** Wilderness Society **
http://wilderness.org/
Just this week, The Wilderness Society and other conservation groups gained a major victory when a federal court judge halted the Bush Administration's last-minute oil and gas leases on the wild public lands of Utah.
Still, we must continue to do more to make sure that other wild places — especially those with characteristics that qualify them for wilderness protection — don't end up being leased to the oil and gas industry.
Tell the new administration to protect wilderness-quality lands by reviewing oil and gas leases proposed in unprotected wilderness-caliber lands that many in Congress have proposed for permanent protection. Ask the administration to reverse Bush-era policies that leave wilderness-caliber but unprotected lands open to harmful activities like oil and gas development, off-road vehicle abuse, and destructive hardrock mining. And, urge them to adopt common-sense planning rules that provide interim protection for wilderness-caliber lands until Congress can act to protect them permanently.
Please join us in telling the Obama Administration to move swiftly to adopt some common-sense precautions and protections for our most precious but unprotected wild landscapes.
http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/ow/
--
** Environmental Defense Fund **
http://www.edf.org/home.cfm
President Obama says that our environmental and economic renewal "starts with a cap and trade" system to deal with global warming. But he needs the support of Congress to achieve this historic goal this year.
Take action to deliver this message to your members of Congress.
http://action.edf.org/campaign/cap_globalwarming_now/
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/
Sicko pervert Governor Sarah Palin won't give wildlife a break. Last week, she announced the state of Alaska will sue to strike down Endangered Species Act protection for the imperiled Cook Inlet beluga whale. This rare white whale's population has already plummeted from thousands to just 375 in the last two decades. They will certainly go extinct if Palin has her way.
Our lawyers and scientists are already in court to block sicko Palin's anti-polar bear actions, and we'll soon jump in to save the beluga from her reckless campaign to promote oil & gas interests. But we also need to build a groundswell of public support.
Please help us now to protect beluga whales by sending a letter asking the Obama administration to oppose Sicko Palin's lawsuit.
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2167/t/5243/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=26463
Showing posts with label center for biological diversity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label center for biological diversity. Show all posts
Friday, January 23, 2009
Friday, October 24, 2008
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!
--
** 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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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!
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!
--
** 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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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!
Monday, October 13, 2008
Oct 13 2008 -- Fight the Right-Wing Wackos Links of the Day.
** Center for Biological Diversity **
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, located in eastern Arizona where Mexican gray wolves roam, has proposed a new policy requiring proper disposal of livestock carcasses -- the first time livestock owners would be tasked with responsibility to prevent conflicts with wolves. Please voice your support for this policy.
If not made inedible or removed, the remains of cattle (and sometimes horses and sheep) that died of non-wolf causes serve to draw wolves to nearby live cattle and can habituate them to domestic animals instead of their natural prey -- which in turn can result in the wolves' being killed by the government in retribution.
The new policy would effectively ban the baiting of wolves into preying on domestic animals, and thereby save wolves' lives. "Predator control" killings are undermining recovery of the Mexican wolf, North America's most imperiled mammal, and the proposed change would help the wolf recover.
Preventing wolves from becoming habituated to livestock will also reduce wolf-rancher conflicts while helping wolves resume their ecological role keeping elk and deer herds healthy.
Your email to the Forest Service can help keep the agency resolute, so this provision sticks past the draft stage in the Apache-Sitgreaves Revised Forest Plan that will guide management of this forest for years to come.
--
** No Dirty Gold **
This Columbus Day -- also celebrated around the country as Indigenous Peoples' Day -- please help protect sacred sites from mining.
Canadian Barrick Gold is seeking to expand the Cortez gold mine in Nevada onto Mt. Tenabo, a sacred site to the Western Shoshone nation.
The mine expansion would threaten sacred Shoshone gravesites, disturb ritual grounds and could harm important water sources. To the Western Shoshone people, who were worshipping at Mt. Tenabo long before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, mining this area is akin to mining the National Cathedral and the Arlington National Cemetery.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has indicated that it would allow this mine expansion, even though it violates the rights of the Western Shoshone, the U.N. Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the recommendations of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Take Action: Tell the BLM to respect sacred sites
--
** Human Rights Campaign **
It's been ten years since 21-year-old Matthew Shepard lost his life after being violently beaten and left for dead along a remote Wyoming road.
His offense? Being himself – a conscientious college student who happened to be gay.
The murder shocked and saddened the nation, but a decade later, federal law still fails to recognize hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In honor of Matthew's life, tell old and senile John McCain and Barack Obama it's time to end the long era of hate.
Tell Obama to continue to support hate crimes legislation and demand sidekick McCain to reverse his out of touch position.
--
** EarthJustice **
Endosulfan is a dangerous pesticide in the same family of chemicals as DDT, the notorious pesticide that was banned in 1972 because it poisoned people, wildlife, and the environment. Like DDT, endosulfan is a serious threat to people -- especially farmworkers and children. The European Union and many other countries have already recognized this danger and have banned endosulfan's use.
Endosulfan has been found in our food and water supplies and due to its high mobility it has even been detected in remote national parks, on Mount Everest, and in the Arctic! Despite these risks, EPA continues to permit endosulfan's use in agriculture.
The EPA is now deciding whether it should adopt stronger protections to keep endosulfan off of our food and out of our environment. Chemical companies are fighting to keep endosulfan on the market. Don't let the voice of industry be the only one that the EPA hears. They need to hear from you too!
The deadline for submitting public comments to the EPA is October 20th. Add your voice to the call from thousands of others to demand that EPA protect people from endosulfan today! Sign the petition!
--
** The Wilderness Society **
Colorado's rich and diverse roadless forest lands are home to many imperiled species such as the Canada lynx and cutthroat trout. Thanks to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more than four million acres of Colorado roadless areas are now protected from new logging activities and oil and gas drilling.
But the Forest Service has issued a proposal to roll back some of these protections, exposing vital wildlife habitat and key recreation areas to development.
