It is an embarrassment to the city of Gainesville, education professionals, UF alumni, and higher education that the nation’s #6 public university is fighting against basic human rights. UF's treatment of their employees is garnering national attention. The university has chosen profit over people, consistently refusing to listen to the protests of their employees. In addition to creating an unsafe work environment, the University of Florida is violating workers' rights by refusing a majority of ADA accommodations. Furthermore, these policies are disproportionately affecting BIPOC and vulnerable community members.

We need to get our lives back. We need a plan and a means to execute that plan that will ensure that as many people that want to get the vaccine can as soon as possible. Governor Ron DeSantis needs to step aside and let Florida get vaccinated.

President Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion COVID rescue package featuring an expansion of emergency paid leave, providing economic security to nearly 200 million working people, as well as our nation’s long-term recovery from COVID-19. This bill closes the loopholes in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, it provides over 14 weeks of paid sick, family, and medical leave. It also provides a maximum paid leave benefit of $1,400 per week for eligible working people, and extends emergency paid leave measures until September 20, 2021. This couldn’t come at a more urgent time, as Congress allowed the previous paid leave provisions to lapse in December, right as we hit new, devastating peaks in the coronavirus crisis. President Biden’s plan to reinstate and improve emergency paid leave is a critical step to supporting working families while reducing the spread of the virus. Congress must pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, NOW!

Climate Injustice is not talked about enough. This is a serious topic and people's lives are in danger. Communities of color are disproportionately affected by climate change due to the racism embedded in our society. We must do our part and make sure all walks of life are completely protected, from heat waves to blizzards, everyone, no matter their income, needs to be kept safe. This is a global crisis, we must work together to save our environment and our future.

The United Nations Resolution 194 states: "Resolves that, in view of its association with three world religions, the Jerusalem area, including the present municipality of Jerusalem plus the surrounding villages and towns, the most Eastern of which shall be Abu Dis; the most Southern, Bethlehem; the most Western, Ein Karim (including also the built-up area of Motsa); and the most Northern, Shu'fat, should be accorded special and separate treatment from the rest of Palestine and should be placed under effective United Nations control." The location of the US embassy in the vicinity of Jerusalem, violates UN mandate of special and separate treatment of Jerusalem and is a cause of distress to local people of Palestinian origin.

In Jamira’s own words (12/10/2020): Governor Ned Lamont, Hello, How are you? My name is Jamira Myers #278506 Inmate Number, and I am currently an inmate at York Correctional Institution. My reason for reaching out to you is because I really need your help. I’ve written to counselors, captains, social workers, the warden, the commissioner, Action 8 News, ACLU, American Disabilities Act. I’ve tried speaking with different attorneys, reporters, and now I’m writing to you because all those people I named I either never got any response or was threatened with a disability ticket if I kept writing them. I’m a 37-year-old black female with 4 children, single mother who has a lot of health problems. I have high blood pressure, chronic asthma, sleep apnea, legally disabled at home due to my chronic back problems and my mental health issues. I’ve had my attorney put in for a (sentence) modification on my behalf which was denied. I filed a Habeas petition to attack the conditions of my confinement, no luck. After a full year I just got a wheelchair and put in a handicapped room so I can be transported back and forth to Medline so I can get my medication because for a while I was off my meds due to me being immobile and the doctor made it seem like I was just refusing when that wasn’t the case - I literally had to push a big trash bin around the compound filled with trash to get around and when I couldn’t do that anymore they would call codes on me and 7 or 8 CO’s had to pick me up off the ground because my legs and my back kept giving out on me. I got laughed at and called Black Bitch and Trash Pusher by CO’s. Please can you help me? I would never have written to you if I didn’t really need your help. 50% of my time will be January, and I will be eligible for a Halfway House two months after that. I’m not asking to be let out in the street but at least put in a hospital or a rehabilitation center so I can get my surgery. I don’t want to die from being obese because I’m immobile due to my back issue. I can’t go to a halfway house like this. I know you receive tons of letters from inmates asking for freedom. I’m willing to be in a locked facility in my hometown so staff can at least get me back and forth to the doctors so I can get some type of pain management and get my surgery scheduled, then go to a halfway house as soon as they have a bed for me. I’m begging you from the bottom of my heart, I don’t want to die here. I’m only 37-years-old, and my kids need their mom. Please can you respond to my letter even if you refuse to help me as well? I’m so desperate and it took me a lot of courage to write you, but I decided to give it a shot and see if there really is a God out there because I’m literally suffering. You got to see it to believe it. Anyways, I’ll end the letter in good faith and hope I receive a response back. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my letter. God bless you and have a wonderful day. Sincerely, Jamira Myers

