Forward on Climate Rally: Washington D.C. Feb 17

Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org and untiring prosyletizer against climate change behavior was interviewed by Amy Goodman on her Democracy Now program, Wednesday, Feb 6.

His recommendation that you find out about the President’s Day rally in D.C. to push the President on the XL pipeline can be found here,

At 12 Noon on Sunday, February 17, thousands of Americans will head to Washington, D.C. to make Forward on Climate the largest climate rally in history. Join this historic event to make your voice heard and help the president start his second term with strong climate action.

Details:

When: February 17th, at 12 Noon
Where: The National Mall, Washington D.C.
Who: 350.org, The Sierra Club and the Hip-Hop Caucus
Why: To tell Barack Obama it’s time to lead in the fight against climate change, beginning with the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline.

Mali: How You Can Help

Mali MusicHello People,

I hope you can join me at this event I would love to see you there! Dana
As you know Mali, West Africa is at war. The eternally peaceful people of this country are in need .
Yoga Union and Ko-Falen are hosting a yoga class fundraiser to help the people of Mali through this tragic time.

We have the power to directly serve these families.

Ko-Falen is an organization based in Portland and Bamako, Mali which runs a rich cultural center for artists, musicians, and storytellers in Mali. They also run tutoring programs for children of the artisans year round. For each $200 we raise, they will personally deliver food and medical supplies to support a family.

In acknowledgment of their commitment to the global community, Todd Vogt of Yoga Union is leading a flow practice with special Malian music. This practice is dedicated to the support of the peaceful people of Mali and union with all.

Saturday, February 2. 5 – 6:30pm
Yoga Union 2043 SE 50th Portland 97215

Suggested donation $10
For more information KoFalen.org <http://KoFalen.org/>

NOTE: and of course, if you’re not in Portland, your generosity can be there. Follow the link.  [wbk]

From Oregon: Fix the Filibuster

From a reader in Oregon: “We had the fortune of meeting our Senator in lil ole Pacific City on Friday.  Good gathering, pointed Qs re the war, civil rights & the dysfunctional Senate filibuster issue, below.  I encourage you all to support it if possible.”
Dear Friends –
We’re rocking!  So far, 148,919 people have signed our latest petition this week, calling on the leaders of the U.S. Senate to make sure that filibuster reform is strong and meaningful. To date, our campaign has now won the support of 391,000 Americans.
Next week we can end the silent filibuster and stop the hidden obstruction which has stalled progressive reforms for years.
Thanks to your advocacy, we have succeeded in putting filibuster reform squarely on the Senate’s agenda. Now we need to make sure that those reforms include the talking filibuster so we can end the back-room obstruction that defines the modern Senate. 
Our ability to reinvest in America, hold Wall Street accountable, create clean energy jobs and fight global climate change, and reform our broken campaign finance laws hangs in the balance.

Every last supporter of filibuster reform needs to step up right now. Our success depends on your voice.

     
We’re so close. Let’s get this done.
Senator Jeff Merkley

CADEM: Right on Guns, Write to Say So

Dear Friend ,

President Obama gave an inspirational — and deeply moving — speech Tuesday on specific policies to make us safer and reduce the gun violence.

California Democrats have already started pushing for a ban on the sale of assault weapons and extended ammunition clips — which California’s Senator Dianne Feinstein will introduce in Congress next week.

The president’s plan is full and comprehensive. It includes:

  • requiring criminal background checks for all gun sales;
  • reinstating the assault weapons ban;
  • restoring a 10-round limit on ammunition magazines;
  • eliminating armor-piercing bullets;
  • providing mental health services in schools;
  • allocating funds to hire more police officers;
  • and instituting a federal gun trafficking statute, among other policies.

Today we’re asking all California Democrats to show their support for President Obama’s proposal by signing our petition in favor of banning assault weapons — and it looks like you haven’t added your signature yet.

Click here to sign California Democrats’ petition supporting President Obama and Senator Feinstein’s push to ban assault weapons.

In the wake of the horrendous school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut there is both righteous anger and renewed interest in at last passing sensible gun legislation.

Nearly 30,000 of your fellow California Democrats have already signed this important petition, and it’s clear with the president’s remarks Tuesday that the momentum is building throughout the country.

Despite this growing momentum, the gun lobbyists — who wield tremendous influence in Washington — will try to stop this important legislation. In fact, the NRA already released an attack ad using President Obama’s own children. The White House has rightly called the ad “repugnant and cowardly.”

We can’t let the gun lobbyists win this one. We need to reduce the gun violence.