Help us ensure this proposal does not move forward, and that Colorado's wild roadless heritage remains protected. Click here to take quick, effective action!
The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, located in eastern Arizona where Mexican gray wolves roam, has proposed a new policy requiring proper disposal of livestock carcasses -- the first time livestock owners would be tasked with responsibility to prevent conflicts with wolves. Please voice your support for this policy.
If not made inedible or removed, the remains of cattle (and sometimes horses and sheep) that died of non-wolf causes serve to draw wolves to nearby live cattle and can habituate them to domestic animals instead of their natural prey -- which in turn can result in the wolves' being killed by the government in retribution.
The new policy would effectively ban the baiting of wolves into preying on domestic animals, and thereby save wolves' lives. "Predator control" killings are undermining recovery of the Mexican wolf, North America's most imperiled mammal, and the proposed change would help the wolf recover.
Preventing wolves from becoming habituated to livestock will also reduce wolf-rancher conflicts while helping wolves resume their ecological role keeping elk and deer herds healthy.
Your email to the Forest Service can help keep the agency resolute, so this provision sticks past the draft stage in the Apache-Sitgreaves Revised Forest Plan that will guide management of this forest for years to come.
--
** No Dirty Gold **
This Columbus Day -- also celebrated around the country as Indigenous Peoples' Day -- please help protect sacred sites from mining.
Canadian Barrick Gold is seeking to expand the Cortez gold mine in Nevada onto Mt. Tenabo, a sacred site to the Western Shoshone nation.
The mine expansion would threaten sacred Shoshone gravesites, disturb ritual grounds and could harm important water sources. To the Western Shoshone people, who were worshipping at Mt. Tenabo long before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, mining this area is akin to mining the National Cathedral and the Arlington National Cemetery.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has indicated that it would allow this mine expansion, even though it violates the rights of the Western Shoshone, the U.N. Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the recommendations of the Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Take Action: Tell the BLM to respect sacred sites
--
** Human Rights Campaign **
It's been ten years since 21-year-old Matthew Shepard lost his life after being violently beaten and left for dead along a remote Wyoming road.
His offense? Being himself – a conscientious college student who happened to be gay.
The murder shocked and saddened the nation, but a decade later, federal law still fails to recognize hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
In honor of Matthew's life, tell old and senile John McCain and Barack Obama it's time to end the long era of hate.
Tell Obama to continue to support hate crimes legislation and demand sidekick McCain to reverse his out of touch position.
--
** EarthJustice **
Endosulfan is a dangerous pesticide in the same family of chemicals as DDT, the notorious pesticide that was banned in 1972 because it poisoned people, wildlife, and the environment. Like DDT, endosulfan is a serious threat to people -- especially farmworkers and children. The European Union and many other countries have already recognized this danger and have banned endosulfan's use.
Endosulfan has been found in our food and water supplies and due to its high mobility it has even been detected in remote national parks, on Mount Everest, and in the Arctic! Despite these risks, EPA continues to permit endosulfan's use in agriculture.
The EPA is now deciding whether it should adopt stronger protections to keep endosulfan off of our food and out of our environment. Chemical companies are fighting to keep endosulfan on the market. Don't let the voice of industry be the only one that the EPA hears. They need to hear from you too!
The deadline for submitting public comments to the EPA is October 20th. Add your voice to the call from thousands of others to demand that EPA protect people from endosulfan today! Sign the petition!
--
** The Wilderness Society **
Colorado's rich and diverse roadless forest lands are home to many imperiled species such as the Canada lynx and cutthroat trout. Thanks to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, more than four million acres of Colorado roadless areas are now protected from new logging activities and oil and gas drilling.
But the Forest Service has issued a proposal to roll back some of these protections, exposing vital wildlife habitat and key recreation areas to development.
Help us ensure this proposal does not move forward, and that Colorado's wild roadless heritage remains protected. Click here to take quick, effective action!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Oct 01, 2008 -- Fight the Right-Wing Wackos Links of the Day.
** Human Rights Campaign **
How would you expect top officials in the administration to prepare for a Senate hearing? By reviewing studies and data, or going to the movies?
If you picked the latter, apparently, you'd be right.
Last week at a Senate hearing on equal family benefits for LGBT federal workers, the Bush Administration's Howard Weizmann cited the plot of the Adam Sandler movie "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," about two men who pretend to be gay, as evidence the program would be scammed.
What next? Education policy drawn on the wisdom of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"?
The American people deserve policies based on facts, fairness, and logic, not fictional scenarios designed to sell a ticket and get a laugh. Using a Hollywood comedy to justify opposing fair compensation is a new low even for this administration.
The day after the hearing, Weizmann was still at it, telling the Washington Post his "Chuck and Larry" example "is not farfetched." Click here to remind him that lowbrow Hollywood comedies are meant to get a laugh, not drive policy decisions.
Tell Mr. Weizmann public policy shouldn't be based on Hollywood comedies.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced devastating changes to the Endangered Species Act, signaling the end of protection for thousands of imperiled species.
The new regulations would:
- Exempt thousands of federal activities from review under the Endangered Species Act;
- Eliminate checks and balances of independent oversight;
- Limit which effects can be considered harmful;
- Prevent consideration of a project’s contribution to global warming;
- Set an inadequate 60-day deadline for wildlife experts to evaluate a project in the instances when they are invited to participate – or else the project gets an automatic green light;
- Enable large-scale projects to go unreviewed by dividing them into hundreds of small projects.
We must stop Kempthorne from fatally crippling our nation’s most successful wildlife law.
Tell Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne what you think of his destruction of the Endangered Species Act.
--
** Save Biogems **
If the Bush administration gets its way, Wyoming's spectacular Fortification Creek Area will soon be sacrificed to a massive drilling scheme.
We need your immediate action to halt this destructive plan in its tracks. The deadline for submitting comments on the plan is October 7!
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
right away and tell the Bureau of Land Management to reject this proposal, which would allow as many as 600 coalbed methane wells in the heart of Wyoming's remaining wildlands.
