Hate crimes against minorities are being reported all across the nation as bigotry becomes "normalized." This will only become worse over time. Send a message now that these crimes will not be tolerated.

Every citizen deserves legal access to the physical and mental benefits of marijuana. In addition, the financial gain from taxing would significantly aid in reversing Illinois' debt and keep a flow of steady income for the state.

Donald Trump, sir, you declared in your victory speech that your movement was: "... a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs." In your meeting with President Obama today you declared, "He is a very good man," and it was, a "great honor” to meet him. I believe you Mr. Trump, I really do, as an admitted Democrat I was moved by some of your victory speech, particularly when you said, "For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so we can work together and unify our great country." Well, here is some guidance: Confront head on the things you said and clarify them. If you said some things to break through that "glass ceiling" as a politician, it may,ironically, in the long run, be somewhat understood by historians and the American people. But if you remain silent, and let some of your following grab all the headlines with hatred, ignorance and bigotry, you will be judged by that in the long term, mark my words. Today I am reading about people of color and different religions being insulted and worse, and parades are being planned by white supremacists. You could argue that some of this is free speech, that some of this "expression" is their right, but understand this sir: WE had the popular vote. That means the majority of the United States stand AGAINST YOU because of some of the things that have come out of your mouth. It's that simple. And WE will fight a scourge when we see one. WE happen to have the justice department and the Constitution on our sides. So, with all due respect for what you have accomplished to get to this point, let us become a truly UNITED country, as WE move forward into the future. In that vein, I respectfully ask you to stand up for minorities of this great country and denounce, in a public speech, once and for all, ALL FORMS OF BIGOTRY, BEFORE you become President of the UNITED States.

The election may be over, but we have not closed the door on the hate-fueled rhetoric and actions emboldened by Donald Trump’s campaign. In fact, Americans in increasing numbers continue to be terrified. We are seeing reports from across the country of Nazi symbols, of attacks on Muslims, of aggressive hate speech against LGBTQ and communities of color, and of sexual assault. We are also hearing about children terrorized by race-based bullying at school. This hurts our children, our families, and our country. * In Illinois, White university students put on blackface and posed in front of a Confederate Flag to celebrate Trump’s victory. [1] * In Philadelphia, vandals scrawled Nazi and pro-Trump messages in city neighborhoods. [2] * In Kansas, a high school suspended two White boys wearing Trump shirts for ripping a hijab off a fellow student. When asked why they did it, one boy answered, “Because she’s about to get kicked out anyway and we won.” [3] * In Delaware, a Black woman filling her gas tank was approached by a group of four White men. One said to her, “How scared are you, you black b****? I should just kill you right now, you’re a waste of air.” Another showed her his firearm and said, “You’re lucky there’s witnesses or else I’d shoot you right here.” [4] * In California, a young woman was approached by an older man who said, “I can’t wait until Trump asks us to rape your people and send you back over the biggest damn wall we’re going to build. Go back to hell, wet back.” [5] * Also in California, a gay man at a bar was approached by a group of men who shouted at him, “We got a new President you f***ing f****ts," before assaulting him in a nearby alley. [6] * Educators from across the country are reporting rising levels of anxiety and fear among their students of color. In Utah, two parents reported seeing two kindergartners tell a Hispanic classmate that he would be going back to Mexico after Trump’s victory. [7] We absolutely cannot allow these painful and alarming new levels of hate to become normalized in our country, for there could be no quicker erosion of America’s promise of liberty and justice for all than such terrorism of our people. America’s diversity is our strength. That our citizens, who come from all walks of life and tapestry of backgrounds, are free to live, love and worship as they will, is protected by and enshrined in our U.S. Constitution. After the long, divisive campaign we just experienced, we look to our leaders to bring us together and heal the body politic. May they do the right thing and unify us now, so we can continue to enjoy the blessings of democracy now and forever. Please sign on now! [1] https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/796750646196191233 [2] http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/Vandals-Scrawl-Pro-and-Hate-Trump-Messages-in-Philadelphia-400570621.html [3] http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-elections/donald-trump-president-supporters-attack-muslims-hijab-hispanics-lgbt-hate-crime-wave-us-election-a7410166.html [4] Ibid. {5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] http://kfor.com/2016/11/10/youre-going-back-to-mexico-kindergarten-students-being-bullied-after-election/

The 2016 Election could have had Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton, who always polled much better against Trump than Hillary. Super delegates who were bought and paid for prior to the primaries helped give the nomination to Clinton. Help abolish Super Delegates to help right the ship of the DNC.

