Maintain the U.S. Ban on Canadian Beef Until Consumers are Better Protected
Last January, Canadian officials reported a new case of mad cow disease, the third confirmed case in Canada's beef supply and the first involving a cow born after the feed ban went into effect. The feed ban barred the use of animal proteins in cow feed that scientists believe are responsible for the transmission of mad cow disease.
Despite the risks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) decided to re-open the U.S. border to live Canadian cattle in early March. Luckily, a court case temporarily derailed the USDA's plan. Then on March 3rd, the U.S. Senate narrowly voted to keep the U.S. border closed to Canadian beef. Now a similar bill is pending in the U.S. House of Representatives.
With recent events continuing to cast doubt on the safety of Canada's beef supply, we strongly believe the U.S. should maintain the import ban. If people eat an animal infected with mad cow disease, they are at risk of contracting the lethal brain-wasting disorder, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
In order to safeguard the public's health, we believe the U.S. should continue to prohibit Canadian beef imports until there are significant improvements in mad cow prevention programs on both sides of the border.
Urge your Representative in Congress to support House Joint Resolution 23!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/951031226
Mercury-Free Michigan
We need to act now to eliminate mercury's negative impact on our children's health. Every day, more than 1,700 babies are born in the U.S. at risk of lowered IQs and other health effects due to mercury exposure.
Tell Governor Granholm you are counting on her to take action this spring to reduce mercury pollution by 90% by 2010.
http://pirgim.org/MI.asp?id=747&id3=MI&id4=ES
Tell Charles Schwab and Wachovia Bank: Take Your Hands Off Our Social Security
Under pressure from concerned citizens and activists like you, investment firm Edward Jones pulled out of Alliance for Worker Retirement Security (AWRS), the big business group lobbying to privatize Social Security.
Now it's time to call on Charles Schwab and Wachovia Bank, two leading members of AWRS, to pull out! Privatizing Social Security does nothing to address the long-term solvency of Social Security, but it will help line up millions of new customers for Charles Schwab and Wachovia while sticking the rest of us with massive benefit cuts.
Executives from Wachovia chair two, soon to be three, industry associations backing privatization. And even though they are a member of AWRS, Charles Schwab has claimed publicly it does not support "any Social Security proposal." (The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 11, 2005.)
Take Action Now! Tell Schwab and Wachovia to stop supporting Bush's Social Security privatization scam.
http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M67958955887333013141165
Stop Cruel Taser Tests on Pigs
The U.S. Department of Justice has given Professor John Webster at the University of Wisconsin-Madison a $500,000 taxpayer-funded grant to shock pigs with Taser stun guns to determine why these supposedly non-lethal weapons are sometimes fatal to humans. To test his theory that Taser deaths are the result of drug use and other medical factors, Webster will attach electrodes directly to the pigs' skin and implant catheters near their hearts to measure the voltage of the Taser shocks. He will then administer overdoses of cocaine to the pigs and use a device to induce heart arrhythmia to make the animal test subjects more similar to human criminal suspects fleeing arrest while high on illegal narcotics. To make matters worse, these experiments are almost exactly the same as tests that have already been done on both pigs and dogs. Besides, experts in the field are convinced that studying people who have been injured or killed by Taser shocks can yield much more reliable data.
http://ga0.org/campaign/PigTaserTests
Tell PBS Not to Advertise to Children
Today, the New York Times reported that PBS is partnering with Comcast in a kids TV channel -- with advertising.
Of course, PBS was supposed to be a non-commercial alternative to the networks. But PBS seems to have forgotten this.
Next Monday, "Comcast is to announce the details of its new 24-hour digital cable channel for preschoolers, which will feature Elmo, Big Bird, Barney - and commercials," the Times reports. "PBS not only approves, but is a partner: the channel's co-owners are PBS, Sesame Workshop and HIT Entertainment, producer of 'Barney and Friends' and 'Bob the Builder.'"
