On Wednesday, December 21, 2016, a prisoner at the Texas Clements Unit, Kevin "Rashid" Johnson, was gassed in his cell while handcuffed from behind. A letter written by Mr. Johnson to a supporter, dated December 22, 2016, reported that his gassing was “all retaliation for my involvement in exposing the foul abuses here." Kevin “Rashid” Johnson is a well-known scholar and prison activist who has dedicated his efforts to exposing the civil and environmental injustices behind bars. His most recent letter also reads: “I'm in a gas-covered cell now. The law requires that they decontaminate a prisoner and his cell anytime they spray gas on him/her. They refused in my case. My sheets and bedding are covered in bright orange gas, underwear too, as is the cell wall." According to the supporter who received Rashid’s letter, she could smell the toxic gas as soon as she opened the envelope. The vicious treatment of Mr. Johnson is part of a clear pattern. There is evidently a culture among prison staff that encourages such sadistic behavior. What they have done and continue to do -- both to Mr. Johnson and to thousands of other victims -- constitutes a clear violation of basic human rights. A signed statement from prison guard Britta Townsend corroborates that Mr. Johnson was confined to a gassed cell that was not decontaminated and forced to sleep with sheets covered with the bright orange gas. According to Mr. Johnson, Ms. Townsend now fears that she will be targeted by her peers and higher ranking officers.

America is also founded to uphold common hoped-for benefits which unite us (as described in The Preamble to the US Constitution). These are: justice, civil order, common defense [not the preemptive kind], general welfare [not corporate welfare], and preserving for future generations ("our posterity") the benefits we wish for ourselves and fellow citizens. By many measures, these values, too, are not being realized. What's the solution? A constitutional amendment that ensures fair elections, and provides new means to nominate and hold new officeholders accountable to We The People: A six-month probationary period for new electees to enforce accountability. Vote of confidence/budget impasse provisions that increase control of government by the electorate. Automatic nationwide voter registration, thumbprint verified, updated by motor vehicle license and/or payroll records. Stricter requirements and enforcement of tamper-proof, hack-proof, and fully auditable elections. Why not go through Congress? Since the Congress is part of the problem to be solved, the usual route of sending it through Congress would not work. Article V of the US Constitution spells out the steps by which amendments to the Constitution can be made, which includes ratification by 3/4 of state legislatures. This new proposed bill will be sent to state legislatures once it has been circulated and endorsed. It requires endorsement by 2/3 of state legislatures to call for a vote and passage by 3/4 to be ratified.

San Diego can easily solve unsanitary and unhealthy conditions by taking action with a compassionate heart and existing budgets now. Here's how: * Provide bathrooms = SANISETTE works!! PIT STOP works!! (No cost to city; paid by advertising $) * Provide showers = LAVA MAE works!! (Non profit) * Provide laundry facilities = PORTA KLEEN works!! (GSA Contract Holder) Taking action now meets the immediate needs of the homeless and provides San Diego with image enhancement which money alone cannot buy. Tourist dollars will increase as a result. Please take action NOW, as the need is GREAT!

Leonard Peltier was convicted of murder on "cooked" evidence after the Oglala uprising and has been in prison for over 40 years. He is suffering from cancer and should be pardoned, at the very least on humanitarian grounds. If there was really equal justice in this country, those responsible for poisoning the people of Flint, MI, for example, would be convicted and imprisoned. Peltier is not guilty, and testimony proves it. He is being held because the FBI insists on punishing him for an act he did not commit. For information on this case, see "Incident at Oglala" -- a film by Robert Redford.

It's important because our loved ones die every day in Texas prisons. We are lead to believe that our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, etc... are just fine and the truth is far from it. My father died of cancer this past month and I feel that they could have let myself and our family know something. I know my father did wrong but to die in prison of cancer is not right. With little to no care or treatment, it was cruel and just wrong. They had more than enough time to tell me. You don't just wake up one day and have stage 4 lung cancer. There are stages that can't be over looked. My father suffered, I want answers and I'm not going to stop. I'm my father's only last hope and I feel no one should die from cancer in prison just because they don't want to pay for their care.

