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November 28 HELP KEEP MAD COW OUT OF THE US FOOD SUPPLY! =PLEASE SIGN=HELP KEEP MAD COW OUT OF THE US FOOD SUPPLY!
The 2003 discovery of the first case of mad cow disease in the United States cast serious doubts on years of reassurances from the meat industry and the USDA that it couldn't happen here. Now the USDA and the big meat companies want consumers to believe them again. We need your help to keep Mad Cow Disease out of the U.S. For the last three years, the USDA has been trying to open the border to Canadian cattle over the age of thirty months. This is significant because older cattle (those over thirty months of age) are considered to be at higher risk for having Mad Cow Disease and therefore pose a greater risk if they enter the food supply. Canada has had 13 cases of Mad Cow Disease, the most recent of which was discovered in June. So why would the United States take older, high risk cattle from a country known to have a significant prevalence of this disease? The meat companies want to be able to source cattle from wherever they are the cheapest, which is often Canada. Combined with the known problems in U.S. slaughterhouses in following the rules for handling the risky nervous system materials believed to spread the disease, importing older Canadian cattle creates unnecessary risk for U.S. consumers. Tell USDA to put public health before meat industry profits and not to open the border to older Canadian cattle. Take Action Now. November 27 What does the Bailout actually cost? =$7.76 Trillion=What does the Bailout actually cost?
Dear friends,
That is what Bloomberg reports has been committed on behalf of the American taxpayer to bailout America's finance system. This includes spending by the Treasury, Federal Reserve and FDIC. - The amount is equal to half the value of everything produced in the United States last year. - It is $24,000 for every man, woman and child in America. That is nearly $100,000 for a family of four. - It's nine times what the U.S. has spent so far on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. - It is enough money to pay off more than half the country's mortgages, but bankruptcies have continued despite the bailout. We do not even know where all of those funds have gone. The taxpayer is putting up a King's ransom and not being told who is receiving it. We guarantee the debts of banks and are not being told what collateral is provided or who is receiving the funds. Before receiving the bailout funds, Treasury Secretary Paulson promised transparency. But, Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke says that such transparency would be "counterproductive." All of this money and yet foreclosures, bankruptcy and unemployment are all up; the stock market, consumer spending and housing prices are down. Pouring tax dollars into banks is not working. We don't know where the bottom is. There is no evidence that the bailout is working and already, as Barry Ritholtz, author of "Bailout Nation," points out, the bailout has cost more than the Marshall Plan, Louisiana Purchase, moonshot, S&L bailout, Korean War, New Deal, the Iraq war, the Vietnam war, and NASA's lifetime budget - COMBINED! In fact, the bailout is almost double: - Marshall Plan: Cost: $12.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $115.3 billion - NASA: Cost: $416.7 billion, Inflation Adjusted Cost: $851.2 billion You'd think for $7.7 trillion we'd get health care for all, tax relief or free college education! But Americans got none of that. Is this a wise use of tax dollars? Are there better ways to use this money? Will this trickle down approach work this time, even though it has failed in the past? We're doing two things: First we are working to break the bailout. Join us at BreakTheBailout.com and pledge to help Break the Bailout. On December 7, we take the first step toward taking back our economy and transforming it into an economy that puts the people's interests first. Pledge today and help build a movement that will stop trickle down Wall Street economics and build the economy from the bottom up. If you have already pledged - forward this email to your friends, colleagues and neighbors and urge them to get involved. Second, we will out forward a Prosperity Agenda - a vision of what kind of economy America should have - and we will advocate for it. We would like your thoughts on what you want out of the economy. We are at a crossroads where a new energy economy is going to be developed. How should it be different than the current economy? Give me your thoughts at KZeese@earthlink.net. Acting alone, we can achieve nothing; acting together, we can change everything. We need to act together because change is urgently needed. First Petition to our new President =ANIMAL ACTION=Dear friends, The actions taken by a new president during his first few months in office can chart the course for generations to come-now here's your chance to help set the course for America's new direction. Please join me in asking President-elect Obama to introduce a plan in his first 100 days that will get our economy moving by building a clean energy future. The clean energy economy is the made-in-America solution to our energy, economic and environmental crisis. It will break our addiction to oil and lower family fuel costs while offering us safer energy choices and creating millions of new American jobs. Just last week in an address delivered to the Global Climate Summit, President-elect Obama said:
"My presidency will mark a new chapter in America's leadership on climate change that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in the process." Make sure the President-elect knows, Americans want swift and decisive action to demonstrate his commitment to keeping this promise.
