Tag Archives: United States

Last week, together we secured a victory against efforts that would have harmed women’s health. After hearing from women and men across the country, Susan G. Komen for the Cure reversed its decision to stop funding breast cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health clinics. When people come together to protect access to critical women’s health services, we’re a force to be reckoned with.

But opponents of women’s health are at it again. They’re attacking the recent Obama administration decision to make contraception widely available to women without co-pays. Help us push back on these attacks on affordable access to birth control — tell the Obama administration you support no-cost birth control by signing the petition on the White House website.

The Administration’s decision did give 335,000 houses of worship exemptions from providing this critical coverage to their employees. But contraception opponents aren’t satisfied with that and want to take away contraceptive coverage to millions of women. They are filling the airwaves and editorial pages with messages opposing contraception coverage for women who need it to protect their health and the health of their families. We can’t let them shout us down!

We need your help! Thank the Obama administration for moving women’s health forward and for making no-cost birth control a reality. The Obama administration has committed to responding to petitions that collect 25,000 signatures on its website, and while we’re closing in on that number, opponents of birth control have already surpassed it with their own petition. They don’t want you covered, but we won’t be silent!

It takes just a few minutes to add your name to the petition on the White House “We The People” website

—Create your own account on WhiteHouse.gov, which allows you to sign petitions.

— Once you’ve created an account, look for an email with the subject line “Almost done! Verify your WhiteHouse.gov account.”

–Click the link to verify your account, sign in, and then click “Sign This Petition.”

Don’t forget, once you’ve signed, forward the petition to your friends!

We’ve been telling you for months, but it bears repeating: contraception is more than about preventing pregnancy— it also has proven health benefits that improve women’s health. Women must have access to affordable birth control to prevent unintended pregnancies, plan the timing and size of their families, and protect their health. Nearly all sexually active women in the U.S., regardless of their religious beliefs, use contraception at some point in their lives.

All women should have access to contraception, have it without a co-pay, and have it no matter where they work. But, opponents of birth control don’t want you covered, and we can’t let them sway public opinion — sign the petition on the White House website supporting this big step forward for women’s health.

You helped before and we won.

Thank you for all you do.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights National Women’s Law Center

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Foreign NGO Employees in Egypt Deserve Fair Trials!

02/09/2012 Nativegrl77

Egypt‘s new ruling military council is trying to assert its power on the world stage. What is the cost? »

The council has charged forty-three non-governmental organization (NGO) employees with funding the protests in Egypt. Several NGOs have had their offices raided by Egyptian authorities, and nineteen Americans, five Serbs, two Germans, and three non-Egyptian Arab nationals have been banned from leaving Egypt.

These employees, fighting for the rights of ordinary Egyptians, deserve to be treated in accordance with international human rights standards.

Please take action today. Tell the Egyptian government to ensure a fair trial for these NGO employees. »

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Millions disenfranchised … Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

02/08/2012 Nativegrl77

More than 55,000 ColorOfChange members have demanded that corporations stop suppressing our votes. Can you help us get to 75,000 by signing the petition now?

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/alec

You can read the email below for more information on how corporations are suppressing the votes of Black folks, other minorities, and young people through an organization called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Please take a moment to add your voice and ask your friends and family to do the same. Thanks!

– Rashad

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Major corporations are helping suppress the votes of Black folks and other minorities through a right wing group called ALEC.

Please join us in demanding that they stop:

For years, the right wing has been trying to stop Black people, other people of color, young people, and the elderly from voting for partisan gain — and now some of America‘s biggest companies are helping them do it.

These companies have helped pass discriminatory voter ID legislation by funding a right wing policy group called the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Voter ID bills linked to ALEC have already passed in seven states,1 and similar voter ID bills have been introduced in 27 other states.2

Supporters of discriminatory voter ID laws claim they want to reduce voter fraud (individuals voting illegally, or voting twice). But such fraud almost never actually occurs, and never in amounts large enough to affect the result of elections.3 What is clear is that voter ID laws prevent large numbers of eligible voters from casting a ballot, and could disenfranchise up to 5 million people.4

ALEC’s voter ID laws are undemocratic, unjust and part of a longstanding right wing agenda to weaken the Black vote. Major companies that rely on business from Black folks shouldn’t be involved in suppressing our vote. Please join us in demanding that these companies stop funding ALEC:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/alec

ALEC’s right wing agenda

The American Legislative Exchange Council is a behind-the-scenes group whose membership consists of legislators and corporations who work together to push legislation that benefits their interests. ALEC crafts model legislation, which its member legislators then introduce in statehouses across the country, without mentioning its corporate ties. The group has written legislation to impose harsher criminal penalties on juveniles, to privatize education, and to break unions.

ALEC is funded in part by the Koch Brothers, the same family that funds the radically conservative tea party. It also receives funding from large corporations, many of which are household names.

