The Washington Post has reported that 34 Democratic Senators have committed to support the Iran nuclear deal, meaning that Republican efforts to kill the deal have failed. [1] This is a crucial victory for peace and diplomacy. But that still leaves the question of what kind of people we want to lead the Democratic Party. This isn’t likely to be the last time that America faces a choice between war and diplomacy. In 2002, key Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer voted for Bush’s Iraq war, even though international diplomatic efforts to avoid war had not run their course. Today, even though Chuck Schumer is one of just two Senate Democrats opposing the Iran deal, some people still think Schumer should be the next leader of Senate Democrats. Alan Grayson wants to be a Democratic Senator. But The Hill lists him as one of just two House Democrats “Leaning No” on the Iran deal. [2] His Democratic Senate primary opponent, Rep. Patrick Murphy, has come out in support of the deal. [3] Florida’s Democratic Senator, Bill Nelson, supports the deal. [4] But Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who is chair of the Democratic National Committee [5], is “unclear/undecided,” according to The Hill. [6] Urge Grayson and Wasserman Schultz to join Sen. Nelson and Rep. Murphy in backing diplomacy, not war, by signing our petition. References: 1. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/07/14/whip-count-where-the-senate-stands-on-the-iran-deal/ 2. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/250261-the-hills-whip-list-house-dems-divided-on-iran-deal 3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/patrick-murphy-iran-deal_55e49fa9e4b0b7a96339d960 4. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/07/14/whip-count-where-the-senate-stands-on-the-iran-deal/ 5. http://blogs.rollcall.com/218/debbie-wasserman-schultz-iran-deal-position/ 6. http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/250261-the-hills-whip-list-house-dems-divided-on-iran-deal

We are well aware of the damage gun violence has wrought in this country. We cannot go a day without a mass shooting. Yet our legislators refuse to act! Enough is enough. Nobody is going to take anyone's guns away, BUT we can't allow the exemptions from consequences to continue. The Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act, signed by Bush and praised by the NRA, needs to be repealed. So, too, do gun owners need to be held liable for the actions committed with their guns. After Sandy Hook, Aurora, Virginia Tech, and too many other tragedies to list - irresponsible gun owners, retailers and manufacturers should be held liable for the harm their irresponsibility causes. Allow the innocent American people harmed to personally sue them for damages, and remove special treatment given to the gun industry protecting them from lawsuits. We wouldn't exempt any other industry that kills as many Americans; they don't deserve special treatment.

I do not want to see any more soldiers die or suffer injuries. Too many innocent women, and children have died as collateral damage. We have many problems within our own borders which need to be solved, such as unemployment, homelessness, hunger, and crime. Let us address these problems instead of looking toward yet another war.

Senator Bernie Sanders says, "American democracy is not about billionaires being able to buy candidates and elections. It is not about the Koch brothers, Sheldon Adelson and other incredibly wealthy individuals spending billions of dollars to elect candidates who will make the rich richer and everyone else poorer." That's why we need a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United. Will you sign the petition to Congress to take back our democracy?

Jeb Bush wants to privatize Social Security -- and Republican presidential candidates agree. But progressives are not backing down. Instead of playing defense, expanding Social Security benefits is now a mainstream Democratic position. Bernie Sanders and Martin O'Malley have called for Social Security expansion. Hillary Clinton, Lincoln Chaffee, and Jim Webb have not. Sign our petition so that ALL Democratic presidential candidates endorse Social Security expansion.

Big news: Senator Elizabeth Warren has introduced a bill that restores critical Glass-Steagall protections that protect the American economy -- and American jobs -- from excessive risk-taking by Wall Street bankers. As Senator Warren says, "The biggest banks are collectively much larger than they were before the crisis, and they continue to engage in dangerous practices that could once again crash our economy. The 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act will rebuild the wall between commercial and investment banking and make our financial system more stable and secure." It's time to stop big Wall Street bankers from gambling ordinary Americans' life savings on risky investments, pocketing huge profits, then demanding taxpayer bailouts when they go wrong.

