Update 1/29/2020: SCR 1613 passed the state senate by 2 votes. The house is expected to have a debate it soon, possibly Thursday 2/6. Please call your state house rep. and make sure they know how upsetting this is. This amendment would make it possible for Kansas to set even more restrictions on the right to an abortion, with no regard for a woman’s health. The politicians and organizations behind this dangerous amendment want to ban all abortions -- no matter what. We need to trust women, not politicians. However we may feel individually about abortion, we know that it is better that each woman can make her own personal medical decisions, in consultation with her family, her faith, and the advice of her doctor.

The very integrity of the United States and the Presidency are at stake. Our core values are being challenged and wrong is wrong. Period.

“There are two animals that walk the earth that don’t swim by instinct, and therefore must be taught; Chimpanzees and Humans” (Bonnie Tsui, 2020 “Why We Swim”) “Swimming is Unlike any other Subject; It is a Life-Saving Skill” Drownings are the number one killer of children under age 5. Worse, for every drowning victim, there are four near-drownings. That is, when someone has been deprived of oxygen for a sufficient amount of time to cause brain damage. Drowning is preventable with swimming lessons and water safety instruction and safer places to swim. Studies have shown that when a community has a public pool, drownings decrease. Swimming used to be as popular as going to the movies; there were huge magnificent municipal pools in many places. They had the Fleishecker Pool and Sutro Baths in San Francisco. The Fleishecker could accommodate 10,000 swimmers and had sandy beaches and lifeguards in rowboats. The tilework and statues were beautiful--museum quality. According to Jeff Wiltse, (Contested Waters--The Social History of Swimming Pools in America, 2007) these fancy municipal pools were for whites only; the black communities had more austere pools--but swimming was popular in both places and lessons were free. In 1947 when the Jim Crow laws expired, blacks could then go to the fancy pools. So many of the plain pools closed when blacks could go to the fancy pools, but they found themselves sometimes unwelcome and whites generally stayed away. Little by little the fabulous municipal pools shuttered. This was when people of means built backyard pools and started private clubs. Swimming stayed popular with anyone lucky enough to have access to a pool. Unfortunately, people that didn’t swim didn't prioritize teaching their children to swim and now we are on the third generation of some non swimmers--and it is really a class issue. But it plays out racially. In 2014 The Center for Disease Control (CDC) did their first ever report on the racial disparity in drownings. The results are alarming. People of color drown at much higher rates than whites. Latinos, Asians, and Blacks drown significantly more often than others.  Swimming pools are expensive to build and maintain, so unless people ask for one, they don’t get built and maintained. In Sacramento, CA where the average July temperature is 94 F, there are few inner city public pools, yet the suburbs are still building them.  Roseville built their aquapark in 1995, and they have two other municipal pools (67%white community).  North Natomas built a $43 million aqua park in 2019 -- 70% white neighborhood.  Elk Grove (45% white and 29% Asian) has three Aqua parks,   Davis has eight municipal pools and is building a $13.6 million aquatic center for 2023.  Because of the lack of access to municipal pools and swimming lessons, there is a huge racial disparity in accidental drownings. An 11 y/o black child is now 10X more likely to drown than a white. Swimming is unlike any other sport; it is a life-saving skill.

health concerns cannot reject proposals to planning board or code offices right now due to 1996 law according to FCC. they have done no research on how cell towers emitting radiation have adverse or no effect on the environment of human lives. Research has been done by scientists but the FCC rejects this. People in Zurich are marching in the street protesting 5G. people across the country are trying to get their planning board to create ordinances to protect life. very difficult due to FCC ruling.

Bernie will fight for the working class and poor. He has been consistent for 40 years. Medicare For All, tuition free public college, Green New Deal, Get money out of politics, get us out of endless wars, Federal Jobs Guarantee, Expand Social Security, Immigration reform, Criminal Justice Reform

The United States has a very low voter turnout compared to other countries. It's important that as many citizens as possible be given the opportunity to participate in our democracy by voting. Making election day a federal holiday will give significantly more people the opportunity to vote. Since it will replace Columbus Day, it won't generate any additional costs.

