Here it is! This week's whopper of an action diary!
I'll keep this short. Please read through these action items and do as much as you can!!
Some of these are repeats from last week, just in case some people missed them:)
And some of these have time limits...so be sure to look through and take action on those quickly!!
Feel free to add your own action items as well:)
and....I should add...I got tired with the tags...I think I got them all, but I probably missed a few anyway.
UPDATE On request, I've moved this one into the spotlight:
People for the American Way has an Emergency Petition to Filibuster the PATRIOT Act click here to sign it!
Season's Greetings: Give Gifts or Get Free Stuff!!
Consider giving a membership to Amnesty International this holiday season! You can click here to give a gift membership. Amnesty International does great work. Click around on their website to see all the great things they do, or for the list of things they hope to do with the help of your donations and memberships next year.
Amnesty Intl. also has FREE music downloads!! From their email: Celebrate International Human Rights Day by being part of the global launch of Make Some Noise, Amnesty International's new global campaign that is a mix of music and activism. Today sees the release of four new versions of iconic John Lennon songs: the Black Eyed Peas' rousing take on Power to the People, The Cure's interpretation of Love, Snow Patrol's recording of Isolation, and Grow Old With Me, performed by The Postal Service. You can also buy a Make Some Noise t-shirt! And...if that's not enough...they also have a store!
Have a favorite Feminist?! Consider buying them a gift from the Feminist Online Store. They have holiday sets too!
If you need to get a gift for someone who loves their Union, you can always try The Union Shop!
Looking to give gifts and make investments this holiday season?! Check out this diary by Chris Kulczycki and consider a microcredit loan. There are LOTS of links here for you to consider.
Working Assets is a pretty kick-ass group. Their action site is here and there are LOTS of items on it...all important too! But, you can also visit here to read the news...and check out their advertisements and their products page as well!!
Consider joining The Sierra Club! Also, if you're looking for good holiday gifts, check out their store. I highly recommend the calendars, especially the engagement calendar...they have gorgeous pics!
Starbucks provides support to CARE through the Starbucks Card Duetto Visa. When a new cardholder makes their first Visa purchase with their Duetto Card, Starbucks donates $5 to CARE. This money is used to fight global poverty and help the world's poorest communities solve their most threatening problems. For more information and to apply click here or call 1-877-864-4700.
Mercy Corps has multiple Mercy kits that you can give as gifts for the holidays. This page will take you to the HIV/AIDS Awareness Mercy Kit. These aren't that expensive, and they seem like a good thing.
Protect Wildlife and Pets:
World Wildlife Foundation has made it easy for you to support wildlife AND do some holiday gift-giving at the same time! Click here to "adopt" the precious animals...this is a symbolic adoption. Your money doesn't go to one specific animal, but to help in the fight to protect them.
You can also visit WWF here where you will find that M&M's has created collectible wildlife banks. Each bank sold is one more dollar for the WWF. The link to the action page for WWF is also on this page. See what else there is for you to do!
Defenders of Wildlife also has an adoption page, but Defenders is focused primarily on wolves which are in real danger all over the United States, but mostly in Alaska where the bastard Governor is allowing aerial hunting by trophy hunters to run wolves to the point of exhaustion and then shoot them. Really humane treatment....but of course I expect nothing less from Republicans at this point. We've GOT to get people like this OUT of public office. And as you can read in the link, Gale Norton has the power to stop this, but she refuses.
The Humane Society Of the United States (HSUS) needs your help! Click here to ask your Congresspeople to support the PETS Act. This Act will require state and local authorities to address the issue of evacuating people with pets from disaster areas. Also urge your Reps to help End Animal Fighting. Their last action item is a Pledge to be Fur Free! Click here to make the pledge yourself!! There's an awfully cute picture of a Fox here too...I just want one SO bad! (Apparently they don't get along with kitties so well though...L
IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) also has an animal adoption program. You can make these donations in someone else's name and give them as a gift for the holidays Click here if you are interested!
