My family has never been affected by the cruelty and inequality that has grown in the Federal Prison Sentencing. Finally, our day has come. I completely understand how the millions of families faced with the reality of having a loved one placed in incarceration destroys the morale and dignity of the family. 80 billion dollars a year goes to house federal penitentiaries. Most criminals are non-violent, first-time offenders who have been sentenced to extraordinary long-term incarceration that affects our youth more than any group. Let's use our tax paying money on schools and support for the "at risk" families instead of perpetuating the breakdown of the family. I didn't understand, but now I do. In a country, which favors the rich and guilty over the poor and innocent, we need to stand with President Obama on serious prison reform.

The refugee crisis, fueled by the political turmoil in Syria, has resulted in the displacement of millions of families. The images of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi, the Syrian child who drowned while attempting to flee the violence in his home country, should inspire a call to action that the United States cannot ignore.   As we have written at The Nation, the United States and many other wealthy nations have failed gravely in their response to the growing numbers risking their lives to flee war or poverty. We recently reported on the plight of refugees arriving in Greece and the perils they face because of this inaction. Refugees from Syria and other countries encounter sometimes deadly conditions on land and by sea and must face extreme violence and danger on their journey to safety.   The United States bears a special responsibility to respond, as our invasion of Iraq, decision to funnel weapons into the region and failure, along with other countries, to find a diplomatic solution have helped to fuel the violence. Since the Syrian conflict’s beginnings in 2011, the United States has taken in only about 1,500 Syrian refugees and has proposed to add only between 5,000 to 8,000 more. This is not enough. Germany has responded to the crisis by agreeing to take in 800,000 refugees from Syria and other countries in turmoil. The United States must do more to help these families. To begin, we call on the United States government to heed the call of aid organizations and concerned politicians and take in at least 65,000 Syrian refugees before the end of 2016. Read more at "The Nation:" http://www.thenation.com/article/europes-refugee-crisis-was-made-in-america/

References: 1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/07/31/there-are-only-180-florida-panthers-left-and-drivers-are-killing-dozens-of-them-each-year/ 2. http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/wildlife/over-scientists-objections-rancher-pushes-panther-policy/2236943

Dog fighting is cruel, sad, and dumb. it is terrible that so many dogs are bred just to be tortured. These poor animals never even know what love is. Its not okay, and needs to be stopped.

Planned Parenthood (PP) has NEVER sold fetal tissue. The tapes were produced by folks who have created similar propaganda on many issues. Only 3% of PP activity is abortion related and NONE (by law) is paid for by government funding. The funding you do provide is for basic health care, pregnancy and STD testing, reproductive education (young adults need facts, not platitudes) and services (birth control prevents abortions). Please vote NO on any bill limiting funding for Planned Parenthood. Thank you.

Having spent time in Syria, I have experienced the beauty and graciousness of the Syrian people. Their situation now is heartbreaking. Please help them start a new life.

We are appalled at the US failure to help

On July 25th my wife, Katy was going to grab some breakfast and decided to take Honey with her. Honey always goes straight to car, excited about going for a ride. Because of this, we have never leashed her when leaving the house. Neither Katy nor I checked the street before opening the gate. When we opened the gate, Honey saw someone riding a bicycle that we did not see. Yes, like any dog, she ran for the bike. Yes, she did "bite" the lady riding the bike. She got the lady on her ankle and as soon as I called her back to me, she came back. The bite was not serious and I could've done worse scraping up against a nail in the shop. Unfortunately, this lady called her husband to come pick her up and when he discovered Honey was a pitbull, the entire world ended. He did call animal services and Honey had to spend 10 days in quarantine. Unfortunately, this is not the end. The couple went to the city and filed a dangerous dog affidavit. Our hearing was on September 1st and despite all the evidence we had proving Honey was not dangerous, she was still deemed dangerous due to the fact that she attacked unprovoked. We are in the process of appealing this decision but this is just the beginning of a very long process. We ask for all the prayers and support you can give. Your help has been greatly appreciated and we cannot thank you enough. Those of you who know my dog know that the two years prior to us having her were more than likely filled with abuse. Since she has been with us, she has shown us nothing but love. Knowing the bad name and discrimination that pit bulls receive, we have always taken great care in socializing our dogs, providing a secure backyard for our dogs, and providing a safe neighborhood for those around us. This truly was an isolated incident for Honey. Honey has passed both beginner and intermediate training, in the presence of other dogs and people. Continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated. Please sign our petition and share it, help us keep Honey safe!

