No one is above the law. The recent ruling by a Colorado judge that found that former President Donald Trump incited insurrection, but can remain on the ballot, must be challenged by everyone who calls America home. It might seem like commonsense that when a person commits an insurrection or treasonous acts on our community, state, or nation, that said person should be disqualified from running for any local, state, or federal public office. However we are a nation ruled by laws- not commonsense, and we must advocate for appealing the recent ruling in higher courts and champion laws that protect our communities. Judge Sarah B. Wallace, 2nd Judicial District Court judge, found that Trump incited an insurrection and could not use the “freedom of speech” argument to justify his actions, and that Secretaries of State could in fact could remove him from the ballot. However the judge used a legal technicality to allow Trump to remain on the ballot. The judge ruled “that the drafters of the Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment did not intend to include the President as “an officer of the United States.” The question if the judge was correct in using this technicality has two parts: 1. Is the president an officer? This question is a legal issue, and it will be argued on appeals, potentially up to the Supreme Court. I would submit that as commander in chief, the leader of our armed forces, the president is the highest officer in our nation. 2. Should a president be disqualified from running for any and all public office if they incited an insurrection? Absolutely! No person is above the law. Any person (especially a President) that commits an insurrection or treasonous acts on our community, state, or nation, should be disqualified from running for any local, state, or federal public office. This question is an advocacy issue and therefore we must champion laws that protect our communities. Can you sign on to this petition to the Senate and House leadership to champion laws that protect our community from any person (and that includes Presidents) that commits an insurrection or treasonous acts on our community, state, or nation?

As social workers, we value social justice and our ethical principles call us to challenge social injustice. Since October 7th, with the backing of the United States, ongoing war crimes are being committed in Gaza and surrounding areas. Civilians have been cut off from electricity and water by Israel. Israel has blocked deliveries of food, water, and fuel. Hospitals in Gaza are being targeted with bombs and snipers. Schools, places of worship, refugee camps, and escape routes are also being targeted. There are ongoing indiscriminate rocket attacks, deliberate targeting of civilians, and a complete disregard for human life. According to the Health Ministry in Gaza more than 2/3rd of Gaza's population of 2.3 million have fled their home since the war began. As of November 14th, more than 11,000 Palestinians, 2/3rd of them women and children, have been killed. Every day matters. We can not remain silent and complicit to the genocide of the Palestinian people.

The Supreme Court has finally adopted a code of conduct – after more than 100,000 Common Cause members demanded one following countless ethical violations from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The bad news: the code the Court proposed isn’t binding or enforceable in any way – meaning it likely wouldn’t have prevented these major scandals, and the Supreme Court would still get to be both judge and jury when scandals among justices arise. But here’s the good news: this is the clearest sign yet that our action is working. We’ve been watchdogging the Supreme Court ever since we first broke news of Justice Thomas covering up his personal finances – and today’s announcement is a clear sign the Court is on notice. [1] Let’s face it, trusting the Supreme Court to operate under the 'honor system' is what got us into this mess. The half-measure the Court is proposing is no substitute for binding, enforceable congressional action. If you agree the highest court in the land should be held to the highest ethical standards, sign our petition urging Congress to pass a stronger, binding code of conduct. [1] https://www.commoncause.org/resource/supreme-conflict/

The statements in the petition are excerpts from a letter the Better Path Coalition is circulating for signatures from organizations and individuals. This petition is a companion to that letter and will be delivered at the same time. Read the full letter at bit.ly/ditchthedeal.

It can take YEARS to be granted asylum in the US- but it starts with an interview at entry. The "credible fear" interview occurs when a potential asylum seeker expresses why they are fleeing their home country. If granted, the person/family begins the process for consideration of asylum. It took one local family over 20 years for their asylum case. We should NOT be increasing the BARRIERS to consideration for asylum at stage one.

We encourage everyone to read the Compendium's Summary of Findings and to encourage your governor and state legislators to read it closely. https://concernedhealthny.org/compendium/ The photo was taken on October 2 at the People's Hearing on Climate Change when people from across the state testified for four and a half hours on the harms they have already suffered and the need for action on climate. Governor Shapiro, every legislator, and their staff were invited to attend the hearing just steps from their offices. We can count on one hand how many even stopped by.

