“Today's sentencing of human rights lawyer Steven Donziger should be front-page news ringing alarm bells anywhere people are concerned about democracy, abuses of corporate power, and the rule of law. The real crime here is the death and disease resulting from Chevron's poisoning of the drinking water of thousands of Indigenous...
Environmental Justice
Not about authoritarian horseshoes or even close hand grenades. The “environmental” claims of RWNjs or even wise use advocates is also about corporate land use, private property NIMBYism/sovereignty, and constraining minority populations via immigration. Even the New Zealand terrorist’s manifesto proclaimed a ecofascist threat was largely about fearing indigenous people because of...
The sparse number of actual carbon capture and sequestration projects plus weak carbon markets amplify the problems of the climate crisis yet to be revisited, post-Trump. Two heartland examples in North Dakota and Texas show how there are several interlocking problems addressing the climate crisis that must be included in future environmental policy. More specifically...
“Pena que a cavalaria brasileira não tenha sido tão eficiente quanto a americana, que exterminou os índios” “It’s a shame that the Brazilian cavalry hasn’t been as efficient as the Americans, who exterminated the Indians.” Jair Bolsanaro via Correio Braziliense newspaper Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsanaro, may face charges for crimes against...
M-i-c-k-e-y, Why because we like it. M-M-MMT. “We collectively decide just what counts as a resource, economic base, or productive work.” OTOH, it could all be trippin’ on bong hits. The superlative science fiction writer Kim Stanley Robinson’s latest novel, The Ministry For The Future, is essentially about using MMT to...
The crises facing the country are severe — from a pandemic to an economic recession, climate change to racial injustice — and the transition team will continue preparing at full speed so that the Biden-Harris Administration can hit the ground running on Day One. Biden Transition Team As I write...
If you give a climate arsonist four more years in the White House, why would anyone be surprised if we have more of America ablaze — Joe Biden Vice President Joe Biden’s climate plan has received rave reviews across the planet. Many have hope that the United States carrot and...
Received this e-mail today from former presidential candidate, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D. MA), in support of her colleague, U.S. Senator Ed Markey’s (D. MA) re-election campaign: I'm glad to endorse Ed Markey, my partner in the United States Senate, for re-election this year. As an author of the Green...
Some very big news today out of South Carolina: South Carolina’s 2020 U.S. Senate race is neck-and-neck with just three months to go until Election Day, as Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison’s well-funded campaign appears to have significantly narrowed the gap against Republican incumbent Lindsey Graham, according to a new poll...
Received this e-mail today from former presidential candidate, Gov. Jay Inslee (D. WA), on behalf of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in support former Vice President and Democratic Nominee, Joe Biden’s climate plan: Joe Biden Every day under Donald Trump feels like the world is falling apart. Sadly, when it...
Huffington Post has an article out about the list of 48 lawmakers, activists, union leaders and academics Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders have agreed upon to help craft the Democratic policy platform and shape the direction of Biden’s Administration. Give the piece a read but here’s the full list: Climate...
Received this e-mail today from former presidential candidate, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I. VT): I am writing to you today to ask if you can contribute to some excellent candidates running for state legislatures. But first, I would like to take a moment to say why your support is so...
Joel Segal was instrumental in writing H.R. 676, the original Medicare for All bill under Congressman John Conyers. It’s one of the gold standards. Joel Segal talks universal healthcare Watch the entire episode here. Joel will talk much more than Medicare for All. We discuss his impact on Obamacare, his new passions,...
Received this e-mail today from U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I. VT): I am writing to you today to ask if you can make a contribution to stand with five great progressive candidates who are running for re-election to the House of Representatives. Here is the truth: With the pandemic and...
Received this e-mail last night from the League of Conservation Voters in support of Joe Biden’s presidential campaign: I have some big news to share with you. For the last thirty-nine years, I’ve dedicated my life to public service to advance action to solve the greatest challenge humanity has ever...
I am someone who has always preached party unity. Since U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I. VT) endorsed Joe Biden, I am more than happy to return the favor by not only helping candidates flip seats but also help Sanders’ allies stay in Congress. Received this e-mail today from Senator Sanders...
Received this e-mail today from former Vice President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign: Last week we asked for you to tell us which of Joe Biden’s plans you want to hear more about, and we got thousands of great responses! But our top response, from more than 21,000 of you, was...
Received this e-mail today. from Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D. MA-07). on behalf of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee in support of Marie Newman’s (D. IL-03) campaign: Marie Newman (D. IL-03) This is Ayanna Pressley — Representative from the MA-07, Warren campaign co-chair, and proud member of the Squad. I’m asking...
Attention all Arizona Kossacks: Former Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro will campaign in Arizona Tuesday on behalf of Elizabeth Warren. Castro dropped out of the race in January and endorsed Warren. The former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development will start the day at 9:15 a.m. in Phoenix with...
Received this e-mail from the Progressive Change Campaign Committee: We're thrilled today to introduce our next round of congressional endorsements. No matter what happens with the presidential primary, we can't stop building power in Congress. (And I know everyone is thinking about Iowa right now, but some of these elections...
TODAY 3PM ET; Noon PT: How To Win The Climate Struggle photo: Climate Activists Demand the Declaration of a Climate Emergency, (Takver • CC BY-SA 2.0) In solidarity, Mike Hersh for Alan, Mike F., Dan, Deb, Janis, Kimberly, Bryan, Dr. Bill, and Donna—Your PDA National Team Join Activists On The...
