Tag Archives: President

#JusticeForMikeBrown ~~~ #Ferguson police confiscate​d our billboard!


During an event in Ferguson where hundreds of people marched for an end to police brutality, police confiscated our Governor Nixon mobile billboard and arrested the truck driver, who was then held in police custody for hours and later released.1 Witnesses say police in an unmarked car targeted the driver and ripped him from the truck before he was even able to undo his seat belt.

It’s a shameful attempt to silence our message and diminish our power, but we won’t be stopped. Now, the “accountability truck” is back on the road and it’s time to redouble our efforts to hold Governor Nixon accountable. In just a few days, a grand jury will decide whether or not Officer Darren Wilson will be held acountable for killing Mike Brown — meaning the time for Gov. Nixon to secure a special prosecutor and protect the right to free speech and peaceful protest is now.

Will you help amplify already growing media and public pressure on Governor Nixon?

Share this image of the Governor Nixon “accountability truck” on Facebook.

Tweet this image at Governor Nixon.

Picture of billboard outside Governor Nixon's office, image reads: Go. Nixon, what will you do in this moment with the whole world watching

When communities are prevented from speaking out and challenging their country we are no longer in a democracy; we are no longer in America. From the unconstitutional “keep walking” rule that was ultimately shutdown by a federal judge2 to unlawful arrests, tear gas, and rubber bullets,3 Missouri law enforcement have consistently violated the constitutional right to free speech and peaceful demonstration since Officer Wilson killed Mike Brown. The confiscation of the “accountability truck” and arrest of the driver is just another instance of these outrageous and discriminatory intimidation tactics and police abuse, which Governor Nixon must immediately address.

Right now there are military tanks in St. Louis, which suggest police are preparing to crackdown on peaceful protesters after the grand jury verdict is announced.4 Failure by Governor Nixon to take immediate action to keep Black Missourians safe and secure justice for Mike Brown only condones further police brutality and human rights violations. We will not sit idly by as police treat courageous Missourians as enemy combatants.

If enough people take action today, we can show Governor Nixon the cost of his inaction and hold him accountable for securing a special prosecutor and enforcing a higher standard of police conduct across the state.

Call out Governor Nixon’s failed leadership on Facebook.

Demand #JusticeForMikeBrown on Twitter.

Thanks and peace,

—Rashad, Matt, Arisha, Lyla, Jamar and the rest of the ColorOfChange team
November 8th, 2014

References

1. “Activists rip Ferguson cops for seizing ‘rolling billboard’ criticizing Gov. Jay Nixon,” RawStory 11-06-2014 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4324?t=6&akid=3893.1174326.EfyXLv

2. “Ferguson protest leaders seek 48 hours’ notice of indictment decision” Guardian 11-06-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4325?t=8&akid=3893.1174326.EfyXLv

3. “Police Violated Constitutional Rights Of Ferguson Protesters, Federal Judge Rules” Huffington Post 10-06-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4326?t=10&akid=3893.1174326.EfyXLv

4. “On the Streets of America: Human Rights Abuses in Ferguson,” Amnesty International Report 10-24-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4327?t=12&akid=3893.1174326.EfyXLv

5. ShordeeDooWhop Tweet 11-05-2014
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4328?t=14&akid=3893.1174326.EfyXLv

 

55% of our nation’s streams& rivers are in poor condition, unfit for swimming, drinking or fishing..repost


Boys fishing. (iStockphoto)

BREAKING ACTION! Clean Water Rule just released—help protect it from imminent attack! Today, President Obama finalized a strong rule making clean water a priority.

Send your thanks and urge him to stand strong against congressional attacks.

Today, after a decade of uncertainty created by the Supreme Court and the previous administration, President Obama and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy have finalized a strong, commonsense rule to make clean water a priority by protecting the sources of drinking water supplies for more than 117 million Americans.

Thank the Administration for protecting clean water!

More than 800,000 Americans like you have called on the administration to finalize the clean water rule. Now it’s time to stand up once again for strong water protections.

Over the past decade, Earthjustice has been working hard to strengthen national Clean Water Act standards, establish legal precedents that raise the bar for polluters, and close loopholes that let polluters off the hook.

The Clean Water rule will:

  • Reduce confusion over which waters are protected by our environmental laws
  • Restore key environmental protections to many waters across the country that are currently vulnerable to toxic pollution
  • Provide hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits
  • Ensure that our rivers, streams and wetlands are protected for future generations to enjoy

Unfortunately, Congress is determined to put the interests of polluters ahead of clean water, including the quality of the water your family drinks. Members of both chambers are doing everything they can to block this rule so their polluter friends can easily dump waste in our waterways. That’s why it’s critical that we all stand up now to protect our clean water!

