Make your voice heard and contact your US Senator or Representatives today

Directory of US Representatives

Contact your US Senator today!


Senators of the 113th Congress

Sort by: Name   State   Party

XML

What is a class?

Alexander, Lamar - (R - TN)	Class II
455 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4944
Contact: www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email
Ayotte, Kelly - (R - NH)	Class III
144 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3324
Contact: www.ayotte.senate.gov/?p=contact
Baldwin, Tammy - (D - WI)	Class I
1 RUSSELL COURTYARD WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5653
Contact: www.baldwin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Barrasso, John - (R - WY)	Class I
307 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6441
Contact: www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Conta...
Baucus, Max - (D - MT)	Class II
511 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2651
Contact: www.baucus.senate.gov/contact/emailForm.cfm?subj=issue
Begich, Mark - (D - AK)	Class II
111 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3004
Contact: www.begich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailSenator
Bennet, Michael F. - (D - CO)	Class III
458 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5852
Contact: www.bennet.senate.gov/contact/
Blumenthal, Richard - (D - CT)	Class III
702 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2823
Contact: www.blumenthal.senate.gov/contact/
Blunt, Roy - (R - MO)	Class III
260 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5721
Contact: www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form?p=cont...
Boozman, John - (R - AR)	Class III
320 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4843
Contact: www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Boxer, Barbara - (D - CA)	Class III
112 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3553
Contact: www.boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/
Brown, Sherrod - (D - OH)	Class I
713 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2315
Contact: www.brown.senate.gov/contact/
Burr, Richard - (R - NC)	Class III
217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3154
Contact: www.burr.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.C...
Cantwell, Maria - (D - WA)	Class I
311 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3441
Contact: www.cantwell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-maria
Cardin, Benjamin L. - (D - MD)	Class I
509 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4524
Contact: www.cardin.senate.gov/contact/
Carper, Thomas R. - (D - DE)	Class I
513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2441
Contact: carper.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-senator-carper
Casey, Robert P., Jr. - (D - PA)	Class I
393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6324
Contact: www.casey.senate.gov/contact/
Chambliss, Saxby - (R - GA)	Class II
416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3521
Contact: www.chambliss.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email
Coats, Daniel - (R - IN)	Class III
493 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5623
Contact: www.coats.senate.gov/contact/
Coburn, Tom - (R - OK)	Class III
172 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5754
Contact: www.coburn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactsenatorcobu...
Cochran, Thad - (R - MS)	Class II
113 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5054
Contact: www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
Collins, Susan M. - (R - ME)	Class II
413 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2523
Contact: www.collins.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email
Coons, Christopher A. - (D - DE)	Class II
127A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5042
Contact: www.coons.senate.gov/contact/
Corker, Bob - (R - TN)	Class I
425 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3344
Contact: www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe
Cornyn, John - (R - TX)	Class II
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2934
Contact: www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactForm
Cowan, William M. - (D - MA)	Class II
359 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2742
Contact: www.cowan.senate.gov/contact
Crapo, Mike - (R - ID)	Class III
239 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6142
Contact: www.crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm
Cruz, Ted - (R - TX)	Class I
B40B DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5922
Contact: www.cruz.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Donnelly, Joe - (D - IN)	Class I
B33 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4814
Contact: www.donnelly.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Durbin, Richard J. - (D - IL)	Class II
711 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2152
Contact: www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Enzi, Michael B. - (R - WY)	Class II
379A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3424
Contact: www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=e-mail-sen...
Feinstein, Dianne - (D - CA)	Class I
331 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3841
Contact: www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-me
Fischer, Deb - (R - NE)	Class I
825 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6551
Contact: www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
Flake, Jeff - (R - AZ)	Class I
B85 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4521
Contact: www.flake.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Franken, Al - (D - MN)	Class II
309 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5641
Contact: www.franken.senate.gov/?p=contact
Gillibrand, Kirsten E. - (D - NY)	Class I
478 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4451
Contact: www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/
Graham, Lindsey - (R - SC)	Class II
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5972
Contact: lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.La...
Grassley, Chuck - (R - IA)	Class III
135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3744
Contact: www.grassley.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Hagan, Kay R. - (D - NC)	Class II
521 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6342
Contact: www.hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact
Harkin, Tom - (D - IA)	Class II
731 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3254
Contact: www.harkin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Hatch, Orrin G. - (R - UT)	Class I
104 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5251
Contact: www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=Email-Orrin
Heinrich, Martin - (D - NM)	Class I
B40D DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5521
Contact: www.heinrich.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Heitkamp, Heidi - (D - ND)	Class I
G55 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2043
Contact: www.heitkamp.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Heller, Dean - (R - NV)	Class I
361A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6244
Contact: www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Hirono, Mazie K. - (D - HI)	Class I
B40E DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6361
Contact: www.hirono.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Hoeven, John - (R - ND)	Class III
120 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2551
Contact: www.hoeven.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-the-senator
Inhofe, James M. - (R - OK)	Class II
205 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4721
Contact: www.inhofe.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact...
Isakson, Johnny - (R - GA)	Class III
131 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3643
Contact: www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
Johanns, Mike - (R - NE)	Class II
404 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4224
