LIVE STREAM TUESDAY . . . The Green Party of the United States will hold an online GP-TV broadcast during President Obama’s 2013 State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 12, beginning at 8:00pm Central Time. Viewers will be able to participate in a simultaneous chat about the address on the Livestream page, and call in with comments after the speech. Jill Stein, the Green Party’s 2012 nominee for President, will be a guest on the show via Skype. The Facebook page is here.  Is the President serious about curbing global warming, or will he approve the Keystone XL pipeline and continue to promote fossil fuel production? “Green Party urges national protest against the proposed Keystone XL and Trailbreaker pipelines” is a January 31st Green Party press release.

ONE BILLION RISING THURSDAY . . . “One Billion Rising: Take a stand on behalf of one-billion abused women,” by Erin Anderson for the Lincoln Journal Star reported on the local One Billion Women Dancing Event to end violence being coordinated by Lincoln activist Christy Hargesheimer. See Green Notes below for CD 1 and CD 2 events. This past week Reader Supported News reported on the national campaign in “One Billion Rising to Confront Violence Against Women” by Shepherd Bliss; and “One Billion Rising: ‘It’s Like a Feminist Tsunami‘” by Jane Martinson, for The Guardian and AlterNet, covered Eve Ensler, the campaign’s founder.

FORWARD ON CLIMATE RALLY SUNDAY . . . Nebraska activists, 350.org, The Sierra Club, the Hip Hop Caucus, and tens of thousands of Americans will meet at the Washington Monument on the National Mall in Washington DC, Sunday, February 17, 2013, 12:00 Noon, for a Forward on Climate Rally to encourage the president’s leadership on climate change. First step: deny the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Help Move Us Forward. Register to be there here.

SCROLL DOWN to CD 3 Notes for this week’s Keystone XL pipeline Update.

“Boycott Bud, Support Pine Ridge.”  Students from Creighton University, University of Nebraska-Omaha and University of Nebraska-Lincoln asked Anheiser-Busch, brewer of Budweiser products, to end alcohol sales in Whiteclay, Nebraska by purchasing the beer stores in that town and retiring the liquor licenses, and to provide funding for expanded alcohol rehabilitation on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Read the Omaha World-Herald story here.  Read a transcript of prepared statements by students at the January news conference here.  Join the boycott here.
Sign a We the People petition: “we petition the Obama administration to Replace Pine Ridge Reservation’s buffer zone via executive order, making alcohol sales illegal in Whiteclay, Nebraska.”

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. When weather is bad, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour.

THE FUTURE OF FOOD . . . “Tomorrow’s Table: Organic Farming, Genetics, and the Future of Food” will be the focus of a Heuermann Lecture, Tuesday, February 12, 2013, 3:30pm, at UN-L’s Hardin Hall, 33rd & Holdrege, in Lincoln. Authors Pam Ronald and Raoul Adamchak will discuss the challenge of feedingthe world’s growing population without further destroying the environment. A 3:00pm reception will precede the lecture.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402.499.6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

ONE BILLION RISING . . . One Billion Rising Lincoln RISES will be Thursday, February 14, 2013, Noon, at Union Plaza, 21st and P Street, and at 7:00pm at the YWCA, 2620 ‘O’ St, Lincoln. Music, drumming, dancing, and speakers will be featured at the event at Union Plaza from noon-1:00pm. The YWCA will open its doors at 7:00pm for more music and dancing. Other Lincoln events include a 7:30pm poetry reading with Juanita Rice, local actress and poet, at Gratitude Cafe and Bakery, 1551 North Cotner Blvd., on Thursday; and a 7:00pm Nia Jam, Friday, at StudioNia, 5900 South 58th St., Suite M, in the Trade Center. A gathering of Nia teachers will present a class in the Nia technique as a part of a fundraiser for One Billion Rising. The focus will be on empowerment and community.

OCCUPY EDUCATION LINCOLN . . . Occupy Education Lincoln and the Calvary United Methodist Church, 1610 South 11th Street, Lincoln, (corner of South 11th and Garfield Streets) will hold weekly Workshop/Skills Teaching Sessions, The Repair Cafe, every Thursday, starting at 5:30pm. (The time coincides with the start of FoodNet.) Toss It? No Way! Fix it, find another use, use some of its parts, recycle it, and say no to the throw away culture. Everything and everyone has value. We must discover the value. For more information, contact Barbara van den Berg, 402.488.6926, barbvandenberg [at] hotmail [dot] com.

EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN . . . Thursday, February 14, 2013, 7:00pm, the Wachiska Audubon monthly meeting with present “Our Children Will Determine the Fate of Wildlife: Practical Ideas in Education,” at the Dick Administration auditorium, Union College, 3800 South 48th Street, in Lincoln. UN-L professor Chuck Francis will chair a panel of educators discussing how we can energize the next generation to protect and preserve wildlife and their habitat. There will be refreshments following the presentation. All are welcome.

NATURE WRITING EXPERIENCE . . . Register by Friday, February 15th, 2013, for Saturday’s “Writing Shapes and Patterns in Nature,” 1:00 to 3:30pm, at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center near Denton. Click here to learn more. Spring Creek Prairie comprises more than 800 acres of native tallgrass, about 20 minutes southwest of Lincoln.

NPPD OPEN HOUSES . . . Nebraska Public Power District Open Houses for public input continue on Monday, February 18, 4:00 to 7:00pm, at Divots Conference Center, 4200 W. Norfolk Ave., in Norfolk; and Tuesday, February 19, 2013, 4:00 to 7:00pm, at the Holiday Inn, Hwy 81 / 4619 S. Lincoln Ave., in York. NPPD is getting ready to decide the next 20 years of energy policy in our state. It is critical they hear we want more clean energy. More details are here.  Mark Your Calendar.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

HELP SAVE DEMOCRACY NOW! IN OMAHA . . . Democracy Now! can be put back on the air if there is a public outcry to the governing board, CTAC. Current members of CTAC are:
District 1 – Molly Maguire – mollyandbill [at] cox [dot] net 402-553-7618
District 2 – Addie Donald-Hardrick III (Secretary) – addiedonaldhardrick [at] gmail [dot] com 402-455-4600
District 3 – Charles Bruno – cjbruno2 [at] cox [dot] net 402-991-9920
District 4 – William Gaughan – gh5048 [at] hotmail [dot] com
Distric 5 – Charles Cogar (Vice President) – ccogar [at] tconl [dot] com
District 6 – Dennis Lee – denny [at] leelawoffice [dot] com 402-334-8055
District 7 – John Fullerton (President) – fullertonJ [at] rtbs [dot] org 402-572-3003
At Large – Frances Mendenhall – francesmendenhall [at] yahoo [dot] com 402-208-3717
Please contact these CTAC board members expressing your disappointment about the removal of DN! and support for returning it to the air. Then, if possible, please attend the next CTAC meeting, Monday, February 11, 2013, 4:00pm, in the City Council Chambers, 18th & Farnam Streets.  CTAC does listen to the public, and raising your voice about keeping Democracy Now! will make a difference. You do not have to live in Omaha to be a stakeholder in this matter. AnyOne can comment. Just include your address with your comments. Phone Frances Mendenhall, 402.208.3717, for more information.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. Wednesday, February 13, 2013, the film will be “The Science of Sex Appeal,” documenting the evolution and function of every component of human attraction. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

ONE BILLION RISING . . The One Billion Rising Event Against Violence in Omaha will be Thursday, February 14, 2013, Noon to 1:30pm, at MSC 3002, continuing at Nebraska Methodist College, 90th and Dodge Streets, from 4:00 to 6:00pm.

GREENS ON THE GUN ISSUE . . . There will be a panel debate of gun control issues on Friday, February 15, 2013, 7:00pm, at Creighton University’s, Harper Hall auditorium, 602 North 20th Street. NGP’s Mark Zimmermann will participate and share the Green perspective. Admission is free. Find Harper Hall on the campus map here.

OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is a Peace Vigil at the northwest corner of 72nd and Dodge Streets in Omaha. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store lot. Contact Steve Horn, 402.426.9068, for more information about Saturday vigils.

SAVE THE DATES . . . Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin will be in Omaha April 30 and May 1, 2013. E-mail Frances Mendenhall at francesmendenhall [at] yahoo [dot] com, or phone 402.208.3717, for more details. Save the dates.

ATM LEAFLETTING IN OMAHA . . . An Alternatives To the Military supporter who lives in Omaha would like to put together and participate in a local leafletting group there. She wants to start small–maybe leafletting at just one or two schools. If you have an interest in joining a Omaha ATM group, please contact Kevin Haake, atmlincoln [at] gmail [dot] com. The FB link is http://www.facebook.com/atmlincolnb. Twitter is http://www.twitter.com/ATMLincolnNE.  Leafletting in Omaha.

