Two hundred and thirty-eight years ago, the Founders of our country took a principled stand that the United States would not sanction the archaic institution of monarchy and its inherent consequence of inherited privilege. When offered the crown, George Washington turned it down, stating, "In America, the law is king," setting a precedent that in this country, people earn wealth, power, and privilege by their deeds, not be the circumstances of their birth or marriage. Today, in the UK, there is a growing movement called "Republic," activists who promote and desire to follow our example and abolish the monarchy in their country, based on the principle that all people are created equal. Their movement has special relevance at a time when the government of the UK is cutting funding for social programs and scientific research, projects which benefit the whole country as opposed to monarchy, in which taxpayers who themselves are struggling underwrite the lavish lives of those who essentially do nothing to merit those lives. Furthermore, Kate Middleton is an extremely poor example for woman and girls, in that she has never worked or accomplished anything on her own. It is unfortunate that the media give her so much attention when there are women worldwide who are doing genuine good, whether fighting for the right of girls to attend school, like Malala Yousafzai, researching a cure for cancer, training to become an astronaut, or doing one of a myriad things that benefit humanity as a whole. Even worse, Middleton's family attained their wealth in the worst possible way--the company they own, Party Pieces, regularly utilizes child labor in Mexico, by children as young as four years old. Yes, the UK is our ally. That is why you should meet with its leaders--its democratically elected leaders, the Prime Minister, cabinet members, and members of the Parliament. Meeting with Middleton and her husband only serves, even passively, to endorse the unfair system from which they benefit. Finally, here at home, our country is in turmoil, our democracy in peril. Priority should be given to meeting with leaders of the African-American community and family members of those whose lives were unjustly cut short in recent incidents of police brutality. Your time and attention should also be directed to victims of the growing economic inequality in this country, who are struggling just to put food on the table or keep a roof over their head. When so many are facing these challenges to their survival, it is all the more offensive for you to instead focus on those who live an unearned life of privilege that we in the US rejected more than two centuries ago. Please cancel your planned meeting with Kate Middleton and William Windsor and instead meet with struggling and suffering people of this country and their representatives this holiday season.

To stop the erosion of healthcare benefits for retirees by large corporations (i.e.-GE, Time-Warner, IBM, AT&T, etc.). This petition supports the Rocheleau/Kaufman salaried lawsuit & the IUE-CWA hourly lawsuit Versus GE--Over Retiree Healthcare Changes. It presumes that retiree health benefits cannot be modified or terminated as of the date an employee retires or completes 20 years of service with the employer. It amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization and employer to enter into a contract or agreement to modify a previous agreement in a manner that results in a reduction or termination of retiree health insurance benefits, if the modification occurs after the retiree's retirement date. Note: Formerly HR1322 & HR 5523 in Former Congressional Years

This addresses the pervasive complacency regarding the use of lethal force by police across the nation and the mistrust and fear the seeming lack of justice it has created.

The Yuba County Board of Supervisors meets December 9, 2014 at 9:30am to discuss this matter. Attend the meeting or sign this petition so that the voices of all Yuba County citizens are heard.

Under the present racial climate in this country this petition for pardon is both out of touch with the fair and procedural workings of our political justice system and if passed, at the present time presents a dangerous hindrance to the building of community connections both racially and economically in the city of Boston. Though Mr. Walhberg's petition is most likely to fail, pardon's involving acts of violence are typically rare, I would like to raise awareness of the petition and to ensure at this time that a pardon is not granted. Resources: http://theweek.com/article/index/273108/mark-wahlberg-should-not-be-pardoned http://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2014/12/05/mark-wahlberg-applies-have-assault-erased/aKpkxGoIRwcKU1aSOhCrtN/story.html http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/actor_mark_wahlberg_dorchester.html Dear Mark Wahlberg, Just in case you see this petition, I sincerely hope you do and have a moment to read this personal message. I didn't grow up in Dorchester, I grew up in Cambridge, one of those odd girls in the pit in Harvard Square but I got older and moved to Dorchester with my husband and it is our home. And I love it. From the history to the grittiness and the resilient spirit of the community. I love the diversity and the connection to local politics. I don't need to tell you about Dorchester. You lived it and in your recent past you have given back to your old town. Your work on the behalf of Dorchester children is commendable and I personally thank you for reaching out to your community. I must ask you though: How many of those children who have run into trouble before or after experiencing your summer camp experiences will be able to expunge their records? How many of them were treated unfairly, harassed and manipulated by a system that you are petitioning to grant you a pardon from your past transgressions? In the past few months we have witnessed scene after scene of young black people in the streets, crying, hollering, weeping for justice from unwarranted and aggressive police brutality for much lesser crimes than you have committed in your youth. I ask you to take all of this in and recognize the ramifications of a pardon to those that have been so unjustly treated. Those that might look to a man in your position for leadership and guidance. Come back to Dorchester Mark, not just to eat or visit with the Mayor. Come back to the neighborhood that loves you and celebrates your successes. Come back and see where you can help Dorchester find revitalization and development for struggling communities! I welcome you to come back to Dorchester to give back on the Main Streets with their empty storefronts, to help revitalize parks and community gardens that desperately need benefactors, help us explore options for making Dorchester a player in the technology real estate market. Come back to Dorchester to the public that looks up to you now as a entrepreneurial business man who is a global success and help us right a few more wrongs. Then let's talk a pardon. Respectfully, Sarah Francis

Taz Shepherd was up for parole in July 2014 and has yet to be released. We believe he has served sufficient time. Taz is a model prisoner and we feel that he deserves to be given the opportunity to return to the community.

