This is the march of our time (GET OUT THE VOTE VIDEO) 1NOV12 & romney video Romney: No One's Ever Asked To See My Birth Certificate 24AUG12

THIS is a powerful GET OUT THE VOTE video from ColorOfChange.org, and then watch the romney video about his birth certificate....

Black voters have stood up against suppression efforts decade after decade It's our right. It's our responsibility. It's our vote.

We made history in 2008. Now it's up to us to do it again.

Members like you have taken more than 220,000 actions, sending a clear signal that Black voters have had enough of right-wing efforts to make it harder for our families to vote.

Politicians with personal agendas don't decide who wins in this election — your vote decides. There's simply too much at stake for Black America and we can't afford to sit this one out. When you look back on this year, you'll want to be able to say, "I did all I could do."

We're making a strong push to mobilize Black voters and our allies leading up to Election Day on November 6. We need people across the country to hear this message, and we need your help to spread the word. Help us get out the vote by sharing this powerful video demonstrating how our community has stood up against suppression efforts decade after decade, election after election.

http://vote.colorofchange.org/pledge

It's our right. It's our responsibility. It's our vote.

-- Rashad, Arisha, Charlene, Aimée, Johnny and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   November 1st, 2012

IF you are a State Farm customer like I am it is really important for you to call State Farm and tell them you want State Farm to end it's association with alec. I did, and I also called and e mailed my agent. It is important for as many as possible to call State Farm, whether you are a customer or not. Click the link on this call to action from ColorOfChange.....

Why is State Farm suppressing your vote? Tell State Farm to stop funding voter suppression:

You and more than 85,000 ColorOfChange members have called on corporations to stop supporting the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) because of its role in voter suppression. In the last two weeks, news broke that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kraft Foods, Intuit, McDonald's, Wendy's, and Mars have all ended their relationships with ALEC — a major step forward in our campaign. But many major corporations are still funding ALEC.

State Farm is one of them. We contacted State Farm to make sure they understand that through their membership in ALEC, they are supporting racially-discriminatory voter ID laws^1,2 that have the potential to disenfranchise over 5 million people in the upcoming elections.³ But despite correspondence including letters and telephone conversations, we can't get State Farm's management to give us a commitment that they'll leave ALEC. They need to know that people like you want them to do the right thing.

Will you help us hold State Farm accountable for supporting voter suppression? Please take a moment to call State Farm and demand that they stop supporting ALEC:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/statefarmalec

State Farm is a well-known household brand. By associating itself with ALEC, the company lends legitimacy to a reactionary organization that is undermining voting rights and democracy.

State Farm has made a substantial amount of money from Black consumers, and they have many Black employees. But they are placing a hefty membership fee in the hands of a group that is working to weaken the Black vote. We can't let State Farm take our money with one hand and take away our vote with the other.

The ballot box isn't the only place where ALEC's policies are dangerous for Black people. 

Florida's "Shoot First" law has thus far stopped George Zimmerman from being arrested for shooting Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old armed only with a pack of Skittles and an iced tea. ALEC views the Florida "Shoot First" law as a "model" piece of legislation for other states to adopt and they have helped push it into over two dozen states, with it under consideration in eight more.⁴ The group has also written legislation to impose harsher criminal penalties on juveniles, to privatize education, and to break unions.

State Farm's financial support of ALEC must end. Please join us in calling on State Farm to disassociate itself from ALEC and stop supporting an agenda that harms Black people and anyone who cares about equality in our democracy. It just takes a minute:

http://act.colorofchange.org/call/statefarmalec

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, Gabriel, Dani, Matt, Natasha, Kim and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   April 17th, 2012

P.S. We want to acknowledge our partners at CREDO Action, the Center for Media & Democracy, Common Cause, Progress Now, People for the American Way, and SumOfUs, who have been doing excellent work to help expose ALEC.

