Since 2000 we have been looking for an alternative to prison. Prisons are based on punishment; what is needed today is healing. Pu`uhonua is a Hawaiian alternative for prison. Instead of wasting taxpayers' money down the black hole of building more prisons, invest in Pu`uhonua

Our family is a Disney family. We love the parks, the cruises and the Vacation Club. Part of the appeal for us, as many, is how Disney works to better America, through philanthropy and preserving America for the future through Disney's conservation efforts. Disney’s stance on environmental impact is a “Commitment to The Planet”, supporting efforts to reduce emissions, divert waste, and conserve water. (1) In addition to its focus on environmental impact, “The Disney Conservation Fund, founded in 1995, is a key pillar in Disney’s efforts to protect the planet and help kids develop lifelong conservation values. The fund supports the study of wildlife; the protection of habitats; the development of community conservation and education programs in critical ecosystems; and experiences that connect kids to nature across the globe.” (1) The 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table opened its report with a message from Christine M. McCarthy, the company’s CFO, stating, “At the Walt Disney Company, we believe that conducting our business responsibly, creating our products in an ethical manner, reducing our environmental footprint, promoting the well-being of kids and families, and inspiring others to protect our planet are essential components of what makes Disney a great company.”(2) It is because of Disney’s significant conservation focus that we are petitioning Disney to immediately terminate business with Chase as the bank supporting Disney’s Visa card. Chase’s lack of interest in conservation and the environment couldn’t be more starkly contradictory to Disney’s. They are one of the banks funding the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). (3) Pipelines such as DAPL interrupt habitat, reinforce oil production which negatively impacts climate change, and threatens water. Contamination of ground water by crude oil is a well known problem. (4) If Disney is truly conservation conscious, it is essential to loyal customers such as myself that they move to a conservation friendly—and not an environmentally destructive—bank. To maintain Chase as the funding bank for the Disney Visa card is entirely inconsistent with Disney’s efforts. Further, DAPL is an assault on the Native American population of the region. Disney is a company that promotes diversity, kindness and respect for all through its TV and radio programming as well its other theatrical outlets. It is again entirely contradictory to the company’s messaging that Disney would do business with Chase, thus supporting efforts that are taking advantage of the Native population for the benefit of the oil industry and to spare more empowered populations from having the deal with the very real potential environmental consequences of DAPL. We have a Disney Chase Visa and we use it for everything. We wish to continue to use Disney Visa as our primary credit card but cannot allow our money to finance environmentally destructive initiatives that violate the rights and concerns of our Native American population. We implore you, Mr. Iger and Ms. McCarthy, to move from Chase to a bank that does NOT fund pipelines and desecrate Native American lands so that we can remain loyal and happy Disney customers. Disney cannot be genuine in its promoted claims of being conservation focused and supportive of diversity and respect for all if they continue to have business partnerships with companies that promote the exact opposite through their actions and business dealings. Change this by moving the Disney Visa card to an environmentally friendly bank, many of which are listed here: https://www.greenamerica.org/take-charge-of-your-card/get-a-credit-card-that-benefits-people-and-the-planet.cfm. In conclusion, customers are watching what their money is funding, and we will not allow our money to continue funding DAPL. We hope Disney will move away from Chase so that we do not need to move away from Disney. #DefundDAPL! References: 1. The Walt Disney Company, The Disney Conservation Fund. Accessed at https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/environment/ on April 14, 2017. 2. The Walt Disney Company. 2016 Disney Data Citizenship Table. Accessed at https://ditm-twdc-us.storage.googleapis.com/TWDC-FY16-Data-Table-Final.pdf on April 14, 2017. 3. Defund DAPL. Accessed at http://www.defunddapl.org/defund on April 14, 2017. 4. Delin GN, Herkelrath WN. Groundwater Contamination by Crude Oil. United States Geological Survey. Accessed at https://mn.water.usgs.gov/projects/bemidji/results/intro-final.pdf on April 14, 2017

It's been an unwritten rule for four decades. By disclosing their tax returns, presidential candidates have let us know if they had potential conflicts of interest - BEFORE they were elected to negotiate and make war on our behalf. It's time to write down this unwritten rule. It's time to require this of any candidate wanting to be placed on the Maine ballot, and wanting to be our next military and policy commander-in-chief.

