Bless the Bees and the Children

Bless the Bees and the Children

by C.A. Matthews

I don't care very much for daylight savings time, but I do like how in the spring the days become longer and the sun brighter in the Northern Hemisphere. It makes it easier to deal with this crazy world whenever I spy a spot of green growing along a sidewalk or a flock of birds in a field or an insect buzzing about. (Well, at least pollinators buzzing about. I won't be too happy about mosquitoes before too long.) To quote the book of Ecclesiastes and The Byrds: "To everything there is a season--turn, turn, turn!" (Video: https://youtu.be/pKP4cfU28vM)

Are there seasons in politics? I assume there are, as primary season is upon us in many states. Are there seasons in social movements? Oh, definitely there are. Turn, turn, turn!

The children are leading our new season in social movements this year. The March for Our Lives is being led by students everywhere this coming Saturday in response to the latest mass shooting at an American high school. Isn't it wonderful that our young people don't know cynicism and silent rage like their parents? Instead, they are optimistic and striving to build a better future. They're not keeping their anger contained--they're channeling it into a positive message: Human lives are infinitely more precious than AR-15s.

 

They are shouting, "Enough is enough! We don't care that the NRA owns you, Mr. and Ms. Senator. You're supposed to be working for our best interests. You're supposed to want to keep us, your children, safe and not your blood-money-filled bank accounts."

And so, with the coming of spring we have the coming of a new world. It's a world of our children's making. It's not going to be the world we old farts grew up in and grew too comfortable in without a thought of what we were doing to their future. It's a world where they will have to work hard to erase all the damage we've done--ecologically, environmentally, socially, politically, psychologically, morally. Thank heaven they seem up to the task.

When I grow up I want to be just like them.

Where will you be this weekend? Will you be with the children marching and demanding sane gun control laws in this sick country? Or will you be sitting at home bemoaning how much you despise the current occupant in the White House?  If you're doing the second activity rather than the first, ask yourself this: When did whining about something ever make it change for the better? 

Follow the children's example. Paint a sign and head to your local march. Stand up for their safety! Then go home and plant some pollinator-attractive plants (not coated with bee-killing pesticides or any non-organic substances) so we all can have fruit in the future. After all, the future is the direction the world is traveling in--don't be left behind!

As The Carpenters sang:

Bless the beasts and the children
For in this world they have no voice
They have no choice

Bless the beasts and the children
For the world can never be
The world they see

Light their way
When the darkness surrounds them
Give them love
Let it shine all around them

Bless the beasts and the children

Give them shelter from the storm

Keep them safe

Keep them warm

https://youtu.be/AhR36gV6vW4

Follow the children's shining light. Give them love. Keep them safe. Let them have the voice they deserve in this world and in the one to come. 

 

 

Related articles:

Enough! A Million Students Walk Out of Schools To Demand Action On Guns in Historic Day of Protest (with video):
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/49003-enough-a-million-students-walk-out-of-schools-to-demand-action-on-guns-in-historic-day-of-protest
  
Teens Go Nuts Over Bernie’s Surprise Appearance At a Walkout Rally:  https://youtu.be/5zV2_htGpV0

Here's What Happened When the Supreme Court Ruled on Whether Students Can Protest During School (a 1969 court case):
http://time.com/5171160/gun-control-student-protest-history/

ACLU: This is a School, Not a Jail (with video):
https://www.greenvilleonline.com/story/news/2018/03/15/aclu-letter-greenville-county-schools/427727002/ 

More Children Have Been Killed By Guns Since Sandy Hook Than U.S. Soldiers In Combat Since 9/11:
http://www.newsweek.com/gun-violence-children-killed-sandy-hook-military-soldiers-war-terror-911-848602 

Meet the Students Leading Mass Protests for Gun Control:
https://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/49019-meet-the-students-leading-mass-protests-for-gun-control 

Moms Demand Action (a  group fighting for gun control):
https://momsdemandaction.org/ 

*** 

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You can donate via Paypal at http://paypal.me/camatthews

Power to the people!

