Tag Archives: United States

An exciting new ally joined the fight to stop AT&T’s dangerous merger with T-Mobile: the United Stated Department of Justice. Arguing that the merger would crush competition and lead to higher prices, the DOJ filed a lawsuit in Federal court to block the merger, dealing it a major blow.1

This is an important victory in our fight to protect the ability of poor folks and communities of color to use the Internet to make a better life for themselves. If AT&T were allowed to purchase T-Mobile, it would have a terrible impact on jobs, affordability, and Internet freedom.

Instead, the case will take months to wind its way through the court system. And the Federal Communications Commission, which also has authority over the proposed deal, has publicly indicated its own deep misgivings.2 None of this could have happened without the massive public outcry from ColorOfChange members, and our friends and allies. Thank you.

This fight isn’t over yet. We can’t predict how the lawsuit will turn out, and it’s important that we remain vigilant. AT&T is expected to fight the DOJ’s decision tooth and nail, and it remains possible that the DOJ and AT&T could hammer out a deal that leads the DOJ to drop its opposition. And 76 Democratic members of Congress are still on record supporting the deal. It’s critical that we continue to expose their false arguments in support of the merger and keep pushing them to withdraw their support.

AT&T has spent millions on lobbying and PR to advance its agenda, and it will continue to use its vast resources to twist the facts and mislead the public. Our work is powered by you, our members, and we need your support to keep fighting back. Your voice has been a powerful force in this fight. If you can also support our work financially, in any amount, please click the link below:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

We’ll

be sure keep you up to date with any new opportunities to take action. At ColorOfChange, we will continue to stand up for everyone’s right to access a free and open Internet, and we hope you will continue to be there with us.

Thanks and Peace,

— Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 2nd, 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. “U.S. sues to block AT&T buying T-Mobile,” MarketWatch, 8-31-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/952?akid=2150.1174326.zFs-xm&t=4

. “FCC Still Reviewing AT&T’s T-Mobile Deal After Justice’s Antitrust Action,” Bloomberg, 8-31-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/953?akid=2150.1174326.zFs-xm&t=6

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Fw: I ❤ Taxi Drivers. Who Do You ❤? AFL – CIO

09/05/2011 Nativegrl77

Labor Day’s coming. Who do you ♥?

Is it the nurse who cared for you? Maybe the members of your own union or a relative’s union—steelworkers or teachers or pilots? Or, as we approach the 10th anniversary of September 11, is it the many first responders who rushed into burning buildings to save lives?Which workers do you heart? Let us—and the world—know.

Dear Carmen,On my very first business trip, I left my wallet in a New York taxi—with more than $200 in it. This was right after college, so that was a TON of money for me. And I thought it was gone for good. But then, he brought my wallet back.The taxi driver didn’t just call me. He braved rush hour traffic to bring back my wallet and didn’t charge me a dime.

I ♥ that taxi driver—and workers like him who go the extra mile for other people every day. And I just let the world know.

Who do you “heart”?

Tell us which workers you heart. Then, you can update your Facebook status through Labor Day and tweet about it (but you don’t have to use Facebook or Twitter to participate in our campaign).

Maybe it’s Wisconsin workers. They braved the bitter cold day after day, week after week, to fight for workers’ rights.

Maybe it’s coal miners. They risk their lungs and their lives every day to provide the power that keeps our country going.

Maybe it’s the plumber who got your wedding ring out of the drain. What a huge relief that must have been. I’ve heard in some places sanitation workers have even gotten wedding rings out of the sewer. Amazing!

How about the firefighter who got your kitten out of a tree—or saved your neighbor’s house?

Click here to take action. It takes about 15 seconds to let us know who you heart this Labor Day.

It’s been a tough year for America’s workers, and working men and women need some love. So why not heart a worker or two or three? If enough of us let our friends and family know how important hardworking women and men are in our daily lives—and encourage our friends to do the same—we can really make this campaign take off and remind people what Labor Day is about: honoring work and workers.

In Solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

P.S. Please take action and tell us who you heart on Labor Day. Then forward our message to your friends and family so they can take action, too.

P.P.S. See a weird symbol in this message, like a box? It’s supposed to be a heart symbol, but for a very small percentage of users, it appears as something else.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Manny Herrmann, AFL – CIO

09/01/2011 Nativegrl77

From the transit workers who get us where we need to go to the firefighters, teachers and caregivers whose work is so much more than a job—Labor Day season is when we say “thanks.”There are two ways you can say “thanks” to workers this weekend:

Tell us who you heart. I ❤ Wisconsin workers. Who do you ❤? It takes about 15 seconds to let us know who you heart and share it with the world.
Find an event near you. Events are taking place this weekend and beyond. See what’s happening in your area, or add your own event.

