The GA legislature and Governor have enacted a shameful law to restrict voter access to polls and to inflict pain on people trying to exercise their democratic right to vote. It is cruel and unusual to make it a crime to provide someone with a cool drink while waiting hours in line. Coca-Cola should take a brave stand against this assault and stand up for democracy as an iconic American company.

Alex Jones is a far-right conspiracy theorist profiting off a huge fake news empire via his InfoWars website, talk shows, and consumer products, who personally "helped jumpstart" the January 6 insurrection. Which is why it's completely unacceptable that Amazon sells Jones' merchandise and dietary supplements, even going so far as to host his online storefront. Facebook, Apple, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Spotify, and PayPal have all banned Alex Jones for hate speech violations, according to NPR. Amazon forced Parler, a far-right social media platform, offline by suspending them from their AWS hosting platform after the January 6 insurrection, ultimately causing Parler to go into hibernation for months. And yet, Amazon is fine collecting their 15% off of Jones' Super Male Vitality Natural Stamina Liquid Drops and other unregulated so-called nutritional supplements. It's time for Amazon to pull the InfoWars Store and stop profiting off of hate speech peddler Alex Jones.

Currently there are intense racial disparities in the incarcerated population. According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 4 out of every 10 people incarcerated in the state are African American men- ten times the imprisonment rate for white men (CA Democratic Caucus, 2021). This happens because systemic racism and bias are prominent within the legal process and criminal court system. Racism impacts every step of the criminal justice system from policing to the courtroom to incarceration and even after release (CA Democratic Caucus, 2021). This bill addresses these disparities through granting defendants the right to equal justice by filing for a motion at trial or following a conviction if the defendant experienced discrimination by an attorney, judge, juror, law enforcement officer, or expert witness (A.B. 256; League of Women Voters of California, 2021). It also provides retroactive relief to those who have previously endured racial disparities in charges, convictions, and sentencing (Kalra et al., 2021; League of Women Voters of California, 2021). Plus, implementation of this bill will decrease court and correctional annual spending by reducing the proportion of minority races currently incarcerated and soon to be incarcerated due to the intentional biases (Kalra et al., 2021). A.B. 256, 2021 Annual, 2021 Reg. Sess. (California 2021). https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB256 CA State Assembly: Democratic Caucus. (2021, January 15). Assemblymember Kalra announces new california racial justice act for all. CA State Assembly: Democratic Caucus. https://asmdc.org/press-releases/Assemblymember-kalra-announces-new-california-racial-justice-act-all League of Women Voters of California. (2021, January 15). Support the racial justice act for all, ab256. https://lwvc.org/news/support-racial-justice-act-all-ab-256 League of Women Voters of California. (2021, January 28). Racial justice act community implementation. https://cavotes.org/racial-justice-act-community-implementation Kalra, A., Kamlager, Rivas, R. Santiago. (2021). Assembly bill 256: California racial justice act for all [Fact sheet]. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.naswca.org/resource/resmgr/files/2021lld/AB256FactSheet.pdf

