition asking the MPAA to give Bully a PG-13 rating so the kids who most need to see it — bullying victims and bullies themselves — can do so.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Mark Anthony and the Change.org team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

whitehouse -uploaded videos

02/27/2012 Nativegrl77

Feb 25, 2012 by whitehouse

President Obama talks about how important it is to embrace an all-of-the-above approach to addressing our nation’s energy challenges.

by whitehouseon Feb 24, 2012

White House Press Briefings are conducted most weekdays from the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room in the West Wing.

President Obama and Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt of Denmark speak to the press after a bilateral meeting at the White House. February 24, 2012.More

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Secretary Salazar Has the Fate of Bryce Canyon in His Hands

02/27/2012 Nativegrl77

care2 petitionsite actionAlert

Many of us submitted our comments against building a huge coal mine right next to Bryce Canyon National Park. Now, the decision is in the hands of Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, and it’s up to us to make sure he understands just how many people are opposed to this plan. Don’t let Bryce Canyon National Park and southern Utah fall victim to a coal mine! »If you’ve ever been to Bryce Canyon, you know it’s sort of like being on Mars. The red rock formations interspersed with trees is like nothing else. We simply can’t lose this area to a massive, dirty coal mine.
The repercussions of this mine cannot be overstated. It could affect the health of local residents, the quality of the air in the park itself, and the tourism industry.Sign this petition to tell Secretary Salazar that you will not stand for a mine near Bryce Canyon! »