In today's day and age, internet is a necessity that almost everyone needs access to. California should take a step forward and guarantee it's citizens open, fast, and affordable internet. Fight against big ISP's and make internet a public utility just like electricity, water, and gas are.

Animal advocates have seen too many dogs suffer in extreme weather. Yet, there aren't enough of us, despite how much time, money and effort we devote, to rescue all of the dogs, sentient beings, who are exposed and endangered day after day. As long as these long-suffering and innocent animals are considered property, many misguided or abusive owners will continue to force them to live in harsh and inhumane conditions.. Make this a felony and we can all save so many dogs.

Prolonged solitary confinement is torture. There is a strong consensus among mental health professionals, supported by scientific evidence, that isolation exceeding 15 consecutive days can permanently alter brain chemistry and cause lasting damage to mental health. It often creates illness in those who were healthy before their incarceration and exacerbates illness in those who were already ill. That is why the U.N. Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners include a limit on isolated confinement of 15 consecutive days. Most people in prison will return to society one day; they should not emerge from prison worse than when they went in because of the harmful impact of solitary confinement. There is growing recognition that the use of solitary confinement needs to be reduced to an absolute minimum. Several other states have passed legislation that either drastically restricts solitary confinement in state prisons or requires a comprehensive study of potential reforms. Virginia should join the states that are leading the way to reducing the use of isolated confinement to a bare minimum. Although Virginia has reduced the number of men in long-term solitary confinement at Red Onion and Wallens Ridge through its Step-Down Program, serious problems remain unsolved by that program: • Solitary confinement is not being used strictly as a last resort. • Too many people with mental illness and other disabling conditions remain in solitary confinement even though that is virtually certain to exacerbate their underlying conditions. • Prisoners are not given written reasons when they are placed in solitary confinement and have no certainty about how long it will last. • Prisoners do not have unimpeded access to an effective mechanism for challenging their placement or retention in solitary confinement. • There is very little communication with prisoners about why they fail to advance or experience setbacks within the Step-Down Program, or why it takes so long to complete the program. • Even though VDOC operating procedures limit “disciplinary segregation” to 30 days, prisoners are sometimes kept in solitary confinement for much longer periods after receiving disciplinary charges. HB 795 addresses these problems with the following provisions: • Defines “isolated confinement” as confinement of an individual to his or her cell for more than 20 hours a day • With certain exceptions, bars isolated confinement of members of a vulnerable population (including those with mental illness and certain other conditions) and limits isolated confinement of others to 15 consecutive days, or no more than 20 days in any 60-day period • Requires written notification to the individual of the reasons for his or her placement in isolated confinement and a process by which the placement can be contested • Requires certain training for Department of Corrections personnel, including regarding recognition of symptoms of mental illness and the impact of prolonged isolation on mental health • Requires reporting to the General Assembly by the Department of Corrections of certain categories of data about those in isolated confinement • Requires a study of mental health needs and services in state prisons The full text of the bill is available at http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?181+ful+HB795.

Alabama ranks 47 in Education. In Health; Ranking 43rd overall, Alabama has the highest diabetes rate in the nation, at 13.8% of adults—a 17% increase over the last two years. Meanwhile, Colorado has the lowest rates of obesity and diabetes in the United States. It ranks eighth for the second year in a row (in Health). Colorado ranking 18 in Education. In the fiscal year that ended in June of 2015, recreational pot in Colorado brought in a total of $129 million in state taxes ($129,136,316 to be exact.) Continuing to criminalize Marijuana in 2018 is not only immoral, it is fiscally irresponsible. State-regulated Marijuana will ensure that the plant is controlled, people are not locked up for a using a plant that is safer than Alcohol, Tobacco, and prescription drugs, keep the plant out of the hands of teenagers, and fund Education, Health Programs like ALLKids, and grow a brand new industry to create jobs. There is literally no downside. Time for change!

As an LU alum, and community activist, I condemn chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. in his supportive remarks of POTUS during tumultuous times of neo-nazi events in Charlottesville, VA and most recently, his support of POTUS during undignified remarks of immigrants being from s***hole countries in regard to Africa and Haiti. We realize that we need to be the change that we want to see in what LU represents in the community and world. We desire UNITY and not division. Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr. is fostering division and we do not support him.

Our legislators and governor are considering changing our laws to allow people to carry guns in these establishments. This legislation is in process, including Michigan Senate Bills 584 and 586, so a change could happen soon. We must make our voices heard.

We're asking every democratic member of congress to boycott the SOTU address to protest against Trump's racist comments and destructive rhetoric! We do not believe that Donald Trump honors the office of the president and does not deserve our attendance during his state of the union address. Peaceful protests and boycotts are an effective tool in showing our dissatisfaction with the current status quo.

Everyone's vote should count, the Electoral college is outdated and gerrymandering is out of control.

I'm starting this petition because I know the people of Georgia and the people of the nation are fed up with marijuana being treated like it's some kind of danger. It has countless medical, physical, mental, and economic benefits and there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to reap those benefits in this state or this nation. Marijuana is safe and effective, it would but a huge dent in the opioid crisis and help with the deficit. Its safer than many prescription drugs and certainly safer than alcohol which many turn to, if tobacco and alcohol are legal, then why not weed too?

