Tag Archives: health care

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stand against unconstitutional attacks

Last September, in the midst of a stunning attack on an organization dedicated to organizing working people to act on their own behalf, the US Congress approved the Defund ACORN Act. It did this without investigating the charges leveled against us and in response to what was, above all, an enormous propaganda campaign. Congress’ move, singling out one organization for sanctions without investigation, is called a “bill of attainder” and it is expressly prohibited by the Constitution of the United States.

We have fought this miscarriage of justice from the beginning and from the beginning we’ve had success, including winning a preliminary injunction against it. Now our appeal is speeding through the courts, with the next hearing scheduled for this Thursday, June 24th. This fight is no longer about ACORN – as you know, we’ve ceased all field operations – it is about the Constitution itself. If this attack is allowed to stand, then any other organization that displeases those with power in the United States can be similarly attacked and, potentially, destroyed.

That’s why I’m asking you to stand up for justice, for the Constitution, and against Congress’ action by sending your members of Congress an email demanding they go on record opposing the defund ACORN act and the continuing efforts of the Administration to defend it in court.

ACORN has been investigated by four separate, independent, sources – former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, the California Attorney General, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) – and each of them has cleared ACORN of any wrongdoing. Three investigations reviewing the videos used to attack ACORN determined that they were “splice jobs” in which “the truth is on the cutting room floor”. The fourth, from the GAO, concluded that ACORN had not misused any of the Federal funds it had received. In other words, the entire set of attacks was a witch hunt driven using modern propaganda techniques and with millions of dollars in dedicated air time on a “news” channel and talk radio.

And you know why. We were simply too good at what we did – engaging low- and moderate-income families and families of color in America’s democratic system. If we hadn’t helped 860,000 new voters get on the voter rolls since 2004 (we believe this is the largest non-partisan voter registration effort ever carried out by a single non-profit organization), if we hadn’t helped raise the minimum wage in seven states, if we hadn’t blown the whistle about predatory lending in the sub-prime market back in 1999, and if we hadn’t brought in over $15 billion in direct benefits to America’s low- and moderate-income neighborhoods from 1994 – 2004, then we wouldn’t have been the targets of smears and attacks going back to the 2004 election. Smears that were exposed during the height of the scandal surrounding the firing of US Attorneys like David Iglesias in New Mexico, who refused to trump up phony voter fraud charges against ACORN.

You can stand up to these smears and for justice for working people by telling Congress to finally do the right thing. Frankly, if the attacks leveled against ACORN had really been about misusing taxpayer dollars, you can bet that defense contractors like Xe (formerly Blackwater), Halliburton, and Kaman Dayron, all of whom have been found guilty of either committing actual crimes or of collectively defrauding the American people of hundreds of millions of dollars, would have been the subject of their own Defund Corporate Criminals Act.

But, of course, they aren’t. Because, unlike ACORN’s low- and moderate-income membership, these corporations can buy influence in the highest levels of political power in the United States. So, our lawsuit against the unconstitutional Defund ACORN Act is not about ACORN and its past federal funding. It is about justice for all organizations that fight for the interests of regular folks against the most powerful interests in America. You can remind Congress that people expect them to tackle the difficult issues facing our country and its working families, not engage in political grandstanding at the expense of constitutional guarantees.

Thank you for all your past support and for taking a stand to make America a fairer and more equitable place for all of us.

In solidarity and strength,

Bertha Lewis
ACORN CEO and Chief Organizer

PS. For those of you living in New York City, we’re inviting you to attend the Thursday hearing with me and other allies. Click here for more information about the hearing and the entire ACORN v USA case prepared by the Center for Constitutional Rights.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Cardin, Casey, Hagan Join Education Advocates And Firefighters To Discuss Why FMAP Funding Is Important For Our Communities And Schools


June 22, 2010

Washington, DC— Senators Ben Cardin, Bob Casey and Kay Hagan joined Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and Kevin O’Connor of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) at a press conference this morning to call on Republicans to stop blocking critical state funding. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, actions needed to close state budget deficits could cost the national economy 900,000 public- and private-sector jobs, including teachers, police officers and firefighters.  In recent weeks, Republicans have blocked several efforts by Senate Democrats to pass this legislation, leaving our communities vulnerable and depriving our schools of much-needed resources to educate our children.

“If we do not extend these funds, the states like Maryland will hit a fiscal wall that will have an immediate impact on our most vulnerable citizens. It also will cost us jobs as local governments are forced to make painful cuts just at the very time we were beginning to feel the positive results of our recovery,” said Senator Cardin. “This is critically important for our nation as a whole and should not be a partisan issue.”

