Politics

Dear Mr. President, This letter is not written in a spirit of hate, disrespect, nor is it motivated in any way by racial bias and is written with respect due the office and the awesome tasks that have been laid on your shoulders. I write this letter because I am a tax paying American citizen who has experienced the American Dream and wants his children and grandchildren to have the same advantages and opportunities that he has had. And no, Mr. President, I was not born into a one-percenter family, I come from a blue collar background, never went to college, have made a living doing manual labor and went into my chosen profession at ground level, worked hard and sacrificed to achieve success. On April 13, 1967 I arrived in Nashville, Tennessee with a wife, a two-year-old baby,...
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Dear Mr. President, First, I wish to express my deep condolences over the killing of innocent citizens in the recent terror attacks in Paris. Second, I want to apologize to Your Excellency for not revealing my true identity. After you read my letter, you will realize why people like me are afraid to reveal their real identity. I decided to write to you this letter after hearing my president, Mahmoud Abbas, declare that you had invited him to attend the anti-terror rally in Paris earlier this week. Like many Palestinians, I see President Abbas's participation in a rally against terrorism and assaults on freedom of speech as an act of hypocrisy -- a condition that is not alien to Palestinian Authority leaders. In fact, many Palestinians nearly fell off their chairs upon...
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Dear Prime Minister, We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, call for the immediate and unconditional dismissal of Bill C-51: Anti-Terrorism Act, 2015. We are extremely concerned by the potential impact of this legislation, which fails to strike the balance between protecting Canadians and safeguarding our cherished rights and freedoms as protected in the Charter. Bill C-51 has been widely criticized by experts and Canadians across the country as being irresponsible, dangerous, and ineffective. This law will detrimentally impact our social frameworks, democratic values and fundamental rights. Our security agencies currently possess wide-ranging powers to address security threats, and the need for this broad legislation has not been demonstrated. While minor amendments to...
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Dear Prime Minister, We, the undersigned members of the National Research Alliance are writing to alert you to the damage being caused to significant public infrastructure by the continued uncertainty over operational funding for the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). Since 2004, NCRIS and its predecessor program has sensibly and successfully guided Australia's national research infrastructure investment; committing over $2 billion of taxpayer money to 27 major research facilities. Together, these facilities: allow Australia's scientists to undertake world-class research; enable significant science industry linkage, including the capacity for innovative Australian companies to access high-tech infrastructure; and facilitate international research...
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Today the Border Force Act comes into force. It includes provision for a two-year jail sentence for “entrusted persons” such as ourselves if we continue to speak out about the deplorable state of human rights in immigration detention without the express permission of the minister for immigration and border protection. This strengthens the wall of secrecy which prevents proper public scrutiny. We have advocated, and will continue to advocate, for the health of those for whom we have a duty of care, despite the threats of imprisonment, because standing by and watching sub-standard and harmful care, child abuse and gross violations of human rights is not ethically justifiable. If we witness child abuse in Australia we are legally obliged to report it to child protection authorities. If...
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Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, I believe that we both share a mutual love for animals and a deep respect for nature and for this reason I would like to make a personal request to you, on behalf of endangered fin whales. At this moment there is a ship in Tromsø, Norway, called the Winter Bay. It is carrying a cargo of 1,700 tons of fin whale meat. These whales were killed illegally in violation of the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling. It is also illegal to kill fin whales and to engage in the trade of endangered species. The Winter Bay was unable to transit the Suez Canal or the Panama Canal or to transit via Europe or Africa for fear of being stopped by the appropriate authorities. The Winter Bay intends to transit through Russian waters with...
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I write this to an entire nation because no one individual can be held responsible for bringing about change in the mindset of a billion odd people. Change can only happen if there is awareness at an individual level. On the morning of 28th June, I made the grave mistake of expressing my views on an initiative called #selfiewithdaughter which had been blessed by our PM. Most people found it to be a sweet gesture and a means to create awareness about female infanticide. I, sadly, didn't find the idea very palatable. Keep in mind that I have an eleven-month daughter of my own. But I expect more from the man who’s supposed to usher in a new era of change, not just tenuous surface-level initiatives. I then made a graver mistake of posting this opinion on Twitter. So not only did I...
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Dear Minister, My daughter Hazel (5) and I recently had an interesting exchange concerning our education system which I feel compelled to share with you. To grasp the true beauty of this exchange, please take a moment to study the image below. Inside the Box Hazel: What are the kids doing mammy? Mammy: They’re thinking inside the box. Hazel: I thought they were sleeping? Mammy: (spluttering into mug and laughing) some of them might be! Hazel: I’m going to draw in eyes so they look like they’re awake. Mammy: OK, good idea. Hazel: Can I draw in the boxes? Mammy: Yep Hazel: What do you want them to be thinking? Mammy: (who is also a teacher) Anything they want! Hazel: (drawing) This boy is thinking about a cat zebra. Mammy: Wow! Hazel: (whispering...
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Dear President Obama, On the day that the United States celebrates its independence, we the undersigned ask you to facilitate the transfer from Guantánamo of Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in the prison, and his return to his family in the U.K. — his British wife and his four British children. The majority of us are British citizens, and it has not escaped our notice that, while the U.S. is celebrating its freedom, and its foundation under the rule of law, the continuing detention of men at Guantánamo — largely without charge or trial — continues to undermine America’s notion of itself and its international standing. The U.S. authorities have given no indication over the years that they have any intention to charge Shaker Aamer with any criminal offence. Indeed, he is...
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Good day everyone am really disappointed with Russia's decision to sell one of its advanced Air Defense System ( Eskandal missile system ) to Saudi Arabia with all the chaos it has done to the Middle East this means Russia has been over powered with its peace fighting mission to money making! If years back it was stopped from selling the S300 Air defense System to Iran with reason of not interfering with the Nuclear negotiations and Russia complied with the laws! Now am really really supplied! Russia should know that it's not Saudi Arabia buying it but they( west ) just want to copy its Technology through using Saudi Arabia! This system is already installed in Syria so they want to see how they can penetrate it! Mostly Israel! And the U.S. This is another step to weaken Russia! Please...
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