must see Vid

 

whitehouse has uploaded President Obama, Vice President Biden and President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico.

President Obama, Vice President Biden and President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico bywhitehouse

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden welcome President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico to the White House to mark his election. November 27, 2012.

House Dem Women : Hold Press Conference In Support of Amb. Susan Rice

Sierra Club

Climate Change Hits Home  

Ten days ago, for the first time since Hurricane Sandy hit, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune visited the beachfront community in New Jersey where he grew up. The damage was so extensive that the area is closed off and there is still no power or clean water. Brune’s family and their neighbors were allowed to enter the barrier island for just seven hours.

Visit our new website, Climate Comes Home, to read what he and others had to say and see the devastation.

Photo: Julie Dermansky

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Huge Victory for Our MountainsOne can only imagine what John Muir would have thought of mountaintop removal coal mining. But he’d certainly have celebrated this month’s announcement that the Patriot Coal Corporation has entered into an agreement with the Sierra Cluband other environmental groups to end its involvement in this destructive practice. But other coal companies are moving forward with plans to blow the tops off mountains and bury streams all across Appalachia.Send a message to the EPA, letting them know that protecting Appalachia from destructive coal mining should be a top priority for the next Obama administration.

Less stuff, more orangutans

 

Give the gift of RAN.

Forget Black Friday. It’s Non-Profit Tuesday! (No, we didn’t make that up.)

The holidays are coming up soon, and you’re probably starting to look for gifts for your loved ones. But—going out on a limb here—I’m willing to bet you don’t want to give a bunch of useless stuff to your friends and family. That’s why we’re excited to offer a variety of gifts that will make a world of difference without crowding our world with more disposable junk.

A Certificate of Action from RAN isn’t stuff—it’s a unique way to support our work to protect rainforests around the world and the people and wildlife that depend on them. You’ll be giving a meaningful gift to a loved one while at the same time doing something good for the planet.

Action Packed Gifts for 2012
	Found only in Malaysia and Indonesia, man’s closest relative is being threatened by rapid loss of rainforest habitat. Your gift will support efforts to stop the devastating expansion of paper and palm oil plantations into Indonesia’s tropical forests, saving the lush wild places that orangutans call home.
	Your gift directly supports the grassroots efforts of historically underfunded organizations and communities struggling to protect their rainforest homelands—known to be the best guardians of the forest. Help ensure that small local organizations and Indigenous federations across the globe are supported in their efforts to protect the world’s remaining rainforests for many generations to come.
	There are less than 400 Sumatran tigers remaining in the wild and habitat destruction by the pulp and paper industry is a primary cause of their decline. Your gift will support RAN’s campaign to stop the conversion of Indonesia’s stunning and diverse rainforests into a wasteland of single species pulp plantations to make cheap copy paper, books, tissue and toilet paper.
	The biggest banks are threatening to take us to the edge of an ecological catastrophe if they don’t stop funding coal, the primary driver of climate change. Coal is responsible for 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and poisons the world’s streams, rivers and oceans with mercury, arsenic and other dangerous chemicals. It’s long past time that U.S. banks start funding a renewable energy economy.

Celebrate the holiday spirit this year by giving a gift that makes a world of difference. Thank you for your ongoing support!

		For the rainforests,
		Scott Kocino Membership Manager

P.S. These creative gifts make it easier than ever to support RAN’s work for the environment.

Don’t let Congress junk the Farm Bill

 

		Tell Congress to Pass a Healthy Farm Bill Farmers growing healthy food items such as organic milk often face hurdles that others do not. Congress is past overdue in passing legislation that would address these imbalances. Tell Congress you want a Farm Bill that invests in organic dairy & healthy-food farmers, NOW! A Farm Bill for Organic Dairy & Healthy-Food Farmers Imagine this: billions of taxpayer dollars support the production of unhealthy processed foods and sugary drinks, while farmers supplying healthier items such as organic milk are overlooked or even penalized. Worse, despite an overdue and ticking timeline, Congress is sitting on its hands instead of passing legislation to address these imbalances. Sound like a bad dream? Unfortunately, it’s reality—but it doesn’t have to be. Recent reports from the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) showed how smarter agriculture policies can help farmers grow more of the healthy fruits and vegetables we need and boost local economies along the way. Now, a new UCS study, Cream of the Crop: The Economic Benefits of Organic Dairy Farms, reveals that public investment in organic dairy farmers would pay off in multiple ways. In addition to producing a healthier product and safeguarding the environment, organic dairy farms generate greater economic opportunity and more jobs in rural communities compared with conventional dairies. But current agriculture policy favors big polluting CAFOs (confined animal feed operations) over organic dairy farms. And because Congress has failed to act on the now-overdue 2012 Farm Bill—the 5-year legislative package that shapes U.S. agriculture—the limited programs that currently help organic dairy farmers are at risk. We can change this, but we need quick action. Tell Congress: pass a Farm Bill—one that calls for investments in organic dairies and other healthy-food farmers—NOW. Sincerely, Ashley Elles National Field Organizer UCS Food and Environment Program

must see Vids

 

