Americans Protesting Greedy Capitalism - Join Them Today!

All over the United States and the world, people are realizing that giving capitalist bankers complete freedom to destroy economies, home equity and jobs is the road to ruin and not the road to riches for 99% of people in the world's societies.  People are fed up because they realize that countries in Europe are slipping off the economic cliffs and normal people who bought into card-table capitalism and losing all of their cards. 

At least in Europe, the European Union has told bank investors that they will have to take a bath and lose their equity as an inevitable part of making banks solvent again, preventing economic chaos and a break up of the European Union.  In the United States, the Bush and Obama Administrations have refused to announce this bad news to banks, with the result being that the US economy remains awash in bad debts that prevent the economy from improving and keeps the economy one day away from a crash, with big insurers joining the great depression and their stock-holders looking for Government handouts at the expense of the jobless "under-water." 

Three years after the banks' near total crash and what should have been their utter and final discredit, banks continue holding the US economy hostage, insisting that no solution to American mortgage indebtedness can cost banks and their investors a dime.  It's "Day 900 or so" in the Bankers' Hostage Crisis and the banks continue refusing to negotiate.  The Obama Administration coddles bankers because they own the Obama Adminitration as sure as they own and even begin to bulldoze the homes in which Americans lived in, underwater.

Now, when white people are protesting because they realize that following capitalists will not lead to joining them in capitalist wealth, it's time for Blacks to increase millions of voices to the protests, because Blacks have lost a larger share of jobs and wealth than anyone else has over the the last three years.  Meanwhile, the stalemate with the capitalist who refuse to lose means that the depression is likely to worsen, with the middle and working class continually losing what little ground remains under fewer and fewer feet.

Join the protesters today, because what little we have left is all that we have left to lose.

CoC Requests Donations for GA Ad Buys to Stop Troy Davis 9/21+ Execution

Despite major questions about his guilt, Georgia just scheduled an execution date for Troy Davis. Everyone in Georgia needs to know about this injustice. Help us tell Troy's story:

I've received this e-mail from Color of Change for action, contributing to an advertising fund targeting Georgia, where Troy David is to be executed as soon as September 21, 2011.

Dear Atty,

The day we’ve dreaded is finally here. On Tuesday, a Georgia judge issued a death warrant for Troy Davis. It shocks the conscience, but despite all the doubt hanging over the case — all the evidence that Troy is likely innocent — Troy is scheduled to be executed by lethal injection as soon as September 21.¹

At this point, the last body capable of stopping the execution is the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole. There’s no doubt that we need to keep them in the national spotlight to help save Troy’s life. But the Pardon Board will likely be most swayed by the voices of Georgia citizens, many of whom either aren't aware of Troy’s story or haven't been asked to speak out.

In the coming weeks, we will buy ads that will reach thousands of Georgia residents and create a critical new level of scrutiny on the Pardon Board's actions — but we need to raise at least $10,000 to buy enough space for our message to make a difference. Can you chip in $10, $20, or $50 to help save Troy Davis’ life?

https://act.colorofchange.org/donate/troydavis

The same judge who rejected Troy’s innocence claims in a hearing last year conceded that the case against Troy is not “ironclad.” But ironclad is exactly what the case should be in order to put someone to death.

When the case isn’t totally solid, the process is prone to human error, and innocent people may die. That’s what evidence suggests happened to Cameron Todd Willingham, a Texas man who was sentenced to die after being accused of starting a fire that killed his children. A new review of the evidence used to convict him shows that Willingham was executed despite overwhelming evidence that he was convicted on false pretenses. But now it’s too late to do anything about it.²

It will take all of our combined efforts to make sure Troy Davis isn’t the next Cameron Willingham. It starts with a donation of whatever you can afford.

https://act.colorofchange.org/donate/troydavis

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   September 8th, 2011

References:

1. "Order Signed for Sept. Execution of Troy Davis," ABCNews.com, 9-7-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/957?akid=2181.202094.B3vQ_q&t=6