Endangered Species are in more trouble these days than they already were!! Click here if you can donate, but if you don't have any money you could always get educated about the issue at this website and then send a letter to the editor!!
The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) needs your donations to help stop the Navy's needless killing of whales during routine sonar training. If you don't have money to donate, the least you could do is send some letters!! Click here to go to the NRDC's action page and take action on a few of those issues! There's a letter here for the Pombo Amendment as well!!
Protect the Environment:
Earthjustice has a very important letter regarding all the terrible anti-environmental provisions hanging in the balance as the House and Senate try to finish negotiations of the final budget bill. Please please please click here to sign!!
Oppose the Pombo Amendment to sell off public lands to mining interests!! This is your last chance to stop this bill!! Oxfam has a letter for you to send here! The budget bills will be reconciled on December 13th!! That's Tuesday of this week for those of you who aren't keeping track!
The Bluewater Network needs you to urge your Senators to take a firm stand on global warming and to tell the Bush administration to stop blocking the Montreal negotiations for global action in Kyoto's next phase after 2012. Take action here to help prevent Global Warming!!
National Environmental Trust also has a letter you can send regarding the Montreal negotiations on Global Warming. Click here to send another letter! This one goes to your Senators whereas the one above goes to Bushie himself.
Here's another action item for Global Warming! Click here to join Al Gore in the virtual march!
Sign a petition to save The Roadless Rule at Earthjustice. Check out their homepage as well, they have LOTS of good action items and interesting and important news! We have less than one week left to help with this one!!
Defenders of Wildlife also has a letter for you to send to help save The Roadless Rule. Click here to send your letter!
Sign up at The Wilderness Society's Forest Planning Center. This looks pretty interesting. You can see the plans for the forests near you!
The International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies is conducting a survey to find out what you think about the state of wildlife in America. The results will help guide federal and state governments in making critical decisions about their wildlife conservation programs. The survey takes about 15 minutes.
The Missouri River needs your help! Click here to learn about this issue and send a letter!
Deep sea coral gardens grow in the deepest reaches of the sea. Many have been slowly, quietly growing there for hundreds of years. They provide crucial habitat for more than 2,000 species of marine life. The practice of "bottom trawling" -- where fishing vessels drag huge weighted nets across the sea floor behind them, demolishing everything in their path -- threatens to destroy these precious resources. You can help protect deep sea corals by telling your Senator to demand that the sponsors of the new oceans act include protection for deep sea corals, and the Bottom Trawl and Deep Sea Coral Habitat Act of 2005, in any new ocean legislation!
Health Issues:
Support the "Fair Share For Health Care" Act by signing this petition. This law would require dead-beat corporations (like Wal*Mart) to provide a minimum health care benefit to their employees or be forced to pay into state health care funds so taxpayers aren't forced to subsidize a multi-billion dollar corporation.
The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is asking for donations, but giving some bracelets in return. The bracelets say 1200, asking you to remember the 1200 Americans that die from tobacco use and second hand smoke each year!! You can donate and get your bracelets here!
If you haven't signed The ONE petition, you should. But on this page there's also a link to listen to their first podcast with Nelson Mandela and lots of others.
Gun Safety Issues:
The Brady Center is asking for donations this holiday season. According to the email, "The Brady Center educates the public about solutions to gun violence, helps gun violence victims have their day in court, and works to enact and enforce sensible gun policies that save lives." You can make a donation by clicking here...and of course entering your info!
If you live in Illinois Here's a special action item for you!! The NRA is apparently trying to push the "Shoot First" law in Illinois. This is the law that gives "the people of Florida permission to use deadly force as a first resort, even in a public place. The law grants sweeping criminal and civil immunity to anyone who pulls the trigger when they feel 'threatened' -- and specifically denies legal recourse to innocent bystanders killed or wounded in the crossfire, even if the shooter acted negligently." So, if you want to stop the NRA from making Illinois a MUCH more dangerous place, send a letter here!!
