If the forests on the Eastern shoreline remained during Hurricane Sandy, they would have buffered the rising waters and perhaps there would not have been the kind of destruction we witnessed as well as the tragic loss of life. Proposed development of this land puts the surrounding community at risk of serious flooding, traffic, and pollution and endangers wildlife and makes economically vulnerable people responsible for picking up the pieces when harm is done.

Chronic Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas that does not heal and gets worse over time leading to irreversible damage of the pancreas. Individuals with Chronic Pancreatitis can suffer from an acute attack of pancreatitis at any time. During an acute attack the enzymes created by the pancreas to digest food stays inside of the pancreas causing the organ to digest itself resulting in significant and often debilitating pain. Repeated episodes of acute and/or chronic inflammation can cause irreversible damage to the pancreas further progressing the disease and pain relief becomes less effective often times requiring invasive treatments, including pain pumps and surgery. Patients with Chronic Pancreatitis are facing an ever increasing threat to their quality of life as a result of the Opioid Epidemic with laws being enacted restricting and/or prohibiting access to narcotic pain medication. While the Opioid Epidemic must be addressed there needs to be a balance to ensure patients with serious conditions are protected and afforded access to narcotic pain medication they rely on to simply get through the day and to remain active participants in the workplace as well as to maintain quality of life.

It’s a pretty basic principle: the public should have confidence in the independence of the Supreme Court. By speaking at the Trump Hotel at an event that will put money in the President’s pockets, Justice Gorsuch would violate that trust. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments about Trump’s travel ban and a lower court is currently hearing arguments about Trump’s conflicts of interest. President Trump’s stake in Trump businesses presents serious conflicts of interest and ethical questions—exposing the president to bribery and allowing him to profit off the presidency by using his position to promote his businesses. Justice Gorsuch, who has repeatedly sided with big money interests throughout his judicial career, should make it clear that he is committed to maintaining his independence and does not condone Trump’s conflicts of interest by canceling his appearance.

At this point in time, these Confederate statues in our city of Richmond and in the state of Virginia as a whole, are only serving as locations for violent fringe groups (KKK, Neo-Nazi groups, Confederate groups, White Supremacist groups) to gather and express their hate for unity and inclusion among our citizens. Their rallies are meant to terrorize our communities and divide us in our efforts to establish equality for every citizen, and more importantly, provide safe communities for every citizen to dwell. We did not need statues to educate about the Holocaust, nor do we need statues to educate about the Civil War - this war was about perpetuating the institution of slavery for economic gain in the southern states - it was about violating the most basic human rights of Africans in viewing them as property. A timeline of the genesis of the Confederate sites shows two notable spikes. One comes around the turn of the 20th century, just after Plessy v. Ferguson, and just as many Southern states were establishing repressive race laws; lynchings and the KKK terrorism were peaking. The second runs from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s—the peak of the civil-rights movement. In other words, the erection of Confederate monuments has been a way to perform cultural resistance to black equality. The time is long overdue that we address the problem of these domestic terrorist groups that have been in this country for decade upon decade. One of the easiest things to do is to take away their places of congregating - these Confederate statues. Remove these statues and either put them in museums, auction them off and use the funds for our city, or destroy them. Do not give these domestic terrorist groups any more locations to assemble and terrorize our communities.

Whether we voted for them or not, the President and the Vice-President of the United States work for us! Yet when I try and call the White House, I get put on hold -and never picked back up. No- that is not democracy. There is literally no way to get a hold of the Vice President. I've called the Republican Party, the Democrats in DC everyone everywhere -and I'm just being giving the switchboard phone number. This is not how this is supposed to work -they work for us -we are not their minions, they are not nonreachable overlords. Help me -somebody- find a real phone number- for the VP- With Trump being unstable, ineffective, racist, anti-female, anti-EPA- the list goes on, we may end up with the VP -and yet he's hiding behind Trump. We need to begin the next part -*sorrowfully of "the show" that has become the presidency. Thank you for anyone who can supply this! Stand up for your rights. They are not emperors -they work for us with our tax dollars.

The California DISCLOSE Act (AB 249) would turn the tide on unlimited secret money in politics by exposing those who try to buy elections with deceptive ads. AB 249 will make all TV, radio, and print ads for ballot measures show the REAL names of their top 3 funders clearly and prominently. No more vague front group names in fine print. The DISCLOSE Act would make California lead the resistance against secret money in politics, but time is short for it to pass this session! Sign and share our petition to demand the Legislature pass the California DISCLOSE Act today.

Some legal scholars currently profess uncertainty over the ability of presidential self-pardon. So a president -- regardless of the strength of evidence that they had committed a felony -- might remain in office while fighting the question in court. This could leave the country in a state of extreme disruption and paralysis.

The statue should be removed because it is representative of unethical experimentation on unwilling participants and racism. This should not be honored.

They may not have huge bank accounts or fancy degrees, but many immigrants do the priceless work of caring for our country's children -- and supporting the elderly and people with disabilities. We value them and their contributions highly and believe they are crucial to our lives, our economy, and our communities. The RAISE Act says these women and this work is not important. What could be more important than raising the next generation?

I live in Lee County Florida and we have a statue of Robt. E Lee in downtown Fort Myers and a portrait of him in full uniform in the commissioners office. The people in power are oblivious to the pain this causes and at this point seem to have no intention of doing anything about it

This country is lousy with monuments to traitors and slavers who engaged in open warfare against the United States of America and in defense of the hideous institution of slavery. We should remove them all, every last one of them, forthwith. I think it would be great to replace them with monuments to actual sheroes, both real and imaginary, in the fight against injustice.

Shark researcher David Shiffman recently studied postings to the online message boards of one of the largest land-based fishing clubs in Florida, the South Florida Shark Club, and found hundreds of postings detailing the catching and killing of protected sharks. The online news magazine, The Revelator (linked below), interviewed Shiffman, who found users on the message boards openly claiming to have knowingly caught protected species and some saying they would continue to do so. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has an obligation to enforce ALL conservation laws in the state and investigate reports of illegal behavior. Please sign the petition to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission asking them to investigate these postings by reported members of the South Florida Shark Club and all violations of the Endangered Species Act and other conservation laws. http://therevelator.org/florida-anglers-endangered-sharks/