The 2018 Farm Bill defined hemp as a legal agricultural product. People who maintain irrational "Reefer Madness" grudges against hemp should not be allowed to impede access to hemp. In other words, people who dislike broccoli can't prevent others from eating it. Thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp should be no different. Organizations that maintain antiquated hemp prohibitions, such as Colorado State University-Pueblo*, are not only out of compliance with federal law, but also absurdly impede access to hemp’s myriad health benefits. Anyone who wishes to consume hemp to enhance health and nutrition should not be prevented from doing so. Therefore, signatories of this petition call for the immediate termination of all existing bans on hemp across the USA. *Colorado State University-Pueblo, which ironically houses an Institute of Cannabis Research, maintains the following ignorance-inspired prohibition on hemp and/or Cannabis: “The use of marijuana on campus, even with a valid medical marijuana license, is prohibited.”

"In New Jersey, the number of children in pre-kindergarten through high school who cited religion as an excuse to avoid vaccines grew from 1,641 in the 2005-06 academic year to just under 14,000 in the 2018-19 year. Of these, 8,348 children were enrolled in pre-kindergarten, according to state Department of Education data." - nj.com Parents citing religious concerns as a reason to not vaccinate their children is rapidly becoming more widespread in our state. This is being framed as a "personal / medical choice" issue; however, it is a public health issue. Until 2018, measles was all but gone in North America; now there are outbreaks in California and right here in NJ. Measles, which is often framed as a "harmless childhood disease", can have serious complications, including lifelong disabilities and pneumonia (which can lead to death). This is especially true if someone sick with measles is malnourished or immunocompromised. The bill is not about "forced vaccines". The bill is about making sure that children who are at higher risk due to lack of vaccination, are not spreading VPD (vaccine-preventable diseases) to other peoples' children. It is about protecting some of the most vulnerable members of our population, such as kids who are immunocompromised and legitimately can't receive vaccines. Ideally, this bill will open up further dialogue between parents and doctors, so that healthcare providers can better answer parents' questions and assist them in determining what is reliable information and what is not. The anti-vaccination crowd has come out in full force in NJ, harassing legislators and making verbal / digital personal attacks. The protesting outside Senate has been so loud that you can barely hear what's going on inside the building. The bill has been dropped once already and passed over yesterday as lawmakers have caved to the hysteria and bullying. We can't simply let this go. The medical community is overwhelmingly in favor of vaccines. And this is who we should be listening to - not conspiracy theorists and Del Bigtree. I think it is also important to note, that there are almost no major religions that object to vaccinations. The vaccines manufactured and given now are very far away from the aborted fetal cell lines that they were once grown in. (See second link at the bottom for an article / example of this from a Christian viewpoint). This is not a slippery slope and it's not about taking away our freedom. Parental fear and misinformation does not supercede a child's right to a healthy life. Other states have done this; now it's our turn. Support bills A3818 and S2173. We have laws about child car seats. It's time to toughen up the laws about childhood immunization and keep NJ's vaccine rates high. Children have the right to be protected against disease. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41390-019-0354-3 https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-christians-should-know-vaccines/

We will not vote for EVIL, even the lesser of two evils. We will not compromise and settle for pretenders who pale in comparison. This is not a game. This is not a bluff. To nominate anyone else the DNC would repeat the same folly as 2016. In order to defeat Trump, Bernie Sanders is the best option, one that will attract record voting highs full of independents, traditionally non-voters, former centrists and right wingers that have 'seen the light' and #FeelTheBern. In order to successfully make change in healthcare, climate change, tax reform, stopping legal tax evasion, gun reform, prison reform, and stopping the wars the President will need to have unprecedented fortitude and courage to remain noble and stedfast in the face of pressure and attacks by very powerful industries. Bernie Sanders is that candidate. No other candidates satisfy our criteria of not being corrupt in their policy decision making, no other has integrity, no other has determination to follow through with the lip service of their platform, such as true Single-Payer Healthcare in the form of Medicare for All. We will also vote out any opposition in local elections, and support candidates that pledge to support his agenda. Brought to you by The Forte Foundation and the Purple People's Party. #NotMeUs #WeThePeople #BrandNewCongress

