Tag Archives: Republican

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Breaking News on NJ Pregnancy Discrimination Law!

New Jersey Pregnancy Bill Passes in Both Houses; Headed to the Governor’s Desk!
Dear Friend,
Moments ago, the General Assembly of New Jersey followed the State Senate’s footsteps in passing a bill that would help New Jersey women keep their jobs and stay healthy while pregnant. But the fight isn’t over–  New Jersey Governor Chris Christie still needs to sign the bill by January 14th for it to become law. If you want to help New Jersey start off 2014 by ending pregnancy discrimination, call Governor Chris Christie today at 609-292-6000 and ask him to sign this important bill into law.
Passage comes on the heels of New York City’s Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which goes into effect this month. Building off our victory in NYC, ABB helped to draft a similar bill for the women of New Jersey, and our own Dina Bakst and Phoebe Taubman testified in support of the bill late last year. But we aren’t stopping until the bill becomes law.
No woman should be fired or pushed out of her job because she needs a modest accommodation at work to protect her health. We won these rights for the women of New York City, and we intend to win them for our neighbors in New Jersey. But ABB can’t do it without your support. Please take a moment to call  Governor Christie, and let him know the women of New Jersey shouldn’t have to choose between their job and a healthy pregnancy.

Courtesy Game Face Productions
Here’s what you can say when you call  Governor Christie at 609-292-6000 today:
I am calling in support of S2995, because no woman should have to choose between her job and a healthy pregnancy. If he supports working families, Governor Christie should sign this important bill today, and end pregnancy discrimination in New Jersey.
If you live in New Jersey, please make sure you let Governor Christie know that you are a constituent!
Happy New Year and Thank You for All Your Support,
The ABB Team: Sherry, Dina, Phoebe, Jared, Elizabeth, Liz, Risha & Rachel
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

What you should know …


By 

Today’s Top News

2014 is already off to a running start. Here’s today’s news to know.

  • Supreme Court Stays Marriage Equality In Utah: Though today’s order will come as a disappointment to the many same-sex couples whose marriages are now in limbo until this case is finally resolved, it is not a particularly surprising order. Nor does it reveal much about how the justices view the merits of the case.
  • The 7 Worst Moments Of Liz Cheney’s Aborted Senate Campaign: Liz Cheney, a former George W. Bush administration state department official and daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, announced Monday that she will end her primary challenge to Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY), a third-term Senator who ranked as the eighth most conservative member of the Senate in 2012. Her less-than-five-month campaign was plagued by poor press and political missteps. Here’s a look back at the worst of them.
  • One Of The Steubenville Rapists Has Been Freed After 9 Months: Ma’lik Richmond, one of the two young football players who was found “delinquent” of having raped a young girl in Steubenville, OH, last year, has been freed from his sentence at a juvenile detention facility. Though the sentence was supposed to carry a minimum of one year in detention, Richmond got out early on good behavior. He served nine months.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

By The Numbers …


By 

Obamacare Numbers to Know

Yesterday was a big day for millions of Americans. The health coverage they received under the Affordable Care Act went into effect. For many of these millions, it may be the first time they’ve ever had the security of quality, affordable health coverage.

Here are some key numbers to know as we enter this new, exciting phase of Obamacare:

2,000,000….the record number of Americans who visited HealthCare.gov on December 23.

6,000,000+….the total number of Americans who have obtained health coverage through the state and federal health care marketplaces or Medicaid since October 1.

2,100,000+….the number of Americans who have obtained private health insurance through the state and federal health care marketplaces.

3,900,000….the number of Americans who were found to be eligible for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program just during the months of October and November alone.

4,800,000….the number of low-income Americans who will not receive health coverage simply because Republican governors and legislatures in half the states are refusing to expand Medicaid.

10,000….the actual number of Americans nationwide who “would be unable to renew their cancelled policies, unable to receive subsidized coverage through the marketplace or Medicaid, and unable to enroll in catastrophic coverage,” which is a far cry from Republican claims that 5 million people would lose coverage because their substandard plans were cancelled by insurance companies.

BOTTOM LINE: Obamacare is working and millions of Americans have health coverage right now thanks to the Affordable Care Act — and millions more will get covered before open enrollment ends in March. Every Republican attempt to dismantle, disrupt, and destroy the law is now an attempt to take away coverage from these Americans and the tens of millions of others who have benefited from the law, including women, seniors, young people, and those with pre-existing conditions.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Stop the massacres


                                Dear friends in the Avaaz Community,


Up to 15,000 dolphins are being killed every year in Peru’s waters — for bait to catch endangered sharks. A new report has forced the government to respond but they’re not taking enough action yet and meanwhile the dolphins and the sharks are being killed. We can stop the massacre by threatening Peru’s international reputation as a tourism destination. Sign now and share: 
SIGN THE PETITION