The Fortification Creek Area -- containing over 42,000 acres of public wildlands -- represents the last pristine oasis in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, which is already blanketed by coalbed methane wells.
Most importantly, the Fortification Creek region provides critical winter range and calving grounds for an isolated prairie elk herd of only 230 animals. If adopted, the Bush administration's plan has the potential to decimate the entire elk population.
The Fortification Creek Area is also home to pronghorn, bobcats, mountain lions, and over 200 species of migratory birds. Opening these lands to gas drilling would spoil a pristine water source for wildlife, cause irreversible soil and vegetation damage, and destroy outdoor recreational opportunities.
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
and urge Bush administration officials to protect Wyoming's Fortification Creek Area before these pristine wildlands are lost forever.
How would you expect top officials in the administration to prepare for a Senate hearing? By reviewing studies and data, or going to the movies?
If you picked the latter, apparently, you'd be right.
Last week at a Senate hearing on equal family benefits for LGBT federal workers, the Bush Administration's Howard Weizmann cited the plot of the Adam Sandler movie "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry," about two men who pretend to be gay, as evidence the program would be scammed.
What next? Education policy drawn on the wisdom of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off"?
The American people deserve policies based on facts, fairness, and logic, not fictional scenarios designed to sell a ticket and get a laugh. Using a Hollywood comedy to justify opposing fair compensation is a new low even for this administration.
The day after the hearing, Weizmann was still at it, telling the Washington Post his "Chuck and Larry" example "is not farfetched." Click here to remind him that lowbrow Hollywood comedies are meant to get a laugh, not drive policy decisions.
Tell Mr. Weizmann public policy shouldn't be based on Hollywood comedies.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced devastating changes to the Endangered Species Act, signaling the end of protection for thousands of imperiled species.
The new regulations would:
- Exempt thousands of federal activities from review under the Endangered Species Act;
- Eliminate checks and balances of independent oversight;
- Limit which effects can be considered harmful;
- Prevent consideration of a project’s contribution to global warming;
- Set an inadequate 60-day deadline for wildlife experts to evaluate a project in the instances when they are invited to participate – or else the project gets an automatic green light;
- Enable large-scale projects to go unreviewed by dividing them into hundreds of small projects.
We must stop Kempthorne from fatally crippling our nation’s most successful wildlife law.
Tell Department of the Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne what you think of his destruction of the Endangered Species Act.
--
** Save Biogems **
If the Bush administration gets its way, Wyoming's spectacular Fortification Creek Area will soon be sacrificed to a massive drilling scheme.
We need your immediate action to halt this destructive plan in its tracks. The deadline for submitting comments on the plan is October 7!
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
right away and tell the Bureau of Land Management to reject this proposal, which would allow as many as 600 coalbed methane wells in the heart of Wyoming's remaining wildlands.
The Fortification Creek Area -- containing over 42,000 acres of public wildlands -- represents the last pristine oasis in Wyoming's Powder River Basin, which is already blanketed by coalbed methane wells.
Most importantly, the Fortification Creek region provides critical winter range and calving grounds for an isolated prairie elk herd of only 230 animals. If adopted, the Bush administration's plan has the potential to decimate the entire elk population.
The Fortification Creek Area is also home to pronghorn, bobcats, mountain lions, and over 200 species of migratory birds. Opening these lands to gas drilling would spoil a pristine water source for wildlife, cause irreversible soil and vegetation damage, and destroy outdoor recreational opportunities.
Please go to
http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/takeaction
and urge Bush administration officials to protect Wyoming's Fortification Creek Area before these pristine wildlands are lost forever.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Aug 26, 2008 -- Your Fight the Right-Wing Wacko Links of the Day.
** Earth Justice **
Big Oil and their White House allies want you to believe that opening up America's coasts to offshore drilling will lower your gas prices.
In reality, Bush's own Department of Energy says that offshore drilling would have "no significant impact" on gasoline prices, and we won't even see those meager savings until 2025.
Yet Bush's Interior Secretary is using $4.00-a-gallon gas prices to justify expanding drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf -- at the same time that his oil industry friends are sitting on leases for nearly 68 million acres of untapped federal lands and water.
We need you to speak out against this Big Oil-backed land grab now!
--
** Audubon Society **
In it's final few months in office, the Bush Administration has launched an attack on the Endangered Species Act, our most important wildlife law. The Department of Interior has proposed changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that, if enacted, will gut the regulatory process that protects listed species like Whooping Cranes, Piping Plovers, and Roseate Terns.
Send a letter to the Department of Interior, urging them to abandon this misguided plan.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Gold Mine Threatens Death Valley
We need your help to stop a gold-mining proposal that would destroy up to 10 square miles of fragile desert only a few miles from Death Valley National Park.
The Bureau of Land Management is considering a proposal from Timberline Resources Company to explore for low-grade gold ore as part of its plan to put a massive gold mine on Conglomerate Mesa, just east of Owens Lake in the scenic Inyo Mountains. Conglomerate Mesa was formerly included in the Cerro Gordo Wilderness Study Area, is adjacent to the Malpais Mesa Wilderness, and may still be considered for future wilderness designation.
The Bureau of Land Management produced an inadequate Environmental Assessment for the exploratory drilling. It fails to address any of the environmental impacts that will result from a gold mine in this area and also fails to adequately address the impacts of the exploration.
By sending the Bureau the following letter, you can raise your voice to help save an important swath of California's irreplaceable desert.
Big Oil and their White House allies want you to believe that opening up America's coasts to offshore drilling will lower your gas prices.
In reality, Bush's own Department of Energy says that offshore drilling would have "no significant impact" on gasoline prices, and we won't even see those meager savings until 2025.
Yet Bush's Interior Secretary is using $4.00-a-gallon gas prices to justify expanding drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf -- at the same time that his oil industry friends are sitting on leases for nearly 68 million acres of untapped federal lands and water.
We need you to speak out against this Big Oil-backed land grab now!
