Moving Susquehanna Valley Forward

Film Underscores Impacts of Climate Change

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Last night, CommUnity Zone and Susquehanna Valley Progressives co-sponsored a screening of Al Gore’s latest film, An Inconvenient Sequel at The Campus Theater in Lewisburg.

The film is a sequel to An Inconvenient Truth, which was released a decade ago and brought climate change into the heart of popular culture.An Inconvenient Sequel, shows just how accurate many of the predictions made in the first film were and, more importantly, how close we are to a real energy revolution.

120 people came out to watch the film and  a few dozen came to the subsequent discussion, which was moderated by local climate advocate Peterson Toscano and included panelists: Rob Altenburg of PennFuture and Dr. Nino Antadze, a visiting professor at Bucknell University .

Donations (a total of $371!) were collected at the film for the hurricane victims in Puerto Rico as these powerful hurricanes are becoming more and more prevalent due to warming air and water temperatures. 100% of the funds collected will be contributed to United for Puerto Rico. United for Puerto Rico is an initiative brought forth by the First lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló in collaboration with the private sector, with the purpose of providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.

The film underscores the devastating impacts of climate change, the resolve of many political, civic and religious leaders (on all sides of the political aisle) to take action, and the need for more to be done.

Al Gore and his organization, Climate Reality Project, are coming to Pennsylvania later in October to host the 36th Climate Reality Leadership Corps activist training in Pittsburgh. Over the course of three days, world class scientists, communicators, and climate experts will join former US Vice President and Climate Reality Founder and Chairman Al Gore to train citizens to become Climate Reality Leaders, who organize their communities for action on the climate crisis. Several local advocates plan to attend.

Susquehanna Valley Progressives is a nonpartisan organization united for the betterment of the whole community. We envision a community that empowers individuals to be engaged in and educated on the democratic process; promotes equality and appreciation of diversity; improves the living and working standards of all that live in Susquehanna Valley and actively protects our natural world. Learn more at SVProgress.org.

The CommUnity Zone unites area nonprofit organizations and the people in our community through collaborations to conduct and support community education and build capacity to sustain and improve a quality of life for all community residents. We are particularly interested in ways to empower all voices in the achievement of personal goals. Learn more at CommUnityZoneLewisburg.org.

Take action on Healthcare and State Budget

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Say NO to the latest Republican plan to repeal the ACA

The U.S. Senate is scheduled to take up healthcare reform legislation this week, that if enacted, could result in as many as 32 million Americans without health care. The Graham-Cassidy proposal would repeal and replace significant portions of the Affordable Care Act and revert to a block grant scheme that would likely reduce spending on healthcare and force state officials to cut back on health coverage or take resources from other critical programs. Here are some key talking points:

  • Establishes a per-capita cap on Medicaid
  • Ends Medicaid expansion as we know it
  • Rolls back protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions
  • Ends employer mandates
  • Leaves more Vets uninsured
  • Children in some states, including Pennsylvania, are at immediate risk of losing coverage
  • People over the age of 50 can be charged an unlimited amount for coverage.
  • Republicans are pushing a vote before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office can release a full analysis.
SOME ADDITIONAL READING

ACTION: CALL SENATOR TOOMEY (202-224-4254) AND TELL HIM TO PUT THE HEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIANS ABOVE HIS POLITICAL PARTY AND VOTE NO! CALL SENATOR CASEY AND THANK HIM ON HIS LEADERSHIP. CONSIDERWRITING A LETTER TO THE EDITOR AND THANKING CASEY PUBLICLY FOR HIS VOTES TO PROTECT OUR HEALTH CARE.  

Demand a Responsible and Fair State Budget

Last week, Republican house members in the state legislature put forth one of the most irresponsible budgets that we have seen in recent history. The house budget proposal does nothing to fix the deficit going forward nor does it generate any additional revenue.  Instead, it relies on one-time transfers from dedicated funds that are intended for investment in community projects.

The Senate recently passed a bill that does include a severance tax but also includes regulatory provisions that jeopardizes environmental protections of our clean and and water.

We should not sacrifice our clean air and water nor dedicated funds to improve our communities for a balanced budget.

