Nuclear weapons in the hands of the mad mullahs ruling Iran are the civilized world's worst nightmare. The deal negotiated by the P5+1 crosses all red lines and represents a failure of diplomacy. The only chance for diplomacy to work is for Congress to reject this deal and for the P5+1 to start over and stick with the red lines put forth by President Obama at the beginning.

Killing rare and or endangered species is a concern for the people, the wildlife and the environment of the planet.

When my brother James was diagnosed with Autism in the early 1990's, this disorder was very rare. In 2000, 1 in 150 children were identified as having autism or similar disorders. By 2010, this number reached 1 in 68 (CDC). Many of those diagnosed will never be able to care for themselves, and many have health and behavioral problems that make them difficult to care for. My brother's first residential placement in Virginia fell through after 3 1/2 years in May. Months of searching yielded only the terrifying reality that there is no other residential placement in the state that can meet his needs. His behavioral issues, while very common in adults with Autism, make it so that no care facility feels that they are equipped to handle him. The nice "homes" that you see on television and in movies for adults with disabilities do not exist; not for people like my brother. James and others his age are only the crest of a demographic tidal wave about to hit. Unless we act quickly to create the infrastructure and the programs to care for those who will never be able to care for themselves, we will be left with countless struggling families with nowhere to turn for help. People with Autism and other disabilities deserve to have real adult lives where they can live in supported, social environments with caretakers who understand their needs. Families deserve to know that their loved ones can be cared for after they can no longer do so.

A major percentage of California drivers use their car for more than public transportation from point a to b. We modify cars as a passion and love for vehicles. California constricts this mass population with smog laws that doesn't pertain to the environmental health. As long as the vehicle meets California safety standards and meets CO2 emissions standards the use of custom auto parts should be allowed.

Right now huge corporations like WalMart get a tax break for handing out huge CEO bonuses. Meanwhile, the House has recently passed budgets that would drop 570,000 kids out of Head Start, make a deep $175 million cut to SNAP food assistance funding, and cut job assistance training for 2 million Americans. The tax code sets a $1 million limit per executive for the amount of pay that corporations can write off their income taxes. But the problem is that there’s a loophole that exempts “performance-based” pay. So, corporations are shelling out huge CEO bonuses to pay less in taxes. For example, during the past six years, WalMart pocketed $298.6 million in fully deductible “performance pay,” lowering the company’s federal tax bills by $104 million. We simply can't afford tax loopholes that help the biggest corporations dodge paying their fair share. It's time we close these loopholes and invest in an economy that works for all of us, not just the CEOs.

I am a documentary filmmaker who has covered the plight of the Kurds in Iraq.

Dear friend: Puerto Rico (PR) is experiencing one of the worst crisis in many years. When we objectively evaluate the reason, the consensus is that the root of our problems is the lack of resolution of our status. Since 1898, PR belongs to the United States of America (US); since 1917, those who are born in this blessed Island are American citizens; and in 1952 we enacted our Constitution, which did not change our colonial or territorial status. I am proud to be an American citizen but resent my Island's relationship with the US. How many more years must go by without our soldiers, who go into battle risking their lives alongside their comrades soldiers residents of the 50 states, can vote for their "Commander in Chief"? How many more laws will be enacted in US Congress without Puerto Rico having a congressional representation with the right to vote to support or object them because of their impact on our daily lives? For how much longer we have to resign ourselves to be the first in line for cuts to federal funds and the last at the time of the distribution? All this because we are a colony; because based on our status, under the Territorial Clause of the US Constitution, Congress can discriminate against the 3.5 million of American citizens who live here. Because at the moment you don't live in the Island, this letter is addressed to you. Although I know that many have left PR by choice, during my visits as a candidate to become the first female Resident Commissioner in Washington, DC, I come across too many mothers who share their pain because their children have had to leave with the hope of finding better opportunities in one of the 50 states. Whether it was by choice or because you felt you didn't have any other option, I know you still love your Island and want the best for it. I know you're convinced that the discrimination must end NOW; we deserve EQUALITY. Unfortunately, our present situation leads too many to think that PR is no longer the Island of Enchantment; that instead of being Puerto Rico, it should be called "Puerto Pobre". This has to change NOW; it is time to act. The solution of PR's status is a matter that requires the support of those who live on the Island and those who like you, for living in one of the 50 states, have the right to vote for the President of US and a congressional delegation with the right to vote. And because of that power that you have and I don't, I ask of you to take a few moments of your time to electronically sign the enclosed petition. The same will be sent to the White House, to your congressional representatives and to the candidates for those positions. As you can see, in the same you demand from those with the duty to represent you to stop ignoring the issue; that it is time that the solution of PR's status becomes a priority for them, to be proven with action and not words. I'm counting on your support for this initiative; together we'll be stronger and I know that the political power that you have, because EnUSAMiVotoCuenta, will be decisive in achieving the goal of resolving PR's status and, finally, achieve the EQUALITY that we deserve. Your friend, Zoé Laboy

This petition is being started to find out what really happened to the young and beautiful Sandra Bland. This incident has affected a lot of people, and we are all just so curious.

Illegal search and seizures and false arrests--our officials are tormenting the community by seizing personal property for their own use and gains, causing people to be afraid and in some cases committing suicide. These paid officials are supposed to serve and protect the citizens of their community. Officer Williams of Oneida County Sheriff's Office has in fact committed perjury under oath on the stand. These acts should be stopped before other people are hurt. The people of the community deserve protection, to be secure in their homes, and not to live in fear; they should live with the knowledge that the founding document, the Constitution, protects them just as it should all others in this country. Instead, they have been robbed of the Constitutional protections of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. From judge's, prosecuting attorneys, to the sheriffs office, they are all involved. Time for a change!

After personally witnessing the lack of respect for living creatures at a local lawn fete I adamantly petition for the ban of giving any live animals as prizes for carnival, lawn fete, or fair games in New York and all U.S. States and territories.

Target was the first major retail chain to stop selling cigarettes (back in 1996). Last fall, CVS made headlines when it too discontinued the sale of tobacco products. But CVS just did Target one better by also withdrawing from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As revealed in a recent New York Times series, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is deliberately and systematically opposing public health efforts in numerous countries to reduce tobacco use. Just in case there’s any confusion, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is neither part of the federal government (that’s the Department of Commerce) nor anything like your local Chamber of Commerce (which may well be composed of small business owners genuinely concerned about your community). Rather, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s most aggressive corporate lobbyist, spending more each year than any other company or organization to push policies that benefit Big Business. Does Target really want to be associated with what the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is doing to shill for Big Tobacco and defend a product that kills 6 million people worldwide every year? We call on you to follow the lead of CVS by withdrawing Target’s membership in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Our public schools are already suffering from shortage of funds to provide the best education for our children. I don't feel it's very democratic for a few law makers to impose a decision on our tax dollars. The public has a right to have an option on how our hard-earned money is used.