Aug 11, 2008 -- Your Fight the Right-Wing Activists Links of the Day.

** ACLU **
Planning a vacation? Thinking about traveling outside the country?

If you travel outside the United States, you can kiss your right to privacy, and perhaps your laptop, digital camera and cell phone, goodbye.

With no suspicion and no explanation, the U.S. government can seize your laptop, cell phone, or PDA as you enter the United States and download all your private information -- including your personal and business documents, emails, phone calls, and web history. The Department of Homeland Security confirms that this is the official policy.

Tell Congress: it’s time to rein in travel abuses by the Department of Homeland Security.
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** United Farm Workers **
Back in April more than 13,000 UFW supporters signed a petition asking Whole Foods to help the Beef Northwest feedlot workers. Beef Northwest worker Fortunato Diaz went to Austin, Texas to lead a delegation which turned the petitions into the Whole Foods representative. Whole Foods said they were moved by Fortunado’s story. They said they would contact Beef Northwest and urge that the company to meet with the UFW to resolve the issue of union representation.

Instead Whole Foods has done nothing to help the workers and is trying to distance themselves from the situation. Even worse, Fortunato is being made an example of by Beef Northwest for asking for Whole Foods’ help.

On Tuesday, when weather.com put the high at 99 degrees, Fortunato told us how Beef Northwest supervisors sent him walking to remote areas of the ranch around a mile away from all the other workers and did not even provide him with drinking water in the searing heat! Not only is this retaliatory action morally wrong, but by failing to provide him with drinking water in the searing heat Fortunato’s life was put at risk.

Whole Foods sells approximately 60% of all Country Natural Beef produced at Beef Northwest.

Tell Whole Foods that their lack of response is not acceptable.
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** Center for Biological Diversity **
One More Chance for Higher Gas-mileage Standards

Faced with melting sea ice, drowning polar bears, and a world at risk from global warming, the Bush administration is still blocking one of the single-most important solutions: higher gas-mileage standards for U.S. automobiles. Despite an existing law that requires the Department of Transportation to set gas-mileage standards at the "maximum feasible level," the administration is likely to push through a new set of inadequate standards for model years 2011-2015 before leaving office.

Please sign our petition to Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters demanding fuel-economy standards that spur automakers away from "business as usual" and toward deployment of new technologies, increased fuel economy, and decreased greenhouse gas emissions, as required by law.
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** Avaaz.org **
The World in Action

The conflict in Georgia is spinning out of control. Russian troops have moved deep inside the country in what looks not far short of full-scale invasion, and tens of thousands of civilians are in danger, with many becoming refugees overnight.

Diplomats are scrambling to find a solution, and the European Union has proposed a ceasefire and withdrawal of all forces to their previous positions. China has also called for an "Olympic Truce", an ancient tradition that asks all countries to cease hostilities during the Olympic Games.

A humbled Georgia has agreed to the ceasefire, now French and Finnish foreign ministers are bringing the proposal to Moscow. In the next 48 hours, a massive global public outcry would show Russian and Georgian leaders that the world wants a ceasefire, and continuing the invasion would seriously damage Russia's international reputation. Click below to sign our emergency petition and then forward this email to your friends and family. We'll publicize the petition in the media and deliver it to the UN Security Council and Russian government:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/georgia_ceasefire_now