| Back to the Idaho State Page |
|
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9CcdiNs5F8 (Thanks to Marc for the videos!) Categories: Ron Paul, Federal Legislation, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Comments (28)
Q: What Scares a Politician? A: Patriots Willing to Talk to Their Neighbors!! When: Saturday, November 21st starting at 10am SHARP What (to bring): Warm clothes (it is suppose to snow), walking shoes, a clipboard, writing pens (a handful), and a smile! We will have precinct maps and surveys for all those who RSVP (so make sure you do), and a brief (30 minute) instruction on how to have a successful and enjoyable time talking with your neighbors, starting at 10am. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Action Item, US Constitution, Federal Legislation, Just For Fun, Current Events, State Legislation Tags: |
No comments yet.
I recently received an email from a fellow Local Coordinator. In part, she wrote: "We used to have neighborhoods back when we were kids, when mothers stayed home and kids played outside after school, but that world is long gone. I think this is one of the reasons it's such a hard slog. Some of us have been going door to door with petitions; people don't even answer the door when you knock, even when they're obviously at home. This is happening now, more than it was, but it's slowed by the inherent social decay." I responded to this Local Coordinator, and I hope this will give all of our Local Coordinators food for thought and encouragement. Here is my message: I grew up the same way and have fond memories of my neighborhood. I agree that the social structure has decayed, so we need to re-build the social structure first. Here's what I'm doing - My first step was to decide to be a "neighborhood watchdog" of sorts. I attended neighborhood meetings, drove the neighborhood to see if there were things that might hurt the value of property, and counted how many homes are being sold on the market. I started talking to my neighbors during my trips around the neighborhood - would wave, stop the car, or stop to chat about these things when I walked. I had a pizza party at my house for several of my neighbors and we discussed the board actions of the homes association. I walked door to door to get email addresses so I could send tips, news and alerts. I now have 125 email addresses and send a monthly newsletter. I have a crime alert sent to me so I can let my neighbors know about crime happening in and around our neighborhood. We had a board election for our homes association and some of us walked door to door. Almost all of our neighbors were happy to see us. Two of our candidates won and we had a huge turnout at our annual meeting. My neighbors email me with tips and their opinions and I've got a much better idea of who might be with us based on our conversations. The value of this cannot be under-estimated. I now have 3 solid conservative neighbors that I know will be active with me, and a few others that I'm cultivating. I know they will help me walk the neighborhood and we are building a network here. My next neighborhood meeting will be to talk about how to keep our neighborhood safe and maintain property value - these are things that are important to all of us. There will be food, of course - that always brings 'em in. Note: My next step will be to walk door to door with a survey. It will go something like this: "Hello, again. I'm Deb Wells and live right down the street from you. I will be visiting our government representatives and would like to let them know what is important to you. I have a short survey here....(the survey will contain questions that will let me know who is with us)." Next will come a local candidate forum where we'll have the opportunity to control the debate. * * * * * * * There are different approaches that Local Coordinators use. Some have a "sales" personality - they walk right up, knock on the door, introduce themselves and say "I am the neighborhood representative for Campaign for Liberty" and hand their neighbor a flier, speak eloquently about it, and follow up with another visit. Some take a slower approach like mine. Whatever approach you use, there is no feeling like the first time you wave and speak to a friendly neighbor...you suddenly realize deep in your heart that you will be successful because you have begun rebuilding the social structure. After sending my story to my fellow Local Coordinator, she wrote: Very interesting. Rebuilding the social structure of the neighborhood will of course have inherent value, quite in addition to providing a framework for getting our message across. One could even posit that the whole "need" for big government is because of the breakdown of the neighborhood, along with the breakdown of the family. In earlier times, one's neighbors and family were the "safety net" that is now provided by the government. I agree. It is up to us to build the social structure again and as you begin to do this, soon you will find neighbors who want to help you build, and you'll view your neighborhood and your ability to succeed as a Local Coordinator in a whole different light. Remember: If you know that a person is home but won't open the door, they are probably not interested in their community and more than likely, not interested in voting or making a difference. Spend quality time with friendly neighbors that care - they will become your "army". For additional news and tips, see: What is a Local Coordinator - http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=26555 Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item Tags: coordinator, local coordinator, neighborhood, Social, structure |
Comments (5)
'My Epiphany" . . . Categories: Ron Paul, Civil Liberties, Election News, Republican Party, History, Social Issues, State Legislation, War/Military, World Affairs, Economy Tags: |
No comments yet.
On November 9th, I assembled a State Sovereignty Taskforce Meeting at the Red Lion Downtowner Hotel. The irony, of all things, was while our members were working on a plan to assert Idaho's independence from globalist objectives, across the hotel lobby in the banquet room, the Boise Chapter of the Council on Foreign Relations was wining and dining and toasting to new world order objectives. Go to http://www.boisecfr.org/ for more info. Thanks to John Blattler for the link. In attendance were Ryan Davidson, Lori Shewmaker, John Blattler, Scott Childs, Todd & Maureen Hatfield and James Stivers. On the issue of sovereignty, there appears to be various interests: 1) To continue tactical advancements within the Republican Party, 2) Sovereign Citizen strategies, 3) the use of grand juries, and 4) Sovereignty Resolutions. All of these have merit. I think the general consensus was that everyone should continue doing what they feel comfortable with, continuing to learn, and growing a network of contacts for future projects. Once it becomes clear what strategies carry the most promise, then new recommendations can be made to focus our energies. As for an immediate proposal, I suggest that we pursue Todd Hatfield's proposed amendment to the State Constitution, already offered on this website. Since there are currently no known bills forthcoming for the 2010 Legislative Session, I advise that the C4L promote this amendment to maximize the debate on the issue. As for efforts to promote rallies at the capitol building during the legislative session, I would encourage the State Coordinators to contact the membership when such events are planned. I don't think it would be useful for the C4L - as an organization - to engage in public demonstrations with other groups, as the mistakes of one group would cast a poor light on all participating organizations. But individual participation should be encouraged to maximize the media exposure of such events. I am posting this report to the Benewah County blog. James Stivers, Taskforce Coordinator Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Republican Party, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, State Legislation Tags: |
No comments yet.
In his latest C4L update, Congressman Ron Paul discusses recent events that will have a significant impact on monetary policy, talks about the dollar, and answers a question concerning the IMF.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ts88VORUYKo Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Media, Grassroots News, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Comments (4)
Last night at the Twin Falls County Republican Central Committee, tension between the Ron Paulers and the good-ol-boy club was set-a-side as concerns over Federal Health Care Mandates weighted on the hearts and minds of us all. After much talk about the upcoming Lincoln Day Fundraiser (Michael Reagan is to be the keynote speaker), Lani Whitney proposed a Resolution called Health Care Freedom, which mirrors Bonner County's (Tom Dillin's) Resolution: http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=24293 With much conciliatory talk about the Resolution, the committee moved to form a work-group to work on the language of this resolution. The impetus for this motion was more about tightening the language on how this Resolution is technically sent to Boise and to who it should be addressed to. For such a mirror issue, and with the crowded room's support, the feeling is that the meet of the Resolution will not change much...a good thing! Thank you all for coming to the meeting and learning about this important political process. Next month's meeting should be the vote, and we expect to have just as many supporters turn out for this event. Categories: Health Freedom, Republican Party, Federal Legislation, Social Issues Tags: |
Comments (1)
Over the weekend we witnessed the continued assault on our Constitution, and liberty in general, when the Democrat majority in the House rallied their troops, twisted (or nearly broke) some arms and passed "The Affordable Health Care for America Act". If you are anything like me, you sat glued to your television set, intently watching C-Span, knowing in the pit of your stomach that Speaker Pelosi would never have brought the bill to the floor if she did not have the votes to pass it. Some in this country want to believe that the assault on our rights will be stopped simply by replacing the Democratic majority with Republicans. These well-meaning Americans do not understand that establishment Republicans of today are merely Democrat-lite. They preach limited government out of one side of their mouth, yet vote for bigger government and less freedom, seeking more power for themselves and satisfying their most generous donors, dismantling the Constitution in the same manner as the Democrats that they claim to stand in opposition to. One shining example of this is Senator Lindsey Graham, who has launched a very public war against Ron Paul, Ron Paul Republicans, and in reality, any Republican who supports the Republican platform, rather than paying lip service to it. Senator Graham recently teamed up with Senator John Kerry in an Op-Ed proclaiming the need for cap and trade policies, despite the fact that the bill would serve no real purpose other than to transfer wealth to a few and further destroy an economy that is already imploding. After a public outcry over this, it remains unclear where Senator Graham stands on this dastardly bill, but you can be certain that the danger of this legislation becoming law is still very real. Taking this example (which is just one of many) into account, what are liberty-loving Americans who bleed red, white and blue supposed to do? Believe it or not, the assault on our liberties did not begin 9 years ago with George W. Bush as president. It did not begin under Bill Clinton, John Kennedy or even Woodrow Wilson. Indeed, our very first president presided over the country when the first assault occurred when he signed the "Whiskey Tax" into law. Then Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, justified the tax "more as a measure of social discipline than as a source of revenue". In other words, this was a SIN tax, meant to punish those who participated in activities that some felt were socially unacceptable. This sin-tax rightly infuriated American citizens, having just lost blood and treasure fighting to be a free people, and they revolted in what is known as "The Whiskey Rebellion". While it is disheartening to know that it took such a short time for the trampling of our rights to begin, the "Whiskey Tax" served to put the people on notice; when Ben Franklin warned that we had "a Republic if (we could) keep it", he truly meant that as a people, we had to be ever vigilant about guarding our rights. Much time has passed since the first attacks on our rights were launched, and the passage of time has not been a friend to liberty. The further we got from our founding, the less involved the people became, until many readily and eagerly accepted the loss of freedoms as being a necessary evil. In fact, many do not recognize what is happening today as being a loss of freedoms at all; rather, they believe that they are powerless to "do" for themselves and could not survive without the benevolent hand of government to intervene on their behalf. The loss of liberty at the hand of a power-hungry government is not new, but the reawakening of the American public is something that has not happened to the degree that it is today in a VERY long time. The key to winning any war is to go into every battle well-armed, and make no mistake, we are truly involved in a war for the hearts and minds of our countrymen, and for the survival of our Republic. We must understand that it has taken over 200 years for us to get to the point we have arrived at today, and the damage is not going to be undone overnight. There will be battles won and battles lost, bad bills passed and the wrong people elected to office along the way. While these losses cause pain to those of us who are dedicated to bringing our country back to it's Constitutional roots, we can not let the losses demoralize or stop us. This war has many fronts; neglecting even one of them not only makes our jobs harder, it makes winning nearly impossible. Petitioning our elected officials on legislation is one important function that we must not neglect, but that act alone will not advance the cause of freedom. We must educate ourselves and our neighbors about the Constitution and demonstrate to them how a particular bill is in violation of the law of the land, and at the same time, we must offer them solid solutions to the problems we face. We cannot focus on federal issues and candidates to the exclusion of state and local issues and candidates. Remember, "all politics is local" and it does no good to attempt to reform a federal government run amok while ignoring the bodies closer to home that have been infected by the same disease. We must stop "fighting City Hall" and focus on BECOMING City Hall. In many cases, changing out the "cast of characters" is our only real option, and while running for office may not be glamorous, or anything (you) may have desired to do in the past, we ignore this important "front" at our own peril. Our Founders envisioned a citizenry that would keep our elected officials honest and compliant with the Constitution by voting the bad eggs out of office, and at this point in time, there are far more bad eggs running than good ones. To ignore the need for liberty candidates at all levels of government guarantees that those seats will be filled by the same old tax-and-spend lawless breed that has infected our country and brought us to the point we find ourselves at today. We must be more visible than our adversaries. The Tea Parties and Town Halls are a great start, but we can't stop there. We must attend City Council and County Board meetings, sit in the audience during legislative sessions, and personally visit legislator's offices often; in short, we must be a constant thorn in their sides. Rather than constantly "chasing the ball" and trying to prevent bad bills from becoming law, we must be a part of lobbying for good bills to become law, allowing us to nullify the attempts of legislators to further erode our freedoms. At the federal level, HR 1207 is a shining example of bills we should fight for, and at the state level, we need to address states rights legislation that will nullify federal laws that overstep the dictates set on the federal government by the Constitution. If we are to win elections and possess the ability to influence our neighbors, we have no choice but to get involved in local politics. Whether you choose to work with the Democrats, Republicans, LP, CP or some other party is entirely up to the individual, but simply showing up at the polls to vote every couple of years limits you to having a vote ONLY on issues or candidates that others have chosen FOR you. In order to win our freedoms back, we must be committed to leading the way. Ignoring any front in this battle will greatly impair our ability to win. The passage of "health care reform" in the House was disturbing, but the war is not over yet. Recall Samuel Adams famous words, "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."
Categories: Education, Current Events, Revolution, Miscellany Tags: |
Comments (22)
As our membership continues to grow, more and more elected officials are finding that liberty and freedom are a compelling message, and that is exactly what the people want. The following candidates, confirmed supporters of Campaign for Liberty's Mission Statement, won state and local seats in the November 3 elections: New Jersey Pennyslvania Virginia Washington Michigan New Hampshire Minnesota Florida
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Election News, Grassroots News, Revolution, Voting Tags: Candidates, Election, november 3, 2009, local |
Comments (9)
Several news reports today are indicating that some senators consider the Pelosi bill to be d.o.a. in the Senate. And 17 organizations representing over 70,000 physicians have forced a vote in the AMA on withdrawing its support of the Pelosi Plan. Seems a bit late, sure, but it would be a blow for the legislation as it moves to the Senate for consideration. Ryan Donmoyer and Kristin Jensen have written a very interesting piece for Bloomberg detailing some of the hurdles the big government plan has yet to jump.
Many Democrats who voted for the Pelosi Plan may not endorse the final committee-compromise version if the abortion amendment is left intact, and those who were persuaded to vote for the bill because of the amendment will certainly be angry if it's stripped out in committee. There's still a long way to go in this fight. Keep the calls and emails to the Senate going, but don't let your actions stop there. If you're able, hit the streets in your local neighborhoods and make sure your neighbors who oppose this power grab are also contacting Congress and going to events where your representative and senators may be speaking. Talk to your state reps and senators and ask them to stand strong for state sovereignty by opposing not only this bill, but all of D.C.'s continual constitutional overreaches. Of course it's discouraging that our actions didn't stop final passage of the House bill, but this is where politicians count on you to give up. You're supposed to see this as an inevitability now. Surprise them by turning up the pressure. Show them that they've truly never encountered such determined resistance like this before. Remind them you intend to keep your promise that you will not go away. The pressure we put on helped to keep the vote very, very close, and the knowledge that you're serious about staying active may help stop any potential committee-compromise legislation. If you have not yet done so, follow up with your representatives today and tell them how you feel about their vote. And don't forget to inform them about our Health Freedom Plan. Real reform gives us back our tax dollars and removes limits from our health care choices. This battle is nowhere near over. Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: health care |
Comments (5)
As part of our Operation Health Freedom series, British MEP Daniel Hannan talks about the National Health Service (NHS), England's publicly-funded health care system, and looks at why it is so difficult to reform such a system once people get used to it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5vSkpIFByk Click here to view a version without edited clips. Read a transcript here. Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: daniel hannan, health care |
Comments (1)
As part of our Operation Health Freedom series, Judge Andrew Napolitano looks at health care and a justified use of Congress' interstate commerce regulation power. Americans should be free to buy insurance across state lines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF4BFvw6rKY To view a version without edited clips, click here. And click here for a transcript. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Media, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: health care, Judge Napolitano |
Comments (5)
As part of our Operation Health Freedom series, Dr. Rand Paul discusses the true nature of the health care crisis, what causes prices to skyrocket, access to care, and how to fix the government-caused problems.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaTY9xhN3UM To view a version without edited clips, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79gukLa5sVg Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Media, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: health care, Rand Paul |
Comments (6)
As part of our Operation Health Freedom series, Euro Pacific Capital President Peter Schiff talks about problems with the employer-based health care system and how costs would go down over time without government involvement in health care.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6eIBvrMY5w To view a version without edited clips, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kV2BL5JVswY Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Federal Legislation, History, Current Events, Congress Tags: health control, health care |
Comments (6)
Now that the party convention cycles are over, it's time to get down to business. What is the business we are getting down to? Re-lighting the fire of 1776 and retaking this nation door by door, block by block, precinct by precinct. No top-down heirarchical organization is needed to get this job done. The people who know your neighboorhood, your neighbors better than anyone is you! If you don't know them, here's your chance. If you have not already joined the Campaign for Liberty as a Precinct Leader, please do so today. The Precinct Leader program will provide you with tools and training to use as you meet your neighbors, identify those who believe consistently with us, and bring them over to our side. Winning a nation will not happen on our keyboards, or in newspapers or on TV. We have close to 80 years of socialist indoctrination to overcome. That will be done by human to human interaction. A handshake. A civil discussion. Building personal relationships based on trust. It will not occur overnight. Some people will need to hear your message two, three or four times. But step one is to join the precinct leader program. Then identify all other Ron Paul supporters and get them to join. Please join today. http://www.campaignforliberty.com May the Spirit of '76 burn brightly. Light the fire! Categories: Campaign For Liberty Tags: |
Comments (2)
Following is a complete transcript of an email sent to members of the Idaho Falls community today; anybody else take issue with this? Remember, this is the same lady who wrote a letter to the Post Register coining the term "FROG - Fair Weather Republican's Opposed to Growth." (Emphasis added): ------ Forwarded Message
Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Civil Liberties, 3rd Parties, Election News, Republican Party, Grassroots News, US Constitution, Current Events, Revolution, Social Issues Tags: city council, |
No comments yet.
