U.S-centric - important call in day TODAY, 9/17
Hey everyone - I am just passing this message along for some friends. Sorry if we're in several of the same groups and you see this a couple of times because I cross-posted it all over the place. This is pretty important though. . .
If even 1/3 of the members of this group convinced 2 other people to call in, that would be a significant enough number of phone calls to stall this horrible bill in its tracks. Please please please pass it on - post it in your journal, other communities, and email it to all of your list serves.
The nuclear industry in the U.S is proposing more than 30 new reactors - with an estimated cost of 6.2-12 BILLION USD per reactor. (SOURCE: nirs.org/neconomics/nuclearsubsidi… )
Not only is Nuclear power is a FALSE solution to the issue of global climate change, but it's intrinsically tied to the nuclear arms industry.
For inspiration on viable solutions, check out www.kilowattours.org/
As a resident of a gulf state, I also hope that folks will oppose off-shore drilling. BUT... the mainstream media is devoting NO attention to the nuclear aspect of this bill, which is quite frankly frightening. Not too much of a surprise, though - considering that many of the more common outlets are owned by General Electric, which is the most profitable nuclear arms manufacturer in the world.
(SOURCES: www.commondreams.org/views05/0403-… , www.corpwatch.org/article.php , and www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/… )
Thanks! <3
If even 1/3 of the members of this group convinced 2 other people to call in, that would be a significant enough number of phone calls to stall this horrible bill in its tracks. Please please please pass it on - post it in your journal, other communities, and email it to all of your list serves.
The nuclear industry in the U.S is proposing more than 30 new reactors - with an estimated cost of 6.2-12 BILLION USD per reactor. (SOURCE: nirs.org/neconomics/nuclearsubsidi… )
Not only is Nuclear power is a FALSE solution to the issue of global climate change, but it's intrinsically tied to the nuclear arms industry.
For inspiration on viable solutions, check out www.kilowattours.org/
As a resident of a gulf state, I also hope that folks will oppose off-shore drilling. BUT... the mainstream media is devoting NO attention to the nuclear aspect of this bill, which is quite frankly frightening. Not too much of a surprise, though - considering that many of the more common outlets are owned by General Electric, which is the most profitable nuclear arms manufacturer in the world.
(SOURCES: www.commondreams.org/views05/0403-… , www.corpwatch.org/article.php , and www.freepress.net/ownership/chart/… )
Thanks! <3
** From the Nuclear Information and Resource Service... **
GANG OF 10 BILL:
BIGGEST GIVEAWAY TO NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY EVER
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
GANG OF 10 BILL:
BIGGEST GIVEAWAY TO NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY EVER
NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
Unlimited loan guarantees for construction of new atomic reactors. That's right, unlimited. As much money—hundreds of billions of dollars--as everyone in the nuclear industry wants, when it wants, for as long as it wants.
I'm sure I don't need to tell you how that would absolutely destroy our ability to effectively address the climate crisis and what a disaster that would be for our economy, for our nation, for our planet.
How do these Senators think they can get away with this? Because they're not hearing from enough of us, often enough. They think this is a popular stand. We all need to stand up now and be counted. That's why NIRS, Physicians for Social Responsibility and other national groups are putting out the word for a National Call-In Day to the Senate on Wednesday, September 17. We need at least 10,000 phone calls to the Senate on Wednesday. We need the phones there to be ringing non-stop from dawn to dusk. Will you help?
Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
*Please call both of your Senators that day with a very simple message: Take taxpayer loan guarantees for nuclear power out of the Gang of 20 energy bill. (note: the bill does not yet have a number. It's called the New Energy Reform Act of 2008, but everyone will know what you are talking about if you just say 'Gang of 20 energy bill.')
*Please forward this Alert to any and all of your mailing lists.
*Please print this Alert and take it to any public meetings and gather places you go to between now and Wednesday. Post it at food co-ops and other central locations.
*Please talk to your friends and colleagues, congregations this Sunday, PTAs next week. Spread the word.
*If you want to e-mail your Senators, please do (you can do so from this link; NIRS' new e-mail-from- our-Alerts set-up still has some bugs,so we can't quite offer that yet). But also call! It is important to keep those phones ringing all day long!
*Call even if you think your Senator(s) are hopeless. Everyone walking in the halls of the Senate should hear phones ringing everywhere,all day long.
We can't let the nuclear industry get away with this. All that can stop it now are your actions. If we all just sit back and wait for someone else to take action, we will lose. If we all make those two calls—one to each Senator, and ask each of our friends and colleagues to make those two calls, we can show the Senate what the American people really think. And we can win.
It is up to each of us. It's that simple, and that stark. Please take five minutes to make two phone calls Wednesday. And please drop us an e-mail and let us know you called (we'll be looking for 10,000e-mails in our inbox by Thursday morning!).
Thank you for all that you do.
