Make hate a crime or live with hate crimes?

From: Joe Solmonese, Human Rights Campaign <hrc@hrc.org>
Date: Jul 24, 2007 1:20 PM
Subject: You, times two
To: greensmile

		All gifts matched until July 31! Dear greensmile When we launched our campaign to pass the Employee Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), just a few days before the hate crimes bill hit the Senate floor, I got a call from a friend – HRC board member Bruce Bastian – saying he wanted to help us raise the money to win this fight. By the time we hung up, he had promised to match every online donation dollar-for-dollar until July 31, up to $100,000! This incredible opportunity for HRC comes at a particularly critical time. Historic markers of GLBT equality – ENDA, hate crimes, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" – are all in the political spotlight this year. Help us take advantage of this remarkable offer, which means nothing without your support: $200,000 for HRC if we can rise to the challenge by July 31. Double my donation to end discrimination in the workplace...Every form of hate degrades our nation. As a business leader, and as someone committed to campaigning for justice, Bruce wants to help put an end to discrimination against GLBT workers. Just as importantly, though, he wants to challenge YOU, and every HRC supporter, to join together this month. It's crunch time – we expect action on hate crimes and ENDA in the early fall and we need to lay the groundwork now. Right now, the radical right is deluging lawmakers with bald-faced lies about hate crimes and ENDA, but the momentum is with us. Take ENDA, for example. Nearly 90% of Fortune 500 companies already include sexual orientation in their non-discrimination policies. They know workers should be judged on their performance; who they love is completely irrelevant. Your donation will do twice as much to end discrimination. In national politics, GLBT issues have taken center stage. On August 9th, on MTV's Logo channel, HRC Foundation is co-hosting a historic forum for presidential candidates focused exclusively on GLBT issues. And, as you know under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, for the first time ever, the hate crimes bill – a major piece of GLBT civil rights legislation – passed as a stand alone bill on the House floor May 3rd. Now, the hate crimes bill, also known in the Senate as the Matthew Shepard Act, is pending as an amendment to the Senate's Department of Defense (DoD) Authorization bill. While the DoD bill has been delayed until the fall, our Senate champions Senators Kennedy and Smith are committed to moving this crucial legislation. Additionally, we're likely to see congressional action on ENDA over the next couple months, and the long-overdue repeal of the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Policy" has also become a national issue in the presidential debates and through HRC's Legacy of Service Tour. It's time the government caught up with the business world, just like we hope it will catch up with the hundreds of groups that have endorsed the Matthew Shepard Act. With your support, we'll make sure lawmakers hear the truth above the din of the anti-gay groups. Thank you, as always, for your commitment to this struggle. Warmly, Joe Solmonese President Having trouble clicking on the links above? Simply copy and paste this URL into your browser's address bar to take action today: https://secure.ga3.org/03/enda_mg_p
	© 2007 The Human Rights Campaign. All rights reserved. Human Rights Campaign | www.hrc.org 1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036-3278 Phone: 202/628-4160 TTY: 202/216-1572 Fax: 202/347-5323

--
freedom is not more important than fairness and much easier to fake.

Biggest health care moment in 40 years

greensmiles greetings!

Hi,

Congress keeps saying "yes" to war...so far.  Lets see if they say "no" to health care.

Congress wants to offer free health care to millions of uninsured children. Who could be against that? But President Bush is afraid insuring kids is a slippery slope -- opening the door to affordable health care for everyone. How terrible.

Many Republican senators are ignoring Bush in favor of insuring kids. But we still don't have enough votes to override Bush's veto threat -- and the Senate vote is just days away.

I signed a petition urging Congress to vote for the biggest health care expansion in over 40 years. Can you join me at the link below?

http://pol.moveon.org/kidshealth/?r_by=10851-7684903-PY.xya&rc=paste

Thanks!

For the war = against the troops! help end the war!

From:MoveOn.org Political Action
Date: Jul 19, 2007 12:45 PM
Subject: Political Extinction
To: greensmile

Iraq Summer is the biggest campaign to end the war that's ever been organized. It's going to present Republicans with a choice: End the war, or face political extinction. Can you chip in $100 to help make sure pro-war politicians pay a price for keeping the war going? Iraq Summer in Action

Dear MoveOn member,

On Tuesday night, Republicans in the Senate had to pick a side: They were either with the American people or with President Bush.

They chose Bush. They blocked a key vote to end the war. And we're going to make them pay for that choice.

As senators go home for August break, our partners at Americans Against Escalation in Iraq have put together the biggest campaign since the beginning of the war. It's called Iraq Summer, and it's going to present the Republicans with another choice: End the war, or face political extinction.

