Showing posts with label #ourrevolution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label #ourrevolution. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

The War on Beautiful, Clean Coal

The War on Beautiful, Clean Coal
by C.A. Matthews
"The war on beautiful, clean coal is over!" triumphantly declared  President Donald Duck Trump during his State of the Union address. Many scratched their heads in wonder upon hearing that statement. "When was there ever a war on coal?" Americans asked each other. "How on earth did we miss something as big as a military conflict against a fossil fuel?"

"Don't you mean there's been a war against the coal miners?" some remarked as over 78,000 coal miners have died from Black Lung disease since 1968.  "Haven't communities been attacked by water, land and air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels? Aren't deaths and injuries caused by asthma and heart disease caused by coal burning on the rise? How can this be construed as a war on coal? How can anyone even think that coal is clean in the first place?" 

 Ah, but these are all "fake news" stories according to Mr. Trump. No one has ever died or been injured by beautiful, clean coal (which bathes daily) says the fossil fuel execs who now advise the tiny-handed man behind the big desk in the Oval Office. There are literally dozens of jobs to be created by extracting what remains of coal from deep in the ground. How can there be more people working for Arby's than for coal mining concerns as many left-leaning publications cite?  No one needs to eat food nearly as often as they need to burn coal, do they? (It's as absurd as saying coal miners can be retrained to work in the green energy industry!)
Beautiful, clean coal has had its shining reputation sullied by such books as Death in the Air. It tells the story  of the 12,000 persons who died (by coincidence) during a huge smog event in London in 1952 that was at least partially blamed on coal burning power plants. After those deaths during the horrific "pea souper" (which had nothing to do with burning coal, we swear!),  laws were passed to make the burning of coal cleaner than ever (fingers crossed). 

You'd think that 66 years later, coal burning has to be the cleanest thing on the planet, much cleaner than those dirty solar panels or ugly wind turbines. Besides, we can't risk soaking up all the sun's rays or the wind. How will we get a tan or enjoy a nice summer's breeze if solar panels and wind turbines hog all the sunlight and breeze, right?

Of course, a handful of individuals will make quite a bit of money from Trump's recent decision to slap a 30% tariff on foreign made solar panels. It's not like big GOP supporters like the Koch Brothers became billionaires from their dealings in the fossil fuel industry and denying climate change. (Oh...so they did.) Of course, some in the administration are invested in putting coal before so-called "clean green energy" sources in order to make even more money, but that doesn't take away from the inherent cleanness of coal, now does it?

The "experts" do tend to yammer on about the negatives of coal burning plants, but when did scientists ever know what was good for Americans, right?  (You wouldn't go to a person who spent a good amount of time in an elitist higher institute of education to diagnose your illness or perform surgery on you, would you? I thought not.)  Scientists actually believe in fairy tales such as "climate change" and "global warming," so their credibility rating is fairly strained as it is. Get a load of this nonsense from this U.S. News article from a couple of years ago:

"If we want to reduce air pollution, the source we want to focus on eliminating is in coal burning," says George Thurston, a professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine and one of the report's authors. "The message is that the source that is the biggest problem for climate change is also the biggest air pollution problem for health.
With adversaries like these pseudo-scientific-climate-whiners frightening the public all the time, no wonder Americans didn't realize there was an actual war going on against beautiful, clean coal. (There are only so many hours in the day in which to close your eyes and put your fingers in your ears and hum loudly to block out all that fake science news.)