There is a reason the Center for Disease Control made the guidance for Phase 1C of the COVID-19 vaccine roll out to include people aged 16 - 64 years with underlying medical conditions and disabilities, which increase the risk of serious, life-threatening complications and death from COVID-19. However and despite this guidance, in recent weeks thirty states de-prioritized these people in COVID-19 vaccine distribution in the name of efficiency and equity. It is common sense to prioritize vulnerable Americans. In the past twelve months, over half of a million people have died from COVID-19 in the United States. 94% of these were Americans with comorbidities. The guidance is not just that of the Center for Disease Control. An analysis by FAIR Health, in collaboration with the West Health Institute and Johns Hopkins' Marty Makary, found that COVID-19 patients with developmental disorders are the most at risk of dying, followed by those with lung cancer and intellectual disabilities, regardless of age. And now, recent studies from leading immunologists in Boston show mutations are incubated in autoimmune disease patients, creating strains that are sometimes undetectable to testing and impervious to current COVID-19 treatments. Studies from John Hopkins found that people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s can catch the virus. Some develop severe and lasting symptoms, particularly if they have comorbidities or underlying conditions (such as obesity, diabetes, or high blood pressure (hypertension)). Data from one study shows that of more than 3,000 adults ages 18 to 34 who contracted COVID-19 and became sick enough to require hospital care, 21% ended up in intensive care, 10% were placed on a breathing machine, and 2.7% died. The majority of these patients had comorbidities. This in-hospital mortality rate is lower than that reported for older adults with COVID-19, but approximately double that of young adults with acute myocardial infarction. And the data is there in other parts of the world—the United Kingdom recently announced that sixty percent of their COVID-19 deaths were those with disabilities. In Australia, disabled people are five times more likely to die. Unlike the UK and AU, the United States does not collect data the same way it collects data on race or gender identity, meaning the 94% could be a low figure. Unfortunately, the majority of state vaccine rollout plans are based on state data. However, many states do not track numerous underlying conditions and disabilities within their health departments as they do other demographics such as race, age, and gender. But we know now that these are individuals at risk for bad outcomes and death from COVID-19; second to age is an underlying condition and disability such as developmental disabilities. To make matters worse, “disability activists, chronic illness advocates, and people with disabilities and underlying conditions have pointed to three main failures in inequitable vaccine rollouts: eligibility lists that do not include all those who are considered high risk; states that have not prioritized people with disabilities; and websites or vaccination sites that are not accessible, as author Cecilia Nowell wrote in her article "This women-made tool could help get more disabled people vaccinated" in The Lily. We implore the National Governors Association to re-prioritize those in thirty states who are vulnerable and have a disability. We demand vulnerable and disabled people are included in phase 1C of ALL states' vaccine rollouts, that vaccine sign-up and sites are accessible, and that states provide a choice of vaccines to those with conditions or disabilities who require choice due to their unique medical needs. Sign our petition to tell the National Governors Association to stop ignoring the vulnerable and disabled Americans and demand equity in COVID-19 state public health plans. Re-prioritize them for vaccination in the thirty states that have de-prioritized them by including them in Phase 1C. We will update you on our upcoming letter to the National Governors Association that will include this petition and other actions you can take as the campaign develops. Please stay tuned. Sincerely, Vulnerable Advocates Collective https://bit.ly/vacpact The Vulnerable Advocates Collective, or VAC Pact, is a group of activists dedicated to amplifying the voices of the vulnerable people and disabled people erased from the equity conversation. Full Plain Text Petition with Works Cited: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bma65ujyZAygUQcJ11ZEtHDi1Soh7Wc9_zKJtmT8J4M/edit?usp=sharing

The failure of politicians and energy providers caused immeasurable suffering for millions of Texans in this recent winter storm and resultant power outages. Do not allow energy providers to shift their costs to already suffering Texan consumers by raising rates or charging excess fees. Texans deserve reliable service and should not bear the costs incurred by multimillion dollar companies who prioritized profits over preparedness. Use the rainy day funds to offset costs and provide relief to already suffering Texans.

Our society and our planet are moving much faster than our legacy representatives can keep up with. Being able to retain power for decades in either the Senate or the House of Representatives has led to a decline in bipartisanship, an outright stagnation of any policy advancement, and the least popular Congress in history. Our representatives need to remember that we send them to Washington to represent our interests, not their own. By imposing term limits on all members of Congress, we ensure that representatives will have to make the most of their time, to compromise, and to focus on achieving legislative goals that best suit the needs of Americans.

Our country was founded on some simple principles, Freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Since our last president, these principles have all but disappeared. No one is telling the truth anymore and their leaders are NOT speaking out against lies in order to win elections. Let's get someone who follows the Constitution and is not for sale, a republican or a democrat, no mater so long as they respect our Constitution. I am an immigrant, arrived in these United States on May 30th, 1970. I have devoted my life to understanding this great country and live as a good citizen. I've completely adopted this country and I have no other home or other political beliefs other than democracy.

Except for a few who have lost touch with reality, Republican members of Congress know that Donald Trump lost a free and fair election. By failing to say so publicly, they are endangering Americans' lives. The rest of us must stand up and insist that the truth be told.

The "war on drugs" has led to a the incarceration of millions of Americans with at least a million more incarcerated every year. Many of these people are drug users with an addiction and punishing them with jail or prison time will not break the addiction, but treatment might. In some states, a first time offender can get 10 years in prison for simple possession while in other's, one can get a 20 year sentence for possession. A decade in jail for having an addiction is not the right answer. Our families are being torn apart by drug addiction, and harsh prison/jail sentences are not helping to resolve the problem. Addiction can be defeated with treatment, not prison.

