Every time you connect to the internet, your communications, your information, and your way of life are being monitored and scrutinized by the government. XKEYSCORE allows the NSA to accomplish this as the program sweeps up internet traffic from areas of communication such as email, pictures, documents, social media, webcam photos, chats, skype sessions, and even logged keystrokes.(1) The program resembles Google as it categorizes and tags the collected and stored information and makes the information searchable for NSA analysts.(2) For example, an analyst can type your username from Facebook into XKEYSCORE and they would be delivered all of your information, including your private messages, posts, and chats over a specified time period.(3) The program has been used to spy on leaders such as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, a clear non-threat to the United States.(4) XKEYSCORE destroys the fundamental principles of civil liberties that we are undeniably born with, works toward a system of governance where stifling dissent is the norm, and it only ramps up the American surveillance state, further turning it into a grotesque monster built on intimidation and fear. It is our duty as citizens of the United States to express our inherent rights and call for the end of this tyrannical program. Thank you for making your voice heard on this issue. -David Chapman Sources: 1. Marquis-Boire, Morgan, Glenn Greenwald, and Micah Lee. “XKEYSCORE: NSA’s Google for the World’s Private Communications.” The Intercept. First Look Media. Web. 1 July 2015. https://theintercept.com/2015/07/01/nsas-google-worlds-private-communications/ 2. Lee, Micah, Glenn Greenwald, and Morgan Marquis-Boire. “Behind the Curtain: A Look at the Inner Workings of NSA’s XKEYSCORE.” The Intercept. First Look Media. Web. 2 July 2015. https://theintercept.com/2015/07/02/look-under-hood-xkeyscore/ 3. Greenwald, Glenn. "No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State." New York: Picador, 2014. Print. 158. 4. Marquis-Boire, Morgan, Glenn Greenwald, and Micah Lee. “XKEYSCORE: NSA’s Google for the World’s Private Communications.” The Intercept. First Look Media. Web. 1 July 2015. https://theintercept.com/2015/07/01/nsas-google-worlds-private-communications/

GOP's "Pay to Play" Congressional Campaign Contract Condemned Across America WASHINGTON: As controversy continued to grow regarding a contract signed by numerous vulnerable Republican legislators with the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), promising to supply detailed information about their "legislative agenda" and "political justifications" to national Republican donors in exchange for financial support, numerous state affiliates of ProgressNow, one of the nation's largest and most influential progressive advocacy organizations, called on Republican candidates to withdraw from the program and disclose all correspondence with the NRCC. Rep. Ryan Costello (R, CD 6, Berks, Lehigh, Chester, Montgomery) is the only Pennsylvania Member of Congress who has agreed to this "pay to play" scheme. "Shame on Rep. Ryan Costello for selling Pennsylvania out to the same Washington, D.C. special interests he said he was running for office to fight," said Keystone Progress' Michael Morrill. "The voters won't forget this in the next election. If Costello really wants to put the people of Pennsylvania first, it's time to exit the 'Patriot Program ' and come clean about what he promised big donors and Republican Party bigwigs. If he doesn't, he'll be held accountable at the polls in 2016." According to the Washington Post: Two dozen House Republicans have agreed to privately detail their “legislative strategy” to party operatives, promising to offer “political justifications” for their goals in Congress. The Daily 202 obtained a copy of the three-page contract that the National Republican Congressional Committee requires members to sign if they want to participate in its Patriot Program. The initiative, designed to protect potentially vulnerable incumbents, brings with it special attention and access to mounds of campaign cash. But strings are attached. One of the 13 requirements is to submit an off-year “campaign plan” that includes: “Detailed, written legislative strategy that provides short-, intermediate-, and long-term legislative goals, including political justifications for those goals.” “Be sure to include local issues unique to the district or region,” the contract says. “Complete a Patriot Policy Priorities worksheet to be used by NRCC staff to evaluate legislative priorities for the current Congress and to promote and advocate for those priorities where appropriate.” The closely-held document offers a window into how much autonomy lawmakers often must forfeit to unelected Washington insiders.

