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Fourteen days ago, Olympia Republicans fought to pass a state budget that slashed millions from education funding and forced our already cash-strapped state into a special session that is costing about $20,000 per day. After weeks of public outcry and media scrutiny, today those same Republicans were embarrassed into reversing course by restoring funding to education. Rob McKenna‘s response today continued to suggest his support for the Republican-passed budget that cut millions from our schools and colleges, despite campaigning on the need to increase funding for education. Will you share this video with your friends so they can see for themselves that Rob McKenna isn’t who he says he is when it comes to standing up for our schools? McKenna can’t have it both ways. That’s why we’ve launched a new web video that lays out McKenna’s duplicity and calls into question his commitment to his own campaign rhetoric.
McKenna has been on the record constantly, promising billions for education since he launched his campaign — it’s a matter of public record:
He talks a good game. But when Republicans passed a budget that slashed $74 million dollars from our already underfunded schools and colleges, PubliCola reported that McKenna praised the Republican budget. Voters want to know where McKenna stands: with Olympia Republicans who wanted to slash education funding, or with his own campaign rhetoric that calls for more education spending? Thank you for standing up for Washington’s schools and letting Republican Rob McKenna know talking a good game only matters if you’re willing to fight when it’s tough — not just when it’s a convenient campaign talking point. Sincerely, Joby Shimomura
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Daily Archives: 03/16/2012
Scrap your state’s public safety laws? … Mayors Against Illegal Guns
That’s the message several senators sent yesterday when they announced dangerous new legislation to override states’ decisions on who can carry hidden, loaded guns in our communities.
If it becomes law, then domestic abusers, violent criminals, people with serious mental health issues and other dangerous people could be issued a concealed gun permit in another state, and your state would be forced to honor it — no matter what.
The Republican leadership in the House, clearly more interested in the Washington gun lobby’s priorities than the pleas of law enforcement, already rammed through a similar measure last fall.
Now, before this so-called “concealed carry reciprocity” bill (S.2188) can gain traction in the Senate, we need to send an unmistakable message that we won’t stand for it.
You can look up your senators’ numbers with our simple tool and use the talking points provided to strengthen your case.
The Senate rejected a similar proposal in the past — but only after hundreds of mayors, police, domestic violence opponents, prosecutors, faith leaders and constituents like you spoke out.
Make no mistake: with the gun lobby continuing to push their out-of-touch agenda, this Senate vote is going to be a close one.
Please join people all across the country in telling your senators: when it comes to protecting our communities, it’s OUR LIVES at stake, so it should be OUR LAWS:
http://www.ourlivesourlaws.org/senate
Thanks for taking action on such short notice,
Mayors Against Illegal Guns
Nielsen Wire: A Store in Your Pocket; Five Ways to Drive Innovation and Sales
American and European Tablet Owners More Comfortable Paying for Content
Nielsen looked at willingness to purchase media content among tablet owners in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Italy and found that Americans are the most likely to pay for all categories of media content, except news. (full story)
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A Store in Your Pocket: Retailer Mobile Websites Beat Apps among US Smartphone Owners Smartphone owners are increasingly using their devices for shopping, from researching products and reviews, to comparing prices, finding retail locations, and redeeming coupons. (full story) |
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Five Ways to Drive True Innovation and Increase Sales Gaining increased retail shelf space can provide a major boost in driving sales growth for the brands and product portfolios of consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers. Yet, increased shelf space-which requires significant retailer support-can be difficult to achieve. (full story) |
| Billboard, Nielsen, and digitalmusic.org Launch First-Ever Subscription Services “On-Demand Songs” Chart; Data Enhances Hot 100 Chart Billboard, Nielsen and NARM’s digitalmusic.org announced today the launch of the first-ever subscription services “On-Demand Songs” chart, and that this data will also be included in the Billboard Hot 100, the preeminent singles chart in the United States. (full story) |
SXSW Buzz: Integrating Brands in Social TV
Jonathan Carson, Nielsen’s CEO for Digital, kicked off a panel discussion at South by Southwest Interactive conference by sharing the latest insights on how consumers are engaging with television programming via social media. (full story)
| What Asia’s Changing Digital Consumer Means for Marketers and Advertising Throughout Asia Pacific and around the world, technological developments, rising ownership of Internet-enabled devices, and rapidly increasing hours spent online is resulting in fundamental changes to the way in which media is consumed. (full story) |
the Progress Report
Did You Tell Your Boss Why You’re On The Pill?
