In California, hundreds of prisoners have been held in solitary for more than a decade – some for infractions as trivial as reading Machiavelli's "The Prince." Gabriel Reyes describes the pain of being isolated for at least 22 hours a day for the last 16 years: “Unless you have lived it, you cannot imagine what it feels like to be by yourself, between four cold walls, with little concept of time...It is a living tomb...I have not been allowed physical contact with any of my loved ones since 1995...I feel helpless and hopeless. In short, I am being psychologically tortured.” It's a practice so cruel that a United Nations torture rapporteur called for an international ban on the practice except in rare occasions. That’s why over 30,000 prisoners in California began a hunger strike – the biggest the state has ever seen. They’re refusing food to protest prisoners being held for decades in solitary and to push for other changes to improve their basic conditions. California Corrections Secretary Jeffrey Beard has tried to dismiss the strikers and refuses to negotiate. And to add insult to injury, the hunger strikers are now facing retaliation – their lawyers are being restricted from visiting and the strikers are being punished. But the media continues to write about the hunger strike and we can help keep the pressure on Secretary Beard by signing the petition.

Numerous employers - like McDonald’s, Kohl’s, Sears, Qdoba, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell - automatically enroll or mandate that their employees be paid via high fee payroll debit cards instead of traditional checks. The debit card's fees - for everything for withdrawing money to checking balances - often take such a big bite out of paychecks that some workers end up making less than the minimum wage. It's time to end this predatory practice in Wisconsin.

While serving in the military, I was sexually assaulted, but fear stopped me from reporting it. Imagine being separated from loved ones and being forced to suffer such a violent act with no one to protect you. It is a crime for prosecution! Your loved ones should be protected, and signing this petition lets our voices be heard.

This petition urges Senator Lisa Boscola to support the bill for marriage equality in the Pennsylvania State Legislature

An estimated bill is sent every other month.It is normally greater than the following actual bill.They have been dragging their feet about installing the automatic meters.

Having watched the documentary Invisible War and read of the tens of thousands of victims of sexual assault in the armed forces, I urge everyone to take a stand in support of these victims and to put an end to future assaults without penalty. The fact that an estimated 26,000 military personnel, both men and women, experienced some form of sexual harassment or worse last year clearly indicates that commanders are not providing for good order and discipline in their units.

Sens. Wicker and Cochran have not yet declared their support for a reform proposed by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand that could secure justice for the thousands of survivors who have been assaulted while serving their country.

When President Obama gave his landmark speech in June calling on America to address the causes and impacts of climate change, business station CNBC was the only cable news network that refused to run even one second of the speech. Sadly, this is just the latest example of the network’s egregious climate reporting. A recent Media Matters report found that over half of CNBC’s climate science coverage since 2013 has cast doubt on the scientific consensus that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels is causing climate change. When viewers called CNBC out over Twitter for presenting false information, Squawk Box co-host Joe Kernen responded with Islamaphobic statements, calling the tweets a “global warming jihad launched against me by the Eco Taliban”. What’s more, he responded on air, saying: “You haven’t read my Twitter feed, I’ll tell you that much […] there’s a lot of things happening the enviro-socialists are–man, it is a cult. It is a bona fide cult." Calling groups that acknowledge climate change part of a cult -organizations isn't just absurd, it’s really bad business advice. This is the kind of climate coverage we expect from Fox News, not a subsidiary of NBC. As a major business network under the banner of NBC Universal, CNBC has a responsibility to report on how climate change will impact its viewers, particularly from a financial perspective, not give voice to disproven conspiracy theories. When the recession hit, CNBC came under fire for making excuses for Wall Street. Now they’re denying climate change. We can’t afford to have CNBC go down the same path as Fox News, compromising their integrity to appeal to right wing viewers. Right now, because CNBC’s ratings are declining, CNBC management will be looking to make changes to get their ratings and advertisers back. If we make a strong push for responsible journalism and accurate climate reporting, our efforts could help turn things around at CNBC. Please add your voice.

62 Democrats in the PA General Assembly now support Marriage Equality. Unfortunately, Rep. Tom Calatagirone is not one of them. Please sign my petition and tell Rep. Caltagirone to support full civil rights for same-sex couples in PA.

I would like to make it more easier to have a felony taken of your record in the state of Pennsylvania. After 8 years of committing forgery for less than 200 dollars, it still haunts me. I payed my fines and court costs, and completed probation. I stayed out of trouble for 8 years now and I can not get a decent job with this on my record. I work in an independent restaurant making just enough to survive.

I oppose the oppression of sexual assault victims in the military.

Rep. Steve King's (IA-R) ugly history of anti-immigrant rhetoric reached a new low this week after telling a conservative website that some DREAMers have "calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert." He doubled-down on his attack by claiming that for every valedictorian DREAMer, there are 100 more carrying drugs across the border. Rep. King's attack is nothing new. Last year he compared immigrants to dogs, and then in an Univision interview claimed he meant it as a compliment. Last month he voted to defund DACA, called a group of DREAMers visiting his office "illegal aliens," compared it to an invasion, and then wondered why they hadn't been arrested yet. And now he's accusing those same young Americans of being drug dealers. We need Speaker John Boehner, Rep. Eric Cantor, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy -- the top leaders in the House of Representatives -- to condemn Rep. King's ugly attacks and finally lead. If they don't stand up to him and take command, they are allowing Rep. King to set the agenda in the House and have a platform to spread his hateful views. Demand GOP House leaders John Boehner, Eric Cantor, and Kevin McCarthy lead and condemn Rep. Steve King's attack today.