Tag Archives: Lisa Murkowski

CONGRESS: Republican led House :::::: Democratic led Senate

02/11/2013 Nativegrl77

the Senate Convenes: 2:00pmET February 11, 2013

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of S.47, the Violence Against Women Act.
The time until 5:30pm will be equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees with Senator Cornyn controlling 45 minutes of the Republican time.
At 5:30pm, there will be up to 7 roll call votes in relation to the following:
- Leahy amendment the text of which is at the desk (sex trafficking)
- Portman amendment #10 (sex trafficking)
- Murkowski amendment #11 (tribal protections)
- Coburn amendment #13 (strikes tribal provisions)
- Coburn amendment #15 (consolidate DOJ rape programs)
- Coburn amendment #16 (notice to victims)
- Passage of S.47, the Violence Against Women Act, as amended, if amended

Last week the Senate reached an agreement to complete action on S.47, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. At 5:30pm tonight, the Senate will proceed to vote in relation to the Coburn amendment #13 (strikes tribal provisions). Following the vote, the Senate will turn to a period of morning business with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

Following any Leader remarks tomorrow, the Senate will resume consideration of S.47 with time until 11:00am equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees. At 11:00am, the Senate will vote in relation to the remaining amendments and on passage of the bill, as amended, if amended. The votes will occur in the order listed below. All votes after the first vote will be 10 minutes in duration.

– Leahy amendment #21 (sex trafficking)

– Portman amendment #10 (sex trafficking)

– Murkowski amendment #11 (tribal protections)

– Coburn amendment #15 (consolidate DOJ rape programs)

– Coburn amendment #16 (notice to victims)

– Passage of S.47, the Violence Against Women Act, as amended, if amended.

In addition to considering the VAWA legislation, this week the Senate may consider the Hagel nomination, a Circuit judge, and any other items cleared for action on the Legislative or Executive Calendars of Business. The State of the Union is at 9:00pm tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12. Next week, February 18, is a State work period. When we return the week of February 25, we will try to confirm the nominations of John Brennan, to be the Director of the CIA, and Jack Lew, to be Secretary of the Treasury, and may consider any other items on the Legislative or Executive Calendar cleared for action.

5:30pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Coburn amendment #13 (Strikes Tribal Jurisdiction)

5:30pm The Senate began a roll call vote on Coburn amendment #13 (Strikes Tribal Jurisdiction

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTE

1) Coburn amendment #13 (strikes tribal provisions) to S.47, the Violence Against Women Act; Not Agreed to: 31-59

No LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

No EXECUTIVE ITEMS

—————————————————————————–

The next meeting is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. on February 12, 2013.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Senate Republicans today blocked Goodwin Liu

05/19/2011 Nativegrl77

Imagine senators of one party filibustering a judicial nominee who has been hailed as one of his generation’s great legal minds by legal experts of both parties and across the ideological spectrum on the grounds that he is *too* qualified.

www.pfaw.org

Well that’s exactly what happened today.

In what could be the most egregious example of the GOP’s partisan obstruction of judicial nominations to date, Senate Republicans today blocked Goodwin Liu from receiving an up or down vote. Liu, a law professor and dean at U.C. Berkeley who as a nominee has the American Bar Association’s highest rating, was nominated for a seat on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals by President Obama over a year ago, and has since been approved by the Judiciary Committee three times.

His credentials and grasp of the law and Constitution are impeccable. Liu’s only mistake: being too qualified.

At age 40, his confirmation to the 9th Circuit could put him in position to be the first Asian American Supreme Court nominee. Because of his intellectual heft, his commitment to Americans’ constitutional rights and his commonsense understanding of how the law impacts people’s lives, the prospect of Liu’s future elevation, and even his influence on a Circuit Court of Appeals, terrifies corporate special interests and right-wing ideologues … the same people calling the shots with Republican senators.

Shame on them. The concocted justifications Republican senators used in their opposition to Liu were based on unbelievable distortions of his record by Radical Right activist groups, as well as Liu’s testimony in opposition to Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s confirmation. They rested their opposition on lies because they know that a Liu filibuster makes a mockery of the supposed agreement between parties to employ a filibuster only in “extraordinary circumstances.” Everything about Goodwin Liu’s record and the breadth of his support indicates a legal expert squarely in the mainstream — the only thing “extraordinary” about him is how good he is, and how deserving he was of confirmation.

Every GOP senator except Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski participated in the filibuster. If one or both of your U.S. senators are Republicans, CALL them right now and let them hear it. Tell them, “shame on you for filibustering Goodwin Liu,” and let them know that you will be working hard to hold them accountable in their state.

Make sure you SIGN our “Stop the Obstruction” petition to the Senate and let senators of both parties know that the continued obstruction of the president’s nominees is hurting our country and will not be tolerated.