Iraq Summer hit the ground a few weeks ago. 90 organizers—including Iraq vets and military families—are busy building strong networks on the ground, organizing events and putting up hard-hitting advertising.

It's really important to keep this organizing going all the way through August. So we're aiming to raise $250,000 for AAEI and MoveOn's Iraq Summer campaign by the end of this week. Can you chip in $100 to turn up the heat on pro-war politicians—and make sure they pay in their home states for voting to keep the war going?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/iraqsummer.html?

If we want to end the war, we need to make it politically impossible for Republicans to stay the course.

And that's exactly what Iraq Summer is doing. Iraq Summer organizers are showing up at town hall meetings and asking tough questions, holding rallies, and training local volunteers on working with the media.

• In Maine the Iraq Summer team kicked off its efforts with a rally in the beginning of July. Since then, Iraq Summer and MoveOn members have kept up constant pressure—pushing Senator Snowe over the edge.¹ She recently signed on as a co-sponsor of the Levin-Reed Amendment to bring most of our troops home by April.
• In Kentucky they staged a protest outside of a speech given by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell a few weeks ago and made the local news—proving that voters in Kentucky want our troops home.² Soon after, they launched a major ad campaign in Kentucky against him. ³ His approval ratings continue to plummet.
• Last week in New Hampshire, Iraq Summer organized a letter delivery to Senator Sununu's office and added to the pressure he's been feeling on the war. They made the local news last week and then were at it again this week, helping out with our citizen counter-filibuster.⁴

And the field directors are a truly dedicated and impressive bunch.

• Susan D. is a field director in Iowa. She's the mother of an Iraq war veteran and speaks passionately about the toll that this war is taking on families across the country.
• Jackie R. is a field director in New Mexico. She's dedicating all her energy to ending the war. Jackie comes from a conservative Cuban family and will be working in Latino communities to put real pressure on Representative Heather Wilson and Senator Pete Domenici to make sure they do more than complain about the war—they vote to end it.
• Joshua L. is an Iraq veteran and he's leading our work in Illinois. He's concentrating on making sure Representatives LaHood, Johnson and Kirk start voting with their constituents to end the war. He's already been making waves at town hall meetings.⁵

Can you chip in $100 to help MoveOn and Iraq Summer run the biggest campaign in history to end the war?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/iraqsummer.html

Thanks for all you do.

–Nita, Tom, Eli, Jennifer and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Thursday, July 19th, 2007

Sources:

1. Anti-War Group Rallies In Bangor, WCSH NBC Affliate in Portland Maine, July 5, 2007
http://www.wcsh6.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=65371

2. McConnell speaks in Oldham, notes public's frustration with Iraq war, The Courier-Journal, July 3, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2807

3. McConnell targeted in another anti-war ad, Associated Press, July 13, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2808

4. War critics decry Sununu,Seacost Online, July 18, 2007
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2809

5. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2810

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

---

MoveOn members favorite candidate on Climate issues is...

From:  MoveOn.org Political Action

Date: Jul 11, 2007 12:10 PM
Subject: The verdict is in

This weekend, all the Democratic presidential candidates pledged to address the climate crisis head-on. And with nearly 100,000 votes cast, you chose former Senator John Edwards' plan as the strongest.

It's really encouraging that the candidates are taking global warming so seriously. But frankly, it's not enough. Even with a new president committed to stopping climate change, we're gonna need a campaign, and a movement. After years of writing the rules, ExxonMobil and Shell won't go along quietly. And coal companies probably won't wake up one morning and realize that they're boiling the globe. Industry will take every chance it gets to water down, obstruct, and delay these plans.

So today we're aiming to raise $150,000 to run ads, pay organizers, and do the day-to-day work of changing America's climate policy and moving us toward a green-energy future. With your help, we can make sure that when industry pushes leaders in one direction, there's an overwhelming movement pushing back. Can you chip in $100 today to support our campaign to stop climate change?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/climatethanks_onetime.html?id=10795-7684903-XorqSP&t=3

The stakes couldn't be higher: Unless the next president offers real leadership, we'll see the effects of heating on our planet worsen in the next 10 years—raging heat waves, epidemics, catastrophic storms, and species extinction.

Here's the good news: At the town hall, every single candidate made a commitment to move on the climate crisis. While John Edwards' plan got the most support—with 33 percent of the vote by MoveOn members—Dennis Kucinich and Hillary Clinton fought it out for second, with Barack Obama coming in right behind them.

