The idea that individual orthodontists are being attacked by well funded corporations in an attempt to gain market share for their product is repulsive. Individual orthodontists are easy targets but when the specialty acts as a group we can defend every individual from this kind of abuse. It's time to let AcceleDent know that we will not tolerate this kind of behavior.

During the first debate, Donald Trump reminded us yet again why he is unfit to be President and can never be allowed to command our nuclear arsenal. He was quick to lose his temper. He was easily baited by the moderator and by his opponent. And he was all over the place about nuclear weapons. In one breath he said nuclear weapons are the greatest threat we face as a nation. In the next he said he wouldn't take a surprise nuclear attack off the table--which could kill hundreds of millions of people. This is the latest in a long, scary history of nuclear posturing from Donald Trump. He thinks more countries should have them (like Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Japan). He won’t rule out dropping them on Europe. And just last month, Joe Scarborough of MSNBC reported that Trump asked 3 times in a 1-hour foreign policy briefing, "If we've got nukes, why can't we use them?" The first debate showed that a nuclear-armed Trump is a threat to national security. Our nuclear program has no checks or balances. If elected, there's nothing between President Trump's itchy trigger finger and civilization-ending weaponry. There is no requirement even for him to explain his decision to use them. It is a dereliction of public service for Republican leaders to put a demagogue in command of our nuclear arsenal. The right thing to do is to disavow Trump, and do it now.

All citizens are effected when voting is not protected. ONLY paper ballots hand counted in public, offers us the GREATER assurance of an accurate vote count.

Contaminated soil has been found at Western Middle School, Greenwich High School and around New Lebanon Elementary. These events are not coincidental. They are related and indicate a troubling pattern, given the type of contaminants and toxins. We as parents and taxpayers have the right to know if our parks and playing fields are safe and we are demanding proof. Because the existence of toxins like Lead, Arsenic, Chlordane and PCB's are not limited to public schools-- they (separately and together) have been found at multiple locations including Byram Shore Park, William Street ball field and Armstrong Court-- we are demanding comprehensive, professional soil testing every park and public school field where children play. This testing should begin before December 1, 2016 with results certified and made public before March 31, 2017. Proposed Testing Sites: Bible Street Playground Binney Park Bruce Park Christiano Park Cos Cob Park Eastern Greenwich Civic Center Havemeyer Field & Greenwich Common Loughlin Playground Pemberwick Park Roger Sherman Baldwin Park Western Greenwich Civic Center William Street Playground Cos Cob School Glenville School Hamilton Avenue School International School at Dundee Julian Curtiss School North Mianus School North Street School Old Greenwich School Parkway School Riverside School Central Middle School Eastern Middle School For more info on contaminated soil found at various locations in Greenwich, please visit: http://patch.com/connecticut/greenwich/pesticides-arsenic-found-soil-around-new-lebanon-school-0 http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Greenwich-s-William-Street-field-clean-up-7948120.php http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Consultant-calls-for-soil-remediation-at-9208790.php http://www.greenwichtime.com/local/article/Arsenic-found-in-ground-near-Byram-Park-pool-5936071.php http://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/High-PCB-counts-close-Greenwich-High-School-1644522.php http://greenwichfreepress.com/uncategorized/epa-investigation-at-armstrong-court-includes-multiple-agencies-36107/

Congress has just a few days to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to fund our government -- but a handful of senators led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are holding up negotiations, all so they can keep corporate political spending in the dark. Everyone has a right to know who is spending money on our elections -- but McConnell and his allies are threatening a government shutdown unless they can insert an provision into the CR that will ban the Securities and Exchange Commission from writing rules that require corporations to disclose their political spending. That’s right -- they’re so opposed to basic transparency that they’re willing to risk a costly and disruptive government shutdown to prevent it. Voters deserve to know who is trying to influence our votes and our elected officials, but McConnell’s anti-disclosure rider would make it even easier for wealthy special interests to hide their identities. If anything, Congress should be using this continuing resolution to provide emergency disaster relief to communities in need. But instead, McConnell and his allies are exploiting this crisis to pass unrelated ideological riders that voters would never agree to -- which heightens cynicism and undermines trust in our political process. We can’t let them get away with this last-ditch attempt to deny voters our right to know who is spending on our elections -- and we must speak out now. Tell your lawmakers to remove this anti-transparency rider and fund our government without ideological carve-outs.

North Carolina has passed a law, HB 972, that prohibits police body camera and dash camera footage from being released to the public. This goes against efforts toward police transparency and accountability. We must enact legislation that addresses police violence and resist that which promotes secrecy and injustice.

