We oppose Army Corps of Engineers giving a permit to the to the Governor of Puerto Rico to build the "Via Verde" gas-pipeline. The contracts to build it will go to the Governor's friends. The company that will build it wants a tax exception and the People of Puerto Rico would wind up paying for the destruction of their own environment. Governor Fortuño’s Via Verde Gas Pipeline represents the destruction of 1,500 acres of forests, 800 acres of agricultural land, direct impact to 235 bodies of water, wetlands, ecosystems that produce the majority of Puerto Rico's drinking water, threats to sacred archeological sites of native Taino people, displacement of scores of Puerto Rican families, waste of millions of dollars, as well as putting at risk over 200,000 people. In Puerto Rico, environmental, professional, labor, student, religious, cultural, political and community groups and grassroots Puerto Rican people are marching to stand for environmental justice, and for the right of the people of Puerto Rico to their land, their water, their culture. We the People say, "No!" to the "Via Verde" gas pipeline. ................................................................................................. [castilian/Spanish] Nosotros los aqui firmantes de esta peticion demandamos al “Army Corps of Engineers” que le niegue el permiso al Gobernador Fortuno para construir el gasoducto “Via Verde”. Los contratos son para el beneficio de los amigos del Gobernador. La compania que quiere construir el gasoducto pide que le den excemcion para no pagar impuestos y asi los puertorriquenos terminarian pagando por la propia destruccion de su ambiente. Ese gasoducto de Fortuno representa la destruccion de 1,500 cuerdas de bosques, 800 cuerdas de tierras agricolas, impactaria 235 cuerpos de agua, humedales, ecosistemas, que producen la mayoria del agua potable que se consume en Puerto Rico, amenaza a los asentamientos sagrados de los amerindios tainos, el desplazamiento de familias puertorriquenas, malgasto de millones de dolares, como tambien pone en riesgo a mas de 200,000 ciudadanos. En Puerto Rico, grupos de profesionales, ambientalistas, trabajadores, religiosos,politicos, grupos comunitarios, gente y personas del pueblo se estan manifestando por el derecho del pueblo Puertorriqueno su tierra, su agua y su cultura. Nosotros, el Pueblo, decimos, "No al “Via Verde”, tubo de la muerte.

Evanston's school district 65 is poised to make progressive decisions regarding the education of its students in both middle and elementary schools through the passage of the referendum on March 20, 2012. The referendum will address the needs of district in regards to capacity and building improvements, as well as allow for the expansion and implementations of STEM labs in the middle schools. Please lend your public support by adding your name to the petition. A list of supporters will be published.

The Iowa Legislature is once again considering a bill to criminalize videotaping or photographing the animal cruelty and/or abuse taking place in animal facilities. The Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee is looking at SF431, which would not only create penalties for these activities, but also for "misrepresenting" oneself to gain access to these facilities, for example, on a job application. A related bill has already passed the Iowa House. Since we know that the large facilities that are the most likely to be involved in these heinous practices are NOT going to let anybody in to see what's going on, this would tie the hands of those who seek to expose these practices. It would send a message that not only are these acts tolerated, but the abusers are protected by law. There are several other states that are considering similar legislation. Contrary to the spin that is being put on these, this is NOT designed to protect your average family farmer, who is probably not engaging in these activities, but the huge agriculural concerns who have been lobbying hard for this legislation. Not only are these practices inhumane, but this environment also leads to concerns in the food supply, as evidenced by the recent salmonella outbreaks from huge poultry operations, or the concern about "downer" cows entering the food stream. Please voice your opinion that it is NOT OK to criminalize whistleblowing against abusive practices in animal facilities.

Stop Governor Snyder from building the new bridge when there is one in place to be done. He is in it to spend money that does not need to be spent. This money will come for ALL taxpayers, not him included. Spend the money he had planned on the new bridge he wants and use it to finish the bridge already started!

The protests against this dictatorship have grown for almost a year, as has the brutal military response. Members of the regular Syrian Army have defected to the Free Syrian Army. Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas support Syria. The Russians and Chinese vetoed a UN resolution for a non-violent solution to the conflict, and Russia, like Iran, is arming the government. All nonviolent solutions are exhausted. The Free Army is outgunned. The overthrow of Assad is in America's national interest; it will deprive Iran of a critical ally and break its link with Hezbollah and Hamas.

