I read the following the evening, on the CNN website, "Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly confirmed he is considering an initiative that would separate immigrant children from their parents if they enter the U.S. illegally. During an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Kelly said he would do "almost anything to deter the people from Central America to getting on this very, very dangerous network that brings them up through Mexico and to the United States." When pressed by Blitzer about whether DHS personnel would separate undocumented immigrant children from their parents, Kelly confirmed he was considering such protocol. "Yes, I am considering, in order to deter more movement along this terribly dangerous network, I am considering exactly that," he said. "They will be well cared for as we deal with their parents." Why it cannot happen is obvious. This is still the United States of America.

Trump talks about waste in government but he is one of the biggest offenders. He is costing Americans a fortune

On 6 March 2017, Dr. Carson stated in his message as the Director of Housing and Urban Development: “That's what America is about. A land of dreams and opportunity. There were other immigrants who came here in the bottom of slave ships, worked even longer, even harder for less. but they too had a dream that one day their sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, great grandsons, great granddaughters might pursue prosperity in this land.” This is not the first time Dr. Carson has either presented “alternative facts” or discriminated opinions towards African Americans and other Americans. Some of Carson’s other statements towards Civil Rights are linked in the following: http://www.ontheissues.org/2016/Ben_Carson_Civil_Rights.htm While Dr. Carson is regarded as a famed neurosurgeon, author, 2016 presidential candidate and Director of Housing and Urban Development, his comments are counterproductive, crass and ignorant for such a man of his position. Such rhetoric is harmful, hurtful and diminishes the struggles, accomplishments, sacrifice and perseverance of African Americans and those whose history fill the halls of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. His view of African Americans feeds into a false perception and narrative that African slaves were no different from other American immigrants. No other immigrant in America has faced even half the horror, abuse, neglect and overall disregard as the African slave and sadly African Americans today. While Dr. Carson is free to have his beliefs as an American, his opinions and rhetoric are not free to have a high profile position in a museum that is supposed to recognize the people he consistently mitigates and continues to portray a negative, fabricated stereotype.

The Trump administration is happy to do whatever it can to increase profits for business without any regard to the long term consequences for the health of the planet, or the workers who work in the factories. Let’s realize the power we have as consumers to influence decisions made by corporations. If US Automakers don’t make the kinds of cars and trucks that strive for greater fuel efficiency and lower green house gas emissions, let’s pledge not to buy them. Please sign this petition to the Big Three Automakers, asking them to stop lobbying for lower standards, and stay the course set by the Obama Administration for fuel and emissions standards for vehicles manufactured in 2025.

As the bi-vocational pastor of a small church here in Jackson, MS, over the last 12 years, I've watched Nissan engage in abusive, exploitative, and militantly anti-union labor practices in their Canton, Mississippi facility. At the same time, Nissan tries to burnish their image by sprinkling charitable contributions around the community. The disconnect between Nissan's public image and actual corporate behavior was so great for me that I decided to get involved by joining the Mississippi Alliance for Fairness at Nissan. Now I'm asking you to get involved too. Tell Nissan to stop using their advertising dollars where hate is being promoted. Tell Nissan to stop the threats and let workers have a fair union election. Join me in adding your name to this petition. Nissan has chosen to take a page out of the playbook of Mississippi and intimidate workers against voting for a union. The U.S. is the only place in the world where Nissan operates non-union. So we pastors here say: "Why not Mississippi?"

The district teacher’s union states that currently, “at stake is retroactive salary increases for the district’s teachers — at a time when both sides agree there is a significant shortage of teachers and a focus on recruitment and retention.” Over recent months, we have watched teachers struggle for a minimal raise in salaries, despite the fact that this raise still will not be commensurate with the invaluable service they provide to our children and our community. However, the clock is ticking toward a March 15 deadline for “payroll processing.” Santa Rosa County Schools Superintendent Tim Wyrosdick claims that if the current impasse exceeds this deadline, it will prevent the district from making retroactive payments, denying Santa Rosa teachers their rightful opportunity to receive this modest raise for the 2016-2017 school year. “There is nothing more important to the future success of Santa Rosa County than our children,” said Sarah Coutu, Chair of the Santa Rosa County Democratic Executive Committee. “Santa Rosa County employees, whether they are teachers, deputies, or other county workers, are unfortunately some of the lowest paid county employees in the state. Our neighboring counties to the east and west both pay better wages than we do. This must change!” said Coutu. According to the district website, the Santa Rosa District Schools consist of a total of 26,144 students; 2,582 employees; and 91 administrators countywide. The school system includes: 17 elementary, 8 middle, and 7 high schools; a pre-kindergarten center; a technical center; an adult school; a community schools program; an adult literacy program; a variety of alternative programs, and 4 administrative/support locations. As one of the fastest growing counties in the nation, we need to recognize that as people move here from all over the country, including many military families, they look first and foremost at our educational system. Our reputation as a family-centered community depends greatly on retaining qualified and professional teachers. Santa Rosa District Schools have identified on their own webpage that they struggle in maintaining “availability of certified teachers for high need courses.” Teachers in Santa Rosa work tirelessly for our children. It is time we stand in solidarity. Let us show the educators of our county that no teacher stands alone. Let’s invest in our children, invest in our teachers, and invest in a brighter tomorrow. Residents of Santa Rosa County: it is time to make an investment in our schools and stand with teachers of our county. We are asking you to sign this petition in support of a 2.77% teacher’s salary increase for the fiscal year of July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017.

