Category Archives: Action Teams

STOP PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS

Action Teams, Information

Nuclear weapons are the biggest threat to our existence, but the National
Nuclear Security Agency plans to make more of them. Lots more. We must stop
them.

Los Alamos National Lab is being ramped up now to be producing at least 30
new nuclear bomb cores (called plutonium “pits”) per year by 2026, and 80-100
per year by 2030. The pit is the part of the nuclear weapon that causes mass
destruction. Each one can destroy a large city in a flash, killing millions.
These new pits are intended to be used in futuristic nuclear warheads being
designed at weapons labs around the country. There’s even a whole new program
of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s) being cooked up, to house and carry
the new pits.

LANL is the only place currently capable of making the pits that these high-tech
warheads are being designed for. So if LANL can be stopped or even stalled, the
whole nuclear weapons “modernization” nightmare will grind to a halt.
Why make more nuclear weapons? It’s not like the U.S. doesn’t have enough of
them. We have thousands, enough to annihilate life on earth. It’s just that the
National Nuclear Security Administration insists we need new ones. The NNSA tries
to justify the production of new plutonium pits saying the “old” ones (average age
40 years) are degrading. But in fact the half life of plutonium is 24,000 years.
And it’s not like these bombs are cheap. Each pit costs $50 million to produce.
That’s 667 nurses salaries. The entire nuclear weapons modernization program is
costing us – our tax dollars – $60 to $70 billion annually. We could end
homelessness in America with $20 billion.

Continue reading STOP PRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS →

PDA Educate Congress July Letter Drops On Climate Emergency

Action Teams, Information, Legislation

PDA Citizen Advocacy

This month PDA is asking our Representatives and Senators to sign on to a Climate Emergency Resolution introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, Representatives Blumenauer and Ocasio-Cortez. In the same letter we are asking that they sign a letter to DNC Chair Perez requesting a national climate debate. The information below provides the PDA letters to the House and Senate, a helpful fact sheet which contains the text of the Resolution, a list of sponsors of the Climate Emergency.

Huge Climate Emergency Resolution Push

Click here to see if your Rep. is on the house version. Click here to see if your Senator is on Senate version.

Click here for the Resolution Letters: Dem. House; Dem. Senate; Republican House; Republican Senate.

Click here for an online fact sheet with some helpful links. Click here for a printable/deliverableversion of the fact sheet. (Suggested for your delivery.)

Click here for a downloadable/printable version of the resolution.

Here’s a list of the endorsers:

  • APAL Communications Connections
  • Architects Advocate for Action on Climate Change
  • Bold Iowa
  • Brattleboro Common Sense
  • Bronx Climate Justice North
  • Catholic Divestment Network
  • Chicago Water Protectors
  • Climate Justice at Boston College
  • Climate Reality Project Southern CT Chapter
  • Climate Revolution Orlando
  • Ecocentric Media
  • Englewood Indivisible
  • Florida Indigenous Rights and Environmental Equality
  • Fridays For Future Sacramento
  • Global Warming Education Network (GWEN)
  • Great Plains Zen Center
  • Greenbelt Climate Action Network
  • International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee
  • Lexington Global Warming Action Coalition
  • Liology Institute
  • Mass Interfaith Worker Justice
  • Mid Ohio Valley Climate Action
  • Mid-Hudson Valley Sunrise Movement
  • Moms Clean Air Force
  • Movement for a People’s Party
  • North American Climate, Conservation and Environment (NACCE)
  • North Bronx Racial Justice
  • NYCD16 Indivisible
  • Open Source Healing
  • Orange County for Climate Action
  • Our Green Challenge
  • Parents For Future Seattle
  • Portland Central America Solidarity Committee (PCASC)
  • Re-nourish
  • Redwood Campaign Advisors
  • Refuge Ministries of Tampa Bay International
  • RESTORE: The North Woods
  • Santa Cruz Climate Action Network
  • Shoegnome Architects
  • South Beach District 6 Democratic Club of San Francisco
  • South Beach District 6 Democratic Club of San Francisco
  • earth
  • Sunrise Movement of Howard County
  • Sustainne, LLC
  • Teens Against Pollution
  • The Clime
  • Touching Earth Sangha
  • Volcano Rainforest Retreat
  • We, the World

 

The Stop Wars & Occupations Action Team – PDA 2018 Candidates Peace Pledge

Action Teams, Information

The Stop Wars & Occupations Action Team will be sending out the Peace Pledge to all candidates for statewide office and then to New Mexico House candidates in Bernalillo and adjoining counties.

We have seen how war and violence have spread like a cancer throughout our global community. It is causing untold human suffering, draining resources badly needed for the common good, dividing the human family into competing groups, and causing the people to live in fear. Peace seems so far away – like a distant dream. As Rev. Jim Rigby of Austin, Texas has said, “Peace will come when we stop praying for it as a destination and begin living it as a path.” The Peace Pledge is intended to give our elected officials and candidates some guidance on the path to Peace.

