Light Projection is easy, fun, and a great way to riase the visibilty of an issue!

Take action in lead up to the National Day of Action at Bank of America locations by doing your own light projection action on May 6th. The Bank of America Shareholders meeting is on Wednesday May 8th.

Though there needs to be a discussion about the separation of church and state, including the removal of sacramental terms from civil language, there is really no room for debate on equality. It is self-evident that marriage equality is a civil right.

I am deeply proud that Backbone could of play a support role in the courageous projection action executed by our allies at Get Equal. The action team deserves our gratitude and admiration for making this technically difficult action happen on the perfect day, at the perfect location, with the perfect message.

Join me in recognizing the bold leadership of Get Equal with a contribution here.

Forward together!

Bill Moyer

Monday morning I posted "Harmonize your expectations with your aspirations!" on Facebook. It was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the day of President Obama's second Inaugural Address. Our giant Backbone puppet marched through DC streets with a primarily anti-drone, Inauguration day demonstration.

We participated on the principle that the generally sympathetic President Obama should be held no less accountable for his failures and violations of law as the despicable figurehead G. W. Bush. And it was MLK Day, a day to stand up for our highest aspirations and deepest principles. So, while our giant spine was protesting moral and policy failures in DC, our We the People and inflatable Earth celebrated Dr. King, social movement, and our place in journey along the the arc of justice in a Seattle parade.

After a very long day, I finally got a chance to sit down and listen to the inaugural address. I replayed it a number of times with competing emotions of skepticism and admiration. I am clearly no apologist for the Obama administration, nor a person who invested my hope for change in his presidency. Yet, as valid as the many critiques of President Obama are, i.e. his support of NDAA, counter -productive, illegal drone assassinations, the TPP, a general allegiance to Wall St., (the list goes on), I was still very impressed by his speech, his use of language, and the construction of his arguments.

A drive for new members with a Matching Grant to DOUBLE the value of every first time* donation!

On Christmas Eve, we received a letter from a long time supporter who believes deeply in the Artful Activism of the Backbone Campaign. In the Letter was a challenge, a $10,000 matching fund for bringing in new members! With many people making their last minute end of year, tax-deductible (while it lasts?) gifts, TODAY is the perfect time to launch our "Backbone-a-Thon." 

Our current goals are to:

• Win that $10,000 match (double it!) to fund more training and actions, Please Donate Now!
• Receive 100 tax-deductible donations of ANY amount from new and existing members Please Donate Now! and
• Get 1000 new Facebook "Likes" & Email sign-ups and volunteers HERE.

Backbone Campaign is a 501(c)(3) public charity so ALL donations are tax-deductible. Give $50 or more and receive a Backbone Campaign T-Shirt or a pound of bold and rich Backbone Blend coffee. Get both with a $100 contribution! [*There are exceptions for those who significantly increase their contributions, and there is a $3000 maximum donation according to the matching grant stipulations.]

Though rebellion is a muscle that must be exercised, it should be clear from the 2012 Highlights below (Click on "Read more" button) that THIS kind of exercise is FUN!  Please help us spread the word about Backbone Campaign and invite your friends to Check out this fun collection of action shots and 2012 annual report. 

[READ - Natalia & Kyle's 8/15/12 article on Huffington Post, America's Student Loan Debt]

Student Debt Jubilee & Why Higher Education Ought to be Free.
2 Segments:

PART II, July 17, 2012
Prezi - visual accompaniment by co-host Glenn Daniels Jr.
PART I, Dec. 22, 2012

We are excited to share with you this podcast and resource page built from the information gained and resources assembled for and from our recent interviews to propel this movement forward:

Trespassing with Light at BofA HQ - and other adventures in Charlotte, NC

Ecotopia or Fossil Fuel Corridor?
Extraction Resistance and the Future of the Pacific NW
by  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

photo by Jonathan Hayward/The Canandian Press

The threatened transformation of the Pacific Northwest into an energy corridor for fossil fuels may be the region's defining issue of our time. The battles against the pipelines, coal mines and coal plants, coal trains and coal ports, tankers, fracking and LNG export terminals in the Pacific Northwest are heating up. The Defend Our Coast rally was a pivotal moment, a milestone in an unprecedented process of coming together to occupy a common vision, shared aspirations and our collective, cross-border power to shape the future. 

