One lesson that people should learn from recent history (and from the distant past) is that we cannot rely on politicians to bring about real change in this country. If we want things to get better, the people are going to have to fight for it. Here are a few examples of things you can do to fight for real change.

Support the Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention Bill
The National Partnership for Women and Families has an online petition in favor of the Unplanned Pregnancy Prevention Bill. Here is their description.

The measure's goals are lofty – to tackle the unacceptably high rate of unplanned pregnancies in the U.S. Currently, half of pregnancies are unintended and half of those end in abortion. The bill would tackle the problem from several angles, by:

* Increasing family planning funding,
* Ending insurance discrimination against women,
* Improving awareness about emergency contraception, and
* Requiring programs to focus on medically accurate sex education.

The latter is an incredibly important AIDS issue as well. "Abstinence only" scams promote the spread of HIV just as they promote unplanned pregnancies. They all fit in with the fundamentalist desire to punish unsanctioned sexuality, especially among women.

Sign the Petition

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Support Domestic Partnership Benefits for State Department Employees
From an American Humanist Association email Action Alert

Send a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urging her to extend equal benefits to the same-sex partners of foreign policy workers.

There are a range of benefits and rights granted to the spouses of State Department staff but which are denied to gay or lesbian partners. For example, same-sex partners are denied paid travel to and from overseas posts, visas and diplomatic passports, and mail privileges. Worse yet, they are even deprived of evacuation in case of a security emergency or medical necessity.

This is unacceptable. Gay and lesbian foreign policy workers shouldn't have to choose between their families and service to their country. It's absurd that the State Department will reimburse the cost of transporting a pet overseas but won't do likewise for a same-sex partner.

Many other nations already extend a partnership benefit. It's time that the United States caught up with the times. Write to Clinton today and urge her to ensure that equal benefits are extended to all foreign-policy couples.

My only disagreement is that I think that the State Department should provide domestic partnerships regardless of the gender(s) of the partners.

The AHA is suggesting that people write Sec. Clinton at the State Department.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

You may also wish to go to the questions/comments page for the State Department. If you do so, you have my permission to giggle at the wildly inappropriate items placed on the final confirmation page under "The answers to the following questions may be relevant to your question: ."

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Oppose Hate Based Initiatives in the Stimulus Plan
The term "faith based initiatives" should be replaced by "hate based initiatives." Such diversions of government funding from inclusive charities to religious ones discriminates against atheists, and the whole scam is justified on the bigoted and silly notion that being religious makes people morally superior. Such initiatives also violate state/church separation. Americans United for Separation of Church and State is opposing the latest hate based legislation on Establishment Clause grounds in their Action Alert.

Protect Church-State Separation in the Stimulus Package!
Urge the Senate to keep funding for the Compassion Capital Fund out
The House recently passed its version of the economic stimulus package, which would provide funding for many services designed to relieve Americans from the burdens of our current economic crisis. Throughout this process, the staff of Americans United has engaged our many allies in Congress to ensure that this bill, which provides $819 billion dollars of funding, does not disrupt the important separation of church and state or diminish important religious liberty or civil rights protections that we hold dear.

We applaud the drafters of the House bill for their wise prohibition on the funding of private or religious schools. This is consistent with the Constitution and an important safeguard to place on the expenditure of our tax dollars. We are disappointed, however, that the House economic recovery package contains funding for the Compassion Capital Fund. The Compassion Capital Fund has a myriad of Constitutional problems. The Fund lacks oversight, sends money directly to Houses of Worship, and allows recipients to hire employees based solely upon their religion for government-funded jobs. Clearly, more taxpayer dollars should not be expended on this program.

Fortunately, the Senate version of the bill does not contain unwise funding for the Compassion Capital Fund - and we need it to stay that way! Please thank your Senators for eliminating this funding stream and urge them to use our tax dollars wisely in this important time. As we all know, now is not the time to continue unwise and unconstitutional practices of the Bush Administration. Please enter your information below to urge your Senator to maintain the ban on funding religious schools and the elimination of funding for the Compassion Capital Fund. With your help, we can ensure that the separation of church and state is unharmed in the first major act of the 111th Congress.

Contact Your Senators!