A recent report by the American Bar Association [ABA] found that Kentucky's death penalty system is so broken and unfair that the state should declare a moratorium on executions. But a moratorium isn't enough. It is time to end the death penalty in Kentucky altogether. The 500-page ABA assessment found no uniform standards on eyewitness identifications and police interrogations, and a high error rate in death sentences, with more than 60 percent overturned on appeal. The study also found that Kentucky lacks safeguards to ensure that defendants with mental disabilities are not put to death. American Bar Association President Wm. (Bill) Robinson, along with former Kentucky Supreme Court Justices James E. Keller and Martin E. Johnstone, all of whom participated in the ABA assessment of Kentucky's death penalty system, recently wrote in the Courier-Journal, "The list of problematic cases is staggering, and review of the system is deeply troubling. Fairness, impartiality and effectiveness of counsel have been undermined by serious flaws that reveal systemic problems in administration of the death penalty in the commonwealth…" Richard Dieter, Executive Director of the Death Penalty Information Center and author of The Death Penalty in 2011: Year End Report, notes that the nation as a whole is backing away from the death penalty. “This year, the use of the death penalty continued to decline by almost every measure,” Dieter said . “Executions, death sentences, public support, the number of states with the death penalty all dropped from previous years. Whether it’s concerns about unfairness, executing the innocent, the high costs of the death penalty, or the general feeling that the government just can’t get it right, Americans moved further away from capital punishment in 2011.” "To make the leap that murder victim families are united in wanting a death penalty continues the critical oversimplification of “paying a price commensurate with their crimes” and the pathetic use of a grieving family at a parole hearing to justify another murder. I belong to two different organizations of murder victim families (thousands of us) that feel victim survivors are victimized yet again when murderers are given the gallows. My brother was murdered in 1986 and his murderer was poisoned to death in 1997 by the state of Missouri. That is why I work as a board member of the Kentucky Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Don’t lay the need to continue executions down at victims’ feet. (You don’t know the voices of all of us.)" - Ben Griffith, in a letter-to-the-editor recently published by the Frankfort State-Journal. The death penalty is costly. The death penalty is out of step with modern thinking. The death penalty is risky. The death penalty is unfair, broken, and arbitrary. The death penalty is unnecessary. Victims' families deserve better. Kentucky’s death penalty is too broken to fix. It needs to be abolished.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a set up just waiting for abuse and erodes the foundation of our Constitution.

Have you been denied a claim by GEICO. Have you been accused of fraud by GEICO. If you have had any problems with GEICO this petition is for you.

Dear MoveOn Members: This morning's news: Mitt Romney now proposes to that organizations like National Public Radio (NPR), PBS, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities be funded through paid advertisements and through private support from charities, exclusively. The facts are: 1) paid advertising goes completely against the intent and spirit of NPR and PBS and is the principal reason that programming on NPR and PBS remains relatively free from corporate influence. It can be argued that such influence would cause many worthwhile programs to evaporate due to corporate influence; 2) the nation's charities already give generously to NPR and PBS, while federal funds support the NEA and NEH. To ask our nation's already stressed charities to additionally fund work that, in many instances, they are ALREADY funding, is outrageous; and 3) the combined budgets of all FOUR of these organizations is a very, very small portion of the federal budget. Before we talk about cuts to these organizations, Gov. Romney, let's talk about cuts to the military and the many, many questionable subsidies and tax breaks given to any number of industries in this country.

The free press (and by extension the news/commentary media) is held by the constitution and tradition to be one of the great safeguards of American democracy. At present, there is no consequence for deliberately misleading readers viewers and listeners with known falsehoods. We should follow the example of Canada with a statute that requires that a commentator forfeit his/her license if he/she can be shown to have said or written something that they knew to be untrue.

