With a blank check from the Senate’s sham impeachment trial in hand, Donald Trump is out for revenge. He’s starting to lash out against anyone who put their loyalty to the country ahead of their loyalty to him. His latest target? Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, the top Ukraine expert who was on the fated July 25th phone call where Trump tried to extort an investigation into the Bidens from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Vindman later testified before the House about what he heard on the call. Vindman did this country a great service. He felt, in his words, a "sense of duty" to tell Americans the truth -- and now, that honorable act has cost him his job, his career, and his privacy. Vindman needs to know that Americans are thankful for his courage -- and that Trump's attacks can't change the important truth that he told. And the White House must be met with a nationwide outcry -- thousands and thousands of us speaking out and condemning Trump's abhorrent decision to punish Vindman for his patriotism.

New York University has a serious problem with civic engagement and voter turnout. If the University is truly committed to student enfranchisement, NYU must designate Election Day a University Holiday. Currently, the NYU Law School, Columbia University, Fordham University, and Barnard College all designate Election Day as a holiday. Students should not be forced to balance school, work, and family in order to exercise their right to vote. This policy would help to address many of the issues in voter turnout which the University currently faces. According to a 2016 Tufts University report, New York University's voter turnout rate lags behind the institutional average by 2.6% and behind all private research institutions by 5.3%. Election Day off would have an immediate impact on accessibility, and it would meaningfully prioritize voting and civic engagement on-campus. NYU is among the largest private universities in the country. According to the 2018 student fact sheet, 12,022 undergraduate students are permanent residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. This means that 45% of the undergraduate student body lives in proximity to their voting districts and would be immediately impacted by the passage of this resolution. Even more students from elsewhere in the United States choose to register in New York during their undergraduate career. We must come together as a community and urge President Andrew Hamilton to publicly support the University Senate Resolution to Designate Election Day as a University Holiday.

Representative Garcia stated, in a public forum, that "...in the Constitution of the United States (if) they are found guilty of being a socialist member you either go to prison or are shot,” which is neither true nor becoming of a public servant of your stature. "They’re enemies of the free state,” he continued. “What do we do with our enemies in war? In Vietnam, (Afghanistan), all those. What did we do?" With these quotes, he demonstrated that he lacks the critical thinking skills and moral rectitude to represent Montanans in any capacity. Further, he disgraced our state on the world stage. Most seriously, he incited violence among his constituents for political purposes. This is a perilous time for our nation, in which political partisanship has taken priority over good governance and civility at every level. We the people must stand up to those who would see this trend continue, who would brand their constituents, indeed their neighbors, as enemies of the free state for nothing more than expression of their political views. The statements made, and doubled down on, by Representative Garcia are an alarming escalation of this violent rhetoric and he must be held accountable for them. Only pressure from the people of Montana can compel him to take responsibility for his actions, so please join me in condemning him publicly. By acting together in the interests of our state and our communities, we can begin to change the ugly course our politics have taken.

Let's show that the South Carolinian can unite together against a Corrupted Government that refuses to work for the American people's needs in whom they represent. Their are far more important matters that needs addressing more than focusing on a monument of a Tyrant who has disgraced our Nation and Society! "Vote Them Out!"

Inciting violence against anyone is unacceptable, regardless of differing political opinions. Rodney Garcia should step down as a state representative immediately.

I am a student, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. I barely have my life together, let alone a plan for my future, but seeing the destruction around me only goes to show I may not have a future. Look at your children. Should they be forced to live in a world where the air is as toxic as breathing poison? Everywhere around us, we see people building for their futures, whether it be children in school or adults building a family. How dare we strip that future away from them? What gives us the right to burn fossil fuels and destroy the planet? What gives us the right to turn pastures into junkyards only to dump the burden on the next generation? What gives us the right to value objects like money and gasoline as more valuable than the lives of thousands of people. Sign this to support the Green New Deal being passed in Georgia. Sign this for Georgia to lead the nation into rebuilding. Sign this to be the generation to finally make a change for the better.

