It's one of the worst fire seasons Utah is facing. Even though the 4th of July has passed, the Days of 47 are upon us. Thousands of acres burned, houses burned and thousands of people have had to evacuated. How much of our state do we have to watch burn before seeing a "ban" on fireworks. The Governor has currently issued a ban on Utah state lands. This does not go far enough. We should not be using any personal fireworks anywhere in Utah, period. On June 14, Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper issued an executive order that banned the private use of fireworks statewide because of very dry conditions and high fire danger.

The NRA is trying to blackmail democrats into voting that Eric holder be held in contempt of congress. The truth is the NRA will not get them elected next term anyways, because the Citizens United ruling now guarantees that Republicans will be having each seat that comes up for election bought for them. the days of NRA money helping a Democrat get elected are over. We the people will also be scoring this vote, and any Democrat that votes for contempt, will be held in contempt themselves, and will get no help , or votes from " we the people " ever again.

If you were allowed to cry it out, or currently practice this approach with babies or toddlers, this petition may touch a nerve. Children learn to sooth themselves by being soothed by a parent or care giver. That is how children learn. They do not learn to soothe themselves by crying alone with no holding or comforting. Effects of not soothing a child are that brain cells die (brain damage!), self regulation is actually undermined/child goes into despair at being abandoned, the stress response may be established for life and cause long term health problems and ADHD, trust is lost with a parent, and the sensitivity of the caregiver may be harmed (Narvaez, 2011). For more information on the history of Cry It Out, its effects, and solutions, go to http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/moral-landscapes/201112/dangers-crying-it-out? On page two there are a lot of suggestions for further reading.

Our returning combat veterans were mostly innocent boys when they entered military service, but are coming home with physical wounds and emotional scars; and they are facing massive unemployment. They need much more help than our government is offering -- such as free college education and job-retraining, and temporary financial support for their families. So many are suffering from PTSD, but the stigma of mental illness prevents soldiers from applying for help; so our government should have a strong outreach program. They deserve no less.

In Justice Scalia's dissent from the recent Immigration decision, he openly attacked the Obama administration's position on Immigration even though it had nothing to do with the case. He has become so blatantly political that it is clear he has lost all neutrality that the high court position is supposed to require. Remember duck hunting with Dick Cheney and then refusing to recuse himself from the case involving the former Vice President? Three seperate Brances of Government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. Bring back Checks and Balances.

Stop the political posturing and work together to bring the nation forward and back together again.

all pet stores should be checked for where they get their animals and the records of conditions the animals got through from the time they are born to the time they arrive at the store. and the animals should be held in exceptionable living conditions while at pet stores.. and check with future owners to assure pets' wellbeing

My son Matthew was born gay. We could not have been more blessed with a smarter, nicer a more caring son than what we have now. Unfortunately a large portion of LGBT children in the United States do not have parents that feel the same as my wife and I do. Too many times are the uneducated parents willing to remove their children from their own home because of the child’s sexual orientation. This is no less than child abuse. This is no less than child abandonment. The child is left to walk the streets for food, money and shelter. Often times these cases go unreported because the child feels that they have done something wrong or have no one to turn to. The parents in most cases report their child as a runaway and local law enforcement agencies hands are tied at that point. A disproportionate number of homeless children are indeed LGBT and it needs to stop. These children need us, and we need them. Please help stop this abuse by signing this petition. One more child is too many. Thanks to all who support this very important cause. Brent, Debi & Matthew.

United States Attorney General Eric Holder has been a stalwart in the fight to protect the rights of every American. His office has worked immensely to uphold voting and civil rights laws, which has led to him becoming a thorn in the side of many who view him as being in the way of pushing forward their polarizing agenda. He now needs you and I as citizens to stand in support of him as he works to defend the rights, earned by the blood, sweat, and tears of many, that we now all enjoy as Americans.

