“A destruction, an annihilation that only man can provoke, only man can prevent.” -Elie Wiesel 50 million people are currently displaced by conflict around the world. Responding to displacement has required spending billions to support life-saving humanitarian assistance and other cost-intensive interventions. The crisis in Syria is a stark example. Four years of conflict have resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 civilians, a crushed economy, and the biggest refugee crisis since World War II. Experts estimate that even if the war ends tomorrow, it will take 40 to 50 years for Syria’s economy to recuperate. Yet, in this context, the Atrocities Prevention Board (APB), the only high-level U.S. body focusing on preventing genocide and mass atrocities, is at risk of being dismantled. Founded in 2012, the APB has facilitated vital information-sharing between government agencies and helped the US respond to crises in Burundi and Central African Republic. Without Congressional authorization, the APB risks abolishment by the next presidential administration, regardless of party. Now, more than ever before, it is vital that the U.S. invest in genocide and atrocity prevention. As we have seen in Darfur, South Sudan, and Syria, we are in vital need of prevention mechanisms to save lives before conflict escalates. As we reflect on the lives lost in conflicts such as Armenia and Namibia at the beginning of the 20th century, the Holocaust in the 1940s, Rwanda and Bosnia in the 1990s, and those living with the consequences of such atrocities today, we commit ourselves to fighting for a world without genocide and mass atrocities. We urge Congress to support the swift and uninhibited institutionalization of the Atrocities Prevention Board. The U.S. has been a leader in the fight to end genocide -- we must continue to lead on this vital bipartisan issue, lest more lives be sacrificed as we fail to prevent.

While neighboring countries in the Middle East and The EU have reluctantly taken in refugees, they often find themselves in either inhumane conditions or stuck in the bureaucratic web of Europe's immigration debate . No one is better equipped to assist the Syrian people more than The United States of America. Our nation has a singular tradition of support and opportunity for all those seeking a better life, be it temporary or permanent. We have the heart, and we have the resources. Our nation's citizens are good people and will help in every way we can. Our country has proven it's heart time and time again, and now at this most crucial moment we should answer the call once more.

Maryland Senator Ben Cardin was one of only four Senate Democrats who voted against the Iran nuclear agreement. [1] Reports from Washington have indicated that Senator Cardin plans to introduce new legislation on Iran soon that could undermine the agreement. [2] In the past, opponents of diplomacy with Iran have tricked Senators into becoming original co-sponsors of anti-diplomacy bills -- before the bills were introduced and subject to public scrutiny -- by claiming that the bills were not anti-diplomacy. Urge your Senators not to become an original co-sponsor of Cardin's secret Iran bill by signing our petition. References: 1. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/senate-roll-call-vote-iran-nuclear-deal-33671047 2. http://livableworld.org/cardin-draft-iran-bill-undermining-white-house-diplomacy-and-opportunity-to-head-off-iranian-nuclear-capacity/ http://www.lobelog.com/inside-cardins-anti-iran-deal-legislation/

I am not directly affected by this petition except that I am a human being and I feel the pain other humans are suffering. For this reason I simply cannot quiet my conscience and go about my life without thinking about the terrible circumstances and the suffering of these people

Some Republican Senators like presidential candidate Lindsey Graham [1] and Senate Armed Services chair John McCain are calling for the deployment of U.S. ground troops into Syria's sectarian civil war. So far, the Obama Administration is opposed. [2] But pressure on the Obama Administration for “action” is increasing with the Syrian refugee crisis in Europe, reports that military officials “spun” intelligence reports to suggest that the anti-ISIS war was going well, and reports that only a handful of U.S.-trained “anti-ISIS rebels” are operating in Syria. The alternative to U.S. military escalation of Syria's civil war is diplomacy without preconditions, for which there may now be a new opening. Russia has proposed new talks with the U.S. about Syria, and the Obama Administration has agreed to the Russian proposal for talks. [3] Urge the Administration and Congress to oppose the use of U.S. ground troops to escalate Syria's civil war by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/lindsey-graham-pledges-ground-troops-in-syria/2015/09/16/1ebd0df0-5cb5-11e5-8475-781cc9851652_video.html 2. http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/u-s-general-only-handful-of-syrian-fighters-remain-in-battle-against-isis/ 3. http://news.yahoo.com/russian-moves-syria-flummox-us-072357525--politics.html

My reason for starting this petition is entirely personal: if the roles were reversed, and I was forced by civil war to flee my country with my children, I would want other nations to help me. One of the things I love about the U.S. is that we are, as individuals, extremely generous. I cannot stand by silently while our government acts in such a miserly, halfhearted way. We can afford to take in more than 10,000 refugees, and we should.

Refugees from the Mideast.

I still remember the pride I felt when I first learned this quote: “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

Germany's open arms policy toward the people of Syria who have had to flee their war torn country is making me question why the United States cannot do the same. As a free and independent nation, we as citizens should be allowed to share our homes and resources with global citizens in need.

Images of dead refugees washing ashore, including a 3 year old boy, have deeply affected us all. But while Germany is accepting 800,000 refugees, we have only accepted a few thousand. We claim to be a compassionate, Christian nation - let's show it. We have the size, the wealth and the resources to do it - let's do it! And let's have Wisconsin's congressional delegation lead the way.

To persuade our government of the dire necessity to admit and resettle thousands more refugees in this tragic period of world reordering.

As a former Foreign Service Officer I know that the greatest obstacle is the year long delay in getting security clearances--almost impossible with a war going on. Let's speed up the process by giving US consular officials In Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq authority to admit those with no obvious risk.