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HELP! NEEDED NOW
SAVE MICHIGAN WATER
The 5 day hearing of MCWC v Nestle will begin on Monday, July 6 at 9:00 a.m. in Big Rapids. The location has been moved to the Big Rapids City Offices at 226 N. Michigan Av., Big Rapids, MI. As you know, MCWC is in the longest running bottled water battle with Nestle anywhere, having started in December 2000 and gone through trial, appeals, and remand injunction proceedings for almost 9 years now. MCWC and its 2000 members funded this by bake sales, raffles, garage sales, and an occasional grant. We have raised over $1 million for expert witness fees, attorney fees, and costs over the first 8 years. This has been an extraordinary effort. Please send your donation today: MCWC - P.O. Box 1 - Mecosta, MI 49332
Meijer, Acme Twp. group sign no-lawsuit agreement
Meijer Inc. and a developer have agreed to pay $75,000 to a group that fought their proposed superstore in a rural Michigan community. Under a deal signed Wednesday, Concerned Citizens of Acme Township agreed not to sue Meijer or the Village at Grand Traverse LLC. Also released from liability were a law firm and a public relations firm that represented the companies. The state of Michigan also fined Meijer more than $190,000 last year for violating campaign laws.
Chamber of Commerce Launches $100 Million Campaign to Protect Wall Street's Power at Our Expense
Perhaps the greatest public deception surrounding today's financial meltdown is the notion that it is unique -- a once-in-a-lifetime crisis that reflects bad luck rather than any fundamental problem with the U.S. banking system's sway in global politics. The truth is that throughout the 1980s, the major money center banks were in much the same situation they find themselves in today. But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce plans to spend $100 million on a lobbying push to tell you the otherwise. It's a very careful strategy designed to ensure that Wall Street maintains the power to hijack the economy and demand epic bailouts from ordinary citizens as a reward for its own greed.
Former Evangelist Fears Right-Wing Lunacy Will Lead to More Murder
What are the Republicans in Congress and the other "respectable" leaders on the far right -- from Focus on the Family's James Dobson to Rush Limbaugh, from Laura Ingraham to the leaders of the NRA -- doing to stop the right-wing domestic wave of terrorism exploding in the aftermath of President Barack Obama's election? I ask this as a former evangelical right-wing and "pro-life" leader who quit the right and the Republicans in disgust over their extremism. Who on the right-wing radio shows, among the Republicans in Congress and in far-right media such as Fox News, will now try to cure the sickness of their right-wing followers -- before it explodes again? If the mainstream right doesn't stand up to try to tamp down the fear levels in its very own lunatic fringe, and if it doesn't lower the pitch of its anti-Obama rhetoric, then it is complicit in whatever comes next.
Michigan voters shifting views on gay couples
Michiganders are increasingly supportive of gay-friendly policies, supporting a range of issues from inheritance rights to civil unions but continuing to balk at gay marriage, a new poll suggests. The shift in opinion was evident in almost every demographic group, including self-identified Republicans. He attributed much of the change to the sharply higher number of poll respondents who said they know a gay or lesbian person in 2009 (80.2%) compared with in 2004 (56%).
Kalamazoo poised to pass anti-discrimination ordinance
In Kalamazoo, the City Commission appears poised to approve a gay rights bill Monday night. 15 cities in Michigan already have local ordinances like the one being considered in Kalamazoo, cities like Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor and Lansing. Monday night, Kalamazoo could become the 16th.
Traverse City, Mich., up-and-coming foodie haven
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.—Attention, traveling foodies: Something yummy is happening in the Traverse City area, and it's even grabbed the attention of luminaries such as celebrity chef Mario Batali, who has a summer home on the scenic Leelanau Peninsula just northwest of town. Long a top Midwestern tourist draw for its lakes, rivers, forests, beaches—and the orchards that inspire the self-proclaimed moniker "cherry capital of the world"—the Traverse City area is now home to an increasingly varied and sophisticated culinary culture with a strong emphasis on local ingredients. The Lake Michigan resort town is awash in award-winning restaurants and wineries, artisan bakeries, dairies and farm markets. The area's food scene "has just exploded" in the past decade, Batali said in a phone interview: "What you're seeing up there is a renaissance, the rise of a gastronomic subculture that makes it a fascinating place to be."
