Sign the petition to President Obama. Tell him America must lead on climate change.

A Real Chance to Defeat the War Funding Bill in the House.

Because of the inclusion of billions of dollars earmarked for the IMF to bail-out European banks, there is a real chance that the 2009 Supplemental War Appropriations bill can be defeated in the House of Representatives.

But, it will require you to again contact your Representative to tell them: "Vote NO on the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations."

After the House and Senate approval of their versions of the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations bill, last month, the total funding measure has now grown to $100 billion!

The House will vote on a compromised war funding bill, next week.

We are asking you to do the following to help defeat the war funding bill:

1. Please read the Robert Naiman article and the Action Alert from Just Foreign Policy below. The article contains valuable talking points for getting your message across.
   
   
2. E-mail your Representative this weekend. Use your Rep's website e-mail form.
   
   
3. Then make a phone call to your Representative's office on Monday.
   

Your message can be as simple as: "I'm writing/ calling to tell Representative ______  to 'Vote NO on the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations.'"

See the Robert Naiman article With IMF Money, the War Supplemental Could Fail in the House (http://www.truthout.org/060309R)

See the Summary: 'Why Your E-mails and Calls to Congress Are So Important Now in Defeating War Funding'

See other Talking Points here

If you don't know the phone number or website of your Representative, click here and follow the links to get to your Congressperson's website. (The website will contain an e-mail webform and phone numbers.)

Or just call the Congressional switchboard 1-202-225-3121 and ask for your Representative's office by name.

Thank you!

Ron G.

 

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2009 Release # 09-136

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (866) 628-6238 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Various Toys Recalled by CBB Group Due to Choking Hazard and Violation of Lead Paint Standard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: Fishing Games, Rattles, Pull-A-Long Cars, Mini Pull Back Cars, and Cartoon Bubble Guns

Units: About 39,000

Importer/Distributor: CBB Group Inc., City of Commerce, Calif.

Hazard: The fishing games, baby rattles and pull-a-long cars contain small parts, which can detach and pose a choking hazard to children. The mini pull back cars and bubble guns have surface paints which contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recalled toys are described in the chart below:

Sold at: Dollar stores and toy stores nationwide from July 2007 through December 2008 for between $1 and $5.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled products away from young children immediately and return them to the place where purchased for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact CBB Group, Inc. toll-free at (866) 628-6238 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.cbbgroup.com

 

Last week, when President Obama heard that some Wall Street banks that have been propped up with taxpayer funds might be using the bailout money to pay executive bonuses, he called it "shameful."

Shameful is right, but most of these executives have no shame. So while being called out by the president might make them uncomfortable, it's not going to stop them.

That's why, next week, our staff and members from across the country will be meeting with dozens of members of Congress to ask them to hold banks and their regulators accountable and to pass measures to prevent the need for future bailouts.

Click here to add your voice to our call.

President Obama is right. The banks aren't making loans and the economy is getting worse, but the banks will continue to pay million-dollar bonuses with taxpayer money as long as they can get away with it.

Next week, U.S. PIRG's Ed Mierzwinski -- a veteran of numerous campaigns, including the Savings and Loan Bailout of 1989 and the Enron reforms of 2002 -- will lead a team of our staff and members from all across the country to meet with members of Congress and urge them to pass tough legislation to hold banks and regulators accountable to taxpayers, homeowners and consumers.

When we go to Capitol Hill, our experience and our work in the states get us in the door. But we also need legislators to know that their constituents are paying attention and calling for action.

Use the link below to send a message to your member of Congress, urging them to hold banks and their regulators accountable.

http://www.uspirg.org/action/financial-security/petition

 

 

Other Actions

GO HERE:  http://www.uspirg.org/action/financial-privacy/other-actions

I've been with Greenpeace for more than 17 years, and I've never encountered such a dire situation, much less two at the same time.  Your help is critical to prevent two potential devastating tragedies. PLEASE SIGN OUR PEITION BELOW. THANK YOU!!

Amazon Rainforest

The Brazilian government is threatening to weaken the core legal protections for the Amazon, endangering one of the planet's most important ecosystems that helps balance our climate.  In just the last year, we've lost nearly 3 million acres of rainforest in Brazil alone.  Many of the protections we've won for the Amazon rely on Brazil's Forest Code.  Right now, agribusiness is attempting to influence the Brazilian Congress to weaken the Forest Code.  If that happens, we can expect a dramatic increase in deforestation rates, a significant loss of biodiversity, and a massive impact on global warming as carbon stored in the forest is released into the atmosphere.

Take Action NOW >> The need is dire, and a vote may come as early as tomorrow!

