May 9, 2008 2:45 PM

Washington State Finally Gets Wilderness Protection

Washington State last had any Wilderness designated. Yesterday, President Bush signed into the Wild Sky Wilderness legislation supported by both Senators Patty Murray and Senator Cantwell, which will designate 106,000 acres in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest northeast of Seattle. CREDO members sent in thousands of letters over the last 6 years to push Congress to pass the Wild Sky Wilderness legislation and now Washingtonians can finally rejoice.

Washington State is often a leader on environmental issues and Wilderness is just one way we can protect the environment for the future. Yet, Bill Gates wants to take us two steps back in protecting the environment by investing on coal powered projects. Gates' personal investment company, Cascade Investment Management, is the largest stakeholder in Otter Tail Corporation, the lead sponsor of the controversial Big Stone II coal project in Minnesota. Washingtonians should celebrate the victory on protecting wilderness, but keep up the fight by tell Bill Gates to stop investing in dirty coal and instead invest in renewable energy sources such as wind, solar or geothermal power. Click here to send Bill Gates an e-mail today.

May 8, 2008 12:04 PM

Yangon, Myanmar: "People tell stories of spending the night of the cyclone hanging onto trees all night long"

The international community's frustration with the Myanmar government's intransigence continues. In the face of continuing delays in allowing aid into the country, it seems that the U.S. is now considering air drops, although it's acknowledged that this is a far from ideal situation, but better than nothing. However, one aid group is in Myanmar and already sending out reports on the devastation. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a group that we're supporting in 2008, is there on the ground, and its head of mission in Yangon sends a voice from the field:

People are extremely traumatized. One man, a sailor, told us his village had been completely destroyed. He said he had no news of the 4,000 inhabitants of a neighboring village, which is to this day still under water. People tell stories of spending the night of the cyclone hanging on to trees all night long, while watching their villages being destroyed.

For the full story, click here. Although MSF is doing what they can, much, much more aid is needed. MSF urges the Myanmar government to issue emergency visas and allow relief shipments to arrive.

May 7, 2008 10:36 AM

Losing in Afghanistan

Did anyone notice the report in yesterday's Wall Street Journal reporting that "the Pentagon has concluded that it can't send more troops to Afghanistan until sizable numbers of forces withdraw from Iraq".

It seems widely acknowledged that more troops are needed in Afghanistan, and nobody else is willing to send anything more than a few hundred.

We are out of troops. Zero sum game.

So the choice is pretty simple. We let the Taliban keep gaining strength in Afghanistan so we can maintain a failed policy in Iraq. Is it relevant that it was, after all, the Taliban who supported bin Laden, who after all really did attack the U.S.?

I wonder what John McCain would do while not dreaming about bombing Iran?

May 7, 2008 10:06 AM

Dose of Durst

Democrats always get tagged with being elitist: a euphemism for someone who thinks too much. An accusation George Bush was never required to defend.

May 6, 2008 3:18 PM

How to Help the People of Burma

The number of deaths and missing is staggering - and growing rapidly. Fortunately, several long standing experienced relief organizations who are partners of Working Assets/CREDO are already in Burma or working with local partners. They deserve our immediate support:

Mercy Corps, Oxfam America and Doctors Without Borders

Some have argued that the existence of a brutal military junta makes relief less relevant. I would suggest that the very oppression of the Burmese people makes our generosity all the more important.

Continue reading How to Help the People of Burma

May 6, 2008 9:08 AM

"Do not waste your time on Social Questions. What is the matter with the poor is Poverty; what is the matter with the rich is Uselessness." - George Bernard Shaw

Talking of which - details have started to trickle out this week on Jenna Bush's "low-key" wedding at the Bush ranch in Texas. She'll wear an Oscar de la Renta wedding dress and have 14 attendants. The ceremony will take place in front of a specially erected monument (no, not a statue of Karl Rove).