Help support our work. ColorOfChange.org is powered by YOU—your energy and dollars. We take no money from lobbyists or large corporations that don't share our values, and our tiny staff ensures your contributions go a long way. You can contribute here:

http://www.colorofchange.org/donate

References

1. "New Evidence of ALEC Connections in All Successful Voter ID Legislation," Campus Progress, 09-08-11 

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1065?akid=2443.1239195.Ll0pMM&t=7

2. "First, show your face," The Economist, 09-17-11 

http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1066?akid=2443.1239195.Ll0pMM&t=9

3. “GOP, ALEC Could Make It Harder For 5 Million To Cast Ballots,” Mother Jones, 10-3-11
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1068?akid=2443.1239195.Ll0pMM&t=11

4. "Blood for Money: NRA, ALEC, & 'Shoot First' Laws," Center for Media and Democracy/ALECExposed.org, 
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/1268?akid=2443.1239195.Ll0pMM&t=13

ALEC to Right-Wing Bloggers: We Need Your Help! 18APR12 & ColorOfChange Applauds Yum Brand's Decision to End its Membership in ALEC 19APR12

I have State Farm auto insurance, have been with them for over 30 years, also have my renters insurance with them. I just called my agent here in Herndon, VA and asked him when State Farm is going to end it's association with alec as it may have an impact on whether or not I renew my policies with them in May. He actually was not aware of the controversy and said he will contact the corp offices in Bloomington, IL and will get back to me. He did want more information on alec, I directed him to TheColorOfChange.org . The companies who have dropped alec so far are Yum! Brands (KFC, Taco Bell & Pizza Hut),  McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Mars Inc., Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Intuit, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Reed Elsevier (owner of LexisNexis and publisher of science and health information), American Traffic Solutions and Arizona Public Service. This article from Mother Jones on alec seeking the help of right-wing bloggers to stop the flow of companies leaving them due to public pressure, followed by a statement on the anti-alec campaign from ColorOfChange......

—By Andy Kroll

Portland Action Lab.

The American Legislative Exchange Council, the once-obscure organization that pairs corporations with state lawmakers to draft pro-business and often anti-union legislation for the state level, is in damage control mode. Corporate members such as McDonald's, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Mars, Inc. have cut ties with ALEC after taking heat from a coalition of progressive groups angry over ALEC's "discriminatory" voter ID bills and controversial "Stand Your Ground" self-defense legislation that figures into the Trayvon Martin shooting in central Florida.
To push back, ALEC has turned to the conservative blogosphere for help. As PR Watch reported, Caitlyn Korb, ALEC's director of external relations, told attendees at a Heritage Foundation "Bloggers Briefing" on Tuesday that the campaign against ALEC was "part of a wider effort to shut all of us down." She asked the bloggers for "any and all institutional support" in ALEC's fight against progressive groups, especially when it came to social media. "We're getting absolutely killed in social media venues—Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest," she said. "Any and all new media support you guys can provide would be so helpful, not just to us but to average people who don't know much about this fight but are seeing us really get heavily attacked with very little opposition."
Korb educated the bloggers with a handout listing ALEC's positions on a range of issues. PR Watch, one of ALEC's loudest critics, described the handout as "riddled with errors." Here's a list of ALEC statements followed by PR Watch's responses in italics:

• "The potential solutions discussed at ALEC focus on free markets, limited government, and constitutional division of powers between the federal and state governments." It is hard to discern what voter suppression bills, tax breaks for big tobacco, bans on unionization, protections for companies whose products injure or kill, and "Stand Your Ground/Kill at Will" laws have to do with free markets.
  
  
• "The organization respects diversity of thought; it is a non-partisan resource for its members, which include more than 2,000 Republican and Democratic state legislators." Diversity of thought apparently refers to Republicans talking to Republicans. Although touted as "nonpartisan," when CMD launched ALEC Exposed, out of 104 legislators in leadership positions in ALEC, only one was a Democrat. It's hard to believe that ALEC phone briefs on redistricting are totally nonpartisan.
   
