Tag Archives: politics

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

a message from Ed Markey …


The Republicans are getting serious about this fall’s campaign. My opponent has joined forces with GOP candidates up and down the ticket, and they’ve opened a command center on the outskirts of Boston.

 

Back in 2008, our country suffered the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. It happened because deregulation allowed Wall Street to turn into a big casino. Huge financial firms made bad bets — and they lost — damaging the economic welfare of the American people.

The Dodd-Frank Financial Reform bill, passed 4 years ago this month, went a long way to put the reins back on out-of-control Wall Street risk-taking.

But today, Dodd-Frank is in trouble.

House Republicans are trying to strip the teeth out of Dodd-Frank. If that happens, Wall Street could go right back to the practices that brought our nation to the brink of disaster.

We have one week until our pre-primary filing deadline, and we’re aiming to raise $25,000 by then. Republicans are getting organized and running hard, and we need to respond — make a $5 contribution and help us hit our goal.

The Tea Party has control in the House.

The Tea Party is able to push legislation through the House that puts Wall Street’s wishes before the needs of Main Street families.

We can’t let that happen to the Senate, too.

 

In July, MassLive: Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey join Democrats in pushing bill to address Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling granting religious exemptions to health care law

WASHINGTON — In the wake of the Supreme Court decision granting companies the right to cite religious beliefs in denying health insurance coverage for things like birth control, Democrats in the U.S. Senate are wasting no time fighting back. On Wednesday, the Protect Women’s Health from Corporate Interference Act introduced in the Senate was co-sponsored by dozens […] More »

Resource: Ed Markey’s site and fundraiser for Ed http://www.edmarkey.com

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

the FBI and Washington State
NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre testified in Congress last year that we shouldn’t expand the criminal background checks system to cover more gun sales because — he claims — background checks don’t work.[1]Well, we’ve obtained key FBI data that shows more than 40,000 reasons why LaPierre and the NRA are just plain wrong.Since 1998, the federal background check system has blocked 40,976 dangerous people from buying guns in Washington State — including more than 6,000 domestic abusers.

And that’s precisely why we want to expand background checks to cover all gun sales here, including sales between strangers who meet online or at gun shows.

Please help spread the word about this important information on Facebook or on Twitter. Sharing this stat with others will help explain why it’s so important we pass I-594, Washington State’s ballot initiative to expand the state’s background checks law.

40,976 gun sales to dangerous people have been blocked.

Facebook     Twitter

If you don’t use Facebook or Twitter, you can still spread the word by forwarding this email to friends and family.

Initiative 594 — on the ballot in Washington this fall — would close loopholes in Washington’s background check law so that a convicted felon or domestic abuser can’t buy a gun at a gun show or on the internet without passing the same quick and easy background check that law abiding citizens do every day at gun dealers throughout the state.

Passing I-594 into law won’t stop all gun violence — but it is the most effective way to make Washington a safer place for our families.

The first step is to make sure our friends, neighbors and family members have the facts about background checks — no matter how hard the NRA’s leadership tries to undermine them. Share the message now: It’s time to close the background check loophole in Washington State.

Share on Facebook     Share on Twitter

Thanks for being part of this important fight,

Meera Bhardwaj
Washington State Organizing Director
Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund

1. “Wayne LaPierre, NRA Leader, Opposes Expanded Background Checks,” Huffington Post, January 2013.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

greenpeace and the fight for the Arctic


greenpeaceThe Arctic is a special place: inhabited by creatures like polar bears and whales, full of magnificent vistas, and home to people who maintain the traditions of their ancestors. For millennia, it has remained untouched by oil-drilling or industrial fishing.

But as the ice melts from climate change, that special status is at risk. Multinational corporations like Shell are chomping at the bit to be the first to exploit this amazing area. That’s why I’m asking you to do something a little different for the Arctic in Seattle.

We’re calling for the northernmost, uninhabited areas of the Arctic to be permanently protected as a global sanctuary. This is a big vision, and to make it happen, we need all levels of leaders from around the country to join this call. To make the Arctic matter on the national stage, leaders like President Obama need to know that it really matters in communities around the country.

Your local leaders can make a difference by standing up for the Arctic. But they need to hear from you. So we’re asking you to do something a little different today: start a petition asking your community leaders to sign on to the Arctic Declaration, which calls for a global sanctuary in the Arctic.

Your petition will be hosted on a page maintained by our partners, Moveon.org. We’ve teamed up with them to give Greenpeace supporters a way to start their own community petitions. This partnership with Moveon.org is brand new and we’re really excited about the potential to amplify our grassroots power.

