RE: Redefining Rape

Dear MoveOn member,

Incredible! Since yesterday, over 360,000 people have signed our petition demanding Congress oppose the GOP legislation that could redefine rape.

If we get to half a million signers, we'll hand-deliver all the signatures during an upcoming hearing on the bill—right in front of the news media and their cameras. Can you help us reach our goal by sharing the petition with your friends, family, and co-workers?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205956&id=25994-10220574-g6afb4x&t=1

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Marika, Michael, Daniel, and the rest of the team

P.S. You can also just pass the text below on by email:

I just heard about a horrible GOP bill that could redefine rape and set women's rights back by decades.

Here's the deal: Right now, federal dollars can't be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger. But the bill, introduced by Republican Congressman Chris Smith, would narrow that use to "cases of 'forcible' rape but not statutory or coerced rape."

As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape—a lack of consent does. This bill is scary—so I signed a petition telling Congress to stand up and oppose the bill. Can you join me at the link below?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205957&id=25994-10220574-g6afb4x&t=2

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 2, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Redefining rape?

"Bruises and broken bones do not define rape—a lack of consent does. Stand up and oppose the dangerous GOP legislation to redefine rape." Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

Think "no" means "no"?

Well, 173 members of Congress don't.

A far-reaching anti-choice bill, introduced by Republican Chris Smith and supported by 173 members of the House, includes a provision that could redefine rape and set women's rights back by decades.¹

Right now, federal dollars can't be used for abortion except in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger.

But according to the New York Times, the Smith bill would narrow that use to "cases of 'forcible' rape but not statutory or coerced rape."² This could mean cases where women are "drugged or given excessive amounts of alcohol, rapes of women with limited mental capacity, and many date rapes" would no longer count as rape.³

As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape—a lack of consent does. The Smith bill is scary. And with 173 supporters it already has a frightening chance of passage—unless the public speaks up right away with an outcry that can't be ignored.

Can you sign the petition to Congress today, demanding they oppose the sexist, anti-choice Smith bill?

The petition says: "Bruises and broken bones do not define rape—a lack of consent does. Stand up and oppose the dangerous GOP legislation to redefine rape."

Federal funds are already severely restricted when it comes to reproductive rights and women's health care, a situation that ends up hurting lower-income women in particular, who tend to use federally-funded services more often than wealthy women. The last thing we ought to be doing is legislating to make these laws more stringent.

In addition, the Smith bill is full of dangerous anti-choice provisions as well as the rape redefinition. Called "Stupak on Steroids" by NARAL Pro-Choice America in reference to Rep. Bart Stupak's failed attempt to push stringent restrictions on insurance coverage for abortion during the health care debate, it would "force millions of American families to pay more taxes if their health plan covers abortion care, jeopardizing abortion coverage in the private market."⁴

The Smith bill is just the first of many attacks on women's rights to come in the new GOP-controlled House.⁵ If it moves forward, it would set an incredibly dangerous precedent for GOP action in the House for the next two years.

Can you sign the petition asking Congress to denounce the Smith bill to redefine rape? Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?id=25965-10220574-iJYZuRx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Kat, Eli, Milan, Carrie, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape," Mother Jones, January 28, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205936&id=25965-10220574-iJYZuRx&t=5

"Stupak on Steroids," The Hill, January 25, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205938&id=25965-10220574-iJYZuRx&t=6

2. "The Two Abortion Wars: A Highly Intrusive Federal Bill," New York Times, January 29, 2011
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/opinion/30sun1.html

3. "The House GOP's Plan to Redefine Rape," Mother Jones, January 28, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205936&id=25965-10220574-iJYZuRx&t=7

"Stupak on Steroids," The Hill, January 25, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205938&id=25965-10220574-iJYZuRx&t=8

5. Ibid.

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 1, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Egypt

"We stand with the people of Egypt in their demand for freedom and basic rights, an end to the crackdown and internet blackout, and immediate democratic reform. We call on our governments to join us in our solidarity with the Egyptian people." Sign the solidarity statement

Dear MoveOn member,

Massive pro-democracy protests are spreading quickly across Egypt. Protesters are bravely speaking out against a repressive regime that has ruled the country for more than 30 years. The protesters are demanding the right to free speech, an end to government corruption and brutality, and free and fair elections.¹

Today we're joining an international grassroots movement to send a message of solidarity via radio and television to the people of Egypt and the Arab world.

So far, the protests have been overwhelmingly non-violent but the Egyptian government is cracking down hard. They have already arrested nearly a thousand protesters, declared a nationwide curfew, and cut off the internet.²  The regional media is one of our last ways to reach out to the people of Egypt.

So we're joining with our friends at Avaaz.org—an international MoveOn-style organization—to build a massive wave of support from people around the world to stand in solidarity with non-violent protesters in Egypt.

Avaaz will be spreading the statement of solidarity via radio and television across North Africa and the Middle East, where the Egyptian people can hear it.

You can join by signing the solidarity statement here:

http://pol.moveon.org/standwithegypt?id=25944-10220574-4h5bNRx&t=3

We enjoy the rights to free speech and peaceful assembly in this country, and we ought to use them to support others who hope for the same freedoms.

