Harvard-Smithsonian: Drop Koch-Funded Climate Denier Wei-Hock Soon

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Brad Johnson, a MoveOn member in Oakland, California, and I started a petition to the director of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Charles R. Alcock, which says:

End your association with climate denier Dr. Wei-Hock "Willie" Soon, financed by Koch, Exxon, and Southern Company, and stop accepting funding from the fossil-fuel industry.

The fossil-fuel industry's campaign to promote climate denial, led by the Koch brothers, has corrupted Harvard University and the Smithsonian, two of the most trusted scientific institutions in the world.

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, a joint program of the Smithsonian Institution and Harvard University, is harboring a polluter-funded climate denier. Documents uncovered by Greenpeace reveal that Dr. Wei-Hock "Willie" Soon has taken more than $1.2 million from the Kochs, ExxonMobil, coal giant Southern Company, and others to produce "deliverables" that push the long-debunked claim that solar activity, not fossil-fuel pollution, drives global warming.¹

Smithsonian-Harvard's contract with Southern Company forbade disclosure of Willie Soon's funding, a clear violation of scientific integrity and ethics. Some of the Exxon-Mobil money was used to directly fund Harvard-Smithsonian general expenses.

This level of corporate influence in research is unacceptable. Add your name and tell Harvard-Smithonian to end their association with this climate denier.

Harvard-Smithsonian has no fundingdisclosure requirements, nor does it have a conflict-of-interest policy that prevents funding from fossil-fuel companies of climate science research.

Is Harvard-Smithsonian a scientific institution or a fossil-fuel climate-denial public-relations firm?

To restore public trust in the institution, Harvard-Smithsonian director Charles Alcock must
1) sever his institution's ties with Dr. Wei-Hock Soon,
2) end all financial relationships with the fossil-fuel industry, and
3) establish strong financial public disclosure rules for all institute scientists that prevent anonymous or secret funding of research.

Harvard University and the Smithsonian Institution are two of the most prominent and trusted scientific institutions in the world. They are taking money from Koch and Exxon to promote climate denial. This must end today.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Brad

Source:

1. "Deeper Ties to Corporate Cash for Doubtful Climate Researcher," The New York Times, February 21, 2015
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303154&id=109046-10220574-U34mOmx&t=1

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Brad Johnson didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

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Huge Obama/Warren announcement

President Obama and Senator Warren are teaming up to stop Wall Street from playing games with Americans' retirement security.

Dear MoveOn member,

On Monday, President Obama—with Senator Elizabeth Warren by his side—made a huge announcement: He called upon the Department of Labor to take steps that would protect millions of Americans by requiring financial advisers to act in the best interest of their clients. Will you sign the petition to make sure Congress doesn't stand in the way of this bold proposal?

I had the honor of representing millions of MoveOn members as President Obama spoke about this proposal. But we know that Wall Street, and its allies in Congress, will fight this tooth and nail. It's going to be a huge fight, but with President Obama, Sen. Warren, the AARP, and other organizations that push for financial reform backing this effort with us, we can win.

That's why we launched a petition to Congress, which says:

Help protect Americans' retirement security by supporting new rules that would require financial advisers to act in the interest of their customers rather than for their own financial gain.

Join the president's call to the Department of Labor to issue these rules, and don't let congressional action undermine this commonsense effort.

Every single year, an estimated $17 billion is transferred from Main Street retirement accounts into Wall Street's coffers—because brokers and financial advisers are allowed to steer investors into unethical investments that aren't in their own best interest.¹

But the new rule proposed by President Obama—and championed by Sen. Warren—could change that. 

Click here to sign the petition.

As the White House explains:

A 1 percentage point lower return could reduce your savings by more than a quarter over 35 years. In other words, instead of a $10,000 retirement investment growing to more than $38,000 over that period after adjusting for inflation, it would be just over $27,500.²

And for a young person just starting out today and saving consistently—the numbers are staggering: A worker who saves $5,000 a year for 40 years could end up with over $224,000 more if Obama's new rule is implemented!³

There's reason to worry that Republicans in Congress will side with their Wall Street pals and try to undo this work. They could try to pass laws preventing the Department of Labor from issuing such rules, or could threaten the agency's funding to enforce these rules.

We need to make sure members of Congress hear from us: These rules make sense. Don't mess with them. Side with Main Street over Wall Street. 

Sign this petition now.

These types of rules sometimes fly under the radar. By signing and sharing this petition, we can make sure this important move gets the attention it deserves—and puts Congress on notice that we're paying attention.

Thanks for all you do.

–Ilya, Brian, Maria, Manny, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1.  "FACT SHEET: Middle Class Economics: Strengthening Retirement Security by Cracking Down on Backdoor Payments and Hidden Fees," The White House, February 23, 2015  
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303142&id=109012-10220574-NeXV2ux&t=6

2. Ibid. 

3. According to the White House fact sheet, the average loss for investors who receive investment advice with conflicts of interest is 1% per year. If a worker deposits $5,000 each year for 40 years into a retirement account and never withdraws anything, the worker would retire with $773,809 at a 6% rate of return with conflicts of interest. But the worker would receive $998,176 with a 7% return without conflicts of interest. The 1% per year difference compounds to $224,367 over 40 years. 
http://www.moveon.org/r/?r=303142&id=109012-10220574-NeXV2ux&t=7

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PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 25, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Just waiting for you

I'm ready to review your petition and look forward to adding your victory to the ever-growing list of progressive causes that MoveOn members across the country have championed.

