Washington Alliance for Gun Responsibility


Word spreads fast on Twitter.  That’s why it’s such an important tool for our movement to reduce gun violence in Washington.  It helps us keep our supporters informed on the latest developments in our fight to pass common sense gun safety laws and hold the politicians accountable.
Some of our recent tweets

My last hope to save my son: Lawrence Lightner via Change.org


I spent countless hours searching for an experimental treatment that could cure my son’s brain cancer on clinicaltrials.gov. My son died – and now I know that more than 80% of eligible study results aren’t posted, and that’s against the law.

Official Google Blog …


GOOGLeEveryone wants to know what D.J. Tanner and Target are up to. Read on for all the search scoop from this week:

The earth in focus
Wednesday marked the 45th annual Earth Day celebration. People came to search to get more information on the origins of the holiday and learn about ways to conserve—oh, and find out what animal they are, of course. In addition to searches for [earth day slogans] and [earth day worksheets], searchers asked questions like “When was the first Earth Day?”, “How do we stop climate change?” and “Is styrofoam recyclable?”

Just when we were feeling all warm and fuzzy about our planet, we got a reminder that nature can be a little scary as well as awe-inspiring. In Chile, the Calbuco volcano exploded for the first time in more than 40 years, sending clouds of ash into the air and causing thousands to evacuate. There were 100K+ searches for [chile volcano] as people sought to learn more about the eruption.

Prized Pulitzers
Sunday morning, people lined up outside Target stores around the country for the launch of the store’s new Lilly Pulitzer collaboration. But many fans waited in vain, as the affordable line of clothes and home decor sold out within hours both on and offline. Shoppers vented on social media, and searches for Lilly Pulitzer reached an all-time high this month. Meanwhile, persistent types have driven searches for [lilly pulitzer ebay] up 1000% in the last seven days.

But lucky Lilly fans weren’t the only ones thanking the stars for their Pulitzer this week. This year’s Pulitzer prizes were announced on Monday, leading people to the web to learn more about the winners across categories ranging from fiction to investigative reporting to poetry. (And in case you were wondering: Lilly Pulitzer, who died in 2013, was once married to the grandson of Joseph Pulitzer, who established the eponymous Prize.)

Everywhere you look…
…there are reboots. First “DuckTales,” then “The Muppet Show,” and now “Fuller House.” This week Netflix announced a spin-off of the 90s family sitcom “Full House,” to debut in 2016, and 200,000+ searches followed. The new show will feature oldest sister D.J. Tanner (Candace Cameron Bure), and several other stars from the original series are signed on to return, including Jodie Sweetin—the subject of some 50K+ searches this week—and John Stamos. Still, it’s yet to be seen whether the rest of the cast will participate or decide to cut it out. Though searches for Mary-Kate Olsen reached more than 50,000 this week, she and her sister have said that they were surprised by the news. So you might want to wait a bit before saying “TGIF!”

Tip of the week
Keep that good Earth Day momentum going. Just ask Google, “Where can I recycle electronics near me?” for a handy list of places to drop off your old wires and devices.

Posted by Emily Wood, Managing Editor, who searched this week for [gilbert blythe] and [nba playoff schedule]

Once And For All?


By

The Supreme Court Could Extend Marriage Equality To All 50 States

Tomorrow, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments for the same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges. The case combines challenges from four states—Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee—that have laws that either ban same-sex marriage, fail to recognize same-sex marriages from other states, or both. The court is widely expected to rule in favor of same sex marriage when it hands down its decision in late June, but just as important as the court’s final decision is the question of how the opinion is drafted.

Think Progress has put together a detailed explanation of four things to watch for in tomorrow’s oral arguments that could influence how LGBT rights continue to be defined after this case is decided.

  • Justice Kennedy: Nearly every victory for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people that the court has ever handed down has been written by Justice Kennedy, so is the justice to watch tomorrow. Supporters of marriage equality hope that he will want to prevent upheaval in states that have already allowed same-sex marriage and therefore will rule in their favor, while opponents will try to appeal to federalism, another of his favorite causes.
  • Heightened Scrutiny: This is the idea that groups that have historically faced discrimination enjoy heightened protection under the constitution. With so many signals that the court will extend marriage equality to all 50 states, it seems logical to also bring sexual orientation law under the rest of the Court’s equal protection doctrine, which would give lesbian, gay, and bisexual Americans much more certain protection beyond marriage.
  • Recognition: This case looks at two distinct legal questions: first, whether the Constitution requires states to recognize same-sex marriage on the same terms as opposite-sex couples; and second, whether states must recognize legal same-sex marriages performed in other states. It would be difficult to craft an argument that allows same-sex marriage but does not require states to recognize out-of-state marriages or vice-versa, but given the court’s historic slow movement on LGBT rights, there is a chance some justices will look for a way to do that.
  • “Religious Liberty:” While “religious liberty” laws that legally justify discrimination against the LGBT community are not specifically at issue in this case, there is a chance that Justice Alito, the Court’s most conservative justice, will try to carve out special rights for people with religious objections to LGBT Americans.