2. "The Haunting of Rick Perry," The New York Times, 6-22-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/958?akid=2181.202094.B3vQ_q&t=8

CoC Urges Phone Calls to Chicago Prosecutor to Free DNA-Innocent Black Men

Afrosphere Action Alerts has received the following e-mail from Color of Change (and added some information for the geographically challenged).  I have called Cook County (Chicago.IL) State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez' office (312 325-9200), demanding that she move to release Black men whom DNA has proved innocent, even after confessions that may have been the result of rampant and notorious torture by the Chicago Police Department.

Here is the letter from Color of Change:

Dear Atty,

You and more than 64,000 ColorOfChange.org members have demanded that Cook County (Chicago.IL) State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately acknowledge the innocence of 10 falsely accused Black men and vacate their convictions.

Last week, we delivered the petition signatures at Alvarez's office in downtown Chicago. But Alvarez so far remains silent. We need to step up the pressure.

Can you make a quick call to Alvarez's office (312 325-9200) and demand that she vacate the convictions of these innocent men? If enough of us call, it will let her know we're not going away and increase the pressure on her to act. Just click the link to make your call — we'll give you the number and a short script you can use:

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

Attorney Alvarez needs to know that we will hold her accountable for blocking justice and supporting law enforcement practices that compromise all of our safety. Please take a moment now to call Alvarez and ask her to immediately correct these outrageous wrongs.

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

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   September 9th, 2011

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

Sign CoC Petition to Stop AT&T's Dangerous Merger Lies

Color of Change urges members and the broader public to stop AT&T's lies that put Net Neutrality (open access to the Web) in danger.  The post below is up at Jack and Jill Politics and Daily Kos.  The most important action is to go to this link and sign the Color of Change petition against the merger between AT&T and T-Mobile.  

 

What good will our free speech blogs be if the public has to pay an extra fee to access blogs, the way they pay a special fee to access ESPN and Disney on cable television?  And how many of us will start and continue blogging if we have to pay an extra AT&T advertising fee to get our blogs posted on their Web?

 

Is the Web a free speech zone or is it a magazine/newspaper where others decide what gets published and where our communication with each other is something for which we have to pay extra fees, after what we say has been approved by the editors (censors)?

WilliamWinters at Color of Change says:

In June, thousands of ColorOfChange members spoke out against a proposed merger between AT&T and T-Mobile, arguing that the deal is likely to destroy jobs, raise the price of cellular service, and threaten net neutrality for wireless high-speed Internet.

 

Now, there’s one more reason to oppose the merger — and AT&T gave it to us. The company has repeatedly claimed that merging with T-Mobile is the only way it would make good business sense to cover 97% of Americans with the latest mobile broadband technology.

But according to a letter filed by AT&T, the cost of building its 4G wireless system to the entire nation is $3.8 billion — a mere one tenth the cost of the $39 billion merger! And if the merger isn’t approved, AT&T will be obligated to pay T-Mobile a $3 billion fee, more than 75% of the cost of extending 4G coverage to 97% of Americans.

This new revelation makes clear that AT&T’s major public interest rationale for merging with T-Mobile amounts to nothing more than fuzzy math. But Democratic 76 members of Congress, led by North Carolina Rep. G.K. Butterfield, have signed a letter advancing AT&T’s false rationale.

In response, we’ve launched a campaign calling on these members to withdraw their support for the deal. Here’s the message we sent to ColorOfChange members on Wednesday. I hope you’ll consider signing the petition and spreading the word to your friends and family.

Dear friend,

There’s just one problem with AT&T’s claim that buying T-Mobile is the only way it would be able to give 97% of Americans access to its high-speed mobile network: it isn’t true, and a letter filed recently by AT&T proves it.¹

Seventy-six House Democrats wrote a public letter supporting the merger, largely based on the argument that purchasing T-Mobile was necessary in order for AT&T to expand its high-speed mobile Internet service to underserved communities.² We now know that argument is false.

