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Tell Biden & Senate: No on Flournoy for Secretary of DefenseIt is imperative that we pursue peace and global cooperation in the face of climate catastrophe and human suffering from multiple U.S. wars, occupations and drone attacks. Flournoy, a Pentagon advisor in the Clinton and Obama administrations, calls for the US to send more military equipment to Saudi Arabia to police the Middle East while the US pivots to Asia to ramp up a Cold War with China. In her essay, “How to Prevent a War with Asia,” Flournoy claims the way to prevent a nuclear confrontation with China is for the U.S. to increase military spending on cyber warfare, artificial intelligence and drones, as well as troop deployments to the South China Sea to conduct roving war games near two nuclear powers, China and North Korea. This is a prescription for tremendous human suffering. Flournoy supported the surge in Afghanistan, regime change in Syria and the disastrous military intervention in Libya. She sits on the Board of Booz Hamilton, a consultancy for military contractors and during her 2013-2016 tenure with Boston Consulting expanded military contracts from $1.6-$32 million dollars (American Prospect). It is a fundamental conflict of interest to choose a Secretary of Defense so closely tied to war profiteers. We need a Secretary of Defense, untethered to the weapons industry, who will embrace diplomacy and reject a new arms race with China. One possible candidate is Thomas Countryman, Board Chair, Arms Control Association, former United States Assistant secretary of State for International Security and Adviser to Diplomacy Works. Thank you.4,821 of 5,000 SignaturesCreated by Marcy W.
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Shut Down Massive Red Hill Jet Fuel Tanks NOW, Not in One YearThe U.S. Navy has 225 million gallons of jet fuel stored in twenty, 20-story fuel tanks constructed 80 years ago during World War II inside Red Hill. These tanks sit a mere 100 feet above Honolulu’s water supply. We do not trust in 80 year-old tanks that now are as thin as a dime with the pressure of 12.5 million gallons in each tank. With the November 2021 contamination of 93,000 residents who ironically are in the military communities around Pearl Harbor, we know it is only a matter of time before contamination may reach the aquifer polluting the water for 400,000 residents of Honolulu. The Governor and members of the Hawai'i Congressional delegation have finally called for suspension of Red Hill operations and the removal of the fuel from the tanks. State and Federal officials are also concerned about the U.S. Navy’s plan for the tanks and in a October 26, 2020 letter, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State of Hawaii’s Department of Health rejected the U.S. Navy’s plan for the tanks as “deficient.” According to ABS Consulting, a firm hired by the U.S. Navy, there is a 27.6% chance of a leak of up to 30,000 gallons of fuel during any given year which has been called a “conservative" estimate by an EPA specialist. . ABS also calculated a 34% chance of a release of over 120,000 gallons in the next 100 years. Chronic, undetected releases are expected to total 5,803 gallons per year, according to ABS. In 2014, Fuel tank #5 leaked 24,000 gallons. That same fuel tank was put back into operation in 2020. In September 2019, the Navy released its preferred plan on how to upgrade the Red Hill tanks after studying six tank upgrade options. The Navy’s preferred choice—the least protective and least expensive option—is to keep the original steel tank liner, coat it with epoxy, and explore installing a water treatment plant to filter toxic chemicals from Oʻahu’s drinking water in the case of another major leak. The plan also commits to some undefined, undetermined “double-wall