Medicaid programs for children and people with disabilities are being sold to for-profit HMOs. Taxpayers are spending $11 billion a month for care, and 20-50% is "saved" by denying benefits. A White House policy of "unregulating" Medicaid has to be stopped. Millions like my medically fragile daughter are losing their civil rights once their lives are sold to Wall Street.

This petition is about civil liberties violations by the Huntsville, Alabama police department & about protecting our first ammendment right to peacefully organize in the united states. The petition was started to challenge the legality of the Huntsville, AL ordinance that states that; 1. It is illegal to have a funeral procession without a police escort; 2. The funeral procession is limited to 25 cars, including the hearse, clergy & mourners.

As President, Bill Clinton signed the Defense of Marriage Act, putting discrimination against lesbians and gay men into federal law. DOMA is terrible public policy. The Obama administration has decided the act is unconstitutional and will no longer defend it in federal court. Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced legislation in Congress to repeal DOMA. What better advocate for repeal of this highly discriminatory law than the man who put it into effect? Let's ask former President Clinton to actively join the effort to repeal DOMA.

Rep. Kern has stated that gays and lesbians are a "cancer" and warned that they would bring civilization to an end if granted legal and social equality. Kern claimed that societies that have accepted homosexuality in the past "lasted [no] more than a few decades" and declared that America’s tolerance of homosexuals constituted a "death knell of our country." Kern also claimed that gays and lesbians were "the biggest threat our nation has, even more so than terrorism of Islam," and said that "gays are infiltrating city councils.... They are winning elections." "To me what is hateful is when those people who say, ’You’re born this way. There’s no hope in change. You’re stuck in this, deal with it,’ that is hate," Kern said. "There’s no hope in that." When a recording of her comments was leaked, Kern found herself at the center of a firestorm. She refused to apologize for her comments, however, stating that had she known her remarks were being recorded, she would not have changed them.

We are calling on Chick-Fil-A and it's president Dan Cathy to live up to his promise that he made January of last year. "We will not champion any political agendas on marriage and family." In a July 26, 2011 article posted by Edge News. Mr. Cathy and Chick-Fil-A Sponsors Anti-Gay Golf Event. This petition is to add pressure to him and his corp., to take back on this sponsorship, and in the meantime I call for a boycott of this corp until which time he does so.

Why should homosexuals, Muslims and other victimized groups be forced to listen to bigoted attacks against them from the far right? Many countries have already made the bold move of criminalizing dangerous hate speech to protect minorities and prevent scapegoating. Sign this petition if you want the USA to be the next nation to make that bold move.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a long history of using faith as a political weapon. Now Gov. Perry has asked a hate group, the American Family Association, to organize a Christians-only event on August 6 in Houston that will sharpen divisions among Americans along religious and political lines. Other organizers of the event, "The Response: A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis," have a history of anti-Catholic rhetoric and other religious bigotry. One is so extreme that he has called the Statue of Liberty a “demonic idol.” Sign on to an open letter from the Texas Freedom Network urging Gov. Perry to stop using faith to divide Americans.

The city of New Smyrna Beach has finally realized it is unlawful to outright ban the art of tattooing. Now, however, they are trying to zone tattooing in "Heavy Industrial" areas, making it close to impossible for shops to survive. Would you want a needle to go into your skin in a heavy industrial zone, right next to machine and auto body shops? NO! Sign this petition and stand with us against this injustice!

We urge the international community via International Gaza Youth campaign to aid us in ending this direct violation of civil law and human rights.

With Voter ID laws in the country being passed in many states, many are perhaps using the SS Administration SS Number Verification System (SSNVS) to check citizens ID. This is against the Social Security Administration rules."It is not proper to use SSNVS for non-wage reporting purposes, such as identity, credit checks, mortgage applications, etc." http://www.ssa.gov/employer/ssnvrestrict.htm

Montana Medical Marijuana laws were put into place in 2004, with an overwhelming majority vote. Over the past seven years, the caregiving industry has grown and many businesses had finally found themselves established. This past year, the Federal Government has vandalized these establishments and the materials therein, leaving the businesses unable to continue operation and on top of that, now numerous owners are being Federally indited. Families are going to be torn apart and good people put into prison, if we do not take a stand; President Obama himself announced that in regards to Medical Marijuana, State Law precedes Federal Law - time to speak up for our civil rights.

