My 13 year old (12 at the time) was sent to be reprogrammed by her mother and her paternal family (father passed) can't find her. We fear for her life and the lives of other children placed in ITTs.

The Fair Elections Now Act would put "we the people" back at the center of U.S Senate elections -- and greatly reduce the influence of big special interests -- by allowing candidates to wage successful campaigns without large donors. The Fair Elections Now Act provides candidates with funds to replace campaign fundraising that largely relies on large donors and special interests. Participating candidates are then to limit their additional campaign spending to the amounts raised from small dollar donors. Candidates qualify by raising a set number of small donations from in-state donors, and agreeing not to accept more than $150 from any one donor. During the campaign, small donations are matched and amplified by public funds. All Americans would receive a $25 tax credit they can give to their candidate, so EVERYBODY can donate. Right now, the Fair Elections Now Act (S.2023, Dick Durbin, D-Illinois) has 21 Senate co-sponsors. To help it succeed, it needs more support. Barbara Boxer is already a co-sponsor of this important bill, but Dianne Feinstein hasn’t signed on yet. Please ask Feinstein to stand with the voters – instead of wealthy donors and special interests – by co-sponsoring the bill.

Greetings, Today, our peaceful campaign to change Harney Peak to Black Peak has made it to the United States Board on Geographic Names (USBGN) for a vote to accept the new sacred name of a mountain to be called "Black Elk Peak." This historical vote will take place on September 10, 2015, in Washington, DC at 9:30 am (ET). The address is located below: Department of Interior (Kiowa Room) 1849 C St. NW Washington, DC 20240 On August 13, 2015, I will provide a presentation to the USBGN on the importance of the significance of the Black Hills of South Dakota to the Native American and the importance of changing the name from Harney Peak to Black Elk Peak through cultural diversity and unity with an emphasis of "Mending our Sacred Hoop One Generation at Time, through Cultural Diversity" with all walks of life. With the many atrocities of today that occur every day in our media with events such as the most recent tragedy of the church shootings in South Carolina in relationship to the "Confederate Flag," it is time for America to come to a neutral perspective and remove all offensive and negative names and items from the public view and renew a self-pride and understanding through cultural diversity among all walks of life. Just as the Confederate flag is offensive in the South, so is the name of General William Harney in South Dakota to the Native American Tribes. Please show your support and help us get to this very important meeting. if you have any questions please contact me directly at (605)407-0961. Mitakuye Oyasin- Translates to "WE ARE RELATED" in the Sioux Language. Sincerely, Myron W. Pourier Great-Great Grandson of Black Elk

This is an issue that needs undivided attention, to remove the Confederate flag from Hillsborough Country and other states, counties that still have them up!!!

Students should not be taught a watered-down history of slavery in this country. This petition is about calling out Texas (and textbook companies) for leaving out key historical facts that are critical for students to gain insight and context on present day racial disparities. Our country must face its past if we hope to make equality a reality in the future. The following is a link to a recent article on this subject: http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/150-years-later-schools-are-still-a-battlefield-for-interpreting-civil-war/2015/07/05/e8fbd57e-2001-11e5-bf41-c23f5d3face1_story.html

The Marion County, Florida, Board of Commissioners continue to hold discussions and votes on items that are not listed on the day's Agenda. It Is Time For Marion County, FL to join the 21st Century and stop flying a 19th Century antiquated Flag that holds negative emotions for many. I have many African-American friends who become emotionally distressed when they see this flag flying. The negativity toward the black race needs to stop and one way to do this is to take down the flag of hate that the Confederate flag has become.

District 210 School Board Members, It has been brought to our attention by the administration and school board at Lincoln-Way School District 210, that due to a financial crisis within the district, closing Lincoln-Way North High school is a very real possibility. Closing Lincoln-Way North would have a devastating impact on the overall quality of life of the residents, students, business owners and tax payers in this district. Lincoln-Way North is operating at 70% capacity, the highest capacity percentage of all four high schools. Lincoln-Way North has the lowest operating costs per pupil of all four high schools. In addition, if Lincoln-Way North were to close, the roughly 1750 students that attend that school would go back to East which roughly has 2100 students enrolled and a capacity for 3750 students. This would leave Lincoln-Way East over capacity. You are probably aware that a $225,000,000.00 referendum was passed in 2006 mainly to relieve the overcrowding at Lincoln-Way East. Both Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way East are nationally and state ranked schools for academics and have top state ranked extracurricular programs. Obviously, these achievements would be compromised if the two schools were forced to merge. Currently, Lincoln-Way Central has roughly 1900 students and a capacity for 3750 students and Lincoln-Way West has 1300 students with a capacity for 2500 students. We feel that the problem with enrollment numbers can be handled and should be handled at either Lincoln-Way Central or Lincoln-Way West. It appears that building Lincoln-Way West was premature and is currently not needed. A reason given for not closing Lincoln-Way West is that there is room for projected growth. We respectfully ask the powers that be, who they are looking out for: real people, real businesses, real students, real property values or projected people, businesses, students, and property values? The closing North option is not a reasonable or fair option and would disrupt the lives and financial well being of more families, students, business owners than any other area in the district. We ask that you please attend the School Board meeting on July 16th at 7:00pm at Lincoln-Way Central and fight to help us keep Lincoln-Way North open. Thank you very much for your time and efforts in this matter.

