Four years ago, my organization, Berks Gas Truth, led a statewide campaign to pressure the members of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party's state committee to vote in favor of a moratorium on fracking written by Susan Lyons of the Monroe County delegation. The resolution passed 115 - 81, but party leaders were critical of the vote and ignored the resolution. Four years later, we know much more than we knew then. I wrote about it for Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-look-back-at-the-4-years-since-the-pa-dems-voted_us_59431ccce4b0d188d027fd14 We've also seen Tom Wolf do everything he can to expand the marked for fossil fuels in this state. I wrote about that for Huffington Post, too. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/you-are-not-credible-on-climate-change-governor-wolf_us_5930684be4b09e7836228fa0 We don't need a moratorium to give us time to figure out how bad fracking is. We know exactly how bad fracking is. Please join me in calling for Governor Wolf to ban fracking now!

This election result was due to interference by the Russians. Trump's corruption is rampant as well as his cabinet. Damage has been done by him and his "laws." He is a dictator, and his cabinet are made up of inept, dangerous people who will destroy the country. We need to demand a new election now!

The Northern Nevada Coalition, a group of grassroots organizations led by Indivisible Northern Nevada, Organizing for Action - Nevada, and ATN - Action Together Nevada feel strongly that Heller needs to put the health care needs of his constituents above party and corporate interests.

For the immediate restoration of Voting rights for Ex-Felons upon completion of their sentence

Removing the fear of federal prosecution for medical cannabis patients is crucial, particularly since our new Attorney General, Jeff Sessions, has made his negative views of medical cannabis clear. Patients need the Senate to pass the CARERS Act so that they have access to the medicine they need.

Donald Trump has declared war on people with disabilities in America! Trump wants to take away health care for people with disabilities! Trump has appointed ablest people to his cabinet like Jeff Sessions and Betsy DeVos! Trump wants to cut social security (both SSDI and SSI) by 72 billion dollars! Trump wants to cut public housing, food stamps, and other human services for disabilities by billions of dollars! Trump wants to take away education support for disabled children. Trumps wants to weaken the Americans with Disabilities Rights Act. Trump is an ablest and prejudice against people with disabilities. Don’t forget Trump made fun of that disabled reporter. Trump is creating a holocaust for people with disabilities, but we will not stand for it. Tell Trump and the GOP that we will not stand for this for one second and to stop declaring war on people with disabilities!

On June 16, President Trump is expected to announce a rollback of some policies adopted by President Obama to increase U.S. engagement with Cuba. However, even some of Trump's advisers who want to escalate confrontation with Cuba say they are worried that Trump might change his mind at the last minute. [1] Polls show the majority of Americans support greater engagement with Cuba. A Florida International University poll showed that the majority of Cuban Americans in Miami also favor greater engagement with Cuba. [2] Urge President Trump and Congress to oppose any new restrictions on the right of Americans to travel to Cuba by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article155961849.html 2. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/election/article101749052.html

Our elected officials should govern in the public interest, not for personal financial gain. But Donald Trump's global business empire exposes him to massive conflicts of interest -- and the President is brazenly refusing to address them. And by doing so, he's violating our Constitution, says a new lawsuit by nearly 200 Democratic members of Congress. The "emoluments clause" of the Constitution forbids elected officials from taking payments from foreign governments, but the Trump Organization has business entanglements in more than 20 countries. We already know that foreign dignitaries are purposely patronizing Trump-owned hotels and other businesses to curry favor with the President -- and that could be just the tip of the iceberg. Especially given the dark cloud already hanging over this administration and its potential ties to Russian election meddling, it's critically important that the American people know if our President is receiving money from foreign governments. That's why we must call on the House Oversight Committee, and its Republican leader Trey Gowdy to use Congress's oversight role to fully investigate the President’s conflicts and overseas business ties. The Democrats wouldn’t have to sue if Congress was doing its job -- and we should use this moment to push them into action. Americans agree that strong oversight is necessary to ensure that public servants look to their time in government as a way of contributing to society, not a way of enriching themselves and their friends. Add your name and demand that Congress investigate Donald Trump's conflicts of interest.

Just after a hunger strike launched by nine detained asylum-seekers in Southern California made headlines across the country on Monday, they were brutally attacked by guards of the private prison company GEO Group (GEO). After they delivered a letter stating their demands to prison staff, GEO guards drenched the #Adelanto9 with pepper spray, beat them, handcuffed them, and transferred them to segregated housing. Some of the strikers were slammed against walls and floors and one was beaten severely enough that a dental crown was knocked out. Afterwards, strike participants reported that guards forced them to shower with hot water, which reacts with the pepper spray to greatly increase the pain, and that they were humiliated and insulted by prison staff. Despite their mistreatment, the #Adelanto9 are still on hunger strike three days later, and a group of 33 women also detained at Adelanto just announced that they, too, have begun a hunger strike! Like the 9 men whose hunger strike began on Monday, the women have demanded: 1. Adequate medical care: Adelanto is infamous for substandard medical care and is now the deadliest detention center of 2017, where three detained immigrants have died so far this year. 2. Treatment with respect: Guards for the private prison company which runs Adelanto, GEO Group, have brutalized hunger strikers and threatened others with assault, but this is just the most extreme form of daily humiliations reported by detained immigrants on a regular basis. Sara Salcido, one of the hunger strikers declares: “We want them to speak to us like we are humans, not animals. We don’t want to be disrespected and cursed at.” 3. Immediate release: Adelanto is currently holding detained immigrants on unreasonably high bonds, in the tens of thousands of dollars, which strikers have called “a humiliating joke” and not so different from the extortion demands that many of the asylum-seekers are fleeing. We call on ICE and GEO to investigate the use of force and threats by guards against hunger strikers, make the findings public, hold the guards as well as their chain of command accountable, and release all 42 hunger strikers immediately SEND A LETTER OF SUPPORT: Send a personal letter of support to the hunger strikers in Adelanto! Include a personal message in the "Comments" box at the top-left of this page (it can be in English or Spanish) and we will deliver your message to the hunger strikers as a letter to let them know they have support from around the country and around the world.