So many people are divided by red or blue. Only the two major parties have a chance at any power. The average American simply does not fit nicely into the prepared platforms of the Democrats or the Republicans. Candidates should run on their own beliefs, so that the American people know what points of view are strongly held by the people who seek power over us.

TURNOUT, TURNOUT, TURNOUT: The most recent estimates for the 2016 Presidental Election put National voter turnout at 56.9% of registered voters. By contrast, Oregon had 76.87%. Oregon has universal, opt-out, Vote-by-Mail. If Vote-by-Mail were national, that one simple law would have kept us out of the mess we're in. Voter suppression: Gone. Voter intimidation: Gone. Voter inconvenience: Gone. If we can't enact it at the National level, let's enact at the state level in every state possible. Even just states with Democratic Governors would be enough to change the equation. Oregon passed its Vote-by-Mail law by ballot initiative rather than through the legislative process. Republicans don't want to make it easier to vote for a single reason: high voter turnout favors Democrats. We've just seen the devastating results of this voter suppression strategy. In the wake of the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and with the knowledge that abolishing the Electoral College is a longshot, this is the single most effective, straightforward way to guarantee higher voter turnout. Read more about Oregon's Vote-by-Mail system here: http://sos.oregon.gov/voting/Pages/voteinor.aspx

After the election debacle, it is apparent that the Democratic Party needs to undertake a complete reset, one that commits them to throwing off their neo-liberal agenda and joining communities of color, working people, women, and all oppressed minorities in fashioning a world that works for everyone and that sustains our planet. To communicate and make real that re-orientation, we join Sen. Bernie Sanders name Rep. Keith Ellison as the new Chair, and urge them to appoint a committed progressive leader as the vice-chair. We all know the problem with the Democrats. They suffer from split ownership personality. They want to pretend that they're the party of working, poor and minority people. Yet they're addicted to Wall Street money. They have to choose, and that choice must be people before political profits. Making the correct choice also demands new leadership that embraces it. And that means leadership that comes from Rep. Ellison.

Democrats need a widely-known, well-liked, well-respected, down-to-Earth figure to counterbalance Donald Trump and the GOP legislative majority for the next four years. Joe represents progressive values. He resonates with working class voters. He's worked across the aisle when it's good for our country. He'all nurture the next generation of Democratic leaders. Let's draft Joe Biden for DNC Chair.

Look, honestly, signing this won’t have much of an impact. I mean, even if this started to really roll, and like a million people signed it (not gonna happen), it’s not going to change things much. On the other hand, each signature has a greater than zero impact; there is absolutely, unconditionally, unequivocally no doubt that you can make a difference and that the course of history shivers ever so slightly with each choice any of us make. Just by choosing, we share, we join, and we create a community of care and love. There are a million moments in every day to choose to believe in the kind of world we want for ourselves and others. And when we do this, we change the energetics. Just a little bit. We can believe. And by believing we change the world. I really think that every moment of every day is a time and a chance to show up and represent what we believe in. You win some, you lose some. But when we learn to be steady in love and consciousness… that’s a powerful thing. There’s enough people who’ve lived on this planet that have shown us how it’s done. It’s an extraordinary thing to see. Me? I remember this maybe once a week. Maybe once a day, on a good week. Maybe for an hour or two, on a good day. But I try. And I’m remembering it right now. Love and light, Kevin.

I am writing on behalf of my family, my community and my nation.

Approximately 25% of our nation's undocumented residents live in California, and they are understandably distressed at the results of the Presidential election. Our state relies on them to contribute to our economy and our future. California's leaders should pledge to protect them to the extent permissible by law from the kind of indiscriminate deportation Mr. Trump has promised.