Tag Archives: United States

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Congress: The Senate -is in Session on 2/7


The Senate Convenes at 2:00pmET Monday February 7, 2011 

Following any Leader remarks, there will be a period of morning business until 3:00pm with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.

At 3:00pm, the Senate will resume consideration of S.223, the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization bill. If senators have amendments to the bill they would like to offer they should contact the bill managers.

The following amendments are pending to S.223:

– Wicker amendment #14, as modified (Excludes TSA from collective bargaining)

– Blunt amendment #5 (private screening company)

– Nelson (FL) #34 (NASA)

– Paul #21 (reduce authorization for FAA to FY2008 levels)

– Wyden #27 (increase test sites for unmanned aerial vehicles)

– Inhofe amendment #6 (liability protection to volunteer pilots)

– Inhofe amendment #7 (flight time limitations/rest requirements)

– Ensign amendment #32 (military remotely piloted aerial systems)

– McCain amendment #4 (Essential Air Service)

At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive session to consider the following nominations with one hour for debate equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.

– Calendar #3 Paul Holmes, of AR, to be US District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas;

– Calendar #6 Diana Saldana, of TX, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas;

– Calendar #8 Marco Hernandez, of OR, to be US District Judge for the District of Oregon.

At approximately 5:30pm, the nomination of Marco Hernandez will be confirmed by unanimous consent and the Senate will immediately proceed to a series of 2 votes on confirmation of the Saldana and Holmes nominations.

As a result, senators should expect 2 stacked roll call votes at 5:30pm on confirmation of the following nominations:

– Calendar #6 Diana Saldana, of TX, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas, and

– Calendar #3 Paul Holmes, of AR, to be US District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas.

The Senate has reached an agreement that results in a roll call vote at 10:30am tomorrow. At 10:20am, the Senate will resume consideration of Nelson (FL) amendment #34 (NASA) to S.223, FAA Authorization, and there will be 10 minutes for debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Nelson (FL) and Hutchison, or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time, the Senate will proceed to vote in relation to the amendment. The agreement precludes any amendments, motions or points or order to the amendment prior to the vote.

Votes:

12: Confirmation of Calendar #6 Diana Saldana, of TX, to be US District Judge for the Southern District of Texas;

Confirmed: 94-0

13: Calendar #3 Paul Holmes, of AR, to be US District Judge for the Western District of Arkansas;

Confirmed: 95-0

This is the last vote of the day.

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Dear Citi, You screwed up big time


In 2009, you helped push Citi to announce a “robust MTR Environmental Due Diligence Process,” giving hope that the bank would reduce its financial backing for mountaintop removal (MTR) coal mining.

We’ve now discovered Citi’s mountaintop removal “due diligence process” is not worth the paper it’s printed on!

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop removal.  212 559 1000

MTR is a crime against America’s environment and people. Every day MTR coal corporations literally blow the tops off Appalachia‘s mountains: clear-cutting forests, wiping out natural habitats and poisoning rivers and drinking water. Not only are these mountains lost forever, but also the heritage and the health of families across the region are being sacrificed.

Last weekend, mountaintop removal mining company Alpha Natural Resources announced that it was purchasing Massey Energy, formerly the largest and most nefarious mountaintop removal company in Appalachia. Together, Massey and Alpha are responsible for more than 26 percent of all mountaintop mining in Central Appalachia. Citi is responsible for funding this toxic merger.

Join us in calling on Citi to stop funding mountaintop mining all together. 212 559 1000

Thanks for all that you do.

For the mountains,

Amanda Starbuck, Annie Sartor and Scott Parkin

Global Finance Campaign Team

~ my 2cents ...

TGIF …thoughts of Egypt &some News


As President Obama visits Penn State to talk on energy he will also reveal his plan to reinvest in the future to a crowd of 3ooo, he will also be holding a news conference 3pmET with Canadian PMinister, which you can watch on CSPAN … if you want to read about the visit to Penn State go to: www.centredaily.com

President Obama visited the Penn State Campus in State College, Pennsylvania and toured labs focused on energy-efficient building solutions. The President then delivered remarks on the importance of investing in innovation and clean energy to put people back to work and grow the economy. http://c-span.com/Events/President-Obama-Remarks-on-Innovation-at-Penn-State/10737419391/

