~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Do you want to know about progressive culture and the arts?


 

 

The creative juices of artists, and the energy of the larger universe of culture offers us some positive messages at a time when many of us feel very frustrated about the state of the world.

As we at AlterNet tell stories of America and the changes we want to make, we invite you to sign up for AlterNet’s new Culture and the Arts newsletter, launching this week.

We all know the power of art. As our Washington editor and jazz singer Adele Stan writes: “In most successful movements for social change, artists are in the vanguard. In many cases it is their soundtrack, their visual sensibilities, their literature that comes to define a particular movement in the popular imagination. Think of the civil rights movement and the role played by music. Recall the anti-war movement of the 1960s, propelled by rock ‘n’ roll and psychedelic art.”

What should you expect in our expanded coverage? As our cultural editor, and savvy music writer and critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd tells us: “We’ll critique and celebrate the important ways our political views manifest in the larger scheme of film, music, visual art, books, performance, television and beyond.” We know that a well made documentary can capture a powerful reality and be profoundly moving. And even a You Tube clip at the right moment can mobilize tens of thousands to a cause they care about.

Now more than ever we need to direct a laser-sharp focus on the culture and the arts that reflect, define and forge our progressive views into the future. AlterNet has always covered culture, but not with the emphasis it deserves. Now, we are going the extra mile.

We’re sure you will appreciate the diversity, breadth and depth of or future coverage, so please sign up for our newsletter, which will feature the best of our coverage from week-to week.

Cheers,

Don Hazen

Executive Editor and Publisher, AlterNet

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Fix Gun Checks …


In 1968, two extraordinary leaders were gunned down by assassins: Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy.

Today, I was joined by Martin Luther King III and survivors, family members and friends of the victims of the shootings in Tucson, Virginia Tech, and Columbine, along with people affected by the nearly three dozen gun murders that happen every day but never make the headlines.

We came together to ask Washington to fulfill a promise made 43 years ago after the King and Kennedy assassinations. Back then, Congress passed legislation to prohibit felons, drug users, and the mentally ill from possessing guns.

Years later, Congress added a background check system to strengthen our existing gun laws. But the flaws in this system have been exposed again and again, first in the massacres at Columbine and Virginia Tech, and now in Arizona.

I’m writing to ask you to join me in calling on Congress and President Obama to fix our broken background check system before another tragic shooting claims more innocent lives.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=%2FzBNpda3aMV6BCgg0tFvZBx3t7JWQYiV

Please sign the petition and tell Congress it’s time to stop dangerous people from buying guns.

http://salsa.wiredforchange.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=yJ3mnrfZDvN2XDsv8Ok5kBx3t7JWQYiV

Every day in America, 34 people are murdered with firearms. They’re often humble and quiet people — the kind of Americans that King and Kennedy tirelessly championed.

In fact, since 1968 more than 400,000 Americans have been killed with guns. But Congress can fix gun background checks and stem the tide of violence by taking two critical steps:

Get all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system.

Require a background check for every gun sale in America.

These common sense reforms will save the lives of thousands of Americans each year. That’s why 550 Mayors from across the country are calling on Congress to take action right now.

Tell Congress that we need a genuine, credible background check system for all gun sales:

www.FixGunChecks.org 

We can’t afford more gun murders because of the flaws in our background check system.

Thanks for helping to stop these senseless shootings,

Mayor Michael Bloomberg

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Urgent Petition to: Attorney General Holder and Rob McKenna – No free passes for Wall Street –


No free passes for Wall Street

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and a number of state attorneys general — including Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna, who is on the negotiating team — are close to signing a deal that would let the Wall Street banks most responsible for the subprime mortgage crisis off the hook.

That’s wrong, and we need your help to stop it.

Use the form on this page to add your name to my urgent petition to Attorney General Holder and Rob McKenna — tell them not to let Wall Street off the hook for running our economy off the road.

Click on the link below …

http://action.jayinslee.com/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=8187&tag=20111215_em_signers

Thank you for all that you do

In Solidarity

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stop the new attack on choice


 

 

    Tell Nancy Pelosi: Lead the fight against the anti-choice agenda

A woman’s right to choose is under attack!

 

Clicking on link below will automatically add your name to this petition to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: 

 

  

 

 

On Thursday, Representative Chris Smith introduced the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” — a chilling bill that will greatly reduce access to safe, legal abortions for women in this country.

