Tag Archives: civil rights

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manic Monday News …

05/10/2010 Nativegrl77

Today, our President is going to announce his newest pick; definitely a perk of being President …adding a new and possibly more left of center Supreme Court Justice. This is a very busy President and though it seems like folks aren’t recognizing it … the job numbers are up the economy is getting better but those things are just not as controversial enough to get press time … the Media is by far more likely to say okay the reports are a candidate is ok on the airwaves but then questions the what happens ifs …What ? give credit to the President and acknowledge what this man was given by the last guy and stop trying to make Americans look so bad … the likes of limbaugh,beck, bachmann and the others make us look vulnerable and maybe less safe with their comments maybe by people who are on the edge are more likely to do awful things

Though there are rumors out there about Ms Kagan, Solicitor General, teacher and public servant:FYI as stated by the President, ” Elena is widely regarded as one of the nation’s foremost legal minds. She’s an acclaimed legal scholar with a rich understanding of constitutional law. She is a former White House aide with a lifelong commitment to public service and a firm grasp of the nexus and boundaries between our three branches of government. She is a trailblazing leader — the first woman to serve as Dean of Harvard Law School — and one of the most successful and beloved deans in its history. And she is a superb Solicitor General, our nation’s chief lawyer representing the American people’s interests before the Supreme Court, the first woman in that position as well. And she has won accolades from observers across the ideological spectrum for her well-reasoned arguments and commanding presence.”

Apparently, Orrin Hatch has either forgotten his comments of the past or figures We the People have no true interest in what is going on that we don’t remember is beyond me; Mr. Hatch comes out against her but many progressive radio personalities have played his opposite comments …the guy seems to talk before thinking … isn’t that bad politics. The Hatch comments from a year ago are below …

You have to admit, Elena Kagan is a brilliant woman,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Republican on the Judiciary Committee, said during a radio interview a year ago when Kagan was being vetted for a high court seat. “She is a brilliant lawyer. If [Obama] picks her, it is a real dilemma for people,” especially conservatives. “And she will undoubtedly say that she will abide by the rule of law.”

And as we all hear the President announce his Supreme Court pick let the nonsense begin … fauxnews is coming out fast and quick to report what could be considered fauxnews about financial reform, racism and as Media Matters reports most if not all the questions about the BP spill being Obama’s Katrina; started by mainstream talking heads has been picked up by people on the right who also continue to repeat the Republican talking points then move on to embellish the story in a way only people on the right can.

The BP spill is getting worse the news is getting really ugly as profits from the spill itself were reported by some talkingheads this morning … which is very disturbing for the people on the Gulf Coast and the many industries associated …but hey that’s a part of having a huge insurance claim available. Congress will take time to investigate and question the people of BP for those who can do nothing but wait out this horrendous environmental tragedy.

Other News ..

**BP has spent 350mil on the oil spill so far and received an insurance claim of 256mil

**UK Gordon Brown PM will resign later on this year

**Lena Horne died at 92…great person;went to a concert with my mom

**Airports in Europe are closed as ash clouds keep planes down

**Richard Wolf will be on the Stephanie miller show 5/12

**Earthquakes in Indonesia get bigger and bigger 7.9

C-SPAN …

Pres. Obama’s Commencement Address Washington Post: “Education can fortify nation”

Elena Kagan, New Supreme Court Nominee

Solicitor General Elena Kagan has been nominated by Pres. Obama to replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. If confirmed, she would be the 112th Supreme Court Justice and the third woman on the current Court. Ms. Kagan may begin meeting with Senators this week. Confirmation hearings are expected to begin in late June.

Formal Announcement: Available Soon

Sen. Leahy Briefing: C-SPAN at 10:30am ET

Wash. Post: Obama’s Supreme Court pick

Afghan President Visits U.S.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai is visiting Washington D.C. this week to request U.S. support for peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban forces in the region. Later today, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs will hold a press conference with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of the international security forces in Afghanistan, and Ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry.

