MainLinePeaceAction

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

From Bill McKibben And 350

Dear friends,
We woke up this morning with a deep sense of sadness. Hurricane Sandy has brought serious hardship to many of the people we love and places we treasure. Large parts of the Northeast are underwater, millions are still without power, and tens of thousands have been evacuated from their homes. Last night the floodwaters were swirling around the bottom floor of our Brooklyn offices.
Right now, the most important thing we can do is come together as a community and support the relief efforts that are already underway. Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll also try and share more ways to get involved in relief efforts in your community. Please stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter account for updates as community based efforts come together.
But we're not going to simply mourn our losses. The images coming out of the Atlantic seaboard, and from the refugee camps in Haiti, made us not just sad but angry. This was a literally unprecedented storm. It had lower barometric pressure, higher storm surge, and greater size than the region had ever seen before. It's as out of kilter as the melting Arctic or the acidifying ocean. And if there was any poetic justice, it would be named Hurricane Chevron or Hurricane Exxon, not Hurricane Sandy.
These fossil fuel corporations are driving the climate crisis and spending millions to block solutions. Instead of buying climate silence, the fossil fuel industry should be funding climate relief.
We’ve set up a page where you can donate to relief efforts, as well as call on Big Oil, Coal and Gas to take the money they’re spending on political campaigning this election and put it toward disaster relief instead:
www.350.org/sandy
At the same time as we recover, we also have another important task to do: connecting the dots between Hurricane Sandy, climate change, and the fossil fuel industry that is helping cause this crisis.
Our web team set up a site where you can share photos and stories of Hurricane Sandy’s impact in your area -- click here to see what's already come in: connect.climatedots.org
The best photos are something like what we all put together during Climate Impacts Day in May: you, or a group of folks from your community, gathered near an example of Sandy's impacts, with a big dot or a simple sign that explains what happened. Once you submit them, we'll do everything we can to get the word out to our social networks and friends in the media. The sooner you can get us a photo the better. Click here to submit your photo and your story.
Sandy is what happens when the temperature goes up one degree. The scientists who predicted this kind of megastorm have issued another stark warning: if we stay on our current path, our children will live on a super-heated planet that's four or five degrees warmer than it is right now. We can't let that happen, so let's get to work.
Many thanks,
Bill McKibben and the entire 350.org team


350.org is building a global movement to solve the climate crisis. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter, and sign up for email alerts. You can help power our work by getting involved locally, sharing your story, and donating here.



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Monday, October 29, 2012

Wanna Be A Servant?

At the turn of the last century, a large portion of the employable worked as domestic servants or in other fields serving the needs of the elite.  Is that the future for young people now that manufacturing and technical  jobs are moving overseas?  An interesting article.

http://ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2012104328/keeping-rich-comfy-your-job-future

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Everything Is Not Sweet At Hershey's

This article from The Nation describes the funny business that has been going on at Hershey - its boardroom and its famous school - for years, often to the benefit of the Republican Party, always to the benefit of Pennsylvania businessmen.  The position of Attorney General in Pennsylvania has been elective for thirty-two years, but has always been held by a Republican - recently by now-Governor Corbett who showed no more interest in the Hershey shenanigans than he did in Jerry Sandusky's ways with young boys.  Now a woman Democrat is likely to win the A-G job, and it might get really interesting. 

http://www.thenation.com/article/170640/bitter-chocolate-hersheys-broken-trust?rel=emailNation#

Racial Bias - It's Not Getting Better

This disheartening AP report tells us that anti-Black and anti-Latino prejudice affects more than half the American people.  In the case of anti-Black bias, it has gotten worse since 2008.

http://beavercountyblue.org/2012/10/27/white-racial-resentment-the-elephant-in-the-room/

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Bill Moyers Sunday at Noon

Bill Moyers and guests discuss the rhetoric and reality of the Presidential campaign and banking reform.  WHYY-TV Philadelphia Noon Sunday.  Or click on the link to watch now.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=dhisqkiab&v=0015qcJ7P_42YgKkXk9gM0LkfUKS_adp_VkezGPS-wYhVK5_zGMrq_K3DywM0Xs2IJ4PWHSK2VlITg88kaVvaRuOWaVEiVTnT8m8vJZaLCEULbM1-PFp2YSFw%3D%3D

Friday, October 26, 2012

Horses, Bayonets, and Ships.

From Jo Comerford and our friends at National Priorities.
 

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

THANKSGIVING SATURDAY
NOVEMBER 24
NOON - 5PM

Welcome to
LOCKHEED-VILLE
where the profits of war matter,and people don't
_________________________________

Shanty-town encampment...Vigil for Justice at Lockheed Martin
230 Mall Boulevard
(corner of Mall & Goddard Blvds.), King of Prussia, PA

Just behind the King of Prussia Mall.
Bring your tent (if you can) and umbrella in the event of rain


Brandywine Peace Community, P.O. Box 81, Swarthmore, PA 19081
(610) 544-1818 www.brandywinepeace.com

Let FDR Warn You

Sound familiar?  This was Franklin Roosevelt seventy-six years ago.

