Support the Fast-Food Workers Strike

[click on this title to read full article] Fast-Food Workers Will Strike On August 29 — Here's What You Need to Know 

This link Courtesy of Jere Eaton at http://www.blackct.us/

© AP

“On what I’m earning right now you have to choose between paying your rent and eating the next day,” says 32 year-old Christopher Drumgold, a father of two who works at a McDonald’s in Detroit. His story, along with that of thousands of others, is finally coming to the spotlight as employees are mobilizing to say that their wages are unsustainable and unsupportive. According to the Census Bureau, the income threshold level for a family of four to be in poverty is $23,000. Yet the median pay for a fast-food worker is just about $18,500, based on a $9/hour payment — over $4,000 less than the poverty level.

Fast-food workers and labor groups are now calling for a $15/hour minimum wage and many are also asking for opportunities to unionize. Beginning with walk-outs in individual fast-food restaurants last year, the movement has progressed from the local to a national scale. A national strike by fast-food employees is set to take place on August 29.

Here are three important points to keep in mind about the fast-food worker strike.

1. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. This is the wage that many of the strikers receive. While the workers are demanding almost double the federal minimum wage, a request that almost no business person would immediately indulge, here is some more perspective regarding a livable wage.[... more at full article]

2. Fast-food employees are non-unionized. [...more at full article]

3. It is important to recognize the major demographics involved in the fast food industry. Jezebel highlights the main groups: “The average fast food worker is 28 years old. Two thirds of the industry's workforce is comprised of women; their average age is 32, and they are mostly women of color. The majority are supporting children and families on $7.50 minimum wage, no benefits, and few hours. (Few work full-time because the industry cuts work hours at 32 hours so they don't have to give benefits…).” While the economic situation is burdensome in isolation, the other marginalized identities of many fast-food workers have their own set of relevant challenges with daily living. [...more at full article]

Seriously, people. It will raise the cost of each not-so-happy meal by a few cents, but improve all of our lives and livelihood. Boy-and-Girl-cott all fast-food joints on Thursday to prove the point. Eat at your local food truck or small business restaurant instead.

Recycling Makes Money!

How do you feel about good news? 

Recycling Contract Means New Green Revenue for the City

CRRA to Accept Books, Large Rigid Plastics for Recycling

The Million Residents of CRRA Recycling Towns Can Keep Phone Books, Buckets, Baskets, Bins and Many Other Items out of Trash

The Mayor [Ben Blake] called upon all Milford residents to join his challenge and boost their recycling efforts. 

“By recycling more, we not only support the environment but we also generate new revenue for the City and keep taxes low,” Blake said. “This is truly a win-win.”

Effective immediately, CRRA’s state-of-the-art single-stream recycling facility will accept a number of additional items including   •  large toys,   •  beverage crates,   •  laundry baskets,   •  recycling bins,   •  telephone directories,   •  storage containers and   •  hard-cover books.

Any of these items that fit inside the single-stream barrel can be recycled, provided that
  •  all metals such as bucket handles and wheel axles are separated
     from the plastic items;
  •  all items are rinsed and
  •  covers from hard-cover books are removed and placed in the trash.

A complete breakdown of all items residents of participating communities can recycle, along with instruction on preparing those items for recycling, is on CRRA’s website.

Your Right to Vote in America

Voting Rights Act must be restored

Letter to the Editor from Devon Pfeifer of Weston Connecticut
Published in the Connecticut Post Friday, July 5, 2013
[Editorial comment: Shared In Its Entirety except for the removal of ridiculous, self-referential links inserted by CT Post. Large Print used for ease of readership's aging eyes. People died for the Right to Vote.]

----------------------------------------------------

The Voting Rights Act, frequently hailed as the single most effective civil rights legislation, was gutted recently by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts cited voter registration in Mississippi had grown from 7 percent in 1965 to 76 percent of the African-American population. He shared additional anecdotal information by citing the fact that Selma, Ala., where future Congressman John Lewis was brutally beaten in 1965, has a black mayor. The chief justice also wrote "African-American voter turnout exceeded white voter turnout in five of the six states originally covered by Section 5." Ultimately, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) tossed the Voting Rights Act back to the polarized Congress, telling legislators to fix it. Roberts wrote, "Congress must ensure that the legislation it passes to remedy that problem speaks to current conditions." The decision declared Section 4 unconstitutional because it was based on old voting data that had not been updated since 1975.

