The Earth is at a "Tipping Point"

While many who actively follow issues related to health and well-being of the earth have already known this for years, a new study in the journal Nature is making waves. The article points to a cumulative effect of climate change, population growth and the continued destruction and damage done to environmental systems across the globe that are leading to a total planetary collapse of ecosystem health for future generations. The paper specifically says that the earth is at a "tipping point" right now, again, something many of you have known for many years. It's always interesting to note what sparks controversy in mainstream society and what articles, books, TV shows, and other forms of media go viral in today's globalized world. Well, a few years back it was peak oil, and now, on the heels of the Rio+20 that will be held this June, it seems that this article is turning heads. Why? In reality, it's no matter because it's true and has been true for quite some time. Climate change is the issues that has brought environmental issues to the forefront of the globalized world, and even though first world countries love to point at the "third world" for global population growth issues without adequately taking accountability for being the empires that helped create a model for countries like India and China to follow, the earth is clearly facing massive issues of ill health. While in the author's opinion no individual or anything human-based can and will ever truly kill this planet, it's very clear human can in fact have an impact on ecosystem health. As a species we may die-off before the earth can regenerate in peace, but as much as one can while they are still here and alive on this planet any and everything you can do to be in solidarity with social and environmental movements across the country is essential for the well-being of future generations to come. Take a minute and read up on what's being said about this article from the links I'll provide below, follow what goes down at the Rio+20, and stay engaged. One only needs to look into what's happening in Syria right now, across the Middle East, and on the streets of the NATO protests in Chicago to understand the "tipping point" has been here for quite some time, and isn't going anywhere anytime soon unless conscious efforts are made to combat war and systems of oppression while fighting for the healthiest options for our planet. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0607-global-tipping-20120607,0,4125302.story http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2012/0607/Earth-s-ecosystems-nearing-catastrophic-tipping-point-warn-scientists-video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zORv8wwiadQ&feature=player_embedded http://www.isciencetimes.com/articles/3149/20120607/earth-headed-towards-tipping-point.htm http://www.vancouverobserver.com/sustainability/2012/06/06/new-tipping-point-study-warns-total-irreversible-collapse-global-ecosystem http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/06/07/earth-tipping-point-study_n_1577835.html http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature10723.html

99% Day!!!!

"No Work, No Shopping, Occupy Everywhere": May Day Special on OWS, Immigration, Labor Protests

 This is a nationwide day of solidarity on a day best known for immigrants rights or as International Worker's Day. If you're not out in the streets take some time to get educated and find some way to support the 99% and the fight for justice for all people on this planet, not just the 1% that systems of power are set in place to support! This link will bring you to a great video and discussion on the matter, courtesy of DemocracyNow!

This link is also interesting, especially for the racist, classist, and otherwise oppressive comments that speak to why this day is such an important one in the struggle for peace, justice, and sustainability.       

"War is the Enemy of the Poor": Cornel West and Tavis Smiley on Poverty, MLK, Election 2012

A must watch (last 10 minutes) video with two of the most influential and righteous Black scholars in the world today. Enjoy!

Thanks as always to Democracy Now!   

Should Men Choose What Rights Women Have Over Their Own Bodies?

If you answered yes then you're reading the wrong blog. Or actually you're not and should keep reading to become better educated.

Recent news has been highlighting the struggle for women to maintain reproductive rights over their own bodies. Interestingly this debate has been tied to arguments surrounding religious freedom and those dogmatic institutions that put forth a belief system that women should not be able to obtain contraceptives.

The Personhood Bill is at the center of this reproductive debate regarding women and the reproductive rights women have in a lawful sense.

This article,

http://www.thelamron.com/opinion/new-legislation-should-not-limit-individual-women-s-reproductive-rights-1.2804226#.T1CL481WGPU

will fill you in more as will this current (3/1/12) headline from democracynow.org

Limbaugh Calls Student Birth Control Activist a "Slut"

The Democrat-controlled U.S. Senate is expected to defeat a symbolic Republican-backed measure today that would exempt Catholic institutions from a White House mandate requiring birth control coverage. The right-wing talk show host Rush Limbaugh made headlines on Wednesday after calling a student reproductive rights activist "a slut" for campaigning in favor of contraception coverage for women. Limbaugh made the comment during a rant on his radio broadcast.

Rush Limbaugh: "What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke [sic] who goes before a congressional committee and essentially says that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right? Makes her a prostitute. She wants to be paid to have sex. She’s having so much sex, she can’t afford the contraception. She wants you and me and the taxpayers to pay her to have sex."