Contact: www.johanns.senate.gov/public/?p=ContactSenatorJohanns
Johnson, Ron - (R - WI)	Class III
386 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5323
Contact: www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Johnson, Tim - (D - SD)	Class II
136 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5842
Contact: www.johnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Kaine, Tim - (D - VA)	Class I
B40C DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4024
Contact: www.kaine.senate.gov/contact.cfm
King, Angus S., Jr. - (I - ME)	Class I
188 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5344
Contact: www.king.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Kirk, Mark - (R - IL)	Class III
524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2854
Contact: www.kirk.senate.gov/?p=contact
Klobuchar, Amy - (D - MN)	Class I
302 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3244
Contact: www.klobuchar.senate.gov/emailamy.cfm
Landrieu, Mary L. - (D - LA)	Class II
703 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5824
Contact: www.landrieu.senate.gov/?p=contact
Lautenberg, Frank R. - (D - NJ)	Class II
141 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3224
Contact: www.lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/routing.cfm
Leahy, Patrick J. - (D - VT)	Class III
437 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4242
Contact: www.leahy.senate.gov/contact/
Lee, Mike - (R - UT)	Class III
316 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5444
Contact: www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Levin, Carl - (D - MI)	Class II
269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6221
Contact: www.levin.senate.gov/contact/
Manchin, Joe, III - (D - WV)	Class I
303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3954
Contact: www.manchin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
McCain, John - (R - AZ)	Class III
241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2235
Contact: www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact...
McCaskill, Claire - (D - MO)	Class I
506 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6154
Contact: www.mccaskill.senate.gov/?p=contact
McConnell, Mitch - (R - KY)	Class II
317 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2541
Contact: www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=contact
Menendez, Robert - (D - NJ)	Class I
528 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
Contact: menendez.senate.gov/contact/
Merkley, Jeff - (D - OR)	Class II
313 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3753
Contact: www.merkley.senate.gov/contact/
Mikulski, Barbara A. - (D - MD)	Class III
503 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4654
Contact: www.mikulski.senate.gov/contact/
Moran, Jerry - (R - KS)	Class III
354 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6521
Contact: moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/e-mail-jerry
Murkowski, Lisa - (R - AK)	Class III
709 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6665
Contact: www.murkowski.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Murphy, Christopher - (D - CT)	Class I
B40A DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4041
Contact: www.murphy.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Murray, Patty - (D - WA)	Class III
154 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2621
Contact: www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Nelson, Bill - (D - FL)	Class I
716 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5274
Contact: www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Paul, Rand - (R - KY)	Class III
208 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4343
Contact: www.paul.senate.gov/?p=contact
Portman, Rob - (R - OH)	Class III
338 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3353
Contact: www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact?p=contact...
Pryor, Mark L. - (D - AR)	Class II
255 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2353
Contact: www.pryor.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=ContactMe
Reed, Jack - (D - RI)	Class II
728 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4642
Contact: www.reed.senate.gov/contact/
Reid, Harry - (D - NV)	Class III
522 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3542
Contact: www.reid.senate.gov/contact/index.cfm
Risch, James E. - (R - ID)	Class II
483 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2752
Contact: www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email
Roberts, Pat - (R - KS)	Class II
109 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4774
Contact: www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=EmailPat
Rockefeller, John D., IV - (D - WV)	Class II
531 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6472
Contact: www.rockefeller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-jay
Rubio, Marco - (R - FL)	Class III
317 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3041
Contact: www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Sanders, Bernard - (I - VT)	Class I
332 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5141
Contact: www.sanders.senate.gov/contact/
Schatz, Brian - (D - HI)	Class III
722 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-3934
Contact: www.schatz.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Schumer, Charles E. - (D - NY)	Class III
322 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6542
Contact: www.schumer.senate.gov/Contact/contact_chuck.cfm
Scott, Tim - (R - SC)	Class III
167 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6121
Contact: www.scott.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Sessions, Jeff - (R - AL)	Class II
326 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4124
Contact: www.sessions.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Const...
Shaheen, Jeanne - (D - NH)	Class II
520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2841
Contact: www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact/
Shelby, Richard C. - (R - AL)	Class III
304 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5744
Contact: www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/emailsenatorshelby
Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI)	Class I
133 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4822
Contact: www.stabenow.senate.gov/?p=contact
Tester, Jon - (D - MT)	Class I
706 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2644
Contact: www.tester.senate.gov/Contact/index.cfm
Thune, John - (R - SD)	Class III
511 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2321
Contact: www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
Toomey, Patrick J. - (R - PA)	Class III
502 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4254
Contact: www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact
Udall, Mark - (D - CO)	Class II
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5941
Contact: www.markudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
Udall, Tom - (D - NM)	Class II
110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6621
Contact: www.tomudall.senate.gov/?p=contact
Vitter, David - (R - LA)	Class III
516 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4623
Contact: www.vitter.senate.gov/contact
Warner, Mark R. - (D - VA)	Class II
475 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2023
Contact: www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact
Warren, Elizabeth - (D - MA)	Class I
2 RUSSELL COURTYARD WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4543
Contact: www.warren.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Whitehouse, Sheldon - (D - RI)	Class I
530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-2921
Contact: www.whitehouse.senate.gov/contact/
Wicker, Roger F. - (R - MS)	Class I
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6253
Contact: www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact...
Wyden, Ron - (D - OR)	Class III
221 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-5244
Contact: www.wyden.senate.gov/contact/ Contact Elected Officials

