Last week, Donald Trump put out a call on his website for "election observers" to keep Hillary Clinton from "rigging" the election. This focus on trumped up spectres of election fraud as a tool for intimidating voters is nothing new for the Republican Party. During the 1970s and 1980s, after people of color in low-income neighborhood were harassed and intimidated at the polls, the Republican National Committee (RNC) was barred from a practice called “voter caging”—challenging voters’ eligibility to cast ballots at their voting site. And now, Trump's “election observers” could be the next wave of voter intimidation based on bogus charges of voter fraud. The Brennan Center’s ongoing examination of voter fraud claims have found that “voter fraud is very rare” and “voter impersonation is nearly non-existent.” What is not rare, however, is our country’s legal history of blocking people from voting. The Fifteenth Amendment and the Nineteenth Amendment—which gave people of color and women the rights to vote, respectively—were ratified after years of campaigning, organizing, and sacrifice. Jim Crow laws kept Black Americans from voting until the civil rights movement fought for and secured the passage of the Voting Rights Action, signed into law in 1965. We cannot allow Trump supporters to harass voters—our country has come too far to be pulled backward.

The City of Rock Springs has filed a law suit against my property stating set back violations. The ordinance 13-601 states: Raised decks, stair cases, and Unenclosed Porches are exempt from set backs. They filed a law suit to have it torn down. August 16th, and September 6th are the last 2 readings on this matter.

How can we build community trust and confidence when we have public safety officers with this mindset?

NOTE: FASTING CAN BE DANGEROUS. THOSE WITH HEALTH ISSUES OR CONCERNS THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY FASTING SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE. ANYONE UNSURE OR WITH QUESTIONS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR DOCTOR BEFORE PARTICIPATING. Farm workers are vital to our well-being as a nation. But for nearly 100 years, they’ve been treated like second-class citizens and denied real overtime. But right now, we have an opportunity to right this wrong with Assembly Bill 1066 by Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez. AB 1066 is a commonsense solution that will give farm workers overtime pay after eight hours. But powerful corporate lobbyists are trying to tear it down. That is why on Tuesday, August 16, legislators, faith-based leaders, and activists across the country are going to fast for 24 hours in support of farm workers and help pass AB 1066.

Mainstream Media does NOT report on proven ELECTION FRAUD!- but the EXIT POLLS are the GOLD STANDARD for accuracy and they were WAY OFF compared to what the VOTING MACHINES stated! To make things WORSE, they proceeded to arbitrarily ADJUST the original exit poll numbers to MATCH the voting machines! Please WATCH this shockingly simple demonstration of how EASY the machines are RIGGED! https://youtu.be/6sMqvY_VSPI SIGN, PLEASE! HAND COUNTED PAPER BALLOTS in an OPEN SETTING is the ONLY WAY to assure REAL VOTING RESULTS! Our very NATION depends on this! Thank you!

We hereby request the EPA and the Army Corps protect the remaining wetlands in Mountain Village by denying the wetlands permit requested by Telluride Hospital District.

According to the Congressional Research Service, as of Oct. 1, 2013: Members of Congress are eligible for a pension at the age of 62 if they have completed at least five years of service. Members are eligible for a pension at age 50 if they have completed 20 years of service, or at any age after completing 25 years of service. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and the average of the highest three years of salary. By law, the starting amount of a Member’s retirement annuity may not exceed 80% of his or her final salary. Though this is a leadership role, it is no more and no less significant than the years of contractual service of our service members. As seen above, dependent upon age, you may draw a pension from the federal as short as only serving for five years. Furthermore, there is no federally mandated retirement age for congressional members. Proposed: All congressional elected members should be held to the same standard of retirement as U.S. service members. Upon completion of 20 years of elected service, said individuals may receive a pension not to exceed 50% of their former wages. Upon completion of 30 years of elected service, said individuals may receive a pension not to exceed 75% of their former wages. Should the member serve so much as one (1) day less than a full 20-year term, no pension will be afforded them. Under -10 USC 1251 Statutory Retirement for Active Duty Officers due to age. Age 62, on the 1st day of the month after birthday month. May be waived to age 68 for Chaplains and Health Care Professionals performing patient care or clinical duties (doctors, nurses, dentists). There is no competent reason that Elected individuals should exceed this standard. Reference: -10 USC 6323, OPNAVINST 1811.3A Voluntary Retirement for Active Duty Officers (20 years) 20 years and 1 day of Active Duty Service -10 USC 6322, OPNAVINST 1811.3A Voluntary Retirement for Active Duty Officers (30 years) 30 years and 1 day of Active Duty Service