By Annie-Rose Strasser on Mar 15, 2012 at 2:09 pm
The conservative war on women shows no signs of abating. The last few weeks have given rise to half a dozen bills that try to limit or eliminate a woman’s access to reproductive health care. Just this week, Arizona took up a bill that ups the ante: It would require women to prove to their employer that they are not using contraceptives to avoid getting pregnant. This piece of legislation gets dangerously close to requiring women to tell their employers whether they are sexually active. This bill seems like a particularly large piece of artillery in the war on women — infantilizing to say the least, it means that women would essentially need to turn in a note from a supervising adult before they are allowed to take care of their own health. There are a number of reasons at the individual level that show why birth control should be covered, in addition to the fact that contraceptives helped to shrink the gender pay gap and improve the economy. In fact, the entire debate over how the government should handle women’s health is manufactured. But the battle was on the horizon since the beginning of the year, and now it has arrived.
WHAT ARIZONA’S MEASURE MEANS: The language of the bill stipulates that a woman would have to show her medical records to her employer in order to even be considered for contraceptive coverage. If a woman were using the pill for one of its intended purposes, an employer could choose to stop insuring her, citing “moral objections,” and the woman would have to pay out of pocket for her contraceptive expenses. If an employer finds that the woman has a medical reason to be taking contraceptives (this means the employer would learn of the woman’s ovarian cysts, early menopause, or any number of other medical issues), he can choose to insure her. But if the findings aren’t to his liking, the woman can be dropped. On top of that, Arizona is an at-will employment state, meaning that a boss could possibly fire a woman for denying access to her personal medical history, or if he found something in her records that he did not like. A female legislator, Majority Whip Debbie Lesko, wrote the proposed bill. It was endorsed by Arizona’s Senate Judiciary Committee Monday by a vote of 6-2, and passed by the Arizona House of Representatives.
IT’S HAPPENING EVERYWHERE: The attempts by conservatives to control women’s health seems to be an epidemic these days. Arizona’s bill doesn’t stand alone as far government overreach in the name of religious freedom — in fact it’s not even the only disastrous women’s health bill in the state. In Mississippi, the legislature is looking at legislation that would effectively close the only abortion clinic in the entire state. Kansas is supporting an anti-abortion measure that would cause the Kansas University Medical Center to lose its accreditation. Wisconsin has banned private health insurers from offering abortion coverage. In Idaho, a similar bill would force women to go to crisis pregnancy centers if they wanted an abortion. And Idaho also — along with nine other states– has passed a bill that requires women to have an ultrasound before an abortion.
THE WAR ON WOMEN: A perfect storm of controversy brought about this war on women’s health. Kicked off by the controversy of the Susan G. Komen Foundation pulling its funding of Planned Parenthood, followed shortly after by the Blunt Amendment (which served as a model for Arizona’s “tell your boss why you’re on the pill” bill), then brought into full swing by Rush Limbaugh’s attack on Sandra Fluke (and her attempt to break up the all-male congressional panel), the war has been ramping up for a while. Recently, things have gotten ugly. A Representative from Georgia compared women to animals, saying they should bear a stillborn to term because cows, pigs, and chickens do. But women are fighting back. The women of the Georgia legislature walked out in protest of a law restricting women’s health in their state, and the women of Texas have been rallying against cuts to Planned Parenthood there. Hilariously, some women are using social media to get male legislators as involved in women’s health as they seem to want to be. But while there’s humor, there’s also grave risk. Female legislators have moved their focus to more women’s issues that they fear conservatives may block. Next on the list is the Violence Against Women Act, for which legislators are looking to expand grants to rural women and Indian reservations. Republicans are fighting back. But if they manage to block this measure, then one thing will be clear: It will no longer be a war solely on women’s health.
Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed
Anti-middle class conservative Gov. Scott Walker could be ousted in his recall election by a labor-backed progressive attorney in Wisconsin.
Speaking of Wisconsin, the Republican-controlled senate is trying to strip communities of their power to block energy companies from fracking.
Former Illinois Governor and reality TV star Rod Blagojevich is heading to prison today to begin his 14-year sentence.
Social conservatives don’t want you to know how anti-gay their beliefs really are.
New Hampshire House Republicans believe abortion causes breast cancer. It doesn’t.
Newt Gingrich is wrong that ABC’s GCB promotes “anti-Christian bigotry,” but that doesn’t mean the show is using the church setting well.
A member of the GOP says he’ll propose a millionaire’s tax.
If you thought former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore was bad, wait until you see his opponent.
Are Republicans getting ready to oppose protections for battered women?
Other recent Progress Reports
Mar 14, 2012: A Goldman Sachs Insider Speaks
Epic Resignation Letter Underscores Need for Tougher Rules on Wall Street This morning, a now-former Goldman Sachs executive, Greg Smith, published a truly epic resignation letter in the New York Times. Smith wrote that he resigned from Goldman due to its “toxic and destructive” environment which included managing directors referring to their own clients as “muppets.” [...]
Mar 13, 2012: Rush On The Rocks
Advertiser Exodus Grows Exponentially It’s becoming increasingly clear that Rush Limbaugh’s vile, sexist attacks on Sandra Fluke and other women have taken a severe toll on his show. Here’s the latest. At least 140 Companies Have Dumped Limbaugh ThinkProgress has obtained an internal memo from Premiere Radio Networks listing 96 national companies that have “specifically [...]
Mar 12, 2012: BLOCKADE: The GOP’s Unending Effort to Block Obama’s Nominees
GOP Obstructionism, By the Numbers It’s no secret that Republicans have done everything in their power to throw up road blocks for President Obama at every turn. And nowhere is their power to block the president greater than it is in the Senate, where Republicans have effectively imposed a blockade on the president’s nominees for [...]
Mar 9, 2012: Jobs Day, By the Numbers
Jobs, Jobs, Jobs Today is Jobs Friday. Here’s the rundown on the monthly employment report from the Department of Labor. -647,000…the number of jobs created lost in state and local governments since August 2008. -22,000…the average number of public sector jobs created lost each month in 2011, thanks to ongoing spending cuts at all levels of government [...]
Update on Rush Limbau… Becky Bond, CREDO Action
Rush Limbaugh’s remaining advertisers: Fujitsu, Lifelock and Lear Financial
Dear Friend,
Our momentum in the campaign against Rush Limbaugh is generating impressive results.
Over 450,000 other CREDO Action members have sent the message to Rush’s advertisers not to fund his vile attacks on women. But we can’t take our short-term victory for granted. National advertisers Fujitsu, Lifelock, and Lear Financial are still supporting the show. And some of the advertisers who merely “suspended” their ads may return once the controversy dies down.
Over 140 companies1 have pulled their advertising dollars from the Rush Limbaugh show. In fact the national advertising exodus has been so devastating, that Rush Limbaugh has had to resort to filling his advertising slots with free public service announcements and even minutes of dead air at some points.
And Premiere Networks, the subsidiary of Clear Channel that distributes the show, told local affiliates it was pausing national ads for two weeks, though they were free to air ads from two companies remaining loyal to Rush Limbaugh: Lifelock and Lear Financial.2
Rush Limbaugh is clearly feeling the pressure of our activism, and the emails we have received from major companies like Geico and Netflix after receiving petitions with your signature show that your activism truly does work. Both companies have instructed their advertising companies to ensure that their ads do not air on the Rush Limbaugh Show in the future.