President Barack Obama Weekly Address March 23, 2013 (Video/Transcript)

Weekly Address: Helping Protect Our Kids by Reducing Gun Violence

It has now been three months since the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. Three months since we lost 20 innocent children and six dedicated adults who had so much left to give. Three months since we, as Americans, began asking ourselves if we’re really doing enough to protect our communities and keep our children safe.

For the families who lost a loved one on that terrible day, three months doesn’t even begin to ease the pain they’re feeling right now. It doesn’t come close to mending the wounds that may never fully heal.

But as a nation, the last three months have changed us. They’ve forced us to answer some difficult questions about what we can do – what we must do – to prevent the kinds of massacres we’ve seen in Newtown and Aurora and Oak Creek, as well as the everyday tragedies that happen far too often in big cities and small towns all across America.

Today there is still genuine disagreement among well-meaning people about what steps we should take to reduce the epidemic of gun violence in this country. But you – the American people – have spoken. You’ve made it clear that it’s time to do something. And over the last few weeks, Senators here in Washington have listened and taken some big steps forward.

Two weeks ago, the Senate advanced a bill that would make it harder for criminals and people with a severe mental illness from getting their hands on a gun – an idea supported by nine out of ten Americans, including a majority of gun owners.

The Senate also made progress on a bill that would crack down on anyone who buys a gun as part of a scheme to funnel it to criminals – reducing violent crime and protecting our law enforcement officers.

Finally, the Senate took steps to reinstate and strengthen a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, set a 10-round limit for magazines, and make our schools safer places for kids to learn and grow.

These ideas shouldn’t be controversial – they’re common sense. They’re supported by a majority of the American people. And I urge the Senate and the House to give each of them a vote.

