Help stop republicans from trying to eliminate Pres. Obama's payroll tax cut. The tax cut puts $934 back in all our pockets. The GOP wants to stop that tax cut. Let's show them that we need that money.

In hopes of raising awareness of animal suffering, PETA recently announced plans to launch a XXX website. We've had enough of PETA's sexist publicity stunts. We're calling on PETA President Ingrid Newkirk to stop objectifying women in the interest of animal welfare.

To support students, parents, and teachers alike, we need to let our state representatives know that the use of high stakes testing is damaging children, teachers, schools and communities. Standardized tests have failed to produce real reform; too much time is taken away from our students' learning in lieu of test preparation and practice, which narrows the curriculum and dissuades any intrinsic desire to learn.

The St. Mark's Bookshop has a long tradition in the Lower East Side and serves an admirable and increasingly rare function. St. Mark's is struggling to pay the market rent that Cooper Union is charging them at 31 3rd Ave. A significant rent concession by Cooper Union could save this irreplaceable neighborhood institution.

Our petition is to change the speed limit on the streets of Plummer, Christopher and Jefferson from 30 mph to 20mph. We also suggest this change to be city wide in all thickly settled residential roads in Newburyport.

On Friday, September 2nd, President Obama asked Administrator Jackson of the EPA to withdraw the Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards, thereby killing, for now, any effort at decreasing air pollution and smog. We need to let him know that this kind of back-pedaling on important issues he previously said he would stand for is not appreciated by his supporters.

My Father has worked his entire life and had no choice but to go on Social Security Disability because of several health issues. Unfortunately his monthly $1500 stipend is all he has to pay his living expense which is not enough to cover his medical expenses that Medicare won't cover and is considered too much to qualify for any Medicaid assistance. As a result he continues to suffer from infections in his jaw because he is now up to 4 teeth that have broken off (roots still in jaw) and he is STILL unable to get the needed dental work. Our Government's fix is to keep him going to his MD for antibiotics (that he pays) every 2-3 months when his jaw gets too swollen or the pain gets too much for him to bare. I guess he should consider going to another country to benefit from the great American aid. How many others Americans are suffering while our politicians make certain that their families will be taken care of for generations - Doesn't sound like all men are created equal? STOP THE MADNESS; IT’S TIME TO CLEAN UP OUR OWN BACKYARD BEFORE WE PLANT FLOWERS IN SOMEONE ELSES!

We are seeking sign-ons from HIV/AIDS community organizations in support of this study to prove that screening for anal cancer in HIV+ people will eliminate needless deaths and suffering--just like cervical cancer screening has done for women for over 40 yrs. This is by necessity a large and expensive study, but without it payers will never approve the screening procedures needed to prevent anal cancer in HIV+ people. Please sign, and distribute widely to other AIDS organization fo sign as well. Thanks! Jeff Taylor AIDS Malignancy Consortium community representative

Because standardized tests have failed to produce real reform over the last fifty years in the state of Texas, because too much time is taken away from our students' daily learning in order to do test practice and because the state test does not provide meaningful and useful data regarding a student's progress, we will keep our kids home on test day as a protest.

“We, the undersigned parents/guardians, exercise our 1st and 14th Amendment rights of the federal Constitution to opt our children out of standardized testing that is misused as an inaccurate and inappropriate tool to judge student achievement, school quality, and teacher effectiveness. We, the undersigned citizens, support parents/guardians in their effort to opt their public school-aged children out of standardized testing that is misused as an inaccurate and inappropriate tool to judge student achievement, school quality, and teacher effectiveness. Additionally, we collectively agree that our tax paid money should no longer be used to pay for the mass production of these tests, the grading of these tests, and the forensic examination of the legitimacy of the completed tests.”

The political system in the United States has created a "privileged class" of politicians, both in the Senate & Congress, who earn far more than is justifiable and receive special benefits and healthcare, even after the end of their careers. "We the People" are supposed to dictate the course of government in this country, not a privileged minority. With all men & women created equal, Senators and Congressmen should be subject to the same healthcare and benefits as working class Americans and, in this time of economic austerity, receive a significant pay-cut putting them on par with the American working class average salary. After all, our taxes pay for their privileges, and We The People can no longer afford it.

88 year-old Douglas White, the oldest living holy man from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, died in prison on November 24, 2009. He spent the last 17 years of his life incarcerated for a crime he did not commit. The government didn’t want to admit that it made a mistake. Despite possessing conclusive evidence of Douglas’ innocence, the government fabricated a technicality to keep an innocent man in prison. Douglas never got a fair trial from the very beginning. But after 14 years in prison, new evidence of his actual innocence was discovered. He played by all the rules and the government robbed him of the opportunity to clear his name and spend his last days with his people. To this day, the government refuses to be accountable and thinks it can wash the blood off its hands and declare the case “moot.” This case is a shameless and corrupt collusion of power between the Court system and the US Attorney’s office who act as if they are above the law. This is not just an “Indian problem.” This is a problem for all Americans, for all people, everywhere because if it could happen to him, it could happen to any one of us. And it does, all the time. Let’s not let this holy man have died in vain. Douglas’ case is a glaring example of the corruption in the US justice system and can set a precedent that could change the way justice is served in this country. By demanding an investigation into this travesty of justice, we can expose this systemic corruption and prevent this from ever happening again. Please sign the petition. For more information on the film about Douglas case, “Holy Man: The USA vs Douglas White,” please visit www.holymanfilm.com.