Petition Tag - us

The Darfur conflict is an ongoing armed conflict in the Darfur region of western Sudan, mainly between the Janjaweed, a militia group recruited from the tribes of the Abbala Rizeigat (Bedouin Arabs), and the non-Baggara people (mostly land-tilling tribes) of the region.

The Sudanese government, while publicly denying that it supports the Janjaweed, has provided money and assistance and has participated in joint attacks with the group, systematically targeting the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massaleit ethnic groups in Darfur. The conflict began in July 2003. Unlike in the Second Sudanese Civil War, which was fought between the primarily Muslim north and Christian and Animist south, in Darfur most of the residents are Muslim, as are the Janjaweed.

After fighting worsened in July and August 2006, on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council approved Resolution 1706 which called for a new 17,300-troop UN peacekeeping force to supplant or supplement a poorly funded, ill-equipped 7,000-troop African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeeping force. Sudan strongly objected to the resolution and said that it would see the UN forces in the region as foreign invaders. The next day, the Sudanese military launched a major offensive in the region. (See New proposed UN peacekeeping force)

Estimated number of deaths in the conflict vary widely. According to Sudan's government, 9,000 people have been killed; most NGOs use 200,000 to over 400,000, a figure from the Coalition for International Justice that has since been cited by the United Nations. As many as 2.5 million are thought to have been displaced as of October 2006.[3] (See Counting deaths section, below) The mass media once described the conflict as both "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide," and now do so without hesitation. The some in the United States government has described it as genocide, although the United Nations has declined to do so.

In March 2007 the U.N. mission accused Sudan's government of orchestrating and taking part in "gross violations" in Darfur and called for urgent international action to protect civilians there. Not much action has taken place.

View petition

African Americans in the United States for decades have had to succumb to the many prejudices and injustices that discrimination has produced. Countless, brutal, and unimaginable events have occurred in the African American history, that have prevented us from voting, owning land, eating in certain restaurants, living in specific locations, and ultimately robbing us of our God given freedom to live freely as human beings.

However, the unspoken truth is that injustice amongst African Americans is NOT a thing of the past. In today’s society inequality has moved from being blatant to systematic. You can’t quite put your finger on it but you know it is there; it is the unseen plague that can be found in our schools, our communities, our state, and our nation.

WHY is it that the media only portrays women as being ghetto and black men as thugs who can only aspire to be athletes or rappers.
WHY is it that more than 50% of the inmate system is black when African Americans only make up 12 % of the U.S. population?
WHY is that every time a politician makes an ignorant comment about the African American race it is the peoples fault for taking it the wrong way.
WHY is it that the simple commodities like gas and food cost more in deprived multi-ethnic communities but less in affluent neighborhoods?
WHY is it that our schools only offer a page honoring black history and yet our school system teaches our kids 300 + plus pages of so-called American history. When if it were not for African American inventors, educators, philosophers, and revolutionists there would be no American history.
WHY is it that taxpayer’s money is not spent on enhancing underprivileged schools with books and extracurricular activities? Instead the neglected are left without books and after school programs…Young people in disadvantaged neighborhoods have the right to a proper education too!
WHY is it that any race can demand change in the way society views them as a whole as long as it is not the black race?
WHY? Why are we afraid to ask why?

If we choose to ignore these injustices we will never see the justice of a peaceful tomorrow. This is OUR time to Fight for Justice. So, join us in our fight to better the future for the next generation.

View petition

January 8, 2006

Homeland is a Japanese RPG for Gamecube. It's not only a great game, it's also one of very few GC titles that has online support.

Sadly, it doesn't look like the US will be getting a version of this game, unless somebody shows Nintendo that it's worth the time and money that goes into translating a video game. Let's do that.

Please keep it tasteful.

View petition

In school, all American's said the pledge of allegience with the phrase "one nation, under god..." Everyone handles our currency, which has the phrase "In God We Trust" on it. During the presidential debates, both the candidates, John Kerry, and George Bush, ended with the note of "God Bless."

Well what about those of us who don't believe in god. Such as myself, I am an athiest. It offends me that everythign in our country has to do with god this and god that. I've always thought it to be such bull, and none of religion to be believable.

Everyone always says the phrase speration of church and state... correct? Read through the Constitution. No where does it state it. So in this, I am calling for an amendment to the Constitution that will change this, and be dubbed (Amendment) Article XXVIII: Seperation of Church and State. This way, it can not be used as an excuse to get past all of us. In Article 1 (first amendment), it states: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" That represents the Seperation of Church and State JUST, by not establishing an official religion. That line does NOT state that the government can not use religion.

