Oct 24, 2008 -- Fight the Right-Wing Wackos Links of the Day.

** American Rights at Work **
According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart has been threatening employees that if they vote for pro-worker candidates like Barack Obama in November, the Employee Free Choice Act will pass, making it easier to form unions in Wal-Mart stores.

We've demanded that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) investigate Wal-Mart, but they haven’t told us whether they will or not. The closer we get to Election Day without a response, the more likely this issue will get swept under the carpet.

Don’t let the FEC drop the ball! Sign the petition now, and add your voice to the call for a thorough investigation into Wal-Mart’s practices!

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** Center for Biological Diversity **
The Environmental Protection Agency is on the verge of approving a proposal that would allow coal-mining companies to dump mining waste directly into flowing streams, filling in the streams entirely and destroying all the life in them.

Since 1983 the Stream Buffer Zone rule has prohibited mining within 100 feet of flowing streams, but now the Bush administration and the Office of Surface Mining are trying to push through an under-the-table, last-minute effort to remove this protection.

If the EPA approves the repeal, it will be perfectly legal for coal companies to blow off the top of a mountain, then dump the waste straight into streams, killing the rare salamanders, fish, and other species that live in Appalachian waterways.

EPA Administrator Johnson could make the decision at any moment, so time is critical. Please take a minute to tell the EPA not to approve the Stream Buffer Zone revision, and pass this alert along to as many of your friends as possible.

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** The Wilderness Society **
Protect Otero Mesa's Wild Beauty, Wildlife

A place of beauty and tranquility in southern New Mexico, Otero Mesa is home to the endangered Aplomado falcon and wildness unequaled in the Chihuahuan Desert. But, despite widespread public opposition, the mesa has been approved for oil and natural gas development, which will lead to the destruction of wildlife habitat and could contaminate vast reserves of groundwater.

Help us protect Otero Mesa, by sending a quick message to the BLM asking them to dismiss the permit to drill and to put in place future protections, such as a requirement for directional drilling.

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** Public Citizen **
Our country is facing its worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. AIG, an insurance giant, recently received $123 billion of taxpayers' money to rescue it from bankruptcy. But even though AIG executives knew their company was in danger of going broke, they continued the party, leaving taxpayers to deal with the hangover.

This is despicable! Just days after the government announced an $85 billion loan to the company in September, AIG decided to pay for a $444,000 week-long retreat at a posh California resort for its top-performing insurance agents.

And that's not all. Earlier this month, as AIG asked for an additional $38 billion loan, its executives traveled by private jet to go partridge hunting in England, costing $90,000.

We cannot allow AIG to get away with this. Act now and tell AIG you deserve a refund!