equivalency” solution or relocation of the tanks “around 2045”– which proposes to extend the deadline to upgrade the tanks another 7 years using some unknown, future technology that is not actually a double-walled solution. The idea of putting off another 20 years until 2045 a decision on the future of the tanks is irresponsible. Other Department of Defense fuel tanks locations have replaced their aging fuel tanks that too have had leaks. With the largest budget in U.S. history-over $780 billion this year, DOD can certainly put into its budget the removal of the fuel tanks from Red Hill. The $194 million overhaul of the Point Loma-San Diego, California fuel tanks began in 2005 and was finished in 2013. 54 underground and above-ground fuel storage tanks were replaced with eight tanks, all above ground. Fuel tanks at Kitsap Naval Base, Washington are also being replaced. While Department of Defense will cite national security for the necessity of retaining the tanks, as residents of Oahu we believe our human security demands the protection of our water supply. We residents of Oahu rely on the Department of Health to protect us from danger. Red Hill jet fuel tanks are the biggest danger the residents of Oahu have. Following are among many documents that provide evidence of the dangers of Red Hill jet fuel tanks to our public safety: https://www.staradvertiser.com/tag/red-hill-water-crisis/ University of Hawaii video of the Red Hill fuel tanks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_pPWoGlO-s https://www.civilbeat.org/2022/03/how-hawaii-activists-helped-force-the-militarys-hand-on-red-hill/ https://popularresistance.org/hawaii-groups-wary-of-militarys-sudden-decision-to-shut-down-red-hill/ https://popularresistance.org/1-1-billion-and-counting-for-navys-obstinance-in-shutting-down-leaking-fuel-tanks/ How the Military Poisoned its Families https://youtu.be/QToBQ9kCuSs https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/2957825/statement-by-secretary-of-defense-lloyd-j-austin-iii-on-the-closure-of-the-red/ https://www.staradvertiser.com/2022/03/08/hawaii-news/red-hill-bulk-fuel-storage-facilitys-permanent-closure-is-ordered/ https://features.nmgnetwork.com/beneath-red-hill/?fbclid=IwAR1d-q_gt2R4IWRHhA_E-9ElxzWnrs2ybqlg5BXjDiLXAPYUGVD0HpYT8Cs https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/hawaiis-leadership-calls-for-suspension-of-navys-red-hill-fuel-facility/ https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/navy-has-no-realistic-timeline-to-restore-safe-water-to-military-housing-on-oahu/ https://www.civilbeat.org/2021/12/honolulu-shuts-off-major-water-sou https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2020-10/documents/red-hill-tua_proposal_final_combined_response-2020-10-26.pdf https://www.civilbeat.org/beat/navys-red-hill-fuel-tank-plan-rejected-by-epa-health-department/ https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-06/documents/red_hill_risk_assessment_report_redacted-2018-11-12.pdf https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2011/budget_justification/pdfs/04_Family_Housing/milconFamHSG.pdf https://sierraclubhawaii.org/redhill https://www.civilbeat.org/2020/05/the-navy-replaced-its-leaky-fuel-tanks-in-california-why-not-oahu/ https://www.staradvertiser.com/2020/03/11/breaking-news/red-hill-tank-that-leaked-fuel-being-brought-back-into-service/ https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2019-09/documents/red_hill_aoc_tua_proposal_decision_document_20190919.pdf https ://printreplica.staradvertiser.com/?publink=2e10d1b5b_1345f04&fbclid=IwAR2GQVpfBQSwrUE4R4l_N0sAbKeJqpC296AmhBG-h2s48uO_ty6oULe5qGw Link to the 103 page report of the Hearing Officer that was released September 10, 2021. https://www.scribd.com/document/524707077/Red-Hill-recommended-decision-finding-of-fact4,077 of 5,000 SignaturesCreated by Ann W.
