As an alumnus of University of Arizona, I am concerned about the message of intolerance and discrimination that Arizona Senate Bill 1062 sends. This legislation is damaging to the reputation of the University system, its alumni and existing students and should be vetoed.

Hi I Naser Bayat have lived outside of Iran from 1979 to 2013, I have lived in Canada for 12 years from 2001 to 2013.During this time I have never had any problems with the police or any other law enforcement. I have never had a drinking violation ticket. In 2002 I married Janice Mayfield who is a Canadian citizen, our daughter Jasmine was born in 2007. I gave up my job when our daughter was three months old because my wife was unable to care for her. I was with Jasmine day and night for six years, I was her father and mother. Many people around us were aware of Jasmine's conditions, I always kept in touch with her school teachers and her family docter. I was also involved with a few organizations involving children with special needs. Everyone I knew admired the amount of time and effort that was involved, not to mention the passion and love that I had for my daughter. Jasmine and I were like two bodies sharing one soul, there was nothing I would'nt do for her. At the age of three we realized that there was a lack of progress in her development. She was dianosed with autism, from that moment I promised to dedicate my entire life doing everything I could to keep her safe, happy and healthy. Jasmine is now six years old, she still eats baby food. I have tried giving her healthy alternatives such as avocado, honey, wheat and sweet potatoes. I have always made sure that she received the proper nutrients. I am proud to say that she is happy, healthy and full of energy, I have done my very best to provide her with everything she needed. I am sorry to say that I am also suffering from a disability, I have hearing problems that has required me to have surgery on my right ear. Dr. Westberg who did my surgery mentioned that I would need my left ear done as well. Everything was running smoothly until we received a letter from Immigration which noted I had to go and meet with them. I went to Immigration with my lawyer and my wife. While I was there I was told by one of the officers that I had to leave Canada in one month. I was shocked and speechless, why is this happening? what did I do wrong? what was going to happen to my Jasmine? My simple but happy life with my family had turned upside down. I was devastated and was filled with a great loss of never seeing my daughter again. Jasmine has only three people in her life, myself,her mom and her grandmother. She was about to lose the one person that has been with her day and night since birth. I believed that Canada was a country made of principals, human rights and democracy. How could such a thing happen to us? My daughter was no longer happy, she knew that something was wrong. She was no longer playful and full of energy, I did'nt know what to do. Thinking of never seeing my beautiful daughter again was unimaginable. I was so depressed that I decided the only option was to end my life, I was nothing without Jasmine. I was taken to the hospital without proper care and was surrounded by immigration authorities. The next day they sent me to a prision in Vancouver, the following day I went to the immigration detention center. This place was horrible and filled with very aggressive prision guards. I was naked and searched, then I was taken to cell number three. They gave me a very heavy coat to wear, I had to wear it for fourty days. I was heavily controlled and under survelliance 24/7. I was'nt allowed to do anything, not enen take a bath or shower. When the time came that I was allowed to take a bath, I had four guards with me. I was hand cuffed from behind and my feet were chained. When it was time for my hearing before the judge, I was hand cuffed, chained and bare foot. The court was located at the immigration building. There was a judge, my lawyer and a few officers. The whole process took just a few minutes and I was'nt allowed to say anything. I was detained for almost one and a half months and then escorted to the airport. I was heading to Germany and then to Iran. I was escorted all the way to Germany by three immigration officers. At the airport I had some of my belongings returned except for my drivers licence and my care card. I am now in Iran, depressed and devastated. I have so many questions that have been left unanswered. A country like Canada that critizes and treats people like prisoners is not the same country that I once loved. How can a person be hand cuffed, chained and treated like an animal and not have the right to speak for himself. Even the least democratic country would'nt do what Canada has done to a six year old autistic child. They have killed my Jasmine's soul and destroyed her life. They have taken her father who was the only one who cared and looked after her, we were everything to each other. Canada took away my daughters happiness, there is no joy left in her. The government of Canada thinks because of Jasmine's disability, that she has no feelings and thoughts of her own. They are wrong, she knows that I was taken away and she needs me more then ever. When we were together, she always wanted me to wrap my arms around her so she could fall asleep. She liked when I played with her hair and played games with her. She used to be sensitive and passionate, now she is depressed and lost without me. She has lost weight and I'm extremely worried. I will hold Canada responsible for what they have done to me and my family. I will hold them responsible if anything happens to my Jasmine. She was my soul, my life and my heart, she was my everything and my only reason for living. I hold the government of Canada responsible, particulary Jason Kenney, the former minister of immigration for signing my deportation order. He destroyed our lives and I have no desire to live without my Jasmine.

