The death penalty should be repealed in ALL cases.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.

I started this petition because I am very involved with Urban Debate Leagues and an alumna of Northwestern University's College debate program. Debate is near and dear to my heart and I strongly believe that debate, as a tool, is extremely powerful and can be used to help middle school and high schools in public schools across the country, as they navigate the world and try to fight back against oppression. Because I recognize the power of debate, I am deeply disturbed and heartbroken at some things that have come to light about the leadership of the National Urban Debate League. #StopBigUDL Linda Listrom constantly demonstrates a lack of skill, awareness, and capacity to perform her job duties. The NAUDL tournaments have become a hotbed of racial microaggressions as well as a space for NAUDL to strip students of their stories by strategically putting students in a position where they essentially are made to credit NAUDL for all of their successes publicly. I am sharing recently published articles on this exact question. 1.http://newarkteacher.blogspot.com/2015/04/why-newark-science-left-national.htm “The following was a letter written to Linda Listrom, the Executive Director of the National Association of Urban Debate Leagues on March 13. To date there has been no response. Well meaning white missionaries can do insidiously harmful and racist things. I believe that the movement of urban debate is important. Hopefully this is something we can learn from.” -Jonathan Alston, Director of Debate, Science Park High School, Newark, NJ 2.http://lbsbaltimore.com/white-power-and-black-voices-why-we-cant-rely-on-good-white-people/ “The Baltimore Urban Debate League (BUDL), under the leadership of Pam Block-Brier, is bound up in the non-profit industrial complex. We no longer will support BUDL in any way, shape or form. We are building the Walter Carter Leadership Institute to offer quality debate, advocacy and leadership training to young people in Baltimore. Those who are interested in helping to support grassroots debate training should support our work.” - Dayvon Love, Director of Research and Public Policy for Leadership of a Beautiful Struggle, #LBSbaltimore, Baltimore City, MD 3.http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/03/boston-debate-league-believes-debate-can-help-students-struggling-most-city-schools/xL70Cnzg08i3IP22gfjNDN/story.html “Finally, this last piece tells the story as framed by the Boston Globe of the Boston Debate League. The League is very successful and scholars like the individual from New Mission spotlighted in this piece are numerous and their narratives are vast and incredible. As a former employee of the BDL, I commend the effort of all the staff, students and coaches for their Athena-like effort in supporting the growth and success of the BDL. Unfortunately, you can see from the Executive Director, Steve Stein’s commentary, he suggests that all BDL students are vulnerable and debate in some way saves them. Or perhaps Steve himself assumes all personal salvation, like so many white liberals with too much money and not enough humanity.” -Veronica Switzer, former Talent Manager, Boston Debate League, Boston, MA (resigned). The culmination of the egregious behavior on behalf of NAUDL leadership is an email recently sent to all leagues directors in which Linda threatened that she would ban students, schools, and even entire leagues from the National Competition if they were found making arguments that the Urban Debate League institution is, by and large, a racist and problematic institution. Here is a copy of a recent email she released to the Urban Debate community: http://www.cross-x.com/topic/58802-naudl/ We need to stand up and demand that white liberals are held responsible for their problematic internalized racism. Here is a quote from a former UDL alum on Linda's statements: “I think that it is disturbing that critique of urban debate as exploitative was lumped together with misogynistic and demeaning language. I do not think that those arguments (about UDLs being exploitative) are beyond reasonable critique, we need (and probably must, and should) to be able to grapple with that possibility. If people feel threatened by those arguments, the best answer will be found through more debate, not less. This goes hand in hand with a statement made later on in the email where she goes on to say, “It is also insulting to the sponsors who are paying for the debaters’ plane tickets and hotel room." ...This implies that if you can afford to buy in to tournaments you can run(argue) whatever you want but if you're in a position where a UDL buys in for you then that comes with the power for them to choose what you're allowed to say? I feel like that is antithetical to most of the mission statements, not to mention would kind of make the statement she made later on that, “it is not appropriate to argue at an urban debate tournament that urban debate is racist or exploitive" painfully ironic. I would implore us all to remember that racial justice is not something that our students ‘– many of whom are students of color – are interested in” saying that deeply devalues that hard work that our students are doing to combat racism in their own lives as well to take on the beast that is institutionalized racism as they navigate (Substitute; Public Schools) , college, and the working world. When I think of something I am interested in I think of Star Trek, not a centuries long battle for equity.” Thank you, Veronica Switzer and Crew Original Background edited 4/11/15 I started this petition because I am very involved with Urban Debate Leagues and an alumae of Northwestern University's College debate program. Ms. Listrom constantly demonstrates a lack of skill, awareness, and capacity to perform her job duties. She recently sent an email to all leagues directors that specifically said she would ban students, schools, and leagues from the National Competition ...