Save the Sierra Club from Hostile Takeover

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

Are you a Sierra Club member? The future of the Sierra Club is at stake.

Last year, Sierra Club members voted in record numbers to defeat a hostile takeover attempt by outside groups hoping to use the Club's democratic processes to push their own anti-immigration agenda. Now, these groups have forced an anti-immigrant measure onto the 2005 Sierra Club ballot that would require the Club to advocate for new restrictions on immigration into the U.S.—a policy that will do nothing to protect the global environment but will cripple the Sierra Club at a time when all progressives need them to be powerfully focused on righting the environmental wrongs of the current administration.

Why are we getting involved? Groundswell Sierra, a network of Sierra Club members and former staff, asked us to tell the hundreds of thousands of Club members in the MoveOn community, many of whom are in the dark because by-laws keep Club staff from discussing this issue. It's such a serious threat to the progressive movement we felt we needed to pass it on.

If right-wing anti-immigrant groups succeed in their stealth drive to change the Club's agenda, it would drive a wedge between environmental groups and millions of Americans, including Latinos who have led the environmental justice movement and are an important part of the progressive community. It would be a serious setback for the larger progressive coalition, and make the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental organization, much less effective in blocking President Bush's anti-environmental agenda.

These outside groups are also running stealth candidates for the board of directors without declaring their true anti-immigrant agenda. But a decisive defeat could end their efforts to take over the Sierra Club.

If you are a Sierra Club member, you'll receive your ballot in the mail any day now. Groundswell Sierra recommends:

1. Vote "No" on the ballot question on immigration.

2. Vote for only 5 of these 6 experienced Sierra Club candidates for the Board:
Jim Catlin Chuck McGrady
Barbara Frank Jennifer Ferenstein
Joni Bosh Jim Dougherty

Please vote for only 5 of these candidates—voting for all 6 will disqualify your ballot!

3. You can vote online but must have your paper ballot in hand. For info on voting and a sample ballot, go to:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=677&t=1

4. Let us know you're voting, so we can track our impact. Click here:
http://www.moveon.org/sierra/?id=5296-5459864-phG86nWTwRXt5BPKoJPKow&t=1

5. Please pass this on to your Sierra Club member friends.


Who's behind the attempt get the Sierra Club to oppose immigration? Some supporters are environmentalists who believe that ending immigration will reduce environmental damage (though world-renowned scientists Anne and Paul Ehrlich, who wrote the seminal book The Population Bomb, disagree and oppose this takeover). But much of the impetus comes from long time, extreme-right immigration opponents who've adopted a strategy of "greenwashing" their arguments to gain mainstream support for denying immigrants basic human rights like health care or education.

Opponents of the anti-immigrant measure and board candidates include Robert Kennedy, Jr., former Environmental Protection Agency head Carol Browner, and every living current or former Sierra Club president.

During last year's fight, the New York Times editorialized, "Adding such a toxic issue as immigration to the Sierra Club's agenda would simply divert the organization from its primary responsibility, which is to keep real environmental problems in the public consciousness."1 Robert Redford wrote, "Blaming immigrants will not solve any of our environmental problems. Refocusing the Sierra Club on stopping President Bush will... America needs the same Sierra Club that kept the Grand Canyon from being dammed and flooded, that helped create the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, that is working tirelessly to stop the Bush administration from drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, back at full strength and on the front lines in the fight against Bush and his administration. It's a fight we won't win without the Club."2

The Sierra Club board has worked to educate Club members about this issue: you can read the organization's policy on the issue at http://www.groundswellsierra.org/migration011405.pdf, and read an argument against the current ballot proposal at http://www.groundswellsierra.org/immigration_nov2004.php.

Sources:
1. "Rumble at the Sierra Club," New York Times, March 17, 2004
http://www.groundswellsierra.org/nyt_rumble.php

2. "Redford's Plea for the Sierra Club," San Francisco Chronicle, April 17, 2004
http://www.groundswellsierra.org/sf_redford.php

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Correction: Escape From Freedom

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

In 2004, Norman Solomon, the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, he is condemning the pro-Kerry MoveOn.org for not taking a stronger anti-war position, arguing "only clear opposition to the war can change the terms of the national debate - taking the paths of least resistance won't get us very far."

In 2004, Medea Benjamin, a "leader" of the "anti-war movement," embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, she is condemning Congressional Democrats for not voting against Bush's request for another $81 billion to fund the war.