Joint Press Conf.: C-SPAN3 at 1:30pm ET

AP: Taliban vow new Afghan offensive

Forum Asks: On Key Issues, Can U.S. and China Work Together?

Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg headlines a Brookings Institution forum on how China and the United States can cooperate to address global economic challenges, climate change issues and the potential threat of new nuclear states such as Iran and North Korea. He and three panels are expected to review the history of U.S.-China relations on these key issues and discuss recent outreach efforts. China holds a majority of U.S. national debt, and the two economies have become increasingly intertwined as China expands its global presence.

Brookings: LIVE on c-span.org at 10:30am ET

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OFA in full effect …

05/09/2010 Nativegrl77

From folks advocating reform on Wall Street in Manhattan, to those calling their neighbors in Ohio, to senators’ offices getting calls from across the country, thousands of OFA supporters in every state spoke out with one voice to demand change.

In Greenville, South Carolina, the headline yesterday was about the 50 OFA supporters who attended a “rally to demand Wall Street reforms.” And the Indiana News Center led with “Local Hoosiers ‘Call’ For Wall Street Reform.”

Even better? The stories we got from participants.

Trisha, in Columbus, Wisconsin, called an elderly neighbor. As she tells it, “I asked him if he’d ever contacted a member of Congress. He said ‘no’ he hadn’t. Then after a short pause he said, ‘Well, just what was that number? I guess there’s a first time for everything. I’ll make that call!'”

After meeting in front of the library in Branigan, New Mexico, Evelyn — an OFA Neighborhood Team Leader — said that she and other volunteers “talked to people passing by about the importance of standing up to the power brokers and the lobbyists and the big banks. What I love the most is when you really get to have a conversation and inform someone about what’s really going on — they are so appreciative of getting straight-forward information.”

And at an event on Wall Street itself, a volunteer named Erin said that “I am here today to stand up for the everyday people who work and raise families and don’t want to have their lives disrupted as a result of Wall Street’s reckless practices.”

Everything you did this week made a difference. That’s why Wall Street reform legislation is picking up steam — there could even be final votes as early as next week.

We’ll be in touch soon with more ways you can help push reform through the final stretch.

Thanks for all you do,

Jeremy

Jeremy Bird
Deputy Director
Organizing for America

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2010 Highlighted Programs from Matter of Trust

05/08/2010 Nativegrl77

GULF OIL SPILL – HOW EVERYONE CAN HELP

Anyone and Everyone: salons, groomers, individuals can sign up to donate hair and fur clippings and nylons for our Oil Spill Booms. Our Excess Access program sign up is FREE, fast and helps us to coordinate the masses of donations.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TO DONATE HAIR / FUR / NYLONS and get a delivery address emailed. Warehouses are small, so we’re not posting on the web, we’re orchestrating how much goes where all along the Coast. We all get it. We shampoo because hair collects oil!

Thousands of pounds of hair and nylons are coming in by UPS and FED EX from every State in the US and from Canada, Brazil, France, UK… Booms are being made all along the Gulf Coast near beaches and marshes. What a community feeling! More Info

Natural Surplus Programs
Our Natural Surplus programs concentrate on materials that are found abundantly in nature.

OIL SPILL HAIRBOOMS AND HAIRMATS
Here we look at fibers (hair, wool, fur, feathers…). Thousands of salons and groomers mail us hair clippings, swept up off their floors. The fibers are stuffed into nylons to make booms or woven into hair mats. We all know about shampooing our oily hair, but it took Phill McCrory, a stylist from Alabama, to realize that hair was an efficient and abundant material for collecting and containing petroleum spills. More

…. bins
Byron Cleary holds up oil soaked hairmat at San Francisco, Cosco Busan Oil Spill.
Help us close the loop by creating green collar jobs and composting / remediating oily hairmats and booms after spills.