We would like to express our concerns to our elected officials.

Donald Trump is emotionally unstable and makes military strikes, with no plan and no congressional authority.

As a mother, I'm deeply concerned about gun violence in South Carolina. By removing South Carolina's concealed weapon permit requirement, H. 3930 and S. 449 would eliminate some of South Carolina's most basic, commonsense public safety laws. H. 3930 would dismantle South Carolina’s permitting system, making it one of the only states where it is legal to carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit. In addition to eliminating South Carolina's permit requirement for residents, the bill would allow people from out-of-state to carry a handgun in South Carolina without a permit and would also require that law enforcement automatically recognize permits from every other state. We need sensible laws that will help keep our state safe from gun violence, not laws like these which would lower the bar for who can carry a handgun in public in South Carolina—to include people who have no training and people who are blind. Thank you for signing and sharing.

Until Trump releases his tax returns, we can't know who he's doing business with, or to whom he owes money. We can't get a complete picture of his conflicts of interest, though the ones we do know about—from guests at Trump hotels to involvement with foreign entities—are genuinely alarming. This is dangerous for America. That's why I filed Senate Bill 982 to require any candidate for President or Vice President—including Donald Trump—to release their tax returns in order for their name to appear on the Illinois ballot in 2020. In Illinois, a state that has been controlled by money and the machine for so long, releasing tax returns is just as important. It sends an important signal that our chief executive is ready to be held accountable to the people, and only the people. It's why I released five years of my own personal tax returns and called on all Democratic candidates for Illinois governor to join me. Governor Rauner released his returns, making us aware of potential conflicts of interest. If we are now calling on President Trump to release his returns, we should demand nothing less from any Democratic candidate for governor. Passing this bill is one way to demand transparency not only from Trump, but from all the big-money politicians who seem to think the rules don't apply to them. Together, we can send a message that we are serious about restoring trust in government and putting Illinois on a new course. Join me in supporting Senate Bill 982 to tell Donald Trump: Release your tax returns or your name won't be on the ballot in Illinois in 2020.

House Speaker Paul Ryan and Republican leaders in Congress are trying to silence the resistance movement and protect Donald Trump. They are blocking legislation that would force President Trump to release his tax returns. Working together, we can smash through their blockade. Using a parliamentary procedure known as a DISCHARGE PETITION, Democrats are attempting to force the release of Trump’s tax returns. They need 218 signatures from Representatives to force a vote on legislation requiring Trump to release his taxes. Today, they have 173 signatures. That means we have just 45 more members of Congress to go. Sign the petition today calling on your member of Congress to sign the DISCHARGE PETITION to force the release of Trump’s tax returns.

These bills, including HB471, HB341, HB63, HB35, HB306, HB113, SB188, SB145, target sanctuary cities, campuses and more. Urge North Carolina's legislature to stop targeting immigrants

Last month, a group including what Slate called “the biggest names in voter suppression” wrote an open letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions that could have disastrous consequences for our voting and civil rights. Responding to a wave of voter suppression laws passed after the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has taken an active role in rooting out and opposing laws meant to keep eligible people from voting based on race or other factors. This open letter wanted to change that -- urging Attorney General Sessions to shift the Civil Rights Division’s priorities away from fighting voting discrimination, and to hire people who shared that mission. That’s hiring discrimination plain and simple -- federal law prohibits the government from making hiring decisions based on political affiliation. And politicizing the hiring process like this would be a massive step backwards for the Division, which ought to be free to pursue its mission without political interference. We should be hiring the best people to protect our civil rights and make decisions on merit -- not political affiliation. This letter echoes a shameful chapter in the Department of Justice’s history, which some signatories to the letter, like Hans von Spakovsky, were a part of. In the mid-2000s, the Bush Administration deliberately favored conservatives over other candidates when staffing the Civil Rights Division, leading to a rightward shift overall in the Division’s crucial work. If Sessions follows through on these right wing ideologues’ requests, he’ll undermine the Division’s ability to carry out its important mission and the nation’s confidence in the even-handed application of the laws. We can’t allow that to happen.