Gas Pump Thievery: Who's Really Behind the Rising Prices at the Pumps?
What's going on here is not the "magic of the marketplace," but some hocus-pocus by brand-name dealers. What might surprise you, though, is that the wheeler-dealers now jacking up our pump prices don't operate under the BPExxonMobilShellChevron brands -- but the logos of Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and other Wall Street traders that have been placing vast, unregulated, secretive bets on the future price of oil. They're playing an electronic casino game in a global "dark market" of exotic derivatives and credit swaps. If this sounds vaguely familiar to you, it's because this is the same game that Wall
Taking Down the Corporate Food System Is Simple
The time has come for people who are ready to challenge the paradigm of factory-produced food and to return to a more natural, wholesome and sustainable way of eating (and living) to make that declaration to the powers that be, in business and government, that established the existing system and continue to prop it up. It's time to opt out and simply start eating better -- right here, right now. Impractical? Idealistic? Utopian? Not really. As I'll explain, it's actually the most realistic and effective approach to transforming a system that is slowly but surely killing us. All the food staples that our great-grandparents relished and grew healthy on have been banished from today's supermarkets. They've been replaced by an array of pseudo-foods that did not exist a mere century ago.
US Climate Report Details Energy, Agriculture Harm
Climate change has already caused "visible impacts" in the United States and poses particular risks to the U.S. "Human induced climate change is a reality, not only in remote polar regions (and) in small tropical islands, but every place around the country -- in our own backyards." The House climate bill aims to reduce carbon emissions 17 percent by 2020 and 83 percent by 2050. Its success is considered crucial to U.S. legitimacy at international talks on climate change in December, but chances of passage in the U.S. Senate are unclear. The United States is the biggest per capita emitter of the climate-warming gas carbon dioxide. "The White House report on climate change is a stark confirmation of what scientists have been saying for years: unless we dramatically curb our emissions, the world will face unprecedented climate disruptions that will lead to drought, flooding, rising seas, food insecurity and mass displacement,"
The American Empire Is Bankrupt
This week marks the end of the dollar’s reign as the world’s reserve currency. It marks the start of a terrible period of economic and political decline in the United States. And it signals the last gasp of the American imperium. That’s over. It is not coming back. And what is to come will be very, very painful.
Eating Meat Is Not Natural
Eating meat is a relatively recent phenomenon in human evolution. And our bodies have never adapted to it. I noticed the frequently stated notion that eating meat was an essential step in human evolution. While this notion may comfort the meat industry, it’s simply not true, scientifically. “The birth of agriculture only started about 10,000 years ago at a time when it became considerably more convenient to herd animals. This is not nearly as long as the time [that] fashioned our basic biochemical functionality (at least tens of millions of years) and which functionality depends on the nutrient composition of plant-based foods.” That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neal Barnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that “early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.” When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.”
Wolverine Mum On Coal Plant’s Price
When Wolverine Power Cooperative announced plans to build a new, coal-burning power plant near Rogers City, the company said it would cost about $1.2 billion. But although a lot has changed in the coal and utility industries since Wolverine’s announcement three years ago, the co-op refuses to publicly discuss how those changes affect its proposed plant’s 2006 price tag. Many financial experts familiar with the energy and coal industries say that those changes have made the cost of new coal power very high, and made investing in new coal plants very risky. That, they say, is why utilities around the United States cancelled approximately 100 new coal plants in recent years, often in favor of less risky, cheaper energy efficiency and renewable energy plans.
FOX Propaganda Network Goes to New Lengths to Distort Reality
In the two months that followed the website's launch, The Fox Nation has displayed an uncanny ability to mislead readers, twist the truth, spread wild conspiracy theories, and misrepresent the reporting of legitimate journalists and media outlets. At times, the website has been downright frightening. In early May, it ran a photo of a rifle pointed in the direction of a photo of Obama's head. Debunked conspiracy theories are also finding new life on the website. Fox News, often employs the use of questions for its headlines rather than straightforward assertions. It's as if they are pre-emptively saying, "We made no such statement. We simply asked a question." So, is TheFoxNation.com simply the seedy underbelly of Fox News parent company chairman Rupert Murdoch's evil, right-wing media empire?
