[maddy29]

EZ ACTION ALERT!

Americans were shocked to learn this past weekend that a United States Representative, Mark Foley (R-FL), had been sending sexually-explicit e-mails and instant messages to 15- and 16-year-old boys interning in the House of Representatives. But the members of the House leadership -- foremost among them Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert -- were not shocked, because they already knew.

It's become quite clear in recent days that several other high-ranking members of the House of Representatives knew about Mr. Foley's despicable (and possibly illegal) behavior for months -- and took no steps to stop it.

Could it be that the House leadership cared more about protecting one of their own than protecting the safety of their teenage pages?

Tell your Representative that they should convene a special session of the House immediately to get to the bottom of who knew what, and when.

It has also been revealed that the FBI had copies of these email messages in July -- yet failed to act. Why? Was the Bush administration more concerned with protecting a powerful ally in Congress than with protecting children?

We need to get to the bottom of this matter immediately. In March of last year, Congress rushed back into special session to intervene in the case of Terry Schiavo. They should interrupt their campaigning, return to Washington, and insist on an immediate full investigation and disclosure.

Tell your Representative -- if the case of Terry Schiavo deserved a special session, so does getting to the bottom of who protected a sexual predator in their midst.

Want to increase your impact? Share this message with everyone you know who is outraged by potentially criminal activity in the House of Representatives.

Thank you for working to build a better world.

Will Easton
Manager, ActForChange.com
Working Assets


go to: http://www.workingforchange.com/activism/a...;afccode=n74jnb
to take action-really fast, really easy!

[maddy29]

Well yippy skippy!

"After months of discussion with the HSUS and weeks of hearing from concerned individuals like yourself, Ben & Jerry's has declared that it will adopt an exclusively cage-free egg policy for the eggs it uses in its ice cream.

This decision will improve the welfare of tens of thousands of animals annually. As you know, Ben & Jerry's is putting the chicken before the egg and making a dramatic improvement in its animal welfare policies. By committing to exclusively purchase eggs from producers who do not confine hens in battery cages—one of the most inhumane practices in modern agribusiness—Ben & Jerry's has taken a meaningful step in the right direction.

The Vermont-based frozen dessert company will phase in the exclusive use of cage-free eggs over a four-year period. Ben & Jerry's has also pledged that all of its cage-free eggs will only come from sources that meet the animal care standards of Humane Farm Animal Care, an independent farm animal welfare certifying organization.

Please thank Ben & Jerry's for improving the plight of the laying hens whose eggs its uses.

Thank you for all you did to help win this victory, and for all you're doing to help reduce the suffering of farm animals."

[nohope]

1 SDS and 4 IVAW Activists Arrested At Pentagon


Four veterans of the current war in Iraq and one supporter, a member of SDS Chicago, were detained at the Pentagon Saturday, September 9, after they attended an open house and left behind flyers providing information about the lethal effects of depleted uranium.

The arrestees were charged with “posting materials” and “disobeying a lawful order.” One of the veterans was not shy about saying that he placed an informational card about depleted uranium on a literature table in the Pentagon’s chapel, which is at the site of the 9-11 plane crash. The other literature on the table, produced at taxpayer expense, included camouflage covered copies of the New Testament and brochures about being a Christian in the military. The five were part of a larger group of veterans and peace activists in DC to attend Camp Democracy (www.campdemocracy.org) who wanted to see what the Pentagon’s open house had to offer. They took along the cards about depleted uranium for educational outreach but had no thought of committing civil disobedience. They were released after a few hours and held a press conference the next day at Camp Democracy. One of the veterans, Geoff Millard, spoke about his participation at Camp Democracy and his shock at having his First Amendment rights violated by the people who sent him to Iraq to fight for freedom. The four veterans arrested are active with Iraq Veterans Against the War, www.ivaw.org or 215-241-7123.

http://www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org/

Join the NEW sds!
http://www.studentsforademocraticsociety.o...join/index.html

By Mail:
Send $5.00 to:
SDS/MDS, Post Office Box 40921, New York, NY 10304
(You will receive a membership card and button).

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
Post Office Box 7213
Ann Arbor, MI 48107
info@studentsforademocraticsociety.org
http://www.studentsforademocraticsociety.org

Not a student? Join the Movement for a Democratic Society!

info@movementforademocraticsociety.org
http://www.movementforademocraticsociety.org

[maddy29]

Hey folks, I can't believe I had to go search for this old thread that hasn't been posted in! Gah! Can we reactivate this activism thread? I'd love for people to post links to "take action" stuff, letter writing, whatever.

For today-I want to express my outrage at Ben and Jerry's. Apparently, they buy their eggs from huge industrial farms that cage the birds and treat them horribly. I sent a letter to Ben and Jerry's and was told that "it's a complex issue."

Please write to them expressing your feelings about this- here is a template if you want one:

Ben and Jerry's
30 Community Drive
South Burlington, VT 05403

Dear Ben and Jerry's,

I've always considered Ben and Jerry's a socially responsible company, one that supports "small-scale family farmers." I'm shocked and disappointed that you have chosen to continue your support for battery cage factory farming. I have a hard time swallowing the fact that Ben & Jerry's is responsible for keeping tens of thousands of hens intensively confined in massive industrialized factory farms. You refuse to use eggs from caged birds in any of your European ice cream, sowhy are your standards falling short in the U.S.? Please keep your promises to end your use of eggs from caged hens.

comment_box@benjerry.com

This is what the guy wrote to me:

"Ben & Jerry's statement concerning Egg Supply.
>
> Thank you for expressing your concern about Ben &
> Jerry's sourcing of eggs for our ice cream. As you
> might imagine, this is a complex issue with experts
> expressing widely divergent views on the appropriate
> choices to make.
>
> We're actively looking into the pros and cons of all
> available options and will determine a course of
> action as soon as we believe we've found the best
> solution.
>
> Ben & Jerry's three-part mission statement commits
> us to equal concern for the product, economic and
> social mission components of our business. We will
> will continue to use our mission statement and our
> values as guidelines, not only in regards to the
> sourcing of eggs, but also in the context of our
> overall commitment to address a variety of issues
> related to social and economic justice and our
> environment.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Rob Michalak
> Director of Social Mission"

[nohope]

A Campus Campaign for Starbucks Baristas and Coffee Farmers

http://www.iww.org/en/node/2548