If history is any guide, the other claim made in the letter for supporting the merger — that the merger would protect jobs — is false as well, and what’s most likely is that the reduction in competition that would result would raise the cost of wireless services for everybody and harm Internet freedom.³

Join us in demanding that these members of Congress publicly renounce their support for the merger. Together we can expose AT&T’s lies and make it impossible to justify approving this dangerous merger. It takes just a moment of your time:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/attcongress

In June, Congressman G.K. Butterfield of North Carolina worked with Congressman Gene Green of Texas to organize Democratic support for AT&T’s merger with T-Mobile. The resulting letter to the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice — the two federal agencies responsible for approving or rejecting the acquisition — argues that the merger would benefit the public for two reasons: 1) it would enable AT&T to expand high-speed wireless Internet to low-income and rural customers, and 2) the required build-out would result in new jobs.⁴

Thanks to a letter filed by AT&T’s attorneys that contained confidential information, we now know with certainty that AT&T could easily upgrade its wireless networks without buying T-Mobile — it has simply chosen not to do so.

The letter pegs the price of covering 97% of Americans with advanced 4G LTE wireless service at $3.8 billion, less than one tenth the cost of the $39 billion merger.⁵

And as we’ve stated before, the merger is likely to be bad for consumers. The merger wouldn’t just allow AT&T to raise prices on its customers — every wireless carrier would be subject to fewer competitive pressures to keep prices low.⁶ If that happens, more poor people, Black Americans, and Latinos — who disproportionately rely on wireless broadband to access the Internet — would be subject to higher prices and undue economic hardship just to get online. There are also major implications for Internet freedom. Without competition from other wireless carriers or effective regulation by the FCC, AT&T and Verizon — net neutrality opponents who would together control nearly 80% of the wireless market — would have an unacceptable level of control over what we can and can’t access on the mobile web.⁷

The 76 members of Congress who signed Rep. Butterfield’s letter now have an opportunity to correct the record. With the letter’s rationale for supporting the merger undermined, these representatives should publicly walk back their support for the merger.

Please join us in calling on them to do exactly that. Your action won’t only protect consumers and the open Internet — together, we’ll make it more likely that members of Congress take pause before supporting corporate positions that could harm our communities.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/attcongress

Thanks and Peace,

– Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team

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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. “Leaked AT&T Letter Demolishes Case For T-Mobile Merger Lawyer Accidentally Decimates AT&T’s #1 Talking Point,” DSLReports.com, 8-12-2011

http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/Leaked-ATT-Letter-Demolishes-Case-For-TMobile-Merger-115652

2. “71 AT&T-Funded Democrats Endorse Merger,” The Bilerico Project, 6-28-2011

http://www.bilerico.com/2011/06/70_att-funded_democrats_endorse_attt-mobile_merger.php

3. “Free Press Anti-Trust Letter,” Free Press, 5-10-2011

http://www.freepress.net/files/Free_Press_May_2011_Antitrust_Letter_ATT_TMobile.pdf

4. See reference 2

5. AT&T Filing with Federal Communications Commission, 8-8-2011

http://www.dslreports.com/r0/download/1678331~018ee90413e657e412818181a5d840ff/DOC.pdf

6. “AT&T-T-Mobile merger will hurt wireless market, says Yankee Group”, Network World, 8-17-2011

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2011/081711-att-wireless-249823.html

7. “The net neutrality threat of the T-Mobile merger with AT&T,” The Guardian, 4-1-2011

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/apr/01/net-neutrality-mobilephones

8. See Reference 4

--
William Winters
Campaign Manager
ColorOfChange.org
(o)510-875-2136 (c)337-335-8705
Twitter: @ColorOfChange

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/colorofchange

CoC Urges Letters to Congress re Net Neutrality

From:  Rashad Robinson, ColorOfChange.org

New information reveals that AT&T lied about the benefits of its proposed takeover of T-Mobile. Tell members of Congress who backed the deal to publicly renounce their support in light of this new information:

Dear Atty,

There’s just one problem with AT&T’s claim that buying T-Mobile is the only way it would be able to give 97% of Americans access to its high-speed mobile network: it isn’t true, and a letter filed recently by AT&T proves it.¹

Seventy-six House Democrats wrote a public letter supporting the merger, largely based on the argument that purchasing T-Mobile was necessary in order for AT&T to expand its high-speed mobile Internet service to underserved communities.² We now know that argument is false.

