(New Braunfels, TX) -- New Braunfels City Council met last night and not only approved a $5 park access fee for summertime tourists, but they tacked on a $2 fee for residents. It’s not a done deal yet, with a 2nd reading to come at their next meeting, but Council made it clear that they want both visitors and residents to help pay for trash pick-up and law enforcement. As requested by Council, and in an effort to make the upkeep of river activities more cost-neutral, City staff has been looking at a number of ways to have those who use the parks and rivers pay part of the bills. The River Stakeholders Group (made up of local tourism experts) did recommend that Council approve a park entrance fee for visitors, but they also recommended that they make it free for residents. City Council had a different idea last night, tacking on a $2 fee for local residents to enter the park on summer weekends and holidays, an idea that was ultimately approved on first reading. For much more on their decisions last night, including adding a fee for parking at Prince Solms Park, just listen to the Audio Clip below. http://radionb.com/news/local-news/article14996/city-council-approves-5-park-access-fee-visitors-adds-2-fee-residents

Sen. Claire McCaskill is doing the unthinkable—caving to pressure from military brass and siding with Republicans like John McCain and Lindsey Graham to filibuster a bill that offer new protections to victims of sexual assault in the military. There’s an epidemic of sexual assaults in the military, with over 26,000 cases reported in 2012 alone. Worse still, one in five women in the military has been the victim of unwanted sexual contact, but the majority of cases have gone unreported to the chain of command—a system that has repeatedly failed to stand up for victims. A coalition of nearly 60 senators from across the political spectrum—from Kirsten Gillibrand and Elizabeth Warren to Rand Paul and Ted Cruz—have come together to tackle this crisis head-on. They support taking the power to prosecute sexual assaults out of the hands of military commanders and giving it to impartial and independent prosecutors, a system most of America’s allies already use. But the powerful military lobby opposes major reform—and Claire McCaskill is siding with them.

U.S. trade negotiators, acting in the interests of corporations serving as "advisers" are trying to use free trade agreements to bring in through the "back door" policies SO AWFUL they couldn't get them passed in Congress. In 2013, the leaked “Intellectual Property” chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement confirmed our worst fears: film and media companies were pushing extreme copyright provisions in secret that would threaten individual privacy and impose severe restrictions on the Internet. While Hollywood has had a ringside seat at negotiations, with access to the negotiating text so they could give input, Congress—whose job it is to oversee trade—wasn't even invited to the party. Now, the president expects them to grant him "Fast Track" authority, so he can slide through the TPP, and TTIP, a companion agreement in Europe, quickly, before anybody notices. Both deals threaten everything Americans hold dear – from our jobs to our sovereignty. One of the biggest threats is language that brings back provisions from SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act. SOPA was defeated two years ago amid a huge, bipartisan public outcry. It would impose severe limits and harsh penalties on internet users for what many of us consider harmless everyday sharing. We could face fines or lose internet access FOREVER for such things as non-commercial, small-scale copying (from the buffer copy made when you view a legit video to sending your buddy an image or song) to “breaking” a digital lock so you can use software you have purchased on a Linux platform. Even worse, the methods by which ISPs would need to monitor for "copyright infringement" threaten online privacy in a way that we can never reverse. Service providers would become online police-or be held responsible for any copyrighted content they allowed to be transmitted. Besides monitoring websites and social networks, they would have to scan individual email, clouds, and secure communications for potentially offending links. In some instances, government agencies could gain unauthorized access to user data that would normally require a warrant. That 4th amendment threat, once established as routine, would be virtually impossible to roll back. (So much for eliminating NSA spying.) And because these provisions would be part of an international trade agreement, users in member countries would have no legal recourse to fight this warrantless surveillance. (We couldn't even pass a law to fix the problem, because trade agreements trump domestic laws.) That's why we MUST stop Congress from granting the president "Fast Track" authority. (The official name is The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act and the bill was introduced January 9 in the House and Senate.) And we must stop these undemocratic "free trade" agreements that have nothing to do with trade and are destroying our economy and eroding our civil liberties - all to further fatten the wallets of a handful of Hollywood crony capitalists who managed to buy themselves seats at the president's table.

I am starting this petition because we need all hands on deck to help us win back the House and retain control of the Senate in 2014. Priorities USA made the decision not to help candidates in 2014 and to wait until 2016 elections. This is wrong and if we lose the Senate and don't try to retake the House in 2014 it will further erode the ability of President Obama to get anything done for the people.