• "Unlike in many private sector groups that offer model legislation, elected state legislators fully control ALEC’s model legislation process." As ALEC's public Task Force Operating Procedures" (PDF, p. 8) and other documents reveal, corporate members vote alongside legislators in ALEC task forces.
   
• "Each state legislator and their constituents then decide which solutions are best for them and their states." For the most part, constituents have no way of knowing that corporations wrote or approved ALEC legislation behind closed doors.

Blogger outreach isn't ALEC's only response to the campaign against it. ALEC has issued a handful of statements decrying the "coordinated and well-funded intimidation campaign" against it and pledging to keep pushing its agenda. In what some progressives touted as a victory, ALEC announced this week that it is eliminating of its "Public Safety and Elections" task force, the group that pushed voter ID bills as well as Stand Your Ground laws. Korb said ALEC will soon launch a new website called "I Stand With ALEC" to rally support. "We need to start fighting back," she said.
The progressive groups waging war on ALEC, meanwhile, have no plans of letting up. "Corporate membership in ALEC isn't just destructive to democracy, it's also bad for business," Michael Keegan, president of People for the American Way, said last week. "Corporations that currently support ALEC have a choice to make: They can continue to underwrite reckless assaults on our rights and wellbeing, or they can stand up for their customers by leaving ALEC immediately."

Andy Kroll

Reporter

Andy Kroll is a reporter at Mother Jones. For more of his stories, click here. Email him with tips and insights at akroll (at) motherjones (dot) com. Follow him on Twitter here. RSS | Twitter

If You Liked This, You Might Also Like...

• Mars Inc. Says Adios to ALEC

  The maker of Skittles and M&M's joins McDonald's and Wendy's in ditching the free-market bill factory.

• Wendy's: We're Done With ALEC, Too

  The company that Dave Thomas built joins McDonald's in leaving the controversial conservative legislative group.

• Exclusive: McDonald's Says It Has Dumped ALEC

  The fast food king joins Pepsi, Kraft, and Coca-Cola in leaving the corporate-backed group.

• GOP, ALEC Could Make It Harder For 5 Million To Cast Ballots

• Ghostwriting the Law

  A little-known corporate lobby is drafting business-friendly bills for state legislators across the country.
  http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/04/alec-bloggers-blue-cross-heritage 

  ColorOfChange Applauds Yum Brand's Decision to End its Membership in ALEC

  Owner of KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut Announces It Has Left the American Legislative Exchange Council

  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
  Contact: Timothy K. Rusch
  tim@fitzgibbonmedia.com
  New York, NY - The following is a statement from ColorOfChange.org Executive Director Rashad Robinson:
  "This week, ColorOfChange members have been calling executives at Yum! Brands to ask the company to end its membership in the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). Today, employees in Yum! Brands' corporate headquarters have told our members and ColorOfChange staff that the company has in fact dropped ALEC. In doing so, the operator of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell has restored our belief that it stands in favor of crafting legislation in view of the public, rather than behind closed doors.
  "We sent CEO David Novak's office a letter last year expressing our concerns about ALEC's role in voter suppression, and in early February received a noncommittal response from James Fripp, the company's Senior Director of Global Diversity & Inclusion. That letter said that Yum! was not part of ALEC's Private Enterprise Board, but did not communicate that the company had severed ties completely with the conservative policy group.
  "Now we know that Yum! Brands has joined the 11 other companies that have announced in recent weeks that they're no longer members of ALEC. These companies are McDonald's, Wendy's, Mars Inc., Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Foods, Intuit, Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, Reed Elsevier (owner of LexisNexis and publisher of science and health information), American Traffic Solutions and Arizona Public Service.
  "We want to thank these companies for making the right decision, and we want to thank ColorOfChange members and our partners. We continue to call on all major corporations to stop funding ALEC given its involvement in voter suppression. Our members and allied groups are prepared to hold accountable companies that continue to associate themselves with an organization that has attacked voting rights, causing irreparable damage nationwide."
  The tragedy of Trayvon Martin's death – and the so-called "stand your ground" law that helped his killer evade arrest for more than a month – is another example of how ALEC's agenda is dangerous for people of color. The NRA and ALEC exported Florida's “stand your ground” law to more than 20 states across the country, jeopardizing the safety of Americans nationwide.
  ColorOfChange members signed an earlier petition targeting ALEC’s corporate partners for their role in suppressing Black votes. The petition can be found here: http://www.colorofchange.org/campaign/alec/
  In addition, more than 170,000 ColorOfChange members have signed the petition calling on the Department of Justice to take over the Trayvon Martin case, arrest Martin's killer, and launch an independent investigation into the Sanford police department's mishandling of the case. The petition can be found here:
  http://www.colorofchange.org/campaign/trayvon/
  http://colorofchange.org/press/releases/2012/4/19/colorofchange-applauds-yum-brands-decision-end-its/
   

