Tag Archives: United States Congress

So, main stream media has exposed the 1% again. We have been hearing the rural, middle to lower class complain, object and provide negative evidence about the impact of drilling, fracking and pipelines that leak but have either been patted on the head, subjected to eminent domain for nominal amounts of money in some cases and definitely ignored by the 1%. Now, the possibility of fracking, drilling and all that comes with it is now in the back yard of the 1%. Most of us believe the 1% invests in extracting oil in all its forms, I guess assuming it’s on other people s land and neighborhoods but that cliché … Not in my back yard syndrome is now a big slap of reality to some 1%ers too and some have decided they aren’t having it … or will they. Anyway, the definition of NIMBY is spot on!

The so-called NIMBY (not in my backyard) syndrome reflects the propensity of local citizens and officials to insist on siting unwanted but necessary facilities anywhere but in their own community. The term has gained currency in relation to the siting of facilities that have a potential for adverse impacts on the environment, such as municipal waste incinerators and hazardous waste facilities. But it is equally applicable to the siting of prisons, methadone clinics, and psychiatric halfway houses— all of which are often subject to intense local opposition. For all of these examples, the best approach to the problem is that of primary prevention, which would lessen the need for such facilities. Success in siting an unwanted but needed facility requires that authorities fully involve the public with openness and integrity in all aspects of the planning process.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Protecting those who Protect Us

02/26/2014 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Give American Heroes The Workplace Protections They Deserve

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Taking the Navy to court to protect whales

02/26/2014 Nativegrl77

We’re taking on the Navy’s legal guns for the sake of whale survival.Help us wage and win this courtroom battle — and save thousands of marine mammals from needless suffering and death.

DONATE

We’ve just launched a historic courtroom battle against the Navy to stop its heartless and deadly assault on whales.The Navy estimates it could kill nearly 1,000 marine mammals over the next five years during routine training and testing with dangerous sonar and explosives. There will be more than 13,000 serious injuries, such as permanent hearing loss or lung damage.

NRDC has moved swiftly to file suit against the Navy in federal court.

We need your immediate financial support in order to wage and win this legal fight on behalf of our planet’s whales.

The Navy’s ships will be blasting ocean waters with nearly 300,000 hours of deafening mid-frequency sonar — the kind of lethal noise that has been shown to cause whales’ internal organs to hemorrhage.

They’ll also be conducting torpedo tests, bombing exercises and underwater explosions — some 1.1 million of these events overall. That’s an average of about one detonation every two minutes for the next five years … many of them in and around sensitive whale habitat.

Here’s the kicker: the Navy has adamantly refused to take precautions that would help save whales — such as avoiding vital areas where whales are known to migrate and raise their young. Mind you, putting these simple safeguards in place would not compromise military readiness one iota.

Please make an emergency donation to help NRDC challenge the Navy’s plan and win the kind of protections that whales so urgently need and deserve.

Our legal challenge takes direct aim at the Navy’s plans to test and train off the coasts of Southern California and Hawaii — some of our country’s most biologically rich and diverse waters, home to at least 39 species of marine mammals, including endangered blue whales and fin whales, as well as vulnerable populations of beaked whales.

Make no mistake: the Navy’s wholesale assault on whales is almost certainly illegal. Our environmental laws obligate the Navy to take steps to prevent whales from stranding, suffering and dying.

But unless compassionate citizens like you and me take the whales’ plight to heart and hold the Navy accountable, the killing of whales will continue unabated — for five long years.

Your contribution will help ensure that we can stay in court for as long as it takes to protect whales from this tragic and senseless attack. With your help, we will defend our environment in the most effective way possible.

I’m sure you agree: not a single whale should have to die for military practice, much less hundreds of them. The courts are their best and last line of defense. I hope you will stand alongside NRDC as we wage this legal fight for the sake of whale survival.

Sincerely,Frances Beinecke
President
Natural Resources Defense CouncilP.S. It makes me heartsick to think of the pain the Navy is needlessly inflicting on some of our planet’s most majestic creatures — and I know you must feel the same way. Please donate now to help us fight and win on their behalf. Thank you.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The NFL

02/04/2014 Nativegrl77

Congress: Revoke the Tax-Exempt Status of the National Football League

By Lynda Woolard

New Orleans, Louisiana

Despite the fact that it is a $9Billion/Year industry, the National Football League (NFL) continues to enjoy status as a non-profit organization — meaning it doesn’t have to pay federal corporate taxes.

The Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, makes nearly $30 million a year — earning more than the heads of companies like Coca-Cola and Wal-Mart. Through TV deals alone, the NFL has inked nearly $30 billion with various television networks. And so often, fans like you and me are asked to foot the bill for new stadiums through our own taxes.

Yet despite being the most profitable sports league in the entire world, the NFL does not pay federal taxes.

The NFL should pay their fair share towards our economy! Just like Major League Baseball, which gave up its nonprofit status in recent years, as well as the National Basketball Association, the NFL should not be able to hide under a nonprofit status in order to avoid paying federal taxes.

The NFL has methodically worked to shift all the power to their side, leaving players, employees and PARTICULARLY THE FANS little say in what goes on with the league. We deserve a say, but do not wish to boycott our teams! Therefore, we are calling on our elected representatives to revoke the tax-exempt status we bestowed upon the league half a century ago. Please sign this petition, and let Congress know that you want them to reconsider the NFL’s tax exempt status.