Gen. Keith Alexander is stepping down as head of the National Security Agency. Fresh, civilian leadership is needed at the NSA to ensure that the NSA's surveillance activities fully comply with the letter and spirit of the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and all U.S. laws. Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has been a consistent and vocal critic of blanket NSA surveillance of Americans that violates the basic civil liberties guarantees of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Senator Wyden is an ideal candidate to restore public confidence in NSA compliance with the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and all U.S. laws.

There is no sign in the hours since the shutdown ended that Cruz has touched base with reality, in fact he has doubled down and seems to have an agenda beyond anything related to the Affordable Care Act or any actual policy. Somebody has to deal with him before he and his not-very-bright followers in the house have a chance to drive American into a second gut wrenching shutdown, or cost the country another $24 billion or its credit rating with a shutdown in January. Please pass this along.

I took a check to the bank that issued it. I was troubled when I found out that even though the check was from the bank I was cashing it, there was a $7.50 fee for cashing the check simply because I didn't have an account there. When it happened to me at another bank on two occasions, I decided to do something about it. One may consider this a non-issue if they have an account where they can easily cash or deposit a check without (maybe) a fee. But for individuals less fortunate it's a real issue. It's simple, if the bank issued the check, they should honor it without penalizing the public for not banking with them. .

Why it is important is explained at http://www.laprogressive.com/mandatory-minimum-sentencing/. The bill is designed “to prevent unjust and irrational criminal punishments.” If enacted, it would allow judges more discretion in sentencing below the mandatory minimum for many federal crimes if they are convinced that doing so would not endanger public safety. Not only would it save lives and money from being wasted, it would also demonstrate to politicians and average citizens in this time of ideological rigidity that Congress still can, at least occasionally, come together to work for the common good.

Roesland Ballroom has been part of New York's history since 1919 evolved from ballroom dancing in the 20's to the music of today. It has featured revered musicians and artists in the genres of Rock, Disco, Grunge, Modern Rock, Jam, Pop, Urban, and Electronic Music. Everyone from The Rolling Stones to Madonna has graced the stage of this venue. To this day, Roseland Ballroom is still a highly trafficked and sought out venue hosting live concerts and events. The closing of this venue will be a huge loss to the city of New York and changing Roseland Ballroom into anything but a live music venue will prevent patrons from revisiting its history. Roseland Ballroom needs to stay open in order to be able to be remembered for its history that spans over 90 years. Please sign this petition in order to keep Roseland Ballroom open and preserving one of New York's treasured Art & Musical landmarks!

My friend Kibbey is convinced that because someone created a petition on a "solidly mainstream Lefty group like MoveOn.Org having THOUSANDS of members" to charge those conservatives who pushed for government default with treason or sedition that it represents the views of MoveOn.org or in fact any large portion of the population. It doesn't. What Kibbey, who is a brilliant engineer in his own right, forgets is that web sites are not strictly liable for the content that users post to that site. It's not true for Twitter, for Facebook, for Fox News or for MoveOn.org. Help me teach Kibbey that sometimes on the Internet things just aren't what the paranoid might believe them to be. Oh, and let's throw him in prison because he doesn't agree with me. Thanks.

As an institution of higher learning, and as the biggest employer in the community, Western Washington University plays a major role in the economic development in the region, and the actions (or inaction) taken by the university affect the quality-of-life of workers not just employed by the university, but those of all parts of the economy Western interacts with. Because of the weight accorded to the voice of the university, it is troubling that, as the only major tenant confirmed to occupy the waterfront redevelopment zone, whose stature would then be used to attract other businesses, Western’s administration has decided to stay silent on the issue of whether workers employed on the waterfront should be paid a decent, living wage. This is even more troubling as the Port of Bellingham is set to approve a plan that would give away 200 million dollars in public money in welfare for the wealthy. The community has noticed the silence on the part of the university, and by not supporting a living wage in the area, it calls into question whether the actions taken by the administration are in line with the values of the university as a whole and of the students, who themselves are paying, now more than ever, to keep the university running. Western plans to start a center to teach on the “Green Economy” down on the waterfront; making our economy environmentally sustainable does not mean continuing to pay workers less than it takes to support a family and letting it fall on the taxpayer to subsidize poverty wages. In this petition, we are calling on the university to recognize this fact and add their voice to that of countless community members who are demanding that the Port makes sure workers in the area are being paid justly.

