Although I am not sure about laws regarding the release of infants from the hospital after childbirth I know that the lack of medical screenings for heart complications, like enlarged hearts, are few and far between and as a result my family has been profoundly affected. Two weeks ago my 6 week old niece, Sophia, passed away "unexpectedly" because she had an enlarged heart that went undetected during pregnancy and throughout follow-up medical exams. Her father, my brother, alerted the prenatal providers and hospital staff that he was born with heart problems, more specifically a hole in his heart. My brother survived the heart abnormality in the 80s but my niece Sophia wasn't as lucky. Even though there was a history of heart complications in my family the hospital staff did not run the necessary tests to monitor or even look at Sophia's heart. Sophia was not properly monitored while in the womb nor properly evaluated before leaving the hospital. Because of this my family and I will live the rest of our lives with a hole in our hearts because we won't have Sophia, our little Angel. Sophia deserved better. What enrages me the most about this is that when my sister gave birth to her daughter two years ago her doctors provided continuous assistance, support, and screenings during her pregnancy and after the baby was born because of our family history. There shouldn't be different levels of care for pregnant mothers and newborns. It's time for the state of California to hold hospitals accountable for "unexplained" infant deaths and to start to require hospitals to do the necessary tests to screen infants for heart problems early on. Don't allow any more parents to lose their children because of undetected heart problems like Sophia's. A heart problem didn't take our Angel, lack of medical tests and screenings may have. The state of California has to protect the rights of every citizen no matter how young they may be. Thousands of infant deaths occur each year, not to mention the amount of sudden deaths among youth and adults with similar heart conditions. It is time for hospitals to be held accountable for their screening practices. Tell California legislators to do something about "unexpected" child deaths now.

I believe marijuana should be legalized for medical purposes.I have neuropathy and take many medications.I rather stop taking the medications because they don't work .I have read many articles which show Marijuana works to help the pain from neuropathy.

You, your children, and your Earth are currently being directly effected in several disturbingly pervasive and unconscionable ways. The most prominent and terrifying of these is at a cellular level. Your cells themselves are being genetically altered to produce Monsanto mutations. The introduction of any amount of GE foods such as those which are Roundup ready or BT toxic can trigger your own cells to begin producing these horrific abominations. Even organic foods can contain these compounds via drift, feed, fodder, etc. No one is safe. This is 'Geneticide'. Please help end this insanity.

***The right to an education without physical punishment.*** Let me start by saying I believe it is the parents job to issue said spankings if even at all. As a parent I believe I know my children and know what form of displine should be taken to insure they behave. Paddling is not the answer. Yes, children need to have disipline but, this is not the answer. It is illegal to beat your child at home but, not in the school system? It is a new era the cavemen are gone but, not the caveman techniques are still used. We are 1 of only 19 states who still allow corporal punishment. Knox County TN doesn't & Cocke County, TN shouldn't either. Nor should any other school. Doctors will tell you paddling is bad for your child's health and can be harmful to the development of a child's bones, it also promotes bullying, it lowers a childs self-confidence, what child is going to learn anything when they are so embarrased they can't pay attention, you shouldn't hit a child if you are angry, spankings at home that are hard enough to hurt your hand ARE considered child abuse I believe a PADDLE ( in my opinion is a weapon) is a lot harder then a hand, along with a huge list of other great reasons why they shouldn't use paddles. I believe if a child acts up there is a reason, fix that and you have fixed the childs behavior. Can't we have happy, intelligent, well behaved children without the abuse?!? The answer is YES.It doesn't matter if you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or just someone who see's it is wrong then Sign this and share it. Let's help children in Cocke County, TN and in every other school system have brighter futures ABUSE FREE. the link included is an article that shows how paddling can lead to mental disorders & an article on how it can lead to depression and Trauma http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ http://consumer.healthday.com Below are some facts for you to think about! ***In all 50 states it is illegal to hit a prisoner. ***In all 50 states it is illegal to hit someone in the military. ***In all 50 states it is illegal to hit an animal. ***220,517 students received some form of corporal punishment in school in 2006 (according to the latest report of the US Dept of Education Office of Civil Rights Data) *Of these students, 20,000 needed to seek medical attention for injuries suffered at the hands of their educators. ***In 19 states a student can be paddled in school for being late to class, acting out, going to the bathroom without permission, or even failing a test or missing work. ***Students who are paddled have a higher likelihood of dropping out of school ***Most people in the US don't even realize that paddling children in school remains legal in 19 states. ***All US citizens have the right to due process prior to receiving a sentence or punishment. Yet, students in the 19 states where paddling is legal in schools are often denied this fundamental right. ***Students in schools were paddling is administered: *Often have no format to appeal such punishment. *May not have the ability to raise concerns over the legitimacy of the claims made against them. *May not have the ability to raise concerns over the severity of the punishment being administered for their presumed violations. ***Victims and their families often lack the independent financial resources, support systems, processes, and reasonable formats in order to voice their concern over such abuses. *** 3 of 10 lowest ranking states in terms of education excellence are among the 19 that allow paddling in schools. (According to Education Week's Annual Education Report Card dated 1/14/10) ***8 of the top 10 ranking states in terms of education excellence have banned paddling in schools. (According to Education Week's Annual Education Report Card dated 1/14/10)

I live in New Bern, NC and I am outraged at Congress not coming up with deal to fix the sequester. This affects me because most of our economy comes from the brave men and women in uniform who defend this country, so that slack-jaw yokes like me can enjoy this great country. Congress needs to get locked in their seats until they can come up with a solution to fix this problem.