--
** Audubon Society **
In it's final few months in office, the Bush Administration has launched an attack on the Endangered Species Act, our most important wildlife law. The Department of Interior has proposed changes to Endangered Species Act regulations that, if enacted, will gut the regulatory process that protects listed species like Whooping Cranes, Piping Plovers, and Roseate Terns.
Send a letter to the Department of Interior, urging them to abandon this misguided plan.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Gold Mine Threatens Death Valley
We need your help to stop a gold-mining proposal that would destroy up to 10 square miles of fragile desert only a few miles from Death Valley National Park.
The Bureau of Land Management is considering a proposal from Timberline Resources Company to explore for low-grade gold ore as part of its plan to put a massive gold mine on Conglomerate Mesa, just east of Owens Lake in the scenic Inyo Mountains. Conglomerate Mesa was formerly included in the Cerro Gordo Wilderness Study Area, is adjacent to the Malpais Mesa Wilderness, and may still be considered for future wilderness designation.
The Bureau of Land Management produced an inadequate Environmental Assessment for the exploratory drilling. It fails to address any of the environmental impacts that will result from a gold mine in this area and also fails to adequately address the impacts of the exploration.
By sending the Bureau the following letter, you can raise your voice to help save an important swath of California's irreplaceable desert.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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
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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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.
--
** 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
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Your Fight The Right-Wing Wackos for July 23, 2008
** Earthjustice **
There's a lot of speculation these days over who is to blame for our rising gas prices. But one thing is for certain: drilling for oil off our coasts won't get us out of this predicament. Yet the threat of offshore drilling -- and its disastrous environmental effects -- could become a reality if Congress votes to lift a longstanding ban on new offshore drilling in the coming weeks. We need your help to make sure that doesn't happen.
Tell Congress to continue to oppose offshore drilling!
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
At a time when fisheries are suffering, and environmental review and public feedback on fisheries management are crucial, the Bush administration is proposing to make an end run around both -- which could have catastrophic effects on management of crucial resources such as sea turtles, corals, and valuable fish populations.
Instead of streamlining environmental review of fisheries management, the Fisheries Service's proposed rule creates a cumbersome system that makes compliance difficult. In addition, the proposed rule makes it hard for citizens to weigh in by vastly shortening public comment periods from a mandatory 45 days to as little as two weeks, and introduces multiple new ways for fishery managers to avoid environmental review and public participation entirely. Moreover, the rule would put environmental review authority in the hands of fishery management councils -- advisory bodies largely made up of appointed members with significant financial interests in the fisheries they manage -- rather than the agency accountable to the public for the state of our fisheries.
The Fisheries Service's proposed rule threatens the health of our fisheries and the public's ability to do anything about it. Worse yet, it sets an ominous precedent for the government to roll back crucial NEPA requirements for other categories of agency actions across both land and sea.
Please tell the agency to take back these flawed regulations and develop new regulations that comply with the spirit and letter of the Act.
--
** People for the American Way **
The Bush administration's at it again -- denying reality that doesn’t fit its political agenda (as it's done with global warming, the war, the economy and so much more).
The press this week reported on an offensive protocol by the Census Bureau for how it intends to handle married same-sex couples during the 2010 Census. The Bureau will NOT count legally married gay couples as married, and will instead EDIT the data submitted by married gay couples to change their status to "unmarried partners."
Please sign on to our petition to the Census Bureau urging them not to do this.
There's a lot of speculation these days over who is to blame for our rising gas prices. But one thing is for certain: drilling for oil off our coasts won't get us out of this predicament. Yet the threat of offshore drilling -- and its disastrous environmental effects -- could become a reality if Congress votes to lift a longstanding ban on new offshore drilling in the coming weeks. We need your help to make sure that doesn't happen.
Tell Congress to continue to oppose offshore drilling!
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
At a time when fisheries are suffering, and environmental review and public feedback on fisheries management are crucial, the Bush administration is proposing to make an end run around both -- which could have catastrophic effects on management of crucial resources such as sea turtles, corals, and valuable fish populations.
Instead of streamlining environmental review of fisheries management, the Fisheries Service's proposed rule creates a cumbersome system that makes compliance difficult. In addition, the proposed rule makes it hard for citizens to weigh in by vastly shortening public comment periods from a mandatory 45 days to as little as two weeks, and introduces multiple new ways for fishery managers to avoid environmental review and public participation entirely. Moreover, the rule would put environmental review authority in the hands of fishery management councils -- advisory bodies largely made up of appointed members with significant financial interests in the fisheries they manage -- rather than the agency accountable to the public for the state of our fisheries.
The Fisheries Service's proposed rule threatens the health of our fisheries and the public's ability to do anything about it. Worse yet, it sets an ominous precedent for the government to roll back crucial NEPA requirements for other categories of agency actions across both land and sea.
Please tell the agency to take back these flawed regulations and develop new regulations that comply with the spirit and letter of the Act.
--
** People for the American Way **
The Bush administration's at it again -- denying reality that doesn’t fit its political agenda (as it's done with global warming, the war, the economy and so much more).
The press this week reported on an offensive protocol by the Census Bureau for how it intends to handle married same-sex couples during the 2010 Census. The Bureau will NOT count legally married gay couples as married, and will instead EDIT the data submitted by married gay couples to change their status to "unmarried partners."
Please sign on to our petition to the Census Bureau urging them not to do this.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Your Fight The Right-Wing Wackos for June 18, 2008
** Campaign Money Watch **
Lobbyists for foreign governments, politicians, and corporations can avoid disclosing who they work for and how much they're paid if they don't attend meetings about their clients in the U.S. This loophole allows lobbyists to hide their work for brutal regimes and interests working against our values.
Tell your Senators it's time to close the foreign lobbying loophole.
--
** Greenpeace **
You can help save the oceans every time you go grocery shopping. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet most supermarkets don’t consider where the seafood they sell comes from or how it was caught. Destructive fishing practices and overfishing are two of the gravest threats facing our oceans, and experts predict if current trends continue, global fisheries will collapse in 40 years. Take action – Flex your power as a consumer.