My name is Katherine Kostreva, and I am the first victim of MRDC fraud to go public, as documented by the New York Times. For more than six months, I pleaded for Bank of America to help me. Their refusal lead to a second case of MRDC fraud. To date, I have suffered financial hardship and emotional duress because of Bank of America's negligence. When they issued a gag order, I realized that those before me have been silenced. Please help me close this banking loophole, that will only grow worse in the near future.

Each state in the United States has enacted statutes to punish individuals who engage in cruelty to animals. The actual codified provisions vary drastically from state to state.

Pennsylvania state officials have looked away while needy children are gravely harmed by the Milton Hershey School, a $12 billion charity located in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Hershey provides K-12 children with residential education and is funded by the Hershey Company. The charity’s wealth assures it indulgence from state authorities coveting Hershey patronage, no matter how many children are harmed. The worst Hershey misconduct is against children suffering from depression, such as 14-year old Abbie Bartels, who was expelled by Hershey in a heartbreaking manner, including being barred from her graduation ceremony. A week later, Abbie took her own life. A CNN report about Abbie can be viewed here: http://goo.gl/6ZCHKY Approximately one hundred or more children like Abbie were similarly expelled by Hershey, reportedly to protect its pristine “image.” Hershey also refuses to enroll children with other disabilities—for instance, children who are visually or hearing impaired, or who need crutches or wheelchairs. It is as though Hershey leaders were caught in a policy time warp. This happens because the Hershey system is rigged against needy children. For instance, there are no child welfare professionals on Hershey’s self-selecting board—one that pays its “nonprofit” board members millions in “fees,” and recently squandered $25 million on a luxury golf course where board members liked to play. Hershey administrators also have questionable records and pursue indefensible policies that harm children like Abbie. It is time for this to change and for needy children to get a fair shake. Since Pennsylvania officials refuse to end Hershey discrimination and change a system that cheats poor children, we respectfully ask Federal authorities to take these actions. For more information please visit: www.protecthersheychildren.org.

The Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is the unnamed actor in the non-indictments of Officer Daniel Pantaleo and Officer Darren Wilson for the killings of unarmed Eric Garner and Mike Brown. The FOP protects police officers who kill unarmed civilians helping them escape justice and putting the rest of us in harms way. It is time for the FOP to stop protecting killer cops, and support communities seeking justice.

Defending diplomatic engagement with Iran is going to be a bigger challenge with Republicans taking over the Senate. Now, even more than before, we need Democratic Senators to speak up for diplomacy. Already, following the November 24 extension of the Iran talks and interim nuclear agreement with Iran, many Republicans and even some Democrats are calling for Congress to pass new sanctions on Iran, which would violate the agreement and kill the talks. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders are key voices we need to defend diplomacy. Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders are nationally recognized as leaders of progressive Democrats. But since November 24, Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders —unlike Senators Feinstein, Boxer, Baldwin, [1] Murphy, Levin, Johnson, Schatz [2] Kaine, and Casey [3] —have not yet spoken up for the extension of the agreement and talks. Urge Senator Warren and Senator Sanders to speak up for diplomacy by signing our petition. References: 1. “What Women Leaders Are Saying on the Iran Nuclear Negotiations,” Jessie Calkins, WAND, November 19, 2014, http://www.wand.org/2014/11/19/what-women-leaders-are-saying-on-the-iran-nuclear-negotiations/ 2. “Vienna Nuke Talks: Congressional Reaction,” United States Institute of Peace, November 25, 2014, http://iranprimer.usip.org/blog/2014/nov/25/vienna-nuke-talks-congressional-reaction 3. “Strong Congressional Support for Extension to Iran Negotiations,” Ryan Costello, NIAC, November 24, 2014, http://www.niacouncil.org/strong-congressional-support-extension-iran-negotiations/

Wall Street has another trick up its sleeve – one that could cost millions of American workers and retirees tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. It involves the rules for many of the financial professionals on whom we depend for retirement planning advice. The Department of Labor (DOL) has been working hard to update those rules, so that more advisers must meet a basic “fiduciary” standard - a simple duty to look out for the best interests of their clients. Because many advisers are not currently subject to such a duty, they can recommend investments designed to generate bigger fees for them, even if it means diminished retirement security for those they are advising. Big brokerage firms and insurance companies, which have enormous profits at stake, have spent millions lobbying against this reform. Now they are pushing Congress to kill the DOL proposal before it even sees the light of day. Don’t let them get away with it!