And folks were really enthused about some of the plans offered. Here are a few comments on John Edwards' plan:

"A leader's biggest job is to inspire and inflame our hearts and minds to take on whatever challenges face us...Big problems need big ideas. Crises require passionate commitment. John Edwards seems to me to have the vision necessary to begin healing our earth." —Kathleen F., Abbeville, SC

"All efforts at progress rest on a simple truth: the public good is more important than any private interest. John Edwards understands this. His emphasis on poverty and political economy interface perfectly with efforts to combat global warming. Go Edwards!" —Jason O., Brunswick, ME

"As a resident of New Orleans, I appreciate how John Edwards understands the close connection between Global Warming, Hurricanes, Coastal Protection, Green Jobs, and Poverty ... all of which affect New Orleanians directly." —Grant C., New Orleans, LA

It's a hopeful sign that so many of the candidates have real plans to address the climate crisis. But the energy industry giants are going to be working every step of the way to water these plans down.

It's going to take an organized movement of folks on the ground and ads on the air to make sure that our leaders solve the climate crisis. Can you chip in $100 today to support our climate change campaign?

https://pol.moveon.org/donate/climatethanks_onetime.html?id=10795-7684903-XorqSP&t=4

Here are the full results from the Climate Virtual Town Hall vote (remember, this does not imply a MoveOn endorsement):

Sen. John Edwards	33.10%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich	15.73%
Sen. Hillary Clinton	15.71%
Sen. Barack Obama	15.03%
Gov. Bill Richardson	12.60%
Sen. Joe Biden	3.06%
Sen. Chris Dodd	3.01%
Sen. Mike Gravel	1.78%

Together we're making sure our next president puts a healthy planet and a healthy future at the top of the agenda. Thanks for all you do.

–Ilyse, Daniel, Carrie, Eli and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
  Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

P.S. In case you're curious, members who went to parties voted a little different than other members. Here's how those votes came out:

Sen. John Edwards	25.5%
Gov. Bill Richardson	20.2%
Rep. Dennis Kucinich	17.5%
Se. Hillary Clinton	13.8%
Sen. Barack Obama	10.2%
Sen. Joe Biden	6.2%
Sen. Chris Dodd	3.6%
Sen. Mike Gravel	3%

P.P.S. Check out this new YouTube video from film director Robert Greenwald, Fox Attacks: The Environment. It exposes how Rupert Murdoch's Fox consistently spreads misinformation about, and denies, the global climate crisis. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=2760&id=&t=1&id=10795-7684903-XorqSP&t=5

Support our member-driven organization: MoveOn.org Political Action is entirely funded by our 3.2 million members. We have no corporate contributors, no foundation grants, no money from unions. Our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. If you'd like to support our work, you can give now at:

http://political.moveon.org/donate/email.html?id=10795-7684903-XorqSP&t=6

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Fwd: John needs us today: cast a key vote for substance

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ben Brandzel, Edwards for President <info@johnedwards.com>
Date: Jul 10, 2007 12:41 PM
Subject: John needs us today: cast a key vote for substance
To: greensmile

Dear fellow Edwards supporter, Right now, we have a critical chance to spread the word about John Edwards' ground breaking plan to solve global warming—but we have to act fast. Between now and tonight at midnight Pacific time (3:00 AM Eastern time), please go vote for John's global warming plan in the MoveOn.org "Virtual Town Hall" on climate change: http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/climate/townhall2.html When the media is obsessed with the money race and silly distractions, it's up to us to turn the spotlight on the issues that actually matter in people's lives. And that's where this campaign really shines. MoveOn asked all of the candidates to talk about their plans to address global warming, and now it's up to the public to pick the best proposal. Tomorrow morning the national press will cover the results, and later MoveOn will run an ad highlighting the top plan—so this is a huge opportunity. Please go hear John explain his global warming plan and cast your vote right now at: http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/climate/townhall2.html Why is John's plan to stop global warming the best in the pack? It's the substance. When John introduced his plan, The League of Conservation Voters called it: "the most comprehensive global warming plan of any presidential candidate to date...[it] understands the magnitude of the challenge before us and the need for bold leadership to meet it." The environmental magazine Grist called it: "far and away the strongest, most comprehensive climate and energy plan the three front-runners." Here's the quick summary: John's energy plan calls for an 80 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2050—according to the latest science that's the reduction necessary to actually halt the worst effects of global warming. And it calls for freezing the growth of our electricity usage for a decade through national efficiency programs. John's against all federal subsidies for liquid coal, and stands for a complete moratorium on new coal plants that cannot capture their carbon pollution. John's calling on America to lead the world towards a new climate treaty that would sharply reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. And John's plan would help spur a new energy economy to break our dependence on foreign oil while creating 1 million new jobs. We know climate change is a global crisis that's already upon us—we owe it to ourselves and our children to find the courage for truly transformational change. John Edwards has that courage. But as always, John and this campaign depend on people like you and me taking action to turn that vision for change into reality. So before the polls close at Midnight Pacific time (3:00AM Eastern time) tonight, please take a minute to watch John outline his plan and then cast your vote at: http://pol.moveon.org/townhall/climate/townhall2.html Thanks for all that you do, -- Ben Brandzel John Edwards for President Tuesday, July 10th, 2007 How You Can Take Action Make sure you receive email updates from Senator Edwards. Find out how to add info@johnedwards.com to your Address Book. Paid for by John Edwards for President 410 Market Street, Suite 400, Chapel Hill, NC 27516 (919) 636-3131. johnedwards.com. Contributions to John Edwards for President are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

