~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

We build big things ~~ Vice President Joe Biden

05/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Here’s what I saw in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood today:

I saw a community coming together to replace an obsolete old train station with a new, energy-efficient one that connects two high-employment areas.

Yesterday, in St. Louis, I saw the construction of a land bridge that’s designed to let residents and tourists better access the city’s famous Archway.

Our infrastructure projects — the roads we pave, the tracks we lay down, the bridges we build — they bring out the best of us as a country. We build big things. It’s our history.

That happened because our Administration took steps to expedite the permitting process for these kinds of projects. And today, we announced that we’re doing the same thing for 11 more accelerated projects — from Boston’s South Station to the Pensacola Bay Bridge.

But there’s more that’s got to be done to make sure this country’s infrastructure projects get the funding they need. That’s something only Congress can do, and they’re running out of time to do it.

Take a look at exactly what that means for millions of Americans — and if you don’t think enough folks realize what’s happening here, then pass this on.

If our Congress doesn’t act soon, the funding that pays for our transportation projects will run out. The Department of Transportation won’t have a dime to go toward more than 112,000 projects happening around the country. Nearly 700,000 good jobs would be at risk. And some states are already slowing down projects because they’re anticipating this inaction.

Think about that for a second.

These states are putting American jobs on the line because they’re actually expecting their legislators to refuse to do their jobs.

It shouldn’t be that way, and you can play a role in changing it by making sure everyone knows what’s going on and what it means.

Learn more about the infrastructure problem we’ve got in this country right now — and how the President’s proposing to fix it.

Thanks.

Vice President Joe Biden

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

7 years in jail

05/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Justice betrayed!

By Dr. Linda Busch-Somach

Mt. Arlington, New Jersey

change.org

https://www.change.org/petitions

Cecily McMillan was sexually assaulted and then falsely arrested by a NYC police officer! She is a committed social justice advocate with no prior criminal history, yet she was then convicted of assaulting HIM and may be sentenced to seven years in jail?

The court process showed clear bias on the part of Judge Zweibel in favor of the prosecution. Evidence of the officer’s prior acts of aggression and falsification of evidence was not allowed. Video of rampant police brutality against peaceful Occupy Wall Street protesters who were gathering just to socialize the night of March 17, 2012 was not allowed.

Cecily is now at RIKER’S with NO BAIL, and has a sentencing hearing on Monday May 19.

She is not an elopement risk! She is a graduate student who plans to write her thesis on Civil Rights leader Bayard Rustin!

The police were not peaceful that night and justice has not been served. 9 of the 12 jurors who sat on the jury to hear her case have even said in writing “We would ask the court to consider probation with community service. We feel that the felony mark on Cecily’s record is punishment enough.”

Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have a history of supporting civil rights and civil liberties.

How can they allow this to happen in their state? Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance must surely know that aggressively prosecuting Cecily is a waste of the city’s time and resources. Surely the Honorable Ronald A. Zweibel knows that this incident is not worth ruining a young woman’s life or eroding our 1st and 4th Amendment Rights (Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Peaceful Assembly). The Governor can pardon Cecily; but only after many appeals.

I am a Licensed Psychologist (PhD) and a specialist in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which is probably what drew me to Cecily’s case. In my work as a psychologist I have heard MANY stories of people sexually abused by people in positions of power — whether police, doctors, teachers, priests, AND members of my own profession.

My teenage niece was also brutalized by NYC police who violated her civil rights and tried to pin felony charges on her including assaulting a police officer. Eventually everything was dropped; but I will never forget how both the assault and the arrest can impact a young person. Cecily was arrested for a natural reaction to being sexually assaulted when the plainclothes police officer grabbed her breast from behind. She is not a criminal, nor a danger to anyone.

Cecily’s sentencing is on Monday, May 19, 2014.

Please sign this petition to request leniency in this case by granting her probation or time served. 9 of the 12 jurors who convicted Cecily have come forward in writing to say they do not believe she deserves to be jailed. It is now time for all of us to do the same by signing this petition.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

send Aura to speak with the UN

05/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Português | Español | Deutsch | More

Right now, a young indigenous U’wa lawyer, Aura Tegria Cristancho, is traveling from Colombia to the United States. Over the next week, she will be representing her people before the United Nations and the human rights commission of the Organization of American States. This will be Aura’s first trip to the U.S.
We need your support to get her there.

