During the first Democratic presidential debate, the following exchange took place between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders regarding U.S. policy in Syria: [1] CLINTON: … And, to — provide safe zones so that people are not going to have to be flooding out of Syria at the rate they are. SANDERS: Well, let’s understand that when we talk about Syria, you’re talking about a quagmire in a quagmire. You’re talking about groups of people trying to overthrow Assad, other groups of people fighting ISIS. You’re talking about people who are fighting ISIS using their guns to overthrow Assad, and vice versa. I’m the former chairman of the Senate Veterans Committee, and in that capacity I learned a very powerful lesson about the cost of war, and I will do everything that I can to make sure that the United States does not get involved in another quagmire like we did in Iraq, the worst foreign policy blunder in the history of this country. We should be putting together a coalition of Arab countries who should be leading the effort. We should be supportive, but I do not support American ground troops in Syria. CLINTON: ...Well, nobody does. Nobody does, Senator Sanders. This was a deceptive response by Hillary Clinton, because as Clinton surely knows, for the US to establish “safe zones” in Syria would require the use of US ground troops, as Gen. Lloyd Austin, commander of U.S. Centcom, has testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee. [2] Urge Congress and the Administration to oppose any use of US ground troops in Syria, including to establish so-called “safe zones,” by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/us/politics/democratic-debate-transcript.html 2. http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/u-s-general-only-handful-of-syrian-fighters-remain-in-battle-against-isis/

Our United States is massively expanding fossil fuel infrastructure, causing disastrous consequences for health, safety, air and water quality, food systems and climate. Across our nation, residents plead with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reject fossil fuel projects, yet FERC continues to approve nearly every new proposal. Is FERC a regulatory commission or rubber-stamp commission? FERC’s presidentially appointed commissioners have major ties to fossil fuel companies, with revolving doors between FERC regulators and the industry they supposedly regulate. FERC’s funding comes from fees FERC charges to those companies. FERC approves nearly all project proposals it receives. FERC’s decisions harm our environment, climate and livelihoods. FERC accepts dangerous energy practices that directly conflict with clean air and water standards and greenhouse gas reduction goals. FERC’s decisions hurt public health and safety. Those impacts are documented and widespread everywhere fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure occur. Overwhelming worldwide scientific consensus states that, since the mid-twentieth century, climate change has been caused primarily by human activity, particularly fossil fuel use, yet FERC ignores this in decision-making. Renewable technologies are available, efficient and cost effective, but FERC doesn’t consider alternatives such as roof-top solar or renewable option combinations in its review process. We need change. We envision a FERC that: • Includes the public, residents of impacted front-line communities, non-industry-funded environmental scientists and public health experts in all decision-making. • Bases decisions upon all downstream and upstream environmental impacts, including global warming. • Grounds decisions upon cumulative effects of entire and multiple projects, never practicing illegal segmentation again. • Encourages renewable energy technologies development while discouraging fossil fuel infrastructure expansion. • Has distinct independence from industries it regulates. • Requires the fossil fuel industry to follow the same clean air, clean water and safe drinking water standards as every other industry, and holds those companies accountable for their actions to the fullest extent of civil and criminal law.

Thanks to your pressure, Pop Weaver has agreed to phase out its use of neonics! [1]. Sign the petition to urge Pop Secret to follow their lead and drop bee-killing pesticides! It’s no secret we love popcorn. In fact, Americans consume more than 16 billion quarts of popcorn each year. But we’re getting more than we bargained for in all those bowls of popcorn: bee-toxic pesticides. Bees are dying at alarming rates, and scientists have identified a group of insecticides called neonicotinoids (“neonics”) as a prime culprit in these drastic population losses. The largest single use of neonicotinoids is as a seed coating for field crops. In fact, researchers estimate that 95-99% of all field corn grown in the U.S. comes from seed coated with bee-toxic neonic chemicals. Unfortunately, the popcorn industry uses bee-killing chemicals on their seeds, too. That’s why we’re calling on Pop Secret, one of the biggest brands in the industry, to urge them to source their popcorn from seeds that are NOT coated in these harmful chemicals. Neonics are the most widely used insecticides in the world, and are a class of systemic chemicals, meaning they are dispersed throughout the treated plant, rendering the whole plant toxic. Just as alarming, neonics can last in the environment for years and they can harm species that the chemical was not designed to kill -- like bees, butterflies, birds, and entire food chains. As one of the largest popcorn brands in the U.S., Pop Secret can make a big difference for bees by joining Pop Weaver in phasing out their use of neonic-coated seeds. ---------------------------------- References: 1. http://www.popweaver.com/news/2015-10-21Neonics%20Statement.pdf#zoom=66.7

