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Petition Tag - politics
241. Accidents Will Happen - Degrassi: The Next Generation 
June 6, 2004
It is reported from many sites that The-N will not be airing Accidents Will Happen, part of the Degrassi series because it is controversial and deals with teen abortion.
242. Vinessa's Law, Stop the Employment of Undocumented Immigrants
Vinessa Hoera was a 23 year old single mother, who was kidnapped on her way to pick up her 5 year old son Xaviah at daycare. Her new Toyota was found in flames 12 hours later but there was no sign of Vinessa.
Hundreds of volunteers, family, friends, police and trained dogs searched for weeks but came up empty. After 6 weeks, police arrested a co-worker, an undocumented immigrant, who worked with her for almost 2 years and charged him with arson.
It is confirmed that after 2 weeks in jail Vinessa's murderer called her father and confessed to killing Vinessa and dumping her body in the woods not far from where she worked.
After a weeks search police found Vinessa's body, she had been raped, beated and murdered. The co-worker has confessed to murder in the 1st degree, murder in the 2nd degree and 3rd degree arson.
CURRENT UPDATE:
The confessed murderer accepted a plea bargin set up with the families consent offering chavez 22 years to life for a full confession to all charges which took place on feb 15th, the details of chavez's actions were revealed for the first time to the horror of family and friends who attended. chavez was emotionless, monotone in voice and spoke very matter of factly of actions as if they meant nothing. Chavez was sentenced to 22 years to life on march 15th 2005 for the rape and murder of Vinessa Hoera, after about 40 years he will be sent to a holding prison awaiting deportation we are assured.
There are laws in our country stating that hiring an illegal immigrant is a federal offense, yet millions upon millions of them enter our country each year and find gainful employment everyday, taking jobs away from hard working, tax paying americans.
Currently our financial resources are being depleted because we have so many undocumented immigrants drawing from the programs designed to help the needy, but not enough workers replenishing those financial resourses thru their tax dollars. Our schools, medical facilities, neighborhoods and prisons are overwhelmed with the influx of undocumented immigrants, who are very active in the work force but send their tax free money home to their countries, leaving the legally employed taxpayers to foot the bill.
Homeland security is not equipped to handle the 125 million a year who sneak into America illegally every year, Vinessa's Law would give local law enforcment the authority to act on the behalf of homeland security and enforce the undocumented immigrantion employment laws by fining the employer. How will this help our tax dollars? Fines for the first offense can be up to $3000 for each employed undocumented immigrant. A 2nd offense is up to $10,000 per emplyed undocumented immigrant and a third offense the government would seize the business.
Any immigrants who were caught up in the law would be granted easier access to getting the proper credentials to become an active part of our society.
Those who refuse to be come legally employed and pay our tax dollars would be deported.
243. Ban Pornography - Hardcore & Softcore Porn
May 2004
Over the years, this tasteless stuff has corrupted the minds of the people of the world. Especially Japanese "Hentai."
This stuff is watched by the insane and drug-addicts etc. But above all, this garbage is leaking into the lives of our children, even though as young as 8 years old. Please, help us end this horror.
244. Legislation Against Chaining and Penning Dogs
Dogs Deserve Better Than A Life On Chains or In Pens! Dogs Deserve Better is an ASPCA award-winning nonprofit education / legislation / rescue organization dedicated to freeing the chained or penned dogs and bringing them into the family home and the family's hearts.
The organization has launched several national awareness campaigns to give a voice to the dogs who have been chained or penned outside to experience not only the effects of loneliness, boredom, parasites, and lack of food, water, exercise, and adequate shelter, but also the tragic effects of intense cold, numbing wind, frozen water, and blowing snow during the winter as well as the smothering heat, humidity, and rain or drought during the summer. Regardless of breed or size, there is no such thing as an "outside dog." This is a choice that the human has made for the dog, a choice that a dog, as a pack animal, would never make for himself.
Forcing a dog to live outside exposes him to psychological difficulties, the possibility of animal or human attacks, and the will to venture beyond the chain or pen, as well as to developing territorial and acting-out behaviors such as barking, jumping, and biting. Additionally, animals who live away from the family experience feelings of loneliness due to sporadic and brief affection and socialization.
Chaining or penning dogs is not only an animal issue, it is a public safety concern, as well. Animal behaviorists and animal care professionals acknowledge that chaining creates aggressive behavior in dogs. The Humane Society of the United States indicates that a chained or penned dog is 2.5 times more likely to attack than a dog who is living indoors. Additionally, a study cited by National Animal Control News (March/April 2004) concluded that dogs who have been chained or tethered for more than eight hours per day are three times more likely to bite their caretakers than if they had not been chained.
From October 2003 - April 2004, in the United States alone, there have been 10 serious injuries or fatal attacks caused by chained dogs. Four of those attacks occured in April 2004.
This petition serves the dogs who have been chained or penned FOR LIFE - not those who have been allowed outside to enjoy the good weather, to do "their business," or play.
This petition will be presented to the local and state legislature as well as to the President of the United States in an effort to enact laws against chaining and penning dogs. It can be made available to any individual who wishes to send it to their local lawmakers.
245. Support of the 108TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1272. Bill
Update: October 15, 2005
This petition is now closed. Thanks to all supporters and to those who are now supporting the Stop Corporate Killing Campaign located at http://www.nycosh.org/environment_wtc/GulfCoast/NewOrleans10-6-05letter.htm.
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A resolution in support of 108TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1272. To amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to modify the provisions relating to citations and penalties.
Since 1982, approximately 170,000 workers have died due to workplace fatalities. Many of these workers died due to disregard for worker safety on the part of the employer. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, OSHA has the right to refer such cases of employer misconduct to the U.S. Department of Justice for criminal prosecution.