 

***

The youth-led movement against gun violence is kicking up this month with the national “March for Our Lives” on March 24th. But while those brave young people rally at the nation’s capitol, many state legislatures are quietly drafting bills designed to curb protests and silence First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. 

Sign the petition: Stop state governments from criminalizing activism. 

Ever since water protectors stood firm at Standing Rock, multinational companies have been lobbying state and federal lawmakers to pass laws to make it harder for people to protest. With the help of ALEC, the Koch brothers-funded project to push far-right legislation, 31 states have proposed anti-protest legislation.¹

Some of these bills, like those introduced in Washington and North Carolina, would define political demonstrations like rallies and sit-ins as “economic terrorism.”² Bills pending in Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri would criminalize protesting on highways and streets, carrying fines as high as $7,000 and up to 5 years in prison.³

Sign the petition: Stop state governments from criminalizing activism.

So far, the Koch brothers and pipeline companies like Energy Transfer Partners (the company behind the North Dakota Access Pipeline), lead the lobbying efforts to block protesters. But make no mistake: as our nation’s young people continue to effectively organize for gun violence prevention, it’s only a matter of time before gun manufacturers and the NRA jump on this anti-protest bandwagon as well.

Sign the petition: Stop state governments from criminalizing activism.

Thank you for taking action,
Reuben and the team at Demand Progress

DONATE

Sources:
1. National Lawyers Guild, “Conservative-led Anti-Protest Legislation Already Doubled Since Last Year,” February 15, 2018.
2. The Hill, “The assault on environmental protest,” March 2, 2018.
3. International Center for Not-for-Profit Law, “US Protest Law Tracker,” February 27, 2018.

***

From Friends of the Earth:

Bees are responsible for one in every three bites of food we eat. But supermarket giant Kroger is failing to protect them from toxic pesticides.

Kroger is still selling food grown with bee-killing neonicotinoids and other pesticides. These chemicals are linked to unsustainable bee die-offs that threaten our entire food system.

Kroger is the second largest food retailer in the U.S. So the first step to shifting the entire grocery sector away from killing bees is convincing Kroger to stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides. We need YOU to help make that happen!

Tell Kroger: Stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides!

The threat that pesticides pose to our food system is clear. A global body of independent scientists have reviewed thousands of studies and concluded that systemic insecticides are a major worldwide threat to biodiversity and ecosystems. They called for an immediate stop to agricultural uses of these toxic pesticides.

They even released a report showing that many alternatives exist. So there is no excuse for using these toxic pesticides.

Garden retailers like Home Depot and Lowe’s have committed to stop selling plants grown with bee-killing neonicotinoids. But food retailers are dragging their feet on this issue. This week, Friends of the Earth released a report showing that 20 out of 25 of the top food retailers in the U.S. are not doing enough to stop the unsustainable bee die-offs.
Kroger shouldn’t be selling food grown with these toxic pesticides. It should step up to protect our food system and its customers from these chemicals.

Tell Kroger: Stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides!

Kroger has the power to act on this issue. It can commit to stop stocking its shelves with food grown with pesticides like Dow’s nerve gas pesticide chlorpyrifos, Monsanto’s Roundup® and Bayer’s neonicotinoids.

Already, some supermarkets are taking steps to address this issue. Whole Foods is making progress on eliminating these toxic pesticides on the food it sells and offering more organic options. This means its customers have more access to organic food that is free of all synthetic pesticides and that supports 50 percent more pollinator species.

But we need to shift the market faster if we want to save bees and other pollinators. We’re on the brink of a second Silent Spring. If we don't rapidly move away from toxic pesticides, we could lose bees, birds, butterflies and aquatic insects that are all essential to our food production systems and our environment.

Our health and the environment can’t wait. We need to transition away from these harmful pesticides NOW in order to protect bees and all of us. That’s where you come in.

Tell Kroger: Stop selling food grown with toxic pesticides NOW!