Please sign no matter where you live to show the whole country is watching! When Los Angeles voters passed Measure H with 75% of the vote they said loud and clear they want the city's system of public financing of campaigns strengthened. Now LA City Council is about to consider a proposal to do that. The Ethics Commission's proposal would help small donors compete with big donors by matching them on a 6 to 1 basis, meaning that a $50 donation to a qualified candidate would generate an extra $300 of public funds. But the proposal applies to donations up to $500 in citywide races. Thus, a wealthy person who donates $500 would generate an outrageous $3,000 in public funds – 5 times more than small donors who can barely afford $100! Tell the Council to amend the proposal to help small donors, not big donors!

Our congress has become corrupt with lobbyist and corporate donors. The best way to cure these symptoms of a broken system is to impose term limits on those who represent us in Congress. This will help to ensure that the most informed and connected representatives are the voice of the people they represent, instead of the companies who have paid for their voice.

Mississippi state Governor Phil Bryant has made it clear that he will not take down this symbol of American Apartheid. PEPSICO, AT&T, CAPITAL ONE, ALLSTATE, and DR. PEPPER and other companies yield great profit and promotion from their financial sponsorships of college football games played in Mississippi, their continued silence on this issue is a statement of complicity with the governor. These companies make great profit and promotion off the labor of young African American men--and yes it is labor event though they are "playing" football-- but it amounts to exploitation when the lives of these young men have no value when they are off the field. The flag's historical record dating back to Mississippi's secession from the union is one that quite literally says that African Americans are less than human. Governor Bryant's zeal to hold on to the flag even in the face of the Emmanuel 9 and countless recent acts of violence associated with that flag since, shows an allegiance to that legacy. It has to stop and the flag must be removed. These companies plain and simple make money off bigotry. We must act to end this.

Out of fairness to the American people, everyone should have a voice and be heard.

The people want to be informed on "all" presidential candidates and are demanding more televisdes debates that are properly scheduled. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has refused ot take action on this issue and therefore she must be replaced. Don't let the DNC decide who will be the democratic nominee.

