Hillary Clinton has chosen Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her running mate. As a Senator, Kaine voted for fast-track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement [TPP]. But the Washington Post reports that Kaine has promised to come out publicly against the TPP itself. [1] If Kaine comes out publicly against the TPP now, this will greatly strengthen the idea that "oppose the TPP" is the "Democratic Party line," and thereby help us block a lame-duck vote on the TPP after the election. Urge Kaine to keep his pledge to come out publicly against the TPP by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2016/07/23/tim-kaine-is-not-a-perfect-choice-but-hes-a-pretty-good-one/

As the Republican nominee for President of the United States, Donald Trump will begin receiving national security briefings. Based on his long record of explicitly xenophobic and discriminatory beliefs and intentions to act on those beliefs, we acknowledge that providing him or his campaign with sensitive national security information poses a grave danger to the United States and her allies. Based on his statements and record we believe Mr. Trump may chose to act upon and exploit sensitive national security information for personal gain whether or not he is elected president. We urge the standing US government to take any and all necessary legal action to prevent him from being provided with classified information pertaining to national security.

As African American Adults and people of good will, we believe that African American History is vital to the development of African American children. As a result of our belief and as tax payers, it is our contention that African American Children have a right to learn who they are and that our tax dollars should be used to accomplish this learning objective. If the school system cannot provide this education (which they have never done in the past) it is imperative that our tax dollars be spent on programs during the school day or after school to fill this vital need for African American children. American History has developed and actively promoted many myths, fables, and fantasy and presented outright lies concerning African American people and their Contribution to American and Western civilization. The History Curriculum and Frame Works of the state of California Department of Education for students K-12 have failed to reveal who the African American student is and the achievements and contributions African Americans have made to the creation of Western civilization. The history curriculum and frameworks do not teach African American history in context with the many obstacles that African Americans faced and why they were able to overcome those obstacles and achieve extraordinary successes. A people's history defines a people's group identity and inspires and fires the imagination of a people when they learn about the accomplishments of their people, how they faced innumerable challenges, and how they were able to overcome those challenges. Your history tells you who you are and how you came into being. It tells you of your interaction with all kinds of people of this world and how you were able to work with those people to achieve positive results. The African American has a unique history that when told in context explains his/her true being that will help future generations formulate a world view and perspective that can guide him/her along their journey through life and can be summoned as a source of strength in good and bad times. History, as taught in the American Schools K-12, promotes white supremacy and black inferiority by just not discussing or obscuring the African Americans as vital and important contributors to the development of American and Western Civilization. African Americans are the invisible men/women of history. An example of this is Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa, who stated at the 2016 Presidential Republican Convention that white people are the only people who have contributed to the making of American and Western Civilization. The idea that African Americans have not contributed to civilization was the belief that was taught in schools to support the enslavement of African people centuries ago; however, this was said not 100 years ago, nor 50 years ago, nor 10 years ago, but right now!!! This type of history is destructive to the self-esteem and to the identity of African American children which produces self-hate. You have to know your history before you can fight for your future (Akon)

Many Americans are sickened by the toxic and negative tone of Presidential elections. Let's find a way to appear strong without lowering ourselves to the level of Donald Trump and his cohorts.

Please sign our petition so that we may gain public support for our cause to offer enrichment services to the community for FREE

It is unacceptable for Hopkins to consider Broadway Services, a non-union security contractor that is under no obligation to pay the men & women who keep us safe the future wage increases and maintain the path to employer paid health care they need and deserve. Having received over a billion dollars in grants from Michael Bloomberg, John’s Hopkins does not need to use a contractor that would try and save pennies off the backs of African-American workers who are already struggling to provide for their families on low wages. A prestigious, wealthy and powerful University like Johns Hopkins has a moral obligation to do everything in its power to avoid using a contractor that could push low-wage, African-American workers closer to poverty and deny them employer-paid health care. I call on Hopkins to ensure that any new security contractor continues the gains in hourly pay that officers made in their first contract, and maintains the path to employer-paid health benefits that are now established. Health care should be paid for by JHU's contractors who can afford it and not by taxpayers.

On June 16, the House narrowly failed, 204-216, [1] to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia, which has used them in civilian areas in Yemen in violation of U.S. law. [2] The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch supported Rep. Conyers' amendment. The Senate has not yet considered the measure. We know where the overwhelming majority of House Democrats stand. On June 16, 164 House Democrats voted to ban the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia. Only 16 Democrats voted no. Every Wisconsin House Democrat - Mark Pocan, Ron Kind, and Gwen Moore - voted for the amendment. [3] Urge Senator Baldwin to stand with these Wisconsin Democrats and publicly oppose the transfer of cluster bombs to Saudi Arabia by signing our petition. References: 1. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2016/roll327.xml 2. http://www.noclusterbombs.org/news/2016/05/28/transfers-ksa/ 3. https://projects.propublica.org/represent/votes/114/house/2/327

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump gave an absolutely chilling acceptance speech—riddled with fear-based, authoritarian language that painted an absolutely grotesque picture of our nation. As terrifying as Trump's speech was, it was an apt culmination to a Republican National Convention rife with violent, almost mob-like rhetoric, with repeated chants to "lock up" Hilary Clinton. Yet—as shocking as this may seem—Nate Silver (former New York Times data wizard who picked every single state with 100 percent accuracy in 2012) said Trump’s odds of winning in November bumped up to nearly 40 percent the morning after his speech. The race is on. And what's needed most are people like you—committed, passionate MoveOn members needed to sound the alarm in cities and towns across this nation. MoveOn members have faced tough odds before and won—most recently defending diplomacy with Iran to avert another Middle East war, and backing down the NRA to win an executive order on gun safety. But the very real threat of a Trump presidency increases the urgency of the high stakes we've faced before. That's why the entire MoveOn team will work like crazy between now and Election Day to defeat Donald Trump and his hateful, racist, misogynist platform. And that's why we need incredible MoveOn members in the streets, on the phones, and flooding social media—as only you can.