In the future, if a candidate for president uses such phrases as "God Bless", that would be accepted though, under the law of Freedom Of Speech, also stated in the 1st Amendment.

Do the right thing and correct the Constitution that so many have been tricked into believing by the words that they use.

Links:
http://www.au.org/site/PageServer
http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Constitution.html - US Constitution

View petition

10/26/2002

Petition to Give us back our quality of life

To: The Village of Buffalo Grove


ARE YOU TIRED OF THE NOISE AT EMMERICH PARK? IT'S ABOUT TO GET WORSE UNLESS YOU HELP.

Neighboring residents have recently attended several Village meetings in protest of the Buffalo Park District's request to permit the Buffalo Grove Recreational Association (BGRA) and the Bill George Youth Football League (BGYFL) extended usage of the Public Announcement (PA) systems at both East and West Emmerich Park parcels for the entire season, beginning in 2003.

Prior to 1992 Park Ordinances poorly governed the organizations listed above. In 1991 the Park requested that the Village allow them to install PA systems on both parcels. Public hearings and Village meetings took place due to concerns expressed by not only the residents, but by the planning commission and the village board regarding the request. The planning commission vetoed the request (0 yes - 7 no). The Village amended the wording to "limited use" and passed an Ordinance referencing Emmerich East.

"Limited Use" at Emmerich East was defined as:
· The PA system was limited to homecoming, post-season playoff and tournament football games.
· The PA system was limited to three weekends (six days maximum) for football.
· The PA system was limited to a maximum volume of 70 decibels.
· The PA system was limited to specific hours of the day;
o 9:00am - 5:00pm on Saturdays and 12:00noon - 4:30pm on Sundays.

Even though the BGRA and Emmerich West were included in all deliberations, once drafted, the Ordinance failed to include this association and parcel.

"Limited Use" at Emmerich West was discussed to:
· Limit the PA system to All Star games for baseball.
· Limit the PA system to one weekend (two days maximum).
· Limit the PA system to a maximum volume of 70 decibels.
· Limit the PA system to specific hours of the day;
o 9:00am - 5:00pm on Saturdays and 12:00noon - 4:30pm on Sundays.

Through the years, the rules of the Ordinance have constantly been violated, and when requests to enforce the Ordinance were made, little or nothing was done, and the violations continued.

As mentioned previously, the Park District is now asking for amendments to Ordinance. They have requested permission from the Village to allow full usage of the PA from dusk till dawn for the entire football season at the East parcel, and submitted a second request for Ordinance to allow 8:30am start times on Sundays for baseball at the West parcel.

In 1992, there was an estimated 500 participants registered with the BGRA and the BGYFL. There are now an estimated 2,800 participants registered. These numbers do not reflect the teams played against. Activity has risen from some weeknights and some weekends to nearly every night and nearly every weekend.

History of the events that led to the ordinance as well as current events regarding recent discussions can be obtained through the Village web site (www.vbg.org) under "agendas and minutes" then under "board of trustees, preliminary agendas". The most recent meetings regarding this topic began with the Village on September 23rd. The plan commission workshop is anticipated on 11/20/02.

We are asking you as neighbors to help stop any further intrusions to our neighborhood. The continuing growth has polluted and overburdened our streets with traffic and our neighborhood with congestion and noise. Should Emmerich East be allowed full usage of the PA, it will be a matter of time until Emmerich West requests the same. Our efforts are to maintain limited use.

Members of the Village Board have told us that our best defense would be to show up at the public hearings with as many neighboring residents as possible, which is the purpose for this letter. We look forward to any issues, concerns or suggestions that you may have, and truly look forward to your support at future meetings.

Note: We are not fighting City Hall. We are asking that the Village maintain and enforce the "spirit" of the Ordinance, which is to limit the use of any amplified system at both parcels. A petition has been drafted, and there are currently thirty-one (31) signatures. We ask at the very least that you sign this petition. More importantly, please attend as many meetings on this topic as you can.


Gary Gillmeister John Teckorius
196 Raupp Boulevard 199 Raupp Boulevard
847-541-0664 847-459-8599 ggillmeister@attbi.com jteckorius@attbi.com

Give us back our quality of life

I have read the Give us back our quality of life Petition to The Village of Buffalo Grove, and I hereby sign the petition:

Eligible signatories: residents of Buffalo Grove.

View petition