The Trump Administration is considering deploying U.S. ground troops to Syria, [1] something that the Obama Administration opposed, along with most Democrats and war-skeptic Republicans. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul said, "It would be a really rotten, no good, bad idea to have ground troops in Syria." [2] Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy said, "Sending combat troops into Syria would make the unforced errors of the first four weeks look like child's play." California Representative Ted Lieu said, "As Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, I want to say that sending ground troops to Syria is a VERY BAD IDEA." [3] On April 18, there will be a special election in Georgia's sixth Congressional district. According to a recent poll, [4] the top two candidates in the "jungle primary" are Democrat Jon Ossoff, a former staffer for John Lewis and Hank Johnson, and Republican Karen Handel, former Georgia Secretary of State. Jon Ossoff's website says, "Jon will back efforts to destroy ISIS without deploying regular US ground forces." [5] Karen Handel's website has no issues section. [6] But as a Senate candidate in September 2013, she opposed U.S. military action against the Syrian government, [7] suggesting a willingness to challenge proposed U.S. military action. If both candidates come out against deploying ground troops to Syria in this closely-watched election, it will contribute to the belief that what Senator Paul called a "rotten, no good, bad idea" is politically radioactive and discourage the Trump Administration from doing it. Urge Jon Ossoff, Karen Handel and Members of Congress to publicly oppose proposals to deploy U.S. ground forces in Syria by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/pentagon-considering-recommending-combat-troops-in-syria/index.html 2. http://rare.us/rare-politics/issues/foreign-policy/rand-paul-it-would-be-a-really-rotten-no-good-bad-idea-to-have-ground-troops-in-syria/ 3. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-troops-to-syria-20170215-htmlstory.html 4. http://cloutpolitical.com/poll-democrat-ossoff-republican-handel-lead-in-ga-cd6-special-election/ 5. https://electjon.com/priorities/ 6. https://karenhandel.com/ 7. http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/syria-radio-ad-aired-by-gop-senate-candidate

After the hateful rhetoric of the last election season and dangerous actions of the new presidential administration, many undocumented families in Massachusetts now live in heightened fear of deportation and separation. Muslims are also an arbitrary target through a proposed "registry". The Safe Communities Act would address both of these issues and push back at the regressive policies being imposed across the nation. Massachusetts leadership has helped shape the nation’s consciousness on civil rights. Today, we need to see that kind of courage from our state legislators on behalf of immigrants and Muslims in our communities.

On March 2, 2016, environmental activist Berta Caceres was assassinated in Honduras. [1] Leaked court documents suggest Berta's murder was planned by military intelligence specialists linked to the country’s US–trained special forces. [2] Berta's family and human rights organizations have called for an independent international investigation into Berta's murder, but these demands have so far been rebuffed. [3] On March 2, 2017 Rep. Hank Johnson (GA) re-introduced the Berta Caceres Human Rights In Honduras Act, calling for the suspension of U.S. military and police aid to Honduras until human rights violations committed by Honduran security forces cease and their perpetrators have been brought to justice. [4] There are now 40 co-sponsors of the bill. [5] Urge your Representative to co-sponsor the Berta Caceres Human Rights In Honduras Act by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/opinion/an-idealists-martyrdom-fails-to-move-honduras.html 2. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/28/berta-caceres-honduras-military-intelligence-us-trained-special-forces 3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/21/berta-caceres-murder-honduras-juan-orlando-hernandez-dc 4. https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rep-johnson-reintroduces-berta-caceres-human-rights-honduras-act 5. https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/1299/cosponsors

TO END WAR IN SYRIA! TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY THIS TIME, NOT LIKE IRAQ. We have one last chance to get it right.

It's not total censorship, but big U.S. media have downplayed the threat of famine in Yemen, and especially have downplayed the U.S. role in the war that is pushing Yemen towards famine, with hundreds of thousands of children facing starvation. Writing for Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, Adam Johnson notes: "A recent UN report on the ... near-famine conditions in Yemen ... has led to a rare instance of Western media taking notice of the war and its catastrophic effect. But missing from most of these reports is the role of the United States and its ally Saudi Arabia - whose two-year-long siege and bombing have left the country in ruins." [1] The White House Correspondents' Dinner on April 29 has become an annual ritual of celebrity-studded U.S. Big Media self-congratulation. [2] This is an opportunity for people of conscience to call out U.S. Big Media on its failure to report prominently, accurately, urgently, and persistently on the threat of famine in Yemen and the role of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia in pushing Yemen to the brink of famine. Urge Members of Congress and all people of conscience to boycott the White House Correspondents' Dinner by signing our petition. References: 1. http://fair.org/home/downplaying-us-contribution-to-potential-yemen-famine/ 2. http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/321666-media-divided-over-trump-skipping-correspondents-dinner

Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children are nearing starvation. U.S.-backed Saudi airstrikes near Hodeida - the main entry point for food, medicine and humanitarian aid into northern Yemen - are blocking the delivery of supplies. The way to save these children is to silence the guns, so desperately needed aid can get through. [1] Unfortunately, President Trump is escalating the Saudi war against Houthi rebels in Yemen instead of ending it, thinking this is a proxy war against Iran. But Yemen's Houthis are not proxies of Iran. Joost Hilterman of the International Crisis Group states that "very little hard evidence has turned up of Iranian support to the Houthis," while U.S. military support to the Saudis "exceeds by many factors any amount of support the Houthis have received from Tehran." Hiltermann notes the Houthis "are motivated primarily by a domestic agenda" and "Iran does not control their decision-making." He says the way to handle the Houthis is not to "continue an unwinnable war" but to "push Yemeni parties back to the negotiating table." [2] Urge Trump and Congress to save Yemeni children from starvation and end the war by signing our petition. References: 1. "Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children are nearing starvation," Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post, February 24 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hundreds-of-thousands-of-yemeni-children-are-nearing-starvation/2017/02/23/f01ead8a-f850-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html 2. "The Houthis Are Not Hezbollah: Donald Trump wants to ramp up Yemen's proxy fight against Iran. One small problem: Tehran doesn't really have a proxy there," Joost Hilterman, Foreign Policy, February 27 http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/27/the-houthis-are-not-hezbollah/

United Nations and other international aid officials have been warning that Yemen is on the brink of famine. "Donald Trump’s Shift On Yemen Risks Plunging The Country Into Famine," the Huffington Post reports, warning that the Trump Administration may be giving Saudi Arabia a green light to attack and close the critical port of Hodeidah, blocking Yemen's food imports. [1] "Yemen war causing world's worst food crisis," Vatican Radio reports. [2] "'Time running out': 1.4 million children could die from famine in Africa & Yemen, says UNICEF," RT reports. [3] But a search of recent stories on the New York Times' website only turns up wire stories, not a regular New York Times article. [4] Urge New York Times editors to press for prominent Times coverage of the UN's famine warning for Yemen, and acknowledgement of the U.S. role in bringing about the famine risk by supporting Saudi Arabia's war, by signing our petition. UPDATE 2/24: Since we launched our petition, the New York Times has run an article that reported the UN famine warning for Yemen. [5] That's a good start. Sign our petition to continue to press the New York Times for prominent coverage of the Yemen emergency. References: 1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hodeidah-yemen-famine_us_58a88970e4b037d17d28610b 2. http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/17/yemen_war_causing_worlds_worst_food_crisis_amid_widespread_/1293189 3. https://www.rt.com/news/378097-unicef-children-famine-malnutrition/ 4. https://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection®ion=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/yemen+famine/since1851/allresults/2/allauthors/newest/ 5. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/world/africa/why-20-million-people-are-on-brink-of-famine-in-a-world-of-plenty.html

President Trump's ramped-up support of Saudi Arabia's war may cause a famine in Yemen, the Huffington Post reports. Aid workers fear Saudi Arabia is planning to attack and close the critical port of Hodeidah on Yemen’s west coast, where most of the country's food has come in. The Obama Administration had opposed such an attack, but the Trump Administration may be encouraging it. Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen has been dependent on the U.S. for military support and diplomatic cover. “If there were a serious disruption to that port, that would, I think, be sufficient to tip the country into famine,” said a former U.S. aid official. [1] Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, notes that Saudi Arabia's diversion of aid ships from Hodeidah is already raising the risk of mass starvation. Using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war is a grave violation of international law. [2] Urge President Trump and Congress to stop Saudi Arabia from causing a famine in Yemen by signing and sharing our petition. References: 1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hodeidah-yemen-famine_us_58a88970e4b037d17d28610b 2. http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-jamie-mcgoldrick-impact-conflict-and-ongoing

