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Tag Archives: health care
Police killed our roommate
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When our roommate and close friend Paulie was killed by Officer Heimsness, he was just trying to come home. Paulie had moved in only a few days before, and in the dark he mistook the nearly identical house two doors down for ours. Our neighbor recognized him and tried to make sure he made it home safely. His wife, unsure of what was going on, decided to call the police as a precaution. Paulie never made it home. Officer Heimsness shot Paulie even though he was unarmed and, according to eyewitness accounts, backing away with his hands up. We’re devastated that Paulie is dead. Then we found out that Officer Heimsness has a dangerous pattern of taking violent force too far. We don’t feel safe with Heimsness or other officers with records like his on the streets, so we started a petition demanding that the Madison Police Chief take Officer Heimsness off the streets and review the department’s policy on use of force. Click here to sign our petition. Paulie was one of our best friends. When he decided to move back to Madison after 8 years in New York, we were thrilled. Paulie was your go-to guy for lending a helping hand or repairing broken stuff: your car, your computer, your heart. He played music with our daughter and read to her. Officer Heimsness ran onto the scene without identifying himself as a police officer, with his gun already drawn. Despite years of training in non-lethal tactics, he shot Paulie three times in the chest. His backup officer, by contrast, had just arrived with her Taser — not a gun — drawn. Heimsness’ record of allegedly using excessive force stretches back to 2001. He’s apparently even gone so far as to beat one man into a bloody pulp. We don’t trust someone with this record of poor judgment to patrol the streets of Madison. Police most effectively keep neighborhoods safe when they have the trust of those they protect. Thanks to Heimsness’ reckless actions, that trust has been seriously eroded. Megan O’Malley, our neighbor who called the police that night, told one reporter, “I feel terrible I called the police. I wouldn’t call them again.” Please join us in calling on the Madison Police Chief to do everything in their power to take Officer Stephen Heimsness off the streets and to review the Madison Police Department’s use of force policy so no more people needlessly die at one of their officers’ hands. Thanks for your help, Nathan and Amelia Royko Maurer |
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Repeal renewable energy?
Stop Special Interests from Repealing Renewable Energy in Washington
Currently, Washington is one of 29 states leading the transition to a clean energy economy by requiring utilities to obtain a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable sources, such as the sun and wind. But these highly effective clean energy policies, known as renewable electricity standards, are now threatened by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a Washington, DC-based special interest group funded by big polluters, including ExxonMobil and the Koch brothers.
Take action today to let politicians in your state know that you support renewable energy, not the agenda of out-of-state fossil fuel interests.
More than 20 comprehensive studies over the past decade have found that renewable electricity standards are an effective and affordable way to downsize our reliance on coal-burning power plants, the top source of carbon emissions that are the primary cause of global warming.
For years, ALEC has misled politicians by denying the role carbon emitted by human activities plays in warming our planet. Now, the legislation ALEC is pushing to repeal renewable electricity standards has been exposed as the handy work of the Heartland Institute, the same group behind last year’s offensive billboard campaign comparing those who accept the scientific consensus on global warming to “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski.
The good news is that ALEC’s war on science is backfiring. Dozens of corporations, including Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart, have stopped funding this special interest group in response to the concerns of thousands of informed citizens like you.
As politicians gear up for the 2013 legislative season, do your part to defend renewable energy today.
Together, we can make sure Washington remains a clean energy leader and send ALEC packing.
Sincerely,
David Anderson
Outreach Coordinator
Climate & Energy Program
Union of Concerned Scientists
Twitter: @UCSMidwest
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Something fishy is going on!
The FDA is close to approving genetically engineered salmon. Yet thorough environmental impact and safety studies haven’t been done. And this salmon won’t be labeled so you won’t know what you’re buying. Tell the FDA what you think of this potentially bad decision before it’s a done deal.
Consumers need to speak up out and possibly against
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MMA Weekly Update
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Be a Seed for Change 
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