Lands's End should be encouraged to restore Steinem to the website and catalog. People should care because this is the central message of feminism: treat men and women alike. Flawed men are in ads all the time.

Because real change in this country can only happen when people are allowed to vote, without discrimination or red tape.

Rainier Beach Community Club submitted a proposal for funding from the Neighborhood Parks and Street Fund, which has advanced to the second round in the selection process. To demonstrate community enthusiasm for this project, Rainier Beach residents need to demonstrate to the City of Seattle their interest and commitment for occasional and regular use of the outdoor exercise gym. Please sign this petition and show your support on Monday, March 21, 2016 (6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.) at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center, 4655 S Holly St, Seattle, WA 98118. A sub-committee of the Southeast District Council will be reviewing each of the eleven applications. We will give a 5 minute presentation of our proposal and testimony from supporters will be heard.

We Black people want our own award shows.

Over the last several years, Congress and the U.S. Sentencing Commission have reduced the penalties for drug trafficking and have released tens of thousands of convicted drug traffickers from prison early. Congress has also stopped the distribution of money to state and local law enforcement agencies through the asset forfeiture sharing program—money that is vital to the ability to fight drug cartels, gangs, and other serious criminals. Over the past five years, the Department of Justice has reduced federal prosecutions of violent offenders, drug traffickers, and those committing firearm and other serious federal felonies by 25%. Meanwhile, murders, rapes, and other violent crimes are spiraling upward at rates unprecedented in recent times, and our Nation faces the worst opioid epidemic in our history. State and federal law enforcement officials are under attack by media outlets and organizations with anti-law enforcement agendas. Shockingly, Congress is considering legislation that will further seriously weaken the federal criminal justice system. If passed, this legislation will reduce the penalties for armed career criminals, serial violent offenders, armed drug traffickers and repeat drug traffickers, and it will make thousands of these previously convicted offenders eligible for early release from federal prison. The legislation will substantially undermine truth-in-sentencing (currently one of the strengths of the federal system) by giving some federal offenders as much as one-third off their sentence for receiving prison-provided training. Other legislative proposals will make more difficult law enforcement efforts to forfeit the ill-gotten proceeds of criminal activity and limit or eliminate the sharing of forfeiture proceeds with state and local law enforcement agencies. It is time for Congress to support law enforcement efforts that preserve public safety and reject so-called reforms that undermine our federal criminal justice system. If you are a leader in law enforcement (or a retired leader), please sign our petition and provide your title and law enforcement agency in the comments section along with any comments you think appropriate. More information on the myths of sentencing reform can be found on the National Association of Assistant U.S. Attorneys’ webpage: http://www.naausa.org/site/index.php/sentencing-reform

I have watched and been in charge of research on Bork when he was nominated. Many organizations pointed out his flaws in personal beliefs and character. Both Republicans and Democrats pressured the Senate to chose another option. Luckily for our country, we were able to provide enough pressure to nominate someone equally qualified but more suited to serve.

The public hearing will be held 1:30-3:30 pm, Wednesday, March 2, 2016. Link to the committee meeting and request for comment: http://abra.dc.gov/event/abc-board-hearing-pub-crawl-regulations Link to the actual proposed regulation: http://abra.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/abra/publication/attachments/PubCrawlRulemakingEmerandPro1132016.pdf We plan to deliver a printed version of this letter, along with a printout of all signers, for consideration during the public hearing.

