Disney was always a safe space for me, as I know it has also been for many others. But now that Disney is backing a candidate whose beliefs terrify me, Disney no longer looks like that welcoming place of solace and joy. Now it appears to be just another pawn in everything that’s wrong with politics today. Tell the Walt Disney Company to withdrawal their support for Republican candidate Adam Putnam immediately and tell Bob Iger to denounce Adam Putnam and his hateful rhetoric!

As Mr. Segovia's 3rd period class, we want to see him succeed because he has devoted his time to make sure we succeed.

The teachers, administrators, and parents of the Waterloo Central School District fully support Terri Bavis as superintendent, leader of our district. We are urging the Board of Education to sign her contract that was already approved at the January BOE meeting and printed in the paper! We feel it would be devastating to our students, faculty, and community to lose her as our leader.

Here's what Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr had to say today about the NFL's decision to fine players who kneel during the national anthem: “They weren't disrespecting the flag or the military. But our president decided to make it about that and the NFL followed suit, pandered to their fanbase, created this hysteria. This is kind of what's wrong with our country right now. People in high places are trying to divide us, divide loyalties, make this about the flag as if the flag is something other than what it really is. It's a a representation of what we’re about, which is diversity, peaceful protests, abilities, right to free speech. It's really ironic, actually." Once again, Kerr articulates the true meaning of patriotism better than the current president.

Nicaragua is our next door neighbor, part of the Americas, and we have the right to freedom and democracy, and we request immediate help from the US. President. Daniel Ortega is in power against the will of the Nicaraguan people. He is killing innocent people in mass quantities, committing genocide against the people, and using Cuban sharpshooters to do so. This man must be stopped now along with all his accomplices and all his assets must be frozen. I would like an invitation to urgently speak with a special panel about this issue. Thanks

Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam food packaging is a major component of litter in Maryland’s waterways. Among the Chesapeake Bay’s tidal waters, the EPA has identified three regions of concern: Baltimore Harbor, the Anacostia River, and the Elizabeth River. Since 2014, 702,017 EPS foam containers have been removed from the Baltimore Harbor alone. EPS foam comprises 25-40% of the trash, by volume, pulled from the Anacostia River before it was able to reach the Chesapeake Bay and 10-40%, by volume, of the litter collected during stream cleanups. The fragile nature of EPS foam causes it to break down into infinitesimal pieces upon entering our environment, making it nearly impossible to successfully remove from our waterways. EPS foam - especially that used for food service - can rarely be recycled and municipal curbside collection of EPS foam in Maryland has been determined by many jurisdictions to not be economically viable. Once EPS foam becomes part of the waste stream, it commonly gets washed or blown into our storm drains and rivers, where it absorbs 10 times more pesticides, fertilizers, and chemicals than other kinds of plastic, increasing exposure to toxins for marine life, who mistake it for food. In order to ensure this particularly hazardous form of litter does not continue to plague Maryland's communities and waterways, Bill No. 49-18 requires any disposable food service container used within Anne Arundel County to be a non-Expanded Polystyrene Foam material.

Amazon is selling a racially biased surveillance tool to law enforcement. Amazon's surveillance product, Rekognition claims it has the power to identify people in real time, in photos of large groups of people, and in crowded events and public places like protests. But study after study has shown that real time face recognition like this has strong racial biases leading to more erroneous police stops for Black people, women, and young people. With built-in racial bias and no public oversight, this system is guaranteed to harm our communities, ensuring that Black folks get stopped by police more often and put in jail more often. At a time when our communities are organizing in public at unprecedented levels, and discriminatory policing continues to terrorize us, handing this surveillance technology over to the government threatens our civil rights and liberties. Facial recognition is not a neutral technology, no matter how Amazon spins this. Amazon has no business allowing law enforcement to use Rekognition – and powering anti-Black surveillance. Already, Rekognition is in use in Florida and Oregon. Government agencies in California and Arizona have sought information about it, too. And Amazon didn't just sell Rekognition to law enforcement, it's actively partnering with them to ensure that authorities can fully utilize Rekognition's capabilities. Amazon has branded itself as customer-centric, opposed secret government surveillance, and has a CEO who publicly supported First Amendment freedoms and spoke out against the discriminatory Muslim Ban. Yet, Amazon is powering dangerous surveillance that poses a grave threat to customers and communities already unjustly targeted in the current political climate. We must make it clear to Amazon that we won't stand by and let it pad its bottom line by selling out our civil rights.

Because the League is suppressing players speech. Because the League has acted fraudulently in addressing brain injuries. Because this is just another example of corporate welfare.

Imagine living on only two-thirds of the income of fifty years ago. Every day you stretch each dollar further and further for life’s basic necessities. What do you choose? Do you buy food, pay the rent, replace worn clothing, repair the car, or pay your insurance? Decisions no one likes to make. Today’s $7.25 Federal minimum wage is also South Carolina’s minimum wage, and it’s worth only two-thirds of the purchasing power of the 1968 minimum wage. Working a full 40 hours work week for 52 weeks at the minimum wage pays $15,080. That’s $100 below the poverty level for a family of one. If there are two in the family, it’s $5,500 below the poverty level. If the minimum wage had kept pace with inflation over the past 50 years it would be $11.53 per hour. That’s almost 60% more to pay for food, rent, clothes, and medicine. More money for consumers is good for everyone. The money doesn’t end up stashed in some off-shore account; it goes to work directly in the economy. Increased economic activity means more jobs. Increasing the minimum wage is an investment in workers, in the economy, in job creation. I support raising the minimum wage to a livable wage because I believe that no one working full time should find themselves living in poverty. If you agree that the Federal minimum wage must be increased and you want to make a difference, join me by signing my petition.

A Transgender student Jay Alfie is a student at Allen High School. He is graduating this year and Allen ISD refuses to announce Jay during the commencement ceremony, instead calling out his Dead Name (legal name before transitioning). The parents have met with the appropriate people to try to get this resolved, but leadership in Allen ISD will not agree to announce Jay. Let's see if we can change their minds.

To eliminate the noise by private sanitation companies from picking up dumpsters in town before 7 AM or from private companies or individuals from disposing of material in such dumpsters before 7 AM.

My close friend is gay and I believe in his cause. Nobody should be terminated just because of their sexual orientation. With the new administration of Donald Trump, many gays fear their rights will be diminished based on his campaign style as well as his treatment of immigrants. It is still legal for companies in 28 states to fire employees for being gay or transgender, and notwithstanding Trump's manifest hostility to LGBTQ rights, there are signs that the political winds are blowing over that map in a more inclusive direction. No states have changed their state nondiscrimination laws since the November election. In the Lambda Legal's case on behalf of Kimberly Lively, an instructor at Ivy Tech Community College was fired for being a lesbian. In a groundbreaking, 8-3 decision, the full Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation violates federal civil right law. This law is Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964, the federal law prohibiting employers from discriminating against employees on the basis of sex, race, color, national origin, and religion. We need to change the laws in all 50 states to protect all LGBTQ people so that we all can have the same equal rights as our founding four fathers wanted us to have.