Last week, New Florida Majority and its partners turned in over 127,000 petitions in Miami-Dade County calling for an initiative on the ballot this November to reduce the power of big-money interests and give ordinary people a stronger voice in our elections. While this fight is local, its success could strengthen the movement to get big money out of politics across the country. Wealthy special interests have too big a say in who gets to run for office and what laws get passed. Political donations have a large amount of influence over the political process, and the vibrant diversity of communities around the country, such as Miami-Dade County, isn't represented in the donor class. For example, Black people make up one-fifth of Miami-Dade County's population, but only two percent of donors to mayoral candidates. The donor pool for county commission candidates includes more Black donors but is still not representative. The ballot initiative in Miami-Dade, which successfully gained 127,000 petition signatures, would encourage a more diverse donor pool and empower the county's Black population, and it could pave the way for similar legislation around the country. The initiative would lower contribution limits, prohibit contributions from big county contractors and their lobbyists, and strengthen enforcement and update the county's public financing program to replace the large donations from wealthy special interests with small donations from ordinary people. The people of Miami-Dade have spoken, and they want this initiative on the November ballot. Will you stand with them and make sure their voices are heard? All the rules regarding petition circulation and delivery were followed in Miami-Dade, and now it is time for the Elections Department to fulfill its duty to count and verify the petitions in time for the 2016 election. Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the county commissioners cannot ignore the voices of 127,000 people and deny the right to free and fair elections to Miami-Dade's residents.

Donald Trump has demonstrated that he is a bigoted narcissist who will say or do anything to promote himself. The best way to get through to him is through his wallet.

Federal agencies have lifted the moratorium on offshore fracking in the Santa Barbara Channel, and they've approved a permit to frack off the coast of Ventura. We saw how fracking and extreme extraction can destroy coastal communities after 140,000 gallons of crude oil spilled from a ruptured offshore rig off the coast of Santa Barbara last year. We cannot allow any more disasters to harm our communities! Ask Senators Boxer and Feinstein to write a letter to the Obama administration calling for a ban on offshore fracking in California.

Congressional auditors found that the cost of Pentagon weapon systems grew $469 billion beyond initial estimates. Given the complexity and cost risks inherent to this program, the public deserves to know the baseline contract price of the B-21 program so the Pentagon and the contractors can be held accountable for any cost overruns. The Air Force has promised to deliver an effective and affordable bomber. But price estimates released by the Air Force for the program have ranged from $33.1 billion to $58.4 billion—an increase of $25 billion, or 76 percent. Publicly releasing the actual contact price is key to oversight of this program and of the rest of our planned nuclear modernization, which is currently projected to cost taxpayers $1 trillion. In a closed-door 19-7 vote, members of the Senate Armed Services Committee eliminated the Chairman’s requirement to publicly disclose the cost. All of the Democrats and half of the Republicans on the committee voted to protect the military-industrial complex and hide the truth from the public. Tell Congress that you believe the American people need to know the contract price to hold those in charge accountable.

The Defense Department notified Congress August 8 of a proposed sale of 153 tanks and 20 armored vehicles to Saudi Arabia. [1] Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has led a U.S.-backed coalition fighting to restore Yemen’s ousted president Hadi to power and to destroy military forces loyal to the Houthi movement and former president Saleh. The UN estimates that more than 3,500 civilians have been killed since March 2015, and almost twice as many wounded; the coalition has been responsible for roughly 75% of all civilian casualties. [2] Saudi Arabia has enforced a blockade, cutting off supplies of food, fuel, and medicine. A year and a half into the war, the health system has largely broken down, and much of the country is on the brink of starvation. [3] This proposed arms transfer would signal to actors in Yemen that the U.S. seeks to escalate the war rather than seek a negotiated resolution to the conflict. Congress has a 30-day period during which it can block or modify the sale. Urge Members of Congress to advocate for blocking the sale by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/08/11/the-u-s-will-rearm-saudi-arabia-to-the-tune-of-1-5b-as-airstrikes-resume-in-yemen/ 2. http://www.voanews.com/a/yemen-civilian-casualties/3370540.html 3. http://harpers.org/archive/2016/09/acceptable-losses/