Stopping Healthcare professionals from participating in torture and improper treatment of "prisoners" at Guantanamo Bay, and other detention spots

Wisconsin has the opportunity to join more than 20 other States who have successfully deregulated gas and electricity utilities--to the financial benefit of their residential and business customers. Actual utility bills show that Illinois residents, alone, pay nearly 25%-45% LESS than Wisconsin residents for the same services--thanks to deregulation. We have experienced this success in other area, for instance, landline and cell phone service. Help us to collect 1,000 signatures to show that we are serious about lowering our utility bills. Thank you.

The Colorado Civil Union Act was introduced in February 2011. It passed in the Senate with a vote of 23-12. When the Act moved on to the House, it was defeated 5-6. We need your help to re-introduce this act and stop discriminating against LGBT couples by not giving them marriage-associated rights. If we legalize the Colorado Civil Union Act, we will be that much closer to overturning Amendment 43 to Colorado's Constitution and equal rights for all couples in Colorado. Sign now and help equality!

Solicito ser excomulgado pues me rehusó a ser parte de una iglesia hipócrita, cuyos ministros son unos degenerados, y que lucra con la fe del pueblo mexicano y que busca intervenir en el futuro de México apuntalando en el poder al régimen podrido y sangriento del PRIAN.

My petition is to recall Rick Scott from office. I believe he is an incompetent and inoperative person who has done a lot of damage to the State of Florida.

The petition is to save the Wisconsin Retirement System which is one of the soundest, well-financed ,and secure funds in the whole nation.

California's Public Educational System, Kindergarten through College and University has been cut to the bone. Overcrowded classrooms, textbook shortages, teacher and professor layoffs, and reduced or eliminated college class sections have made it impossible for millions of talented students to graduate. University of California students' tuition fees have been raised by 20 percent, California State University students' tuition fees have been raised by 27 percent, and California Community College students' tuition fees have been raised by 80 percent for the 2011/2012 academic year, and these students face the probability of severe midyear tuition fee increases in the Spring 2012 semester. California's K-12 System is suffering with overcrowded classrooms, instructional material shortages, and teacher layoffs. Californians must act now to save our once renowned Educational System. Education is the foundation of a strong economy. California Governors Pete Wilson and Arnold Schwarzenegger enjoyed tuition free education at UC Berkeley and Santa Monica College respectively. In the 1960s and 1970s, California's Educational System was the envy of the world. During this time, public higher education was tuition free as mandated by Governor Pat Brown's Master Plan for Higher Education, and California's economy grew to the 5th largest in the world. Today, California's economy has fallen to 8th position in the world because of a lack of investment in education and technology. China recently invented the world's fastest computer server and produces the largest number of solar panels, while South Korea produces the best electric car batteries using cutting-edge technologies. California's K-12 spending per pupil has dropped to 43rd out of 50 states. College and University graduates are saddled with huge debts. If California is to successfully compete with countries such as China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and India, California's Educational System must be adequately funded, offering more classes and programs in cutting-edge technology, skilled manufacturing, alternative energy, the humanities, and the arts. Unbelievably, California has failed to employ a widely used revenue source that can address this crisis in our education. This revenue source is employed by every major oil producing state, except California. This untapped source of revenue is a severance tax on oil and natural gas extracted in California. Since California is the nation's 3rd largest producer of oil, after Texas and Alaska, a 15% oil and natural gas severance tax (midway between that of Texas and Alaska) would raise over $3 billion each year, at 2011 oil prices. This has not been a partisan issue in other states. For example, Governor Sarah Palin, with a Republican legislature, raised Alaska's oil severance tax to 25%, bringing in billions of dollars. Texas' and Alaska's gasoline prices were not affected by their oil severance taxes, and in March 2011, their price per gallon of gasoline was lower than California's. This type of oil and natural gas severance tax is the economic standard in every major oil and natural gas producing state and nation around the world. Closing the California Oil and Natural Gas Severance Tax loophole will help fully fund California's public education once again, making California competitive in the global economy and ensuring a bright future for this generation and succeeding generations of Californians. http://www.lao.ca.gov/ballot/2011/110648.aspx http://www.rescueeducationcalifornia.org/