It is Friday night in Egypt, Cairo ….and

The World is now watching …

The marches started in Tunisia; which gave way to Egypt and moved on to cities like Alexandria. As the protests get ramped up the violence has as well but the people of Egypt like Iran have had enough, though this revolt seems to be on a roll to the people getting an opportunity to shape their own democracy, freedoms and human rights. The President appointed a VP announced he will not run for office again yet tells the World he will see his country through until the September elections. The fact is …this just seems like a military man who not only is stubborn but unwilling to listen or do right by his own people. It has been about 11 days later, several hundred injured and at least 15 dead and it gives the viewer the idea that Mubarak would rather see his country be torn up and down than do what is right and save face. The World has been watching the physical crackdown by either Mubarak and or the new VP with orders to harass foreign media, take Cameras, and detain people in the name of safety or something else. Now, it is getting harder and harder to tell the pro-Mubarak people from the pro-democracy protestors, as it is obvious being undercover enables them to do more damage.

Remember … there is always strength in numbers

people dying for wanting to be heard, for wanting to be participants in their own futures is not new … mothers with children, older men and women and college students are coming out in droves to let the current dictators know it’s time for a change

We see a country in possible transition, definitely a movement against a dictatorship who has been President for thirty years; obviously, the votes of millions have gone uncounted. The people of Egypt are demanding to be heard and it is obvious that many know that to get the change they need and want … it means demanding to be heard and fear or fear of authority is not an option… and the possibility of death imminent.

Mubarak and or his new VP have tried to cut off all connections to the outside World, have been diverting responsibility, and obviously willing to use extreme force. The military and the police have let things go so far then they show their might with gun fire; but don’t they want personal freedom too … a change from the old ways to a more positive way of life … human rights, a chance for a better economy and a chance to be heard, to be a real participant in the process of life ….

They have a dictator who will not step down quietly has threatened and is now bringing the pain to his own people for what started out as a non-violent protest and demand for freedom and it is shameful.

The journey toward freedom is sometimes paved with danger

Pray for all those involved and hope Americans are safe

Other News …

** Top Iran leader to Mubarak… you betrayed your people-response is appropriate against his rule

**Tens of thousands still in the square of Cairo as night comes

**Folks all around the country are marking the 100yrs since RonReagan was born

**Monster storm keeps beating down on the East Coast

**Fighting between Cambodia and Thai troops near disputed temple- the Preah Vihear — on the border

**Giffords husband will go on last NASA flight 

**Senate Panel Backs Patent Overhaul Bill

**Report states FBI failed ,Fort Hood shooting

**House Repubs Propose $32Bil Cut in Fed Spending- FYI remember that is less than 1/3 of the $100Bil they promised

**Al-Jazeera’s offices torched during Egypt unrest

**Zimbabwe protesters mob aid project handover

**LA school dist cancels Chef JamieOliver’s reality shoot

**the protests in Egypt cost around $300M per day says their govt

**Dollar climbs as the job rate falls to 9%

CSPAN …

 Journalists discussed the protests in Egypt and looked at the future implications of that uprising at an event hosted by the Center for Strategic & International Studies. Speakers include Bob Schieffer, anchor of the CBS Sunday morning program “Face the Nation,” as well as al Jazeera Arabic’s Washington Bureau Chief and the Chief Pentagon Correspondent for McClathcy Newspapers. http://c-span.com/Events/CSIS-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419389/ 

With protests continuing in Egypt, and recent developments in Tunisia, the Obama administration faces a changing landscape in the Middle East. Two human rights experts and a former State Department official discussed the developments at this event hosted by Carnegie Endowment for Int’l Peace. http://c-span.com/Events/Carnegie-Endowment-for-Int39l-Peace-Discussion-on-Political-Unrest-in-Egypt/10737419396/

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) spoke to reporters on Capitol Hill about the latest report on the Fort Hood shootings. The report blames the army and the FBI for not doing enough to prevent the 2009 shootings which killed 13 people. http://c-span.com/Events/News-Conference-on-Fort-Hood-Shootings/10737419394/

Iraq U.S. Forces Commander General Lloyd Austin and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey gave an upbeat assessment on the transition in the country from a military mission to a civilian-led effort at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. They appeared before the committee to answer questions about a 2008 agreement between the U.S. and Iraq that calls for all U.S. troops to withdraw from the region by the end of this year. According to a Senate Foreign Relations Committee report released recently, American diplomats and other mission employees may not be safe in Iraq if the U.S. military leaves by the deadline. http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Armed-Services-Cmte-Hearing-on-Policy-Toward-Iraq/10737419393/