“Continued obstruction in the Senate could lead to 20,000 layoffs in Pennsylvania alone and poses a threat to public safety and schools,” said Senator Casey.  “Despite majority support, states around the country are facing harmful real world consequences because a minority of senators are blocking funding.”

“Extending this Medicaid funding is the key to helping North Carolina and all of our states navigate these difficult economic times,” said Senator Hagan.  “Our children’s education and the safety of our communities are at risk.  This is an issue too important to fall victim to partisan bickering.”

“Children don’t decide to be born during good times or bad. But we, the adults, decide whether we are going to take care of our children and give them the care and education they deserve,” said Randi Weingarten of the AFT.  “By funding FMAP, we can meet that obligation to our children, and continue the terrific progress we’re making in school districts across the county.”

“It’s time for Congress to stop talking and start acting. It’s time to put our communities and the safety of our citizens first,” said Kevin O’Connor of the IAFF. The price of Congressional inaction will force cities and towns to lay off thousands of fire fighters and jeopardize public safety. Stop the delays, pass the FMAP funding extension immediately.”

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Oil rig worker warned of BP danger


As Americans heard Judge Martin Feldman rule against the President’s moratorium today,  one has to wonder why people on the Gulf Coast cannot wait while safety checks are done, possibly demand relief wells be dug and or any 500thouand dollar safety feature be on all questionable wells… why wouldn’t a Judge want these wells checked and or adjusted before letting the lives of workers be at any more risk

the BP whistle blower talks about his experience  … we all need to ask ourselves is it possible that  Corporations like BP are willing to risk life and the environment against Profits; does this include Judge feldman

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Momentum!


Hi

If you signed the petition …

Thanks again for signing our petition demanding Wall Street accountability. In the past week, thousands of PCCC members have called Congress — and it’s paying off: we’re winning.

We’ve gotten reports behind the scenes that one Congressman who is trying to water down reform is feeling heavy pressure as a result of the PCCC’s petition signatures, phone calls, and online ads — even convening a conference call with local constituents to “respond” to the PCCC’s campaign.

Can you help our momentum continue by calling Senator Patty Murray and asking them to fight for strong Wall Street reform today? Click here.

News outlets are reporting the tough provisions we’ve been fighting for are likely to make it to the final bill. But the New York Times just reported:

As Congress rushes this week to complete the most far-reaching financial reform plan in decades, the banking industry is mounting an 11th-hour end run.

Industry lobbyists — and sympathetic members of Congress — are pushing for provisions to undercut a central pillar of the legislation, known as the Volcker Rule, which would forbid banks from using their own money to make risky wagers on the market and would force them to sell off hedge funds and private equity units.

Sen. Murray is going to be a key vote. Lobbyists want her to kill provisions that keep Wall Street from gambling away your bank deposits on risky schemes.

Can you call her and insist on strong Wall Street reform this week? Just click here.

Already thousands of people have called. Please add your voice today.

Thanks for being a bold progressive,

— Aaron Swartz, Adam Green, Stephanie Taylor, Shaunna Thomas, and the PCCC team

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

UNDER THE RADAR

BUSINESS — BP LAUNCHES ‘AGGRESSIVE’ SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN, BUT RESTRICTS FEEDBACK: Facing public outrage over the devastation its oil gusher has caused in the Gulf, BP has been making a major public relations push over the past few weeks to burnish its image. The company began buying space on search-engine results pages for oil-related search terms, and it earned criticism for lavishing $50 million on radio, TV, and print ads featuring CEO Tony Hayward pledging to “do everything we can so this never happens again.” Now, BP is launching an “aggressive” social media campaign employing Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr. A BP spokesperson boasts of how the social venues are “more direct than other channels.” BP’s sophisticated campaign “would make most social media strategists proud,” but the AdWeek report reveals the hollowness of the outreach. On Facebook, the company only accepts comments from people who “like” BP, and the “extensive commenting policy…warns that any ‘ad hominem attacks’ will be removed.” Meanwhile, comments are disabled completely on the company’s YouTube channel. BP shutting down feedback is ironic considering the oil giant claims to be actively soliciting ideas from the public on how to help resolve the crisis in the Gulf. Although BP has received tens of thousands of ideas, it quickly became clear that the company was ignoring the suggestions and that the effort was largely a PR stunt. Many inventors who have submitted suggestions complain BP “isn’t taking their suggestions seriously enough,” and overall, BP has been widely denounced for spending millions on advertising to rehabilitate its image while it should be spending that money to rehabilitate the Gulf.