Dear Democratic Presidential Candidates: As Democratic presidential hopefuls, I urge you to issue a statement, either jointly or individually, affirming your support for the courageous democratic movement in Hong Kong. In the current trade conflict with China, despite being in a negotiating position to exert pressure on China to respect the democratic institutions of Hong Kong, Trump's criticism of and warnings toward China have been tepid and he has never voiced full support for the protestors. America is experiencing a moral vacuum in its highest office. Show the world that, under a Democratic president, America can still be a beacon for freedom across nations. Come out with a statement of support for the people of Hong Kong, especially its valiant young people who are not only risking arrest but their future livelihoods by hitting the streets against a repressively authoritarian and arguably totalitarian regime. As Chinese troops loom both in Hong Kong and nearby Shen Zhen, some may even be risking their lives. Representatives Castro Castro and Klobuchar, I urge you also to consider cosponsoring the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 introduced by Rep Chris Smith. Senators Booker, Harris, Sanders, and Warren: I urge you to consider cosponsoring the Senate version of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019 introduced by Marco Rubio. If members of the House or Senate have objections to the particulars of these particular bills, I urge them to introduce their own legislation. I would also urge all candidates to make a personal or group visit to the island, which would give a tremendous morale boost to the movement and perhaps even dissuade China from taking military action. Respectfully submitted.

A Boston teenager hospilalized with Cystic Fibrosis will have to go to Honduras -a country unable to treat his lung disease. A heart patient in between life saving surgeries will be out of luck. A woman needing weekly infusions will return to Guatemala were her spinal cord will compress uncontrollably. This is inhumane.

The North Atlantic right whale is a critically endangered species that is dying at an extreme rate. There are less than 400 in existence, and 2% of the population has died off this summer. As we write, four whales are entangled in fishing gear. One whale, an 18-year-old male, was found entangled in a lethal 300 feet of rope. The rope had pinned the whale’s right flipper to his body, his mouth was wired shut, his baleen was sticking out of his mouth and therefore he could not feed. This is egregious and wrong. It's time for us to adopt ropeless gear as a solution to this easily solvable problem. Lobstermen should not use technology from the 1800s to fish in the 21st century. The Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association has paved the way to allow lobstermen to band together for ocean conservation while maintaining the economic interest of its members. We call on the Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association to test ropeless gear as the North American right whales are dying at a critical rate. They must test and implement ropeless gear in order to stand by their ethos of supporting “the interdependence of species conservation” and embracing the new technology that was created to save these whales.

The Amazon Rainforest is on fire, and big agribusiness is to blame. These fires have been intentionally set to make a profit, so let’s take a close look at who’s profiting. Deforestation is being driven by some of the biggest banks and investors in the world, and some of them are familiar names investing in fossil fuels too: like JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, BNP, HSBC and Santander. These investors do not only enable the destruction of forests and climate – they profit from it. The Amazon has been described as the lungs of our planet. As you read this, we’re losing them. These fires impact each and every one of us, and it’s time every one of us takes a stand against the banks causing this climate disaster. Take Action Now: Tell these big investors to STOP using your money to destroy the Amazon Rainforest!

Developers are hoping to build a massive resort near the Nisqually entrance to Mount Rainier National Park. The impacts of this project on the environment and local communities are damaging and should be stopped. We believe the developer's permit should be revoked.

By now, you’ve probably seen the viral video[1] of a Mississippi voter who tries voting for one candidate on an electronic machine -- but over and over again, the machine instead checks off his vote for a different candidate. Just one machine malfunctioning like this can silence thousands of voters -- and that’s why before 2020, we MUST replace these aging systems with paper ballots that voters mark themselves. The U.S. House has approved $600 million of funding for states and municipalities, so they can purchase systems that use verifiable paper ballots -- and implement other practices that are necessary to keep our elections secure. But one man, Senator Mitch McConnell, is blocking this crucial funding -- even as an overwhelming majority of voters support making this investment. No American should lose their right to vote for their favorite candidate because of a broken machine. Our elections are the cornerstone of our democracy -- and if we can’t trust that they’re secure and their results are accurate, then we don’t have a representative democracy anymore. Add your name to tell Mitch McConnell: we MUST fix our broken elections systems -- our democracy depends on it. 1) https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/28/mississippi-election-machine-changes-votes-video