Our fearless orange leader in the White House has defeated the naysayers with a mighty stroke of his pen and  taken the lead on making coal our number one energy source above the burgeoning renewable energy market. (Coal-powered plants will be everywhere!) It's him we'll have to thank come next year this time when you (or a loved one) are sitting in an emergency room with an oxygen mask strapped to your face and a crash cart nearby.
Until then, here's some "fake news" articles and videos you might find entertaining and informative:

Clean coal memes from: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/gallery/2015/jul/10/fossil-fuel-memes-coal-mining-environment-pollution 

What Trump's Tax on Solar Power Means:
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/trumps-tax-on-solar-power-heres-what-you-need-to-know-w515823 

 White House to Ask for 72 Percent Cut in Renewable Energy Programs:
http://readersupportednews.org/news-section2/318-66/48217-white-house-to-ask-for-72-percent-cut-in-renewable-energy-programs-report 

The entire coal industry employs fewer people than Arby's:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-coal-industry-workers-20170331-story.html 

US coal miners are offered free training to work in the wind turbine industry:
https://qz.com/990192/a-chinese-company-wants-to-retrain-wyoming-coal-miners-to-become-wind-farmers/

Coal burning is the most toxic pollution for your heart:
https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/12/02/coal-burning-is-most-toxic-pollution-for-your-heart

Black Lung Incurable and Fatal Stalks Coal Miners Anew:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/24/opinion/sunday/black-lung-incurable-and-fatal-stalks-coal-miners-anew.html 

Nebraska GOP lawmakers trying to restrict wind power development by labeling it "not renewable."
https://www.nationofchange.org/2018/02/06/republicans-nebraska-trying-restrict-wind-power-development-labeling-not-renewable/

A review of Death in the Air: http://nstbookreviews.blogspot.com/2018/02/death-in-air.html

The Fossil Free Fast Livestream (event starts at approx. 58:39): https://youtu.be/YcbiXp_HGDk
These guys really know how to spin the story about clean coal... 
***
February is Black History Month and many organizations are hosting events to celebrate African-Americans' contributions throughout history--and today. Watch this panel discussion held at University Church in Toledo, Ohio. These ladies gave some great insights.
***
More "wars"  worth fighting for...

Fight for $15

Why do we deserve dignity?
It's simple.
I AM A MAN  
Make & share YOUR sign now.
We will carry your message to Memphis on Feb 12.
BIG news – on February 12, we're protesting across the country to call out the billionaires, corporations, and politicians working so hard to hold us back.

The day marks fifty years since black sanitation workers in Memphis kicked off a historic strike to demand higher pay and union rights.

Martin Luther King Jr. marched with them. Now, we carry on the same fight.



The sanitation workers and Dr. King demanded fair pay for hard work. They demanded union rights.

They said, simply: "I AM A MAN."


I AM A MAN


We say the same. We need fair pay of $15 an hour. We need strong union rights.

And we deserve this for no other reason than that we are men, we are women, we are people – we work, and sweat, and breathe just like the billionaires and corporate politicians who hold us back.


February 12 is just the beginning. This spring, we will join with tens of thousands in the Poor People's Campaign to launch six weeks of protests and direct action all across the nation.

Just like the sanitation workers in Memphis 50 years ago, we will make our voices heard.

Make and share your sign now – and we will let you know soon more ways you can join the fight.

Thanks,
Latierika Blair
McDonald's Worker
Memphis, TN
Fight for $15

 

***
From Care 2 Petitions:

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has a personal fortune of more than $105 billion and has been heralded as "the richest man in the world." 

Yet, his company's employees are struggling to pay for their most basic needs. Recent reports found that workers in Ohio have had been forced to resort to food stamps, formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) just to keep food on their tables. This isn't unique to Ohio. Underpaid employees can be found in Amazon facilities from coast to coast. That makes it even more appalling to learn that Amazon employees can't even use these benefits at the newly launched Amazon grocery store, Amazon Go. 

Take action today and sign the petition demanding that Amazon Go accept SNAP. 

Amazon (and its CEO in particular) has made billions off of the backs of their underpaid employees. The least they could do is allow them to shop in their stores. 
Sign the petition today and demand Amazon GO accept SNAP. 
Thank you,

Corey Hill
The Care2 Petitions Team


***
From Friends of the Earth:

Donald Trump and his administration could soon allow pipelines to cross our National Parks.

This is just one piece of Trump’s disastrous infrastructure plan. Last week, leaked documents showed that the plan will allow Trump and his corporate cronies to sidestep environmental protections, public health, and worker safety. Meanwhile, the fossil fuel industry could reap huge benefits.