Monday, October 22, 2012

Lose The Chemicals

A new study shows how much better our farms could operate with reasonable crop rotation and a very selective and sparing use of chemicals.  Mark Bittmann writes about it.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/19/a-simple-fix-for-food/?src=rechp

Austerity Doesn't Work

Insanity is the condition in which a person continually repeats an action though it has never worked.  Albert Einstein said something like that.  Many European countries (and American politicians) are similarly insane.  Paul Krugman delineates how crazy these people are.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/krugman-triumph-of-the-wrong.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Living Under Drones: A Report From Pakistan

There will be a program on drones, a report from Pakistan, at the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, 3620 Locust Walk, Steinberg Hall-Dietrich Hall, Room 109, on Monday, October 29, at 6:30pm.
A first-hand report by the US anti-war/anti-drone delegation to Pakistan.  Speakers are:
     Joe Lombardo - National Coordinator, United Antiwar Coalition
     Peter Lems - American Friends Service Committee
     Marjorie VanCleef, WILPF, speaking about drone research and development at Drexel & Penn.
Details:  www.phillyagainstwar.org. or www.dolphin.upenn.edu/pakistan/.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Gail Collins On Guns & Presidents

Why is gun control the issue that dares not speak its name?  Even when a Long Island housewife asked about it during the debate this week, both candidates did their best to skate around it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/opinion/collins-the-least-popular-campaign-subject-gun-control.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20121020&_r=0

Bill Moyers Sunday

Sunday, Noon-1pm, Bill Moyers and guests discuss how the super-rich confuse their interests with those of the nation.  In Philadelphia, WHYY-TV, Channel 12.  Or click on the link to watch it on internet.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=dhisqkiab&v=001_bti-hHe0Cy9Xs2R1JzvTwB2SgBOvFi5-kFOZ0N7-RyZyxVWmZQ7cJnjiAE3G5i5BJc4fDXf-WAl08e8XbMzmoVm-7_N4wAJ0dzzcs5msgDT6Vy84Yb5TQ%3D%3D
For more information on Social Security, visit bit.ly/socialsecurityfactsheet

Friday, October 19, 2012

Fewer Young Voters

Youngest Voters Favor Obama but Are Uneasy With Politics, Poll Finds

By Libby Sander The Chroncile of Higher Education
Oct 17, 2012 – On the eve of the next presidential election, young Americans are showing far less enthusiasm for voting—and much greater skepticism about the political process—than they did four years ago, according to a new poll from Harvard University’s Institute of Politics.
Nearly two-thirds of the 18- to 29-year-olds in the poll, released on Wednesday, said they were registered to vote. Fifty-two percent said they thought President Obama would be re-elected, while 15 percent thought he would lose. They overwhelmingly favored the incumbent on such matters as the economy, immigration reform, health-care policy, and foreign policy.
But young voters also indicated a clear uneasiness with the electoral process, and with Congress. Disenchantment was strongest among voters between 18 and 24 years old. Four years ago, 43 percent of voters in that age group said they were politically active; now only 22 percent do.

The sharp decrease hints at a schism within the millennial generation that researchers plan to examine further, said John Della Volpe, director of polling for the institute, in a conference call with reporters
“I think we’re headed for a pretty significant step back in participation and turnout,” he said.
In all, the poll results are a stark contrast from four years ago. Shortly before the 2008 election, 66 percent of voters between 18 and 24 said they were “definitely likely” to vote in the presidential election. This month only 48 percent said so.
Today’s college students, especially those who are 18 or 19 years old, have a set of experiences different from those of the young voters who ushered Mr. Obama into office four years ago, Mr. Della Volpe said. In some cases, their views are shaping up to be more conservative than those of voters just a few years older.
“They’ve grown up with hyperpartisanship in Washington, a great recession where they see their friends and family members losing their jobs and their houses,” he said. “Their views of politics have been shaped more by that than by the foreign-policy decisions made in the first part of the decade.”
That more-subdued view of politics, he said, could still provide an 11th-hour opportunity for Mitt Romney, whose campaign hasn’t fully connected with the nation’s youngest voters.
“Drive directly to college campuses, speak directly to freshmen and sophomores about the economy,” Mr. Della Volpe said, as though giving pointers to the Republican nominee. “They’re just different from their older brothers and sisters. There’s still an opening there.”

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

(M) An excellent quote!

Posted on the Being Liberal fan page.

How Much Navy Do We Need?

