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Quick! True or False: Global warming will be good for farmers because they’ll be able to grow more corn. Know the answer? If you do then you’re doing better than many of the people we see on television these days. Keep going by taking our Got Science or Not Science quiz today and we’ll send you a “Got Science?” sticker for your effort. Test your global warming smarts and get your free “Got Science?” sticker today.
See what we’re talking about right here. We’ve gathered quotes from climate experts, politicians, and news media. It’s up to you to determine whether each quote has got science or if it’s not science. Click here to take the quiz. It’s pretty outrageous that the airwaves are still rampant with global warming deniers who will stop at nothing to mislead the public. So, that’s why the Union of Concerned Scientists and our friends at CREDO Action are fighting back with the truth. Test your global warming smarts and get your free “Got Science?” sticker Today. Then, show off your smarts to your friends and let them know how they can get a free “Got Science?” sticker too. Take the quiz. Get the sticker. Tell your friends. Thank you for standing with the Union of Concerned Scientists to help restore scientific integrity to the national conversation about global warming. Sincerely, |
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Tag Archives: United States
End secret election spending now
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Sign the petition
Spending on this year’s election didn’t just break records, it obliterated them. $4 billion in total.1
In the wake of Citizens United, corporations like ExxonMobil and AIG can give hundreds of millions of dollars to a shadowy front group to swing an election. And they can do so in 100% secrecy.
Imagine how this election could have changed if voters knew which corporations were supporting Republican candidates with anonymous attack ads against Democrats.
Earlier this year Congress nearly passed a bill—the DISCLOSE Act—that would force front groups to let voters know which corporations and CEOs are funding their political attacks.
The bill came up short because some Republican senators said they didn’t want to pass the common sense measure until after the election.2 Now that the election is over we have an opportunity to pass this bill, but it won’t happen unless we push hard on Congress to act before the end of the year.
Click here to tell Congress to pass the DISCLOSE Act and end secret political spending:
http://pol.moveon.org/discloseact?id=25122-9640874-Z.3dHpx&t=3
This bill won’t get corporate money out of politics, but if we know that a company is trying to buy an election, we can shame them and we can hold them accountable. We did it successfully with Target earlier this year when state laws forced the retailer to disclose that it had made a large donation to a far-right candidate for governor in Minnesota. MoveOn members and others launched a nationwide boycott that brand analysts said reduced Target’s favorable reputation by a third among customers in just ten days.3
We also know that disclosure can have a major effect in elections. In California this year, giant oil companies backed a ballot measure to repeal the state’s groundbreaking climate change law. But they couldn’t secretly funnel their money through front groups and voters overwhelmingly rejected the initiative in part because every ad has to mention the oil companies funding it by name.
The DISCLOSE Act isn’t perfect but it will at least let us follow the money. We still need to keep working to pass stronger legislation and overturn Citizens United, but ending the ability of corporations to buy elections in secret is an important and fundamental step for our democracy.
Please, click here to tell Congress to pass DISCLOSE before the end of the year:
http://pol.moveon.org/discloseact?id=25122-9640874-Z.3dHpx&t=4
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Robin, Laura, Tim, and the rest of the team
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Justice delayed – In Memory –
They’ve suffered years of discrimination. Now is the time for justice. 
Ask the White House to do right by Black farmers.
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For years, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) denied Black farmers loans and other aid easily approved for White farmers. Many Black farming families lost their land and livelihoods as a result. The farmers sued the government for damages and won — but only a fraction of them ever got paid.1
As a Senator, Barack Obama helped to secure a new settlement for the remaining Black farmers, but far-right Senate Republicans are committed to keeping the settlement from being paid out, and have repeatedly blocked funding for it over the last year.
It’s time for President Obama to bypass the Republican obstruction. The White House can directly address this injustice and pay these farmers what they’re owed out of administrative funds — and Congressional Black Caucus leaders have previously called for such a solution. 2
Please join us in calling on President Obama to do right by these farmers, and please ask your friends and family to do the same. It takes just a moment:
http://www.colorofchange.org/pigford/?id=2275-1238940
For more than a generation, managers at the United States Department of Agriculture systematically turned down Black farmers’ applications for loans and other critical forms of aid. These loans are the lifeblood of farming, and without them many Black-owned farms were foreclosed on — and resold to White farmers.