“Voter fraud” and discriminatory voter ID laws

Supporters of discriminatory voter ID laws say they’re needed to stop “voter fraud.” The fact is that voter fraud rarely occurs, and when it does occur it does not happen at a scale that would change the outcome of an election. The kind of voter fraud addressed by the ALEC voter id bill happens as infrequently as death by lightning.5

Over and over again, the myth of widespread voter fraud is used to justify stronger restrictions on voting and voter registration (like voter ID laws), as well as voter roll purges. It has also been used to attack organizations which register large numbers of low income and minority voters, by painting simple mistakes made during registration drives as organized efforts to commit voter fraud. These kind of made up scandals have helped the right wing convince the public that voter fraud is real and voter ID laws are necessary to protect the integrity of elections.

The truth is that voter ID laws are discriminatory — Black people, Latinos, the elderly, students, people with disabilities, and the poor are all less likely to have the photo IDs necessary to vote under these laws.6 For example, if you’ve recently moved because of foreclosure or some other economic circumstance, you’re more likely to have recently ended up in a new state which won’t accept your out of state driver’s license. If you don’t have a car, you’re less likely to have a driver’s license in the first place.

In many states, it can be expensive and time consuming to secure the proper ID. Even when the ID itself is free, it often requires supporting documents like a birth certificate which cost money to achieve. There are already stories of voters who have been eligible for years struggling to navigate a frustrating bureaucratic maze in order to vote. Requiring ID to vote amounts to a modern day poll tax. And that’s the real purpose of voter ID laws – they are an important part of the modern effort to suppress the votes of groups that usually vote against right wing politicians.

These laws are part of a long history of voter suppression directed at Black folks and other underrepresented groups. No longer is the Black vote suppressed through violence, intimidation and literary tests. It’s now suppressed through laws that make it burdensome and difficult for many Black folks to vote.

Corporate-backed voter suppression

Some of the companies supporting ALEC may simply be unaware that the group is involved in voter suppression. Others might think that voter suppression will benefit their political interests, and hope that they can get away with supporting it because so few people have even heard of ALEC.

We’ve started reaching out to these companies to make sure they know what they’re supporting, and to demand that they stop. Adding your voice to this campaign will help us convince these companies that continuing to support ALEC will hurt their reputation with consumers. We hope that many of them will simply do the right thing and stop supporting ALEC. If they don’t, we’ll be prepared to shine a spotlight on them and make sure the world understands what they’re involved in.

Please take a moment to join us in standing up to corporate-backed voter suppression. And please ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes just a moment:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/alec

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team December 8th, 2011

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don’t share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. “New Evidence of ALEC Connections in All Successful Voter ID Legislation,” Campus Progress, 09-08-11 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1065?akid=2356.1174326.HucObH&t=8

2. “First, show your face,” The Economist, 09-17-11 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1066?akid=2356.1174326.HucObH&t=10

3. “The Myth of Voter Fraud,” Washington Post, 03-29-07 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1067?akid=2356.1174326.HucObH&t=12

4. “GOP, ALEC Could Make It Harder For 5 Million To Cast Ballots,” Mother Jones, 10-3-11 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1068?akid=2356.1174326.HucObH&t=14

5. See reference 3.

6. “Citizens without proof,” Brennan Center For Justice, 11-2006 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1069?akid=2356.1174326.HucObH&t=16

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Worst-case scenario … Sherrod Brown

02/08/2012 Nativegrl77

We know that Karl Rove and his special interest friends are going to lie about me and my record in this campaign. And we know they’re going to spend a ton of money doing it.

Now, I’m not afraid to stand on my progressive values – and I’m always proud to defend my record of standing up for Ohio’s working families. What I do worry about is this: Will we be able to respond?

After all, telling the truth is free – but rapid response in a campaign costs money. And the worst-case scenario for this campaign is that the truth will be on our side – but that, because of Citizens United, the numbers will be on the side of the other guys…and the money won’t be there when we need to fight back.

That’s why we need to hit our fundraising goals – and why I hope you’ll click here to help make sure we have the resources we need to respond to Karl Rove’s smears.

There’s nothing worse than having to sit by, unable to right a wrong. When one of my colleagues says that cutting taxes on the wealthiest one percent will reduce the deficit, I want to tell him why he’s wrong. When I see an Ohio homeowner struggling to avoid foreclosure, I want to help.

And when I see an ad on Ohio’s airwaves lying about me, I want to set the record straight – online and offline, on the doors and on the phones.

But if we don’t hit our goals – like the $120,000 one we’re up against right now – we might be unable to do that. That’s Karl Rove’s game plan: Wear us down and drown us out.

We must raise $20 from 6,000 people by the end of February to keep on pace – and to make sure we can respond when we’re attacked. Please click here to give now.

There’s going to come a day – maybe soon – when I ask Sarah whether we have enough resources to respond to something ugly Karl Rove put on our airwaves. And when I do, her answer will depend on whether supporters like you have done the hard work it takes to meet goals like this one.

I know you’ll come through – just like you always have.

