I am not thrilled with the idea of voting for another Wall Street-friendly Clinton. I want a genuine progressive to be the Democratic candidate, if not Elizabeth Warren, then Martin O'Malley.

We firmly believe that access to broadband internet opens doors for individuals to be able to realize their full potential. For those with broadband access, the option to upgrade to a higher connection speed will allow for greater innovation, evidenced by cities with current Google Fiber installs. For those without broadband access, the option to acquire it at a low cost enables individuals to enhance their lives in ways such as providing students with access to online resources and connecting individuals in rural areas with the rest of the outside world.

With all the trouble in the world, there is our great Americana music to make things right. We should honor the late Levon Helm of The Band with a U.S. postage stamp.

First United Methodist Church has been a part of the community of Eureka Springs, Arkansas for 136 years. But this year they were banned from the Easter parade because they wanted to carry a banner reading, "Jesus loves all." Church members say that the conservative parade organizers rejected the church because it fully welcomes and includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

I started this petition because I am very involved with Urban Debate Leagues and an alumna of Northwestern University's College debate program. Debate is near and dear to my heart and I strongly believe that debate, as a tool, is extremely powerful and can be used to help middle school and high schools in public schools across the country, as they navigate the world and try to fight back against oppression. Because I recognize the power of debate, I am deeply disturbed and heartbroken at some things that have come to light about the leadership of the National Urban Debate League. #StopBigUDL Linda Listrom constantly demonstrates a lack of skill, awareness, and capacity to perform her job duties. The NAUDL tournaments have become a hotbed of racial microaggressions as well as a space for NAUDL to strip students of their stories by strategically putting students in a position where they essentially are made to credit NAUDL for all of their successes publicly. I am sharing recently published articles on this exact question. 1.http://newarkteacher.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-newark-science-left-national.htm “The following was a letter written to Linda Listrom, the Executive Director of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues on March 13. To date there has been no response. Well meaning white missionaries can do insidiously harmful and racist things. I believe that the movement of urban debate is important. Hopefully this is something we can learn from.” -Jonathan Alston, Director of Debate, Science Park High School, Newark, NJ 2.http://lbsbaltimore.com/white-power-and-black-voices-why-we-cant-rely-on-good-white-people/ “The Baltimore Urban Debate League (BUDL), under the leadership of Pam Block-Brier, is bound up in the non-profit industrial complex. We no longer will support BUDL in any way, shape or form. We are building the Walter Carter Leadership Institute to offer quality debate, advocacy and leadership training to young people in Baltimore. Those who are interested in helping to support grassroots debate training should support our work.” - Dayvon Love, Director of Research and Public Policy for Leadership of a Beautiful Struggle, #LBSbaltimore, Baltimore City, MD 3.http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/03/boston-debate-league-believes-debate-can-help-students-struggling-most-city-schools/xL70Cnzg08i3IP22gfjNDN/story.html “Finally, this last piece tells the story as framed by the Boston Globe of the Boston Debate League. The League is very successful and scholars like the individual from New Mission spotlighted in this piece are numerous and their narratives are vast and incredible. As a former employee of the BDL, I commend the effort of all the staff, students and coaches for their Athena-like effort in supporting the growth and success of the BDL. Unfortunately, you can see from the Executive Director, Steve Stein’s commentary, he suggests that all BDL students are vulnerable and debate in some way saves them. Or perhaps Steve himself assumes all personal salvation, like so many white liberals with too much money and not enough humanity.” -Veronica Switzer, former Talent Manager, Boston Debate League, Boston, MA (resigned). The culmination of the egregious behavior on behalf of NAUDL leadership is an email recently sent to all leagues directors in which Linda threatened that she would ban students, schools, and even entire leagues from the National Competition if they were found making arguments that the Urban Debate League institution is, by and large, a racist and problematic institution. Here is a copy of a recent email she released to the Urban Debate community: http://www.cross-x.com/topic/58802-naudl/ We need to stand up and demand that white liberals are held responsible for their problematic internalized racism. Here is a quote from a former UDL alum on Linda's statements: “I think that it is disturbing that critique of urban debate as exploitative was lumped together with misogynistic and demeaning language. I do not think that those arguments (about UDLs being exploitative) are beyond reasonable critique, we need (and probably must, and should) to be able to grapple with that possibility. If people feel threatened by those arguments, the best answer will be found through more debate, not less. This goes hand in hand with a statement made later on in the email where she goes on to say, “It is also insulting to the sponsors who are paying for the debaters’ plane tickets and hotel room." ...This implies that if you can afford to buy in to tournaments you can run(argue) whatever you want but if you're in a position where a UDL buys in for you then that comes with the power for them to choose what you're allowed to say? I feel like that is antithetical to most of the mission statements, not to mention would kind of make the statement she made later on that, “it is not appropriate to argue at an urban debate tournament that urban debate is racist or exploitive" painfully ironic. I would implore us all to remember that racial justice is not something that our students ‘– many of whom are students of color – are interested in” saying that deeply devalues that hard work that our students are doing to combat racism in their own lives as well to take on the beast that is institutionalized racism as they navigate (Substitute; Public Schools) , college, and the working world. When I think of something I am interested in I think of Star Trek, not a centuries long battle for equity.” Thank you, Veronica Switzer and Crew Original Background edited 4/11/15 I started this petition because I am very involved with Urban Debate Leagues and an alumae of Northwestern University's College debate program. Ms. Listrom constantly demonstrates a lack of skill, awareness, and capacity to perform her job duties. She recently sent an email to all leagues directors that specifically said she would ban students, schools, and leagues from the National Competition ...

