The mission of Frack-Free LA County is to ban fracking, acidizing and other extreme hydrocarbon extraction methods that cause adverse health and environmental effects in Los Angeles County, and to set the precedent for other cities or counties to follow in suit. What is "fracking"? Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” is the process of injecting millions of gallons of water, volumes of sand and gravel, and tens of thousands of gallons of known [...]
Ways to Provide Solidarity to People in Houston Thousands are suffering because of Hurricane Harvey and spillover flooding since this weekend. Many of us are wondering how we can volunteer and donate to help the many in hard-hit areas. We all know that showing solidarity in trying times is an important part of what we do and why we do it as progressives. Local relief groups, progressive organizations, unions, and immigrant [...]
Standing Rock: Its Meaning by Courage the Activist What you’re witnessing in North Dakota right now are all seven bands of the Lakota together again after 150 years. You’re witnessing 12,000 people roughing -20° F nights to gather in prayer and exhaust more forms of non-violent direct action than I’ve ever seen a movement employ. What you’re witnessing are 300 tribes that have found a common fight to wage: a gathering of [...]
Veterans Reinforce Indigenous Frontline by Nio T. Dec. 4, 2016 marks the historic day US veterans stood up to rising fascism and police state terror. Veteran warriors from all walks of life joined in solidarity, kindness and love to combat oppression from Morton County ND Sheriff’s deputies and Energy Transfer Partner’s security forces. I came with many veterans wearing ragtag armor, prepared for retaliation by the oppressors. Veterans marched because we'd sworn [...]
We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident by James Hansen and Sophie Kivlehan (excerpts from video transcript) https://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2016/20161209_Transcript.pdf I’m Jim Hansen, director of Climate Science, Awareness and Solutions Program at Columbia Univ. Earth Institute, and this is my granddaughter, Sophie. I’m Sophie Kivlehan. I'm one of 21 young people who, along with my grandfather, filed suit against our government concerning human-caused climate change. Our government has taken deliberate actions that violate the [...]
Fighting for Our Lives Again: No Dakota Access Pipeline Struggle in Historical Context httpss://therednation.org/2016/09/18/fighting-for-our-lives-nodapl-in-context/ by Nick Estes - September 18, 2016 Thousands are camped along the banks of the Missouri River at Cannon Ball in the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation to halt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL; #NoDAPL), which proposes to carry half a million barrels of heavy crude oil a day across four states, under the Missouri River [...]
THE PRESIDENT'S “LEFTOVERS” By Rob Macon As the election approaches, President Obama prepares to walk the Oval Office one final time. Many agree Obama has done an outstanding job concerning the nation’s economy. Then there are what we can identify as “leftovers.” Leftovers are conditions prevailing during the Obama Administration, as well as past presidents, that the administration was unable to finish, leaving the next administration to solve such problems as poverty, [...]
Shut Down the DNC by Chris Hedges https://www.truthdig.com/report/item/shut_down_the_democratic_national_convention_20160605 On July 25, opening day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Cheri Honkala, leader of the Poor People’s Economic Human Rights Campaign, who was denied a permit to march by city authorities, will rally with thousands of protesters outside City Hall. Defying the police, they will march up Broad Street to the convention. We will recapture our democracy in the streets of cities [...]
by Nancy Lawrence On Sept. 19, I went to NY as part of the Labor Community Strategy Center/Fight for the Soul of the Cities to take part in the Peoples Climate March. Of course this was more than just a march. The rally was organized by Big Green groups 350.Org and Avaaz. This was in response to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's closed-door session of "world leaders" on climate change, which was [...]
By Kent Minault I want to talk here about the work being done by labor activists and environmentalists. Environmentalists are getting more and more concerned about job creation, and labor unions are looking more and more toward solar energy and mandated efficiency programs to keep their members working. This convergence of interests is creating policy moves around the country that are shaking up the received wisdom about economic growth being dependent on [...]
