Urge The Senate to Reject William Myers' Nomination to the Federal Bench
Emboldened by his re-election last November, President Bush is waging an increasingly aggressive campaign to stack the federal courts with anti-environment judges.
The U.S. Senate is now gearing up for a showdown vote on the nomination of William Myers, a former mining industry lobbyist, to be a senior federal judge. Even though the Senate rejected Myers' nomination last year due to his extreme anti-environmental record, Bush has re-nominated him in the 109th Congress, betting that a greater Republican majority will enable him to be approved this time around.
There's no denying that Myers is an extremist, having called parts of the Clean Water Act unconstitutional and, as the top lawyer at Bush's Interior Department, consistently siding with oil industry lobbyists and other major corporate polluters. In fact, Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) recently called William Myers "the most anti-environment judicial nominee that I have seen in my 31 years" in Congress.
Your action is urgently needed -- Myers' nomination has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee and is expected to come up for a full Senate vote in the week following the Easter recess.
Tell your Senators to reject a lifetime appointment for Myers! If Myers is confirmed, he'll likely be undermining U.S. environmental laws for decades to come.
http://www.care2.com/go/z/22403
Tell Your Senators to Protect Refugees Fleeing Persecution
The United States Senate is poised to consider a bill that will put the lives of refugees at risk of further persecution.
The bill, known as the REAL ID Act, will harm refugees fleeing torture, forced abortions, honor killings, and other horrific violence. The bill will make it much harder for refugees to prove that they qualify for asylum and remove safeguards that protect refugees from being sent back into the arms of their persecutors.
The leadership of the House of Representatives has attached the REAL ID Act to an emergency spending bill in an attempt to push the Senate to accept these anti-refugee provisions without a meaningful chance for discussion or debate.
Please contact your Senators and urge them to preserve our nation's commitment to protecting refugees: Ask them to stop the REAL ID Act and keep it out of the emergency spending bill.
http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/oppose_realid/
Support Action on Darfur by House of Representatives
Two weeks ago, we requested that you take action towards stopping the genocide in Darfur, Sudan. Thousands of you wrote to your Senators urging them to support the Darfur Accountability Act, which calls on the U.S. Administration to work within the UN Security Council to stop the violence. Thank you all for your efforts.
Last week, a similar bill was introduced in the House of Representatives, also calling for an expansion of the size and strength of the African Union (AU) force in Darfur and the imposition of sanctions on the government of Sudan. We are all encouraged to see full Congressional action on this crisis, and are asking you today to support the current effort by the U.S. House of Representatives and encourage them to make stronger demands on the Administration , emphasizing the need for international action as the AU cannot and should not have to solely bear the burden of stopping the genocide.
The House bill (H.R.1424) rightfully identifies the atrocities unfolding in Darfur as "genocide" and recommends a change in the mandate of the African Union force currently in the region to focus on the protection of civilians. Furthermore, the bill calls for a robust multinational force to support the African Union Mission in Sudan.
H.R.1424 supports the efforts to end genocide in Darfur by raising the profile of the issue and encouraging greater action by the Administration. However, the most appropriate way to support the African Union (AU), which already has troops in Darfur, is for the U.S. to seek a Chapter 7 Mandate under the United Nations Charter for the AU force in Darfur and then for the UN to expand this force into a UN peacekeeping operation. Chapter 7 provides an intervention force with the ability to protect civilians and enforce the cease-fire. Africa Action believes that a Chapter 7 mandate is necessary to stop the genocide. As the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act in the House falls short of this goal, we are asking you to write both in support of H.R.1424 and to suggest that the House of Representatives amend the Act to include the appropriate language.
Please urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Darfur Genocide Accountability Act.
http://capwiz.com/africaaction/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7282516
Pledge to Boycott Any Oil Company That Drills in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
By a heartbreaking two votes, the Senate approved drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- that pristine Alaskan wilderness area called the "American Serengeti," a living monument to the vast beauty of our planet. But the struggle in Congress is not over by a long shot, and there are other avenues available to protect this wildlife refuge.
Senator Barbara Boxer and others are organizing a consumer boycott of any oil company that drills in the Arctic Refuge. If by using our pocketbooks we can convince these companies to do the right thing, we can protect the Arctic Refuge from destruction.
Imagine if millions and millions of us, young and old, progressives and conservatives, make it clear to these companies that they stand to lose big-time if they drill for oil in the wildlife refuge. Polls show that most Americans are on our side. Let's walk our talk.
http://truemajority.kintera.org/anwr
Tell Congress Not to Privatize Social Security
Congress is considering proposals that would privatize the Social Security system. Social Security is one of the most successful social programs of the 20th Century. The system's financing problems are manageable and can be addressed by reasonable adjustments over time. Rushing into private accounts does not solve the so-called Social Security crisis, but rather would add to the cost of the program.
Now is the time to tell Congress not to put those who will depend upon this safety net at risk!