My wife's daughter, Trilynn Brueggeman-Bruce was removed from the mother and the legal father while they forced the child (and, without checking her in, the mother as well) to remain for 72 hours. All the while, false documentation done by doctors and nurses of this hospital, made neglect look like the reason to later, after 3 days, have her placed elsewhere by DHS (and it stated so ON THE FIRST DAY, AFTER HER FIRST EXAM, before any kind of proof was given or falsely shown!!) We the parents were railroaded by Child Protective Services and the justice system in Iowa, so that healthcare and our state can embezzle federal funds to use for other reasons. Instead of placing her in the care of the married parents who have little or no criminal history, the judge has given her to the biological father, who has an OWI and assault record, and who is NOT married; and terminated our rights, all because we didn't agree with her completely illegal removal, and wouldn't jump through a score of unneeded hoops, which only served to make the state and the healthcare giant, Unity Point Hospital (the same two entities totally responsible for her being removed) money. Help us get her back where she belongs, in a complete and loving family!

Bring Jeweliana Copeland home to her daddy. Jeweliana and her daddy were subject to malicious and criminal actions by the mother Khrista K Erdman. Jeweeliana and daddy were subject to perjury by the Courts, Guardian ad Litem, DHS and placement family. Jeweliana is illegally being held by DHS, State of Iowa and Tony and Barb Smith. Iowa Code 232 states that I am not the biological or adoptive parent, therefore not a parent. Iowa code 598 states that I am the legal established parent. Let's bring my daughter from these organized criminals. Also ask for the resignation of DHS caseworker Jewel Condon, whom was cited for contributing alcohol to a minor in her job capacity.

Iowa has Medically kidnapped this family. There is no founded abuse mental or physical abuse, there was no Imminent danger. The Dr took Christopher off his medication to allow body to adjust so he could try a different medication. The other 3 children were stolen from her again no founded abuse,no imminent danger. We have on video tape the Social worker stating Christina did everything right. WHY are the children not home.