As I’ve said before, we may not be able to prevent every act of violence in this country. But together, we have an obligation to try. We have an obligation to do what we can.
Right now, we have a real chance to reduce gun violence in America, and prevent the very worst violence. We have a unique opportunity to reaffirm our tradition of responsible gun ownership, and also do more to keep guns out of the hands of criminals or people with a severe mental illness.

We’ve made progress over the last three months, but we’re not there yet. And in the weeks ahead, I hope Members of Congress will join me in finishing the job – for our communities and, most importantly, for our kids.

Thanks.

For Fukushima Workers, Cancer Isn’t the Only Health Threat (video)

Source: FRONTLINE 
by Sarah Childress

Two years after the earthquake and tsunami that damaged reactors at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, questions remain about the health of the workers who desperately battled to save the plant.

But their cancer risks may be lower than anticipated. A World Health Organization report, released last month (pdf), found that radiation exposure remained low. But the report also flagged another major concern: psychological trauma.

A 2012 study found that it was common for workers who were at Daiichi that day to suffer from mental trauma and even post-traumatic stress.

The Fukushima 50, as they are known, were actually hundreds of workers who braved the dangers of radiation exposure to try to control the damage.

Nearly half of the workers at Daiichi were found to suffer from psychological distress, worsened in part by the evacuation from the tsunami and major property losses. About 30 percent were found to have post-traumatic stress, a figure on par with American veterans from the Iraq war.

The trauma has been exacerbated for some workers, who have suffered from discrimination and slurs, the study found. Landlords have refused to rent apartments to them, and people have shouted insults and thrown things at them.

That’s because many Japanese consider the workers, employed by the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which managed the reactors, to be partially responsible for what happened. TEPCO came under heavy criticism for its handling of the incident.

To better understand what they experienced that day, watch FRONTLINE’s Inside Japan’s Nuclear Meltdown, which re-airs tonight on many PBS stations (check local listings). Hear the story of what it was like for those workers on March 11, 2011 in their own words. As one of the employees, who gave his name as Ono, told FRONTLINE, “We knew that the huge tsunami was coming, but we still could not guess what kind of devastation would be caused by it afterwards.”

He added: “Something beyond the scope of our assumptions occurred.”

You can also watch the full film online, anytime.

Watch Inside Japan's Nuclear Meltdown on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Argentina's Bad Seeds (video)

The country's soya industry is booming, but what is the impact on Argentinians andtheir land?

Source: Al Jazeera

Filmmakers: Glenn Ellis and Guido Bilbao
For much of the past decade Argentina has seen a commodities-driven export boom, built largely on genetically-modified soy bean crops and the aggressive use of pesticides.

Argentina's leaders say it has turned the country's economy around, while others say the consequences are a dramatic surge in cancer rates, birth defects and land theft.

People & Power investigates if Argentina's booming soy industry is a disaster in the making.

By Glenn Ellis

As I flew in to Buenos Aires to make this film, all the talk was of President Cristina Kirchner’s latest gambit. Her foreign minister had pulled out of a meeting with the British foreign secretary to discuss the Falklands (or the Malvinas depending on your outlook). And for the people I rubbed up against in Argentina’s smart and chic capital, on discovering I was English, this, along with Maradona’s ‘hand of god’ moment, was the topic on everybody’s lips. "We won the war", they would say. "After the fighting we got rid of our dictators but you had another 10 years of Thatcher."
When I explained I was in the country to cover the soya boom, which has given Argentina the fastest growth rate in South America, but also allegedly caused devastating malformations in children, there was a look of disbelief. "Here, in Argentina? Why haven’t we heard about it?"

A good question: why had not anyone heard about it? And when I ventured a little further explaining I also wanted to cover what is best described as a dirty war in the North of the country where campesinos are being driven off their land, and sometimes killed, to make way for soya plantations - the bemusement increased. “That’s historical" people would say, "it’s been going on since the time of the conquistadores." So when I arrived with my crew at Argentina’s second city, Cordoba, 700 kilometres North West of the capital, to meet Alternative Nobel Laureate Professor Raul Montenegro, I was not quite sure what to expect.