There is a very looming threat to a specific player on FABC and the fact we have someone as disgraceful as this man on our site is disgusting to me. This is a man who has preyed on an underage girl and yet we have no justice for the fear she is going through. I, along with the fellowship that is the FABC community, demand action. This is not a request but a plea that you see the predator in front of your noses; that you know how toxic his existence here is to others. This is not what FABC is about. He has threatened multiple players yet he still lingers. Please, don't have mercy on him-- Have mercy on the community and the panic he puts us through.

The petition calls for the introduction of legislation to solve our nation's nuclear waste issue by recovering the energy remaining in spent nuclear fuel, greatly reducing its long-term radioactivity, and providing alternative permanent disposal options than deep geological sequestration. The solution will also greatly enhance our nation's energy security, promote long-term sustainable energy use, and greatly reduce emissions of CO2.

Let me first just start off with that I have been dress coded many times for wearing leggings even though my shirts goes passed my knees. That's longer then most girls wear there dresses with nothing under them. I knew the dress code was awful but it wasn't till really this year I wanted to say something so this is me breaking down the bad parts of the dress code right before your very eyes. Let's talk about leggings Cobb County states "Leggings are not pants" well if people can wear them without skin showing then then are indeed pants. Just like yoga PANTS are pants (its in the name.). Next topic: Shoulders apparently those distract guys from learning.We learn something new everyday, Well not if your a girl with a shoulder sticking out nope your getting sent up to the office where you'll get talked to by an adult which will send you to ISS leaving you uneducated and more likely to fail all because your shoulder made a guy apparently unforced. Did you know humans had legs, wow shocker! So why must legs be so hidden from the world. This goes for all guys and girls, In PE we can wear athletic shorts so why cant we wear them all the time. Our school gets hot and we aren't the most comfortable in blue jeans or uncomfortable shorts all the time whats wrong with just wearing PE type shorts obviously it isn't that much of an issue. Undergarments if your a girl hopefully your wearing a bra and if you are more or less likely bra strap may show and if does show be ready to go to the front office for some talking too. Headgear for the most part makes sense to me but no bandannas makes me angry. Bandannas don't make the choice if i'm bad I let myself make that rule. And finally the Offence Chart is dumb and uncalled for here's how it goes: " 1st Offense: Warning and student is allowed to return to class if the violation can be immediately corrected. If not, student is placed in In-School Suspension (ISS) for the remainder of the day" which is just competently disrupting our learning environment. "2nd Offense: 1 day ISS and student is allowed to return to class if the violation can be immediately corrected. If not, student is placed in ISS for the remainder of the day." so basically two full days really of disruption to my own education an learning environment. "3rd Offense: 3 days of ISS." so basically a full blown three day disruption to our learning environment. Next up I want share some stories with you from real people in Cobb County Schools starting with a friend of mine.( no names will be shown and I will not say who said what to anyone) "Well i was wearing a pair of jeans ones that a hole a little too high and it was like a inch of my thigh and Mrs. ****** made me sit in ISS for class periods" "so i wore jeans with holes in them at least three times before and so all i knew is that they were fine to wear. So then it was 5th block which is after lunch and you cant dress code someone after lunch. so basically the teacher tried to dress code and couldn't" " I was wearing jeans that were ripped over the knee" "It was the last day of school and for leggings" "my friend was told she was wearing a crop top and she wasn't but still got ISS for it all day" "why can't we wear spaghetti tank tops?' "ripped jeans just barely above my knee and i got sent to the office for the "talk" my mm had to bring me new jeans to school" "we are almost i high school like we are covered enough tf" "guys get yelled at 2 girls also has way more options" "Guys basically have no guide lines on close except for simple things like girls need to be more open". Plus skinny jeans are just as tight as leggings so why tf cant we wear leggings what the big deal" "dress code is dumb" dress coded for my shoulders because they were a distraction to the guys" "okay so we can wear skin tight jeans but we can't wear leggings. Also we can have holes in our pants but god fore-bide you show any bit of that thigh. bra straps are fine fine people like girls need something.shorts in PE way not all the time" "dress code needs to be changed NO SHOULDERS. NO THIGH,NO COLLAR BONE , IF A GIRL SHOWS OFF ANYTHING ITS ISS BUT BOYS ARE FINE JUST SHOWS THAT GUYS EDUCATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THEN GIRLS" 'bralettes are fine, leggings are fine,shoulders are not distracting" "leggings are fine and this needs to be changed and quickly" " I get dress coded everyday for showing undergarment like grow up your in middle school not 2nd grade" "boys should be taught to be polite not girls to be shamed of there body" "" SHOULDERS ARE FINE" "ITS A F***ING BRA STRAP PEOPLE" ' LEGGINGS SHOULD BE ALLOWED AND BRALETTES WONT KILL A GUY" " DOES THE SCHOOL WANT TO BUY MY CLOTHES" " dress coded for my bra strap" "skinny jeans , they were too tight apparently" "barley a rip in above my knee" "shoulders are u turned on I know i'm not" "leggings when can i wear those again" "MY DAMN BRA STRAP" These and many more are leading me up to the question when is the school board going to just say that they were wrong and that we ha students and parents are right. Can we please stop having to worry about getting dress coded and start paying attention to our education. So to the school board of Cobb County fix the way you run things get your head in the right place at the right time. It's 2018, time to change the a game. ( for more information or anything please direct message me on my Instagram @ cobbcountydresscobb )