Congress wants to get rid of Obamacare but they can't decide what they will do to replace it. There is a simple solution: let them offer all of us the same health benefits that they, the members of congress get! if it is good enough for them, it should be good enough for us and it would eliminate a lot of bipartisan infighting.

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross have warned that Yemen is on the brink of famine, with hundreds of thousands of children in danger of starvation if the Yemeni port of Hodeida is not quickly opened to international humanitarian aid. Rep. Ted Lieu [D-CA] and Rep. John Conyers [D-MI] are circulating a letter to Secretary of State Tillerson, "urging him to use all U.S. diplomatic tools to help open the Yemeni port of Hodeida to international humanitarian aid organizations to allow them to import food, fuel and medicine into northern Yemen and save the lives of hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children who face starvation." Urge House members to sign the Lieu-Conyers letter by signing and sharing our petition. References: "Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni children are nearing starvation," https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/hundreds-of-thousands-of-yemeni-children-are-nearing-starvation/2017/02/23/f01ead8a-f850-11e6-aa1e-5f735ee31334_story.html "Red Cross: Yemen Food Reserves Dwindling as War Escalates," http://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-food-reserve-dwindling/3743457.html "Yemen conflict: Red Cross appeals for access to key port," http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39114349

These families are fleeing violence in their home countries; the parents' primary goal is to protect their children. Separating the parents and children, putting them in different facilities, is cruel and violates all norms of child welfare.

I am extremely upset about the new EPA rollback of auto emission regulations to ensure greater profits for the auto industry. How does one convince the corporations to become responsible citizens and promoters of the public good, i.e. to be mindful of public health?

Speaker Ryan changed the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) rules regarding how the CBO is allowed to evaluate the repeal of the ACA. Previous CBO reports estimated the federal deficit would explode if the ACA was repealed. House and Senate rules required sunset provisions on laws that impact the Federal deficit, and simple majorities can't repeal such laws. Americans need accurate, unbiased information regarding the cost and impact on the Federal deficit of the repeal of the ACA and how many people will be hurt. Ryan's rule changes have destroyed the independence of the CBO.

Arizona Republican Senator Jeff Flake has introduced another bill to split up the 9th Circuit Court, which Republicans feel is too liberal. This has long been a goal of the Republican Party & although they have introduced similar bills in the past, Washington has had little interest in the issue. However, due to the Republican dominance in Washington now, it is being introduced yet again. Their spin is that by splitting the current district into two, an additional U.S. Circuit court could be created— composed of Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Alaska — to relieve what they say is an “oversized and overworked” 9th U.S. Circuit. However, per Barbara Atwood, a law professor at the University of Arizona, "The caseload per judge I'm not sure is higher than other districts. Usually the people who are advocates of (dividing the circuit) are really focused on THE NATURE OF THE DECISION-MAKING at the 9th Circuit." Arizona's Republican-controlled Legislature has long been frustrated by being kept in check by this court. This is the court that banned Arizona’s SB 1070 which created racial profiling, & its ballot harvesting law, which limited the number of ballots that could be collected and submitted to election officials. It is also the court the stopped Trump’s recent Muslim Ban. Regardless of what they say, what they want is to carve the above states out of a Circuit Court district they feel is too liberal, & put them in a new conservative district they will have more influence over. We cannot let this happen. Frankly, the 9th Circuit is the only thing that protects Arizonans from our state and federal governments, both of which continually try to impose extreme conservative beliefs on all of us.