Alaska's Bering Sea

We've been warning for years that the Bering Sea's pollock fishery - the world's largest - is suffering from overfishing.  We've been called everything from crazy to exaggerating for making this claim about a fishery that has been held up as a model of sustainability.  But news this month confirms our worst fears.  The pollock population has plummeted by almost 50% in just one year.  Pollock is the very foundation of the Bering Sea's food chain, feeding everything from the endangered Steller Sea Lion to fur seals.  In fact, baby fur seals are already washing up dead in the Pribilof Islands, and scientists hypothesize that their deaths are caused by starvation.

Take Action >> The North Pacific Fisheries Management Council will vote this month to set fishing limits on pollock!

I'll be writing you over the coming month with more ways that you can help us save these amazing places for the wildlife and people who rely on them for survival.  I hope I can depend on you during this crisis.

Dear friends,

Thank you for supporting our work for a sustainable, just peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Please see the important call below from historian Howard Zinn. He is working with our allies at Jewish Voice for Peace to support the Shiministim - the movement of Israeli conscientious objectors whom AFSC has long supported. They are an important voice of conscience speaking out against militarism and the Israeli military occupation. Right now they need our help and support as they begin to face open-ended jail sentences for refusing mandatory military service.

Please send a letter to the Israeli Minister of Defense to support them today.

Also as the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, please continue to check the AFSC End the Siege on Gaza blog to get the latest news and things you can do to help people trapped in the ongoing and increasing siege.

Peace,

Ron G.

Dear friends, Thank you for urging the EPA to help reduce global warming pollution. Do you or someone you know use facebook? We built and easy to use tool for your friends and family to submit a message directly from facebook to the EPA. Don't forget to share the tool with all your friends in facebook! For more ways to speak up for wildlife and to stop global warming, please visit Climate Action CenterThanks again, Dominique Burgunder-Johnson Online Grassroots Coordinator National Wildlife Federation alerts@nwf.org Inspiring Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Urgent Request to Tell the EPA to Stop Global Warming Pollution Dear friends, Last month we told you that the Environmental Protection Agency is asking for public comments on whether greenhouse gases that cause global warming "endanger public health and welfare." NWF believes there is no greater threat to wildlife and people than global warming, but we need you to take action before time runs out. We want to thank the more than 21,000 NWF supporters that submitted comments urging the EPA to take responsibility to regulate greenhouse gases. Now we hope to add your voice to this historic opportunity to stop global warming. In a recent post-election poll, 78% of voters see clean energy as a pathway to revitalize America's economy. The poll also showed 57% of voters said it was important to back candidates who support reducing global warming pollution. And just last week President-Elect Obama released a powerful video statement: "Few challenges facing America -- and the world -- are more urgent than combating climate change," he said. "Many of you are working to confront this challenge....but too often, Washington has failed to show the same kind of leadership. That will change when I take office." Unfortunately, corporate polluters are mounting a strong campaign to keep the EPA from doing their job to protect our country from climate change. This is out of step with the public! Deadline Nov. 28th! Did you know that many scientists believe that up to 40% of wildlife and plants are at risk of extinction by the end of the century if global warming pollution is not significantly reduced? Urge the EPA to take action today! Our goal is to have 35,000 public comments submitted by November 28th. Don't let corporate polluters keep us on the wrong path. Help set the stage for the next Administration to address global warming that will save wildlife and people.

Dear friends, 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. » Click here to read more about this case. Produced in conjunction with twelve-time Emmy award-winning producers/directors Jon Alpert and Matt O'Neill, Access Denied? details Ms. Levine's tragic story and exposes the slow but steady transformation of our courts into institutions pursuing a conservative agenda that defends the interests of huge corporations rather than protecting the rights of Americans.  Access Denied? takes the legal issue of preemption out of the courtroom and into the real world, where Americans find themselves unable to access the courts and hold corporations accountable for the harm their products cause. » Click here to sign the petition:  http://ga1.org/campaign/accessdenied?rk=upehyOY1OtYrE Ms. Levine's case is just one of many that will be heard by the Court this year, including cases involving sexual harassment in schools, workplace bias, and critical environmental decisions that impact all Americans. In today's rapidly changing world, it is more important than ever to examine the role that the Supreme Court plays in all of our lives.  Talk to your friends, your family, and your neighbors about the importance of the Supreme Court.  Better yet, show them Access Denied? and let Diana Levine tell them first-hand how the courts can affect all of our lives. I hope that you will join me in the fight to protect our rights and to make our courts follow legal principles rather than a political agenda.  Order your free copy of Access Denied?, or sign up to organize a screening of the film in your city. » Watch ACCESS DENIED? now using Windows Media Thanks,

Dear friends,

We CAN - and MUST - win back the world's trust and admiration. Help us do it.

