As NBA superstar Kevin Durant recently said, "[M]arijuana is marijuana... I feel like it shouldn’t even be a huge topic around it anymore.” But it is if you're an NBA player. Players face a 5 game suspension for using marijuana -- even if the player lives in one of the 11 states (plus D.C.) who've legalized recreational usage or the 33 states (plus D.C.) where medicinal use is allowed. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver takes pride in being the most progressive sports league in the U.S., but suspending players for using marijuana--medically or recreationally--is out of sync with that forward-leaning image. NBA players generate $8 BILLION for the league's owners, and the players deserve the right to use marijuana without being punished for it. League commissioner Adam Silver can -- and should -- change this immediately. Sources: 1. "Kevin Durant thinks weed ‘shouldn’t even be a huge topic’ for NBA anymore," New York Post, Feb. 27, 2020 https://nypost.com/2020/02/27/kevin-durant-thinks-weed-shouldnt-even-be-a-huge-topic-for-nba-anymore/ 2. "How the NBA Makes Money," Investopedia, updated Sep. 24, 2019 https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/071415/how-nba-makes-money.asp

So far, this nation's response to the Covid-19 threat is woefully inadequate, due to underfunding of the Centers For Disease Control and lack of leadership from the Trump administration. Our lack of testing kits available for doctors and hospitals to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and the inadequate supply of hospital beds for the huge demand the disease is likely to generate, are just two examples of serious shortcoming that must be addressed!

It is wrong to continue to celebrate Columbus. He and those that followed after him raped, enslaved, and attempted to exterminate the native Taínos. He also did not discover anything. It was already discovered by the native peoples.

The spread of the coronavirus is a major national and global public health crisis. It should be a moment where our government works quickly and effectively to stop a pandemic. Instead, as the Intercept reported, Congressional leaders are considering adding an extremely controversial provision reauthorizing mass spying on the American people to a must-pass coronavirus spending bill. Key portions of the Patriot Act are due to expire on March 15. This includes Section 215, the notorious provision that enabled our government to conduct mass surveillance on the American people. Members of both parties in Congress have tried to prevent Section 215 from being reauthorized, so we can shut down this abusive spying for good. But Congressional leaders are strongly considering adding a reauthorization of Section 215 to the coronavirus spending bill, forcing members of Congress to choose between public health and our constitutional rights. We need to mobilize NOW and tell Congress this is an unacceptable, shady, and offensive idea. Congress needs to pass a clean coronavirus funding bill. And they need to shut down Section 215 for good.

This petition is to support of Georgia House Bill 843 sponsored by Representative Demetrius Douglas outlining a plan to provide 30 minutes of recess to Georgia elementary school children. Currently Georgia does not have a formal requirement to provide recess to grades K-5. In March 2019 during the Georgia legislative session, a similar House Bill (#83) was approved by both the Senate and House (237 in "yay", only 15 "nay", so 96% in favor). In May 2019, Governor Kemp vetoed the bill preferring local control of recess policies. Representative Douglas is rightly passionate about this issue and is bringing recess back for consideration in 2020. Given the overwhelmingly positive response of both the House and Senate in 2019, we want to show our support as a community through this petition. Currently Georgia ranks #8 in childhood obesity. More and more children are being diagnosed with health related illnesses. Children need unstructured play time, fresh air and sunlight incorporated into their school day. House Bill 843 provides for 30 minutes of recess for all Georgia children consistently. It gives children the right to play, supporting healthy development -- physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and academically. Thank you for your support!

We believe this is an essential move to protect our national public schools.

If the candidate with the most delegates does not get to run as the Democratic nominee for President, and Superdelegates give it to a less popular candidate , it will fracture the Democratic Party. This will likely keep Trump in office for four more years, and we cannot let this happen!

This guarantees that our workers in our communities are not being treated differently from workers in New York and New Jersey, and can peacefully form their union. As Mayflower continues to be successful, the workers should also see the result of their hard work reflected in their wages, benefits, protections, and working conditions.

It is often difficult to see when stopped on Thurston at Nevada because of cars parked along the road. I have personally narrowly avoided accidents at this intersection because I thought it was clear, but there was a car coming down Nevada that I could not see. A 4-way stop would make this intersection much safer and less stressful to cross.

This issue is important because the survival of democracy in the U.S. is at stake and, more importantly, the survival of the planet.

The current pay schedule is not competitive with the current job market in and outside of the education field. Furthermore, it does not account for the cost of living in the metropolitan Nashville area. As a result, our children are losing talented teachers to other counties and other industries. Also, without enough substitute teachers and support staff, educators bear an unfair and heavy workload that ultimately creates an unhealthy education experience for both children and teachers alike. The injustice our children experience when high-quality teachers are lost due to a system that underpays and undervalues them is unconscionable.

In October and November of 2019, Maine’s first and fourth largest cities made history. Portland and South Portland became the first places in Maine to declare a climate emergency. Brunswick and Bar Harbor declared an emergency shortly after, with more on the way or in the process. A similar resolution has now been presented to the Lewiston School Committee. It is only fitting that a school, a place where children learn about the world, listen to the youth activists. Climate change is often seen as a scary and abstract concept. How would understanding around the crisis change if students’ schools recognized it for the emergency it is? How many more environmental leaders would we have growing up today? This is why we urge Lewiston Public Schools to declare climate emergency.