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.

Judge Benjamin Smith has caused irreparable damage through his abuse of power & manipulation of civil & criminal law. In our case, a single mother & sole provider of her child for 4 years lost custody after being set up & accused of a crime to which she hadn’t been proven guilty. During the court hearing, an exparte communication was made in the Judge’s chambers giving custody to the paternal grandparents & no testimony or evidence to the family’s ignobility or precarious lifestyle allowed. However, any testimony that could be used to decimate the maternal family’s character was welcomed. The maternal grandmother’s testimony was completely suppressed, all evidence refused & witness refused. Custody was first given to paternal grandparents, who were absent from the child's life since birth, & per the Texas Family Code had no legal standing to intervene in the custody dispute. The Petition for Intervention filed by the maternal grandmother was abandoned completely. Judge Smith gave full power & authority over the child to the paternal grandparents, including the right to decide the estranged father’s eligibility for visitation. Although the child's father owed more than $12,000 in back child support, he was not ordered to pay, however, the mother was ordered to pay support to the paternal grandparents. The Judge supported this decision through the complete suppression of opposing testimony, evidentiary support, & disregard for Texas Law. Following the hearing, the child’s mother’s attorney set a reconsideration hearing. During that hearing, without the mother present, the attorneys agreed & allowed the Judge to change temporary custody to the estranged father, although he was clearly proven unfit in the hearing, admitted to having 3 children over the past 5 years he didn’t visit/support & had only lived in Collin County 2 weeks breaking the law of required legal standing. Since that time, the child’s father/paternal family have been allowed to move the child out of state to an undisclosed location, changing phone numbers & blocking all social media profiles giving the child’s mother/maternal family no access to him for now 6 years. The last time the mother/maternal family saw the child was March 2015 only for 15 minutes while videotaped by the paternal grandmother Marguerite Alba who used her legal ties & legal assistant position with the Dallas Law Firm who represented her to, per witness testimony, “destroy” the child’s mother. Since the father has had custody, he abandoned the child at least 5 times, moved him 9 times, changing schools at least 8 times. It has been 6 years since the mother/maternal family have seen this child. Though the mother wrote letters to the Judge advising him that the paternal family would not communicate with her, & refused visitation, he did nothing. The mother is young, can’t afford an attorney, & even if she could, she would have no chance because the Judge & defendants are acquaintances outside the Court. All attorneys called refused to take a case in this Judge’s Court due to his “manipulation of the Law,” & Legal Services refuses to help as the long-arm of this Judge has reached the as well. We have heard so many stories of civil rights violations by this Judge with other families. Please help us send a message to this Judge that his illegal, unethical, bias, partial rulings will no longer be tolerated. If your rights have been violated by this Judge please contact us at https://www.facebook.com/injusticeincollincounty. Please sign & share our other petition to impeach Judge Emily Miskel at https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/please-sign-to-impeach-2. The law provides strict policies governing Texas Judges by way of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. Texas law upholds that “our legal system is based on the principle that an independent, fair & competent judiciary will interpret & apply the laws that govern us.” It is required that a Judge should act as an arbitrator of "facts & law" to resolve disputes fairly only after allowing parties their right to testimony without showing bias or partiality "under the rule of law" while "establishing & maintaining high standards of judicial & personal conduct.” Canon 2A "admonishes Judges to conduct themselves in a manner to promote public confidence." Canon 2B states: "He (a judge) should not lend the prestige of his office to advance the private interests of others." Canon 3A(2) "admonishes judges to be unswayed by partisan interests." Canon 3B(5) states “a judge shall perform judicial duties without bias or prejudice.” Canon 3B(7) states “a judge shall require lawyers in proceedings before the court to refrain from manifesting, by words or conduct, bias or prejudice based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status against parties, witnesses, counsel or others.” Canon 3B(8) states “a judge shall accord to every person who has a legal interest in a proceeding, or that person's lawyer, the right to be heard according to law. A judge shall not initiate, permit, OR CONSIDER EXPARTE COMMUNICATIONS or other communications made to the judge outside the presence of the parties between the judge & a party, an attorney, a guardian or attorney ad litem, an alternative dispute resolution neutral, or any other court appointee concerning the merits of a pending or impending judicial proceeding.” Texas Constitution Article 15 entitled “Impeachment” states "any judge of the District Courts of the State who is incompetent to discharge the duties of his office, or who shall be guilty of partiality, or oppression, or other official misconduct, or whose habits & conduct are such as to render him unfit to hold such office, or who shall negligently fail to perform his duties as judge; or who shall fail to execute in a reasonable measure the business in his courts, may be removed by the Supreme Court."

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

Please tell the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) NOT to give the City of Port St Lucie a permit (Permit #56-03461-P) for the Crosstown Parkway six-lane highway and bridge for Route 1C to go through two Florida State Preserves. Allowing this bridge to go through two State Preserves sets a precedent that puts ALL State Parks in the United States in jeopardy of becoming paved over. The required environmental study says this route, which crosses the North Fork of the State Lucie River Aquatic Preserve and the Savannas Preserve State Park’s Halpatiokee Nature Trail, is the WORST route environmentally. The law says the least impacting alternative route must be chosen unless there is an exceptional and extraordinary circumstance, which in this case there is not. There are few natural areas left in urban settings. These two Forida state preserves have endangered, threatened and species of concern, and are essential fish habitats. This area helps to keep our Florida waters clean and is important for Eco-tourism. Please sign our petition to tell the SFWMD NOT to issue Permit #56-03461-P.

Global Warming is real. Our planet as we know it will continue to demolish if we keep investing in fossil fuel companies. We won't have a place to call home. Save our environment! Save our animals! Save our WORLD!

Article II, Section 2 lays out the Senate's role in providing advice and consent to the President regarding his nominee to the Supreme Court. In the past 60 years, every nominee has had a hearing before Congress. This year should be no different. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans, including our own North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, have already said they will not consider any nominee to the Supreme Court whom President Obama delivers to them. By refusing to consider any nominee before any are even put forward, Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee are clearly violating their constitutional duty to the American people. Next week arguments will be heard in the Whole Woman’s Health v. Hellerstadt case. The verdict in the case may impact whether opponents of abortion will continue to pursue their strategy of attacking providers as a way to stop access to legal abortion, and will have far-reaching consequences right here in North Carolina. Playing politics with women's health isn't just wrong, it's dangerous.