But the campaign is far from over.
If we can’t keep up the pressure on his advertisers, Rush Limbaugh will bounce back. He has been the top commercial radio host in the country since 1991. The best way to hold Limbaugh accountable for his extreme, inappropriate, and offensive comments is to ensure that all of the remaining advertisers on his show stop supporting his attacks on women. Not just now but permanently.
In the fight against the Susan G. Komen Foundation we proved that when women and the men who support them fight back against those who would restrict women’s access to healthcare, we can win.
Because of your pressure there was dead air on Rush Limbaugh’s Show this week where normally there would have been an advertisement.The momentum is on our side, but we need to keep the pressure on and ensure that the remaining advertisers drop their support of his show and advertisers that already withdrew their support don’t return once the media focus subsides.
When CREDO sends a national retailer a petition with over 450,000 signatures on it asking that they stop supporting attacks on women, we get their attention. Help us get to 500,000 and we’ll send your signature to the remaining national advertisers, to local advertisers who continue to support the program and to national advertisers who have only suspended their spots.
When women are attacked, CREDO responds. Together we are making a difference.
Thank you for your continued activism.
Becky Bond, Political Director
CREDO Action from Working Assets
1. “EXCLUSIVE: 140 Companies Drop Advertising From Rush Limbaugh,” Think Progress, March 12, 2012.
2. “BREAKING: Rush Limbaugh Syndicator Suspends National Ads For Two Weeks,” Think Progress, March 12, 2012.
Flood Congress with Support for Climate Action … Union of Concerned Scientists
Flood Congress with Support for Climate Action
http://action.ucsusa.org << Take Action
Global warming emissions present a danger to public health—from worsening ozone pollution to hotter, longer heat waves and other types of extreme weather. For instance, heavy rain and floods are likely to get worse in a warming world, leaving us more and more vulnerable to health risks such as drowning and exposure to contaminated water.
Floods are one of deadliest and most expensive natural disasters in the United States. The average annual U.S. flood losses in the past 10 years were more than $10.2 billion. More than half of all waterborne disease outbreaks in the United States occur in the aftermath of heavy rain, and floodwaters may contain more than 100 types of disease causing bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
In order to protect our health from these effects of climate change, we must reduce global warming emissions now.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on the verge of releasing draft standards that will limit global warming emissions from power plants under the Clean Air Act. Unfortunately, dirty energy companies and their allies in Congress are trying to block the EPA from moving forward with these historic standards.
Tell your members of Congress to protect our health from the effects of climate change and oppose any legislation that would block or delay the EPA’s ability to reduce global warming emissions under the Clean Air Act.
Sincerely,
Chrissy Elles
Outreach Associate
UCS Climate & Energy Program
Stop rape and murder for profit …Emma Ruby-Sachs – Avaaz.org
 When security forces of a Canadian mining company brutally evicted Mayan families from their villages in Guatemala, eleven women were raped, a community leader was killed, and a young man paralyzed. Now villagers are standing up and suing HudBay Minerals, but they need our help to match the legal firepower of this huge corporation — donate now and help end the mining murders for good:
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When security forces of a Canadian mining company brutally evicted Mayan families from their villages in Guatemala, eleven women were raped, a community leader was killed, and a young man paralyzed. Now villagers are standing up and suing HudBay Minerals for these horrific crimes — but they need our help to match the corporate legal firepower and win their case!
The victims have filed a lawsuit in Canada, where HudBay’s headquarters are located. But HudBay is asking that the court turn over the lawsuit to Guatemala, where its weak courts are likely to let them go free. Experts say that the ruling could have massive reverberations beyond Canadian borders — a win for the plaintiffs could force HudBay and other multinationals to clean up their acts abroad.
