Tag Archives: Supreme Court of the United States

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The Arctic 30


Shots fired so close they felt the splash in the water. Knives bared to slash their rubber boats. Russian special forces storming their ship from a helicopter. Five days incommunicado at sea under armed guard. And now, two months of detention in Russian jails. All for a peaceful protest to protect the Arctic. 

It’s now been 13 days that our activists have been detained in Russia. Please click here to email your local Russian embassy demanding their immediate release.

If you have already sent a message, please share this page with your friends and family today.

Free the Arctic 30
You already know that 28 Greenpeace International activists and two freelance photojournalists were detained by Russian authorities after attempting a peaceful protest at a Gazprom oil platform in the Russian Arctic to protect the fragile region from the disastrous consequences of reckless drilling.

Now our brave activists and crew, along with two freelancers that accompanied them, are to be held without charge for two months pending an investigation into potential piracy charges – an unfounded accusation that even Russian President Putin has dismissed.1

Since then, over half a million people have written letters to their Russian embassies, demanding the immediate release of our activists, and the call to #FreeTheArctic30 has spread like wildfire all over the world. From governments to NGOs and independent legal experts,2 there’s been a ringing global cry to free the Arctic 30 that the Russian authorities will find it hard to ignore.

Gazprom just signed a massive deal with Shell, and together they are leading the mad rush to drill in the melting Arctic for more of the stuff that is causing devastating climate change. Just last week, Arctic sea ice reached its lowest point all year — the sixth lowest in recorded history. Last Friday, the IPCC released a report stressing the urgent need for action on climate change.

This moment is critical. The time is now to raise our voices to protect the Arctic, to speak out for those who are being silenced by the authorities for protesting against the destruction of our planet, and to stand up against the collusion of governments and companies in crimes against our future.

Are you in? Send a message to your local Russian embassy now.

In solidarity,

Ben Ayliffe
Arctic Campaigner
Greenpeace

1On September 25, President Vladimir Putin said “It is absolutely evident that they are, of course, not pirates” in reference to the Greenpeace activists arrested by the Russian authorities http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/25/us-russia-greenpeace-idUSBRE98O09I20130925
2 What independent legal experts have said about the Russian authorities’ seizure of our ship: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/features/legal-experts-on-arctic-sunrise/

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Top 3: North Carolina’s Latest Plan To Suppress The Vote

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WHY PEOPLE CARE MORE ABOUT PAULA DEEN’S LANGUAGE THAN HOW SHE TREATS HER EMPLOYEES

THE SAD TRUTH ABOUT RACIAL PROFILING IN AMERICA

NORTH CAROLINA SLASHES VOTING RIGHTS
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The True Cost of Climate Change


 By ThinkProgress War Room

Extreme Weather is Extremely Costly

We’re now six months out from Superstorm Sandy, which should serve as a reminder that we’re experiencing more damaging extreme weather events linked to climate change. And with the mounting frequency and severity of these events will come mounting costs.

A new report from our Center for American Progress colleagues finds a rather dramatic level of federal disaster relief spending – an average of $400 per household annually. You should check out the full report, but here’s an infographic that lays out the key facts:

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Choice : In The Courts


 NARAL Pro-Choice Washington

 

Historically, our federal court system has played an important role in protecting citizens’ civil rights. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme court guaranteed women the right to choose an abortion in the landmark case Roe v. Wade. Since then, the court has upheld the core principles outlined in Roe v. Wade, but has agreed to hear cases brought forth by lower courts that are efforts to restrict access to abortion. With a bare 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court in support of Roe v. Wade, it is more important than ever that we protect the independence and objectivity of our courts.

Below you can learn more about attempts to chip away at a woman’s right to choose. Most recently,the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to uphold Bush’s Abortion Ban Act of 2003. This ruling prevents doctors from performing an abortion procedure that is often necessary to protect the health of the woman. This decision allows the state to intervene in a medical decision that should be left between doctors and patients.