My little brother came out to our family as transgender and gay a couple of years ago, and with us living in ultraconservative Utah I am constantly disappointed at the capacity for ignorance and discrimination in our state. I hate to think that people around the country, especially in also conservative places like Arkansas, suffer the same treatment. With so many states taking action recently to advance marriage equality, the Democratic Party needs to make it clear that we support the right to marry in every state, support the right of citizens to feel their identity and orientation are valid.

For years, The Salvation Army has operated discriminatory, homophobic, and abusive “Christian” addiction rehab facilities and slave labor work camps funded by State of Hawaii taxpayers through the Department of Human Services. The Federal 9th Circuit court decision in Inouye v. Kenma sent a clear message to our government that Twelve Step recovery programs contain religious content and are inappropriate for our government to force participation in them as a condition for receipt of benefits. Yet, the State of Hawaii Department of Human Services continues to require applicants for welfare benefits who have substance use problems to participate exclusively in Twelve Step-based inpatient or recovery groups such as those offered by The Salvation Army. Beyond that, contracted service providers like The Salvation Army discriminate against Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, and atheist citizens, as well as those who otherwise refuse to participate in Twelve Step programs as an exercise of their Constitutional First Amendment rights. The Salvation Army further demeans and abuses gay, lesbian, and transgendered participants. They enslave impressionable and vulnerable persons into conscripted work programs for no pay, yet charge participants for their evening meals and sundries. State welfare applicants who “fail” to put up with these abuses are denied public welfare benefits and end up living on the streets.

TO GET JUSTICE FOR. OUR SON...

America’s elections are broken. Not only do people with the most money fund our system, but also the election process itself systematically raises barriers to participation. People of color, young people, and college students are less likely to be registered and therefore less likely to vote. That’s true here in Delaware just as it is in Georgia, Ohio, and North Carolina where burdensome ideological-driven restrictions are being implemented to prevent more people from voting. And the result is that our democratic system is more accountable to people with money than it is to the rest of us. Since last year, I’ve been working with a diverse and powerful coalition of community organizations, faith leaders, civil rights organizations, labor, and advocates in pushing for House Bill 105, Same Day Voter Registration (SDR) in Delaware. The key to taking back our system is to ensure that as many eligible voters as possible can access the polls. And one of the best ways to do that is through Same Day Registration. Same Day Registration allows individuals to register to vote and cast their ballot on the same day. Same Day Registration is one the most effective ways to increase participation in our democracy. States that allow SDR consistently lead the nation in voter turnout, which on average is between 10 and 12 percentage points higher than in non SDR states. The top five states in voter turnout during the 2012 General Election are ALL SDR states. Delaware ranked well below these top-performers. House Bill 105 can increase voter participation in Delaware, both overall and especially amongst voters of color, young voters, and voters who move either into or within the state and need to re register. Despite the obvious democratic benefits that Same Day Registration could bring to Delaware, a few self-interested politicians are pushing for an amendment that would exempt primaries from SDR implementation. In a state where 84% of primary winners go on to win the general election, such an amendment guts the bill of any true effectiveness. Instead of serving as a leader and champion on voting rights, Delaware stands in danger of setting an awful precedent that establishes a two-tier electoral system. Stand against selective democracy. Support this petition. Tell the Delaware Legislature that you support Same Day Registration for ALL elections. --Apryl Walker State Campaign Director Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement (DACA)

We as parents, concerned community members and tax-payers in the Kingston City School District are very concerned about the proposed approval and acceptance of the Extended Learning Time Grant Program. This program would mandate, without any parental in-put or opt-out availability, that our children remain in school for an additional 100 minutes in the middle schools and an additional 125 minutes in the 4 Title 1 elementary schools. This is an unreasonable demand placed upon our children (physically, mentally and emotionally) and robs the family unit of quality family time. This program would negatively affect community based businesses that cater to children and families and risk their financial stability and/or closure. Refuse the Grant!!!

On March 31 a flawed Medicare formula, the Sustainable Growth Rate, will trigger a 24% physician payment cut. And, unless Congress takes swift action, Medicare patients and their doctors will be hit hard. Hard work by both Republicans and Democrats has produced a long-awaited, hard-fought policy framework putting Medicare on the path toward a stable, 21st-century program that can meet the growing health care needs of the nation's seniors. Over 250 congressmen have signed a letter supporting the bill that will prevent the massive Medicare cuts and fix the problem once and for all. They have advanced legislation that take significant steps toward allowing physicians and other health care providers to design systems of care that best serve their patient populations through new and innovative care delivery models. But politics-as-usual is getting in the way, and Congress is only weeks away from driving Medicare of this new fiscal cliff. We can't allow this process to stall and let this hard-work be for nothing! Tell Congress it’s time to stop putting off this problem with temporary, patch-work fixes and seize this opportunity to solve it. Let's repeal the SGR and move toward a Medicare program that supports physicians for providing high-quality patient-centered health care. Congress is working against a March 31 deadline, at which point the SGR formula calls for a 24 percent cut to physician payments. It's critical to maintain the momentum in Congress: Your voice could tip the balance to pass repeal this year. Join our campaign! Sign our petition and use the power of social media to spread our message throughout the online community and directly target elected officials to make SGR repeal a priority NOW.

Assembly Bill 54/Senate Bill 324 limits the time available to vote. People who work for a living, go to school, the elderly, and the disabled benefit from evening and weekend hours to vote. The legislature should be expanding voting hours to maximize participation in our electoral process not limiting them, or the authority of local clerks to set hours, and the staff legally authorized to accept absentee ballots as mandated in AB54/SB324.

Debo Adegbile is one of the nation's top civil rights attorneys and a leading expert on voting rights. He has defended the Voting Rights Act before the Supreme Court twice — the first time, successfully — and he was the only Black attorney to argue before the Supreme Court last term. At a time when the voting rights of Black folks, women, the elderly, students and many others are under attack, an appointment like Adegbile's would ensure that there was someone in the Justice Department who knows what's at stake and will take a principled stand to defend the rights and privileges we all cherish, including the freedom to vote. We demand another vote to confirm Adegbile's nomination.

The Facebook group "Manhood University" advertises itself as a haven for the religious-minded, but it is really a covert expression of bigotry and hatred. It takes barely a minute of scanning their Facebook page to see that they are promoting hateful, sexist ideas and encouraging slut-shaming, victim-blaming, and the general dehumanization of women as sex objects. Facebook is a place for free expression, but at what cost? Ask Facebook to remove this hurtful, abusive content.

I am an alum from Jones High School (one of the schools on the chopping block). With parents and stakeholders standing up for schools across the city, Houston Independent School District (HISD) must use creativity and innovation to meet its challenges. I will not stand idly by as HISD closes schools in low-income neighborhoods. Public education should be just that: public, and accessible. Where will our children go to school when these schools close? Across town? And who will have to pay for that? Our community. HISD, don't close down Houston schools. We need to invest in our children, not bail out on them. Take our schools off the chopping block and keep them open!

When people went to bed and arose with the sun, changing clocks may have saved energy (i.e. candles) The practice has outlived its use. Today changing the clocks twice a year causes stress, accidents on the road and On the job, It taxes the body physically and mentally. leave the clocks alone. Nature will gradually phase in the seasons as the Good Lord intended.

Quincy was very young when he went to prison. He made a bad decision by hanging the wrong crowd. Family and friends miss him dearly. He has served more than enough time for his crime.