You'll also notice as you take action today that there are a lot of items related to the Environment. The Bush Administration is really on the attack when it comes to our environment. As I've been thinking about Yearly Kos 2006 and the various panels there, I've been thinking about volunteering to help plan a panel for Yearly Kos 2007 that relates to environmental issues. I'm about to send out an email to those who I think might be interested. If you don't get an email from me, but you are interested, please let me know. I want to note, I don't really have a huge desire to "lead" this group. I'm teaching 6 classes a semester and I have approx. 130 students each semester. I'm also volunteering for several campaigns including Jim Webb, Claire McCaskill, Danny Stover (IL-19), and others, so I'm quite busy with that stuff after school hours and on the weekends. I also just started a Drinking Liberally chapter in Carbondale, IL!! Anyway, I'm a busy girl, so while I'm more than willing to participate in such a group/committee, I simply can't afford to take on a leadership role...so if someone would like to volunteer for that, that would be lovely. Anyway, if you're interested, please let me know in the comments below and I'll try to add you to the list of people I email.

On with the action!!

Human Rights Issues:

-- Sign the "Declaration of Peace" pledge!!

-- Do you think landmines suck? Read on and take action, from Amnesty International:

"On August 1, 2006, U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Arlen Specter introduced the Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006 (S. 3768) to freeze the U.S. procurement and production of landmines that are victim activated. Victim activated landmines fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, detonating when any man, woman, or child triggers it. The United States has said it will continue to develop landmines, including victim activated mines, despite the risks of using such indiscriminate weapons. The Pentagon also requested over $1 billion for the production of new landmines starting in fiscal year 2006. Urge your Senator to cosponsor this important bill, which could help reduce the use of these weapons."

Also, here's a link to the Amnesty International Action Center which has lots of action items from around the world...to many, in my opinion.

-- From human rights first:

"The White House is reportedly planning to ask Congress to approve legislation that would permit abusive interrogations. If they succeed, we will go down in history as the first nation to retreat from the hallowed Geneva Conventions, which prohibit cruel and degrading treatment.

Stop this misguided effort in its tracks. Write the President today and demand that he drop his bid to retain the right to abuse detainees."

Environmental & Energy Issues:

-- Sign The Sierra Club's petition and tell your Governor to reject the EPA's weak mercury rule now!!

-- From Greenpeace:

"Some of the hottest names in technology scored the lowest grades in a recent test of environmentally-unfriendly electronics. That's because some of your favorite tech gadgets are made with toxic chemicals like polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). And when last year's coolest trend isn't so cool anymore, tons of tossed out electronics make their way to the developing world, where children dismantle them for scraps, and are exposed to the toxics they contain. It's time for these companies to cut the chemicals from their products, and create a strong recycling program." Tell these toxic-tech companies to clean up their act!

-- From PEER: The proposed EPA budget slashes library system funding by 80%, hindering agency scientist from doing their jobs effectively. Tell your member of Congress to restore funds for continued access to the collections and services of EPA Libraries.

-- From The Wilderness Society:

"As soon as September 27, a very special wild place could be sold to the oil and gas industry - unless we act now!

One of the most important wetland complexes in the Arctic, the Teshekpuk Lake region is essential habitat for millions of birds and tens of thousands of caribou. It is also a stunning sweep of landscape, remarkable even in Alaska where a grand scale is the only scale.

Together, we can get the Interior Department to do the only sensible thing: cancel the September 27 sale of this precious public land.

The sale is imminent! Act quickly before it's too late! Sign this petition to stop the sale of the Teshekpuk Lake region."

-- From World Wildlife Fund:

"At the apex of the Coral Triangle, an oil tanker spilled 53,000 gallons of oil into the homes of the world's most abundant variety of coral reef plants and animals.  The repercussions of this oil spill affect not only the local species, but their ecosystems, the local people and their economy.

WWF is urgently working to aid clean-up teams with mapping and monitoring the spill. We will work to restore the Taklong Island Marine Sanctuary and other areas where mangrove forests, fisheries, and coral reefs have been severely contaminated.

Please consider a special donation today.  Your donation will help with this and other efforts in the Coral Triangle.
"

-- Ask Interior Secretary Kempthorne to Support the BLM's Conservation System!

-- Insist leading Australian/New Zealand bank stop financing destruction of PNG's ancient rainforests by Malaysian loggers!

-- Urge your Representatives to support the Waxman Safe Climate Act of 2006!

-- This is a cool idea, from Union of Concerned Scientists:

"Polls show many Americans are downright disgusted with high gas prices--and Congress knows it. We need to take that pain at the pump and make it into a real symbol that Washington cannot ignore. Congress' return from August recess is the perfect time for us to make it crystal clear that Americans see more fuel-efficient choices in cars, pickups, and SUVs as the way to reduce pain at the pump.

Send your senators a personalized gas receipt, and get all your friends to do it, too!

Let us know you took action and what you said by filling out this short form below and clicking "send this message."

-- From Earthjustice:

"The Bush Administration is holding a series of "listening sessions" across the country to gather input on cooperative conservation projects.  It is vital for a strong conservation message to be part of this effort.

We need to ensure these sessions are not used to undermine protections for endangered species and habitat.  And we should take advantage of this opportunity to speak out for environmental safeguards, wild lands, and wildlife.  Click here to find a session near you.

As part of this effort, the Administration is accepting written comments. Please take a moment to express your support for strong environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act, Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and forest protection laws."

