In America we believe that everyone is equal, period. But that's not how our current immigration system works. Under our current immigration laws, immigrants currently living in the US without papers have no way to fix their immigration status and pursue the rights obtained through citizenship. These immigrants -- many of whom are American in every way but on paper -- are doomed to a life in shadows. They are prevented from doing things many US citizens take for granted, like driving, working, applying for credit cards, and even from visiting sick family members overseas. The Senate just passed an immigration bill that will would fix this tragedy by creating a pathway to citizenship for these 11 million Americans without papers. Through this pathway, students, workers, family members, and even some immigrants with deportation orders under the previous broken system would finally be allowed to pursue their American dream and eventual citizenship. Advocates have been fighting for these reforms for years, and we have never seen a better chance for making these dreams a reality. But some anti-immigrant members of Congress -- lead by legislators like Rep. Steve King -- are trying to kill reform by destroying the path to citizenship and promoting inhumane policies that would keep these 11 million people in the shadows so they "self-deport." Our movement has reached a tipping point and we need your help to finish the job. We need you to tell Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen to support immigration reform with the pathway to citizenship, now more than ever. It's time for Congress to pass this bill. Please tell your representative to vote YES on immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship for the 11 million Americans without papers.

After denouncing wasteful government spending, Tea Party Congressman Steve Pearce (R-NM) spent $19,525 on a single plane ticket for a junket to the Middle East. Pearce is one of the richest members of Congress and represents some of the poorest constituents. He owes us a refund for his Egyptian junket.

Yes every American has been affected.

Keno is a highly addictive form of gambling. It is so addictive that it has been called the “crack cocaine” of gambling. And unless we act NOW, it will soon be coming to our neighborhoods. Last month, with no public debate or discussion, the Connecticut Legislature voted to allow gambling in the form of Keno in our restaurants, bowling alleys, and bars. This was driven by the legislative leadership - including New Haven Senators Harp and Looney - through a backroom deal. What this will mean for New Haven and other cities is more crime, more poverty, and the breakup of families. It will also expose our children in restaurants and bowling alleys to gambling, forcing them to witness an activity which is highly addictive for young people. We call on New Haven’s Senators Harp and Looney, who negotiated this budget (including Keno), to immediately move to stop Keno from going forward. And, given how out of touch our state legislature is with the needs of New Haven, we demand that a state law be passed banning gambling in any city in Connecticut that does not want it.

On Thursday, June 27th, Senator Richard Burr voted against S. 744, the bipartisan comprehensive immigration bill. Senator Burr justified his vote by stating that this bill does not provide “real enforcement” for border security. In response to the Senator’s concern that the additional surge of 20,000 armed border patrol agents, increased drone surveillance, and up to 700 miles of border fencing at an estimated cost of $48 billion over 10 years is still not sufficient to secure the border, we are delivering bricks to his office in Winston-Salem to help him build a bigger wall. However, the real wall that is being built, is the wall between Senator Burr and the best interests of North Carolina.

Let's stop the continual begging by Congressional Office Seekers to provide time for the Public Business

Starting today, I pledge to boycott all soy products until all GMO soy is voluntarily labeled by all the major corporations. The non-GMO labeled products are excluded from this pledge.

Eating ice cream cones, Zimmerman defense attorney Don West posed for a selfie with his daughters, joyously posting on Twitter: '"We beat stupidity celebration cones #zimmerman #defense #dadkilledit."' The bullies came out in force last week as Rachel Jenteal, a 19 year old teenager from Miami, FL, gave testimony in the murder trial of George Zimmerman. The neighborhood watch captain stands accused in last year's shooting of unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin. Born into a multicultural home where English is not her first language, Rachel spoke in the language of her community, recounting her cellphone conversation with Trayvon, not knowing that moments later, his life would tragically end. Why, then, has Rachel suffered such vicious, personal attacks? WELL BULLIES: TAKE NOTE Today we take a stand against bullying -- discrimination, sexism, and racism! Rachel Jeantel was thrown into the national spotlight not of her own choosing. Her friend was killed. She could have made a choice that many people make in communities where the perception exists of a broken justice system, a system they view as designed to criminalize the working class and the poor -- stay silent, keep out of the public eye, mind your own business. But instead of choosing a path that would allow her to avoid the harsh, public spotlight, Rachel Jeantel chose to speak up. And it is for that decision that we stand by Rachel and for our nation's democratic process, a process created to provide equal justice -- FOR ALL AMERICANS! NOTE: This petition is a show of our support for Rachel Jeantel and for the millions of Americans disenfranchised by our current political climate. We will deliver this petition to Rachel Jeantel through her attorney Rod Vereen in Miami, FL. We all should possess the freedom to speak up and to speak out regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, economic or social status. Justice, in order to be moral, MUST be blind!

As the government focuses on signing up those previously uninsured for healthcare insurance beginning 2014, it is important that national groups that receive government entitlements provide support for getting out the word. Unfortunately, the NFL has refused to do this, buckling under to right wing Republican pressure. People across the country need to push back on this short sighted decision and support the law of the land.

As the mom of two young boys and the Co-Founder of a group called Climate Parents, I felt hopeful last week when President Obama announced his climate plan, which includes reducing carbon pollution from power plants and scaling up clean energy. I was dismayed and upset when West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, a member of the President’s own party, called the plan designed to make the world more stable and safe for our kids, “a war on America.” This is a reckless position. The truth is that the dirty energy interests Senator Manchin represents are putting our kids in danger, and his own state is among the hardest hit. More than one in five West Virginia high school students suffers from asthma, and water supplies are heavily contaminated from mountaintop removal mining. And is if that weren’t enough, communities across America are facing increasingly destructive storms, heat waves and drought caused by the burning of fossil fuels. The President’s plan to regulate power plants represents one of the most significant steps our nation can take to cut carbon pollution, given the failure of Congress to take more comprehensive action. Parents, grandparents, and anyone who loves kids expect our leaders to promote energy that is kid safe and climate safe, not block progress because of allegiance to deep-pocketed fossil fuel companies. We want energy that doesn’t make our kids sick or threaten our communities by worsening climate change. Urge Senator Manchin to stop his dangerous rhetoric and publicly support the President’s plan to cut carbon emissions from coal plants. Thank you for taking action! Lisa Hoyos Co-Founder and Director Climate Parents

The universal draft in the U.S. during WW II had a major impact on the success of civil rights and racial integration efforts in this country. Making such a policy for Israel a requirement for further U.S. aid would give Israel a chance of solving its internal apartheid problem.

Extracting and burning more oil will accelerate the devastating consequences of climate change, with rising sea levels, more severe flooding, and superstorms like Sandy and Katrina that global warming breeds. Hampton Roads, the second most vulnerable coastal area next to New Orleans, cries out for clean energy - not more dirty fossil fuel oil - to reduce CO2 emissions, already perilously high at 400 parts per million.