We need to focus the proper management of tax dollars into more meaningful programs rather than war mongering, corruption, and greed. We need to funnel money into education, so teachers don't have to spend their own money to get needed supplies for their students, and college graduates aren't paying student loans forever...healthcare, so people are not dying needlessly...jobs and housing, so families do not lose their homes...clean, renewable energy and sustainable living as humans being, so we can have hope for the future without using up our resources...social security, so our seniors don't have to worry needlessly...and most of all, global peacemaking efforts, paying it forward with random acts of kindness so everyone can be who they are, and have what they need, all around the world.

Improving home energy efficiency gives residents control over their energy usage, so they can use less without sacrificing comfort. However, the initial cost of efficiency upgrades can put these improvements out of reach for many customers. Connecticut has great programs that can make upgrades more affordable, but currently they are not available to the half of state residents who heat with oil, because unlike natural gas customers, they do not contribute to the state's efficiency fund via their fuel bill. The Connecticut legislature is considering a measure that would correct this, making energy efficiency programs that are currently available to electric and gas customers also available to heating oil users. Please ask your state senator and representative to support this legislation.

Maryland's Constitution mandates that every 20 years the General Assembly place a referendum on the ballot giving voters the opportunity to convene a state constitutional convention (con-con). If a majority of the voters approve, then the Assembly must provide for the election of con-con delegates (using the same electoral districts as the Assembly) and then another ballot referendum so the voters can ratify or reject the con-con's proposed constitutional amendments. The Framers of Maryland's 1851 constitution inserted this self-executing provision in the Constitution because they knew that the Assembly would have a conflict of interest in convening a con-con to implement democratic reforms that did not enhance their power. Prior to the most recent referendum on Nov. 2, 2010, not a single member of the General Assembly publicly supported a yes vote on the referendum. This was no surprise, as many legislators feared a con-con would lead to popular constitutional amendments that they strongly opposed, such as independent redistricting, legislative transparency, legislative term limits, and a balanced budget. On Nov. 2, 2010, 54.4% of Marylanders voting on the question voted yes to convene a state con-con. But members of the General Assembly have refused to convene it, despite their claims to respect the will of their constituents, the original intent of the Framers and Ratifiers of the self-executing con-con provision, and their oath of office to uphold the Constitution. Sign this petition to uphold Maryland's Constitution and the people's right to convene a state constitutional convention. For more information, see www.MarylandConCon.org.

Tell President Obama no cuts to MediCare for his budget plan. He told the American people when he campaigned he would not make cuts to MediCare and Social Security.

President Obama should send a request to Congress every month to pass measures such that employment growth in total, private and public, is 400,000 per month. 400,000 will return us to full employment, and erase the tragically unnecessary misery and injustice of the current mass unemployment, by about 2015 instead of 2020 if we stay on the current path of employment growth.

The push to make Voter ID laws that are targeted at Poor, Ethnic, and Student voters is nothing more than a Poll Tax disguised as "Fraud Prevention." Making people pay for a State Authorized form of ID is a tool to disenfranchise people on limited or fixed income.

Each of use creates wastewater daily and the reason it can't be released into a river or lake is that it causes algae blooms, it's a rich resource for growing algae. So in America we burn 474-million gallons of all types of transportation fuels a day and with 300-million people that's 1.58-gallons a person a day in fuel. If you grow algae to purify the wastewater it's worth about 2-gallons or more a day per person on the system. Biodiesel will burn in any engine on the planet so this suggests a way to gain all our transportation fuels from our own wastewater and never need a drop of oil. The reasons to do this is that algae are the world's best water cleaners so when growth-rates drop the water is given final treatment and fully recycled like North Lake Tahoe's plant has been doing since the late 1970's, so you get the water back. Then you get the biodiesel by pressing the algae for oils and giving that a tweak to work with the seals in the engines you use. This system can work at any scale, for example Phoenix, AZ, produces 10-million gallons a day of secondary effluent, 41.5-million pounds of fertilizer the algae must consume before tomorrow and worth about 3-million gallons of biodiesel daily. The fertilizer alone is worth over $9-million a day, that's part of the economy of doing this is to use this renewable source to grow our fuel from existing infrastructure and like for Phoenix, a city on canals to get enough water, the 10-million gallons of wastewater is recycled saving that amount in fresh-water demand --- per day. With a local source of transportation fuels being created at wastewater plants, we'll never need another gallon of foreign oil.