For those of you who don't feel the Campaign for Liberty or being a Ron Paul Republican has ties to city council races, would you please consider the following: This morning, I was emailed a Facebook "Note" that a friend had (inadvertently) been tagged in. I post an excerpt here to let you read what the defenders of Karen Cornwell, Ida Hardcastle, and Ken Taylor think about Ron Paul. I'm sure you are all familiar with the term "RINO," but may not have heard the term "FROG." My neighbor, Kathy Stanger, wrote a piece for the Post Register explaining how the Ron Paul Republicans are "FROGS" . . . Fair Weather Republicans Opposed to Growth. I could write novels on her article, but I'll refrain here; I simply wanted you to know what the term "FROG" implies. Here is a piece of what my friend sent me this morning (emphasis added) "Dear friends, we RINOs are desperately trying to save the city elections from the FROGs ... and we need the help of you who long ago got fed up with the Republican Party in Bonneville County....Will you please use your considerable influence to help us in any possible way? I apologize for a political note, but hope you may have someone who would carry the ball for you. To lose Karen Cornwell or Ida Hardcastle to the likes of their competitors will be a very sad turn of events for this great city....We simply and completely underestimated the depth of guile these people own. They are followers of Ron Paul who has taught them how to insinuate themselves into an existing party organization, and then with their considerable cadre of fellow blinder-wearing comrades, they are redesigning it in Ron Paul's image. Please help us if you can." If you're up for a fight in the Idaho Falls area, please call me at 208-351-4675; I'd be happy to organize a lunch or cottage meeting so you can meet the candidates for city council. I have known Barbara Ehardt for quite some time, she is running against Karen Cornwell. I have spoken with Karen myself and heard her cry for higher taxes . . . she truly believes higher taxes are needed Idaho Falls and is fighting for it. Thanks for reading! Tim Larsen Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Election News, Republican Party, Action Item, Current Events Tags: city council |
No comments yet.
In case you haven't noticed, the Campaign for Liberty has made Step 4 of the Local Coordinator Training available. But before you can even begin Step 4, you must first complete Step 3: Get to Know Your Elected Officials. To help you along, I have created this short guide explaining How I Completed Step 3:
I hope you found this meager guide helpful. I truly believe that the Campaign for Liberty has provided us with the training and guidance that we need to achieve and defend freedom in our lifetimes. Now we just have to get to work doing it.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Grassroots News, Action Item, Revolution, Miscellany Tags: |
Comments (1)
A Local Coordinator is a volunteer who is willing to go door to door in their precinct or neighborhood regarding an issue that affects their neighborhood. The times that people will go door to door are generally prior to an election to hand out information on candidates or issue that will be on the ballot, when there is a community or neighborhool issue that you want to raise awareness about, or just a neighborhood bar-b-que. Local Coordinators are the most valuable people to make a change in elections. There are 180,000 precincts in the country and if we can get 180,000 people who are willing to be Local Coordinators it will be very easy to make a difference in elections. For instance, if your county has 30 precincts and you have 25-50 people who agree on something that have stepped up to be Local Coordinators it is very easy to get information to people. We all are aware of the problems with the talking box (aka television) and newspapers. Many times they give an opinions and not facts but the people who watch or read them seem to think that they are seeing or hearing facts. Let's use the example of a new road. If a county wants to put in a new road for the benefit of a company in a neighboring county the currently elected county officials discuss it and how much it will cost. There are usually a few articles in the local paper about it and maybe a talking head will mention it once or twice. The request for the funding is put on the municipal ballot and people are asked to vote for or against it. Just how much information do the voters really have about the issue? Because this is not really a partisan issue the republican and democratic precinct leaders are probably not going to do any canvassing of their precincts to provide information to the people. Republican and Democratic precinct leaders mainly canvass to keep or get back their party's power or dominance. If there were liberty minded Local Coordinators who would go door to door with information regarding the project the voters would be better informed. Maybe provide a copy of the budget for the highway that shows where the county intends to get the funds from, information that shows the layout of the proposed road, information about who benefits the most from the road, and information about what property the county will intend to take through emininent domain for the project. This information is needed by voters to make informed decisions and they are not going to get it from partisan parties so it us up to us, We The People. The Local Coordinator would also remind people when the election day was and maybe even offer to provide a ride for their neighbors who don't drive. The Campaign For Liberty Local Coordinator program has great tools and teaching programs to help people learn about their precinct. While not necessary they are EXTEMELY helpful as you learn how many voters you have, how many people vote in the general election verses the municipal elections, which way your neighborhood generally votes, etc. As an active Local Coordinator your neighbors will start to look to you as a source of information after you have canvassed your area a few times. They will recognize you and most are happy that someone has stepped up and is willing to provide them with information that they don't get from the talking box or dying newspapers. How many of you walked your neighborhood to hand out information regarding Ron Paul? If you could walk your neighborhood to give out information regarding the presidential elections why can't you walk your neighborhood to give out information regarding local issues that directly affect you and your neighbors? To restore constitutional principles to our country we must to restore order to our local governing bodies. To make our voices heard we must stand together. As we work on our local areas as a Local Coordinator we can and will re-awaken the spirit of our country and remind people that what made our country great was less government, not more. Local elections are extremely important to fix the foundation of our government. Please join the Campaign For Liberty and become a Local Coordinator in your neighborhood. If you are a dues-paying member, Click here to complete your enrollment in the Local Coordinator program! If you are already a Local Coordinator please take advantage of the tools available to you on your dashboard under the Local Coordinator Tools link. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. You can message me here if your are logged into the Campaign For Liberty site or here if you are not a member yet. The R3volution continues with people taking action. Robyn Hamlin Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Civil Liberties, Election News, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, Revolution, Miscellany, State Legislation, Voting Tags: local coordinator, precinct leader, revolution, neighborhood issues, local elections |
Comments (12)
Washington D.C. October 20, 2009 -Tuesday, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Federal Reserve Accountability Act, an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank. The bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or its agreements with foreign central banks. This is merely an attempt to distract from Ron Paul's legislation that would bring a full audit of the Fed. We have tremendous support and there is no reason to compromise. The number of cosponsors in the House of Representatives for H.R. 1207 recently climbed to 303, and S. 604 gained 30 senate cosponsors. Please take time immediately to stop this bill. Because both Senators for Idaho have signed as co-sponsors to support S 604. Thank them so they know you appreciate that but also make it clear their support for anything less than a full audit such as The Federal Reserve Accountability Act is NOT acceptable. We will not settle for a compromise and we expect them to continue their support for S. 604
Use any or all of the following ways to contact: You can just call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' office or
Mike Crapo call (202) 224-6142 or email http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm and Fax: (202) 228-1375 For contact info of all local offices for Senator Crapo go here: http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/office_locations.cfm Jim Risch call 202-224-2752 or email http://risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Email and Fax: 202-224-2573 For contact info of all local offices for Senator Risch go here: http://risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=MyOffices Here is a free online fax service that allows two free faxes per day: http://faxzero.com/ Feel free to copy/past/edit the following: Dear Senator, I am contacting you to first express my appreciation for co-sponsoring S 604 Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009 As you know this will bring a full audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve Banks before the end of 2010. Americans want full transparency and S 604 will do just that. Tuesday, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Federal Reserve Accountability Act, as an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank. This bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or its agreements with foreign central banks. The Federal Reserve Accountability Act does not audit the monetary policy functions which have been responsible for our deteriorating dollar and so many of our current economic problems, and is not an acceptable piece of legislation. As a member of the Campaign for Liberty Idaho, I will continue to push for a full audit of the Fed and as your constituent urge you to do the same with your continued support for S 604.
The announcement of the new legislation comes after the number of cosponsors in the House of Representatives for H.R. 1207 recently climbed to 303, and S. 604 gained 30 senate cosponsors. With such tremendous support, there is absolutely no reason to compromise for anything less than a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve. Thank you again for co-sponsoring S 604 and thank you in advance for doing all you can to ensure that it passes.
Categories: Action Item, Federal Legislation Tags: |
No comments yet.
Federal Reserve Accountability Act An Unacceptable Compromise Washington D.C. October 20, 2009 -Today, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Federal Reserve Accountability Act S.1803, an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank. The bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or the its agreements with foreign central banks. Legislation that would bring a full audit of the Fed, Congressman Ron Paul's H.R. 1207 and its Senate companion S. 604, has gained strong grassroots support and built tremendous pressure on banking special interests. Opponents of Fed Transparency argue that a full audit of the Federal Reserve would damage the central bank's "independence" and allow Congress to dictate monetary policy. "Claims that transparency at the Federal Reserve would leave Congress in charge of monetary policy are simply bogus," said Jesse Benton, Senior Vice President of Campaign for Liberty. "There is absolutely no reason why The American People should not be able to review the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee after a reasonable amount of time has passed." "The Federal Reserve Accountability Act does not audit the monetary policy functions which have been responsible for our deteriorating dollar and so many of our current economic problems, and it is not an acceptable piece of legislation. Campaign for Liberty will continue to push for a full audit of the Fed." The announcement of the new legislation comes after the number of cosponsors in the House of Representatives for H.R. 1207 recently climbed to 303, and S. 604 gained 30 senate cosponsors. Campaign for Liberty has been leading the grassroots effort on H.R .1207, getting it to its current point with 75% of Americans showing support for a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve.
Categories: Federal Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: hr1207, audit the fed, Federal Reserve Accountability Act |
Comments (25)
The "Model State Health Emergency Act" was created by the Rockefeller funded Center of Disease Control (CDC) to promote "health security" legislation for the States. Oregon adopted part of it's provisions in 2003 and may have adopted more. I am told to enlist the help of favorable representatives to direct their legal counsel to discover any Oregon law relating to health pandemonium. In a nutshell, the MSHEA (illegally) authorizes the Governor to declare a health pandemic with the prodding of the WHO and/or CDC, which would then allow military control of the population, force "vaccine" injections, and quarantine resisters. Rolling roadblocks (choke points) will check people for compliance. If you do not have your papers (e.g. RFID bracelet), you can be injected or sent to a FEMA camp for indefinite quarantine. People will not be able to get food, attend to their daily affairs, or travel freely. This Hell on Earth is reportedly to begin mid October 2009. Any force upon ones body violates the 4th Amendment of the U.S Constitution, but that has never stopped evil - only good men and women can do that. Douglas county has already started this with Sheriff Hanlin using concealed handgun license holders. I am told the Grant county Sheriff could be favorable too. I have met with Marion county Acting Sheriff Jason Myers to gauge his Constitutional awareness and willingness and found he is reluctant to go against bureaucracy. The next step is to have him fill out the "Sheriff Project" questionnaire, which will then be publicly accessible from the website and provide a starting point for activists to transform him. Mary of Childhoodshots.com has also created an 8 point plan which includes a flier listing the dangerous, toxic, untested, and even illegal vaccine ingredients along with a petition for the Sheriff's protective pledge which can be used to build the Sheriff's confidence to do the right thing by seeing he has the support of his constituents. Other references: The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act Any further proof or clarification is encouraged. This is too serious an issue to ignore. "The Insiders do not care what you know - they care what you do about it."
Categories: Health Freedom, Action Item, Federal Legislation, State Legislation Tags: vaccine vaccination martial military |
Comments (4)
Defenders of Liberty, This Tuesday, October 20, Organizing For America (continuation of the Obama campaign) is planning a mass action 'call party' in support of a government takeover of health care (See original e-mail below). Their plan is to organize supporters to make 100,000 calls to congress in one day to make a big push for the state-controlled health agenda. In an attempt to counter their move that day, it would be great if the dedicated grassroots activists and supporters of C4L could make just as big of a push in opposition to government-run health care. Let's have our own 100,000 calls to congress push! Let our voices be heard, and let them know we will not stand for it! In the process, we can block their attempts to influence congress. If this is a action you would like to be involved in, please reply in comments section--and tell a friend. Join the Revolution! Original OFA e-mail: With health insurance reform finally ready for consideration before the full Congress, we've set a big goal for this Tuesday: 100,000 calls to Congress made or committed to in a single day. We'll make our voices heard above the din created by the insurance industry's campaign of misinformation and fear and make sure our representatives know it's finally time to deliver on health reform. You don't need to have any experience to attend a Time to Deliver event. The host will have everything set up for you, so it will just be a great evening of reaching out to voters with your friends and neighbors and making a tremendous difference.
Categories: Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Action Item, Federal Legislation, Congress Tags: Obama, health care, Mass Action, call party, 100, 000 calls |
Comments (21)
The immature mud slinging that goes on between various political pundits really turns my stomach. Does it win people over calling them names? Does it solidify your base by demonizing others? Or does it just create hysteria in otherwise reasonable people towards their neighbors who might have different political ideas?
It's easy to complain about the out-of-control feds, but restoring the correct balance of power to the states will only happen when We the People govern through our citizen legislators. How about talking to your neighbors about some Idaho issues? In the last legislative session there were a number of issues that shouldn't have been left or right:
Most Bannock county legislators were on the wrong side of these issues. Unless new people are elected who will actually pursue liberty, we are likely to continue to have Statist philosophies represent Bannock County.
I believe we must not only stop a tax increase and other bad ideas, but even more importantly, we must restore free market principles that have been proven by previous generations.
These and other common sense policies can be implemented in the upcoming legislative session if the people of Idaho decide to stop arguing and start working together to restore liberty to our land. Categories: Education, Law, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, State Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
No comments yet.
The Idaho Sound Money Task Force yahoo group is open to the general public. We have the following goals: Please go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tismtf/ and sign up today. Categories: Ron Paul, Republican Party, US Constitution, State Legislation, Monetary Policy Tags: |
No comments yet.
The biggest threat faced by the American people does not come from nameless "terrorists". It comes from the Unites States Congress. In particular, it comes from congressional interference in "safety". Congress got into the safety racket many years ago on the theory that it would give the voters the impression that congress was concerned about their safety (especially effective with women voters), it would provide a foolproof justification for spending more money (after all who can be against safety) and by creating lots of new federal jobs it would enable them to provide a lot more of their friends and relatives with employment. Congress went about this by creating new federal agencies and giving those agencies the power to interfere in the private sector. Most people seem to believe that government is both more competent and more benevolent than the private sector.The theory is that corporations are only interested in making money and that in order to do so they will make unsafe products and services. Government, on the other hand, is supposed to be motivated only by an interest in your welfare and, being of superior competence, we need them to protect us against these unscupulous corporations. But experience has shown us that this is not necessarily the case. Interestingly enough, congress itself never believed this theory. We know this from the way that congress has staffed and run these agencies, especially NHTSA, CPSC and NTSB. When we look at the people that congress has put in charge of these agencies, we find that they consist almost entirely of lawyers, politicians and congressional staffers. Professional knowledge of highway safety, consumer product safety, or transportation safety, has never been a qualification required of these appointees. None of these agencies have ever been anything but a cynical exercise in public relations. NTSB is probably harmless since their reports usually do not come out until months, or even years after an accident has taken place, by which time the problem has usually been taken care of by the private sector and people have moved on to other concerns. CPSC is generally harmful only to individual manufacturers that CPSC has decided to hound, to show that they are doing something. The real damage has been done by NHTSA. When NHTSA was founded they put together a bunch of committees to write the so-called FMVSS, in accordance with the congressional mandate that "government should play a role a regulating automobile design". The quote is from the title of a series of hearings which congress held in l960, under the designation, "Should government play a role in regulating automobile design". The hearings went on for three days, there were scores of witnesses, but nearly all the witnesses were politicians and bureaucrats who, not surprisingly, thought it was a wonderful idea. Naturally, the committeee decided in the affirmative. Like most congressional hearings, the purpose was to promote a course of action that had already been decided upon, with the witnesses carefully chosen to promote that point of view. In other words, the fix was in. With a cynicism, hypocrisy and irresponsibility rare even for congress, the committees chosen to write the FMVSS were composed, not of experts in the field of automotive design, but of representatives of politically influential groups - there were housewives, doctors, lawyers, labor leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, firemen, policemen, teachers and business executives, none of whom knew anything about automotive design or automotive safety. Automotive engineers, or indeed engineers of any kind, were conspicuously absent. Engineers were not considered to be a politically influential group and, therefore, were not included. Not surprisingly, the so-called "Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards" produced by these committees turned out to be 85% meaningless gibberish and 15% counter- productive folly. Yet these "standards" had the force of federal law and the auto companies were required to abide by them. Naturally, the auto companies objected to these so-called "standards", pointing out that most of them made no sense, and the ones that did would make cars less safe and get a lot of people killed. Congress did not listen to these objections, taking the view that these objections were merely self-serving lies by unscupulous corporations bent only on increasing their profits by making usafe cars. When the auto companies persisted, congress gave NHTSA the power of life and death over every auto company in this country. It did this by making it a law that no new car could be sold in this country unless NHTSA certified that it complied with the FMVSS. Since the FMVSS are mostly meaningless gibberish, they mean whatever NHTSA decides they mean. In other words, NHTSA has absolute, arbitrary power over every auto company in this country. Now NHTSA doesn't know much about automotive safety, but they are experts at bureaucratic survival. They made clear to the auto companies that if any of them continued to object, NHTSA would decide that that company's cars did not meet the FMVSS and hence could not be sold in this country. In other words, the company would be out of business. The auto industry had no choice but to knuckle under. Just to rub their noses in the dirt, NHTSA required the car companies not only to stop objecting but actually to come out in support of the FMVSS. As a result, thousands have died. In accordance with Parkinson's law, all these "safety" agencies have grown over the years and are now huge, bloated, self-serving bureaucracies. One of the consequences, not surprisingly, has been turf wars. NTSB, in particular, tries to infringe on the territory of NHTSA by getting involved in "highway safety" on the one hand, while infringing on the territory of the FAA by getting involved in "aircraft safety" on the other. These bureaucratic wars could be viewed with amusement by the outside observer, were it not for the fact that government interference in highway safety has gotten so many thousands of people killed. In order to cover up the awful truth, to the extent that they even understand what it is, NHTSA has engaged in a huge campaign of lies, cover-up, fraud, and deceit, which makes it difficult for the independent investigator to come with exact numbers of just how many people they have manged to get killed and how many they have caused to be severely injured. A prolonged study of the circumstantial evidence leads us to believe that the number killed, so far, is in the vicinity of 40,000 and the number severely injured is many times as great. This is based, in part, on the government's own data. The government's injury data is so bad that it is difficult to even hazard a guess. They claim about 100 injured in automobile accidents for every one killed. But the extent and severity of the injuries is almost impossible to extract from the data, which is, in any case, not reliable. If even ten percent of those injured were severely injured, that would make the number of those they have caused to be severely injured in the neighborhood of 400,000. The exact number will, probably, never be known. But that the number is large is not in doubt. For more information on this topic, visit www.safetychoice.org
Categories: Law, Domestic Policy, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, History, Current Events, State Legislation, Congress Tags: congress, Safety, nhtsa, NTSB, CPSC |
No comments yet.