Standing with you,
Tiffany Finck-Haynes,
Senior food futures campaigner,
Friends of the Earth

***

This is AMAZING:

We’re gathering 20,000 signatures in support of SUING Big Oil, and we need you take a second to sign on →

SIGN TO SUPPORT SUING BIG OIL →

Arnold Schwarzenegger is DEAD SERIOUS about suing Big Oil:

Just like Arnold, we’re ready to fight Big Oil till the end.

So we’re collecting signatures to show public support for SUING Big Oil. Please take a moment out of your day to sign →

SIGN TO SUPPORT SUING BIG OIL →

Environmentalists have called for legal action against Big Oil modeled after lawsuits against Big Tobacco.

And that’s EXACTLY Arnold is doing.

Big Oil has known for DECADES that fossil fuels contribute to climate change -- their OWN studies confirmed it.

If a company’s product is KILLING, they MUST be held accountable.

So we need a MASSIVE showing of public support for SUING Big Oil.

https://secure.314action.org/Sue-Big-Oil

Thanks for signing,

314 Action

Is It Possible For The Left To Unite?

I Rise, Toledo--Unity March 2018
words and photos by C.A. Matthews

It's been a tough year, but it's also been a productive one for many progressive groups. The second annual "Unity March" in Toledo, Ohio, organized by the YWCA was a success. Even with dense fog earlier in the day and a misty rain all afternoon, there was a good turnout. The march began at the "Toledo Loves Love" wall and continued down Adams Street to historic Trinity Episcopal Church.

Dozens of progressive organizations held a resource fair at the march's end, and Food Not Bombs provided delicious food for all.  There were groups concerned about health care (Ohio SPAN), women's reproductive rights (Planned Parenthood), gender rights (U.R.G.E.), racial justice (BLM) and political activism (Move To Amend and gerrymandering reform). Petitions were passed around and signed, pamphlets and brochures shared, and new members recruited.

No matter what the mainstream media says about the Left, there seems to be more agreement than discord among diverse groups, at least locally. And perhaps that's all that is really needed--cooperation at the local level. It's where most of our everyday governance come from and where we can make the most immediate impact.

Take courage from these happy marchers. They're taking action to protect their best interests and make the world a better place for all. Do likewise and encourage others to join you in your work. It's always better together.

Is It Possible For The Left To Unite?

by C.A. Matthews

Is it possible for the Left to unite and defeat the powers of corporatism, a.k.a. fascism? 

It's a question that haunts many progressives, and I'm no exception. For every successful "unity event" I've witnessed, I've also experienced a catty remark  from someone whose opinion boils down to  "It's my way or the highway." In other words, not everyone wants to build a future to believe in if it's not done in a manner they feel is best. They'd rather we all suffer together if they can't see their vision come to pass with their chosen candidate or through their particular plan of action. Selfish but true.

For instance, the drive to reform the Democratic Party from within. Groups such as Our Revolution and Justice Democrats have done their best to whip up support and increase progressive membership in the party. However, the same corporate-owned politicos remain entrenched in the highest positions, and they don't act like they're open to progressive newcomers in their ranks. The more things change, the more things seem to stay the same in the DNC. 

Still, you can't fault people for trying. It's better to say you tried and failed than you never gave the Dems a chance to reform themselves. But is it worth it to continue spending time, energy and resources to change a party that doesn't want to change? Can the Left unite around a party that wants to remain on good terms with their corporate paymasters? Wouldn't it be better to unite around the progressive ideals that Bernie Sanders and the Greens have espoused and wave good-bye to the DNC? Wouldn't it possibly be better to start a whole new party, a people's party?

For every progressive you meet, you'll get a different answer to these questions. So, we might as well agree to disagree on how we view the effectiveness of trying to reform an establishment party. Once we acknowledge that we hold slightly different takes on what it means to be a progressive, then we can build a coalition to work on the major building blocks of that future we all believe in--universal health care, free education from daycare through college, environmental protections, the development of clean energy sources, taking big money out of politics, among others. 

If everyone on the Left side of the political spectrum focuses on tackling these issues one by one, and puts all posturing aside, then we will be strong enough to create a united front against the fascists. We will have the power to put them out of business once and for all. 