Final Days: Tell the FCC to Save the Internet

See our video...while you still can

We have only five days left to defend a free and open Internet at the FCC. The agency needs to hear from you about Net Neutrality -- the principle that stops AT&T, Verizon and Comcast from controlling where you can go online.
Thousands of people have already told their stories (see below) urging the FCC to protect Net Neutrality. Now it's your turn:
Tell the FCC to Save the Internet
You need to act now before the FCC closes its comment period. If we flood them with comments in support of Net Neutrality, the FCC will be pressed to stand up to the giant phone and cable companies that seek to undermine free choice on the Web.

At SavetheInternet.com, you can read stories from others, view photographs, and join the fight to make the Internet affordable, open and accessible to everyone. You can even create your own personal comment page to share with others. Go there now to see our new video:
Watch Our New Video and Save the Internet
This may be the best chance we have this year to demonstrate to Washington that protecting the free and open Internet is an issue that matters to millions of Americans. The FCC needs to know why Net Neutrality is important to you. Tell them how an open Internet impacts your daily life, your business and your ability to connect with others.
To save the Internet, we need to flood the FCC with stories from people around the country. Can you ask five friends to send their stories to the FCC?
Tell Your Friends to Take Action
With your help, we can send a message to the FCC that they can't ignore.
Onward,
Timothy KarrCampaign Directorhttp://action.freepress.net/ct/upsgis61sByu/
P.S. Here's what others are saying:
"The greatest hope that this country has is the reconnection of American voices with our political system. The Internet is the first medium that is truly interactive, in which one person's voice can reach millions. This fundamental change would end the open Internet as we know it." Read Jennifer's full story.
"In rural America, the Internet is very important in staying informed. We read several national newspapers every day to get the news our local paper does not thoroughly cover." Read Charles & Carol's full story.
"Currently the media is not diverse at all, and the only option I have found to escape from it has been the Internet. ... If the Internet is controlled by powerful people with money, will it ever be what it has been? Will we be able to enjoy diversity?" Read Norie's full story.
To read thousands of other stories visit: http://action.freepress.net/ct/mdsgis61sByh/

---

Take action on this campaign at: http://action.freepress.net/ct/jdsgis61sBym/
Tell others about this campaign at: http://action.freepress.net/ct/j1sgis61sByj/
If you received this message from a friend, you can click here to become a Free Press activist.

Fwd: Live Earth: Grow the Movement for a Climate in Crisis

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Live Earth <community@liveearth.org>
Date: Jul 9, 2007 3:37 AM
Subject: Live Earth: Grow the Movement for a Climate in Crisis
To: greensmile

Live Earth: The Movement for a Climate in Crisis Thank you so much for being part of Live Earth. Millions of people attended the concerts and the 10,000+ "Friends of Live Earth" events and house parties in 195 countries. Millions of people watched or heard the event online, on TV, or on the radio. Millions pledged to change their own actions and hold our leadership accountable. You're part of an incredible worldwide movement - the moment when the world came together to demand solutions to the climate crisis. You can help us spread the word - please forward this email to five of your friends and ask them to sign onto the Live Earth Pledge at: www.liveearthpledge.org Together we will solve the climate crisis. Watch the best of Live Earth on MSN: Madonna, Beastie Boys, Black Eyed Peas? Did you miss your favorite act on 7/7/07? You can see highlights and songs from all the concerts online at www.LiveEarth.msn.com. Clips of everything from Al Gore's speech to Kanye West's performance are available for you to watch online. Create your own playlists and share with friends! A Global Campaign The Live Earth concerts are the start of a worldwide campaign to solve the climate crisis. Our partners The Alliance for Climate Protection, I Count, The Climate Group, and Avaaz (as well as WWF Australia and Climate Action Partnership in South Africa) will be working together to make sure we all live up to our commitments - in our personal lives and globally. You'll hear more soon from these partners and from Live Earth about what we all can do to keep spreading the Live Earth message. Look for a special message later this week from Vice President Gore - and thanks again for helping to make Live Earth a historic event. Pass it on! Forward your friends a Live Earth text message or this email and inspire them to join the movement to combat the climate crisis. Use our email tool to send a message to your entire address book.

---