Don't Just Stand There, Do Something: December 2013

Thanks for Speaking up!

"I think Putin and Russia have a big stake in making sure the Olympics work, and I think they understand that for most of the countries that participate in the Olympics, we wouldn't tolerate gays and lesbians being treated differently. They're athletes, they're there to compete. And if Russia wants to uphold the Olympic spirit, then every judgment should be made on the track, or in the swimming pool, or on the balance beam, and people's sexual orientation shouldn't have anything to do with it."

How We Can Help:

Please tell the President that what he said is a great start, but ask him to keep making public statements to Putin in order to start a global conversation about LGBT rights as Human Rights, and to make Sochi safe for everyone. www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Oh No! He Didn’t Say That!

Oh yes they did!

I hope Santa skipped these guys.

Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston actually said the following: “But one of the things I’ve talked to the secretary of agriculture about: Why don’t you have the kids pay a dime, pay a nickel, to instill in them that there is, in fact, no such thing as a free lunch? Or maybe sweep the floor of the cafeteria–and yes, I understand that that would be an administrative problem, and I understand that it would probably lose you money. But think what we would gain as a society in getting people–getting the myth out of their head–that there is such a thing as a free lunch."

When now-private citizen Michael Bloomberg was asked about an article about Dasani, an 11-year-old-girl who, by virtue of His Honor’s homeless policy, found herself living in one of New York’s homeless shelters, he replied, “She’s growing up in very challenging circumstances and fighting some difficult odds. This kid was dealt a bad hand. I don’t know quite why, that’s just the way God works sometimes. Some of us are lucky and some of us are not.”

For misinformation call this guy! For a moment during his filibuster he actually used these words, “Block Obama Care ‘cause if it works we won’t be able to get rid of it….people will get addicted to the sugar…. It’s just like the Nazis….”

In an interview with Duck Dynasty’s Bible-thumping Phil Robertson, Drew Magary asked, “What, in your mind, is sinful?” Robertson’s answer justified my repulsion at the ads for the show. “Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men…. Don’t be deceived…the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers–they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.”

Ian Bayne, congressional candidate from Illinois, actually went lower in defense of the duck dude than Robertson himself, "In December, 1955, Rosa Parks took a stand against an unjust societal persecution of black people, and in December, 2013, Robertson took a stand against persecution of Christians."

How We Can Help:

Tell each of the others above who piss you off what you think about his or her statements, why & how they can satisfy you.
1. Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston: www.kingston.house.gov
2. Mayor Bloomberg: www1.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/contact-the-mayor.page
3. Ted Cruz: www.cruz.senate.gov
4. Phil Robertson: www.duckcommander.com/contact-us

"We Must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle to feather their own nests." ~ Franklin D. Roosevelt

It occurred to me, as I sat with a wonderful group around the Thanksgiving diner table of a dear friend, how blessed I was to be able to enjoy such a delicious meal in such good company. Our conversation roamed from good stories to what’s happenings in the arts and in Washington DC to talk of our travels. After we’d enjoyed all we could eat and before the tryptophan kicked in, our hostess asked that we each state what we were most thankful for since last Thanksgiving. On the taxi ride home, I began to wonder how those fat cat House Republicans could enjoy their Thanksgiving meals while voting to cut $40 billion from the Food Stamp budget, thus taking food out of the mouths of recipients. Do they think the children of the poor don’t deserve nutrition, or do they just not care about the well-being of anyone unlike themselves? But then I thought, hell, they too are probably sitting down with friends and loved ones in the manner of the Pilgrims who gave thanks for their bounty in this new land (the land they had taken from its First People). Perhaps if those who oppose Food Stamps were asked to say what they were grateful for at their Thanksgiving, they might express appreciation for having no conscience to plague them, or for forgetting that America is supposed to be a country “…of the people, by the people, and for the people.“ In retrospect I’m adding to my own wealth of things to be grateful for the fact that the Republicans are finally showing the world how small-minded and unfit to serve they really are. And so I say, “Let ‘em eat crow!”

The NGO's serving, saving and restoring lives in Haiti are deeply in need of our support. After previous disasters in Haiti where corruption was rife, Common Dreams, which contributes “News & Views” for the progressive community, urges those of who would like to contribute that “In lieu of sending money to organizations with a dubious history in Haiti, those wanting to contribute to relief efforts were encouraged to support Haitian-led grassroots organizations like Konbit Sole Leve and Sakala, which have been providing emergency assistance and shelter."

Founded in 1954, The Humane Society of the United States celebrates animals and confronts cruelty — to all animals, not just dogs and cats. The HSUS takes on the biggest transformational fights to stop large-scale cruelties, such as animal fighting, puppy mills, factory farming, and the wildlife trade. They will pass anti-cruelty laws in every single nation, end extreme confinement of farm animals in cages, stop cosmetic testing on animals, halt cruelty to wildlife, and transform the landscape for pets in poverty. The HSUS and their affiliates also care for more than 100,000 animals each year, through their rescue teams, sanctuaries and wildlife centers, free veterinary care for low-income pet owners, and many other life-saving programs. www.humanesociety.org

ALS is a brain disease that is closely related to Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s. Also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, ALS targets brain cells called motor neurons. Motor neurons send messages from the brain to muscles throughout the body. In ALS, as motor neurons die, a person progressively loses the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe. In 1998, Jenifer Estess, a 35-year-old New York theater and film producer, was diagnosed with ALS. Her doctor told her to “max out her credit cards and eat junk food.” At that time clinicians and scientists were working separately on varying aspects of the disease. There was no structured effort underway to solve ALS until Jennifer Estess and her sisters formed this powerful NGO, Project ALS. Though Jennifer succumbed to the disease, the work that she and her sisters began is still in progress. www.projectals.org

People need healthy oceans to survive and to thrive. The Oceanic Society works to improve ocean health by addressing the root cause of its decline — human behavior. Simply put, the oceans are in trouble because people are putting too much into and taking too much out of them. Through our conservation travel programs, marine research, and investments in conservation, we are inspiring and empowering people at all levels of society to become better stewards of ocean ecosystems. Our mission is to conserve marine wildlife and habitats by deepening the connections between people and nature. You can learn more about how you can help the Oceanic Society through volunteering, donating, following your favorite species, and not throwing plastics in our waterways. After all, we don't want our garbage to destroy the oceans. www.oceanicsociety.org

Refoundry is an innovative not-for-profit that trains people who were formerly incarcerated to refurbish and repurpose discarded materials into unique furnishings. This helps them to create businesses and to support their communities. Prisons in the U.S. are big businesses, so there is less effort to rehabilitate inmates and teach them usable skills, than to warehouse large numbers of them for profit. So, there is a great need to support the 700,000 prisoners set free each year in their quest for gainful employment. Refoundry does just that. www.refoundry.org

Robert Reich’s work, including his pieces available on line at http://readersupportednews.org, stands among my favorite truth-telling when it comes to politics, government, and the economy of the United States. Reich's points of view are clear, concise, and above all, useful. Amazon.com says of this important writer: “Perhaps no one is better acquainted with the intersection of economics and politics than Robert B. Reich, and now he reveals how power and influence have created a new American oligarchy, a shrinking middle class, and the greatest income inequality and wealth disparity in eighty years.” I call this a must read!