It is possible to unite the Left. Anyone who fights against that unity is on the other side. Don't listen to them. Unite anyway. We have important work to do.

Look what happens when we work together...

From the Hightower LowDown--Ordinary People Working Together to Win Elections:

https://hightowerlowdown.org/article/ordinary-winning/

Beanstock's World takes a look at the advantages of voting on paper ballots and how it could strengthen democracy:
https://beanstocksworld.wordpress.com/2018/01/22/paper-vs-online-voting/ 

Why we need to work together, now more than ever:
Inequality Is Killing America's Children
https://ourfuture.org/20180122/death-by-inequality-poverty-and-racism-are-killing-americas-children?utm_source=progressive_breakfast&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pbreak

*** 
Democracy is under attack in Ohio! Read on to learn more:

House JointResolution 5 (HJR 5), introduced in fall 2017 in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly, would dramatically change the already-difficult process to amend the Ohio Constitution and is stealthily making its way through the Ohio General Assembly.

Make no mistake, this is a direct attempt to thwart direct democracy by the people of Ohio. It is an attempt to make sure that only the state legislature has the power and ability to pass laws that WE must follow. It is an effort to make sure the people cannot propose legislation that the general assembly refuses to pass OR repeal legislation that the people find unjust or oppressive. Remember the people repealed SB5 in 2011.

This is a direct attack on the constitutional check and balance that the people of Ohio have over the state legislature. Here are the highlights (or lowlights) of this proposal:

·         Raise from 10% to 12.5% the number of petition signatures of Ohio’s registered voters (in the last gubernatorial election) to put a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot. Based on turnout for the 2014 election for governor, about 318,000 valid signatures presently are needed to put an issue on the ballot, but the 12.5% requirement would raise the total by 79,000 additional signatures, to about 394,000 valid signatures.

·         Raise from a simple majority (50% + 1 vote) to 60% the total number of votes required to pass an amendment to the Ohio Constitution, or to pass a law proposed by the people. In 2017, about 1,600,000 people voted on the victim’s rights constitutional amendment, and 50% + 1 votes, roughly 800,000, would suffice to pass it. The proposed 60% super-majority requirement would make it necessary for 150,000 to 170,000 additional votes to pass a constitutional amendment or a new statute proposed by the people. Instead of about 800,000 votes, nearly 1,000,000 votes would be required. Funny how this 60% rule doesn’t apply to candidate elections to office.

·         Raise from 3% to 3.75% the number of registered voters’ signatures to propose legislation to the Ohio General Assembly, an increase of about 24,000 signatures. Currently about 94,000 valid signatures are needed. The proposed change would increase the requirement to about 118,000. The proposed legislation would require, first, obtaining an additional 3.75%, instead of the current 3%, of registered voter signatures, followed by a vote by a 60% super-majority.

 

·         Prohibit payment of any compensation to a petition circulator for gathering signatures. 

About the sponsor of this resolution:

State Representative Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg) released the following statement regarding the announcement of the potential initiative constitutional amendment for the adult consumption of recreational marijuana:

"The initiative constitutional amendment proposed today is yet another ill-conceived ballot initiative with dishonest intentions, amplifying the need to pass House Joint Resolution 5, which I introduced recently. This is another proposal attempting to use the Ohio Constitution as a means for a special interest to make a profit at the expense of the taxpayers of Ohio, a gross misuse of our democratic process. HJR 5 would preserve the integrity of our state’s founding document and prevent moneyed special interest groups from buying our ballot. Today’s proposal is exactly what I am trying to stop with HJR 5. We must pass HJR 5 to stop this additional attempt for a moneyed special interest to hijack our ballot and buy their way into the Ohio Constitution.”

This misleading statement is appalling for many reasons—

·         Representative Antani wants to make it more difficult for the people to have a check on a state legislature that is bought and paid for by corporate special interests, while he presents the amendment as being in the best interests of the people.