Our democracy faces an existential threat if Donald Trump is re-elected. The damage he has done during his first term, enabled by feckless Congressional Republicans who put party over country, will take years, if not decades, to undo. Trump has already packed federal courts with right-wing ideologues; fully one in four U.S. circuit court judges have been appointed to lifetime seats by Trump. His Supreme Court picks have moved the high court to the right of ultra-conservative Justice Scalia. It's terrifying to imagine what the federal judiciary would look like after another four years of Trump nominees. It’s expected that during the Democratic primaries candidates will attack their opponents’ platforms; at times the critiques have been mean-spirited and personal and no doubt will continue that way as the competition intensifies. Worse, though, is what’s playing out among the candidates’ core supporters. Examples abound on social media of insults being hurled at one candidate or another by the others’ supporters. That doesn’t bode well for the general election. To defeat Trump in conservative-leaning swing states (the only ones that matter, thanks to winner-take-all and the Electoral College), to hold the Democratic House majority and to flip the Senate, Democrats will need a get-out-the-vote effort the likes of which we’ve never seen. To achieve that will require efforts well beyond what the eventual nominee will be able to muster on their own. But to listen to some activists, if their candidate doesn’t prevail, yes, they’ll vote for whomever is the Democratic nominee, but beyond that the effort they make will be much less than what it would have been. Given what’s at stake, that’s not acceptable. If the losing candidates’ supporters just show up to vote, but do no more, we could lose it all. The only ones who can change this narrative are the candidates themselves. And they can’t wait until after the convention. Democrats can’t afford to let the acrimony between the camps build to the point that the ill will causes any Democratic activist to sit on the sidelines (the way it did in 2016 between Hillary and Bernie supporters.) The way to build party unity is for candidates to keep sending the message to their supporters, “I expect you to work as hard to elect the Democratic nominee, whoever it is, as you will if I win the nomination. Nothing less is acceptable. Do I have your promise that you’re all in, whoever is nominated?” Imagine the power of a huge display of unity at the end of every Democratic nominee's campaign rally. We need nothing less.

The report is clear. Our babies are dying, employment opportunities do not exist for us, evictions are at an all-time high, shortages exist in adequate housing, HIV is on the rise and the list goes on for us. Please read below and join us in establishing a new day and a new way. Akron, Summit County African American Leadership Covenant. Vision Statement “We envision a community that values diversity and maintains high standards, in a safe and nurturing environment that builds independence and economic self-sufficiency, while educating our community in the knowledge of self and promoting a healthy quality of life for all throughout the life cycle.” Commitment Statement As a leader in the African American community in Akron, Ohio and the County of Summit, I am committed to secure and promote the financial, legal, spiritual and cultural well-being of the community and to ensure that it fulfills its mission. As a leader, I understand that I share the responsibility to always work collectively in the best interests of the community, a duty to put the good of the community first and avoid any conflicts with other leaders that would hinder the progress of members within the community. In the event a conflict arises, I am committed to reconciliation for the greater good of the community. In furtherance of these commitments and responsibilities I will put forth my best individual effort to: • Participate in and support the African American community with my talents, resources, skills, and abilities. • Lead with integrity, honesty, compassion, and commitment. • Dedicate my efforts towards uniting and uplifting black people • Educate myself, be self-determined to benefit my brothers and sisters • Advocate, sacrifice, and lead by example for our children’s children • Take talk to action in collective work and responsibility • Never give up, never give in and stand on truth

Dolores Clara Fernández Huerta is an American labor leader and civil rights activist who, with Cesar Chavez, is a co-founder of the National Farmworkers Association, which later became the United Farm Workers (UFW). Huerta helped organize the Delano grape strike in 1965 in California and was the lead negotiator in the workers' contract that was created after the strike. Huerta has received numerous awards for her community service and advocacy for workers', immigrants', and women's rights, including the Eugene V. Debs Foundation Outstanding American Award, the United States Presidential Eleanor Roosevelt Award for Human Rights and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was the first Latina inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame, in 1993. Huerta is the originator of the phrase, "Sí, se puede" (Yes, we can). As a role model to many in the Latino community, Huerta is the subject of many corridos (Mexican or Mexican-American ballads) and murals. In California, April 10 is Dolores Huerta day. It is also her birthday. For more information, see doloreshuertaboulevard.org