Montenegro, a world-renowned biologist, looked the part of a pioneer, in khaki shirt and jungle boots. "I have pesticide in me", he said, almost as soon as he opened the door. "Here we all have pesticide in our bodies because the land is saturated with it. And it is a huge problem. In Argentina biodiversity is diminishing. Even in national parks, because pesticides don’t recognise the limit of the park." Montenegro is a man in a hurry. "You must see for yourself", he said pointing to his Land Rover and taking us a short drive out of Cordoba to a slight rise in the vast plain which surrounds the city. Here, as far as the eye can see, endless acres of soya stretched to the horizon. "More than 18 million hectares are covered by this GMO soya but it’s not solely a matter of soya because over this plant on this huge surface more than 300 million litres of pesticide are used."

A soy republic

Not so long ago Argentina topped the world for meat production, but here there was not a cow in sight. It is a picture replicated across the country. The transformation has taken little more than a decade and the vast majority of soya seed in Argentina is provided by US chemical giant Monsanto.
The company’s genetically-modified seed was designed to withstand their glyphosate-based pesticide, Round-up, which is routinely used in huge quantities across the country. But - according to numerous medical experts - in the process of using such pesticides everything else is being poisoned, including people. The doctors and scientists claim that babies are being born with crippling birth malformations and that in recent years the incidence of childhood cancer has soared. It is a phenomenon, they say, that has coincided with the introduction of Monsanto's seed.

Our next appointment was to see the man in charge of the Children’s Hospital in Cordoba, Doctor Medardo Vasquez. "I'm a neonatal specialist," he told me as we stood in a busy corridor of the hospital. "I see new-born infants, many of who are malformed. I have to tell parents that their children are dying because of these agricultural methods. In some areas in Argentina the primary cause of death for children less than one year old are malformations."
The doctor suggested we head north to see his colleague Doctor Seveso in Saenz Pena, Chaco Province, but not before visiting the village of Malvinas Argentinas, some 20 miles away. Malvinas Argentinas is surrounded by soya plantations and Medardo told me that here during the spraying season rainwater was often contaminated with Glyphosate, one reason for a rate of miscarriage 100 times the national average. To make matters worse, he says, Monsanto had chosen the village for the site of a new factory.
We met Matias Mazzei, a teacher at a school a stone’s throw from where the factory is planned. He and many others are desperate to stop it. "There'll be 240 silos full of corn that has been chemically treated," he says. "The corn rubs together and produces dust. We know the silos are ventilated, despite Monsanto’s denials, because the planning application says that, if there's no ventilation, the silos will explode. When the fans are switched on, a cloud of chemical dust from 240 silos will swamp the village."

But Matias and his friends know they have a real battle on their hands: Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina, is one of Monsanto’s strongest advocates. Last year, in an unguarded moment, she was caught on live television with a Monsanto brochure in her hand extolling the company’s virtues. "I want to show you Monsanto's prospectus." she said, "It makes me very proud. Their commitment to investing here is enshrined in this prospectus."

As we left Malvinas Argentinas a torrential thunderstorm dumped acres of water on the inhabitants. I watched some children playing in the puddles and wondered what the future held for them.

'An epidemic of birth malformations’

Next morning we set off at daybreak on the punishing 12-hour drive to Chaco where a diminutive but fiery lady in her sixties, Doctor Maria Del Carmen Seveso, had agreed to take us to see just a few of the children she believes have been affected by the soya boom.

Adolfo Luque, a delightful and inquisitive five year old boy, lives with his family in the village of Avia Terai which is surrounded by soya fields. He is tiny for a boy of his age, partially paralysed and will never walk. One of many children similarly afflicted in the neighbourhood. His mother, Zulema, has no doubt as to what is behind her son’s illness. "I spent all my pregnancy here. After the plane fumigated the crops with pesticide everything was covered white with poison," she told us. "When Adolfo was three, we went to Resistencia and the doctors told me that the fumigation was the problem. It's what I expected to hear, when he was born, the local doctor already told me."

Then we met Nadia Perez, a delightful little girl with a winning smile, who is confined to a wheel chair. She suffers from adversely evolving encephalopathy. Sadly her condition is progressive. Viviana, her mother is desperate. "There's no treatment, but the doctor says, 'Don't give up hope.' Maybe they'll develop a new treatment, if not in Argentina, then abroad. I don't care if it's abroad, I just want a treatment: A treatment, a drug, anything."