Great works going on in Valley County: The following resolution passed unanimously in Valley County on Monday night. Please try to pass this at your committees. Last legislative session they passed HJM4 on state sovereignty. This resolution will support the sovereignty memorial, and if passed in this legislative session it would be on a ballot. Every voter would then be aware and educated on the importance of States rights
A RESOLUTION CALLING FOR AN AMENDMENT TO THE IDAHO STATE CONSTITUTION WHEREAS, Article 1, Section 3. of the Idaho State Constitution states: "STATE INSEPARABLE PART OF UNION. The state of Idaho is an inseparable part of the American Union, and the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the land; and WHEREAS, the 60th Idaho Legislature passed in 2009 House Joint Memorial 4 in which is stated: "STATE AND FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONS - SOVEREIGNTY - Stating findings of the Legislature claiming sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government by the Constitution."; and WHEREAS, sovereignty is a declaration of State authority, and being inseparable would be a contradiction that denies the State of it's rightful status, and sovereignty ultimately lies with the individuals who reside in the state; and WHEREAS, the Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches, past and present, have at times, shown disregard for the Constitution of the United States; and WHEREAS, many federal policies are usurping our freedoms, leading the states away from the form of government we inherited from our Founding Fathers; and WHEREAS, Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution guarantees, "a republican form of government"; and WHEREAS, Article 4, Section 4 of the United States Constitution, provides protection to each state against invasion; the federal government is increasingly invading the privacy, property and liberties of the people through policy making and the acquiescence of state and local governments to the demands of Federal Government. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, to amend the Idaho State Constitution, Article 1, Section 3 by deleting the following: "STATE INSEPARABLE PART OF UNION. The state of Idaho is an inseparable part of the American Union,..." and replacing it with the Approved and Adopted OCTOBER. 12, 2009 SIGNED_________________________________
Categories: Grassroots News, State Legislation Tags: |
No comments yet.
For far too long, the Republican Party has been controlled by the "neoconservatives," those who readily abandon the free market at the drop of a hat if it means expanding government power and who think the United States should be the policeman of the world. They want us to support those who throw substance and principle to the wind in favor of political expediency. Last Monday night, Senator Lindsey Graham reiterated his disdain for Ron Paul and limited government conservatives at a town hall when he said that he was not going to allow the Republican Party to be "hijacked by Ron Paul." Instead, he thinks we should get behind those who he tells us "can win," even if it means abandoning every belief we hold dear in the process. In addition to his afternoon appearance on Judge Napolitano's Freedom Watch, Congressman Paul will be responding to the neoconservatives on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer tonight at 6 pm eastern and also on MSNBC's The Ed Show at 6:30 pm eastern. CNN has shared with my staff that they want to hear from you on this issue. Contact The Situation Room and let them know you think neoconservatism has had its day and it is time for our elected officials to stick to the Constitution. In our efforts over the past two years, we have made it clear we will no longer be silent while those who claim to believe in limited government and freedom behave exactly the opposite and help run our country into the ground. The freedom movement is growing larger every day, and we will take our country back without abandoning our principles to do so. Update:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njDSf8Hetgg Update #2: Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dauk46aAIgA Part 2:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRMcuwxpMk Categories: Ron Paul, Media, Republican Party, Philosophy Tags: |
Comments (70)
I am taking a poll on a question of state sovereignty in Idaho. But first, an explanation of my thesis on the 10th Amendment, which reads: "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Consider, does the Constitution grant to Congress the power to surrender its delegated powers and give them to a private or quasi-public entity which operates without its supervision or control? If not, and if that is a violation of the Constitution, do the principals of the constitutional compact have the right to re-assume those powers? For example, under the law of agency, unless I, as the principal, specifically give my agent the right to transfer power of attorney to another, my agent does not have that discretion. And should he do so, I have the right to repudiate his action and re-assume that power or delegate that power to another who will do my bidding. If Congress should surrender the military power to a foreign entity, such as the United Nations, would not the several States, then, retain the right to repudiate such an action and re-assume the Constitutional power given to Congress to raise armies? If Congress should, as it has done, surrender its powers to coin money and emit bills of credit to a private banking cartel, should not the States have the right to repudiate such an action and re-assume those Constitutional powers? In other words, even though the States are prohibited by the Constitution the power to coin money and emit bills of credit, would it not be their right and duty to re-assume those powers should Congress prove to be derelict? The Federal Reserve System is a private banking cartel that operates autonomously. It is the principal entity that is systematically transferring the wealth and resources of the nation from the people into the hands of small cabal which has no allegiance to the Constitution of the United States. This process is as economically debilitating than the destruction of any war. Now, for my poll question: Under these circumstances, do you believe it is the right of the State of Idaho to form a state bank and begin issuing a currency to its citizens, preferably backed by gold and silver, but certainly backed by its own taxing authority?
Tags: |
Comments (4)
To All, The committee Democrats' central phone number is (202) 225-4247, and the fax is (202) 225-6952. Alternately, and perhaps more effectively, you can politely email some or all of the committee's most senior Democrat staff directly, as follows: Committee deputy chief counsel: Committee communications director: Categories: Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Revolution Tags: democratic contact numbers email address |
Comments (4)
While looking through a copy of Samuel Johnson's "A Dictionary of the English Language" (published in 1755), one can find a number of interesting definitions that have broad-reaching effects on public policy. Here's two that are quite relevant these days: General: 1. Comprehending many species or individuals; not special. Welfare: 1. Happiness; success; prosperity Clearly, these definitions, Constitutionally-speaking, are far different than what the politicians and pundits tell us. The "general Welfare" clause, as stated in the Tenth Amendment Center's 10-4 Pledge for the Constitution, was actually meant as a limit on power - not an excuse to expand it: The phrase, "general Welfare," in Article I, Section 8 does not authorize Congress to enact any laws it claims are in the "general Welfare" of the United States. The phrase sets forth the requirement that all laws passed by Congress in Pursuance of the enumerated powers of the Constitution shall also be in the general Welfare of the United States. This was affirmed by James Madison when he wrote: "With respect to the words "general welfare," I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators." Categories: US Constitution, Social Issues Tags: general welfare, Constitution, originalism |
Comments (5)
Because of you, Idaho's Campaign for Liberty is in a unique position:
Now we need to tell our representatives what we want them to do in 2010 to make Idaho the freest state in the union.
In order to accomplish these significant goals we will have to reach critical mass momentum that can't be stopped by entrenched domestic enemies of freedom. This requires a well-planned legislative strategy involving all C4L members and our growing network of friends.
There are already a number of ingredients in the cooker, but I know you will help us come up with the winning formula to make a huge difference in the upcoming legislative session. Members like you from all over the state who have an interest or expertise in each area must bring their ideas to the table in order to make each task force successful. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Law, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, Revolution, State Legislation, Monetary Policy Tags: |
No comments yet.
In case you haven't heard yet, Rep. Sam Rohrer introduced the Pennsylvania 'Firearms Freedom Act,' an Act prohibiting certain firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition from being subject to Federal law or Federal regulation. Here are links to all the co-sponsors so you can email / call them and thank them, then feel free to contact those who are not on the list and demand their support. ROHRER, TALLMAN, BAKER, BENNINGHOFF, BOYD, BROOKS, CAUSER, CHRISTIANA, CLYMER, CUTLER, DENLINGER, EVERETT, FAIRCHILD, FLECK, GABLER, GEIST, GIBBONS, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GROVE, HESS, HORNAMAN, HUTCHINSON, KAUFFMAN, KORTZ, KOTIK, KRIEGER, MARSHALL, METCALFE, METZGAR, MOUL, MUSTIO, O'NEILL, PETRARCA, PHILLIPS, PICKETT, QUIGLEY, RAPP, READSHAW, REED, ROAE, ROCK, SOLOBAY, SONNEY, STEVENSON, SWANGER, TRUE, TURZAI, VULAKOVICH, M. KELLER, KILLION Not sure who your representative is? Don't worry, we've got you covered, click here. And in case you wanted to read the 5 page bill, click here.
Categories: Current Events, State Legislation Tags: firearms, 10th amendment, state sovereignty |
Comments (3)
When mentioning the year of the Federal Reserve's creation, 1913, Dr. Paul frequently cites two other major blows delivered that year to our Constitution and our Republic that have helped to cement centralization of power in D.C.: the institution of the personal income tax with the 16th amendment, and the direct election of senators with the 17th amendment. By replacing a system where state legislatures elect senators with a system where they are directly elected by the people like House representatives, the 17th amendment took away a crucial check on the federal government. Repealing the 17th amendment is not a topic that often comes up in the mainstream media, so it was good to see an guest article in yesterday's online Roll Call advocating just that:
Categories: Domestic Policy, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, US Constitution Tags: 17th amendment, US Senate |
Comments (13)
Apropos my last post, it looks like the struggle within the GOP over the future of the party has a conspicuous player in the middle of it: John McCain, who wants to recast the party in center-right terms. What a disaster. McCain lost last year because he represented in many voters' minds the failed Bush legacy: Increasing government power and a belief in war as the best policy tool. McCain has always been a "centrist" in the worst ways: Pro-gun control, pro-cap and trade, pro-bailout, Democratic socialist-lite economic policies, central planning on economics, energy and the like. I recall in 2000 being glad that Bush beat McCain in the primaries. On both the welfare state and the warfare state, McCain was even more statist, it seemed at the time. And in 2008 that was his platform: Big government across the board, at home and abroad. This is a losing strategy and message. Does the GOP really think they'll retake the country on a platform of "slightly smaller government and more war than the Democrats"? Categories: Foreign Policy, Domestic Policy, Republican Party, US Constitution, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, History, Current Events, Socialism, Voting, War/Military, Economy Tags: |
Comments (16)
The Florida Freedom Caucus was introduced at the Campaign for Liberty Summit. It includes the 10th Amendment Resolution, The Firearms Freedom Act and the Healthcare Freedom Act. Call your state representatives and Senators and demand thier support and participation. Get used to the term "Nullification" when dealing with Federal legislation... They seem to forget or have failed to read the constitution and Bill of Rights to understand that their governing is limited.
Tags: Liberty Caucus, Freedom, 10th amendment |
Comments (1)
Not only do neocons advocate perpetual war. They apparently prefer bankruptcy. In critiquing Boston University's Andy Bacevich, Gary Schmitt of the American Enterprise Institute writes:
Of course, the real alternative to wasting money attempting to bring good governance to Afghanistan isn't a bigger welfare state at home. It is letting Americans keep more of their own money. Or paying down the endless debts run up by Washington. But if the only way to stop Washington from spending too much money domestically is war overseas, then by Schmitt's logic shouldn't we invade a few more countries? Obviously nearly a trillion dollars spent on Iraq and Afghanistan so far didn't stop President George W. Bush from increasing money for education or Presidents Bush and Barack Obama from undertaking endless bail-outs of the well-connected on Wall Street. So how about several more wars--Syria, Burma, Iran, Cuba, and North Korea might make up a good hit list? Still, they are all relatively small fry. The only way to defund a government which spent nearly $4 trillion this year would be a REALLY BIG war. That means a great power, which suggests a country with nuclear weapons. Either China or Russia. Or both. In that case the U.S. government wouldn't have any extra money to spend to get in the way of discovering the real solutions to American social problems. In fact, there's a good argument that the government should spend less money on social programs in the interest of the supposed beneficiaries. But that is not an argument for more wars. Especially when the latter are being justified as transforming foreign societies for the better. My Cato Institute Justin Logan generously calls this argument "profoundly incoherent," but nutty probably would be a more accurate characterization. Neocons have made a lot of curious arguments on behalf of attempting to coercively remake the globe. But wasting Americans' money attempting to solve the world's social problems so the U.S. government will better solve social problems at home must be the most creative. Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance Categories: Foreign Policy, Globalism, War/Military, World Affairs Tags: budget, afghanistan, war, Empire, neoconservatives |
Comments (2)
At long last, I'm proud to announce that the Rally for the Republic DVD is now officially in the C4L store!
Here's the official product description:
The 3 disc set is available for $19.95. The bonus disc serves as a great introduction to the liberty movement to pass along to friends and family. Each copy comes with a supporter-created poster featuring many of our speakers from that day. Our insert replicates the official Rally program, with bio info on the speakers, as well as the official Welcome Letter from Dr. Paul.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9o6XO1pFPY Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Education, Grassroots News, History, Just For Fun, Video Tags: Rally For The Republic |
Comments (5)
A lot of folks see an aggressive US foreign policy and a powerful United Nations as being at odds with one another. Liberals love the UN and tend to believe the US should consult the "international community" on matters foreign and domestic, which would supposedly both curtail US belligerence and also make America a better nation on questions ranging from climate change to economic policy. Conservatives, on the other hand, tend to favor US imperialism while opposing the UN. They want America to act without any regard for international law, even legitimate traditions in the laws of war that have been around long before the UN and are constitutionally binding via treaty. They favor unilitaral intervention but oppose UN encroachments on American sovereignty. Yet neither view really gets it right. The UN was born in the shadow of World War II, as a way for the victors — mainly the US and Soviet Union — to consolidate their global power and monopolize militarism and international action under the guise of global legitimacy. The UN has often acted as a figleaf for US aggression, and the US ultimately serves the interests of the UN in much of its warmongering. Consider than the first major war after WWII, the Korean War — a war that began the precedent that presidential, undeclared wars would typify US policy ever since — was a UN war. The Cold War, which conservatives sometimes still long for, was mostly conducted outside of traditional American constitutional procedure, but instead relied on the United Nations and other dubious international bodies. Then there is the Second Gulf War. The major argument for the year up to Shock and Awe was that Saddam had to be ousted becausee he had violated UN Resolutions, 1441 in particular. The UN's honor had to be upheld through force, at a great cost in life and treasure for Iraq and America, and the contention was that this enforcement of UN resolutions was so important that the US would have to do it unilitarally, without UN approval. Thus did the right champion the UN while ignoring it at the same time. Meanwhile, some liberals were arguing that war could be waged, but only if the UN approved it — implying that something magical happens when the UN gives its thumbs up that turns a bad war into a good war. Liberals also tended to downplay the UN Resolutions that could ultimately mean a unilateral US war, and ignored the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis killed in the 1990s through UN sanctions. Why? Such brutality conflicted with their idea of the UN as a sacred institution of humanitarianism. Today, the liberals seem to be much more open to demonizing and warmongering against Iran than they had been under Bush. Why? As progressive Ariana Huffington argues, the "international community" is much more behind Obama and against Iran than it was behind Bush and against Iraq. Perhaps. But why should this matter? If it is wrong for the US to invade or bomb or starve Iranians all by itself, why should approval from more nations make a difference? Aggression does not become moral simply because more people are willing to get in on the aggression. Of course, the US should withdraw from the UN, as well as stop using it as an excuse to bully other countries around. Categories: Foreign Policy, Globalism, US Constitution, Executive Power, Current Events, Philosophy, War/Military, World Affairs Tags: |
Comments (7)
The AP reports that the Obama Administration is itching to expand American students' competitive edge in the world by forcing them to spend more of their time in government-monopolized schools. Oy vey...