The Voting Rights Act was passed by Congress in 1965. It was enacted to restore and protect the right to vote as provided in the 14th and 15th Amendments and was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson.

SCOTUS struck down Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, which had identified nine states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, in addition to counties and municipalities including Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

These states, counties and municipalities were required under Section 5 (which remains intact, but toothless because of the court's finding on Section 4) "preclearance" by the Department of Justice or a federal court for any/all changes to election law.

In reference to the case of Selma having a black mayor, Southern Poverty Law Center President Richard Cohen points out: "In the history of voting in Alabama, not a single black candidate has been able to defeat a white incumbent or win an open seat in a statewide race. Black office holders in Alabama are confined almost exclusively to minority districts." He added, "While 40 percent of the white voting public cast their ballots for a black president nationwide, only 15 percent of white voters did so in Alabama ... There are still Alabama legislators who talk openly about suppressing the black vote and refer to black voters as `aborigines.'"

Congress passed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, renewed it in 1975 and in 1982, and adopted a new standard for 1985 that provided a way for jurisdictions to get out from under Section 4. In 2006, Congress eliminated the provision for voting examiners. That year Congress held 20 hearings and accumulated 15,000 pages of documents supporting Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. In 2006, "Congress voted nearly unanimously to reauthorize the Voting Rights Act for another 25 years. The vote in the U.S. Senate was 98 to 0 and 390 to 33 in the House of Representatives." -- The Christian Science Monitor.

Between 1999 and 2005, 153 proposed voting changes were withdrawn when the Department of Justice questioned them.
The Voting Rights Act was repeatedly challenged and upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States, until this year.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice (and most news sources) the very same day that the SCOTUS decision was handed down Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said his state would go forward with its plan to redistrict because it no longer needed federal approval. In addition, Texas would implement a voter identification law that had been blocked because it did not meet federal approval. North Carolina announced it would go ahead with a photo ID requirement for voting and eliminate early voting.

A study in 2011 by Paul Gronke of Reed College and Charles Stewart of Massachusetts Institute of Technology titled "Early Voting in Florida" showed that a reduction in the number of early hours for voting lessened the turnout of black voters.

Teaching Tolerance graphed data from The Brennan Center for Justice depicting the percentage of people who lack a government-issued photo ID; the data revealed:

• 11 percent of all citizens lack a government issued photo ID;
• 15 percent of low-income voters lack a government issued photo ID;
• 18 percent of young voters lack a government issued photo ID; and
• 25 percent of African-American voters lack a government issued photo ID.

The court decision was best summarized by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who took the unusual step of dissenting not just in writing, but from the bench, espousing "For a half century, a concerted effort has been made to end racial discrimination in voting. Thanks to the Voting Rights Act, progress once the subject of a dream has been achieved and continues to be made. The court errs egregiously, by overriding Congress's decision." 
The Voting Right Act must be restored. It is the cornerstone to the home in which our democracy resides.

I look to our delegation of federal legislators, Sens. Blumenthal and Murphy, Reps. Himes, DeLauro and the rest of the Connecticut delegation to champion reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act and bury Jim Crow once more.

[Ed.: OK Readers. Do something about this!]

Paid Fellowships - LGBT Organizing

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has announced a great opportunity for this summer -

Fellows receive a living expenses stipend of $500 per week. The Fellowship runs for 10 weeks, from Monday, June 10, 2013 through Friday, August 16, 2013. This year potential placement cities are New York City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Portland, Oregon and Washington DC.

 Love Organizing? Apply Now

"The Task Force Academy Fellowship taught me that I was capable of doing things I never imagined I could do.  I learned I had the power to help other people realize their own potential to be leaders.  If you want to learn how to build a big team of people, develop leaders, and are serious about building the power of the LGBT movement, this Fellowship is for you!"
– Anj Chaudhry, 2012 Task Force Organizing Fellow (now Lead Organizer, OutFront Minnesota)

This isn’t your average fellowship — this is your chance to create change! The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Academy Fellowship provides the first-hand real-world experience, mentoring from long-time movement organizers and leaders and the support you need to become a professional organizer.