We were to meet many such children before returning to the doctor’s surgery that evening. Here she showed me a computer chart containing two steeply climbing graphs. One represented the increase in soya plantations over the last 15 years while the other illustrated the rise in the number of birth malformations across the province during the same time. It was startling; virtually a mirror image. "I have practiced medicine here for 30 years," she told me, "20 years ago we never saw malformations."

Doctor Seveso’s assertion that glyphosate based pesticide was responsible for what she referred to as ‘an epidemic of birth malformations’ is supported by Argentina’s leading embryologist, Professor Andres Carrasco, who runs the Molecular Embryology Laboratory at the University of Buenos Aires. Carrasco observed a link between glyphosate and malformations under laboratory conditions some two years ago.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Monsanto completely disagrees – or at least as far as their chemicals are concerned. Although the company declined to be interviewed on camera, it did give us a written statement in which it said:

“Roundup® brand agricultural herbicides have a long history of safe use when used according to label directions in more than 100 countries around the world. Comprehensive toxicological studies have demonstrated that glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup® branded agricultural herbicides, does not cause birth defects or reproductive problems.”

Perhaps a conclusive answer to these competing arguments might one day emerge but one thing is clear, the soya boom continues unabated and the number of people whose lives have been changed by it grows year on year. And they are not all medical victims. The vast amounts of money that can be made by growing soya are attracting a new breed of land-grabbers, wanting to displace villages with plantations. We spent the next few days driving deeper into the interior where we heard a succession of horror stories of how campesinos and Amerindians were being violently driven from their land.

We met torture victims, saw various stretches of farmland set ablaze and visited a small village whose only water source had been poisoned. In one community we interviewed Mirta, the mother of Cristian Ferreira who was murdered for refusing to move – shot point blank in the leg by gunmen working for a local land owner. His mother heard the news from Ferreira’s wife. "I went with her, and found my son. His leg had been severed. There was a pool of blood. My son was dying," she told us, fighting back the tears. "They shot him as a warning, to tell him to stop making trouble, and to show him that they and the investors had guns and meant business."

With no help from the state, villagers have no choice but to defend the land themselves. Mocase is an organisation made up of thousands of peasants and Amerindians that have come together to support communities under attack. Maria de los Angeles Gonçalves, a spokesperson for Mocase agreed to meet us. "They pay private security firms who burn down huge areas, and if there are farms or houses in the way, they destroy them too. And then they sow soya, and then the planes arrive spraying agrochemicals and the cycle starts again."

Maria painted a bleak picture of the situation in Northern Argentina. But there was steel in her voice and I could not help being impressed. "Our movement's first task was to make the peasants aware of their rights and dignity, and to persuade them that they have every right to fight for justice. That has been our most important task. Next, we fought to stop the evictions, recover the land and organise its defence. That means protecting biodiversity - flora, fauna, soil, water - and defending the way of life of the people who live there."

Unquestioning the government

When I arrived back in the capital the carnival was in full swing and the mood upbeat. The soya boom has helped Argentina buck the trend of the global downturn and through the economy still takes the occasional dip, the prevalent feeling here is one of optimism. Buenos Aires is hundreds of miles from the suffering in the north of the country and the national media, based in the capitol, have remained silent on the issue, for once, unquestioning of the government, whose assertion that there are no health problems arising from soya goes unchallenged.

It was time to talk to Norberto Yahuar, the minister of agriculture, at his grand colonial headquarters in downtown Buenos Aires. We were ushered into an enormous wood panelled boardroom replete with Argentinian flag and standard issue presidential photograph. The minister’s press secretary came in asked where the minister would sit for the interview and then immediately put the photograph of President Cristina Kirchner in the most prominent position. The minister arrived and then on tip toes, balanced precariously on his swivel seat, he spent some time straightening the photograph before I could explain that it would probably not appear in shot anyway.