The POST Act addresses the long-unmet need for civilian oversight of NYPD surveillance practices, particularly the acquisition and deployment of novel, highly-invasive technologies. For years, the NYPD has built up an arsenal of spy tools on the public tab while trying to block public notice and debate. These tools not only include the so-called “gang database,”[1] but also items like facial recognition, IMSI catchers (so-called “stingrays”), and automated license plate readers that can monitor a vehicle’s location throughout the city.[2] These tools threaten all New Yorkers' privacy, but they pose a particularly potent threat to our immigrant communities and New Yorkers of color. Unchecked, the growing use of surveillance technology threatens to obscure and automate racial inequalities under the guise of unbiased computer systems. And too often, these systems create a risk of information sharing with federal agencies, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”). For example, the NYPD has contracted for years with the private firm Vigilant Solutions, which operates a national database of over 5 billion license plate data points. Shockingly, in recent years, we learned that Vigilant Solutions was not just contracting with local police departments, it was also contracting with ICE. This is the vendor that the NYPD uses to record countless New Yorkers’ license plates per day, and we do not have an accurate understanding of how the NYPD may be sharing license plate data with ICE. Even worse, the NYPD relies on Vigilant Solutions’ artificial intelligence to map out social networks, label New Yorkers as “criminal associates,” and create databases based on the company’s unproven algorithms. This is just one example of countless surveillance tools that requires a systematic solution. The POST Act is not just a comprehensive response, but also a modest one. The NYPD can continue using these tools by complying with limited protections against waste, discrimination, and misuse. In fact, the POST Act would be one of the most limited surveillance reform bills in the country, especially when viewed in comparison to San Francisco’s and Oakland’s oversight legislation, which also contain outright bans on facial recognition technology or to Massachusetts’s proposed state-wide moratorium on facial recognition. Additionally, many of the jurisdictions require legislators to approve each and every surveillance system their municipality buys, unlike the POST Act, which only requires public notice. The measure is not just widely supported by your City Council colleagues, it’s even endorsed by the New York Times.[3] The message is clear: civilian oversight of surveillance enhances the public’s trust in police departments and public safety. After a hearing before the Public Safety Committee in December, thirty-two City Council members and the Public Advocate have now signed on as POST Act cosponsors. The time is now for a vote of the full City Council. [1] https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2019/7/23/the-nypds-gang-database-a-new-age-of-stop-and-frisk [2] https://www.stopspying.org/latest-news/2019/9/26/domain-awareness-system [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/18/opinion/nypd-post-act-surveillance.html

The 2020 election has started. Do you want to make sure your vote counts when you go to the polls? Sign this petition and tell your Chief Election Official to ensure that elections are secure and accessible, registrations are processed, and your vote is counted. The chaos of voting in Iowa this week caused voters to be confused and doubt their votes would count. The voter suppression in 2018 in Georgia was an election robbed. That is no way to run a democracy. This is a warning to elections officials nationwide: turnout in the 2020 elections will be high and the world is watching. We can blame the Iowa caucus problem on bad technology. But the decision-makers who run elections in other states can avoid such a mess. Election officials must do everything in their power to make sure new tech is working and establish solid back up plans if it fails, well before the first voters head to the polls. 2020 is the election of our lifetime. Turnout will be high. Our democracy may hinge on a single principle: If polls aren't prepared, our voices aren't heard. We can act now to make sure every voter can cast a ballot that counts. This year, voters will be casting ballots on new voting machines for the first time. They'll be voting by mail for the first time. They'll be registering online for the first time. Election officials: don't wait. Act now to make sure those systems have solid backup plans, thorough testing, and paper backups so every voter is heard. Please join with us and demand that your Chief Election Official prepares for the 2020 election, so that every vote can make their voice heard.

The Presidential Medal of Freedom is for people who have “an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavors." Rush Limbaugh has only been a divisive media host.

The store is fantastic, and Summerville deserves great food at a fantastic price!

“Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would -- I fear -- expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.” - Senator Mitt Romney Before the Senate’s impeachment trial began, every senator took an oath to serve as an impartial juror -- and put the rule of law before any external political pressures. The majority of senators violated that oath the moment they voted to acquit President Trump -- giving him the green light to abuse his power as long as he remains in office. But some -- including Senator Romney of Utah, Senator Jones of Alabama, Senator Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, and Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia -- took a courageous stand. By voting to convict Trump, they set aside political calculations and their own self-interest to do what’s right -- and defend the American values that we hold dear. Trump and his supporters are sure to launch vicious attacks against these senators for prioritizing their constitutional duty. That’s why they need to hear an outpouring of support from everyday Americans who applaud their commitment to ensuring no one is above the law. Add your name to tell Senator Romney, Senator Jones, Senator Sinema, and Senator Manchin: thank you for putting your country first and holding President Trump accountable.

As an Iowan, I have enjoyed the privilege of being the first test for presidential candidates. Now, it is time for a more diverse state to take on the challenge. The United States has become more diverse since Iowa became first in the nation in 1972, and the Democratic Party has hailed itself as the party of diversity. We must hold a nominating contest that embraces and reflects that diversity. Those who defend Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status argue that Iowans are educated voters who ask hard questions. They point out that candidates visit our rural communities, small businesses, and farms. But vetting candidates is not an innate talent; it is a skill. Farms and small businesses exist across the country. Inevitably, these same things would come to happen in Michigan or Pennsylvania if they went first. I am proud to have served as a precinct chair this year. The caucuses are a wonder to behold. Attendees can go in with a strong preference for one candidate and find themselves aligned with another after talking with their friends and neighbors. But the unfortunate reality is that caucuses are not accessible to everyone — particularly individuals with disabilities, shift workers, parents of young children, and the elderly. In Iowa, people of color are significantly more likely to encounter the obstacles to participation that make the caucuses so inaccessible. This means that our most marginalized communities are further marginalized by the voting process. We must move the first primary contest to a state where a more diverse set of people with diverging perspectives can vet the candidates.