By refusing to stand during the national anthem, San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick is making an important, bold rebuke of police violence against Black people. Kaepernick joins a long history of Black athletes using their platforms to advance racial and gender justice issues - like Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Power salute during the national anthem at the 1968 Olympics and Jackie Robinson writing that he could not salute the flag as “a Black man in a white world.” Colin Kaepernick is demanding that America live up to its own ideals and address the oppression of people of color. To express your support for this brave athlete, please add your name.

My husband was hit with this once he was released from prison in 2011, and also made to register as a Sex Offender for the next 20 years. In the law it states you must have served your time or completed your probation whichever one is greater and then register for 20 years. Not to have 5 more years to do on a 6 year 6 month charge that he already done his time for. This is a Double Jeopardy and it's not fair to them or their family. He completed his classes for the SOTP twice. Paid for a polygraph and passed. Yes we have been affected by this, because my husband Joseph Fulz is a good honest man who deserves to try and rebuild his life. Why make him do more time than he's already done. If they wanted him to do 12 years then I feel the courts should have gave him 12 instead of 6 years and 6 months to only come home on probation. He completed his classes and was following all the rules. The reason for his violations doesn't have anything to do with the underlying offense. He was charged with 2nd degree Rape No Force, but how is it a Rape if there is not Force. It just doesn't make any sense to me. Please help us try and change the SOCD law. If he has done everything the Government request such as register, then the SOCD should be given if you become a Repeat Offender of such a crime as this. Not put you on SOCD and be a registry for 20 years if not a lifetime. We need help because I want my husband back home with his family.

On August 30, both houses in California’s legislature passed a bill to ban government contracts to companies that choose to participate in a boycott against Israel. [1] It is now on Governor Brown’s desk—where the option to veto a bill that suppresses free speech and lawful political expression is wide open. The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement provides a form of nonviolent political expression and action to allow people of conscience to participate in the ongoing Palestinian struggle for justice. In recent years, the movement has gained major traction, including among young people across university campuses and within large organizations, such as the U.S. Presbyterian Church and United Methodist Church. No matter what one thinks of the BDS movement, attempting to stifle political opinions and actions echoes the McCarthy era. This bill is an attempt to curb the rights of anyone who seeks to highlight the injustices perpetrated against Palestinians. According to a coalition of over 100 civil society organizations including the Center for Constitutional Rights, bill A.B.2844 is “both an attack on the constitutional rights of Californians and a waste of taxpayer money.” [1] By not vetoing this bill, Gov. Brown will be ignoring the rights of Californians to dissent and take action on their political beliefs without being penalized by the government. Sign this petition to demand that Gov. Brown vetoes bill A.B.2844. Sources: 1. “California Lawmakers OK Bill Penalizing Companies Boycotting Israel.” Telesur, September 1, 2016 http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Calif.nbspLawmakers-OK-Bill-Penalizing-Companies-Boycotting-Israel-20160901-0004.html

In 2009, New Mexico repealed the death penalty, replacing it with laws providing for new sentences for life in prison and restitution to the families of victims. But today Governor Martinez is calling for a return to the death penalty--making the state the only one in the country calling for a new death penalty, while at least a half-dozen others are moving to repeal their own. Send this message to Governor Martinez and legislators in the State Senate and State House to show your opposition to a return to this vengeful law.

The actions on September 3, 2016 by the private security guards hired by Dakota Access endangered the lives of dozens of protesters, including many young children. Photos and videos released online show protesters, including a pregnant woman, were bit and bleeding. Security personnel were caught on video macing protesters, but denied it when confronted by the media. The guards had no uniforms, drove vehicles with out-of-state plates, and appeared to have little or no training. It's unclear whether or not they're even licensed to operate in the state. The actions of the security guards hired by Dakota Access have the public asking questions: - Who was the private security firm hired by Dakota Access? - Why aren’t the security guards wearing uniforms? - Are the guards properly trained and licensed by the NDPISB? The North Dakota Private Investigation and Security Board is a governor-appointed board that licenses and regulates the private investigation and security industries. The board must investigate the actions of the private security guards hired by Dakota Access and ensure they are properly trained and licensed to operate in North Dakota.

Our nation is one that is very diverse in its complex constellation. The national anthem in its full text, celebrates (and calls for) the death of slaves in verse three. When we stand to respect this nation with hands over our hearts, we are directly supporting the spirit of the poem and its author, Francis Scott Key, who was himself a slaveholder as well as a prosecutor of abolitionists. We can no longer in good conscience, stand for a song who denigrates historically or otherwise, any one of our fellow American citizens.

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.