November 23 Thank you from NWF =Please Join=
November 22 Urgent Request: Tell the EPA to Stop Global Warming Pollution
November 21 STOP THE BAIL-OUT!!! ACTION!!! =PLEASE SIGN=PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!! Dear friends, An opportunity has come up that we must act on. A left-right coalition is developing in Congress to block further funds for the bailout. Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) are both calling for no more bailout funds for the Department of the Treasury. Under the bailout law Congress is required to approve the second $350 billion in bailout funds. Thus far, Treasury has spent $290 of the initial $350 billion. The performance of the Treasury Department and Federal Reserve has been unacceptable and does not inspire confidence. They have hidden key information from the taxpayer and Congress and they have been unsure of what strategy will work to help the economy. Stopping the bailout of Wall Street gives Congress time to decide whether the money should be sent, and if so, how? Another alternative has been put forward by Senators Harry Reid (D-NV) and Robert Byrd (D-WV), an economic stimulus plan that costs about one-third of what is remaining on the initial bailout, $100 billion. It deals with unemployment insurance, disaster relief, infrastructure, aid to states, aid to the auto industry and other parts of the economy. Below is a letter that we urge you to send to your elected representatives in the U.S. House and Senate. You can send the letter in a few seconds by clicking here. In addition, please pledge to Break the Bailout by visiting www.BreakTheBailout.com -- we need to show Congress that we will hold them accountable. And, forward this email to everyone you know. There is strength in numbers. November 19 Access Denied? =The Fight for Corporate Accountability=
ENOUGH. WE'VE HAD ENOUGH. =BREAK THE BAILOUT=PLEASE FORWARD AND BUILD A MOVEMENT TO BREAK THE BAILOUT Dear friends, October saw an increase in bankruptcies -- 108,595, an average of 4,936 every business day. President Bush hosted the G-20 summit - the official menu included fruitwood-smoked quail, thyme-roasted rack of lamb and baked Vermont brie with walnut crostini, along with three wines . More than a quarter million U.S. households received a foreclosure filing in October. A total of 279,561 properties got a default notice, were warned of a pending auction or were foreclosed. World leaders washed down their quail and lamb with three expensive wines - one Shafer Cabernet "Hillside Select" 2003 sells at $499 a bottle. Have these leaders ever heard of Maria Antoinette and the French Revolution? The stock market continues to drop, unemployment is rising, home prices are falling, retail sales saw a record drop, credit is tight - the world leaders get together for Bush's farewell supposedly to save the world economy and produce . . . nothing. Last week, the Federal Reserve - the banksters central bank, run by banksters for the banksters - refused to say where the $2 trillion they have put into bailout banks was spent or for what collateral. Treasury, reversed itself and is no longer buying "toxic assets" but buying equity stakes in banks - infusing banks with taxpayer cash (of course, they're not getting a seat on the board like a major investor should). Oh . . . and Treasury has been blacking out key information on their contracts, like how much people they are hiring from Wall Street are getting paid to bailout their Wall Street friends. ENOUGH. WE'VE HAD ENOUGH. We're joining together to Break the Bailout. The first step is a moneybomb on December 7. We want Washington, DC to know that they will be held accountable, their votes will be watched and reported to the American people. JOIN US AND TELL WASHINGTON AND WALL STREET - ENOUGH. November 18 Reintroduce America to the world =PLEASE SIGN=Dear friends,
Already, the discussion of priorities for the new administration is intense. But to me, it comes down to one thing: trust. At Human Rights First, we believe that in order to once again become a respected global leader in advancing human rights, the United States must regain the world's trust through concrete, specific, and meaningful actions. Millions of us watched on election night as President-Elect Obama told the countries of the world: "Our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand." This week, you and I can start proving to the world that we will make good on the promise of President-Elect Obama's words. Join us. Sign onto our open letter to the world here: http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/hrf_post_elec?rk=upxY%5f%5fK19NKJE
In this unprecedented time, I know that hope and change will not start or stop with President Obama - but together, you and I can turn the emotion and energy he's inspired into a new era for American human rights policy. Please, take just a few minutes to sign the open letter and send it to your friends. GO HERE: http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/hrf_post_elec?rk=upxY%5f%5fK19NKJE Thank you. November 15 Virus ALERT: =UPS Delivery Failure=
What a week! Has it sunk in yet? =PLEASE SIGN=
November 14 children in China are dying from Melamine-contaminated infant formula =PLEASE SIGN=Hello friends, Sadly, children in China are dying from Melamine-contaminated infant formula, the same ingredient that was found to have helped kill thousands of pets in the U.S. last year. The scandal is growing as we are finding Melamine now on grocery shelves in the U.S. We didn't learn our lesson last year and imported million of pounds of casein and other powdered milk proteins - ingredients that are used in many processed foods such as cookies and chocolates - from China. And according to USDA figures, this year the U.S. has already imported 2 million pounds of casein and other powdered milk proteins from China. This includes 293,000 pounds that were imported in July, when some Chinese authorities were aware of the Melamine contamination yet failed to act! While other countries are moving to ban the Chinese dairy products, the U.S. has not. With your help, we'll fix that. Keep deadly chemicals out of your food - tell the FDA to block dairy imports from China >> Barack Obama "PROMISED"!! =PLEASE HELP= Barack Obama has won the election, and now more than ever we need to continue our work calling for Peace and Justice. We must continue to demand that the new president ends the occupation of Iraq and does not escalate military action in Afghanistan. The call for Justice demands that Bush and others in his administration be held accountable for the deaths of over a million innocent people in Iraq and Afghanistan, and nearly 4,200 U.S. soldiers.
