Anti-gay slur unpunished in NHL …Eden James, Change.org

What do you do when someone hurls a homophobic slur at a hero? If you’re the National Hockey League, you turn a blind eye.

New York Rangers forward Sean Avery joined the campaign to fight for same-sex marriage in New York this spring, knowing full well he might get blowback from opponents in the NHL. Avery stood up for his beliefs, and he thought the NHL would have his back… but he was wrong.

Two days ago, Philadelphia Flyers player Wayne Simmonds called Sean Avery a “f*cking f*ggot” during an exhibition game. Avery complained to NHL officials, but the officials say they won’t fine Simmonds because “there are conflicting accounts of what transpired on the ice.” This despite the fact that Simmonds can clearly be seen mouthing the slur on video.

Gay rights activist and avid hockey fan Gloria Nieto thinks this is just plain wrong, so she started a petition on Change.org imploring the NHL to fine Wayne Simmonds for his use of an anti-gay slur. Please sign Gloria’s petition today.

Other professional sports leagues have cracked down on homophobic slurs. When Kobe Bryant used the same slur as Simmonds, the National Basketball Association fined him $100,000. Nearly a third of all Major League Baseball teams have made “It Gets Better” videos to stand up against anti-gay bullying.

The NHL’s inaction is not only a step backward in the fight to end the culture of homophobia in professional sports. It’s also a betrayal of Sean Avery, who represents the very best of how professional athletes can help the fight for gay rights.

If the NHL is allowed to ignore Simmonds’ slur, that sends a dangerous signal to other hockey players: Don’t bother supporting the LGBT community. Your league won’t have your back if you do.

NHL officials need to know that you are watching their actions closely and fully expect them to hold Wayne Simmonds accountable. Please sign Gloria’s petition asking the NHL to fine Wayne Simmonds for his use of an anti-gay slur:

http://www.change.org/petitions/nhl-fine-wayne-simmonds-for-his-homophobic-slur-against-sean-avery

Thanks for being a change-maker,

- Eden and the Change.org team

 

the Progress Report

Romney & Perry Doth Protest Too Much

By ThinkProgress War Room

They Can Run, But They Can’t Hide Their Stimulus-Loving Pasts

Just as we were crawling out of bed this morning, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s campaign eagerly blasted out a new video attacking President Obama on the stimulus. Shortly thereafter, however, Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry became engaged in a nasty fight over who had flip-flopped harder on their past support for the Obama stimulus plan.

Here’s a rundown of how the action unfolded today and, more importantly, how both Romney and Perry are forever entangled with the Recovery Act, as much as they’d both like to pretend otherwise now.

Round 1: Romney Tries to Edit Away His Pro-Stimulus Comments, Calls Perry A Liar

Though Romney was also critical of the Recovery Act in his book, he at least initially offered an undeniably positive comment:

• Mitt Romney in the 2010 hard cover edition of his book No Apology:

The ‘all-Democrat’ stimulus that passed in early 2009 will accelerate the timing of the start of the recovery.

• Mitt Romney in the 2011 soft cover edition of his book No Apology:

The ‘all-Democrat’ stimulus passed in early 2009 has been a failure.

Romney, who is apparently unaware of the existence of “the google,” also excised another passage from his book in which he suggested that Romneycare and its individual mandate could serve as a model for the entire nation.

The Romney campaign responded to the attacks by calling Perry a liar, saying he has “a problem with truth.”

Round 2: Romney Reminds Everyone That Perry Extensively Relied on the Stimulus

As ThinkProgress has been reporting since way back in March 2009 and the Romney campaign reminded reporters today, Perry is all hat and no cattle when it comes to his opposition to the Recovery Act:

• Perry relied the most heavily of any state on stimulus funds to balance his budgets.
• Perry said the stimulus didn’t create any jobs at all, when in fact it saved or created as many as 3.6 MILLION jobs —  including in Texas.
• After showily rejecting stimulus funds to cover unemployment benefits, Perry later reversed course and requested hundreds of millions of dollars — even more than he initially rejected.

Round 3: Romney’s Pro-Fed and Fiscal Stimulus Past Further Exposed

While these days Republican leaders are practically begging the Fed to keep unemployment high, it wasn’t always so. Back in December 2008, Romney eagerly supported action by the Fed and clearly said a stimulus plan was necessary:

So this is surely the time for economic stimulus. But — and this is the crucial point — the government can’t just make itself bigger and more oppressive in the guise of stimulating the economy. That would make matters worse. Nor should we forget that fiscal stimulus is but one part of the solution. As Christina Romer, Barack Obama’s designee as chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisors concluded from her study of the Great Depression, bad monetary policy was its greatest cause and good monetary policy was its most effective cure. The Fed should continue to expand the money supply. And, it should confirm that it will not tolerate deflation — the pain of inflation pales in comparison.

