~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the Other Washington


JayInslee

It’s clear from the Republican-controlled State Senate budget proposals they expected my grassroots supporters, like you, to just stop working as soon as the campaign was over.

But together, we proved they were wrong — by standing up, speaking out, and holding the line when they tried to drag our state backward.

Now we’re facing another challenge. July 31 at midnight is our first fundraising deadline since the legislative session ended. We need to reach our $10,000 July fundraising goal to make sure we can keep fighting to close unnecessary tax loopholes, create jobs, and fully fund public education.

Will you contribute $5, $10, or more before the deadline to keep our grassroots movement strong?

Our opponents are watching to see if you and I have what it takes to keep standing up and fighting on the critical issues facing our state.

And make no mistake about it: We have work to do.

This year, Senate Republicans failed to close unnecessary tax loopholes and create a long-term funding solution for our public schools. They stopped efforts to bring forth bipartisan legislation like the Dream Act and the Reproductive Parity Act.

And they failed to bring to a vote and pass a transportation package to keep people and goods flowing across our state.

That just means we have to keep fighting — harder than ever — to deliver on the promise I made to wake up every morning laser-focused on creating jobs and strengthening the economy.

Together we can keep up the fight, and together we can win it, but I need you to stand with me now.

Will you contribute $5, $10, or more before the midnight deadline July 31 and keep our grassroots movement strong?

Thank you so much for your continued support. Together we can do hard things.

Very truly yours,

Jay Inslee

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

They want to do *what!?* to the Great Barrier Reef?!!


Avaazpix

It would be hard to make this stuff up. Australia’s legendarily irresponsible mining industry has a new plan: while the planet faces catastrophic climate change, build the world’s largest coal mining complex, and then build a shipping lane to that port straight through the greatest ecological treasure we have – the Great Barrier Reef!

This is a terrible idea with devastating consequences, and the investor group Aurizon that’s backing it know it. They’re getting cold feet, and we might be able to push them over the edge, and kill the project. One of the main potential funders has even donated to climate activism!

If one million of us express our head-shaking disbelief at this crazy project in the next few days, we can help get Aurizon to pull funding and maybe even persuade the Australian PM to step in. This is what Avaaz is for, let’s raise a voice for common sense:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/australian_coal_disaster_global/?biEWLbb&v=27496

The Great Barrier Reef — the largest living organism on Earth and home to a quarter of all the species that live in the world’s oceans — has slowly been dying for years. It’s lost half its coral in the past three decades and that rate is only accelerating. Climate change is one cause, but so is Australia’s booming mining industry. The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that “if current trends continue, the unthinkable could happen: the Great Barrier Reef could die.”

And yet, the mining industry plans to build massive new ports at a complex called Abbot Point in Northeast Australia (right by the reef) to make it easier to get the coal it’s mining out to the world. Not only would that mean doubling the number of ships that pass by the reef each year and ripping up to 3 million cubic meters of material from the fragile seabed, but if all the coal from the proposed mines this would enable is burned, it would be three times Australia’s current climate pollution — hurtling us faster towards the point of no return.

The investors are meeting now to decide what to do and the Australian Environment Minister will choose whether to approve the project in the next two weeks. Our voices can signal to all of them to block this disaster, especially to Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd if he hopes to maintain his global reputation in the lead-up to his re-election bid.

They’re all deciding what to do now. Sign this urgent petition and share it with everyone you know to stop the Great Barrier train wreck:

https://secure.avaaz.org/en/australian_coal_disaster_global/?biEWLbb&v=27496

The Avaaz community has been fighting to save the unparalleled beauty of the reef for years. Last year, Avaaz members threatened a public US Bank when they were set to invest in reef destruction. And hundreds of thousands of Avaaz members sent messages to the Australian Environment Minister to help win the largest marine reserve in the world. Let’s do it again and put the reef out of reach of these profiteering plunderers.

With hope and determination,

David, Alex, Emily, Lisa, Oli, Marie, Ricken, Alice and the whole Avaaz team

PS – Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community. It’s easy to get started – click to start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917

MORE INFORMATION:

Great Barrier Reef Under Threat (TIME)
http://www.avaaz.org/time_great_barrier_reef_article

‘Death By a Thousand Cuts’: Coal Boom Could Destroy Great Barrier Reef (Spiegel)
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/australia-debates-how-to-protect-the-great-barrier-reef-a-900911.html

GVK‘s Australia coal project ‘a quagmire, not an investment’ says report (The Times of India)
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/GVKs-Australia-coal-project-a-quagmire-not-an-investment-says-report/articleshow/20651363.cms

Report- Stranded: Alpha Coal Project in Australia’s Galilee Basin (IEEFA)
http://www.ieefa.org/report-stranded-alpha-coal-project-in-australias-galilee-basin/

GVK rejects claim Alpha is ‘stranded’ (The Age)
http://www.theage.com.au/business/carbon-economy/gvk-rejects-claim-alpha-is-stranded-20130619-2oj96.html

Abbott Point Coal Mine Map (Greenpeace)
http://www.greenpeace.org/australia/en/what-we-do/climate/resources/reports/Cooking-the-climate-Wrecking-the-reef/

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Al Franken & Rachel Maddow


Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota

Carmen —
Got a minute? Then click here.
Al was on Rachel Maddow’s show the other night, talking about his provision in health care reform that’s already saving Americans billions of dollars.
Oh, and Will Ferrell’s in the video, too — you’ll see when you watch it.
It’s an important video because it highlights one of the many benefits of Obamacare that a lot of people don’t know about.
But it’s also important because it highlights the reason why my job rocks — it’s Al at his best.
Click here to watch the video — and then take action to help Al keep making progress (we’re almost at our $100,000 July goal with just 2 days to go!).

