Tag Archives: United States

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

This Week’s Top 5 on ThinkProgr​ess: The Vagina Monologues Edition


If you’re looking for a progressive take on the current political news, ThinkProgress has you covered. Catch up on the biggest stories from the past week that you may have missed:

  –  Massive Crowd Gathers For Reading Of Vagina Monologues At Michigan Capitol

When two female legislators were banned from the Michigan House floor last week after saying the word “vagina” during a debate about an anti-abortion measure, people across the country spoke out for the right to discuss and defend women’s health.

–   Romney To Republican Governor: Discussing The Economic Recovery Will Hurt My Election Chances

  Florida Governor Rick Scott (R) is touting his state’s increasing economic growth and stability, but Mitt Romney doesn’t want to hear it.

–   Over Two Decades, Abortion Rate Dropped For Women In Their 20s Because Of Contraception Access

The growing accessibility of birth control is having a hugely positive effect on women’s health, contributing to a significant drop in unplanned pregnancy and abortion rates for women in their 20s.

–   The 7 Major Issues Mitt Romney Won’t Take A Position On

Immigration isn’t the only issue Mitt Romney is evading.

–   Members Who Supported Massive Giveaway To Big Oil Have Received $38.6 Million From The Industry

The House of Representatives just passed legislation catering to oil and gas interests at the expense of environmental concerns – and the members who voted for the bill are lining their pockets with oil and gas money.

Thanks for supporting ThinkProgress as we do this work!

Igor Volsky Deputy Editor, ThinkProgress

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Another fossil fuel industry attack …


Write Congress Today! Tell your member of Congress: Don’t block vital standards for our health and environment—vote no on the Gasoline Regulations Act.

Here We Go Again—Another Fossil Fuel Industry Attack on Science

 

The House of Representatives will soon vote on yet another fossil fuel industry-backed bill, attacking clean air and public health. It is critical that we stand up for strong standards based on independent science, not false economic claims from big polluters.
The Gasoline Regulations Act (H.R. 4771) is an all-out attack on our clean air and public health. The bill would force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to give undo weight to the industry’s economic claims when setting what should be, first and foremost, science-based standards that protect our health and environment.
The legislation delays standards that would save lives and save money by reducing sulfur in gasoline.
The bill also attacks standards that would limit ozone and other harmful air pollutants from power plants and global warming emissions from oil refineries. Some members of Congress may even attempt to amend the bill to prevent the EPA from moving forward with their historic draft standard to limit global warming pollution from new power plants.
Fossil fuel lobbyists and their allies in Congress are attacking the EPA with false claims about the impact that these proposed standards might have on gas prices. But we know that this bill will have no effect on fuel prices, but would have a lasting, negative impact on public health.
Congress needs to hear from Americans like you who support the EPA’s efforts to protect our health from dirty energy and dirty fuels.
Tell your member of Congress: Don’t block vital standards for our health and environment—vote no on the Gasoline Regulations Act.
Take Action Today!
Sincerely, Chrissy Elles Chrissy Elles Outreach Associate UCS Climate & Energy Program

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Commemorate Title IX’s 40th year


National Women's Law Center
 
 
     
  Do you support Title IX?  
     
 

 
     
  Help make sure these Faces of Title IX are heard. Share today!  
     
 
       
 
     

“Come to the blacktop at my middle school and hang out for a couple of hours. You’ll get a sense of what 12-to-14-year olds like and how they act. For them this is the center of the world.”

Middle school teacher Sarah Egan takes us on her three year journey when she agrees to coach the girls’ basketball team. Most of the players had never picked up a basketball and early on, she considered it a success if they ran in the right direction. Her team lost every game in the first two seasons.

But despite these odds, they transform into a championship team. More importantly, as they support each other as a group, their spirits soar and they gain confidence both on the court and in the classroom.

Sarah’s is just one of nine stories at the heart of NWLC’s new online portal, FACES OF TITLE IX. These stories go beyond the statistics to show how the law has helped people — whether it’s a student facing bullying in school, a young woman pressured to leave school after becoming pregnant or a race official literally standing in a young woman’s way.