Our goal is to make the Stone Mountain Confederate Carving more inclusive and to change its designation. Who should be included in the carving on Stone Mountain? Native Americans, African Americans, women, Lincoln, Sherman, Grant, McCallum, etc. The carving should be removed If it cannot be made more representative of the Civil War history. In 1915, Samuel Venable the principal owner of Stone Mountain was a member of the Klan and hosted KKK events on his mountain for decades afterwards. Both Venable and the carving sculptor Gutzon Borglum were associated with the KKK. The KKK was a terrorist group who believed in white supremacy and race separation. The Venable Brothers deeded the north face of the mountain to the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1916 to create the carving. The UDC established the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial Association (SMCMA) for fundraising and on-site supervision of the project. The Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial Association was packed with KKK members. In 1958, the State of Georgia purchased Stone Mountain. However, the Confederate Carving was not completed until 1972. The story of Stone Mountain actually predates both the first white settlers and the Creek Indians before them. At least 12 Archaic Indian sites have been identified in the vicinity of Stone Mountain. Crystal Mountain was the name given it in 1567 when Spanish explorer Juan Pardo visited it, in search of the Moundbuilder civilization discovered by deSoto on an earlier trip. The Moundbuilders were gone, replaced by Creek Indians who called the peak Lone Mountain and used the easily spotted mountain as a meeting place. In the early 19th century, the area was known as Rock Mountain. Woodland Indians built a rock wall, encircling the top of the mountain. By the beginning of the 20th century the wall had disappeared. At the beginning of the Civil War, 22 million people lived in the North and 9 million people (4 million of whom were slaves) lived in the South. About 2.75 million soldiers fought in the Civil War 2 million for the North and 750,000 for the South. Over ninety-five percent of African Americans lived in the South. Approximately 620,000 soldiers died from combat, accident, starvation, and disease during the Civil War. By the end of the Civil War, roughly179,000 black men (10% of the Union Army) served as soldiers in the U.S. Army and another 19,000 served in the Navy. Nearly 40,000 black soldiers died over the course of the war—30,000 of infection or disease. Even though a majority of African Americans lived in the South, the racism was so deep that African Americans were not allowed to join the Confederate army or have weapons. They served only in support roles. 28,693 Native Americans served in the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. 250 documented cases of women serving as soldiers in the Civil War but it is suspected there were many more than that.

On June 13, 2017, the Senate narrowly failed to vote against Trump's Saudi arms deal, reflecting "mounting concern over the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen’s war," according to the New York Times. "Nearly half of the U.S. Senate sent an overwhelmingly clear message to Riyadh that ... it needs to stop killing civilians in Yemen," Human Rights Watch said. [1] The vote was 47-53, with 43 Democrats and 4 Republicans voting against Saudi Arabia and 48 Republicans and five Democrats voting in favor of Saudi Arabia. The Republicans voting against Saudi Arabia's imposition of famine in Yemen were Heller (R-NV), Lee (R-UT), Paul (R-KY), and Young (R-IN). The Democrats voting in favor of Saudi Arabia's imposition of famine in Yemen were Donnelly (D-IN), Manchin (D-WV), McCaskill (D-MO), Nelson (D-FL), and Warner (D-VA). Special criticism goes to Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who, while Republican, pretends to care about human rights. Yet Rubio voted to support Saudi Arabia's imposition of famine in Yemen. [2] Special praise goes to Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who excoriated Saudi Arabia's export of extremist ideology in a strong speech on the Senate floor. [3] "Praise and protest" your Senators by signing and sharing our petition. Then call your Senators at 1-855-68-NO-WAR [1-855-686-6927]. If they voted against Saudi Arabia, say: "I thank the Senator for voting against Saudi Arabia's imposition of famine in Yemen." If they voted in favor of Saudi Arabia, you can say : "I'm very disappointed with the Senator for voting to support Saudi Arabia's imposition of famine in Yemen." When you've made your calls, report them here. [4] References: 1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/world/middleeast/trump-weapons-saudi-arabia.html 2. https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=115&session=1&vote=00143 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqbebpDHCnE 4. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/call-in-praise-protest-senate-saudi-famine

The Oregon Legislature's session ends on July 10. Time is short to address Oregon’s housing crisis. The cuts to HB 2004 will leave Oregon’s renters vulnerable to huge rent increases and discriminatory evictions. Join us June 20th at noon on the Salem Capitol steps to rally for these demands and hold Oregon Democrats accountable.