Voting rights are under attack – and we desperately need to modernize and restore the Voting Rights Act’s protections against discrimination. But the bipartisan bill to do that, the Voting Rights Advancement Act, is caught in Congressional gridlock. We have a unique opportunity for progress. Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) is the newly elected Speaker of the House. He’s promised to fix dysfunction in Congress and unite lawmakers in support the essentials -- things every American can agree are important. And what’s more essential than voting? The right to vote is just too important to be a partisan political football. For decades, legislators crossed the aisle in Congress to protect our most fundamental of constitutional rights; we can get there again. Sign your name and tell Speaker Ryan to get it done!

I am quite serious about this and I hope that the following will clarify my choices and concerns: Why Congressman McDermott? First of all, he is my Congressman. In a grander sense, he is also the Congressman of many of those who feel that their elected representative does not speak for them. He has always spoken his mind without fear, often leaving him a lone voice in the wilderness. In short, I think he may be one of the very few members of Congress who would have the courage to introduce this legislation. Why pre-emptive legislation? Yes, the chances are good that legislation of this nature will be circumvented to some degree. But having these limitations already in place will at the very least require that they are acknowledged, even if they are completely evaded. On being interned close to home Ideally, I’d prefer that my concentration camp be within the confines of my Congressional District for a variety of reasons. I know where they sent people last time, and I have no doubt that some pretty grim locations can be found in this state; but at least when I escape, I’ll never be more than a few weeks walk from home. Contemplating the rumors (I wouldn’t argue too much if you were to call them wild and/or unfounded) of massive federal compounds in the Deep South, ready and waiting for an instant influx of hundreds of thousands of residents, is disturbing enough. If we find out they are real, it will only be after their first inhabitants have already been transferred there; in other words, after it’s too late. What would trigger this limitation? When citizens (ideally, residents) are required or coerced to move to a secured location against their will and/or better judgement, and without the due process set out by the Constitution of the United States of America. “Without due process” is when due process is suspended, delayed or denied. The reason given for the mass relocation is immaterial; protecting the internees from the (justifiably) angry general populace is invariably one of the first used. A final caveat, internees will be the only arbiter of their Congressional District or territory of residency.

My piece speaks for itself. No, it's not a petition. It's a fervent desire.

Panhandlers or beggars on street corners cause traffic to be slowed or impeded. Every time a driver stops to give money or other forms of assistance, the normal flow of traffic is disturbed. Making it illegal to do this from your car while on a public street would help curb the problems associated with the panhandlers.

Some of you may know, that in April, Time Warner Cable ran lines into our town but for some reason, are not offering service. I just spoke with the Office of the President of Time Warner Cable to get this issue escalated and hopefully get them in our town so we can get rid of the horrible Frontier Service. She advised in the meantime, anyone who is interested in service to either email the office @ [email protected] or Call 212-364-8300 Option 2. The more people we have contact and would be willing to switch to Time Warner Cable, the faster they will hopefully get the service going in out town! Please share this out so we can tell Frontier to get out of our town!

4 white supremacists terrorized an ongoing protest in support of a victim of police violence, shooting 5 protesters Monday night. Jamar Clark, an unarmed 24-year-old Black male shot and killed by Minneapolis police on November 15th. Eye witnesses say Clark was handcuffed and not resisting at the time of his execution-style shooting. [1] Because the entire incident was caught on police dashcam, Black Lives Matter Minneapolis (BLM-MN) began camping out in front of the 4th Precinct police station to demand the release of the video. White supremacists showed up in ski masks and as protesters chased them out, they shot into the crowd hitting 5. When police arrived on the scene in riot gear, they pepper-sprayed protesters before attempting to pursue the shooters. [2] From racist backlash against civil rights workers to support for racist attacks by leading presidential candidate Donald Trump, this act of terror is an attempt to stop Black communities from organizing for their rights. We call on white allies, and all people of good conscience, to condemn and mobilize against these attacks and on the United Nations and Organization of American States to lead an international effort to protect the democratic rights of protesters. SOURCES [1 ] Jamar Clark shooting: Witness says he was in handcuffs, CNN.com, November 21, 2015, cnn.com/2015/11/21/us/minneapolis-jamar-clark-police-shooting/ [2] Five people shot near Black Lives Matter protest site, Star Tribune, November 24, 2015, startribune.com/several-people-were-shot-near-black-lives-matter-protest-site/353121881/

I am a Maine Indigenous woman from the Penobscot Tribe. I want to make the state a place that does not condone racism and mistreatment of my people.

One of the absurdities of U.S. policy in the Middle East is that the U.S. government loudly complains about ISIS beheading people for their beliefs but turns a blind eye when the government of Saudi Arabia does the same thing. A Saudi court sentenced a Palestinian man to death for apostasy on November 17, 2015, for alleged blasphemous statements during a discussion group and in a book of his poetry, Human Rights Watch reports. [1] The accused, Ashraf Fayadh, 35, denies the charges and claims that another man made false accusations to the country’s religious police following a personal dispute. “Regardless of what Fayadh said or didn’t say, Saudi Arabia should stop arresting people for their personal beliefs,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director. “The fact that Ashraf Fayadh is facing the prospect of being beheaded only adds to the outrageousness of this court ruling.” Saudi authorities regularly pursue charges against individuals based solely on their peaceful exercise of freedom of expression, in violation of international human rights obligations, HRW says. The Arab Charter on Human Rights, which Saudi Arabia has ratified, guarantees the right to freedom of opinion and expression under article 32. “This death sentence against Fayadh is yet another indictment of Saudi Arabia’s human rights record,” Whitson said. “The Saudi authorities should immediately vacate this sentence and order Fayadh’s release.” Urge President Obama and Members of Congress to demand that Saudi Arabia cancel the death sentence against Ashraf Fayadh and release him immediately by signing our petition. References: 1. "Saudi Arabia: Poet Sentenced to Death for Apostasy; Reverses Earlier Ruling of 4 Years, 800 Lashes," Human Rights Watch, November 23, 2015, https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/23/saudi-arabia-poet-sentenced-death-apostasy