NYC tap water is world renowned for its taste and quality. Bottled water of any ilk is less tested and it uses up unnecessary resources from oil to make and distribute the plastic bottles to the oil and work needed to dispose of them. Only one in 5 bottles is actually recycled. While the label on bottled water usually has pastoral scenes of nature including streams and forests, as much as 1 in 4 bottles of bottled water is actually just PLAIN OLD TAP WATER. Some filtered and some unfiltered. How would we even know if it was filtered or unfiltered? I just think of the foreign oil needed to make, distribute, and either recycle or send to landfills for a thousand years when I even SEE anyone drink ANY bottled water. I think as NYC local elected officials, all NYC City Councilmembers AND staff should each CARRY their own BPA free water bottles and shun the tiny 8 oz. bottles of Whatever Springs Water that they are offered daily. 10 REASONS to AVOID BOTTLED WATER 1. It is 1000 times more expensive than tap water. 2. It undergoes LESS regulation than TAP WATER. (Tap water IS FAR MORE REGULATED as it undergoes FDA AND EPA standards) 3. Since it is packaged in a PLASTIC or GLASS bottles, I think of the WORK and ENERGY and FOSSIL FUEL required to package and distribute that bottle worldwide. 4. It tastes like PLASTIC. (tap water out performs bottled water on tests after tests, nationwide) 5. Anywhere from 33% - 60% of all bottled water is JUST tap water. (some filtered and some straight from the tap) 6. Fossil fuel is used to make and distribute the finished bottled water. 7. Each year, the amount of oil used required to make the bottles of bottled water, is enough to FUEL 1 million cars. 8. 80% of bottles end up in landfills where they will litter the earth for 1000’s of years. 9. If you choose to recycle the bottle, think of the work, energy, and fossil fuel needed to ready that bottle for recycling. And even then, while those plastic bottles are not yet in landfills, many are DOWNCYCLED, or turned into lesser plastic parts which will eventually end up in a landfill where it will litter the earth for 1000’s of years. 10. I don’t want to appear like an uneducated consumer of foreign fossil fuel products. I’d rather purchase a reusable BPA free bottle and go exclusively for tap water 100% of the time.

The Historic Landmark Commission of Salt Lake City has rejected the ability to make necessary changes to improve the look and overall usefulness of Trolley Square as a commercial enterprise. They made this decision ignoring the overwhelming support and cooperation with neighborhoods, investors and community activists; undermining the huge benefits that local businesses need to maintain and keep this historic site. This petition is to demand the allowance of these proposed changes to Trolley Square so that this local treasure can keep up with modern shoppers, and enhance the neglected area of downtown Salt Lake City. Join the movement of local workers and owners that demand that The Historic Landmark Commission of Salt Lake City support necessary changes for Trolley Square that help strengthen Local businesses.

Jeni will separated from her 8-year-old son, Stacy, and 6-year-old daughter, Beyance, and 4-year-old Steve. On Friday February 24, 2014, Jeni was told by ICE in Fairfax Virginia to pack her bags and say good bye to her children because she will be leaving the United States of America soon. Jeni has only days to stop her deportation. I know that the community has the power to stop separating families. You can help keep Jeni with her 3 small children. Jeni has lived in Virginia since 2004. Jeni has worked really hard all of these years to provide for her children and to see them go to school. Her dream is to see her son and daughter go to college and to be a dental assistant helping people with their dental problems. In 2013, Jeni was detained by Prince William Police officers on a charge that was later dropped. ICE detained Jeni for 14 days before being let go and then put into deportation proceedings. Jeni spent 14 days in detention away from her infant children for wanting to change the future of her children. Like many of us Jeni wasn’t born in the United States of America with all of its opportunities. Jeni took action and provided an opportunity for a better life for her children. In Honduras they would be 80 times more likely to be murdered than here in the US. I would do the same and I know you would too. Please help keep Jeni with her children!