Wall Street hedge fund managers aren't just a driving force behind rising inequality in America -- they have their own tricky loophole that shifts billions in taxes to people who make much less. President Obama has called on Congress to close the "carried interest loophole" that taxes hedge fund managers' profits at half the regular rate. As Bernie Sanders explains, "This can result in millionaires and even billionaires who manage these funds paying lower effective tax rates than many middle-class families." Let's stop tricky Wall Street accounting and force these traders to pay their fair share. Will you sign the petition?

It is past time to raise the Pennsylvania minimum wage. 29 states, including every state surrounding Pennsylvania, have raised their minimum wages while our Legislature will not even vote on this issue. A recent poll by Mercyhurst University, earlier this year, found that 66% of Pennsylvanians support a minimum wage of $10.10 per hour. Over 1.2 million PA workers will get a raise if such an increase were enacted and these funds would go right back into our local economies. Half of those workers are employed full time and 84% are over 20 years of age. A quarter of them are raising children on poverty wages. Legislation to raise the minimum wage has been sitting in the house and Senate Labor and Industry Committees since January. The will of our citizens and the needs of Pennsylvania’s low wage workers require that legislation to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 be moved onto the floor immediately. Please tell Labor and Industry Committee Chairs Senator Lisa Baker and Rep. Mauree Gingrich "We strongly urge that you ensure that minimum wage legislation be reported out of your committee immediately. We urge you to support a $10.10 minimum wage, including a cost of living index and one that includes tipped workers, as well. We also urge you to support elimination of local pre-emption to let our localities decide on minimum wage for their citizens."

Matthew Straton went missing Oct 28, 2013. All efforts by family,friends and the local authorities were used in efforts to find Matt. On Jan. 15, 2014, Matt's body was found in a shallow grave covered up with lawn furniture and garbage in the backyard of William Lewek, a local psychiatrist who specialized in alcohol/ drug dependence. Lewek admitted to buying and using drugs with Matt. He admitted that Matt died in his presence and instead of calling 911, he dragged his body down 3 flights of stairs and hid his body. Because of the nature and and amount of time Matt's body was hidden, all evidence was compromised. Lewek was charged with Tampering with evidence, which in New York state is only a 1 1/3-4 year sentence. Through the whole ordeal Lewek never showed any remorse for his actions, only self preservation and contempt for the law. He was even arrested again, this time for DUI. May 1, 2015 Lewek was sentenced and he is already up for parole. This is unacceptable. Please help by signing and sharing this petition in hopes he will be denied early release. From all Matthew's family, loved ones, and the community in which he lived, we thank you, from the bottom of our heart. JUSTICE FOR MATT.

Planned Parenthood is a lifeline for millions of women, providing cancer screenings, contraception, and basic preventive health care to women across the country. Access to these basic necessities is already limited, at best, and cutting off Planned Parenthood would make their acquisition all but impossible for many women.

WE DON`T LIKE SWEDEN TO TURN INTO ANTI-DEMOCRATIC & NAZISTATE AGAIN AND SINCE SWEDEN DO THIS TOGETHER WITH HITLER !!! THIS ARE GOING ON NOW AND TODAY WHITH ( S - SOCIALDEMOCRATS ) IN MAIN FRONT, AND FULLY SUPPORT OF IS & TERRORISTS IN SWEDEN, AND SWEDENS STATE MEDIA AS SVT & SR WHO ALSO FULLY SUPPORT THIS TERRORISTS IN SWEDEN !!!!!

On August 27, law enforcement officials across Northern California began arresting more than 30 bail bondsmen from seven different bail bond companies on charges that they illegally rewarded jail inmates with money for providing information about individuals newly entering the jails. The alleged corruption illustrates an important danger of the cash bail system, in which access to money—rather than risk—determines who stays in jail pretrial. No one should ever be held in jail simply because they are too poor to put up an arbitrary amount set by the courts. Jail should be reserved for people who pose a danger to our communities, or are a flight risk. No one should be able to prey on and exploit defendants simply because they are poor. Across America, jurisdictions are moving toward detention decisions based on risk, rather than money. More than 75 percent of voters support risk-based detention and believe it works. Governor Brown: You know California’s bail system is broken, and you have not yet taken action to fix it. End cash bail. -Cherise Fanno Burdeen of the Pretrial Justice Institute