I just saw a report on the news in Peru showing how fishermen are slaughtering up to 15,000 dolphins every year — for bait to catch endangered sharks. The entire story made me sick — and now I’m fighting to end this nightmare. Will you join me?
My government is starting to react, but they’re not taking enough action yet. Dolphin hunting is already illegal and punishable with several years in prison, but authorities are turning a blind eye — allowing thousands of dolphins and sharks to be butchered. The government cares a lot about Peru’s international reputation, especially for tourism, and if we can make them feel embarrassed with a massive global campaign, I’m sure they’ll start taking action to end the massacre.
Once I deliver a million signatures from all over the world to the government of Peru, Avaaz will place ads in tourism magazines in countries where most of our tourists come from and the government won’t be able to ignore us! Help me stop the brutal slaughter by signing now:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/dolphin_hunt_peru/?biEWLbb&v=33625
When I saw this horrific hunt I realised I needed to do something about it before our dolphins and sharks are gone forever. So I decided to set up a petition and shared it with my friends and in less than 24 hours over 10,000 people had signed it!
Our oceans are under attack. Sharks and dolphins already face threats from pollution, climate change and entanglement in fishing gear. They play an important role as ocean predators and need to be protected — not butchered. Many marine ecosystems are on the verge of collapse from which they won’t recover and they will not wait while our politicians dither around making empty statements.
Tourism is Peru’s third largest industry, growing faster than any other South American country. Visitors are coming to see our pristine wilderness and eco-tourism is very important. We can create a serious threat by taking out hard-hitting ads in key countries where most visitors are coming from. Our government will realise people not only love our country because of the Machu Picchu and local gastronomy but also because they love our oceans and wildlife. Sign now and share this with everyone:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/dolphin_hunt_peru/?biEWLbb&v=33625
As an Avaaz member I’ve been truly amazed at our ability to help protect our oceans. At first, I wanted to get 15,000 signatures to represent the 15,000 dolphins that are killed every year but together we can represent all the dolphins and the sharks that can be saved in Peru’s waters!
With hope and excitement,
Zoe — together with the Avaaz Community Petitions Team
This petition was started on the Avaaz Community Petitions Site. It’s quick and easy to start a petition on any issue you care about, click here: http://avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?30311
MORE INFORMATION:
Dolphins killed for shark bait in Peru (CNN) http://edition.cnn.com/2013/10/22/world/americas/dolphins-killed-peru/
Dolphin Slaughter Fueled by Illegal Shark Trade (National Geographic) http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2013/10/24/dolphin-slaughter-fueled-by-illegal-shark-trade/
Revealed: brutal reality of world’s ‘biggest dolphin hunt’ (The Ecologist)  http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/2122747/revealed_brutal_reality_of_worlds_biggest_dolphin_hunt

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Week in Crazy … and a Reminder for 2014 Voters


This is a repost from June 2013 …

10 Crazy Things the Right Did … This Week

By  ThinkProgress War Room

Another week of the insane, inane, and outright offensive. Here’s your top ten:

  1. House Republicans pass plan to deport DREAMers. Just as the Senate is about to consider a bipartisan immigration reform plan, House Republicans, led by virulently anti-immigrant Rep. Steve King (R-IA), passed a mean-spirited plan to deport DREAMers. Boos filled the chamber as the vote was gaveled.
  2. GOP Senator says we can’t pass immigration reform because of government spying programs. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) used the revelations regarding the NSA’s spying programs as his latest excuse for not passing immigration reform.
  3. Republican-appointed federal judge says blacks and Hispanics are “predisposed to crime.” Judge Edith Jones, a member of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, a circuit overseeing a large number of death penalty cases, made her outrageous comments about minorities during a speech earlier this year. The judge, who has a long history of troubling behavior, added that the death penalty is a public service because it’s the only way an inmate can “make peace with God.”
  4. Congressman loses it on the House floor. Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK) lost it during a rant on the House floor during which he accused the president of “dishonesty, incompetence, vengefulness and lack of moral compass [that] lead many to suggest that he is not fit to lead.”
  5. Senator suggests porn is to blame for military sexual assaults. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), most recently known for being the chief opponent of immigration reform, suggested that porn is responsible for the epidemic of sexual assault plaguing the military.
  6. Republican governor schedules costly special election to lower Democratic turnout during the general election. Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) is far head in the polls in his bid for re-election, yet he appears to have scheduled a special election to fill the seat of recently deceased Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) to keep Democratic turnout low the day he and Republican state legislators will be on the ballot. The election will cost $12 MILLION or more and is taking place less than a month before the November general election.
  7. Fox Business refuses to run an ad critical of Fox contributors. After a spate of male Fox contributors made disparaging and sexist comments about female breadwinners, the group UltraViolet sought to run an ad on Fox Business critical of their comments. The network refused to air it.
  8. Anti-Obamacare states pass up billions in funds meant to help the poor get health insurance. The red states that are refusing to expand Medicaid under Obamacare are set to lose out on $8 BILLION in funding, which will cause them to leave an additional 3.6 MILLION Americans uninsured simply out of spite.
  9. Wall Street Journal editorial board member says bike share is a “totalitarian” plot. Dorothy Rabinowitz assailed the newly unveiled bike share plan being rolled out in New York City. She complained that the city’s best neighborhoods were being “begrimed” by the bikes put in place by “totalitarian” Mayor Michael Bloomberg. She also described the “bike lobby” as an “all-powerful enterprise.”
  10. Congressional inquisitor-in-chief goes overboard on CNN. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been endlessly pursuing conspiracy theories and alleged Obama administration scandals for years, but he went more overboard than usual this week. During an appearance on CNN, Issa called White House Press Secretary Jay Carney “a paid liar.” Issa’s fellow Republicans reportedly told him to cool it following the incident.

BONUS: A Texas jury acquitted a man for the murder of a woman he hired as an escort, after his lawyers claimed he was authorized to use deadly force because she refused sex.