Too many are right now trying to sweep the events of January 6th, 2021 under the rug and pretending it wasn't that bad. But insurrectionists and anyone who somehow encouraged this - whether they are in congress or not - need to be reminded of their actions so they- at the very least learn something. The savage beatings of police and other Capitol defenders with American flags needs to be addressed as criminal and unpatriotic.

If congressional members really want to help heal our divided nation, they must tell their constituents the truth that Joe Biden legitimately won the election. Congress has certified the results and Biden was sworn-in on January 20th. Yet, due to the barrage of lies from Trump and complicit media, many of his supporters still believe that the election was somehow stolen, to the great detriment of our country. Congress must act swiftly to rectify this lie and set the record straight. Every elected representative in the Capitol must tell their constituents the truth. Action must immediately be taken by engaging the media--TV, radio, newspaper, congressional websites—in a truth campaign. In addition, congressional members must mail a letter, via USPS, to all of their constituents simply stating--once and for all—that Joe Biden legally won the election and is now our 46th president of the United States. If our nation is to survive and return to prosperity again, the truth must be accepted by all of our fellow citizens. This truth will set us free. If you agree, please sign this petition and tell Congress how vital it is that truth is upheld so the healing process can begin.

Let us look at what’s at stake here. A sitting president refused to acknowledge his defeat in a legitimate election, which is the bedrock of democracy. Instead, he mobilized all his legal, political, and eventually paramilitary power in an effort to overthrow the legitimate government of the United States of America. “Incitement to insurrection” is understated- this is treason. The Constitution says: “Treason against the United States, shall consist (only) in levying War against them…” The outcome of the trial is far from decided, even though forty-five Senate Republicans voted last week to declare it unconstitutional. They fear retaliation, both physical and political, from Trump’s violent supporters and his loyal base. A secret ballot would shield them from harm. Who is on trial here? It’s not only Trump, but also 50 GOP senators. Any of them that refuses to convict him is essentially collaborating with an enemy of the United States. A new book, American Kompromat- How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery by Craig Unger lays out in detail, from trustworthy sources, how Trump became and remains a Russian asset. The only way to stop Trump and Trumpism is to ban him from politics. If he were prohibited from holding political office, his base would probably drift away, allowing the GOP to return to civilized conduct. And such a ban can only happen if the Senate convicts him of the impeachment charges. Then it would only take a simple majority to get him out of the political arena. Let’s look at his defense. His first team of lawyers resigned en masse because he insisted on defending the lie that the election was stolen from him. Evidently he’s seen reason, because the new team plans to argue 1) It’s unconstitutional to try an ex-president; 2) his speech on Jan. 6th, stirring up the crowd to invade the Capitol where Congress was sitting to certify Biden’s election, was protected by the First Amendment. As to 1), the House prosecutors will point out that Trump was still in office when impeached, and there are precedents for trial of an ex government official after he/she (all men so far) leaves office. As to 2), more and more evidence is coming to light about Trump’s role in the attempted coup, starting with his message to the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate last September. He spent the fall laying groundwork for questioning the validity of the November election. After losing 60 lawsuits challenging Biden’s victory, in December he replaced key civil servants in the Defense Department with loyalists, who excluded the incoming Biden team from information for 2 weeks. On Jan 6th, 2021, these new appointees forbade Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, to call for additional help until the acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, approved it. Approval was delayed for several hours. Meanwhile the crowd rampaged through the Capitol, forcing Congresspeople into hiding, some afraid for their lives. Last week, Seth Abramson published a powerful piece at Proof on the role in the coup attempt/insurrection of Trump and his innermost circle. Fifteen hours before the insurrection began, Trump's closest advisors met at Trump's private residence at Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House. A couple of them had helped recruit the mob, via robocalls and social media. Blogs posted afterwards by some of those who met that evening indicate they were planning the coup. There are several smoking guns here. The Senate will convict Trump, if they are allowed to vote by secret ballot. Tell Senator Chuck Schumer to insist on a secret ballot. He can be reached at http://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck And continue to spread this petition, https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/secret-ballot-for-senate-vote-on-trump-2nd-impeachment-trial-1