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Do Not Extend $1 Lease on 23,000 acres of Hawai'i State Lands in Military Pōhakuloa Training AreaThe U.S. military wants to extend the lease on the State of Hawai'i property as it provides access to the 110,000 acres of adjacent U.S. government-owned land at the largest U.S. military firing range. The Army calls the 132,000-acre range on Hawaii island the “Pacific’s premier training area.” Pōhakuloa Training Area (PTA), with a 51,000-acre “impact area,” is used heavily by Hawaii-based and visiting international military forces. It is the largest live-fire range in Hawaii and supports full-scale combined arms field training from the squad to brigade (approximately 3,500 soldiers) level. The Army set a 40-day public "scoping" period for the Environment Impact Statement (EIS). Written comments should be submitted via the EIS website at 808ne.ws/357ek2V. Hawaiian cultural practitioners Clarence Ku Ching and Mary Maxine Kahaulelio filed suit against the Hawai'i State Department of Land and Natural Resources in 2014 claiming the state breached its trust duties by failing to enforce the lease. Four years later, State Circuit judge Gary Chang ruled in 2018 in Ching and Kahaulelio’s lawsuit (Ching v. Case) that the DLNR failed to care for the Big Island property, lacking inspections over the first nearly 50 years of the lease. Judge Chang said that the state has a duty to "mālama ʻāina" and called two DLNR inspection reports “grossly inadequate” and ordered the state to develop and potentially execute a plan to obtain adequate funding for a comprehensive cleanup of the land. After Judge Chang’s order, DLNR said that as the landlord of the property, it would work with the Army to develop a formal inspection, monitoring and reporting process, which has been virtually non-existent. However, the Hawaii Supreme Court overturned part of the order. Hawai'i State organizations that support this petition are: Hawai'i Peace and Justice; Veterans for Peace-Chapter 113-Hawai'i; Cancel RIMPAC Coalition; Golden Rule Anti-Nuclear Sailing Ship: Women's Voices Women Speak; Malu Aina Center for Non-Violent Education and Action; Peace Action-Maui; National and International Organizations that support this petition: World Beyond War; Peace Action; Popular Resistance; Background Links: VIDEO: Mauna Kea Observatory Directors Give Update https://www.bigislandvideonews.com/2019/08/25/video-mauna-kea-observatories-directors-give-update Hawaii Has Failed To Take Care Of Pohakuloa https://www.civilbeat.org/2019/08/hawaii-has-failed-to-take-care-of-pohakuloa/ Ching v. Case Ruling https://law.justia.com/cases/hawaii/supreme-court/2019/scap-18-0000432.html9,995 of 10,000 SignaturesCreated by Ann W.
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Stop Big Money PoliticsOur forefathers attempted to prevent financial elites from controlling the country. Today 4 or 5 families have 50% of the wealth and can finance political campaigns through PACs with Million Dollar Plus donations without any disclosure of their names.528 of 600 SignaturesCreated by Eric S.
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E-waste: the dark horse of environmental problemsMost of this electronics will be thrown away within three years due to new technologies and planned obsolescence. The average life of a computer has decreased significantly from six to two years, and the average life cycle of today's cell phones is only 9 to 18 months. As a result, up to 50 million tons of electronic waste are produced annually, most of it from First World countries, whose strict recycling laws make safe disposal expensive and tedious. As a result, much of it is exported to third world countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, the Philippines and Africa, which are not subject to strict regulations. This export is illegal under the Basel Convention, according to which "hazardous waste must be disposed of in the country of origin". What it does to the environment: Chemicals in e-waste can be mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, and chromium. These compounds can be very persistent in the environment and are absorbed by plants through the soil and by humans through food, water, air, dust, skin contact, and ingestion. What it can do to people: According to the World Health Organization (WHO), low levels of lead, mercury and cadmium can cause neurological damage, cancer, lung, kidney, thyroid and liver diseases, and cause behavioral and learning difficulties in children. What can be done: Governments around the world must stop exporting their e-waste to these third world countries and instead try to improve their own waste methods. Governments should feel responsible for managing their own e-waste recycling programs so that businesses can explore this path in a cheaper and more sustainable way, rather than simply shifting the duty to countries that need money.3 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Slava D.
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Write-in Bernard Sanders for PresidentWe do not want anyone to vote for Trump, but 40-60 per cent will. That leaves 40-60 per cent for Biden and everyone else. Many will not vote because the choices are unpleasant. Biden lies as much as Trump, and has already "walked back" on some campaign promises and hints that more walk-backs are to come. Main stream media is not reporting it, but there are people who have already committed to writing in Bernard Sanders on the November 2020 ballot, and some will be voting for the Green Party and others. We believe that this equates to an unlikely win for Joe Biden. We want Bernie Sanders. We wanted Bernie and still want Bernie. Bernie is The Peoples' Choice. If enough people write-in Bernie, he could be our President. And, even if he doesn't win, his name on ballots all across the U.S. will send a strong message to politicians that we want Bernie's platform now.4 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Peter D.
