Let's urge Dole Sunshine to take corrective action! Their recent commercial, "Hold My Fruit Bowl" ends with a troubling image of a rock striking a person fishing off an icy coastline: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzhyWHRdP48 The stereotypical implication is deeply problematic and easily interpreted as racist. Dole Sunshine needs to rethink this advertisement, and pull it immediately.

It would provide full voting rights voting rights to an area of 670,000 residents (more than Wyoming & Vermont). Oh, and it would add 2 Senators.

Andira Ture is a Cape Verdean mother and activist whose 11-year-old son attends James P. Timilty Middle School in Roxbury. In two separate incidents on school grounds this past year, students sexually harassed and assaulted her son. The Timilty School and other schools in the Boston Public School (BPS) system have a history of sexual misconduct and a culture of disregard for sexual assault that goes beyond Ture’s son’s experience. Former dean of students at the Timilty School was arrested for statutory rape of a student in 2020, and a former teacher at the Timilty School pleaded guilty this December to raping a 12-year-old student starting in 1996. The Timilty is closing this year, but we know this issue is bigger than just one school: we need sex education and counselors NOW! We are asking parents, students, and teachers to join us in demanding better of BPS! Read an interview with Andira Ture here:https://www.liberationnews.org/11-year-old-sexually-assaulted-at-school-mother-fights-for-justice-how-am-i-gonna-trust-them-to-teach-my-son/

The Solution It is the community through its collective vote that is in the best position to decide whether a particular judicial candidate understands the feel, tastes, smell, touch and pulse of the community. This is of particular concern to communities of color that have for far too long, been and continue to a great extent to be marginalized by a judiciary that has been ignorant and insensitive to communities of color. It is only recently that with demographic changes in New York City in particular, that Black and Latino communities have exercised their vote to elect a qualified judiciary more reflective of the community’s demographic make-up. It has been only through their vote, that communities of color have been able to diversify the judiciary to the extent that is has begun to increase to a certain extent, public confidence in the judiciary and the court system as a whole. Indeed, Judges with diverse backgrounds offer unique perspectives and viewpoints that would serve to provide decision-making power to formerly disenfranchised populations and equal justice for all. As a result, BILL NUMBER: S4379 has been introduced and passed by the NYS legislature and awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature. TITLE OF BILL An act to amend the judiciary law, in relation to making technical changes to provisions providing for certification for service as a retired judge of the court of appeals or a retired justice of the supreme court. PURPOSE To make certification of retired Court of Appeals Judges and Supreme Court Justices who otherwise meet the statutory criteria for certification automatic, rather than discretionary.

We need to address generational curses and Women's Reentry, Child Mental Health, State and Local Police Conduct, Prosecutorial Conduct and Taxation without Representation for Ex-Offenders. While there has been some improvement, more needs to be done today!! Join setuptofail.org in our quest for Justice and Responsibility.

The current surge in Covid-19 around the country, and in Michigan in particular, make a surge inevitable at MSU. The physical and mental health of the MSU students, faculty, and staff must not be put at unnecessary risk, and a shift to online classes is needed to prevent another disaster within our community.

Voting is the most precious tool we citizens have in this country. The Freedom To Vote Act is designed to put a stop to all the voting restrictions occurring around the country. The act proposes to expand voting rights, change campaign finance laws to reduce the influence of money in politics, ban partisan gerrymandering, and create new ethics rules for federal officeholders. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD.