A drive for new members with a Matching Grant to DOUBLE the value of every first time* donation!

On Christmas Eve, we received a letter from a long time supporter who believes deeply in the Artful Activism of the Backbone Campaign. In the Letter was a challenge, a $10,000 matching fund for bringing in new members! With many people making their last minute end of year, tax-deductible (while it lasts?) gifts, TODAY is the perfect time to launch our "Backbone-a-Thon." Our current goals are to: Win that $10,000 match (double it!) to fund more training and actions, Please Donate Now! Receive 100 tax-deductible donations of ANY amount from new and existing members Please Donate Now! and Get 1000 new Facebook "Likes" & Email sign-ups and volunteers HERE. Backbone Campaign is a 501(c)(3) public charity so ALL donations are tax-deductible. Give $50 or more and receive a Backbone Campaign T-Shirt or a pound of bold and rich Backbone Blend coffee. Get both with a $100 contribution! [*There are exceptions for those who significantly increase their contributions, and a $3000 maximum donation according the matching grant stipulations.] Though rebellion is a muscle that must be exercised, it should be clear from the 2012 Highlights below that this kind of exercise is FUN! All of the below were taken at a actions we either led or provided tactical support for. Enjoy and then please proudly and enthusiastically invite your friends to become part of this joyful, innovative, effective Artful Activist organization! 2013 is the perfect time to amplify Backbone's capacity to invigorate our movement of movements using strategic organizing and creative tactics to deliver power to We the People!

It takes Backbone to stand up for progressive values, but it is rewarding. Although Devin is being escorted out of a sit-in in a Senator's office, neither he, nor anyone of our team was arrested in the past nine years.

Enjoy 2012 Highlights: Only when the People Lead, will the Leaders Follow:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Bill Moyer, Executive Director, Backbone Campaign 206-356-9980, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

February 7, 2013

The Backbone Campaign and Allies Applaud Re-Launch of ‘Declaration For Democracy’ Campaign to Overturn Citizens United

2,000 Public Officials Have Already Expressed Support for Constitutional Amendment

WASHINGTON – This week The Backbone Campaign and ally organizations applauded the re-launch of the “Declaration For Democracy” campaign. Public officials signing the declaration are proclaiming their support for amending the constitution to limit the influence of money in our democracy and to restore the rights of the American people in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision in Citizens United v. FEC. Representatives Donna Edwards (D-MD), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Keith Ellison (D-MN), James P. McGovern (D-MA), and John Yarmuth (D-KY) circulated a “Dear Colleague” letter today urging their colleagues to sign the declaration.

By the end of the 112^th Congress, 2,000 public officials had expressed their support for a constitutional amendment, including President Obama, 102 Members of the House, and 29 Senators (list visible at http://united4thepeople.org).

Read More

S.A.F.E. & THE BE-FAIR PIRATES DECLARE SEATTLE AN ‘EVICTION FREE ZONE’

"We've been hornswaggled by Wall Street long enough. The scurvy dogs at Bank of America, Chase and the rest must 'walk the plank' for plundering America and hanging homeowners out to dry."  Washington-based Backbone Campaign and SAFE, Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction, introduced a swarthy new crew of pirates to Seattle this during this Seafair. Calling themselves the Be Fair Pirates, members of the organizations arrived by land and sea to take Seward Park by storm, calling attention to the plight of underwater homeowners and demanding relief. Approximately 30% of American homeowners have "underwater" mortgages; their mortgages are higher than the value of their homes.