Today, a St. Louis grand jury refused to indict Mike Brown's killer — Police Officer Darren Wilson. On Aug. 9, the nation was horrified to learn that Mike Brown was targeted and killed by police as he walked down the street with a friend. Now his killer may never be held accountable — unless President Obama and U.S. Attorney General Holder take action. The Department of Justice has the power to arrest and prosecute Officer Wilson under federal criminal charges. Raise your voice today to ensure our national leaders secure justice for Mike Brown immediately.

Good news: President Obama has promised to veto legislation to approve the Keystone XL pipeline. With the President's vow to veto, he has shown that he's willing to take some heat for standing up to Big Oil. How he can make his mark on history by rejecting the pipeline once and for all. President Obama has the support he needs -- from science, and from the people -- to reject the pipeline. An 830,000 barrel per day pipeline of the world's dirtiest oil will obviously contribute to climate change, failing his climate test.

NYS is about to vote on including or eliminating Out Of Network benefits on the NYS of Health insurance exchange policies. This will directly affect patients in Psychotherapy, making it impossible for thousands of patients to pay for therapy without Out-of -Network benefits, interrupting their therapeutic relationship in the middle of treatment. This is a danger to their well-being. Sign to insist that Out of Network benefits are a required option on the NYS of Health website policies.

Hate crimes against LGBT individuals is a very serious issue. There have been multiple attacks against LGBT individuals in Michigan in 2014, including the shooting of two transgender women in Detroit. Hate crimes are a form of intimidation and bigotry towards all members of a targeted community. We condemn these attacks and ask the Michigan State Legislature to protect LGBT residents.

According to what I have read and pictures I have viewed,fetuses at 20 weeks are fully developed and are capable of feeling pain.

There are over 100,000 inmates in American prisons for non-violent drug offenses; meanwhile McConnell continues to personally profit by accepting donations linked to cocaine-smuggling companies. It's time for an end to the hypocrisy.

Since its establishment in the 1960s McCrory Gardens has been free and open to the public. We have strolled without restriction among the plantings with family, friends, and visitors. A general admission fee is proposed to begin in the spring and a 6-foot wrought iron fence has been erected around the Gardens. These changes will end McCrory's long-standing tradition as a public space. Our community has been fortunate to have this beautiful botanical gem in our midst and its unfettered access to all has been its greatest asset. Through the Garden we could nurture our nature-dependent psyches and guide our children to explore and love the living world around them. Charging admission and funneling entrance through the Visitor’s Center will discourage the Garden's many casual visitors. Some community members, unable to afford Friends membership or admission fees (modest though they may be), will similarly be unable to partake of McCrory's restorative benefits. We have been told that McCrory has an annual budget shortfall of $100,000 yet the estimated admission revenue is only $15-20,000 per year. The community of Brookings has supported the Gardens for nearly 50 years and will continue to enthusiastically support McCrory as the public space we have enjoyed these many decades. Many other institutions of higher education administer botanical gardens and arboretums that are free and open to the public. Among these are the Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden, University of California; University of Delaware Botanic Gardens; Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens, Middle Georgia State College; Kansas State University Gardens; Lyle E. Littlefield Ornamentals Trial Garden, University of Maine; The Botanical Garden of Smith College; Matthaei Botanical Gardens, University of Michigan; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Botanical Garden and Arboretum; Rutgers Gardens; Cornell Plantations; Sarah P. Duke Gardens, Duke University; North Carolina Botanical Garden; University of North Carolina; Reynolda Gardens, Wake Forest University; Kalmia Gardens, Coker College; and South Carolina Botanical Garden, Clemson University. While some of these examples may not be exactly analogous to McCrory perhaps their funding mechanisms can be adapted to McCrory. Any number of fundraising ideas, individually or in tandem, has the potential to generate more revenue than charging admission. Corporate or city sponsorship might be options. Annual fundraising drives. Admission fees for events such as the annual Garden Party. Unlike the alienating admission fee, events can generate awareness and good will as well as funds. Please explore and exhaust other options before resorting to general admission fees. We understand the need for security for the Garden's donated and sponsored plantings as well as the research areas and we hope the fence will deter senseless vandalism. However, the fence is a barrier, both physical and psychological, that isolates McCrory from the community in which it has always been integral. We request that the west parking area be reopened and that the gate in that area be kept open during daylight hours. The Gardens should also have additional gates for emergency entrance or exit.

I believe this petition is necessary, from time to time.

I am a Veteran and work with veterans every day assisting them with receiving benefits

Our children are at risk for being targets from predators on the internet. We need to be sure they are getting educated in every way possible to prevent harm coming to them. Our children are our future and they need to be given the tools to navigate the quickly changing internet safely.

In Baltimore, 36.5 percent of people live below the poverty line. That’s $23,492 in annual income for a family of four, according to the 2012 Census Bureau American Community Survey. Linda Darling-Hammond, professor of education at Stanford University and architect of Stanford’s School Redesign Network, argues that socioeconomic status usually accounts for 50-60 percent of overall achievement in schools, while individual teachers may account for only about 7-10 percent. Darling-Hammond also points out that factors related to housing, nutrition, violence and gang-related activity, transportation, and a host of other obstacles communities face affect students’ educational experience as well. Community schools work to address some of these obstacles and have proven successful in providing meals, medical services, home visits and academic opportunities that go beyond the classroom. Increasing and expanding funding will help continue the great work started in the 47 existing community schools in the Baltimore City Public Schools district and help provide all Baltimore’s children the opportunity to succeed. Show your support for Baltimore’s community schools. Sign the petition below.

Florida’s Republican Gov. Rick Scott was narrowly re-elected this year, because the bulk of Democratic voters failed to turn out. If Charlie Crist could have run in 2012 or 2016, he would probably have won. Florida must move its gubernatorial elections to presidential years. In fact, that’s how it used to be in Florida—until segregationists in the 1960’s grew worried that increased voter turnout would threaten their grip on state politics. So they amended the state constitution to move gubernatorial elections to midterm years, with the first election in 1966. There is no reason why it can’t go back to presidential cycles, when more Floridians vote. Sign the pledge to support a constitutional amendment, moving Florida’s gubernatorial elections to presidential years. More Floridians deserve to have their voice heard.