First...can anyone tell me how to extend the life of a petition?

Second: Please look at--and I hope you will sign--the following petition:

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Free-Elsa-Newman

This woman is unjustly imprisoned in the state of Maryland--Maryland Correctional Institution for Women at Jessup. She was charged and convicted of a crime committed by someone else. The highest court in the state of Maryland, on apppeal, opined in their majority opinion that there is nothing to connect Newman to the crime.

Newman was subsequently re-arrested, recharged and reconvicted by the State's Attorney of Montgomery County, Maryland, who, just "coincidentally" happened to be planning a run for state office. I suspect he could not allow Newman--although she was innocent--to be released; the release of an innocent woman, convicted on his watch, would not look good on his record. [Yes...his run for office succeeded; Doug Gansler is now the Attorney General of Maryland.] He preferred to convict the innocent, rather than let the mess stain his record and keep him from higher office.

The trial was even moved to a different county, where-- according to Gansler's chief assistant, Katherine Winfree--there was a higher chance of conviction. Yup! You read that right. I have in hand a copy of an email from Winfree to one of the police detectives with whom she worked, stating that the percentage of chance of conviction went way up when the second trial was moved to Fredrick County [a county rather rudely referred to by Gansler as "Fredneck County].

I don't know what else to say. I have been reading about this case, researching it and talking and writing to people involved for over a year now. I am convinced that Elsa Newman is innocent and that her children are in the hands of a sexual predator who molests and abuses them.

Her release would allow her to work freely for the welfare of her children.

Please? The petition again: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/Free-Elsa-Newman

Thank you...any and all of you who are inclined to add your signature to this petition.

In addition, when Newman was convicted, her two young sons, who had disclosed severe molestation and abuse by their father, Arlen Slobodow of Tampa, Florida, were left by default in the hands of their abuser. The question of abuse was never heard in court, because the criminal trial intervened, and abuse and molestation somehow became moot questions.

Would the AG of Maryland actually permit such injustice on his watch? You bet he would! Ambition within a man like Doug Gansler knows no limits. Rumor has it that he plans a run for Governor at his next opportunity--and eventually a run for President of the US, perhaps as early as 2016.

As further evidence of the man's attitude, please notice that he insisted--also at the time of his run for AG--that he be allowed to retry the DC snipers in Maryland, although they had already been convicted in Virginia.

More? When he heard that the appeals court had reversed the Newman decision, he went on record saying, "They just released the woman who wanted to kill her kids." What happened to the search for truth? According to the dictates of his office as state's attorney, Gansler should have been pursuing reality, truth and justice, rather than bad-mouthing the court that freed this innocent mother.

 [ send green star]

Petition signed. Let us persist so that this courageous soul can be free and pursue her cause of human and woman's rights.

Thanks for reminding us of her status.

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/km-mayawati-cm---up-be-booked-us-120-b-ipc-involved-in-murder

 [ send green star]

Some Witness.org Alerts-

Current Campaigns: 

http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=85&Itemid=234

 [ send green star]

Give President-elect Barack Obama the support he needs to make good on his promise to close Guantanamo and end torture. Sign the petition: - - - - - - - - - - - Dear President-elect Barack Obama, I urge you as president to change the government’s course on human rights and to reverse the damage done by the U.S. government’s actions in the name of national security. I call on you to demonstrate your commitment to justice by: Announcing the timeline to close Guantánamo Issuing an executive order to ban torture and other ill-treatment as defined under international law Ensuring that an independent inquiry into the USA’s detention and interrogation practices in its “war on terror” is set up These are three key steps on Amnesty International’s checklist for your first 100 days in office. You can counter terror with justice. We are counting on you. http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.4742025/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=4742025&en=4nJxFFMfE3IGKPOiE2JDKMMtFfIKITNlFbLMLWOA

 [ send green star]

SIGNED THANK YOU

 [ send green star]