UN Human Rights Council Blasts US
The UN Human Rights Council has issued a report blasting the US for killing civilians, violating human rights and creating a “zone of impunity” for unaccountable private contractors to fight its wars. The UN group also criticized the US use of drones to attack Pakistan. The report, released this week was authored by Philip Alston, the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
Most Bankruptcy Tied To Medical Bills
Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses, according to a nationwide study released today by the American Journal of Medicine. [Editor: Save Lives. Support Single Payer Insurance]
Our Economy Is Going to Keep Tanking Until We Stop Shoveling Billions to Rich People
There's a cycle going on here: if you don't put money in consumers' hands, you get repetitive cycles of layoffs and growing unemployment. For the past ten years, we have been a nation ignoring massive wealth transfer and wealth concentration through a rigged Wall Street. As simple and clear as this picture is, some of the brightest minds in this country are unwilling to connect the cause and effect of wealth in too few hands to bankruptcies and a tanking economy.
Face-Off Over 'Fracking': Water Battle Brews On Hill
Environmentalists and the natural gas industry are getting ready for a battle in Congress over something known as "hydraulic fracturing." "Fracking," as the industry calls it, involves injecting a million gallons or more of water and chemicals deep underground to pry out gas that's locked away in tight spaces. Environmentalists want the federal government to regulate the practice because, fracking may be harming nearby water wells.
President Proclaims June Gay and Lesbian Pride Month
In the Proclamation, the President states, “As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Studies indicates that significantly more American's are progressive (despite Republican claims to the contrary)
Significant majorities of Americans favor progressive solutions to the nation's problems and reject the right's worldview. That's true whether the issue at hand is taxes, war and peace, the role of government in the economy, health care, and on and on. Republican and conservative activists repeat the assertion that America is right leaning ad nauseum -- as it's in their interest to do -- and most of the political press corps swallows it whole. The idea is like a zombie -- you can bludgeon it, burn it or get Dick Cheney to shoot it in the face, but it keeps coming -- it will not die. The persistence of the center-right narrative, even in the face of piles of evidence suggesting it's little more than a myth, has very real consequences on our political discourse.
 GREEN IS THE NEW “GREEN”
Green is the color and the future of Jobs and Energy in America. “Smart” Money today is investing in renewable energy and energy conservation technology.
37 Million Green Jobs Possible In U.S. By 2030
The renewable energy and energy efficiency (RE&EE) industries represented more than 9 million jobs and $1,045 billion in U.S. revenue in 2007, according to a new report from the American Solar Energy Society (ASES) and Management Information Services Inc. The renewable energy industry grew three times as fast as the U.S. economy, with the solar thermal, photovoltaic, biodiesel and ethanol sectors leading the way, each with 25%-plus annual revenue growth.
Governor wants utilities to rethink coal and balance energy production in Michigan
February 3, 2009 LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to make it harder for utilities to justify building new coal-fired power plants, encouraging them to instead rely on more energy conservation. Speaking Tuesday in her seventh annual State of the State speech, Granholm called for reducing the state's reliance on electric plants powered by coal and natural gas 45 percent by 2020. The Democrat said she wants to see 100,000 homes and 1,000 schools in the state weatherized to reduce energy consumption, and get more homes and schools to install solar and wind energy systems. She suggested the monthly savings would pay for the cost of the improvements. Some of that weatherization work can be done by people who have lost their jobs, she added. Four companies have requests before the state Department of Environmental Quality to build new coal-fired power plants, the most requests for new coal plants anywhere in the country. The state already has 19 coal-fired plants. In making it harder for companies to build new power plants that rely on coal, Michigan is following the example of other states. Wisconsin officials recently rejected a request for a new coal-fired power plant, and Kansas officials have rejected proposals to build two plants in the southwest corner of the state.
