Rev. Danny Fisher

This from Friends of the Earth:

The Senate is poised to consider legislation that gives away too much to big energy interests to produce dirty power at the expense of clean energy, which will get us off fossil fuels and help combat global warming.

House Democrats pushed weak legislation days ago that capitulated to Republican demands for more offshore drilling, and now the Senate is looking at legislation with similar rewards for the same old energy gang: coal and oil.

If you’re concerned about this–and you ought to be–please consider sending a copy of the letter below to your senator:

As you consider energy legislation, please do not support more drilling or funding for coal or nuclear power. Instead, invest in renewable energy solutions and intelligent transportation and conservation initiatives.

Experts agree that more drilling will not solve the problems of high gas prices or global warming. Experts also agree that nuclear power and experimental coal technologies are more expensive and won’t begin playing a role for at least a decade.

As my senator, I rely upon you to vote in the interests of the American public, not dirty industries.

Send your letter by following this link.

The author with Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche in July, 2007.
Photo by Kerry Lucinda Brown.
Via Molly De Shong over at Shambhala Sun Space: Check out Dharma Sun, the new online home for Tibetan Buddhist teachings and resources from our friend Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche.

CREDO Action suggests signing the following petition, and so do I:

We strongly urge you not to issue a blank check to the Wall Street giants who have steered our country into financial dire straits. We must address this crisis quickly and prudently. Do not give these companies a dime of taxpayer money unless they agree to the following conditions:
1. If the taxpayers are shouldering the risk, the taxpayers should reap any eventual benefits. We accomplish this by giving the government an equity stake in every company we bail out proportionate to the amount we give them.
   
2. If we’re paying (more than) our fair share, the CEOs and executives should have to, too. All of the fat cats who got us into this mess should relinquish their stock options and salaries until they start showing us, their investors, that they can once again be profitable. Future salaries should be linked to profitability.
   
3. No more campaign contributions from Wall Street executives and PACs. Taxpayer dollars should be used to get our nation out of a crisis. They cannot be used to fund giant, powerful lobby operations that will be used to strong arm Congress into making bad policy.
   
4. Better regulations start right now. Wall Street can’t expect to take thousands of dollars out of your paycheck without agreeing to increased transparency and more stringent oversight – the kind that might have helped avoid this mess to begin with.
   
5. Bankruptcy judges get broader leeway to help homeowners. Why should we lose our homes so the CEOs can keep theirs?

A blank check without these conditions would be nothing more than a reward for bad business practices. If the bailout does not include these conditions, you must oppose it.

Add your name by following this link.