The repercussions of a Trump appointment to the Supreme Court will reverberate for decades, especially if he picks a rightwing ideologue who's young. Ensuring that Merrick Garland occupies the vacant seat on the Court is one concrete way to stave off the entrenchment of a rightwing majority that will potentially reverse decades of progress on civil rights, women's and labor rights, gay rights, environmental protection, and other critical issues. President Obama needs to strike some decisive blows before leaving office and this is one way to do it. The Democrats have no need to model gracious, accommodating behavior in light of the callous obstruction Senate Republicans have utilized for over six months to block President Obama's nominee. This obstruction has been compounded by the destructive campaign the Republicans unleashed this election season, and what they're prepared to bring on after Trump's inauguration.

Barbara Lee has a high reputation of speaking truth to power. We ask her to stand on that ground and speak again on some major issues coming up in the next administration.

Americans arrested abroad are offered little support by the US government which has a mandate to protect the rights of its citizens, which rights include international protections. No financial, medical, legal or nutritional support is provided to American citizens by it's government, leaving the citizen on his/her own at a critically vulnerable time. Other European governments provide their citizens with food, clothing, medical care, nutritional support, regular counselor visits and other assistance including repatriation assistance. The US government will provide nothing except repatriation assistance and and even that is only a loan. As a leader of the free world we should raise the standards on how we allow Americans incarcerated abroad to be treated. especially in nations which do not meet the minimum international standards for detention. An American in prison abroad gets a maximum of 2 visits per year by its embassy and this also is insufficient. Visits at least quarterly should be the minimum standard and is consistent with the standards provided by other western nations. Americans may be starved or suffer malnutrition without the help of the US Embassy. Persons incarcerated abroad may have no friends or relatives willing or able to go to the country and/or provide support.for the destitute. By signing this petition, you are helping the most vulnerable citizens in a crisis situation, being locked up abroad without any help, food, clothing or protection from the legal apparatus of a foreign country.

In July, Officer Bryan Kulhanek was found to be in violation of police policy for racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic, violent, and bullying Facebook posts. The public was informed that he would be put on paid administrative leave pending an investigation. Two months went by and the story went cold. But we never forgot. Officer Kulhanek has been seen in uniform at his post at the Nebraska Humane Society. Two months isn't even long enough for an investigation and any sort of retraining. This is unacceptable. We feel that Officer Kulhanek is a danger to the very people he purports to serve in his community.

At SCI-Mahanoy, prisoners are allowed only three small cups of clean water throughout to day to drink with meals. This is about one-eighth of the daily water intake recommended by health professionals. This water crisis is a hazard to the health and safety of all Pennsylvania prisoners. It is particularly dangerous for those prisoners living with already existing, untreated health problems. More than 6,000 prisoners in the state have been diagnosed with Hepatitis C, yet have been refused treatment by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. Please call: John Wetzel Department of Corrections Secretary 717-728-4109 Tom Wolfe Governor of Pennsylvania 717-787-2500 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (EPA) 800-438-2474 Talking Points • There are reports of visibly brown, smelly water that is undrinkable at SCI-Mahanoy and SCI-Frackville. • This water crisis is a hazard to the health and safety of all PA prisoners. Requests • IMMEDIATELY investigate these reports. • Give all prisoners a daily supply of bottled water immediately for drinking. • Give prisoners access to clean water for showering and personal use.

The CPD has perpetrated fraud on the American People since its inception in 1987. The Democrats and Republicans have colluded with mainstream media, the 1%, wall street, and the military/industrial/fake war complex (among others), to keep the public uninformed on all candidates running for POTUS by creating arbitrary polling threshholds rigged by the MSM. This is in direct opposition to their mission statement. For these treasonous crimes they should be shut down.

Three Nebraska football players are under siege by state officials and some fans calling for their expulsion from the university (and worse) for backing Black Lives Matter. The governor and some university regents are adding to the turmoil against the student athletes. One person called for lynching the protesting student athletes.