Thank you for helping us be ready,

Sherrod

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

We will not play by two sets of rules … By Jim Messina

02/08/2012 Nativegrl77

I wrote something for our blog about our decision to support Priorities USA, the Super PAC that can help neutralize the avalanche of special-interest spending to defeat President Obama. Every supporter should read it; it’s pasted below.

I just want to add something for you specifically about your role in all of this.

We decided to do this because we can’t afford for the work you’re doing in your communities, and the grassroots donations you give to support it, to be destroyed by hundreds of millions of dollars in negative ads.

It’s a real risk.

In 2011, the Super PAC supporting Mitt Romney raised $30 million from fewer than 200 contributors. Ninety-six percent of what they’ve spent so far, more than $18 million, has been on attack ads. The main engine of Romney’s campaign has an average contribution of roughly $150,000.

That’s why it’s up to us — the grassroots organization — to win this election where we have the real advantage, and that’s on the ground. More than 1.3 million Americans have already donated. Our average donation is $55, and 98 percent are $250 or less.

The stakes are too important to play by two different sets of rules. If we fail to act, we concede this election to a small group of powerful people intent on removing the President at any cost.

If you can volunteer, please sign up now

Thank you,

Messina

Jim Messina
Campaign Manager
Obama for America

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We will not play by two sets of rules
By Jim Messina

In 2010, the Supreme Court’s decision in the Citizens United case opened the door to a new wave of so-called Super PACs — non-candidate political committees that can receive and spend unlimited money from special interests. For the first time, these committees could accept money from corporations, not just wealthy individuals.

The decision has accelerated a dangerous trend toward a political system increasingly dominated by big-money interests with disproportionate power to spend freely to influence our elections and our government.

It’s a trend the President has fought against, coming into office with a mission to limit special-interest influence in Washington. He put in place the most sweeping ethics reforms in history to close the revolving door between government and lobbyists. And he’s overseen the most open administration ever — reversing Bush-era policies designed to limit Freedom of Information Act requests and disclosing White House visitor records so that Americans can see how their government works.

The President opposed the Citizens United decision. He understood that with the dramatic growth in opportunities to raise and spend unlimited special-interest money, we would see new strategies to hide it from public view. He continues to support a law to force full disclosure of all funding intended to influence our elections, a reform that was blocked in 2010 by a unanimous Republican filibuster in the U.S. Senate. And the President favors action — by constitutional amendment, if necessary — to place reasonable limits on all such spending.

But this cycle, our campaign has to face the reality of the law as it currently stands.

Over the last few months, Super PACs affiliated with Republican presidential candidates have spent more than $40 million on television and radio, almost all of it for negative ads.

Last week, filings showed that the Super PAC affiliated with Mitt Romney’s campaign raised $30 million in 2011 from fewer than 200 contributors, most of them from the financial sector. Governor Romney personally helped raise money for this group, which is run by some of his closest allies.

Meanwhile, other Super PACs established for the sole purpose of defeating the President — along with “nonprofits” that also aren’t required to disclose the sources of their funding — have raised more than $50 million. In the aggregate, these groups are expected to spend half a billion dollars, above and beyond what the Republican nominee and party are expected to commit to try to defeat the President.

With so much at stake, we can’t allow for two sets of rules in this election whereby the Republican nominee is the beneficiary of unlimited spending and Democrats unilaterally disarm.

Therefore, the campaign has decided to do what we can, consistent with the law, to support Priorities USA in its effort to counter the weight of the GOP Super PACs. We will do so only in the knowledge and with the expectation that all of its donations will be fully disclosed as required by law to the Federal Election Commission.

What this change means practically: Senior campaign officials as well as some White House and Cabinet officials will attend and speak at Priorities USA fundraising events. While campaign officials may be appearing at events to amplify our message, these folks won’t be soliciting contributions for Priorities USA. I should also note that the President, Vice President, and First Lady will not be a part of this effort; their political activity will remain focused on the President’s campaign.

But here’s what this doesn’t change: the fact that ordinary people stepping up to take control of the political process is essential to our strategy.

This decision will help fill a hole on our side. But it’s only one part of the overall effort.

Supporting Priorities USA means that our side will not concede the battles on the air in the months to come, but we continue to believe that this election will be won on the ground. Super PACs haven’t opened offices. They haven’t hired organizers. They haven’t registered voters. They haven’t knocked on doors or made the kind of personal contact with voters that we know is the single most effective way to persuade people and turn them out on Election Day.

And this is where we have the advantage. It will be up to us — the grassroots organization, funded by an average donation of $55 — to win this election.

It’s a point of pride that 98 percent of all our donations are $250 or less. Mitt Romney won’t reveal that number about his own campaign, but filings show that just 9 percent of the Romney campaign‘s money in the fourth quarter of last year came from people giving less than $200.

Americans across the country are supporting the most extensive neighbor-to-neighbor, grassroots organization in history.

It’s my hope that by making this decision and doing what we can to neutralize the onslaught of special-interest money, we can ensure that the decisive factor in this election won’t be an unprecedented flood of special-interest spending, and the outcome will be back in the hands of ordinary Americans.