·         Representative Antani has received campaign money from First Energy, Dayton Power and Light, Nisource, the Automobile Dealers Association and other corporate interests. He, like most of our elected officials, are beholden to and represent the interests of corporations over the interests of the people of Ohio.

·         If Representative Antani was serious about special interests hijacking our ballots and buying our Constitution, then he would be sponsoring legislation limiting corporate lobbyist donations to issues and candidates. He would be proposing a Fair Elections constitutional amendment along the lines of what Youngstown tried to get on their local ballot, until the state blocked it. http://www.protectyoungstown.org/fair-elections.html

·         If this is so important to protect the people, why, without any public debate, is this being proposed for the May 8 ballot in Ohio?

·         If this proposal gets on the ballot, it will only need 50% + 1 to become a law that will limit and stifle democracy forever after to a “super majority” of 60%.

We the people of Ohio cannot continue to allow a corrupt state legislature to slowly take away the people’s voice in governing decisions. Our democratic rights are being sabotaged, and we the people must say NO and say it loudly. We must support initiatives and organizations that are attempting to reverse this corporate state agenda and put democracy back in the hands of the people who will be affected by the laws that are passed. We must recognize that we the people are following laws written by and for corporations, and work to reverse this so that we the people are writing laws that corporations must follow.

The OHCRN is proposing two constitutional amendments to do just that. The Ohio Community Rights Amendment and the Initiative and Referendum for Counties and Township Amendment. Visit our website at http://ohcommunityrights.org/projects/statewide-constitutional-change/ to read both proposals full text and contact us to find out how you can help.

Join us in the effort to “legalize” and protect democracy by the people in Ohio.

Tish O'Dell

CELDF Ohio Organizer

OHCRN State Coordinator, www.ohiocrn.org

440-838-5272

 Tree Media presents We the People 2.0 – The Second American Revolution, a film featuring the new democracy movement building across the United States. 

Support OHCRN. Make your contribution today.  Thank you!

 ***

 Donald Trump has made a political career out of demonizing people like me.
He announced his presidential campaign by calling Mexicans rapists, criminals and drug dealers. Just last week, he called Haiti and nations in Africa “shithole countries,” saying we should accept more immigrants from Norway instead. 

Beyond these racist words, Trump and his administration are rapidly advancing hateful policies. The day before his “shithole countries” comment, ICE raided more than a hundred 7-Eleven stories across the country. 

Faced with Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s relentless attacks on immigrants of color, it may be tempting to give up. To let their words define me and my family.
But I choose hope. I’m in this fight because, like my mother, I have hope that the power of the people will change our country. 

My name is America Reyes. I’m a Mexican immigrant who migrated to the US when I was 5 years old. I’m a leader with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, a People’s Action member organization. 

My parents brought me here with a dream. They wanted a better life for me. Just like them, I work every day to fulfill my dreams and thrive without fear of deportation again. I’ve been an active community member advocating for immigrant communities. I hope to become a lawyer and a judge one day. I want to have the power to carry justice forward and to continue the legacy of generations before me.
 
I also want to set an example for my younger sisters — I want them to know that we can win when we fight for our dignity. And I fight for a clean Dream Act to honor the fights my parents have gone through to be able to dream. 

Every day, about 122 young people like me lose their Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status. That means there are over a hundred youth each day at risk of being torn from their families and the country they call home. 

This is a moment of crisis for my family, as it is for so many families across the nation. 

I fear for how my younger sisters will feel being torn apart from their big sister. I worry for how my parents will fare having their daughter stolen from them. 

I am young woman with rights and dreams. And I deserve to see them through. 

Congress is negotiating the fate of 700,000 Dreamers this week. You can call 888-778-6856 and be directly connected to your member of Congress.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Please join me in making the dreams of hundreds of thousands of young immigrants come true. Call Congress today and demand they pass a clean DREAM Act. 