"We do not place our own population at risk," the minister assured me, "Argentina has some of the world's most stringent environmental safeguards thanks to strict restrictions on fertilizers and pesticides." And as for the killings and torture in the north of the country, "We are making great efforts to issue title deeds for as much land as possible to the original inhabitants. Misunderstandings have occurred in some provinces where soya or maize production has increased the value of the land and a number of indigenous people have been displaced."

It was nearly time to leave Argentina but the minister’s office had arranged for us to meet the man regarded as the brains behind the soya boom: Gustavo Grobocopatel, the chief executive of Los Grobo, and the largest soya farmer in the world. Dubbed the Soyabean King, he is an advocate of genetically modified food. "We call this century, the genetic century,” he said. “Because we think the plants will be factories that will produce grains but not only for food but for fuels."

He went on, "A soya bean plant is like a factory, a new factory, that uses the solar energy and don’t produce CO2, it consumes CO2. This is a new paradigm for me; it’s a new industrial revolution, green." And as for pesticides: "People that are against pesticides are against poor people. The agricultural need a lot of pesticides to produce more. When you produce more you reduce the cost, you reduce the food price, and then a lot of poor people can eat."

From the viewpoint of his impressive apartment block in one of Buenos Aires most luxurious gated communities, it is easy to see how all those making a fortune from the soya bonanza are able to turn a blind eye to what many Argentineans think is an unfolding tragedy. But as they would point out, the world looks a little different when your child is born with a serious disability or your doctor has just diagnosed terminal cancer.

President Barack Obama Weekly Address March 16, 2013 (Video/Transcript)

 
Remarks of President Barack Obama Weekly Address Lemont, Illinois March 16, 2013

Hi, everybody.  As a nation, our top priority is growing our economy and creating good middle class jobs.  That’s why this week I’m speaking to you from the Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois, because few areas hold as much promise as what they’re focused on right here – harnessing American energy.

You see, after years of talking about it, we’re finally poised to take control of our energy future.  We produce more oil than we have in 15 years.  We import less oil than we have in 20 years.  We’ve doubled the amount of renewable energy we generate from sources like wind and solar – with tens of thousands of good jobs to show for it.  We’re producing more natural gas than ever before – with hundreds of thousands of good jobs to show for it.  We’ve supported the first new nuclear power plant since the 1970s.  And we’re sending less carbon pollution into the environment than we have in nearly 20 years.

So we’re making real progress.  But over the past few weeks, we got a reminder that we need to do more.  We went through another spike in gas prices, just like last year, and the year before that.  It happens every year.  It’s a serious blow to your budget – like getting hit with a new tax coming right out of your pocket.

Over the past four years, as part of our all-of-the-above energy strategy, we’ve taken steps to soften that blow by making sure our cars use less gas.  We’ve put in place the toughest fuel economy standards in our history so that by the middle of the next decade, our cars will go twice as far on a gallon of gas.  Over the life of a new car, the average family will save more than $8,000 at the pump.

But the only way we’re going to break this cycle of spiking gas prices for good is to shift our cars and trucks off of oil for good.  That’s why, in my State of the Union Address, I called on Congress to set up an Energy Security Trust to fund research into new technologies that will help us reach that goal.

Here’s how it would work.  Much of our energy is drawn from lands and waters that we, the public, own together.  So I’m proposing that we take some of our oil and gas revenues from public lands and put it towards research that will benefit the public, so that we can support American ingenuity without adding a dime to our deficit.  We can support scientists who are designing new engines that are more energy efficient; developing cheaper batteries that go farther on a single charge; and devising new ways to fuel our cars and trucks with new sources of clean energy – like advanced biofuels and natural gas – so drivers can one day go coast-to-coast without using a drop of oil.

Now, this idea isn’t mine.  It’s actually built off a proposal put forward by a non-partisan coalition of CEOs and retired generals and admirals.  So let’s take their advice and free our families and our businesses from painful spikes in gas prices once and for all.

And in the meantime, let’s keep moving forward on an all-of-the-above energy strategy.  A strategy where we produce more oil and gas here at home, but also more biofuels and fuel-efficient vehicles; more solar power and wind power.  A strategy where we put more people to work building cars, homes and businesses that waste less energy.  We can do this.  We’re Americans.  And when we commit ourselves to something, there’s no telling how far we’ll go.

Thanks and have a great weekend.