Women and African Americans have never been declared legally "equal to white men". The Declaration of Independence (1776) does not even mention them. In the Pledge of Allegiance (1892), liberty and justice do not mean equality. We still had to fight for the right to vote (1920), sit on juries, and we still don't get equal pay. It won't take away the harms done, but it is a step in the right direction. School children will learn that we are all equal and should be treated accordingly.

Fast Track is a procedural trick created by Nixon in 1974, to by-pass the Constitutional provision in Article 1-8, which states that “Congress shall have the power to regulate Commerce with foreign nations.” Fast track erases the representative power vested in Congress to debate bills on their merits, or amend, and instead, cedes this power to the president. Both so-called free trade agreements, TPP, and TTIP, undermine United States sovereignty by creating binding agreements set by some 600 trans-national corporate advisors, and would nullify many of our laws that protect citizens, consumers, and the environment, if these very laws stand in the way of projected corporate profits. Corporations are suing today in anticipation of setting precedents on cases ranging from drug patent extensions, which would eliminate affordable generics, suing over countries banning a pesticide that kills bees, to suing over product labeling of GMOs. Every area where a corporation will earn less, will be on the chopping block, among them, labor rights, and minimum wage requirements, patent and copyright issues, food safety, product safety standards, clean air and water, buy American procurement policies, healthcare, energy, internet freedoms, and service sector regulations. TPP and TTIP, sweeping Free Trade Agreements, while having been negotiated in secret for three years, will, if passed into trade law, do extreme damage to the citizens of this country. We already know from experience, the damage free trade agreements like NAFTA have caused: mass shutdowns of U.S. manufacturing, soaring unemployment, deep decreases in wages, huge budget deficits, enormous trade deficits, and increased immigration rates, among many other negative impacts. With so very much at stake for the citizens of this country, shouldn’t we openly debate the bill on its merits, and amend, instead of limiting floor debate to 20 hours and only an up or down vote? Fast Track is outdated, and there is no reason to subject the citizens of this country, and your district to such an onerous procedure that severely limits representative government, handing it instead to “foreign and corporate advisors.” Representative Castor, please vote against fast track, and in favor of government of, by, and for the people.

The town is in an outrage about the recent action taken against Dr. Gangi's Halloween decorations.

The recently passed HR 2775 that reopened the US government and lifted the debt ceiling includes (in section 1002) what had previously been referred to as "The McConnell Rule" but which is now formally known as the Default Prevention Act of 2013. Essentially, it lets Congress pass a budget and puts the responsibility for raising the debt ceiling on the President. The President can raise the ceiling, Congress can object with a simple majority, the President can veto the objection, and Congress can overrule it with a 2/3 majority. It makes very good sense and should satisfy all but the most extreme partisans.

When Shari Hutchinson of Ohio started a new job, she set up her desk the same way that many of her-coworkers and millions of Americans do: she placed a framed picture of her spouse on her desk. But Shari’s spouse is Diane, and after Shari’s co-workers and managers learned that she is lesbian, they targeted her with homophobic taunts, ridicule, and harassment. Over the next few years, this Ohio employer also repeatedly passed Shari over for promotions that went to significantly less qualified applicants, even when Shari had the highest score on the promotion exams. Shari unfairly lost one promotion to a straight woman who did not even pass the test required to even interview for the promotion. Sadly, Ohio is one of the many states that has not yet passed a state law protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) employees from discrimination. That’s why Congress must pass federal LGBT workplace protections. The good news is U.S. Senate will soon take a vote on the LGBT Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) for the first time in 17 years, and this commonsense proposal already has 59 Senate supporters and counting. ENDA simply says a corporation can’t fire you, harass you, or deny you a promotion just because of who you are or who you love. We urge Congress to protect LGBT people from discrimination and harassment in the workplace by passing ENDA this year!