-The project underway is short-sighted & irresponsible in its actions to purposely, abruptly destroy & remove valuable & irreplaceable wildlife habitat. Exemplified by the cutting of scores of 100 year old heritage trees thereby Permanently Destroying Existing Habitat & creating Fire Hazards by the dry slash left mounded on the ground. -The broad spraying of Herbicides including Roundup & Garlon 4 is dangerous to the health of Humans, Pets, Wildlife, Land & Water. -Lake Hodges is a Wildlife Refuge-a Natural Island amidst Urban Sprawl-the Concentration of Living Beasts Dependent on its existence is even greater now due to surrounding Habitats Lost to recent Fires & declining Habitat Vitality resulting from Ongoing Drought Conditions.

The death penalty should be repealed in ALL cases. It is costly, it is not a deterrent to crime, it kills people who are innocent of the crime, it is unfairly applied to African Americans and other people of color, it prolongs the grief and suffering of the victims' family. The U.S. takes a spot behind China, Iran, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia for the most executions in the world last year, sitting ahead of Yemen and the Sudan. All other Western countries have abolished the death penalty. The passed Senate Bill would replace the death penalty with life sentences without parole.

With all the trouble in the world, there is our great Americana music to make things right. We should honor the late Levon Helm of The Band with a U.S. postage stamp.

A federal judge ordered California's corrections department to provide a transgender inmate with sex change surgery. U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco ruled that denying sex reassignment surgery to 51-year-old Michelle-Lael Norsworthy , who's birth name is Jeffery Bryan Norsworthy, violates his constitutional rights. Corrections officials, in previous court filings, argued that Norsworthy has received proper medical and mental health care for more than 15 years and is in no immediate medical danger if the surgery is not performed. His care included counseling, mental health treatment and hormone therapy that the department said "has changed his physical appearance and voice to that of a woman" while helping him find his gender identity. That care is consistent with what other judges nationwide have found to be appropriate for transgender inmates, the department said. Norsworthy has been in prison since 1987, serving a life sentence for second-degree murder and has a history of domestic violence. He has twice delayed his scheduled parole hearings in recent months while awaiting a ruling on his gender reassignment surgery. This elective surgery could cost the already heavily burdened tax payers up to $100,000. Norsworthy is a convicted murderer who has been a tax burden on the people for nearly 30 years. As a prisoner, he already receives superior medical care when compared to many honest and hard working citizens. Why should we the people front the bill for this non life saving surgery for a violent criminal when most law abiding citizens could not afford the same surgery? If this ruling is upheld, it could lay the case law foundation for many repeat occurrences. Norsworthy has delayed his parole hearings twice which leads to speculation that he is willingly keeping himself incarcerated solely to receive this elective surgery on the tax payers dime. Do we really want to lay the groundwork for future abuse of the system where people commit crimes with the intent of being sent to prison and forcing the tax payer to fund their elective and cosmetic surgeries? It's time to take a stand. Let our government officials know that the people of the United States of America will not sit idly by and watch our tax dollars wasted. Thank you for your support.

Allow a person of legal voting age to submit an application for addition to the checklist to the presiding officer at the polling place of the town in which the person seeks to register during the hours of voting.

I have enjoyed this area for 40 years. There are nesting eagles in their first year on the river. There is a big flock of pelicans using this area, and all types of waterfowl. I have enjoyed fishing here with 3 generations of family. I think keeping this public lake filled is the wise choice for everyone! They are also going to treat the lake with aerial herbicide Rodeo to kill weeds. What is this going to do to the eagles feeding there? Thank you everyone for your help. Their fish biologist has told us we will have to give up fishing in this area. The water levels will be too low to hold fish, a primary food source for the eagles. Share with everyone you know. This lake was made by the DNR 30 years ago and is a good fishery for many local people. A few outsiders want to change and remove fishing from Black Oak Bayou, so please help us leave it as is.

First United Methodist Church has been a part of the community of Eureka Springs, Arkansas for 136 years. But this year they were banned from the Easter parade because they wanted to carry a banner reading, "Jesus loves all." Church members say that the conservative parade organizers rejected the church because it fully welcomes and includes lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.

While at the Joint Finance Committee hearings, I heard heart-breaking testimony by IRIS clients and their families, pleading to spare IRIS funds from the chopping block. As a Wisconsin Registered Nurse for 34 years, and a patient advocate for longer, I feel an obligation to amplify their plea for IRIS funding to be preserved.

Citizens of conscience in Delaware believe the state should not have authority to kill. Many of us believe the Almighty holds that taking a life, except in self-defense, is objectively wrong. We also know from many studies of capital punishment that it does not deter murder. Rates of murder are not lower in states having the highest rates of capital punishment. Accordingly, if such taking of life is ineffective as a deterrent, what possible justification for it do we have? We think none.

Medical professionals including the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn that antibiotics could stop working if they continue being overused. Oregon lawmakers have a proposal in their hands to stop one of the leading causes of antibiotic resistance: overuse on farm animals. Please join thousands of doctors, nurses and farmers and ask our lawmakers to act on this proposal.

North Carolina lawmakers are considering two bills (HB 465/SB 604) that would undermine the right to safe, legal abortion in North Carolina. The legislation would prevent some health care facilities from providing abortions, block some trained physicians from providing abortions, and require women to wait 72 hours after first visiting a health care provider to obtain an abortion despite increase travel costs, additional childcare challenges, and more time needed off work that could put the procedure out of reach for some women. To stop these dangerous bills that would undermine the right to safe, legal abortion, lawmakers need to hear a groundswell of opposition from people across the state. Will you help?

Navient is a major player in the student loan debt recovery industry, with hundreds of millions in government contracts and major investments by organizations like the AFL-CIO. But an increasing stream of bad stories about the company is appearing in the media. From the despicable overcharging of active-duty military personnel, for which the company paid a $97 million settlement, to a series of investigations into the company's practices that have been launched by state attorneys general and federal government agencies, there are serious questions about the way Navient is conducting its business. That’s why we’re asking the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to allow Navient shareholders to vote for more transparency into the company and its activities. Potentially bad practices jeopardize the investments made in Navient because they endanger the company’s reputation, which could lead to a loss of government contracts and the elimination of other opportunities. It’s important that we, as taxpayers and investors, get a greater understanding of Navient’s policies and practices.