That being said, a stimulus plan is needed without further delay, and there are some things that Republicans should insist on.

The Romney campaign once again attempted to dispatch this latest round of attacks from Perry by calling him a liar with a “Pinocchio problem.”

IN ONE SENTENCE: Mitt Romney and Rick Perry will do nearly anything to appease the Tea Party extremists in their party, whether it’s running from their pasts or attacking President Obama’s plan to make sure that no millionaires are paying a lower tax rate than working families — a commonsense rule that even two-thirds of Republicans say they support.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

A federal judge rejects the Justice Department’s challenge to Alabama’s war on immigrant schoolchildren.

The shroud of secrecy surrounding suicide reports in mainstream news can hurt more than help.

The Post Office is only in a crisis because the GOP-led Congress had it put aside billions in health care benefits for workers it hasn’t even hired yet.

The fact that there are more men in the TV writer’s room does not excuse them from creating poor female characters: 10 examples of shows that got it right.

A Republican crowd at the Reagan Library cheered when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) mentioned Ronald Reagan’s decision to lay off thousands of American workers.

Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC) is forcing state workers to answer the phone cheerfully.

Former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum says that the GOP is in a “gradual accumulating breakdown.”

U.S. officials may have helped keep the wraps on a 2007 incident in which Pakistani soldiers participated in a deadly attack against U.S. soldiers.

State Department hearings about TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline are being run by a TransCanada contractor.

Other recent Progress Reports

Sep 27, 2011: Eric Cantor, This Will Go Down On Your Permanent Record

What Does the GOP Have Against American Jobs, Kids? President Obama is in Colorado today touting his plans to put Americans back to work modernizing our aging schools and to make sure there are plenty of teachers to fill those schools. Here’s the rundown of the president’s plan and why Republican opposition to it is [...]

Sep 26, 2011: The Need For Gender Equality In Television

The fall television season’s a great time for fresh starts — to welcome back favorite television shows and hope they’ll continue their momentum, or find great new shows. This autumn’s been heralded as a breakthrough for women on television, particularly women in comedy, following the massive and somewhat unexpected box office success of the female-led [...]

Sep 23, 2011: New-Old GOP Plan: Kill Jobs, Stiff Disaster Victims

GOP Hat Trick: Kill Jobs, Stiff Disaster Victims, & Shut Down the Government On Wednesday, we reported on how Tea Party extremists within the House GOP caucus derailed the GOP leadership’s job-killing plan to fund disaster recovery efforts and keep the government running past Sept. 30 because it didn’t cut spending enough. Democrats, of course, also [...]

Sep 22, 2011: GOP Fight Night In Florida

Questions for the GOP Presidential Candidates The Republican presidential contenders are meeting  in Orlando, Florida this evening for their third debate of the month. Here are the questions we’d like to see asked and answered tonight. Social Security: There are 3,994,280 Floridians between the ages of 40 and 54. They’ve been paying into Social Security [...]

Cost Estimates for the 112th Congress

H.R. 2845, Pipeline Safety,
Regulatory Certainty, and Job Creation Act of 2011
September 27, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as
ordered reported by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on
September 8, 2011

H.R. 585, Small Business Size
Standard Flexibility Act of 2011
September 27, 2011
pdf
Cost
estimate for the bill as ordered reported by the House Committee on Small
Business on July 13, 2011

S. 1547, Export-Import Bank
Reauthorization Act of 2011
September 26, 2011
pdf
Cost
estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing,
and Urban Affairs on September 8, 2011

H.R. 2405, Pandemic and
All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act of 2011
September 26, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as
ordered reported by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on July 28,
2011

H.R. 1165, Transportation
Security Administration Ombudsman Act of 2011
September 26, 2011 pdf
Cost estimate for the bill as
ordered reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on September 21,
2011

Iceland, Norway, and Japan are brutally killing whales… Philip Radford, Greenpeace

Shot by a harpoon that explodes inside of your body. Dragged backwards until you drown in your own blood. This isn’t a medieval torture scene; this is the fate of hunted whales.

It’s sickening that it still happens, but we’re so close to ending commercial whaling once and for all.

Please donate now and help us raise $25,000 by October 3 to end this terrible slaughter. We need just 15donors from Washington to make this happen.

1 800 722 6995

Just days ago, your letters led President Obama to impose diplomatic sanctions on Iceland for their fin whale hunt!