We must support those in Egypt who are choosing to stand up for democracy. The response by the Egyptian government has been needlessly brutal so far. Security forces are firing at protesters with live ammunition, beating people on the streets, and cutting off nearly every means of communication in an effort to maintain control and suppress the calls for democracy.

The situation on the ground is volatile and our hope is to support those in Egypt who are choosing peaceful protest as the means by which to push for change.

Our show of support could help not only bring newfound freedom to Egypt but possibly catalyze a chain reaction of reform across the Middle East unlike anything we've seen since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Last week the people of Tunisia peacefully deposed a long-ruling dictator, inspiring the people of Egypt to stand up. Now, calls for reform are spreading to other countries including Yemen, Jordan, and Lebanon.

Right now our voices, in a show of unwavering solidarity with people non-violently calling for change, could potentially help bring fundamental human rights and democracy to millions of people. Add your name to the global statement of solidarity to be broadcast by radio here:

http://pol.moveon.org/standwithegypt?id=25944-10220574-4h5bNRx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Robin, Duncan, Peter, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1."Egyptians' Fury Has Smoldered Beneath the Surface for Decades," The New York Times, January 28, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205899&id=25944-10220574-4h5bNRx&t=5

2. "Egyptian military deploys in Cairo under curfew," MSNBC, January 28, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205898&id=25944-10220574-4h5bNRx&t=6

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 January 29, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

What's your story from the economic recession?

By sharing your personal experience during the recession, you can help keep the pressure on Congress to fix the economy. We'll bring these stories to our meetings with Congress next week. Can you share your story?  Share your story

Dear MoveOn member,

Have you or someone close to you been impacted by the economic recession?  

Next week, MoveOn members in your area are meeting with your member of Congress (or their staff) to discuss how to fix our broken economy—and powerful personal experiences of local constituents are critical to making sure Congress gets the message. 

We're collecting stories from MoveOn members to bring to the meeting. If you—or someone you know—has been impacted by the recession, can you take 30 seconds to share your story? We'll bring some of the stories to share with members of Congress next week (and don't worry, to protect your privacy, we'll only include your first name and initial of your last name).  

http://pol.moveon.org/econ_stories/index.html?id=25911-10220574-kyxtl3x&t=3

The meeting with your member of Congress is being organized by your local MoveOn Council—a committed group of grassroots leaders who organize locally in their communities to hold Congress and the president accountable to us, not corporate lobbyists. If you're interested in learning more about your local Council or coming to the meeting next week, you can sign up when you submit your story. Click here to share your story: 

http://pol.moveon.org/econ_stories/index.html?id=25911-10220574-kyxtl3x&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Carrie, Duncan, Lenore, and the rest of the team

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 January 26, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Mayor Bloomberg

"Congress must keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people by taking two critical steps: 1) Get all the names of people who should be prohibited from buying guns into the background check system. 2) Require a background check for every gun sale in America." Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

The tragedy in Tucson has brought to light some glaring holes in our gun control system.

Thousands of the records that should be in the background check system—people with documented histories of serious mental illness and drug abuse, like Arizona shooter Jared Lee Loughner—have never been entered.¹ And you can still buy guns at gun shows with no background check at all.²

A bipartisan group of mayors from across the country, led by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, is now pushing to close these loopholes.

There is huge public support (over 90%!) for doing this³—but the gun lobby and the NRA are powerful and super well-funded and they will fight this tooth and nail. If we can show overwhelming public demand for the mayors' efforts right now, change is possible.

Can you sign this petition to Congress supporting the bipartisan proposal from Mayors Against Illegal Guns? If we can get over 250,000 signatures, mayors from across the country will deliver them directly to Congress. Click here:

http://pol.moveon.org/guncontrol/?id=25897-10220574-6zEiCnx&t=3

After the tragic mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2006, Congress passed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Act that created incentives for states to improve the reporting of background information to the NICS database. While it helped (increased the number of records in the database from 300,00 to 1.1 million), the database is still over a million records short. Here are some key facts:⁴

• Twenty-eight states and D.C. still have less than 100 mental health records in the system, in part because this bill was underfunded.
• The database only has 2,000 people listed as drug abusers—something that Jared Lee Loughner should have been listed as and would have prevented him from getting the gun he used.
• Under this law, federal agencies—including the military—which rejected Loughner due to drug use should have been sharing that information with the NICS database.
• Finally, even if the Arizona shooter had failed the NICS background check, he could have walked right into a gun show and bought a gun without any check at all.

The mayors effort focuses on two major components: Fully fund the NICS Improvement Act and strengthen procedures for compliance with the law, and fix the gun show loophole by requiring reasonable background checks at gun shows.

Their proposals are supported by more than 90% of the public, including gun owners. 

But the NRA is incredibly powerful and has a lot of allies in Congress. They've prevented important reforms like this before and they could again, unless we all speak out now.

http://pol.moveon.org/guncontrol/?id=25897-10220574-6zEiCnx&t=4

Thanks for all you do.