ENGAGE OMAHA . . . One of the nation’s first city-wide, virtual town hall websites, EngageOmaha, is now online. Omaha residents may weigh in on issues for the city to consider. Pick a topic, and join the mix at http://www.engageomaha.com/.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The ongoing legal challenge to the Keystone XL pipeline route through Nebraska was reported in “Pipeline critics: Heineman lacks authority,” by Art Hovey, February 8, 2013, in the Lincoln Journal Star. The trial will likely be this summer. If successful, Governor Heineman’s letter to the President giving approval of the route will be thrown out and TransCanada will have to submit their route for review to the Public Service Commission, according to Jane Kleeb, of BOLD Nebraska.
A February 5, 2013 National Nurses United press release citing serious adverse health concerns, expressed solidarity with environmentalists, unions and other organizations from across the country opposing the Keystone XL Pipeline.
From “You Can Move Washington on Climate Change,” by Robert Redford, for Reader Supported News, February 4th: “On February 17, tens of thousands are coming together in Washington, D.C. to ask the president to stand up for climate.” The event is expected to be “the largest climate rally in U.S. history.”
FORWARD ON CLIMATE RALLY: On the National Mall in Washington DC, Sunday, February 17, 2013, to encourage the president’s leadership on climate change. First step: deny the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. Register to be there here.
A new 4:16 minute video “Keystone XL the ‘Lynchpin’ for Tar Sands Growth,” by Kevin Grandia, features “four energy experts, outlines the issues surrounding the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, the Alberta tar sands and climate change. The video describes the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline as a “lynchpin enabling the climate intensive tar sands industry to grow unimpeded.” The desmogblog.com video is here.
From “The Question No One Is Asking About Keystone XL,” by Thom Hartmann and Sam Sacks, The Daily Take, Truthout, January 30th: “Instead of letting foreign companies build terrorist-target oil pipelines across our entire country, shouldn’t we be supporting homegrown companies that could make America the world leader in renewable energy? …All around the world, and right here at home, we see the potential for clean energy use on a massive scale. We have 21st Century energy solutions that work now, today; we don’t need another 19th Century oil pipeline.”
“How much will tar sands oil add to global warming?” by David Biello, Scientific American, January 23rd, asks the lucking question: “How much of the planet’s remaining fossil fuels can we burn?”
“Garth Lenz: The true cost of oil” is a revealing, heartbreaking 17:40 minute TEDxTalk filmed in November, 2011.
It is time for President Obama to draw a line in the tar sands, and reject the Keystone XL pipeline. Click here to sign a CredoAction petition to President Obama. The petition reads: “If you are committed to fighting climate change, you must reject the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. You simply cannot have it both ways.”
Sign a Natural Resources Defense Council Action Alert telling Congress to reject all attempts to force approval of the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline by attaching it to any unrelated legislation. The Keystone XL will deliver billions in profits to Big Oil while the people get stuck with poisoned water, contaminated land and an overheated planet.
“The Keystone pipeline will spew a massive amount of carbon pollution into our fragile atmosphere. It should be stopped. ” –Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party Presidential Nominee.

SAVE THE BEES . . . Bees have been dying off in the US at an alarming rate — nearly 30% of our bee population, per year, have been lost to so-called colony collapse since 2006. Scientists have long thought that the pesticide clothianidin was at least partially to blame. But the EPA has repeatedly ignored scientists’ warnings and Americans’ urgings to ban its use, citing lack of evidence. Now, a blockbuster study released this week by Europe’s leading food safety authority, EFSA, has for the first time labeled clothianidin as an “unacceptable” danger to bees. For a credoaction petition telling the EPA to immediately suspend the pesticide that’s killing bees, sign automatically by clicking here.

STOP FRACKING NOW . . . From “Five Effects of Fracking You May Not Know About” by Alyssa Figueroa, AlterNet: “What comes to mind when you think of fracking? Perhaps it’s images of tap water being lit on fire or stories of families suffering health problems after nearby wells are fracked. Indeed, the health and environmental impacts of fracking are being documented, but it’s important to know that fracking is a catalyst for widespread negative consequences.”
“Studies Link Earthquakes to Fracking,” by Jessica Leber, MIT Technology Review, Reader Supported News, February 3rd, reported “At the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco last week, scientists presented the latest evidence tying the disposal of wastewater from shale gas hydrofracking to increased earthquakes.”
Petition Congress: “We, the undersigned, call on Congress to pass the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act this year. It’s time to hold the oil and gas production industry to the same standards as any other industry to ensure the safe protection of America’s drinking water.“

BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here.  Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it asks you to name your cause at http://www.goodsearch.com/default.aspx. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!

Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Substitute Hemp for oil.“