Every year a large number of Ethiopians migrate to Saudi Arabia for domestic work through a visa system called Kafala. In this system the visa is obtained through the employer. The migrants are not allowed to change employer or move around without the permission of the employer. Because of the inherent flaw of the system many are abused specially women. The abuse surfaced in recent days as the government of Saudi Arabia implemented a new law that required migrants either to leave the country or upgrade their immigration status. Essentially the new law automatically made those who came through the Kafala system illegal. It is impossible for a detainee to prove that he or she is in the country legally because most people come to Saudi Arabia under contract with an employer, the employers take away their passports until they complete a contract. Since the beginning of November thousands of Ethiopians are now in detention centers, so far over 90000 people have been deported. Still thousands more are rounded and hunted by security forces and vigilantes and being prepared for deportation. The detention centers are spread throughout Saudi Arabia and a large number of detainees are being damped on the Yemen side of the border. Because of deliberate media campaigns, there is a huge report of abuse, torture and rape. I demand justice on behalf of my fellow Ethiopians. With the help of world leaders this modern day slavery will stop. I am appealing to you to consult the Saudi Government to restrain its brutal treatment of Ethiopians, and help to return the Ethiopians to their people. The situation is desperate. The violence against Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia has now approaching the scale of genocide. People are being killed and tortured everywhere and young people are commuting suicide. In a detention center there are several prisons. Each 300-person prison is packed with 500 people. Some prisoners report that the place is cold and they are hungry. Children are being born, many pregnant women are having miscarriages. It is impossible for any decent human being to be on the sidelines and to watch this happen. We have every imaginable document to prove this suffering. It is difficult to share images of horror. Please help 1) Communicate our concerns with Saudi authorities, community leaders and also request hearings in countries where rule of law and human rights are respected. 2) Demand the safe return of all Ethiopians in the detention centers 4) Demand the return of Ethiopians sentenced to jail terms to be handed over to Ethiopian to finish their sentences in Ethiopia 3) Demand the safe return of all Ethiopians in detention centers. Finally I believe that the situation of Ethiopians in Saudi Arabia is getting worse by the day. This is silent human tragedy deliberately fanned by hatred and religious fanaticism. It is extremely dangerous and it parallels the Nazi brutal treatment of Jews. It is my wish that the United States Government pays attention to this matter. Sincerely

In a last ditch attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act -- a.k.a. Obamacare -- California Republicans have launched a fake website (CoveringHealthcareCA.com) designed to capture those interested in the state's real Obamacare site: CoveredCA.com. California Republicans have promoted the fake site with tens of thousands of taxpayer-funded mailers to constituents. It sows fear and confusion by promoting misleading or outright false information and avoiding basic facts and benefits of the law. It's a politically motivated, unconscionable attempt to prevent sick people from getting the care they need. Disagreeing on a matter of public policy is one thing, but actively working to mislead voters and prevent them from accessing healthcare is unacceptable.

As an adjunct professor at Westchester Community College since the fall of 2010, I have helped countless Westchester residents realize their dream of a better life, better job, and better education. Although I am not well paid, I love my job. I love planning lessons, and I love watching my students develop marketable skill sets. However, when submitting my teaching preferences for the 2014 spring semester, I was shocked to discover that Westchester Community College has implemented a new policy: adjuncts may no longer teach more than 10 class hours per week. As most classes are 3 or 6 hours a week, this means that I am only allowed one 6-hour class and one 3-hour class per semester, shrinking my already paltry semester paycheck. If Dr. Jill Biden believes that community colleges are “one of America’s best-kept secrets,” why is Westchester Community College allowed to treat those of us on the front lines so poorly? There was outcry when John Macky, the CEO of Whole Foods, forecasted that Obamacare might force his company to reduce the maximum number of hours a part-time employee could work per week. Macky’s remarks were predictions, not plans. Westchester Community College – part of the SUNY system, and thus part of New York State – has already begun to implement a benefit limit, yet there has been little to no outcry despite the fact that the 10 hours a week, considered by the government to be on par with 30 work hours, keeps adjunct professors below that same mandatory benefit level Macky discussed. I voted for Obamacare. I supported Obamacare. I wrote to representatives and fought to keep Obamacare. And now New York, a “blue” state, is crippling me in order to avoid Obamacare. Please encourage SUNY and Westchester Community College to reconsider their policy on adjunct hours. Otherwise, we are likely to lose the best of our teachers and effectively cripple affordable higher education.