In contrast, yesterday also saw a run-up of a different kind. May 10 is Stamp Out Hunger Day, the nation's largest single-day food drive. America's Second Harvest, one of our 2008 ballot groups, has begun a weeklong photo essay series spotlighting Americans at risk of hunger. The first essay featured Diana:

In the remote regions of New Mexico, people living near the poverty line have limited options for both food and employment. Even with a steady job, Diana still finds it hard to make ends meet in the small town of Cuba, New Mexico. She is often forced to either pay inflated food prices at the local grocery store, or drive nearly 90 miles to Albuquerque for more reasonably-priced food. But with the rising price of gasoline, even that option has become untenable. A single mother raising four children, Dianna is utilizing every resource she can for self-improvement and assistance for her family, from continuing education programs to government resources, to the local food pantry supplied by the Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. She says the money she saves by visiting the pantry each month helps her to make it through the winter months, when high utility costs used to force her to choose between buying food or paying her heating bill. The food pantry gives her the food and support she needs to keep her family well-fed, and the hope to keep striving for a better tomorrow.

May 5, 2008 10:17 AM

Dose of Durst

Can't wait to get my tax rebate.
Still haven't decided if I'm going to blow it on a tank of gas or a bag of rice. Will probably flip a coin. If I can borrow one.

May 2, 2008 10:22 AM

"A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus" - E. B. White

O.K. stop the groaning - apparently American farmers' sense of humus went missing long ago. Soaring food costs - George Bush is blaming the farmers, the farmers are blaming oil prices (and there must be a song in there somewhere). Others point the finger at "domestic and global economic growth, global weather, rising input costs for energy, international export restrictions, and new product markets, particularly biofuels." - they left out the war on terror and presidential primaries.

Meanwhile wrangling over The Farm Bill continues. America's Second Harvest, one of the 2008 ballot groups, is urging a swift resolution to this seemingly endless saga. The organization is facing a crisis year, having seen a 17-percent increase in service over the past three months, and 1.3 million new people joining the country's food stamp program in the past year. None of this is any laughing matter, politicians - make a decision!

April 30, 2008 10:20 AM

Did you know that in the U.K. gas costs $10.00 a gallon?

Which is the equivalent of $8.40 for the smaller U.S. gallon. Two potential presidential candidates are currently proposing temporary cuts in gas tax for the summer, a move which economists say will ultimately benefit only oil companies. The other candidate is totally opposed to this measure. In this particular case it's easy to weigh up either stance, but how do you normally wade through the rhetoric on tax policy and evaluate a candidate's position, be it at federal or state level?

United for a Fair Economy, a group we're supporting on the 2008 ballot, has newly created action tools for evaluating candidates on taxes. They contain short descriptions and definitions of key progressive principles and sample questions that can be asked in research on candidates' proposals and positions.

But back to some perspective on gas prices, and something to think about. To all the Europeans who'll visit this country in the summer (if they can afford the air fare, but that's another story) $4 a gallon is going to seem like a really screaming deal.

April 29, 2008 5:39 PM

Californians: Join Stand For Children in Sacramento to Lobby for Paid Sick Days

Too many Californians face a nasty choice when they get sick: go to work or stay home and lose a day's pay -- or their job. That's because nearly 6 million workers in the state get no sick leave from their employers. The California legislature is considering historic legislation (AB 1276) to be the first state in the United States to ensure that workers get the day off when they need to take care of themselves or an ill family members.

Workers from all over California need your help. If you are a CREDO customer you can order a letter to go to your Assemblymember on this issue in your May bill. If you have some time to meet with your legislator next week, I urge you to join Stand For Children's Lobby Day on May 7. There will be a rally on the north side of the Capitol (L Street Side). For more information, contact Brenda at Brenda@working-families.org or at 510-643-7088.

April 29, 2008 10:46 AM

Dose of Durst

Some old people are worried about John McCain's age.
But pretty soon they forget about what it was they were worried about.

April 28, 2008 8:25 AM

Supremes Decide to Limit Access to Voting

In a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Indiana's 2005 law requiring voters to possess state-issued photo identification cards in order to cast a ballot was constitutional. The issue, as argued by civil rights groups, is that many poor and older people do not have drivers licenses, and obtaining a new identification card represents a barrier that is discriminatory. Those voters who appear at the polls without such ID will only be able to cast a provisional ballot and they can be counted only if the voter travels to the county clerk's office (does anyone know where that is?) and signs an affidavit. Most provisional ballots around the country are simply not counted.

More later on this, but it is likely to have a significant impact on voting in Indiana, including in next week's primary, and will be copied by Republicans everywhere who seek to limit voting rights.