Tag Archives: Arizona

Startling. Horrifying. Preventable.


Demand action!Fifty-four percent of people murdered with a firearm between 2000-2010 were black, even though African-Americans make up just thirteen percent of the population in the United States.

It’s a startling statistic—a horrifying statistic—and one that is entirely preventable.

It’s time for serious action to solve the epidemic of gun violence. Lend your Twitter and Facebook feeds to help us demand immediate action from our elected officials.
Today is a somber anniversary. Two years ago, on April 11, 2012, George Zimmerman was arrested and charged with the murder of Trayvon Martin.

Trayvon’s death and the eventual, appalling acquittal of his killer reinforced the need to reform state “stand your ground laws.” But reducing gun violence will require much more.

Fifty-four percent of those murdered with a firearm in the first decade of this century were black, yet “inaction” and “disinterest” are the only words I can find to describe the response by our elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels. We must strike at the root causes of gun violence, but the people who can do this will only listen if we speak loudly with one voice.

Our communities are suffering. Our family, our loved ones, and our friends are at risk. Let us rise together today and end these tragedies once and for all:

naacp

http://action.naacp.org/demand-action

Thank you,

Lorraine C. Miller
Interim President and CEO
NAACP

Weekly Address …


Weekly Address: Ensuring Equal Pay for Equal WorkIn this week’s address, the President underscored the importance of ensuring equal pay for equal work and highlighted the steps his Administration has taken to expand opportunity and narrow the pay gap that exists between men and women.

Click here to watch this week’s Weekly Address.

Watch: President Obama delivers the Weekly Address

Weekly Wrap Up
President Obama at Fort Hood: “Love Never Ends”On Wednesday, President Obama spoke at a memorial service for the soldiers who lost their lives during last week’s shooting at Fort Hood Military Base.

Video player: A Memorial Service at Fort Hood Military Base

In his remarks, the President explained that we must honor their lives “not in word or talk, but in deed and in truth.”

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“It’s Nice To Have a Day, But It’s Even Better To Have Equal Pay”

The President celebrated Equal Pay Day on Tuesday by doing something only he can: picking up his pen and signing two executive actions to help ensure equal pay for all.

@WhiteHouse tweet:

The executive actions President Obama signed will protect federally contracted employees from retaliation if they broach the topic of unequal compensation and will require federal contractors to submit more data on employee compensation, making sure employers take proactive efforts to ensure fair pay for all their employees. Way back in January during the State of the Union address, the President said this would be a year of action, and these executive orders on equal pay are just another reminder that he is keeping that promise.

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44 Honors 36

This year marks the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Baines Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act. President Obama traveled to the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas to reflect on the historic piece of legislation and the legacy of the 36th president.

Video player: President Obama honors LBJ and the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act

“Because of the Civil Rights movement, because of the laws President Johnson signed, new doors of opportunity and education swung open for everybody — not all at once, but they swung open. Not just blacks and whites, but also women and Latinos; and Asians and Native Americans; and gay Americans and Americans with a disability,” said President Obama. “They swung open for you, and they swung open for me. And that’s why I’m standing here today — because of those efforts, because of that legacy.”

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The VP, a Navy SEAL, and Man’s Best Friend

Vice President Biden met with Trevor, a Navy SEAL, and Chopper, the military dog who saved Trevor’s life, this week. In this episode of Being Biden — the audio series where the Vice President gives you a window into his daily life and shares some of his most memorable experiences — he shares more about that meeting.

Audio player: Being Biden Vol. 14

Can’t get enough of the Vice President? Check out every episode of Being Biden.

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We’ve Got Tools For You!

There are a lot of government agencies and web sites out there; sometimes it’s hard to keep track. But scattered on those sites are some helpful resources that can make your life easier.

WhiteHouse.gov/Tools

We’ve searched through the .gov websites out there to find some of the tools that you might just find useful. Head to WhiteHouse.gov/Tools and you can find the farmers’ markets near you, determine if a hybrid car will save you money, and much more.

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As always, to see even more of this week’s events, watch this week’s episode of West Wing Week:

Video player: West Wing Week

WATCH NOW

BIG win for tigers, orangutans​, and you!


Procter & Gamble commits to a No Deforestation policy.

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Share the news with your friends and family

It’s official. And it’s massive win for Indonesia’s rainforests and the planet.

I almost can’t believe I’m writing this, but after just two short months of campaigning Procter & Gamble (P&G) has officially committed to a ‘No Deforestation’ sourcing policy for its palm oil. This a great step to protect the Indonesian rainforest — home to animals like orangutans and the endangered Sumatran tiger — from future destruction.