Megalobbying, TELL CORPORATE AMERICA TO DUMP ALEC! 13APR12 & Virginia House speaker William Howell said conservative group ALEC is ‘under attack’ by liberals 12APR12

FROM SumOfUS, the continuing campaign to force corporate America to end their membership in alec. The companies that are continuing their membership in alec need to be told they are not going to be able to fund voter suppression laws, anti-labor laws and other right-wing programs with our money, the money we spend on their products and services. Click the link to send a message to johnson & johnson, at&t, state farm and other companies demanding they cut their ties with alec now! AND for residents of Virginia check out the Washington Post article about VA House Speaker william howell and alec's influence in Richmond.....

Tell J&J, State Farm, AT&T, and other corporate ALEC sponsors: Stop using our money to fund right-wing legislation.

Every time you buy a Band-Aid, you're helping fund the "Stand Your Ground" law that Trayvon Martin's killer was hiding behind -- and thousands of other bad laws written by the American Legislative Exchange Council.
ALEC's mission is simple: to help corporations write bad laws -- laws that help their own profits to the cost of the 99% -- and get state legislatures to pass them verbatim. And to make matters worse: They're doing it with our money -- because along with funding from the usual suspects like Koch Industries and Exxon, ALEC's members include companies like Johnson & Johnson, AT&T, and State Farm.
But this week ALEC is reeling -- because in the wake of Trayvon Martin's shooting and revelations that ALEC wrote the Stand Your Ground law that was protecting Trayvon's killer, corporate sponsors have been falling like dominoes. Megacorporations Coke, Pepsi, McDonald's, Kraft and more have all quit in the last two weeks -- putting a huge dent in ALEC's budget.
Tell Johnson & Johnson and the rest of ALEC’s remaining funders to quit now.
Has your state adopted a “Stand Your Ground” law as well? Thank ALEC. Pushed for laws making it harder for minorities and the poor to vote? That’s ALEC too. Attacked unions? Undermined federal health care reform? Weakened environmental regulation? Passed tax breaks for corporations? Privatized government services? These laws were all written by the very corporations or special-interest groups that they benefited -- through ALEC.
But consumers are fighting back! One by one, our partners at Color of Change, CREDO Action, and more have been peeling off corporate support for ALEC. Practically every day in the last two weeks a new company has quit -- yesterday it was Mars. And the state legislators who ALEC uses to introduce legislation are coming under increasing pressure to stop associating with ALEC as well.
Now let’s take the fight to Johnson & Johnson -- which makes everything from Band-Aids to baby shampoo -- AT&T, State Farm and the rest of ALEC’s donors. Our friends at Color of Change will deliver your petition straight to the key companies.
Tell ALEC's corporate sponsors to stop using our money to fund laws like "Stand Your Ground."
Thanks for all that you do,
Claiborne, Kelsey, Kaytee and the rest of us

-----------------------------
More information:
"Corporate interests fuel group’s desire to shape Va. legislation, critics say", Washington Post, 21 Dec 2011
"EXPOSED: The Corporations Funding The Annual Meeting Of The Powerful Right-Wing Front Group ALEC", ThinkProgress, 5 Aug 2011

SumOfUs is a world-wide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. You can follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.

