Except for a few who have lost touch with reality, Republican members of Congress know that Donald Trump lost a free and fair election. By failing to say so publicly, they are endangering Americans' lives. The rest of us must stand up and insist that the truth be told.

Because Marjorie Taylor Greene is a threat to our democracy & a threat to President Biden & a threat to Nancy Pelosi!

The "war on drugs" has led to a the incarceration of millions of Americans with at least a million more incarcerated every year. Many of these people are drug users with an addiction and punishing them with jail or prison time will not break the addiction, but treatment might. In some states, a first time offender can get 10 years in prison for simple possession while in other's, one can get a 20 year sentence for possession. A decade in jail for having an addiction is not the right answer. Our families are being torn apart by drug addiction, and harsh prison/jail sentences are not helping to resolve the problem. Addiction can be defeated with treatment, not prison.

The COVID-19 pandemic is worse than it's ever been. Nearly one year in, and cases are still increasing. Families across the country continue to grapple with unparalleled losses of income and necessary support systems. And despite the promise of relief from the vaccine, states are struggling with distribution. So even as we continue to wear masks, keep physically distant, and care for our neighbors, the situation remains dire for far too many. Along with the ongoing public health crisis, we continue to be challenged by an economic crisis that has left millions unemployed, uninsured, housing and food insecure, and more. We need our political leaders to step up in a major way and with the utmost urgency to tackle these overlapping crises. This is a once-in-a-century emergency, and it demands groundbreaking solutions to match. President Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package, representing an important first step in getting aid and relief to those who need it to survive this crisis. But we're already hearing troubling resistance from Republicans and even some Democrats—that the size of the proposal is too large, or that they don't like certain provisions, or that they don't see the need to pass relief right now. Those of us who are surviving through the crisis day to day know exactly how dire and urgent the need is for ourselves, our families, and our communities. We need to send a message to all of our representatives, and we need to be loud and clear: Relief for those of us facing down the impacts of this crisis can't wait. With nothing less than survival for tens of millions of Americans at stake, we need real, robust relief, and we need it now. The Biden COVID-19 relief proposal includes another round of survival checks, enhanced and extended unemployment insurance, aid to states and localities, more funding for vaccinations, an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and more. It's a great first step in tackling this burgeoning crisis, and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus have already been organizing to strengthen the proposal in the House of Representatives. As we're pressuring our representatives to pass the package, here are a few things it should ensure: - Immigrants in the U.S. receive the same dignity, care, and respect as everyone else and are not left out of relief once again. This package should include survival checks and health care coverage for immigrants, and a pathway to citizenship for essential workers, immigrant youth, and TPS recipients. - Everyone can see a doctor. With millions unemployed and losing insurance, we need emergency health care coverage via a public plan. The proposal contains a modest amount of funding, but more aid to states and localities is needed to prevent layoffs and cuts to essential services. - And last but not least, we can't allow Republicans in Congress to water down Biden's proposal for a $15 federal minimum wage—or cut it out of any final legislation altogether. There are other important ways that the proposal could be strengthened or expanded as well: student debt forgiveness; auto-stabilizers so that assistance continues until the economy recovers, rather than expiring on an artificial timeline; rent and mortgage cancellation; and more. Overall, it's important that our representatives hear that we want them to expand and strengthen the Biden proposal, not water it down further. One last point: While President Biden has put forward calls for bipartisanship and unity—on a proposal that should be embraced by any elected official who doesn't want to see their constituents suffer—the reality is that most Republicans won't support legislation that provides relief to middle- and working-class Americans. There's no time to waste in getting people the relief they need to survive, and if Republicans won't get on board, Democrats should be prepared to pass this proposal—and future ones—without them. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Schumer, along with Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders, have all spoken up in support of using Congress's reconciliation process to pass the proposal, which would allow Democrats to pass it in the Senate with a simple majority, instead of trying to convince ten or more recalcitrant Republicans to vote for it. This is absolutely what must happen to ensure our communities are able to weather the brutality of the pandemic, and every representative must be ready to vote for reconciliation in the House and the Senate. Whether our representatives are Democrats or Republicans, they need to get on board or get out of the way.

Too many are right now trying to sweep the events of January 6th, 2021 under the rug and pretending it wasn't that bad. But insurrectionists and anyone who somehow encouraged this - whether they are in congress or not - need to be reminded of their actions so they- at the very least learn something. The savage beatings of police and other Capitol defenders with American flags needs to be addressed as criminal and unpatriotic.

If congressional members really want to help heal our divided nation, they must tell their constituents the truth that Joe Biden legitimately won the election. Congress has certified the results and Biden was sworn-in on January 20th. Yet, due to the barrage of lies from Trump and complicit media, many of his supporters still believe that the election was somehow stolen, to the great detriment of our country. Congress must act swiftly to rectify this lie and set the record straight. Every elected representative in the Capitol must tell their constituents the truth. Action must immediately be taken by engaging the media--TV, radio, newspaper, congressional websites—in a truth campaign. In addition, congressional members must mail a letter, via USPS, to all of their constituents simply stating--once and for all—that Joe Biden legally won the election and is now our 46th president of the United States. If our nation is to survive and return to prosperity again, the truth must be accepted by all of our fellow citizens. This truth will set us free. If you agree, please sign this petition and tell Congress how vital it is that truth is upheld so the healing process can begin.