Tell the largest U.S. supermarket retailers to adopt sustainable seafood policies, stop selling destructively fished seafood, and provide informative labeling so customers, like us, can choose the most sustainable seafood and avoid the most imperiled fish. Don’t delay, ocean protection starts with all of us.
Tell Supermarkets, No More Fishy Business!
--
** ACLU **
A sham spying “compromise” similar to the one we warned you about last week could be rammed through both the Senate and House this week. It’s moving that fast.
In a proposal that makes a mockery of the rule of law, telecom companies that broke the law by supplying mountains of personal information to the government without a warrant will be let off the hook
There’s a deeply disturbing premise behind this dangerous FISA legislation: The president simply had to claim his request was legal for immunity to be granted to telecom companies that illegally handed over personal information.
No matter how illegal, offensive or intrusive a company’s invasion of your privacy has been, it won’t make a difference, because if the president gave the company a note claiming their behavior was legal, they’re completely off the hook.
Congress needs to reject this sham for what it is and
Tell your members of Congress to reject a sham immunity "compromise."
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Last month the Bush administration was forced to recognize the serious threats to polar bear survival, listing the bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
But just as it made one step forward to protect the bear, the administration took two steps back -- refusing to address the effects of global warming on the rapidly melting sea ice and allowing environmentally damaging oil and gas development to continue in the Arctic.
To counter this massive loophole, representatives Jay Inslee and Maurice Hinchey have introduced a bill to halt oil and gas leases in the bears' Arctic habitat until scientists can fully assess the environmental impacts and designate protected critical habitat.
Support the "Polar Bear Seas Protection Act" and ensure that polar bears get the protection they need to survive.
--
** Common Cause **
Congress is wheeling and dealing this week with the White House over whether to give a "get-out-of-jail-free" card to telecom companies that helped eavesdrop on Americans without legally-required warrants.
Just a few weeks ago, the House stood strong and refused to give immunity to the phone companies that engaged in illegal wiretapping. But now, Congress is considering a "compromise" bill that could make it impossible for us to find out the details of the domestic spying program and hold accountable anyone who broke the law.
Tell your members of Congress: No deal on telecom immunity.
Lobbyists for foreign governments, politicians, and corporations can avoid disclosing who they work for and how much they're paid if they don't attend meetings about their clients in the U.S. This loophole allows lobbyists to hide their work for brutal regimes and interests working against our values.
Tell your Senators it's time to close the foreign lobbying loophole.
--
** Greenpeace **
You can help save the oceans every time you go grocery shopping. Consumers buy half their seafood at supermarkets, yet most supermarkets don’t consider where the seafood they sell comes from or how it was caught. Destructive fishing practices and overfishing are two of the gravest threats facing our oceans, and experts predict if current trends continue, global fisheries will collapse in 40 years. Take action – Flex your power as a consumer.
Tell the largest U.S. supermarket retailers to adopt sustainable seafood policies, stop selling destructively fished seafood, and provide informative labeling so customers, like us, can choose the most sustainable seafood and avoid the most imperiled fish. Don’t delay, ocean protection starts with all of us.
Tell Supermarkets, No More Fishy Business!
--
** ACLU **
A sham spying “compromise” similar to the one we warned you about last week could be rammed through both the Senate and House this week. It’s moving that fast.
In a proposal that makes a mockery of the rule of law, telecom companies that broke the law by supplying mountains of personal information to the government without a warrant will be let off the hook
There’s a deeply disturbing premise behind this dangerous FISA legislation: The president simply had to claim his request was legal for immunity to be granted to telecom companies that illegally handed over personal information.
No matter how illegal, offensive or intrusive a company’s invasion of your privacy has been, it won’t make a difference, because if the president gave the company a note claiming their behavior was legal, they’re completely off the hook.
Congress needs to reject this sham for what it is and
Tell your members of Congress to reject a sham immunity "compromise."
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
Last month the Bush administration was forced to recognize the serious threats to polar bear survival, listing the bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
But just as it made one step forward to protect the bear, the administration took two steps back -- refusing to address the effects of global warming on the rapidly melting sea ice and allowing environmentally damaging oil and gas development to continue in the Arctic.
To counter this massive loophole, representatives Jay Inslee and Maurice Hinchey have introduced a bill to halt oil and gas leases in the bears' Arctic habitat until scientists can fully assess the environmental impacts and designate protected critical habitat.
Support the "Polar Bear Seas Protection Act" and ensure that polar bears get the protection they need to survive.
--
** Common Cause **
Congress is wheeling and dealing this week with the White House over whether to give a "get-out-of-jail-free" card to telecom companies that helped eavesdrop on Americans without legally-required warrants.
Just a few weeks ago, the House stood strong and refused to give immunity to the phone companies that engaged in illegal wiretapping. But now, Congress is considering a "compromise" bill that could make it impossible for us to find out the details of the domestic spying program and hold accountable anyone who broke the law.
Tell your members of Congress: No deal on telecom immunity.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Your Fight the Right Activist links for May 19, 2008
** United Farm Workers **
On April 14, a delegation of workers from Beef Northwest met with Whole Foods' Vice-President Edmund La Maccia and presented a copy of the online petition that you and more than 13,000 people signed. During the meeting, the Whole Foods representative said he was moved by the workers' stories. He said he would contact Beef Northwest and urge that they sit down with the UFW to resolve this issue. He told the workers he'd let us know how Beef Northwest responded.
His promises excited the workers. However, it appears they were only words. To date, Whole Foods is back to ignoring the UFW’s e-mails and phone calls.
Send Whole Foods an e-mail today. It's time for Whole Foods to do the right thing and not just talk.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
The federal government is once again proposing to allow longline fishing for swordfish in the waters off California and Oregon. Longlining, in which a single vessel can lay out over 60 miles of line and 1,000 hooks at a time, is one of the most destructive fishing practices ever invented. In addition to depleting the oceans of the targeted swordfish and tuna, longlines hook, entangle, and kill tens of thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals and sharks. The critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle has been reduced from over 100,000 nesting females to fewer than 3,000 over the past 25 years, primarily due to the impacts of longline fishing.
