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Tag Archives: Arizona
Giving Poachers the boot … Saving our wildlife
Criminal charges against Lumber Liquidators for illegal logging?
Lumber Liquidators is in hot water, reportedly facing criminal charges from the U.S. Department of Justice — and for good reason. The nation’s leading hardwood floor retailer has allegedly imported illegally harvested wood from critical habitats, including the Russian Far East.
These forests are home to the world’s last remaining Siberian Tigers. With only around 450 of these majestic tigers remaining, we can do more to respond to illegal logging across the globe.
The Lacey Act, passed in 1900 to combat the illegal wildlife trade, was strengthened to fight illegal logging in 2008 — and it’s these forests’ best defense. If adequately enforced, the law would ensure that wood products have been sourced legally and violators like Lumber Liquidators would face fines or jail time.
Last year, thousands of RAN activists expressed outrage at Lumber Liquidator’s ties to illegal logging and destruction of the last habitat of the Siberian Tiger. Now, our friends at Sierra Club are taking the campaign one step further – by demanding criminal charges be pursued against Lumber Liquidators. We fully support this campaign and wanted to ask you to help out as well. See Sierra Club’s message below for details on how you can help.
Christy Tennery-Spalding, Rainforest Action Network
Taking criminal action against Lumber Liquidators sends a strong message that corporations will be punished for profiting from the illegal destruction of critical habitat.
With the Lacey Act, the U.S. can lead the world in combatting illegal logging. Yet, this powerful law can only be successful if enforcement is taken seriously and corporations are put on notice that violations will not be tolerated.
Thanks for all you do for the environment.
Sincerely,
Jesse Prentice-Dunn
Sierra Club
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Apache betrayed
The US government is about to handover a beautiful stretch of national forest held sacred by the local Apache tribe — to a giant foreign mining company. Tribal leaders are doing all they can to stop this terrible mining project and if we join their call now we can help save this sacred land. Sign and spread the word:
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Bring Voting into the 21st Century! Will YOU Help
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States Act To Expand Voting Rights For Citizens
Busy Months with minimum wage news: first, Senate Republicans in Washington, D.C. blocked increasing the federal minimum wage; then, a coalition of business, labor, and community leaders in Seattle, Washington announced a deal to increase the city’s minimum wage to $15.
But there have also been a number of positive developments in the states on other issues, including efforts to expand voting access. We’ve put together a run-down of some of the best from the last few weeks:
1. Wisconsin: Federal Judge Strikes Down Voter ID Law, Finds That ‘No Rational Person Could Be Worried’ About Voter Fraud. The April 29 decision, in an overwhelming win for plaintiffs who argued that the voter ID law suppresses ballot access in the state, could still be overturned on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. But U.S. district judge Lynn Adelman did not hold back: he found not just that the law disproportionately deters minorities and low-income individuals from voting; but also that purported instances of voter impersonation are so infrequent, if they exist at all, that “no rational person could be worried about it.”
2. Hawaii: Aloha State Enacts Strong Voting Rights Law Including Same Day Registration. In 2012, even with its native son Barack Obama atop the ballot, just a paltry 44 percent of eligible Hawaii voters showed up to vote–the worst turnout rate in the country. On April 29, though, Hawaii lawmakers passed legislation to fix that, allowing citizens instead to register to vote when they show up to cast a ballot. Academic studies have found that allowing same-day registration increases turnout between 7 and 14 percentage points.
3. Minnesota: One Day After Judge Orders Online Voter Registration Shut Down, Legislature Passes Law To Revive It. This Monday, a district judge ordered Secretary of State Mark Ritchie to shut down the state’s online voter registration portal by Tuesday night because he lacked legislative authority when he launched it in September. On Tuesday, the Minnesota state legislature passed and Gov Mark Dayton signed into law a bill giving him that authority. Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to have online voter registration, which makes it easier for anybody with access to a computer to register and is simply common-sense for the 21st century.
4. Georgia: 12,000 Citizens Use New Online And Mobile Voter Registration System, More Than Double Than Expected. The new online system rolled out in the end of March, expecting around 5,000 users in the first month. Instead, more than 12,000 enrolled, including 7,000 newly registered voters, according to Secretary of State Brian Kemp.
And be sure to keep an eye out for…
5. Delaware: State Senate Set To Vote On Same Day Registration After Passing The House. The bill is an important step for expanding access to the polls in Delaware. But its not clear right now whether it’s a sure thing to pass.
BOTTOM LINE: Like we see with minimum wage legislation and so many other important issues for a more prosperous and just nation, cities and states are taking the lead while Congress stalls. When it comes to voting rights, at a time when some conservative-run swing states are doing whatever they can to roll back access, other states are showing the way forward for ensuring that voting is not a privilege, but a right.
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