April, 15 2019, 12:00am EDT
More than 200 Progressive Leaders Sign Letter of Solidarity with Rep. Ilhan Omar
Letter calls on Congress to speak out against racist and bigoted Islamophobic attacks and stand with Rep. Omar
WASHINGTON
More than 200 progressive leaders published a letter today calling on Members of Congress to stand with Rep. Ilhan Omar in the face of racist, bigoted and Islamophobic attacks.
"The attacks against Rep. Omar are attacks on the values of our democracy," the letter states. "White supremacy, discrimination, bigotry, and hateful expressions against immigrants, refugees, people of color, and communities of faith are despicable and contrary to the values and aspirations of the United States. In the face of such attacks, we reiterate our commitment to love, pluralism, diversity, and freedom of expression, religion, and conscience."
The letter continues: "People can disagree on policy in good faith and critique one another for particular views, political appearances, and language. But what is happening now--on television, over Twitter, from the stages of political rallies--is incitement to violence and hate against an elected official already facing credible death threats, against a community already under attack around the world, and against humanity as a whole."
The full letter and list of signees can be viewed here:moveon.org/standwithilhan
The more than 200 leaders who signed the letter represent a broad spectrum of the progressive movement, including civil rights, labor, immigration, choice, environmental, faith-based organizations. Initiating signers include Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; Rashad Robinson, Executive Director, Color of Change; Yvette Simpson, Chief Executive, Democracy for America; Charles Chamberlain, Chair, Democracy for America; Sabeel Rahman, President, Demos; Leah Greenberg, Co-Executive Director, Indivisible; Anna Galland, Executive Director, MoveOn Civic Action; Ilya Sheyman, Executive Director, MoveOn Political Action; Ai-Jen Poo, Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Mary Kay Henry, President, Service Employees International Union; Cristina Jimenez, Executive Director, United We Dream, and Maurice Mitchell, Executive Director, Working Families Party.
MoveOn is where millions mobilize for a better society--one where everyone can thrive. Whether it's supporting a candidate, passing legislation, or changing our culture, MoveOn members are committed to an inclusive and progressive future. We envision a world marked by equality, sustainability, justice, and love. And we mobilize together to achieve it.
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Critics Blast 'Reckless and Impossible' Bid to Start Operating Mountain Valley Pipeline
"The time to build more dirty and dangerous pipelines is over," said one environmental campaigner.
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Environmental defenders on Tuesday ripped the company behind the Mountain Valley Pipeline for asking the federal government—on Earth Day—for permission to start sending methane gas through the 303-mile conduit despite a worsening climate emergency caused largely by burning fossil fuels.
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC sent a letter Monday to Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Acting Secretary Debbie-Anne Reese seeking final permission to begin operation on the MVP next month, even while acknowledging that much of the Virginia portion of the pipeline route remains unfinished and developers have yet to fully comply with safety requirements.
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Russell Chisholm, co-director of the Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR) Coalition—which called MVP's request "reckless and impossible"—said in a statement that "we are watching our worst nightmare unfold in real-time: The reckless MVP is barreling towards completion."
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POWHR and activists representing frontline communities affected by the pipeline are set to take part in a May 8 demonstration outside project financier Bank of America's headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Appalachian Voices noted that MVP's request comes days before pipeline developer Equitrans Midstream is set to release its 2024 first-quarter earnings information on April 30.
MVP is set to traverse much of Virginia and West Virginia, with the Southgate extension running into North Carolina. Outgoing U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and other pipeline proponents fought to include expedited construction of the project in the debt ceiling deal negotiated between President Joe Biden and congressional Republicans last year.
On Monday, climate and environmental defenders also petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging FERC's approval of the MVP's planned Southgate extension, contending that the project is so different from original plans that the government's previous assent is now irrelevant.
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U.S. workers' rights advocates and groups celebrated on Tuesday after the Federal Trade Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to approve a ban on most noncompete clauses, which Democratic FTC Chair Lina Khansaid "keep wages low, suppress new ideas, and rob the American economy of dynamism."
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Democracy defenders on Tuesday hailed a ruling from a U.S. federal judge striking down a 19th-century North Carolina law criminalizing people who vote while on parole, probation, or post-release supervision due to a felony conviction.
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