For over four decades, Indigenous communities have witnessed multinational oil companies cut through their ancestral lands in search of the country's vast petroleum resources. According to the report "Amazon Crude", Texaco alone was responsible for dumping 19 billion gallons of toxic wastewater into the region contaminating the drinking water of Ecuador's Amazon communities.
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b.2590179/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&aid=4102

 [ send green star]

Thank you! a few more- http://www.humanrightsfirst.org/defenders/hr_defenders.asp

 [ send green star]

Both action were taken, thank you.
1190 Signatures Total

 [ send green star]

We, the undersigned, have heard with great alarm of the arrest in Tehran, on Wednesday October 15, 2008, of Esha Momeni, a graduate student in film and communication at California State University, Northridge. This arrest was made by Tehran traffic police on the pretext that she had made an illegal turn, but we have since been informed that she has been transferred to Section 209 of Evin Prison and kept in solitary confinement.

http://www.petitiononline.com/EshaM/petition.html 

another one:

http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/Igdar

 [ send green star]

        The proposed POSCO steel plant in Orissa displaces a thriving agricultural community and has been sanctioned amidst serious environmental violations. People have barricaded their villages. The state has been responding with force with armed battalions taking over schools in the region.  AID had hosted a petition in Feb 2008 against this forced displacement asking the state to listen to its people.  AID volunteers had submitted the signatures to the Indian Consulate in San Francisco and faxed them to the Chief MInister of Orissa and Prime Minister of India.

 [ send green star]

Signed

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/beware-raj-thackery---be-indian

 [ send green star]

Petitions signed, thank you.

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/wesformoretlc

 [ send green star]

Hi everyone, I joined care2 to promote www.caretovote.com which is a completely free voting site based in England that will lobby British and European, Governments, Institutions, Organisations, etc  caretovote.com will feature “Earth Issues’’ that concern us all such as: Environment, Pollution, Ocean and marine life, Habitat, Humanities, Wildlife etc.  We are now featuring a full on issue in co-operation with the global organisation “CAMPAIGN AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE’’. Please help us to make a difference by voting on our issues and rallying as much support for your British allies as you can.  Please do not ban us from your site as we are here to help.  TOGETHER WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Thank you

 [ send green star]

Uphold Human Rights in the Gulf Coast

In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and caused widespread devastation. The United States government was not prepared to respond to the magnitude of this disaster and Gulf Coast residents were forced to flee their homes. International human rights standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, guarantee the rights of every person displaced by a disaster like Hurricane Katrina, including the right to return. Amnesty International USA calls upon the federal government to uphold the right of all Katrina survivors to return to their homes. We urge officials to provide access to affordable, safe and habitable housing so that survivors can exercise their right to return.

Survivors should be able to genuinely and effectively participate in their return, resettlement and reintegration into their communities. The U.S. government must ensure that the principles of equality and non-discrimination are applied to the return or resettlement of all internally displaced persons.

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/siteapps/advocacy/index.aspx?c=jhKPIXPCIoE&b=2590179&template=x.ascx&action=11165&tr=y&auid=3957533

 [ send green star]

An Avaaz Alert-

http://www.avaaz.org/en/georgia_ceasefire_now/?cl=114850144&v=2019

 [ send green star]

to all of you for adding your petitions/actions here

 [ send green star]

If you agree, please sign :

Open Letter to International Community:

The signers of this document want to let the world know that self-named Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia) – FARC, in more than 40 years of terrorism:

• Have killed tens of thousands of Colombian citizens.
• Have off-trial executed hundreds of Colombian citizens.
• Have kidnapped thousands of Colombian citizens.
• Have attacked tens of towns in our country.
• Have performed tens of terrorist attacks to civilian targets.
• Have used high-power explosives to kill Colombian citizens in indiscriminate attacks.
• Have dynamited our oil pipelines.
• Have attacked national energy and roads infrastructure.
• Have planted thousands of anti-personnel landmines in rural areas of our country.
• Have used chemical substances such as ammonium nitrate to increase damage caused by it’s bombs.
• Have recruited hundreds of children for combat.
• Have attacked medical facilities, medical personnel and ambulances.
• Have produced displacement of more than 2 million of Colombians.
• Keep currently more than 700 kidnapped people, which they torture in Colombian forests.
• Have destroyed more than 98.000 acres of forest to seed coca and produce cocaine.
• Have trafficked hundreds of tons of cocaine.