This plan still has to go through Congress. So we need your help to push your Senators to stop it!


Trump wants to give Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke unilateral authority to allow pipelines to cross our parks. That’s the same Ryan Zinke who gutted Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments. He’s all too eager to hand over our wild places to his buddies in the fossil fuel industry.

At the same time, Trump’s plan would allow many infrastructure projects to sidestep key analyses of their adverse health and environmental impacts. It would allow his administration to sell off public lands to oil and coal interests. And it would eliminate requirements that projects comply with the Clean Air Act.

The only winners in Trump’s infrastructure proposal are corporate polluters and special interests. So we need to send Congress a strong message that any infrastructure bill should prioritize people and the environment over corporate profits.


Trump’s vision for our environment is clear. He thinks our public lands are first and foremost meant to be exploited for the benefit of Big Oil and other extractive industries. And he thinks clean air and clean water can be sacrificed to increase those industries’ profits.


But the American people don’t want our environment handed over to polluters. Together, we can pressure Congress to stop these attacks on our wild places. Will you join us?


Standing with you,
Nicole Ghio,
Senior fossil fuels program manager,
Friends of the Earth 

***

We've come a long way since the Unity Reform Commission was unanimously adopted by 4,500 Democratic convention delegates in Philadelphia.

Recently, DNC's Rules and Bylaws Committee took up the URC's final recommendations, and Chairman Tom Perez said publicly that he wants them passed in full. Our mandates are not aspirations. They have already been debated and negotiated. The DNC should adopt and implement these reforms.




Here are the major URC mandates:

  • Sixty percent reduction in unpledged delegates—from 715 to 300.
  • Reform caucuses to include same-day registration, same-day party switching, and voting by mail; push for state law reform for same-day registration, party switching and voting by mail in primary states.
  • Party financial transparency and eliminating conflicts of interests.
Most of these actions require state party reform, a critical step to opening the Democratic Party to the grassroots. Our reforms are meant to deconstruct those obstacles and promote grassroots participation in our democracy.



Our team spent nine months negotiation these reforms which required compromise from all sides. It wasn't always easy and, in the end, we may not have gotten everything we wanted. But we believe that these are important reforms that should be implemented to begin the long work to rebuild our party. It's time to implement these changes so that we can have real unity and reform.


In solidarity,

Larry Cohen
Lucy Flores
Gus Newport
Jane Kleeb
Nomiki Konst
Nina Turner
Jeff Weaver
Jim Zogby

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Tuesday, January 16, 2018

Just Not That Into Politics?

You say you're just not that into politics? Maybe you should be. 
Still Bernin' gives us the score.


So...You Say You're Just Not Into Politics?
by Still Bernin'

 I was a different person three years ago.

 Three years ago, I hadn't met Bernie Sanders yet or seen the light of a future to believe in. I can't say my life has improved materially much in the last three years since I "got into politics," but at least I know the why of how things got so screwed up in our country and a little more on what we should be doing to fix things.
Things got messed up big time for America because of the greedy people called the one-percent and their kiss-ups, the corporate-owned politicians of the so-called "two major parties." Four years ago, I wouldn't have known how practically identical the Democratic and Republican Parties are. Now I see them as they really are--as henchmen for the billionaires and wannabe millionaires. 

Neither "party" really cares who wins the White House. That's not their game. All you have to do is look back at the elections featuring Al Gore and Hillary Clinton. They both gave in easily when the actual vote count might have said otherwise. They couldn't be bothered contesting the outcome because they knew they'd receive their reward if they didn't cause a fuss. 

Don't know what I mean? Al and Hill are not hurting for money nowadays, are they? Obviously, they did as they were told by their super-wealthy puppetmasters in the one-percent. And the $400,000 speeches to Wall Street banksters just keep rolling in, and the laws get changed to benefit those very same banksters...