As the whole world grapples with the escalated violence in Israel and Palestine, the Israeli government has stopped all food, fuel, water, electricity, and humanitarian assistance from entering Gaza, which has already had devastating impacts on over 2 million people, half of whom are children. The UN agency for Palestinian refugees just announced that “Gaza is running dry,” and hospitals in Gaza reported that their backup generators would run out of fuel last night, cutting off life support and vital systems. This action has exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis caused by the Israeli government's air, land, and sea blockade, and will likely result in catastrophic loss of life if continued. Nearly half of Gaza is under the age of 16, and 65% under the age of 25, effectively meaning that Palestinian children are bearing the brunt of the Israeli government's collective punishment. It’s unacceptable, inhumane, unjust, collective punishment, and is also a violation of international law. It must end now. President Biden and our leaders must publicly call for an immediate ceasefire and deescalation, demand the protection of all civilians including securing the release of hostages, and tell the Israeli government to turn on electricity in Gaza and to allow humanitarian aid for Palestinians to enter! While the Biden administration is close to an aid agreement with Israeli government officials to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza and establish ‘safe zones,’ there is still no action or plan in place. The United Nations and aid organizations are sounding an alarm that conditions in Gaza are dire right now. There is no time to spare. A military response from Israel will not secure the safety of those currently hostage or trapped, some of whom are Americans, and instead punishes a generation of young Palestinians living in Gaza. Netanyahu, facing mounting pressure and polling the lowest among Israeli voters, has led decades of policies that have resulted in no more peace or safety for Israelis. The Biden administration must call for a ceasefire and urge Netanyahu to do everything in his power to reunite hostages with their loved ones without putting more lives in danger. Israelis and Palestinians must not be bargaining chips, and their lives must be protected through diplomacy and new solutions. The Israeli government is preparing a massive ground invasion of Gaza as you read this, and they have already been targeting and bombing civilians in their attacks, which is an egregious violation of international law. This comes as the Israeli government dropped tens of thousands of leaflets from the sky to issue an evacuation order to Gazans living in the northern Gaza Strip, telling 1.1 million Palestinian residents to evacuate south within 24 hours, which the UN said would be impossible without devastating humanitarian consequences. Then, despite naming which routes would be safe for evacuation, the Israeli government bombed Palestinians evacuating. Humanity and millions human lives are at stake here. We must collectively act now to stop loss of life. United States leaders have the massive power to step in and stop it. And the time is NOW to come together and demand it end. The people of Palestine and Israel deserve to live their lives without fear of violence and mass death. Will you join in solidarity and sign the petition?

The news over the last few days has been horrifying. Attacks on everyday people are war crimes that have no place in any conflict. Hamas’ deadly attacks against civilians and hostage-taking are unconscionable. A siege of Gaza where millions of people — many of whom are children — are without water, food, or electricity also isn’t justice. The U.S. government has a crucial role to play in what happens next — and our voices can help ensure those efforts focus on preventing further escalation and protecting people’s lives. That’s why I’m calling on you today to urge the Biden administration to do all that it can to prevent further escalation of the crisis and safeguard people’s lives. Will you add your name to the petition now?

No one should have to bury their loved ones because of someone else’s lack of concern.

Housing can be a particularly cruel method of racial oppression and Home Owner Associations (HOAs) are often the tool. Green Valley Ranch HOA -- and many other HOAs -- have far too much power over residents and are motivated entirely by profit, often on the backs of low income people of color looking for the American dream of owning their first home. HOAs should never restrict anybody's right to shelter. Nowhere is this more clear than in Denver at the Green Valley Ranch properties. We can stop Green Valley Ranch and other HOAs by joining together and making change on the local, state and national level. The Redress Movement works in deep partnership with local communities to repair the harm caused by intentional policies to segregate communities and we do our work by educating, mobilizing, shifting the narrative, and winning redress victories. Our starting point is housing but we work in solidarity with others who are facing the facts of history, redressing harms of the past, and healing our nation by dismantling the barriers that divide us.

When families expecting a child post to pregnancy websites like BabyCenter, they might not know that ICE is watching them. That’s because ICE contracts a data broker to scrape thousands of social media sites, gaming platforms, and even financial apps like CashApp. Why does ICE need to know when your baby is due, what video games you like to play, or where are you planning your next vacation? ICE doesn’t need this personal information about us, but because there’s a legal loophole, they can and do get access to a lot of our online activity. Congress must act now to close the Data Broker Loophole. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to close the Data Broker Loophole! ICE can reach into our personal online activity because they don’t do the spying themselves. Instead they contract out shady third party data brokers who do their spying for them and then give them wide access to everything they find. You’ve likely never heard of these companies, but they’ve probably already know a lot about you. For instance, ShadowDragon, the data broker ICE uses that scrapes data from BabyCenter. ShadowDragon doesn’t stop at pregnancy websites. According to their own internal videos and events, they scrape data from all the major social media platforms; gaming platforms like Fortnite, XBOX, and Playstation; review sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor; messaging apps like WhatsApp; even financial transaction apps like CashApp. The Fourth Amendment right against illegal government search and seizure needs to apply to the internet. That’s why Congress needs to act now to close the Data Broker Loophole. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to close the Data Broker Loophole! Sources: 1. 404 Media, “Inside ShadowDragon, The Tool That Lets ICE Monitor Pregnancy Tracking Sites and Fortnite Players,” September 18, 2023.

Our neighbors are losing their homes, and sometimes even their lives, to fires, floods, and extreme heat. Cities and states are spending billions to respond to non stop climate disasters and extreme weather events. But instead of paying their fair share for the damage they’ve caused, fossil fuel companies continue to rake in massive profits at our expense. It’s time to make polluters pay for the damage they’ve done. There’s now a growing global effort to use our legal process to hold Big Oil accountable for their climate disinformation and the damage they’re doing. Cases in South Africa, the Netherlands, the United States, and beyond are already making their way through the courts. Together, we can build a global movement that supports these lawsuits and other mechanisms to hold Big Oil accountable. These lawsuits aren’t a solution to the climate crisis – we need governments to do their part – but they’re a powerful tool for us to finally hold this industry accountable. Join us and sign the petition.