As one of millions of Americans participating in the democratic process, I have a right to know the facts about Bernie Sanders' positive effect on viewers during the debate.

We are living in a time where history seems to be repeating itself. We are constantly destroyed from lack of knowledge. We face racial division, racial inequalities, systemic and institutional racism, profiling, racially motivated killings, protests, riots and what seems to be, on the brink of a race war. We see the "Black Lives Matter" movement and its focus on Black men and women dying at the hands of law enforcement. "Our History Matters" is a specific focus on African American History being implemented into every child's daily curriculum in school. A large number of Black children attend schools named after leaders of the Klu Klux Klan; Schools that wave the confederate flag with pride and children of color are totally unaware of the dark history it symbolizes. We still have federal buildings demonstrating flags and monuments that shows homage to leaders of the Confederate. Why are our children educated more on the Confederacy than the Union? We are petitioning to bring awareness to the fact that Black History is ignored in our schools and it is a disservice to our children and our ancestors of African descent. We are asking that you right this wrong by improving the African American curriculum material provided, and the amount of time spent in classrooms covering Black History and its contributions to America. Also, that you have African-American History be mandatory material and not just optional as it is now. African-American children have a craving to know who represented them in the past and a craving to know where they belong. Black children are more likely to appreciate History and education in its entirety when the curriculum involves and reflects them as well. The curriculum in our classrooms are strategically designed to exclude the tragic history of African American Slavery and African American people as a whole who have died for the many rights we have today. Slaves built the wealth in America, roads, bridges, farms, buildings, cities, and towns. So, why aren't we paying homage to them? We will increase the self-worth of our children by including our rich culture and truth into the curriculum. Every culture and history is celebrated in our schools except Black History. During Black History Month schools avoid mentioning Black History or holding programs to honor African-Americans and it's time we stand and push for change because Our History Matters. Home-schooling our children should not be the only option that our children have in order to learn Black History. We should not have to educate our children in private on Black History when we pay taxes to fund the schools in our neighborhoods. To know thyself is the key to true success. Our History Matters! "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that Matter"-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

In 2014, Alabama became one of a handful of states requiring voters to show government ID in order to vote. The rule was only allowed as a result of the 2013 Supreme Court decision removing Alabama and a handful of other states, from jurisdiction under the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, passed after the famous "March on Washington," to prevent voter suppression. During a September 2015 special session, the Alabama state legislature voted to immediately close 31 driver license bureaus in the state, making it harder to get the ID required to vote. The closed bureaus are disproportionately located in counties with high Black voter registration rolls. Today, eight of the 10 counties with majority Black voters have no driver license bureaus at all. Mercedes-Benz opened its only U.S. manufacturing plant in 1993 just south of Birmingham. The plant sits on 1,000 acres of land given by the state of Alabama for free to Mercedes. The luxury car company has publicly touted its responsible corporate citizenship in the state. In 2012 governor Bentley visited Germany to personally thank the Mercedes corporation for opening the plant in Alabama.

Currently the shows on BET are either boring or just not interesting. BET used to have plenty of programs that were entertaining, enjoyable to watch , and had a huge fan base. Then all of a sudden BET took them off of the air!?!? Shows like Baldwin Hills, College Hill, Spring Bling, Rip The Runway, Hell Date, The Basement, and countless others. I and hundreds of others would agree that BET needs to bring them back !

