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Act Now: Demand an end to deforestation at Ralph Lauren
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This past September, we launched the Out of Fashion campaign, urging fifteen major fashion brands to make sure that their fabrics don’t contain forest destruction and human rights abuses. For years, this controversy had gone unnoticed — but not any more! Thousands of you signed the petition, stickered controversial products and sent tweets during Fashion Week. While some brands are starting to respond, some of the worst companies have not taken action. Ralph Lauren is an iconic brand with a huge reach. It has the power to eliminate controversial fiber and suppliers, such as Sateri and Royal Golden Eagle Group. And if Ralph Lauren steps up, other brands will follow. We are going to be building this campaign over the next few months, but today, we have a super-quick action for you to take: email Ralph Lauren and ask the company to protect forests and human rights by tracing its supply chain, eliminating the worst actors, and adopting a policy. It only takes a moment and together, we can make our voices heard. Thank you so much for all you do.
For the forests, Christy Tennery-Spalding |
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Breaking Down The Pope’s Address To Congress
“Mr. Speaker, The Pope Of The Holy See!”
Today, Pope Francis made history yet again by becoming the first pope to address a joint meeting of Congress. Speaking for nearly an hour on a range of issues, the pope’s overall message was one of peace, cooperation, and action. Pope Francis made sure to include members of Congress in his call to action, stating, “your own responsibility as members of Congress is to enable this country, by your legislative activity, to grow as a nation.” Though he is the leader of the Catholic Church, today’s speech solidified Pope Francis’s role as a moral force for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
We’ve put together a summary of the key points in his speech. Head over to ThinkProgress for a complete run-down.
Immigration
Pope Francis spoke at length about immigration. He again reminded us that he is the son of immigrants and noted that “so many of you are also descended from immigrants.” The Pope called for people to treating immigrants with compassion and fairness, invoking the Golden Rule of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” He also urged us to reject “a mindset of hostility” towards immigrants, to welcome them, and help them seek opportunities. The pope said, “is this not what we want for our own children?”
Inequality
Throughout his speech, Pope Francis expressed his concern for the poor and his dismay at growing income inequality. He referred to his first papal exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, and emphasized the need to strive for a just distribution of income and a “modern, inclusive and sustainable” economy. Pope Francis even had a special message for lawmakers, urging them to pay attention especially to “those in situations of greater vulnerability or risk.” He declared that “the fight against poverty and hunger must be fought constantly and on many fronts.”
Climate
Pope Francis also discussed the dangers of climate change and the need to pass legislation to address it. He cited his own encyclical, Laudato Si, stating, “now is the time for courageous actions and strategies, aimed at implementing a ‘culture of care’ and ‘an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature.’” The pope emphasized that US lawmakers have an “important role to play” in protecting the climate and noted that American research institutions can also make a vital contribution.
International Relations
The pope emphasized our need for international peace and cooperation. He recognized recent efforts in the United States to “help overcome historic differences linked to painful episodes of the past,” possibly referencing the normalization of relations with Cuba. Pope Francis also applauded efforts to open up dialogue, saying they require “courage and daring” but are worth it for they open “new opportunities” for all. He encouraged lawmakers and others to “end the many armed conflicts throughout our world,” citing the damaging role of the weapons trade in these conflicts.
Death Penalty
Some of the Pope’s strongest remarks concerned abolishing the death penalty. He reminded us that the Catholic Church has for centuries believed in protecting life at all stages. Pope Francis even called on Congress to abolish the death penalty, stating “a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation.”
After the speech, Pope Francis greeted tens of thousands of admirers on the West Lawn of the Capitol. He then skipped lunch with Congress, choosing instead to eat lunch with Washington, D.C.’s homeless. “I want to be very clear,” the pope said. “We can’t find any social or moral justification, no justification whatsoever, for lack of housing.”
BOTTOM LINE: Pope Francis’s speech today was a historic moment in America and solidified his role as a global moral force for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. His remarks on issues ranging from immigration to climate change to poverty have reached many this week. They represent a call to action that all should heed.
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A policeman rips the American flag away from 5-year-old Anthony Quinn, having already confiscated his ‘No More Police Brutality’ sign. Jackson, Mississippi; ca. 1965
The guy in the background looks justifiably shocked. And yet is doing nothing.
In the South during the civil rights movement, the American flag was a potent symbol of support for racial integration (and support for federal law). Southerners who believed in racial segregation displayed Confederate flags instead. People were pulled from their cars by policemen and beaten simply for displaying an American flag on their license plates. So the simple act of a small child carrying an American flag represented defiance of Mississippi law and custom.
Anthony and his mother were arrested and hauled off to jail, which was a cattle stockade at the county fairground, since the city jails were already full of protesters. The Quinn protest was organized by COFO (Council of Federated Organizations), an umbrella organization responsible for most civil rights activities in the state. Today Anthony lives in Florida. I believe he is a lawyer…
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Understanding The Iran Deal
The United States Reaches A Deal To Cut Off Every Pathway For Iran To Obtain A Nuclear Weapon
After more than two and a half years of intense negotiations, the United States, along with its partners and allies comprising the world’s greatest nations, has reached an agreement that will put Iran’s nuclear program under unprecedented international scrutiny. In exchange for easing economic sanctions, the deal will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
This agreement is the result of years of tough-minded American diplomacy and a comprehensive strategy. When President Obama took office, Iran was hiding a covert nuclear facility and was well on its way to producing a bomb. But after instituting tough sanctions on Iran that helped the United States and the world’s other leading powers negotiate from a position of strength, we have reached an accord that proves that American diplomacy — and not war — can bring meaningful change to make our homeland and the world safer and more secure.
Despite the rhetoric from many who would rather try to score political points instead of do the hard work of actually governing, this agreement is in fact a good deal. In April, the Center for American Progress laid out five criteria to be met in order to ensure US interests are protected and its security concerns are met. The deal reached yesterday meets every single one:
- The agreement cuts off all pathways to an Iranian nuclear weapon.
- The agreement is verifiable through rigorous international inspections of Iran’s nuclear supply chain and facilities.
- Sanctions relief is conditional on Iran fulfilling its commitments and sanctions can “snap back” if those commitments are broken — without being blocked unilaterally by Russia or China.
- The United States retains the ability to counter Iranian human rights abuses and support of terrorism.
- All options remain on the table to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
The many months of negotiations and the decades of economic sanctions have paid off with a meaningful agreement. But now that a deal has been reached, the hard work of monitoring and verification begins. The ultimate success of this deal rests on its robust implementation in the future.
Congress played an important role leading up to the deal by approving sanctions, but now the ball is back in their court. After the hard work of our diplomats, President Obama has made clear that he will veto any attempt to undo the agreement. Congress has 60 days to approve the deal, and has the opportunity to play a constructive role in making the deal even stronger. Instead of the political grandstanding many elected officials employed earlier this spring, Congress should approve the deal and take concrete steps to strengthen it.
BOTTOM LINE: This agreement with Iran is a crucial first step that will allow the United States and its allies to more strongly oppose Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the Middle East. This is just the beginning, not the end, of the hard work. Congress must work to approve and strengthen the deal so attention can turn to robust implementation of the agreement.
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