TEACHER PENSION FUNDS: Divest from Facebook! 22OKT21

 THERE is nothing good about facebook, their greed makes them one of the most powerful forces of evil today. Please sign this petition to teachers pension funds around the country telling them to divest from facebook now and then share with familes, friends and coworkers.....

We’ve all seen the news - Facebook’s platforms are a danger to children! Yet state-run teacher pensions invest $3,000,000,000 in Facebook!  Instagram is flooding kids' feeds with toxic posts, leaving millions of young people feeling anxious, depressed, and even suicidal. Facebook knows this but chooses profits instead of a fix. Teachers spend their whole lives caring for kids, yet the managers in charge of investing their retirement money keep bankrolling a platform that’s destroying children's mental health.  Others like the Los Angeles City Council are debating right now whether to divest from Facebook. Here’s our chance to push these pension fund managers to do the same! Sign to let them know - Funding Facebook is no way to fund our educators' retirements! From the Wall Street Journal to Senate hearings, we’ve seen evidence of Facebook hurting kids -- and evidence that when he has the chance to protect them, Mark Zuckerberg refuses.   At SumOfUs, our own member backed research has shown how Facebook’s Instagram pushes young girls to starvation diets, unnecessary surgery and dangerous skin “whitening.” This is no surprise to Facebook but they do not act.  We can! If thousands of us push these pension funds to pull their money out we can send a clear message to Facebook that endangering a whole generation of children comes with a cost. Teachers’ pension funds are just one of Facebook’s many investors but they are high-profile. If they act, we’ll have the ammunition we need to push others to follow suit -- and then we’ll go from fund to fund persuading them to divest until there’s no one left. When colleges started divesting from fossil fuels, it caused a snowball effect across the world. Let’s do the same now and show Facebook they can’t keep harming our kids with impunity. Tell State Funds for Teachers to Stop Investing in Facebook and Protect our Kids!  SIGN THE PETITION!  Thanks for all that you do! Christina and the team at SumOfUs More information: Instagram Is Still Promoting Eating Disorders and Unproven Diet Pills to TeensSumOfUs Report on Instagram, Vice, September 30th 2021 Facebook Knows Instagram Is Toxic for Teen Girls, Company Documents Show, Wall Street Journal, September 14th 2021

 

 

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VERSE & VOICE AND THE LATEST FROM SOJOURNERS: I'm a Pastor Who Loves Horror Films. Here's Why (by JR. Forasteros), The Subversive, Sapphic Spiritual Lives of Nuns in ‘Matrix’ (by Caroline McTeer), Cypriot Artist Angers Church and Government With Protest Paintings (by Michele Kambas, Reuters), These Families Are Opting To Homeschool — Without White Christian Nationalism (by Julia Oller)

Verse of the day For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead. - James 2:26

Voice of the day Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. - Frederick Douglass

Prayer of the day   May the Lord support us all the day long, till the shades lengthen and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. - Cardinal John Henry Newman

Our Latest I'm a Pastor Who Loves Horror Films. Here's Why (by JR. Forasteros) Both horror and Christianity should be unsettling. The Subversive, Sapphic Spiritual Lives of Nuns in ‘Matrix’ (by Caroline McTeer) In Lauren Groff's new novel, nuns challenge the patriarchy but their leadership is neither pure nor innocent. Cypriot Artist Angers Church and Government With Protest Paintings (by Michele Kambas, Reuters) George Gavriel’s paintings take aim at the perceived riches of the Church, juxtaposed against the humility of Jesus Christ. These Families Are Opting To Homeschool — Without White Christian Nationalism (by Julia Oller) As homeschooling grows, marginalized students, parents, and their supporters are working to create inclusive communities.

Together We Welcome: National Faith Gathering to Support Refugees Register today to join CWS for a virtual conference for faith leaders on November 7-11. Building a welcoming community begins with you. Learn how you can prepare your congregation to welcome and support refugees, Afghan evacuees, and asylum seekers as the U.S. rebuilds and expands its life-saving refugee protection programs. Read more on sojo.net: "Climate Justice: My Grief and Guilt Are Not Enough" Zambia is one of the countries that has contributed least to changes in global climate, yet it is already experiencing some of the most direct and deadly harm. Zambians are paying for a damaged planet with their lives. Learn how you can help through World Renew.

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A CLOSER LOOK: Progressives Must Hold Strong 21SEP21

WITH so many gop greed over people-republican controlled states suffering from natural disasters it is amazing how the people suffering the most in these states still support the gop's opposition to the Biden-Harris administration's infrastructure and budget reconciliation plans. It is even more amazing and totally disgusting how many "democrats" are committed to protecting the tax breaks of the 1% and the profit margins of corporate American instead of the needs of the American people and the nation as a whole. This is class warfare, plain and simple. Check out this from Patriotic Millionaires and then take the time to e mail your representative and senators and tell them you want them to support and vote for the Biden-Harris infrastructure and budget reconciliation plans. 