In 2004, Matthew Rothschild, the editor of the Progressive magazine, embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, he is condemning what he calls 18 "spineless" Senate Democrats for voting for bankruptcy legislation that "will fill the coffers of the credit card companies while bleeding consumers dry."

Not exactly profiles in courage.

Standing tall against the pro-war corporate Democrats - when it counts least.

And of course, Solomon, Rothschild, and Benjamin were not alone in their support of the Democrats in 2004 - against their own best interests and the interests of the American people.

In 2004, most of the other luminous leaders on the independent anti-war, anti-corporate crime side of the political ledger took the year off.

Instead of rallying behind a Nader/Camejo candidacy that was the major anti-war, anti-corporate crime, pro-democracy candidacy in 2004, the vast majority of progressives cut and ran from their own agenda.

Unless we can answer the question - why did this happen? - we are condemned to repeat the disaster of 2004.

The majority of Americans support the broad justice agenda of Nader/Camejo.

* National health insurance - majority support.
* Get out of Iraq - majority support.
* Crack down on corporate crime - majority support.
* Tough health and safety regulation - majority support.
* A living wage - majority support.
* A progressive, fair tax structure - majority support.

And yet, just about every "liberal" leader stood against us and with the pro-war corporate Democrats.

Why?

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Chemical Security Bill Still Stalled Despite Texas City Fatalities

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

Chemical Security Bill Still Stalled Despite Texas City Fatalities

The disastrous explosion that killed 14 workers at the BP Amoco Texas City refinery last week was a grim reminder of the need for the Bush Administration and Congress to set stronger security and safety standards at oil refineries and chemical plants throughout the U.S.

Although the BP accident was one of the worst in the refinery’s history, it was but one of over 100 reported to the National Response Center in the last six years.

"Countless accidents occur at oil refineries all the time, and without a uniform federal standard to address safety issues, there will be less opportunity to take the public out of harm's way," said George Sorvalis, outreach associate for the OMB Watch Working Group on Community Right to know.

A recent OMB Watch op-ed points out that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified more than 120 facilities around the country where the lives of over 1 million people are in jeopardy in the event of a release of hazardous chemicals. Efforts to develop requirements to decrease these risks have been blocked by industry opposition.

For years Senator John Corzine (D-NJ) has been seeking to enact a new Chemical Security Act.[See BGW, Jul. 22, 2004] His bill, reintroduced last month, would require the EPA to identify "high priority" chemical facilities which contain large quantities of toxic or flammable chemicals.

Once determined a "high priority," the EPA would require the facility to assess its vulnerability to potential hazards and develop effective prevention and preparedness strategies. These strategies would include the implementation of safer technologies and use of safer chemicals. [1]

This is of particular urgency for people working in and living near oil refineries. The BP Amoco refinery in Texas contains 800,000 pounds of hydrofluoric acid alone. If another explosion were to occur there, the full release of this hazardous chemical could kill thousands.

BP's Texas City refinery is one of 12 in the state using hydrofluoric acid, collectively posing a severe threat to millions of people. The use of hydrofluoric acid could be replaced with sulfuric acid, which is not only less dangerous, but also more cost-effective. [2]

Considering the number of accidents occurring at chemical facilities, the dangerous chemicals within them, and the fact that these plants are potential targets for terrorist attacks, OMB's Sorvalis asserts that implementation of the Chemical Security Act is an urgent national security need.

But the Corzine bill it faces tremendous opposition from industry interests, who prevailed in preventing the Senate from passing it last year. [3]

###

SOURCES:
[1] Sen. Corzine's website.
[2] OMB Watch Op-Ed, Mar. 24, 2005.
[3] Sen. Corzine's website.

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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America's Escape From Freedom

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

In 2004, Norman Solomon, the executive director of the Institute for Public Accuracy, embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, he is condemning the pro-Kerry MoveOn.org for not taking a stronger anti-war position, arguing "only clear opposition to the war can change the terms of the national debate - taking the paths of least resistance won't get us very far."

In 2004, Medea Benjamin, a "leader" of the "anti-war movement," embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, she is condemning Congressional Democrats for not voting against Bush's request for another $81 billion to fund the war.

In 2004, Matthew Rothschild, the editor of the Progressive magazine, embraced the pro-war corporate Democrats as the only viable alternative to President Bush and the Republicans.

Now, he is condemning what he calls 18 "spineless" Senate Democrats for voting for bankruptcy legislation that "will fill the coffers of the credit card companies while bleeding consumers dry."