Fellows receive a living expenses stipend of $500 per week. This summer’s Fellowship runs from June 10, 2013 through Friday, August 16, 2013. Application must be submitted by Friday April 19, 2013 — APPLY TODAY! __________________________________________________________________
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force builds the power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community from the ground up. The Task Force is the country's premier social justice organization fighting to improve the lives of LGBT people, and working to create positive, lasting change and opportunity for all. The Task Force is a 501(c)(3) corporation incorporated in Washington, D.C. Contributions to the Task Force are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. (C) 2013 National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. 1325 Massachusetts Ave NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20005. Phone 202.393.5177. Fax 202.393.2241. TTY 202.393.2284. theTaskForce@theTaskForce.org.

Time is our Most Precious Thing

How are you going to spend your time over the next 2 months?
 

• Taking care of your family's health and home and well being.Cooking, Cleaning, Feeding, Washing, Driving.
• Working at your job and not pissing anyone off.
• Helping Pro-Choice candidates get elected.

Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, was introduced at the first meeting of the Women's Caucus by a young woman who is the first Latina President of the College Democrats. Keenan looked over the crowd at the Women's Caucus and noted all the grey hair in the audience. Hey, she said, The Menopausal Militia!

She noted that these are the women who marched, argued, wrote, and worked for women's reproductive rights - not just for themselves but also for their daughters, nieces, granddaughters and all the women who come after us.

"In the next 63 days we need to Connect the Personal to the Political"

• Reach out to neighbors -  Door to Door & Vote by Vote
• Post on Twitter
• Share on Facebook
• You need to take them to the polls.

Women need to show up at the polls!

CT Comptroller Lembo sends Freaking Cool Letter to Democratic National Committee Chair

May 9, 2012

Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz
National Chair
Democratic National Committee
Washington, DC

Madame Chair:

As the Affirmative Action chair of the Connecticut delegation, I feel compelled to write to you regarding the recent electoral action in the state of North Carolina and its impact on the decision of our party to hold the national convention in Charlotte this September.

In November 2010, I was elected as Connecticut’s first openly gay statewide official. I am one of a handful of LGBT people across the country to ever be elected statewide. On that election night, as Comptroller-elect, I remarked that as we had made electoral history, the people of Connecticut “shrugged” – a nod to the incredible progress our state has made toward equality, and a recognition that in this state being gay was neither an obstacle nor a qualification for public service. While full equality is a dream for people in many other states, yesterday’s election results in North Carolina must give us pause.

How can we, as a party committed to the rights and freedom of all Americans, tacitly endorse the North Carolina vote by marching our leadership and our President into Charlotte in September?

The advocates of a same-gender marriage ban in North Carolina have used their constitution – once again – as an instrumentality of discrimination. Our federal and state constitutions should only be used to broaden rights and protections for people, not restrict them.

While it may be logistically impossible to move our location at this late date, we must, at a minimum, have a conversation about the impact of our presence there on our credibility and our values as a party.

I am deeply troubled that we, the party of America, find ourselves in the position of celebrating our rich diversity in a location that now espouses the polar opposite. Please know that I am committed to help in any way that you deem appropriate. I am,

Sincerely,

Kevin Lembo

In Case You Missed It: from DailyKos

Unite Against the War on Women

[...]
New Group Poised to Challenge “War on Women”
• Virginia legislators recently tried to enact an invasive, mandatory “trans-vaginal ultrasound” measure for women seeking abortions.
• In Mississippi, lawmakers took a cue from Virginia and are now pushing the same type of regressive, restrictive legislation.
• Texas Governor, Rick Perry, has decided to deny funding to Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers under the Texas Women’s Health Program.
• Some presidential candidates want to end Medicaid funding and turn it into state-by-state bloc grants.
• Personhood legislation and amendments are being actively pushed through state legislatures in attempts to criminalize contraception and family planning.
• State laws regarding voter registration designed to suppress voter turnout especially among poor women, seniors and minorities are already in place and spreading.

A new and growing movement called Unite Against The War On Women is poised to push back on measures like this, with protest marches and rallies across the country on Saturday, April 28.