If history is any guide, the other claim made in the letter for supporting the merger — that the merger would protect jobs — is false as well, and what's most likely is that the reduction in competition that would result would raise the cost of wireless services for everybody and harm Internet freedom.³

Join us in demanding that these members of Congress publicly renounce their support for the merger. Together we can expose AT&T's lies and make it impossible to justify approving this dangerous merger. It takes just a moment of your time:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/attcongress

In June, Congressman G.K. Butterfield of South Carolina worked with Congressman Gene Green of Texas to organize Democratic support for AT&T's merger with T-Mobile. The resulting letter to the Federal Communications Commission and Department of Justice — the two federal agencies responsible for approving or rejecting the acquisition — argues that the merger would benefit the public for two reasons: 1) it would enable AT&T to expand high-speed wireless Internet to low-income and rural customers, and 2) the required build-out would result in new jobs.⁴

Thanks to a letter filed by AT&T's attorneys that contained confidential information, we now know with certainty that AT&T could easily upgrade its wireless networks without buying T-Mobile — it has simply chosen not to do so.

The letter pegs the price of covering 97% of Americans with advanced 4G LTE wireless service at $3.8 billion, less than one tenth the cost of the $39 billion merger.⁵

And as we've stated before, the merger is likely to be bad for consumers. The merger wouldn't just allow AT&T to raise prices on its customers — every wireless carrier would be subject to fewer competitive pressures to keep prices low.⁶ If that happens, more poor people, Black Americans, and Latinos — who disproportionately rely on wireless broadband to access the Internet — would be subject to higher prices and undue economic hardship just to get online. There are also major implications for Internet freedom. Without competition from other wireless carriers or effective regulation by the FCC, AT&T and Verizon — net neutrality opponents who would together control nearly 80% of the wireless market — would have an unacceptable level of control over what we can and can't access on the mobile web.⁷

The 76 members of Congress who signed Rep. Butterfield's letter now have an opportunity to correct the record. With the letter's rationale for supporting the merger undermined, these representatives should publicly walk back their support for the merger.

Please join us in calling on them to do exactly that. Your action won't only protect consumers and the open Internet — together, we'll make it more likely that members of Congress take pause before supporting corporate positions that could harm our communities.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/attcongress

Thanks and Peace,

-- Rashad, James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   August 24th, 2011

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. "Leaked AT&T Letter Demolishes Case For T-Mobile Merger Lawyer Accidentally Decimates AT&T's #1 Talking Point," DSLReports.com, 8-12-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/938?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=7

2. "71 AT&T-Funded Democrats Endorse Merger," The Bilerico Project, 6-28-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/940?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=9

3. "Free Press Anti-Trust Letter," Free Press, 5-10-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/939?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=11

4. See reference 2

5. AT&T Filing with Federal Communications Commission, 8-8-2011 http://act.colorofchange.org/go/941?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=13

6. "AT&T-T-Mobile merger will hurt wireless market, says Yankee Group", Network World, 8-17-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/942?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=15

7. "The net neutrality threat of the T-Mobile merger with AT&T," The Guardian, 4-1-2011
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/943?akid=2129.202094._44dJD&t=17

8. See Reference 4

Help CoC Effort to stop forced confessions and wrongful convictions

The following is copied verbatim from an action e-mail that Color of Change has sent to its members.