Tell PBS executive vice president Wayne Godwin that PBS should not broadcast commercials to children.
http://www.actionstudio.org/public/page_view_all.cfm?option=begin&pageid=6130
Tell Congress to Help Teachers!
Help retain quality teachers by funding student loan forgiveness programs for early childhood educators,the keystones of high-quality early care and education. Loan forgiveness funding already exists for K-12 teachers -- but not for preschool teachers.
Did you know that children who go to preschool are 29% more likely to graduate from high school? Yet, the typical early childhood educator receives a lower wage than the typical parking lot attendant.
Low pay forces one-third of all early care and education workers out of their jobs every year. At the same time, society receives seven dollars back for every one dollar we spend on early care programs through increased earning potential, decreased juvenile crime, and improved scholastic achievement.
We can help retain quality teachers by funding student loan forgiveness programs for early childhood educators, the keystones of high-quality early care and education.
Please take action today! Congressional representatives are considering a federal budget that leaves early childhood educators out in the cold and they need to hear from you.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/837536989
Keep Inadequately Treated Sewage Out of Our Waters
Millions of Americans get sick every year from contact with inadequately treated sewage that ends up in water that we drink or swim in. Pathogens in sewage-contaminated waters can cause gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses, dysentery and hepatitis. The consequences of contact with sewage-infested waters are even greater for children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.
The Clean Water Act requires that raw sewage be treated to remove dangerous viruses, parasites and other pollutants before it is discharged into streams, lakes and drinking water sources. But the Environmental Protection Agency is poised to finalize a new policy that would allow sewage to be routinely discharged without effective treatment whenever it rains. This policy would increase the amount of bacteria, viruses and parasites discharged into recreational waters and drinking water supplies, where they would make more people sick. It also would increase beach closures, shellfish contamination and fish kills.
A bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives that would block the EPA from finalizing its proposed sewage dumping policy and instead compel the agency to implement the existing Clean Water Act rules that require full sewage treatment. The bill also would require that the public be notified whenever inadequately treated sewage is discharged into our waters.
The more co-sponsors this legislation receives, the greater the pressure will be on the EPA to abandon its policy. Ultimately, if enough representatives sign on, House leadership will be forced to bring the bill to the floor for a vote.
Send a message urging your representative to co-sponsor the Save our Waters from Sewage Act (H.R. 1126).
http://www.nrdcaction.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=52623
Support US Senate Effort to Stop Crisis in Sudan
During the last 24 months, fighting between the Government of Sudan and two rebel groups in the Darfur region of Sudan has resulted in the deaths of at least 180,000 due to killings, disease, malnutrition and the lack of shelter. In addition, more than 2.2 million people continue to be affected. Help ensure that the perpetrators of gross human rights violations against the Sudanese people in Darfur are brought to justice.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/action/index.asp?step=2&item=11608
Stop Government Censorship Today
This past Veterans Day, ABC honored America's vets for a third straight year by airing "Saving Private Ryan." But 66 local ABC affiliates, bullied by a small group of right-wing zealots who objected to the realistic violence and language in the film, asked the Federal Communications Commission for a ruling to protect themselves before proceeding.
How did the FCC respond? Silence. They left the stations hanging out to dry. And these 66 affiliates, fearing hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, chose not to air "Saving Private Ryan," depriving one-third of the country from watching it.
This kind of de facto censorship is wholly unacceptable. We deserve a government that will stand up to these extremist groups, leaving the decision about whether or not to watch these programs up to us. That's our right as Americans. That right was secured by the sacrifice of the fighting men and women portrayed in "Saving Private Ryan" and by all of us who have served in America's armed forces.
I urge you to email FCC Chairman Kevin Martin by signing my petition below and demand that he end this de facto censorship. Tell Chairman Martin that we will not stand idly by as the government enables the erosion of one of our most precious freedoms.
http://ga4.org/campaign/fcc
These and over 325 other action alerts are archived at http://shetquaker.blog-city.com/
Permalink | 2 comments