California Should Be a “No ALEC Zone” JULY 13, 2015  By Francine Busby / San Diego Democratic Party Sometimes we just need a little sunshine. That shouldn’t be too much to ask here in Southern California. Unfortunately, a dark cloud is headed our way in the form of a shadowy lobbying organization that buys loyalty from state legislatures with untraceable corporate dollars and threatens the very fabric of our democracy. Exaggeration? Not even a little. Concerned yet? You should be. The American Legislative Exchange Council, the people who brought us Citizens United, is a “bill mill” funded by corporations and billionaires. It creates “model legislation” by and for industries, which right-wing legislators then take back to their statehouses and enact into law. (Sometimes they even forget to remove the ALEC watermark from the proposed bill or change the name of the state.) READ MORE shared from San Diego Free Press Frack Yeah! Checking Out the New Union-Tribune California Should Be a “No ALEC Zone” Summer Chronicles 4: Mourning Time: Animals Are Passing From Our Lives Easing Into UC Frack Yeah! Checking Out the New Union-Tribune Posted: 13 Jul 2015 10:06 AM PDT By Doug Porter Six weeks ago the publisher of the Los Angeles Times closed the deal on buying U-T San Diego for $85 million. It’s time for a quick progress report on the state of San Diego’s daily newspaper. Now it’s been re-christened as theUnion-Tribune, the printing was outsourced and about a third of the staff is gone. The paper’s web site has been spiffed up and actual reporting not influenced by the owner’s agenda appears to be taking place. Most of all, what I perceived as the aura of shame is gone. Outbursts of pride in the product have been observed recently. For better or worse, they’re being the best newspaper they know how. Those who thought the newspaper would somehow be transformed into either Daily Worker orBreitbart News Network will continue to be disappointed. This is still San Diego and the sale of one media outlet will not change the political and economic realities of this city.   [Read more...]     California Should Be a “No ALEC Zone” Posted: 13 Jul 2015 05:08 AM PDT By Francine Busby / San Diego Democratic Party Sometimes we just need a little sunshine. That shouldn’t be too much to ask here in Southern California. Unfortunately, a dark cloud is headed our way in the form of a shadowy lobbying organization that buys loyalty from state legislatures with untraceable corporate dollars and threatens the very fabric of our democracy. Exaggeration? Not even a little. Concerned yet? You should be. The American Legislative Exchange Council, the people who brought us Citizens United, is a “bill mill” funded by corporations and billionaires. It creates “model legislation” by and for industries, which right-wing legislators then take back to their statehouses and enact into law. (Sometimes they even forget to remove the ALEC watermark from the proposed bill or change the name of the state.)   [Read more...]     Summer Chronicles 4: Mourning Time: Animals Are Passing From Our Lives Posted: 13 Jul 2015 05:07 AM PDT By Jim Miller Last summer about this time, I did a couple of pieces about the clear prospect that we are in the midst of the sixth extinction. Since then, the news has continued to get worse, with a recent study showing that the current rate of extinction is ample cause for alarm. In “Vertebrate Biodiversity Losses Point to a Sixth Mass Extinction” published inBiodiversity and Conservation Malcolm McCallum summarizes recent findings succinctly when he writes that “the great speed with which vertebrate biodiversity is being decimated are comparable to the devastation of previous extinction events.” More concretely, that means we have bid adieu to the Golden Toad, the Baoji Dolphin, the Hawaiian Crow, the Pyrenean Ibex, the Spix’s Macaw, the Liverpool Pigeon, the West African Black Rhino, the Black Faced Honeycreeper, the Alaotra Grebe, Holdridge’s Toad, the Formosan Clouded Leopard, the Pinta Island Tortoise, the Vietnamese Rhino, the Christmas Island Pipistrelle, the Yangtze River Dolphin, the Po’o-uli, the Zanibar Leopard, the Marianas Mallard, the Javan Tiger, the Magagascan Dwarf Hippopotamus, the Bush Wren, the Caspian Tiger, the Great Short-Tailed Bat, the Mexican Grizzly Bear, the Central Hare-Wallaby, the Caribbean Monk Seal, and on and on and on. Since 1980 the losses have been 71-297 times larger than during the last mass extinction. Our ecosystem’s warning signs are pointing toward collapse.   [Read more...]     Easing Into UC Posted: 13 Jul 2015 05:06 AM PDT By Ernie McCray I've lived in Golden Hill/South Park for 40 years. It's got to be one of the great neighborhoods in the world. But one of my daughters needed more time away from her work to give her two young ones the kind of start in life she and her husband want for them. So they moved in with me - and I gradually moved in with my sweetheart in University City who came into my life after my wife passed away six years ago. I love it that those two little precious beings are living in a house where Nancy and I raised their mother and her sister and brother.   [Read more...]