All are encouraged to join in! In April 2008, Obama said that as president he would indeed ask his new Attorney General and his deputies to "immediately review the information that's already there" and determine if an inquiry is warranted. It is the responsibility of citizens to make sure this happens. Ask your Congressperson to support H. Resolution 1509, introduced by Tammy Baldwin. This resolution expresses "the sense of the House of Representatives that the next president should immediately work to reverse damaging and illegal actions taken by the Bush/Cheney Administration". The resolution states the need to fully investigate the administration for alleged crimes and hold them accountable for any illegal acts.
Insist that the new Congress, in January 2009, uphold the subpoenas that they have issued to investigate crimes of the Bush administration. The subpoenas have been mocked and ignored by the current administration. The new Congress must reissue these subpoenas and have them supported by the new administration so that Justice can prevail across the land. It is time to bring the criminals of the Bush regime to Justice. We, the people, have the power. We, the people, call for Justice. November 13 Join the fight against local radio hate =PLEASE HELP=
Taxpayers are now giving AIG a total of $150 billion.This week the Federal Reserve refused to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral. And, AIG, the insurance giant made infamous for having a $450,000 party for their executives after receiving their first bailout check eight weeks ago is now getting more money from the U.S. Treasury -- taxpayers are now giving them a total of $150 billion. Well, we've had enough. And, we know that the only way we are going to Break the Bailout and create an economy for the people and not the banksters is to get organized and work together. So, we've joined a transpartisan coalition -- the Break the Bailout campaign -- visit us at: http://www.BreakTheBailout.com Essentially, we're going to build a community, a citizen's movement, to fight for the economy we want and to Break the Bailout. We're going to be delivering blowback on the bailout to elected officials who are supposed to represent the people -- the voters who put them in office -- not big banks and Wall Street. We know the country is outraged and we're going to redirect that outrage into constructive action. We're going to educate the voters on what the bailout really means and organize them to demand change. Here's what we can all do to make this work: Take action today, Break the Bailout tomorrow. "Special Comment" on Prop 8 =PLEASE WATCH...LEARN=Watch Keith Olbermann's "Special Comment" on Prop 8Then share it with your friends to start a conversation about restoring marriage equalityIn this emotional statement on "Countdown," his nightly news program on MSNBC, Keith Olbermann eloquently expresses why the passage of Prop 8 is so tragic and then directly addresses supporters of Usually, after an election, political discussions wind down and life returns to normal. But Prop 8 is not That's why over 100,000 people have signed the pledge to repeal Prop 8, launched by the Californians are standing up for marriage equality and speaking out against enshrining discrimination in That means talking with our family and friends. Studies have shown that the most effective way to swing a voter to our side is to talk to our friends about the meaning of marriage equality. The path to repealing Prop 8 and restoring marriage equality to California starts now, with you and the discussions Please take a moment to watch Keith's comments. Then use the tool below to share this YouTube video with your friends and ask them to join over 100,000 other people in pledging to repeal Prop 8.Bush's plans to block all investigations of his crimes =PLEASE HELP=Incredibly, Washington is already buzzing with Bush's plans to block all investigations of his crimes and even to pardon everyone involved - including Cheney and himself. Chris Matthews is even counting down the days . Does Bush have the power to pardon everyone in his administration? Yes. Will he abuse that power to stay out of jail? Only if we let him. We must create a groundswell of opposition to any pardons by George Bush, so he understands that he will be impeached and prosecuted for issuing corrupt pardons. Please help us launch a massive movement against pardons by signing our petition to Congress and telling your friends: We will announce additional plans to stop Bush's pardons in the coming days. Read more about our efforts and join our discussion here: ALERT: UPS Delivery Failure "VIRUS" PLEASE FORWARD!!The newest virus circulating is the UPS Delivery Failure. You will receive an email from UPS Packet Service along with a packet number. NOTE: The word packet is mis-spelled on this line. It will say that they were un-able to deliver a package sent to you on such and such a date. It then asks you to print out the invoice copy attached. DON'T TRY TO PRINT THIS. IT LAUNCHES THE VIRUS! Pass this warning on to all your PC operators at work and home. This virus has caused Millions of dollars in damage in the past few days.
