The NRA has used the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) to push its extreme agenda with legislators dating back to at least 1988. For more than two decades ALEC made the NRA's lobbying agenda a national priority, with legislators voting as equals with the NRA on "model" bills behind closed doors. In the wake of the Trayvon Martin tragedy and the spotlight on the ALEC-NRA "Stand Your Ground" law in 2012, ALEC sought to distance itself from the NRA. However, ALEC has yet to do anything to repeal or rollback any of the dangerous gun legislation that they helped push into law on behalf of the NRA, like the laws pre-empting cities from adopting common sense gun laws to provide greater protections for children and adults. [ALEC Exposed: ALEC’s Legislative Agenda on Guns, Accessed 2/15/18] https://www.alecexposed.org/w/images/b/b8/Header_ALEC_on_Guns_Final_PDF.pdf

Seven Vermont legislators have signed a letter urging Burlington voters to vote “Yes” on ballot question #6 regarding the F35s. Sign the petition to stand with them, thank them, and ask your representatives to sign on in support of Yes on #6. See the letter below: We stand together in favor of Burlington’s ballot question #6 to oppose the basing of the F-35s at the Vermont Air National Guard. The issues are as follows: 1. Noise/Housing: The F-35 is over four times louder than the current F-16, which will put over 6,600 people’s home in a high decibel noise zone that the Federal Government classifies as unsuitable for residential use.1 2. Crash rate: The planes are still new and as such have an eight times higher crash rate than the F-16s. Typically the Air Force chooses a remote base for the new military aircraft. With 1,400 homes in the crash zone, we cannot take this risk. The current runway aims directly at the largest shopping area in Vermont with two dozen big box stores one mile away in Williston. This is not an abstract issue. In 1965, a military jet crashed in Williston. Fortunately, the area was an open field at the time so the casualties were limited to the two people on board.2 3. Jobs/Air Guard base closure: The Air Force has repeatedly stated that there were any number of other military aircraft for the VT Air Guard to fly if the F-35 did not come here. They would simply get another flying mission, as they have in the past. They could fly another fighter aircraft, or a military transport, or drones, or perform cybersecurity missions. And the jobs could increase. For example, the C-130 is a possibility and it needs three to five crew members per flight as opposed to one sole pilot for the F-35.3 4. Timeline: We know that it is not too late to take a stand and change the trajectory of this decision. Basing decisions have been reversed because of public outcry, congressional action, or legal action in Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, and Alaska.4 We urge you to vote yes on ballot question #6 to oppose the local basing of the F-35s. Thank you for joining this growing movement for a safer, quieter, mission. Read the whole letter here: http://www.pjcvt.org/seven-state-legislators-call-cancel-f-35-basing/

We are all high school students who believe that students should not have to constantly question their safety at school. There are ways that we can combat gun violence, but because many government officials receive money from the NRA, they dismiss school shootings as unsolvable tragedies.

McDonald is highly qualified for the role of Chief Justice, having served CT in all three branches of our state government. When originally appointed as a Justice, McDonald received broad bipartisan support and has since served Connecticut with honor and distinction.

On Monday, February 12, 2018, Attorney General Jeff Sessions appeared before a gathering of the National Sheriffs' Association and said, "The office of sheriff is a critical part of the Anglo-American heritage of law enforcement. We must never erode this historic office." Sessions' dog-whistle was heard loud and clear by all who understand that: (1) white supremacists have quietly infiltrated law enforcement; and (2) the American 'grand jury system' favors law enforcement officers in fatalities. Enough is enough! Police are rarely subjected to criminal liability but cities often settle on civil damages which are paid by us, the taxpayers. This has to change! Here are some recent examples of what police misconduct settlements cost taxpayers in big cities across the nation: (1) Walter Scott (North Charleston, South Carolina): $6.5 million; (2) Freddie Gray (Baltimore, Maryland): $6.4 million; (3) 12-year-old Tamir Rice (Cleveland, Ohio): $6 million; (4) Eric Garner (Staten Island, New York): $5.9 million; and (5) Sandra Bland (Waller County, Texas): $1.9 million. Malpractice insurance is key! It is past-proven for many professionals (i.e., doctors and lawyers). This proposal would shield taxpayers while shifting liability to the insured and insurer. In exchange for coverage, insurers can demand that police departments implement new policies and training, and dismiss problem officers. Congress, cities, counties or states could cover the cost of basic insurance but any premium increases due to misconduct must be the individual officer's responsibility (emphasis added). Ultimately, negligent law enforcement officers would pay more through expensive premiums. So what are going to do about it? First, by signing and sharing this petition, we are telling Attorney General Jeff Sessions to: (1) stop wasting our time and money with his divisive rhetoric; and (2) implement a policy mandating malpractice insurance for all law enforcement officers. Second, contact your state and local government officials via phone, fax or, e-mail to remind them that we are not going to take these dog-whistles lightly in this midterm election year. We are what D-E-M-O-C-R-A-C-Y looks like! Sincerely, Denita C. Latta

Because Cobb students deserve a right to stand up for what they believe in and for the students that witnessed the school shooting in Parkland, Florida!

Anyone who understands that any 'carry' law (carrying a concealed firearm) is only likely to have innocent people shot needs to step up and tell our legislature that doing so without a permit is only begging for a disaster.

I believe that accusing a company of challenging conservative principles when in actuality they are doing what is best for their business is awful. The Georgia Republican party is attempting to hold corporations hostage for the ransom of promoting the agenda of a lobby group. Regardless of your political affiliation, government was never intended to be used as a weapon for lobby groups

National Geographic is one of the top circulating magazines in the US with around 42 million magazines mailed annually--each and every issue wrapped in plastic. The Polybags used, made of polyethylene #4, is a common plastic, recyclable with grocery bags made of the same or similar (#2) material. But, according to the National Geographic article titled "A Whopping 91% of Plastic Isn't Recycled"-well, you get the gist. This "environmental" magazine has published dozens of articles on the hazards of plastic bags--there is no room for this level of hypocrisy in our country's 8th largest circulating magazine. So let's encourage them to set a precedent and to stop mailing their publication in plastic bags.

This is the ad I received on the top of my Google search: NRA Membership - Official Site | Defend The 2nd Amendment | NRA.org‎ Admembership.nra.org/‎ Join the National Rifle Association. $40 Off Best Membership Rate and Free Gift. The NRA is not vested in defending our rights. They are vested in the greed of guns. Countless innocent people die daily from gun violence. Tragically, we can no longer go to the movies, school, the mall, or music festivals without the fear that a mass shooter is going to kill or maim us. We are no longer free, thanks to the NRA. Google should not accept money from and support such a deplorable organization. We cannot rest until our children are protected and can go to school without worrying about being the next mass shooting victim.

I simply would prefer to go to Disney or somewhere actually fun rather than Dave N Busters.

The New York Times reports that the Kushner family real estate company obtained $500 million in loans from Citigroup and the private equity firm Apollo, both of whose executives met with Kushner at the White House last year. And the Washington Post reports that at least four countries -- United Arab Emirates, China, Israel, and Mexico -- have discussed ways they can manipulate Kushner “by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience.” Kushner cannot be permitted to remain in the White House.