The Workers’ Protection Coalition is fighting for a fair and just Workers’ Compensation System for all injured workers. We must stop the proposed cuts and slashing of worker protections. Here's what's at stake: 1. Disabled workers deserve full settlements. The Budget would eliminate the Aggregate Trust Fund, in turn slashing settlements for workers who are permanently disabled, widows and dependents of workers who died on the job. It would be a second reduction for the permanently partially disabled workers whose compensation was decimated by the 2007 caps, and would do enormous damage to those who are permanently totally disabled or who are beneficiaries in death cases. 2. New Yorkers who work two jobs or are paid by the hour should not be treated as second class citizens. The Budget would unfairly change the way a worker’s salary is calculated, reduce benefits for hourly workers in all types of employment, and prevent those who work two jobs from being compensated for all of their lost wages. Workers deserve fair compensation for their lost wages. The law shouldn’t be changed to deflate their average weekly wages and in turn, provide substandard compensation. 3. Workers must be able to choose their own doctors and manage their own health care. The Budget would allow for workers’ employers to choose their doctors, while giving the Workers’ Compensation Board unchecked and undemocratic authority to regulate doctors and remove them from the system. Workers are entitled to manage their own health care, and doctors should be regulated by qualified medical professionals, not the Workers’ Compensation Board. 4. Injured workers deserve a fair hearing. The Budget would remove the right of workers and employers to have their cases decided by the same judge who heard their case. Instead, the Workers’ Compensation Board would be allowed to assign any case at any time to any judge in the state for any reason, when making a final decision. This would deny workers their fundamental right to a fair hearing and an impartial, reasoned decision. 5. Injured workers deserve a democratic process and the chance to appeal. The Budget would eliminate the right of workers and employers to have appeals decided by a panel of three Commissioners appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Legislature. Instead, it would allow most appeals to be decided by any lawyer employed by the Board; and end all meaningful Legislative participation in the workers’ compensation system. 6. Doctors should be regulated by doctors, not bureaucrats. The Budget would eliminate the role of the Medical Societies in qualifying doctors to treat injured workers. Instead, the Workers’ Compensation Board would be given broad power to require doctors to sign “authorization agreements,” and to bar them from the system if it chooses to do so, limiting the medical treatment available to injured workers.

Reasonable Americans should band together and make a collective visual statement to voice our disapproval and disavowment of Donald Trump's candidacy for President. It doesn't matter what party you belong to--Trump should not be legitimized.

EDIT * VICTORY* "The Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (LCB) has received several inquiries asking about the practice of bud tender tip jars. In response, the LCB has reviewed their position and this bulletin is to clarify the policy on allowable tipping. Tipping has not been an allowable practice in a licensed retail marijuana location. This position was adopted based on an interpretation of RCW 69.50.357, and indications that prices of products were being manipulated based on the size of a tip to avoid paying excise tax. However, changes in RCW 69.50.535 established in 2ESHB 2136 (Laws of 2015, 2d Spec. Sess., Ch. 4), modified the tax structure associated with marijuana sales, partially negating the concerns associated with prices being adjusted to avoid taxes. The legislation also prohibited sales of marijuana and marijuana products conditioned on the buyer’s purchase of a service or non-marijuana product. RCW 69.50.380. It placed restrictions on “bundled” transactions as well. RCW 69.50.570. Due to the statutory change, the Board has revisited the policy position, and its interpretation of RCW 69.50.357. Effective immediately, customer tipping is now an allowable practice in licensed retail marijuana stores. However, tipping cannot be required or a condition of sale, nor can it be linked to the price of the product to avoid tax obligations. If a licensee allows tipping for their staff, licensees are reminded that there may be business or employee taxes associated with tips received." Together, let's force the hand of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board in the favor of worker's rights, the community and justice !! The LCB recently responded to our question concerning whether or not our employees could receive tips, saying that tips were disallowed because the seller could lower the price of the marijuana, receive a tip and keep that without paying the LCB the tax due on the full price. The interesting fact in most cases is that employees keep the tips, the sellers (the owners) do not. Tips do not change the tax situation for marijuana store owners. It was also discussed that no services could be sold in a marijuana shop and that receiving tips makes helping customers and patients a paid service. I’m confused because even if they don’t get tips, what budtenders do is a paid service. It is actually one of the most important and desired service in the marijuana industry because the customers don’t know how to buy the product yet. Budtenders educate patients and customers. As a result, people don’t overdose or spend money on flowers, oils, edibles or topicals that don’t give them the desired effect. Can you imagine what it would be like for a cancer patient to go to a marijuana store, where a budtender was not allowed to serve him or her? How would they know where to start? How much damage would occur if they didn’t have the resources to reduce their suffering. Our stores carry almost 200 separate items, and we expect our workers to be knowledgeable about them all in order to better service our patients and community . Cannabinoids and terpenes are misunderstood. I am not aware of any other plant on earth like cannabis. It has been modified by humans and nature to help us with everything from chronic pain and seizures to improving our lives and allowing us to relax in an overwhelmingly powerful outside world. But it doesn’t do anyone any good if the correct mix of cannabinoids and terpenes or an appropriate dose isn’t recommended. People are happy to throw a dollar in a jar for a good recommendation, and no one is getting hurt. As a matter of fact, if you could receive a tip for giving an educated suggestion and you had the information, wouldn’t you do it? Well, interestingly enough....... These employees are hard working, young and older people with car payments and apartments, partners and kids. They have stood up to the hypocrisy of alcohol over cannabis, cigarettes over marijuana and prescription drugs over nature’s own remedies. Let's stand up for them and their rights! Allow tipping in 502 retail locations.