Snopes confirms that it is real: First and foremost a vote for change =PLEASE SIGN=Dear friends, Last week's election was first and foremost a vote for change. During the campaign Barack Obama repeatedly expressed support for the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. To make this vision a reality we need real change in U.S. nuclear weapons policy. PSR is joining with the Campaign for a Nuclear Weapons Free World to gather tens of thousands of signatures on a petition that will be delivered to the president early next year. Now is the time to show support for deeper reductions in nuclear arsenals, a permanent ban on nuclear testing, and a new emphasis on repairing the global nuclear nonproliferation system. These and other critical steps to zero nuclear weapons can only come about with real U.S. leadership. Help secure a safe and healthy world for generations to come. Click here to tell the president you want a world free of nuclear weapons. November 08 After 8 long years of Bush – a fresh start!Dear friends, After 8 long years of Bush – a fresh start! Entrenched interests stand in the way, but Obama's victory brings a chance for the US to finally join with the world community to take on pressing challenges on climate change, human rights, and peace. After years, even decades of distrust, let's seize this moment of unity, reconciliation and hope to send a message of warm congratulations and invitation to work together to the new President and the American people. We've built a huge wall near the White House in Washington DC where the number of signatures on our message and personal messages from around the world will grow over the next several hours. We've also asked Obama to personally receive our petition from a group of Avaaz members. Let's get to 1 million signers and messages to Obama! Sign on at the link below and forward this email to others: GO HERE: http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1 This is a time for celebration of democracy, but already the sharks are circling – oil companies, war contractors, conservative lobbyists, and the powerful neo-con clique that brought us the war in Iraq are furiously lobbying to dim the prospects for change. Obama has promised national unity, and these interests will ask a high price for that unity. Let's act quickly to make sure the people of the world are heard as Obama makes crucial choices in the coming days on how to live up to his campaign promises to secure a strong global treaty on climate change, ban torture and close Guantanamo prison, withdraw carefully from Iraq, and double aid to make global poverty history. Rarely has a US President been more likely to listen to us. We'll make the point that on most of the pressing issues faced by Obama and the American people – from the financial crisis to climate change -- we need to work together as one world to achieve change. Sign below and forward this message on: GO HERE: http://www.avaaz.org/en/million_messages_to_obama/98.php/?cl_tf_sign=1 |
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I am proud to announce the release of Alliance for Justice's latest documentary film, Access Denied?: The Fight for Corporate Accountability. This short film tells the story of Diana Levine, an accomplished professional musician who lost her hand and forearm as a result of a drug company's failure to warn of the tragic complication that could result from one method of administering the drug Phenergan. After Diana's arm was amputated eight years ago, she won a jury trial against the drug manufacturer, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and prevailed when the company appealed to the Vermont Supreme Court. Unfortunately, she has yet to recover a single dime of damages from Wyeth - money that would allow her to retrofit her home to accommodate her disability, or to retrain in a different career. Why? Because Wyeth Pharmaceuticals has appealed Diana's case to the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that the case is barred by the legal doctrine called "preemption." The case was argued before the U.S. Supreme Court on November 3, 2008. 
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