The student, Sandra Fluke, is a third-year law student and a member of the group Georgetown Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She was barred from testimony at an all-male panel on contraception on Capitol Hill last month. The day after her testimony was blocked, Fluke appeared on Democracy Now!

Sandra Fluke: "I strongly believe that our government has to legislate for reality, not ideology. So, if we don’t provide contraception coverage and healthcare, that’s not going to stop anyone from having sex, whether they should or should not be. And we really have to take care of women’s healthcare and not worry about policing their moral choices."

This link is a very useful resource that reminds us all that "isms" like sexism are unfortunately still alive and well and must continue to be combated by those who truly seek peace, justice, and sustainability!

http://www.democracynow.org/topics/womens_rights

Syria and its Pro Democracy Uprising

The wave of action from "Arab Spring" has continued throughout the Middle East during this past year, and perhaps nowhere has the action been more chaotic and confrontational than Syria. Here are a few recent headlines as told by democracynow.org

U.N.: Syria Uprising Toll Passes 7,500

Syrian forces have launched a ground attack on the embattled city of Homs today after a nearly month-long siege. The neighborhood of Baba Amr reportedly came under heavy shelling overnight before Syrian troops swept in. The latest violence comes as the United Nations now says more than 7,500 people have been killed in the Assad regime’s crackdown on the nearly year-long uprising. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Lynn Pascoe announced the new death toll figure in comments before the U.N. Security Council.

Lynn Pascoe: "The disproportionate use of force and military aggression against civilian population by authorities has driven the largely peaceful opposition forces to resort to armed resistance. While we cannot give exact casualty figures, there are credible reports that the death toll now often exceeds 100 civilians a day, including many women and children. The total killed so far is certainly well over 7,500 people."

13 Activists Killed Helping Evacuate British Photographer from Syria

A number of foreign journalists are said to be trapped in areas of Homs that are coming under heavy fire. On Tuesday, British photographer Paul Conroy was safely escorted to neighboring Lebanon by a group of Syrian activists. Thirteen of Conroy’s rescuers were reportedly killed in the escape. There were reports another journalist, Edith Bouvier of France, also escaped to Lebanon, but her status remains unconfirmed.

U.S. Drafts New U.N. Security Council Measure on Syria

The United States has reportedly drafted an outline for a new U.N. Security Council measure that would focus on delivering humanitarian aid to Syria. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney spoke about the effort on Tuesday.

Jay Carney: "I think that we need to focus on those actions which have the greatest chance of success. And that includes efforts to organize humanitarian aid. It includes efforts to further isolate and pressure Assad. It includes efforts to assist the Syrian opposition to organize itself and unify and then continue to work with our allies at the highest levels to examine additional steps that might be taken."

U.N. Human Rights Chief Calls for ICC Probe of Syrian Officials

At the United Nations, Syrian diplomats walked out of a U.N. Human Rights Council session on the crisis in Syria in protest of widespread criticism. The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said she would back the investigation of Syrian officials by the International Criminal Court.

Navi Pillay: "In the face of the unspeakable violations that take place every moment, I remain convinced that referring the situation of Syria to the International Criminal Court will be a step in the right direction. The international community must unite in sending a clear message to the Syrian authorities, and the Security Council must assume its responsibility to protect the population of Syria."

An interesting story, "Foreign Intervention in Syria? A Debate with Joshua Landis and Karam Nachar"

http://www.democracynow.org/2012/2/22/foreign_intervention_in_syria_a_debate

No one wants lives to be taken and humans to suffer. Will the people's voices be listened to?

Closing Guantanamo and Ending the Death Penalty

From Amnesty International: Will you help us keep our New Year's resolutions to close Guantánamo and abolish the death penalty in 2012? On January 11th, Amnesty activists all across the West are marking the 10th anniversary of Guantánamo by joining the National Day of Action Against Guantánamo and calling for an end to indefinite detention and unfair trials. On MLK weekend, Amnesty activists in California are getting involved with the SAFE CA campaign's "Weekend of Action" to honor the legacy of Dr. King and end death sentences in our state.

Help us kick off 2012 by joining us for these historic efforts! Please check out the events listed below, or find other human rights events near you by visiting: www.amnestyusa.org/events.

