We demand an opportunity to speak with our Congressman regarding his legislative priorities which are impacting all of our lives.

One of my children, and hundreds of thousands of other American children, suffer bullying, exclusion, social isolation, self-doubt, sometimes self-loathing, and an exceedingly high risk of depression and suicide, because their genders do not conform to their gender assignment at birth. They require the federal protection against discrimination that Obama administration's guidelines provide. The protective guidelines should be enacted, not eliminated.

It may be that SB 1262 will not withstand judicial scrutiny. If it is valid law, it is objectionable on so many levels. Xenophobia aside, it interferes with a town's/city's ability to act in the best interests of its citizens. It burdens state/local police and officials with additional duties and responsibilities that distract from the purpose for which they were hired or elected - local government and safety. It is so broad and poorly crafted that it doesn't even seem to require a link between the offending ordinance/policy and the actions of the wrongdoer for a town/city to be held jointly and severally liable for damages. Some may argue that the qualifying words "intentionally" and with "intent to thwart" protect local cities and towns from most lawsuits; in reality, they just create additional issues that will need to be decided in court -- again at a price to be paid by local citizens. In any case, how can our State Senators and Delegates truly believe that making our local communities (and ultimately us -- the taxpayers) subject to litigation and the associated judgments and defense costs is in our best interest? If they do believe this, they are wrong!! Where will the overreach of the federal government end (see Section 8 of President Trump's January 25, 2017 Executive Order)? Why are our legislators helping with this effort? At some point, will our state and local police become an arm of federal law enforcement? Do we want this? Will we stand for this? NO!! SB 1262 passed the Senate in early February and has been sitting in the House Committee for Courts of Justice since February 8. As the legislative session is scheduled to end this week, it could be that it will remain there and die. However, given some surprising things that have happened during this session, we need to be prepared to let the Legislature know that we oppose it, should it be revived. Moreover, we should all know that this horrendous type of legislation is being proposed and supported by our representatives, who are supposed to be looking out for us. We need them to know that SB 1262 has been noticed and it will not be tolerated! If the Legislature is going to take any action on SB 1262, it will happen this week. If you oppose this bill, please sign and ask your friends and associates to sign today!! Thanks!

So prison wives can have family visits with their spouse.

To allow this bill to pass into law is to condone the ignorance and hate that so many have fought to destroy. We are Oklahomans, a wise and compassionate people. But all this state-sponsored hate will do at the very least is kill our economy and drive away new markets when we're already at such a critical financial state. At the very most, this action will compromise our sacred integrity. We must stop this.

The Army Corp of Engineers have given the Water Protectors only until the morning of February 22 to clear the camp or be forcibly removed. The cleanup cannot be completed in the timeframe allowed, thereby criminalizing water protectors who are working hard to clear the land. The failure to follow the legal process requiring an Environmental Impact Statement for DAPL to build this pipeline is an anti-democratic precedent that threatens the safety of all Americans.

The need for this petition comes out of understanding the historic struggle of the African American people. By knowing the history, we can see what advancements have been achieved and what areas still needs to be gained... But, for petition sake, the history will be kept brief... From 1620 to 1860, the captive African descendants on American soil endured the harsh brutality of slavery for 240 years. In 1861, the Civil War was fought and the “Negro” received Freedom!... With this freedom “Negroes” were to receive equal rights, proper education, and 40 acres + a mule (resources)... This was an executive order by Abraham Lincoln, but after his assassination, it was vetoed by Andrew Johnson. Negroes received liberty, but were still subject to separation, open racism, unequal laws, oppression, and murder on a daily basis. This continued for 100 years, then, in the 1960’s, the Equal Rights Movement lead by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The African American received equal voting rights, access to better education, and more opportunity! Now, from the 1970s thru today, African Americans have experienced a strategic systemic racism... Example; During the 1980’s, under the Reagan/Bush administration, black communities nationwide were funneled Cocaine / Crack from Nicaragua. This action severely weakened community development by poisoning residents and by targeting the dealers! Hundreds of thousands have died from overdoses and tens of thousands serve long prison terms for selling it. This is but one example... Racial Profiling, Police Brutality, Mass Incarceration, Welfare Dependance, Medical Exploitation, and Eugenics (Sterilization & Population Control) are a few other methods! Despite systemic racism; the desire, imagination, and ingenuity of the African American people remains strong. We have plenty of innovations, inventions, and business ventures just yearning to be realized! The problem is... we lack the resources to make our aspirations of building strong communities a reality. Remember, those resources from Lincoln were vetoed... we never got them! 40 acres + a mule, for that time, represented the resources needed for a basic farming business. Reparations are long overdue!... And a form of monetary endowment is absolutely necessary!... But we are not asking for a handout! What the African American currently has is Liberty, Equal Rights, and Opportunity... what we lack are the resources needed to fund businesses! So, we propose a New Deal! Simple and straight forward... We the signers of this petition request of President Donald J. Trump, a $4 billion trust, paid out in the form of; 0% interest for 5 years - guaranteed business loans for small and start-up African American minority ventures. In addition, when paid back, the original loaned amounts go back into the trust and are reserved for future minority ventures. We call on President Trump to finish what Abraham Lincoln started and to do what NO OTHER President has attempted since... Empower African Americans to build strong communities, strengthen the nation, leave a legacy for our children, and to help America to flourish!