SOME ADDITIONAL READING:

ACTION: CALL YOUR STATE SENATOR AND TELL THEM TO: PASS A BUDGET WITH RECURRING REVENUE; OPPOSE ANY RAIDS ON SPECIAL FUNDS; SUPPORT A RESPONSIBLE AND FAIR SEVERANCE TAX THAT DOES NOT JEOPARDIZE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONS: AND UPHOLD OUR CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO CLEAN AIR AND WATER. 

 

Get Smart About the News — Presentation

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Thanks to MaryJean Moser for the excellent presentation on determining what’s real and fake when it comes to news stories. Below you can download her presentation or view in Google Slides.

Download Presentation

Open as Google Slides

Collaborators on this presentation

MaryJean Moser has been involved in training and education in one way or another
for over 40 years. After six years as a high school English teacher, she spent two
years in the Peace Corps as a community trainer. In her 14-year corporate career, she
worked for various Bell System companies in all aspects of communications, training,
and professional development. In her 20 years at Bucknell University, she has worked in the
Library and in the Education Department.

Pat Scott is the Librarian for the School of Sciences, Humanities & Visual Communications and also serves as the College Archivist. Her professional interests include archival management, book preservation, and emergency preparedness for libraries and archives. In 2009, Pat was among the delegation of U.S. archivists who visited China to meet with archivists in Beijing and Shanghai as part of a People to People Ambassadors program. She has visited libraries in Cairo and St. Petersburg, Russia.

Joanna Huxster is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.From 2015 until the summer of 2017, Joanna worked at Bucknell in a Postdoctoral Research position that focused on the nature of public understanding of science.

We the Workers!

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How many Americans have suffered and even died so that we could enjoy this past 3-day weekend? Labor Day is one of those holidays that we all take for granted. Consider for a moment what our lives would be like if the labor movement hadn’t persisted and prevailed.

Paid vacation, overtime pay, sick leave, social security, child labor laws, worker’s compensation, pensions, whistleblower protections, workplace safety, military leave and so much more has been made possible through the labor movement, particularly organized unions.

The labor movement should be required learning for all students as it is a very important part of American history. Most Americans have no appreciation of the sacrifices that so many workers have made over the past centuries to improve our working conditions. Often, workers were risking their lives just to earn an honest day’s living. Those who participated in strikes (demanding better pay, safer work conditions, etc.) demonstrated true valor as they were often beaten, arrested or even killed in the process.

During America’s industrial revolution, worker safety was not a consideration for industry leaders. Workers were not just under-appreciated but truly expendable. Mules and donkeys were considered far more valuable by companies than men since laborers were plentiful and could be counted on to work for cheap.

Until the early 1900s, the vast majority of employees worked 12 to 14-hour days. Labor unions had been fighting for decades to reduce the work hour requirement. In 1866, the National Labor Union called on Congress to create an 8-hour workday. It failed to pass but the idea grew in popularity among the labor force. A year later, Illinois passed a law capping the workday at 8 hours. When employers refused to comply, workers went on strike. Finally in 1940, the Fair Labor Standards Act was amended, thanks to lobbying efforts by labor unions, limiting the workweek to 40 hours.

Workplace disasters were commonplace. When workers were injured or killed on the job, companies would do their best to place the blame on the victim. Courts typically sided with companies. Any compensation awarded was minimal. Consequently, industrialization proceeded with little regard for human safety.

In 1911, a fire broke out at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York. The factory doors had been locked–a standard practice of industry employers to discourage unauthorized breaks–and 146 workers perished. The owners were not arrested or put out of business. They were merely forced to pay a few dollars for each worker killed. In the end, they profited off the deaths of their employees through an insurance claim on the building. Two years later, one of the factory owners had once again endangered the lives of his employees by locking the factory doors. He was simply fined $20.

That same year, the Department of Labor was established and began tracking work-related injuries and deaths. A few decades later, the Bureau of Labor Standards was established to promote health and safety for working men and women. When the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) was finally signed into law in 1970, it established the Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Over the years, the Administration has implemented safety measures and standards that have protected tens of millions of workers.

Even after the formation OSHA there have been deliberate efforts by industry and businesses to eliminate or reduce workplace protections. Organized labor has continued to fight to protect the safety and health of workers.