It is a pledge petition. Those who sign pledge to not vote for any candidate who has the support of the billionaires who want to control the election results with unlimited money. Our elections are not for sale to the highest bidder.

THe horrendous service provided by CTA on the Redline @ 95th. In addition to the proposed 5 month closure of the line from Cermak to 95th. The closure are necessary according to the CTA in order to repair the tracks and structure. You have never heard of a 5 month closure that will prevent the train from operating. In case of repair they have closed station partially but never 9 stations on the one route?

UPDATE: (7/22/12) There's been some movement on the Tilted Kilt front that I think is very positive. President Staackmann met with Ted last week and released a press release saying that Ted told Staackmann he wants "something the community can support" to go on the property. From the Patch story over the weekend: "Mayor Staackmann commented, in the statement, “We want Mr. Mavrakis to be successful, with a development that meets the needs of the market and the community. The Village will work with Mr. Mavrakis to develop something that we all can be proud of. ""He's intent on doing something and he wants it to be accepted by the community, so that's positive," Horne said. "He reassured us he wants something the community can be proud of and not looked down upon," Horne added. Here's the full story: http://niles.patch.com/articles/tilted-kilt-mayor-owner-meet-don-t-mention A second story came out as well saying that the development is on hold and with similar details: http://mortongrove.suntimes.com/13812242-417/tilted-kilt-proposal-on-hold-for-now-in-morton-grove.html This is the outcome we were hoping for--an agreement to build something the would be appropriate for the community. ________ Developer Ted Mavrakis applied to build a Tilted Kilt in Evanston but was denied a liquor license after more than 2,000 people protested. He then announced his intention to build a Tilted Kilt in Morton Grove on Dempster. Though he has not applied for any permits for the land in question, leading some to say this outcry is premature, we are concerned that the permit approval process offers few, if any, options for public discussion on the topic. We must speak up before it is too late. Such an establishment does not fit with Morton Grove’s family friendly values. The Tilted Kilt’s sexually provocative messages, particularly those that sexualize women as children in Catholic school uniforms, are not appropriate for our community, which prides itself on being named in “Family Circle” magazine’s “10 Best Towns for Families” and Bloomberg Businessweek’s “Best Place to Raise Your Kids 2012” edition. The proposed location, nestled in an area with residential housing and community facilities, including Linne Woods and pavilion, Harrer Park and Pool, the entrance to Park View Elementary School, and the forest preserve, is especially inappropriate. Police reports from other Chicago-area Tilted Kilt locations include reports of theft, public intoxication, criminal damage to property, battery, noise complaints, traffic accidents, drug sales, sales of alcohol to minors, and, in the case of the Elgin location, mixed martial arts matches (female-on-female and male-on-male) held in a custom-built cage on the premises, which were in violation of the liquor license. It should be noted that in cases of intoxicated and disruptive patrons the management simply ejects them into the surrounding neighborhood, thus making them the community’s problem to handle. The downtown location is also the subject of a federal sexual harassment suit by 19 women, and the Schaumburg location was the site of a suicide that was witnessed by customers. It is not a financially viable location for such an establishment. Other Tilted Kilts (Elgin, Schaumburg) are in much higher-traffic commercial areas, with office parks, larger strip/shopping malls, and hotels bringing in traffic. Crazy Jaws, a more family-friendly sports restaurant, closed in less than a year along a more commercial section of Waukegan, which would seem to bode ill for the Tilted Kilt. The outcome everyone wants to avoid is the Tilted Kilt being built after a bitter and divisive approval process only to have it fail, leaving the village with yet another building sitting empty and not generating revenue. We urge President Staackmann and the board to work with Mr. Mavrakis to build an establishment appropriate to all of our interests and beliefs. Add your voice! Here’s how: 1) Sign this petition 2) Contact President Staackmann and the village board of trustees: Dan Staackmann, President Village of Morton Grove 6101 Capulina Avenue Morton Grove, IL 60053 (847) 965-4100 [email protected]