–Justin, Nita, Kat, Anna, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. After Arizona Shootings Background Checks Examined, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, January 14, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205871&id=25897-10220574-6zEiCnx&t=5

2. Fix Gun Checks, Mayors Against Illegal Guns
http://www.fixgunchecks.org/background-checks

3. In Aftermath of Tucson Shooting, New Bipartisan Poll Shows Americans, Including Gun Owners, Support Tougher Laws to Keep Firearms Out of Dangerous Hands, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, January 18, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205872&id=25897-10220574-6zEiCnx&t=6

4. Fix Gun Checks, Mayors Against Illegal Guns
http://www.fixgunchecks.org/background-checks

Arizona Shooter's Gun Purchases Should Have Been Blocked, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, January 17, 2011
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205873&id=25897-10220574-6zEiCnx&t=7

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 January 25, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Your hopes, wishes, and prayers for Rep. Giffords

Click to view photos from the delivery.

Dear MoveOn member,

I'm Julie, and I work with the local MoveOn Council in Tucson, Arizona and I wanted to tell you about a moving event we held this past Tuesday.

Normally, local MoveOn councils organize rallies, district meetings, and other grassroots events. But this Tuesday we were doing something very different. We had the honor of delivering the thoughts, feelings, well wishes, hopes, and prayers of thousands of MoveOn members nationwide to our Congresswoman.

In the days since the tragic events of January 8th, MoveOn members like you showed their support and well wishes with a get well card for the Congresswoman. There were more than 140,000 messages—enough to fill three LARGE three ring binders. We presented these to the Congresswoman's staff along with a heartfelt message of thanks and support for all of their service and dedication.

Let me assure you, there was not a dry eye in the office at the end of our meeting.

Many of our council members have gotten to know Rep. Giffords and her staff through our efforts to get out the vote and our work on issues such as health care reform. We have always been impressed with the enthusiasm, openness and dedication shown by the Congresswoman's office and were not at all surprised to find staffers hard at work, serving their constituents as always.

This in turn has inspired our Council members. We know that even in times of reflection and sorrow, our best hopes can be realized if we continue to work for change and look toward the future. We must, as always, counter the tides of negative rhetoric with fact, reason, love, hope, and dignity.

Best wishes to you all,

Julie Jennings Patterson 

Council Coordinator, Tucson MoveOn

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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 January 21, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.

Social Security on the chopping block

Click here to sign your name: "President Obama: Americans are counting on you to defend Social Security. Tell Congress you will veto any benefit cut, including raising the retirement age" Sign the petition

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday, Republicans passed a bill to repeal health care reform. We know that bill won't become law.

But their next target is Social Security—and there, they might just succeed.

Washington has been whipped into a frenzy over the deficit, and there are rumors the White House may try to cut a deal with Republicans by offering cuts to Social Security in the State of the Union¹, just like they did over the Bush tax cuts.

Some key Democrats in Congress have also signaled that they're open to cutting Social Security.² But cutting Social Security is massively unpopular³, and if we can spread the word that this threat is more real than ever, we can create an outcry loud enough to stop it in its tracks.

So we're aiming to get 150,000 signatures saying that any cuts to the most successful government program in history have to be completely off the table. We'll deliver the petition to the White House before the speech next week. Will you add your name?

Click here to sign the petition to President Obama

Tea Party hysteria about deficits is pushing Republicans—and many Democrats—to support big cuts to Social Security benefits. Speaker of the House John Boehner wants to cut benefits³ by over 20%⁴, and he's not alone. Members of the media, and even leading Democrats like Steny Hoyer are trumpeting Social Security cuts—even though Social Security runs a surplus, can't contribute to the deficit, and can be secured for decades without any cuts to benefits.

If the rumors are right, President Obama could be next to embrace cuts, even as soon as the State of the Union address next week. Social Security belongs to us, the people who pay into it, and benefit cuts are deeply unpopular—not to mention devastating for the middle class workers who count on benefits to make ends meet.

We can stop benefit cuts in their tracks, but President Obama needs to hear from us. We need a massive outcry in defense of Social Security, to convince the President to take benefit cuts off the table. We're aiming for 150,000 signatures to get things started—can you add your name?

Click here to sign the petition to President Obama

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Joan, Duncan, Nita, and the rest of the team

Sources:

1. "Liberals warn of Democratic schism if Obama backs Social Security cut" The Hill, January 15, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205831&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=5

2. "Raising the Social Security Retirement Age" Washington Independent, July 7, 2010
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205828&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=6

3.  "If Obama Moves Right He Loses Everybody—and Everybody Loses" Huffington Post, January 19, 2011.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205827&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=7

4. "John Boehner: Raise Social Security Retirement Age to 70" CBS News, June 29, 2010.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20009192-503544.html

5. "Social Security: A Consensus Based on Confusion" Brookings Institution, July 19, 2010.
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=205791&id=&t=5&id=25858-10220574-It.HOEx&t=8

Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 5 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

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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 January 20, 2011. To change your email address or update your contact info, click here. To remove yourself from this list, click here.