Join us - Saturday, April 28th as we say NO WAY/NO HOW to these attempts to dictate our personal decisions, our bodies, our health choices, and our families.

The newly-minted organization has garnered almost 20,000 members nationally in less than two weeks in the wake of of Virginia’s “trans-vaginal ultrasound” bill and other pending legislation.

JOIN US - SHARE - PASS THE WORD - WE WILL NOT BE SILENT

 ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ *  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Questions? send an email to unitewomenconnecticut@gmail.com    or    ctFreeRadicals@gmail.com  
sign up at WeAreWomenMarch.net

Art - Peace - and Coping with Disaster

POKETTO is an interactive installation by Artist Niizeki Hiromi. 
It is on display at

Arts for Peace:  With One Accord
June 10-17, 2011
United Church on the Green
New Haven
A series of music and art events.

She will be at the site Friday, June 17th, the last day of the event.

Japan, where I was born and lived for 25 years, has been experiencing, right now, massive natural and manmade disaster and lost huge amount of lives/things. It is not the matter of one country any more.  I would  love to hear what is valuable for us, what is reality of our life.  "Imagine here is a pocket. If you may find any you like, what would you wish?"

CMA Teaching Artist Niizeki Hiromi has conceived the Poketto art installation as a means to engage our community in a healing response to the earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11 in North Eastern Japan. Poketto will enable children and families in Japan and New York City to communicate with each other through a cross-cultural art exchange. We welcome participation from Japan and the rest of the world by way of Facebook and Twitter.

There are two "POKETTO" Facebook pages, one is in Japanese:
       http://www.facebook.com/pages/ポケット-poketto/205360116155261
and another in English:        
        http://www.facebook.com/pages/Poketto/151281431602544

          Statement "POKETTO"

Sixties, in Tokyo, my brother, mother and I laid down on Futon on Tatami as shape of Chinese character River, “川”. Talking how was the day in the school, classmates, Bento lunch etc, while finding snakes and faces among growth rings of wood of the ceiling before to sleep in. My brother and I wanted mom to know all what happened in the day, tried to remember every little things.

Now, 2011. Although time and situation could be different, would you feel like sharing what you want to say or know what others may want to share? Imagine here is a pocket. If you may find any you want in a pocket but only one, what would you wish?

Money? What do you like to buy with it? Why?
Camera? What do you like to shoot with it? Why?

Try to think what you really think important for you. Write it down. Draw it. Create it in 2D or 3D. E-mail it. It will be printed out and put in one of many pockets on the wall of installation POKETTO. I will be working at the site sometime, sewing pockets on the wall filled fabric tarp with needle and thread. […].

You can peek what others left in pockets.

For those looking to provide direct financial assistance to Japanese individuals and families impacted by the disasters, the Japan Society (www.japansociety.org/earthquake) is one several reputable charity organizations that may be contacted. 

The War on Women

Got an email today from Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, which went into detail about the War on Women.  Among other things noted in the email was this:

Anti-choice leaders pushed H.R.3, the outrageous "rape-audits" bill, through the U.S. House of Representatives, and now a vote on this legislation in the U.S. Senate could come down to the wire.

Show Congress You're Fighting Back

Anti-choice senators are preparing to move the War on Women forward with legislation that will deny women access to everything from birth control to cancer screenings to the right to choose safe, legal abortion.

Join the photo petition today.

1. Make a sign. Make a sign from scratch or download and print out this sign.
2. Take a picture of yourself holding the sign. You can use your camera, a webcam, or even a photo from your phone is fine!
3. Email your picture to hall33ready@photos.flickr.com – a unique address that will automatically upload your photo to NARAL Pro-Choice America's Flickr site.
   (You can use the subject line to give your photo a title and the body to add a description.)
4. Make sure your friends are involved, too! Get the word out.

NARAL Pro-Choice America will deliver your photo to our senators to make sure they see who these dangerous bills could impact.  Senator Blumenthal is a longtime supporter of women and girls' rights. Senator Lieberman is...well...Senator Lieberman.

Incidentally, the Connecticut organization, NARAL Pro-Choice CT,  welcomes your donations to support work to defend the laws that ensure women's reproductive rights are not abridged.