Clearly the most crucial action you can take this week is to filibuster Alito. There are LOTS of action items below, but you could also click on
judibrowni's diary from yesterday and take even MORE action there!
Kredwyn diaried the other day about The Honest Leadership Act. There's an action item below for that as well.
Please recommend and please take action on as many items as you can. Also, if you have any action items to add, please add them in the comments!
Women's Issues and the Supreme Court:
Campus Progress has LOTS of info on Alito's positions, as well as some action items, and they are taking donations for help with their campaign.
People for the American Way needs some $$ in order to get advertisements out to oppose Alito! Click here to make a donation!
If you've been hiding under a rock these past few weeks you may not know that Planned Parenthood opposes the (Sc)Alito nomination. Here is their action page. They even have a link for Republicans for choice!! The link to oppose (Sc)Alito is at the top.
NARAL is also opposed to (Sc)Alito. Send another letter using their website here. Check out the other stuff on their site as well. For all the complaining some folks do...NARAL is a good organization. They've also got a short cartoon you can check out!
NARAL's also got quite a funny campaign going to push the FDA to approve Plan B. Click here to help them!
NOW also has a letter opposing (Sc)Alito here
The Human Rights Campaign has come out against Alito. Click here to send a letter to your Senators from their site.
The ACLU says Alito is wrong on Civil Liberties. Click here to send a letter to your Senators!
StoptheNRA.com has a form letter you can send to your Senators regarding ScAlito. Click here for their website. They've got some other issues as well!
DEFCON also has a letter for you to send regarding Alito! Click here to send yet another letter of opposition!
Democrats.org has a petition to stop Alito...Click here...blah blah blah...
Communications Workers of America (a Union that I'm not a member of, but I get their emails anyway) has a letter you can send to your Senators opposing Alito as well. Click here to fill in your info. And remember to stay tough...we can win this one if we get loud about it!
StoptheNRA.com has a link through The Brady Campaign for you to look up your Senator's phone numbers. Apparently Alito doesn't think a ban on machine guns is a good thing...So, the Constitution LOVES machine guns...but privacy for women? Not so much. I'm not a big fan of guns myself...but I don't have a problem with people owning them...but come on...who needs a machine gun for protecting their home or for hunting? Anyway, get that number and make the call! If not for this, for any of the other reasons!
The AFL-CIO also has a letter you can send to oppose Alito. Click here to add your info and send it!
Earthjustice says Alito is bad for the environment! Click here to send a letter from their site!
Supporting Democrats in 2006:
Also consider supporting the DNC with a Democracy Bond!
The DSCC needs help to take back the Senate in 2006. Click here to make a donation!
Want to see Honest Leadership in Washington? Take the Pledge and Demand Honesty!
Health Issues:
Click here to ask Bush to keep his promise to fully fund the fight against AIDS and Poverty in 2007! For those of you who are unfamiliar, this letter is through The ONE campaign. I recommend sending the letter and checking them out if you haven't already.
Protect the Environment:
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has authorized a gold mining corporation to dam and then dump millions of tons of mine tailings directly into pristine Lower Slate Lake in Alaska, killing all fish and smothering the lake under toxic sludge." Nothing like a little sludge in your lake! Click here to send a letter through Earthworks.
According to Earthjustice, "The Bureau of Land Management is accepting public comments on the environmental, social, and economic impacts of a commercial oil shale and tar sands development program in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. Please, urge the agency to protect our treasured places like Utah's Book Cliffs and Colorado's White River from harmful oil shale development." Once you do that, you can check out some of their other action items.
Urge the Manitoba government to protect First Nations lands in the boreal. The Boreal is one of the oldest forests.
War in Iraq:
CODEPINK has launched a new campaign, the "Women Say No to War" campaign. You can sign your name by clicking here. They'll deliver the signatures to the White House and U.S. Embassies around the world on March 8th...they'd like to get 100,000 women to sign before then. I'm betting we can certainly do better than 100,000!! So, let's get to work ladies!! Sign on yourselves and then send this to every woman you know!
Republican Scandal Items:
Since the entire Republican party is pretty much without scandal, and Bush is the King of scandal himself...(sort of tied with Tommy DeLay), I figured I'd put this item in this section. Click here to ask Bush to tell the truth about torture in his State of the Union Address. Don't forget to buy plenty of beer for that!! I'm SURE you'll need it if you're playing the drinking game;)
Common Cause has a good action item for those of you interested in the absolutely gigantic ethics problem the Republicans are having. There are five suggested reforms. For more information or to add something to the letter and then sign, or to just sign it, click here!!