Procter & Gamble’s new policy is the direct result of hundreds of thousands of people like you who took their message straight to P&G. 

Take a moment to share the good news with your family and friends on Facebook. Or just forward this email.

When Procter & Gamble’s new policy is fully implemented, P&G will trace where its palm oil comes from, and ensure that none of its suppliers are associated with forest destruction.

This a great win — but our work here is far from over. Greenpeace and our allies will be making sure that P&G not only follows through with its commitment, but that it does it faster than its 2020 deadline. We also need many more companies around the world to commit to change their palm oil policies to protect forests. Our goal is to realize No Deforestation worldwide by 2020 — protecting the rainforests of West Africa, South East Asia, and the Amazon.

Today, let’s celebrate the good news together! The power of people made this day possible. Please take a minute to celebrate by spreading the word.

P&G’s new policy is proof that our voices are heard in the board rooms of even the biggest corporations. Companies like Unilever, Nestle, L’Oreal — and now Procter & Gamble — have all committed to No Deforestation because of public pressure from people like you.

For a healthy planet, all of us need forests. And to save them, Greenpeace is building a movement of people across the world who are willing to fight forest destruction wherever they find it: whether it’s in their household products, or directly threatening their communities. Together, we can see more victories for forests like today.

Sincerely,

Joao Talocchi
Greenpeace Palm Oil Campaigner

P.S. YOU did it. Procter & Gamble has officially committed to a ‘No Deforestation’ sourcing policy for its palm oil. That means no more destroying Sumatran tiger habitat for Head & Shoulders shampoo! Celebrate and share the good news with your friends on Facebook.

a message from Robert Reich


I’m sick and tired of a tax system that favors the wealthy at everyone else’s expense, so I put together a special Tax Day video that explains the problem—and what we can do about it.

I hope you’ll watch:

The first step toward solving a problem is understanding it. If, after you watch this video, you agree that it’s time to change things, please share the video with your friends.

Together, we can build an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest 1%.

Thanks for lifting up your voice in our democracy.

–Robert Reich

It’s time to start clicking clean


Together, with the help of the tech industry, we can turn the Internet green.

Sign our petition for a greener Internet.

Take action today.

greenpeaceThe Internet is how we connect, learn new things, and share what we love. But right now much of our Internet is also dirty, no matter how we use it.

Data centers are where Internet companies store our photos, messages, and music, and many are powered by coal and dirty energy sources that pollute our environment and harm our climate.

What’s worse — the Internet’s demand for energy is only growing bigger. If the Internet were a country, its electricity use would already rank sixth in the world.

Take action for a greener Internet today.

With your help, we’ve already gotten Facebook and Apple to power their corner of the internet with renewable energy. But other companies are still using coal and other dirty energy.

That’s why we’re launching this campaign starting with the CEOs of major social media companies like Twitter and Pinterest to commit to 100 percent renewable energy and make a real impact on stopping climate change. But for our request to stick and for other companies to follow, it’s critical that their users — YOU! — demand this change.

Add your name to a growing movement of Internet users demanding a clean, renewable answer from companies like Twitter and Pinterest to this dirty data problem. Sign now to tell big tech companies that you want a green internet!

We’re confident that we can turn these companies and several others into leaders in the clean energy revolution — because we’ve done it before. Just last year after hearing from supporters like you  tech giants Facebook and Apple committed to powering up with renewable energy like wind and solar.

Since then, our team has spent months and months researching and ranking companies on their online energy footprint. Yesterday, we revealed who’s leading the charge and who’s falling behind. This will mark the first time several of these companies have ever heard from Greenpeace so they need to hear our collective voices, loud and clear.

To truly combat global warming in the next decade, we need the tech industry to lead the charge in renewable energy investment.

Sign today and we’ll be one step closer to powering the Internet with clean, renewable energy. Together, we can create a greener online so we can enjoy a greener offline!

The tech industry is in a powerful position to make a real impact on stopping global warming if companies switch to abundant clean energy available like wind and solar.

If we gather together now, we’ll have the power to flip dozens of online companies from dirty to clean. Join with us today.


For a greener offline,

Nicky Davies
Greenpeace USA Campaigns Director

P.S. Don’t worry — this email was sent on a clean server. We now need your voice to make social media companies like Twitter and Pinterest to commit to 100 percent renewable energy too. Join the green Internet movement today and be part of something big.