I live on a 50 acre farm in the most amazing and beautiful Skagit County. It would break my heart NOT to be able to drink the water from our well or swim in the pristine creek that runs through this land. I am sending out this petition to ban fracking in Washington State, because I want our children and our grandchildren to be able to drink clean water and breathe clean air.

Wall Street Dems know populists like Elizabeth Warren are gaining influence with the Democratic Party base. Horrified, these Dems have launched an attack throughout corporate media that threatens electoral doom for the Democratic Party if it dares stand up to Wall Street. So far we've seen: --A Third Way op-ed in the Wall Street Journal warning Democrats of the "danger" Elizabeth Warren and Bill DeBlasio style economic populism. --Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer comparing left-wing bloggers to the teabaggers. --Fox News "Democrats" Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell back in Politico for another stab at that whole "radical center" nonsense. All of this, all at once? It's a coordinated counterattack by Wall Street Democrats spooked by the party's embrace of politicians like Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown, Tammy Baldwin and Jeff Merkley. They should be spooked. The future of the Democratic Party is a populist one, all that's left is to whittle out the dead weight. Sign the petition to let Wall Street Democrats know where you stand: I come from the Elizabeth Warren wing of the Democratic Party.

For years, the government has prohibited cell phone use on planes for fear of interference with essential communications. But with technological improvements, that is no longer a concern. So, the Federal Communications Commission may lift the 22-year-old ban on cell phone use during flights. If being stuck in a metal tube miles above the earth amid the cacophony of other passengers’ phone calls sounds dreadful to you, sign the petition right now. Using cell phones in-flight for texting, email and the Internet is fine. But phone calls should wait until the plane has landed. Let’s mobilize for a little peace and quiet: Tell the Federal Communications Commission to continue prohibiting cell phone calls on airplanes.

We need to stop ignoring the Heroin/Drug epidemic in this State/Country. We need more Drug Rehab Centers for people that can't afford to pay for one and without lengthy waiting lists. We also need to change the law so that we can have our addicts committed to rehab when their unable to make those decisions themselves. The Pharmaceutical Companies need to contribute to this cause with all the Billions they've made off of sick/weak people. Addiction is a disease and we need to treat it as such. We can't wait! We're losing our loved ones on a daily basis due to this disease. We need to wake up to this epidemic!! We need CHANGE!! Please don't ignore this.

Art Pope and his family for generations have strategically placed their bargain stores in low income and minority neighborhoods. Now Art Pope is using the same millions he made off of the poor to help elect GOP legislators that enact policies that adversely affect the poor in North Carolina.

Indiana deserves long-term solutions to energy supply, and not at the expense of our natural resources. Indiana need not contribute to the further despoiling of the environment. The economy needs to grow through renewable energy (wind, solar, water), not extraction of fossil fuels.

The U.S. Senate will be voting on a bill to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour over three years. The bill would also increase the tipped minimum wage, which has been $2.13 an hour since 1991. Huge majorities across the political spectrum support an increase in the minimum wage. It's good for workers, good for local businesses, and it's the right thing to do. Tell Senators Cornyn and Cruz: it's time to raise the minimum wage.

Senator Elizabeth Warren says that secret corporate political spending is “fundamentally wrong. It undercuts the basic notions of corporate democracy, and ultimately all of democracy.” Stand with Senator Warren—demand that the SEC require disclosure of secret corporate political spending. Citizens United opened the door for corporations to inject unlimited money into our politics—but the Supreme Court assumed it would all be disclosed to shareholders and the public! Instead there’s been an explosion of dark money in our elections. Without a disclosure rule from the SEC, corporations can spend entirely behind closed doors. That’s why a record breaking 660,000 comments have called for the SEC to act to require disclosure of corporate political spending, from investors, public officials, securities experts, and citizens like you. Americans overwhelmingly oppose the rise of secret corporate political spending and understand that the SEC must act now to stop this new threat before even more dark corporate money floods our elections. However, SEC Chairwoman Mary Jo White rejected these appeals and removed the rule from the SEC’s 2014 agenda. She’s getting pressure from powerful business groups who prefer to use shareholder money to exert political power without any accountability. Stand with Senator Warren and tell the SEC to act on the corporate political disclosure rule now! It is up to us to let the SEC know we need the corporate political disclosure rule back on their agenda to stop secret corporate political spending.

As the catastrophe at Fukushima worsens, Japan's State Secrets Act threatens to cut the flow of vital information. We ask Ambassador Kennedy to oppose this act so the world might know what is happening at Fukushima and how to respond.