Tag Archives: Plastic bags

Birthright, birthers, citizenship, economy, and austerity …


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a repost

just another continued rant on citizenship …  2013 …

The sole mission of this Republican Party of No – is to turn back the clock … It is beyond offensive and will affect all our family’s past, present, and future.

This is yet another necessary and assertive commentary on citizenship… 2013..
Amazingly, Republicans thought they could bury the birther issue for good, only to resurface after a couple of Romney flip-flops. Now that he’s back in Congress, numerous Republican members and governors are still insisting that Americans’ concerns don’t matter—that Birtherism is real, the War on Women and their rights are deemed less significant. Republicans in Congress need to prioritize the people’s business; instead, this group seems more focused on hearings that serve no purpose and on revenge politics, dismissing constituents entirely. We must confront the facts as we approach the next elections: Trump was in office for just two years, and the Treasury Department was scrambling to address financial turmoil. It’s outrageous! Not to mention that Trump chose Monica Crowley for Treasury Secretary—a Fox contributor and lobbyist with a track record of plagiarism and no real financial experience. Despite the mess caused by Republicans, our economy is slowly recovering, thanks in large part to President Obama. While progress is happening without austerity measures, Mitch McConnell and his allies continue to filibuster against it. Austerity remains the mantra of the new Republican nationalists. Americans seem oblivious to the reality unfolding before them, but as the truth surfaced at town hall meetings, some finally recognized the detrimental impact of the plans being pushed. The current 115th Congress needs to face scrutiny because their economic strategies will only benefit the top 1-3%. Ignorance is not bliss—it’s a trap. Amidst the clamor of confusing economic narratives, the Republican Party’s behavior is hitting new lows. Birtherism might seem ridiculous, but the ideology fueling it continues to infiltrate conservative discussions and their notion of “Religious Conscience.” It’s time to question whether religion, consciousness, and instinct belong together, especially given the destructive policies coming from the current administration of white nationalists. We must respond—so lace up your marching shoes. The issues affecting women, immigrants, workers, minorities, students, voter rights, and religious freedom are all deeply tied to Republican agendas. The harsh reality is that many states are passing stringent, harmful legislation against the middle and lower classes under the guise of new, bright promises of prosperity. The Ryan agenda, full of promises of prosperity, fell apart almost immediately, revealing that Trump had taken an extreme right turn, full of continued tantrums and chaos. His presidency is still the face of the Republican Party—and racism and birtherism are mere tools for their fearmongering. The Republican Party of the 21st Century is not even close to what our parents had to face; instead, it has become a far more dangerous entity, seemingly trying to take us back to colonial days. The extreme right has swapped places with the short-lived Dixiecrats, perpetuating a divisive ideology that continues to thrive in today’s version of the Southern Strategy. We must recognize the perilous path that conservatives are attempting to lead us down—it has the potential to dismantle our democracy. Moreover, we should not be afraid to call out the absurdity of any pledge, let alone this conservative pledge—especially this “Purity Pledge” from the organization N.O.M. It’s utterly offensive to pledge to harm and exclude others, yet all socially conservative presidential candidates signed this disgraceful document. This pledge boldly demands commitments that are not just archaic but downright harmful, insisting participants never engage in premarital or extramarital affairs, abandon all forms of pornography and gambling, refuse to marry individuals of the same gender, and oppose any government action supporting civil unions for same-sex couples.

It’s time to challenge this narrative—this purity pledge doesn’t represent true American values, and we must demand better.

The sole mission of this Republican Party of No – is to turn back the clock … It is beyond offensive and will affect all our family’s past, present, and future.

Has your state implemented a ban or reduction plan for Plastic Bags? 2014


   It’s now 2019 and bag bans and or plastic bans are being implemented again or changed to reflect upon current issues at hand but still, there’s a big problem knowing exactly how to recycle … straws, tetra paks making sure the stuff you put in the bin are actually clean and dry 

More shopping means more plastic … unless your State is going green

So, if you live in LA remember to BYO .. reusable bag! because plastic is banned and paper bags will cost you. ..  10cents. After seeing the latest move made by Governor Brown who would like to implement the ban quickly, it’s apparent the people of Cali need some recycle classes, better information and some enlightenment.  As ugly, as the reusable bags are to you and the notion that Plastic bags are more convenient is possibly true, but to say that they double as garbage bags is disturbing. The environment needs help which in turn keep us healthy, a lifestyle that younger folks need to take up and a battle that will be ongoing while cities need to provide containers that help consumers sort out their garbage with little or no confusion and keeps the smell to a minimum … thanks

   Poly-bags are made from petroleum, are non-biodegradable and manufacturing paper bags requires large quantities of wood. The problem and question is whether the attempt to clean up our act state by state has a great department where folks are determined to regulate the use of these environmental killers properly so that our next generation has a chance.

Do you know how many states are banning plastic bags ?

The ban or reduction of plastic bags was implemented on July 1 of 2012 in Seattle, WA.

 It’s now 2017 and as spring& summer weather begins, folks start shopping.  I get it, it is not lucrative to ask for reusable bags or to inform the public about the .5 to .10 cent charge for each bag, but given the idea that we all should be concerned about the environment; I do expect a little more effort to push reusable bags.  Some states have implemented their Ban or Reduction plans, but not much information is available about who will or is enforcing the new rules or how they are measuring the reduction rate, if at all.

The struggle to clean up our environment should not be this complicated or hard and hopefully our city councils will keep at it with great zeal as the plastic’s industry has big $$ incentives to stall or stop it …

a repost from 4/2013 and will continue to

~ Nativegrl77

Defending the Amazon is a daily battle


 

Defending the Amazon is a daily battle. It takes the deepest commitment and fierce dedication from each and every one of us. Despite the construction of the monstrous Belo Monte Dam, the communities of the Xingu have not given up, and neither have we. As a result, the final operating license was recently denied by the Brazilian environmental agency IBAMA and the flooding of Altamira was halted!

That victory was possible because we all worked together in solidarity and refused to surrender to destructive forces in Brazil. Communities on the front lines are doing their part, and we need you to do yours. That means both action to generate pressure and funds to make the work possible.

Donate today with pride and know that you’re helping to stop a grave threat to the indigenous communities of the Xingu River and to our global climate.

Belo Monte is just the beginning. More than 60 large dams are planned for the Brazilian Amazon. The challenges will only get bigger, and we’ll continue to stand with our partners on the Xingu while ramping up our support for the Munduruku struggle to defend their lands and the Tapajos River from another destructive mega-dam.

Please support the fight to stop Belo Monte and other Amazon dams so that we may build upon this recent victory for justice in Brazil!

For the people of the Xingu and the Tapajos,


Leila Salazar-López
Executive Director