We’re fully invested in making sure you have everything you need to make a big difference in your community for the Arctic. If your petition gets at least 250 signatures, we’ll share it with our Facebook fans in your community. If it gets at least 500 signatures, we’ll email it to everyone on our list in your area.  

Ready to get started? Great! Here’s all you have to do:

Step-By-Step Guide1. Pick a local leader to send your petition to. If you live in a city with a mayor, that is probably your best bet. You’ll need his or her email address, which you can probably find by going to your city’s website. If you don’t have a mayor, another great choice is your state representative, senator, or Assemblyman. Here are your local representatives:

Sen. Jamie Pedersen
Rep. Frank Chopp
Rep. Brady Walkinshaw

2. Go to http://petitions.moveon.org/greenpeace/ to start your petition.  

3. Decide what you want to say to your local leader about why they should support the Arctic sanctuary. You can write your own petition language, or use this language:

 

Name: Protect our Arctic

Text: The Arctic is a truly special place, but it is under threat from rising temperatures, oil drilling, and industrial fishing. We ask that you use your status as a leader to endorse the International Declaration on the Future of the Arctic. This charter demands action on Indigenous Peoples’ rights, climate change, oil drilling, and unsustainable fishing. Learn more at ArcticDeclaration.org, and please sign on today.

4. You’ll be asked to say why you’re starting this petition. You’ll want to keep this short, but it’s a good way to tell your friends and neighbors why this is important to you. If you get stumped, here’s a sample:

“The Arctic is an amazing place, home to whales, polar bears, and other amazing creatures. We need to act now to protect it for future generations.”

5. Once you start your petition, you’ll be given options to share it on email, Facebook, and Twitter. This is the important part — your petition will only be effective if you do everything you can to make sure your friends, family, and neighbors see it, sign it, and share it. And be sure to use the exact link that MoveOn sends you in an email. Note: MoveOn will only send you emails to help promote your petition.

 

Start your petition for the Arctic now.

So far, five million people around the world have stood up for the Arctic, and over 500 leaders have signed on to the Arctic Declaration. We’ve won some big victories, including temporarily stopping Shell from drilling, but there is still much to do in order to protect the Arctic once and for all.

The time is now to take the campaign to our communities, and you can take the first step by starting a petition in yours today. 

For the Arctic,

Ben Smith
Greenpeace USA Senior National Organizer

P.S. Your leaders need to know that people in your community care about the Arctic — start a petition today!

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Progressives

Where do the American people stand on the environment?

  • 62% oppose the subsidies that the federal government gives to oil, gas and coal companies.

    Reason-Rupe/ Princeton Survey Research Associates International

  • 65% favor setting stricter emission limits on power plants in order to address climate change.

    Pew Research Center

56% of House Republicans deny the basic science behind climate change.

72 percent of statements about climate change on Fox News were misleading, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.

The American people aren’t falling for it. The news media may think we’re stupid, but the polls show otherwise.

The Populist Majority is a new project from the Campaign for America’s Future, funded by people like you to encourage politicians and policy makers to take progressive positions on the major economic and social issues of the times.

Can you chip in with a donation today?
Donate

We’re going to spread this message to the media, to Congress and to the country. America is not a ‘center right’ country. It’s a country ready for change.

We are almost at our funding goal. Click here to make a donation of any amount today.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Help Wendy Davis

You’ve seen the recent poll, you’ve watched our ad, and you know the momentum is with this campaign. Now we need your help in recruiting folks to join our field staff and assist in our statewide effort to elect Wendy Davis Governor of Texas.

This is a terrific opportunity — no matter where you live now — to get some hands-on experience with an exciting political campaign. You’ll be an integral part of our grassroots organization by managing volunteers and supporters from all across Texas who are ready to work hard to bring a different kind of leadership to Austin.

All you need is a strong work ethic – preferably one that lasts for 12 hours a day 7 days a week, the ability to knock on doors and talk with potential voters, and a desire to elect a governor who’ll make sure every Texan’s voice is heard. You don’t need previous campaign experience. We’ll teach you how to talk to voters about Wendy and organize your volunteers towards a win in November.

If you want to be a part of history, apply now: Just click here for all the details.

Please feel free to forward this email to someone you think might be interested. Texas is a big state so we’re counting on Team Wendy to the cast a wide net.

I couldn’t be prouder of my staff and would love to add your name to the list.

Chris

Chris Turner
Campaign Manager
Wendy R. Davis for Governor, Inc.