America’s working families have had a tough year. But we’ve also shown unprecedented solidarity. Let’s keep that solidarity going this weekend and beyond.

In solidarity,

Manny Herrmann
Online Mobilization Coordinator, AFL-CIO

FYI—if you see a weird symbol in this message, like a box, it’s supposed to be a heart symbol, but for a very small percentage of users, it appears as something else. Click here to take action and find out what our campaign is all about.

To find out more about the AFL-CIO, please visit our website at www.aflcio.org.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

AG McKenna: Oppose the unfair robo-signing settlement

09/01/2011 Nativegrl77

Dear Washington MoveOn member,

Reports are circulating that a settlement of the robo-signing case between the big Wall Street banks and the 50 state attorneys general will be announced as soon as next week. Early indications are that the settlement will amount to yet another unconscionable giveaway to the banks.

The settlement will provide too little money to homeowners, require only trivial financial penalties for the banks, distributehuge amounts of money to individuals who were NOT fraudulently foreclosed upon, and will not have sufficient enforcementmechanisms to ensure that the money banks are supposed to pay actually gets paid—all while falling far short ofcompensating actual victims for the losses they wrongfully sustained. Worst of all, early reports indicate that the settlementgrants civil and criminal immunity to the Wall Street banks and their executives.

That’s why I created a petition to Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna on SignOn.org, which says:

Oppose any settlement of the robo-signing case that provides civil or criminal immunity to banks or their executives. Instead,create a program that helps Washington state homeowners damaged by fraudulent bank processes to sue banks for full recoveryof damages and punitive awards.

Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=267289&id=32771-17809870-OUgF%3Dvx&t=2

Thanks!

–Linda Brewster

The text above was written by Linda Brewster, not by MoveOn staff, and MoveOn is not responsible for the content. Thisemail was sent through MoveOn’s secure system, and your information has been kept private.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Big bad Banks

09/01/2011 Nativegrl77

The banks behind the mortgage crisis are looking for a way out, and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner wants to hand them one.¹

Three years after the housing collapse that crashed the world economy, not a single Wall Street executive has faced real punishment for the fraud, corruption, and greed that caused it. And those same big banks continue handing out massive bonuses and dividends while homeowners struggle.²

Now there’s a deal in the works that would let Wall Street banks get away scot-free, giving them immunity from investigation and prosecution of crimes like falsifying documents, encouraging bad loans, and lying to investors. In return they’d pay $20 billion—a fraction of what they could truly owe—and regulators would lose their leverage to help homeowners.³

This deal only works if it stays behind the scenes. If we can get enough people behind this petition, we can embarrass Geithner and the Obama administration into backing down. So we’re joining with MoveOn.org to send a strong message that can’t be ignored.

Tell Treasury Secretary Geithner, “No more sweetheart deals for Wall Street. Let states investigate and prosecute the crimes that crashed our economy.”

The world economy lost $7.7 trillion thanks to the big banks pushing bad loans and risky investments as sound financial planning. And millions of Americans lost houses and jobs. But Wall Street banks got nearly $2 trillion in loans to rebuild, while Main Street Americans are still working to get back on their feet.⁴

If we want to save the American Dream we need to show that big banks will be held accountable for these crimes, and a few state attorneys general are doing just that. Eric Schneiderman and Beau Biden, the attorneys general of New York and Delaware, have said they won’t settle with the banks without doing a real investigation into the fraud and corruption.⁵

Standing with homeowners against bullying by big banks is part of what the American Dream Movement is about. We can stand up and stand behind the state attorneys general who are fighting to expose the crimes that caused the collapse.

Tell Treasury Secretary Geithner, “No more sweetheart deals for Wall Street. Let states investigate and prosecute the crimes that crashed our economy.”

Toward an America that works for all,

–Natalie, Van, Ian, Billy, and the rest of the Rebuild the Dream team

Sources:

1. “New York Attorney General Kicked Off Government Group Leading Foreclosure Probe,” The Huffington Post, August 23, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263396&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=4

2. “Biggest Fish Face Little Risk of Being Caught,” The New York Times, February 25, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263413&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=5
“Banks Poised to Pay Dividends After 3-Year Gap,” The New York Times, January 13, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/business/14dividend.html

3. “Obama Goes All Out For Dirty Banker Deal,” Rolling Stone, August 24, 20110
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263395&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=6

4. “U.S. Subprime Crisis Costs World $7.7 Trillion Dollars,” The Huffington Post, February 15, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263403&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=7
“Wall Street Aristocracy Got $1.2 Trillion in Secret Loans,” Bloomberg News, August 22, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263394&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=8

5. “New York Attorney General Kicked Off Government Group Leading Foreclosure Probe,” The Huffington Post, August 23, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=263396&id=30464-17809870-86VbHcx&t=9