We’re facing a humanitarian crisis of massive proportions that we have a moral and legal obligation to address. Thousands of starving and traumatized children have fled to our borders seeking refuge from Central American countries -- like Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala -- that are devastated by extreme gang violence and drug wars. Now Congress is trying to pass a bill that would fast track the deportation of these innocent children. The HUMANE Act seeks to overturn life-saving refugee protections -- passed during the Bush administration -- that require the U.S. to assist child refugees seeking sanctuary from countries torn with violence. If the HUMANE Act is passed and President Obama signs it into law -- which he has pledged to do -- we’ll be sending children back into a war-zone with little chance of survival. We must have the courage to stand up for the lives of these children and for the values that we hold true as a nation!

Citizens, taxpayers, and volunteers at the Animal Center of Moore County hereby petition the Moore County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) to INVESTIGATE the unauthorized euthanasia of a cat and to immediately APPOINT under its sole authority an onsite Animal Advocacy Manager at the Animal Center of Moore County. The cat, Harlequin, was to be held for a possible foster home. She was euthanized July 2, 2014 by staff in direct defiance of orders from Animal Operations Interim Director Tami Golden. Ms. Golden, an Animal Center volunteer, and the shelter’s Volunteer Coordinator Betsy Ficarro promptly were made aware of the incident. All three expressed shock and disbelief and the incident was reported to others outside of ACMC. The news and outrage quickly enveloped the community. Ms. Ficarro had no direct involvement with the euthanasia. Coincidentally, she was relieved of her duties effective immediately July 9, 2014 without warning, and told her position had been eliminated; despite significant measurable accomplishments during her brief tenure. Other reasons for her termination subsequently offered by county management have been contradictory and unsubstantiated. This event and ensuing public comment have been reported (see: The Pilot links below) and was brought before the County Commissioners at its meeting July 15, 2014. The shelter manager and other staff currently remain in their positions and disciplinary action, if any, has not been made public. With respect to personnel laws, we feel that residents and volunteers deserve an investigation and explanation from our elected officials and county management team in response to this abhorrent act of defiance. To ensure that the Animal Center and its animals are fairly represented and to provide reasonable checks and balances, we petition the BOCC to appoint an independent Animal Advocacy Manager who will serve under its direct authority. This person would report directly to the BOCC, have unrestricted access to all areas of the Animal Center with the right to visit anytime, unannounced and to stay without limitations. Responsibilities of this position may include, but not be limited to, ensuring clean conditions at the shelter, handling all complaints from the public, and creating and maintaining an effective working relationship with animal rescue organizations, animal welfare groups and humane societies. Macomb County, MI, has instituted such a position to serve as a model. We also feel that Betsy Ficarro should be given fair and due consideration for the position as her experience, accomplishments and ongoing commitment to animal welfare have remained beyond reproach. Please sign our petition if you support this call for transparency and accountability by the Board of County Commissioners to investigate, report and act on these issues involving the Animal Center of Moore County. Thank you. BACKGROUND: MOST RECENT STORY http://www.thepilot.com/news/county-to-meet-with-animal-advocates-over-shelter-changes/article_dc7ade8a-0e87-11e4-ab1d-001a4bcf6878.html COUNTY COMMISSION FOLLOWUP STORY http://www.thepilot.com/news/animal-advocates-address-county/article_dbba6030-0ca0-11e4-98b8-001a4bcf6878.html ORIGINAL POST http://www.thepilot.com/news/more-personnel-changes-at-animal-center-angers-advocates/article_0b0a13ea-0926-11e4-ab80-001a4bcf6878.html

Last week, news broke that Rupert Murdoch -- through his company, 21st Century Fox -- tried to buy Time Warner, the world's second-largest media conglomerate, for more than $75 billion. Time Warner rejected the initial offer, but Murdoch seems hellbent on pushing ahead and buying the company. [1] There's a real risk that he'll ultimately prevail. If Time Warner sells, Rupert Murdoch would own HBO (Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, etc...), Cinemax, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, TBS, TNT, DC Comics (Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, etc...), and literally dozens of other companies, movie studios, and TV channels with which you're no doubt familiar. A combined Time Warner and 21st Century Fox would create a content company so large that it would radically transform the media landscape. Murdoch would control 40% of the cable market [2] -- eclipsing the 25% share of the nearest competitor, Disney. It would also mean that Murdoch would control about a 30% share of the movie market [3] -- a portion so staggeringly big that it'd be about twice the size of the nearest competitor. Giving one company this much control over our media would be terrible for consumers and the marketplace. According to Reuters, owning Time Warner would make Rupert Murdoch the undisputed "king" of the U.S. media.[4] And we've already seen the disastrous effects that come when Rupert Murdoch has unbridled media power. In the United Kingdom, Murdoch's dominating presence created a sense of impunity that, when combined with his culture of corruption, led to the now-infamous phone hacking scandal. There, Murdoch's papers engaged in telephone hacking at an industrial scale, ultimately stealing private information from thousands of people's phones over the course of several years. In Australia, Murdoch controls about 70% of the local newspaper market, which gives him an enormous amount of influence over the electoral process. That sheer size also creates an overall chilling effect. In 2013, Australia's largest progressive group attempted to run a TV ad that criticized Murdoch's extremely biased newspaper coverage. Every single major network refused to run the ad, with some reportedly citing fear of criticizing Murdoch as the reason for the decision. [5] These are just two of many examples of the harms that follow when Murdoch is allowed to concentrate media and irresponsibly wield the power that comes from it. --- [1] http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2014/07/rupert-murdoch-still-wants-time-warner-192517.html [2] As measured by cable subscriber fees. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/foxs-play-time-warner-pros-719231 [3] Based on average of studio market share of years 2011 - 2014. http://goo.gl/zxyU27 [4] http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/17/us-time-warner-fox-idUSKBN0FL15T20140717 [5] http://mm4a.org/17FvTxY

