The majority of Americans, regardless of who they voted for, did not vote for racism, for sexism, or for xenophobia. And yet since Donald J. Trump won, hate crimes are rising; women have been attacked in his name; people of color, attacked in his name. Members of Congress are our last line of defense. We want them to know that we are with them, and we expect them to have our backs. We won’t remain silent. We’ll work harder to mobilize our votes, and our communities. This petition accompanies a Humanity for Progress PSA by director Liz Garbus that features: Chris Burbank, Steve Buscemi, Lea DeLaria, Sally Field, Tavi Gevinson, Yasmeen Hassan, Rabbi David Ingber, Zoe Kazan, Keegan-Michael Key, Naeem Khan, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Imam Khalid Latif, Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis, Janet Mock, Rosie Perez, Ai-jen Poo, Bruce Ratner, Bishop Gene Robinson, Toure, and Jeffrey Wright.

As a citizen, my duty is to uphold our democracy by supporting the United States of America. Being a patriot means respect for our men and women in uniform and trust in our government officials such as the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). A lot of Americans and allies all over the world are shocked by the result of the 2016 Presidential Election. While some have compared this event to the aftermath of September 11, 2001 - a terrorist act - I am trapped in a coma unable to tangibly feel the fearful future we face ahead of us. It is in this state of mind that I would like to take this moment to thank President Obama for bringing our enemies to their knees and igniting a sense of justice in our hearts. These terrible times will come to pass; yet sanctions are appropriate to ensure our children enjoy the freedom that comes with being a democratic nation. Together, we stand united as one country regardless of our divisions, race, and color, country of origin, disabilities, age and sexual orientation. We are thankful and look forward to a bright future! Let's us be reminded that this is a bipartisan effort and we humanly begin our long journey to reconciliation by being thankful. Peace!

The War on the Working Class has begun. House Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Sam Johnson (R-TX) has introduced legislation that would slash earned Social Security benefits. His Social Security Reform Act would irreparably harm the nearly 60 million Americans who currently depend on Social Security as well as future beneficiaries. He intends to re-introduce this legislation in January. Johnson’s bill: Cuts Social Security benefits by one third. Raises the retirement age from 67 to 69. Changes the benefit-computation formula in a way that cuts benefit amounts. Cuts Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) The resulting benefit cuts will affect Americans of all ages, at all income levels, including the middle class and those with very low incomes.

We are horrified and dismayed by the fact that a foreign power was able to interfere and influence the result of our presidential election. We cannot simply "move on" from this outrageous state of affairs as it is ILLEGAL AND UNJUSTIFIABLE!

There is a movie directed in India called Roadside Romeo. It is in Hindi. There is no English dub, but there are english subtitles.

