Campus Progress National Student Conference!

What are you doing on Tuesday, July 8th this summer?

Wait, wait, don't answer that question. Because by the time you finish reading this post, I know exactly what you will be doing:

You'll be in Washington, DC with 1,000 other progressive students for the fourth annual Campus Progress National Student Conference!

And who is the keynote speaker? None other than Sen. John Edwards himself. Sigh.

Other speakers include Ryan Gosling (mmmm...), hip-hop artist M-1, US House Rep Linda Sanchez, spoken word poet Paul Flores (he's amazing), Ted Leo....the list goes on. Speakers at past conferences have included President Bill Clinton, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Russ Feingold, Speaker Pelosi, etc, etc.

Besides the incredible speakers, the day is jam packed of trainings, panel discussions on all sorts of issues ranging from global warming to affirmative action to immigration to healthcare to practically every single progressive issue there is.

This is an amazing opportunity to network and mingle with 1,000 super cool progressive students from all over the country.

How are you going to get out to DC, you may ask? CP has a limited number of travel scholarships available, but you must apply now!

See you in DC!

http://campusprogress.org/common/2851/2008-campus-progress-national-conference-home

Murdoch predicts McCain will lose

Rupert Murdoch, the owner of Fox News and other right-wing media outlets said he thinks McCain will lose in a landslide. Anyone who has watched the documentary 'Out Foxed' should know how right-wing and propagandist Fox News is, and for the owner to say he knows the Republican candidate will lose in a landslide says a lot about McCain's campaign and chances in the fall.

Unmasking McCain

Listen up Democrats! I know this campaign season has seen gotten ugly and you all have your chosen candidate. But please, Dems, I beg of you, do NOT vote for John McCain if your candidate loses.

This election is about more than the candidates: it is about issues and our future. At the end of the day, Clinton and Obama have much more in common than either of them do with John McCain. The article that I have attached focuses specifically choice issues--McCain believes Roe must be overturned and has voted against choice in 125 of his 130 votes in his career in the Senate.

But the differences between John McCain and the Democratic candidates don't end there. Don't let McCain's maverick reputation fool you: he is for extended occupation of Iraq, against a woman's right to choose, has a zero rating from the League of Conservation Voters, and reduce regulation on health insurance providers.

...Moral of the story? Even if your candidate does not win the nomination, do not abandon the issues that are important to you.

Burning the Future

One new medium sized coal fired power plant will completely negate all of California's attempts to reduce their GHG emissions (such as AB 32, the Global Warming Solutions Act, which was passed back in 2006, to reduce GHG emissions by 25% by 2020).

There are over 150 new coal fired power plants on the drawing board today.

A new documentary, entitled "Burning the Future" displays the harsh dangers and reality of coal mining, specifically mountaintop removal practices, in West Virginia and Appalachia. Coal mining has HUGE impacts on people, it's destroying their homes, their water, their land, their air....

Watch the powerful trailer: http://www.burningthefuture.org/movietrailer.cfm

Sign a petition here: http://www.cleanenergyaction.net/callaction.cfm

Take ACTION this summer and attend a Mountain Justice Summer Camp: http://www.mountainjusticesummer.org/

Other climate change related summer opportunities here: http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/summer-opportunities/

Great series of articles on Climate Change

So I was wasting a lil bit of time at the library and stumbled across these great Wired articles. What I mostly liked about them is they offer very realistic views about some of the sacrifices related to climate change. For example, they discourage buying a Prius, encourage living in a city, and poo-poo cap-and-trade! Interested yet? Check it out

Truth about John McCain

I don't think too much needs to be said about this video. In case your a lil shaky where John McCain stands, this video will not help.

Santa Barbara Independent Endorses Doreen Farr for Third District Supervisor

The Santa Barbara Independent is in good company: Doreen Farr is also endorsed by Campus Democrats at UCSB, Lois Capps, Democratic Women of Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Democratic Party, and the Sierra Club.

Check out the article. It doesn't even begin to cover all of the reasons you should vote for Doreen Farr this June, but it does cover why you shouldn't vote for the others. If you have any doubt about the race, visit Farr's website http://doreenfarrforsupervisor.com/
And there is still time to ask her any questions you have: she is very responsive to students and will be on campus and in Isla Vista between now and June 3

California Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

For those of you who have been living under a rock, the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage today! The court ruled that it is unconstitutional to bar same-sex couples from getting married. The suit was brought by the city of San Francisco, which you may remember became the focus of attention a few years ago when mayor Gavin Newsom married hundreds of gay and lesbian couples.

I will be celebrating all day. But, I won't lose sight of the fact that there are still thousands of gay and lesbian couples across the country who are not as lucky. In fact, California is still at risk: this November, there will be an initiative on the ballot to amend the California Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. We need to keep our eye on the prize and make sure that this initiative is defeated come November.

To find out how you can help, visit hrc.org
or contribute (not tax-deductible) at https://www.kintera.org/AutoGen/Simple/Donor.asp?ievent=110778

Some Detainees Are Drugged For Deportation

So this is pretty shady....

The U.S. government has injected hundreds of foreigners it has deported with dangerous psychotropic drugs against their will to keep them sedated during the trip back to their home country, according to medical records, internal documents and interviews with people who have been drugged.

The government's forced use of antipsychotic drugs, in people who have no history of mental illness, includes dozens of cases in which the "pre-flight cocktail," as a document calls it, had such a potent effect that federal guards needed a wheelchair to move the slumped deportee onto an airplane.

so Bush has now set a record disapproval rating of 71%. I have to say I'm a bit surprised it took so long.