Was this email forwarded to you? Click here to add yourself to SumOfUs.

Virginia House speaker William Howell said conservative group ALEC is ‘under attack’ by liberals

By Anita Kumar, Published: April 12

RICHMOND — Virginia House Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) on Thursday strongly defended a national conservative organization he used to lead, arguing that it has become a victim of intimidation and extortion.
Howell said the American Legislative Exchange Council, a group that has lost some of its corporate members in the past week, has been subjected to a six-month attack by liberal groups, including the Occupy movement, Moveon.org and billionaire George Soros.
In a testy exchange after a tense news conference, Howell blamed the advocacy group ProgressVA for issuing what he called an inaccurate report in January outlining ALEC’s legislative influence in Virginia. He also criticized The Washington Post for writing about the review. ALEC has ghostwritten legislation across the nation, including in Virginia.
Howell grew frustrated after a line of questioning from Anna Scholl, the executive director of ProgressVA, and after she asked him for clarification, Howell replied: “I guess I’m not speaking in little enough words for you to understand.’’
Scholl retorted: “I’m a smart girl, actually. I went to the University of Virginia. I benefited from public education in Virginia. I think words with multiple syllables will be just fine for me.”
Virginia Democrats immediately released a video of the exchange, taped by a staffer, and called on Howell to apologize for his “belligerent and mean-spirited attack.” Howell’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
“After four months of outrageous Republican attacks on women’s rights, I guess I should not be surprised by Speaker Howell’s statement,” said Susan Platt, co-founder of the Farm Team, which supports female candidates for office in Virginia. “It is distressing, to say the least, that Howell has so wholeheartedly embraced this national trend of rhetoric against women. It is becoming pervasive.” 
 During the news conference on Thursday, Howell also chastised reporters for their coverage of the two-year, $85 billion state budget as well as former governor Timothy M. Kaine (D) for making unilateral decisions regarding a Metrorail project to Dulles International Airport. (Kaine negotiated an agreement on the project at the urging of several Republicans, including then-Sens. John Warner and George Allen and Rep. Frank Wolf.)
Howell, ALEC’s national chairman in 2009, appeared at a Capitol Square news conference with business leaders to tout a survey by ALEC that showed Virginia has been named one of the best states in which to do business.
ALEC touts itself as a pro-business, free-market organization, and its members include legislators and private companies. Corporate members pay fees, which give them a say on legislative issues. In recent weeks, several corporations have dropped their support of ALEC following scrutiny of “Stand Your Ground” laws after the death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida. The group had lobbied for similar laws in other states.
Howell said the group had nothing to do with the Florida case and the legislation there came before ALEC’s involvement. He predicted that ALEC, which had 65 new corporate members last year, will easily survive the latest defections.
Howell said the tactics used to pressure companies who are ALEC members included calls for boycotts that go back to the days of the Rainbow Coalition, Rev. Jesse Jackson’s political organization. “They have been very, very open . . . that they want to destroy ALEC,’’ he said. “It’s discouraging, disappointing to see this intimidation, this extortion that’s going on against ALEC right now.’’
Howell said the attacks are the result of ALEC’s success in promoting the free market as opposed to a “government-controlled economy.”
“It’s a great exchange of ideas,’’ he said.
At least 115 current or former members of the Virginia General Assembly have ties to ALEC, either by sponsoring bills, attending conferences or paying membership dues, according to the ProgressVA study. The state has spent $232,000 during the past decade to send legislators, primarily members of the Republican-controlled House of Delegates, to ALEC conferences and meetings.
Howell said ProgressVa’s study was inaccurate because it excluded other organizations, such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, a group some Republicans accuse of leaning left. NCSL differs from ALEC in that only legislators and staffers are able to be members, and NCSL rarely writes model legislation.
Scholl introduced herself to Howell after the news conference and asked about the inaccuracies he had raised. After the exchange with Howell, Scholl declined to comment, except to say she would still like that information.
ProgressVA used data from a national report to identify more than 60 Virginia bills that ALEC helped author. Those bills included a piece of legislation calling for companies that hire illegal immigrants to be shut down, and another that would give businesses tax credits to fund private school tuition for needy students. Virtually all of the bills were introduced by Republicans.
The list of Virginia bills also includes one championed by Howell for several years that would have helped protect a Fortune 500 company, Philadelphia-based Crown Cork & Seal, from asbestos lawsuits. It was one of the few bills Howell publicly supported, and it died in a tight vote.
Seven bills that ALEC helped author passed in the General Assembly, including measures on education, taxes and health care, according to the study by ProgressVA. One of the resulting laws laid the groundwork for Virginia’s legal challenge of the federal health-care law passed in 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/virginia-house-speaker-william-howell-said-conservative-group-alec-is-under-attack-by-liberals/2012/04/12/gIQAD5hrDT_print.html