Swordfish longlining has been banned in waters off the West Coast since 2004, following a successful lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity. Just last summer, the Center led opposition to a proposal to allow an experimental longline fishery in these waters, which are crucial to the Pacific leatherback. Even though the California Coastal Commission has already denied that proposal before, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the permit applicant are once again pushing to allow longline fishing in these waters.
Please let the agency know that you oppose the introduction of this deadly fishing gear to the West Coast by submitting comments on the proposed fishing permit.
--
** Food and Water Watch **
Rather than admit to chronic staffing and funding shortfalls, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed outsourcing some of its inspection duties to "third parties." The enforcement of federal food safety standards is too important a job to hand off to the private sector.
Tell the FDA not to shirk its responsibility to protect the U.S. food supply.
--
On April 14, a delegation of workers from Beef Northwest met with Whole Foods' Vice-President Edmund La Maccia and presented a copy of the online petition that you and more than 13,000 people signed. During the meeting, the Whole Foods representative said he was moved by the workers' stories. He said he would contact Beef Northwest and urge that they sit down with the UFW to resolve this issue. He told the workers he'd let us know how Beef Northwest responded.
His promises excited the workers. However, it appears they were only words. To date, Whole Foods is back to ignoring the UFW’s e-mails and phone calls.
Send Whole Foods an e-mail today. It's time for Whole Foods to do the right thing and not just talk.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
The federal government is once again proposing to allow longline fishing for swordfish in the waters off California and Oregon. Longlining, in which a single vessel can lay out over 60 miles of line and 1,000 hooks at a time, is one of the most destructive fishing practices ever invented. In addition to depleting the oceans of the targeted swordfish and tuna, longlines hook, entangle, and kill tens of thousands of seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals and sharks. The critically endangered Pacific leatherback sea turtle has been reduced from over 100,000 nesting females to fewer than 3,000 over the past 25 years, primarily due to the impacts of longline fishing.
Swordfish longlining has been banned in waters off the West Coast since 2004, following a successful lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity. Just last summer, the Center led opposition to a proposal to allow an experimental longline fishery in these waters, which are crucial to the Pacific leatherback. Even though the California Coastal Commission has already denied that proposal before, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the permit applicant are once again pushing to allow longline fishing in these waters.
Please let the agency know that you oppose the introduction of this deadly fishing gear to the West Coast by submitting comments on the proposed fishing permit.
--
** Food and Water Watch **
Rather than admit to chronic staffing and funding shortfalls, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently proposed outsourcing some of its inspection duties to "third parties." The enforcement of federal food safety standards is too important a job to hand off to the private sector.
Tell the FDA not to shirk its responsibility to protect the U.S. food supply.
--
Monday, May 5, 2008
Your 5 Minute Activist Links for May 5, 2008
** Public Citizen **
Legislation to protect us from defective and dangerous products is on the move.
With your help, we recently pushed the House and Senate to pass legislation that will make consumer products safer. Now we're heading to the finish line. Today, members of the House and Senate will begin negotiating differences in the legislation they passed and writing a final bill.
You can make a difference - by urging Congress to produce the strongest possible bill to protect consumers.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
A February 2008 study funded by the National Park Service documented extensive chemical contamination in 20 western U.S. parks. Researchers found that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like the pesticide endosulfan are threatening park ecosystems and wildlife health. Alarming levels of these chemicals were found in some of America's most seemingly pristine areas, including Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks along with 18 other western parks from Texas to the far northern reaches of the Arctic.
POPs are among the most dangerous compounds ever produced. POPs persist in the environment, build up in body fat of animals (including humans), and travel the globe on air and water currents. Some of the human health effects now linked to POP exposure include cancer, learning disorders, impaired immune function, reproductive problems, and diabetes. Many POP pesticides, such as DDT and chlordane, have been banned for years in the United States.
Endosulfan is one dangerous POP pesticide still being used in this country, currently under review by EPA. Leaders in Congress should press for a ban of endosulfan and other POPs still in use that are contaminating national parks and threatening wildlife.
Add your name to the petition below to be delivered to the leaders of the committees in Congress charged with protecting our national parks and wildlife.
Tell Congress: Protect our Parks and Wildlife From Pesticides!
--
** John Kerry **
Over a week ago, the New York Times published a major investigative article, detailing a secret Pentagon program the Times said was designed to recruit and cultivate the "military analysts" you see on the major news networks in an attempt to create coverage favorable to the Bush Administration's policy in Iraq.
The Times described an extensive program, with dozens of television analysts involved, some of whom had extensive business ties to the Defense Department -- in fact they called it "an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks."
Since that story ran, there's been a virtual news blackout, and we haven't gotten any closer to finding out the real story.
You can change that. I sent a letter to the Government Accounting Organization requesting an investigation, and I'd like you to show your support by virtually "co-signing" the letter with me. Only with an overwhelming display of grassroots energy can we put this story in the spotlight and press for answers.
Click here to co-sign the letter with me:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pentagonpundits
--
** ACLU **
In February, the House of Representatives heard the demands of voters like you and stood up to Bush administration demands for expanded surveillance powers and immunity for big phone companies that broke the law. But now, House leadership is on the precipice of caving in and handing over everything the President has demanded.
Your representative must hear that there will be a major backlash if he or she caves on FISA. Let your representative know you're watching.
Legislation to protect us from defective and dangerous products is on the move.
With your help, we recently pushed the House and Senate to pass legislation that will make consumer products safer. Now we're heading to the finish line. Today, members of the House and Senate will begin negotiating differences in the legislation they passed and writing a final bill.
You can make a difference - by urging Congress to produce the strongest possible bill to protect consumers.