To whom it may concern: We, the people of Oklahoma, are requesting that Governor Mary Fallin face Impeachment on the many levels and facets that Mary Fallin has failed Oklahoma. Mary Fallin has broken her Oath, which she swore to uphold when she took office again in 2014. She has exhibited corruption while in office, and willful neglect of duty and incompetence while acting as a leader for all of Oklahoma. A Resolution calling for impeachment of Governor Mary Fallin to SECTION VIII-1 of the Oklahoma Constitution states the following: The Governor and other elective state officers, including the Justices of the Supreme Court, shall be liable and subject to impeachment for wilful neglect of duty, corruption in office, habitual drunkenness, incompetency or any offense involving moral turpitude committed while in office. We bring you the following reasons to consider: A. Oklahoma ranks 48th in education out of 50 states. B. Mary Fallin cut taxes for Oil & Gas industries shortly after receiving some of the highest political campaign contributions from those same industries for her 2014 campaign win. Mary Fallin cut their taxes from 7% to 2%, while knowing OPEC productions were continuing to hurt the price of Oil per Barrel across the country, ultimately causing a good portion of the $611 million budget deficit. C. Up through the 3rd quarter of 2013, Mary Fallin received $38,250 from private prison corporations via political donations. Her biggest push was for private prisons to be introduced in Oklahoma from 2012 to 2013. D. Mary Fallin promoted and supported failing State Superintendent Janet Barresi, who wasted millions upon millions of dollars for Education here in Oklahoma on Common Core, standardized testing and wasteful spending at all levels of education. Then, only moments before her election and after thousands marched on the Capitol lawn, Mary Fallin changed her mind and signed a bill to stop Common Core in Oklahoma. E. Mary Fallin continues to undermine Teachers and Educators by not offering pay raises and by not offering respect, ultimately causing OKC schools alone to hand out over a thousand emergency hiring certificates to under-qualified teachers. Teachers were either leaving the state for more respect or for better pay at different places of work, ultimately making our educational rankings worse by having poorly trained and under-qualified teachers, leading to even lower rankings in Public Education. F. We are potentially facing a $1 billion budget deficit and total depletion of the rainy day funds. G. She removed $50 million from the seized property funds that may have belonged to individuals who were never convicted of a crime or felony in order to help balance the state budget in 2015. H. Mary Fallin accepted gifts from private donors and took a second luxurious European trip, and wouldn’t disclose how much her security detail and other expenses cost the state of Oklahoma. I. During the eleven days the state was flooded, there was zero response from her second in command, Todd Lamb, and zero response for disaster assistance or relief from Mary Fallin because she was more concerned about her European trip. The state went eleven days with no answers and no solutions, while people's homes, businesses, land, and lives were lost or destroyed. J. Mary Fallin is consistently putting big money and those who further her political career over the needs of people and Oklahoma. K. Mary Fallin invested almost 50% less in mental health than the rest of the nation, causing some of the highest prison populations in the nation, as well some of the highest crimes and violent offenders anywhere in the United States. L. From 2008 to 2013, Mary Fallin claimed to invest more in per pupil funding, which went from $8400 per student to $7672.00; that is less 7.6%. There may be slight increases in educational funding, yet our teachers are still understaffed, overworked and some of the lowest paid in the Nation, in some cases 20 to 30% lower. M. Mary Fallin defied an order from the Oklahoma state supreme court to remove The Ten Commandments. Mary Fallin directed Scott Pruitt to waste hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight for her religious beliefs. Mary Fallin first said it was for historical purposes, then 2 months later got on National TV and said it was for religious purposes. The Oklahoma Constitution voted on and by the people of Oklahoma says the monument cannot stay. Mary Fallin should be held in contempt of court for using her religious beliefs to defy the law. N. Mary Fallin broke her OATH that Mary Fallin swore to uphold by defying the highest court in the land, and then tries to rewrite the entire State Constitution to meet her needs. O. Instead of diverting lottery money to K-12, Mary Fallin wasted most of those dollars in higher education, all due to failed leadership and poor development planning. P. Oklahoma has some the highest incarceration rates of nonviolent offenders in the nation, yet Mary Fallin came up with a program to speed up the release of violent criminals such as rapists, murderers and those who committed other heinous crimes against the people of Oklahoma, before releasing someone for smoking Marijuana. This bill and the law was quickly and quietly put through in 2015 with little knowledge given to the public. Q. Mary Fallin supported the Republican League of Women, who on a number of occasions promoted bigoted and racist comments, as well as supported the OK GOP political party that compared those on welfare to Animals. It wasn’t until it received national attention that Mary Fallin even took action. R. Mary Fallin wasted taxpayer dollars by letting her daughter keep a trailer on state property and paid to have utilities to her trailer run and hooked up to city lines for electric, television, water and gas lines for over four months. S. Mary Fallin continues to put prison funding levels at a higher rate of pay then educ...

The Michigan Legislature and the Governor's Office are currently exempt from Freedom of Information Act requests, shielding their activities from public scrutiny and accountability. The Courser-Gamrat Scandal is only the latest example of legislators abusing the exemption. Public records should be publicly accessible - no exceptions.

The lax child support laws in Indiana are some of the weakest in the country. Did you know no matter what you owe on child support, any payment, $5 or $10 in 30 days is considered "trying"? These dead beats are likely the cause of most social welfare passed onto our tax payers and stiffer penalities need to be put into place!

For over 50 years, the park system has been operating within it's founding guidelines with Conservation as the primary focus. In changing that focus, Timothy J. Grendell has overstepped his statutory authority as Probate Judge, is deliberately and harmfully ignoring the will of the people, and is wrongfully imposing his personal and political vision upon the Geauga Park District. We believe his actions are an improper aggrandizement of the powers of the office of Probate Judge and an abuse of the prestige of that office. He has undermined public respect for the office of Probate Judge and has caused serious and substantial harm to the Geauga Park District.

Are you sick and tired of campaign mailers flooding your mailbox while hiding who's paying for them in fine print that's hard to see and read? We are, too! California Assembly Bill 990 (Bonilla) will make it simpler for voters to find and read the disclosure statement. AB 990 places the statement near the recipient’s name and address, increases the text size, and requires it to actually stand out. AB 990 just passed the Senate and will have its final Assembly vote next week. Sign the petition to tell the Assembly to pass it now!