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Speak Out to Stop Shell and Save the Arctic!

Speak Out to Stop Shell and Save the Arctic! Tell President Obama to put the Arctic off-limits to Big Oil and lead us toward a future powered by 100% clean energy. TAKE ACTION Dear  FRIEND, If you ask me, no oil company should be allowedanywhere near the Arctic Ocean. So it's mind-boggling that the Interior Department has given Shell Oil a green light on its exploration plan for drilling in the Arctic this summer. As I write this, Shell is moving an armada of drilling rigs and support ships toward the wildlife-filled waters of the Chukchi Sea -- our last untouched and unspoiled northern frontier. I'm not prepared -- not by a long shot -- to surrender America's Arctic to Shell Oil. I hope you're not either, because NRDC needs your help right now to stop this company in its tracks. Please join me at this critical moment and demand President Obama stop Shell's reckless drive to drill in the Arctic -- while we still have the chance. We've already seen the devastating consequences of risky oil drilling with the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and, more recently, the tragic oil spill in Santa Barbara in May. If Big Oil was caught flat-footed in the balmy Gulf of Mexico and coastal California, how can we trust them to operate safely amidst the punishing conditions of the Arctic? We can't -- not when the Interior Department itself has already concluded there is a 75% chance of a major oil spill from oil production in the Chukchi... and no proven method for cleanup. It's up to people like you and me to make sure that we never have to face an Arctic oil catastrophe. Please add your voice to mine to save the Arctic from Big Oil's reckless assault. Let's not forget: Shell's last attempt to drill in these fragile waters produced an alarming series of accidents, failures and harrowing close calls. In one notorious incident, Shell's enormous 260-foot drill rig carrying 150,000 gallons of diesel fuel ran aground near wildlife-rich Kodiak Island. NRDC has already filed suit in federal court to block Shell's drilling operation and hold the Obama Administration accountable -- but time is running out and legal action may not be enough. We should be investing in a clean energy future, not putting the fate of our last pristine ocean -- and its endangered wildlife -- in the hands of a climate-wrecking oil giant with an appalling record of accidents. If you feel the same, please say you'll stand with me and NRDC in making your voice heard at the White House right away. Sincerely, Robert Redford Trustee, NRDC

The mission of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals, and the natural systems on which all life depends.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

We’ve seen a lot of attacks on wind energy so far this year

Time is of the essence – once this bill is written, it will be very hard to change it. We need you to weigh in and urge that it get done right the first time. Hi Friend, We’ve seen a lot of attacks on wind energy so far this year – opponents spreading misinformation, and Congressmen introducing a bill that specifically sets out to eliminate the common-sense policies that help our families gain access to clean, homegrown, affordable energy. Today, YOU can help turn this around. The Senate Finance Committee is expected to craft a tax policy bill next week. Please write to and/or call your Senator’s office today and deliver a simple message: "I understand that the Senate Finance Committee will soon be working on a tax incentives bill. I urge the Senator to speak with Chairman Hatch, and ask him to extend the renewable energy tax policies – without any changes – for as long as the other incentives are extended." CLICK HERE TO WRITE CLICK HERE TO CALL Time is of the essence – once this bill is written, it will be very hard to change it. We need you to weigh in and urge that it get done right the first time. More about this bill: The Senate Finance Committee is expected to craft a bill that extends tax credits that have expired or are set to expire at the end of this year. The renewable energy production and investment tax credits (PTC and ITC) are two of those provisions.  The extension of these credits matters to all of us. Without them, the great momentum we have under way in wind energy – a near record amount of wind under construction today – will come to a near halt, like we’ve seen before when Congress failed to extend these policies. By speaking up, you will let your Senator know that you care about gaining access to clean, homegrown, affordable power for your family and many, many others. A key member of the Finance Committee, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, wrote a letter to his colleagues the other day, saying, “I want to express my strong support for including a fair and equitable extension of the wind production tax credit in the Chairman’s Mark.” I hope that you can echo this support. Help us prove to the Senators that there are more people in America who can rally behind Senator Grassley’s sentiment than that of our opponents. Thank you in advance for taking the time to express your support! I will be in touch to let you know about our progress. Sincerely, Aaron Severn Senior Director, Federal Legislative Affairs                                                                                                          Contributions or gifts to the Power of Wind are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions. Power of Wind is leading a community movement for the smarter, fairer energy policies we need to unleash the promise of wind energy. Through our smart advocacy campaigns and access to wind energy experts at the American Wind Energy Association, we have the power to get our message heard loud and clear by elected leaders: The time is now for a cleaner, more affordable energy future. Power of Wind | 1501 M Street NW | Washington, DC www.powerofwind.org