 If I hadn't gotten into politics with Bernie, I might have acted like I did four years ago--I might have played into the duopoly's hands and voted for one of their rotten candidates for president. But the 2016 DNC primary demonstrated they're not the people's candidates, and our input isn't wanted or needed. The party bosses pick the candidates, not the people. The bosses just want our money and our volunteer time. Unless we write those big, fat checks for hundreds of thousands we know where we're supposed to go in these corporate-owned parties--quietly to the back of the bus.

 Three years on in my "awokeness," I know exactly what sort of games these politicos are playing--and I want nothing to do with them. I want to support only progressive candidates who have ordinary Americans' needs and interests at heart.

 I've discovered the very active world of third parties since I got into politics. I've found a party that aligns well with my personal beliefs and morality--the Green Party. I have faith that the candidates the Greens sponsor care about everyday folks like us and want to create a cleaner, greener, safer and saner world. I like their Four Pillars of Social Justice, Peace, Democracy and Ecology. 

Added bonus: Greens don't accept corporate cash. They're not into running for office in order to land a gig  later making millions giving speeches to Wall Street banksters--they just want to be "public servants" and actually serve the public. What a refreshing concept!

So, Mr. or Ms. "I'm-Just-Not-That-Into-Politics" this is what I've got to say to you:  You're living in denial if you think you will continue on at the same standard of living for much longer. 

The weather isn't going to "normalize" without drastic change in our lifestyles and energy usage choices and  the massive clean up of our environment. The water isn't going to magically appear in the desert or become cleaner just because you close your eyes and wish it so. You might not have the right to marry the person you love or find a decent public school for your children if you continue to close your eyes and hum. You might actually (gasp!) lose your private health care coverage someday and become part of the growing number of Americans who can't afford to go to the doctor. What will you do then?
It's too late to roll over and play possum. It's time for you to wake up and get out there and make your voice heard with the rest of us. If you don't let the one-percent and their puppets know how much you despise their blatant greed and manipulation of our elections, then you'll get what you deserve--a world and future not worth living in. 

See how lame your excuse for not becoming involved in what's happening in politics is now?
BIO: Still Bernin' feels like there's not enough "woke up" voters in America yet to bring about the political revolution we need. It's up to us progressives to keep waking them up and giving them coffee--not covfefe!



P.S. This meme is my response to those who wonder why I don't go along with "Let's clean up the Democratic Party from the inside" rationale. It just doesn't work for me. It's irrational to think a corrupt organization making billions of dollars from the corporatocracy will ever change or even want to change. I'm sure progressive individuals within the party would like it to change and keep hoping it will. But the overall DNC doesn't appear too open to change, and those with control of the money will always trump any outliers who want to do differently, so it's a losing battle.  I say join the "rebellion," progressive Dems! You'll be glad you did. --Still Bernin'  #DemExit #GoGreen


***

Other ways to "get into politics" this week...
From Friends of the Earth:

The Trump Administration is trying to open up large swaths of public lands in the Western U.S. to Big Oil.

Standing in its way are protections for an imperiled species -- the sage grouse. So now it wants to gut those protections and clear the path for the fossil fuel industry to drill.

The Forest Service wants to know what you think about this plan. So we need you to speak up now!
Help us reach 30,000 comments: Tell the Forest Service not to hand over our public lands to Big Oil!

The sagebrush habitat sits on top of fossil fuel resources that the oil industry is desperate to get its hand on.

Drilling in this area could wipe out an entire ecosystem of species -- not just the sage grouse, but the golden eagle, elk, pronghorn and mule deer. What’s more, it would pollute our environment and bring us closer to climate chaos.

The Forest Service should protect our wild places over Big Oil’s profits. We can’t let it strip protections for the sage grouse and open the door for oil companies to destroy our environment!

Take action NOW: Stop Big Oil from destroying the sagebrush ecosystem!

Trump wants to open up millions of acres of our public lands -- places that belong to you and me -- to Big Polluters and other special interests. They’re more concerned with the fossil fuel industry’s profits than with protecting wildlife, public health and a safe climate.

