This country started as a melting pot and it should stay as such, regardless of what the 1% would like us to believe. We are supposed to be the home of the free and the brave--and that is what we should be showing the world by opening our borders to refugees, not turning our backs on them. Welcoming refugees fleeing from violence is the BEST possible way our state can show the true meaning of the words on the Statue of Liberty: "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Arkansans deserve a governor who embodies their generous nature, not one who cynically abandons the "Christian" values he espouses for the sake of perceived political gain.

We have Syrian refugees at the middle school where I teach. Their stories are heartbreaking. Most American families came to this country as immigrants. Illinois should be doing what it can to be tolerant and welcoming of Syrians who are fleeing the terrorism in their home country.

This is to urge the LAUSD school board to immediately rescind its contract with TFA for special education services. Our most vulnerable students deserve the most qualified professionals possible. Los Angeles Unified School District ratified a contract with Teach For America to provide trainees to fill 25 teaching positions in special education at its November 10, 2015, board meeting. There was no debate on the matter; it was hidden in the consent calendar with attachments of attachments buried deep. While Board member Dr. George McKenna raised important questions about TFA’s retention rate and its commitment to our students, the answers he was provided were misleading because they rely on unchecked data from TFA itself, according to a report in American Prospect (1/5/15). The truth is 87% of TFA recruits plan to leave teaching after their internships end, according to a recent article in Bloomberg News (3/9/15). LAUSD was only the most recent stop by TFA on a statewide campaign over the last few months making the same claims about the need for special ed TFAers. Most school districts from Chula Vista to Santa Ana resisted the sales job after public outcry. But those districts held actual discussions about the controversial contracts with TFA. LAUSD senior staff needs to go back to the drawing board to create partnerships with reputable teaching programs to recruit teachers who will be qualified on Day 1 and are likely to remain committed to the teaching profession. TFA is one of the tools that Eli Broad is using to attack our schools and undermine the very fabric of the public school system in Los Angeles (his foundation is a top funder of TFA). Our elected leaders just endorsed that by approving this contract. It should be rescinded immediately. We are a coalition of public education advocates that includes: Tina Andres, Santa Ana Unified teacher and special education parent Jameson Brewer, Ph.D. candidate, former TFA Anthony Cody, co-founder/board member Network for Public Education Josh Leibner, National Board Certified Teacher Cynthia Liu, K-12 News Network Ellen Lubic, Joining Forces for Education Carl Petersen, Change the LAUSD Sari Rynew, retired teacher Robert D. Skeels, Juris Doctor Candidate and public education advocate Julian Vasquez Heilig, Ph.D., Cloaking Inequity/Education Chair, California NAACP/board member, Network for Public Education Karen Wolfe, PSconnect Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter.

Massachusetts is the birthplace of American freedom. We have known our share of pain from 9/11 and the Boston Marathon, and have taken pride in being strong. Let us now not run in fear from those who run from fear. Open our arms to the victims of ISIS.

It has become apparent to me that these ads are counterproductive. People see these ads and press their doctors to prescribe them, even when they are nor what a medical professional would prescribe.

It has become apparent to me that these ads are counterproductive. People see these ads and press their doctors to prescribe them, even when they are nor what a medical professional would prescribe.

Some Republican demagogues are taking advantage of the ISIS-Daesh attacks in Paris to try to scare Americans into thinking that admitting Syrian refugees to the U.S. would threaten our security. Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson said Sunday that accepting Syrian refugees is "a suspension of intellect." [1] Senator Marco Rubio told ABC that "We won’t be able to take more refugees…Because there’s no way to background check someone that’s coming from Syria." [2] But the claim that the U.S. government lacks the ability to screen refugees for security concerns is just not true. As Politifact noted: [3] "Before a refugee even faces U.S. vetting, he or she must first clear an eligibility hurdle. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees — or occasionally a U.S. embassy or another NGO — determines which refugees (about 1 percent) should be resettled through its own process, which can take four to 10 months." "As we noted in a previous fact-check, once a case is referred from the UNHCR to the United States, a refugee undergoes a security clearance check that could take several rounds, an in-person interview, approval by the Department of Homeland Security, medical screening, a match with a sponsor agency, ‘cultural orientation’ classes, and one final security clearance. This all happens before a refugee ever gets onto American soil." "'It can actually take almost three years,’ said Lavinia Limón, the president of the advocacy group, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. ‘The process for refugees is the most extensive security screening we have for visitors. It’s easier to come in as a tourist, a student, a businessman.’” “The length and thoroughness of the U.S. vetting system set it apart from the ‘chaotic, dangerous process’ for refugees fleeing into Europe by sea, said Geoffrey Mock, the Syrian country specialist for Amnesty International USA… ‘the population identified by the UN and vetted by both organizations has worked successfully in alleviating crises in dozens of other countries, including Iraq, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia and the Central African Republic,’ Mock said. ‘There’s no reason to believe Syria will be any different.’” Urge Members of Congress to tell the truth – that the U.S. government has a vigorous process for screening refugees for security concerns – by signing our petition. References: 1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conservative-suspicions-of-refugees-grow-in-wake-of-paris-attacks/2015/11/15/ed553664-8baa-11e5-acff-673ae92ddd2b_story.html 2. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/260219-white-house-refugee-plan-targeted-after-paris-attacks 3. http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2015/nov/15/jeb-bush/jeb-bush-it-takes-almost-year-refugee-be-processed/

As the Democratic primaries are showing with increasing insistence, it matters where you campaign money comes from. Large corporations do not give millions of dollars without expecting something in exchange. We have also learned that corporate interests are at extreme variance with citizens' interests. There is no time during this cycle to clean up the campaign contributions system, so the candidates must demonstrate their integrity by refusing corporate money.

Chicago is better than the fear and anti-refugee platform Illinois' governor is taking. We will not close the door in the face of people seeking safety no matter what Gov. Rauner says. Welcoming refugees fleeing from violence is the best response to violence, and Mayor Emanuel has the responsibility of distinguishing our city policy from the governor's declaration.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott equates terrorism with Syrian refugees and is refusing to allow Syrian refugees into the State of Texas. 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 Abbott's stance. Let him know he does not speak for Texas.

We are all horrified by the terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut, and other parts of the world, and mourn the loss of innocent lives. But an increasing number of reactionary governors across the U.S. have used these tragedies to announce that they will stop all acceptance of Syrian refugees. We stand against this collective and cruel punishment of refugees. These individuals are escaping the very same terrorism that the world has witnessed in Paris and Beirut. Syrians have been killed by the thousands, millions have been displaced, and their entire livelihoods destroyed by the likes of ISIS and the Assad regime. The United States must be steadfast in its commitment to remain a sanctuary for refugees fleeing political and religious persecution—from all across the world. We demand these governors stop using their hatred and xenophobia to shut out Syrian refugees who are in dire need of normalcy and safety. We call on these governors to refrain from making decisions rooted in misinformation and fear. Let us remember the words etched on the Statue of Liberty, a symbol of a long tradition of welcoming immigrants, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"