This bill is undoubtedly only the first of many attempts by the anti-choice majority in the new Congress to restrict access to health care for women.

And while Republican control makes it likely that this bill will pass the House, weak or fragmented opposition from Democrats will only invite more extreme attacks on women’s rights.

As House Minority Leader, Nancy Pelosi has the ability to bring Democrats together against this radical expansion of abortion restrictions. But she needs to know that we have her back as she goes up against the extreme anti-choice members of Congress, including members of her own caucus.

Tell Nancy Pelosi that we need her leadership to bring Democrats together against this anti-choice bill. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Supporters of Rep. Smith’s bill say it simply codifies the current “Hyde amendment” into law, which prohibits federal funds from being used for abortion services.

That is a lie.

We heard the same lie from supporters of the notorious Stupak amendment during the health care fight, and we saw how that lie was effectively wielded to minimize opposition to what were in fact major attacks on reproductive choice. Rep. Smith’s bill not only includes the provisions in the Stupak amendment, it takes the attacks further.

Currently, 86% of private insurance plans cover abortion as part of a woman’s health care. If signed into law, the bill could be used to effectively end private insurance coverage for abortion for most women in the United States, even those who pay for private insurance themselves.

Among other provisions, the bill would deny tax credits to businesses or institutions that pay for or provide abortion services, even if no federal money is used for abortion procedures. It would also eliminate tax deductions for businesses that pay for insurance that covers abortions.1

It would also prevent someone from taking income tax deductions for medical expenses for any health plan that covered abortions. And if a woman who was risking blindness due to pregnancy paid for an abortion out of a tax-exempt health savings account, the money would be treated as income for tax purposes.2

In a number of ways, this bill is heir to the Stupak amendment, which showed how readily even some nominally pro-choice Democrats would stand aside in the face of significant attacks on choice.

In the wake of Stupak fight, we need Leader Pelosi to put up a fight against this bill and show the Republicans and anti-choice Democrats that women cannot be thrown under the bus again when it comes to reproductive health care.

Tell Nancy Pelosi that it is imperative that she bring Democrats together against this anti-choice bill and that we will have her back as she goes against the Republican leadership to secure women’s rights. Click here to automatically sign the petition.

Your support will go a long way in rallying support against this extremist, anti-woman and anti-choice bill.

Thank you for protecting women’s health.

Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets

1. “A quick note on the ‘No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,’” Nick Baumann, Mother Jones, 01-20-2011.

2. “Extreme Abortion Coverage Ban Introduced,” Jessica Arons, Center for American Progress, 01-20-2011.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stand by the Women of Wal-Mart


When Lilly Ledbetter fought back against pay discrimination, you were there. After thousands of e-mails, phone calls, and letters to the editor, we helped to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and were just two votes short of moving forward with the Paycheck Fairness Act last fall.

Now it’s time to come together behind another group of brave women fighting pay discrimination. The women of Wal-Mart have taken their fight for fair pay all the way to the Supreme Court and they need our support.

Pledge now to stand with the women of Wal-Mart and to continue to fight against pay discrimination.

http://www.nwlc.org/what-you-can-do

So what is this case about? Ten years ago a group of women who worked at Wal-Mart stores filed a lawsuit alleging that their employer engaged in company-wide sex discrimination, by paying women less than comparable men, promoting fewer women to management positions, and promoting male employees more quickly.

On the very same day that the Center’s analysis showed that in 2010 women working full-time in sales and related occupations have the biggest wage gap in any industry, Wal-Mart filed a brief in the Supreme Court challenging the legality of its employees to proceed together in court. If Wal-Mart succeeds, the already uphill battle for women to fight pay discrimination will get even worse.

The Court’s ruling will affect women who face pay discrimination around the country, for generations to come. Cases like this remind us of the profound and lasting impact our courts have on the women and their families who rely on courts for justice, and the importance of confirming federal judges who understand the impact of the law on individuals and who are willing to hold powerful corporate interests accountable when they violate the law.

We will keep you updated on this case and provide opportunities to take action. Please join our efforts to bring attention to this critical issue. The Women of Wal-Mart need to know that we have their backs! Will you pledge to stand with the women of Wal-Mart and continue to fight against pay discrimination?

Thank you for continuing the fight against pay discrimination.

Sincerely,

Fatima Goss Graves

Vice President for Education and Employment

National Women’s Law Center

P.S. For more information about what’s at stake for women in this case, read our latest article in The Huffington Post.

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