Ending Indefinite Detention Is AlterNet's Top Take Action Campaign of the Week

By Byard Duncan, AlterNet. Posted July 8, 2009.

V -- Ditch Bush's "Fill Rule" for Mountaintop-Removal Mining

The Obama administration has taken a progressive stance on ending mountaintop-removal coal mining, a process that devastates landscapes and endangers lives. With its recent commitment to diversifying Appalachian economies, the administration has begun to address an issue that has flown under the radar for years.

But if the necessary changes are to come about, we need to continue this momentum. Urge the Obama to not let up. Tell him to overturn Bush's ultra-destructive "fill rule," which wreaks havoc on Appalachian ecosystems. You can do it here.

VI -- Stand up for the Uighurs

For too long, the Chinese government has flagrantly violated the human rights of Uighurs, a Turkic, mainly Muslim, people who make up the majority of the population in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest China.

Among other abuses, China has repeatedly blurred the line between its definitions of "activism" and "terrorism" to repress Uighurs. The country has also invoked "war on terror" rhetoric to justify cruel policies and tirelessly pursued censorship campaigns against Uighurs.

We need to let the Chinese know that their actions are unacceptable. Help send the message that their abuses must not continue.

VII -- Help Pass the DREAM Act

Every year, 65,000 young men and women -- star athletes, aspiring teachers, homecoming queens -- graduate high school only to run into problems. Because they were brought into the country illegally as babies or young children, they risk being barred from jobs and colleges.

These people have every right to reap all the benefits of the United States available to ordinary citizens. It's senseless for them to be penalized for a decades-old crime they didn't commit.

You can help: Though our immigration laws currently have no mechanism to consider the special equities and circumstances of students like these, the DREAM Act would eliminate this flaw. It's time to tell Congress that these people have every right to be here. Tell them to pass the DREAM Act today.

VIII -- Save Michigan's Water

On July 6, a court in Michigan was to determine whether Nestlé can continue pumping water from a nearby wildlife preserve at the rate of 400 gallons per minute. The case could have been decided in 2003, were it not for some clever legal maneuvering on the part of the food giant. Now, Michigan's citizens stand at a crucial juncture of water-rights legislation.

The case, according to Leslie Samuelrich of Corporate Accountability International, "underscores the importance of water resources remaining in public control and decisions about water being made locally and democratically ... water is too precious to hand over to Goliath."

You can help ensure that the people of Michigan don't lose their water.

IX -- Halt Funding for Fake Clinics

American taxpayers spend millions every year to fund so-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers, which are nothing but fake women's health clinics. Young women who enter these "clinics" are often subjected to misinformation and intimidation.

It's up to us to end this dreadful, dishonest trend in American health care. Tell your senators you don't want to keep funding clinics that deny women access to safe, legal medical services.

X -- Fix the Waxman-Markey Bill

So many Americans were caught up in the excitement of last week's passage of the Waxman-Markey bill, they failed to notice its faults. Polluted by special interests, the bill actually guts the EPA's authority to fight global warming.

Now, as the bill goes before the Senate, it's up to us to elicit change. We need to tell our progressive policymakers that we need a better draft -- one that can help us dam global warming's fierce assault before it's too late. By donating to Friends of the Earth, you can do your part.

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