Click here to sign California Democrats’ petition supporting President Obama and Senator Feinstein’s push to ban assault weapons.

What happened last month in Newtown is beyond unacceptable. We need to show the country that Californians are taking the lead in standing behind President Obama to reduce gun violence.

Thank you for being a California Democrat.

Peace and friendship,

John Burton
Chair
California Democratic Party

Demand A Plan

Demand A Plan

More Labor Bashing at Walmart

My goodness, on top of paying $9.10 /hour in Illinois  ( San Francisco minimum wage is $10.24) Walmart (along with 6 other corporations)  is now requiring workers to show up on Thanksgiving to get a jump on Black Friday sales.  Workers don’t like it much, of course, and some of them are planning to walk picket lines in protest.

Walmart, for its part, as anti-workers as a company can be, has filed with the NLRB, claiming there is illegal organizing going on and billion dollar corporations have their rights!

In a rare move, Wal-Mart is trying to stop a union-backed group from staging a series of demonstrations against the company on Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year.

Wal-Mart Stores, the nation’s largest employer and retailer, has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board — its first in a decade — seeking to prevent the group, known as OUR Walmart, from holding what the group says will be the biggest protests of this kind against the company at hundreds of store

… In this week’s planned events, OUR Walmart, which stands for Organization United for Respect at Walmart, is enlisting a broad range of allies, arranging fliers and letters that community, church and civil rights groups can use to publicize the Black Friday protest. OUR Walmart has even prepared remarks that it is suggesting members of the clergy might use in prayer, “to call upon the world’s largest corporation to treats its workers with justice and fairness. [Greenhouse at NY Times]

More news of Walmart and the push back here, here and here.

Be good folks on two counts: don’t join the Black Friday madness and if you ever go to Walmart print this out and wear it somewhere visible.

 

And, OUR Walmart folks, get with caps and Ts for your supporters!

The Dirty Weather Report

24 Hours of Reality  The Dirty Weather Report somewhat mystifyingly offers itself as a live event, to join now, on the Internet where things live for ever.  Once you realize that the event date is past but that it doesn’t matter there is a lot of very good material here — from the videos to the possibilities for action and sharing.  Take a look at The Climate Reality Project

California Poop 32

Do you know the truth about Proposition 32?

While Prop 32 has a nice name – “Stop Special Interest Money Now” – it is misleading and not what it seems. Proposition 32’s intent is to silence working Californians and unions, and to crush the middle class.

Prop 32 will silence teachers, nurses, police, firefighters, and all working Californians by permanently barring them from participating in the political system. It will give the power to Wall Street hedge fund managers, out-of-state corporations, CEOs, corporate executives, and wealthy land developers so they can directly influence campaigns and control California’s state government without a check on their power.

Allowing corporate special interests to spend unlimited amounts of money to influence politicians and rewrite state laws in their favor with no disclosure and no accountability will result in an unbalanced political process in California. And it increases the chances that Social Security will be privatized and seniors’ Medicare benefits will be cut.

Help Truth on Prop 32 stand up against special interests groups and show your support of California’s middle class!

Paid for by Working Californians to Oppose Prop. 32, a Coalition of Labor Organizations, Working Men & Women. Major funding by International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 18 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 11.

 

from Democrats.com Unity.  SIGN HERE

Iraq Ten Years Later: Forgotten Past and Brutal Present

Citizens Reach Out, Dominican University’s Muslim Non-Muslim Dialogue and the UC Berkeley School of Journalism present an evening with:

Iraqi journalist Haider Hamza and American journalist and author David Harris Read more of this post

Juggle a Bit and Help an Iraqi Clown

Not all news is bad news.  Here’s a letter and a link from a friend that may cheer you and let you cheer others as well.

Dear Friends,

This is the most fun announcement I have ever sent you. This is an opportunity to help a talented, hardworking Iraqi refugee who has gone through desperate times and now has an opportunity to make others happy.

Rahman Al Kaabi  had to flee Iraq and finally landed in Damascus. He volunteered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) performing in refugee camps for children until he was discovered by an American couple who sponsored him to come to the US with the Iraqi Student Project. He landed in Monterey County where he has been in school since 2009.

Rahman Al Kaabi working the crowd

He has now has been accepted to the Clown Conservatory at Circus Center of San Francisco!

This is his opportunity to become a professional clown and be able to work with organizations like Big Apple Circus, Clown Care, Cirque du Soleil, and ClownZero Therapeutic Clowning Unit. He is totally self-taught so getting professional training is essential to his future as a working clown.

Check out the full letter below the fold and see if you can help a clown….

Read more of this post