Our one-sided backing of Israel leads to Arab hatred of us, acts of terrorism, expensive measures to guard against terrorism, and loss of civil rights. Continued tension expands our defense budget and makes our deficit worse. We pay more taxes, or lose vital services, or both. I suffer from all of these.

On Tuesday, February 19th, the Maine Legislature will take up an "emergency" measure exempting concealed weapons permit holders from our Freedom of Access Act (FOAA). This means that for 60 days, the public will not be able to know who possesses a concealed carry permit. The Legislature will likely take up a permanent measure in the coming weeks, but by then a dangerous precedent will have been set. The emergency bill will not be given a hearing, and the public will not be invited to comment. Maine's Freedom of Access law covers a whole range of information, from hunting and fishing licenses to emergency dispatch records. It's based on the premise that government shouldn't be doing business in secret. It allows only very limited exceptions - to people such as recipients of protection orders - who might be in danger if their private information got into the wrong hands. Concealed weapons permit holders are not in danger and do not need special protections that the rest of us do not have. Please join us in asking the Legislature to apply our Freedom of Access Law to all citizens equally. For more information see http://www.sunjournal.com/news/our-view/2013/02/17/guarding-our-right-public-access/1321821.

Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano released a letter to President Obama promising to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits." Within two days, the letter had more than a dozen co-signers, but to date, Rep. Matt Cartwright has not signed on. We want to know definitively that Rep. Cartwright will stand up against Republican efforts to cut the social safety net.

Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano released a letter to President Obama promising to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits." Within 2 days, the letter had more than a dozen cosigners, but to date, Rep. William Clay has not signed on. Sigh to urge Rep. Clay to sign the letter.

Close proximity to Experanza High School Close prximity to single family residences Un-supervised kids walking to bus stops, current high school & residences in the area.

Staten Islanders and Brooklynites in CD 11 call upon Michael Grimm to continue in the direction of ending gun violence, by supporting federal legislative priorities: background checks, ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines. He has already signed on to a bipartisan bill increasing penalties and law enforcement for gun trafficking, which is a great start!

The instant runoff voting system is a unique and foolproof way to allow the person that is most wanted in any given political office make that position. It ensures that the candidate has over 50% of the votes when they are elected. The electoral college, while useful in it's time, only serves to muddle and add confusion to the electoral system, as well as removing the validity of votes that are counted toward any candidate. I feel that by implementing this voting system and removing the electoral college, The people's votes will be heard more strongly and they will feel comfortable voting with who they feel is the most qualified candidate, and not the "safe vote."

They are spraying a combo of barium, aluminum, and strontium, which cause: oxygen shortages, brain deterioration, liver, kidney, heart damage and cancer. Wake up their spraying right now!!! Those are not real clouds!

A few weeks ago in Nashville, a group of Metro police officers made a sweep on a homeless camp on one of the coldest nights of the year. One man in particular was cited for trespassing, and when he returned to the camp, he found that his tent had been slashed open with a knife... by one of the officers! "My tent was slashed. I mean, it looked like Freddy Krueger had come through there and cut it up. Brand new tent. I hadn't had it two weeks. $150 dollar tent, and they're not easy for me to come by being homeless, you know." The man had no choice but to sleep in what was left of his home, and woke up under a half inch of snow. Metro Police Officer Shaun Heath admitted what he did and has since been demoted and taken off the streets pending investigation. "This was one officer doing something that he shouldn't have done. It should not have happened, there's no question about that. He realizes that. He realizes that he was wrong in what he did," said Metro Police Cmdr. Marlene Pardue, of the West Precinct. The homeless man, now relocated and using a borrowed tent, is not asking for a new tent or the officer's job. He simply wants an apology and mutual respect. I feel that if Officer Shaun Heath wants to continue to "protect and serve" the people of Nashville, he should replace the home he destroyed and make a formal, public apology.

"vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits."1

Representatives Alan Grayson and Mark Takano released a letter to President Obama promising to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits." Within two days, the letter had more than a dozen co-signers, but to date, Rep. Lois Capps has not signed on. When struggling families encounter serious illness, they need to be supported in order to keep our entire country strong.

I live in Mainlands 4, a retirement community, next to a proposed development that will add over 1,000 residents in a narrow slice of land with only 1 point of ingress and egress. This will create extremely dangerous conditions on the ONLY road leading into and out of the development. There are no sidewalks and the 2 lane street was not designed for an additional 1,000+ vehicles a day. Most of you are aware of how vehemently this development has been opposed from the beginning. We were lied to by past politicians who promised this would never happen. Now it's time for you to right this terrible wrong. Protecting our citizens and our way of life should be your top priority. Do the right thing and stop this hated, ill conceived development. Save our way of life!