The facts are that since 1982, only 81 out of 170,000 workplace deaths have resulted in convictions, only 16 of which involved jail time.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act defines an employer's reckless disregard for safety resulting in the death of a worker as a misdemeanor, punishable by only a maximum of six months in jail.
246. Gays in America!
Feb 17, 2004
Many places in this country don't allow gay marriages. It's not a big deal. People are living the way they wanna live! Isnt that freedom!?!?! I thought we lived in the United States?? So why is the government banning gay marriages ? That isnt freedom!! Thats Descrimination! Thats like saying people of opposite races cannot wed.
Its all the same! We are all our own person! Why should the government be able to descriminate against homosexuals? It goes against what the United States really stands for. They havent given us the same rights as everyone else. They are singling us out. And destroying our legal rights as Americans. We have freedom of religion. There is no freedom of sexuality.
If someone decides to choose the the path of being a homosexual it makes them No different then anyother person walking the streets today. A persons choice of sexuallity is NO ONES business but their own.
They should be the ones to choose whom they spend the rest of thier life with.
247. Save NYCB at SPAC
February 15, 2004
New York City Ballet has been the resident ballet company during July at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center since the amphitheater was built.
George Balanchine, NYCB's founder, was instrumental in designing the facility and Saratoga Springs, New York has been called, officially, "The Summer Home Of The New York City Ballet." Not only does the three-week residency bring a much-needed cultural richness to this upstate New York area, it brings in many dollars that help to support the local economy.
The current Board of Directors of the Performing Arts Center has arbitrarily (and short-sightedly)decided to end the Company's residency in Saratoga Springs after 2004. The rationale is that the bottom line for the Performing Arts Center is adversely affected by the small audience attendance for NYCB.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a Not-for-Profit organization. With a one-year extension of the agreement between the Performing Arts Center and New York City Ballet until 2005, sufficient funds could be raised to cover the disparity in cost and make the NYCB residency financially viable.
Please let your legislators (along with the Board of Directors of the Performing Arts Center) know that you would like for them to extend this residency and that you support the effort to work with SPAC to make this a profitable enterprise.
Please confine your comments and discussion to arguments that will help to bring about a positive change, one hopes, in which all of us will win. SPAC will be a more vibrant facility, with greater community support, and, in addition,we will all achieve our hope of NYCB continuing to perform there. Personal insults and attacks will only divide us from any kind of successful conversations with the people from whom we are trying to garner results. Thank you.
248. Ban The Sale of Animals In Pet Shops
February 4, 2004
Most puppies and kittens sold in pet shops are bred in 'mills' where dogs and cats are kept in sub-standard conditions and continually bred until they die.
Cute puppies and kittens displayed in pet shops cause impulse purchases of animals who are then dumped when people realise the time, cost and responsibility of caring for a pet. The RSPCA received approximately 133,000 abandoned in 2002/03, and this figure is at least doubled when the many overcrowded animal shelters all over Australia are factored in to the equation.
249. Return the Right to be Educated in Belarusian
The government has closed the state-run National Humanities Lyceum in Minsk, Belapan reported on 27 June, 2003 quoting school assistant principal Lyavon Barshcheuski.
All the teachers were dismissed, and the school building was handed over to the Minsk Municipal Executive Committee, which is expected to renovate it and accommodate another school in it.
The National Humanities Lyceum was the only high school in Belarus that provided instruction in all subjects in Belarusian.
For the past several weeks, its teachers and students protested the appointment of a new principal who, they claimed, did not speak Belarusian and failed to meet the criteria for the top job at the elite school. JM
250. No employment ban for WDR-journalists
On June 20, 2003, the Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) broadcast "Aktenzeichen 11.9. ungelöst" [File 9/11 Unsolved], a documentary by German filmmakers Willy Brunner and Gerhard Wisnewski. The film dealt critically with the attacks on September 11, 2001, exposed inconsistencies, and raised doubts about the official version of the Bush Administration. The documentary drew a great deal of interest from the public and garnered an enormous rating. Approximately three months after the broadcast, following some political and media pressure, the WDR suddenly imposed an employment ban on the filmmakers.
When the filmmakers defended themselves, the broadcasting company reaffirmed that it "could no longer conceive of" any further cooperation. In a public statement, dated October 24, 2003, the WDR declared that the authors had not "fulfilled their assignment" and "missed the actual target." In fact, the WDR not only commissioned, extensively reviewed and approved the film, but also broadcast the documentary, examined the raw material and explicitly declared that the statements in the film were "not misrepresented or reported in a distorted manner," as some media had claimed.
The filmmakers Brunner and Wisnewski released the following statement: "The WDR has no valid reasons for this employment ban. The WDR always and at any time was informed about the critical content of the film. The WDR always and at any time could ask us questions about the film and was given all answers. The WDR commissioned, paid for and broadcast this critical film. Therefore, there is no reason for a belated employment ban."
The signature-list will not be visible here, but will be published from time to time on the authors website, printed in pdf format and sent to the director-general of the WDR.
251. Police Officer Anthony T. Dwyer
This petition is to help prevent the parole of a convicted cop killer.
On October 17, 1989 New York City Police Officer Anthony Dwyer was killed by Eddie Matos while responding to a robbery call. Anthony was only 23 years old and on the police force for only a year and a half.
While being a Police Officer Dwyer was a volunteer firefighter in Long Island he also taught religious education at his local parish. Eddie Matos was convicted of killing Police Officer Anthony Dwyer and sentenced to 25 years to life.
We, the undersigned STRONGLY OPPOSE the parole of Eddie Matos.