Join us in thanking the President for standing up to polluters by finalizing the clean water rule, and urge him to stand strong against congressional attacks.

Sincerely,

Chris Espinosa
Legislative Representative

Cinnamon Toast Crunch … Homemade


English: A Bowl Of Cinnamon Toast Crunch
English: A Bowl Of Cinnamon Toast Crunch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Homemade Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Makes 5 to 6 cups

1¼ c. white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour
1¼ c. all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon

⅓ c. coconut oil, at room temperature (or room temperature butter)
⅓ c. brown sugar

2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

2 tbsp. honey
½ c. buttermilk maybe coconut milk

For the cinnamon sugar topping
1 tbsp. coconut oil, melted (or melted butter)

2 tbsp. granulated sugar
¾ tsp. cinnamon

Re: Tell President Obama: No More Public Lands and Waters Giveaways


Ran
 I wanted to make sure you’d seen this, from Monday. It’s been five years since BP’s Deepwater Horizon disaster, but the Gulf Coast is still suffering. President Obama can help ensure there are no more Gulf oil spills — and establish his climate legacy at the same time.We’ve already had a great response from thousands of RAN supporters. Will you join them by adding your voice?

Tell President Obama: no more oil, coal and gas leases in coastal waters and on public lands.

Five years ago today, BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded, killing eleven people and sending some 210 million barrels of oil flooding into the Gulf of Mexico. President Obama called it “the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced”.1

Never again. The president can help ensure there are no more disasters like the Deepwater Horizon — and establish his climate legacy at the same time. Call on President Obama to stop leasing our public lands and waters to the fossil fuel industry.

BP5_NEVER_AGAIN_720x720_2.png

The Gulf Coast is still suffering. The 170,000 workers who cleaned up the spill are at greater risk for cancer, and kidney and liver disease.2 Last year, dolphins and whales off the Louisiana coast died at four times the usual rates.3 And 10 million gallons of oil sit on the Gulf floor in a congealed “bath mat” the size of Rhode Island.4

BP controls more of the deepwater Gulf than any other oil company, with an outrageous 600 leases.5 In the case of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, a U.S. judge found BP’s conduct to be “grossly negligent”.6 But — to be clear — when it comes to the fossil fuel industry, gross negligence is business as usual.

So we’re joining our friends at CREDO Action to say: No more Gulf oil spills. No more giving away our public lands and waters to rapacious fossil fuel companies that care only about their profits. Tell President Obama to issue an executive order now.

President Obama wants to be remembered as a climate leader. But he has a huge climate blindspot. While the president has pushed for international agreements to limit carbon pollution, he’s also presided over a massive drilling boom on our public lands and in our coastal waters.

That explosive growth is killing the climate. Emissions from federally managed lands and waters cause approximately 24 percent of U.S. energy-related greenhouse gas emissions annually — mostly from coal, oil and gas.7

The solution is simple. If President Obama wants to establish a real climate legacy, he should issue an executive order instructing federal agencies to stop granting new and expanded leases to extract fossil fuels from public lands.

To avoid catastrophic climate change, scientists say we must keep between 67% and 80% of the world’s remaining fossil fuels in the ground.8 One quarter of U.S. fossil fuel production happens on federally-managed lands and waters. The president can take a huge step towards stopping climate change — and preventing future Gulf oil spills. Urge him to issue an executive order today.

For our lands and our waters, our communities and our climate,

Amanda_400x400.jpg Amanda Starbuck
Climate and Energy Program Director
Rainforest Action Network

P.S. Bridge the Gulf, Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and Idle No More Gulf Coast are among the many organizations fighting for justice and accountability in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. On this fifth anniversary of the BP disaster, support them today.

Sources:

1. “Remarks by the President to the Nation on the BP Oil Spill”, White House Office of the Press Secretary, June 15, 2010
2. “BP Oil Spill Cleanup Workers Are At Higher Risk Of Sickness, Cancer”, ThinkProgress, Sep. 17, 2013
3. “Science Links Dolphin Deaths to BP Oil Spill – Again”, National Wildlife Federation, Feb. 13, 2015
4. “Scientists have found a 10 million gallon ‘bath mat’ of oil on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico”, Business Insider, Feb. 4, 2015
5. “Deepwater Gulf of Mexico”, BP
6. “U.S. judge upholds BP ‘gross negligence’ Gulf spill ruling”, Reuters, Nov. 13, 2014
7. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Fossil Energy Extracted from Federal Lands and Waters: An Update”, Stratus Consulting, prepared for The Wilderness Society, Dec. 23, 2014
8. “Unburnable Carbon 2013: Wasted capital and stranded assets”, Carbon Tracker Initiative & Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, 2013; “Climate Change 2014: Synthesis Report”, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014.