~~This is a two part action~~

PART I

From the Center for Biological Diversity:

What are you doing for Labor Day? Sponsoring a rally to cheer for blowing off the tops of mountains and destroying one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots? If you're a Verizon Wireless customer, you may not know it, but you are.

Verizon Wireless is cosponsoring a Labor Day rally dubbed "Friends of America," backed by the fourth largest producer of coal in the United States: Massey Energy. The rally supports dangerous mountaintop-removal coal mining, hosts a speaker who denies global warming is happening, and is aggressively anti-union.

The Center for Biological Diversity is in an all-out fight to take on dirty-energy projects and stop destructive mining that harms our nation's wildlife and wildlands. So the news that Verizon supports this pro-mountaintop removal rally hit close to home -- because our staff use Verizon cell phones.

We sent a letter to Verizon's CEO yesterday (see below) demanding the company immediately withdraw sponsorship and explain their support for mountaintop removal mining -- or we'd be forced to find a wireless service that isn't actively undoing our work to protect the environment and endangered species.

This rally is a chance to bring much-needed attention to the corporate backing of this environmentally damaging practice. Please, demand that Verizon withdraw its irresponsible and alarming sponsorship of the rally.

Verizon Wireless should not support this destructive mining practice or ignore the fact that greenhouse gas emissions from coal-fired power plants are the largest single contributor to our current climate crisis.

Send an email right now to Lowell McAdam, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless, and demand Verizon withdraw sponsorship immediately from next week's "Friends of America" climate change-denying, anti-union rally. Insist the company explain its support for the ludicrously destructive practice of mountaintop removal.

Click here to find out more and take action

PART II

From CREDO:

Why is Verizon Wireless co-sponsoring a pro-coal, anti-environment rally on Labor Day?

It's called the Friends of America Rally and over 25,000 people have already RSVPed to attend a political event to promote climate change denial and mountaintop removal mining.

Massey Energy, a dirty coal company and the most egregious violator of the Clean Water Act in history, is the moving force behind the event.

The rally features speeches by prominent global warming denier Lord Christopher Monckton and conservative pundit Sean Hannity. Ted Nugent will provide musical entertainment.

Don Blankenship, CEO of Massey Energy, issued his invitation to the rally via a video onYouTube. In it he says:

"Hello I'm Don Blankenship and I'd like to invite you to a Labor Day rally in West Virginia. We're going to have Hank Williams and have a good time but we're also going to learn how environmental extremists and corporate America are both trying to destroy your jobs." 

We are not making this up. For more information read check out this blog post from our friends at The Nation.

Companies like Verizon Wireless may say they are not making a political statement when they participate in events like these. But it's never just about marketing. After all this is the same company that made a decision to block NARAL Pro-Choice America's text messages from its network. Verizon Wireless has choices. And once again, it's made a very poor one. 

Tell Lowell McAdam, President and CEO of Verizon Wireless to issue a public apology and immediately withdraw all support from this extremist, anti-environmental rally.