Firmly and unanimously we want to express to the whole world that FARC does not represent any of us, nor our interests, nor our people.

We also want to express that we strongly condemn all their terrorist actions that along more than 40 years have been producing death and pain, while stopping the progress of the country we want for our families and children.

For the previously listed reasons we want the whole world to know:

• We DON´T want more kidnappings.
• We DON´T want more death.
• We DON´T want more terrorism.
• We DON´T want more FARC.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

View Current Signatures

http://www.petitiononline.com/Colombia/petition.html

 [ send green star]

The petition is here

http://www.petitiononline.com/sce/petition.html

Thank you

Love and Peace

 [ send green star]

Posted by StopChildExecutions.com

Stop Child Executions Campaign

Behnam Zare is no loger allowed to have visitors as his 15 day stay of execution is ending. Beham can be executed anytime .

This is the last chance to contact world politicians and organizations to demand Iran's government to stop Behnam's execution before its too late.

For more information read :    http://scenews.blog.com/Behnam+Zare/

http://www.care2.com/news/member/989784779/473082

 [ send green star]

Help free 17 men charged with "homosexual conduct" in Iran.

Up to 17 men remain in detention after being arrested at a private party in Esfahan province, central Iran on May 10. They may have been tortured or ill-treated and remain at risk of such abuse.

The men were among 87 people reportedly arrested at the party. Those still detained are believed to have been wearing clothes generally associated with women at the time of their arrest.

Urge Iranian authorities to review the cases of all who were arrested and ensure that those still detained are protected from torture or ill-treatment.

In solidarity,
The OUTfront Team
Amnesty International USA

 [ send green star]

Thousands of Amnesty supporters this week will send messages, place calls and pay visits to Congress to tell their elected officials that they must do everything in their power to help get UN peacekeepers into Darfur. Join our efforts by taking action today.

Amnesty supporters and their allies have scored key victories in getting U.S. officials to promote peace and security in Darfur. During our last nationwide mobilization, supporters succeeded in getting 174 members of the House of Representatives and all 100 US Senators to sign onto a letter urging the Arab League to persuade the government of Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers into the Darfur region.

Now we need your help to put pressure on the Chinese government, which can use its influence to get Sudan to allow UN peacekeepers into Darfur. Urge your Members of Congress to tell China, as one of the Sudan’s most important economic partners, that it must act now to promote peace and security in Darfur.

China might do the right thing, but Amnesty activists need to take the lead in pressuring China to do so. Send a message today.

Sincerely,

Scott Edwards
Country Specialist for Sudan
Amnesty International USA

 [ send green star]

Modern weapons in general create horrifying experiences for civilians caught in the line of fire. But some weapons continue to kill and maim innocent people for months or years after the conflict has ended. Cluster bombs, which release thousands of bomblets over a large area, are one such weapon. Due to high “dud” rates, many bomblets sit unexploded near homes, playgrounds, and farms until someone triggers their deadly blast.

Senator Diane Feinstein has introduced legislation to restrict the use and sale of cluster bombs. We plan to deliver this petition next week. Can you add your name and help spread the word?

 [ send green star]

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/356320399

 [ send green star]

An Urgent Appeal: Please Release Our Friends in Iraq

Four members of Christian Peacemaker Teams were taken this past Saturday, November 26, in Baghdad, Iraq. They are not spies, nor do they work in the service of any government. They are people who have dedicated their lives to fighting against war and have clearly and publicly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq. They are people of faith, but they are not missionaries. They have deep respect for the Islamic faith and for the right of Iraqis to self-determination.