I'm ready to review your petition and look forward to adding your victory to the ever-growing list of progressive causes that MoveOn members across the country have championed. I'm just waiting on you. Will you start your petition now, and take the first step? Yes, I'll Start a Petition

Dear MoveOn member,

You probably didn't recognize my name in your inbox—which is fair because it's probably never been there before. I tend to take on more of a "man behind the curtain" role on the MoveOn Petitions team. In fact there's usually only one way to get an email from me: start a petition. 

Hundreds of progressive petition campaigns pop up on our platform every week. Their goals range from fighting for local school board initiatives to taking on Congress, and all of them have a common denominator: They're led by MoveOn members like you!

So what actually happens once you click "Submit" on your petition? Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what I do once you click submit on your petition. 

And speaking of clicking "Submit" on your petition, will you click here to start your own petition right now?

I always tell people that I have the best job in the world, because I do. All day long I get to work to help you make your petition campaigns succeed. There are all kinds of ways that we offer you support to help turn your petition into a full-on campaign for change. 

I jump into action as soon as your petition hits just 20 signatures. That's when your petition gets put into our state-of-the-art testing system. From there, I go through each petition by hand—well, by mouse—and find the perfect set of MoveOn members to share your petition with, helping to supplement your own efforts to gather signatures.

As your petition grows, you'll start to see my name in your inbox some more as you receive emails from my teammates and me, giving you step-by-step insider guides to running a successful campaign, based on MoveOn's 16 years of experience. 

You'll also be invited to training calls that will allow you to communicate directly with some of our most seasoned campaign staff. And finally when you've utilized our tools and support, we will even help pay for you to print your petition, so that you can deliver the voices of your signers directly to your targets. 

Nothing makes me happier than when MoveOn members claim victory. There's honestly just no better feeling than seeing that you were able to help someone create change in a meaningful way. I keep a special folder of images sent to me by MoveOn members, like the one below of student leaders in Jefferson County, Colorado who fought for their access to an uncensored American history education. 

I'm ready to review your petition and look forward to getting pictures of your petition delivery soon, and adding your victory to the ever-growing list of progressive causes that MoveOn members across the country have championed. I'm just waiting on you. Will you start your petition now, and take the first step?

Yes, I'm ready to start a petition on a progressive issue I care about!

Thanks for all you do.

–Ben O., Maria, Corinne, Erica, and the rest of the team

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Stop Shell’s Disastrous Arctic Drilling plan (again)

Dear New York member,

I'm Drew_Hudson of Environmental Action, and I started a petition to Sally Jewel, Secretary of the Interior, Gina McCarty, Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency, and President Barack Obama , which says:

Scientists say that to save the planet from climate chaos, we must leave three-quarters of our remaining fossil fuel reserves in the ground — including all of the oil and gas in the Arctic.

I, therefore, call on you to reject Shell's doomed-to-fail-again plan to drill in the Arctic once and for all.

Neither risk of an oil spill nor global climate change nor the falling price of oil will keep Shell from exploiting the Arctic's oil. But you can.

In 2012, Shell oil embarked on a dangerous plan to drill for oil in the frigid and unforgiving waters of the Arctic. It was a disaster.

As documented in popular press reports and a recent retrospective "the Wreck of the Kullig" Shell's mission was plagued by failure after failure1: Their vessels couldn't meet basic air quality standards, were deemed unfit for the voyage by the coast guard, and unable to drill for oil at all by experts. Their experimental containment dome - the critical piece of equipment that's supposed to protect the fragile ecosystem in the event of a well blowout - was "crushed like a beer can" in a simulation.

Shell never even made it to their destination, or drilled a single well - despite spending millions of (taxpayer subsidized) dollars on the attempt. Then, in an attempt to dodg e local alaskan taxes, Shell finally gave up and tried to tow it's rig out of the arctic. Only to lose control of the massive structure and see it run aground (fortunately with no oil aboard).

Two short years later, Shell's back to try again, and it's still a bad idea2. If Big Oil companies can't even drill safely in the calm and warm water of the gulf of Mexico, how can we possibly expect them to get it right in the dangers, icy, waters of the Arctic? And if anything does go wrong, it will be nearly impossible to contain or clean up a spill in the Arctic - as the wreck of the Kullig clearly illustrates.3

But none of that seems to matter to Shell, which has already invested $1 billion in their plan to drill the Arctic - not to mention millions more in lobbying fees and political donations to our elected leaders.4

President Obama has been talking tough on climate change in the last few months. And under his direction, the Department of Interior and EPA have moved to protect critical arctic ecosystems like Bristol bay from mining, drilling and other disasters. But there's still no law or policy that stops Shell from drilling the Arctic. Sign here to tell President Obama and his team that it's time to shut the door on Arctic drilling for good - and block Shell's plans.

