My three daughters love the cute colors and designs of Gymboree dresses and leggings. So I was dismayed to notice, a few months ago, that some items in Gymboree stores are "made in Bangladesh." In addition to poverty wages, Bangladesh garment factories offer some of the world's worst working conditions. In April, a factory collapse in Bangladesh killed more than 1,130 people. Despite the outcry over that accident, factory fires continue almost weekly in Bangladesh, injuring dozens and killing 10 people in October alone. How could cheap prices on kids' clothes possibly justify such suffering? When I wrote to Gymboree in September, ask what steps they were taking to ensure the safety of workers in Bangladesh's garment factories, they said they "have not yet decided" how to address the problem. When I wrote back in November, again, they were "still evaluating." With more than 1,200 deaths this year alone, and hundreds of injuries, the time for reflection has long since passed. Please join me in demanding that San Francisco-based Gymboree (which also operates Gymboree Outlet, Janie and Jack and Crazy 8 stores) immediately sign the binding international Bangladesh Fire Safety Accord.

A Florida state judge allowed a convicted felon/sex offender on house arrest to come to New York to expedite a three year old girl back to Florida. He ripped this girl from the only family she's ever known.

I live with two rescue parrots who were either abandoned because the demands of their care were to great or given up because the bird outlived the owner. Parrots are not domestic, and demand a lot of attention and special care. My birds were lucky, but they could have ended up languishing for years, neglected in someone's back room. This is a serious issue, and pet stores need to stop adding to the problem

Despite the modest "budget deal" that was struck between Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray, 1.3 million people stand to lose unemployment insurance benefits three days after Christmas. This is needlessly Grinch-like. If Speaker Boehner were to bring a resolution to extend benefits to the House floor, it would almost certainly pass, and also sail through the Senate, plus easily obtain the President's signature. This needs to happen.

Ardani Rosales Lemus (A#098-918-011) has been detained since December 2012. He has spent almost a year away from his family, a year in which he missed two important events in his life: his own wedding and the birth of his second child, a beautiful daughter which he hasn’t been able to hold in his arms. He will now spend the holidays in a cell, just for coming to an amazing country for an opportunity for a better future to escape Guatemala where his life was in risk. Adarni was pulled over for a minor traffic violation and was placed in deportation proceedings. His family has been in the U.S. since 2005, they came to escape the fear of death they faced in Guatemala. Back in his hometown in Guatemala, Adarni organized youth to stay out of gangs and trouble. But his dangerous work led to multiple threats from one of the most powerful gangs in the world -- they even badly beat him up. In 2005, Adarni and his family fled for their lives to the U.S. They fear returning to Guatemala -- that's why they are seeking asylum here. But back in 2012, Ardani was pulled over for a minor traffic violation on his way to work and was placed in deportation proceedings. He is one of the 11 million that needs Congress to act now and deliver real immigration reform that will allow him and others to earn a pathway to citizenship and real relief from deportation. Adarni has spent almost a year away from his family, a year in which he missed two important events in his life: his own wedding, and the birth of his second child, a beautiful daughter he has yet to be able to hold. He will now spend the holidays in a cell, just for coming to a country that could offer him and his family safety and an opportunity for a better future. Please join us in telling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to stop Adarni's deportation. No father should be deported for driving to work and caring for his family!

Imposing additional sanctions by the US Congress while the current agreement is being implemented is to undermine the efforts of World's six strongest nations and Iran to reach a peaceful solution. Sanctions can always be imposed if Iran fails to adhere to its obligations under the negotiated agreement.

Working in a wildlife rehabilitation center, I have seen first hand raptors, snakes and coyotes bleeding from their mouths and eventually dying. This is such cruel and inhumane behavior and the residents of all California communities need to join together to have these products removed from the shelves!!

With generous Bar and Justice Department grant receipts in hand - and with the mainstream media's continual cooperation - innocence organizations are steering the conviction corruption conversation away from accountability for serial prosecutorial and supervisory misconduct. Disbarment isn't a punishment: It's not even a career change; it's a career shift. And disbarment for egregious and deadly misconduct happens so infrequently as to be nothing more than an attorney insider joke. The IRS Oversight Board has one mandate, to ensure that taxes are collected fairly. Taxing the families of tens of thousands of incarcerated innocents while justice remains unavailable to all but the couple dozen of men and women that innocence organizations deign to "serve" in any given year is anything but fair. Taxing the Bar until they're willing to protect the public as they officially claim to (and as they're legally obliged to) is more than fair, it's the only ethical option available to the IRS Oversight Board. My first written request that the IRS Oversight Board exercise that ethical option was in January of 2011. It has yet to be answered.

I believe in America's potential to be a great country. Congress has become the blockade to our greatness and American progress. A law such as this would greatly ensure and at the same time, give notice to Congress that their job is not a career but one of service to their boss, the American people.

Dr. Padmanabhan holds an MD-PhD (summa cum laude). The PhD is in Multiple Sclerosis. Dr. Padmanabhan was admitted into the US on a J-1 visa in 1996 in order to pursue Residency Training in Neurology. The J-1 visa comes with a requirement to serve in a Medically Underserved Area before qualifying for a Green Card. He finished his Neurology Residency and then completed a 3-year research fellowship, after adjusting his visa status to an O-1. The O-1 visa is for Aliens with Extraordinary Skill and Ability. It requires high degrees and expertise and is renewable for life, but the 3-years in a Medically Underserved Area are still required. He was completing his 3-years in a Medically Underserved Area and would have qualified for a Green Card in June 2011. He actually worked in that area for 4 years, but due to paperwork delays by the hospital who employed and sponsored him, he lost one year. Due to circumstances still in dispute, he has been unemployed since November 2010. Dr. Padmanabhan is still subject to the 3-years work in a Medically Underserved Area before he can adjust to Permanent Residency. The tragedy is he has already served 3 years but he has not received credit for it. Congress has the absolute authority to grant Permanent Residency to Dr. Padmanabhan and his family. Given the time constraint, getting Immigration to extend his visa would be immensely helpful. Many of his patients have banned together to appeal to Congressman Keating. We also have a paper petition that we are circulating. It doesn't matter if Congressman Keating is YOUR congressman or not - he can help! Thank you.

I am a long-time wildlife enthusiast, environmental advocate, Cornell-certified Master Gardener, New York State-certified Health Educator, and tireless advocate for scientifically, environmentally sound energy policy. Industrial wind - as it is being implemented today, with these 400' - 500' giant Bird Cuisinarts, fails the test miserably. Our national symbol - the Bald Eagle, is literally threatened with extinction thanks to Big Wind's blades of death! The technology is there today to move us far beyond these antiquated bird-killing machines, but the reason corporate & political elitists are willing to stick with the status quo is because there is so much money in it for them as is - the eagles be damned. We simply can NOT stand by and allow this slaughter to occur without working to STOP it! I, for one, do not want to have to explain to my children why I stood by and did nothing to STOP this MASSACRE!

I am affected by the discontinuation of benefits for people who have been unemployed for more than the basic 26 weeks of unemployment coverage. I am over age 50 and encountering the age barriers to getting new employment and find that there is not social safety net available for people between ages 50 and 62 who are not caring for young children.