This insidious discrimination enabled some White farmers to prosper and grow at the expense of generations of Black families who sought to make a living off the land. At the same time, it devastated the Black farming community. While 14% of all farmers were Black at the turn of the last century,3 by 2002 only 1.4% were Black.4
Black farmers eventually filed a class action lawsuit against the federal government, winning a landmark legal settlement in 1999. At the time, the USDA paid only a portion of the farmers with legitimate claims, so a second settlement was announced — but Congress never approved funding to pay the remaining farmers.5
Republican obstruction has been the main stumbling block on the Black farmers’ long road to justice. Far-right Senate Republicans have repeatedly stood in the way of funding the settlement. First they demanded that the money to pay the farmers not add to the national budget deficit.6 Even after that requirement was satisfied, they once again blocked a vote on the appropriation.7
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus are rightfully furious at the Republicans’ stalling, and have called on President Obama to bypass the legislative process by paying the settlement out of administrative funds.8 The White House has maintained that it doesn’t have the money to pay the $1.25 billion settlement — but at the same time, the administration promised to find $1.5 billion to pay disaster relief for wealthier, mostly white farmers in Arkansas.9
With Congress becoming even more conservative after November’s election, it is even less likely that funding for the Black farmers’ discrimination settlement will be funded in next year’s Congress. It needs to happen now.
The White House has worked hard to pass the funding through Congress, but now they need to show Congressional Republicans that they mean business. As the CBC pointed out, justice delayed is justice denied for these aging men and women. Every day, another farm is foreclosed on and more farmers die without having been compensated for the shattering discrimination they faced. Join us in supporting the CBC’s call for President Obama to fund the Black farmers’ settlement. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.
http://www.colorofchange.org/pigford/?id=2275-1238940
Thanks and peace,
— James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Natasha, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
November 10th, 2010
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:
https://secure.colorofchange.org/contribute/
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You Did Make a Difference
Thank you for your incredible volunteer efforts throughout this campaign. Even though the media declared this election to be over months ago, you refused to give up. You fought hard until the very end — and I cannot thank you enough for all that you did.
There is no denying that your volunteer efforts still made a difference. It may be little solace right now, but without your efforts, the damage would have been significantly worse. It’s because of your phone calls and door knocks that many courageous Democrats won close races in battleground districts.
Update – Victory Declared in AZ-08!
On that note, it is my pleasure to share an update on one such race that was too close to call on Election Night — the race in AZ-08 has now been called for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. She defeated one of the most extreme Republican candidates in America and it was her grassroots volunteers who made the difference.
That leaves approximately nine races which are now still too-close-to-call. But we are confident that when all the votes are counted, Democrats will win them all.
Thank you again for your amazing volunteer efforts in this campaign. You proved that no amount of special interest money can drown out the voices of grassroots Democrats.
Now is not the time to give up because we are disappointed or discouraged. As Chairman Van Hollen has said, “we may be bruised but our spirit will not be broken.”
Now is the time to remind ourselves that out of great adversity, great comebacks are born.
Jon Vogel
DCCC Executive Director
P.S. Our work in this campaign is not yet over. With approximately nine races that are still too close to call, we have lawyers and staff on the ground fighting hard for every vote and guarding against Republican dirty tricks. Please help us cover the cost of these expensive and important voter protection efforts so we can keep more Republican extremists out of Congress and be in a strong position to win back our House Majority in 2012.
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People For the American Way has been taking on and turning back the Radical Right for almost 30 years. We’re the people fighting against the Tea Party extremists… fighting against the intolerance of the Religious Right… fighting against the lies, smears and witch hunts of the right-wing media. I am so glad that we can now count you as a supporter. I am writing today to ask you to take the next step and become a contributing member of People For the American Way. Our members are our lifeblood and our strength. And with the challenges we face right now — including the challenges posed by the resurgent Right in the upcoming elections — we need all the strength we can muster. The fundamental principles that America was built on and have made our country great — that’s what we’re fighting for every day. The freedom to speak, think and worship however you choose, or to choose not to worship at all… Equality in the eyes of the law regardless of gender, race or who you love… Courts that provide access to justice for all Americans and protect our civil rights and liberties… A democracy that’s inclusive and respectful of the voice of ordinary voters, not just powerful corporations with unlimited money… These are values enshrined in our Constitution and the Bill of Rights… the true American Way. Please stand with us by becoming a member with a much-needed donation today. Sincerely,
Michael B. Keegan, President P.S. In 2008, the National Journal ranked People For the number one “most effective” independent American organization supporting candidates. We mobilized our grassroots members and got voters to the polls in the nation’s most competitive races. This year, the Far Right and their corporate backers from Big Oil, Big Insurance and Wall Street threaten to undo everything we’ve worked for. Donate and become a PFAW member today. I’ll put your contribution to work immediately standing up to the Right and fighting to protect and advance our shared constitutional values. |
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