There are serious consequences of the letter 47 Republican senators sent to the government of Iran: “This kind of letter is unprecedented and undiplomatic. In truth, it told us that we cannot trust the United States. —March 10, 2015 in a meeting with top clerics It is a matter of national security to mitigate the harm that has been done and assure Iran that the US can be trusted.

I'd like to know how we were misled into two unnecessary wars. Everyone in America was affected by this issue.

It is unfair to make it hard to live or work in the city and have to worry about parking! The city of New Orleans does not make from parking meters, just a percentage of the tickets issued. A privately-owned company from out of state called Standard Parking Corp. makes money. It profits from New Orleans and the city of Chicago, while residents, small business owners, people who work in city, and visitors suffer. Some people do not even make what they spend in parking. Residents have to pay for parking, as do people who come to shop--wasting money that could have actually helped the city of New Orleans. These meters are owned by a private company that are only helping themselves, so in order for New Orleans to get a cut, they have to enforce and put in more meters and issue more tickets. Parking should be free for people who work in the city, period. Some locals have to pay what they make an hour in salary for parking. Also, a lot of the parking meters are broken and people still get tickets from them parking near them. These meters are destroying the city of New Orleans, making it hard on small businesses, and people commuting to work or to visit friends in area, residents, and even tourists who don't want to walk for two hours without worrying about a meter running out. Not everyone has a cell phone to download an app and pay. Some people do not even have credit cards. I am starting this petition against Standard Parking Corp, who is contracted with the city and now owns Central Parking lot--not the city of New Orleans and Mayor Landrieu! The Standard Parking Corp. Parking Meter company is based out of the state, monopolizing pay to park so their stocks can rise. It's a huge greedy corporate scam! Standard Parking Corp. is under contract with the city of New Orleans, who is not making that much money off the meters ad parking, unless more people get tickets, issued by them, hence all the broke meters! I have a picture of a waitress at IHOP who had to go outside to feed a meter. She most likely makes $2/hr and feeds the meter every hour. This is a prime example of the greedy stock market, capitalizing on the human needing to be somewhere at a certain time! These city officials think they are helping the city, but they are only helping themselves.

Recently with what is and has been happening here in America, I feel that we need to make a change and that change is to elect 2 people that have a history of looking out for the average American and both Bernie and Elizabeth have that track record. Watching the 47 Republican Senators, send their letter to Iran, to negatively affect President Obama's attempt to reduce the nuclear threat, is the last nail in the coffin.

47 GOP Senators signed an open letter to the government of Iran in apparent violation of the Logan Act which makes it a crime for any citizen to engage in "“any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government . . . with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government . . . in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States.” This action endangers delicate negotiations that could result in an Iranian nuclear weapon.