Our public lands belong to the American people, not Big Oil. They should be preserved for the wildlife that call them home. And we should be able to explore them without seeing and smelling coal mines and oil wells.

Public pressure has stopped the Trump Administration from handing over our public lands before. After Friends of the Earth members like you sent in more than 300,000 comments, you stopped the Trump Administration from rolling back protections for Colorado’s Canyons of the Ancients, Idaho’s Craters of the Moon and Washington’s Hanford Reach. Now, we need your help to do it again.

Stop Trump from destroying our wildlife and our climate: Add your comment now!
Standing with you,
Ben Schreiber,
Senior political strategist,
Friends of the Earth

 ***
From Sum of Us:

This is outrageous: A judge just ruled that Nestlé can keep taking more water from the tiny township of Osceola, Michigan -- against the wishes of Osceola’s elected leaders.

But if Nestlé thinks this brave community of 2,000 is ready to give up, it’s wrong.

They just reached out to SumOfUs to ask for help to fund this crucial appeal of the court’s decision -- and they can’t do it without your support. Legal appeals are expensive and time-consuming, but if a few of us chip in a few dollars, we can help - or entirely cover - the town’s legal fees.

Can you chip in help stop Nestlé’s greed?

If you've saved your payment information with SumOfUs, your donation will go through immediately:



Donate a different amount
Osceola Township is a tiny community of under 2,000 people, just up the road from Flint, Michigan where residents still don’t have access to clean water after one of the most notorious water crises of the century.

And when Osceola Township voted against allowing Nestlé to set up a pumping station, Nestlé sued the township and challenged their democratic right to decide what to do with their water.

Unfortunately, the judge ruled against Osceola Township and granted Nestlé a special land use permit to build a pumping booster station along a water pipeline that feeds a tanker loading dock in Evart even though it violates the township zoning ordinance.

But the fight isn’t over. With our help, they are going to fight this appeal until they win.

SumOfUs members from around the world have already donated an amazing $30,000 USD to cover legal fees for the township. Without this critical money, the township would’ve likely had to declare bankruptcy and they would have had to drop the lawsuit. Instead, they have been able to defend their democratic right to protect their water and have just appealed.

Your critical support can ensure they can continue the fight. Will you make a donation now to cover legal fees to take on Nestlé and keep fighting this awful decision?

SumOfUs has shown, time and again, that when we fight water giants, like Nestlé, we win. This fight isn’t over. With your donation, we can cover the legal costs of this appeal and make sure that we finally stop Nestlé from stealing this community’s water.




Donate a different amount
Thanks for all that you do,
Emma, Angus, Amelia and the team at SumOfUs

More information:
Michigan township votes to continue court battle with Nestle, MLive, 4 January 2018
Osceola Township will appeal Nestle decision, Cadillac News, 3 January 2018
***
From Our Dream:
Last night a federal judge in San Francisco took a stand against the Trump administration. Issuing an injunction against the executive order made by Trump that would end DACA the federal judge ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This ruling is a huge step forward because courts are reaffirming what we already know: Dreamers shouldn’t hang in limbo. Undocumented youth need permanent protection and cannot continue to wait on broken partisan politics and reckless back and forth legal strategy. Congress has the overwhelming support of voters and the time is now to resolve this issue once and for all. 

Democrats must use this ruling as a springboard for action. They have the leverage and ability to ensure permanent protected status for DACA recipients is included in the budget by Friday, January 19.

This isn’t a choice for Dreamers: we either pressure Democrats to include DACA in the spending bill or we lose our status by March. Democrats hold the power to shut down the government if a clean DREAM act is left out of the spending bill, the rest is up to us. Join us as we continue the fight for permanent protection for undocumented youth.
 
We cannot let the lives of Dreamers be swept under the rug - we must escalate and take action now! In the first week of December the Fight for Our Dream campaign organized more than 30 successful actions across the country, and in D.C.. We saw lawmakers across the country respond to the pressure we brought upon them, but a continuing resolution was passed to extend the deadline for the spending bill.

