Government of India’s decision to ban director Leslie Udwin’s documentary ‘India’s Daughter’, which depicts the story of the brutal gang rape in Delhi in 2012, is a shameful act of suppression. The restraining order issued by the Government reinforces the stigma surrounding honest conversations about sexuality, patriarchy and a deeply pervasive culture of gender-based violence. We the undersigned – students, faculty, administrators, alumni and staff of the Indian Community at Harvard University – are infuriated, and condemn this action strongly and unequivocally. The voice of the rapist echoes the statements made by some of our political and religious leadership in the past and is a reflection of attitudes that normalize rape-culture. The denigrating comments of defence lawyers M.L Sharma and A.P Singh reveal that these abhorrent ideas transcend social and economic backgrounds. As fellow Indians, this leads us to question the patriarchal views we all inadvertently promote through our actions, words and silence - however subtle they may be. We bear collective responsibility for denying women the right to grow as individuals in a free society and occupy public space as equals - when we stop women from going out without male company, excuse men of the household from performing domestic chores, refuse to acknowledge marital rape, suppress women's professional aspirations, discriminate in their journey towards economic independence, and trivialize the voyeuristic gaze. As a society, we identify women not as individuals but overwhelmingly as daughters, mothers and wives of men in their lives. We perpetuate intellectual and social apartheid by promoting the idea that men have the prerogative to decide what women should and shouldn't do, can and can not do. The delay in judicial proceedings, inertia in working through the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee, and reducing the number of Nirbhaya Centres are all continuing systemic failures in the face of a nationwide outcry. The scabs are coming off from a deep-seeded wound and the actions of agitated citizens are a manifestation of the outrage boiling over since the heinous crime. The way forward is to lead a committed, concerted effort to address the problem at its root and to not mask it with insecure chauvinism. The political perception of recent developments as an international embarrassment, rather than a motivation to acknowledge and confront the gravity of the situation, strikes a massive blow to the citizenry's faith in governance as an agency of public welfare. We want the Government of India with immediate effect, to open up an honest introspective conversation, and work through its policies to tackle gender violence. The country stands in solidarity with Nirbhaya and your silence, Prime Minister, is deafening.

This petition is an effort to turn our nation away from its path of perpetual war and toward other options for conflict resolution. It is also a response to the increased level of violence in our own communities, schools, and prisons. I often feel personally powerless to affect change in these trends toward greater violence, but this bill gives me hope for a voice of peace in Washington.

Every day our twice elected President faces unprecedented disrespect and obstruction. Emboldened by Democrats & White House inaction. They are actively violating the Constitution and committing treason. We must force the Department of Justice , White House & Congress to act.

1. A long-fought legal battle to recover $8.9 billion in damages from Exxon Mobil Corporation for the contamination and loss of use of more than 1,500 acres of wetlands, marshes, meadows and waters in northern New Jersey has been quietly settled by the state for around $250 million. 2. This was no small contamination – we’re talking about 7 million gallons of oil, ranging in thickness from 7 feet to 17 feet. It’s no wonder New Jersey sought $8.9 billion in damages when its Democratic governor first filed suit in 2004. By all estimates, it would cost billions just to repair some of the obvious environmental damage. 3. A debate over New Jersey’s proposed $250 million settlement of what had been an $8.9 billion pollution lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation has highlighted an obscure provision of a state law that would appear to allow Gov. Chris Christie to apply most if not all of the settlement toward balancing the state budget. 4. The current state appropriations law, as proposed by Mr. Christie last year, says that any funds beyond the first $50 million collected in damages or other environmental recoveries shall go to the state’s general fund. When state lawmakers tried to amend the proposal to steer more money back toward environmental restoration, Mr. Christie vetoed the effort.

1. The 2014 national climate assessment for the US found an “imminent threat of increased inland flooding” in Florida due to climate change and called the state “uniquely vulnerable to sea level rise.” 2. Officials with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), the agency in charge of setting conservation policy and enforcing environmental laws in the state, issued directives in 2011 barring thousands of employees from using the phrases “climate change” and “global warming.” 3. A report ties the alleged policy, which is described as “unwritten”, to the election of Republican governor Rick Scott and his appointment of a new department director that year. Scott, who was re-elected last November, has declined to say whether he believes in climate change caused by human activity. 4. According to employees’ accounts, the ban left damaging holes in everything from educational material published by the agency to training programs to annual reports on the environment that could be used to set energy and business policy.

To stop anti-american prepaganda from RTN of America

The president vetoed legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, but the issue is far from settled. In a recent op-ed, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell promised that they’re “just getting started.” We don't need another round of fights over an environmentally dangerous project. Instead, we need to turn our attention to projects that create good-paying jobs for the middle class and position us for long-term benefits. The far right has shown a willingness to rehash the same fights again and again. And you don’t have to look any further than the dozens of votes to repeal the Affordable Care Act to see it. Sign our petition and tell congressional leaders that it’s time to move on from this fight.

The increasingly common practice of transporting crude oil by rail poses a significant risk to the health, well-being, and safety of our communities. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently predicted 10 crude oil train derailments per year for the next twenty years, leading to possible damages in the billions and deaths in the hundreds. With an estimated 40 crude oil trains traveling through the Chicago area each week and more through countless smaller communities around Illinois, the time for reform is now.

Our school has felt the negative impacts of teaching to the test. New York State Tests take away valuable time in the classroom from creative learning and stimulating projects. Now, Governor Cuomo wants to make these oppressive tests count even more toward a teacher's evaluation, worsening the problem. As students, it is our responsibility to speak out against this injustice because this is our education and our future.

Georgia's early voting period was cut dramatically in 2011 from 45 early voting days to 21. Now lawmakers want to cut to 12 days - that's 11 voting days and 4 hours on weekend. This will cause LONG lines and waiting times and may disenfranchise many voters. Fighting against prohibitive voting laws is important. We all need to speak up when our rights OR the rights of others are being infringed upon. This is #VoterSuppresion!

We have a wonderful underutilized expanse of greenbelt and water. Let's make something great, not another freeway! Dallas deserves better.

It's about the current threat to our ecosystem. The Oil & Coal Trains are hauling highly volatile crude oil in transport cars that have been deemed to be in unsafe condition. With the combination of higher volume of oil & crude along with sub-standard condition cars it is a ticking time bomb. Uncovered coal trains are contaminating the air and areas surrounding the railroads. The surrounding communities where the railroads travel do not have resources to respond to a derailment of this magnitude.