This petition is about defending the rights of people and upholding rights defined by the Constitution. We know that separate but equal is a fallacy, and this bill passing would mean a terrible step backwards for LGBTQ rights.

Marcus Brandon has crossed the line. In today’s Charlotte Observer, Marcus is quoted calling me “a cheerleader instead of a legislator.” Comments like Marcus’ are paramount to the sexist culture I’ve dedicated my life to beating back. We cannot let this slide by unnoticed.

The "Possession of Dangerous or Wild Animals" bill would trump the certifications that Catoctin Zoo has attained and maintained over its 50+ year existence. We would be unable to contribute to the critical breeding efforts of endangered Snow Leopards, Amur Leopards, Jaguars, Tigers, Lions, Ochreata Macaques, Squirrel Monkeys, Patas Monkeys, Sun Bears, Foosa, Tamarins, or any other monkeys, lemurs or marmosets. Such a ban would force us to STOP educating and spreading conservation to tens of thousands of school children with hands on learning tools – experiences that lead to lasting connections with animals. Deadline Wednesday Feb 26th. More info at cwpzoo.com.

Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina and Louisiana top the USA in Cancer Deaths and Asthma because of lightly regulated pollution from dirty fossil fuels ... especially natural gas fracking, coal & petroleum diesel. Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, North Carolina and Louisiana are not alone. This is a national problem. We need leaders at National Public Radio who firmly debate, with utmost honesty and integrity, issues including natural gas fracking and today's poorly built, poorly maintained and lobbyist-friendly Toxic Coal Ash Dumps. Diane Rehm: Toxic Front Groups Should Not Be Given A Hall-Pass on National Public Radio.

A college education today is no longer a guarantee into the job market but is considered mandatory by many employers so it is of utmost importance that we provide the new generation with the necessary tools to make college more of a reality. Almost every accredited university requires an applicant to take either the ACT or SAT tests, sometimes both, yet preparation classes for these exams are time consuming and costly, presenting an injustice when students are not able to afford these extracurricular luxuries. Currently there is a problem of systemic discrimination in college admittance processes, specifically to do with standardized aptitude testing. This petition for in-school mandatory SAT/ACT and college preparatory classes is not about catering specifically to the entrance exams. More than that, it is about preparing disadvantaged, low-income, and minority students for whatever exams, essays, and applications that they will need to have an in-depth understanding in order to compete for college entry. The test prep industry rakes in $1 billion annually with expert classes, such as Kaplan, offered at $300. If a student cannot afford to pay for test prep books and classes that are privately offered, then they cannot equally compete with other students who have a leg up on the competition. The purpose of this petition is to help level the playing field and give every student an equal opportunity to be prepared for the college application process. This is not to say that every student be required to enroll in these prep classes, but that each public high school be required to at least offer the course as an elective so that each student may choose if they wish to enroll or not. Please join us in signing this petition to promote educational equality and give the future generation the resources they require to make a difference.

Clean Water Action of Pennsylvania, in alliance with other citizens, demand that the Governors of Pennsylvania, Maryland, and New York order the Susquehanna River Basin Commission to institute a multi-state, comprehensive environmental study of the water quality effects of drilling/fracking operations in the Susquehanna watershed. For more information about this campaign, please contact Nathan Sooy of Clean Water Action at 717-233-1801 or at [email protected].

The Arizona state legislature just passed a horrific "religious freedom" bill that would allow businesses to discriminate against whoever they wish, so long as they claim a religious motivation. Unless Governor Jan Brewer vetoes this hateful legislation, "no gays allowed" signs could start going up in businesses across the state. The bill's religious-right backers -- including the state's Catholic bishops -- claim to speak for Christians. But the gospel of Jesus Christ doesn't offer any justification for hatred and discrimination. Just last week, a national backlash helped stop a similar bill in Kansas. But with just a few days left to veto the bill, we need to speak up immediately.