1 - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/magazine/the-wreck-of-the-kulluk.html?_r=0
2 - http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/29/shell-arctic-idUSL6N0V846B20150129
3 - http://www.salon.com/2015/01/11/why_arctic_drilling_is_a_disaster_waiting_to_happen/
4 - http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/29/shell-arctic-idUSL6N0V846B20150129
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Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Drew_Hudson

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Environmental Action didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

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This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 24, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Tell the Obama administration: Prosecute endangered species killers!

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Mitch Merry of the Endangered Species Coalition, and I started a petition to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and President Barack Obama, which says:

Please direct the Department of Justice to revise its self-imposed restriction on prosecutions of those who kill an endangered species and later claim to have not intended to do so.

The so-called "McKittrick Policy" ties the hands of prosecutors who could otherwise bring justice to those who violate one of our nation's most popular laws, the Endangered Species Act.

Please end this policy immediately and prosecute those who kill endangered species.

A little known and decades old Department of Justice policy is protecting killers of endangered grizzly bears, whooping cranes, California condors and wolves.

The so-called "McKittrick Policy" was enacted after a Montana man gunned down a wolf and later claimed he had thought he was firing on a dog. He was prosecuted, though the Department of Justice (DOJ) later decided to accept his self-exoneration by claimed ignorance and has clung to that policy of inaction for years.

Endangered species need to be protected from hunters who can simply claim they did not know what they were shooting.

Tell President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder to drop the McKittrick Policy and treat the killing of endangered species like the crime that it is.

Click here to add your name to this petition, and then pass it along to your friends.

Thanks!

–Mitch

This petition was created on MoveOn's online petition site, where anyone can start their own online petitions. Endangered Species Coalition didn't pay us to send this email—we never rent or sell the MoveOn.org list.

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This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 21, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Keystone needs a one-two punch

Dear fellow MoveOn member,

President Obama says he'll veto the latest attempt by Congress to push through the Keystone XL pipeline—which is the right thing to do. But he hasn't yet committed to rejecting this dangerous proposal outright.

That's where we come in.

The proposed pipeline would run through much of our nation's heartland, and the costs and risks could be a disaster for our climate and our communities. Watch this short video to see what I mean:

President Obama should stop Keystone XL for good—and do it now.

Will you help spread the word about why it's time for the president to reject Keystone XL, by watching and sharing the video right now?

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

 

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This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 20, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Groundbreaking new project

I'm writing to ask for your help with a groundbreaking new project I'm starting with MoveOn.

Hi there—It looks like you recently considered a donation to help us launch a groundbreaking new project with Robert Reich, but didn't complete it. Can you help out? Click here to chip in.

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Dear MoveOn member,

Hello. This is former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. I'm writing to ask for your help with a groundbreaking new project I'm starting with MoveOn.

I'm going to explain it to you in depth, but just to cut to the chase, I'm also going to ask for money. So before I launch into this whole explanation, here's the link to donate, just so you have it handy.

OK, here's the deal: After the last election, it became painfully clear that we progressives have a problem.

On issue after issue, the public is on our side. Raising the minimum wage. Cracking down on Wall Street. Ending corporate welfare.

And yet, every one of these issues is completely and utterly gridlocked in Washington.

Why? That's a big question, and I know people who have written entire books on it. But one part of the problem is clear: We're losing the message war.

You see, when Republicans pick a message, they hammer on it over and over and over. Obamacare. Benghazi. Solyndra. It doesn't matter what the facts are—conservative thinktanks, the right-wing media, and Republican politicians pick one story and stick to it until it sinks in.

Progressives don't have anything like that kind of media support or message consistency. And that's what we're setting out to change.

Getting excited yet? If so, here again is that link to donate.

The way it's going to work is that we're putting together the most powerful and important proposals to improve the lives of the bottom 90 percent. Proposals that will impact tens of millions of Americans—and are supported by conservative voters and progressives alike.

But instead of waiting for CNN or the network news stations to give our ideas the attention they deserve, we're teaming up with the online experts at MoveOn to bypass the mainstream media and get our message in front of millions of Americans directly.

We know this can work. Because just last week, we created a video sounding the alarm about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a corporate-friendly trade deal that's been almost totally ignored by the corporate media.

In just a few days, the video was seen by THREE MILLION PEOPLE.

Do you know how much it costs to get millions of people to see a 60-second television ad? Our TPP video cost a fraction of that.

If we want to start making progress again on the big issues that matter, we need to change what we're doing. And I believe that together, with this plan, we can do it. Will you chip in $3 help us get this project off the ground?

Yes, I'll chip in today.

Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

Robert Reich, Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley, was Secretary of Labor in the Clinton administration. He has written thirteen books, including the best-sellers "Aftershock" and "The Work of Nations." His latest, "Beyond Outrage," is now out in paperback. His new film, "Inequality for All," is now available on Netflix, iTunes, DVD, and On Demand.  

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 8 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Start a monthly donation here or chip in a one-time donation here.

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This email was sent to eddie alfaro on February 19, 2015. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.