Happy New Year!
Rini Chakraborty
Western Regional Director
Amnesty International USA

California (Northern)

What: National Day of Action Against Guantánamo
When: Wednesday, January 11 at noon
Where: San Francisco, CA
Get specific event location
Description: Please join us on the 10th anniversary of Guantánamo for a protest and rally in San Francisco as 171 individuals - each representing a detainee still held at Guantánamo - form a human chain in front of the Federal Building and Courthouse. Help us show elected officials that citizens demand closure of Guantánamo and an end to unlawful detentions and human rights violations! Please wear orange or black, and bring signs that say "10 Years Too Many: No Guantánamo. No Torture. No Excuses!" For more information or to RSVP, please email Angela at amnestywest6@aiusa.org or contact Amnesty's Western Regional Office at (415) 288-1800.


What: "Weekend of Action" to Honor Dr. King and End the Death Penalty in California
When: Saturday-Monday, January 14-16
Where: Various locations across the state
Get specific event location
Description: AIUSA is teaming up with the SAFE CA campaign, California NAACP, Reverend Jesse Jackson, and other civil rights leaders to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by ending death sentences in our state. Please join us January 14-16th for a "Weekend of Action" to participate in MLK events statewide and gather signatures to qualify the SAFE California Act for the November 2012 ballot. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Field Organizer William Butkus at wbutkus@aiusa.org or (415) 288-1800.

California (Southern)

What: National Day of Action Against Guantánamo
When: Wednesday, January 11
Where: Los Angeles, CA
Get specific event location
Description: This international day of protest marks the 10th anniversary of the Guantánamo prison and the human rights violations it represents, including torture, detention without charge, unfair trials, Islamaphobia, and impunity for crimes by US government officials. Join Amnesty International USA, Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, CAIR-LA and other human rights organizations as we call for the immediate closure of Guantánamo. A silent vigil and press conference will be held at 9 a.m. at the Downtown Los Angeles Federal Building, located at Temple and Los Angeles Streets. The press conference will be followed by a flash mob at noon at Bruin Plaza on the UCLA Campus. The day will conclude with a rally from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Westwood Federal Building, located at Wilshire Blvd and Veteran Ave. in Westwood.


What: "A Day ON for Human Rights" to Honor Dr. King and End the Death Penalty in California
When: Sunday, January 15 from 9am to 4pm
Where: ACLU of Southern California
Get specific event location
Description: In honor of Dr. King's legacy, Amnesty USA activists in the greater Los Angeles Metro area will be dedicating Sunday, January 15th as a "Day ON for Human Rights." The "Day ON" will start with a general meet and greet and strategy session with LA Amnesty Activists. At noon, activists will be trained around messaging and signature gathering for the SAFE CA Campaign to end the death penalty in California. Directly following the training, activists will head into the field in team to collect signatures for the SAFE CA Campaign. After gathering signatures, teams will converge back at the ACLU office for a debrief and "Thank You" pizza party.

Washington

What: National Day of Action Against Guantánamo
When: Wednesday, January 11
Where: Seattle, WA
Get specific event location
Description: Join Washington State Religious Campaign Against Torture, Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation, Code Pink, ACLU of Washington, and other justice activists in marking the 10 year anniversary of the arrival of prisoners at Guantánamo. We will hold a candlelight vigil at the Jackson Federal Building on 2nd Avenue between Madison and Marion, 5:00-6:00pm. For more information contact Sara at (415)288-1800 or sschmidt@aiusa.org.

Not That Any Time Makes "Sense", But Why Now?

Environmental protections and safeguards. Unemployment levels in the workforce. Foreclosures. Vet's in need of shelter. People going hungry, in need of access to health care and education. The U.S. is arguably in its most brittle state as an empire since it began. Many residents need help and are hurting. No empire has ever been able to sustain itself with prolonged war. From Afghanistan to Iraq, to drones like the picture shown here bombing Pakistan, with increased threats of militarization to the Asia-Pacific and beyond. The economy continues to have a poor outlook amongst a deficit that is completely unreal in it's amount.

Why Now?

U.S. and Iran to Hold Major Military Exercises in the Persian Gulf

Iran and the United States have both announced plans to hold major military exercises in the Persian Gulf in the coming months. The U.S. exercise will be done in conjunction with Israel. Meanwhile, in defiance of the United States, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has welcomed Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Venezuela. On Friday, a State Department official said, "We are making absolutely clear to countries around the world that now is not the time to be deepening ties, not security ties, not economic ties, with Iran."

From: Democracynow.org