Tag Archives: politics

Moms Demand Action After any tragic shooting, we always ask, “What could we have done to prevent this?”

Families and law enforcement are usually the first to detect that someone is in crisis — but for too long they haven’t had the tools to temporarily remove guns from somebody who poses an extreme risk to themselves or others.

That’s exactly why we’re fighting for an Extreme Risk Protection Order bill that would give family members the ability to take action and stop tragedies before they happen. This Tuesday we’re taking that fight straight to the capitol in Olympia. Can you join us?

Click here to RSVP for the Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day in Olympia on Tuesday, February 10.

Here are the event details:

What: Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day
When: Tuesday, February 10 at 9:00 a.m.
Lunch will be provided for all attendees
Meeting Place: The United Churches of Olympia
110 Eleventh Ave SE; Olympia, WA 98501

We won big in November by helping pass I-594 at the ballot to require criminal background checks for all gun sales, but our lawmakers need to know that our state’s gun violence prevention movement hasn’t stopped fighting — and meeting them face-to-face is the most effective way to prove that.

The priority this session is to pass the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill — which would let Washington families and law enforcement ask a judge to temporarily remove guns from someone who poses an extreme risk to themselves or others.

On Tuesday, we’ll also be:

Advocating for a bill to hold adults responsible for keeping guns out of the hands of children;
Asking our legislators to protect the background checks law we worked so hard to win last year from any attempts at weakening it; and
Holding a training for volunteers, writing letters to lawmakers, meeting with legislators, and hosting a press event to make sure our case for strong gun laws is heard in the media.

RSVP now if you can join us for the Gun Violence Prevention Advocacy Day on February 10.

Thanks for everything you do for this movement. I hope to see you in Olympia!

Leah Bernstein
Washington State Chapter Leader
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America

P.S. If you can’t make it to the lobby day but want to add your voice to the fight for the Extreme Risk Protection Order bill, click here to automatically sign the petition to lawmakers now.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

In the Newsroom with Gov.Inslee ~ Jan. 2015 ~

01/30/2015 Nativegrl77

Gov. Inslee & bipartisan group launch plan to cut WA’s high property crime rate

~ pop culture, ~ Youtube ...gotta listen to this

Clean Bandit – Heart On Fire

01/26/2015 Nativegrl77

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Ruth Schmidt

01/25/2015 Nativegrl77

This year,(2014) Alaska lost a legend when Ruth Schmidt passed away at the age of 97.

In a time when many women weren’t encouraged to enter scientific fields, Ruth received her Masters (in 1939) and Ph.D. (in 1948) from Columbia University before going on to become a prominent geologist. She moved to Alaska in 1956, and later founded the Geology Department at the University of Alaska, Anchorage.

An article in the Anchorage Daily News from April summed up just how impressive Ruth’s accomplishments were: “Recently the American Association of Petroleum Geologists announced it would honor the organization’s first 100 female members to commemorate its centennial in 2017. The first woman featured is Ruth A.M. Schmidt.”

Ruth was a treasure to the state of Alaska, not just because of her professional accomplishments, but also because of her storied philanthropic work.

As her obituary notes, “she supported conservation, opera and symphony, social services, public media, science, and science education for women and minorities.”

There’s something else to add to the list: Ruth supported women’s health and reproductive justice.

We were overwhelmed and amazed when we learned that part of Ruth’s will included a bequest to Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest, the first-ever contribution of that type to our organization.

We want to thank and honor Ruth for her support of women’s health and reproductive freedom.

Because of Ruth’s generosity, we have been able to wage a stronger fight against the threats to women’s health posed by politicians who want to interfere in personal medical decisions. Coupled with the support of thousands of activists like you – as donors, volunteers, and community supporters – we’ve been able to advance a progressive agenda across Alaska, Idaho, and Washington fighting for women and families.

Ruth was a trailblazer for women, for science, for Alaska, and for reproductive health and rights. If you want to continue her legacy with us, add your name to the list as someone who will continue to fight for women’s health in 2015 and beyond.

Thank you for all that you do.

Elaine Rose
CEO
Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Judy Waxman, National Women’s Law Center

01/25/2015 Nativegrl77

I have some hard news to share with you.

After nearly 12 years of working on women’s health and reproductive rights at the National Women’s Law Center, I’ve decided to move on to my next adventure.

I am grateful to have been able to serve with you in the fight on behalf of women and their families for all these years. Together, we protected and expanded Medicaid and defeated outrageous attempts to curb reproductive health on the state and federal levels. We also passed a landmark health care law that is helping millions of Americans through better insurance coverage and targeted benefits for women. Now all insurance plans will cover contraceptives without co-pay.

We made Margaret Sanger proud.

A few of my favorite photos from over the years

A few of my favorite photos from over the years

We still have much work to do, and many battles ahead. That’s why I’m thrilled that Gretchen Borchelt, our current Senior Counsel and Director of State Reproductive Health Policy, will be taking over the reins of the Health and Reproductive Rights team at the National Women’s Law Center as the new year begins. Gretchen and I have worked together for 8 years, and I know she’ll provide strong, experienced and committed leadership. She’s as enthusiastic about continuing this work as I am to see her do it.

Gretchen and me