Not exactly profiles in courage.

Standing tall against the pro-war corporate Democrats - when it counts least.

And of course, Solomon, Rothschild, and Benjamin were not alone in their support of the Democrats in 2004 - against their own best interests and the interests of the American people.

In 2004, most of the other luminous leaders on the independent anti-war, anti-corporate crime side of the political ledger took the year off.

Instead of rallying behind a Nader/Camejo candidacy that was the major anti-war, anti-corporate crime, pro-democracy candidacy in 2004, the vast majority of progressives cut and ran from their own agenda.

Unless we can answer the question - why did this happen? - we are condemned to repeat the disaster of 2004.

The majority of Americans support the broad justice agenda of Nader/Camejo.

* National health insurance - majority support.
* Get out of Iraq - majority support.
* Crack down on corporate crime - majority support.
* Tough health and safety regulation - majority support.
* A living wage - majority support.
* A progressive, fair tax structure - majority support.

And yet, just about every "liberal" leader stood against us and with the pro-war corporate Democrats.

Why?

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

send comments via Email to me,

Barbara Boxer on her Soap Box

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

Several studies have shown that when nurses are
being forced to
work too many hours with too many patients, there
is a sharp
drop in the quality of the care they are able to
deliver. A
study by University of Pennsylvania researchers in
2002 showed
that when a nurse is assigned more than four
post-surgery
patients, the risk of death goes up 7 percent for
each
additional patient. All studies point to the need
to
reasonably limit both the hours and the number of
patients a
nurse cares for.

Nurses are increasingly required to work
back-to-back shifts,
or add hours on top of long shifts because
understaffed
hospitals use mandatory overtime policies as a
regular way to
staff their facilities. Consequently, many nurses
have left
their jobs, disillusioned by their inability to
provide quality
care, and this in turn has made a difficult problem
even worse.

To address this issue, I joined several other
Senators in
introducing the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act
of 2005, S.
351. This bill would place limits on mandatory
overtime for
nurses, protect nurses against retaliation in the
workplace,
and provide for civil money penalties for
violations of such
provisions. By limiting the mandatory overtime
worked by
nurses in our hospitals, we can help to prevent
medical errors
and improve patient care.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you
have any
questions or concerns about this or any other
matter, I hope
you will contact me.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

send comments via Email to me,

Barbara Boxer on her Soap Box

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

Several studies have shown that when nurses are
being forced to
work too many hours with too many patients, there
is a sharp
drop in the quality of the care they are able to
deliver. A
study by University of Pennsylvania researchers in
2002 showed
that when a nurse is assigned more than four
post-surgery
patients, the risk of death goes up 7 percent for
each
additional patient. All studies point to the need
to
reasonably limit both the hours and the number of
patients a
nurse cares for.

Nurses are increasingly required to work
back-to-back shifts,
or add hours on top of long shifts because
understaffed
hospitals use mandatory overtime policies as a
regular way to
staff their facilities. Consequently, many nurses
have left
their jobs, disillusioned by their inability to
provide quality
care, and this in turn has made a difficult problem
even worse.

To address this issue, I joined several other
Senators in
introducing the Safe Nursing and Patient Care Act
of 2005, S.
351. This bill would place limits on mandatory
overtime for
nurses, protect nurses against retaliation in the
workplace,
and provide for civil money penalties for
violations of such
provisions. By limiting the mandatory overtime
worked by
nurses in our hospitals, we can help to prevent
medical errors
and improve patient care.

I hope this information is helpful to you. If you
have any
questions or concerns about this or any other
matter, I hope
you will contact me.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

send comments via Email to me,

Senator Boxer Releases Report on Hazardous Waste

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

I recently joined Senator Jim Jeffords, I-VT, in
releasing a
Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
concluding that
the EPA needs to establish more effective
mechanisms to protect
communities from exposure to toxic contamination.
At the vast
majority of hazardous waste sites, according to the
report, the
EPA failed to adequately implement, monitor or
enforce remedies
necessary to minimize exposure to contamination
left on-site
after the cleanup was completed.

I am very concerned that the Environmental
Protection Agency is
not doing its job of cleaning up these sites in the
first place
and is relying more and more on land use
restrictions. In
addition, the Agency is not even following up to
see that the
public is protected by enforcing these
restrictions.

