~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Coming soon: coal dust and explosions?

10/23/2014 Nativegrl77

Transporting fossil fuels like oil and coal is a dangerous business.

Train carrying crude oil derails in Quebec

Join us in Olympia on October 30 to protect your health and safety!

Right now, oil and coal companies are pushing to build export terminals all along the Pacific Northwest — and if they get their way, our beloved region will soon turn into a fossil fuel corridor.

What would that look like exactly? Lots of trains carrying dirty fossil fuels. Hazardous coal dust could soon be polluting the air we breathe. Derailments could cause tragic, deadly explosions in the neighborhoods we love. These mile-long trains are simply accidents waiting to happen.

Join us in Olympia, WA on October 30 to demand that our leaders protect our safety from dangerous coal and oil trains.

WHAT: Rally and Public Hearing on Fossil Fuel Trains
WHERE: Red Lion, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive, Olympia, WA 98502 (map)
WHEN: Thursday, October 30 at 5:00 p.m.
TRANSPORTATION: Buses will be available from Vancouver, Bellingham, and Seattle. For questions on how to get to the event, please contact me at bmanning@greenpeace.org

Just over a year ago, a train carrying crude oil derailed in Quebec, Canada, resulting in fires and explosions that killed more than 40 people. Unfortunately, accidents like this continue to occur far too often. Help prevent deadly oil and coal disasters in the Pacific Northwest by speaking out at a public hearing.

Now is the time to speak up and demand protection for our families. In October, we have a unique chance to engage with state decision makers about the impacts of oil and coal transport in our communities. Governor Inslee has commissioned a study to look into the potential impacts of oil transportation in Washington, and is giving the public a chance to comment.

Join us at a public hearing to show that these projects are far too dangerous.

Help ensure that the study addresses the whole picture — including threats to public safety, our economy, and waterways like the Puget Sound. Your participation can inform how the state will respond to this very important issue.

Don’t miss this important opportunity to speak up. Join us!

For a green and peaceful future,

Brian Manning
Pacific Northwest Organizer
Greenpeace, USA

P.S. If you can’t come to the hearing, you can still make a difference! Submit a public comment today, telling Governor Inslee that coal and oil export stations are too dangerous for Washington.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Could You Survive?

10/23/2014 Nativegrl77

FACT: In January 2014, 13 states raised their minimum wage; since then these states added more jobs and have lower unemployment rates than the 36 states that did not raise the minimum wage.

FACT: The U.S. Government could save $7 billion dollars if companies just paid employees a higher minimum wage.*

FACT: Federal minimum wage is $7.25 – and some states actually have a lower state wage of $6.25 an hour.

How can anyone, alone or with a family, survive on minimum wage?

FACT: They can’t.

But together we are fighting to change this. In two weeks, states like Arkansas, Alaska, South Dakota, Nebraska and cities like Eureka and Oakland are casting their votes to raise the wage. And Brave New Films is continuing to expose the Koch brothers’ fight against increasing the minimum wage.

Join the fight today by sharing these videos in solidarity with all who agree that working people should not live in poverty.

Share this because you believe that hard working families deserve to thrive, not barely survive.
Thank you for your action.
Robert Greenwald, President
Brave New Films

P.S. Check out our new OverCriminalized video on Upworthy! Let them know you like them posting our work!

* “Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Save Safety Net Programs Billions and Help Ensure Businesses Are Doing Their Fair Share” by David Cooper. Economic Policy Institute. 10.16.2014.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Cory’s Colorado

10/23/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Colorado’s Women Deserve Better Than What Cory Gardner Has To Offer

A new report released today by CAP Action shows the ways U.S. Senate candidate and Colorado Congressman Cory Gardner’s actions have consequences for Colorado women, despite what he would have you believe. Ever since he decided to run for Senate, Gardner has been attempting to remake the conservative image he has cultivated during his time in the House. But his record stands as a testament to his true convictions and showcases the types of harmful policies he would execute if elected to the Senate — and a new CAP Action poll released by Public Policy Polling shows that women aren’t buying his change of heart.

Squashing economic equality: Gardner has voted against the Paycheck Fairness Act even though women lead nearly three times as many households as men in Colorado, yet earn just 80 cents for every dollar a man earns. He opposes (and has voted against) a minimum wage increase even though 61% of Colorado women support raising the minimum wage.

Repealing the Affordable Care Act: Rep. Gardner has voted dozens of times to repeal the ACA, meaning he opposes more than 145,000 Colorado women having access to affordable health care. Health insurance offers financial protection even if serious health issues arise, making this an economic concern for women and families.

Rolling back reproductive rights: As a Senate candidate, Rep. Gardner has tried to muddy the waters on his position on women’s reproductive rights, releasing an ad in which he states his support for over-the-counter contraception and saying he “can’t support personhood going forward.” 60 percent of women say they “don’t trust Gardner when he says he no longer supports a personhood amendment,” perhaps because he remains a co-sponsor of federal personhood legislation, the Life at Conception Act, which would ban abortions completely and could outlaw some methods of birth control.

Overall, women in Colorado support Sen. Mark Udall over Rep. Gardner 51 percent to 40 percent.

BOTTOM LINE: Colorado women don’t trust Gardner, and they don’t support his policies that would hurt women and families. He has opposed expansion of health rights and protections gained by women at every turn and refuses to acknowledge the economic realities that they face. He may try to convince the people of Colorado that he’s changed, but actions speak louder than campaign promises.