Manmade Surplus Programs

You can visit our many Manmade Surplus programs that focus on reuse of manufactured surplus items and materials. Our largest program is ROSA (Reuse Of Society’s Abundance) and its online database Excess Access for matching nonprofit wish lists with business and household donations of second hand furniture, clothes, toys…

Eco-Educational Programs
Kindly browse our many Eco-Educational programs that focus on spreading awareness about sustainable and environmental solutions such as

EARTH FROM ABOVE-USA
Matter of Trust is the fiscal sponsor for Earth From Above-USA. This breathtaking collection of large-scale aerial photography by world-renowned French environmentalist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand. A visual record for future generations, this outdoor public art exhibition presents awe-inspiring portraits of our planet, and a new perspective on the need for sustainable living. Free-to-the-public, day and night, experiential, and green by design, the 8-week exhibition features 150 images from around the globe captioned by sustainable development experts.

GREEN ENERGY MILLIONS (GEMs) CAMPAIGN
You can join in our Green Energy Millions (GEMs) campaign to create the tipping point. Our goal is 100,000,000 commitments to incorporate easy, green lifestyle benefits. Yep, 100 Million, and it’s OK if we get more! It’s FREE, it’s FAST and it’s FUN!

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Weekend News and Reviews …

05/08/2010 Nativegrl77

Sunday …and it’s Mother Day …

it’s clear BP is having trouble getting the make shift dome into place … which should have been made before drilling … is that a novel idea or maybe just one of many things BP was obviously willing to risk… maybe a list of things to do or have available if something happens? like an emergency plan? it’s a nice day in the 206… again…drinking coffee watching the screen for our President to announce his Supreme Court Nominee and yes most of us stayed up to watch Betty White; she was great and can’t wait to see her on the new show.

It’s Saturday, the weather here in the 206 is great this morning for shopping antique, thrift and or garage that is …outdoors all the way. It’s beautiful and hopefully will stay this way.

Apparently, a Ferry in the NYC rammed the Dock … more news to come but looks like engine issues or a stuck throttle … The BP oil spill has occupied all our minds and has put every thing on hold… the Gulf Coast economy will need major help; SO… if you live across the country like me and want to help … go to http://www.matteroftrust.org and see if you can do your part… sometimes you just have to.

The move to stop oil drilling; maybe evaluate or even push the need for Wind, Solar and Bio-fuel up to a higher priority and onto a faster track of development in the USA is now; now is the time to stop talking about the plans and start investing in wind,solar and bio-fuel production HERE in the USA .

How tough would it be to see oil cover a beach or lap to shore and have people say that it’s a natural thing ? … it’s not serious and will dissipate …WHAT? clearly the crazies are out in force and hopefully the sane out number them; though is anyone else find it disturbing that those who are pretending to know what is going on or spinning the disaster created on the Gulf Coast as a natural disaster. These are the same people stating the attempted bombings in NYC are the fault of our current President? uh check your history and admit this started long before the 2008 Presidential campaign and an issue that did not get solved … it’s very disturbing and those who are doing so should stop talking … period.

And just so the Pat Buchanan’s of the world know … The right person is in the office of President … i shudder to think where we would be with a McCain/Palin ticket … think of the flip flop the ex-Maverick has taken think of things he is now walked away from … is it that Purity Pledge that Republicans take ? which includes practicing exclusion? those that sided with the tea party group who did back McCain are now running from the tea party movement …the tea is not that strong …we have Republicans wanting to strip citizenship away from people, legalize racial profiling give Big Banks more or equal power as an individual and the list can go on.

The Senate vote of some 27 Democrats against Wall Street Reform is very disturbing; the financial reform debates are not over and Bernanke stated he is not waiting for Congress; though i am not sure what that means because most talkingheads feel Bernanke was apart of the problem.. is he planning on implementing the reform needed ? We all know Congress gets paid to work for We the People…& they let us down … ok maybe just me. While Wall Street Reform is not over yet it is clear that lobbyists and big Corporations have a hold on some on both sides of the aisle and though it does make sense it is disturbing and disappointing … the change that 53% voted for didn’t include those 27 Democrats i guess.