Senator Jeffords and I requested the GAO report
that found that
EPA increasingly adopts cleanup remedies that rely
on
institutional controls, such as groundwater use
restrictions or
local zoning, to minimize future exposure to
hazardous waste
rather than requiring more expensive cleanups that
would enable
unrestricted use of the property. At the
overwhelming majority
of sites examined, EPA remedy decision documents
failed to
identify how the institutional controls would be
implemented,
monitored or enforced. Specifically, the GAO found
that:

- Two-thirds of the older hazardous waste sites
reviewed by the
GAO where residual contamination remained in place
after
cleanup lacked ANY institutional controls to
minimize future
exposure.

- 82 of 93 recent Superfund remedy decision
documents fail to
identify who is responsible for monitoring
institutional
controls.

- 11 of 15 recent Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act remedy
decision documents fail to identify who is
responsible for
enforcing institutional controls.

The GAO report, titled “Hazardous Waste: Improved
Effectiveness
of Controls at Sites Could Better Protect the
Public,” can be
found at
http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-05-163 .

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Religious Use of Mercury Endangering Latino and Caribbean Communities

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

While mercury contamination caused by coal-fired power plants continues to make headlines, government agencies have glossed over an even more direct form of mercury poisoning.

Dr. Arnold P. Wendorff, director of the New York-based Mercury Poisoning Project, has urged both the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State and City health departments to address the religious use of mercury in Latino communities in New York City.

But despite his 15-year campaign, Dr. Wendorff told BushGreenwatch that the government agencies have yet to "substantively address the issue."

In many Latino and Caribbean communities, mercury has long been used in religious ceremonies associated with the Voodoo, Santeria, Espiritismo and Palo traditions of Caribbean origin. During these ceremonies, mercury, called azogue by practitioners, is sprinkled around the home, sometimes near a child's crib, or outside the front door of an apartment. The idea is to repel evil spirits.

Some 47,000 capsules of mercury are sold each year in local stores-- called botanicas -- scattered throughout the Bronx. Such widespread distribution could contaminate up to 13,000 homes.

A survey of 203 adult residents of New York City found that 44 percent of Caribbean respondents, and 27 percent of Latin American respondents reported having used mercury in magico-religious ceremonies.

Following a ceremony, mercury vapor can remain in households for years, with severely harmful health consequences. A mere .7 grams of mercury can emit substantial levels of mercury vapor for over 15 years-- and these ceremonies often use up to 10 grams of mercury. [1]

Inhalation of mercury vapor is one of the most direct means of exposure, as the human body absorbs 80% of mercury inhaled. [2] Even residents who do not practice these ceremonies may suffer health consequences; mercury vapor can permeate cracks in floors and escape into hallways.

Frustrated over the lack of response from the EPA and the New York City Health Department, Dr. Wendorff filed a new complaint with the EPA's Office of the Inspector General on February 7th, but the Agency has yet to respond.

The EPA and New York State and City health departments, however, are not the only branches of government to brush off the issue.

Wendorff has lobbied several members of Congress. He says they were initially receptive to his pleas, but became discouraged upon recognizing the complexity of the problem.

###

SOURCES:
[1] Hidden Danger, NRDC report, Oct. 20, 2004.
[2] Public Health Crisis in the Low-Income Community, Vital Signs, Winter 2003.

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

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Political Humor, if there is such a thing, THE OIL SHORTAGE

---

"He who is willing to sacrifice freedom for safety deserves neither freedom nor safety." - Ben Franklin
"One useless man is called a disgrace; two useless men are called a law firm; and three or more useless men are a congress" - John Adams
Politicians and diapers should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons.
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it."--Mark Twain

---

A lot of folks can't understand

how we came to have
an oil shortage here in America.
~~~
Well, there's a very simple answer.
~~~
Nobody bothered to check the oil.
~~~
We just didn't know we were getting low.
~~~
The reason for that is purely geographical.
~~~
Our OIL is located in
~~~
Alaska
~~~
California
~~~
Oklahoma
~~~
and
TEXAS
~~~
Our
DIPSTICKS
are located in
Washington DC
~~~

MY ADVICE endeavors at keen.com. The number is 1-800-275-5336 (800-ask-keen) + ext. 0329063 for tech stuff, 0329117 for running a small business, and 0329144 on investing. Want to CHAT, I use Yahoo's IM as the_web_ster. View me in the Friends & Family part of webcamnow.com, just click on "view cams", then in the Java window click on WebcamNow Communities drop down arrow & select Friends & Family. Under the live webcams look for & click on me "the_webster".

send comments via Email to me,