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Release Steven Hibbler From A Life Prison Sentence Due To An Unfair Prosecution ImmediatelySteven Hibbler, has been serving a life sentence in the Michigan Department Of Corrections since 1995 for a shooting he did not commit. Although an affidavit and testimony under oath from a person involved in the shooting pointed to Steven’s innocence, he was convicted of this crime and has been denied a retrial due to the justice system's failures. These failures include but are not limited to: * The first day of trial it was brought to the court's attention by an anonymous caller that one of the jurors knew the family and had a potential relationship with the deceased's daughter. Yet the judge never questioned the juror and allowed him to stay on the jury. * During the trial, the prosecutor openly admitted to the judge that, while they had a theory that Steven shot the deceased, they did not know whose shots caused the death. *Both Steven's trial attorney and appellate attorney admitted their ineffectiveness when it came to Steven's case and conceded that they made "mistakes" that could have affected the outcome of Steven's legal proceedings. Now, after two and a half decades, there has been a new development in Steven's case that brings about renewed hope. We have learned of exculpatory evidence that the prosecutor intentionally withheld from Steven's attorneys in a desperate effort to railroad Steven. The prosecutor who handled Steven's trial had knowledge that the key eyewitness in his case had previously testified to seeing and knowing the name of the person who shot and killed the deceased. The person he named was not Steven. Fortunately, this new information is currently being reviewed by the Michigan Attorney General's Conviction Integrity Unit, which has the power to investigate and reverse this wrongful conviction. While under the knee of injustice, Steven has managed to completely transform his life. He is currently pursuing a bachelor's degree in sociology and has also collaborated with The Yale School of Art. He is a published poet and an accomplished artist whose artwork has appeared in the October 2019 edition of The Harper's Magazine as well as several art exhibits and installations. Steven is a member of The Michigan Theory Group, an Inside Out Prison Exchange Program alumni group that trains professors and instructors from around the world in critical pedagogy. He is also a co-creator and facilitator of the Inside Out Theory Group's Restorative Justice curriculum and program. Over the years, Steven has developed the core belief that we are all interconnected as human beings and can change the world around us by doing one good deed at a time. Steven Hibbler needs your help to affirm his innocence. After twenty-five years of wrongful imprisonment, he deserves immediate justice. Please sign this petition to encourage the CIU to thoroughly investigate his case. Please also get in touch with the Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel at: Email - [email protected] Phone: 517-335-7622 Fax: 517-335-7644 or send direct mail to: G. Mennen Williams Building 525 W. Ottawa Street P.O. Box 30212 Lansing, MI 48909 Detroit Office Cadillac Place, 10th Floor 3030 W. Grand Blvd., Ste 10-200 Detroit, MI 48202 Phone: 313-456-0240 Fax: 313-456-0243 In addition please send emails and make phone calls to the following state representatives: Governor - Gretchen Whitmer General Telephone Number: 517-373-3400 Opinion Telephone: 517-335-7858 Fax: 517-335-6863 Email: [email protected] Address: State Capitol P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, MI 48909 Lt. Governor - Garlin Gilchrist II Phone: 517-373-6800 Attorney General - Dana Nessel Phone: 517-373-1110 Address: G. Mennen Williams Building 7th Floor 525 W. Ottawa St., Lansing, MI 48933 Email: [email protected] Legislators/Senators - Senator Aric Nesbitt - District 26 Phone: 1-866-305-2120 Address for all Senators: Michigan Senate State Capitol Building Box 30036 Lansing, MI 48909 United States Congressman - Justin Amash Phone: 616-451-8383 Address: 110 Michigan NW #460 Grand Rapids, MI 49503 State House Representative - Steven Johnson -72nd District Phone: 517-373-0840 Email: [email protected] State Information Center at 517-373-1837 Please send an email to [email protected] for additional information.2,217 of 3,000 SignaturesCreated by Raven H.