The day following the July 15, 2011 publishing of an unethical GQ fashion article that linked people with Down syndrome to the clothing choices of people in Boston, MA, with adjectives like stagnate, putrefy, and inbreeding, advocates had gained media attention by speaking out against GQ's Down syndrome discrimination. From Boston to across the nation people began discussing the negative effects this type of prejudice creates through Facebook and Twitter. The media coverage continues because the article by John B. Thompson has since been revised by removing his detrimental statement, "..... Boston suffers from a kind of Style Down Syndrome, where a little extra ends up ruining everything.", but an explanation from the magazine or apology from the author has not been issued. There is an uproar of hurt, disgust, and action from family members and advocates in the disability community. Thompson and others need to know how harmful their views, words, and choices are to people with Down syndrome and their families. Their future family member, child's classmate or next door neighbor could be someone with Down syndrome who has to face degrading stereotypes like this everyday. How have others responded? 7/16/11 The Boston Herald interviewed community advocate Dafna Krouk-Gordon president of TILL Inc., in GQ magazine slams Boston with slur against people with Down syndrome, who said, "They are doing societal damage by using those kind of examples.", and parent Melanie McLaughlin who said, "It makes you feel like somebody really stabbed you in the heart." 7/18/11 Dr. Brian Skotko, MD, MPP from Children's Hospital Boston's Down syndrome Program blogged his take titled Mock My Pants Not My Sister and said, "If my friends who are black were mocked, they would not take it. If my friends who are gay were slurred, they would not take it. My 400,000 fellow Americans with Down syndrome have been cheapened, and I will not take it." The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress wrote to GQ Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson after numerous requests from their membership explaining, "how offensive, demeaning, and hurtful this comment is to people with Down syndrome and their families." The National Down Syndrome Society wrote about the retraction, to request he educate himself, and further advocated with the statement, "When people with Down syndrome are inappropriately referenced, it sustains and perpetuates these low expectations and negative stereotypes and further impedes the acceptance of people with disabilities in schools, the workplace and the community." 7/19/11 Washington Post author Jennifer LaRue Huget told readers what she teaches her children about talking about others, "Making jokes at other people’s expense isn’t kind, it isn’t respectful, and it’s not funny.", in What is ‘style Down syndrome‘?. FoxNews reported on GQ's Down syndrome slurs in an interview with Dr. Brian Skotko who has a sister with Down syndrome and has fueled the advocacy efforts around this issue through his social networks, Thrive blog and message on the show. How has GQ responded? 7/20/11 Since removing the original slur GQ has done very little. They haven’t told their readers why they allowed the offensive material or why they decided to retract it. Now copies of a blanket response has been sent in reply to the concerned citizens who emailed GQ at [email protected]. However, this message to those who decided to email does NOT make up for the widespread damage they have caused: "We received your letter and absolutely understand that we have caused many of our readers and their loved ones pain. Hurting anyone’s feelings or being disrespectful or cruel was certainly never our intent, but your letter helped us understand how poorly chosen our words were. What we initially posted was insensitive and ill-informed, and we’ve removed the offensive language from the website. We deeply regret our error in judgment. There is no excuse. We are both very sorry. Sincerely, Sean Fennessey, editor, GQ.com John B. Thompson, writer, GQ.com " Only select people will receive GQ's email while the rest of America waits for GQ to admit their wrongs, say sorry, and shed a positive light on such a disastrous situation. Everyone is wondering why GQ has not taken responsibility by respectfully addressing their mistakes. What now? 7/21/11 Boston.com writer Joan Venochi recapped this situation in an article, A magazine with style, but no taste, and reported, "A Condé Nast spokesman, responding via e-mail, said, “The author has personally responded to the people who reached out concerning this matter.’’ Even the GQ publishing company thinks the matter is handled. 7/25/11 Campaign letter and petition with six hundred signatures was sent to GQ. The letter contained this message, "You still have a chance to turn this unfortunate situation around and help our society presume the best about people with Down syndrome. Today marks tens days since you published a Down syndrome slur, and marks the tenth day your company has not apologized for publishing it. An official acknowledgment in response to this serious diversity intolerance matter will create positive publicity for your company, and Down syndrome awareness as well. Altering your article’s original content, and sending form emails to those people who wrote to your editor, isn’t enough and doesn’t reach everyone affected." 8/29/11 Folowing action plan sent out to all petition signers -Call 212-286-4258 Condé Nast President Bob Sauerberg to ask him to publish apology by Oct. for Ds Awareness Month -Cancel all Condé Nast Publications -Email [email protected], GQ Editor Sean Fennessey: What is being done to correct the Ds discrimination in GQ magazine from July 15? Today It's your turn to be heard. Sign this petition asking GQ for a formal public apology and share your thoughts through your networks about why GQ owes their readers, people with Down syndrome and the general public a ...