Since the illegal takeover of power from the then democratically elected government of Sir Dawda Jawara on July 22, 1992 by President Yahya Jammeh, The Gambia has known anything but peace -- Gambia was regarded as "the smiling coast of Africa" by the international community. Therefore, the recent announcement by Jammeh to turn this once beacon of freedom into an Islamic State is a continuation of the abuse of the constitution that has been his Modus Operandi from the onset. What makes this move more alarming than the pervasive killings, disappearances, and tortures of the citizens for all these years is that it is an attempt to change the very character and history of The Gambia. Sharia could become the law of the land, the already traumatized Christian and other religious minorities could be pushed further into isolation, the country’s pariah State status will be further worsened. All these circumstances will only allow for far worse human rights abuses than we have already witnessed, and the country can erupt into a violence that could threaten the entire sub-region. In light of these potential dire consequences, We the citizens and friends of The Gambia, hereby make the following declarations: -Because this action is unconstitutional, it will not be done in our name -Because this could encourage Boko Haram and ISIS type organizations to use Gambia as a base, we are totally opposed to it -Because Gambia is a Secular State, any religious interference into state matters will compromise the core principle of Separation of Church/Mosque and State that this country was founded on -Because this action will only worsen the human rights abuses that have been pervasive in this country, it cannot be accepted -Because the minority Christians and people of other faiths will see it as an effort to further isolate them, it will only divide our people. That makes it unacceptable -Because President Yahya Jammeh's pronouncement is unconstitutional and does not represent the core values of Gambians who have inter-generational relations between Christians, Muslims and Pagans, this will breed divisiveness within those sects.

My petition is for a pardon of my 27 year old criminal record. I've paid my debt to society in full for what I did as a young man growing up in a tough home situation. Since my release in 1993 I've created three businesses and spent my last 20 years in business being a strong advocate for Returning Citizens. I released a book in 2012 titles "From the Block to the Boardroom" detailing my life story as a blueprint to encourage anyone else going thru a similar situation that change is possible. Last year out of a unprecedented 900 Nominees through out the Country I was selected as one of 16 White House "Champions of Change" for my community work in the Reentry and employment field.

The Fiscal Code bill is one of the bills that must be passed in order for the state's budget to be passed. It details procedural rules about how money can be spent, like who can sign checks, etc., so it's a prime target for pork and other political hijinks. This time around, the Senate has passed a version of the bill that includes several environment killing measures. The bill is moving quickly and may be passed by the House at any time. Unless the few environmental champions in the House prevail at removing those measures, it is the version of the bill Governor Wolf will receive for his signature. Please join us in telling Governor Wolf that he must veto HB 1327 for the sake of the environment.

Jose's response: “District administrators are desperately attacking me because I have been demanding accountability for our elementary schools and students in Escondido. Our district has one of the lowest test scores in the county, and I was elected to change that. Voters should be outraged by the use of a 'legal thicket' that is designed to protect the cozy privileges of administrators. As the only elected Latino on the board, I find it astounding that more is not being done to help our students who are English Learners. The only workplace intimidation has been against me for attempting to vigorously promote the interests of students and parents. Stop the legal maneuverings and stand up for students and parents. Administrators should not have such a thin skin, and they do not need to align themselves with those who want to overturn past elections. Administrators should be encouraging robust discussion at the School Board level, not repressing it. The community and our students deserve more than that.” Please sign this petition and pass it on. Show Jose and our community that we will not be bullied by administrators and board members with a political agenda! Read more here: Restraining Order Offers Glimpse into Escondido School Board Follies http://sandiegofreepress.org/2015/12/restraining-order-offers-glimpse-into-escondido-school-board-follies/ and here: Escondido board may have violated open meeting law http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/11/fragozo-escondido-banned-order-ibarra/?fbshare=1918790