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Bring back Buses to Castle Pines Village!1. DSCD school buses have been coming into Castle Pines Village for at least 20 years. a. Parents have relied on the buses to take our children to school. Suddenly, without any rationale or even any notice, the buses will not be stopping inside the gates. b. Children who used walk to the bus stop had options nearby, but the changes will now require parents to make new arrangements in an already very trying time for everyone. 2. There is a huge safety issue. a. There are no sidewalks for the kids to walk where the new bus stops are intended outside of the village. b. There is nowhere for parents to park with their kids to wait for the buses. c. There is increased danger since the buses for Middle and High School come in the dark in the winter mornings. d. Kids will need to walk 30 - 60 minutes to a bus stop outside the gates (in the dark in the mornings) if their parents can't drive them. 3. Traffic on Happy Canyon and Chase will be highly impacted. a. There is not a safe place for kids to wait for the buses, they will be lined up on Happy Canyon (in the dark in winter). b. Parents who will drive their kids to the bus stop have nowhere to park and they will be off the shoulder on Happy Canyon and off in the ditch/shoulder on Lagae/Chase. Although this year there will be a smaller number of kids on buses due to Covid restrictions, in future months/years this will be MANY cars. c. Due to the above reasons, there will be a large number of cars lined up waiting for the kids to board/un-board the buses every morning and afternoon. It will take quite a while for ALL the kids to board because of the minimal number of stops outside the village. Traffic will be very congested in these areas. 4. Bus Fees are charged for our kids to ride the bus. This is acceptable when our kids only have to walk a few blocks to a stop. Moving the bus stops to outside of the village, creating a huge inconvenience for parents and kids, does not justify the same bus fee.232 of 300 SignaturesCreated by Kimberly N.
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Grant Refugee status for unarmed civilians in the Gaza stripMore innocent Gaza residents will die from starvation, lack of air and from drinking contaminated water which might lead to the annihilation of the population of the Gaza strip. We need to start an emergency airlift to take many unarmed civilians from the Jabilya refugee camp in the Gaza strip.6 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Ola A.
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Take Mark Zuckerberg's name off of San Francisco General HospitalAs San Francisco residents, San Francisco General Hospital patients and staff, and other concerned citizens, we urge the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, SF City Attorney Dennis Herrera, and the San Francisco General Hospital Foundation to remove Mark Zuckerberg’s name from our city’s prestigious public hospital. Mark Zuckerberg’s failure to stop hate, lies, racism, and disinformation from running rampant on Facebook is counter to the values San Franciscans hold dear. He is being pressured to change Facebook’s policies by companies throughout the country that have stopped advertising on Facebook to #StopHateForProfit. San Francisco should support these efforts and remove any mention of Mark Zuckerberg’s name from San Francisco General Hospital until he takes real action to protect the public from lies, hate, and disinformation on the platform he founded.4,650 of 5,000 SignaturesCreated by Andrea B.
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Tell the U.S.A., China, and Russia to START LEADINGYou know. It's clear when we listen to the youth rising, and look at the "racism, vast militarism and extreme materialism" around us. the real threat of nuclear extinction. The real threat of our grandchildren having an inhabitable climate and planet.9 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Anthony D.
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Rust Belt Renewal InitiativeThe Rust Belt Renewal Initiative is a proposal for the United States to adopt a decade-long national commitment to rebuilding the once-mighty base of the industrial Midwest as the hub of a revived American manufacturing capability. The RBRI would be powered not by toxic fossil fuels but by clean and abundant, locally generated, renewable sources of energy, primarily solar and wind, to produce new generations of energy-efficient, carbon-free, electricity-powered transportation, appliances and other durable goods to the world-class standards of safety and reliability for which American-made products were once widely celebrated. RBRI will focus our personal and collective creativity on meeting the unique requirements of a 21st century economy and society while effectively addressing the paramount challenge of our time, reducing the disruptive impacts of climate change.7 of 100 SignaturesCreated by Jimmy D.