One of the ideas on Obama's desk is to shrink the coveted summer vacation, which is pretty much the only time that children of all ages have to reflect on the time lost in the State's mandatory propaganda centers. Keep in mind that when the government says we need more of something, you ought to be extremely wary of the product they're pushing. Although more "education" sounds like a bright idea, so did more "stimulus," and I think we all know how helpful that was to the government-damaged economy. Categories: Education, Current Events Tags: Obama, School |
Comments (37)
Following the lead of Arizona, Florida, and Michigan, in recent weeks legislators from Louisiana and Georgia announced that they were planning on introducing resolutions for State Constitutional Amendments that would allow the people of those states to effectively opt-out of any future national health care plan. And now, Ohio joins them. According to our friends at OhioFreeState.com, Ohio State Senators Grendell and Jones have introduced Senate Joint Resolution & (SJR7). The resolution proposes: "to enact Section 43 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Ohio to prohibit a law or rule from compelling a person, employer, or health care provider to participate in a health care system." If passed by the Ohio legislature, the proposal will go directly to Ohio voters for their approval: If adopted by a majority of the electors voting on this proposal at a special election held February 2, 2010, Section 43 of Article II of the Constitution of the State of Ohio shall take effect immediately. The resolution in Arizona (HCR2014) has already passed both the House and Senate, and in 2010, Arizona voters will be the final voice on their proposed Constitutional Amendment. In Florida and Michigan, similar resolutions have been introduced, but have yet to have formal hearing or debates. Legislators in GA and LA announced that they'll be introducing similar resolutions in the 2010 legislative session. And sources close to the Tenth Amendment Center indicate that more than 15 states will do the same in 2010. Click here to read the full text of SJR7
Categories: Health Freedom, US Constitution, State Legislation Tags: Nullification, health care, state sovereignty |
Comments (12)
All attendees of the Valley Forge Regional Conference, of previous regional conferences, and those who have purchased conference training online may now find the complete taping of the Valley Forge Regional Conference online by logging in and clicking this link. You will find links to download and view the speeches by luminaries of liberty Ron Paul, Thomas Woods, Phil Giraldi, Andrew Napolitano, Daniel Hannan, Peter Schiff, and Mike Doherty. More importantly, you will get five full hours of political training from some of the best in the business. This release also includes detailed notes from Mike Rothfeld's lecture "Keys To Changing Policy" which was given at prior conferences but not taped to allow the author one lecture of complete freedom to name names--a valuable addition to our library, to be sure. Those of you with member accounts who do not have access to conference training (ie if you're logged in and the link above didn't work) can obtain access by logging in and then clicking here. It will be the best $89 you have spent in recent memory, with access to 28 lectures, 25 hours 20 minutes, and counting. You will learn how to fund-raise far beyond your investment. Those of you without member accounts, setting one up is easy and then the link above will work for you. I cannot stress enough how valuable this training is. Lobbying Congress is great, but it is our ability to raise leaders in this much greater fight for liberty that will determine our success. Watch these videos over and over again, share them with your friends (to the extent permitted by terms of service), and learn the keys to making change. Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item, Revolution, Video Tags: |
Comments (3)
Members of the Campaign for Liberty in Utah: On September 15, many of us joined citizen-activists across the county in a nation-wide MASS ACTION MOVEMENT to persuade members of Congress to co-sponsor "Audit the Fed" legislation. You may be interested to read my review of the "Audit the Fed" Rally. My thanks to all of you who helped in this effort! MONTHLY MEETINGS One of the best ways to recruit is to meet each month. Casey Anderson wrote a very helpful blog on the subject, which I heartily recommend. At these kinds of meetings, we can introduce ourselves to one another, make new friends, discuss Utah's caucus/convention system, plan local activities or participation in national activities, hear a guest speaker, etc. C4L members in Iron County have been doing this all summer long, and they have a group of activists that would rival those of us in more populous counties. Jordy Gunderson hosted a meeting in Utah County recently, which was attended by over two dozen people--each left with a challenge to replicate the experience in their respective house districts. John Potter has scheduled a study group in the Tremonton / Bear River area (northern Utah) for every Thursday evening. Have you attended such a meeting this month? Do you know of such a meeting in the next week or two? They work best if people have a couple week's notice, and if they hear from you three times beforehand (two weeks in advance, one week in advance, and one or two days in advance as a reminder). Find a location (a home, a private school, or a public library, for example), and schedule a meeting there in a couple of weeks. Invite family, friends, and colleagues. Tell me about it so I can help you invite people to it. I am also willing to come speak, or to recommend others who can speak to topics of interest. Don't wait for someone else to do this--adopt this motto:
There are 75 house districts in Utah. Hence, there ought to be 75 C4L meetings each month--one in each house district. But until 75 citizen-activists step forward to host these meetings, that is just a pipe dream. So maybe we have only a dozen such meetings in September.... Maybe this number doubles in October, and then again in November, and then again in December.... That is do-able. One topic that ought to be discussed in these meetings is the caucus/convention system: preparing for caucus, getting elected as a delegate, attending the county or state conventions, etc. I have a four-page handout on this topic, and am evaluating other material (such as video instruction) for our use. If we want to retake our government, we must first retake our parties. This is done by electing liberty-minded citizens to represent us in conventions where the nominees are selected to represent the various parties on the General Election Ballot. Only those who are delegates get to participate in the convention nomination process. STATISTICS (as of August 31, 2009) There are approximately 2984 members of the C4L in Utah, 573 of whom have C4L accounts. Of those with accounts: 110 are dues-paying members (41 of which have enrolled in the Local Coordinator program), and 463 are (free) accounts. 172 of the current members created accounts in October, 48 in November, 37 in December, 35 in January, 69 in February, 53 in March, 48 in April, 21 in May, 27 in June, 34 in July, and 29 in August. A member who has not created an account cannot log into the C4L website and take full advantage of what it has to offer. 460 (or 80%) have logged into the C4L website, and 113 (or 20%) have never logged in. 129 are in Congressional District 1, 206 in CD2, and 238 in CD3. TRAINING If you have never logged into the C4L web site, please log in (let me know if have any trouble). If you do not have an account, please create one. The site has an ever-changing array of information and helpful networking tools. If you have logged into the C4L web site but not paid dues, please consider doing so. Your donation of $35 helps to defray the costs of the Campaign for Liberty. This amount is purposefully small, relative to the awesome good that is being done by the Campaign. If you have paid dues, but have not enrolled in the Local Coordinator program, please do so (on the web site) so you can go through the Local Coordinator Boot Camp! That will equip you with the information and training you need to move forward more effectively for the Campaign for Liberty. If you have enrolled in the Local Coordinator program, please continue through the Boot Camp. This is not something you can do in a single sitting probably, but is a worthwhile undertaking that will require thought, effort, and research. And when you are done, you will have an invaluable resource (reference) on which you can rely as you advance the Campaign for Liberty in your precinct, and in your county, house, senate, and congressional districts. CHALLENGE Working together, we must reclaim the liberties we have lost, defend those that remain, and encourage our public servants to adhere to the Constitution and restore the Republic. Please reach out and invite good, constitution-loving citizens to join the Campaign for Liberty. The summer is over; it is HARVEST time now. Please visit with NINE good people this month, and get at least ONE to join the Campaign for Liberty. We need to identify 1725 Local Coordinators--at least one for every precinct in the state of Utah--by March of next year. That means we need over 300 a month for the next five months. Let's do it! THANK YOU for all you are doing to promote good governance! Yours in Liberty, Lowell Nelson Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item Tags: |
No comments yet.
Chris Rye and Corey Kealiher's For Liberty is a fond look back on the grassroots movement to elect Ron Paul. It was a thrill to see on screen many people who throughout the campaign I'd worked with, spoken with on the phone, but never seen in person; to put faces on the names. Many Ron Paul activists will share this thrill. All of the greatest moments are captured here: the rally at the Iowa candidates' forum, the education of Rudolph Giuliani, the tremendous rallies, and of course, the money bombs. It's a timely release for at least three reasons. It is re-invigorating to look back on that exciting time from the relatively depressing legislative season we must now plow through. It is a vital history of the grassroots Liberty movement, especially for those who are new. And it is an important reminder of true nature of our new-found "friends" in the right-wing mainstream. It's this last aspect of it that I found most rewarding. Since the reign of Barack Obama, conservative pundits Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Michelle Malkin have largely abandoned their militarist rhetoric to cast themselves as populist libertarian heroes, with frightening success. It is refreshing to me, and will be eye-opening to others, to see how they treated a true populist libertarian who had a message that likely would have defeated Barack Obama had he become the Republican nominee. I only wish the film went even further, by emphatically noting how this new "conservative" movement, headed by the same people, wantonly stole the "tea party" concept from us without giving credit. For Liberty is destined to be the essential memoir of the Ron Paul campaign because it hits the most important lesson of the exercise spot-on: that the people, given a message of deep truth and a great goal to rally behind, do not need to be motivated by material gain to do what is right. Sure, having a free society was in our self-interest, but we didn't expect outright victory. We sacrificed so much of our lives knowing that we would probably lose, and that knowledge only inspired us to sacrifice even more. It struck home that the Revolution begins and ends not with leaders, but with a tireless but determined grassroots movement. But as I reconciled the moments captured in the film with my own memory of the Ron Paul campaign, I felt a dissonance, one that grew louder upon later reflection. It began with the notable omission of the Ron Paul campaign staff. I understand that this was a grassroots movie, that its purpose was to celebrate the triumphs of the grassroots and the purity of the Ron Paul message as proven by its following. But these points did not require total omission, and by omission, it was implied that the campaign was a non-entity, therefore incompetent. In some cases, this omission distorted the history illustrated in the movie. The prevalence of Meetup groups was attributed to the grassroots movement. But I discovered my Meetup group because I had visited the campaign website where I was instructed to organize on Meetup. Andrew Ward informs me that it was no light decision on the part of Kent Snyder, the campaign chairman, to have referred volunteers to Meetup. All prior campaigns encouraged volunteers to contact the campaign directly, and not organize independently. Kent had the wisdom to say, "We are not able to handle the volume and variety of supporters we are going to get; we need to give them some way to organize themselves." That was a brilliant and very risky decision Kent made, which greatly contributed to the grassroots movement that sprung therefrom. It was also Kent's idea and the campaign's project to rally in Iowa against the candidates' forum that had snubbed us. Nor was the tremendous effort by the Campaign For Liberty—which, at the time, was totally ad-hoc—in organizing the Rally for the Republic given fair credit. The film noted the sacrifice many volunteers made. I was one, and exremely fortunate to have been brought onto the staff of the campaign just days after being thrown out on the street for being months behind on rent. I hadn't even been looking for work. I know someone else who, as a volunteer, worked himself to the point where he had to stop before his family with seven children lost their home. Kent paid a higher price. He worked so hard for the campaign that he neglected his battle with a long-term illness and perished at the end of the campaign. I don't think the grassroots ever understood that what the campaign staff felt was just the same as what they felt, but with the added burden of knowing that each of our mistakes rippled out and let everybody down. I worked hard as a volunteer but after I was hired, as I realized that my work was now affecting the outcome in not just one, but many states, I became a workaholic. For six months I worked around the clock, sleeping only when I could not think well enough to work. We all did. But Kent, above everybody else, earned his place in this story. He was missed. There was always great friction between the grassroots and the campaign. It's doubtless that our opponents played a role in creating it, but there was legitimate criticism, too. I was a member of each for roughly the same period, as a volunteer from May through mid-November 2007, when I was hired by the campaign through April '08. I have seen both sides. The campaign had at least three problems that the grassroots could not understand:
In part because we were so bound and gagged, the grassroots felt we were at best incompetent; at worst, saboteurs. By omission, For Liberty tacitly approves this perception of the campaign staff. To my knowledge, nobody who worked for the Ron Paul campaign was interviewed for the film—including state coordinators, many of whom were never paid employees. It's been suggested that the reason nobody from the campaign was involved in this movie is due to legal worries that somehow the film could violate some absurd FEC regulation. I say, there must exist some creative loophole the directors could have found. At the very least a simple disclaimer "The Ron Paul 2008 Campaign was excluded from this movie for legal reasons" would have sufficed to cancel the implied indictment of the campaign. Deepening the implication, there's little explanation given for why, after so many triumphs, Dr. Paul still places poorly in the Iowa Straw Poll, in New Hampshire, and on Super Tuesday. We see so many great grassroots successes, but then, why did we fail? Surely, since the grassroots movement was so wonderful, it must have been the campaign that let everyone down. Right? And there's the real problem here: part of the reason we lost was that we all jumped in not having a clue what we were doing. We made great signs, we filled rallies, we dropped banners, we handed out literature. But we didn't do enough of the things that win elections: identify voters, build lists, canvass our precincts, work the polls. When we began, most of us had no idea what a precinct delegate was! This movie documents the campaign beautifully, but it avoids examining the mistakes; it gives us little to teach with. It noted the great walk to Minneapolis, but omitted the fight in St. Paul for us to bring as many Ron Paul delegates to the Republican National Convention. And we had brought hundreds! Each of those delegates was only there because of the many battles we fought at county and state conventions around the country. At these battlegrounds, the Republican Party establishment fought us at every turn, often resorting to dirty tricks and flat-out rule-breaking to block Ron Paul supporters from becoming RNC delegates. Why the heck was this critical aspect of the conclusion of the Ron Paul campaign neglected? I think this last omission really illustrates the core problem with this film. The grassroots set out to make as much noise as possible, and at that they were enormously successful. But in doing so, they played into the false belief that elections are all about the media. Had they spent that much energy doing the scarier, less intuitive kinds of activities like precinct canvassing, recruiting delegates, and building lists of voters to mobilize on Election Day, the results may have been much more representative of the real size of the movement. None of this critical political action is depicted anywhere in this film, which allots 10 minutes for the Ron Paul Blimp. This is a challenging film to rate. It is essential; everyone must watch it. But it is also essential that people not simply sop it up; that they think hard about why this incredible outpouring of energy didn't translate into results and learn from our mistakes. The film doesn't make this easy, since the mistakes are not even shown, much less admitted to. Three-and-a-half stars does not adequately penalize this film for its shortcomings. Two-and-a-half stars denies this film the recognition it deserves. This rating comes with strong opposing forces from each direction. (Three stars) P.S. I'm sure we all have moments we wish were included in the film. Here's mine.
Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Media, Presidential Race, Grassroots News, Revolution Tags: |
Comments (9)
Tremendous news! I just got off the phone with Dr. Paul's publisher, and Ron's new book End The Fed will enter the NYT's bestsellers list at #6. This new book is a great tool for spreading the message of sound money. These results are on par with last year's initial success of The Revolution: A Manifesto. Keep in mind, the fall is a much more competetive time for book sales, so we need to keep it up. If you haven't bought your copy yet, be sure to pick one up today. And remember - with the holiday season coming up, End The Fed would make a great gift. Categories: Ron Paul, Monetary Policy Tags: End the Fed |
Comments (4)
BONNER COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE Assembled September 22, 2009 RESOLUTION NO. 4 IDAHO SILVER LEGAL TENDER TO THE GOVERNOR, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF IDAHO WHEREAS the 2008 Idaho Republican State Convention, by a two-thirds floor vote, called for the abolition of the Federal Reserve System and the return of power to issue gold and silver currency to the People with constitutional checks and balances; and WHEREAS Article 1, Section 10 (1) of the U.S. Constitution states that "No state shall... make anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debt;" and WHEREAS the Federal Reserve has increased the monetary base by over 100% in past ten months; and WHEREAS the silver producing state of Idaho would benefit from this action; and WHEREAS Idaho would attract new businesses, depositors and investors from around the world that recognize the value of legalized sound currency. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the silver payment providers use an electronic silver currency unit that constitutes a claim of title to and ownership of a specifically defined, fixed weight of fine silver troy ounces held by an independent specie vault and that the provider conduct the business of exchanging Federal Reserve Notes, silver coins, silver bullion, and the electronic silver currency units. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Secretary of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee be hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Resolution to the Governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Idaho, the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States, the Idaho Republican Party Chairman, members of this central committee, and the media. APPROVED AND ADOPTED: & Categories: Republican Party, US Constitution, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Comments (1)
There will be a Full Committee Hearing this Friday 9/25/09 at 9:00 a.m. to H.R. 1207 the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009
The House Committee on Financial Services will vote to report it out to the House and the Speaker; it can then be placed on the legislative calendar. Please take the time to contact the members of the House Committee on Financial Services and urge them to get H.R. 1207 out to the House and ask them to ensure a "clean" vote - that it not be combined with any other piece of legislation! This is important as we would not want it tagged onto something that the sponsor, Ron Paul, could not vote for! Here is the link to all committee members. http://financialservices.house.gov/members.html Pick a handful to call, email and/or fax. If we each take a few in random order from the list we should be able to reach all of them quickly. If some of us start from the bottom, others pick every other from the middle...just make contact! Idaho Congressman Walt Minnick is on this Committee and can contacted here: http://minnick.house.gov/ Additional links: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1207&tab=committees http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/fchr_092509.shtml Thanks for all your efforts! For Liberty, Alanna Grimm Categories: Action Item Tags: |
No comments yet.