Amazon.com is a powerhouse in the sale a distribution of goods and information in the United States and has the authority to dictate what is and what is not available for purchase on its website. Further, Amazon.com should be held accountable for any profits it has obtained in contributing to the commercial sexual exploitation of children through the sale of Mickey Royal’s titles through Amazon.com. The books written by Mickey Royal clearly detail the exact steps child sex abusers should take to successfully lure, manipulate, enslave, and sell our children for sex and profit. Here is an excerpt from the book The Pimp Game: Instructional Guide: “You’ll start to dress her, think for her, own her. If you and your victim are sexually active, slow it down. After sex, take her shopping for one item. Hair and/or nails is fine. She’ll develop a feeling of accomplishment. The shopping after a month will be replaced with cash. The love making turns into raw sex. She’ll start to crave the intimacy and be willing to get back into your good graces. After you have broken her spirit, she has no sense of self value. Now pimp, put a price tag on the item you have manufactured.” (Smith et al. 2009) And this is no lie. This is precisely how vulnerable children are lured away every day to be raped, abused, and commercially sexually exploited right here in the United States (Mitchell, et al 2010). The pimps and exploiters of the world would have you believe the children for sale on the streets are willing participants. This book is proof otherwise. This book is proof of the twisted abuse tactics used by exploiters to meet their own needs for power and money. The issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children is a complex one which I invite you to look deeper into. To be a successful exploiter one must prey on the individuals with the least amount of power seeking the most amount of belonging. Children are not only a desirable commodity for sex from buyers, they are also ideal candidates to be manipulated and controlled (Gibbs et al., 2012). The average age of children being targeted by exploiters, commonly known as pimps, is between the ages of 11-14 years old (Hammer et al., 2002). That’s right, children, from all walks of life, between the ages of 11 and 14 years old are the most vulnerable targets to be lured by exploiters who use means of force, fraud, and coercion including rape, torture, and kidnapping to bring these children under their control and sell their bodies for sex and profit. More devastatingly, the children most at risk to be targeted by exploiters are among our most vulnerable; those who have been involved in the child welfare system due to abuse and neglect in their homes (Colby, 2011). Don’t be fooled by the idea that any exploiter is in the business of only enslaving ‘consenting adults’. The issue of the commercial sexual exploitation of children in the United States is overwhelming. As a nation we are scrambling to merely begin to get a grasp on just how many children are being commercially sexually exploited each day (Nixon et al., 2002). Andrew Oosterbaan, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, U.S. Department of Justice, says, “The stark reality is that the supply is never-ending … I mean, that little girl who started as a runaway on the streets in Washington State and ended up on the streets of Miami Beach as a prostitute is way too typical … There is an endless supply — and it is almost surreal to have these words leave my mouth — endless supply of victims. But that’s the stark reality.” (Smith et al. 2009) Tina Frundt, Founder of Courtney’s House, and Survivor of domestic minor sex trafficking, explains, “I was 14 years old, and the way the pimp came at me was that at first I didn’t even know he was a pimp. He came at me like a boyfriend. Yes, he was an older boyfriend but he cared about me.... Six months later he told me ‘Let’s run away together. We can have a beautiful house and family.’ And I did believe him, and we ran away, and then the story changed and I met the other girls that he had in his stable. And I had to go out every night and work the streets — the alternative was being gangraped by a group of pimps while everyone watched.” (Smith et al. 2009) Say what you will about free speech; the right to pen an instructional guide and other like material on the topic of identifying, coercing, and enslaving human beings for the purposes of selling their bodies for sex is not in question. What is in question is the culpability of a worldwide leading retailer in promoting and profiting from the commercial sexual exploitation of children by allowing these materials to be sold through their online storefront. Tell Amazon.com how you feel and sign the petition to ask Jeff Bezos, Founder, Chairman, & CEO of Amazon.com, to take responsibility for protecting our most vulnerable children. Tell Amazon.com to stop promoting and profiting from the instructional guide and other materials on pimping written by Mickey Royal. References: Colby, I. (2011). Runaway and throwaway youth: Time for policy changes and public responsibility. Journal of Applied Research on Children: Informing Policy for Children at Risk, 2(1), 1-11. Gibbs, K., & Kendoll, S. (2012). Child welfare practices for cases with child sex abuse (Oregon, Department of Human Services, Office of Safety and Permanency for Children). Salem, OR: Oregon DHS-CAF Division-CPS Program. Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/dhs/publications/child-welfare-practices-abuse.pdf Hammer, H., Finkelhor, D., & Sedlak, A. J. (2002). Runaway/thrownaway children: National estimates and characteristics. National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrownaway Children (NISMART)., pp. 1-12. Washington, DC: USDOJ. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffilesl/ojjdp/196469.pdf Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2010). Conceptualizing juvenile prostitution as child maltreatment: F...

The Republicans in the U.S. Senate have overreached the scope of their authority and are attempting to undermine the U.S. President's power to negotiate foreign policy in violation of The Logan Act. If this action is allowed to go unpunished, it will have dramatically negative consequences, not only for President Obama, but for any future U.S. president and will seriously undermine the United States of America's ability to be the leading country of the free world.

Because I think someone has broken the law.

The 30-Day Readmission Rule states: Patients readmitted into a hospital/ medical institution within 30 days of discharge; the discharging hospital/ medical institution will be fined in the form of a reduction in reimbursement from the State for the patient's hospitalization. We DO NOT support the policy of penalizing hospitals who care for patients with sickle cell disease and the 30 day readmission penalty imposed on sickle cell disease. People suffering from this life long disease frequently have unplanned, unpredictable and recurring needs, such as controlling severe pain episodes that can only be managed in the hospital requiring multiple hospitalizations and readmissions in a 30 day period.

The African American AIDS Response Act Fund (AAARAF), created by the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and passed by the General Assembly in 2006, puts scarce HIV prevention dollars in communities where they are most needed. However, as a result of an administrative error made last summer, $1.5 million that was appropriated to the African American AIDS Response Act Fund (AAARAF) simply disappeared. Such a critical mistake is unacceptable and must be rectified immediately. According to the latest available information, African Americans account for more than half of new HIV cases diagnosed in Illinois each year. Additionally, a recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that 33% of African Americans between the ages of 18 and 65 years old have never been tested for HIV.

Four years and counting is too long for justice. Please be a voice for a little boy that didn't deserve to have his life taken from him!

Mr. Stumpf is one of the most talented and dedicated teachers at the Londonderry Middle School. He inspires our children and encourages and promotes their creativity. He boosts their confidence and is concerned about developing the whole child. Whether in the classroom or out on the field, Mr. Stumpf is a positive male role model. He has made a lasting impact on a generation of our children. It is essential that this community work hard to retain such a powerful force in our school rather than let him go in the district's planned "reduction in force."