We need Republicans to feel the pressure about their judicial obstructions just like they are feeling it about their attacks on Medicare. And Democratic leaders in the Senate need to know that they must be using every tool in their arsenal to combat this obstruction.

Demand an end to the obstruction. And tell others to do the same.

I hope you’re as outraged as we are. And I hope you channel that outrage into activism. Thank you for all you do!

www.pfaw.org

Sincerely,

Michael Keegan, President

P.S. We hope that Goodwin Liu will be renominated and that he will be willing to continue this fight. We have not given up on ultimately confirming this stellar nominee.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The True Cost of Coal Delivered …Kyle Ash, Greenpeace

04/07/2011 Nativegrl77

I recently delivered your petition signature along with a copy of the latest Harvard study that shows the true cost of coal to both of your Senators.

You and 50,000 other activists signed our petition urging the Senate to defend the EPA’s ability under the Clean Air Act to protect Americans from the true cost of coal. The Senate got your message.

During our delivery, we made sure to prioritize the offices of Senators whose states have been devastated by coal mining such as John Rockefeller (D-WV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Also, those who take their cues from the polluter companies that paid for their election campaigns such as Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK).

We then dropped off the petition and the Harvard study to Senators like Sherrod Brown (D-OH) who have been on the fence about whether carbon pollution from coal is dangerous enough to restrict now.

Thank you for your support. With these petitions, you and activists across the country made it clear to the Senate that the 34,000 Americans who die each year from coal and the extra half a trillion dollars it costs our economy is a price too high.

The fight for clean energy continues. In Washington, coal industry lobbyists are pressuring lawmakers to strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its power to regulate the dirty emissions of coal fired power plants. Our campaign is just getting started and we are going to need you every step of the way. Thanks for taking action and I look forward to working with you in the future.

Thank you,

Kyle Ash

Greenpeace Senior Legislative Representative

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Not done fighting on DADT

12/10/2010 Nativegrl77

This afternoon, a discriminatory policy that deprives our military of qualified troops, endangers our national security, and violates the simple American principles of integrity, fairness, and equality was allowed to remain law.

Every Republican senator but one — Senator Susan Collins — voted to prevent the passage of legislation to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

Several of them had previously claimed to support repeal, but voted “no” today.

It’s a frustrating setback, but here’s the good news: We are just three votes away from moving forward on repeal.

And Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and our allies in the Senate are promising another vote on repeal before Congress heads home for the year. There is still a chance for this to pass.

Allies in the Senate are not done fighting. The President is not done fighting. And I know you’re not, either.

Write the Republicans standing in the way in the Senate — and tell them to get on the right side of history.

There’s no question that today’s vote was disappointing.

But we also have a lot of reasons to be proud today.

The letters to the editor you wrote and the phone calls you made — and the 582,000 petitions you signed — have been crucial in building support for repeal.

This morning, OFA volunteers delivered those petitions to Senator Collins’ office. And this afternoon, she voted to move this bill forward.

Now your work can help make sure we secure the votes necessary to finally put an end to this unfair policy.

One final push might be all it takes.

I know we still have a lot of fight left in us. Write Republicans now — and tell them to stop standing in the way:

http://my.barackobama.com/DADTRepealLetters

Thanks,

Mitch

Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

~ my 2cents ..., ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

thorny Tuesday &some News

08/31/2010 Nativegrl77

Labor day weekend is coming…everyone enjoy

The President will be speaking to the citizens of the United States tonight around 8pmET and gotta say that i am proud to know that even though the last President gave him the hard task of dealing with 2Wars he has remained calm cool and dignified through it all.

I will admit I am so tired of the message behind the message comments by the Media we need to listen but sort out the truth and what seems like stories for ratings. The Media including Fox News have become a monster in all things Other if you ask me. I am not sure who to blame; fox news definitely, msnbc and cnn have done their part in the constant barrage of 24/7 News. If you watch enough News it becomes questionable at times because there are definitely levels of honesty, reality and truth behind all the hosts, commentators or so-called journalists on any given News spot. It cannot be avoided but folks need to know it is not always what they claim … News has become a tool that can be manipulated …truth has become something that is debated on cable daily. I do not watch fox news; only about 2% of people of colour watch fox news. The reasons are many but most say it is because of the way they present it and themselves. nuff said

However,even though Obama did not start any wars he will have to answer to everyone for it… That sucks and idea that the US committed to being in 2Wars and some of us agree were unnecessary but unavoidable. The announcement is for this President to make; it is an end to the current combat but it is not a win of anything but we must give props to our troops and support all those men and women who fought for the United States.

