Tag Archives: Michigan

If you’re looking for a progressive take on the current political news, ThinkProgress has you covered. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past week that you may have missed:

  – Massive Crowd Gathers For Reading Of Vagina Monologues At Michigan Capitol

When two female legislators were banned from the Michigan House floor last week after saying the word “vagina” during a debate about an anti-abortion measure, people across the country spoke out for the right to discuss and defend women’s health.

–   Romney To Republican Governor: Discussing The Economic Recovery Will Hurt My Election Chances

Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) is touting his state’s increasing economic growth and stability, but Mitt Romney doesn’t want to hear it.

–   Over Two Decades, Abortion Rate Dropped For Women In Their 20s Because Of Contraception Access

The growing accessibility of birth control is having a hugely positive effect on women’s health, contributing to a significant drop in unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates for women in their 20s.

–   The 7 Major Issues Mitt Romney Won’t Take A Position On

Immigration isn’t the only issue Mitt Romney is evading.

–   Members Who Supported Massive Giveaway To Big Oil Have Received $38.6 Million From The Industry

The House of Representatives just passed legislation catering to oil and gas interests at the expense of environmental concerns – and the members who voted for the bill are lining their pockets with oil and gas money.

Thanks for supporting ThinkProgress as we do this work!

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Michigan House Democrats fight for Women’s rights …

06/15/2012 Nativegrl77

And Republicans said there is no war on Women …. hmmmm

Jun 13, 2012 by Jeff Winston

Michigan House Democrats opposing damaging legislation to women’s reproductive rights. 6/13/2012

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a message from Al Franken …

06/15/2012 Nativegrl77

Al Franken - U.S. Senator, Minnesota
If you like safe food and healthy kids, then you should be a big fan of Debbie Stabenow.

If you like Democrats who stand up to the far right when women’s rights and access to health care are under attack, then you should be a big fan of Debbie Stabenow.

And if you want to help a great fighter for the middle class beat the right-wing attack machine in this election, then you should definitely click here and help me help out my good friend Debbie Stabenow.

You might remember the infamous hearing when one of our Republican colleagues suggested that he shouldn’t have to pay for maternal health care, since he didn’t need it. Debbie quipped that his mother probably did. Argument: won.

But Debbie isn’t just a great debater. She’s an incredibly talented Senator who’s gotten a lot done for working families. And right now, she’s leading the charge to get a farm bill that supports family farmers in states like, say, Minnesota — and invests in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

These are good reasons to click here and chip in to help me help Debbie win. But here’s another one: the far right is dead-set on defeating her in 2012. And it would be great to watch Debbie do to them what she did in that hearing — fight back and win.

So join me in sending Debbie a contribution of whatever amount you can afford. And tell ‘em Al sent you.

Thanks,

P.S.: There’s only one rhetorical tool more effective than the one Debbie used in that hearing — the “extra ask in the P.S.” Observe: Won’t you help me help Debbie Stabenow win by making a contribution today?

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stand with Wisconsin

05/28/2012 Nativegrl77

HELP RECALL WALKER FROM HOME

Wisconsinites need our help in recalling Gov. Scott Walker and other extreme lawmakers.
Click here now to sign up for our free online tool to help in the recall effort.

Wisconsin holds a special place in my heart. I grew up in the suburbs outside Milwaukee in a small town called Mequon. Though my family moved to Michigan when I was in high school, I still consider Wisconsin home in many ways and I want to see its people succeed.

When Gov. Scott Walker launched his attack on working families and Wisconsin communities last year, I wanted to find ways I could help. That’s why I will be using the new Friends and Neighbors (FAN) tool in the coming weeks to get the word out to friends and other Wisconsinites about recalling Walker and other anti-working family candidates on June 5.

Will you join me in signing up for free for the FAN tool to make calls from home to help stop the destructive Walker agenda?

A recent poll shows the race is a dead heat¹ and it is going to come down to the side that turns out the most people from now until June 5.

Walker and his political allies are relying on millions in out-of-state donations from corporate donors and right-wing billionaires to blanket the state with misleading ads.

They may have unlimited money, but we can cut through the noise by having real conversations with Wisconsinites about how Walker’s policies are wrong for them and their communities.

Click here now to sign up for the FAN and get started connecting with Wisconsin voters.

Let’s show Walker in these final weeks leading up to the recall elections on June 5 that working families in Wisconsin and across the country are more united than ever and ready to stand against the extreme policies that are leading our country in the wrong direction.

In Solidarity,

Andy Richards
New Media Strategist, AFL-CIO

P..S. Need some more motivation? Check out this video that recently surfaced of Walker talking about his strategy to “divide and conquer” working families.

^₁http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/wisconsin-democrats-say-polling-shows-a-dead-heat/2012/05/22/gIQAWKediU_blog.html

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Rated “R” … Mark Anthony, Change.org

02/28/2012 Nativegrl77

Katy Butler knows how it feels to be bullied. When she was 12, four boys came up behind her. They called her names and shoved her into a wall — then they slammed a locker on her hand and broke her finger. “I held back tears while I watched them run away laughing,” she says. “I didn’t know what to do so I stood there, alone and afraid.”

So Katy, now in high school, was thrilled when she heard about a new documentary, Bully, that sheds light on America’s bullying epidemic. The film’s distributor, The Weinstein Company, even had plans to screen the film in middle and high schools across America.

http://youtu.be/rjjeHeAzZZM

But it was just announced that the Motion Picture Association of America has decided to give Bully an “R” rating, meaning no one under the age of 17 can see the movie — and it can’t be screened in middle and high schools.

Katy thinks it’s ridiculous that the MPAA would prevent teens from seeing a movie that was made specifically to help them fight back against bullying.

So Katy started a petition on Change.org asking the MPAA to give Bully a PG-13 rating. Click here to sign Katy’s petition — and watch a two-minute preview of this compelling film.

The Weinstein Company appealed the MPAA’s initial decision to give Bully an R rating (unsurprisingly, language used in the film — especially by bullies — is coarse). But news broke on Friday that they lost the appeal. According to news sources, a two-thirds vote was needed to change the rating to PG-13 — but Bully came up one vote shy. Katy thinks it’s time for the MPAA to make an understandable exception for a film that could impact the lives of countless American teens.

Katy knows about the power of online petitions. Last year, when the Michigan legislature was considering a problematic bill to address bullying, Katy and another Michigan teen started a petition asking the legislators to improve the bill — and it worked.

Now Katy needs your help again. Click here to sign Katy’s petition asking the MPAA to give Bully a PG-13 rating so the kids who most need to see it — bullying victims and bullies themselves — can do so.

Thanks for being a change-maker,

– Mark Anthony and the Change.org team