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TOP CONSERVATIVE PUNDIT SUGGESTS THAT SERENA WILLIAMS WON WIMBLEDON BY CHEATING

TOP CONSERVATIVE PUNDIT SUGGESTS THAT SERENA WILLIAMS WON WIMBLEDON BY CHEATING shared from SCOTT WALKER WANTS TO RUN THE COUNTRY. HERE IS HOW HE RAN WISCONSIN. HOW TO TALK TO A FIVE-YEAR-OLD ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE GEORGE WILL IS THE CANARY IN AMERICAN DEMOCRACY'S COAL MINE 'HUNGER GAMES' STAR RIPS KYLIE JENNER FOR CORNROWS THINKPROGRESS | Center for American Progress Action Fund 1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor | Washington, DC 20005

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#ThisIsACoup: Greece Folds Like a Cheap Suit

#ThisIsACoup: Greece Folds Like a Cheap Suit Denis Campbell: The EU got greedy. They needed to humiliate and break Greece. There was even talk yesterday about a ‘temporary Grexit’ from the Union so they can get their affairs in order (read: accept the deal or we will crush you). READ HERE shared from

MONDAY, 13 JULY 2015 What the Trump Bump Really Means Mario Solis-Marich: If Trump would somehow wrangle the GOP nomination the election would essentially be over and Democrats could begin to chill the champagne and dust off the “Happy Days Are Here Again” vinyl records. READ MORE Friend on Facebook Follow on Twitter Forward to a Friend #ThisIsACoup: Greece Folds Like a Cheap Suit Denis Campbell: The EU got greedy. They needed to humiliate and break Greece. There was even talk yesterday about a ‘temporary Grexit’ from the Union so they can get their affairs in order (read: accept the deal or we will crush you). READ HERE An Inmate's Word to the Wise Ronald Patterson: My friends and I were fascinated with players, hustlers, gamblers, dealers, and gangsters. Ignorantly, we admired and emulated them. READ HERE DACA Under Attack: RallyThis Thursday Join our rally to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Deferred Action for Parents of Americans Programs. READ MORE Francis’s Environmental Encyclical Walter Moss: In urging us to live simple and wise lives, Pope Francis is almost poetic at times. Like Romantic poets, he often mentions the importance of nature and beauty. READ HERE

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Scott Walker's record on women is disturbing

Dear Friend,

He said forced ultrasounds "are just a cool thing out there."¹ He also just announced he's running for president.

Scott Walker's record on women is disturbing--he's called equal pay "a bogus issue" and pushed to have doctors to lie to pregnant women to prevent them from getting abortions.² And if you didn't know much about him before now, that's because not many people do.

That's why it's crucial that as many people as possible know about Scott Walker. Will you share this important graphic with everyone you know?³

 Click here for more sharing options.

Thanks for standing up.

