The United States is expected to receive 1,400 to 2,000 Syrian refugees for the year 2015, and 5,000 to 8,000 in 2016. There are over 4 million refugees that have fled Syria, and this number grows everyday. The United States is better equipped than most states to resettle the outpour of Syrian citizens. However, in the wake of the attacks on Beirut and Paris, several politicians are attempting to reject Syrian refugees with misinformed claims of fearing for national security. Thirty-one governors have issued statements expressing opposition to resettling Syrian refugees in their respective states, citing security concerns. To our grave disappointment, Governor Susana Martinez is one of them. While the final decision regarding the immigration of Syrian refugees to the United States will fall to the federal government, Governor Susana Martinez's official opposition to the settlement of refugees in New Mexico is indicative of a greater, reactionary and discriminatory mindset. In the words of former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, “These proposals are motivated by fear, not by the facts….We have always been a generous nation, and we have in place a rigorous process for refugee resettlement that that balances our generosity with our need for security. It works, and it should not be stopped or paused." In light of the terrorist attacks that have rocked the international community, it is important to stand in solidarity with the victims of these attacks. But we must remember that the refugees fleeing Syria are victims of this very same terrorism themselves. We must not scorn the refugees seeking safety in a misguided and misinformed attempt to secure our own safety. Instead, we must extend our sympathy.

The children in RVSD have been negatively affected for many years from the existence of the MAP program in our district. Our district has spent over $100,000 in legal fees in the last year alone and countless hours of board time on the MAP program which consists of approximately 5 % of the total children in RVSD. The current leaders of RVC are the same people that are the leaders of MAP including former RVSD trustees, all the MAP teachers, and the MAP leadership committee. A third party investigator found that MAP program (during its 19 years run by the current RVC leaders) had policies which created the effects of discrimination on protected classes of children. They have had virtually no ELL in MAP and have not translated the petition into Spanish. The existing leaders have known about the inequities with the protected classes of children as far back as 2005 and have done nothing to recruit these children into MAP. Documents exist from 2005 that identify MAP was responsible to translate their materials into Spanish. Now after 19 years of discrimination, these same people are claiming they want to become a charter to reach these children. The ACLU in a letter written to MCOE dated October 9th, 2015 stated that "it appears that the leaders of MAP wish to export the exact program (and its students and teachers) that an independent investigator found was operating in a discriminatory manner into a Charter School which will necessarily have greater autonomy from District oversight (their emphasis)." We will be sending a separate detailed letter to support many more reasons for denial that the people who signed this petition read and support. (http://www.saverossvalleyschools.com/letter-to-state/). Please deny the appeal and support high quality education for ALL the children in RVSD.

Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?

Human life is valuable. Our top priority in this life is to preserve the sanctity of it, and maintain a valuable and meaningful one for all those we are able to help. Helping our own citizens, and integrating others into our melting pot is what this country is founded on. As a first world country, it is our responsibility to help those that we can. If we do not ease some of the burden of refugee acceptance from Europe, we will create enemies. Refugee families who do not receive help when Europe's borders close, and they will close, may consider joining Isis just to survive. They will have no other choice. We can create more worldwide allies by doing our duty.

Americans need to learn from the mistakes of nearly 80 years ago when this country, like nearly every other country in the world, slammed the door on Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi persecution throughout Europe. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has called today's conflict in Syria "a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering proportions" with "grave implications for security and interests throughout the world." The violence has claimed the lives of some 20,000 children, and has displaced more than 11.6 million people (http://www.ushmm.org/confront-genocide/cases/syria). Indiana alone cannot solve the world's refugee problems, but we can play a small part in alleviating world misery and catastrophe by making sure that we never again turn away men, women, and children fleeing widespread atrocities and crimes against humanity. Tell Governor Pence and the Indiana State Legislature to remember Holocaust history, and do the right thing in stepping up to help Syrian refugees in need today.

We are a community school that serves children in the west Philly and surrounding area with good teachers and staff and we deserve a chance to be heard.

It is unworthy of us as Americans to refuse asylum to individuals simply because their country of origin is Syria or because they are Muslim. There is some risk in ANY action, but we are certainly capable of offering safety and comfort to those innocents who desperately need to shelter in New Hampshire.

Mayor de Blasio has his own special interest group, the Campaign for One New York - and it is setting a dangerous precedent. As a non-profit organization, One New York collects millions of dollars in large checks from businesses and individuals directly doing business with the City. Using this cash flow, One New York then hires expensive political and PR consultants to promote the mayor’s policies and initiatives. This cycle makes a mockery of our campaign finance laws - which are designed to prevent corruption and conflicts of interest. Tell Mayor de Blasio that NYC residents find this unacceptable – we need to end to One New York now!

North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory equates terrorism with Syrian refugees and is refusing to allow Syrian refugees into the State of North Carolina. Let him know you do not support this racist view and stand with the rights and safety of Syrian refugees by signing this petition against Governor McCrory's stance. Let him know he does not speak for North Carolina.

Connecticut’s Democratic legislative leaders have proposed cutting off $11.7 million in funding to the Citizen’s Election Program in order to fill in a budget shortfall. This effectively eliminates the nationally acclaimed Citizens’ Elections Program, of publicly financed elections in Connecticut. Please save our Citizen's Elections Program! We must stop this reversal of years of successful campaign finance reform legislation.

College should be affordable for people of all financial backgrounds to attend and leave with a degree. Expenses (tuition, housing, etc.) should be made cheaper, not free, so students and people can earn a college education.

Earlier this year, Delaware’s Senate voted to repeal the death penalty, but the bill has been stuck in the house Judiciary Committee since May, and several legislators have refused to allow the bill to go to the House floor for a vote. An issue as serious as the death penalty deserves an up or down vote in front of the full House! Here are a few reasons why Delaware’s death penalty is fatally flawed: -->In Delaware, Black defendants who kill White victims are seven times as likely to receive the death penalty as Black defendants who kill Black victims. -->155 men and women have been released from death rows across the country after evidence of their wrongful convictions emerged. Delaware remains at risk of executing an innocent person. -->Study after study shows that the death penalty costs far more than sentencing individuals to life in prison without parole. -->The death penalty traps victims’ families in a decades-long cycle of uncertainty, court hearings, and waiting. In contrast, a sentence of life in prison without parole is a severe punishment that begins immediately and avoids the delays and media circus that come with a death sentence--allowing victims’ families to move on rather than forcing them to endure years of waiting for an execution that may never come.