Mich. governor wants utilities to rethink coal
February 3, 2009 LANSING, Mich. - Gov. Jennifer Granholm wants to make it harder for utilities to justify building new coal-fired power plants, encouraging them to instead rely on more energy conservation. Speaking Tuesday in her seventh annual State of the State speech, Granholm called for reducing the state's reliance on electric plants powered by coal and natural gas 45 percent by 2020. The Democrat said she wants to see 100,000 homes and 1,000 schools in the state weatherized to reduce energy consumption, and get more homes and schools to install solar and wind energy systems. She suggested the monthly savings would pay for the cost of the improvements. Some of that weatherization work can be done by people who have lost their jobs, she added. Four companies have requests before the state Department of Environmental Quality to build new coal-fired power plants, the most requests for new coal plants anywhere in the country. The state already has 19 coal-fired plants. In making it harder for companies to build new power plants that rely on coal, Michigan is following the example of other states. Wisconsin officials recently rejected a request for a new coal-fired power plant, and Kansas officials have rejected proposals to build two plants in the southwest corner of the state.
NEW: Message Center
Now you can manage the news, information and events where you live, work and play. If your city isn't already on the list, click "New Post" to add your city to the list, as well as enter your message, event, or news. This Message Center has replaced our old city directory. There is also a "Message Center " hyperlink on the menu to the left of this mesage. Check it out.
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| Hot Dates Around the State |
 March 2, 2009
Capitol Climate Action - Mass Civil Disobedience
What we do right now could determine the fate of our generation. We know there is a climate crisis. We know we have to stop it. We’ve organized, we’ve lobbied, we’ve passed policies, we’ve educated, we've agitated, and our government still has not recognized the scope and urgency of climate catastrophe. We know we have the capacity to transform our society. There has never been an American tradition more noble, and it is needed now more than ever to stop the climate crisis. Join thousands of citizens, young and old, who are taking action to lead us toward ecological sanity and sustainability. We’re taking action at the Capitol Coal-fired Power Plant in Washington DC– a plant that literally powers Congress with dirty energy. Location: E St. SE @ New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20003
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Creating an inclusive and safe community is no easy task when the only thing we all share in common are our differences. In Michigan we have citizens (and seasonal guests) who are tall, short, heavy, thin, who embody many races, cultures, and ethnicity's including; agnostic, Amish, atheist, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jew, Mennonite, Muslim, Pagan, Quaker; people who are red, white, black, brown, yellow, pink and polka-dotted with freckles; homosexual, heterosexual and every point in-between. We have designed this space to be an open forum where all will feel welcome to share and contribute toward Michigan's future. We support social justice, giving children a decent start in life, protecting our environment, and encouraging our readers to work in cooperation with the world community.
We are compiling the most extensive (and still growing) human services resource guide in Michigan. The We Are Michigan directory includes a growing list of educational and/or service oriented resources. Please help us to help people in your community. We urge you to share information with us about the resources you find most valuable in your life. Add a Resource
Any community dedicated to a healthy future, will experience growing pains and disagreements along the way. It is our hope that Michigan citizens, as well as our seasonal guests, will find this web site to be a forum through which you may share your supportive thoughts and deep concerns. As resident's, and guest's, of the Great Lakes State, it is important that every voice be heard. Please join us as we discuss our community based interests and concerns.
Information and understanding help us to create healthy communities. We will endeavor to keep you informed about the events that change our lives and impact Michigan's future. We will do our best to illuminate the activities of those intolerant forces, on every side of an issue, who effectively divide and damage our community. All the news that fits, we print. Send News Article | Send Press Release | Send Announcements
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The Preamble to the Constitution states, "We the People, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity..." The We Are Michigan web site is operated by volunteers as a resource for citizens, community leaders, activists and educators working to to advance our understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific, legal, and social justice issues. We believe the people of Michigan should be involved in developing the master plan for Michigan's future — through public input, education, outreach, communication and understanding — creating safe and livable communities for all.
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