When President Trump conducts the public’s business from the White House, the public has a right to know who he’s conducting it with. That’s why his decision to keep the White House visitor logs secret is an attack on the principle of open government our democracy relies on. Trump’s decision reverses President Obama’s policy of publishing visitor logs, which was hailed by open government advocates as a step forward for transparency, and provided a valuable resource to journalists and anyone seeking to hold the President accountable. But the current President’s administration is shrouded in controversy -- from his unaddressed conflicts of interests to his unprecedented refusal to publish his tax returns, to him and his team’s undisclosed ties with the Russian government. His repeated attempts to shield himself from public scrutiny and oversight should alarm anyone who cares about transparency. President Trump works for us -- the American people. And if he won’t be straightforward with us, it’s up to our representatives in Congress to make him come clean. That’s why our lawmakers must immediately pass the MAR-A-LAGO Act, which would make public visitor logs from the White House and anywhere else the President regularly conducts business, like the Florida estate that lends its name to the bill. It’s our right and duty as citizens to hold the President to the highest standards of ethics and transparency. Congress must pass the MAR-A-LAGO Act so we can hold Donald Trump accountable.

Cambria Community Services District: CEASE and DESIST! The Regional Water Quality Control Board has issued more Notices of Violation to the Cambria Community Services District due to failures stemming from their rushed water project. In 2014 the Cambria Community Services District deceived ratepayers and claimed an emergency brackish water project would be temporary and portable, for existing customers only, costing between $100,000 to $4 million and would deliver water by July 1, 2014. The project construction was to be completed by November of 2014 and to run only during a Stage 3 water shortage declared by CCSD. None of these claims proved to be true. The district FAILED - to analyze less expensive alternatives to this project - to provide water by July of 2014 - to design/construct an affordable, temporary project to abate an emergency - to complete construction of the project - to analyze disposal of brine waste - to complete the application for a Coastal Development Permit for the emergency project - to complete an environmental impact report for three years - to respond to three years of comments submitted by regulatory agencies and citizens - to hold project contractor responsible for obvious hydrogeologic and design flaws - to comply with Water Board discharge regulations and monitoring requirements - to comply with County ordinances - to adequately respond to neighbor complaints regarding noise and brine overspray - to offset the $9 million loan by applying a $4 million grant as promised - to provide competent operators to run the emergency project Failing so much, the Cambria Community Services District must be held accountable. In March of 2016 the CSD changed the purpose and intent of this emergency project (renamed it the Sustainable Water Project) to support new water meter connections in Cambria without voter approval. The CSD submitted an application for this growth inducing project in 2017, which describes new water treatment construction options and brine disposal methods without analyzing the costs and impacts of these modifications. The project has not been subjected to the level of review required for a long term public works project that guarantees growth. Ratepayers did not vote for a public works project for growth. The project has already committed us to years of ratepayer debt while our infrastructure fails. Total cost of the “emergency” project and the “sustainable” project is unknown because the district continues to make decisions behind closed doors to revise and correct the current “emergency” water project and to amend contracts to expand their scope. We, the ratepayers of Cambria and others, oppose this deception and abuse of power. No new project for growth should be approved until long overdue habitat protection programs are fully funded and implemented by qualified and independent agents including: - Instream flow studies for both San Simeon and Santa Rosa Creeks - Water Quality Monitoring programs to protect iconic species - Build Out Reduction program to mitigate growth - Cambria Forest Management Plan and Forest Ecologist hired to protect Monterey Pines - Habitat Conservation Plans to protect our local creeks for the future The Regional Water Quality Control Board is preparing a cease and desist order (attached) and an administrative civil liability complaint against Cambria CSD for multiple violations of their permits. San Simeon and Santa Rosa Creeks and wildlife must be protected.