When it comes to clean energy and climate change, it is time for the United States to act.

We currently send $1 billion a day in oil money overseas. This dependence on foreign oil not only threatens our economy and the health of our planet, but also our national security.

The longer we maintain our foreign oil dependence, the more we continue to place our future in others' hands. That is why, today, we are joining with dozens of organizations, representing millions of Americans, calling on the U.S. Senate to pass legislation that will secure our nation and put us on a path towards energy independence.

Stand up for our security by contacting your senators TODAY and demand the Senate passes clean energy and climate legislation!

If we allow global warming to continue, we risk increased natural disasters, shifts in agricultural production, and drastic changes in climate patterns, all of which will require manpower and vast economic resources that could be better focused on other areas of concern.

Our future national security will be impacted by how much we develop our own clean energy and climate change legislation.

Global warming is not likely to reverse, but through the right policies, we can work towards slowing its pace.

Currently, there are limits on the resources available in America because of our reliance on fossil fuels, but we have other viable energy alternatives that must be explored and implemented. These alternatives are the future. Our present dependence and focus on foreign oil hampers efforts towards finding new energy solutions.

Tell the Senate to end our dependence on foreign oil -- the security of our nation depends on it.

Make the call. We need to make sure that the Senate hears from us this week.

Sincerely,

Wes Clark

Former insurance lobbyist (Emerson) continues to raise hundreds of thousands from lobbyists and corporate PACs

Southeast Missourian | Jonathan Feifs | February 1, 2010

Rolla, MO -- During the 4th quarter of 2009, former Army Green Beret Tommy Sowers raised $179,127, 98% of which came as contributions from individuals. In stark contrast, incumbent and former insurance lobbyist Jo Ann Emerson once again relied on her special interest friends, raising nearly half her money from corporate PACs and special interest groups.

Sowers said, "Emerson does not represent Southeastern Missouri. She still represents the city where she was born and raised: Washington, DC. People here tell me they are tired of business as usual in Washington. The lobbyists and special interests behind Emerson are exactly what people here are sick of."

Small donors also played a much greater role in Sowers's fourth quarter, due in large part to his national endorsements from veterans groups like VoteVets and General Wesley Clark's Securing America organization. The percentage of Sowers's contributions comprised of small donations was nearly four times as large as Emerson's.

Said Sowers campaign manager, Jonathan Feifs, "While Tommy drives around the district witnessing first-hand the struggles of the people in his corner of Missouri, Emerson is riding up and down K Street to pick up her lobbyists' checks. The 1,000 new contributors this quarter, many of them small contributions from veterans, are helping Tommy get out and work hard to earn every vote. "

Conspicuously absent from this report were any expenses for "political gifts" from Tiffany & Co. Expenditures at the high-end jeweler were a fixture on her reports from 2002-2009, where Emerson racked up expenses totaling over $6,000, shopping there as recently as last August. Full listing of these can be found at www.sowersforcongress.com/joanntiffany

Sowers is currently on Day 13 of a 28-day initiative he calls "Boots on the Ground." Sowers and his dog, Chuck, are traveling the district in his truck to meet his neighbors, work alongside them and listen to their concerns, struggles, ideas and solutions. Sowers said, "This is not a tour -- tours are for tourists and politicians who come in, take a few pictures, then leave. 'Boots on the Ground' is about working, living, and listening to hardworking people in each and every county. It's an opportunity for me to do what many politicians don't - close my mouth and open my ears and eyes."

For more information on the campaign and "Boots on the Ground," visit www.sowersforcongress.com/boots.

Contribute to Tommy's campaign today via Wes's Act Blue page.

General Wesley Clark on the O'Reilly Factor

December 29, 2009

They don't send Green Berets on easy missions. So when I heard Tommy Sowers -- an 11-year Army officer who served as a Combat Engineer, Airborne Ranger, and Green Beret -- was running for Congress, I knew I had to help.

Tommy is a rare breed of leader, a warrior and scholar whose desire to serve is complemented with honor, courage, and intellect. But that won't be enough to win in Missouri's 8th district, where he faces a 13-year incumbent who is bankrolled by the corporate special interests.

Tommy needs your help.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

Tommy left his promising career in the Army this summer and returned to Missouri take on this new fight -- to serve his home in Congress. Seeing the deteriorating condition of the area where generations of his family have lived, he knew this is something that has to happen now.

During his deployments -- once in Kosovo and twice in Iraq -- Tommy was sent to places where the people had no hope, and he was tasked with achieving things that people said could not be done.

Again, there are no easy missions for Green Berets, and this challenge is no different.

Help Tommy and me bring hope to Missouri's 8th district. Contribute $5 or more to his campaign today!

Missouri's 8th is an expansive district that encompasses the entire southeastern corner of the state. There you see the worst problems befalling rural America: a disappearing manufacturing base, worsening access to health care, and a vanishing way of life that once helped these small communities thrive.

There are nearly 70,000 veterans in the district, and they feel that there is nothing to keep their children and grandchildren in the communities where they grew up. Tommy needs your help to bring a better future to southeastern Missouri.

Tommy's opponent is a special-interest-fueled former lobbyist. He needs your help to level the playing field and fight in the U.S. House to bring economic opportunity back to his home.

Please donate $5 or more to Tommy's campaign today!

At a time when the number of veterans in Congress is at its lowest point since World War II, we need to come together to put more common sense leaders like Tommy in Congress to help get this country back on track.

Gratefully,

Wes Clark

Alan Khazei has had a lock in this special Senate election in out-of-town big name endorsements, and he continued that today: General Wesley Clark is formally backing his candidacy.

By Matt Viser | Boston Globe | Globe Staff | November 30, 2009

Khazei has courted celebrities -- from actress Elizabeth Shue to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg -- that provide his campaign with buzz. But boldface names do not include the army of volunteers that can come with the endorsement of a local sheriff or statewide union.

Clark is a four-star general and the former NATO supreme allied commander who had an unsuccessful 2004 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“At this critical time, we need more patriots and public servants like Alan Khazei representing the people’s interests in Washington,” Clark said in a statement.

Clark, who has known Khazei since 2003 when he visited City Year in Boston, also gave Khazei a boost on foreign policy.

“When it comes to foreign affairs, Alan Khazei is one candidate who won’t need on the job training,” Clark said. “Alan has met with leaders in over 30 countries, has a curious mind, a multi-cultural perspective, is a student of history and understands the complexities of national security in the 21st century.

"He has taken the time to study the situation in Afghanistan," Clark continued. "Rather than make the easy appeal of simply bringing our troops home, Alan has done the hard work of detailing how to do so while insuring Afghanistan does not once again become a haven for terrorists. And, at the same time, Alan presents a comprehensive strategy for defeating the terrorists globally. Alan, more than anyone else running for Senate in Massachusetts, presented a detailed approach and compelling, new ideas for accomplishing our goals.”