On September 23, President Obama vetoed the bipartisan Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act [JASTA], setting up a veto override fight over whether 9/11 families will be allowed to sue the Saudi government over its alleged role in the 9/11 attacks. JASTA, which passed the House and Senate unanimously, makes no claim about the Saudi government's involvement in the attacks. It simply removes the Saudi government's legal immunity from lawsuits concerning terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders both support JASTA. [1] Supporters of JASTA have charged that the Administration is simply trying to protect the U.S. government's too-cozy relationship with the Saudi government, which has recently come under long-overdue Congressional scrutiny. On September 21, 27 Senators voted to block a billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia, with many citing Saudi use of U.S. weapons against civilians in the catastrophic Saudi war in Yemen. [2] House Members have introduced a companion bill to disapprove the Saudi arms deal, HJ Res 98. [3] On June 16, 204 Members of the House voted to bar the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. [4] Administration claims that the principle of sovereign immunity is in peril if JASTA becomes law are unserious. There are already exemptions to sovereign immunity in U.S. law, including for terrorism. (We will pass over the Administration's support of the TPP, which would allow brand-name pharmaceutical corporations to sue governments in corporate tribunals to block the introduction of cheaper generic drugs.) JASTA would simply expand the current terrorism exemption to sovereign immunity of existing U.S. law to countries like Saudi Arabia that are not on the State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism. [5] The State Department list results from opaque determinations that include issues besides terrorism. The Administration wants to maintain the unilateral power of the executive branch to give a government a pass on support of terrorism if the executive branch - especially the Pentagon and the CIA - perceives that government to be useful in other ways. The majority of Americans have no interest in maintaining this unilateral, unaccountable executive power. And if people in other countries want to sue U.S. officials over alleged U.S. support for terrorism in their countries, those families also deserve their day in court. If that prospect might be a deterrent to Pentagon and CIA adventurism overseas, the majority of Americans will shed no tears. Urge your Senators and Representative to vote to override the President's veto of JASTA by signing our petition. References: 1. https://news.vice.com/article/hillary-clinton-bernie-sanders-9-11-bill-sue-saudi-arabia-new-york-primary 2. http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=114&session=2&vote=00145#position 3. http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/congress-support-diplomacy?r_by=1135580 4. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 5. http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/296862-obama-vetoes-9-11-bill

The purpose of the free press, as enunciated by key founders of America, was to keep the citizenry informed, engaged, and in dialogue with one another about the crucial issues of the day. The health of any democracy can be diagnosed by the degree to which information flows freely in the culture. Anything that interferes with that free flow of information is a form of censorship, which acts to derail, distort, and deny the efficacy of any true democratic experiment. Why is no one mentioning that the corporate media is controlled by seven corporations with conservative boards which dictate what news will be printed or reported? Evidence: if you haven't read or heard about the Downing Street memo; that the Iraq action was an illegal invasion and occupation which violated the Geneva Conventions, the principles of the United Nations, and Article VI of the US Constitution; that Osama bin Laden is not wanted by the FBI for 9/11 because it says it has no evidence against him; that World Trade Center Building #7, one block away from the other Trade Center buildings went down in its own footprints in only one second more than the other buildings and was NOT hit by a plane--these and more show that the news has been restricted and censored. We should fight to break up the monopoly that the media has become so that the public can make educated decisions. The evidence of a vigorous democracy is a free press. We do not have that. We petition the US Representatives and US Senators to pass legislation that would break the monopoly of the present corporate media with no corporation owning more than one medium.

On September 22, Mike Honda for Congress filed suit against Ro Khanna, Ro Khanna for Congress, and campaign manager Brian Parvizshahi alleging cyber crimes violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the Federal Economic Espionage Act. These alleged cyber crimes and data thefts include lists with private contact information of supporters and donors of Rep. Honda. “You have the theft of confidential, proprietary information that’s then used against the supporters of a rival campaign,” states Gautum Dutta, an attorney for Rep. Honda's campaign. Mr. Khanna contacted and harassed Honda supporters seeking political support and financial contributions. My private contact information and that of my family and friends were stolen. I ask the Mercury News not to lose sight that the data represents individual lives that have been negatively affected by the Khanna campaign. These actions highlight an alarming trend by Ro Khanna of cheating the system to advance himself and his political ambitions. The San Jose Mercury News has not yet withdrawn their endorsement.

“Stocks lower as energy shares fall” is the headline of an Associated Press article in the L.A. Times Sept 24, 2016. It goes on to mention oil, gasoline, natural gas, and ocean drilling rigs. This misuse of the word "energy" creates a false line of thought. Standard & Poor’s Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS®) has this: “Energy Sector: The Energy Sector comprises companies engaged in exploration & production, refining & marketing and storage & transportation of oil & gas and coal & consumable fuels. It also includes companies that offer oil & gas equipment and services.” But where are solar and wind? They are listed under “Technology” or “Utilities.” It’s time to correct this mistake.

We are American Jews and allies who are interested in Palestinian human rights. Safe & clean water is a human right. People in Gaza don't have adequate clean and safe drinking water. This petition asks John Kerry for a State Dept investigation into Israel's culpability in this water crisis, because we give Israel $3+ billion per year, and US law doesn't allow our tax dollars to go to counties that abuse human rights.

By endorsing Trump, Mr. Ryan subscribes to support illegal, Anti-Constitutional acts, if Trump is elected as the President. Several times Speaker Ryan tried to downplay Trump’s endorsement, distancing himself from obvious Anti-Constitutional rhetoric, yet did not withdraw his endorsement. His rational is: I am endorsing Trump, but do not support Trump’s policy. Who do you kidding Mr. Ryan? Endorsement = Support, and declaration of willingness to violate the Constitution. There is no place in US House of Representative for the Speaker who publicly supports violations of the Constitution. We, undersigned, respectfully ask you to withdraw Trump’s endorsement and publicly reconfirm your commitment to support and protect the Constitution of the United States. Failure to do so will leave us no choice as to initiate recall procedure in your Congressional District. As you know, Wisconsin is only one of two US states with Constitution and procedure in-place allowing Recalls of the Federal Elected Officials. Even if such recall may be overruled by the Federal Court, we will expect your resignation as a Congressman, if requirements of the recall petition will be met.