Friday, June 7, 2013

Personal then Political

After an ear infection I am left with constant dizziness.  Tiring, not fun.  But I'm coping, just resting when ordinarily I'd be sewing.

Change.org

I served as the Chief Prosecutor for Terrorism Trials at Guantanamo Bay for ten years.
And it's because of that experience that I believe so strongly that the detention
center at Guantanamo Bay must be closed.
I started a petition on Change.org calling on President Obama to close Guantanamo,
and after more than 200,000 people signed -- including you -- he vowed to do just
that.
This marks important progress on this issue, particularly since this is the first
time President Obama has made a real commitment including concrete steps to dismantle
Guantanamo Bay Detention Center. I'm especially pleased that President Obama lifted
the ban preventing many of the detainees from being transferred to their home countries.
I am so proud to know that my voice, along with all of yours, played a part in this
historic moment.
But there is more work to be done.
 President Obama's promise must be followed by swift action, and we must keep speaking
out to make sure he follows through.
Please consider sharing my petition with your friends and family so we can let President
Obama know that we thank him for his promise to close Guantanamo, and we want him
to do whatever it takes to keep that promise:
https://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-close-detention-facility-at-guantanamo-bay-3
Thank you for your support,
Colonel Morris Davis
United States Air Force
Gainesville, VA
Start a petition on Change.org.
Mailing address: Change.org · 216 W 104th St., #130, New York, NY 10025 USA

WalkFree.org

Right now, while you’re reading this email on your phone or computer, you may have
a product of slavery in your hand.
The reality is that almost every electronic device we use in our everyday lives could
include conflict minerals mined by slaves in the Congo.
This week, we brought together some of the world’s leading experts to discuss slavery
in electronics - and right now, you can download the free podcast of that discussion
to learn a few simple steps you can take to prevent slavery from entering your pocket.
Download the podcast for FREE right now to stop supporting slavery
Many of the world’s major electronics companies fuel the demand for conflict minerals.
While companies like Intel, HP, Apple and Microsoft are taking concrete steps to
end the demand for slave-mined minerals in the Congo, there is one company that has
not – Nintendo.
As Sasha Lezhnev of the Enough Project explains in the podcast, "There are many things
that consumers can do to influence these companies, and whether these companies move
the needle on this issue is really up to us."
That’s why we need your help to put pressure on Nintendo to ‘level up’.
take the first step toward ensuring their products are free of conflict minerals mined with slavery
The greater the pressure from consumers, the more likely we are to make a real difference.
So once you’ve taken action, please forward this message to a friend and ask them
to join us in calling on Nintendo to take concrete steps to ensure slavery is not
in their products.
Yours in solidarity,
Amy, Kate, Debra, Mich, Jess, Nick and the Walk Free team
Walk Free is a movement of people everywhere, fighting to end one of the world's
greatest evils: Modern slavery.
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© 2013 WalkFree.org | All rights reserved |

Change.org
Tyson Foods: Stop pouring dangerous chemicals on chickens
By Sherry M.
Washington, Alabama
Sign Sherry's Petition
I didn’t expect to already be on disability, seeking early retirement. But I'm here
because of companies like Tyson which require the use of hazardous chemicals on poultry
in facilities like the one I worked in.
That's not safe for workers. And it's allowing companies to cut corners and put the
public's health at risk.
I want Tyson to be an industry leader and stop using these chemicals, especially
peracetic acid, which is poured all over these carcasses. Having well-trained experts
rather than an over-reliance on chemicals will help keep meat contaminated with feces
or pus or harmful bacteria off our plates.
I am proud of my work as a USDA poultry inspector where one of my primary duties
was to protect the public from foodborne illness. My parents and grandparents worked
in the industry and none of them have ever experienced the symptoms I'm having today.
But I became seriously ill as a result of heavy chemical use in the plant where I
was stationed and things have changed.
Currently,
I'm suffering from health problems, including asthma attacks, sinus problems, and
even organ damage.
 My failing health has seriously impacted my lifestyle and may have ended my 16-year
career as an inspector. As highlighted in a recent
Washington Post
 article, chemical problems seem to be cropping up in plants all over the country.
In a Tyson plant I worked at in Alabama, the introduction of a chemical called peracetic
acid just made things even worse. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe in the plant.
One day I was coughing so hard that I broke two ribs.
 It was a nightmare. And as of the moment I am writing this, the USDA has not done
any formal evaluation of how these chemicals affect workers' health. Additionally,
there have been
no studies of how these dangerous chemicals, directly applied to the carcasses in
processing, affect humans' health
 other than directly from the very companies that profit from their sale.
There are a lot of questions. But no one has answers. I can tell you that the Tyson
Team Member Bill of Rights
 claim that there's a 'right to a safe workplace' but it certainly does not seem
like it's being followed.
Following a series of illnesses, including a serious asthma attack that sent
me
 to the emergency room in the fall of 2011, I was left with no choice but to leave
the plant and file for disability in December of that year. In addition to daily
medication, I now make regular doctor visits, including to a lung specialist who
advised me not to return to the plant.
My doctors told me they have witnessed an increasing amount of patients coming from
the Tyson plant with similar symptoms, including respiratory infections, eye irritation,
and the development of serious allergies.
Inspectors and Tyson plant workers are hesitant or even afraid to admit they’re becoming
ill. In particular, vulnerable company employees know they are expendable, and risk
termination if they speak out against the visible dangers of chemical use in processing.
I know there are methods to improve inspection by taking birds 'offline' if they
appear contaminated, so they can be cleaned up without the use of excess chemicals.
After feeling powerless for so long, I now know it’s my duty to speak out on behalf
of those inspectors and plant workers who fear retaliation for voicing their concerns.
Please join me in asking Tyson Foods to stop using peracetic acid in its poultry
processing and improve standards at facilities so inspectors, workers, and consumers
are safer.
Photo from USDAgov
Sign Sherry's Petition
The person (or organization) who started this petition is not affiliated with Change.org.
Change.org did not create this petition and is not responsible for the petition content.

Mailing Address: Change.org · 216 W 104th St., #130 · New York, NY 10025

Rebuild the Dream
If President Obama approves the Keystone XL pipeline, the first thing it runs over
is his credibility on climate.
To help him make the right decision, I made a quick video debunking the top three
Keystone myths.
Watch and share now:
We have been hearing a lot about scandals recently. But if President Obama approves
a pipeline equal to seven new coal-fired power plants? And does so just months after
promising to act AGAINST climate change?
Now THAT'S a scandal.
Watch now -- then share with your friends.
Thanks,
Van
Rebuild the Dream is fighting for an economy that works for everyone -- especially
young people facing too few jobs, too much debt, and threats to survival from guns
to climate change. You can
follow us on Twitter
, and
like us on Facebook

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