Cincinnati has increasingly become known as a destination for its variety of restaurants and bars, but the pandemic has caused dozens of incredible local establishments to close their doors permanently. Those that have been able to weather the storm have done so at significant cost: reducing capacity, focusing on curbside pickup and delivery as well as the mandated curfews have resulted in significant revenue losses for our city’s establishments. The reduced capacity has hit hourly waged workers the hardest since we are dependent on tips, as we are paid well below the federal minimum wage. In addition, exposure to the virus among staff forces many businesses to close for weeks at a time, further hurting workers by preventing them from making any income in the interim. Ohio and Cincinnati leadership must step up now and act in the best interests of the working class service industry by allowing us to protect ourselves. A safer service industry is a safer Cincinnati.

With Michael Lindell, the CEO of My Pillow, showing up last week at the white house with written notes to give to Donald Trump that were instructions to overturn the election by way of Martial Law...i no longer think a great company like Costco should allow My Pillow a place to set up and sell their products. My Pillow should be banned from ALL Costco facilities as Mr Lindell has proven to be a Traitor to this nation.

Those who attacked the Capitol, democracy, and the rule of law—resulting in at least 5 deaths — had help and even encouragement from some members of law enforcement. Intelligence experts have warned for years about a major, growing problem with white supremacists and other far-right extremists in law enforcement. But police unions have fought and undermined attempts to investigate the problem and fire violent, racist, anti-government, and white supremacist extremists. Several prominent police union leaders have associated with white supremacists, and police unions often perpetuate a culture of violence and impunity. They do everything possible to shield officers from accountability, including officers who are compromised by bias, racism, and connections to white supremacists groups. Police unions have successfully defended officers who used racial slurs, who made posts calling for racist violence, and who have white supremacist tattoos. They have kept these officers in their jobs, on the streets with a badge and gun, and in a position to carry out violence against groups they hate (or to simply fail to protect them). This must change. The consequences of failing to address white supremacist infiltration of the police are clearer than ever. It puts all of us in danger and threatens the basic functioning of our government and democracy. Join us in calling on law enforcement leaders—police chiefs, sherriffs, and others—to root out white supremacists and extremists in the agencies they lead, and directly confront any attempts by police unions to undermine the process or protect dangerous police officers.

The leaders who fueled last week's attack enabled acts of domestic terrorism and bolstered white nationalist groups who brought symbols of hate into our Capitol, inflicted violence on others, and threatened the lives of our elected leaders and others. Despite this violence, those who sieged the Capitol were undeniably treated with higher regard than so many Black Lives Matter protesters and people of color in their daily interactions with police. They have continued to put the lives of others and our democracy at risk. Americans have put up with this type of behavior for the last four years. Do we really need this for another two years? Congress must take action towards their behavior and make it clear that this will not be tolerated. Boebert and Greene should be expelled from Congress and charged with a crime.

For more than four years, Mike Lee has not only lacked the courage and the moral compass to denounce con man Trump’s reprehensible behavior, he’s aided and abetted Trump’s deception and domestic abuse of the American public by standing by instead of standing up.

Our first priority should be keeping everyone as safe as possible, from Covid and from expected violence. Secondly, most Americans believe that expending our human and monetary resources for this event is inappropriate and distasteful in light of what we have been through. We did it beautifully for the convention, why not now? Holding a traditional ceremony is not what the American people want or need.