In the fourth Democratic presidential debate, Bernie Sanders said that "less than 10 percent" of the Pentagon budget "actually goes into fighting ISIS and international terrorism." [1] The purported fact-checking site PolitiFact rated Sanders' statement as "mostly false," [2] based on the claim that the share of Pentagon spending devoted to fighting international terrorism is a fundamentally unknowable fact. [3] But PolitiFact could have talked to experts on Pentagon spending who say Sanders' statement was "mostly true." Carl Conetta, director of the Project on Defense Alternatives [4], wrote: "MOSTLY TRUE. Website PolitiFact says 'mostly false,' but they're wrong. Got buffaloed by Pentagon flaks. I say 'mostly true' because less than 15% would be 'certainly true'... which is to say a nation with a $90 billion defense budget devoted entirely to counter-terrorism operations could surely accomplish what we have - although they'd do it differently. Another way to look at this would be to ask, How much could we cut the budget if our terrorism concerns receded to the level of 1990? DoD would almost surely say, 'less than 10 percent.'" [5] Urge PolitiFact to correct the record by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/01/17/the-4th-democratic-debate-transcript-annotated-who-said-what-and-what-it-meant/ 2. http://www.PolitiFact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/jan/18/bernie-s/less-10-percent-defense-budget-fighting-terrorism-/ 3. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/34491-PolitiFact-sanders-is-wrong-about-pentagon-spending-because-understanding-the-pentagon-budget-is-too-hard 4. http://www.ciponline.org/about-us/experts-staff/carl-conetta 5. https://www.facebook.com/carl.conetta/posts/10205601655948597

My son Jason is a sophomore at SHS and is one of the older students in 10th grade. Jason and many other sophomores are involved in multiple after school activities. We don't think it's fair that these students that have their driver's licenses are denied the ability to drive to school. There are plenty of parking spaces available that no one is using.

A behind-­‐the-­‐scenes effort to terminate Dr. Charles Lester, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission has just come to light. The attack on Executive Director Lester is an attack on the Coastal Act itself. This power grab is an attempt to undermine the Coastal Program, gain control over an independent staff, and make the Commission more developer-friendly without any public accountability or transparency. Ironically, this comes at a time when Director Lester has gained major accomplishments for the protection of the CA coast.

The Christie administration is trying to commercialize Liberty State Park by letting private developers build on open parkland. It would be like putting a hotel in Central Park. Liberty State Park and its views of the Statue of Liberty and Manhattan are priceless – and today it can be enjoyed by everyone at no cost. All that would change if Governor Christie hands over the park to developers: there’d be less open space, more traffic, and fewer places for families to visit for free. Developing Liberty State Park is part of the Christie administration’s bigger plan to charge fees to access our natural and historical treasures to offset growing budget shortfalls. If we don’t stop this attack on Liberty State Park, we could see hotels, conference centers, and more traffic where our open spaces across the state used to be.

Immigrants who serve or served in the United State Armed Forces deserve to be U.S. Nationals! Many former Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force Veterans who were Green Card holders have been deported or are currently in the process of being deported. Help them fight the immigration system to be rightfully called U.S. Nationals.

I work in Yellowstone National Park, where we had over 4 million visitors in 2015 and expect the numbers to rise in 2016 with the park's 100th anniversary. The majority of these visitors come to view the geysers and the wildlife - particularly to witness a grey wolf and/or a grizzly bear. WY needs to protect its wildlife - it is one of the main industries in this state, and it is part of what makes WY spectacular to visit. Local law enforcement is crucial for this protection. It would be wildly irresponsible for the legislature to put arguments with the federal government ahead of its responsibility to protect invaluable state resources.

The traffic court system disproportionately impacts low-income and people of color in San Francisco by creating an endless cycle of court-ordered debt that is difficult to break. Current policy in San Francisco uses driver’s license suspensions as punishment for people who cannot pay exorbitant fines and fees. “Quality of life” citations, such as jaywalking or sleeping in a public place, also lead to bench warrants and driver’s license suspensions. Unpaid fines and fees then get transferred to a private debt collection agency that aggressively pursues any outstanding debt. Due to exorbitant fine amounts and reduced access to courts, driver’s license suspensions create barriers to sustainable employment, harm credit, and keep people in long cycles of poverty that are impossible to overcome. License suspensions and attempts to collect these fines and fees from low-income people have no positive impact on public safety. In reality, these practices undermine public safety by limiting the ability of low-income people to access living wage employment, social services, and pay for essentials such as food, clothing, and shelter. Debt Free San Francisco is a coalition that includes Community Housing Partnership, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, All of Us or None, and the Coalition on Homelessness San Francisco. We are working to eliminate the impacts of court-ordered debt on our communities, and urge the City and County of San Francisco to end practices that result in crippling debt for its residents.

It is painfully obvious that these state representatives have their own agenda and are refusing to follow the SCOTUS determination. Discrimination in any form will not be tolerated. Lets tell Tennessee law makers to get with it, stop their own agenda and move forward! Say NO to the Tennessee Natural Marriage Defense Act NOW!!

Wildlife is part of what makes Wyoming great. If the bill introduced last week passes, it will take away a necessary layer of wildlife protection by stripping the state's Game and Fish and law enforcement's involvement in the investigation or prosecution of poaching. Without this level of protection, the hunting rights and abilities of all Wyomingites would be negatively affected.

Airbnb is coming under criticism for listing vacation rentals in West Bank settlements on their website without identifying their location in the West Bank. [1] In a recent report, Human Rights Watch said businesses should stop operating in West Bank settlements because they violate the rights of Palestinian civilians. [2] Urge Airbnb to stop listing vacation rentals in West Bank settlements on their website, or identify them as being in the West Bank, by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/01/20/world/middleeast/ap-ml-israel-political-bed-and-breakfast.html 2. http://forward.com/news/breaking-news/330549/stop-doing-business-in-settlements-human-rights-watch-urges/

To win support for a Gibraltar passport

If we want to get bee-killing pesticides out of our food supply, our grocery stores need to stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides. You can help make that happen! Sign the petition: Demand that grocery stores stop selling food grown with bee-killing pesticides!