Over a decade ago, Demand Progress’ co-founder Aaron Swartz started working to make federal court documents available to the public at no cost. The public entrusts federal courts with our rights and disputes; in turn, the public has a right to inspect court records and ensure federal courts administer justice fairly. But the current filing system stashes these essential documents behind a paywall, costing the public more than a hundred million dollars each year.[1] In 2008, Aaron paid a small fortune to bring several million federal court documents out from behind the paywall, exposing misdeeds within the federal judiciary in the process. For sharing information and revealing wrongdoing, Aaron was pursued by the FBI.[2] It’s time for court documents to be made public. Sign the petition if you agree. Thanks to Aaron’s and others’ activism, we’ve come a long way from the days when open sourcing federal court documents was regarded by the federal government as radical — even potentially criminal. When the Senate returns from holiday break, legislation to make federal court records available at no cost to the public will be brought before the full Senate for a floor vote. This movement is gaining traction. We need to make sure the legislation passes. Sign the petition: Tell Congress we demand the passage of the Open Courts Act! Information freedom activists and civil rights groups have been calling for transparency around court records for over a decade. But the federal court administrators still refuses to make these records publicly accessible, even after a district court ruled last year that the courts are dramatically overcharging the public for access the paywall as it currently exists is illegal.[3] Court administrators, who have diverted the revenues for unauthorized purposes, fear giving up this revenue stream. Some federal judges do not want to empower systematic studies of how justice is administered, and have fought the public access movement tooth and nail.[4] The courts have built a rickety, poor-designed, costly alternative to the promise of access for all that (barely) serves their narrow needs, not that of the public. Thankfully, many federal court records have entered the public record another way: through grassroots information-sharing. In the process of empowering the public to access its own laws, activists have also exposed rampant privacy violations within the federal judiciary — demonstrating once again that public oversight is essential to protecting democracy.[2] It’s time for Congress to require the courts provide free and open access to federal court records. Sign the petition: Tell Congress to pass the Open the Courts Act to grant the American people access to their own records! Sources: 1. Fix the Court, “How Could We Pay for Free PACER? Let's Look at the Options,” August 29, 2019. 2. CNN, “How Aaron Swartz helped build the Internet,” January 15, 2013. 3. ABA Journal, “Federal judiciary wrongly used PACER fees for unrelated projects, Federal Circuit rules,” August 6, 2020. 4. GovExec, “The Paywall That Continues to Stand in the Way of Government Transparency,” November 30, 2021.

Removing Fox News and it’s affiliates would greatly improve the mental health, slow the spread of misinformation and disinformation and decrease the radicalization of our armed force members and Federal employees.. The disastrous effect this propaganda has on the morale of our men and women must not be minimized