Social Security is not merely a retirement program - it is a social insurance program with broad effect. Many of our most vulnerable citizens rely upon the safety net provided by the system. Before Social Security, one in three senior citizens lived in poverty. Today that number is one in ten. In addition, disability and survivors' benefits under Social Security have provided for millions of American families. This is particularly important for women. Nearly two-thirds of women 65 and over get a majority of their income from Social Security
Social Security works for America's workers. The great success of Social Security has contributed to the unprecedented economic growth of the 20th Century. If the demographic challenges of the 21st Century require changes in the financing of the system, then Congress should lead America in a discussion about the most reasonable and secure methods for achieving financial stability. Diverting money from the Social Security trust fund into private accounts could hasten the insolvency of the fund, not save it.
Tell your Members of Congress that private accounts would put Social Security in more peril not less. If you know that they agree, thank them for protecting this important safety net.
http://www.capwiz.com/lwv/issues/alert/?alertid=7266326
Save the Manatee: Regulate Boat Speed in Dangerous Waterways!
The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service recently adopted emergency rules to take the place of state slow speed rules that had been invalidated in five areas of Lee County, Florida waters. In December 2003, a Circuit Court judge's ruling invalidated these speed zone rules after local boaters purposely sped through the manatee protection zones in order to challenge the state rules.
Please write to President George W. Bush and urge him to have the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service adopt strong, permanent rules to slow boats in Lee County waters.
http://www.savethemanatee.org/leecountyrule.htm
Tell Caterpillar Dealers: Stop Sales To Israel
The state of Israel uses Caterpillar equipment to destroy Palestinian homes and uproot trees and orchards, making tens of thousands of Palestinians homeless and destroying the foundation of their agricultural economy. On March 16, 2003, a Caterpillar bulldozer crushed non-violent American peace activist Rachel Corrie to death when she stood between it and a Palestinian home in Gaza. In Rafah in May 2004 alone, Israel bulldozed the homes of thousands of Palestinians.
Tell Caterpillar dealers to stop selling to Israel and to support an investigation into Israel's use of Caterpillar's equipment. Letters go to more than 40 Caterpillar dealers by e-mail.
http://www.progressiveportal.org/letters/global/mideast/cat2.html
Urge Congress: Protect Social Security Benefits
The National Education Association believes that we must preserve a strong retirement security system to protect America's hard-working families. Traditional public pension plans and Social Security are under increasing attack from those who would privatize these essential safety nets.
NEA has three priorities for Social Security legislation in the 109th Congress:
Oppose any efforts to privatize Social Security;
Ensure that public employees who are enrolled in and have paid into other retirement security plans are not mandated to participate in Social Security; and Repeal unfair offsets - the Government Pension Offset and Windfall Elimination Provision - that deny earned Social Security benefits to many public employees.
Sign the petition to protect Social Security benefits:
http://www.nea.org/lac/socsec/index.html
Save the Patagonia Coast
Please write to express your concern over Noranda's proposed aluminum smelter and hydroelectric dams in the Aysén region in Chilean Patagonia. The project would produce large amounts of industrial waste that would threaten the waters and wilderness areas of the region, as well as the culture of local residents, who have declared Aysén a "Reserve for Life."
Particularly disturbing are Noranda's plans to import by sea more than a million tons of raw minerals for the aluminum smelter operation. The increase in sea traffic would harm the marine environment with increased pollution, noise, discharge of ballast waters and risk of harmful cargo spills. The smelter itself will emit huge amounts of waste and pollution every year into one of the cleanest environments in the world, threatening marine mammals, forest wildlife and human beings alike.
Please cancel this project for the health of the planet and future generations in Chile's Patagonia.
http://www.savebiogems.org/patagonia/takeaction.asp
Park Transportation Funding Hits Pothole
On March 10 Congress resumed work to renew the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century (TEA-21) and the House of Representative approved its version of the bill. Currently, key senate committees have also reported out their version, and the bill is heading to the full Senate floor for a vote after April 19th. It is vital that your Senators hear from you in the next month to help ensure parks get what they need! A conference committee would then work on the final bill by the end of May. TEA-21 is the law that decides how the federal gas tax revenue is to be divided among the states and federal transportation programs, including the programs that repair park roads and provide alternative modes such as visitor shuttle systems and bike and pedestrian pathways in the parks. Congress has been working to renew the law and increase funding levels for the past two years.
Please write to your senators and urge them to support increasing the funding for Park Roads and Parkways program within the Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century.
http://www.npca.org/take_action/action_alerts/ActionAlert.asp?strAction=link&lngAlertID=403
Tell the Chlorine Institute: Stop Mercury Contamination Today!
The Chlorine Institute, an industry association representing manufacturers of chlorine products, distributors and users, is meeting in Baltimore this week.
Among their member companies are the "Nasty Nine" -- the companies still using the "mercury-cell" chlorine production process we identified in our recent report "Poison Plants" as a major contributor to America's mercury contamination problem.
We're going to be protesting at the site of their meeting to show them that it's time these nine plants cleaned up their act. After all, more than 90% of American chlorine is already produced using processes that are widely deployed, efficient, and completely mercury-free. There's no reason why the Nasty Nine shouldn't catch up with their peers.
You can join the protest by signing this petition calling on the Chlorine Institute to direct its members still using this out-of-date process to modernize and use cleaner production processes that do not emit mercury.
Help us show the industry that America wants safer seafood and healthy families -- sign today!
http://takeaction.oceana.org/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=51
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