If we work hard to elect leaders like Al, we really can make a difference. We can bring down the cost of health care. We can hold insurance companies accountable. We can keep racking up more great accomplishments like the one Al talks about in the video.
So watch this clip, share it with your friends, and make sure to take action to help Al keep fighting for us!
Thanks,
Matt
Matt Burgess Campaign Manager TeamFranken
P.S.: We only have 2 days left until we hit our July fundraising deadline — and we could really use YOUR help to hit our $100,000 goal. Please click here to take action today!

Black History

the Senate & the NLRB ~~ CONGRESS ~~ the House


Obama Launches DNC Campaign Tour At Illinois State Capitol

The Senate stands in adjournment until 10:00am on Tuesday, July 30, 2013.

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider Executive Calendar #223, the nomination of Kent Yoshiho Hirozawa, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board.

  • At approximately 10:15am, there will be a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the Hirozawa nomination.

10:15am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #223, the nomination of Kent Yoshiho Hirozawa, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board;

Invoked: 64-34

There will now be up to 8 hours for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the nomination. Senators will be notified when that vote is scheduled. We expect to recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings.

The Senate stands in recess until 2:15pm for the weekly caucus meetings, with the time charged equally against the post-cloture time on the Hirozawa nomination.

10:15am The Senate began a 15 minute roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #223, the nomination of Kent Yoshiho Hirozawa, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board;

Invoked: 64-34

There will now be up to 8 hours for debate prior to a vote on confirmation of the nomination. Senators will be notified when that vote is scheduled. We expect to recess from 12:30 until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly caucus meetings

The Senate stands in recess until 2:15pm for the weekly caucus meetings, with the time charged equally against the post-cloture time on the Hirozawa nomination.

The Senate has reached an agreement to consider the remaining NLRB nominations today. As a result of this agreement, following Senator Coburn’s remarks (he has consent to speak for up to 15 minutes), there will be a series of up to 7 roll call votes. The first vote will be a 15 minute vote and the remaining will be 10 minutes in duration.

Approx. 4:35pm series of up to 7 roll call votes (last 2 votes could be voice votes):

  1. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #223, the nomination of Kent Yoshiho Hirozawa, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board.

2 minutes for debate

  1. Cloture on Executive Calendar #224, the nomination of Nancy Jean Schiffer, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board; if cloture is invoked, then-
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #224, the nomination of Nancy Jean Schiffer, of Maryland, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board;

2 minutes for debate

  1. Cloture on Executive Calendar #104, the nomination of Mark Gaston Pearce, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board; if cloture is invoked, then-
  2. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #104, the nomination of Mark Gaston Pearce, of New York, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board;
  3. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #102, the nomination of Harry I. Johnson, of Virginia, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (expect voice vote); and
  4. Confirmation of Executive Calendar #103, the nomination of Philip Andrew Miscimarra, of Illinois, to be a Member of the National Labor Relations Board (expect voice vote).

***************************************************************************

July 2013
S M T W T F S
1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31

***************************************************************************

Last Floor Action:
10:02:55 A.M. – The Speaker announced
that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on July 30, 2013.

—————————————————————————————————————————

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

A Better Bargain …


The White House, Washington

Hello everybody —

The basic bargain of this country says that if you work hard, you can get ahead — you can build a secure life for your family, and know that your kids will do even better someday.

But for more than a decade, that bargain has frayed, and a devastating recession made it worse.

Over the past four and a half years, America has fought its way back, laying a new foundation for more durable economic growth.  But many of the challenges that faced the middle class before the recession remain.  And Washington has taken its eye off the ball.

Too many people in this town are focused on scoring political points or fanning phony scandals instead of finding ways to help grow our economy, create jobs, or roll back a 30-year trend of rising inequality.

It’s time for that to stop.  It’s time for all of us to focus on our top priority as a country, and that’s reigniting the engine of our prosperity: a rising, thriving middle class.

That’s what I just said while speaking at Knox College, back home in Illinois, where I kicked off a series of speeches on what truly matters to the middle class.

If building America from the middle out is an idea you share, I need you to stand with me. Add your voice to mine.

This has been my North Star for as long as I’ve been in office, and it’s what will shape the time that I have left in the White House.

In the weeks ahead, in towns across the country, I’ll be talking about my ideas for building on the cornerstones of middle-class security: Good jobs with good wages. An education that prepares our children and our workers for a new economy. A home to call  your own. Affordable health care when you get sick. A secure retirement even if you’re not rich. A better bargain for the middle class,  and for all who are striving to join it.

This is the debate we need to have.  And you can join me right now.

Let the country know that you believe that America works best not when it grows from the top down, but when it grows from the middle out:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/a-better-bargain/speak-out

Thank you,

President Barack Obama

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