Charles Kinsey, a mental health worker, was shot in the leg while helping an autistic patient who had wandered away from the medical facility where Kinsey works. At the time he was shot, Kinsey was lying on his back, hands in the air, trying to explain to the responding police officer that he and his patient were both unarmed. When Charles asked the officer why he shot him, the officer responded, "I don't know." The department just suspended Commander Emile Hollant—the officer who radioed in the misinformation that the patient was loading a gun and later lied about it—without pay. Suspending these officers is not enough—neither of these officers should be able to put on a uniform again. However, Florida police union contracts and lobbying have made it almost impossible for police officers to be held accountable. Police violence against Black men and women in our country is an epidemic—the number of Black men and women killed by police each year is staggering. At least 138 Black people have been killed by police already this year. Having police who are unable to make quick judgment calls that de-escalate police encounters is no longer acceptable. Our social media feeds and media headlines are filled with horrific stories of police responding with aggression, violence, and domination, instead of engaging in conversation or using de-escalation strategies when interacting with Black men and women. Police officers who jump to violence must be held accountable and removed from the police force. Failing to do so continues the dangerous tradition of allowing police to act without consequence for the pain and suffering they inflict on Black men and women.

The Little Island Park Surfing Beach is in dire need of handicap access to the beach on the north side of the fishing pier. This beach is primarily utilized by families with members that surf at that beach. These families include Moms, Dads, Grandparents, and young children. The access path that provides entry to the surfing-only beach is a soft, deep sand. It is dune-like and has an incline in both directions. It is a tough walk for even the most athletic types, let alone young children and the elderly. I myself, who have a surfing family, am handicapped. I enjoy nothing more than watching my entire family surf on weekends. It is so hard for me to make the crossing. All of us who utilize this beach joke that it is the "death walk". On behalf of myself, and others who are handicapped or aged, respectfully request some type of ramping over the dune so that we can have access to that beach. It is in no way a beach that provides access to people with physical disabilities. All throughout the private housing areas of Sandbridge, there are walkways down to the beach, which provide access for handicap individuals. We also don't have any bathroom facilities at the surfing beach. A handicapped person has to trek a long ways to get to the swimming beach to find a bathroom or a place to rinse the sand off. We ask, and request that the City of Virginia make arrangements to have this section of Little Island Park in Sandbridge be accessible to all citizens, even the disabled, by providing a ramp over the dune, shower, or rinse-off station, and a bathroom.

I live near the lake, have a home about 6,000 feet away from it, and am the Vice President of the Kirkwood Lake Committee. I am sick of the delay, and the lies.

Both Politico and The Atlantic are hosting events during the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia sponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, one of the organizations called out by Senate Democrats earlier this month for "perpetrating a sprawling web of misdirection and disinformation to block action on climate change." The American Petroleum Institute is a notorious front group for ExxonMobil, Koch Industries, and other climate polluters. With the paid collusion of Politico and The Atlantic, they are promoting their civilization-threatening Vote4Energy "voter education project," which calls for an "all-of-the-above energy strategy " with "increased production of oil and natural gas," denying the urgent scientific warnings about increased greenhouse pollution. Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and the Democratic National Platform are all calling for a Department of Justice investigation of the fossil-fuel industry for "corporate fraud" and "misleading shareholders and the public on the scientific reality of climate change." For Democrats - including representatives of the Hillary Clinton campaign - to participate in a Big Oil propaganda event during the Democratic National Convention - is a unseemly grant of social license to this web of deception. The participants in the "Vote4Pollution" Atlantic and Politico events focused on energy policy include: * Gov. John Hickenlooper (CO) * Gov. Jay Inslee (WA) * Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-9) * Rep. Gene Green (TX-29) * Rep. Dave Loebsack (IA-02) * Trevor Houser, Energy Advisor, Hillary Clinton campaign * Heather Zichael, former White House climate advisor Planned participants in the other "Vote4Pollution"-sponsored events during the week include: * Sen. Chris Coons (DE) * Rep. Joe Crowley (NY-14) * Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (NM-03) * Rep. Xavier Becerra (CA-34) * John Podesta, chair, Hillary Clinton campaign * Neera Tanden, President and CEO, Center for American Progress * Ruy Teixeira, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress * And other Democratic advisors and former top officials It is a troubling state of affairs that the journalists of the Atlantic and Politico are accepting payment from dangerous propagandists. It is even worse that Democrats who claim to not only recognize the serious of the climate emergency but call out fossil-fuel influence and deception are rolling in Big OIl's muck. We expect the members of the Democratic Party to stand by their professed principles and boycott these events.