Vacation rentals and Bed and Breakfasts permitting has been such a contentious issue here on Oahu. The current rules are ineffective, unenforceable and archaic. The opponents proposal is to add "tools" for enforcement only. They did not consider the financial impact on Oahu economy as a whole. Similar action in Maui produced disastrous result and ultimately failed. Unscrupulous individuals, recognizing that state agencies have not been enforcing current law, are not complying with vacation-rental and tax requirements. We cannot attempt to address this problem by punishing those who are compliant with current law by stripping them of their opportunities and freedoms. It doesn’t matter where the property owner resides, the property is in Hawaii and therefore the existing laws of the state that admirably uphold constitutional and trade-agreement provisions must be enforced. Allowing permitting along with enforcement of reasonable rules address both issues of enforcement and its financing. Hawaii residents would like their neighborhoods to be places where they can expect enjoyment of their free time. They’d like their communities, and those of their friends and families, to have the services and support that make them good places to live, work, and explore. Owners of legal vacation-rental properties share these values, but we recognize there are some owners who do not. Rather than penalize all, we need to identify and address the owners who do not operate within their social license. Owners of legal Hawaii vacation rental property contribute to the state’s ability to offer the accommodation choices of any globally significant tourist destination in the competitive tourism marketplace. We would appreciate an end to the special-interest lobby-based bills that arise each year. Such bills harm what Hawaii stands for and threatens its economic future. Support Resolution 15-72 Support Resolution 15-86

In many states throughout the country, LGBTQ individuals are still denied basic legal protections on the statewide and federal level. It is legal in Indiana to eject an LGBTQ person from a hotel or restaurant, deny them housing, refuse to hire them, deny them a promotion in the workplace, and even terminate their employment solely on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. Unfortunately, the lack of statewide protections create a patchwork of "safe" and "unsafe" states throughout the country. While LGBTQ individuals may be protected in their home state, that is not necessarily the case if they leave to visit a friend or relative. The introduction of Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) bills also compound the issue by threatening to allow religious extremists to ignore existing local ordinances that offer protections to the LGBTQ community. RFRA bills will also grant a "license to discriminate" that allows any person or business to deny service provided that they can proclaim a sincerely-held religious belief.

America’s political system is ramping up for the 2016 presidential election. The two leading candidates for the Democratic and Republican parties are Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, respectively. Each has formed a leadership political action committee (PAC) to prepare for a run. Both are expected to announce their candidacies in the coming weeks. The Bushes and Clintons served at the pinnacle of American power without interruption for three decades beginning with Vice President George H.W. Bush in 1981. They remain as power brokers even while holding no political office; Bill Clinton serves as the de facto head of the Democratic Party. Some are concerned that potential Democratic candidates are holding back for fear of the long shadow cast on the party by the Clintons. The Bush family, too, maintains a position of power within the Republican Party. Jeb Bush has been depicted as waiting “his turn” while his brother served as president. Now, with his family and its powerful supporters behind him, his nomination is highly probable. Arthur M. Schlesinger warned forty years ago in “The Imperial Presidency” of an alarming concentration of power in the Executive Branch of the federal government. Despite this warning, power has continued shifting to the presidency at an accelerating pace. Consolidating presidential power further by limiting choice to two families is a major threat to the republic and the interests of its citizens. In the eyes of many the democratic principle of power shared among the citizenry through universal suffrage is in jeopardy. Our political system is intended to bestow equality through the voting process, but the reality is that powerful moneyed elites drive the choices put before the voters in major elections. After elections, those same few advance their priorities through direct and indirect influence that results from financial support of campaigns. The Bushes and Clintons, historically entrenched in this distorted system, are not likely to confront it. On a cultural level, the political division within the country is personified by the Bushes and Clintons. They depend on ideological polarity to muster support and gain the levers of power. To select Bush and Clinton as the party nominees for the 2016 election is to assure continued bitter division in the country for another four to eight years. It is time to move on to new and fresh ideas and faces. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, it is clear to see that the nation’s interest is best served by moving away from these two families. Visit http://www.nobushclinton2016.com for stickers and additional information.

This block of Eddy Street is a major location for Tenderloin street drug dealing and we believe that a trial removal of parking on the Northern side of the block will disrupt the drug activity that uses these parked cars to hide drug sales and use. Parking was removed from Turk Street, one block away, and drug activity significantly declined. We hope to replicate that experience on Eddy Street and increase safety and improve the quality of life on the block.