The court hearing is happening now and the plaintiffs need our help to cover the legal costs — if we raise enough funds, we can give these villagers the same legal firepower as HudBay’s corporate machine, achieve justice for the victims, and continue campaigning to protect human rights over profits around the world. Click on the link below to chip in. If just 20,000 of us donate today, we could help end these mining murders for good by setting a key legal precedent:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_murder_and_rape_for_profit/?vl
Multinational companies are responsible for some of the most terrible crimes all over the world but shockingly, corporate abuses often go unpunished. In mining alone, corporate giants like Rio Tinto and Barrick Gold are accused of a wide range of atrocities that include environmental destruction, brutal gang rapes, and even thousands of deaths — from Tanzania to Papua New Guinea. Winning this case could begin to put corporate wrongdoing in check.
Companies like HudBay can often act with impunity because they think their countries’ courts won’t police the crimes they commit overseas. Or they set up shell corporations designed to protect their headquarters from liability. If we win this case, it could set a precedent that can help stop rapes, save entire villages, and protect fragile ecosystems – no matter where these companies operate.
These firms have millions of dollars and will do whatever it takes to win this and similar cases because they know it’s a game changer. Giving just a small amount will help in the fight to bring them to justice. Click here to help:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/stop_murder_and_rape_for_profit/?vl
Courts are supposed to be places where people go to get justice. But all too often, corporate interests have made them the bastions of the rich and powerful. We have taken on deep rooted corruption before and won. Now let’s stand with and empower these victims and help create a world where no one is above the law.
With hope and determination,
Emma, Jamie, Pascal, Ari, Ricken, Maria Paz, Diego and the whole Avaaz team
Sources
Widow files $12M suit against mining company (CBC)
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2010/12/02/mining-lawsuit002.html
Guatemalan lawsuits to continue against HudBay, says lawyer (Mining Weekly)
http://www.miningweekly.com/article/lawsuits-against-hudbay-over-guatemalan-project-to-continue-says-lawyer-2011-08-10
Lawsuits against Canadian company HudBay Minerals Inc. over human rights abuse in Guatemala (Klippensteins)
http://www.chocversushudbay.com/
Award Winning Mining Company Being Sued for Violent Death of Community Leader: Industry Out of Step with Canadian Values and Expectations (Mining Watch Canada)
http://www.miningwatch.ca/fr/node/6609
U.S. court revives human rights case against Rio Tinto (Financial Post)
http://business.financialpost.com/2011/10/25/u-s-court-revives-human-rights-case-against-rio-tinto/
Claims of sexual abuses in Tanzania blow to Barrick Gold (Globe and Mail)
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/claims-of-sexual-abuses-in-tanzania-blow-to-barrick-gold/article2040735/
TGIF … &some News
just another rant …
The weather is just as mad as what is going on politically No.
With a couple of weeks into March, the countdown to March Madness … the NCAA championships has begun unless you are living under a rock. I was psyched about the tournament until the sad news that the Huskies would not be going to the big dance, but good to know that Gonzaga would be though. Gonzaga is not considered a threat Washington State is proud that they won their first game 74 – 54 WVU. The fun sort of fell out when band members from Mississippi were reported shouting racist things at a NCAA player named Angel; Angel is Puerto Rican and while he holding it down this band members shouted,”where is your green card”. I have to say that our young people learn from various sources one being home school and our environment. If this happened here, these kids would be suspended from band as they are representatives of their school, some probably have scholarships and could be revoked if due process is implemented. Where is the outrage? Payback came when Angel Rodriguez was the guy who helped his team win. So, let the madness commence. The crazy climate (changes) around the country should have all of our attention yet Republican politicians that “We the People” pay to do our business are climate deniers, evolution deniers and apparently, they deplore jobs bills, specifically #theAmericansJOBsACT. They continue, if you hadn’t noticed to ignore the President’s bills creating their own that obviously scale back progress, include nasty pills that hurt seniors, minorities, immigration, gays, women and voter rights. If you have been watching closely, Republicans on both the state and federal level have been playing a nasty game with the lives of so many Americans; creating and passing bills that will screw Americans on the State level or will never pass in the U.S. Senate. If it is not already obvious, Republicans do not have your best interests in mind. End Scene … imagine – a camera does a 360 with a wide shot of several women Senators from any state clearly flummoxed about Conscience versus Contraceptive rights, the VAWA and several other bills waging War on Women. What ensue are several weeks of vulgar vile and nasty bills forcing Women into 2nd Class citizenship in at least 30 states. This new reality is happening in the right month though. As the madness on the Senate floor reaches a new low with bills against contraceptives, women, minority’s seniors and student’s debates votes taken on S.1813, the Surface Transportation bill passes 74 – 22 but remember “as amended” with more amendments than some want. The question is will House Republicans do what is right or avoid the bill while time runs out on great construction jobs. There are just about 2weeks left to pass S.1813; if you have time call a member of Congress to let them know a vote against this bill is an expression against America.
