In many stores, Betta fish are sold in the least amount of water that the pet stores can get away with giving them. They are shipped in three inch bags with just enough water to cover them. This stresses the fish and makes them prone to diseases such as gill rot, fin rot, mouth rot and many other deadly, irreversible diseases. Yes, Betta splendens and other Betta species can live in small amounts of water, but it shortens their lives dramatically. They live in open rice patties, or streams that stretch out for miles in the wild. In many stores that I, and thousands of Americans have seen, Betta fish are kept in tiny containers that contain just enough water to cover them, the containers are often filthy, and the fish are sick and have many diseases that include, but are not limited to: Ich, Gill rot (fungal or stress related), Fin rot (fungal or stress), Mouth rot (fungal or malnourishment), Swim bladder, and many others. Thousands of fish are sent to big corporation companies such as Walmart, Petco, Petsmart, Pet Supplies Plus, and many others, and most Bettas that can be seen have ripped fins, the diseases listed above, or are stressed in general, which shortens the life span from two to six years all the way down to six months to a year. These sick bettas are also priced high, which would be understandable for the rarer, more showy breeds; if it weren't for the fact that they are destined to die shortly after purchase. I recently bought four betta fish from various sources, of which one actually knew what they were doing. Two of the Betta fish were kept in a container that was three inches high and two inches in diameter. Both fish are at least two inches long, and developed a spine curvature, so all they can do is swim in circles, which is detrimental to the health of any species of fish in the world. One fish, bought at walmart was in half an inch of water, just like the rest of them. he was the only healthy one there. There ware sixty-seven Betta fish on display. The last fish was sold to me from a ten-gallon tank. This fish was super happy, had been living for a year and a half, and was disease free. Hundreds of betta fish are doomed to die on a daily basis at pet stores because of the mistreatment they receive. Many people like buying these easy to care for pets, but get disappointed when they must spend anywhere from $4 to $20 on a new Betta every six months or so. This is a serious issue. I DO NOT REPRESENT ANY SPECIAL ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP, BUT I REPRESENT ALL PET OWNERS AND BETTA FISH ENTHUSIASTS.

I want to ensure we, as a community, are doing everything we can to stop the post office from being closed. Please consider sending personal letters to Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Chris Stewart. Thanks you for your signature and support. Sincerely, Karl Nielson, Leamington Mayor

Christopher Columbus' acts of extreme violence, mass murder, and barbarism against the native people of the Americas can no longer be ignored or relegated to the status of a mere foot note in history. His exploits, writings, and philosophy inspired generations of conquerors who engaged in the wholesale destruction of many of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. Yet we continue to tell our children that he "discovered" the Americas and we enforce this fantasy by honoring Columbus with a federal holiday. It is time for the U.S. Congress to end the disgrace of honoring this barbarian with a federal holiday and change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day.

The residents of Sunset Ave in Verona, NJ, from Bloomfield Ave to Brookdale Ave request that the town replace and add new speed bumps on the newly paved road, citing high volume of traffic at a high rate of speed and the numerous school-aged children living and playing on Sunset Ave. The road previously had speed bumps that subjectively kept some of the through-traffic speed down and were friendly reminders for the local traffic to keep their speed down. Recently many of us have had close calls pulling into and out of our driveways and believe the speed of through traffic has increased. The residents to the west of Mt Prospect Ave request speed bumps due to the high traffic and significant amount of school-aged children walking to and from Brookdale Ave Elementary School. The residents to the east of Mt Prospect Ave request the old speed bumps be replaced since the town removed them when the road was repaved.

Chris Wallace has a massive and obvious conflict of interest with being a moderator for a Presidential Debate because of his connection to Roger Ailes. Furthermore, it makes no sense to reward a propaganda outlet with a moderator spot.

Dear Honorable Tom Vilsack, We have a tremendous crisis in this country that needs immediate attention. "Lifer" is the apt term used to describe female dogs kept in puppy mills, sentenced to an existence of continual pregnancy to produce the cash crop of puppies sold in pet shops across the country. These lifers receive little or no human interaction, compassion or companionship. They are kept in small, overcrowded cages, and are often chained together with male dogs for weeks at a time to facilitate breeding. They are forced to become pregnant and deliver litters to the exclusion of healthy, normal canine activities. Such horrors are all typical sights and conditions documented in ongoing ASPCA investigations. Dogs living in squalid, unsanitary circumstances receive less consideration than machines on an assembly line. One facility’s stacked caries forced puppies on the bottom row to be defecated and urinated on collectively by all the animals above them. Lack of adequate veterinary care was illustrated when state regulators documented a rabid 4-month-old golden retriever bred at a Pennsylvania puppy mill and sold in the western part of the state. As a result, six people have received anti-rabies treatments, including a 6-year-old boy and two veterinarians. Trendsetters Almost always, the only human concerns given puppy mill dogs are how many litters and how many dollars they can produce. So, it’s no surprise that conditions at puppy mills today are as miserable as ever. But the investigations also revealed some disturbing new trends in this cruel enterprise: An industry once centered in the Midwest and Great Plains states has now spread east to Pennsylvania and probably upstate New York. The ASPCA uncovered 70 dog breeders in one Pennsylvania county alone: Lancaster has the largest concentration of wholesale puppy breeders in the United States. Humane organizations and governmental agencies believed previously that the bulk breeding of puppies was considered by operators to be a secondary crop for side income. It is now clear that the puppy mill industry is a major money maker for everyone from the operator to the pet shop owner. According to investigations, one Pennsylvania breeder sold 1,293 puppies last year for estimated sales of $290.000. One of the biggest problems revealed is breeders relinquishing their U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) licenses, thus hoping to escape the regulation of Federal inspectors. Above the law? Given authority under the Animal Welfare Act since the 1970’s to set and enforce federal standards for sanitation, nutrition, housing and general conditions for dogs wholesalers, the short-staffed corps of USDA inspectors – only 73 nationwide – has tried to regulate puppy mills. But the results have been uneven at best. Many breeders who have been cited for numerous violations stay in business; the operator who took in $290,000 last year received dozens of citations for overcrowded cages, inadequate sanitation, lack of pest control and substandard feeding and watering of his animals. And rather than correcting such problems, some of these breeders simply give up their licenses, knowing they will no longer be scrutinized by the USDA if they do. The conditions documented in investigations cry out for swift and decisive action. We need an end to this atrocity! Are you privy to the story of Libre that recently made national headlines? Here is his story http://www.lifewithdogs.tv/2016/07/update-libre-the-mangy-dying-puppy-has-been-adopted/ There are many more puppies like Libre that have gone unrescued. With the euthanasia rate in this country's shelters, the killing of lovely dogs daily, there is no need for the continuation of this barbaric industry. Please hear our voices. Thank you in advance for your help in ending this tragedy.