In the words of my daughter, a veteran who served 2 tours as a nurse at the beginning of Iraqi Freedom: "Much has been uncovered about the problems veterans have been facing in receiving services and obtaining employment. Based on my personal experience, and discussions with fellow veterans, I believe these issues are related to the fact that many current VA employees are not veterans, let alone combat veterans. They cannot understand our needs, our language, or our demeanor. This can be changed if more combat veterans are employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs." NOTE: When actual legislation is written, we agree with comments we've received that 10 point preference eligible disabled veterans should be considered together with combat veterans. UPDATE: After extensive research, we've found that direct healthcare professionals, such as doctors, nurses, and physician assistants, are hired under Title 38, which does not mandate veteran preference. We believe this group needs to be covered by veteran preference requirements. VETERANS CARING FOR VETERANS!

No justice, no peace.

As the largest drugstore chain in the country, I’d hope all the products Walgreens sells would be safe and free of harmful chemicals. They’re not. The chemicals found in some Walgreens' products (including unsafe levels of phthalates in children's toys and lead in pet toys) have been linked to developments disorders, cancer, hormone disruption and other negative health impacts. Please tell Walgreens: Protect your customers and get rid of products containing toxic chemicals.

We are a family of five and we have recently discovered that two of our three children have several food allergies, including wheat, egg, peanuts, and soy. While we are relieved to know what has been plaguing our children and keeping them so ill all this time, it has caused our grocery bill to double! We are really struggling to keep up with just basic necessities!

It’s just sickening. A Subway worker in Freeport, Texas was just fired from her job because she was sick – drenched in sweat and running to the bathroom to vomit, in between making sandwiches. When she approached her boss, she was told “I don’t care. Get back on the line” and “just change shirts” to hide the vomit stains. She looked so bad that while on a break out back, a concerned person saw her and called an ambulance. She went to the hospital to be treated, and was promptly fired – for “poor performance and insubordination.” Add your name to our petition to Subway. Help Elizabeth get her job back and tell Subway to stop putting the public’s health at risk by forcing sick employees to make sandwiches – and spread the word far and wide after you have.

In view of the recent review of the NCA affiliate program, the Association for Psychoanalysis in Communication (APC) has decided to apply for division status. An overwhelming majority of APC membership are communication scholars who regularly present at the National Communication Association. By signing this petition, they voice their support for the APC's application for division status and express the continued need for a dedicated forum to discuss the relevance of psychoanalytic thought to the field of Communication Studies.

Since 1968, the LTMUA has provided members of Lower Township, NJ with exceptional and affordable water and sewage utilities – while remaining under budget. Now, a selected few Township officials, with a personal vendetta, are attempting to dissolve the LTMUA for an alleged “$1 million in savings,” but they aren’t taking into account the negative impact on our community. We refuse to watch our fellow neighbors be burdened with the financial hardships, unemployment and diminished service quality, simply to save a quick buck. Support our fight to save the LTMUA – it’s what’s right for Lower Township! Learn more at: www.LTWaterOurWay.wordpress.com

"Being hung, drawn, and quartered" is probably "too good" for President Obama -- that's what Stephen Steinlight, the Senior Policy Analyst for the Center for Immigration Studies, recently said. In discussing Speaker Boehner’s plans to sue the President, Steinlight said that “there’s no court that’s going to stop Obama from doing anything,” adding: "We all know, if there ever was a president that deserved to be impeached, it’s this guy. Alright? And I wouldn’t stop. I would think being hung, drawn, and quartered is probably too good for him." Mr. Steinlight's comments are outrageous and what's even more outrageous is that Steinlight’s group is popular with House Republicans, especially the current and former chairs of the House Judiciary Committee Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) and Lamar Smith (R-TX), who regularly invite CIS to testify at immigration hearings. CIS staffers have even been known to work hand in glove with Republican members of Congress. And it's not just these comments that are problematic. CIS has strong ties to a shady group called "FAIR" which is recognized as a Hate Group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Organizations with strong ties to hate groups should never be called to testify as expert witnesses at Congressional hearings. Somethings should just go unsaid -- and this is one of them! Yet, Republicans do it all of the time. Please join me in demanding that Republican leaders put an end to "experts" with strong ties to hate groups testifying in Congressional hearings.

Members and Leadership of the Kansas League of United Latin American Citizens invite all who are concerned about both the humanitarian crisis and economic viability of our country to sign and support the need for Compassionate Immigration Reform and encourage leadership to take action.