Let us look at what’s at stake here. A sitting president refused to acknowledge his defeat in a legitimate election, which is the bedrock of democracy. Instead, he mobilized all his legal, political, and eventually paramilitary power in an effort to overthrow the legitimate government of the United States of America. “Incitement to insurrection” is understated- this is treason. The Constitution says: “Treason against the United States, shall consist (only) in levying War against them…” The outcome of the trial is far from decided, even though forty-five Senate Republicans voted last week to declare it unconstitutional. They fear retaliation, both physical and political, from Trump’s violent supporters and his loyal base. A secret ballot would shield them from harm. Who is on trial here? It’s not only Trump, but also 50 GOP senators. Any of them that refuses to convict him is essentially collaborating with an enemy of the United States. A new book, American Kompromat- How the KGB Cultivated Donald Trump, and Related Tales of Sex, Greed, Power, and Treachery by Craig Unger lays out in detail, from trustworthy sources, how Trump became and remains a Russian asset. The only way to stop Trump and Trumpism is to ban him from politics. If he were prohibited from holding political office, his base would probably drift away, allowing the GOP to return to civilized conduct. And such a ban can only happen if the Senate convicts him of the impeachment charges. Then it would only take a simple majority to get him out of the political arena. Let’s look at his defense. His first team of lawyers resigned en masse because he insisted on defending the lie that the election was stolen from him. Evidently he’s seen reason, because the new team plans to argue 1) It’s unconstitutional to try an ex-president; 2) his speech on Jan. 6th, stirring up the crowd to invade the Capitol where Congress was sitting to certify Biden’s election, was protected by the First Amendment. As to 1), the House prosecutors will point out that Trump was still in office when impeached, and there are precedents for trial of an ex government official after he/she (all men so far) leaves office. As to 2), more and more evidence is coming to light about Trump’s role in the attempted coup, starting with his message to the Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate last September. He spent the fall laying groundwork for questioning the validity of the November election. After losing 60 lawsuits challenging Biden’s victory, in December he replaced key civil servants in the Defense Department with loyalists, who excluded the incoming Biden team from information for 2 weeks. On Jan 6th, 2021, these new appointees forbade Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, the commanding general of the DC National Guard, to call for additional help until the acting Secretary of Defense, Christopher Miller, approved it. Approval was delayed for several hours. Meanwhile the crowd rampaged through the Capitol, forcing Congresspeople into hiding, some afraid for their lives. Last week, Seth Abramson published a powerful piece at Proof on the role in the coup attempt/insurrection of Trump and his innermost circle. Fifteen hours before the insurrection began, Trump's closest advisors met at Trump's private residence at Trump International Hotel down the street from the White House. A couple of them had helped recruit the mob, via robocalls and social media. Blogs posted afterwards by some of those who met that evening indicate they were planning the coup. There are several smoking guns here. The Senate will convict Trump, if they are allowed to vote by secret ballot. Tell Senator Chuck Schumer to insist on a secret ballot. He can be reached at http://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/email-chuck And continue to spread this petition, https://sign.moveon.org/petitions/secret-ballot-for-senate-vote-on-trump-2nd-impeachment-trial-1

opinion: was never meant to be a life long position.

We have 10 years to turn this around. Even though Mont Vernon is a small town, we still throw out an AVERAGE of 3,516,496.2 pounds of trash a year. This is unacceptable, and also the weight of 2,583 grizzly bears. People also throw away about 5.1 pounds of trash A DAY, while only 1.4 gets recycled. And the EPA estimates that 75% of human waste could be recycled, however only 30% is. Each year, each person tosses out roughly 220.96 pounds of food waste, which is especially tragic since so many children are going hungry in the United States. The EPA also estimates that 1/3 of edible food is thrown out or wasted, and every single year, the US as a whole, disposes of 21.5 pounds of food waste. We don't have to stand back and watch!! Yes, we're a small town, but we could be the bridge to creating a healthier, greener world!! It's little things like this that can help us fight -and stop- climate change.

The Biden/Harris administration will have a lot to undo and will have to turn the ship around quickly. There is hope only if the public embrace the new executive order and wear masks for the next 100 days.

The 6th amendment of our Constitution guarantees everyone a right to counsel. However, most public defender’s offices are dramatically underfunded and their attorney’s overworked. Some attorneys have 19,000 cases in a single year allowing for an average of 7 minutes per client. These limitations give a great advantage to prosecutors who often overcharge defendant's in order to coerce them into taking a plea instead of going to trial. Some judges even punish individuals who choose to exercise their right to a trial with steeper sentences. https://www.brennancenter.org/sites/default/files/publications/2019_09_Defender%20Parity%20AnalysisV7.pdf

Our Constitution prohibits excessive bail and yet over 412,000 innocent people sit in jail every day, most, because they can’t afford to pay their bail. Excessive bail can cost the incarcerated their livelihood, homes, and children plus costs America $15.26 billion a year. The money bail system serves only bail bondsman. D.C. has proven that a system that uses public safety and likelihood to return to court as a measurement for release work and that the cash bail system is NOT NECESSARY. This change will: 1. Prevent individuals from remaining in jail due to lack of funds. 2. Stop wealthy/well-connected individuals from being able to get out of jail despite their danger to society and prevent. 3. Bring equity to a system that disfavors those who are not wealthy.