Click here to download or view the 2018 Candidate Peace Pledge

PDACNM Action Team Reports

Action Teams

PDA – CNM Action Teams Updates
February 7, 2018

Any one is welcome to join one of the Action Teams listed at any time. Contact one of the leaders to be added to the contact list.

End Wars & Occupations    meets on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 4pm at the Unitarian Church (prior to the PDA monthly meeting.)

Leader: Dick Harrison dickannpr@gmail.com (505) 306-5400
Co-leader: Sally-Alice Thompson (505) 514-8186.

We have developed a Candidate Peace Pledge that we will ask all candidates for 2018 political office to commit to:

  1. To increase public awareness of the causes and costs of war
  2. To restrain our governments from intervening, overtly and covertly, in the internal affairs of other nations
  3. To end the arms race and to reduce and eventually eliminate nuclear weapons
  4. To seek justice for veterans and victims of war
  5. To abolish war as an instrument of national policy
  6. To work toward the end of systemic racism, poverty, militarism, and ecological devastation
  7. To consistently work in New Mexico for conversion of the current war economy to an economy based on peaceful, life-affirming constructive endeavors

Healthcare not Warfare    Meets on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 2 pm at Casa Clara Apartments 1400 Vassar NE in the Community Room (ground floor of the two story building). Next meeting is February 13 at 2 pm.

Leader: Herb Hoffman palaherb@gmail.com
Co-leader: Pat Bartels pbartels8@comcast.net 505-270-9154

We are very close to making our Medicare For All calculator live. This is an on-line tool that will allow anyone to calculate their savings under a Medicare for All plan such as H.R. 676 introduced in the US House by Representative Conyors. Look for a link to the Calculator in the PDA newsletter soon. In addition, we supported HM 9 and SM 3 for the study of a Medicaid buy-in plan for NM. No signature from the Governor is needed for a memorial. HM  9 and SM 3 have passed their respective bodies and this will allow the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee to begin exploring how a buy-in program might work in NM. LHHS will seek public feedback and work with the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance to analyze health coverage costs in the state. 42% of New Mexicans are currently covered by Medicaid and 20% are covered by Medicare, positioning the state well to advance a buy-in program. More than 180,000 low-income New Mexicans still lack health care coverage. It’s time to look at innovative policy ideas to ensure every New Mexican can get medical care when they need it.

Economic Justice   Next meeting Tues., Feb. 20 2:30-4 pm at  Edna Fergusson Library 2700 San Mateo NE

Leader: Tylka Vetula – (pronounced Till ka Ve two la) vetulat@gmail.com  505-221-0137

We have decided to direct our efforts toward moving from a minimum to living wage at the city, county, state and federal levels. We’re organizing ourselves into 4 focus study groups. Each group will address the following questions: What is the current minimum wage? What is the current legislation? How is the minimum wage structured? Who are the decision makers? Are there others working on this issue with whom we can partner? To get involved please choose which focus study group you want to work with. Contact Tylka who will put you in touch with that coordinator.

Stop Global Warming   Next Team meeting – TBA. Email Karen if you’d like to be notified.

Leader: Karen Bentrup karenbentrup@yahoo.com  Phone 352-284-2583
Co-leader: Ted Cloak tcloak@unm.edu

PDA lobbied at the Roundhouse, Feb 1st. Team members joined with Union of Concerned Scientists and Sierra Club to be part of the child-to-adult aged citizen lobby efforts on behalf of land, water, wildlife, renewable energy and climate change. Many thanks to the Environmental Alliance of New Mexico for their leadership. (PDA CNM is now a member of the Alliance too.)

Voter Access Protection & Election Integrity  

Leader: Paul Stokes stokescorrales@mac.com
Co-leader: Jane Ronca-Washburn janesings72@gmail.com

The Voter Access Protection and Election Integrity Action Team has not chosen to meet.  In lieu of that, I send out periodic reports (every week or so) on articles, state and national legislative activity, etc. to the list of people who attended our Action Team special meeting last fall. Contact Paul if you would like to receive his emails.

End Corporate Rule Still in the process of forming.

Leader: Lisa Franzen geolisafranzen@aol.com  

Do any of the following ideas interest you? Email Lisa with your interest(s)

  • Working for a constitutional amendment to end Citizens’ United and reassert the basic truth that “corporations are not people and money is not speech.”
  • Supporting use the Disclose Act to identify special interest groups, lobbyist money influence, and super PACs.
  • Promoting and Expanding Public Financing of Campaigns
  • Supporting re-imposing the Financial Transaction Act (Robin Hood Tax) which was eliminated in 1966
  • Countering ALEC (the conservative and corporate funded American Legislative Exchange Council) with ALICE (American Legislative and Issue Campaign Exchange) which has merged with progressive organizations to form the State Innovation Exchange.  These organizations work to influence State Legislators through the local legislative process.