I'm calling BULLSHIT on change .org
Change.org Weekly a { color: #036; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #326EB6; } Change.org presents Obama Transition Team with its Ideas for Change in America

There are four days until the Inauguration, and the country is alight with excitement, not just about the arrival of Barack Obama in the White House but also for the beginning of a new era of civic engagement.

We've tapped into this energy with our Ideas for Change in America, and today we held a press event at the National Press Club in Washington DC to announce the winners of the competition. The 10 winning ideas reflect the diverse interests of the millions of people calling for change across the country, and include ideas for securing universal heath care, LGBT rights, and sustainable green energy. All winning ideas can be viewed at www.change.org/ideas.

The winning ideas were accepted on behalf of the Presidential Transition Team by Macon Phillips, the Director of New Media and the person who oversees our second-favorite website, Change.gov. Macon then addressed the attendees of the event, which included nonprofit leaders and grassroots activists, and spoke about the importance the administration will place on citizen-driven efforts like Ideas for Change.

With almost 8,000 ideas, more than 600,000 votes, and more than 175,000 participants, the Ideas for Change initiative has shown the widespread interest across the country in renewed civic participation and direct engagement in policymaking. And this is just the beginning. Starting next week, each winning idea will be paired up with a sponsoring nonprofit, which will begin a national campaign to translate each into actual policy. We'll be documenting the process here at Change.org, so look out for more from us soon.

As the nation gears up for next week's inauguration -- and a potentially record turnout to watch it unfold in Washington -- our bloggers are busy assessing George Bush's legacy, anticipating Barack Obama's future, and reacting to the actions of a swiftly moving Congress:
Barack Obama, Feminist
This month the ür-feminist magazine Ms. Magazine featured an image of Barack Obama wearing a shirt bearing the phrase "This is what a feminist looks like." Do you agree? Women's Rights blogger Jen Nedeau certainly does, but, as Jen describes, others aren't so pleased.
Character Education
Transforming the classroom into a sweatshop for a day in order to create an environment of "Simulated Trauma" is something the textbooks can't teach. Education blogger Clay Burrell weighs the pro and cons of teaching controversial but important subjects.
Bush's Katrina Defense
In the final press conference of his presidency, George Bush defended his Administration's response to Hurricane Katrina and claimed the reconstruction of New Orleans is moving right along. But Poverty blogger Leigh Graham offers up a laundry list of Bush's major offenses in hampering a full and equitable recovery of the Gulf Coast, particularly for its lowest-income residents, who were hardest hit by the storm.
Do Charities Help?
The biggest mystery lurking in the depths of the nonprofit sector these days is the murky question of measurement: how do we know if charities have an impact? Frankly, writes Social Entrepreneurship guest blogger Jason Saul, with $1 trillion at stake in the nonprofit sector, measurement is a Loch Ness monster that must be slayed.
Climate Leadership Now
Thanks to the stars aligning under Barack Obama's leadership, Global Warming blogger Emily Gertz sees 2009 as a unique opportunity to make international progress towards zero emissions in 2050, forging a consensus to tackle climate change once and for all.
Next week we'll be covering our hopes for how the Obama Administration might address the major issues our country faces, cause by cause. We look forward to including your hopes and to start the process of collectively enacting the change that so many of us seek.

Happy weekend,

- The Change.org Team

Decriminalization of marijuana was the top vote getter, do you see any mention of it in their press release ?????? bullshit

Go figure, what a load of shit.. bout to send a email and vent some frustration to these pricks.

lies, all lies!!!!

lol, and you really thought it was going to be different? hahahahahahaha!

I KNOW things will be different,maybe not in my lifetime,maybe very slowly,but the truth will out in the end. Forums like this that encourage and assist new growers will assure it. Organizations like CHANGE.ORG are but a sounding board, we don't need them.

Yes they fucked us.

It didn't go to obama himself, he wasn't any part of it, it wasn't even televised, and they must have decided intentionally to list them "in no specific order" because you don't do a poll to find the top 10 ideas and then hide their winning order accidentally.

I'm pissed!

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Bukkake Bud: It might taste like splooge but shoots smiles all over your face.
When you'll suck on just about anything~think Bukkake.

I can't believe so many people thought that the word "change" coming from a politician's mouth ACTUALLY MEANT ANYTHING!!! Listen, 4 years go by quickly when times are good... and when times are bad, they crawl by. Let's all make an effort to push these 4 years past us and vote this LYING prick out!

People who say "Give him a chance... he's not even President yet... you're making assumptions too early on what the man will act upon..." - Heh - He's had an opportunity to let words fly out of his mouth in both directions about medical marijuana. In the last Change.gov poll, our idea for ChAnGe was knocked down without any more insight as to why. He doesn't feel he owes US anything. Obama and his administration are going to school you like no others can. The only ChAnGe you will see is change out of your pockets going to scientific research of the big fraud called GLOBAL WARMING!

Obama, NO YOU CAN'T!

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"You know, it takes more energy to frown than it does to smile?"

"Really? Did you know it takes more energy for you to tell me that than it does for you to shut the fuck up and leave me alone?" ~ Bill Hicks

Ok so we got kiced to the curb, what does it matter? they already kno wahts up, they seen it, its engraved in there heads, we were heard

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PARTY CUP GROW

What does it matter? I guess they are probably hoping and relying on the fact that those words you uttered will be spoken by all marijuana anti-prohibitionists. You know what I can envision in my head? I can see Obama 6-7 months in, getting REAL comfortable in his new placement and laughing with his people about how many potential votes he got just from pot smokers alone.

But see this as it is... he's turned his back on the people ALREADY and thumbed his nose at us... and it is what it is, and now, I guess you're right... what does it matter?

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"You know, it takes more energy to frown than it does to smile?"

"Really? Did you know it takes more energy for you to tell me that than it does for you to shut the fuck up and leave me alone?" ~ Bill Hicks

you takin this a lil too personal, haha smoke one up

rollin over a lil too quick man, the battle aint over

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PARTY CUP GROW