--
** Center for Biological Diversity **
A February 2008 study funded by the National Park Service documented extensive chemical contamination in 20 western U.S. parks. Researchers found that persistent organic pollutants (POPs) like the pesticide endosulfan are threatening park ecosystems and wildlife health. Alarming levels of these chemicals were found in some of America's most seemingly pristine areas, including Rocky Mountain and Glacier national parks along with 18 other western parks from Texas to the far northern reaches of the Arctic.
POPs are among the most dangerous compounds ever produced. POPs persist in the environment, build up in body fat of animals (including humans), and travel the globe on air and water currents. Some of the human health effects now linked to POP exposure include cancer, learning disorders, impaired immune function, reproductive problems, and diabetes. Many POP pesticides, such as DDT and chlordane, have been banned for years in the United States.
Endosulfan is one dangerous POP pesticide still being used in this country, currently under review by EPA. Leaders in Congress should press for a ban of endosulfan and other POPs still in use that are contaminating national parks and threatening wildlife.
Add your name to the petition below to be delivered to the leaders of the committees in Congress charged with protecting our national parks and wildlife.
Tell Congress: Protect our Parks and Wildlife From Pesticides!
--
** John Kerry **
Over a week ago, the New York Times published a major investigative article, detailing a secret Pentagon program the Times said was designed to recruit and cultivate the "military analysts" you see on the major news networks in an attempt to create coverage favorable to the Bush Administration's policy in Iraq.
The Times described an extensive program, with dozens of television analysts involved, some of whom had extensive business ties to the Defense Department -- in fact they called it "an effort to transform the analysts into a kind of media Trojan horse -- an instrument intended to shape terrorism coverage from inside the major TV and radio networks."
Since that story ran, there's been a virtual news blackout, and we haven't gotten any closer to finding out the real story.
You can change that. I sent a letter to the Government Accounting Organization requesting an investigation, and I'd like you to show your support by virtually "co-signing" the letter with me. Only with an overwhelming display of grassroots energy can we put this story in the spotlight and press for answers.
Click here to co-sign the letter with me:
http://www.johnkerry.com/pentagonpundits
--
** ACLU **
In February, the House of Representatives heard the demands of voters like you and stood up to Bush administration demands for expanded surveillance powers and immunity for big phone companies that broke the law. But now, House leadership is on the precipice of caving in and handing over everything the President has demanded.
Your representative must hear that there will be a major backlash if he or she caves on FISA. Let your representative know you're watching.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Your 5 Minute Activist Links for April 23, 2008
** United Farm Workers **
Multiculturalism is a basic American concept. We value the beliefs, traditions, customs, arts, history and folklore of the diverse cultures reflected throughout our nation. All this is being put at risk in Arizona, where last week the Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to a routine homeland security bill, SB 1108 that would prohibit students at the state’s public universities and community colleges from organizing groups based on race (ie: groups such as MEChA, the Black Business Students Association, Native Americans United, etc.)
According to newspaper reports, Rep. John Kavanagh, (R-Scottsdale), a supporter of the measure called these campus organizations, "'self-defeating' and 'self-destructive' for students."
If you live in Arizona, e-mail your representatives immediately as well as the Speaker of the House. If you live outside Arizona, please e-mail the Arizona Speaker of the House today and let him know the eyes of the nation are on Arizona.
Please take action today. This bill could reach the Arizona House floor as early as this week.
** Food and Water Watch **
Already in 2008 we've seen the largest recall in U.S. history from the Hallmark/Westland meat plant, and this isn't an isolated incident. Whether it was spinach, ground beef, peanut butter, or frozen pot pies, last year was the year of recalls. Throughout all of these recalls consumers had no way of finding out where these recalled products were sold or distributed. Thankfully, we have an opportunity to change that.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has introduced a bill which would require the USDA to tell us which stores and schools received recalled meat.
We've got a good chance of getting this passed, but we need to gain as much support for the bill as possible. Can you ask your member of Congress to become a co-sponsor of this important bill?
** Center for Biological Diversity **
By June 30th, the federal government will make one of the most important decisions in conservation history. If it declares the polar bear to be an "endangered" species, the decision will set off an unprecedented worldwide discussion on global warming.
If the government refuses, desperately needed global action will again be delayed by U.S. stubbornness. Short-term corporate profits will continue to control political agendas and threaten life on earth. All of life on earth.
It will all happen -- or not -- by June 30th. Make it happen. Sign our petition today and pass it on.
** Change to Win **
The incompetent boobs in the Department of Homeland Security is proposing using Social Security "no-match" letters for immigration enforcement. Every year, employers report their employees' Social Security numbers to the government as part of the process of paying their payroll taxes. The Social Security Administration (SSA) checks those numbers against their database; if they don't match, a so-called "no-match" letter is sent by SSA to the employer.
That works well enough when the issue is just checking the accuracy of Social Security's records. But now DHS is proposing to use this system for something far more critical -- identifying whether a worker is in this country legally. And the Social Security database just isn't accurate enough to be used reliably for that purpose.
Why isn't it? The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration estimates that there are more than 17 million errors in the database -- each of which would trigger a "no-match" letter. And more than 70% of those errors are in the records of legal, native-born American workers.
If you're one of those workers, when the "no-match" letter arrives, it's up to you and your employer -- not DHS or Social Security -- to resolve the "discrepancy". And if you can't get it resolved in time, your employer is required to fire you or risk significant penalties.
If DHS goes forward with this plan, it would cause thousands of people to be fired on an unverified hunch that an error in a database in Washington means that you're not a legal, authorized worker.
The Department of Homeland Security needs to hear from you that this is unacceptable. Tell DHS to Say No to No-Match
Multiculturalism is a basic American concept. We value the beliefs, traditions, customs, arts, history and folklore of the diverse cultures reflected throughout our nation. All this is being put at risk in Arizona, where last week the Appropriations Committee passed an amendment to a routine homeland security bill, SB 1108 that would prohibit students at the state’s public universities and community colleges from organizing groups based on race (ie: groups such as MEChA, the Black Business Students Association, Native Americans United, etc.)