Last month, seven courageous Dreamers and one ally were arrested for peacefully sitting in at congressional offices in DC. They risked detention and deportation by holding a jail strike.Thanks to efforts like this and the events held in solidarity nationwide, we were able to radically influence key Senate votes. Just a month before, in November, we only had four Senators committed to vote no on any spending bill that didn't include a clean Dream Act. On the December 21st vote, 30 Dems voted against it. 

Join our growing coalition effort as we tell key Senators #NoDreamNoDeal. We NEED 11 more Senators to take a stand to bring a clean Dream Act closer to being a reality, but we cannot do this without your voice and you taking action. We expect a vote by Friday, Jan. 19th, and we are calling organizations and individuals across the country to join us by organizing a local action.
 
We can win this, we’ve done it before! But only if undocumented youth & allies across the country rise to the challenge and, once again, use the power of nonviolent direct action, which won DACA in the first place. We are going to the offices of as many Representatives and Senators as possible to demand they make a choice: stand tall with Dreamers or be part of the deportation machine that will target 800,000 young immigrants. 

It's been a long struggle to secure safety, peace of mind, and the American Dream for so many. Please take action in whatever way you can now and let’s make history on January 19th. 

In solidarity,
Erika Andiola 

***
From the UCC:

Take a Stand Against Human Trafficking

Across the globe and right here at home, millions of people are being exploited for profit. Human trafficking, also known as modern slavery, affected some 24.9 million people in 2016 and is estimated to be one of the most profitable forms of transnational crime. Traffickers prey on those who are in vulnerable communities and then force them into labor, exploit them in commercial sexual enterprises, and/or move them across national or state borders against their will.

human-trafficking-by-Kay-Chernush-for-the-US-State-Department.jpgIn 2009 the UCC’s General Synod passed a Resolution which urges congregations to engage in action to end human trafficking and to recognize January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
We have two opportunities to stand with the victims of human trafficking as we observe Human Trafficking Awareness Day this year:

  • Call on the House to reauthorize the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) - The Senate passed this important bill in September 2017 and it now sits in the House awaiting action.The TVPA establishes and reauthorizes critical programs to prevent human trafficking, promote justice for survivors, provide services to victims, and increase federal coordination to enhance the federal government’s response to the crisis of exploitation.
  • Stand with Native Women - Native women and girls are especially at risk of violence, abduction, and human trafficking. Savanna’s Act will provide federal resources so Tribal Law Enforcement can address the problem head-on.
Trafficking in persons is a crime against humanity and ultimately a sin. Act now - Urge your elected officials to fight human trafficking by supporting these bills.

***
President Donald Trump's bigotry was on full display again yesterday. Meeting in the Oval Office, he once again slandered the Haitian people, their country, and the people of African nations with no regard for the dignity, respect, and compassion that the office of president demands. Our Revolution rejects his claims, made out of personal ignorance and insecurity, and will oppose any effort to create division between the American people and our sisters and brothers in Haiti and countries across the world. There is no place in the political conversation for the words being reported on in the media.




Eight years ago today an earthquake ripped through Haiti, leaving more than 300,000 people dead and over 1.5 million displaced in the most calamitous natural disaster ever to befall the island nation. It is an American value to welcome people fleeing strife, turmoil, and tragedy into our country, and that is what Temporary Protected Status does.


There are 46,000 Haitian people in the United States with TPS status—a fraction of the people who lost everything in the Haiti earthquake. In addition to Haitian residents in the United States on TPS, there are hundreds of thousands more from El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Nepal, Syria, and Yemen. Over the course of our nation's history, we have answered the call to be a refuge to those whose homes have been lost to natural disaster or human strife.




The tragedy of this presidency can only be reconciled by a reinvigorated American people who will fight discriminatory immigration policies with a renewed dedication to justice. We need you in this fight.


In solidarity,

Nina Turner
President
Our Revolution
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