We are starting this petition to prove that people support our initiative to end explicit discrimination in our class. We want Professor Johnston to follow the University Policy. It is also our goal to bring awareness to the discrimination that happens every day in the "real world" even though most employers have policies against it. Please support us! Even though this is an experiment, the discrimination is real and the grades WILL NOT be changed unless we do something to persuade our professor to change his mind. #FollowYourPolicy #Stand4Three #StudentsForEquality Below is the letter we will be presenting to our Professor on October 20th and we need as many signatures as possible. Thank you for your support! Dear Professor Johnston, On September 3, 2015, you gave our Public Management and Administration class at Arizona State University an assignment in which you explicitly used discrimination against nearly half of the class. The assignment itself was not out of the ordinary, but the rules were as listed: Special grading rules for this assignment 1. If you sit in the back row of the class, you must submit your assignment by noon on Friday (instead of Sunday at noon like the rest of the class). 2. You must show two forms of ID to turn in your assignment, white students must also bring a bill that shows your current address. 3. If you want credit for your assignment, then during class on Tuesday you must submit to having your cheek cells collected with a swab at the beginning of class. 4. Veterans (and active military personal) will receive an extra five points on the assignment. Please bring proof of service on Tuesday. 5. If you bring in sunglasses or a hat, you will receive an extra five points on the assignment. 6. The average score for male students will be adjusted to 77% of the average score for female students. 7. Students can receive 100% for this assignment if they donate $25 to support a course project later in the semester. The money is not due now, only the pledge for donating the money - if you choose this option, just write Module 3 - I promise to make a $25 donation to the course on your wiki. You do not need to do the assignment if you pledge to donate $25. For all students, this option will exempt you from all other rules except 2 and 3. For male students, the 77% reduction is not applied if you chose this option. 8. Samantha and Kevin, for helping to set up these rules, will receive a 100% base score and an extra 20% bonus for great performance. While many of us understood the point you were trying to make in giving the rules based on statistics found in the “real world”, we believe legally and morally, these rules are unjust and must be changed. There are still three of our classmates who have received 77% for doing the same amount of work. Like many people who are discriminated against by employers, there is a policy against this kind of behavior, but it is still happening anyway. This is in violation of the University’s nondiscrimination policy: “Arizona State University is committed to providing an environment free of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for the entire university community, including all students, faculty members, staff employees, and guests. ASU expressly prohibits discrimination, harassment, and retaliation by employees, students, contractors, or agents of the university based on any protected status: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and genetic information. "Inappropriate conduct need not rise to the level of a violation of federal or state law to constitute a violation of this policy and to warrant disciplinary action/sanctions. All individuals identified in the Applicability section of this policy are responsible for participating in and assisting with creating and maintaining an environment at ASU free from all forms of prohibited discrimination, including harassment and retaliation. All individuals identified in the Applicability section of this policy are required to cooperate with any investigation of allegations of violations of this policy. Providing false or misleading information or failure to cooperate may result in disciplinary action.” According to recent studies and news, there is very slow process in equality in the work place due to an unconscious bias, which exists and is very difficult to change. Emily Peck of the Huffington Post explains: “These days, sexism has (mostly) moved beyond the crass discrimination of the "Mad Men" years, shape-shifting into something we now call unconscious bias -- the things a lot of us believe about women without even realizing it. These attitudes are harder to combat, or even prove, but they show up again and again in the research. A lot of people, for example, believe on some level that women are less competent than men. There's also something called a "maternal bias," in which mothers who do well at their job are disliked -- and kept from advancing -- because they're believed to be terrible parents. Women hold 45 percent of entry-level jobs at the companies surveyed, and their ranks thin out as you go higher. Only 27 percent of vice presidents at those companies are women, as are 23 percent of senior vice presidents and 17 percent of C-suite execs. These figures are a very slight improvement from 2012 (see the chart below). Very slight -- that’s where that 100-year estimate comes from. “ – “At This Rate, It’ll Take 100 Years to get Gender Equality at Work: Things are Getting Better…Very, Very Slowly” by Emily Peck The difference in our class is that you are committing explicit discrimination and have challenged us as a class to do something about it. By bringing awareness and involving others, we hope you will reconsider the grades of the three classmates that are still receiving 77% for this assignment. We the undersigned are prepared to take further action if all of our classmates are not...