“We intend to continue defending mother nature and our survival as an ancient people.
The Colombian government along with multinational oil corporations continue to threaten U’wa territory.”

Later today I’ll be at LaGuardia Airport to welcome her. Will you join me?

Aura is the latest in a distinguished line of U’wa leaders and community members have visited the U.S. and many other countries. For over two decades, they have been fighting oil extraction in their sacred territory and have always sought international solidarity to back them up. With the new Magallanes gas exploration project threatening their lands and rivers, they are once again looking for our support.

We have launched a grassroots fundraising drive to support this visit and the broader U’wa campaign to defend their territory. To date, we have raised over $4K, and with your help we will meet our goal of $10K. These funds directly support U’wa activities, starting with this week’s advocacy delegation.

Learn more about Aura by reading her brief profile on her Causes page. where you can also easily follow her progress and share her story.

Thanks!

Andrew Miller
Advocacy Director

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the Senate CONGRESS 5/16 the House

05/16/2014 Nativegrl77

Our Country needs Infrastructure updates to secure the safety of the NEXT Generation an acceptance of our Diverse Population and a path toward Equality in all its forms that will not put our children and their children in harm’s way as the population becomes browner ~~~

Brown V Board of Education ~ 60yrs ago … Please don’t let the GOP turn the clock back to those days

The Senate will not be in session on Friday, May 16^th.

On Monday, May 19^th at 11:00am, the Senate will be in a pro forma session only with no business conducted.

Schedule for Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The Senate will convene at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business until 5:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the time from 2:30pm until 5:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

At 5:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session and there will be at least 2 roll call votes:

– Confirmation of Executive Calendar #732, Gregg Jeffrey Costa, of Texas, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Fifth Circuit and

– Motion to Invoke cloture on Calendar #768, the nomination of Stanley Fischer, of New York, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

==================================================

Last Floor Action:5/16
2:04:15 P.M. – The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to section 2(b) of H. Res. 576.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on May 19, 2014 for Morning-Hour Debate.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Road Block

05/15/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Transportation Funding Is Running Out And Hundreds Of Thousands Of Jobs Are At Risk

New estimates show that if Congress fails to act, transportation funding for projects to fix roads, bridges, and rails will run out by the fall.

A bit of background. The overwhelming majority of this transportation money comes from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which in turn is generated from a federal gas tax of 18.4 cents per gallon on gasoline and 24.4 cents per gallon on diesel. But it’s been 20 years since that tax has been increased. A combination of inflation, better fuel efficiency, and reduced driving have substantially reduced the amount it brings into the HTF and threatened its solvency. Congress has transferred money into the fund in recent years to give it a boost, but, according to the Department of Transportation, the HTF is set to experience a shortfall as early as July that will halt much-needed infrastructure improvements around the country.

America used to be a world leader when it came to investing in transportation infrastructure. Look at us now: the most recent report card from the American Society of Civil Engineers graded the nation’s infrastructure a ‘D+’. As of 2011, the United States was ranked 28th among industrialized countries for the percent of GDP we invest in transportation infrastructure:

It’s time to act. We not only need to solve our short-term problems with the Highway Trust Fund, we need to commit to making long-term investments to modernize transportation in America. President Obama urged such action today, announcing a plan to accelerate and expand infrastructure permitting by traveling to the Tappan Zee Bridge to tout it as a success story. Furthermore, the President’s budget calls for a $302 billion investment in infrastructure, a large portion of which would come from closing tax loopholes that benefit special interests.

But it is up to Congress–and conservatives who refuse raising revenues no matter what–to follow through on solving this crisis and truly investing in a strong American economy. Most immediately, here is a look at some of the numbers if Congress fails to fund the Highway Trust Fund:

700,000 construction jobs lost in the next year;
112,000 roadway projects delayed;
5,600 transit projects delayed.

And of course, a Congressional decision to think down the road and fund transportation infrastructure for the long-term could mean that we could get to work fixing the nearly 8,000 bridges that are at risk of collapsing at any moment; preventing the train derailments that put lives at risk and pollute our environment; and invest in 21st-century programs like faster broadband and high-speed rail.

BOTTOM LINE: It’s time for Congress to act to fund our roads and bridges before it becomes too late, forcing cities and states to halt projects and lay off workers in the prime of construction season. But we shouldn’t have to get to this point: Congress should commit to funding transportation long-term so that we have the resources necessary to truly invest in our country’s future.

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