For me, electing a new President signals the possibility of a new beginning and an opportunity to reintroduce America to the world. After eight years of abysmal human rights policies, we have a lot of work to do to turn the possibility into reality.

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

Dear World,

We have a new President, and we have hope. But we know that with hope comes immense responsibility.

The problems our new President has inherited are profound, and his job will be huge. I'm writing to tell you that we're here to help. As people of the United States, we are ready to do what it takes to heal the wounds of the last eight years and regain the trust of the world.

I know that will start with doing our part to right some of our own human rights abuses in the world. So today I am pledging to do all I can to support President Obama, Congress, and all of our leaders to accomplish four critical actions to restore your trust:

• Close Guantanamo Bay
• Protect Iraqi refugees
• Stop the flow of arms to Darfur
• End the torture of prisoners in U.S. custody

We've come this far and now we have a President committed to right these wrongs. But, we know he can't do it alone. Our work has only just begun. We're ready to do our part, as long as it takes.

Sincerely,
[your name]

In the coming weeks, we'll gather as many signatures as we can, including (hopefully) yours, on our letter to the world to demonstrate the groundswell of American commitment to change and human rights. We plan to deliver our message with thousands of signatures directly to world leaders - and to the many people who are watching the United States closely - by placing our open letter in major newspapers around the world.

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.

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.

 

 

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.

Where is the national conversation about peace? With the economic crisis and the media's attention on bulls and pitbulls and pigs and lipstick, Iraq has been pushed off into the shadows. It's up to us to pull it back into the spotlight!

We saw how Congress bowed to the demands of Wall Street, turning a deaf ear to the needs of the people. And while the nation was focused on the bailout, Congress quietly passed a $615 billion defense spending bill! We can't let this happen again, not when so much is at stake. Let's use these last few days of the election cycle to bring the issues of Iraq and peace back to the forefront. Let's get out into our communities and build the people power we will need to bring the troops home and prevent future military disaster in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran.

Join us in pledging to be a Voter for Peace -- not just with your vote, but beyond November 4th. We've made pledging for peace easy!

Click here to make the pledge

Together, we can build the team we will need to keep the pressure on through the next administration, no matter who ends up at the helm. As we saw last week, Congress caves all too easily to the call of Wall Street and the White House, pouring money into bailouts and defense that could have been put toward education and health care and renewable energy. Let's remind them that Peace needs to be at the top of their agenda.

I urge you to verify your voter registration status prior to the election:
> To: <election@uscountvotes.org>
> Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2008 6:32 PM
 [election] Widespread Ongoing Voter Suppression and Voter 
Disenfranchisement Expected


>> Widespread Ongoing Voter Suppression and Voter Disenfranchisement
>> Expected
>>
>> I thought you might be interested in reading these articles on voter
>> suppression tactics that are currently being used nationwide.
>>
>> Thousands Face Mix-Ups In Voter Registrations In New Databases, Many
>> Are Wrongly Flagged as Ineligible
>> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/17/AR2008101703360.html
>>
>> Block the Vote - Will the GOP's campaign to deter new voters and
>> discard Democratic ballots determine the next president?
>> http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/23638322/block_the_vote
>>
>> USA Today cited "accusations of voter fraud and voter suppression" but
>> omitted examples of voter suppression
>> http://mediamatters.org/items/200810170017?f=h_latest
>>
>> States' Attempts to Clean up Voting Lists Result in Unlawful Voter
>> Purging and Suppression
>> http://www.civilrights.org/library/features/033-voter-purge.html
>>
>> Treasure Coast officials calling residents on 'no match, no vote' list
>> http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/oct/18/officials-calling-no-match-no-vote-list/
>>
>> Judge Rules Michigan Voter Purging Program Illegal
>> http://www.ombwatch.org/article/blogs/entry/5453/53
>>
>> Ohio GOP loses fight to contest new voters, The Supreme Court on
>> Friday threw out a lawsuit brought by the Ohio Republican Party that
>> could have made it easier to challenge tens of...
>> http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/presidentialrace/2008281507_campdig18.html
>>
>> The Real Issue Isn't Voter Fraud, Its Vote Suppression (Joe
>> Rothstein's Commentary)
>> http://uspolitics.einnews.com/article.php?nid=561852
>>
>>
>> -------------
>>
>> Here are some articles on voting machine glitches and the wise move
>> away from electronic-ballot voting systems that are discernibly
>> switching votes in WV in early voting.
>>
>> Did Washington waste millions on faulty voting machines?
>> http://www.bnd.com/breaking_news/story/508139.html
>>
>> Some early W.Va. voters angry over switched votes
>> Jackson County touch-screens switched votes, 3 residents say
>> http://wvgazette.com/News/200810170676
>>
>> While flagging illegal practices, don't overlook machine error
>> http://www.pennlive.com/editorials/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/opinion/1224017708102750.xml&coll=1
>>
>> Day before early voting, glitch found with machines
>> http://www.dailymail.com/News/election08/200810140217
>>
>> Vote Count Error Caught in New Mexico Machines
>> By Kim Zetter EmailOctober 07, 2008
>> http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/vote-count-erro.html
>>
>> Officials find, fix glitch in New Mexico voting machine
 http://www.rep-am.com/news/elections/370744.txt