This is a brilliant excerpt from an interview with John Taylor Gatto, the schoolteacher who discovered the true extent of the damage public schools do to children and traveled the world to show people what he discovered both about the system itself and its sinister origins. I still consider putting his book on our website to be one of my greatest achievements. Somehow this nine-minute interview introduces the viewer to most of Gatto's major points on the government school system. Watch, and share with your friends and family:
Categories: Education, Socialism Tags: |
Comments (23)
I had just finished reading this book and decided I would write my review on it. This book is nearly 100 years in the making as the Federal Reserve was unfortunately created in 1913. That's been 96 years too long and this is perfect timing for the release of this book as we're on the brink of the next Great Depression. As Dr. Paul illustrates in this book, this next coming Depression will really make the 30's seem "Great" but there is a way out, and we can avoid the collapse. The answer lies in the free market. I had read Ron Paul's The Revolution: A Manifesto when it was first released in 2008 and while I would ultimately recommend that book first to a newcomer to the Revolution (meaning someone who still thinks our system may be flawed, but still "good" overall), this book greatly expands upon the Money Chapter from the Revolution: A Manifesto. The structure of the book is essentially laid out in 3 parts comprising a total of 15 chapters. The first part of the book is introductory in nature. Dr. Paul is presenting the topic at hand, and defining the problem clearly as it exists, by answer the questions of "WHY?" (you should care) and "WHAT?" (is the Fed). The next section of the book, as I categorize them, gives us more of an insight into the experiences of Ron Paul and his discovery of the issue of money and the Federal Reserve. Ron Paul has never been the type of person to ever place any emphasis on himself, so rarely ever talks about himself as most politicians do (self-promoting), and it was interesting to hear tidbits of his history as a child. With most of us it's the small things we've questioned as a child, that has had a lasting effect on who we became. It was also interesting to hear about his experiences with Reagan, who supported sound money but faltered by the simple fact of him surrounding himself with the wrong people. The Gold Commission also played a small part, for the good, in leading us to where we are at now in the battle for sound money. Also some very interesting tidbits on his history with Paul Volcker that I'd rather not spoil. I thought that the chapters on Ron Paul's interactions with Greenspan and Bernake would not be further insightful for me being that I have seen just about all of his interrogations with Bernake from CSPAN, and also some of the previous ones from Greenspan as well. However there was more insight into the minds of these men from Ron, especially with Greenspan whom he knows a little better than Bernake. The last of the 3 sections of this book, as I categorize them, is the greater portion of the book and this is where Dr. Paul really makes the "Case Against the Fed" (to borrow a book title from the late great Murray Rothbard). All the cases FOR a fiat currency, and FOR a central bank, and blown to shreds by the good doctor in the final 7 chapters. Now what? Well he answers that too. There really is only one answer for a Fed replacement, and it extremely simple and laden in common sense. The answer is not the gold standard, however, gold (and silver) are a big part of the answer. The books he suggests in the reading list, some of which I've already read, further expands on the solution. The main purpose of this book was to bring to light the most corrupt and fraudulent institution the American people have seen since we were under the Royal Crown. Ron succeeds in bringing this matter to light, and clearly we should End The Fed.
Categories: Ron Paul, Education, Monetary Policy Tags: End the Fed, Brevard |
Comments (8)
The senate yesterday, September 17, 2009, passed H.R. 3288 by a vote of 73 to 25. While we do not yet have the final, engrossed version, it is almost certain that the funding for 23 USC 402, 405 and 406 was still in it. Motions by senators Ensign and Kyl to recommit were defeated by 64 to 33 and 64 to 34, respectively. Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Civil Liberties, Law, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Congress Tags: civil liberty, congress, Current Events, Federal Legislation |
No comments yet.
It doesn't take much to make an impact on the politics in your community. If you've taken the Local Coordinator training, you've already taken a huge step to being an effective leader in your community. Local Coordinator training will equip you with the information and resources you need to make a difference. We've often talked about the three areas of involvement: party involvement, issue involvement and running for office. Well, I've just taken the plunge and have become an office holder. Today I was appointed the Municipal Judge for Casselton. ND laws allow cities smaller than 5000 to have judges who are not attorneys. I am filling an unexpired term, so I will be running for election in June 2010. This is a small position. I will only hear traffic and city ordinance violations (except for 3rd time DUIs.) Court is held two times a month and many times there are no cases to hear. But if anyone remembers the kerfuffle with David Habiger earlier this year, one aspect of his case (the junk cars in his yard) was decided in Casselton's municipal court. So no Kelo vs. New London cases, but maybe smaller, lesser known, Habiger-type cases. This wasn't hard at all. In fact, it was embarrassingly easy. Casselton ran an ad in the paper, I responded and sent in a resume. Now remember, I am a SAHM. I haven't held a real job in 18 years. But I wrote up a resume that listed my political involvement and my community service (I volunteer at the library, local nursing home and have worked a lot in Cub Scouts.) Apparently this was good enough for our City Commission, because I got appointed without an interview, based solely on my resume and my reputation. And now I'll have nine or ten months to further establish my reputation in the community before the next election. I'll also be going to training in Bismarck and be meeting and networking with others in the state and local municipal system. All of this is good experience and will make me more effective for future political races (mine or others I want to help along.) So keep your eyes open. There are lots of boards, commissions and committees you can get appointed to. Some go begging to be filled and all will give you a door into the political process. If a homeschooling mom from rural ND can get appointed as a municipal judge, you can easily do the same or similar. Start today by getting the Coordinator Training. And then attend local city or county council meetings, ask questions and find your place at the table. Tags: holding office, leadership training, Local Politics |
Comments (11)
In a free republic, or even a normal country, it would be considered a big deal when the government attacked a foreign nation. We would be able to keep track of the number of enemies we've had abroad. The US government, on the other hand, has long been an empire. Thus, when Obama widened the war into Pakistan, bombing and displacing large numbers of civilians, it was hardly on anyone's radar. Yesterday, the US invaded a town in Somalia. It hardly made the news. In April, the US threatened an invasion of Eritrea -- and most Americans probably don't know where Eritrea is, that is, if they've heard of it at all. This is the nature of empire: Since the end of WWII, we've always been at war, with Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Grenada, Panama, Iraq, Serbia and Afghanistan, not including the dozens of other countries the US bombed or staged coups in during that time. This is not normal for a people, it's not healthy for a nation, and it cannot be squared in any way with the type of free country America was supposed to be. If the citizenry do not even know which countries their government has been at war with, in what sense is democratic representation meaningful?
Categories: Foreign Policy, US Constitution, Current Events, War/Military, World Affairs Tags: |
Comments (13)
Wednesday marks the official release date of Dr. Paul's latest book, End the Fed. This powerful new work is an easy-to-understand guide to how the Fed operates and why it has destroyed our dollar and our economy. It will bring the idea of abolishing the Fed into the mainstream like never before, and I look forward to seeing how many people it attracts to the movement for sound money. Lew Rockwell and others have been working hard to make sure the book debuts at #1 on Amazon.com tomorrow, and Lew's latest update reports that it now stands at #4. Let's push it over the top!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amUtCmpwf6A Order today at Amazon.com. You can also find it in bookstores such as Barnes and Noble. Update: Lew Rockwell reports that End the Fed is currently #2 on Amazon's non-fiction bestsellers list! Update #2: It's now up to #10 in overall bestselling books, up from #24 yesterday. Let's keep it going! Update #3: We're now up to #7 in overall bestselling books! Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, Current Events, Video, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: End the Fed |
Comments (21)
I received this message from Idaho Tea Party Protest on facebook and thought i should post it. Al Trees September 15 at 12:36pm Reply
Boise and Blaine County (Sun Valley) voted heavily for Obama. Are you aware that Boise Mayor Beiter and the Boise City Council have proposed a resolution in support of The President's, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid's infamous and socialistic "Public Option"? They will be discussing this at their regular meeting tonight, September 15th, 2009 at 150 N. Capitol Blvd, 6:00 PM. Tea Party Boise became aware of this today and wanted to alert our Treasure Valley citizens of this impending "sell out" of American free enterprise in healthcare. Using the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities as cover, the Mayor and Council has adopted virtually the exact rhetoric used by the DNC, the President and the liberal left in America, supporting the proposed government takeover of healthcare. All voters in the Treasure Valley and America at large should severely chastise any Mayor or City Council who endorses a plan on behalf of its constituents, ignoring opposing views. You can bet this will result in some contrived Obama and DNC talking point about "America's Mayors and cities supporting his public option". It's a familiar game played by the President and his minions, and citizens should stop it right now! Mr. Mayor, and ALL mayors, cease and desist from endorsing any political solution that speaks for all your constituents. We doubt seriously that "Boise" universally supports the "Public Option". It's clear only the political class, as usual, is getting into line with the rest of the Lemmings following this slide into socialism. SPEAK OUT VOTERS AND LET THEM KNOW THAT YOU OBJECT TO THIS GROSS MISUSE OF THEIR OFFICE!!! REMEMBER THIS THE NEXT TIME YOU VOTE!
Categories: Civil Liberties, Health Freedom, Voting Tags: |
No comments yet.
From London, comes this report of how common sense governing is good politics. According to the Daily Mail's Robert Hardman: "To the shock and dismay of many local councillors and MPs, most of Westminster and the entire Government," a local mayor "has just become one of the most powerful politicians in Britain." Why? Well, Mayor Peter Davies of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, has defunded "Gay Pride" festivities ("I don't see why taxpayers should pay to celebrate anyone's sexuality"), ended politically correct non-jobs such as "community cohesion officers" (that would be akin to ACORN on the government dole stateside), got rid of the mayoral limousine, and even cut his own salary from £73,000 to £30,000. He plans to reduce taxes and will scrap Doncaster's "Twin City" links to five cities around the world because it's a program "just for people to fly off and have a binge at the council's expense." Can we identify—or elect—50, 25, or even 10 mayors like this in the good old USA? Do you know of any in office now? But wait, there's more. Mayor Davis, a retired school teacher, wants tougher measures to deal with "young thugs" in the classroom and is an advocate of traditional teaching methods that he says will reduce crime and restore Britain's public school system—once a source of pride for the English. He has also called for Britain's withdrawal from the European Union "in order to save billions of pounds each year and return control of the country's affairs to our own parliament." On this side of the Atlantic, the practical ideas and courageous ideals of Congressman Ron Paul have influenced Congress, sparked a national grass roots movement, and encouraged patriots like Rand Paul (KY) and Peter Schiff (CT) to run for the U.S. Senate. But America needs more—town council members, mayors, members of state legislatures—to ensure the Liberty Revolution takes hold at every level of public service. Please use this blog to cite local candidates and politicians who deserve our praise and support, and explain why you might take up the challenge to be on the front lines of local politics. One day a columnist like the Daily Telegraph's Gerald Warner (writing about Mayor Peter Davies), might say of your political leadership that it's "the beginning of the end for political correctness" and a sign that "the counter-revolution has begun." Included in the link below, is Warner's observation that Mayor Davis is "against all the tenets of consensual British politics ... doing what the public wants." http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/sep/09090203.html Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Election News, Grassroots News, Current Events, Revolution, World Affairs Tags: |
Comments (2)
The fist thing to understand is the importance of walking your precinct. Nothing will be more effective or provide more future benefits than walking your precinct. The best way to pursuade a voter is in person. Here is a short list of benefits:
So now that we see the benefits and we are ready and willing, what do we do? Most of us don't have access to a professional to train us in person so here are some suggestions:
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Action Item Tags: |
No comments yet.
Exactly one year ago today, I remember standing off to the side of the stage in Minneapolis' Target Center and gazing in wonder at the crowd that had assembled to proudly proclaim their steadfast belief in the liberty message. Over 10,000 grassroots activists yelled, cheered, and recharged during the daylong Rally for the Republic. The pundits, establishment politicians, and entrenched interests were all wrong. The Revolution lived on. Meanwhile, the GOP was holding their national convention across town and wondering where all the energy had gone.
What an incredible experience it was to meet our speakers backstage and to see all the different personalities and backgrounds together in one place to celebrate and promote the freedom message. I greatly enjoyed the interaction, and it will be a lifelong memory. Those who were able to attend heard speeches from leaders in our movement and were treated to classic moments, such as Lew Rockwell saying that those who believed Bush would privatize things and give control back to the people "got owned." I remember talking to Gold medal Olympian Erik Vendt, who was just returning to the country from his vacation after the Beijing Olympics, and who so graciously shifted his schedule to come speak at the Rally. He came to the Target Center directly from the airport. Or what about Dr. Paul's grand entrance after Barry Goldwater, Jr's introduction?
And who can forget Jimmie Vaughan at the after-party playing his guitar behind his back? For those of us behind the scenes, it was an exhausting day (as it ended three straight days of managing events), but it was also an exhilarating experience. During his speech, Dr. Paul repeated the phrase that no army can stop an idea whose time has come. A year later, C4L has almost 200,000 members who are taking action in every way possible to reclaim their country. Never forget that we're involved in something special here. Many people I've talked to have confirmed my feeling that this is a time unlike any other. Our country is going to have to pick its path, and our movement is leading the way to pull it back toward freedom. I'm also proud to announce that the long-awaited Rally dvd will finally be released this month! We've been eager to wrap everything up and get it to you so you can relive the memories from that day. I'll keep you updated as we finalize details on the precise day it will be released in our store. The dvd will be a three disc set capturing all the speeches from Tucker Carlson, Howard Phillips, Doug Wead, Tom Woods, Grover Norquist, Lew Rockwell, Bill Kauffman, Bruce Fein, Jesse Ventura, John Tate, Gary Johnson, Adam Kokesh, Barry Goldwater, Jr., and Congressman Ron Paul, along with special guests John McManus and Olympic Gold Medalist Erik Vendt. Also included are special musical performances from Jimmie Vaughan and Aimee Allen. A bonus disc contains highlights from the Rally and The Ron Paul Nation Celebration, as well as Three Days in Minneapolis, a mini-documentary about the historic event. Thanks to Kevin Brett for his great work in putting together this first trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9o6XO1pFPY Indeed, the Revolution lived. And we're just getting started. Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Education, Grassroots News, History, Just For Fun Tags: Rally For The Republic |
Comments (28)
It is no secret that our federal government rarely addresses the root cause(s) of a problem for which they claim to have the fix. The health care reform issue is no different. It seems once again that one man stands alone, Dr. Ron Paul (our fearless leader, my president) appears to be the only one addressing the root cause(s). In recent interviews and speeches he has suggested that government (over) regulation has created a climate prohibiting the free market, or real competition across state lines. It has also been stated on numerous occasions that we must have TORT reform. Addressing and rectifying these two vital components alone would have a dramatic affect in alleviating the current health care nightmare. Interestingly enough, I heard Ann Coulter espousing the very same, on a recent Fox interview. Hmmm, I wonder where she got those ideas? As disciples of the Austrian School, like proteges in a karate club, all at various skill levels and stages of our training, but aspiring for the Ron Paul, Lew Rockwell, Tom Woods black-belt, we understand the pitfalls of government intervention and over regulation of any industry or market. As Sensei Woods would probably say, it doesn't take a "Blockhead" to figure it out. We also know the correlation of the fiat currency system and its devaluation of the dollar a la Federal Reserve. I am sure that no one except our fearless mentors are discussing that paradigm as it relates to the rising costs associated with delivering quality health care. Somehow left off of the table, there is another lesser known component to the government treachery, trickery or complicity, if you will, that has an incredible affect on health care premium costs. That is state mandates. You see, we already have socialized medicine, even in the private sector. If you have a "private" health insurance plan you are paying for services that you will never need or use, by virtue of your gender, habits, physical or physiological status. In short, insurance lobbies pressure the pernicious state legislators to require funding for specific ailments, treatments, etc...in the health care policies sold in their respective states. Complicity, duplicity, whatever you would like to call it, with a you-scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours vote, and the stroke of a governor's pen these mandates become law and "we the people" pay the price. I do not have a cleft palate, need HPV screening, breast reconstruction, or mammografication (my word)! But these are a few of the items that I must pay for in Pennsylvania. In the following video Shelly Roche provides a simple yet concise explanation of this incredible extrication and redistribution of our wealth. See a more detailed explanation, the report that she references, and the list of mandates by state here. Enjoy!
For liberty, Rob Categories: Education, Media, Globalism, Law, Domestic Policy, Health Freedom, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Federal Legislation, Just For Fun, Current Events, Revolution, Miscellany, Socialism, State Legislation, Economy, Congress Tags: hr3200, health reform, health care, shelly roche |
Comments (8)
Look, folks, it's like this: Life in Idaho is still good. The sun is shining, the birds are singing in the trees, and you can still drive down the street without being harassed by the police. The problem is that there is this 900 pound gorilla bearing down on us, and if we wait until he gets here, it will be too late. Categories: Action Item Tags: |
No comments yet.
V. Ward spoke to our Bonner County Republican Central Committee last night. I found him articulate, manly, focused, family oriented, and full of wonderful and enthusiastic promises to: After the meeting I spoke with him and discovered that: Tags: |
No comments yet.
BONNER COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE Assembled August 25, 2009 RESOLUTION NO. 3 IDAHO HEALTH FREEDOM TO THE GOVERNOR OF IDAHO, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF IDAHO, AND THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES WHEREAS, the House Joint Memorial No. 4, passed in the First Regular Session of the Sixtieth Legislature of the State of Idaho claimed sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States over all powers not otherwise enumerated and granted to the federal government and demanded that the federal government cease mandates that are beyond the scope of their constitutionally delegated powers; and WHEREAS, the U.S. Constitution neither enumerates nor grants the federal government power to mandate health care or abrogate the natural right of the citizens of Idaho to choose their own health care, as each deems best for himself; and, any attempt to interfere with this inalienable right of the citizens of Idaho must be viewed as an unconstitutional act by the federal government; and WHEREAS, an unconstitutional statute, though having the form and name of law, is in reality no law, but is wholly void, and ineffective for any purpose; since unconstitutionality dates from the time of its enactment, and not merely from the date of the decision. "Since an unconstitutional law is void, the general principles follow that it imposes no duties, confers no rights, creates no office, bestows no power or authority on anyone, affords no protection, and justifies no acts performed under it...No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to enforce it." Sixteenth American Jurisprudence, Second Edition, Section 177 (Late 2nd Ed. Section 256); and WHEREAS, HJM No. 4 also prohibited compulsory federal legislation that directs states to comply under threat of civil or criminal penalties, sanctions, and loss of federal funding; and WHEREAS, each individual's natural right to choose his own health care must include the freedom to select or reject vaccinations, drugs, vitamins, minerals, wellness programs, naturopathic programs, natural care, physicians, practitioners, mid-wives, health or wellness counselors, nursing homes, hospices, end of life determinations, and religious health practices without federal interference, threats, advice, euthanasia/suicide counseling, a federal health/gun database, financial penalties, discriminatory funding, rationing, and preferential treatment for any age, racial or ethnic group; and NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Bonner County Republican Central Committee petitions the State of Idaho to pass legislation to promote and protect health care freedom for the citizens of Idaho and urges the State of Idaho to nullify any National Health Care plan and any mandatory swine flu vaccination program, which are both viewed as unconstitutional acts by the federal government. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee be hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Resolution to the Governor, the Senate and the House of Representatives of Idaho, the congressional delegation representing the State of Idaho in the Congress of the United States, the Idaho Republican Party Chairman, members of this central committee, and the media.