This is a distress signal. We the American People are terrified. Since November eighth, we have done everything in our power to prevent Donald Trump from taking office as the President of the United States, but to no avail, and we now fear for our national security. Donald Trump runs on a platform of fascism. Not only has he proposed policies for ethnic and religious minorities that bear an unnerving resemblance to the first steps of other ethnic cleansing campaigns throughout history (to the point that survivors of those ethnic cleansing campaigns find these policies alarming), but he and his campaign adviser, Kellyanne Conway, have repeatedly made public statements implying that he aspires to make opposing his regime a criminal offense. We are aware that the other branches of the American government are structured to ensure that a president such as Trump would not be able to erode our constitutional liberties, but we no longer have faith in our other elected officials to uphold their duty of maintaining a system of checks and balances. The electoral college failed in doing exactly this, this election has been filled with examples of prominent Republican politicians failing to stand up against Trump's fascist platform, and the Republican party now controls the Senate, controls the House, and (presuming Trump will nominate the next justice) unofficially controls the Supreme Court. Donald Trump's ascension to office ought to be treated as a concern of the United Nations because there's strong evidence that it's the product of Russia attempting to invade us. When Russian President, Vladimir Putin, seized control of the Crimean Peninsula, the invasion did not begin with military force. Instead, the Kremlin spent upwards of $100 million feeding the population of the area propaganda and otherwise attempting to interfere with the nation's elections. The FBI has already confirmed that Russia worked directly with the Trump campaign to influence the outcome of the election with propaganda, and both political and computer experts claim a high likelihood that electronic voting machines were directly tampered with. The events of the 2016 United States election fit a narrative in which Putin exploited the cultural upheaval within America to seize control of our government alarmingly well. If this is true, then we are at great risk for military invasion. Our country is rapidly destabilizing. Construction sites of the Dakota Access Pipeline have become battlegrounds with peace at the sites guaranteed to last at most only as long as President Obama's remaining days in office. Hoards of vigilante Trump supporters, many of which are self-identified Nazis, intimidate and sometimes threaten to kill racial and ethnic minorities. The United States military has a larger budget than the next eight largest militaries combined, and protesters are already regularly brutalized by a militarized domestic police force; if President Trump were to begin targeting our constitutional rights, if Russia were to invade the United States, the American people would have no realistic recourse to overcome this hypothetical fascist regime. We the people still have hope that there will be a pathway to protecting the presidential office from Trump that is in line with our constitution, but for the above reason, we cannot wait for all reasonable avenues against totalitarianism to dry up before declaring our country in a state of emergency. Vladimir Putin has his eye on global control, and he just succeeded in installing an unstable puppet as the leader of a country with nuclear weapons; nuclear weapons Trump has demonstrated a nonchalance with the idea of using. The outcome of the 2016 election will pose a threat to the rest of the world sooner or later, and we urge the leaders of America's allied nations to start planning for a worst case scenario. This is not a petition in the traditional sense. There is no clear course of action that we are asking the UN to take. The American people are just terrified right now. Sources: http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/trump-says-he-would-certainly-implement-muslim-database-n466716 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-the-age-of-trump-grim-warnings-from-holocaust-survivors/2016/01/27/c65ea38c-c549-11e5-8965-0607e0e265ce_story.html?utm_term=.dc9cb9824d67 http://shareblue.com/kellyanne-conway-alarmingly-advocates-consequences-for-criticizing-trump/ http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/29/politics/donald-trump-flag-burning-penalty-proposal/ http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/mitt-romneys-humiliating-trump-reversal http://www.motherjones.com/media/2016/05/putin-russia-baltic-states-master-plan https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clinton-blames-putins-personal-grudge-against-her-for-election-interference/2016/12/16/12f36250-c3be-11e6-8422-eac61c0ef74d_story.html?utm_term=.38a22017571f http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/11/activists-urge-hillary-clinton-to-challenge-election-results.html http://www.patheos.com/blogs/reasonadvocates/2016/11/30/getting-story-standing-rock/ http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/anti-muslim-hate-trump-supporters_us_57fbcd79e4b0e655eab66379 http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Adam-Yauch-Park-Defaced-With-Swastikas-Pro-Trump-Graffiti-in-Brooklyn-Heights-402041675.html http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/12/07/video-masked-men-threaten-standing-rock-people-hotel/95110108/ http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/what-does-donald-trump-really-think-about-using-nuclear-weapons-n655536

The election of the chair for the Florida Democratic Party is a wholly undemocratic process, as the weighted vote is purposely designed to concentrate power in a few individuals in large Democratic counties. This has inevitably led to a tainted process in selecting of a chair which has been characterized by backroom deals and empowerment of the power brokers. This system also leaves the majority of the conversation about the future of our party a closed conversation between elite power players. A candidate for chair has to manipulate the system in order to win, playing factions against each other and picking sides. This has lead to a breakdown of trust on all levels and has created deep divides within our own party. The time has come to acknowledge that this system has failed. Overall, the design is inherently destructive and counterproductive. Not only has this process failed to yield any positive results, but it has also undermined trust and confidence in the Florida Democratic Party. Donors withhold money because of warring factions, grassroots activists fail to fully engage because of mistrust of the party leaders, and candidates are often torn between embattled factions of our own party rather than challenging Republicans and advancing our values. Without trust among the members of the party, we will continue to fail cycle after cycle. The ideals that hold us together as Democrats have historically been set aside in order to preserve power of a few in the race for chair. These power plays do not reflect the best of us, nor the depth of our talent and ability. It is time for an inclusive, open conversation about the future of our party and that begins with a commitment to change how a chair is selected. There is never going to be a greater opportunity to advance this essential reform; we need those with power to either on their own or through pressure of the people use their power to give power back. This demonstration of our values, by those elected to represent us and lead our party, to distribute power to a more diverse body of leaders that can more effectively lead this party to a successful future built on real trust is the action we must see to deliver unity of our members. This can only happen if our next chair is a vocal champion for this reform before they are elected. They need to say they will deliver a one person, one vote based system. This can’t be something said quietly one on one, it must be shouted from every stage the candidates appear on between now and the election. After the election, reform activists will likely be shouted down as a distraction from the 2018 elections, but reform is essential to the 2018 elections and beyond. Now is the time to change all that is wrong and start being truly the party of, by, and for the people. It is time for a new system and we must demand a chair who is determined to bring change. This is essential for not only maintaining a sense of unity, but it is the first step in rebuilding the Florida Democratic Party. Please joining us in voicing your support to restore trust.

