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a message from Al Franken

10/26/2011 Nativegrl77 1 Comment

Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota

When a passionate, principled, progressive reformer like Elizabeth Warren decides to run for the U.S. Senate, the first thing to do is to get really, really excited.

We’ve all seen what Elizabeth can do with her smarts — and her guts. I’ve been impressed with her tenacity for years. She took on Wall Street before anyone else would and pushed consumer protection to the top of the financial reform agenda.

We know she’s tough and fiery and even funny. We know she’s got a great life story and a full career of achievements fighting for middle-class families. That’s why progressives like you and me have been fans for a long time, and why we hoped she’d be able to lead the consumer protection board she created. And now, when we imagine her voice in the Senate, well, it’s even more exciting.

I’m proud to endorse Elizabeth Warren. But don’t just take my word for it.

Click here to watch a video from Elizabeth, explaining why she’s running for U.S. Senate — and then join her campaign today.

After we’re done getting excited, there’s real work to do here. Just like me, Elizabeth hasn’t spent her life running for office, so she’s starting her grassroots organization from scratch. Just like me, she’s made a habit of annoying the far right and the big corporate interests — and take it from me, they play rough when they don’t like you.

And just like me, Elizabeth can only win if progressives like you are ready to fight alongside her.

So don’t just get excited about Elizabeth’s campaign — get active, and help her win it by clicking here to watch her video and join her team.

Remember that just as excited as we are about having Elizabeth in the Senate, that’s how panicked the special interests are about the idea. They are going to spend millions trying to stop her — that was the headline in Politico. “Wall Street Readies Assault on Elizabeth Warren.”

We’ve seen far too many great Democrats get buried under attack ads, but we also know that big grassroots support can beat big money. That’s how we won in Minnesota — and that’s how Elizabeth can win in Massachusetts.

So please click here to watch Elizabeth’s video and join her grassroots campaign today!

Just like you, I’ll be watching this race with great excitement. And I hope that just like me, you’re ready to do everything you can to help Elizabeth win.

Click here to sign up — and tell ‘em Al sent you.

Thanks,

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Massachusetts Ranks No.1 in Energy Efficiency

10/26/2011 Nativegrl77

by Alexis Petru

Massachusetts
was named the most energy efficient state in the country, according to a
report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.
Photo: Flickr/monkeyatlarge

Massachusetts has been declared the most energy efficient state in
the nation, knocking California out of the No. 1 position for the first
time in four years, according to a national scorecard that ranks states’
energy efficiency programs.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy released its fifth annual State Energy Efficiency Scorecard
last week. While Massachusetts garnered the top spot for the first
time, the Golden State slipped to second place, after holding the top
position for the first four editions of the scorecard.

“Massachusetts regulators have sent a very consistent message
that they want to ramp up their energy-efficiency programs. California
has been staying even, and Massachusetts has been flooring it,” Steven
Nadel, the Council’s executive director, told the Los Angeles Times.

Next year, Massachusetts is on track to reduce its electricity demand
by 2.4 percent, the newspaper reported, while California will cut its
demand by 1 percent.

Rounding out the top 10 most energy-efficiency states were New York,
Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Rhode Island, Minnesota, Connecticut and
Maryland, which made its first appearance in the top 10 this year.

The 10 states most in need of improvement were, starting in last
place, North Dakota, Wyoming, Mississippi, Kansas, Oklahoma, South
Carolina, West Virginia, Missouri, Alabama and South Dakota.

The six most improved states included Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, Alabama, Maryland, and Tennessee.

Michael Sciortino, the report’s lead author, said states can use
energy efficiency as a strategy to generate cost savings, promote
technological innovation and stimulate economic growth, even during a
recession.

“Clearly, 2011 has not been kind to our economy, but energy
efficiency remains a growth sector that attracts investment and creates
jobs,” he said in a statement.

To draw up its annual scorecard, the Council analyzed states’ energy
efficiency programs and policies in the residential, commercial,
industrial and transportation sectors, including utility programs,
transportation policies, building energy codes, state government
initiatives and appliance energy standards.

READ: San Fran Named Greenest City in North America

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Investigate Clarence Thomas & Restore Ethics on the Supreme Court

10/26/2011 Nativegrl77

Nearly 45,000 activists have already signed our petition urging a DOJ investigation into Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas‘ ethics violations. Please add your name now and help us get to 60,000 signers by the end of this week! WWW.PFAW.ORG

New research by our allies has shed more light on the controversy over Justice Thomas’ failure to disclose his wife Virginia’s income on important judicial disclosure forms. The research shows that Justice Thomas knew enough about how to fill out the forms that he generally recorded his wife’s employment and earnings until 1997, when for some reason he just stopped. Since then, until recently correcting the forms, Thomas failed to disclose more than $1.6 million of his wife’s earnings, primarily from the ultraconservative think tank the Heritage Foundation.

This is just the latest revelation into why an ethics investigation of Justice Thomas is so needed, and why I am asking that you sign our petition to support calls by Rep. Louise Slaughter and her colleagues for the U.S. Judicial Conference to recommend the Justice Department launch an investigation now.

WWW.PFAW.ORG

Thanks! And after you sign, please help spread the word.

— Michael

Original Message:

Join the call for a Justice Department investigation into Clarence Thomas’ ethics violations.

Efforts to hold Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accountable for ethics violations just jumped to the next level.

A group of 20 House Democrats led by Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) are now pushing for a Justice Department investigation into Justice Thomas’ possible serious violations.

Please sign our petition supporting the call for an investigation now.

The letter Rep. Slaughter and 19 of her colleagues sent was to the Judicial Conference of the Administrative Office of U.S. Courts. It urges the Judicial Conference follow the law and refer the matter of Justice Thomas’ non-compliance with the Ethics in Government Act to the Department of Justice.