Inmates lose everything when they are sentenced to serve time in prison. Many lose their families as well due to no longer having the ability to remain close with their spouse or children through their sentence. Many inmates become more aggressive and stop caring because they have nothing to look forward to anymore. If inmates were allowed to have family/conjugal visits to help keep their bond with their spouse and their children, they would have something to look forward to. They would be less aggressive because they would not want to risk losing spending time with their spouse and children. Let's stop taking everything away from the inmates and let them remain close to their families.

This petition is about saving seals and not just seals, all animals. These animals are being brutally killed and butcherd. So we have to put a stop to all of this. The seals are just a start.

Wellesley College is currently in contract negotiations with IMSEUA, Wellesley’s labor union for food service workers, custodians, grounds people, tradespeople and many others. The Wellesley administration is proposing a set of disturbing and anti-worker contract terms, including: 1. 15% pay cuts to new employees in dining. This is the lowest paid, most diverse, and most female group in the Union. These pay cuts would mean new employees coming would earn less in inflation-adjusted dollars than new employees in the early 90’s. These cuts would mean that a lot of new employees will not be earning a living wage (as a base wage) if they have kids or other dependents. By trying to set current union-represented employees against their future coworkers, the Wellesley administration attempts to undermine the union through the creation of a two-tier system. This ignores the solidarity and care for one's fellow workers that are at the heart of unionism. 2. Cuts to leadership positions within the Union with lower rates for new employees who would hold these positions. These are positions that people spend years working toward. The cuts would put Lead Custodian and Head Groundskeeper below early 90’s levels when adjusted for inflation. 3. Reductions in what counts as overtime. They would like that most paid time off not be counted toward overtime. If you call out sick or at a funeral, and come in and work 16 hours the next day you will not get overtime. This includes vacation, personal time and Jury duty. The workers represented by IMSEUA are an integral part of the Wellesley community. Foodservice workers, for example, go above and beyond the duties described in their job descriptions to support students and create a sense of community on campus, particularly for minority, low-income, first-generation, and other students who need that support the most. The administration’s proposed contract terms also betray the values of the Wellesley community. Dining workers are the lowest paid, most diverse, and most female group in the Union. In the past thirty years, every woman newly hired into a Union position, with one exception, was hired into one of these dining positions. The proposed cuts would only widen the already significant pay gap between male and female Union employees. This undermines our community’s cherished feminist commitments. The administration’s proposal to cut leadership positions within the Union and pay new workers in those positions less is also shocking, coming from an institution which claims to value and support women’s leadership. This disrespectful treatment of IMSEUA in recent contract negotiations is part of a larger anti-worker agenda that the Wellesley administration seems to have adopted in recent years. Two years ago the College proposed to eliminate several union jobs at the Greenhouse and replace these positions with non-union workers, a move which would have pushed beloved Greenhouse staff members into lower-paid jobs requiring far different skill sets right before retirement. We demand that the Wellesley administration reverse this trend and adopt pro-worker values which treat all campus employees with dignity and respect, as equal members of our community.