APPROVED AND ADOPTED: ______________________________________ & &
Categories: Health Freedom, Republican Party, US Constitution Tags: |
No comments yet.
Dr. Paul's latest book will be released on September 16 (with a book signing on the 17th as part of our Northeast Regional Conference), and we're proud to bring you an inside look at chapters 1 and 3 from this powerful new work. From Chapter 1 - Why You Should Care (Pages 6-8):
From Chapter 3 - My Intellectual Influences (Pages 1-top of 6):
Pulling from personal life stories and building his case on economics, philosophy, and reason, Congressman Paul takes on the most secretive institution in Washington, D.C. and argues that there can be no true prosperity without sound money. As he writes in my favorite quote from Chapter 1:
Pre-order from Barnes and Noble today! Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Education, Finance, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, History, Current Events, Economy Tags: End the Fed |
Comments (46)
Will you help us bring about real reform and economic recovery by restoring the sound and proven principles America was founded on? Redistributing the wealth and political cronyism are more of the same destructive policies that America has increasingly suffered under for most of the last century. See below...
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, 3rd Parties, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Action Item, State Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
No comments yet.
The issue I am concerned with right now is stopping United States Senate bill S.1496. This bill authorizes the expenditure of more than $350 million dollars in bribes for NHTSA to offer states to pass primary seatbelt laws and otherwise force motorists to use these dangerous devices, as well pay police for "high visibility enforcement" campaigns to stop and harass motorists who are either not wearing seatbelts or "do not have their seatbelts properly fastened" (in the opinion of the police). This has been going on for a long time. The problem is that the more states they get to pass primary seatbelt laws, the more money they can offer to the remaining states to do so. They got three more states this year, including Florida, which held out for years, but succumbed this year to intense pressure from NHTSA plus a bribe of $35.5 million dollars. There are now only 21 states left without primary seatbelt laws and NHTSA is under tremendous pressure to get those as well. I have a lot of confidence that the Idaho state legislature will resist to the end, but what worries me is that if we are the only state left and NHTSA offers Idaho $100 million dollars to pass this law, will the legislature cave in? The $350 million would be for the next 18 months, but they have been doing this since 1983 and every year they appropriate more and more money for this purpose. That is why I believe we need to stop S. 1496 now, to finally put an end to this process. Of course, seatbelt laws are just the beginning. This is the cutting edge of the Orwellian state. Next there will be bicycle helmet laws, motorcycle helmet laws, no smoking laws, no drinking laws, no fast food laws, and on and on. If we don't stop it there will be no end to it. The insurance companies, who are paying members of congress to promote these laws, are determined to stop you from doing anything that might cost them money. I have written to senator Crapo, and I believe he is doing all he can behind the scenes, but it would help if members of C4L could write to their senators and representatives and ask them to stop this bill. When congress reconvenes on September 8, they will have only three weeks for both Houses to pass this bill because the present authority expires at midnight on September 30. The bill is on the senate calender but has not yet been taken up by the full senate let alone sent to the House. We (the Safety Choice Coalition) have been fighting this issue for the last six years and I think we now, at long last, have a realistic chance to stop this bill. It would be huge victor for liberty. But we need your help. Please get as many people as possible to write to their senators and representatives and ask them to stop S.1496. You can find out more about this issue by visiting our web-site, www.safetychoice.org. Thank you for fighting for liberty. Steve S. (Stefan Schreier, P.O. Box 2591, Boise, Idaho (208) 429-1509 editor@safetychoice.org ) Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Civil Liberties, Action Item, Current Events, Congress Tags: congress, Laws, seatbelts, Liberty, Safety, tax money |
No comments yet.
Here is a letter to the editor I wrote today.
3130 N. Conference Dr Coeur d'Alene, Id 83815 (208) 667-7748
August 17, 2009
Dear Sir:
If HR 2454 the "Cap and Trade" bill becomes law it will be a world disaster. The ability to harness energy is the difference between advanced and backward cultures. New World civilizations were conquered by the Europeans primarily because they never discovered how to utilize energy sources. No Native tribe in all America even discovered the principle of the wheel. Our world did not develop markedly until the Industrial Revolution, when we learned to harness vast energy sources, especially to produce electricity. We are about to embark on a course from which there will be no turning back. Western cultures are the more advanced simply because we have cheap and abundant electrical energy. Our advanced cultures permit us to pollute less, while millions of people in countries without adequate energy have no sanitary facilities or running water. Man is not the chief cause of global warming. And even if he were the forced reduction of energy use will spell the beginning of the end for us, and our ability to be a help to the rest of the world. Comments: jimhollingsworth@verizon.net
Jim Hollingsworth ************************* No country that has tried to operate as a Marxist/Socialist/Communist/Collectivist state has survived for long. When people are free to benefit from their own efforts they will always achieve more. HR 2454 is a Marxist bill, like a number of others before the Congress. We must oppose this and other bills that will take us quickly down the road to socialism. I know the bill is long (1,428 pages) but unless you at least scan the bill you cannot effectively fight against it. This is not something that can be revised and made acceptable. The bill must be rejected in its entirety. These bills are serious. I know that our delegation has already taken a stand against most of them, but we need to do far more to insure that they are not revised and passed by the Senate, and then the House.
Tags: |
No comments yet.
John Stossel has some important insights on the drive to nationalize American health care:
Read the rest. This is an important factor in play with the mixed economy: Big business is often among the greatest beneficiaries, and therefore among the biggest supporters, of more government intervention in the economy. Government provides the most influential corporate interests with monopoly privileges, captive markets, and burdensome regulations that hurt their smaller competitors. I've written about the ties between corporatism and American socialism here. Understanding this dynamic is crucial to tackling the modern interventionist state, and opposing it. Although true believers in a purer socialism and anti-corporate social democracy promote radical swings toward more government power, most advancements of leviathan involve something in it for all the major players in Washington. The unions, special interests and especially major industry usually gain the most, along with of course the permanent bureaucracy and the government itself, when economic liberty is trampled. To those who are skeptical of corporate America, who criticize the medical insurance industry and third-party provision of health care (itself a result not of free enterprise but of government intervention), we must explain that any likely outcome in today's drive toward socialized medicine is a climate that only bolsters the profit and power of corporate medicine over everyday Americans' lives. When all the biggest players in the industry sit together in a smoky room and decide to fix prices and divy up the spoils, we all call it collusion. When a politician is in the room with them, it's called "universal health care." Categories: Domestic Policy, Democratic Party, Socialism, Economy Tags: |
Comments (7)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KvRO2DRaEc Some of us from Liberty Forest forums have set up a project called Operation Kickstart http://www.operationkickstart.com
Categories: Finance, Grassroots News, Action Item, US Constitution, Just For Fun, Revolution, Miscellany, Social Issues, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
No comments yet.
S 604 now has a total of 23 cosponsors. Here are the latest to sign on: Sen Webb, Jim [VA] - 8/3/2009
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Federal Legislation Tags: S 604, HR 1207, audit the fed |
Comments (13)
BONNER COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE RESOLUTION URGING THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANDPOINT, IDAHO, TO CEASE FLUORIDATION OF CITY WATER
WHEREAS the international Basel Convention (of which the United States is signatory), Environment Canada and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) all state that the chemicals used in artificial water fluoridation are hazardous waste which may not be put directly into lakes, rivers and oceans and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never approved the ingestion of fluoride; and WHEREAS artificial water fluoridation chemicals contain between 20% to 30% hydrofluorosilicic acid (inorganic fluoride), trace amounts of arsenic, lead, mercury, radionuclides and other heavy metals, all considered to be toxic substances in the U.S. under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act ( CERCLA) Priority List of Hazardous Substances (1988); and WHEREAS fluoride is not removed in sewage treatment and remains a toxic constituent of the effluent discharged by treatment plants into rivers and lakes; and WHEREAS the USEPA Headquarters Union and scientists, physicians, dentists and researchers world-wide state that artificial water fluoridation is not effective in the prevention of cavities and is not safe to vulnerable populations, as demonstrated in the U.S. National Research Council 2006 Review; and WHEREAS there is a wide range of health vulnerabilities in the Sandpoint population and a wide range of consumption patterns for fluoridated water in beverages and foods made with artificially fluoridated water, which means that individuals' daily doses of fluoride chemicals from drinking water cannot be controlled; and WHEREAS the European Court of Justice ruled June 5, 2005, that artificially fluoridated water must be treated as a medicine and cannot be used in commercial food or beverage preparation; and WHEREAS exposing infants, children and adults to unregulated doses of medications without prescriptions or their informed consent is both irresponsible and unethical; and WHEREAS the Mayor and City Council have been respectfully and publicly presented with, yet have officially ignored, documents and documentaries showing conclusively that water fluoridation is medically unethical, diminishes rather than improves public health and is harmful to the environment; and WHEREAS over 900 Sandpoint residents have signed a petition expressing strong opposition to the forced and unethical "medication" of their city water; and WHEREAS the city of Sandpoint has been fluoridating its water in the absence of informed public consent since 1952 and, since 2004, 147 communities in the U.S. have discontinued artificial water fluoridation and; WHEREAS the Idaho Attorney General recently opined that artificial water fluoridation is a controversial issue most appropriately resolved politically within an affected Idaho community. THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Bonner County Republican Central Committee urges and petitions the Sandpoint City Council members to make an immediate motion to repeal Ordinance 1034, the fluoridation of city water, and call for a recorded vote of the individual council members. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Secretary of the Bonner County Republican Central Committee be hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Sandpoint Mayor and City Council members, members of this central committee and the media. APPROVED AND ADOPTED July 28, 2009: ______________________________________ Cornel Rasor, Chairman Bonner County Republican Central Committee Categories: Health Freedom Tags: |
Comments (4)
Minnesota Chris has very kindly posted the video of my opening statement from the two-on-two debate I participated in earlier this month in Las Vegas, on whether the Federal Reserve should be abolished. I just wanted to add that the whole debate is available as a series of YouTubes or as a single whole via C-SPAN (give it a minute to load). (Here's the blog post I refer to at one point.) Hope you guys enjoy it and can spread it around. Categories: Economy Tags: |
Comments (6)
Hey everyone, I am a med student and a proud member of the C4L. I hope one day to practice medicine in the most free market way that I can get away with. I want to spend as much time with patients as possible and make sure that their health needs are being met. Sadly however, the more I learn about the President's health care bill the more I fear that that dream will never happen. All I can see in the near future of medicine is more paperwork, more bureaucracy, and less freedom for patients and myself as their physician. I do not appreciate the way that Obama has spoken about doctors like they are all greedy, selfish people who would pick treatments based on the amount of money they could make rather than how much they could help the patient. On top of this I hate the way that many doctor's organizations like the AMA are selling out to this divisive plan that denies the very purpose of our nation's existence. I for one would like to prove to the world that true free-market medicine can surmount any socialized, corporatized, or nationalized system. So I wrote a note to President Obama (even though one should think it idiotic that I should ever have to write a man who should have nothing to do with the creation of a new health care plan - except to veto it) explaining all this since it seems that just contacting congress is not enough sometimes. I am trying to pull my name from the AMA membership as well since I feel they do not have my interests at heart. I hope all C4L members, med students, physicians, and citizens can do the same as well.
This was my first letter, the next may not be so friendly
Good luck in the fight for freedom. Categories: Ron Paul, Health Freedom, Action Item, Federal Legislation, Social Issues, Socialism Tags: Obama, health care, medicine, med student |
No comments yet.
HR 2454 Is Very Bad Medicine Jim Hollingsworth July 23, 2009
HR 2454, the Democrat Energy Bill, passed the House 219 to 212. If this bill becomes law our Federal Republic will soon become little more than a Marxist state. Never mind the fact that socialism has failed wherever it has been tried, the liberals among us are determined, and unless we act quickly they will be successful. Since we have over the past 100 years willingly accepted greater and greater Federal assistance it is only a small step to accepting more Federal control. The Short Title of HR 2454 says: "This Act may be cited as the 'American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009'". The purpose of the Act: "To create clean energy jobs, achieve energy independence, reduce global warming pollution and transition to a clean energy economy." Let us look for a moment at these very laudable goals of the Bill. 1. Create Clean Energy Jobs. Historically the Federal Government has not been very successful at creating jobs. Since the government produces no product every job it creates is balanced by one lost somewhere else. Rather than creating jobs this bill will simply redistribute the wealth from one area of the economy to another, from those who do not produce "clean energy" to those who do. 2. Achieve Energy Independence. American Industry has the ability to develop energy independence. In fact much of the energy that has been developed in the rest of the world has been developed by American Industry. We could be totally independent now if we were free and willing to develop the energy we already know about in this great nation. How about ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), offshore drilling or development of Oil Shales? And, who has even heard of developing Clathrate Hydrates containing methane, of which there is an abundance, both in permafrost and on the ocean floor? 3. Reduce Global Warming Pollution. This seems to be the crux of the matter. Last year (July 2008) the U.S. Supreme Court declared Carbon Dioxide to be a pollutant and ordered the EPA to take steps to reduce it. Never mind that Carbon Dioxide is a substance vital to all plant life, and never mind the fact that man's part in the production of Carbon Dioxide is minimal, the Majority on the Court has spoken. Certainly the Minority on the Court understands this vital principle of life, but then, they are the Minority. 4. Transition to a Clean Energy Economy. Clean-Dirty: These are loaded words. When I worked at the Bunker Hill Mine the Sulfur Dioxide was so strong that it killed most plants up to a certain elevation. At times the concentration in the air was strong enough to taste. Developing a Clean Energy Economy means getting rid of Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrous Dioxide and other substances harmful to all life. Clean does not mean getting rid of Carbon Dioxide. All naturally occurring hydrocarbons (plants, trees, coal, oil, natural gas etc) produce Carbon Dioxide when they are burned. (Hydrogen, when burned, produces water H2O, but free Hydrogen does not ordinarily occur in nature.) Using doublespeak the crafters of this bill have taken a word with a clear meaning "dirty" and applied it to something that is "clean" and essential to life, Carbon Dioxide.
This is a massive bill (1428 pages) that will heavily impact every utility (and by extension, every resident) that is dependent on fossil fuels (petroleum, gas, coal) for electricity. This not only affects the end user, the customer, but it affects those who are in the business of resource extraction. The only bright spot in all this is that much coal is produced and burned in states that are heavily Democrat. These Democrat Senators are already talking about "clean coal energy production" to protect their coal extraction industry and their coal-fired electrical energy industry. But, clean means removal of obvious health hazards. It does not have anything to do with Carbon Dioxide. Many of the world's top climate scientists are working on aspects of climate change, the greenhouse effect, and the role of man and the production of Carbon Dioxide. Some have concluded that the Summary For Policy Makers produced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is simply wrong. The difficulty, however, is that this is the document that is presently driving our government to produce more restrictive energy regulations. Not only that, we are told that the debate must end, that our world is on a critical path to destruction unless we reduce greenhouse gases and that we must take immediate drastic action for survival. This "Chicken Little" philosophy is actually affecting a lot of reasonably intelligent people; people who ought to know better. In contrast, over 31,000 scientists have signed "The Petition Project" insisting that man is not the chief cause of global warming or climate change, but Congress does not seem to be listening. HR 2454 will extend the tentacles of the Federal Government to every aspect of our lives. The food we eat, the cars we drive, what kind of homes we live in, where we plant trees, our manufacturing, resource extraction, and development; all these things will be controlled by the Federal Government. Under this bill, The Secretary of Energy and the Administrator of the EPA literally become Kings in their own Kingdoms. They will be given almost unlimited resources (translated hundreds of billions of dollars) to perform the tasks with which they are charged. Further, the states will be charged with much reporting and control. If they are unable or unwilling to perform this task there will be heavy penalties. In fact enforcement and penalties are found throughout this bill. Energy conservation is a fleeting concept: You think you are saving, but in the end you may not be. Consider what is not even addressed in this bill. 1. First there is no consideration of how much energy will be required in order to build energy saving (or renewable energy) devices. How much energy and resources does it take to produce a windmill? These are gigantic machines. How much energy does it take to produce solar panels? These are relatively low watt devices and to be effective they will require thousands of acres of land to operate. Crops could be grown under windmills, but nothing can grow under solar panels. It even appears that manufacturing ethanol requires more energy than it produces. Something else that is rarely, if ever, mentioned is that Carbon Dioxide is a by-product of alcohol production. What happens to this Carbon Dioxide? Some is used to make dry ice, some for carbonated beverages. But what happens to the balance? 2. Second, no consideration is given to the alternate use of resources. What will we do with the money we personally save on energy? What will an industry do with the money saved on energy? Unless it is taxed away (which could easily happen) every dollar saved will probably be spent on something else. It is hard to think of anything to spend this saved money on that does not require the use of some energy. So, our energy conservation will not save any significant amount of energy, though it may allow us to live lives that are more fulfilling. This bill has a lot to say about saving energy in building construction. Some buildings will have to be torn down and new ones built. How does this help the present need we have for "affordable housing" or "homes for the homeless"? These replacement homes will be more expensive homes and their construction will only make the problems of low cost housing and that of the homeless worse. Not only that, but the emphasis on energy conservation is misplaced. Chances are that if you bought or built a home in the last 20 years it is pretty efficient energy wise. We have much thicker walls and well-insulated attics and crawl spaces. We have insulated windows with Low E to restrict heat-causing rays from entering the house. There is not much more we can do to save energy short of moving underground. We will be asked to make savings of 10, 20, 30 even 50 percent, but any energy savings we make will be terribly expensive, and this will require the investment of much energy up front. To develop this savings every home will be required to have a home inspection and an energy index (just like your address) which shows how well the home meets these new energy standards. What kind of furnace, what cooking range, water heater etc. Every item in the home as well as the house itself will be rated. Even shade trees will become part of the Home Energy Index. Think of the thousands of new jobs created by this act. Of course none of these jobs are necessary, so this is a huge waste of effort. More important will be the intrusion into our daily lives and our homes. There is just no other way to obtain this kind of detailed information. Just as important is the effect this will have on building construction. At the present time building construction standards are set by states, counties and cities or other municipal entities. Under the Bill entities will become little more than subdivisions of the Federal Government. We are not far from that already with the International Building Code which contains some provisions that are counterproductive. It will be only a very small step for our own Building Departments to accept these additional measures, which is a clear violation of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
Because we have been unwilling to turn down Federal Aid with few or any strings attached we have finally come to the point where that aid, upon which we are heavily dependent, will come with very heavy strings. Many draconian enforcement measures are found in this bill. Our ability to order our own lives will be greatly limited. The right to control and use our own property, as guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, will be seriously limited. Every Senator needs to hear from us. No changes will make this bill acceptable. The very tone of this bill makes it contrary to our long history of freedom and free markets. It must be rejected in its entirety, and nothing put in its place. Man is not the chief cause of global warming, warming is natural and beneficial, and anything we might try to do to alter the situation would be very expensive and only make matters worse, causing much hunger in the world, reversing the march of world progress, (especially in third-world countries) and seriously limiting our Constitutionally Guaranteed Freedoms.
