Tag Archives: Congress

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Blair Mountain …


 

Rainforest Action Network
Stop the world’s biggest banks from funding coal!
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Blair Mountain used to be an idyllic place in southwestern West Virginia where the hills rolled for miles. Blair is also a historical treasure—the mountain is the site of arguably the most important post-Civil War battlefield in the US. Now, Arch Coal is planning to decimate this historical treasure for the tiny seams of coal that lie beneath the mountain. This is mountaintop removal coal mining at its worst.

These devastating coal mining practices could not happen without nine big banks (Bank of Montreal, BBVA, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, PNC Financial, Royal Bank of Scotland, Union Bank, and Bank of America as a lead lender) pumping $250 million dollars into keeping Arch coal afloat last November.

Protect Blair Mountain and tell these 9 big bank CEOs to STOP funding Arch Coal.

Blair used to be a thriving community of 700 people—and now has merely 50 residents because of the extreme dangers posed by existing mountaintop removal mines near the town. And the people who stayed behind live with constant dynamite blasts behind their town, carcinogenic dust rolling off the mine sites, and heavy metal contamination.

Tell these 9 big bank CEOs to stop pumping money into the outdated practice of mountaintop removal coal mining, which poisons our water and pollutes our air.

Enough is enough. When bank financing enables Arch Coal to displace an entire community and wreack havoc on mother nature we cannot remain silent.

If we want to protect the future of these communities and our climate we need to cut funding for coal.

Sacrificing Blair Mountain and its residents for small seams of coal is deplorable—urge these 9 big bank CEOs to stop funding Arch Coal today.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

CONGRESS: Pass Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act


VoteVets.org

Like many veterans, when I returned home from Iraq, I sought care at a VA facility near my home.

So you can imagine why the politicization of the disclosures at the VA facility in Phoenix has gotten me down. The truth is, we’ve all known for some time that the veterans’ health system needs real reform.

And while President Obama and Secretary Shinseki have done admirable work to reduce the backlog, we’ve long needed solutions that get to the root of the problems.

This week, the U.S. Senate has a chance to take meaningful action to improve veterans’ health care, and I hope they take it this time.

Join VoteVets and Campaign for Americans Future and tell your Senators to vote for Bernie Sanders’ Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act of 2014.

Here’s what the bill does:

1. Authorizes the VA to hire new doctors and nurses, closing the gap between a growing number of veterans returning home to seek care and the number of health care professionals able to deliver it.

2. Allows the Department of Veterans Affairs to increase the number of locations delivering care by leasing twenty-seven new health facilities in eighteen states.

3. To address long-term needs, the legislation awards scholarships and forgives student debt for health care professionals willing to accept positions at the VA.

These are important steps Congress should take right now in order to improve short and long-term care for our nation’s veterans.

Tell the Senate to support the Restoring Veterans’ Trust Act of 2014.

http://action.votevets.org/va-reform

In late February, right-wing Senators led a filibuster against similar legislation that would have struck at the root of problems within the VA system.

It’s time to end the talk and take some action.

Jon Soltz
 Iraq War Veteran and Chairman
 VoteVets.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

I’m a mother of six Marines ~~ Loraine Tackett, VoteVets.org


My name is Loraine Tackett from Billings, Montana. I’m a mother to nine children … six of whom are United States Marines.

It can be difficult at times, as you can imagine, but I am grateful that U.S. Senator, and Iraq War veteran, John Walsh is on our side. He recognizes that the cost of war doesn’t end after the troops come home, and is committed to making sure all veterans, including those returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, receive the care they deserve.

Representative Steve Daines is running for Walsh’s Senate seat, but he’s consistently aligned himself with the Tea Party Caucus and voted against improving care at the VA and increasing the pensions of disabled vets.

Montanans deserve to know about their records, and I am proud to share my story in a VoteVets ad with one of my sons. Contribute $5 to help keep it on the air.

 

As veterans, military family members, and VoteVets supporters, you know that Tea Party Representatives like Steve Daines have politicized the VA crisis while consistently voting against legislation that would get to the root of the problem and improve care.

VoteVets has pledged to share that story across the country, in many states.

I’m happy to help them in Montana.

Loraine Tackett
Mother to six U.S. Marines

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Meet the Bay Area Impact Challenge winners


 

Ten days ago, voting opened for Google’s first Bay Area Impact Challenge, and now the tally is in. On the ballot? Ten amazing nonprofit proposals tomake a difference in our community.Between May 22 and June 2, nearly 200,000 votes poured in (191,504to be exact)—adjusted for population, that makes it the highest voter turnout we’ve had in a Challenge to date. Now we’re unveiling the winners. Each will receive $500,000 in funding and support from Google:

  • Hack the Hood will address digital equity by training low-income youth to build websites for local small businesses, actively supporting them to launch their own tech careers.
  • Center for Employment Opportunities will develop a tech platform to prepare formerly incarcerated people for employment in a digital world.
  • The Health Trust will create new distribution channels for people to get affordable produce, expanding options for street vendors, corner stores, and farmers’ markets for underserved areas.
  • Bring me a book will give kids access to digital books, in multiple languages, while creating a supportive online community for parents and caregivers.
Hack the Hood celebrates their win with community advisor Reverend Cecil Williams

But everyone wins in this competition: The six remaining finalists will each receive $250,000, and we also gave an additional 15 nonprofits around the Bay Area $100,000 each.

Finally, all 25 Google Impact Challenge nonprofits will receive one year of accelerator support at our first-ever impact lab, a co-working space launched in partnership with Impact Hub SF, a shared workspace for entrepreneurs committed to positive social and environmental change.

Nonprofits will have access to networking events, meeting space, and development workshops in the Impact Hub SF, as well as membership to all U.S. Hub locations. We also plan to host community events for the Bay Area nonprofit community throughout the year—so check out our website or follow us on Google+ to stay in the loop.

Now the work really begins, and we’re excited to continue to build on our ongoing efforts to give back to the community.

Posted by Jacquelline Fuller, Director of Google.org

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Save Duncan from euthanasia


The Municipal Court Of The City Of Seattle: Save Duncan from euthanasia

The Municipal Court Of The City Of Seattle: Save Duncan from euthanasia

by Stacey Norman | 10,361 supporters

Duncan is currently being held by the Seattle Animal Shelter awaiting an appeal in Seattle Municipal Court. We are not allowed to visit  In September of 2012 Duncan was at home with his mom and dad; dad had just come home from the hospital after…

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