Tag Archives: Shawn Atleo

A vast majority of women serving in Congress today are there because they won tough open primaries. So, when an elected official retires or moves up to higher office, EMILY’s List jumps on the opportunity to get a pro-choice Democratic woman to run for that seat.

So you’ve read all the news stories about the waves of House retirements, right? Well so have we. Watch our behind-the-scenes strategy briefing about some EMILY’s List women currently trying to fill those seats by competing in open primary races:

Thanks for watching,

Jess McIntosh
Communications Director, EMILY’s List

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

NOAA … Stop midrange sonar & explosive testing

04/08/2014 Nativegrl77

Stop the testing of midrange sonar and testing of explosives in the Pacific Northwest.

Petition by Mary Powell

To be delivered to Commander of the Pacific Fleet, Mark Matsunaga Public Affairs Officer, National Marine Fisheries Services/ NOAA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Governor Jay Inslee of Washington, Governor Sean Parnell of Alaska and 2 other targets (click here to see more)

Petition Statement

The Naval Pacific Fleet should not be allowed to test a midrange sonar system damaging to threatened and endangered marine mammals in an area extending from Alaska to Northern California, including the inland waters of Washington. Additional training and testing should be curtailed until the cumulative effects of their activities have been studied in this already very stressed ecosystem.

There are currently 7,457 signatures. NEW goal – We need 7,500 signatures!

Sign the petition

The inland waters of the Eastern North Pacific particularly Puget Sound and the Salish Sea are experiencing stress already and the science and governmental action needed to prevent or remediate problems is not being supported. The Navy’s EIS admits that Midrange sonar testing is damaging to threatened and endangered Dolphins and Whales who are dependent on the use of sonar for hunting. The Navy already conducts hundreds of explosive tests and training exercises in the test area with potential for ingestion of pollutants, entanglement, physical damage, and stress on the entire marine environment. These stressors can be cumulative and have widespread affects on the whole ecosystem besides threatened and endangered mammals. The Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed at: http://www.nwtteis.com

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

PM Harper and Idle No More

03/06/2013 Nativegrl77

What are some of the movement’s key objections to the changes to those 3 acts?

Indian Act: First Nations communities can now lease designated reserve lands if a majority attending a meeting called for that purpose vote to do so, regardless of how many people show up. Previously, approval required the support of a majority of eligible voters.

Shawn Atleo, the national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, drums at the centre of the Idle No More protest on Parliament Hill Dec. 21. (Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

The Aboriginal Affairs minister can call the meeting to consider surrendering band territory. The minister can choose to ignore a resolution from the band council that’s in opposition to a decision at the meeting.

Idle No More says these changes allow “for easier opening of treaty lands and territory.”

Navigation Protection Act: Under the act, major pipeline and power line project advocates aren’t required to prove their project won’t damage or destroy a navigable waterway it crosses, unless the waterway is on a list prepared by the transportation minister. Idle No More claims the amendments remove that protection for 99.9 per cent of lakes and rivers in Canada.

Environmental Assessment Act: The first omnibus budget bill had already overhauled the assessment process and the second one reduces further the number of projects that would require assessment under the old provisions. Idle No More objects to the faster approval process.