This MoveOn.org petition is dedicated to David Brower, Founder of the Earth Island Institute (1969) and Friends of the Earth (1982) - Early pioneer in promoting awareness of the dangers of looming Climate Change. - - - - - - - - - - - - >> Our complex democratic society is full of people of integrity and intelligence who can and must quickly and deliberately help us all transform our Consumer Culture into a culture of Adaptation and Reuse that rejuvenates and extends the life and usefulness of the “embodied energy” in all things we have previously created with fossil fuel – a transformation that will stimulate new jobs, give new meaning and purpose to existing “tools”, and foster new attitudes about inviting other Nations to join with us in this vital endeavor. >> It should be exciting and inspirational for our Children and Students to see us Adults: 1): admit that we have inadvertently allowed or overlooked many of the environmental mistakes we have made: 2): act decisively to initiate and undertake this transformation on their behalf, and 3): ask them to study hard and learn well so that they can help us address those mistakes before it is too late and before our knowledge and experience is lost to posterity. >> It will continue to benefit our entire economy if personnel having Defense-related jobs with a heavy “fossil footprint” - which may logically may need to be reduced or eliminated over time - if such workers were to continue receiving their paycheck from the Defense Budget, allowing them to stay home more, spend their paycheck locally in their own communities, attend to their families, and even use their old commuting time and fuel money for family vacations or for even pursuing their own ideas for new Adaptations and Reuse ideas that will conserve “embodied energy” and help address Climate Change by greatly reducing new consumption of fossil fuel for new materials. >> A fundamental shift like this is likely to unleash rewarding creativity from individual inventors that may restore the kind of “Progress” of which our Founders were so proud after our Constitution initially established “exclusive Rights” for the vulnerable work of individual inventors – constitutional rights badly in need today of immediate restoration. >> Finally, it should be satisfying for all of us to know that one half of our “Defense Dollars” are being used to directly benefit our descendants by defending our Planet against the causes and effects of Climate Change. ..................... ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THIS PETITION: ..... In the 1970’s, the author of this petition became an environmentalist after witnessing beautiful jungle habitat in Malaysia being burned to make way for huge oil palm plantations prompted by the machinations of the World Bank. As a registered Architect and Master Planner, it has been his pleasure and privilege to work with top designers on major projects, during which he came to realize the tremendous “fossil footprint” that results from creating all buildings and products. He became an early advocate in the 1970's of adapting old buildings instead of tearing them down and replacing them, which would have destroyed their “embodied energy” and other unique features. As an Individual Inventor, the author has personally witnessed how presently-unconstitutional U.S. Patent Law has suppressed a practical Climate Change inventions for 25 years by “legally” equating large organizations and powerful individuals with vulnerable Individual Inventors and small business - thus robbing our entire culture of the “Progress” our Founders originally sought to ensure – a fault that should be corrected as soon as possible. As an Educator, he witnesses young minds open to many things and hungry for inspiration and guidance, which we Adults can and must provide with courage and optimism for their “future security”. As a husband, he is most grateful for the love and support of his wife, who sacrificed much to encourage and support their dreams of making meaningful change for our Youth. They thank you for your help with this petition. ..................................

Case # Z19-045 3051 S High St, Columbus OH 43207 - Parcel #s 010-112512 and 010-114024 Herman and Kittle Properties of Indianapolis IN has recently applied to Rezone the property located at 3051 S High St to develop AFFORDABLE (Government subsidized, income-based) apartments. The addition of 272 units including 1,2 and 3 bedrooms apartments. We the residents oppose this zoning for the following reasons: • Law Enforcement – The 13th precinct is the largest precinct. Residents currently wait hours for a response by an officer or ambulance. The addition of approximately 720 individuals will further tax the response time. • Limited Mass Transportation – There are only two routes along S High St. COTA isn’t interested in adding more. This limits transportation to these and all residents and encumbers opportunities for betterment. • There are currently 6 income-based apartment complexes on or near the S High St corridor. In fact, there are no apartments available in the Scioto Southland Area that are not income-based. • Employment opportunities – The City of Columbus is marketing the S High St Corridor as a logistical /distribution hub per the Department of Development. These jobs do not traditionally support homeownership or a vibrant Far Southside. • Traffic – The traffic flow along S High St from route 104 to City Corp is currently overwhelmed with traffic backups. Straining emergency vehicles. There are no traffic-related commitments stated in the application. • The City of Columbus Department of Development is not requiring outdoor lighting, buffering landscaping, open space or any other screening commitment. There are no exterior design commitments. Stop this legislation from moving forward.

There is a public hearing and vote on September 5 at 6 PM at Troy City Hall. Plastic pollution is a climate change and litter issue. Troy needs to lead the way.