Healthcare Issues:

-- Senator Tom Harkin needs your help! Use this form to Tell-a-Friend Today: Expose Bush's Stem Cell Hypocrisy!

-- Sign this petition and help fight childhood obesity.

-- From NARAL:

"The bipartisan Access to Legal Pharmaceuticals Act would ensure that every woman in every state can get her prescription for birth control filled, whether or not an individual pharmacist has an objection." Sign the petition here!!

Pet and Wildlife Issues:

-- From The Humane Society of the United States:

"The Fur Products Labeling Act requires that any garment made of fur list the type of animals used and the country in which the animals were killed. However, a loophole in the law exempts garments made with up to $150 worth of fur from being labeled.

This is bad news for consumers because without proper labeling, they don't know whether a product contains real fur or faux fur - particularly when today's processing techniques can make it nearly impossible for a person to tell the difference.

And it's not just scraps--animals are killed specifically for fur trim, which is commonly exempt under the loophole. What's more, with rabbit pelts valued at as little as $5, an unlabeled garment can easily contain fur from multiple animals.

U.S. Representatives Mike Ferguson (R-NJ) and Jim Moran (D-VA) have introduced H.R. 4904, The Truth in Fur Labeling Act of 2006, which would close this loophole. This bill would also be an added layer of protection against any illegal dog and cat fur coming into the country as trim on unlabeled garments.

Help give consumers the right to make informed choices about whether or not to wear fur. Join the Humane Society of the United States in urging your representatives to co-sponsor the Truth in Fur Labeling Act!"

-- Support a permanent ban on horse slaughter!

-- Help save Right Whales from extinction!

-- While you're at it, billions of animals suffer each year as they are transported in the United States. Please Urge Congress to enact a law regulating the transport of farmed animals!

Working for a Win in November:

-- From Campaign for America's Future:

"Campaign for America's Future is launching a 5-week drive to underscore how catastrophic conservatism failed America -- not only in the Gulf, but across the country -- and how progressives are charting a new course.

This week, we've exposed on our new website -- Straight Talk Live -- how conservative ideology itself amplified the destruction of Katrina and continues to promote tragedy in the region. In weeks following, we'll spell out how the same conservative governing strategy is pricing our kids out of college, allowing war-profiteers to undermine our troops in Iraq, turning our health care system over to drug and insurance industries, and selling out American energy policy to big oil.

Over the next weeks, we'd like to enlist your help to fuel public discussion on how conservative ideology is failing America and what opportunities exist for progressive change. We hope you'll use Straight Talk Live as a tool to help drive that discussion.

Whether it be conversations shared around the kitchen table, at backyard bar-b-ques, or on your favorite blogs, we'll each have opportunities between now and November to share thoughts and shape opinion. Together, we can leverage these opportunities to keep Americans talking "conservative failure" and "progressive change."

Hurricane Katrina was a watershed moment that laid bare the limits of the conservatives' governing philosophy. It showed that the right-wing approach to government is incompetent by design, and cannot be trusted to address the pressing needs of our nation."

-- Tell Cheney you're proud to be a Dean Democrat!

-- The DCCC recently held a contest and voters everywhere voted for the "Candidates For Change." The winners are three great women out of a wave of Democratic women on the ballot this November: community leader Mary Jo Kilroy, Iraq War hero Tammy Duckworth, and national child advocate Patty Wetterling. These are the next generation of leaders in Congress who can bring fresh ideas, new energy and a new direction to America.

-- Give a direct secure contribution to these courageous women today!

Media Issues:

-- Send the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) a Public Comment urging it to maintain or even strengthen the existing media ownership rules that prevent big media from getting even bigger.

-- Yosef 52's "DAMN IT, Stir Up a Firestorm Against ABC" detailed the Bush propaganda piece called The Path to 9/11 which will air on ABC in a little more than a week, and provided us with this contact link for ABC, but you can also look up your ABC affiliates and send them a letter here! Please do this. If we can stop them from airing this propaganda piece, we'll be protecting ourselves and our candidates in November!

Other Issues:

-- From Bread For The World:

"Our country is not on track to keep the promises we made to the world's poorest people.

In 2000, the United States joined with 188 other nations to endorse the Millennium Development Goals that aim to cut global poverty in half by 2015. To uphold this commitment, an additional $5 billion of our $2.7 trillion national budget must go towards poverty-focused development assistance this year to reduce hunger, poverty, and disease. An extra 1 percent of our budget would save millions of lives and provide hope and opportunity to families around the world.

More than 852 million people around the world go hungry and 6 million children die each year mostly from hunger-related causes. The United States is blessed with abundant resources and a strong spirit. We can afford to keep our promises to the world's hungry and poor people.

Please urge the Senate to meet our commitments to hungry and poor people around the world as they continue to work on the State Department/Foreign Operations bill!"

-- Tell Republicans: Take Three Simple Steps for the Gulf coast!!

-- I meant to also add a link to Kagro X's diary, Here come da judges. Notes on the Nuclear Option -- Part XXI. Please send letters to your Senators and ask them to oppose these judges. With regard to William Haynes, the author of the torture memo, please also send letters to Senator Lindsay Graham. Senator Durbin suggested that Graham is our ONLY chance to keep Haynes from a floor vote.

This is Crossposted at Street Prophets, Daily Kos, and at Action Alerts!