As we commemorate Title IX’s 40th year, we need your help to make sure these Faces of Title IX are seen and their stories read. We believe in the power of stories to transform the public dialogue. Please take a second to share these stories with your friends, family and colleagues:

Or, share your own Title IX story with us! And we’re not just talking about stories on athletics. Do you have a story about the science and technology fields, about school bullying and harassment, or about pregnant or parenting students? Or, can you talk about what life was like before Title IX?

These stories illustrate both the enormous progress we’ve made and the work that remains to reach the full promise of Title IX. Thank you for your help in spreading the word.

Sincerely,
 
Fatima Goss Graves   Fatima Goss Graves
Vice President for Education and Employment
National Women’s Law Center 		 

P.S. Check out the rest of Sarah’s story and NWLC’s new Title IX resources, including a new analysis that illustrates how many fewer opportunities girls have in high school sports.
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Five things you should know about mortgage relief


The White House Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Will you sharethis?We want to make sure you have all the information you need to understand President Obama’s proposal to cut through the red tape keeping millions of responsible homeowners from refinancingtheir mortgages.And we want to make sure your friends get the message, too.

So we’ve put together a list of five things that help to explain the President’s proposal and why it makes sense for the middle class. We just need you to share it.

SHARE ON FACEBOOK | SHARE ON TWITTER

Refi: 5 Things You Should Know

You don’t need to visit WhiteHouse.gov. You don’t even need to be on Facebook or Twitter. Sharing the message can be as simple as hitting the forward button and sending it to three friends.

But an image like this can be really powerful over social networks. You post it, and one of your friends picks it up and shares it with her followers. A couple folks who follow her decide to do the same, and pretty soon, the message is seen by people all over the country.

If Congress passes President Obama’s plan, millions of responsible people will get some important relief. But too many people don’t know what’s at stake. And that’s where you come in.

Share the message today:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infographics/refi-five-things

Stay Connected
~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Please Contribute to Support Charlie Rangel and Alan Grayson



The Rockets’ Red Glare, the Bombs Bursting In Air.

Congressman Charlie Rangel often says that the last bad day he had was way back in 1950.  Let me explain what he means by that.

Rangel joined the US Army at 18.  He was assigned to the segregated, all-African-American 503rd Field Artillery Battalion.  His nickname was “Sarge,” which was funny, because Rangel actually was a private first class, not a sergeant.

On November 27, 1950, Rangel’s commander, General Douglas MacArthur, learned that the Chinese Army was about to surround America’s Eighth Army.  MacArthur ordered the Eighth Army to retreat.  But that could happen only if American units held off the Chinese forces on the Eighth Army’s right flank.  Charlie Rangel’s unit was given that suicide mission, in what became known as the Battle of Kunu-Ri.

The Chinese Army quickly surrounded Rangel’s unit.  His unit kept fighting.

Sundown brought less shooting, but also bitter cold.  The temperature dropped below zero.  Even at night, the Chinese Army’s bugle orders rang out, and the night sky was lit by Chinese flares.  Rangel called it a “waking nightmare.”  He kept fighting.

Having the high ground, the Chinese Army pounded Rangel’s unit with artillery fire.  On the third day, an explosion sent shrapnel into Rangel’s back.  The shrapnel hit him so hard that he was tossed into a ditch.  He kept fighting.

Rangel and his unit could hear American soldiers screaming and moaning.  They could hear American soldiers being taken prisoner.  Rangel said, “We couldn’t see any possible way out of the situation.”  They could have surrendered.  But they didn’t.

Rangel and his unit were trapped behind enemy lines for three days of heavy fighting.  After three terrible days, under cover of darkness, Charlie Rangel, sleepless, wounded, bleeding and freezing, led 40 American soldiers to safety.

Half of Rangel’s battalion died in the fighting.  Rangel spent a long time in the hospital, recuperating.  For his courage and leadership, he was awarded a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star, two Presidential Unit Citations, and three battle stars.

And Charlie Rangel was awarded a certain perspective on life itself. As Charlie always says, “Since Kunu-ri, I have never, never had a bad day.”

One week from Tuesday, Congressman Charles Rangel faces the voters in the New York Democratic Primary.  National Public Radio calls it Rangel’s “toughest reelection challenge” since he won the seat in 1970.

Win or lose, it won’t be a bad day for him.  Not after what he went through at Kunu-ri.  But I want it to be a good day for him.  That’s why I’m helping him, and why you should, too.  Click here.

Courage,

Alan Grayson