The Project: “Amendment Broadcast Campaign”
We are currently developing a short documentary about the who, what, and why of Move to Amend, and why everyone should join us in the movement for a vibrant democracy.
The Move to Amend coalition has been leading the grassroots effort to build a democracy movement to pass an amendment to the US Constitution which unequivocally states that corporations are not people and are not entitled to inherent rights, and that election spending is not free speech.
Why We Need the Amendment Broadcast Campaign
In the places we’re organizing, we’re meeting with total success. In community after community, red or blue, we’re passing resolutions and ballot initiatives in support of our amendment. The corporate-controlled mainstream media isn’t interested in broadcasting the news of these successes, so how do we get our message out?
Here’s where you come in…
The ABC is the antidote to the mainstream media blackout on corporate rule. The public airwaves are saturated with biased and misleading messages. The Internet provides us with an affordable opportunity to spread the message about Move to Amend and we intend to take full advantage of it.
We are also tailoring the length of the video to make it easily playable on cable access television stations across the country. Our supporters number nearly 300,000 (and growing) — imagine if every community where they live was playing our video on their community access stations: exposure for our movement would grow by leaps and bounds!
In the midst of recent national controversy surrounding government surveillance of the public, a recent Freedom of Information Act request to the Nebraska State Patrol has exposed evidence that TransCanada provided trainings to federal agents and local Nebraska police to suppress nonviolent activists protesting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by arresting them on “anti-terrorism statutes.” The presentation slides, obtained by grassroots landowner advocacy group Bold Nebraska, target Tar Sands Blockade activists by name.
“This is clear evidence of the collusion between TransCanada and the federal government assisting local police to unlawfully monitor and harass political protestors,” said Lauren Regan, legal coordinator for Tar Sands Blockade and executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. “These documents expose the truth that the government is giving the nod to unlawful corporate spying. By slinging false allegations against peaceful activists in this presentation, TransCanada puts them at risk of unwarranted prosecution.
Tell Congress to rein in Pentagon Spending
This week, we have an opportunity to push Congress to rein in Pentagon spending—the House of Representatives is going to vote on The National Defense Authorization Act of 2014 (NDAA), which authorizes massive U.S. military spending.
Join us in supporting amendments that will put a stop to the corporate boondoggles and misguided policies that fuel arms races with China and Russia—and that cost us dearly here at home.
If we don’t act, Congress may give nearly $640 billion to the Pentagon, which would exceed the caps set by sequestration.
Let’s let Congress know that we don’t buy it.
We don’t believe that while education, food stamps, housing, and other social programs are being cut every day, we can afford to spend more money on failed weapons systems (such as the outrageously expensive F-35), more nuclear weapons and troops abroad, and permanent foreign bases.
All year, Wage Peace supporters have been vocal in their opposition to Pentagon waste. This is another opportunity to tell Congress to invest in people, not the Pentagon.
Your representative needs to hear from you today!
Marshall Ganz on Making Social Movements Matter | Moyers & Company
There were three questions posed by a 1st century Jerusalem scholar Rabbi Hillel, when asked “How do we, how do we understand what we are to do in the world?” And he responded with three questions. The first one’s to ask yourself, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” It’s not a selfish question, but it is a self-regarding question. Sort of saying, “Ask yourself what you’re about, what you value, what you have to contribute, what…” But then the second question is, “If I am for myself alone, what am I?” But it, which is, it’s to even be a who and not a what is to recognize that we are in the world in relationship with others and that our capacity to realize our own objectives is inextricably wrapped up with the capacity of others to realize theirs.
And finally, “If not now, when?” The time for action is always now, because it’s often only through action that we can learn what we need to learn in order to be able to act effectively in the ways that we intend. And the fact that they’re questions is also really important to me, because it suggests that this work, this work of organizing, leadership is not about knowing, it’s about learning.
And it’s about asking and it’s about understanding that it is about dealing with the uncertain. It is about probing the unknown. It’s not about control. It’s about, it’s about learning through purposeful experience. And so that’s kind of, I think, what I’ve tried to, as I look back, what I’ve tried to learn, to teach, to do, to practice is how to be that kind of a learner and teacher.
Public Safety and Second Amendment Rights Protection Act of 2013
Don’t Mutate in to The Naked Hulk!
Join Move To Amend.
Urgent Action: tell Senators not to fast track coal exports
Big Coal and its allies are attempting to sneak through a last-minute budget amendment to stop federal agencies from limiting the greenhouse gas emissions of exported coal and other fuels. Right now agencies are legally bound to consider the health and climate impacts of greenhouse gases when reviewing export proposals — including coal.
But under Senator Barrasso’s (R-WY) amendment (#184), agencies would be barred from considering environmental impacts from exporting coal or other fossil fuels.
If this amendment passes there will be nothing to stop Big Coal from sending millions of tons of U.S. coal to be burned in China. And we’ll all pay the climate and health consequences.
Here’s more background on the issue:
- Under the National Environmental Policy Act, an agency that issues a permit for a major project involving the extraction and combustion of fossil fuels has to consider the impacts of burning those fuels on the health and well-being of Americans, regardless of whether those fuels are burned in the U.S. or whether they are exported and burned somewhere else in the world
- When it comes to greenhouse gases, the impacts on Americans are exactly the same wherever the fuel is burned, because carbon pollution spreads globally and respects no boundaries.
- But under this new amendment the agencies would be forced to ignore the impacts on Americans, just because the fuels were exported.
- All this does is protect the profits of the big corporations that export fossil fuels, at the expense of the health and well-being of the American people.
47 Percent Legal Assistance Fund by Scott Prouty
I’m the person that released the now famous Mitt Romney 47 percent video. I’m a regular guy who cares about social justice and the future of the United States. I shot the video and shared it because it was important for citizens to know the full truth about a man who had a chance of becoming president. If you appreciate what I did, please consider donating to help with my current and future legal expenses.
Any funds left over will be used to to help me go back to school.
It’s always been my dream to attend law school. I’d like to be a socially responsible lawyer who can help the 47 percent navigate our legal system. Thank you for your donations!
48 hours to ban bee killers
Quietly, globally, billions of bees are dying, threatening our crops and food. But in 48 hours the European Union could move to ban the most poisonous pesticides, and pave the way to a global ban that would save bees from extinction.
Four EU countries have begun banning these poisons, and some bee populations are already recovering. Days ago the official European food safety watchdog stated for the first time that certain pesticides are fatally harming bees. Now legal experts and European politicians are calling for an immediate ban. But, Bayer and other giant pesticide producers are lobbying hard to keep them on the market. If we build a huge swarm of public outrage now, we can push the European Commission to put our health and our environment before the profit of a few.
Avaaz and leading MEPs will deliver our message ahead of this week’s key meeting in Brussels.
Take action, support efforts in Congress to reduce gun deaths!
Several weeks ago, the Brady Campaign provided recommendations to the White House for serious, game-changing legislation to reduce gun injuries and deaths. After meeting with stakeholders from all sides, President Obama announced a roadmap for real progress on this issue.
Yesterday, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California took the first step to end open access to military-style assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. This legislation focuses specifically on military-style weapons designed for mass killing.
We support this legislation as part of a comprehensive plan to prevent gun violence. Sen. Feinstein’s bill — combined with new measures such as universal criminal background checks for all gun buyers — can immediately reduce gun injuries and deaths across America.
But in order to pass this important, forward-looking legislation, we must take action.
