Category Archives: ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A 3,500 acre coal mine next to Utah‘s pristine Bryce Canyon National Park? Such a horrible idea.We were successful in sending tens of thousands of messages opposing the Bryce Canyon coal mine. Now, it’s up to Secretary Salazar to make the final decision, and we need to put serious pressure on him to reject this horrible plan.

Bryce Canyon is known for its delicate red rock formations and abundant flora and fauna. Don’t let Bryce Canyon National Park and southern Utah become a wasteland! »

Also as a result of the mine, the park, the state’s tourism, and the health of local residents would be put at considerable risk.

It would make much more sense for Los Angeles to make use of its Southern California sun and instead look into creating its own solar energy.

Sign this petition to show your opposition to the coal mine and to protect Bryce Canyon National Park! »

Thanks for taking action!Rachel M.
Care2 and ThePetitionSite Team

Tell Secretary Salazar to protect Bryce Canyon National Park!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AFL – CIO … Classic Corporate Greed

02/16/2012 Nativegrl77

Fight back against Cooper Tire’s flat-out greed!

Tell Cooper to end the lockout!

A classic tale of corporate greed is unfolding in Ohio, and we need your help to put a stop to it.

In 2008, when Cooper Tire & Rubber Company was losing money, workers at its Findlay, Ohio plant gave up $31 million in pay and benefits to help the company stay afloat.

Thanks to the workers’ sacrifices and productivity, Cooper has made more than $300 million in profits since 2009. Cooper paid its executives millions of dollars in bonuses and bought a new corporate jet. What did its employees get? Locked out on Thanksgiving weekend.

Despite soaring profits, Cooper pushed a new contract on its employees with higher healthcare premiums and undisclosed wage terms. Do you think CEOs would accept a contract if they didn’t know if they were getting a raise or a pay cut? Not a chance.

Still, Cooper’s employees were more than willing to keep working through negotiations to reach a fair deal after their contract expired last fall. But Cooper refused to budge—leaving 1,050 workers out in the cold since November 28.

The workers in Findlay, Ohio are counting on you! Email Cooper Tire NOW!

Cooper can easily afford to set things straight and still turn a profit. Cooper CEO Roy Armes received $4.7 million in compensation in 2010.³ And the company has purchased a plant in Serbia for $17.3 million!⁴

Cooper wants to cry broke, but greed—not need—is driving this lockout. As Chico Ramirez, who’s logged 25 years with the company, explains, “The thing that bothers us is that we gave them concessions to help them get back on their feet, and they are paying out bonuses instead of paying back the backbone of the company.”

Around the country, people are fighting back against corporate greed and standing up for the 99%. Will you stand up and fight for Cooper’s workers too?

Tell Cooper Tire that its bullying and greed must end now.

Thanks for all that you do for workers everywhere.

In solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
AFL-CIO Working Families e-Activist Network

1. http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/01/02/U-S-senator-drops-in-to-cheer-up-locked-out-Findlay-tire-workers.html
2. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204319004577084441182793280.html
3. http://people.forbes.com/profile/roy-v-armes/22977
4. http://www.toledoblade.com/local/2012/01/19/Cooper-closes-on-deal-to-buy-Serbia-tire-plant.html

To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at www.aflcio.org.

Click here to unsubscribe.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stop the Murder in Syria

02/16/2012 Nativegrl77

The Assad regime in Syria has killed over 7,000 people since March of 2011. And yet China remains as one of the only countries on the U.N. Security Council that has not supported Syrians’ struggle for freedom and democracy. Tell China this is unacceptable. »China cannot turn a blind eye to the horrific crimes committed by the Assad regime and still expect tourists and citizens with ethical convinctions to contribute to the Chinese economy.China should be supporting the struggle of the Syrian people, not endorsing the atrocious actions of the Assad regime.Stand up for democracy and freedom. Please take action today. Sign this petition to stop murders in Syria! »

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Dirty energy is not the answer …Robert Gardner, Greenpeace

02/16/2012 Nativegrl77

just wanted to give you an update on our activities in North Carolina. Just minutes ago, activists greeted employees at Duke headquarters with a message: We’re not going away until you clean up your act. Duke & its CEO Jim Rogers keep claiming they support using renewable energy, and yet they’re spending their time and money by investing in more dirty coal.

