Supporting Obama's Push For a Public Health Option is AlterNet's Top Campaign of the Week

By Byard Duncan, AlterNet. Posted June 16, 2009.

V -- It’s Still Time to Defend Reproductive Freedoms

Thirty-six years after the passage of Roe v. Wade, "pro-life" right-wingers are still challenging women’s access to safe and legal abortion services. As the killing of Dr. George Tiller (and the subsequent closure of his clinic) earlier this month illustrates, the opposition to reproductive rights is becoming increasingly violent and militant. We cannot let aggressive bigots blot out hard-earned freedoms in our country. We must stand tall in our support for safe, legal reproductive health care.

VI -- Help Protect Dairy Farmers

Thanks to industry manipulations and increased importing of foreign milk protein concentrates, small U.S. dairy farmers are in serious trouble. The price they’re being paid for milk has dropped more than 50 percent since December 2008 -- the worst decrease since the Great Depression.

Banks across the country have also been denying farmers access to credit. If this continues, it could destroy the livelihood of more than 20,000 farmers by the end of the year -- one-third of the nation's total.

You can help: Join the many others who are asking Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to adjust the price of milk paid to farmers to "reflect the price of production." He can do this by invoking his authority under Section 608c (18) of the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937. This legally mandated "floor price" should be at least $17.50 per cwt (a cwt -- hundredweight -- is the standard measure for milk producers).

VII -- End Big Coal’s Toxic Abuses

Obama announced on June 11 that he would work with the EPA, the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of the Interior to end the streamlined permitting process for mountaintop-removal coal mining. Though an important step forward, this move is only a tug at the roots of a much more pressing problem.

The 2002 "fill rule," a piece of legislation handed down by the Bush administration, allows coal companies to dump their toxic mining waste into our nation’s streams. Reversing this rule is essential to reviving polluted communities around the United States. Tell your senators and representatives that we need Congress to pass the Clean Water Protection Act (HR 1310) in the House and the Appalachia Restoration Act (S 696) in the Senate to end the worst abuses of Big Coal.

VIII -- Help Stop the Spread of Nuclear Weapons

Earlier this year, Obama announced that he would take steps during his presidency to reduce the creation and proliferation of nuclear weapons. His words mark a change in presidential politics of late, which have not done much to address the issue.

Obama wants to negotiate a new arms-reduction treaty with Russia. He's also seeking Senate approval for a treaty that bans the testing of nuclear weapons. If approved, these measures could be the first of several important steps necessary to reduce the world's terrifying cache of nukes.

But Obama's initiatives are likely to meet resistance from hawks in the Senate. Please write today and urge your senators to work toward reducing the threat posed by nuclear weapons.

IX -- Ensure Equal Pay for Hard-Working American Women

It's 2009, and women who work full time are still only making 78 cents for every dollar men earn. It's even worse for women of color: African American women make only 63 cents, and Latinas get a measly 52 cents. What can you do to put this to an end?

Join the ACLU in supporting the Paycheck Fairness Act, which makes some much-needed tweaks to the Equal Pay Act. The House of Representatives has already passed this legislation, now it's up to you to get the Senate to approve it. You can do it here.

X -- We Must Be Fearless in Our Opposition to Proposition 8

The California Supreme Court has announced its deeply disappointing decision to uphold Proposition 8. We don’t have time to mourn the failure of the state court to restore marriage equality to California. It’s time to go on offense and be fearless in our fight for equality. Will you join the Courage Campaign and stand up for what you know is right?

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