The Trump administration has proposed changes to NAFTA that could adversely affect commerce on both sides of the border. President Trump has spoken of leveling import fees on products of Mexico which could lead to retaliatory actions. President Trump has called for the construction of a wall that could cost upwards of $20 billion even while America’s own infrastructure is decaying. He has declared he will deport up to 8 million people which will break apart families and adversely affect important sectors of the U.S. economy, including hospitality, agriculture, and construction. Finally, his planned actions could seriously erode the bi-lateral relationship between the two neighboring nations. Just this month some 20,000 Mexicans marched in protest of the Trump Republican Administration. As no one else, those of us Americans who are concerned about these policies, and who also make our homes in Mexico, are in a unique position to provide the Secretary of State a viewpoint that he might not receive in Washington, D.C. We call on Secretary Tillerson to meet with us at a time and place of his convenience during his visit.

CNN has reported that the Defense Department "might propose that the US send conventional ground combat forces into northern Syria for the first time," and that the move would "significantly alter US military operations in Syria if approved and could put troops on the ground within weeks." CNN says "one goal of their presence would be to help reassure Turkey that Kurdish forces are not posing a threat to Ankara's interests." [1] "Reassuring Turkey" a terrible reason to deploy U.S. troops to danger in Syria. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul says, "It would be a really rotten, no good, bad idea to have ground troops in Syria." [2] Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy says, "Sending combat troops into Syria would make the unforced errors of the first four weeks look like child's play." California Representative Ted Lieu says, "As Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, I want to say that sending ground troops to Syria is a VERY BAD IDEA." [3] Urge your Senators and Representative to join Chris Murphy, Rand Paul, and Ted Lieu in denouncing the idea of sending U.S. ground troops to Syria by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/pentagon-considering-recommending-combat-troops-in-syria/index.html 2. http://rare.us/rare-politics/issues/foreign-policy/rand-paul-it-would-be-a-really-rotten-no-good-bad-idea-to-have-ground-troops-in-syria/ 3. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/the-conversation/sd-troops-to-syria-20170215-htmlstory.html

An apartment building in a West Bank settlement was funded by an organization headed by David Friedman, Trump’s nominee for ambassador to Israel. The building is financed by American Friends of Beit El Institutions, which Friedman chairs. American Friends of Beit El Institutions raised almost $667,000 for its Israeli counterpart, the Organization for the Sukkat Ovadia Yeshiva of Beit El. The Israeli organization funded construction projects on private Palestinian land. The projects were illegal under Israeli law. The planned apartment building is also to be built on private Palestinian land. [1] To stop private property thief David Friedman from representing America, we need the help of at least three Senate Republicans. True conservatives oppose the government theft of private property. Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski voted no on Betsy DeVos. [2] If they can vote no on Betsy DeVos, they can vote no on the thief David Friedman. Urge Maine's Susan Collins and Alaska's Lisa Murkowski to oppose the government theft of private property by signing our petition. References: 1. http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/362712/david-friedman-trump-s-israel-envoy-pick-reportedly-behind-newly-approved-s/ 2. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/317379-gop-senator-to-vote-no-on-betsy-devos

The Puerto Rico political status issue pertaining to its relationship with the United States is a complicated one. A significant majority of the Puerto Rico people believe that due to the island's unequal political rights under the American flag, Puerto Rico is in fact not just a territory, but a colony. We agree with this theory because all the elements of a colony are present. In 2012, the people of Puerto Rico voted to end the current colonial political status , and yet Congress and the White House chose to ignore the democratic will of over 3.5 million American citizens (more population than 23 states). As a result of the United States government's clear rejection and disinterest in making Puerto Rico a state, Congressman Luis Gutierrez of Illinois, has filed HR 900 to recognize Puerto Rico's sovereign nationhood under either independence or free association and to provide for a transition process, and for other purposes. As a proud Puerto Rican I strongly encourage you to support HR 900 by becoming a co-sponsor. No country or territory deserves to be held as a colony subject to the absolute powers of another country. US Congress should support Congressman Gutierrez's bill and grant independence to Puerto Rico. Otherwise the US would be doing exactly the same as Great Britain when it held the original 13 colonies under an undemocratic and voiceless political situation which triggered the declaration of independence and the birth of the United States of America.