UPDATE: We are now in conversation with the managers of Biofuel Oasis to educate them on the cruelty of using animals and hope to work with them in stopping the sale of baby chicks. -- Biofuel Oasis is a Berkeley-based biodiesel store that also sells baby chicks for people to purchase and raise for their eggs. This raises many ethical concerns including: male chicks - who are useless to the egg industry - being killed on the day they are born; hens bred to lay so many more eggs than they naturally would leading to painful and deadly health issues; hens who no longer produce as many eggs being dumped on sanctuaries because they are no longer considered “useful”; killing animals who value their own lives and want to live. Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) organizers reached out to the owners of Biofuel Oasis to request a conversation about this practice in an attempt to come to a mutually beneficial agreement. In response to the concerns raised by DxE organizers they stated via email “Our customers would most likely continue to buy eggs from a grocery store if they did not have fresh eggs provided by the chickens in their backyard. Many of our customers love their chickens dearly, give them an abundance of love and affection, and keep them after they are past their egg-laying years until they die of natural causes [...] We order chicks from a local hatchery. Our hatchery’s roosters and older flock go to agencies that rehabilitate wildlife; they become food for those animals.” It is not true that the only options available are buying eggs from grocery stores or raising chickens for eggs in your backyard. Millions of people choose to not eat eggs and this number is growing every day as more people become aware of the ethical issues with eggs. Sanctuaries and other rescuers receive constant requests to take in “spent” hens or roosters from people with backyard chickens. And, whether male chicks are ground up alive or suffocated (as it the practice in most hatcheries) or fed to other animals, the result is the same - thousands of dead baby birds. The bottom line is that animals are not property. They are individuals who should not be bought and sold as commodities. Exploiting them for their eggs and flesh reinforces their property status, causes them pain, and leads to the death of millions every year. Please tell Biofuel Oasis to stop this practice immediately and keep their focus on providing sustainable fuel to Berkeley.

For the first time in five years, Connecticut voters like you have the opportunity to weigh in on Connecticut's comprehensive energy strategy. With America facing more devastating impacts of climate change, it's time to call for a clean energy future that serves our economy, our families' health, and our climate. Governor Malloy's draft Comprehensive Energy Strategy (CES) lacks commitment and misses the mark on building a bright energy system. Public comments close Sept. 25. Sign now to let Governor Malloy and his staff know that you're ready for Connecticut to go big on clean energy. In a recent poll, more than 3 in 4 Connecticut voters said they support expanding the use of solar energy. Across all demographics and party lines, supermajorities of Nutmeggers support transitioning to a clean energy system that benefits public health, reduces electric bills, and spurs a clean economy that creates jobs and local investments. The CES can be improved to deliver on that promise - one that the vast majority of Connecticut families and businesses believe in.

Trump's education secretary, Betsy DeVos, announced that she wants to strip away protections for sexual assault survivors on college campuses. Secretary Devos is siding with rapists over sexual assault survivors on campus and that is outright dangerous. When 1 in 4 women on campus are assaulted during their college careers, it is a national crisis. But we can still stop her. She is currently taking comments from the public before these new rules are finalized. You can be sure rape apologist groups like the National Coalition for Men are mobilizing on sites like Reddit to submit comments. We have to make sure more of us speak out than them. Can you submit a comment now?

Better living conditions!

Credit-reporting giant Equifax recently disclosed that, in the summer of 2017, hackers gained access to the personal information of 143 million of its consumers. The hackers obtained names, Social Security numbers, birthdates, addresses, and, in some cases, even credit card information. Equifax's response to this cyberattack is appalling. The company was at first only offering a free, one-year credit-monitoring service and then it gets to profit from its despicable behavior by offering the service for a fee. Equifax needs to be held accountable for their actions; that's why the company needs to provide an unlimited, free credit-monitoring service to all those who are impacted by the recent security breach.

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Dante Acosta is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!

Next week, the Senate is expected to debate and vote on the National Defense Authorization Act [NDAA]. The House version of the NDAA, passed in July, includes a prohibition proposed by Rep. Warren Davidson [R-OH] against U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen, [1] which has created the worst humanitarian crisis in the world [2] that is killing a Yemeni child from preventable causes every ten minutes. [3] Most analysts don't think the war can continue without U.S. participation. But the current Senate version of NDAA doesn't include the Davidson prohibition. If the Senate doesn't pass the same language as the House, it will be much harder to protect the House NDAA Davidson prohibition against the war in House-Senate conference. Urge Bernie Sanders and your Senators to prohibit U.S. participation in the Saudi war in Yemen in the Senate NDAA by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/41278-us-house-votes-to-block-us-participation-in-saudi-war-in-yemen 2. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx? 3. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2017-04-25/secretary-generals-opening-remarks-yemen-pledging-conference

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Heath Flora is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Kevin Kiley is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Steven Choi is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!

The Supreme Court was horribly wrong in their Citizens United decision that there can't be any limits on corporate spending in political campaigns. But Justice Scalia did get one thing absolutely right when he said we need disclosure or else “democracy is doomed”. AB 249, the California DISCLOSE Act, will strike the biggest blow yet against the secret money unleashed by Citizens United, by requiring initiative ads to clearly show their real top 3 funders so everyone knows who’s trying to buy their vote. AB 249 faces its final votes next week. Republican Assemblymember Marc Steinorth is a crucial vote. Please sign and share to ask him to vote “Yes”!