In my opinion, our economy our status has stalled because of a lack of cooperation from Republicans and some conservadems who have made bad choices. I do not believe anyone runs for office to be saddled with the problems of the past President not to mention some new ones that require swift military action. It has only been 20months since Obama took office yet folks in the Media as well as Republicans someone ginned up the idea that there must be some movement before the November elections or they will be voted out of office. what? That is the first issue of mine…who has the right to say this economy should be fixed and ready to go in 20months? compare and contrast how long it took add to that a Political Party who decided they will be obstacles of progress voting no or making the vote hard and the effort scaled back which in all likely hood made the outcome and or impact slim and next to none. It has been Republicans that have failed the people of the United States not President Obama …The House of Representatives have put bills to help the people but when these bills reach the Senate Boehner and criminals vote no…the rule of 60 has hurt Americans at every angle and Republicans are exploiting it. If the Democratic Party can keep the House and take more seats in the Senate things can and will get done for the people.

Though it is the last day of August, it is blowing and raining like a true fall day. I am hoping that more days of heat are still something to look forward too. I know we clearly have it better here than the Caribbean as well as all along the East Coast so i will not be complaining about the weather too much. What is worth complaining about is the fear, hate and discrimination happening all over our country in a time when historians say is always the case. The recession has pitted folks against each other blaming this that and the Other for the plight we are all feeling. The plight i see is the haves used to have and have nothing anymore. The blame is on the last President and his admin as well as the crooked behavior by those with money who bet against the middle class and their money for possible Profits and failed to keep it up any longer. The bets failed and those with power money and authority let our economy crash into a ditch without trying to stop it before we voted the next President into office. I find that not only offensive but the worse thing anyone could do …and it happened here in the United States. The current President was against War and at the time, he voted against the Iraq war the Afghanistan war was the place where the folks who committed the attack on NYC 9/11 were there and even today, my feelings are that they got away and the real story has yet to unmasked. I am not stupid and i hope the public gets it …The idea that a President allowed 2 huge tax cuts and 2Wars be implemented without the paygo laws the current Republican Party insists on is outrageous in my opinion.

Republicans have made us all see that when the going gets tough and the American People need help. Republicans are not the folks to ask unless of course you meet their standards, their criteria’s. This can only mean that they practice exclusion, possibly separate and definitely unequal in a moment in time when we have our first Bi-racial President trouble with immigration reform, health care that needed to be reformed and a financial system that took us all down; some more than others. Republicans have sold the citizens of the US out. I have to ask and ask are their constituents listening watching what their representatives are saying because it all affects them too! Voting NO to every Bill that would help the citizens of the US and help our economy is beyond acceptable. It is important that every one of us drill this into the heads of Independents or anyone on the right who is feeling the actions of the Republicans, feeling negative effect of the No votes because those votes have consequences. These no votes could be our complete failure without a way to get out of it. The it being a depression…that is what Republicans are willing to risk willing to bet against the people because they side with big Corporations -did they back the people of the Gulf Coast or BP …what side are Republicans on people and can you accept a Political Party willing to be divisive?

It signifies exactly where the Republican Party stands and it definitely is not with the People of the United States. If you had to choose between helping any one class or group of people, Republicans chose Wall Street and deregulation. When an actual vote took place, they voted to abandoned states Teachers, first responders, firefighters, police and more. They voted against the unemployed but have been selling, telling and insisting that the Bush tax cuts will be a job killer. It is time for folks to open their eyes …like they did when it came to making that decision about Palin -people ended up opening their eyes and maybe it took some outside influences …maybe we need that now

Other News…

**Deere sells Wind Energy biz for 900 million

**Banks Post $21.6 Billion in Profits

Yesterday, President Obama urged Senate Republicans to “drop the blockade” on the Small Business Jobs bill, which “will cut more taxes and make available more loans, including $55 billion in tax relief.” After the Republican minority blocked the bill from coming to the Senate floor in July, Obama asked Congress to make it the “first order of business” when it returns from recess in September.

The Justice Department filed another lawsuit against Arizona yesterday, arguing “that a network of community colleges acted illegally in requiring noncitizens to provide their green cards before they could be hired for jobs.” The suit alleges that the colleges “discriminated against nearly 250 noncitizen job applicants by mandating that they fill out more documents than required by law to prove their eligibility to work.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) “was dealt another major setback Monday when the Alaska Libertarian Party announced it would not swap its chosen candidate for the Republican senator if she loses her party’s nomination.” “The party voted unanimously Sunday not to allow Murkowski to run on its ticket,” so her only remaining option to stay in the race would be to run as a write-in candidate.

**Man has major run in with bed bugs in Oregon Hotel and lands in hospital

**Hurricane Earl is expected to be a cat4 so please evacuate folks on the East Coast

CSPAN ..

Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen (Ret.) Briefing on Gulf Oil Spill