We need to get 50,000 letters to Duke by tonight and we’re almost there. Send your message to Jim Rogers right now and tell him to dump dirty coal!

Thanks, Robert
——————–
From: Robert Gardner, Greenpeace webmaster@greenpeaceusa.org
To: ynative77@gmail.com
Date: Mon, Feb 13, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Subject: #OccupyDuke

Help back up these activists by sending the same message yourself to Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers right now.

Just moments ago activists took a stand at a coal-fired power plant in North Carolina.

Duke Energy is looking to acquire the company that owns the plant, Progress Energy. If the deal goes down, Duke will not only be the largest utility in the country but also one of the dirtiest. That’s because both companies rely on destructive practices like mountaintop removal for getting their coal and neither is making very much progress toward renewable energy.

These activists are there to send a clear message to Duke: Dirty energy is not the answer. But you don’t have to be at a coal plant to send the same message yourself.

Help back up the activists and help us reach our goal of 50,000 letters to Duke CEO Jim Rogers in the next 48 hours by sending the same message yourself right now.

Companies like Duke know they can do better and have invested a lot of money in convincing the public they are. Jim Rogers himself recently acknowledged that his company and other utilities are in a “unique position…to deploy solutions, to raise the capital and not raise the national debt, to do it at scale…”

Unfortunately, their behavior doesn’t match that rhetoric. Duke continues to rely on dirty old coal plants like the one these activists are at today in North Carolina. Polluting the air, destroying mountains, poisoning the water and killing the climate in the process.

And Duke’s planned merger with Progress Energy seems to only be leading them down more dead ends — more dangerous nuclear plants, more dirty biomass, and more coal-fired power plants. In other words, more global warming.

Duke can make a different choice if they want to. But that will only happen if we call them out. That’s why activists have taken a stand today at a coal plant in North Carolina today to get the message across, and it’s why you should take a minute to deliver the same message yourself right now.

Quit Coal,

Robert Gardner
Greenpeace Coal Campaigner

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Fight for Women’s Health Must Continue …Senator Patty Murray

02/15/2012 Nativegrl77

February 14, 2012

The Fight for Women’s Health Must Continue

When the news got out that the Susan G. Komen foundation had cut off funding for breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood, men and women across the country were outraged. They didn’t understand the decision, they didn’t agree with it—and they did something about it. They made their voices heard loud and clear, and they got results. Komen did the right thing and announced that they had reversed their initial decision—and I want to commend them for that. Their mission— and their great work in the fight against breast cancer— is too important to get mixed up in partisan politics. Although this reversal was a great victory for so many women across America, let’s be clear: Our fight for women’s health does not end here. There are still many who will continue to put partisan politics ahead of women’s health and we need to make sure that the grassroots support and energy that successfully came together to right this wrong continues to stand firm against each and every attack that comes our way.

“Patty Murray Fights for Women’s Rights—Even When It Isn’t the Issue of the Day” – The Stranger

Virtual Town Hall with Disabled American Veterans

This week, I had the opportunity to chat one-on-one with veterans across the country in a Virtual Town Hall Meeting, organized by Disabled American Veterans, a non-profit charity dedicated to building better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families. In the hour-long chat, I heard from people on a wide range of issues including mental health care, VA claim wait times, women veterans, and veterans jobs. Over 3,000 veterans, members of the military, and family members participated in the chat. I will use the struggles, stories, and suggestions I heard to continue to fight for veterans in Washington, D.C. – Read more

View full transcript of the Virtual Town Hall