In 2010, President Obama was in Philadelphia right around now talking about what HCR will do for everyone, what the exchanges will offer when implemented. Though, if you listened to the Media garbage back then, we were supposed to believe that it is his last ditch effort to push, jam, ram and or dupe Senators to get HCR through; contrary to what Republicans and or “the Media” says the debate on HCR took longer than a year. I don’t know about you but that hardly qualifies for ramming or rushing in my opinion. The biggest issue for me about HCR was that Congress did not listen to the people and of course, “the media” kept the public from hearing all of what HCR could do for you personally. Now, with staff shake-ups we find out that FOX was NOT the only station with a strategy to limit the information “We the People” received by station bigwigs like Murdoch and the Koch brothers. Finding out that the 24/7 news cycle is actually manipulated should make us all give pause and question what we see or hear on the television machine.
On March 26, the Supreme Court will begin to hear arguments to the Affordable Care Act. FYI, the Affordable Care Act case, scheduled to last for 3 days and we all need to demand access to the case.
Calling March mad because of college basketball is an established thing but considering the madness in the political air lately but the behavior from Republican members of Congress will probably make us all go beyond mad if they keep voting to repeal, eliminate, and replace all things public service only to privatize it all.
FYI Republicans, Women are not 2nd class citizens; we have jobs, handle our own businesses and our families needs. The idea that a group of socially conservative people have gone out of their way to misinform Americans including some smart folks are in positions of creating ludicrous laws while on the floor of Congress on both the State and Federal level and it should raise the outrage on all people who are sane – The War on Women is not silly
in other News …
President Obama Returns to Chicago for Campaign Fundraiser
Biden’s Nat’l Security Advisor Discusses Post-War Relations with Iraq
Symposium Examines Religious Freedom, Extremism in the Arab World
Congress: the Republican led House adjourned after 3minutes … the Senate considers HR3606/IPO bill
the Senate Convenes at 2:00pmET March 19, 2012
- Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 4:30pm with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each.
- Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R.3606, the Capital Formation/IPO bill.
- The filing deadline for all first degree amendments to the Reed-Landrieu-Levin-Brown (OH), et al, substitute amendment #1833 and H.R.3630 is 4:00pm on Monday.
- As previously announced, there will be no roll call votes on Monday. Senators should expect the next roll call vote on Tuesday, March 20th prior to the weekly caucus meetings.
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CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
LEGISLATIVE DAY OF MARCH 16, 2012
112TH CONGRESS – SECOND SESSION
-The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. on March 19, 2012.10:02:48 A.M. -The Speaker announced that when the House adjourns on Friday, March 16, 2012, it adjourn to meet at 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 19, 2012.10:02:47 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 a message from the Secretary of the Senate on March 15, 2012 at 5:06 p.m. stating that that body had passed H.R. 473 without amendment and H.R. 886 with an amendment.10:01:33 A.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.10:01:23 A.M. -The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.10:00:48 A.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Blake Johnson, Church of the Advent, Washington, DC.10:00:39 A.M. -The Speaker designated the Honorable Steven C. LaTourette to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.10:00:29 A.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.