We still have a few of the DVD "Global Warming" which we are making available to churches and other civic groups without charge. Just send us your name and address and we will get them to you as long as supplies last.
Jim Hollingsworth is a building contractor in Kootenai County Idaho.
He gets mail at jimhollingsworth@verizon.net.
Web site: www.IdahoansForHollingsworth.com
Categories: Globalism, Action Item, Federal Legislation, Socialism, Economy, Congress Tags: |
Comments (1)
There is no better way to grow the organization in your county than to have county meetings in your area. It is important to have a meeting every month to continue to grow the base of support. Encourage people to bring somebody (new) with them each time. If your meetings are productive then it will be no time before you have 50+ members attending your monthly meetings and you are able to have political respect and thus can make political progress. Until you have the numbers, you will not get any political respect. Scheduling: It is important to not try to work around other people's schedules. Everybody has a different schedule and as such you will rarely ever get a consensus on a good date and time and as such end up wasting a week just to come to this realization. Pick a date and time that is good for you and go with it. Invite everybody you know including: C4L members, family, friends, strangers and ask them to bring somebody else with them. I started my first meeting on the first Saturday of the month at 3:00 pm and have kept to that for each one thereafter. People like consistency. If you are always changing the day or time then people will forget and won't show up, but if it becomes habit for attendees, then you will be able to limit the amount of time you spend getting the word out. I also hold additional meetings (depending on timing) if needed for events such as conventions, conferences, traveling, etc. Attendence: Your attendence will always fluctuate depending on various factors. It is important to not quit if you have low attendence one week. What is important is to get 1 new person to each meeting. So always invite as many people as you can. My first meeting, two people showed up, since then I've never had less than 10 and the high was 20+. That's a pretty good number for a small town. I made several good contacts and enlightened people that here in Utah we are able to make a huge difference because of the caucus-convention system. Now they get involved on their own and there is less work from my end. Agenda: Keep your agenda focused and on topic. I like to write the agenda on a board so I can refer back to it if things start to stray off topic. Because the precinct caucus is so important in Utah, I start with that every meeting after brief introductions. I go over a timeline of the entire 2 year system so people can obtain a visual representation of what is needed and how to do it. I also go over the numbers - numbers win. If you show people that there is only 3500 state delegates then they are able to come to the realization on their own that we can make a difference and their apathy folds like a bad poker hand. Also, include any special events that may be coming up such as elections or conventions, people enjoy hearing about these sorts of topics. People do NOT like debating issues - it is a waste of time to 99% of Americans. People for the most part are already set in their ways and even at C4L meetings some discussions will arise over trivial minor differences. It is imperative that you redirect back to the agenda or people will get discouraged and not come back. Attendees want to feel like their time was well spent and they contributed to something progressive. Attendees do not want to listen to other people war story and debate who has been screwed over by the establishment the most. I dont even like doing this, I'm buying a home, applying for a PhD program, and running for Congress. I do not have time or want to have time to listen to people complain. The meetings have got to stay on task with how and when we are going to take back the county, state, country. I used to have people come up to me after meetings and complain about the people who started to talk about issues. DO NOT TALK ABOUT ISSUES unless it is specific to a cause such as getting HR1207 passed. Now, I have people come up to me afterwards and thank me for staying on task and being focused. If your meeting lasts for more than 45 minutes or 1 hour - then you did not stay on task well enough and you need to work on it. People will not attend future meetings if they end up being there for hours on end debating issues. People will attend future meetings if they get in - learn some valuable information - and get out. Time is money.
I have come to the conclusion that it is imperative that people hold monthly county meetings. You do not have to be a county coordinator to do this, you dont even have to be a member of C4L to do this. I held my first county meeting before I was assigned the role of county coordinator. To set up a county meeting simply call your local public library and reserve a room for 2-3 weeks out and start inviting everybody ahead of time, then remind them the day before or else THEY WILL FORGET I PROMISE YOU =))
Good luck and please get back to me with results!!! Tags: |
Comments (9)
Watch this video for instructions on how to invite your friends to join C4L:
Tags: |
No comments yet.
This is a five and a half minute video that demostrates how to easily embed digital pictures and video in your C4L blog. Please note that the pictures and videos is not uploaded to the C4L site, it must be hosted elsewhere such as facebook or youtube.
Tags: |
Comments (3)
Youtube video to orient new members to C4L website.
Categories: Action Item, Miscellany, Video Tags: C4L, New Members |
Comments (3)
I am pleased to announce that the Daily Digest e-mails received daily (or weekly, according to each user's setting) by C4L members with user accounts on www.CampaignForLiberty.com have been given a much-needed makeover. The new Daily Digests are delivered in a beautiful two-column format, far easier on the eyes than the plain-text formatting previously used. However, the reason why the Digests weren't sent in even a more basic rich-text format before is simply this: many e-mail services flag emails with lots of links and graphics as spam, and block them. And since the Daily Digests are essentially a set of links, the rich-text formats may cause problems for some people's e-mail systems. With plain text, the URL's aren't actually linked (though many e-mail readers will create them automatically in plain-text e-mails.) Therefore, e-mails are plain-text by default unless you change your settings on the Settings page. My recommendation: check your e-mail service provider for a feature to "white list" (bypass spam filter) e-mails from CampaignForLiberty.com, or simply change your settings and see if you get your Digest the next night, and contact your e-mail service provider for assistance if you don't. Categories: Campaign For Liberty Tags: daily digest, Website |
Comments (6)
Today, our battle to pass Audit the Fed through the U.S. Senate has been joined. The first shot was fired on the floor of the Senate tonight by Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina. Senator DeMint has a well-deserved reputation for taking the battle to the other side in the Senate, and tonight he once again proved why he is such a valuable ally in our fight to bring transparency and accountability to the Federal Reserve. Occasionally, a chance comes along to take quick action on a bill, and Senator DeMint took just such an opportunity. A little while ago, the Senate voted to pass HR 2918, the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act. This $3.1 billion bill contains, among many other things, provisions for GAO audits on certain agencies. With this in mind, Senator DeMint attached the full text of S 604, the Senate version of Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill, to HR 2918 as Senate Amendment 1367 before it was considered for final passage. However, Senate Democrats refused to even allow a vote on the amendment! Instead of giving it a chance to stand before the Senate, they swept it under the rug with a parliamentary tactic. Senator DeMint did not back down, though, and directly challenged Senate leadership by pointing out the other GAO audits contained in the bill. As Senator DeMint listed them off, the Senate president was forced to agree with Senator DeMint that each one he described, all of which would be left in for final passage, also violated Senate Rule 16. So the issue wasn't about "legislating" on the bill or violating the Senate Rules (which is commonly done), it was about preventing a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve for the first time in its history! Senate leadership is hoping this issue will just fade away so they can get on to what they deem to be more important business, like dictating what kind of healthcare plan you and I can carry or passing destructive Cap-and-Trade legislation. The leadership could have taken a crucial, historic step toward achieving such accountability today, but they turned their backs on transparency. This fight, though, is just beginning. As Senator DeMint noted from the floor, the Audit the Fed bill has wide bipartisan support, and he rightly warned the Senate even if they delay today, they WILL have to deal with the issue on the floor. It is up to you and me to back up Senator DeMint's words by making sure the momentum continues to build and the bill comes up for a final vote. The rejection of the Audit amendment is just the first battle in our war. Now is the time to really put the pressure on the U.S. Senate to Audit the Fed! Senator DeMint fired the opening salvo and showcased the hypocrisy of the Senate for allowing other GAO audits to be included in the bill while refusing to even allow a vote on Fed transparency. Again, we're just getting started. Senator DeMint will keep fighting to pass Audit the Fed on its own or as an amendment, and we need to continue putting pressure on our senators to do everything in their power to achieve a floor vote! Visit our Audit the Fed action page to call, write, and fax your senators tonight and urge them to support S 604 and to push for a final vote. Be sure as well to sign our online petition calling for action! Update: (And check out Senator DeMint using our fact sheet on the Senate floor!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tRQHsXujpo Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Domestic Policy, Grassroots News, Action Item, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Voting, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: audit the fed |
Comments (58)
We Are The Silent Majority No More! Pocatello, ID - The Independence Day Tea Party drew about 70 patriots to the streets to march in the parade and protest out-of-control government bailouts and spending; taxing and borrowing; inflation and regulation... great signs were displayed to the crowds and a couple thousand 5000 Year Leap/Principles of Liberty bookmarks were passed out, along with hundreds of Economic Freedom handouts.
We were arguably the largest contingent in the Fourth of July parade. We let everyone know that we are everywhere and what a strong and united force we really are!
Americans are tired of being taxed and regulated to death! We're onto politicians' tax and spend games and are united in our opposition to them. We aren't simply going to sit back and take it anymore. Citizens are turning out in force to oppose their taxation by misrepresentation. They hope we'll just go away, but that's not going to happen!
After the parade we headed to the fairgrounds. Over 150 petitions to Senator Risch were signed. He is the only federal representative from Idaho who has not cosponsored "Audit the Fed." Please print petitions, gather signatures, and stay tuned to find out when we schedule a time to deliver them all to his local offices on the same day.
Also at the fairgrounds where the crowds gathered for the evening's entertainment and fireworks, Chris Stevens read the Declaration of Independence accompanied by harmonica played by David Cook.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Current Events, Revolution Tags: |
Comments (1)
I wish to get your response on a particular economic sham that is taking place. I have read that California, now saddled with extreme debt, has begun printing its own debt (IOUs.) I am aware that federal and state governments are recognized in having the power to print debt, however I do not believe the repercussions of it are anywhere near constitutional; let me explain as best I understand it. California pays government contracts with debt, however, for that payment to be realized the recipient's IOU must be deposited in a bank that will accept it. The bank that accepts a state IOU then puts it on the record as a deposit and will issue federal reserve notes in cash or checking. Perhaps if this IOU is large enough they will invest or lend a portion of their IOU reserves according to law, with again, federal reserve notes. If this process is correct, which I think it is, then I am directly paying for California's excessive debt through the insidious tax of inflation. Whenever a Californian IOU is converted into federal reserve notes this is a tax on me because the expansion of the Californian money supply dilutes the value of the federal reserve notes I hold. I cannot describe how outraged I am for paying for California's debt. I would really appreciate your response to this particular issue. Categories: Economy Tags: |
No comments yet.
Oppose Federalization of All Waters of the U.S.
Contact your Senator and tell him to vote NO!
Mike Crapo call (202) 224-6142 or email http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Jim Risch call 202-224-2752 or email http://risch.senate.gov/webform.cfm http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=ID
"[This water bill is the] biggest bureaucratic power grab in a genera
tion." & nbsp; &n bsp; &nb sp; &nbs p; --Senator James Inhofe
Mike Crapo call (202) 224-6142 or email http://crapo.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm Jim Risch call 202-224-2752 or email http://risch.senate.gov/webform.cfm
Categories: Federal Legislation Tags: |
No comments yet.
Senator Crapo signs on as co-sponsor for SB604 ! Lets thank him for being so prompt. Tags: |
Comments (1)
Here are the senators who have cosponsored so far: Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] - 6/11/2009 Edit: New cosponsor for 1207 Rep Markey, Betsy [CO-4] - 6/25/2009 Categories: Ron Paul, Federal Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Comments (6)
Independence Day is almost here and so are many demonstrations, parades, picnics, and other gatherings. However, if you plan to attend events with C4L materials and have not ordered them yet, please do so no later than Wednesday, June 24. Currently the C4L Store is not set-up for expedited shipping and normal Fed Ex will take 3 to 5 business days for delivery. Moreover, banner orders are printed "just-in-time" and can take up to two weeks for fulfillment. Have a great July 4th and thank you for your help!
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Action Item Tags: |
Comments (1)
Socialism is essentially an economic theory that is diametrically opposed to free markets. History consistently teaches that freedom creates the most prosperity for the most people while socialism creates the most poverty for the most people. People benefit from freedom while Government & Co. benefit from socialism. So why are the American people allowing socialism to be foisted upon them? I don't think there's any single simple answer, but I believe a lot of the problem lies in the widespread lack of understanding about sound economics. Although there's plenty of blame to spread around, I believe that socialized education is largely to blame for this. Don't expect the government to teach your children and grandchildren the great American principles of individual liberty, constitutional government, sound money, free markets, and a noninterventionist foreign policy. If you want future generations of Americans to live free, it's up to you to educate and influence your family and neighbors.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Action Item, Socialism Tags: |
Comments (1)
Pasted below is a list of the entire Senate with phone numbers. This list is grouped as follows:
By categorizing the list this way, I hope that those senators most closely connected with the bill and those most sensitive to our concerns (because of election concerns) will hear from us first and the most. Some may hesitate to call if they do not know what to say, so may I suggest something like the following canvass. I might say... for committee members... Hi. I am George Schumpf and I am calling from Idaho. I am a non-constituent, but I am calling because Senator whoever is on the banking committee. I am calling to support S. 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009. I would like to urge the senator to cosponsor this bill and support this important bill when it comes up in committee. for non-committee members... Hi. I am George Schumpf and I am calling from Idaho. I am a non-constituent, but I am calling to support S. 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act of 2009. I would like to urge Senator whoever to cosponsor and support this important bill. Let's get ready to pressure the Senate even more than the House, because THEY WILL NEED MORE PRESSURE. This is a critical opportunity to make a real difference in the battle for our country, our economy and for liberty. Let's not let our really great effort in the House fail in the Senate because we ran out of steam. Please commit, if possible, to work down through this whole list. Please respond to the anonomous survey question to reflect your commitment. Thank you for your help. You can also skip the phone list below and just call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202)224-3121 and ask for your senators' office. This accomplishes 2 things. First you can easily use redial instead of dialing each number. Second, it concentrates phone traffic through the switchboard operators. Some think this may have a positive effect. George Schumpf
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Action Item, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: S 604, HR 1207, audit the fed |
er, I mean senators Comments (2)
After the Campaign for Liberty conference in Seattle, Elaine had this to say.
In exactly one month you could be in Las Vegas at Campaign for Liberty's Regional Conference at FreedomFest and experience the same great opportunity that Elaine had in Seattle. You only have one month left, don't miss your chance to attend this momentous event. Click here to register! Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Action Item Tags: |
No comments yet.