Onward,

America Reyes Leader Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada and People’s Action

***

From Credo:

There is a massive new threat to fragile bee populations, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the power to stop it.
Syngenta, the Swiss-based agro-chemical rival to Monsanto, is seeking government approval to spray its bee-killing pesticide thiamethoxam on more than 165 million acres of American crop land.¹

If the Scott Pruitt-led EPA under Donald Trump’s regime approves the company's application to apply massive amounts of this toxic pesticide on popular crops like wheat, barley, rice, alfalfa and potato, we could see even more dramatic and rapid declines of bee colonies. We must urge the EPA to deny Syngenta's application immediately.

Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click here to sign the petition.

In recent years, bee populations have plummeted significantly due in large part to the expanded use of bee-killing pesticides. More than 700 North American bee species are at risk for extinction, and in 2016-2017 alone, beekeepers lost 33 percent of their bees, yet the EPA has failed to take significant steps to limit pesticide use.^2,3 In fact, just before Donald Trump took office, the EPA publicly acknowledged that neonic pesticides pose a significant risk to honeybees but backed away from a proposed rule to limit their use.⁴

Incredibly, this proposal by Syngenta to significantly ramp up its use of this toxic chemical on crop land fell on the very same day the EPA released a stunning new report detailing the dangers neonicotinoids such as thiamethoxam pose to animal life, including birds of all sizes.⁵ This most recent EPA study comes on the heels of numerous studies detailing the risks neonics also pose to invertebrate aquatic life.

As Lori Ann Burd, director of the Center for Biological Diversity's environmental health program, put it:

"If the EPA grants Syngenta's wish, it will spur catastrophic declines of aquatic invertebrates and pollinator populations that are already in serious trouble."⁶

Activism to protect bee populations works. Hundreds of thousands of CREDO members have mobilized in recent years to pressure the EPA to restrict expansion of Monsanto's bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides. But with Trump occupying the White House and Pruitt leading the EPA, we need to double down our efforts to keep these toxic pesticides from dramatically worsening the bee crisis.

Tell the EPA: No mass spraying of toxic, bee-killing pesticides. Click the link below to sign the petition:
https://act.credoaction.com/sign/epa_bees_2018?t=7&akid=26876%2E9999572%2Ea4fu5x

Thanks for all you do.
Josh Nelson, Deputy Political Director CREDO Action from Working Assets

Add your name:

1. Grace Guarnieri, "EPA Might Let Bee-Killing Pesticide Be Sprayed On 165M Acres of Farmland," Newsweek, Dec. 21, 2017.
2. Justin Worland, "More than 700 North American Bee Species Are Headed Toward Extinction," TIME, March 2, 2017.
3. University of Maryland, "American beekeepers lost 33 percent of bees in 2016-17," May 25, 2017.
4. Center for Biological Diversity, "Same Day: EPA Acknowledges Proven Dangers of Bee-killing Pesticides But Refuses to Restrict Them," Jan. 12, 2017.
5. Center for Biological Diversity, "EPA Considers Allowing Bee-Killing Pesticide to Be Sprayed on 165 Million Acres of U.S. Farmland," Dec. 19. 2017.
6. Ibid.

***

From Social Security Works:
As all eyes are focused on a potential government shutdown, the Senate is attempting to sneak through Alex Azar. He’s Donald Trump’s new pick for Secretary of Health and Human Services, the cabinet post that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. And he might be even worse than Trump’s first HHS Secretary, Tom Price.

Azar is the former president of pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly USA. During his tenure, Eli Lilly more than tripled the price of life-saving insulin medication―protecting drug company profits over patient care.

Next week, the Senate will vote on Alex Azar’s nomination. Write to your Senators right now and tell them that we don’t need a pharmaceutical exec running our health care.

Alex Azar is the definition of the “revolving door” in Washington. He used his time serving in George W. Bush’s Department of Health and Human Services to cater to big pharma’s whims, auditioning for a cushy corporate job. He then spent nearly a decade personally profiting off of an industry he once regulated. And now he wants back in at HHS.

At a time of skyrocketing drug prices, we need a health secretary who will take on the drug companies, not pad their pockets!

Write to your Senators right now and tell them to reject Alex Azar’s nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Thank you for taking action today.
Michael Phelan
Social Security Works