Residents of the Clearwater School District are petitioning for the acceptance of unnatural hair colors in the high school branch. Currently, the Student Dress Code in the handbook states: “Hair is to be worn neat and clean, and not be outrageous in nature in terms of hair color and/or haircut.” Parents, teachers, and role models encourage young adults to express themselves and not be afraid of whom they are. However, this rule contradicts what they appoint, as students are unable to fully express their individuality. Many of the surrounding schools currently embrace individual expression by allowing students the choice of dyeing their hair without restrictions to color. Lifting this rule will promote individualism, school attendance, unity, and an increase in school spirit. The acceptance of unnatural hair colors will also help decrease student suspension and negative attitudes toward disciplinary figures. Mother Theresa once said, “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” With this in mind, if we stand together the masses will be heard.

President Trump's ramped-up support of Saudi Arabia's war may cause a famine in Yemen, the Huffington Post reports. Aid workers fear Saudi Arabia is planning to attack and close the critical port of Hodeidah on Yemen’s west coast, where most of the country's food has come in. The Obama Administration had opposed such an attack, but the Trump Administration may be encouraging it. Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen has been dependent on the U.S. for military support and diplomatic cover. “If there were a serious disruption to that port, that would, I think, be sufficient to tip the country into famine,” said a former U.S. aid official. [1] Jamie McGoldrick, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, notes that Saudi Arabia's diversion of aid ships from Hodeidah is already raising the risk of mass starvation. Using starvation of civilians as a weapon of war is a grave violation of international law. [2] Urge President Trump and Congress to stop Saudi Arabia from causing a famine in Yemen by signing and sharing our petition. References: 1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-hodeidah-yemen-famine_us_58a88970e4b037d17d28610b 2. http://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/statement-humanitarian-coordinator-yemen-jamie-mcgoldrick-impact-conflict-and-ongoing

He refuses to hold a town hall meeting in person with his constituents. We demand he meet with us in person to answer questions we have on his support of this administration's policies and coverup of Russian ties. He has suggested we meet online, but only when we have a list of attendees and a list of questions he will preapprove. We want him to do his job and meet with us face to face and uncensored. As an employee of the state and it's citizens, he is obligated to meet with us. The Trump made this comment in a press conference: “We’ve begun preparing to repeal and replace Obamacare,” he said. “Obamacare is a disaster, folks. It’s a disaster. You can say, ‘Oh, Obamacare.’ I mean, they fill up our rallies with people that you wonder how they get there, But They’re Not The Republican People That Our Representatives Are Representing.” The problem is Republicans represent all of the people, not just the ones who vote and support you. Our concerns regarding his support of this administration need to be heard. We stand with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents that have these concerns and deserve to be addressed.

To protect the residents of Castle Shannon and Whitehall from all of the negative effects of poorly regulated development. Those include traffic safety concerns, flooding concerns, negative impact on property values, increased costs to residents for sewer lines, pollution and poor air quality from tree canopy removal, along with the general decrease in the quality of our neighborhood.

I'm a 5th grade teacher a local public school. This proposed charter school would divert scarce funds from the public school system into a program that offers nothing that the public schools are not already providing East Aurora’s students. The resources will be controlled by outsiders with no stake in East Aurora and have not been elected by taxpayers.