 -------------------
 Places to Report Any Voting Problems You Experience

 Unfortunately most states do *not* yet require that local election
 officials record or make public voting problems that occur and could
 be used to evaluate and improve election systems.

 YouTube Asks Voters to Record Poll Problems
 http://newteevee.com/2008/10/15/youtube-asks-voters-to-record-poll-problems/

 Problems Voting in the General Election? Report Your Issue Here
 http://popmartian.com/techpile/2008/10/16/problems-voting-in-the-general-election-report-your-issue-here-4/

 1-866-OUR-VOTE; 1-866-MY-VOTE1
 GoVote.org Launches: Next Generation in Voter Support
 http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/govoteorg-launches-next-generation-voter/story.aspx?guid={59B1BC9A-316E-4791-A565-784340380E1A}&dist=hppr

 Information from the US Election Assistance Commission

 State Voter Information Pages NEW
 EAC has posted new State Voter Information Pages containing State
 election websites, voter guides, voter hotlines, voter registration
 information and deadlines, absentee and early voting dates,
 provisional voting information, military and overseas citizens voting
 information, polling hours and polling place locators. Go here
 (http://www.eac.gov/voter/states/).

 Election Training Videos NEW
 EAC has posted three election training videos, which are designed to
 help election officials and poll workers prepare for Election Day.
 Based on our Election Management Guidelines, the videos cover key
 points about managing polling places, making polling places
 accessible, and developing and carrying out contingency plans.
 Captioned versions of the videos will be available shortly. Go here
 (http://www.eac.gov/election/quick-start-management-guides/training-videos-preparing-for-election-day).

 ----------

 My Personal Advice on How to Vote:

 Vote in the polling place on Election Day. Fully fill out your ballot
 but do not use any "straight party" voting option because of possible
 programming errors and because in some states like North Carolina the
 straight party option does not record a vote in the presidential
 contest.  Use a paper ballot rather than an electronic-ballot voting

 machine if that is available to you.

 

 

 

There are 2,700 District Attorneys in the United States. We intend to send a copy of The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder to every single one of them.

From The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder by Vincent Bugliosi, page 168.

"I hope that at some time in the near future a courageous U.S. attorney general, U.S. attorney, state attorney general, or district attorney in America who is committed to the rule of law and who has dedicated his career to enforcing the law fairly against all who, big or small, violate it, will hear the cries for justice from the graves of the thousands upon thousands of men, women, and children who had their lives violently cut short because of the lies of a man who smiled through it all. And that, with a sense of uncompromising righteousness, he will take the ample case I have laid out in this book before an American jury to let them decide whether George W Bush is guilty or not guilty of murder, and if so, what his punishment should be."

We believe that somewhere in our nation is a courageous man or woman who wants to reestablish The Rule of Law in this country. There can be no exceptions to "No Man Is Above The Law."

From The Prosecution of George W. Bush For Murder website:

“SOMEONE HAS TO PAY”

"In The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, Bugliosi presents a tight, meticulously researched legal case that puts George W. Bush on trial in an American courtroom for the murder of nearly 4,000 American soldiers fighting in Iraq. Watch this video interview to learn why he believes we must bring those responsible for the war in Iraq to justice."

With your help, we propose to raise the necessary funds to purchase 2,700 books from the publisher and mail them to every District Attorney in this country.

The entire project will cost just over $40,000.00.

This is an entirely voluntary effort for everyone working on this project. All the monies raised will go for purchasing the books, the padded envelopes, the mailing labels, the credit card processing fees, and paying the shipping costs.

That's it.

We're not trying to make a profit.

What we're trying to do is "Kick Start" the judicial process by finding one -- from out of thousands of District Attorneys -- who will help us all begin to reclaim our country.

Vincent Bugliosi lays it out

You can make this happen.

Charlotte Dennett is running for Attorney General of the State of Vermont.

If she wins, she will use her office to indict George Bush for the murder of the citizens of Vermont who were killed in his fraudulent war.

You can support her efforts here:

http://www.charlottedennettforattorneygeneral.com

Forget impeachment.

Try Bush, Cheney, Rice, Rumsfeld and all the rest for murder.

GO HERE:  http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/395.html