Various reports have raised concerns about Justice Clarence Thomas’ seemingly flagrant disregard for important disclosure requirements under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978. Justice Thomas failed to disclose his wife’s earnings on judicial financial disclosure forms on which he was required to do so. And there are questions about his acceptance of gifts from interests with significant stake in several Supreme Court cases.

The Supreme Court’s very legitimacy and the public’s trust in the institution are under threat if Justices do not strictly adhere to ethical standards. It’s incredibly important that Justice Thomas’ violations are not ignored and that he be held accountable.

Hold Justice Clarence Thomas accountable — take action to support a DOJ investigation now!

Many of you have stood with our previous work to call out Justice Thomas for his conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety his actions have created. This is a significant escalation in those ongoing efforts, and it’s very important that you continue to stand with us.

After you sign, please help spread the word and recruit more Americans to this cause.

Thank you for your activism and your unyielding commitment to fair and just courts — the American Way.

Sincerely,

Michael Keegan, President

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wacky Wednesday &some News

10/26/2011 Nativegrl77

just another rant … in response to an article i posted by DFA and offerings of signs -stickers

di is in los angeles (@tovangar2)
Why don’t you DFA ppl / Howard Dean get a life? You had no business printing “Occupy Wall Street” on those stickers together with your name. OWS is NOT affiliated w/ you & never would be, yet you use the name to make money for yourselves. That’s called fraud.

The OWS movement has NOTHING to do with party politics. We have the involvement of everyone. It’s the 99%, get it?

There is a HUGE negative reaction against you over this. Your name is mud.

Now stop being so damn sleazy.

ME:

It took me a few days to respond to a comment, which i still appreciate because that means someone is out there reading, thinking and has an opinion on articles or offerings of stickers etc. . I get that she thinks making money off of ows is wrong and claims the movement has no political element … what i don’t get is how someone has decided they own OWS and have the right to tell others they do not belong … what does that make her?

Anyway,

I have been trying to put into words what your statement means to me as a person who leans left and votes for the Democratic Party …at least for the Representatives here in Washington State up until this last year. First, I was offended got pissed and then wanted to tell you that so far “Occupy Wall Street” technically belongs to no one … or so everyone keeps saying so who are you to tell me or the DFA people along with Howard Dean to get a life? All you have to do is take a photo on any given day there will be different groups of people who have joined in the movement to voice their feelings by protesting, holding signs and occupying Wall Street. Let us not forget that the movement is happening all over the Nation and several countries and the 1^st Amendment is in full effect, but that is just my opinion. I would not tell any person they have no right to protest or get a sticker to begin with and btw I support the BarackObama212 campaign several different ways and the DFA. I don’t have any idea if DFA is making any money, yes, they represent a political element but NYC ows has quite a few Unions out there as well. I am curious to find out if a lot of people are offended by DFA giving out free stickers or selling 10for$10 because it is was and still will be a free will … a choice to partake or not in my opinion. I feel telling anyone they have no business in printing signs or stickers is an odd thing and it is my contention that we are all humans first who often react instead of being proactive. Therefore, I hear your passion and offense to big business and or political organizations getting involved in ows, how about taking it up with them. I chose to post it because I thought someone might want a free sticker not because I am helping change the meme or direction of the movement. I will say that I want the movement to support President Obama. As you might know, Teapublicans are not just unqualified they are inept, offensive racists, supporters of Voter suppression , against immigration, against a right to choose, against unions/collective bargaining as well as so many other things We the People want and you are protesting for … economic equality … that -we both agree on

Other News …

President Obama joined homeowners in Nevada to push for changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program, also known as “HARP.” The President is asking Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae to loosen HARP restrictions, making it easier for property owners to refinance their home loans.

More Info »

Members Question Sec. Napolitano on Border, Immigration

Congress Examines Iranian Threat to U.S. Security

“Super Committee” Holds Public Meeting

Canceled CLASS Investigated >>

President Obama delivered remarks at a fundraiser speech for his re-election campaign in San Francisco. The President was also in Los Angeles earlier in the day where he took part in a taping of NBC’s “Tonight Show” with Jay Leno.

More Info »

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Support … Union of Concerned Scientists

10/25/2011 Nativegrl77

Want to know how you can help advance scientific solutions for a healthy environment and a safer world for as little as 40 cents per day? By joining the Union of Concerned Scientists‘ Partners for the Earth monthly giving program.

You can be confident your donations to UCS are spent wisely. We are accredited with the Better Business Bureau, have received four stars from Charity Navigator, and earned an ‘A’ rating from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

WWW.UCSUSA.ORG

The Partners for the Earth program ensures that UCS has the funds needed to bring scientists and activists together to fight to cut pollution and global warming emissions, promote clean energy and transportation solutions, reduce the threat of nuclear weapons—and much more—every day of the year. Plus, it’s easy and convenient for you!

To become a Partners for the Earth member, select an amount that is comfortable for you and it will be automatically debited each month from your credit card. Additional benefits to you include:

Your gifts go to work faster;
You receive special updates on our progress;
You save time and trouble—no need to write checks or fill in credit card information;
You receive less mail—your membership is automatically renewed;
You strengthen the Union of Concerned Scientists with steady, reliable support; and
It’s easy to participate!

For less than you would spend on a cup of coffee per day, you can make a world of difference for the planet we live on. Join the Partners for the Earth program today. Thank you for your ongoing support. WWW.UCSUSA.ORG

Sincerely,

Kevin Knobloch
President

P.S. As a Partners for the Earth member, you are in control. You decide the amount of your monthly gift, and you can change or cancel your pledge at any time. Please join today.