[democracy id=”27″]
Archives photo: PDA Executive Director Alan Minsky and Friend In solidarity, Mike Hersh for Alan, Mike F., Dan, Janis, Deb, Dr. Bill, Donna, Kimberly, and Bryan—your PDA national team. Tell The DNC And The News Networks:We Need Debate Questions About Poverty Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) staffers watched and...
“Ice shelves are the most vulnerable parts of Antarctica’s ice sheet system and we know that they are shrinking, but what we didn’t know before this work was how that was impacting the grounded ice behind them.” Helen Amanda Fricker, Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Disheartening news out of Antarctica, once again,...
In Puerto Rico, the economy depends on tourist dollars. Tourists and locals alike are drawn to the island’s sun-kissed beaches for fun in the sun. But sea-level rise from thermal expansion and the melting of polar ice caps has begun to erode the beaches. The width of beaches is decreasing,...
I attended public school growing up in Oklahoma. After I graduated from the University of Houston, a public university where tuition cost only $50 a semester, my first job was as a special education teacher at a public school in New Jersey. I later attended a public law school. I...
photo: PDA Florida Rallies For “Windmills Not Weapons” With gratitude in my heart and the future in mind, Russell Greene for Alan, Deb, Mike F., Mike H., Dr. Bill, Dan, Janis, Kimberly, Bryan, and Shayna—Your PDA National Team Join Progressive Democrats Of AmericaAs We Address The Climate Emergency Last month,...
photo: Alan Minsky, Executive Director – Progressive Democrats of America at the European Parliament Yours in solidarity, Alan Minsky for Mike F, Mike H, Janis, Deb, Dan, Shayna, Dr. Bill, Kimberly, and Bryan—your PDA National Team Forging Bonds of Solidarity with Progressives in Europe Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is...
Received this e-mail today from Democracy for America: Before she was walking the halls of Congress, throwing conservatives and Fox News into a tizzy, Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez advocated for a Green New Deal to create more clean energy jobs, drastically cut carbon emissions, and do what it takes to avert the worst impacts of...
In solidarity, Mike Fox for Alan, Dr. Bill, Dan, Janis, Deb, Kim, Bryan, Mike H., and Shayna — Your PDA National Team The Green New Deal Continues To Grow The Green New Deal campaign revolutionary not only because of it’s aggressive progressive agenda, but also because it resonates so well...
Ilhan Poised To Be One of the First Muslim Women in Congress—MoveOn Members Endorsed, Supported Her Campaign Statement from Rahna Epting, Election Program Managing Director, for MoveOn Political Action on Ilhan Omar’s win in Minnesota’s 5th congressional district Democratic primary. “Ilhan Omar’s victory represents the future of the progressive movement....
Sanders has some work to do to win the Democratic nomination, but for the sake of entertaining ourselves, there’s no harm in wondering who would make a good vice-presidential running mate. And maybe it’s not too early to discuss. Traditionally, candidates wait until they’ve won the nomination to pick a running...
Seven community members and concerned citizens are blockading entrances to the Koch Carbon Transfer Terminal (KCBX) on Chicago's Southeast side. The blockade began at 8am Monday morning. By 9am they were joined by 10th ward Chicago Alderwoman Susan Garza who sat in support with the blockaders. Over a dozen trucks...
Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis visited Chicago to host a sold out premier showing of their new documentary film, This Changes Everything. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it. I know the issue well. I've seen plenty of climate change documentaries before. But the filmmakers won me over at the start...
When Rahm Emanuel became mayor, the city of Chicago was making lists of top green cities in America. During the election he pledged support to a community movement aimed at closing the polluting Fisk & Crawford coal plants. But after taking office, Emanuel significantly increased Chicago's use of fossil fuels...
Will the climate movement have a serious contender for President in 2016? Now's the time to find someone strong on the most urgent crisis of our time and serious about winning the White House. Should that candidate be Hillary Clinton? She says the right things. But the most significant actions...
The trouble with letting television tell the story of our recent history is that it tends to overemphasize events designed for the camera. For example, the made-for-TV version of the civil rights struggle highlights a clip of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking in front of the Lincoln Memorial as the...
Bloomberg News reviews studies on the link between birth defects and living near fracking sites. It's compelling. Multiple studies show increased rates of congenital heart defects, low birth weight, and stillbirths. A spokesperson for the fracking industry propaganda outfit, Energy in Depth, responded. “The body of scientific knowledge has to...
Illinois is facing an extraction crisis. Expanded coal mining and the looming threat of fracking will create an unprecedented two-pronged threat to southern and central Illinois. Grassroots groups on the front lines of the extraction crisis raised the alarm in a letter to the Illinois General Assembly. The letter calls...
The three Democrats running in Illinois' 13th Congressional district primary recently answered my questions about climate change and energy issues. It's one of the hottest Congressional races in the nation since freshman incumbent Republican Rodney Davis narrowly won with merely 46.5% of the vote in 2012. The central Illinois district...
Since I posted video of the other Illinois fracking hearings I thought I'd do one more for the Decatur and Carbondale hearings. The sound is poor on most of my video from Decatur so I'm only posting about 15 minutes. Roughly 400 citizens came to the Decatur hearing, making it...