According to newspaper reports, Rep. John Kavanagh, (R-Scottsdale), a supporter of the measure called these campus organizations, "'self-defeating' and 'self-destructive' for students."
If you live in Arizona, e-mail your representatives immediately as well as the Speaker of the House. If you live outside Arizona, please e-mail the Arizona Speaker of the House today and let him know the eyes of the nation are on Arizona.
Please take action today. This bill could reach the Arizona House floor as early as this week.
** Food and Water Watch **
Already in 2008 we've seen the largest recall in U.S. history from the Hallmark/Westland meat plant, and this isn't an isolated incident. Whether it was spinach, ground beef, peanut butter, or frozen pot pies, last year was the year of recalls. Throughout all of these recalls consumers had no way of finding out where these recalled products were sold or distributed. Thankfully, we have an opportunity to change that.
Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro has introduced a bill which would require the USDA to tell us which stores and schools received recalled meat.
We've got a good chance of getting this passed, but we need to gain as much support for the bill as possible. Can you ask your member of Congress to become a co-sponsor of this important bill?
** Center for Biological Diversity **
By June 30th, the federal government will make one of the most important decisions in conservation history. If it declares the polar bear to be an "endangered" species, the decision will set off an unprecedented worldwide discussion on global warming.
If the government refuses, desperately needed global action will again be delayed by U.S. stubbornness. Short-term corporate profits will continue to control political agendas and threaten life on earth. All of life on earth.
It will all happen -- or not -- by June 30th. Make it happen. Sign our petition today and pass it on.
** Change to Win **
The incompetent boobs in the Department of Homeland Security is proposing using Social Security "no-match" letters for immigration enforcement. Every year, employers report their employees' Social Security numbers to the government as part of the process of paying their payroll taxes. The Social Security Administration (SSA) checks those numbers against their database; if they don't match, a so-called "no-match" letter is sent by SSA to the employer.
That works well enough when the issue is just checking the accuracy of Social Security's records. But now DHS is proposing to use this system for something far more critical -- identifying whether a worker is in this country legally. And the Social Security database just isn't accurate enough to be used reliably for that purpose.
Why isn't it? The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration estimates that there are more than 17 million errors in the database -- each of which would trigger a "no-match" letter. And more than 70% of those errors are in the records of legal, native-born American workers.
If you're one of those workers, when the "no-match" letter arrives, it's up to you and your employer -- not DHS or Social Security -- to resolve the "discrepancy". And if you can't get it resolved in time, your employer is required to fire you or risk significant penalties.
If DHS goes forward with this plan, it would cause thousands of people to be fired on an unverified hunch that an error in a database in Washington means that you're not a legal, authorized worker.
The Department of Homeland Security needs to hear from you that this is unacceptable. Tell DHS to Say No to No-Match
Friday, April 4, 2008
Your 5 Minute Activist Links for April 4, 2008
** Center for Biological Diversity **
One-third of America's national forests are protected from road-building and other industrial development by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule -- but now the administration is working state-by-state to open these treasured places to logging, mining and other development. As it gets ready to head out the door, the Bush government seems intent on handing the keys to our national forests over to the timber and mining industries. Without your help, their future is at risk. The Forest Service needs to hear from you by Monday, April 7th.
** Labour Start **
It has been nearly a month since the murder of Leonidas Gomez Rozo, a leader of the National Union of Bank Workers of Colombia.
His murder in early March was one of several violent attacks against trade unionists in that country.
Today we've been asked by UNI Global Union -- a global union federation to which Rozo's union was affiliated -- to flood Colombian embassies around the world with messages of protest next week.
** Credo Action **
This week the Chinese government called the Dalai Lama a "wolf in monk's robes" and his followers the "scum of Buddhism." It's just the latest outrage as China continues its brutal crackdown on courageous Tibetans who are demonstrating for greater political autonomy.
Let's all tell the Chinese government to end its violent crackdown in Tibet. Sign our petition here.
** Defenders of Wildlife **
Bison once numbered in the tens of millions across the Great Plains until a wholesale slaughter nearly wiped them out.
Now some of America's last free-roaming wild bison are being slaughtered on a scale not seen since the 1800s. And hundreds more could to be killed.
Take action now! Write the Montana Promotion Division -- the state's tourism officials -- and speak out for sensible wildlife management of these American icons!
** The Real McCain **
Old and Senile McCain still has not shown the backbone to be President and has turned his back on veterans. Why won't old and senile McCain sign on to the the New GI Bill?
One-third of America's national forests are protected from road-building and other industrial development by the Roadless Area Conservation Rule -- but now the administration is working state-by-state to open these treasured places to logging, mining and other development. As it gets ready to head out the door, the Bush government seems intent on handing the keys to our national forests over to the timber and mining industries. Without your help, their future is at risk. The Forest Service needs to hear from you by Monday, April 7th.
** Labour Start **
It has been nearly a month since the murder of Leonidas Gomez Rozo, a leader of the National Union of Bank Workers of Colombia.
His murder in early March was one of several violent attacks against trade unionists in that country.
Today we've been asked by UNI Global Union -- a global union federation to which Rozo's union was affiliated -- to flood Colombian embassies around the world with messages of protest next week.
** Credo Action **
This week the Chinese government called the Dalai Lama a "wolf in monk's robes" and his followers the "scum of Buddhism." It's just the latest outrage as China continues its brutal crackdown on courageous Tibetans who are demonstrating for greater political autonomy.
Let's all tell the Chinese government to end its violent crackdown in Tibet. Sign our petition here.
** Defenders of Wildlife **
Bison once numbered in the tens of millions across the Great Plains until a wholesale slaughter nearly wiped them out.
Now some of America's last free-roaming wild bison are being slaughtered on a scale not seen since the 1800s. And hundreds more could to be killed.
Take action now! Write the Montana Promotion Division -- the state's tourism officials -- and speak out for sensible wildlife management of these American icons!
** The Real McCain **
Old and Senile McCain still has not shown the backbone to be President and has turned his back on veterans. Why won't old and senile McCain sign on to the the New GI Bill?
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