--Nita, Shaunna, Kat, Karin, Adam, Gabriela, Holly, Kaili, Kathy, Onyi, Susan, Clarise, Anathea, Audine, Ryan, and Shannon, the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. Scott Walker, discussing abortion, says ultrasounds are "just a cool thing out there," The Washington Post, May 28, 2015

2. Scott Walker Reveals Extreme Views On Equal Pay, Think Progress, June 24, 2015

Scott Walker: Doctors Should Lie To Pregnant Women To Prevent Abortions, Think Progress, May 10, 2015

3. Scott Walker Quietly Repeals Wisconsin Equal Pay Law, The Huffington Post, April 6, 2012

Wisconsin Abortion Ban Would Allow Father To Sue For Emotional Distress, The Huffington Post, June 4, 2015

Fifth Planned Parenthood Clinic Closes In Wisconsin, The Huffington Post, September 25, 2014

6 anti-woman policies Scott Walker may want voters to forget, MSNBC, October 19, 2014

Gov. Walker backs 20-week abortion ban regardless of exemptions for rape, incest, Chicago Tribune, June 1, 2015

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Sneak Attack on Net Neutrality Picks Up Steam in the House,

Comcast's allies in Congress are threatening to shut down the federal government to block Net Neutrality. Will you chip in $5 to help fight back? I'll chip in $5 FRIEND— Comcast has gone nuclear. Their friends in Congress are threatening to shut down the federal government unless Net Neutrality is stopped. They've attached a provision blocking Net Neutrality to a must-pass spending bill that funds the federal government.1 Their strategy is simple: Faced with a possible government shutdown, Net Neutrality supporters will feel enormous pressure to give in. Congress could vote any day now on whether to remove the anti-Net Neutrality provision from the must-pass spending bill. It won't be easy, but if we win, Comcast is dead in the water. Will you chip in $5 to help save Net Neutrality? Using the threat of a government shut down is Comcast's most desperate attempt to stop Net Neutrality yet. We've already generated a massive public outcry, and with your help we can keep flooding Congress with phone calls and make sure that voters know which representatives vote against the free and open Internet. This is the very first vote in Congress since the FCC's historic rule went into effect. The stakes are huge. And we're counting on you to stand with us. Will you chip in $5 to help fund the grassroots organizing we need to win? Yes, I'll donate $5 to help defend Net Neutrality. Thanks for standing with us. —Sara, Watchdog.net I'll chip in $5 Source: 1. Sneak Attack on Net Neutrality Picks Up Steam in the House, Free Press, June 17, 2015 Watchdog.net 30 Ritchie Ave Silver Spring, MD 20910

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Some tips for how to talk to your teen about watching porn. HINT: It's not to tell them to stop.

Some tips for how to talk to your teen about watching porn. HINT: It's not to tell them to stop.

SHARED FROM

He was supposed to kill these 2 bear cubs. He saved them instead. Now he might lose his job.

Some tips for how to talk to your teen about watching porn. HINT: It's not to tell them to stop.

A mom wrote a letter to the NYC Ballet about her daughter's disability. They responded gracefully.

The TRUTH will set you FREE.

Save the Date - Evening for Peace - October 25

SHARED BY

Rick Wayman, Nuclear Age Peace Foundation rwayman@napf.org


The TRUTH will set you FREE.

We’re launching the #SaveGreatWhites Challenge.

Friend,

Every year, an estimated 100 million sharks are killed — three-quarters of them for their fins. Their fins are chopped off. Then, still alive, they are thrown back into the ocean where they suffocate or bleed to death.

The demand for shark fins and other shark products has had devastating impacts on these top predators. It has gotten so bad that last year for the first time ever, a shark was added to the U.S. endangered species list.

To help decrease the number of unnecessary shark deaths, Hammermill® Paper, the makers of Great White® recycled paper, andOcean Conservancy are teaming up — and we need your help.

We’re launching the #SaveGreatWhites Challenge. If you make a donation to Ocean Conservancy by July 12, your impact will double! Hammermill® will match all donations up to a total contribution of $12,500! Don’t miss this incredible opportunity.

Help save sharks — and all the ocean wildlife — donate $15 or more today. Your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar.

Last year, the scalloped hammerhead became the first shark species to receive protection under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Its population alone has shrunk from 155,500 to 26,500 in just 25 years, with shark finning listed as one of the major causes.

We must act now to protect sharks — and all the endangered species who call the ocean home.

Donate $15 or more today. Hammermill® Paper will match all donations dollar-for-dollar up to a total contribution of $12,500.

Thank you for all your support,

Marie Michelson
Vice President, Digital Strategy
Ocean Conservancy

The TRUTH will set you FREE.