Tag Archives: reviews

Whaling ban survives


Latest news and action alert from Greenpeace

We did it! Thanks to YOU, the Obama Administration kept its promise to save whales at the International Whaling Commission (IWC) talks. As a result, the IWC was unable to lift the ban on commercial whaling!

As I sat in a stuffy meeting room in Agadir, Morocco with delegates and representatives from other nations, I knew I wasn’t alone in working to help save the whales. I had more than 1.5 million passionate people, like YOU, with me there in spirit supporting the whales and standing up to tell the President that they deserve to be saved, not slaughtered.

While the gathering nations failed to implement new plans for whale conservation, I’m pleased that our President and his team stood their ground in the end, thanks to your efforts.

This year, the best we could do was preventing the IWC from rolling back protections for whales. Next year, we need to apply even more pressure so the IWC will close dangerous loopholes that have allowed Japan, Iceland, and Norway to continue killing whales.

Thank you for all your support. The whales are breathing a big sigh of relief!

For the whales,
Phil Kline
Phil Kline
Oceans Campaigner

TGIF …&some News


Day 66 in the BP disaster and no end in sight and though people are pissed this is not the fault of the President …

MJ is being celebrated all over the country; maybe all over the World and the same ole comments about him being strange and or weird by people in the Media is just wrong because these kids are watching listening to folks who said much worse when he was alive but you know what -what happened to respecting the dead? I will not be watching gone too soon because of the ian halprin connection… It is yet another vehicle to make money off MJ and it’s offensive that he and so many others have done so; he stated the payroll or people still living off MJ is offensive … what do you call what he is doing eh?

Storms are moving in all along the Gulf and the country  … in more ways than we all want to think about. It’s time that Americans stir up their own storms all across the country to tell Senator Ben Nelson and Republicans what they have done is unacceptable and will clearly bring us all back to that day when the President announced over 750thousand jobs were lost per month and destroy the efforts already accomplished.

Today the President will be in Canada at the G20/G8 summit, Italy and France both were eliminated in the 1st round of soccer but the US will be playing Ghana Saturday and the players and coaches all say they will be throwing everything they got at Ghana, Florida closes more beaches due to oil washing on shore. Gov. Jindal has made some comments about the impact that is being made from the previous moratorium that seems odd to me as a mom, worker, and safety-first advocate. It is obvious that those who worked for oil rigs in the area have lost their jobs but who would begrudge a President from wanting to have each well checked for safety given the history that BP seems to have and it apparently is not the best. The Gov of LA stated that the moratorium should be overturned because it would affect their economy. Yes, it is true and the Alabama judge agreed with Governor Jindal. It just seems strange that we have yet to fix the current oil well gushing into the Gulf with Reporters stating that other wells may need to be adjusted and or at least new rules need to be implemented. It is obvious the Feldman decision will be appealed.

The question is -what happens if there is another accident, does that mean Gov Jindal is directly responsible if anything happens? Did you know that only 33 wells out of 36 hundred were placed in moratorium status  and while people would be out of work for 6 months over 3thousand are still functioning and maybe it’s just me but couldn’t the workers from the 33 be distributed to the over 3000 functioning wells to work on? in addition, how strange is it that Jindal and the rest of the Republicans wanted the moratorium overturned because of jobs but they refuse to help the rest of the country with a YES to the jobs bill… talk about hypocrisy.

Reports are that the conferees committee voted to move reform forward and was and are a great achievement but this is not the final vote. It sounds like this committee tried to have courage but felt any true reform might make folks run to other countries to keep their money. The bill will need to go through both Chambers of Congress before a final vote but this is a start to reforming Wall Street which will need adjustments to reflect what is going on in the world as well. I admit it is good that the President was able to take the agreement with him to the summit and just heard this reform was bigger than any other since the depression.

Other News …

C-SPAN …

Conferees Approve financial regulation bill, 27-16 on Thursday evening

The House-Senate conference committee on the financial regulations bill wrapped up its work early today following a marathon 20-hour session. The measure passed out of conference on a party line vote, with 27 Democrats voting for it, and 16 Republicans voting against. In remarks this morning before his departure to Canada for the G-8 summit, President Obama praised the conferess for passing what he said is the “strongest financial reform since the Great Depression.” The legislation now goes back to both chambers for final consideration. The House Conference Chairman Barney Frank (D-MA) said he hopes to see the legislation signed into law by President Obama before July 4th.

Oil Creeps Along Florida Coast; Moratorium Remains Overturned

Portions of Pensacola Beach are closed in order for workers to remove oil from the sand. At least 33 miles of Florida’s Panhandle beaches have health advisories suggesting that people should not swim or fish in the water.  Yesterday, a federal judge denied a request to keep a deepwater drilling moratorium in place, pending a government appeal. The moratorium prohibits drilling in more than 500 feet of water and prevents new permits from being issued.
BP replaced the containment cap over the underwater well Wednesday night after an accident that morning forced BP to stop their containment efforts. Earlier this week, Adm. Thad Allen announced that authorities are exploring whether pipelines could be extended from the well to several platforms elsewhere in the Gulf where oil could be captured or sent to a different reservoir. This option would allow containment to continue in the event of a hurricane.
World Leaders meet to discuss global issues

World Leaders meet to discuss global issues

TodayPresident Obama and seven other world leaders are in Canada for the two-day G-8 “Group of Eight” summit. The leaders will likely focus their talks on regional and global issues, disaster relief and health related issues. The countries being represented at the G-8 include: United States, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada and Russia.