The fight between various factions within the Democratic party over the outcome of the infrastructure and budget reconciliation deals is coming to a head. For months the Caucus has been working on a strategy that would put both the infrastructure bill and a budget reconciliation package up for a vote at the same time, satisfying both centrists and progressives. Unfortunately, corporate interests have been out in full force, and several Wall Street Democrats in the House and the Senate are putting their interests before the American people’s. They are demanding that the bipartisan infrastructure package goes to a vote before the reconciliation bill, in a move that would essentially block trillions of dollars of investments in the American people and tax hikes on wealthy individuals and corporations. In response, the Congressional Progressive Caucus needs to stand strong, to stand together, and refuse to vote for the bi-partisan infrastructure bill unless it is directly coupled with the full $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill. Progressives in Congress should challenge their “centrist” colleagues to go back to their districts and explain why they had control of the federal government and did nothing to mitigate the damage wreaked on this country by a global pandemic and decades of underfunding. Let them go to their voters and explain why maintaining preferential treatment for the rich in the tax code was more important to them than providing free pre-K to our children, eldercare to our families and healthcare to our citizens. Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s threat to kill President Biden’s Build Back Better Plan if the House fails to pass the bipartisan infrastructure package on September 27th should mark a turning point for progressives. The Wall Street Wing’s performative objections to the bill’s size and timeline of its passage are nothing more than a smokescreen for the fact that they do not want to raise taxes on millionaires, billionaires, and corporations. That’s why it’s time progressive Democrats got serious about confronting the corporatist members of their party. At this pivotal moment, the best and only way for honest Democrats to stand for their fellow citizens is for them to stand publicly against these unprincipled members of their caucus. Senator Sinema’s fellow Arizona Representatives must hold her accountable. She is failing her duty to represent her (and their) constituents, and they have a duty to call her out and do everything they can to overcome her obstruction. Democrats must put the interests of Americans who work for a living over the interests of the investor class. They must put the interests of our children and grandchildren over the interests of private equity managers. They must put a basic sense of fairness at the heart of our nation. This is a battle progressive should fight, and one they CAN win. The vast majority of the American people, the bulk of Democratic voters, and The President of the United States support this package - the party needs to act like it. Warmly, The Patriotic Millionaires

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At Armed Services Hearing on Afghanistan, Secretary Austin Confirms that President Biden Followed the Advice of Military Advisors When Planning and Executing Withdrawal Operation 28SEP21

 SEN ELIZABETH WARREN D MA has never been afraid to speak the truth. As usual she is eloquent, fair and honest in her questioning of Sec of Defense Austin and in her comments on the long overdue withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan. Warmongers, war profiteers, the military-industrial complex and the politicians and pundits they own will continue to run their mouths spewing lies and deception but America can thank God Pres Biden had the courage to end this war and bring our troops home. 

At Armed Services Hearing on Afghanistan, Secretary Austin Confirms that President Biden Followed the Advice of Military Advisors When Planning and Executing Withdrawal Operation

Senator Warren: “I believe President Biden had it exactly right: Withdrawing was long overdue.”

Video of the Hearing Exchange (Round 1 Questioning)

Washington, D.C. -- During today's Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) hearing, United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) questioned Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about President Biden’s decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. In response to Senator Warren, Secretary Austin confirmed that President Biden followed the advice of military advisors in planning and executing that withdrawal. 

Transcript: Hearing to Receive Testimony on the Conclusion of Military Operations in Afghanistan and Plans for Future Counterterrorism Operations (Round 1 of Questioning)
United States Senate Committee on Armed Services 
Tuesday, September 28, 2021 

Senator Warren: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

So I want to begin by zooming out, because it is not possible to understand our final months in Afghanistan without viewing them in the context of the 20 years that led up to them. Anyone who says the last few months were a failure but everything before that was great, clearly hasn’t been paying attention.  

In 2015, the Taliban conquered its first province since 2001. By October 2018, the Afghan government controlled only 54% of the 407 districts. And by May 2020, the Afghan government controlled less than a third of Afghan’s 407 districts. We poured money and support and air cover, and the Afghan government continued to fail.

By 2021, it was clear that 2,500 troops could not successfully prop up a government that had been losing ground and support to the Taliban for years.

Secretary Austin, I understand that you advised President Biden to stay in Afghanistan. But, as you acknowledge, staying or withdrawing is a decision for the President alone. So I want to focus on what happened next. Once President Biden made the decision to have U.S. forces leave the country, who designed the evacuation?

Secretary Austin: Well, Senator, again, I won’t address what I advised, but the advice I gave to the President. I would just say that in his calculus, this was not risk-free, and the Taliban, as we've said earlier in this hearing, were committed to recommencing their operations against our forces. His assessment was that in order to sustain that and continue to do things that benefitted the Afghans that would require at some point that he increase the presence -- our presence -- there in Afghanistan. So once he made the decision, then of course, from a military perspective -- in terms of the retrograde of the people and the equipment -- that was, that planning was done by Central Command, and certainly, principally, by General Miller. Very detailed planning. And then, we came back and briefed the entire inner agency on the details of that plan. 

Senator Warren: Okay. So the military planned the evacuation. Did President Biden follow your advice on executing on the evacuation plan?

Secretary Austin: He did.

Senator Warren:  Did President Biden give you all the resources that you needed?

Secretary Austin: From my view, he did. 

Senator Warren: Did President Biden ignore your advice on the evacuation at any point?

Secretary Austin: No, Senator. He did not. 

Sen Warren: Did he refuse any requests for anything that you needed or asked for? 

Secretary Austin: No. 

Senator Warren: So the President followed the advice of his military advisors in planning and executing this withdrawal.

As we’ve already established, the seeds for our failure in Afghanistan were planted many, many years ago, so let me ask you one more question, Secretary Austin. Knowing what you know now, if we had stayed in Afghanistan for another year, would it have made a fundamental difference?

Secretary Austin: Again, it depends on what size you remain in at and what your objectives are. There are a range of possibilities, but if you stayed there at force posture of 2,500, certainly, you'd be in a fight with the Taliban. And you'd have to reinforce yourself. 

Senator Warren: I appreciate you looking at it as a fighter, but I would also add one more year of propping up a corrupt government and an army that wouldn't fight on its own was not going to give us a different outcome. And anyone who thinks differently is either fooling himself or trying to fool the rest of us.

I believe President Biden had it exactly right: Withdrawing was long overdue. The withdrawal was conducted in accordance with the advice of his military advisors, who planned and executed every step of this withdrawal.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Or Madame Chair.