Voting Issues:
Urge Congress to reject HR 3910 and pass HR 550 as written! The Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act (HR 550) will ensure that the voter verified paper record is the official record in the event of a recount, challenge, or discrepancy in a Federal election, and that independent audits of the voter verified paper ballots are routinely performed to check the accuracy of the machines that count the vote. Click here to send your letter!
Put the EAC on notice that violations of federal standards by Diebold and other voting machine manufacturers will not be tolerated by voters. Click here, enter your info, and your letter will be off to the four EAC Commissioners and their Secretariat, which oversees the ITA laboratories. For more information about the interpreted code used by Diebold, how it violates federal standards, and why it puts the integrity of our elections at risk click here.
Specific State Issues:
The Fair Share Health Care law just passed in Maryland. Click here to sign a petition to get similar laws passed in YOUR state!
If you live in Illinois, and you don't want Assault Weapons to be legal, Click here to get the phone number and call your State Senator to ask them to support the State Ban on Assault Weapons. I know some of you like guns...but do you really need an Uzi?
Another one for Illinoisans! According to Illinois PIRG, "Illinois consumers are spending a higher proportion of their incomes to heat their homes this year due to spikes in natural gas costs. Please take a moment to write your Representative and ask them to support H.B. 4455 to improve energy efficiency and protect Illinois consumers from high energy costs."
If you live in Virginia and you want fair elections, Click here to urge your Delegate to support HB 1243 and your Senator to support SB 424.
Protect Wildlife and Pets:
melvin has recently done some truly excellent diaries about the Pombo/Crapo threat to the Endangered Species Act. Read any of those diaries for some great background information, gorgeous pictures, and lots of great links. The most important link is obviously the one that you can click on to Stop S 2110 and Save the Endangered Species Act!
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, "Critical Habitat for the endangered California condor in southern California is at risk of development. The Tejon Ranch Company is currently seeking a blanket "incidental take" permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service which would allow it to harm, harass, and even kill endangered condors during construction and operation of its proposed major developments on Tejon Ranch in the Tehachapi Mountains." Click here to send a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asking them to protect the California condor!
The World Wildlife Fund also has a letter you can send to Stop S 2110 and Save the Endangered Species Act. Once you take action on that, you can forward the action to friends and family and you can also use the links on the right hand side of the page to take action on several other items.
The Union of Concerned Scientists also has a letter you can send to Stop S 2110 and Save the Endangered Species Act. If you're a biologist, or working towards an advanced degree there's an additional step you can take to help save the ESA. Their home page has other action items as well.
The Sierra Club needs some contributions to aid in their own fight against the Crapo threat to the Endangered Species Act.
I'm sure all of you have heard the story about the northern bottle-nosed whale that got lost and ended up in the Thames. Well, many suspect that the whale ended up there due to that Sonar tests that the navy is performing. These tests are killing Whales. Click here to enter your info and stop these tests!
The Bush Administration has turned Wolf management over to the state of Idaho, which has passed legislation to eliminate wolves "by any means necessary"... Defenders of Wildlife is collecting donations to help fight this law and protect the pretty wolves. Please consider making a contribution here.
Last year, part of the appropriations bill was a ban on horse slaughter. Congress passed the ban on horse slaughter by refusing to provide money in the budget for USDA inspectors to those slaughterhouses. Without the inspectors, they can't operate. Well, just when you thought horses were safer...the USDA is considering a petition filed by "three foreign-owned slaughterhouses" (not my language....but I think it is important that the USDA is willing to overrule Congress because of a petition filed by 3 corporations that aren't even owned by citizens). Click here to take action to prevent horse slaughter...yet again! Once you take action, there will be an entire page of action items for you to sign as well:)
Searching for a good Valentine's Day gift for your sweetheart? Defenders of Wildlife makes it easy for you. Click here to adopt a beautiful animal for your loved one! This is a great gift idea and it helps save these animals!
The Canadian Lynx is in trouble and comments are due by February 7th! Please Click here to send a message supporting stronger habitat protections.
Other Issues:
The Earthquake in Pakistan is still a huge threat to people in the effected regions. For those of you who don't know, people are desperately in need of warm shelter as the winter gets worse there. UNHCR is collecting donations so they can buy stoves, heaters, warm clothes, and shelter. Click here to help!
Working Assets has their Act For Change site and I'll just sum it up as having a TON of action items. I'm NOT kidding...Click here to take action on everything from Republican Corruption to Alito and Iraq.