Now, the urgency to step up our pressure immediately is clear. With your help we’ll use every method possible to protect whales, push the Obama administration to impose trade sanctions on Iceland, and press for reforms in the International Whaling Commission to stop the whale hunt. Yet, we simply can’t do this without you.

Three countries: Iceland, Norway, and Japan, are flouting international agreements to kill whales for profit, even while some species are near extinction. Iceland continues to kill fin whales even though no one is eating them. Whaling has been rampant for so long that many species of whales may never recover.

These whales need our help now. Please make an urgent donation by our midnight October 3 deadline to save these whales and protect our planet. Just 15 gifts from Washington will ensure that we reach our goal to raise $25,000 by Monday.

The tides are turning, and the countries that perpetrate these atrocities must be stopped.

How? Together we are able to expose these practices on an international scale like few others. Our efforts – including investigative research, activists on the ground, demonstrations, videos, and more – draw the attention of millions, rally public pressure, and force governments and organizations to act.

We know from recent victories that our vision is achievable, but the broad scale of our battle takes significant financial resources. None of us can end whaling on our own, but together, people power makes incredible things possible.

Please make a donation to help stop the slaughter of remaining whales today. 1 800 722 6995

Together, we can end the senseless killings once and for all.

Thank you for all you do,

 

–Philip

P.S. We need just 15 supporters from Washington to reach our goal. Please make your donation to save whales by midnight October 3 on our secure website or by calling 1-800-722-6995. Thank you!

Congress: – the Republican led House – the Senate …Meeting only on pro forma basis so President Obama cannot apply recess appointments – in case you forgot, 3yrs later Republicans&some DEMS are still blocking Presidents nominees!

The Senate will convene for a pro forma session only on Thursday, September
29, 2011 at 1:45pm.

• Following the pro forma session, the Senate will adjourn until 2:00pm on
  Monday, October 3, 2011.
• Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until
  3:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
• Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the
  motion to proceed to S.1619, the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act
  with the time until 4:30pm equally divided and controlled between the two
  Leaders or their designees.
• At 4:30pm, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the
  following nominations:
  • Cal #113 Henry F. Floyd, of South Carolina, to be US Circuit Judge for the
    Fourth Circuit
  • Cal #171 Nannette Jolivette Brown, of Louisiana, to be US District Judge for
    the Eastern District of Louisiana
  • Cal #172 Nancy Torresen, of Maine, to be US District Judge for the District
    of Maine
  • Cal #173 William Francis Kuntz, II, of New York, to be US District Judge for
    the Eastern District of New York
  • Cal #184 Marina Garcia Marmolejo, of Texas, to be US District Judge for the
    Southern District of Texas
  • Cal #357 Jennifer Guerin Zipps, of Arizona, to be US District Judge for the
    District of Arizona
• With one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators
  Leahy and Grassley or their designees.  Calendar numbers 171, 172, 173, 184 and
  357 will be confirmed by unanimous consent.
• At 5:30pm, there will be 2 roll call votes in relation to the following:
  • Confirmation of Calendar #113, Henry F. Floyd, of South Carolina, to be US
    Circuit Judge for the Fourth Circuit, and
  • Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Calendar #183, S.1619,
    the Currency Exchange Rate Oversight Reform Act.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11:00:00 A.M.		The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
11:01:07 A.M.		The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.
11:01:19 A.M.		Today’s prayer was offered by the House Chaplain, Rev. Patrick J. Conroy.
11:02:45 A.M.		The Speaker announced approval of the Journal.  Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.
11:02:49 A.M.		PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair designated Mr. Culberson to lead the Members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.
11:03:20 A.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on September 27, 2011 at 10:54 a.m.: That the Senate passed H.R. 2017, with amendments; and that the Senate passed H.R. 2608, with an amendment.
11:04:02 A.M.		The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on September 27, 2011 at 10:00 a.m.: That the Senate passed S. 1280; that the Senate passed H.R. 2005, without amendment; that the Senate agreed to S.J. Res. 22, without amendment; and that the Senate agreed to H. Con. Res. 81, without amendment.
11:05:00 A.M.	H.R. 2017	Mr. Culberson asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendments.
11:05:23 A.M.	H.R. 2017	On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendments Agreed to without objection.
11:05:24 A.M.	H.R. 2017	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
11:05:25 A.M.		Mr. Culberson asked unanimous consent That, when the House adjourns on Thursday, September 29, 2011, it adjourn to meet at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, October 3, 2011. Agreed to without objection.
11:06:00 A.M.		Mr. Culberson moved that the House do now adjourn.
11:06:10 A.M.		On motion to adjourn Agreed to by voice vote.
11:06:11 A.M.		The House adjourned pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on October 3, 2011.