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS)
nirsnet@nirs.org
http://www.nirs.org
301-270-6477
September 12, 2008
P.S. For those who want more information: You can read a Physicians for Social Responsibility analysis of the nuclear provisions in the Gang of 20 energy bill here. The bill includes not just loan guarantees, but also more 'risk insurance' for new nukes, construction of a reprocessing plant, and much more. You can read a longer article on the issue I wrote for DailyKos here.
(no subject)
BadAstronomer: Non-critical thinking kills. We need to teach kids how to think, not what to think.
mor(e)-on Sarah Palin (from Moveon)
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
* She was elected Alaska 's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
* Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
* She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
* Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
* She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
* She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
* How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.
We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah…
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id…
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id…
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id…
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id…
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id…
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id…
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id…
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id…
* She was elected Alaska 's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
* Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
* She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
* Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
* She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
* She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
* How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.
We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah…
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id…
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id…
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id…
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id…
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id…
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id…
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id…
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id…
All call for musicians, tablers, people who love to cook, and all of you ROOTS RADICALS!
International Call for Solidarity with Orlando Food Not Bombs:
Lake Eola Ladle Fest!
Oct. 8-10
On April 4th, Eric Montanez became the first Food Not Bombs member in Orlando arrested under the City's anti-homeless food sharing ordinance. That measure, aimed at Orlando FNB and other groups that help hungry and homeless people, bans unpermitted food sharings of more than 25 people in more than three dozen downtown parks. Groups only are allowed two one-time permits per per park in a 12-month period. Eric's trial starts Mon., Oct. 8. In addition, five other FNB comrades arrested under a City noise ordinance while drumming outside a fund-raising event for Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer have a pre-trial hearing on Oct. 10.
Eric is, of course, one of hundreds of Food Not Bombs members arrested over our movement's more than 25-year history for the "crime" of sharing food with the hungry and homeless and directly challenging the poverty and inequality that make FNB necessary. His trial will set a precedent that will affect FNB and other anti-poverty groups throughout the country; so what happens to Eric and Orlando Food Not Bombs should be of concern to all of us. Cities and developers around the country are keeping a watchful eye on Orlando to see what they may be able to get away with. The City and business interests need to know that we will not let them take away our rights and tighten thescrews on the poor and homeless through gentrification and criminalizing homelessness. To put pressure on the City, we will hold Lake Eola Ladle Fest--a three-day event in Lake Eola Park in the very spot where Eric was arrested by more than a dozen uniformed and undercover Orlando police for ladling out stew to the homeless.
From Oct. 8-10, we would like FNB members from around the country to stand in solidarity with Eric, OFNB, and the local poor and homeless by helping us share breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and also holding various events and workshops throughout the day. We hope to attract as many of our community's homeless and low-income residents, and supporters from around the country, as possible. We also as a group will walk to the courthouse each morning and we encourage people to show support for Eric by attending his trial. The third day we will hold "The March of Mimes" in support of the Cruddy Dyer-rhea Drum Corps 5--Ryan Hutchinson, Bryan Jones, Brett Mason, Eric, and Will Vertlieb--and also free speech rights.
We here in Orlando we can provide some sleeping space. People are encouraged to bring items such as canned goods, fresh veggies and prepackaged snacks to donate. Also there will be a really really free market that will be available for the homeless and low income residents, so brings things to donate to that, too.
The Lake Eola Ladle Fest begins on the morning of October 8 in the park's picnic area which is located at the corner of Central and Osceola in downtown Orlando. If you are coming the night before or have any questions, e-mail us at orlandofnb@orlandofoodnotbombs.org and we'll try to find you a place to stay at our collective house(s).
Please forward this message far and wide. We need as many people as possible to participate.
Orlando Food Not Bombs
http://orlandofoodnotbombs.org
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excited
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Rational Secular Humanism Condones This Mess
I was looking at some political-themed crafts over on a Slate article. And they had a godless cross-stitch! Cute!
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silly
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Secular Humanism on Myspace
Darwin Day
Happy Darwin Day, a holiday celebrated by Humanists and Deists.
Darwin Day Info
Darwin Day Info
Flying Spaghetti Monster spotted in Germany!
problems in the workplace
I just moved to the Los Angeles area from Buffalo (New York). Back on the east coast, my lack of religious beliefs didn't seem to create any problems for me (most likely because it's not something people discuss as often there). Recently, a discussion at work came up about god and I was asked if I believed in god. I said "no" and explained that I am more partial to scientific theory. I didn't argue about religion nor did I say anyone was wrong, I just stated that I was an atheist. As a result, 2 of my co-workers won't speak to me and mentioned they're "done" with me due to my lack of religious belief. I work in an environment where there are several different types of religious beliefs and no one else has had this problem. Still, because I happen to be an atheist, people say things like "don't listen to her, she does't believe in god." How do I deal with this?