If Home Depot is serious about protecting the environment, they must stop advertising on Fox — a network that consistently spreads misinformation about and denies the existence of global warming….
In every month from July through December, New American Dream’s Carbon Conscious Consumer campaign will focus on one easy, habit-forming step Americans can take to help the environment by reducing carbon emissions. For July we’re focusing on eating locally. Did you know that food in the U.S. typically travels more than 1500 miles and generates five to 17 times more carbon emissions than food grown locally?
If you pledge to eat at least one pound of local food each week – and invite your friends to do the same – we’ll show you the positive impact of your action and give you a shot at some great prizes, including a $6000 eco-makeover for your yard!
Click on the logo below to pledge to purchase an lb. of locally-grown food this month (and increase your blegger’s chances of winning a newly revamped backyard to go with her newly purchased first (!) home!- don’t worry, I promise to freecycle all that unwanted foliage):
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: DawnWatch - news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Jun 11, 2007 9:29 PM
Subject: DawnWatch Alert: Pending legislation that endangers almost all animal-friendly legislation 6/11/07
There is a saying: “One person can do almost anything. No person can do everything.” That’s why DawnWatch focuses strictly on media and almost never sends out alerts that are not media based. I make an exception today in order to tell people about a piece of legislation that could undo all of the good work so many others have done on the legislative front. There is a provision tucked into the pending Farm Bill designed to prohibit states and localities from banning activities they deem to be contrary to public health, safety, or morals. If it passes, it will nullify gains made by activists across the 50 states.
If you respond to just one alert this year, please make it this one, so that others can keep fighting.
Please read the alert below from HSUS and take five minutes to make two phone calls and send two emails. Your five minutes will enable activists to continue to devote their lives to easing animal suffering.
Some of our most important victories for animals have been state laws barring cruel practices—such as horse slaughter, confining young calves and breeding pigs in crates so small they can’t even turn around, and force-feeding of ducks and geese to make foie gras. Should Congress be able to block all such laws? Tell your federal legislators NO!
The federal government shouldn’t be able to trump the will of the states when it comes to animal welfare. Yet that’s exactly what legislation now making its way through Congress would do. A small provision—Section 123—tucked into the pending Farm Bill would prohibit states and localities from banning activities they deem to be contrary to public health, safety, or morals. It’s an outrageous power grab that would undermine the democratic process and deny citizens the right to pass state or local laws on issues of humane treatment or food safety.
If passed, this provision would nullify bans on horse slaughter in states including Illinois, Texas and California, bans on gestation crates in Florida and both gestation and veal crates in Arizona, and bans on foie gras in California and Chicago. Tell Congress not to mess with state and local animal protection laws!
The US Postal Service has accepted a proposal from Time Warner to raise postage rates significantly for smaller publications while reducing rates for larger publishers like Hearst and Time Warner. A coalition of smaller, independent media, including Free Press, a national non-partisan organization working to reform media, and the Media Consortium, including Ms., magazine, Mother Jones, The Nation, American Prospect, The Progressive, In These Times, and other independent media, are working to send a massive number of letters to the Postal Service and Congress protesting this postage hike.
Time Warner’s plan was chosen — with no public input — instead of another proposal that would have imposed a mostly equal increase (approx. 12 percent) for all magazine publishers. If implemented, the Time Warner plan could force many smaller publications out of business, according to Free Press.
The US Postal Service is currently accepting comments on the postage change. Free Press, Ms., and other groups are working to collect thousands of comments calling on Congress to step in and reverse the postage hike.
For more on the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) - including recent developments - please see past alerts here (or here), and check out Will Potter’s work at GreenIsTheNewRed.com.
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Kinship Circle - info [at] kinshipcircle.org
Date: Mar 20, 2007 3:33 PM
Subject: ACT TODAY/ Invite Congress To AETA Briefing On Hill
Kinship Circle Primary - PERMISSION TO CROSS-POST
Equal Justice Alliance Hosts AETA Briefing On The Hill
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 * 2:00 to 3:30pm
Do your elected officials know about the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA)? Do they understand its negative impact on First Amendment rights of free speech and assembly?
1. Copy/paste flyer below into an email to: YOUR federal Representative and Senators.
2. Include a brief note about why you want AETA repealed. See talking point in press release below flyer.
3. For a HIGHER RESOLUTION copy of flyer to Congress, email: kinshipcircle [at] brick.net
4. DELETE ALL REFERENCES TO KINSHIP CIRCLE BEFORE SENDING FLYER/COMMENTS TO REP AND SENATORS. The message is from YOU, not Kinship Circle
To identify your federal legislators and find contact info, try:
Congress.org - www.Congress.org
USA Senate - www.senate.gov
USA House of Representatives - www.house.gov
Congressional Switchboard: 202-224-3121
With both houses of Congress in the hands of the Democrats, we have a chance this year to pass the Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2007!
Introduced in the Senate by Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and in the House by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the Afghan Women Empowerment Act of 2007 authorizes funding for the Afghan Ministry of Women’s Affairs, the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and for Afghan women-led nonprofits providing direct services to Afghan women and girls.
Afghan women continue to lack basic services and are increasingly under attack by Taliban and other militia groups who are trying to prevent them from exercising their hard-won rights. Attacks and threats against girls’ schools are increasing. In fact, the United Nations estimates that every day a girls school is burned down or a teacher killed. More than 100,000 children in the four southern provinces are denied an education because of attacks on schools.
Afghan women are working hard to regain their roles as full participants in civil society, but they need critical resources to move forward. By supporting women-led nonprofits that are providing education, adult literacy and vocational training, and health care, we can help Afghan women achieve their goals to support themselves and their families and to share in the rebuilding of their society. Funding for the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs will assist them in promoting and protecting women’s rights and human rights at this extremely critical time.
Considering how fully the AmTaliban fucked the women that it supposedly sought to “liberate”, it’s the least we can do. Literally.
I certainly am. As social conservatives have increased their influence in government, we’ve seen the media increasingly use extremist rhetoric in their reporting, particularly in their coverage of abortion issues. It’s time for an approach that’s really “fair and balanced.”
Think about it: the term “pro-life” has become the default description for someone who is against abortion. This is an EXTREME term, implying that anyone who is for abortion rights must be “pro-death.”
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, I do believe they’re talking to you. (And if they’re not, they damn well should be.)
“Partial-birth abortion,” is perhaps even more insidious. The American Medical Association, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and many other leading legal and medical associations have adamantly declared that this phrase is not medical terminology. Yet, the media continues to use this phrase and others as legitimate medical terms, making right-wing rhetoric seem like factual language in the minds of voters.
Next week, the United States Supreme Court will hear two important cases - both of which deal with abortion bans and were conveniently scheduled to begin ONE DAY after the election.
Already, these cases have been called out by all major American medical associations for using political rhetoric rather than medical language to describe abortion.
Ann of Feministing has very comprehensive timeline of the FDA’s stonewalling in regards to OTC Plan B up at Mother Jones. (I so did not realize that she works for MoJo…way cool.) The bullshit stretches back to the beginning of GW’s first term - no surprise there.