We owe so much to the labor movement. Yet, there is an indifference, even hostility, today towards unions. Perhaps it is because so few Americans belong to them. Perhaps it is because of a concerted effort by business and industry to weaken and discredit them over the decades. Union participation is at an all-time low in America as they are simultaneously under political assault by conservatives who want to eliminate the ability for workers to organize.

Individuals, standing together for the common interests of workers, can successfully fight against oppression and greed; but in order for these efforts to be effective, we must stand together. Unions were and are the backbone of our labor movement. And we owe them our gratitude and support.

Failing to Unite: The Un-Presidential Remarks of Donald Trump

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We have certain expectations for our Commander in Chief. Despite what we witnessed on the campaign trail, we had hoped, as President, Trump would respect the dignity of the highest office, demonstrate decorum, and comfort this nation during times of crisis. Unfortunately, during these past weeks, we have watched incredulously, as Trump, acting very un-presidential, said and did the unspeakable.

The events that occurred in Charlottesville, VA this month underscore Americans’ need for strong leadership and the importance for our leaders to disavow hate, racism and bigotry.

Dozens of self described white nationalists bore torches, a symbolic gesture to Ku Klux Klan marches of yesteryear, and chanted phrases like “Jews will not replace us” and “Blood and Soil” (a favorite slogan of Adolph Hitler) as they marched in Charlottesvile. Organizers maintained that the event was intended to oppose the removal of a Robert E. Lee statue in what is now called Emancipation Park. However, racist, antisemitic chants quickly revealed the true purpose of the gathering.

The Unite the Right rally, held the following day, was far less ambiguous. The event, organized by members of the Nationalist Front, openly invited the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Nazis and other white supremacist and hate groups. Prominent attendees included Richard Spencer and former KKK Imperial Wizard David Duke. Rally attendees, emboldened with semi-automatic weapons, carried swastikas and confederate flags and chanted racist and anti-Jewish mantras.

Escalating tension among Rally participants and counter protestors prompted city officials to cancel the event. Unfortunately, the day ended in tragedy when a white supremacist drove his car into a crowd of counter protestors, killing one woman and injuring 19 others: A clear act of domestic terrorism.

When Trump failed to condemn the hate-inspired rally and even suggested some level of equivalence between those who marched and those who protested. He failed to acknowledge the victims in his remarks. He never called the mother of Heather Heyer, the 32-year old who was killed in the attack, to offer his condolences, nor did he call the event a terrorist attack. He failed to denounce white supremacy in his remarks and instead suggested that blame lay on all sides.

In a rare act of repentance, Trump, on Monday, read a prepared statement denouncing white supremacy and hate groups. Unfortunately, his compassion was short lived.

One day later, Trump defiantly claimed both sides were to blame (even though it was a white supremacist that caused the deadly attack) and openly sympathized with the white supremacists and Neo-Nazis. He went so far as to suggest that many who marched on Friday and Saturday, (those bearing swastikas, confederate flags, Hitler quotes and other Nazi-inspired symbolism) were “fine people”. He implied that the white supremacists that marched are the same as those who were protesting against hate, intolerance, antisemitism, racism and bigotry.

Trump failed the simplest of tests. He was asked to unequivocally denounce racism, hate and white supremacy…and he capitulated. Trump is known for his quick and severe condemnations. He has mocked a disabled reporter, referred to POWs as losers (because they were captured), attacked a Gold Star family and has taken to Twitter to attack actors, news media, politicians, and foreign leaders.

In this instance, he clearly failed to demonstrate moral leadership. He refused to stand up for all those who have fought against racism and fascism.

Instead, he chose to appease his far right base. With his most recent remarks, he empowers hate groups and legitimizes their vile agendas. He was rewarded with public praise by David Duke.

Regardless of party affiliation or ideology, we all must stand against hate and racism. Our forefathers fought the Civil War to end slavery and keep our nation united; millions of Americans (with over 400,000 giving their lives) fought fascism in WWII. Have we forgotten?

Susquehanna Valley Progressives is calling on political leaders here in the Susquehanna Valley to reject the ideology of far-right hate groups and denounce the idea that those who seek equality and peace are equivalent to those who celebrate white supremacy, slavery and antisemitism.

Call your congressman and state legislator and demand a public statement.

We must know our leaders represent core American values: freedom, liberty equality and unity.

Nicole Faraguna is a founding member of the Susquehanna Valley Progressives.