A leader of a white nationalist organization, who participated in the violent Charlottesville, Virginia rallies Saturday, is arranging to speak at UF next month. Richard Spencer, the president of the National Policy Institute, an organization that lobbies for the “people of European descent in the United States,” is attempting to speak at the Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at an unknown time Sept. 12, said UF spokesperson Janine Sikes. Spencer was behind the white supremacy “Unite the Right” rally at the University of Virginia Saturday that ended with one person killed and 19 more injured after a participant ran his car into a group of counter-protesters. "We're going to be more active than ever before," Matthew Heimbach, a white nationalist leader, said Monday. We are hoping that we can stop them from being active in Gainesville and provide support for UF to reject his request. The alt-right rally at Texas A&M University scheduled to be hosted September 11 by white nationalist Richard Spencer has been canceled. University of Florida spokeswoman Janine Sikes stressed that the event has not been finalized. I am asking you to take this simple action now to prevent this event from happening in Gainesville. The administration calculates that the security costs/risks will be significant. It may move UF to deny Spencer's request for this rental. Let them know you are concerned! Sikes said UF will likely consult law enforcement to ensure the event doesn’t turn violent.

On February 12, CNN will broadcast a town hall with former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Schultz, a billionaire businessman with zero governing experience, recently announced he is considering a run for president as an Independent, a disastrous move that would all but guarantee Donald Trump a second term in the White House. Despite the public's overwhelmingly negative response to Schultz's announcement, CNN is once again delivering free airtime to a billionaire who stands to profit from a presidential run. Tell CNN to cancel its reckless town hall with Howard Schultz, who is putting the future of our country at risk by helping Donald Trump stay in the White House. In the runup to the 2016 Election, CNN and other major networks provided Donald Trump with countless hours of free airtime -- giving him a platform to spew hate and disinformation. Now, CNN is proving it learned nothing from its editorial malfeasance by once again lending precious airtime to another ego-crazed billionaire with no governing experience. Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Pete Buttigieg, and Elizabeth Warren are among the diverse roster of serious candidates who have already announced their campaigns for president -- all of whom CNN has ignored in order to give voice to a white straight man with the means to buy his way into the race. CNN must do better in the 2020 Election cycle -- the very future of our country depends on it. Tell CNN to cancel its irresponsible town hall with billionaire Howard Schultz.

1. Allow HELCO to invest in and/or partner with installers of distributed PVBBs, so that no willing home or business is “left behind” without solar panels 2. Update NEM (Net Energy Metering) contract terms for home or business PVBBs under 20 kW, to require at least 2.5 hours of "active" on-site storage for its associated peak PV output. Example: 2-kW x 2.5-hrs = 5-kWh battery for a 2-kW PV 3. Encourage new building / electric code to include PVBBs 4. Approve higher FIT (Feed-In Tariff) rates for PVBBs than PVs because distributed batteries help stabilize the grid. The rationale for high penetration of distributed PVBBs is to: • Provide electricity generation that is renewable, affordable, low-maintenance, long-life, environmentally benign, pono, and secure • Provide the On-Site Battery Backup needed to level peak demand periods, avoid PV-caused grid overload, cut transmission losses & oil imports, and preserve a viable grid-based utility business. • Retain such gid business for Secondary Backup as a low-maintenance option (rather than on-site generator sets) and for managing PV surplus energy • Achieve low transmission losses, high grid reliability and uninterrupted user energy and • Reduce the need for the present triple transmission redundancy (under sea & on land) as detailed further in http://AlohaFuels.pbworks.com/f/PB-12-WHT-HELCO-IRP-3-950.pdf and http://AlohaFuels.pbworks.com/f/VG-13-PVBB-Security.pdf

Inadequate funding of public education is eroding the ability of municipal school boards across the Commonwealth to provide quality education to every student in public schools, as is their right. In the Boston Public Schools, the majority of 128 schools face significant cuts in staff, in programs and in resources to support the education of more than 57,000 of our children. The $87.5 million in aid given to two-dozen charter schools in the city of Boston contribute to these losses. (This is especially concerning as it is 42% of the total amount of Chapter 70 aid given to the city, despite the fact that 75% of all school aged k-12 students attend BPS.) We are concerned about these losses, as well as a number of other issues related to the strengthening of a separate system of schools, one that does not equally serve the needs of all children. We respectfully request the following: - The cap on the number of charter schools in the commonwealth should remain in place until the consequences to traditional public school districts, financial and otherwise, have been more clearly understood. - Full reimbursements, as stipulated under Chapter 46, must be made to cities for losses due to charter schools. (This year only 63% of reimbursements were made, leading to a $28 million shortfall across the state, and a $10 million shortfall in Boston.) - Improved Systems of accountability must be put into place to assure that charter schools successfully serve the needs of all children, including English language learners and those with special needs and to assure that charters serve their intended purpose to supplement, not supplant, district schools.

A recent story I heard informed me of something I never knew [ Fresh Air, http://www.npr.org/2012/12/20/167694808/assault-style-weapons-in-the-civilian-market ] There have been laws or riders on the federal funding bills that prohibit the Centers for Disease Control and Injury from funding any study relating to guns, gun violence or any research that could study the REAL cause of death due to guns. There are also provisions to prevent the ATF from reporting statistics of which guns are most involved in which crimes and how the weapons were obtained. I hope you listen to the interview and conclude as I do that tying researchers hands leaves the question in limbo with each side claiming their own conclusions regarding responsibility for the gun deaths in this country. Major industry leaders and their lobbyists protected tobacco companies for far too long. Somehow, finding this out about our federally funded agencies reminded me of that history. We tie their hands to research guns and make it difficult to show the public that some gun-control is sane and makes sense in terms of saving lives and saving medical dollars for people injured. This makes me think the NRA and gun industry have been even MORE efficient at blocking research conclusions that might decrease their sales than were the tobacco companies. Help clear up this issue. Make gun control research legal and encouraged by the government. Stop tying the hands of gun researchers.

*Congressional Reform Act of 2012* 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The founding fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. 8. All political representatives are subject to a two-term limit, same as the President of the United States. 9. Elected Congressmen and Senators will be prohibited from any future or present employment with companies who do business with the government, or lobbyists and lobbying organizations that seek to influence government.

This is one idea that really should be passed around. _*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_ 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman/woman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they're out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen/women are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen/women. Congressmen/women made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Don't you think it's time? THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!

Congressional Reform Act of 2011 : 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. Pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. Pass a law that says anytime Congress' approval rating drops below 10, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election.

*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*_ 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when out of office. 2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the rest of the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans can. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with the members of Congress. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time. THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!! If you agree with the above, pass it on to at least 20 others.. Please keep it going.

Demand the immediate passage of a Congressional Reform Act of 2011 1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office. 2 Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose. 3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do. 4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%. 5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. 6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people. 7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. 8. All contacts, Lobbyist activities and contributions must be fully disclosed and made public as to source. (this to apply as well to any Political Action Committee irregardless of their purported lack of affilliation with any political party or candidate or elected public official.