Are you on Glenn Beck's enemies list? Wanna be? from CREDO 20NOV10

HERE'S another chance to irritate glenn beck......click the link to participate.
 

Stand up to Glenn Beck For every signature we will donate 25 cents to great organizations that Glenn Beck hates. Clicking here will add your name to this petition: I stand for progressive values, and I'm proud to be on the blackboard. By signing this petition I'm helping to generate thousands of dollars for progressive nonprofits under attack by Glenn Beck. Dear Craig, It was bound to happen eventually. On Monday night, CREDO Action was targeted by Glenn Beck as a result of our campaign to get Discovery Communications to cancel Sarah Palin's "nature" show. Beck not only came after CREDO Action — which is 1.5 million members strong — but he also put a picture of our CEO Michael Kieschnick on the blackboard, along with five progressive groups that CREDO has been proud to support with our donations. We will not be intimidated by Glenn Beck. If he attacks us, we'll wear it as a badge of pride. And if he doesn't like that CREDO gives money to certain groups, we are going to give them even more. Tell Glenn Beck that you stand for progressive values, and you're proud to be on his blackboard. Click here to automatically sign the petition. For every person who signs, we will donate a quarter to the five groups Beck targeted along with CREDO. If 350,000 people sign our message to Beck — the same number who signed our petition about Sarah Palin's show that put us on Beck's blackboard — that will be more than $87,000 to fund some excellent progressive work. Those organizations include The Center for Constitutional Rights, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Media Matters, Color of Change, and the Ruckus Society. We are already proud to support them. If Beck wants to try to intimidate them, too, we want to help them grow. Tell Glenn Beck that you will not be intimidated and that you're proud to be on the blackboard. Click here to automatically sign the petition, and please tell your friends to join us. Thanks for joining CREDO in standing up to Glenn Beck. We'll see you at the blackboard. Matt Lockshin, CREDO Action P.S. — What did Beck actually say about you? When he was defending Sarah Palin he challenged the authenticity of our grassroots action which was joined by over 350,000 activists. Here's just one quote from what Beck said to insult your activism: "There's another grassroots boycott! Yes, this time of conservative Sarah Palin's Alaska. This is a fantastic reality show which looks great ... Well, Discovery is being targeted by environmentalists. Now, it's a grassroots boycott, it must be that regular Americans are outraged at Sarah Palin. Man! Well, the group organizing the boycott is CREDO Mobile, and CREDO Action, which is a part of the larger organization... These groups focus on 'progressive' philanthropy and activism! And they're also a mobile phone provider, which is great, so your phone calls go to help these ... hmmm... It's the same group of people. So very 'grassroots' — there's your grassroots boycott of Sarah Palin's Alaska on Discovery! So organic, so pure." If you can stand watching several minutes of Glenn Beck's rabid rightwing performance, you can watch the video here. Share on Facebook Post to your feed wall Tweet this Post to Twitter

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