It is upsetting to see an athlete being targeted on being anti-American for standing up for people of color in the mainstream media, while Donald Trump is not being questioned on all the awful, racist, anti-Semitic remarks that is seen on the news daily.

That the Commission has decided not to have a Latino moderator for these debates out of fear that they will come under fire from Donald Trump for a perceived bias is ludicrous. By not having a moderator with that background, the Commission has said to the voting Latino community, "You don't get a voice on this stage. Your perspective is not worth considering, so you aren't allowed here." That is pure bias, and that fear has made the Commission abandon principles is appalling.

Watch Video: https://www.youtube.com/embed/DIJGmbwkNvU Too many people have been the victim of pharmaceutical price gouging, especially over life-saving medicine such as the EpiPen and Insulin. Pharmaceutical Action Network for Disadvantaged Americans believes it is time we begin to show the pharmaceutical industry how strong we can be when we stand together. Find out more about how you can help at pandahelps.com

I have not be personally affected by this, but I believe our democratic process will suffer over the next weeks in advance of the campaign by the distraction of Paul Ryan and others proclaiming this and that in response to the drip, drip, drip of the emails. Enough! Let's move on to the really important matters in the upcoming campaign.

On August 8, the Obama administration notified Congress [1] of intent to sell $1.15 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia, including tanks that would replace tanks destroyed in Saudi Arabia's war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. We urge Senator Jeanne Shaheen and Senate candidate Governor Maggie Hassan to oppose this deal and to support a resolution of disapproval against it. Past Congressional concerns about Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen have not been addressed. In October, Members of Congress wrote to the Administration [2] urging greater efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen and achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict. In June, 204 Members of the House, including 40 Republicans and all but 16 Democrats, voted to block the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia after reports of their use in civilian areas in Yemen. [3] Yet, since the proposed arms deal was announced, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children [4] – some as young as 6-years-old – and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people. [5] On August 30, 64 Members of the House signed a letter urging that the Saudi arms deal be delayed so that Congress can fully consider it. [6] Urge Senator Shaheen and Governor Hassan to oppose the Saudi arms deal by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/kingdom-saudi-arabia-m1a2s-saudi-abrams-main-battle-tanks-and-m88ala2-heavy 2. https://debbiedingell.house.gov/sites/debbiedingell.house.gov/files/documents/151014_Yemen%20Airstrike%20Letter.pdf 3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-school-airstrike_us_57b1938fe4b007c36e4f2f67 5. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN10Q1E0 6. https://www.yahoo.com/news/60-lawmakers-seek-delay-billion-211716904.html; http://www.defensenews.com/articles/sixty-us-lawmakers-want-to-freeze-115-billion-arms-sale-to-saudi-arabia

On August 8, the Obama administration notified Congress [1] of intent to sell $1.15 billion of weapons to Saudi Arabia, including tanks that would replace tanks destroyed in Saudi Arabia's war against Houthi rebels in Yemen. We urge Senator Jeff Flake and Representative Kirkpatrick to oppose this deal and to co-sponsor a resolution of disapproval against it. Past Congressional concerns about Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen have not been addressed. In October, Members of Congress wrote to the Administration [2] urging greater efforts to avoid civilian casualties in Yemen and achieve a diplomatic solution to the conflict. In June, 204 Members of the House, including 40 Republicans and all but 16 Democrats, voted to block the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia after reports of their use in civilian areas in Yemen. [3] Yet, since the proposed arms deal was announced, a Saudi airstrike on a school in Yemen killed 10 children [4] – some as young as 6-years-old – and a Saudi airstrike on an MSF hospital in Yemen killed 11 people. [5] On August 30, 64 Members of the House signed a letter urging that the Saudi arms deal be delayed so that Congress can fully consider it. [6] Urge Senator Flake and Representative Kirkpatrick to cosponsor legislation to oppose the Saudi arms deal by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/kingdom-saudi-arabia-m1a2s-saudi-abrams-main-battle-tanks-and-m88ala2-heavy 2. https://debbiedingell.house.gov/sites/debbiedingell.house.gov/files/documents/151014_Yemen%20Airstrike%20Letter.pdf 3. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 4. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-school-airstrike_us_57b1938fe4b007c36e4f2f67 5. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-idUSKCN10Q1E0 6. https://www.yahoo.com/news/60-lawmakers-seek-delay-billion-211716904.html; http://www.defensenews.com/articles/sixty-us-lawmakers-want-to-freeze-115-billion-arms-sale-to-saudi-arabia