Your blog has tried to steer clear of the political campaign, but the Romney push for a greatly expanded navy is too much to ignore.  Romney wants to set military spending at 4% of GDP - regardless of need or other demands on the federal budget.  That makes as much sense as saying you're going to eat a pound of meat every day no matter what happens to your weight or cholesterol levels.

http://www.defensenews.com/article/20121007/DEFREG02/310070001/Mitt-Romney-8217-s-Big-Plans-U-S-Navy?odyssey=tab|topnews|img|FRONTPAGE

Saturday, October 13, 2012

Bill Moyers & Co

Don't miss this edition of Moyers & Company - WHYY-TV, Ch. 12, in Philly - tomorrow, Sunday, October 14 at Noon.  Bill and guests will talk about climate change and judicial elections.

http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?llr=dhisqkiab&v=001Jh0o9o-zSlIECf8Go0bV85cnQH8Y8Ouwh_r9hxTWHcXEsDmfish7vhxTdOgN4A_RymURW4wjL33NseBOjP0c33zmppYNQne4llrBMNodT9ket-HAl1PylA%3D%3D

Friday, October 12, 2012

Even The IMF Knows Better

Europe is showing us that austerity is not the way to recover from recession.  And the IMF said as much in its last report.  Our favorite economist, Paul Krugman knows that stimulus and spending are the only thing that will get the economy going again.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/12/opinion/krugman-triumph-of-the-wrong.html?ref=opinion&_r=0

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Defend Social Security!

Here are informed responses to those who would cut or kill Social Security.  The system is sound and essential to millions of Americans.  You can help defend it by bring informed.

http://www.ourfuture.org/fact-sheets-briefs/2012104110/smart-talk-protecting-social-security

Monday, October 8, 2012

First Friday Film Announced

The Peace Center of Delaware County presents its First Friday film, "Waltz With Bashir", on the big screen at 7pm, Friday, November 2.   1001 Old Sproul Road (behind Mr. Car Wash), Springfield, PA.
Free.  Details: www.delcopeacecenter.org.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Kristoff On The Causes Of Cancer

Lately we've seen dozens of Penn State students with coffee cans collecting money to "fight cancer."  We get frequent phone calls about it too.  But "fighting cancer" seems to involve things like chemotherapy, radiation, and hospital care.  It  never seems to be about finding and eliminating the causes of cancer.  Nicholas Kristoff today writes about a known cause of cancer: formaldehyde.  But Dow, and Dupont, and big energy have been fighting a long, and so far successful, campaign to hide that fact and suppress research on the subject.  Sound like cigarettes and big tobacco?  Same tactics.  Read Kristoff and start demanding some answers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/opinion/sunday/kristof-the-cancer-lobby.html?_r=1&ref=opinion

Coming To A Theater Near You!

  • Howard Zinn's Voices of a People's History

    Howard Zinn’s Voices of a People’s History

    A Philadelphia Premiere Production

    TICKETS!

    The true stories of an extraordinary history of ordinary people who built the movements that made the United States what it is today, ending slavery and Jim Crow, protesting war and genocide, advancing gay and women’s rights, and struggling to right wrongs of the day. Based on the companion book to Howard Zinn’s best-selling A People’s History of the United States, these performances bring to life the words of the famous and the forgotten from U.S. history through live readings by actors of speeches, letters, essays, poems, and more!
    Co-presented by Iron Age Theatre, Plays & Players, and South Camden Theatre Company
    Co-directed by John Doyle and Daniel Student
    For tickets to October 21 at 7pm at The Centre Theater in Norristown, PA, visit www.ironagetheatre.org.
    For tickets to October 27 at 2pm at South Camden Theatre Company in Camden, NJ, visit www.southcamdentheatre.org or call 866-811-4111.

    For tickets to November 10 at 8pm at Plays & Players in Philadelphia, PA, click here or call 800-595-4849.

    October 21 at 7pm
    October 27 at 2pm
    November 10 at 8pm
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    Saturday, October 6, 2012

    Of The 1%, For The 1%

    This review of Columbia professor Joseph Stiglitz's new book, The Price of Inequality, explains why productivity, which used to climb during recessions, now has dropped during this one:  companies used to keep their workers as a hedge against economic improvement, but are now laying off more workers [as anyone can see if he's ever tried to find sales help in a large store]. 

    http://magazine.columbia.edu/reviews/fall-2012/1-1

    Spending Money The Military Way

    Whenever you look at military spending, you see waste - sometimes on a vast scale (like new aircraft carriers or German bases) and sometimes, as with camouflage uniforms, on a scale that would be considered vast (like $10,000,000,000) only in a non-military setting.  This article is about how each of the services has thrown away money on new military camouflage uniforms.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/why-camouflage-uniforms-arent-uniform/2012/10/03/0a7f4d6c-0ccc-11e2-a310-2363842b7057_story.html

    Monday, October 1, 2012

     Petition to get the Senate to stop playing political games and support our veterans with the help they need to rejoin the American workforce by passing S. 3457, Veterans Jobs Corps Act of 2012. If you wish to sign this petition, click on the URL below:
    http://signon.org/sign/jobs-for-veterans-filibuster?source=s.icn.em.cp&r_by=5391350
    A