Back in August 2013, we came to you when peach workers laboring for Gerawan were sent into a field to work after the field was sprayed with pesticides. It took 15 months for the Fresno Ag Commissioner to investigate and rule that Gerawan’s behavior was against the law. This time workers were pruning in Gerawan’s peach orchards, when a neighboring almond orchard was sprayed with pesticides. This is what 10-year Gerawan employee Aurelio Landa tells us: "On Monday, February 22, my crew and another 4 more (crews) were working on the west side in the pruning of peaches. At approximately 8:00am, some machines began to fumigate in the field west of where we were working. At 10:00am, when we went out for breakfast, a machine came out in front of our crew and fumigated us all. The foreman Jose Torres commented that it wasn’t correct and they should have notified us that they were going to fumigate. One of my coworkers, whom they call “El Chaparro”, made signs to the sprayer so that he would stop, but the sprayer ignored him and continued fumigating. Some of my coworkers had nausea, dizziness and had tears in their eyes, just like I did. At 10:30 we entered to work again, as if nothing had happened. Approximately at 1pm, all the workers in Jose Torres’ crew were taken to the office, as were the workers in Benito’s crew. There, we were attended by a gentleman who said he was a doctor. I told him that my head hurt, my eyes burned and I felt nauseous. He checked my eyes, my mouth and my pulse and soon after told me that everything was fine since the pesticide that was sprayed was organic and that it wasn’t dangerous. My coworkers and I weren’t given any type of medication. At about 4pm, we were returned to work, being that we normally get out at 4:30. I feel that the company isn’t sufficiently concerning itself for our safety, the workers. I don’t have medical insurance to cover me in case in the future I get sick due to the chemicals. This is why I demand more respect and safety in the workplace. In this case, they didn’t even do a blood test to see if they caused us any harm. I hope the county takes action." Can you help Aurelio and the Gerawan workers by signing a petition, which the workers will submit to the Fresno County Ag commissioner? Tell the Ag Commissioner that a foremen telling the workers that it isn’t right for them to be sprayed, but taking no action to move the workers to safety, is totally unacceptable. Also unacceptable is Gerawan’s action of taking some of the workers to the office to see a doctor, who did not even check their blood, even if the workers were complaining about nausea, itchy eyes and more.

President Obama has issued a signing statement opposing Congressional efforts in the Customs Act to erase the Green Line and put Congress on record defending Israeli settlements in the West Bank. President Obama wrote: "Certain provisions of this Act, by conflating Israel and 'Israeli-controlled territories,' are contrary to longstanding bipartisan United States policy, including with regard to the treatment of settlements." [1] President Obama reaffirmed his intention to ignore Congressional demands that the U.S. try to interfere with European moves to enforce European policies distinguishing the settlements from Israel. But a year from now, Barack Obama will not be President. These laws passed by Congress will still be on the books, and the next President could try to carry them out. Rubio or Cruz would surely do so; what a President Trump might do is anybody's guess. While Bernie Sanders has called for ending Israeli settlement building on Palestinian land [2], Hillary Clinton has yet to clarify where she stands on efforts in Congress to legitimize Israeli settlements in the West Bank. [3] That's why it's important that we push Members of Congress now to stand with President Obama and longstanding U.S. policy that settlements are not Israel. Urge Congress to stand with President Obama in affirming that Israeli-settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank are not Israel by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.jta.org/2016/02/25/news-opinion/united-states/battle-over-defining-bds-makes-it-into-presidential-signing-statement-but-that-wont-end-it 2. https://berniesanders.com/issues/war-and-peace/ 3. http://prospect.org/article/note-hillary-boycotts-and-settlements