Bad Deeds for 8-15-2011

 

Tea Partiers Cheer the Downgrade of America’s Credit Rating – At a tea party rally in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Tea Party Express rolled into that northeastern city. The most shocking moment of the event wasn’t the vitriol spouted by tea party leaders, but was the cheers that erupted when one of the Tea Party Express’ speakers described the recent downgrade as the tea party’s fault.

Midway through the Fond du Lac event, Florida talk show host Andrea Shea King took the stage. She told the audience that commentators were describing the downgrade of US debt to AA+ from AAA as the “tea party downgrade,” laying the blame squarely on Congress’ right-wing faction and its supporters. But rather than boo those who claim the tea party caused the downgrade, the 200 or so Wisconsinites in attendance cheered, sounding almost proud to be blamed for the downgrade.

 

Mitt Romney Says, “Corporations are People.” – Mitt Romney told an Iowa audience, “Corporations are people.” He then persisted in arguing his case that corporations ARE people because corporate profits end up “in the pockets” of people. Yes, Governor, some corporate profits end up in the pockets of an ever-shrinking number of people who control an ever-growing portion of our nation’s wealth … and some end up going to SuperPACs like the ones who are collecting massive corporate donations to support your campaign.

Now, tell Romney that he could not be more wrong. Corporations are NOT people. People are people.

 

Koch Brothers Influencing Local Public Education in NC – The Koch Brothers political aspirations are certainly national, but they have taken a page from the Ralph Reed playbook and have made moves to influence local school board elections, including those in Raleigh, North Carolina. There the Koch Brothers funded Americans for Prosperity allied with local advocacy groups to build a new majority on the school board in an attempt to re-segregate the Raleigh school district.

The school district had, through busing for diversity programs, made the Raleigh district a successful blend of students of all backgrounds and experiences.

In response to that success the Koch Brothers started funding school board candidates who pledged to end “forced busing” and who sought to enact a “neighborhood schools” agenda, despite the fact that the schools were already very successful. The talking points reached back to a darker day for the South when Jim Crow sympathizers promised to keep southern schools segregated always.

Thankfully there’s a push back against these nefarious campaigns, including a new video demanding the Koch Brothers stop their attack on public education.

Segregated public schools are among the most destructive social ills in our history, and if the Koch Brothers have their way, they’ll become commonplace again.

 

AT&T Lied About Reason for Merger with T-Mobile – In a letter that was inadvertently leaked, one of AT&T’s own lawyers has confirmed the merger has nothing to do with expanding AT&T’s coverage to 97 percent of the country – the main argument the company has made to gain Washington’s support – and everything to do with eliminating the cheaper T-Mobile option from the marketplace (and laying off half of its workforce) to pad company profits. AT&T’s plan to take over T-Mobile is about gouging consumers, destroying a competitor and firing an estimated 20,000 American workers.

Every AT&T argument about the supposed benefits of this merger has now been proven wrong. As AT&T’s case unravels, President Barack Obama must speak out against this dangerous deal.

Sign this letter to the president and let him know that we can’t afford to lose tens of thousands of American jobs just to keep AT&T happy.

 

Crooked Seafood Fraudsters Are Putting Your Family, the Oceans, and the Livelihood of Honest Fishermen on the Line for a Quick Buck – Recent studies have found that seafood may be mislabeled as often 70 percent of the time – which means you could be feeding your family unhealthy, illegal, unsustainable fish and not even know it.

The US Senate is currently considering two bills that would beef up inspections and prosecute illegal fishing. This is a great step in the right direction for the health of our familes, our wallets, and our oceans – and your Senators need to know where you stand.

Take action for the health of your family and the oceans. Tell your Senators to fight seafood fraud TODAY.

 

Shell Oil Spills 56,600 Gallons Of Oil Into North Sea – Royal Dutch Shell estimates that a leak from an offshore oil rig stationed off Scotland’s eastern coast spilled 54,600 gallons of oil into the North Sea. The leak originated from the Gannet Alpha oil rig, located 112 miles (180 kilometers) east of the city of Aberdeen. The rig is operated by Shell and co-owned by Shell and Esso, a subsidiary of the U.S. oil firm Exxon Mobil.

The British government said the leak was substantial for the U.K.’s continental shelf. Although the North Sea is small in comparison to other oceans, it contains a highly sensitive ecosystem that is teeming with life.

Regards,

Jim