Meanwhile, as the court of public opinion seems increasingly settled on the issue, LGBT rights are becoming more and more of a problem for Republicans who are tripping over how to satisfy extreme elements in their base and hold on to discriminatory, out-of-date, and unpopular opinions. Ted Cruz, for example, said he strictly opposes gay marriage, but would be comfortable if his daughter were gay. Marco Rubio said he might attend a same-sex wedding, while Scott Walker actually did attend a same-sex wedding reception–but not the wedding itself. (There’s a really simple solution here, guys.)

BOTTOM LINE: The overwhelming positivity surrounding tomorrow’s oral arguments are a reminder of how far we have come on marriage equality in such a short time. But this potentially historic decision is by no means the end of the road for LGBT equality. Even with a Supreme Court decision in favor of marriage equality, same-sex couples in 28 states will be able to legally marry and then be legally fired from their job simply for doing so. We must not forget how much work there is still left to do to ensure that comprehensive non-discrimination laws are put in place to prohibit anti-LGBT discrimination nationwide and provide LGBT people and their families with the same protections currently afforded to other America

Sign the petition: Tell Congress to keep the estate tax


Dear MoveOn member,

It’s Ben and Jerry—the co-founders of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream—and we need your help.

We want to pay our fair share of taxes, but Republicans in Congress are trying to pass an unnecessary tax giveaway to America’s wealthiest citizens. We don’t want, need, or deserve this tax cut—which is why we’re asking you to sign our petition to Senate Democrats that states:

If Senate and House Republicans have their way, they will eliminate the estate tax, which affects only the wealthiest 0.2% of taxpayers. Repealing the estate tax would hurt our economy and be fundamentally unfair. Senate Democrats: Stand with us—and stay united against the repeal. Sign Ben & Jerry’s petition

Here’s the truth: We don’t need this stupid tax cut.

As we recently wrote in an op-ed in USA Today, we’re wealthy thanks to the good fortune of our efforts—but also because of many other societal factors that contributed to our wealth.1 The estate tax is one of the ways that the wealthy pay forward so the next generation has the opportunities we had.

The estate tax, which the U.S. has had for more than a century, currently affects Americans with estates worth at least $5.4 million, or $10.8 million for a couple—only 1 out of every 500 taxpayers.2 And yet, it’s been a target of right-wing lawmakers, working on behalf of their wealthy donors. 

Click here to sign our petition calling on Senate Democrats to stand united and stop this Republican giveaway to the superrich.

Congress has shrunk the estate tax in recent years—and now the Senate and House, in advisory votes largely along party lines, have voted to repeal it entirely.3 The votes are only advisory, for now, but when the Republicans press this issue again, Senate Democrats will need to be ready to beat back the repeal and block this latest Republican giveaway to the superrich.

We know this may not be as fun as helping us choose names for ice cream flavors—but it’s critical to send a message that Congress shouldn’t be working on behalf of only the wealthiest Americans but should get back to the people’s business. Wages have been stagnant for decades.4 Young people are carrying around anvils on their backs called student debt.5 Our public infrastructure is falling apart.6

Good grief, Congress. With all this going on, are you really going to give another tax break to those of us who need it least?

Sign our petition—tell Senate Democrats to stand united and ensure that Republicans don’t give multimillionaires and billionaires even more tax breaks.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ben and Jerry

Sources:

1. “Ben & Jerry: We don’t need this stupid tax cut,” USA Today, April 16, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304167&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=3

2. Ibid.

3. “House votes to repeal estate tax,” The Hill, April 16, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304169&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=4

4. “For most workers, real wages have barely budged for decades,” Pew Research Center, October 9, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303882&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=5

5. “Average Student Loan Debt Approaches $30,000,” U.S. News & World Report, November 13, 2014
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/11/13/average-student-loan-debt-hits-30-000

6. “Falling apart: America’s neglected infrastructure,” CBS, November 23, 2014
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=304172&id=113354-17809870-mjOdMOx&t=8

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