Tag Archives: United States Congress

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My family is in prison in the Middle East

04/21/2014 Nativegrl77

My sister Grace and her husband Matt are in prison in Qatar because they were accused of trafficking their adopted children. Sign my petition asking for US officials to pressure the Qatari government to release them immediately.

Sign Joanne’s Petition

In 2012, my sister Grace and her husband Matt moved to Qatar with their three children. What started as an exciting opportunity for Matt’s work has turned into a nightmare. My niece, Gloria, died suddenly last year, and Matt and Grace were completely devastated — as any parents would be.

But then things got much worse. The Qatari government decided that since Matt and Grace’s adopted kids are African and have special needs, Matt and Grace must have adopted them to harvest their organs or do medical experiments. So they took the kids away and threw Matt and Grace in jail.

It is ridiculous and insulting that the Qatari government would assume that Matt and Grace couldn’t be dedicated, loving parents just because their children are adopted. Our family is now caring for Matt and Grace’s other two kids while Matt and Grace are stuck in Qatar sentenced to three years in prison. Their trial was just a show that didn’t even include a conviction. Just a sentence.

I started a petition on Change.org calling on US officials to pressure the Qatari government to release Matt and Grace. Please click here to sign my petition and help me get my sister and brother-in-law home to be with their children.

Matt and Grace are two of the most amazing people I know. When they were adopting their kids, they specifically requested high needs children because they wanted to become parents to the kids who needed parents the most. The fact that the Qatari government could see something sinister in that absolutely turns my stomach.

I take solace in the fact that Qatar is vulnerable to international pressure right now, especially since they’re hosting an upcoming World Cup. US pressure has also been very successful in helping American prisoners get released in the past — I know one man got to come home from being unjustly held Nicaraguan prison after his family started a petition just like this one.

It absolutely kills me that when my nephews ask me when Mommy and Daddy are coming home, there’s nothing I can tell them except “I don’t know.” But I hope they’ll come home soon, because their kids miss them so much. I miss them so much. We need them to come home.

Please sign my petition calling on US officials to pressure the Qatari government to let Matt and Grace Huang come home.

Thank you,

Joanne Chin
Los Angeles, CA

~ pop culture, ~ Youtube ...gotta listen to this

Pre – order MJ

04/02/2014 Nativegrl77

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/xscape-deluxe/id850697616

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Iron Man …

02/27/2014 Nativegrl77

We Might Be Building Iron Man

Yesterday, President Obama announced new public-private manufacturing innovation institutes — one in Chicago and one in the Detroit area — that will help attract the types of high-quality jobs that a growing middle class requires.

But the President had another announcement, too:

I’m here to announce that we’re building Iron Man. I’m going to blast off in a second… this has been a secret project we’ve been working on for a long time. Not really. Maybe. It’s classified.

Find out more about yesterday’s announcement and Iron Man. Maybe.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks announcing two new public-private Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, and launches the first of four new Manufacturing Innovation Institute Competitions, in the East Room of the White House, Feb. 25, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Get Your Popcorn Ready! It’s the First-Ever White House Film Festival

On Friday, February 28, the White House is hosting the first-ever Student Film Festival, featuring the work of more than a dozen young filmmakers who created short films celebrating the role of technology in the classroom.

In celebration of the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move!, the First Lady and comedian Will Ferrell hosted a “focus group” with young kids to ask them about eating healthy and being active. Watch what they had to say.

This weekend, governors from across the nation gathered in Washington, D.C. for the 2014 National Governors Association Winter Meeting. During the meeting, the President reiterated his desire to work closely with the governors in order to make their states — and our nation as a whole — even better.

Public Transportation … and our future

02/27/2014 Nativegrl77

Don Hazen – AlterNet

Dear Friend,
Whether you use it or not, public transportation benefits everyone.
By reducing pollution, easing traffic congestion, and supporting local jobs, public transportationhelps our communities thrive and our economy grow. But we need continued investment in America’s public transit infrastructure to help ensure we’re prepared to meet the demands of a growing population—and to protect our environment.
If you agree, join Voices for Public Transit today!
By joining Voices for Public Transit, you can help us educate our lawmakers on the importance of supporting policies that encourage investment in public transit. Affordable, reliable public transportation helps:

Connect people to jobs, education, and other community service
Reduce air pollution and our carbon footprint
Ease traffic congestion
Create local jobs and strengthen our overall economy

Join Voices for Public Transit to join the debate over America’s public transportation.
America’s future depends on expanding our public transit infrastructure, and that will take investment and commitment from our elected officials. Show your support by joining Voices for Public Transit.
Together, we can strengthen and secure the future of America’s public transportation.
Sincerely,
Voices for Public Transit

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline V Woodland Caribou other wildlife, land and water

02/26/2014 Nativegrl77

Dear Activist,The Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is a serious threat to wildlife and our efforts to curb climate change.Secretary of State John Kerry has the first word on the pipeline and will be one of the key factors President Obama uses when making his final decision on the pipeline.

Help protect caribou and many more at-risk wildlife by sending a message urging Secretary Kerry to say no to the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline.

Thanks for all you do!

Bob Fertik

Woodland Caribou Habitat at Risk of Destruction

Speak up for caribou against tar sands oil development >>

Dear Friend of Wildlife,
A few weeks ago, the U.S. State Department released their final assessment on the environmental risks of the proposal to build the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline.
Following the release of the final environmental impact statement, Secretary of State John Kerry will have an opportunity to make a decision on the pipeline before it reaches President Obama’s desk.
The survival of thousands of woodland caribou in Alberta, Canada and many more wildlife is at stake with this pipeline decision, so it is absolutely critical that Secretary Kerry hear the strong opposition from America’s wildlife advocates.
Please help save woodland caribou’s habitat by telling Secretary of State John Kerry to say no to the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline today.
Sadly, the woodland caribou’s boreal forest habitat is already rapidly disappearing due to timber, oil and gas development. And now, what remains of their fragile habitat is threatened by massive expansion of tar sands if the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline is approved.
Woodland caribou require large tracts of relatively undisturbed old growth forest for their food and shelter. We know that if the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, the associated tar sands strip mining would destroy a 1,200 square mile swath of forest and devastate the fragile eco-system on which they depend. In fact, if habitat destruction from tar sands is not stopped, scientists predict that some herds in the region could disappear in as little as 30 years!
We only have a few weeks to demonstrate to Secretary Kerry the significant public concern there is about the risks—to wildlife and the environment—of building the Keystone XL pipeline. Hearing from wildlife advocates will be crucial as Secretary Kerry’s initial decision will weigh heavily into President Obama’s final decision on this destructive pipeline proposal.
Protect woodland caribou and urge Secretary Kerry to take a stand against the dangerous Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.
In addition to the dramatic loss of habitat, the pipeline would also significantly increase the carbon pollution that is fueling climate change and already harming wildlife across the country.
Secretary Kerry has spoken out about environmental issues that imperil wildlife and has been a champion for strong climate change action in the past.
Now it is critical that Secretary Kerry hears from as many people as possible about how harmful this dirty pipeline would be for woodland caribou and many more wildlife—so he and President Obama can reject Keystone XL once and for all.
We only have a small window to voice our concerns to Secretary Kerry about the risks to wildlife.
Please take action today to save threatened woodland caribou.
Thanks for all you do to protect wildlife.
Sincerely,
Andy Andy Buchsbaum Interim Executive Director, NWF Action Fund info@nwa.org Join us on Facebook