I live in New Bern, NC and I am outraged at Congress not coming up with deal to fix the sequester. This affects me because most of our economy comes from the brave men and women in uniform who defend this country, so that slack-jaw yokes like me can enjoy this great country. Congress needs to get locked in their seats until they can come up with a solution to fix this problem.

CAN WE GET RICK PERRY OUT OF OFFICE? CAN HE RUN AGAIN? HE HAS PREVENTED THIS STATE FROM RECEIVING SO MUCH MONEY AND SO MANY BENEFITS.

HCR21 and HCR22 are resolutions introduced in the State of Idaho to spark the transfer of ownership of millions of acres of federal lands to Idaho for local control. One of the most obvious problems with this concept is in observing the destructive standards of Idaho Department of Lands logging jobs in tracts of State managed lands like Service Flats south of Grangeville Idaho? The State of Idaho demonstrates a total disregard for responsible stewardship and multi-use management of the lands. Under the premise of jobs and economy and preserving the beauty of Idaho Public Lands through local State control, these politicians see dollar signs, but doubtful any of them have seen the results of areas like Service Flats south of Grangeville idaho. Logging is good for the lands and the economy, but if destructive logging contracts corrupt the natural beauty and multi-use access of our beautiful lands, the endgame is not a "dream of local ownership" but rather a TOTAL natural resource "nightmare". While citizens do recognize there are problems and issues with the land management by the US Forest Service, mainly due to litigation by special interest groups, ownership of millions of acres of Idaho Public Lands transferred to the State represents an imminent threat to existing jobs, sensitive wildlife habitats, flora and fauna, recreational access and a total disregard for the environment and natural beauty of our forest lands. For more information and an audio podcast series launched in March 2013, visit http://idahopubliclandsummit.com and subscribe to articles and interviews to bring a higher level of awareness to the value and economic benefits of preserving the wealth of our public lands. This land is your land, this land is my land.

North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles spend up to a decade feeding on small crabs in an area off the coast of Mexico's Baja California. Alarmingly, more than 1,000 North Pacific loggerheads die every year when they are accidentally caught up in fishermen's nets. The bycatch toll of loggerheads in Mexican waters is one of the highest in the world — and it is jeopardizing their survival. Urge the President of Mexico to protect these sea turtles — while there is still time.

A recent Atlanta Journal Constitution article gave us all a huge wakeup call. Gas and oil speculators are apparently already at work here in Georgia, hoping to strike it big in the Conasauga gas field, which runs under the Northwest corner of the state and likely includes parts of the Chattahoochee National Forest. Fracking would mean serious damage for the pristine headwaters of many of our rivers—which are huge sources of drinking water—and critical wildlife and amazing trails. The Bureau of Land Management oversees drilling leases in our National Forests and is currently considering a new fracking rule. Lets make sure we can protect the Chattahoochee National Forest before the fracking starts-please sign-on! For more check out the AJC article here: http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/03/10/georgia-tees-up-for-next-shale-gas-boom/#5344-2

Full impact of this bill has not been studied. This legislation is “a sword to be used against minorities” and is unconstitutional. This legislation could justify discrimination with legal authority to do so. The Constitutions of Kentucky have, since 1792, assured the citizens of Kentucky freedom of worship according to their own conscience, unless “dangerous or detrimental to the lives, safety or health of the participants or to the public.” HB279 as worded, has the potential to deprive certain citizens of the Commonwealth of their freedom to exercise their own rights of autonomy.

TAKING GUNS OFF THE STEEET .....PUTTING MORE POWERFUL PEOPLE IN OFFICE THAT WANT TO HELP ......PUTTING MORE CAMERAS ON THE STREETS.....WE NEED HIGHER AUTHORITY HELP....PUTTING COOS ON THE STREET FOR SHOOTINGS NOT JUST FOR GIVING TICKETS ....PUTTING CAMERS ON CARS...GUNS.....EVERY WEAPON NEED TO HACE A SENSORE ON IT SO WHEN YOU SHOT IT TAKES YOUR FINGERPRINTS AND GOES THRU THE COMPUTER SYSTEM .....MAKING WEAPONS MORE EASIER TO FIND KILLERS ....