President Obama and President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico + 5 videos by whitehouse   142 video   West Wing Week PLAYLIST by whitehouse CNBC Anchor Accuses Democrat Of Tanking Stock Market On Air + 4 videos by tpmtv   Haiti’s Treasures: Out of the Rubble – Working Through a Worst Case… + 3 videos by smithsonianchannel Jane McAlevey: Building the Labor Movement in Obama’s Second Term

White Man kills Black Student , AG of VA says PBO stole Election, Americans think Republicans are …

 

 | By ThinkProgress War Room

Today’s Top Three

The Progress Report will return in December. Until then, make sure you don’t miss these three important posts on ThinkProgress today:

1. White Man Shoots And Kills Black Student In Florida After Argument Over Loud Music

2. Virginia Attorney General Suggests Obama Stole The Election

3. Majority Of Americans Don’t See Obama Administration Cover Up On Benghazi

Bluefin Tiuna … off the hook

Atlantic bluefin tuna need your help to gain much-needed protections from our neighbors to the north. The Canadian government proposed “endangered” status for the imperiled ocean predator in May 2011, and now Canada must decide whether to grant legal protections for bluefin. Ask Canada to adopt protections for this majestic, too-swiftly disappearing warm-blooded fish. In the fall, Canadian waters provide critical feeding grounds for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Waters off Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island host “giant” bluefin — some weighing half a ton — before they return to their spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico. Help give these giants a break from fishing so their endangered population can begin to recover. Act now to support Canadian protections for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Click here to find out more and take action.

Speaker of the Ugandan parliament promises to pass …”kill the gays” bill

 

Uganda’s speaker of parliament has promised to pass a “Kill the Gays” bill in the next two weeks. Citibank and Barclays wield significant influence in Uganda, but have not spoken out against the bill. Sign Collin’s Petition The speaker of the Ugandan parliament has promised she will pass the so-called “Kill the Gays” bill in the next two weeks — she called it a “Christmas gift” for the Ugandan people. The bill would legalize the death penalty for LGBT people and people with HIV or AIDS. Uganda experts say that one way to stop this bill is to get pressure from banks that have significant resources invested in the country, such as Citibank and Barclays. Citibank and Barclays together have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Uganda and wield significant influence in the country, just as banking lobbyists wield influence with Congress in the US. Citibank and Barclays speaking out against the “Kill the Gays” bill might be the best — and only — chance to stop it. Collin Burton is a Citibank customer who is also gay. Collin started a petition on Change.org asking Citibank and Barclays to speak out against the “Kill the Gays” bill. Click here to sign Collin’s petition right now. Citibank and Barclays are both big supporters of LGBT rights for their own employees, yet they invest money with a government that is threatening to execute LGBT people. “I expect Citibank and Barclays to live up to the values of equality and fairness, not just list them on their websites,” Collin says. If Citibank and Barclays speak out against the “Kill the Gays” bill, Ugandan legislators will see that they are risking the business relationships that keep their government afloat. Click here to sign Collin’s petition asking Citibank and Barclays to issue strong statements condemning Uganda’s “Kill the Gays” bill. The bill could come up for a vote any day, so swift action is essential. Thanks for being a change-maker, - Mark Anthony and the Change.org team

a message from Jim Dean of DFA

I’ll be blunt: This right-wing idea that we’re going to cut Medicare while extending the Bush tax cuts for the rich is morally bankrupt.

Our country can’t afford these tax cuts and our seniors can’t afford to live without vital programs like Medicare — especially when the economy is still recovering. Medicare keeps millions of seniors out of poverty every year, allowing them to get at least the basic medical care they need.

This is a right-wing assault on America’s social safety net and we need your help to stop it cold.

Can you chip in $10 right now to help fuel the campaign to protect Medicare?

George Bush’s tax cuts for the rich wiped out record surpluses built by President Clinton and didn’t create one new job in the eight years President Bush was in the White House. But listening to Republicans today, you’d think that vital programs like Medicare are solely responsible for our budget woes. They’re lying — and they know it.

The Congressional Budget Office reports that Republican cuts to Medicare — like those outlined in the Ryan plan — would do little to shrink the deficit.

President Obama and Democrats hold all the cards here. We need them to stand strong and debunk the Republican lies and spin.

Stand up to the right-wing assault on Medicare — Please contribute $10 right now.

Thank you for everything you do.

-Jim

Jim Dean, Chair
Democracy for America