On July 10-12, Campaign for Liberty will hold its third Regional Conference at Bally's Las Vegas as we present a weekend of motivation, training, and education from top experts. Our goal with these Conferences is to: * Strengthen your understanding of history and foundational principles necessary to maintain liberty First 25 registrations receive a Pocket Constitution autographed by Ron Paul. If you sign up before June 15, you'll be entered into a drawing where four people will win tickets to the Friday night Reception and a photo opportunity with Dr. Paul! A three-day pass to the Regional Conference is $139, discounted to $99 for dues-paying members and $59 for students. That same weekend (but starting a day earlier and running through the 11th), FreedomFest will also be at Bally's for a gathering their organizers describe as "an annual festival where 'free minds meet' to celebrate 'great books, great ideas, and great thinkers' in an open-minded society." Campaign for Liberty is partnering with FreedomFest to ensure that attendees of each event don't miss out on all the exciting opportunities the weekend has to offer. FreedomFest is offering C4L members a two-day pass to their Thursday and Friday events for a discounted price of $249.00. FreedomFest's breakfast, lunch, and dinner banquet tickets are also available for purchase. The two conferences combined will be a one of a kind experience for those who love to discuss and promote liberty. Register for our Conference here. You can sign up for FreedomFest's events here. With all the weekend's activities, space at our Conference training and private sponsors reception with Dr. Paul and Tom Woods is sure to fill up fast. Check out our Las Vegas Regional Conference Event page and reserve your spot today! Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News Tags: Regional Conferences |
Comments (8)
Not quite sure if anyone will read this but if you happen to come across it I'm looking into getting a lot more active in my local GOP but I don't have a clue as how to do that. Does anyone out there have any suggestions as to how to do this? Thanks! Editor's Note: Lots of good tips included in this thread's comments for all interested in getting involved in their local county parties. Tags: GOP, local government |
Comments (22)
Our last report a couple of months ago titled IOWA in FIRST PLACE - Montana, Vermont, Idaho Jockey for Second told the story of who to watch as teams organize to take back their states. The goal is 10,000 Local Coordinators nationwide, with each state having set their goals based on total population. Local Coordinators are the key to winning back our beloved Country, one neighborhood at a time. Recent stats show a surprising turn of events! IDAHO shot out in front from fourth place just a couple short months ago into the number one spot with 72.55% of goal. IOWA (who has been in front throughout) remains neck and neck, holding its own at second place with 72% and 72 Local Coordinators. WASHINGTON STATE moved up on the inside from fifth place into a coveted third place with 69.16% of goal and a whopping 148 Local Coordinators (more than any other state). MONTANA and VERMONT continue to run like the wind, holding fourth and fifth place respectively, with 60.87% and 58.82%. MINNESOTA and NORTH DAKOTA, ever-vigilant, jockey for sixth place with over 40% of goal, and UTAH is not far behind with over 38% of goal. In addition to Washington, three additional states now have over 100 Local Coordinators each: Texas (135), Florida (126), and California (119). New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan each have over 90 Local Coordinators and are headed toward the "100 mark". Congratulations to all. Who will win the race? It's anyone's guess! Stay tuned... Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item, Current Events, Revolution Tags: coordinator, local, neighborhood, Organize, local coordinator |
Comments (15)
Peter Schiff, keynote speaker at the LP of CT Convention, tells the audience that it is a waste of resources running as a minor party. "We haven't won anything in 40 years" and "we don't have another 40 years to try." Instead, he recommends joining the Republican party while it is in shambles in order to expand the influence of the libertarian wing.
I hope Peter Schiff leads by example and runs for senate. Categories: 3rd Parties, Republican Party, Video Tags: Peter Schiff |
Comments (13)
I've often wondered why it is that capitalists allow government to get so big and powerful. It's become clear that many capitalists encourage this cancer to benefit from it. Burton Folsom in The Myth of the Robber Barons distinguishes political entrpreneurs from market entrepreneurs. Political entrepreneurs used the power of the government, indeed, extended the power of the government for their benefit. Market entrepreneurs, such as Rockefeller, Schwab and Carnegie, often fighting against the government, instead developed useful products for their benefit. I've seen this a great deal in the agricultural industry. You have honest, hardworking, market entrpreneur farmers, who continually innovate to create better, higher quality food in a more efficient way. But they are few and far between. Most are content to demand subsidies from the goverment for shortfalls in production. Of course, they come to depend on government support, and the government agencies administering this aid become bigger and more corrupt. In the financial sector, there are numerous political entrepreneurs. The history of how the Fed itself was created speaks volumes about the power political entrepreneurs have to wreak havoc in society. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac made many political entrepreneurs very wealthy - all through a government subsidy of borrowing costs instead of coming up with an innovative product. Long-term capital's bailout... don't get me started. Suffice it to say that the bailout was not about LT's managers, but about the brokerages who supported it. So it seems there is something we might call "bad capitalism" which encourages the kinds of behavior we detest. And there are "bad capitalists" that we must expose along with the politicians. Categories: Finance, Economy Tags: crony capitalism |
Comments (2)
Categories: Federal Legislation Tags: |
Comments (1)
Reading the blogs and comments on this website, I have found that many of us have been "converted" to liberty. Many of us have had big government views in our lives, but have seen the light and love in liberty. I,for example, used to think that some type of gun control was needed. I was swept up by the reports of seemingly endless school and church shootings. I remember being one of those people who interpreted the 2nd amendment as being more about the militia than the right of the people to keep and bear arms. But then, I saw the light. I read more about the second amendment and why it exists. I was persuaded that the right to bear arms was one that could not be compromised. There were two main points that I, as a supporter of some gun control, had trouble with. One was the fact that these shootings, all of these shootings, occur in gun free zones. I realized this was the beginning of chipping away at my gun control views. The other argument that really won me over was the true meaning of the 2nd amendment. It is our right to protect ourselves from invaders, criminals, and most importantly, the government. The right to bear arms is the last hope against a tyrranical government. And, then, it was done. I chose liberty, and have never looked at the 2nd amendment the same way. So, my question is to you, what made you choose liberty? Was there one or a couple arguments that won you over? Or, did it take years of consistently being bugged by someone who did love liberty? Or, did something just click in your head, and it all made sense? Please, share the story of how you were won over by liberty. It will help me, and perhaps many others on this site, understand what is necessary to help people over the hump. By understanding the paths that we have taken to understanding and loving liberty, we can understand others who don't and help them understand how and why liberty is the best way to a happy and productive society. Knowledge is Power. And thank you in advance.
Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Education, Civil Liberties, Domestic Policy, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Ethics, History, Just For Fun, Philosophy, Revolution, Social Issues, Voting, Economy, Monetary Policy, Trade Tags: |
Comments (6)
Tina, Thank you for calling the meeting to discuss the next Tea Party last evening and for your hospitality. Your plea for unity and strength of organization did not go unnoticed. The question is how to go about achieving that result? I have voted republican my entire life but have been disappointed so often that it has left me cynical. I saw the people react to the Clintons in 1994 and elect a Republican congress for the first time in years. Then there was the contract with America. Then full Republican control of both congress and the executive beginning in 2000. Did the Party achieve one thing they promised? Did they eliminate any Department as advertised? Did they approach the Supreme Court to overturn Roe V Wade? Did government decline in size on their watch? Did they implement the foreign policy GWB espoused during his campaign promising not to engage in nation building? You know the answers to these questions. As I tried to point out last evening, all of these labels such as right/left, rep/dem, liberal/conservative are just distractions and are designed to divert our attention from the real issue. And, the real issue is the destruction of our liberties. The real divide in our country is that between those who derive their wealth/livelihood through the political means vs those who derive their wealth/livelihood through the productive means! This is the classic battle of the people vs the State, and the State is winning. Can we change Washington? Perhaps, but as the Bible says; "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge". So, education, not partisanship is the key. Let's go to the heart of the matter. Why is Washington so powerful? How did Washington go from a weak central government to become such an oppressive and burdensome leviathan? This is not new. It is the nature of governments to expand their power. It is incumbent on the people to restrain government. And, we have done a lousy job. We have had three central banks. The first was eliminated by Jefferson; the second was eliminated by Jackson; the third is what is now referred to as the Federal Reserve (FED). The FED was established by act of congress in 1913 over the objection of wiser voices. It was a pay off and turned the constitutional responsibility of congress to coin money and regulate the value thereof over to a private central bank. This sealed the fate of the dollar and it was just a matter of time until the monetization of debt left us with the Federal Reserve Note (FRN). (Check your wallet.) Couple this with Legal Tender Laws and you have a monopoly on currency by the central government. And, THAT is the power of the central government! They have the ability to create money out of thin air to pursue all of their adventures without having to come to the States or the people for the funding. They do whatever they want and leave it to the people and their progeny to pay for it through monetary inflation and taxation! In this way they convert the fruits of our labor to their account, and do so by force. All of this is little understood by the people and that includes most members of congress! So, what should we do? We must put liberty first and not fall for the partisanship arguments. If the person is for liberty then I don't care if he is Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, or Eskimo; he is my friend. The State is my enemy! The first order of business must be to get rid of the FED because in doing so we take away the power of the central government. There is one voice only that has been advocating the elimination of the FED for years and that is Dr. Ron Paul, a long term congressman from Texas. He is a Republican, but he is above all else a statesman. He was a candidate for President as a Republican during the last election cycle and was marginalized by his own party and the press. He raised millions of dollars from liberty minded people and from our military personnel. Not a cent came from special interest groups because he is not a friend of special interest groups! In his voting record he has always remained true to the constitution. So, here is my recommendation. The Tea Party should advocate for liberty and elimination of the FED. And for unity, we should encourage all liberty minded people to join the Campaign for Liberty founded by Dr. Ron Paul. It is time for the people to come together against our oppressive government and for partisanship to be left behind. Very best regards, Bill.
Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Education, Finance, Civil Liberties, Republican Party, Democratic Party, US Constitution, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
Comments (19)
Update: Click here for a PDF of the ad. Here's an image:
In today's edition of the Washington Times (May 7, 2009), the Campaign for Liberty has taken out a wonderful ad — an open letter urging representatives to cosponsor Ron Paul's Federal Reserve Transparency Act (HR 1207), signed by an unprecedentedly diverse coalition of individuals, activists, political organizations and citizen groups, all of whom join us in demanding that Congress finally shine a light on the secretive Federal Reserve System. This beautiful open letter will appear most prominently on page A5. Everybody in the Beltway — Representatives, Senators, staffers and opinion makers on the hill — reads the Times, especially when Congress is in session, and so we can expect them all to see this. Given this wonderful placement and the climate in which we find ourselves, with Paul's bill already enjoying more than 120 cosponsors, this letter, unlike most political open letters, has the real potential to rock DC and make history. Seeing through the Fed is the first step to regaining our monetary freedom and therefore constitutional government, and so this effort is truly a revolutionary one. Thanks to everyone who helped. Below is the list of supporters, to give an idea of what Washington, DC, is seeing today (click here for the text of the letter): Campaign for Liberty Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Domestic Policy, History, Current Events, Revolution, Economy, Monetary Policy Tags: |
Comments (37)
A recently suggested site improvement I submitted has been implemented today, as the NationalAtlas maps featured on all the District (oops, Region) pages have been replaced with the Govtrack Google Maps! It's nice to be able to zoom in and really get a good view of your district, especially if you're in a borderline area. If you haven't been one to visit your Region pages often, now there's more of a reason to! Thanks Adam! Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Just For Fun, Miscellany Tags: Website |
Comments (1)
A flier emphasizing our May 22nd Freedom Celebration with Dr. Paul and Tom Woods at the Seattle Conference has been added to the Materials section to help you spread the word about this free and open-to-the-public event! If you're in the Seattle area or the surrounding states, don't miss this chance to see two giants of the liberty movement. Political training will take center stage on Saturday, May 23rd, as we bring experts to Seattle to strengthen your understanding of history and teach you how to recruit, train, equip, and mobilize for success. A highlight of this training will be Tom Woods' Foundations of Liberty School, The States vs. D.C.: Episodes in American History They Don't Teach in School. With the tremendous momentum behind HR 1207 bringing cosponsors onto the bill faster than the Library of Congress' list can keep up, it is especially critical that we go into battle with a firm grasp of the political process and an understanding of how to most effectively articulate our message. Be sure to keep checking our Agenda page for more details on the training sessions. As those who attended our St. Louis Conference know, Conference space is sure to fill up fast, so register today! A discounted rate is available for dues-paying members and students. Attendees wishing to stay at the Doubletree Hotel can take advantage of the special C4L room rate here. Click on the image below for the JPG of the flier, and click here for the PDF.
Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News Tags: Regional Conferences |
Comments (6)
Goodbye Lobbyists
Somewhere between no income (direct) tax (article 1, section 9) and a wish for my Country to guard its' borders and fix the complicated immigration process lies my desire for ALL lobbyists to disappear. I cannot think of anything that has been more detrimental to our national debt and political integrity than these paid factions who usually have a close filial connection to a politician. A staggering number of politicians have a close family member(s) who is employed as a lobbyist. We recently saw this with the tax scandal of Tom Daschle who almost became the head of Health and Human Services while his wife is employed as a lobbyist. She insists that she keeps their careers separate and doesn't lobby her husband. Just to name a few: Orrin Hatch's son Scott Hatch, Harry Reid's two sons and a son-in-law, Fred Thompson's two sons, Joe Biden's son, all have or have had their hand in the lobbying pot. Let's get real here. Lobbyists are running our country. How did this happen? Certainly the Founders of our country would have planned for these factions. Factions have been around forever. Winning the favor of those in power is not new to our form of government. The answer is they did plan for them and WE missed their wisdom and changed it. In The Federalists Papers #10 James Madison does an excellent job of explaining the dangers of such factions. Where did we go wrong? The adoption of the 17th Amendment in 1913 transferred the election of senators from each state legislature, as The Constitution prescribes, to popular election by the people of each state. Sounds great, right? More democracy for the people...let the people choose their own senator? Wrong. Here's why. Although most of us think of the separation of power as the division between the three branches only; The Constitution had other checks and balances. James Madison talked of the check of power between the states and federal government when he said, Whenever power may be necessary for the national government, a certain portion must be necessarily left with the states, it is impossible for one power to pervade the extreme parts of the United States so as to carry equal justice to them. The state legislatures also ought to have some means of defending themselves against the encroachments of the national government. In every other department we have studiously endeavored to provide for its self-defense. Shall we leave the states alone un-provided with the means for this purpose? And what better means can be provided than by giving them some share in, or rather make them a constituent part of, the national government? This happens to be a HUGE check that we eliminated. It allowed for the states' interests to be represented on a federal level. Now some Governors have half-joked about hiring their own lobbyists to lobby for their state. If state legislatures elected the senators the lobbyists would have a difficult time deciding who to target. They are left with no one to make huge campaign donations to because there are little costs associated with being elected from the state legislature. Prior to the 17th Amendment whatever monies that were spent on a national level were allocated and paid for by the states. If a senator catered to a certain group and promised them financial perks (viz. earmarks for special interests) the state legislature knew about it because it came from the state treasury and was not buried in 1,000 page documents and sent to the Federal Reserve for funding. We actually did a pretty good job of balancing a budget until 1913. This system aired senators' dirty laundry to the state legislature who had the power to send him back or not. Some would argue that we would lose our right to vote for those who represent us. True, but we are not a democracy, we are a republic and this system allows for the greatest power of your vote. It would mean that the decision of whomever we sent to our state legislature to represent us would be all the more important. Also, we appear to be doing a very poor job of directly electing our senators anyway. The blessing of hindsight gives us great perspective in regards to our Constitution. Yes, they were wrong about some things, but maybe reinstating our Founders' wisdom regarding states having a voice could be our saving grace. Would I be supportive of repealing the 17th Amendment? Absolutely. It would significantly reduce the power of the lobbyists; it would give us a prayer at balancing a budget and return some desperately needed power back to the states. Cristy Henshaw
Categories: US Constitution, Ethics, History, Voting, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
No comments yet.
As of today, the Library of Congress officially lists 100 cosponsors for HR 1207! Since thomas.gov was running a little behind on the count, the following list updates from 84. Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-1] - 4/28/2009 Thanks again for all of your hard work. This is incredible news! Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Federal Legislation, Economy, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: audit the fed |
Comments (32)
About six patriots came down to Congressman Walt Minnicks office today to deliver petitions and request his support for HR 1207. I felt we were well received, and felt we were heard. We brought up the fact that Walt is a part of the Blue Hound watchdog group (thanks Joyce for the gem of a find :)) and the reason this is important is because at least 2 other representatives in this organization are co-sponsors. We also advised, in this climate, its not good press to avoid or vote against a bill such as this..... On the way to Simpsons office, after the Minnick drop off, we received a message :"Simpson Co-sponsors HR1207!!!" No? Could it be? YES! We went to his office, and sure enough, his staffers advised he is signing on as a co-sponsor, we will see his name in a day or so! THANKS PATRIOTS. Thanks for showing the Legislature and Governor how you feel, and now, our State Reps...we are being heard, and affecting history. I'm proud to be a part of this organization, and especially proud of all the different wonderful things each of you contributes to the cause of FREEDOM. VIVA LA R3VOLUTION BABY! Categories: Ron Paul, Campaign For Liberty, Finance, Globalism, Republican Party, Democratic Party, Grassroots News, Action Item, US Constitution, Ethics, Executive Power, Federal Legislation, Current Events, Revolution, Monetary Policy, Congress Tags: |
Comments (2)
Send me your action report, post it in the comments below, or post it on your own blog and let me know about it. (Idaho) Ada County Coordinators Clint and Joyce gathering signatures Saturday at the Library in Garden City. About 100 gathered in 4 hours. Joyce then set up at a shopping center and collected about as many more.
Latah County Coordinator Brig and his brother collected 60 signatures Saturday evening. He sent a message to everyone on his list and called everyone he had a number for. He edited the petition so it has 10 lines for signature, city and zip. Everyone that signs, and some that don't sign, get an info flyer with HR1207 on one side and the Campaign for Liberty on the other with a customized pitch for Latah County residents. A local businessman is collecting signatures in his business and in the 912 group. They think they can hit 1000 signatures, but won't stop there if they can exceed it. I went to a community fair in Pocatello on Saturday and got 80 signatures. They all received Economic and Personal Freedom slim jims and I asked them to visit our website and join our efforts. I had only printed 10 pages of petitions, otherwise I could have gotten more signatures. Your report here... Categories: Campaign For Liberty, Grassroots News, Action Item, Monetary Policy Tags: |
No comments yet.
|