Following the two-day forum will be the larger G-20 meeting, an economic forum summit set up to discuss strategies for restoring global growth, and measures for reforming global trade and financial governance.

Introducing RaiseYourVote.com


Organizing for America

We just launched RaiseYourVote.com, the centerpiece of our huge voter registration effort.

RaiseYourVote.com isn’t just a voter registration site. It serves as a powerful clearinghouse for voter information across the country — armed with pretty much everything you need to know to cast your ballot. It even automatically personalizes to the user’s location — so when you visit the site, you’ll see voter information for your state.

But the power of a site like this depends on how many voters see it.

Check out RaiseYourVote.com today — and please share it with your friends.

Introducing RaiseYourVote.com. Check it out.

The 2008 election was a pivotal moment for our democracy. We saw 15 million people cast ballots for the first time and millions more vote for the first time in decades. These voters helped put President Obama over the top, and made the difference in tight races across the country.

This site is about ensuring that we build on that same energy this year. Congressional elections are known to have lower participation than those for president, so we’re starting early with a tool that will help get more Americans involved. And, really, RaiseYourVote.com is just the online part of our unprecedented voter registration efforts already under way on the ground, which we’re ramping up with a national voter registration day of action across the country on July 17th.

Casting a ballot shouldn’t be too hard or confusing for anyone — and we’re trying to make it as easy as possible for everyone to get the information they need. In fact, we even created a RaiseYourVote.com “widget” that users can install on their own blogs or websites, making it easy for people everywhere to make registering to vote as simple as possible.

Please help us spread the word — send it on to three friends today:

Garland County update


Michael Snook with the PCCC.

You requested an update on the Garland County voter suppression situation in Arkansas. We wanted to send you the latest…

First the good news: Charles Tapp, the election commissioner who reduced the number of polling stations from 42 to 2 in the runoff, was forced to resign. This is a clear recognition that Garland County failed to do its job.

This resignation prompted the main voter disenfranchisement lawsuit brought by local attorney Ben Hooten to be dropped. At this time, no other legal action is ongoing but the situation is fluid.

Charles Tapp was replaced first by Gina Watson, but she was then replaced by George Hozendorf, chairmain of the Garland County Democratic Party, in a legally questionable removal vote. The Board of Election Commissioners told KARK TV that “there is no legal process for removing someone mid-term”. The Garland County Election Commission remains in turmoil after this election fiasco.

If you want to contact the local ACLU to share your thoughts, the number is: (501) 374-2660.

We’ll keep you updated on any new developments.

Thanks,

Michael Snook

Texas GOP says gays shouldn’t have custody of children


Sign the petition to RNC Chairman Michael Steele:

What you are about to read is shocking but true.

The 2010 Texas Republican Party Platform says gay people shouldn’t have custody of children.1

It says issuing a marriage license or performing a marriage ceremony for a same-sex couple should be punishable by jail time.2

It wants to restore 19th-century Texas statutes outlawing sex between men.3

It’s one thing for extremist groups to spout this type of bigotry. But one of the nation’s two main political parties? That’s taking it WAY too far.

The Republican National Committee is trying to avoid the issue, but a huge public outcry can force them to take sides. Is this really what they want voters to think the GOP stands for as the 2010 elections approach?

At a time when Americans are looking for real solutions to the challenges we face, the Texas GOP decided to focus on propaganda, not policy:

“Homosexuality tears at the fabric of society, contributes to the breakdown of the family unit, and leads to the spread of dangerous, communicable diseases.”

“Homosexuality must not be presented as an acceptable ‘alternative’ lifestyle in our public education and policy, nor should ‘family’ be redefined to include homosexual ‘couples.'”

“We oppose the recognition of and granting of benefits to people who represent themselves as domestic partners without being legally married.”

They’re not just against marriage equality; they’re against basic equal rights. They think it should be 100% legal to fire someone for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). Even their word choice shows a possible anti-transgender bias, using the phrases “natural man” and “natural woman.” The list goes on – far beyond the usual Republican talking points on “traditional family values” and even the GOP platforms in other conservative states.

And they don’t stop with attacking LGBT citizens. They also call for evicting the United Nations from the U.S., requiring drivers’ licenses to indicate citizenship, opposing legislation to allow stem cell research, rescinding no-fault divorce laws, reversing Roe v. Wade, and shutting down the U.S. Department of Education.

I want to be clear: HRC is a bipartisan organization. We’ve endorsed Republican candidates for election. So this isn’t about party politics – it’s about deep intolerance that deserves to be rejected.

After you’ve signed, please spread the word to your friends – LGBT and straight, Republican and Democrat – and help us get the word out.

Let’s not allow the national Republican Party to hem and haw their way out of this one.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese
Joe Solmonese
President

P.S. The full platform is available here (PDF).