On June 19, President Obama notified Congress that he was sending U.S. troops to Iraq to serve as advisers to the Iraqi military. Press reports have indicated that these troops could be used for offensive military action, including calling in airstrikes. These are different troops than the troops President Obama sent earlier to protect the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. Congress has not authorized the U.S. use of military force in Iraq now. Nearly 200 Members of the House are on record saying that the authorization for the use of force in Iraq passed by Congress in 2002 should not be used to justify the use of force in Iraq today. Under the War Powers Resolution passed by Congress in 1973, Members of Congress have 30 days from the President’s June 19 notification to introduce a “privileged” resolution – a resolution that can’t be buried in committee, but must go to the floor to be voted on – which would require the troops to be withdrawn. Using this provision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Reps. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Walter Jones (R-NC), and Barbara Lee (D-CA) have introduced H Con Res 105 to force a debate and vote on the buildup of U.S. troops in Iraq. H Con Res 105 would bring home the U.S. military advisers and prevent any direct U.S. military intervention in Iraq. The resolution would allow for the U.S. to continue protecting its embassy and diplomatic personnel. Urge your Representative to co-sponsor and vote for H Con Res 105 by signing our petition.

This would help restore our democracy which has been falling apart due to the influence of the very rich and corporations! It would also free up time for candidates to do the job they were elected to do!

After the news spread that 12,000 house aholds are without water, it's time to ACT. This is a humanitarian issue and it should not be ignored! We the people have to look out for one another on something so vital to ones health and well being.

QUEST (Quality Education for Every Student) is a group of parents who have come together to fight for quality, equity and transparency in the Boston Public Schools. We can be found at facebook.com/questbps and can be reached at [email protected].

The recent beating of a mentally ill woman by a CHP officer that was caught on video is being investigated by the CHP without any independent review. The CHP is the largest highway patrol police force in the U.S., with nearly 10,000 officers. When the police police themselves without any independent oversight, there is no check on their power and authority. Independent civilian oversight is the check on that power.

As a Gainesville Village resident for over 10 years and a parent of an active 3 year old boy, the safety of the village streets and the poor current condition of the village playground are a growing concern for me and local families. The village has had an increase of children and young families in the last couple of years that enjoy outdoor activities including walks to the park, community sports events at the park and use of the playground which is in disrepair. Safety is our number one concern and I would like to see our Village Board share and hear our concerns and support the community's needs by installing a new playground, crosswalks across Main Street and 'children at play' traffic signs for Main Street and East Street.

Members of the group Sandy Hook Promise (Families of the children murdered in Sandy Hook Elementary) traveled from Connecticut to Governor Christie’s office in NJ last week to deliver a petition with 55,000 signatures asking him to sign a bill . The Bill was passed by both houses of the State Legislature, the Bill was to reduce magazine capacity from 15 rounds to 10 rounds. The Governor refused to meet with them, saying his mind was made up. An hour after Sandy Hook Promise left the State house, Christie vetoed the bill. If the bill was passed it would prevent future tragedies just as these families endured. If the gunman at Sandy Hook were forced to reload more often, a greater number of those children would still be alive, which is why this bill is extremely significant. Governor Christie talks about mental health reform when it comes to gun violence, if he truly wanted reform it would include the mental health reform he proposes PLUS the limitation on high capacity magazines. .

I am a railroad worker, and just like you would want 2 people in the cockpit on your next flight, you should want to have 2 people on the trains rolling through your towns and by your homes.

It is time to restore our representative democracy. Today 87% of Americans are deeply troubled by the corrupting influence of money in politics. Our elected officials no longer represent the people who vote for them, they represent their donors. We need to get money out of politics, and the biggest step is overturning the 'Citizens United' supreme court case and banning corporations from contributing to elections. To do that, we need our state legislature to call for a constitutional convention. Vermont and California have already called for a Constitutional Convention. Connecticut should join them. Tell your elected officials you want a constitutional convention to overturn Citizens United.

The Republican Congress has vowed to do nothing every since President Obama was elected. Their tactics have shut down the government, delayed the return of a strong economy, and hurt the American people. We need the Do Nothing Congress to break their conspiracy of doing nothing to help the President help Americans, and we need them to get back to work for the sake of America. Right now, the Republican Congress is acting as a Ponzi scheme --getting our hard earned money but not producing a single plan, bill, or regulation to help Americans.

Sgt David Scott [my brother, U.S. Army] was just married to Sgt 1st Class Jaida Scott [Aug '13]. Jaida was just assigned to Fort Shafter in Hawaii. Hawaii is a 3 yr tour. David has been in the army 17 yrs, has 4 deployments [1 Afghanistan- 3 Iraq] & 2 unaccompanied tours. He's not being allowed to accompany his wife due to Hawaii being a 3 yr tour and he only has 2 yrs & 9 mo of service left. Families shouldn't be split. Please sign this petition so it can get to Congress or President Obama.

I'm outraged by how "religion" is being used to undermine women's rights and how women constantly have to defend their rights. Religion is being used as the excuse to undermine women's rights, when it really comes down to men trying to control women. It's NOT okay for men to be provided male enhancing products (which are entirely recreational) through health insurance plans, but women are now being denied access to contraception (not recreational at all) - which is far more important than a man's hard-on! Take a man's ability to purchase male-enhancing drugs through health insurance away, and let's see how quickly the male judges on the supreme court give us back our right to contraception through these same plans. It's time we women began fighting back instead of just defending our rights. Give us our contraception back through health plans, and we'll let you keep your Viagra on your health plans!