Wells Fargo has invested $467 million in the Dakota Access Pipeline. The pipeline threatens the water supply and way of life of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota. Now, amid worldwide outcry over the pipeline, tribal leaders and allies are calling on Wells Fargo to divest from the pipeline--or the people will pull their money from Wells Fargo.

Even though our country is bitterly divided on many issues, there’s one thing Americans all agree on: veterans deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Veterans have sacrificed a great deal to serve this country, and upon returning to civilian life, they’re often faced with unique challenges and obstacles. That’s why we have the Department of Veterans Affairs. It provides those who’ve served with the kind of health care, financial assistance, education, job training that they have earned. President-elect Donald Trump has a plan to privatize the VA and demolish its specialized programs to allow his rich cronies to make a quick buck. We must fight back against this plan and #SaveOurVA. Please add your name today and stand with veterans by condemning Donald Trump’s plan to privatize the VA. After you've signed, please share this on social media! Millions of men and women have volunteered to serve in uniform to defend their fellow Americans. And many of them return home with injuries, trauma, and challenges that are very different from anything civilians experience. We must continue to ensure that those who served in uniform get the care they need when they return home. Their health and well-being cannot be turned into a for-profit operation. The issue of veterans’ health care isn’t a partisan one, either. More than two-thirds of all veterans are opposed to privatizing the VA, and virtually every veterans group disagrees with the plan as well. This kind of overwhelming majority isn’t a coincidence. We must make sure Donald Trump hears us loud and clear on this issue. We’re at an important crossroads. Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues seek to undermine the VA, but a majority of veterans want to strengthen it instead. And if enough voices join together, we will deliver these signatures to all members of Congress and urge them to reject Donald Trump’s disastrous plan. Thank you for standing with us, Trina McDonald #SaveOurVA

It's horrible but not surprising that some Democrats are slamming President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and the United Nations in the wake of President Obama's decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution re-affirming that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. But the actions of Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy are particularly disappointing. Murphy has sought to position himself as a progressive voice on foreign policy. He was the first Senator to call out the Obama Administration's support for Saudi Arabia's catastrophic war in Yemen. [1] Yet on December 29, Murphy told MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" that the UN is "not a fair forum for the Israelis" and that the White House should have vetoed the Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements in the West Bank. [2] Murphy's attack on the UN was pure sophistry, since the forum in question was the UN Security Council, where the US has a permanent veto. Nothing happens in the UN Security Council without US permission, and nothing ever will. That's a fundamental fact about the design of the United Nations, and Chris Murphy knows it. Urge Chris Murphy to stop his attacks on President Obama, Secretary of State Kerry, and the United Nations by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.cfr.org/middle-east-and-north-africa/chris-murphy-roots-radical-extremism/p37471 2. http://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/chris-murphy-barack-obama-john-kerry-israel-donald-trump-233026

As a Livingston County resident, I have long been interested in local government and how it affects our lives. The Flint water crisis has brought this home for many people, but we don't need to wait until a crisis to get involved in our government. Our local goverrnment will work better when it is more connected with residents. Please ask the county commission to bring more transparency to our local government.

As we approach the great unknown with the next administration, it is clear that regardless of one's politics, the American worker is and has been hurting for some while. It is time for large corporations, such as Amazon, to take a step up and show their support for the people who helped build our economy. It shouldn't be difficult to purchase American made goods if that is the desire of the customer.