The people who live in the neighborhoods surrounding this store do not have many options for groceries or other necessities provided by this store. It previously was a locally owned Sunshine at least since 1995 serving this neighborhood. Having a community centered grocery is something valued in Sioux Falls as we see with stores like Sunshine, Franklin, and Andy's as well as Hyvee and other larger grocery chains. From a Sioux Falls resident Tray: "Creating food deserts is a part of systemic racism. The group of folks who were let go from Kmart apply to this Hy-Vee only to be moved farther from their homes. I grew up eating here when I was younger and it was Sunshine and now I shop here as an adult. This is disheartening." The people that surround this store will have less options that are accessible for healthy food. We as a community need to know how their needs will be met. Update 12/13/21 from community members: We feel this will be a LASTING impression on ALL the residents of Sioux Falls as to how a well known business as Hyvee responds to the pleas of the disadvantaged and handicapped in the community. Hyvee is removing access & affordability from those who truly need it. Almost 3 miles to travel to the nearest 26th Hyvee grocery will affect many who do not have transportation. Adding the rising cost of groceries and gas prices. Closing the store would place an extra burden on them. THE STORE IS PROFITABLE: Mayor TenHaken said:"Hy-Vee confirmed themselves they were running a profitable store; but it just doesn't fit into their portfolio services anymore. THOSE IMPACTED: THIS store important to the FIREFIGHTERS who need to cook for the first responders at their stations, as well as AIR NATIONAL GUARD troops who shop there. Hy-Vee closing creates a food desert and strains area NON PROFITS. MANY in the area WALK or bicycle, many have small CHILDREN, many are single mothers, elderly or disabled. APARTMENT OWNERS AND TENANTS An important must-have when apartment hunting often involves the presence of a grocery store within a few blocks. OWNERS AND TENANTS of the numerous apartment complexes which Kiwanis Hyvee serves would also feel the impact of this store closure. Those with no access to a vehichle, who walk to the store who WILL have NO way they can think of now to travel 3 miles to the closest grocery store if the Kiwanis store closes. Sioux Falls has 6 recognized food deserts by the U.S. Dept of Agriculture, where a grocery store is more than a mile away in a predominantly low-income neighborhood. Hy-Vee's store close will likely add another food desert in the nw-central neighborhoods based on high concentrations of low income rental properties. MICHELLE ERPENBACH Exec dir of Thrive, said: "..that neighborhood needs a reasonable grocery store and now they don't have it. It's ignoring them," "We're watching a gap open up in front of our eyes. What do we do about that as a community? Are we going to let that gap open and let people fall in? "There's absolutely going to be food inequity with this closure," Mayor Paul TenHaken said. "With this Hy-Vee closure, it leaves a very large gap.- question THERE SEEMS TO BE A CONFLICTING REASON FOR CLOSING THIS STORE , 2 PEOPLE QUOTED IN NEWS ARTICLES SAY 2 OPPOSING REASONS . I WONDER WHICH IS CORRECT: https://www.argusleader.com/story/news/2021/12/08/food-deserts-could-increase-in-sioux-falls-after-hyvee-closure-feeding-south-dakota/8836062002/ 1."We know there is demand, and Hy-Vee confirmed themselves they were running a profitable store; but it just doesn't fit into their portfolio services anymore. That need will get filled in due time," TenHaken said. https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/sioux-falls-hy-vee-to-close-will-be-repurposed-as-non-retail-site/ar-AARm36k 2. Tina Potthoff, senior vice president of communications for Hy-Vee. Unfortunately, this location did not consistently meet our financial expectations.” The change is due to increased growth and demand for pharmacy and baking service in Sioux Falls, Potthoff added."We need the additional space to keep up with demand," Potthoff said in an emailed statement. "We want sales to reflect the quality of value we’re bringing to the store and the customer service we’re providing. Unfortunately, this location did not consistently meet our financial expectations.” Potthoff did acknowledge that closing the Kiwanis location would widen food deserts in the northwestern part of Sioux Falls. She said that Aisles Online accepts EBT payments and said that Hy-Vee will "look at ways to further address" the issue. ...Sounds kind of vague...I wonder what ways they are looking at and at what time on the future???

Every single freedom we have will be taken away, from voting to judicial decisions to the right to protest. The very atrocities we see in other authoritarian countries will become our every day reality. If corruption is left to become normalized and the perpetrators aren't held accountable, common sense shows this will all just get worse.

Books, and especially books with controversial, unpopular and/or unconventional protagonists, are common targets for censorship. This strategy to control thought runs counter to our culture's deeply-held beliefs in the importance of freedom of expression. We strongly support each parent's right and obligation to engage fully in their child's education. However, that right does not extend to dampening the opportunities for new ideas or exploration of cultures, lives, and lifestyles, both villainous and virtuous, in the past, present and future, for other children in our system's schools. Through reading, these imaginary journeys promote empathy, understanding, inspiration and curiosity, all essential traits for healthy adults and a thriving democracy. We applaud our Fairfax County Public School's conclusion that the books in question are "valuable in their potential to reach marginalized youth who may struggle to find relatable literary characters who reflect their personal journeys." We note that, contrary to the public assertions that propelled action by FCPS, no depiction of pedophilia was found by either school committee formed to investigate the allegations that the books were not suitable. It is important that everyone who believes in the the value of diverse ideas, intellectual freedom and curiosity, and the contribution books make to a healthy democracy, reject the notion that censuring books is a pathway to a better future. Please join us in supporting our Fairfax County Public School Board.