Other News … on Sunday

**Airports in Iceland and nearby are closed due to ash clouds

C-SPAN …

Sunday …

Sen. Durbin on Legislative Work of 111th Congress

Joining C SPAN’s Newsmakers, Majority Whip. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) discusses the current debate in the Senate on financial reform legislation. He also looks at the status of other major legislative priorities heading into the 2010 midterm elections.

Newsmakers: 10am & 6pm ET

Entire Interview

Previous Newsmakers

Senate Continues Debate

On Monday, the Senate will begin its second week of work on financial reform legislation. (S. 3217), They are slated to take up Sen. Sanders’ (I-VT) amendment that would allow the Government Accountability Office to conduct limited audits of the Federal Reserve. Last week, Sen. Maj. Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) urged lawmakers to keep debate to a minimum, saying, “I can’t spend 24 hours on one amendment and accommodate people here.” His remarks came after members spent hours debating Sen. Shelby’s (R-AL) amendment on a new consumer protection agency, which was defeated 38 to 61.

WorldNewsVine: Sen. Sanders’ Amendment

Wa Po:: Relationship Between ‘Audit the Fed’

Saturday …

Pres. Obama’s Weekly Address

Entire Interview Sen Durbin and Financial Reform

News Conference Rep. Markey trip to Gulf Coast

State Department Press Briefing Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Philip Crowley

Pres. Obama Remarks on Jobs Report

Sec. Clinton: U.S. Committed to Vision of Nuclear Free World

As part of the “irreversible, transparent and verifiable steps” to reduce its nuclear arms, Sec. of State Clinton announced that the U.S. will publicize the number of weapons in its nuclear arsenal. This was one of several actions by the Obama Administration to encourage world leaders to follow its nonproliferation agenda. Sec. Clinton also responded to Iranian Pres. Ahmadinejad’s remarks, saying that Iran has failed to meet its responsibility and is in noncompliance with U.N. safeguard obligations.

Sec. Clinton Remarks (5/8)

U.N. Conference (5/8)

AP: US to reveal specifics of arsenal

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What is Fox afraid of? Veterans? Clean energy?

05/07/2010 Nativegrl77

There’s an ad that Fox News doesn’t think you should see. The bigwigs at Fox just don’t get it, and they think you aren’t smart enough to get it either — so they’ve refused to run it.

Fox reportedly turned down as “too confusing” an ad from the progressive veterans’ group VoteVets.org — one that explained how passing clean energy legislation is good for our nation’s security. The VoteVets.org ad states that a clean-energy agenda reduces the power oil-producing dictatorships like Iran can exercise over the United States by reducing our dependence on oil.

Confused? Fox News is. It’s absolutely baffled.

Click here to tell Fox: Run VoteVets.org’s ad.

However, Fox hasn’t proved incapable of grasping the arguments of ads funded by right-wing groups, like an ad from the Employment Policies Institute featuring children pledging allegiance to “America’s debt.” And it has no problem running ads arguing that the only defense against “an economic meltdown” is a “Survival Seed Bank,” or offering convicted felon G. Gordon Liddy’s advice on buying gold.

So maybe “too confusing” is a laughably thin excuse for Fox to block a message that contradicts its own political activism. Maybe what it’s worried about is presenting a message that counters its outright political advocacy and the myths it sells every day on foreign policy and energy policy.

So it’s been decided: Fox News just won’t run the ad.

That’s not acceptable. If Fox wants to contend that it’s a news organization and not a political machine, it needs to treat all advertisers equally, not pick and choose based on transparently political motives.

Click here to tell Fox: Run VoteVets.org’s ad.

Thank you for your efforts to hold Fox News accountable.