C.P.T. first came to Iraq in October 2002 to oppose the US invasion, and it has remained in the country throughout the occupation in solidarity with the Iraqi people. The group has been invaluable in alerting the world to many of the horrors facing Iraqis detained in US-run prisons and detention centers. C.P.T. was among the first to document the torture occurring at the Abu Ghraib prison, long before the story broke in the mainstream press. Its members have spent countless hours interviewing Iraqis about abuse and torture suffered at the hands of US forces and have disseminated this information internationally.

Each of the four C.P.T. members being held in Iraq has dedicated his life to resisting the darkness and misery of war and occupation. Convinced that it is not enough to oppose the war from the safety of their homes, they made the difficult decision to go to Iraq, knowing that the climate of mistrust created by foreign occupation meant that they could be mistaken for spies or missionaries. They went there with a simple purpose: to bear witness to injustice and to embody a different kind of relationship between cultures and faiths. Members of C.P.T. willingly undertook the risks of living among Iraqis, in a common neighborhood outside of the infamous Green Zone. They sought no protection from weapons or armed guards, trusting in, and benefiting from, the goodwill of the Iraqi people. Acts of kindness and hospitality from Iraqis were innumerable and ensured the C.P.T. members’ safety and wellbeing. We believe that spirit will prevail in the current situation.

We appeal to those holding these activists to release them unharmed so that they may continue their vital work as witnesses and peacemakers.

Petition: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/freethecpt

Sponsored by: http://www.cpt.org/

• CPT in Iraq
• CPT Reports and Work on Iraqi Detainees

CPT is aware of a second video tape that makes reference to demands and a specific timeline for those demands to be met.  We are investigating this situation. 

"We are distressed that those who have taken our friends, Harmeet, Tom, Norman and Jim, could try and bargain with their lives and we want to understand why they would do such a thing. The taking of lives in any circumstance is against every thing we stand for. Please, whoever is holding them, release them all unharmed. Their families are very worried about them and we want their safe return home. We fear that whoever is holding them has made a mistake. These four men are peacemakers, not spies. CPT has consistently opposed the war and the continuing presence of multinational forces in Iraq."

• Follow-up information to request for statements of support

 [ send green star]

THIS IS A DESPERATE LAST APPEAL FOR THIS PETITION.  PLEASE READ AND SIGN AND DO WHATEVER YOU CAN

Hi Everyone,
Please, please this very worthy petition of my friend Eleanor Boyd is lagging in the 200 plus area. Is it right that a young man is kept in prison WITHOUT EVER BEING CHARGED - FOR TEN YEARS???  Please take a look at this and sign and forward as widely as possible. Thank you.
Love and hugs,
Jessie


Original Message:

-----------------

 [ send green star]

Hi, I just got this from MoveOn.org...Please sign! Thank you!!!

Today President Bush caved to pressure from the far right and nominated the notoriously radical judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Today we're joining the campaign to stop him by aiming to collect 250,000 signatures in 48 hours. Can you sign today?



Dear MoveOn member,

This morning, with his administration growing weaker by the day, President Bush caved to pressure from the radical fringe of the Republican Party and nominated Samuel Alito to replace Sandra Day O'Connor on the Supreme Court. Alito is a notoriously right-wing judge on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals. He has consistently ruled to strip basic protections from workers, women, minorities and the disabled in favor of unchecked power for corporations and special interests.

That's why today we're joining the fight with an emergency petition to the Senate, calling on them to stand up for ordinary Americans and reject Alito's nomination. We're aiming to gather a quarter million signatures and comments in the next 48 hours.

Can you sign today?

http://www.moveonpac.org/stopalito/?id=6240-6572414-Pi2oZAbXOkcOqagotCglVA&t=2

Bush's ploy to woo the far-right could reshape the High Court for decades to come—but we don't have to let that happen. The president's rock-bottom approval ratings and the scandals engulfing virtually every Republican leader have broken the spell of the right-wing spin machine. If we all speak up, together we have the power to stop this radical nominee.

 [ send green star]

Post petitions with one week or less deadline here on this thread.

No followup discussion is to be added here to keep the thread clean and accessable.

Do that on another thread for specific petitions.

 [ send green star]