Make Republicans eat their words:
As corporate interests have learned, when it comes to getting the Republican leadership's attention, money talks. So, let's make Republicans think twice before attacking Democrats with crappy-ass ads on their websites! The DNC would like to raise money each time one of these attacks occurs. Make Republicans think twice before they attack us by donating a bit here
You may want to send a letter to Joe Lieberman...who seems to have forgotten that he is the Democratic Senator from CT. He needs some reminders...
Also consider supporting the DNC with a Democracy Bond!
Health Issues:
Stir It Up has an action item for those of you with kids, or those of you concerned about the health of kids (so, just about everyone, I hope). Obviously nutrition is a big concern for parents, and the cafeterias at most schools simply don't offer nutritious food. Stir It Up tells you what you can do to help make lunch at school more nutritious!
The American Humane Association is asking President Bush to direct Surgeon General Carmona to prepare a comprehensive report on child abuse and neglect in this country. Join them in their call to make Americans aware of the scale of Child Abuse in this country. According to them, 100 children per hour suffer from neglect and abuse in this country.
Join PEER in telling the EPA that they shouldn't be using human beings as test subjects by clicking here. This one has a time limit!! We only have until December 12th for this one!! That's tomorrow!!
Letters to your Congresspeople:
The ACLU has a letter you can send to your Congresspeople to ask them to support the McCain Amendment. Let's stop the secret CIA kidnappings and torture! Click here to send your letter!
Operation Truth also has a letter you can send to your Reps asking them to support the McCain Amendment.
Iraq:
Act for Change has two items. The first, Honor Iraqis' Request: Bring U.S. Troops Home. Take action here. The second, Stand with John Murtha, by sending him your thanks and a flower!
MoveOn.org has a petition for you to sign! So, click here and demand that Congress make a plan to get us out of Iraq by 2006.
Help Operation Truth by downloading their new flier and passing it around to everyone you know! Iraq Veterans need our help! Let's do our best for them!
Labor Issues:
American Rights at Work has an action item for you! Tell your Congresspeople to support the Employee Free Choice Act by clicking here!
Women's Issues and the Supreme Court:
If you've never seen this site, check it out-- U.S. Women Without Borders! There are action items here too!
People for the American Way need some help in the fight against (Sc)Alito. You can donate to the cause here.
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.
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.
Campus Progress has a scary vision of Alito's America! Click here to watch a video and take action!!
Voting Issues:
Senator Obama has introduced S. 1975, The Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2005. According to Common Cause "The bill would create a criminal penalty for deceptive practices, with penalties of up to $100,000, one year imprisonment, or both. Here's the letter he sent to his colleagues about the bill. The legislation would also require the attorney general, in conjunction with the federal Election Assistance Commission, to provide accurate election information when allegations of deceptive practices are confirmed." You can find your elected officials here and ask them to cosponsor Senator Obama's bill. Let's get this passed before the 2006 elections!!
Common Cause is also asking for donations to help them launch the first phase of their election reform plans. Click here if you have any extra dough to help them!
Other Stuff:
The World Trade Center Memorial Foundation is asking the US Postal Service to honor the memory of those who perished in the horrific attacks of February 26, 1993 and September 11, 2001 by issuing a stamp commemorating the World Trade Center Memorial. If you want to sign the petition, click here.
Check out Wake Up Walmart! Help put pressure on Walmart and get them to change their ways!!
Faithful America has an open letter requesting the release of the kidnapped Christian Peacemakers in Iraq. You can sign on to the letter here.
The Human Rights Campaign has a letter you can send to Ford Motor Company if you're as pissed as I am about their anti-gay crap this past week! Also, if you're concerned about Equal Rights for GLBT folks, you can visit my other diary from this week to read about Judy Shepard's ideas. That diary also has some action items...I just can't get enough actionJ
Sign the No Dirty Gold Pledge and urge jewelry retailers to help clean up the gold industry.