I have been collecting data for those killed in southern California in preparation for the national march to stop police terror and murder in NYC on Oct. 22-24. The brief summaries submitted by the police are heart-rending (and collected by The Guardian US). Something must be done so that these murders are not forgotten as the inexorable news cycle moves on to the next atrocity.

Remember Antonio Weiss? He’s the notorious Wall Street banker whose appointment to the Treasury Department got blocked by Elizabeth Warren and grassroots groups like Rootstrikers because of his outrageous history of helping corporations use ‘inversions’ to avoid U.S. taxes. Now he’s back at it again. He managed to sneak into an unconfirmed position at the Treasury Department and he is currently leading the response to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis. Weiss’s old investment bank, Lazard, has too much to gain from the outcome of the debt crisis in Puerto Rico – and he is way too closely tied to Lazard, having just receiving a $21 million golden parachute from them when he joined the government. Sign the petition to tell Treasury Secretary Jack Lew: Remove Antonio Weiss from the response to Puerto Rico’s debt crisis. Rootstrikers and our allies at Hedge Clippers released a report that makes it clear it’s unacceptable for Weiss to make these decisions: “The Antonio Weiss Files: Vultures, Bribes & Conflicts of Interest in Puerto Rico.”[1] Predatory lending by Weiss’s bank, Lazard, and hedge funds are a big part of what drove Puerto Rico to take on an unsustainable level of debt. Top Lazard bankers were even accused of bribing Puerto Rico’s governor to get better roles in debt deals! Hedge funds have swooped in to buy as much distressed Puerto Rico debt as they can – and made it clear they will use every option available to make sure the pain of resolving the debt crisis falls on Puerto Ricans, through drastic austerity measures. We need a response to this debt crisis that’s fair and equitable for the people of Puerto Rico, not based on what’s most profitable for Lazard and its hedge fund friends. Sign the petition: Tell Treasury Secretary Jack Lew to pull Antonio Weiss off the Treasury’s response to the debt crisis in Puerto Rico and let someone without his conflict of interest lead the effort.

RoundUp, the weed-killer brought to you by Monsanto. It’s sprayed on lawns all throughout the country, including on public parks, school playgrounds, and sports fields. What you probably don’t know is that in March, the cancer research arm of the World Health Organization announced that glyphosate – the key ingredient in RoundUp – is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” And recently the California EPA announced that it plans to label glyphosate as a chemical “known to cause cancer.” In the WHO report, scientists cited evidence from studies showing that glyphosate has been linked to tumors in mice and rats and has caused DNA damage to human cells. Another study found that exposure to this dangerous chemical can result in significant liver and kidney damage. In addition to being used on lawns and parks, glyphosate is the number one herbicide used in agriculture. Nearly all U.S. corn, soy, and cotton is treated with glyphosate. People have a right to know about the serious health risks of this weed-killer. The California EPA’s public comment period ends October 20th, and they need to hear from people like you.

Please join me in making five demands of Congress and President Obama. Our lawmakers should:[1] *stop paying Mexico tens of millions of dollars to intercept and deport these refugees before they reach our border. A high-ranking State Department official has proposed spending $90 million to do more of this in 2016; we should instead spend that money to help these refugees. *help Mexico pay for places for migrants to be held that are humane while their refugee claims are evaluated. *develop a system for these refugees, much like Europe is now doing for Syrians, to equitably allocate people who are fleeing harm throughout this continent — including sending them to safer countries in Latin America, to Canada and to the United States. *increase the number of refugees we allow to pre-9/11 levels — 130,000, from the current 70,000 — to allow more of these families to have a safe harbor here in the U.S. *approve a proposed tripling aid, now before Congress, to the northern triangle Central American countries (El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala) to help reduce the causes of the violence pushing these families out. Source: 1. http://www.enriquesjourney.com/how-to-help/the-refugees-at-our-door/