Democratic Senator Tim Kaine is renewing his push for Congress to debate and vote on an authorization for the use of military force against ISIS, the Washington Post reports. [1] “The British Parliament, the French National Assembly, the German Bundesrat and even the Duma in Russia, for God’s sake, are having a debate and having a vote,” Sen. Kaine told the Post. “The spotlight is getting bigger and bigger on congressional inaction and indifference.” President Obama called for Congress to vote in his Oval Office address. But Congress has refused to vote. “They want to criticize the president, but if they can avoid voting to authorize or stop him … then they feel they can be completely scot-free and they’re not going to be held accountable,” said Sen. Kaine. Urge Congress to debate and vote on an authorization of force against ISIS by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/12/14/the-daily-202-tim-kaine-possible-hillary-running-mate-is-madder-than-ever-congress-hasnt-declared-war-on-isis/

Americans already know we have a big money problem. In a recent WSJ/NBC poll, 69% of respondents said they “feel angry because our political system seems to only be working for the insiders with money and power, like those on Wall Street or in Washington, rather than working to help everyday people get ahead.” This sentiment is backed up by research showing that when the preferences of the wealthiest 10 percent of Americans conflict with that of the rest of the population, the 10 percent trumps the 90 percent. Despite this, big money interests have continued to dominate our elections and in turn, our national agenda. All of the Democratic presidential candidates have acknowledged the problem of big money in politics. But acknowledging the problem is the easy part. That’s why we need to hear what specific actions these candidates will commit to taking to get big money out of politics, and on what timeline.

It is time to pressure the Republican party to choose between serving the American people or obeying their NRA masters, which amounts to letting terrorists obtain all the weapons they want..

Scalia insulted African Americans by implying they are not qualified to attend many of our institutions of higher learning. It is unfortunate that Scalia was allowed to attend our Institutions of higher learning because he obviously did not reach the level of intellect, sophistication and morals required. The first Italian American to be appointed to the Supreme Court, appointed by Reagan who lacked the intellect, sophistication and morals required for the reverence and respect our court deserves. America is suffering the consequence. America and African Americans deserve better! Impeach Scalia.

Civil Rights Law Enforcement is a function of government, not individual citizens. Section 706(b) of Title VII needs a more consistent enforcement policy.

I'm a resident of Providence, and I'm worried about what's happening to my city. The City always says it doesn't have the money when it comes to helping ordinary people, but they're happy to hand out ample cash to big developers.

The children of the United States are the future of our country. There are many challenges faced in the K-12 grades for these children and the main challenge is funding. Many of these schools have poor funding and poor student performance, with the future promising more cuts for education. The States’ budgets are providing less funding for kindergarten through 12th grade than they did six years ago.[1] Our schools rely heavily on this funding and these budget constraints are detrimental to our children's education. Instead of putting money into our next generation’s education, funds are being spent elsewhere and instead being used to balance deficits. Our children are paying for the mistakes that others have made. Many schools all over the country are facing difficult budget cuts, losing valuable teachers along the way. Even though in 2012, the Obama administration began to offer more flexibility for spending under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), children are still struggling due to the funding. There needs to be a new law that helps to improve the quality of instruction and help to increase outcomes for all students. We urge members of Congress to support our efforts of helping our children with advances in funding for education. The signatures attached to this letter express the support for our issue. We organized this letter petition through the course we are currently attending. The course is Race and Ethnic Relations and is being taught by Professor Paul Lopez. We are urging you to hear our concerns. Sincerely, Erin Hagerty Brittany Oliphint Sheena Sandoval Amanda Pokriots Christina Tooley Bibliography 1. Leachman, M. (2014, May 20). Most States Funding Schools Less Than Before the Recession. 2. Yettick, H (2014, May 29). School Spending Increases Linked to Better Outcomes for Poor Students http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/05/29/33finance.h33.html 3. http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_briefs/RB9461/index1.html 4. Madland, D and Bunker, N (2011 Nov) Middle-Class Societies Invest More in Public Education. http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535649.pdf 5. http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-u-s-spend-more-on-education 6. Darinling-Hammond, L (2015 Mar 26) Society Benefits When We Spend More on Education http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/03/26/is-improving-schools-all-about-money/society-benefits-when-we-spend-more-on-education 7. Ehrenfreund, Max (2015, Jan 20) When public schools get more money, students do better https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/01/20/when-public-schools-get-more-money-students-do-better/

My Education sucks and it is the State of Pennsylvania's Fault