White student unions create an atmosphere of hatred and prejudice toward people of color on university and college campuses. I personally feel threatened by the sudden increase of white student unions around the country.

There is currently a petition circulating on MoveOn.ORG that was started by members of the Tuscaloosa Country Club neighborhood located in Westend Tuscaloosa that is requesting the resignation of Mr. Clarence Sutton Sr. as District 1 representative for the Tuscaloosa City School Board. The petition falsely states that Mr. Sutton Sr. was not "elected" when in fact he was elected by majority vote of the sitting board members (http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20150803/NEWS/150809917) which is one of several ways the board can fill vacant seats. The Tuscaloosa Country Club neighborhood is a small section of District 1 and its residents make up less than 2% of District 1's population, yet its residents feel that the interest of their children supersedes the needs of the other 98% of the children in the district. Instead of saying "the heck with *those* other kids" in the district and sending your children outside the district to attend school, why not spend energies concentrating on fixing the problem within the district where your children live? Mr. Sutton has stated that he will not support any plan that does not advocate for *neighbood schools* and the residents of the Tuscaloosa Country Club area do not want their children attending school within the neighborhood which they live. While all parents should want what's best for their children, parents must also realize that they have a responsibility to the upcoming generation as a whole and should want to not only want what's best for their own children, but all children in the surrounding area. As representative to District 1, Mr. Sutton is concerned with the welfare of ALL the children in his district, not just those that reside within this small affluent area. With the mindset of "it takes a village" let's show our support for ALL the children in District 1 by showing your support for Mr. Clarence Sutton Sr.

On December 9, 2015, the Miami Beach City Commissioners will vote to finally approve and send to referendum the construction of a 10,000 + square foot "Wellness Center" on a plot of land currently filled with green space. We, the undersigned, vehemently oppose the construction of any structure in Allison Park which will reduce our ocean front green space, and particularly, the proposed, three story structure to be owned and maintained by a private entity. Public green space is vital to the health and well being of all residents of Miami Beach. The additional parking congestion will negatively impact quality of life for local residents The lease of public land in this way will set a dangerous precedent: what park is next? We believe it is the duty of the present to safeguard this endangered resource for those of the future. While it is clearly time for the city to rethink its means of beach access for disabled persons, this does not necessitate the sacrifice of an entire plot of land, to the construction of a multi-story structure in an area designated as protected for the nesting of three endangered species of sea turtles. Join us in sending our message to the City of Miami Beach: Stop the proposed construction project in Allison Park—the green space of our city's tiniest park should not be up for grabs.

Tom Byrne, Jr., the son of a former New Jersey governor, chairs the NJ State Investment Council and is charged with managing pension fund investments for public workers, teachers, firefighters, police officers and other dedicated workers that make New Jersey great. For years Tom Byrne and the State Investment Council funneled investments into politically connected hedge funds, private equity firms and other Wall Street entities. As the State’s pension crisis grew, so did scrutiny on these investments. In fact, NJ Hedge Clippers - a coalition of progressive organizations and community activists – released a report in July which found hedge fund investments cost New Jersey’s public workers more than $1 billion in fees and bonuses since 2007. Since then, NJ Hedge Clippers, public worker unions, pension boards, elected leaders, community organizations and academics have been pressing Tom Byrne and the State Investment Council to do a full audit of the fees being charged by politically connected Wall Street firms. But Mr. Byrne dug in his heels – like a true Wall Street apologist – and refused to authorize an audit of the fees and bonuses being taken from the retirements of public workers in New Jersey. Under pressure from all sides, Mr. Byrne claimed that it was an attack on the State Investment Council by people who simply don’t like Wall Street. Then he claimed that hedge fund and private equity managers “work really hard” and deserve to rake in millions of dollars of fees and bonuses. Finally, he relented – kind of – and agreed to issue a report on Wall Street fees and bonuses going back five years, all while continuing his defense of this outrageous Wall Street grab. By signing this petition you can send Tom Byrne a clear message: Protect Pensions from Wall Street Greed! Simply issuing a report isn’t enough. The taxpayers of New Jersey and the public workers who earn every penny of their pension deserve a FULL FORENSIC AUDIT of these Wall Street fees and bonuses going all the way back to 2007. It doesn’t matter if his critics like Wall Street or not. And it certainly doesn’t matter that he thinks wealthy hedge fund managers work hard. The real hard work is done by dedicated public workers who spend their days teaching and caring for our children, protecting us from danger, and responding to life & death emergencies. Public workers are the definition of “hard work” – and it’s time for Tom Byrne to honor the hard work of teachers, firefighters, police officers and other public workers who entrust their retirement security to the NJ State Investment Council.