The Senate Budget Committee held a hearing on U.S. economic recovery efforts. This is one of a series of hearings the Committee held on the U.S. economy and the federal budget. President Obama is scheduled to release his federal budget proposal to Congress later this month, which will kick off the budget process for the federal government’s fiscal 2012. Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) chairs the committee http://c-span.com/Events/Senate-Budget-Cmte-Hearing-on-Economic-Recovery/10737419388/

~ Recent Post

This needs to be a headline …OFA


Yesterday, Democrats in the Senate successfully blocked the repeal of health reform — preventing Republicans from tacking it on as an amendment to a completely unrelated bill.

But Republicans in Congress aren’t finished with the political games.

Instead of focusing on creating jobs and growing the economy, they are insisting on re-litigating the battles of the last two years. They’ve vowed to do whatever it takes to tear apart the Affordable Care Act bit by bit, and they’re already planning to go after it at every turn.

These opponents of reform are in full campaign mode.

But we don’t just have the facts on our side — we also have the millions of Americans who already benefit from reform. And it’s up to us to help tell their stories, to make sure everyone understands the costs of repeal.

So, in the next week, we want to make sure those stories are on the letters pages of your local papers — one place we know lawmakers and folks in your community are sure to look.

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealLTE1?keycode=f73ee748a8755ee96cbf68fb490ba6bac3a1b3eea88077a8e4437e5b3f5b84a5&email=louvenia77@comcast.net

Will you write a letter to the editor exposing repeal — and highlight how the Affordable Care Act is improving lives in your community?

Using our letter-to-the-editor tool is easy, and we’ll even get you started with a few tips and helpful points you can use to make your case.

But, discussion points aside, you already know why we can’t afford repeal. The Affordable Care Act is helping millions of people around the country — and these are our friends and neighbors.

We’re on their side.

We’re on the side of the folks who used to worry about losing their coverage when someone on their plan got sick.

We’re on the side of the young adults who can now stay on their parents’ health plan until they turn 26.

We’re on the side of the seniors who used to pay thousands out of pocket because they fell in the “donut hole” in prescription drug coverage.

We’re on the side of the people the insurance companies can no longer discriminate against, like children who have a pre-existing condition.

That’s why we fought for reform in the first place.

That’s why we can’t stand by while the other side tries to tear it down, exposing millions of Americans once again to the whims of the insurance industry.

It’s why we can’t just sit back while a few activist judges rehash last year’s debate as they attempt to legislate from the bench and strike down provisions in the bill.

Because it shouldn’t be repeal that we should be reading about in tomorrow’s papers. The headlines we see should be about the people whose lives are improving because of reform.

They’re counting on you.

Tell their story — or yours. Write a letter to the editor today to protect our progress:

http://my.barackobama.com/RepealLTE

Thanks,

Yohannes

Yohannes Abraham

Political Director

Organizing for America

~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Vote Imminent: Senate Takes Up Health Care Law Repeal


 

We Can’t Go Back to Being at the Mercy of Insurance Companies

Call your Senators today and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Call 877-667-6650

Yes, they are at it again. Are health care law opponents creating more jobs and helping our struggling economy, you ask? Nope, not until they have accomplished political priority #1 — scoring points with their base by trying to repeal the health care law, even though that would harm women’s health.

A vote in the Senate to repeal the health care law is imminent. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

I know you’ve sent letters and called your Members of Congress in the past to tell them you support the health care law — but let me explain why we need you to pick up the phone again to protect this critical law.

Because of the health care law:

a mother who is diagnosed with breast cancer can focus on her treatment and not worry about whether her insurance company will drop her because she got sick;

a young boy who has type 1 diabetes won’t have trouble getting health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition or face a lifetime cap on coverage;

a young woman can go to her gynecologist and get a pap smear without a referral and without paying a co-pay.

Repealing the health care law will take away these important benefits — and more — that women and their families are already enjoying. It will also re-open the door to discriminatory insurance practices like charging women more than men for health care coverage and denying coverage to mothers who have had Caesarean sections and domestic violence survivors under the guise that these are “pre-existing conditions.”

Women and their families can’t go back to being at the mercy of insurance companies. Call your Senators today at 877-667-6650 and tell them to vote NO on repealing the health care law.

Please send a strong message of support for the law. Call your Senators today.

Sincerely,

Judy Waxman

Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights

National Women’s Law Center