We with Caring About Treasured Strays daily receive calls, emails, messages in regard to the need for rescuing dumped-off cats and kittens, dogs and puppies. We work LONG hours to care for them and keep them from going to our Montgomery County, KY Animal Shelter, where there is no other option but to euthanize when at capacity or to add on to the building where the animals will live in cages for months on end. We rescued one a few months back that had lived in a cage for 8 months, most of its life. ~~Prevention is better than cure!!~~ Please sign and share and help to save lives!

1. For homeowners with suitable roofs this legislation would provide grants to help reduce the upfront costs of installing solar panels. For renters or families unable to install solar on their roofs the bill provides loans to solar developers to connect low-income families to solar either physically, or virtually through the construction of community solar facilities. In all cases this bill encourages job training to local communities. 2. Promotes diversity in the workforce by prioritizing loans for woman- and minority owned small businesses. 3. Sets aside a portion of funds for developing solar economies in Appalachia, Indian tribal lands, and Alaskan native communities.

I hired and paid a CPA to find money my husband hid to avoid taxes and support during my divorce. The CPA was hired as a joint expert to save money and report to the family court , but he never did anything I or my lawyers asked . He told the court he didn't like me because of my YELP reviews. He was paid $80,000 for five months of subpar work and demanded civil immunity and refused to work for over a year after I questioned his reports. He was paid more than I get in support for three years. My private judge paid himself $100,000 from my kid's college savings and allowed my husband to pay just $8.84 per month in child support. This has caused me and my son to go from an upper middle class lifestyle to near bankruptcy , with no end to my divorce in sight and while the lawyers and CPAs continue to take more money in fees than I will earn in my life. I filed a lawsuit , without a lawyer , against the CPA to get my money back . The CPA hired a malpractice lawyer and filed an Anti- Slapp against me. He lost the Anti- Slapp and is filing an appeal. It will cost me $100,000 if I want to hire an lawyer to defend me in the appeal. I shouldn't' t have to do this just because I am getting divorced and my CPA didn't do his job. And why would the CPA pay $300,000 in legal fees himself instead of just returning my $80,000, my retirement money ? The State Bar, CA Board of Accountancy , Judicial Performance Council and State Legislature must act to stop the abuse and fraud these legal and accounting fiduciaries are able to impose on family law matters. Please join me in acting the State Bar and the CA Board of Accountancy to revoke licenses of CPAs and Lawyers who act to cause such harassing litigation and excessive costs in family law cases.

Irresponsibly, the national Republican Party has made opposition to the Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by Secretary of State Kerry and our European allies a litmus test of Republican Party loyalty, like opposition to the Affordable Care Act, opposition to raising taxes on the extremely wealthy, and opposition to modest cuts in the bloated Pentagon budget. Senator Susan Collins now faces a choice on the Iran agreement: to act responsibly, consistent with her reputation as a moderate and independent Republican, and support the agreement, knowing that if Congress were to kill the agreement, the international inspection system on Iran’s nuclear program would collapse, international sanctions on Iran would collapse, and the U.S. and Iran would be on a path towards an unnecessary and costly war; or comply with the loyalty demands of the Republican Party establishment and belie her reputation as an independent and moderate Republican, and vote to kill the agreement. Senator Angus King and Representative Chellie Pingree support the agreement. [1] The Bangor Daily News has urged Senator Collins to choose the responsible path and support the Iran agreement. [2] Add your voice for responsible policy by signing our petition. References: 1. http://bangordailynews.com/2015/08/19/politics/angus-king-george-mitchell-make-case-for-iran-nuclear-deal/ 2. http://bangordailynews.com/2015/08/31/opinion/editorials/susan-collins-should-choose-the-responsible-path-on-iran/