The Confederate flag is not a symbol of southern pride but rather a symbol of rebellion and racism. On the heels of the brutal killing of nine Black people in a South Carolina church by a racist terrorist, it's time to put that symbol of rebellion and racism behind us and move toward healing and a better United States of America!

On July 2, Hillary Clinton sent a letter to Haim Saban, a major Clinton donor and fundraiser, expressing her “alarm” over the “Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction movement,” which she called “a global effort to isolate the state of Israel by ending commercial and academic exchanges.” Clinton asserted that “we need to make countering BDS a priority.” Clinton’s letter failed to make any distinction between Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. [1] The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is campaigning to erase the distinction in U.S. policy between Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, under the guise of “combatting the global BDS movement.” As part of this campaign, AIPAC recently pushed language through Congress that defines the “global BDS” which the U.S. should oppose as including boycott, divestment, and sanctions against enterprises in “Israeli-controlled territories” – that is, enterprises in Israeli settlements in the West Bank. J Street and Americans for Peace Now opposed the AIPAC provision. [2] The Obama Administration denounced the provision, saying, “by conflating Israel and 'Israeli-controlled territories,' a provision of the Trade Promotion Authority legislation runs counter to longstanding U.S. policy towards the occupied territories, including with regard to settlement activity…The U.S. government has never defended or supported Israeli settlements and activity associated with them and, by extension, does not pursue policies or activities that would legitimize them.” [3] By condemning “BDS” without distinguishing between Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Clinton is supporting – whether intentionally or not – the AIPAC campaign to erase the distinction between Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It is unlikely that major media will successfully press Hillary to clarify her position unless the issue is raised by another candidate. A recent study found that 45% of Democratic “opinion leaders” said they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who criticized the Israeli occupation and mistreatment of Palestinians, while only 23% said they would be less likely to vote for such a candidate. [4] Urge Bernie Sanders to say that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are not Israel by signing our petition. References: 1. “Clinton 'alarmed' over calls for Israel boycott, urges bi-partisan action,” Barak Ravid, Haaretz, July 6, 2015, http://www.haaretz.com/1.664694 2. “Inside AIPAC's Quiet Campaign To Blur Israeli Settlement Lines,” Jessica Schulberg, Huffington Post, 5/28/2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/28/aipac-israel-settlements_n_7461038.html 3. “White House Blasts Trade Bill Provision That Aims To Protect Israeli Settlements,” Jessica Schulberg, Huffington Post, 6/30/2015, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/30/trade-bill-israel-settlements_n_7700814.html 4. “Israel losing Democrats, ‘can’t claim bipartisan US support,’ top pollster warns,” David Horowitz, Times of Israel, July 5, 2015, http://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-losing-democrats-cant-claim-bipartisan-us-support-top-pollster-warns/

The right-wing Mackinac Center for Public Policy has been spreading corporate propaganda by spamming thousands of Michigan teachers at their work email addresses. Tell the Mackinac Center to stop hijacking our schools’ communications systems in order to advance their pro-corporate agenda.

This morning I heard yet another feature 2016 election story on NPR ("Clinton is 'Worried' About Bernie Sanders--But Should She Be?") in which not a single mention was made of where candidates stand on the issues facing America. Not climate change, not gun safety, not national security--only a brief passing reference to income inequality. Our democracy would be stronger if Americans could more easily determine how candidates' stances on the biggest issues match up with their own views, but NPR is not helping to make that happen.

So many bills in Congress now target wolves; our senators and representatives need to be asked to keep up their good work in supporting the Endangered Species Act and other important legislation! Connecticut has no wolves, but America's national parks and forests belong to all of us, and it's up to the rest of the country to control the activities of local special-interest groups (mostly ranchers and sport hunters). If you sign this petition, I want you to imagine howling back to the wolves at the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, NY, or having one of their wolf ambassadors look into your eyes. You'll be able to look back into that golden gaze, knowing you did what you could to save their kind from the jagged teeth of a leg-hold trap or the cross-hairs of a rifle like the one that killed Echo, the first wolf to make it back to the Grand Canyon.