We have already seen the in-action of the 112th and the 113th Congress lead by speaker John Boehner. John Boehner and the 113th Congress has become the Least Productive Ever! Time for the 113th Congress to no longer receive tax payer salaries through 2014. Please sign the petition.

People who are abusing animals are getting off to easy

The organic food industry is expected to grow by 12% between 2010-2014, according to the US Organic Food Market Analysis. And the part that Oregon plays, including its unique organic vegetable seed industry, is vital to the industry. That's why organic farmers are alarmed about genetic drift from GMO seed crops such as sugar beets, and the inevitable increase in herbicides, blights, diseases and degradation of the soil that GMO farming brings. In the “Grand Bargain” last October, Oregon's Governor Kitzhaber forced lawmakers to rescind an earlier vote, which rejected the Oregon Monsanto Protection Act. As a consolation, he promised he'd select a task force to study the problem of GMO's vs. the organic food/seed industry. We want at least one member of this task force to be an organic farmer. Frank Morton is the people's choice. Frank Morton, organic farmer (Shoulder to Shoulder Farm), organic seed producer (wildgardenseed.com), and board member of the Organic Seed Alliance (seedalliance.org), has authored dozens of articles on the subjects of seed propagation, GMO's, seed patents, canola and other subjects pertaining to Oregon's diverse agricultural landscape. Oregon Department of Agriculture director Katy Coba has stated that the state doesn't have the expertise to address GMO's. You need an expert on your panel who recognizes the organic food industry. Please include Frank Morton on your panel.

Because I think he deserves to be disciplined!

This petition is to illustrate the negligence of the city officials to keep their residents in a clean and safe environment. Unsafe roads create hazards among one another to be able to get to work and pay the outrageous property taxes. Put the dollars to work!

I sign lots of petitions and post pics on Facebook because I'm passionate about political issues and I believe the Tea Party Republicans are pulling this county apart. You're betting I won't vote and all I'll do is complain on Facebook. I just wanted to let you know I will vote on election day. Because I know signing isn't the same as voting.

WE THE UNDERSIGNED have genuine issues with senior Judge Thomas Gallen of 12th Judicial Circuit Florida. Judge Gallen has adjudicated in foreclosure hearings in Manatee County for a period much longer than the ‘temporary’ basis usually permitted for senior judges and at 82 years of age, he is considerably past the retirement age. As a “senior” judge he is not an elected official and therefore he is not accountable to the public for his actions and decisions. Court watchers have observed the following: Judge Gallen-- 1. Has stated openly in court that he has already decided the case before the attorneys are finished presenting the case-- 2. Often refuses to allow defense attorneys to have a closing argument— 3. Openly assists the bank plaintiff by questioning the defense witness himself— 4. Allows the bank plaintiff to enter paperwork outside the “4 corners of the complaint” in a Motion To Dismiss— 5. Provides case law to plaintiffs during hearings and trials to ensure that they prevail-- 6. Interprets the law differently for Plaintiffs than he does for defendants-- Judge Gallen makes decisions in foreclosure cases without regard to the evidence put before him, without regard to the relevant laws, Florida Statutes, case law and Rules of Civil Procedure. He makes decisions before the defendants have fully presented their case and attempts to prosecute cases from the bench. He is clearly prejudiced in favor of the Banks, financial institutions and unauthorized entities. When a Judge fails to judge fairly, understand the complicated and ever changing foreclosure issues, and has nothing to lose when he takes away a person’s property rights unfairly, he must be removed. Defendants do not want to present cases in front of Judge Gallen because he is biased. Judges in foreclosure cases are both judge and jury. The Constitution grants everyone due process of law. [N]or shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law . . . Amendment V of the Constitution Where an individual is facing a deprivation of life, liberty, or property, procedural due process mandates that he or she is entitled to adequate notice, a hearing, and a neutral judge. Many concerned citizens have wanted to have protests in front of the courthouse. We would like to avoid this undignified action. We respect the law and the courts. WE THE UNDERSIGNED RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT JUDGE THOMAS GALLEN BE REMOVED FROM HEARING FORECLOSURE ACTIONS IN THE 12TH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT COURT.

I am tired of the petty efforts to bias our representative elections in any direction. Protecting the fairness of our representative government is fundamental to American democracy. With increased data availability and computer power politicians have been able to more accurately define districts that have an engineered bias. It is time for America to use that same data availability and computer power to bring equality back into the redistricting process and out of the hands of our politicians.