‪Recent DNA testing has proven the innocence of 10 men from Cook County, Illinois who were forced to confess as children to crimes they didn't commit. Some of them have been imprisoned for nearly 20 years. Despite the overwhelming genetic evidence, which has linked the crime to the real killers, State officials have refused to recognize their innocence.‬

‪Please join us in demanding that State's Attorney Anita Alvarez immediately agree to vacate the convictions of these men, now grown.‬

-----

Below is the petition we'll send to Attorney Alvarez on your behalf:

Dear State's Attorney Anita Alvarez,

I was troubled to learn that despite DNA results proving that all of the teenagers arrested for murders in the Dixmoor and Englewood, Cook County cases are innocent, your office has not corrected these injustices by agreeing to overturn the convictions of these men--some who have been wrongfully incarcerated for nearly 20 years.

As you know, not a trace of physical evidence connects any of these men to the respective crimes. The only evidence against the teenagers is the confessions extracted by police--confessions which have now been proven false. Sadly, coerced false confessions play a part in almost a quarter of all wrongful convictions and teenagers are particularly susceptible to falsely incriminating themselves during questioning from police.

Your office has the opportunity to ensure a speedy release for these wrongfully convicted Cook County residents. I expect that you will act on your moral and legal obligation to do what's right and what's within your authority to correct these injustices.

I urge you to immediately agree to overturn the convictions of these now-grown men, allowing them to proceed with the rest of their lives.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

CoC: Stop Georgia Execution of Troy Davis

This is an emergency announcement from  
Color of Change:


Dear Atty,

In 1991, Troy Davis was convicted of murdering a white police officer. Though there's major evidence that Davis didn't commit the crime, Georgia is prepared to put him to death. We have a good chance of stopping this -- but only if we speak up now.

The fact is, no physical evidence connected Davis to the murder. Seven of the original nine witnesses have recanted, with many saying their testimony was a result of law enforcement pressure. Of the remaining witnesses, one is highly suspect and the other could be the actual culprit in the officer's murder.

Now, despite these and other facts, the state of Georgia has taken the first steps toward Davis' execution -- and only the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole stands between Davis and the lethal injection chamber.

Georgia may be about to kill an innocent man. That's not justice. Please ask the Georgia Parole Board to spare Troy Davis' life, before it's too late -- and it's critical that you ask others to do the same:

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Since Troy Davis' 1991 conviction, numerous facts have emerged that introduce significant doubt as to his guilt. These facts include:

• All but two of the original witnesses against Troy Davis have signed affidavits recanting their earlier testimony. Most claim that their testimony was coerced by police officers.¹
• Multiple witnesses say that another man -- one of the original witnesses against Davis -- has claimed to have slain the fallen officer.²
• The weapon used in the murder was never found. The only physical evidence connecting Davis to the crime was indirect, circumstantial -- and new testimony disputes Davis's connection to that evidence.³

In light of this evidence, the Supreme Court granted Davis another chance. But instead of an actual new trial before a jury, which would mean the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt is on the prosecutor, he got an evidentiary hearing before a single federal judge where Davis' lawyers had the burden to meet an impossibly high and undefined legal standard.

In light of this, it was sad -- but no surprise -- when the judge rejected the new evidence and cleared the way for Davis' execution. However, even he acknowledged lingering doubt, noting that the case against Davis was not "ironclad."

But "ironclad" is exactly what the evidence should be in order to put someone to death. If the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole doesn't act to stop Davis' execution, they'll run a serious risk of putting an innocent man to death. That is not acceptable.

Please join us, along with our partners at Amnesty International and the NAACP, in asking the Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole to save Troy Davis' life by commuting his sentence to life in prison. And when you do, please ask your friends and family to do the same.

http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/troy/

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, William, Dani, Matt, Natasha and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
   April 20th, 2011

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. “Troy Davis – Finality over Fairness,” Amnesty International USA
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/808?akid=1957.202094.Tk29Fw&t=7

2. See Reference 1

3. See Reference 1