Both Michigan House Financial Services Committee members voted to restore the Federal Reserve Transparency Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 11/20/09 Last updated 11/20/09

Both of Michigan's representatives on the House Financial Services Committee voted for the Paul/Grayson Amendment to overwrite the Watt Amendment that gutted key provisions of the Federal Reserve Transparency Act.

Thad McCotter's (R-11th district) vote improves his record on issues the Campaign For Liberty has taken a position to 7 votes for Liberty and 5 votes against. McCotter has stood strong against bailouts and Federal Reserve secrecy, but voted for increasing regulations against natural food and medicine, voted for a $2 billion taxpayer subsidy for "clunkers", and voted to expand economic war with Iran, despite Iran's continued adherence to Non-Proliferation Treaty terms of peaceful nuclear development.

For freshman Gary Peters (D-9th district), his vote to restore the Federal Reserve Transparency Act was his first vote for Liberty of his career. Previously, Peters had voted against Liberty each and every time we looked.

More about the HR1207 Amendment here.

C4L Congressional dossiers for Michigan's Congressmen is found here.

Let's give Mrs. Palin a warm C4L Michigan welcome Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 11/17/09

Palin book tour launches in Grand Rapids

Mark Hornbeck / The Detroit News

Former Alaska governor and GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has chosen Michigan to kick off her book tour.

The lightning rod politico, who's often listed in the 2012 Republican presidential field, will sign copies of "Going Rogue" at the Barnes & Noble book store at 7 p.m. Nov. 18 at 3195 28th St. SE in Grand Rapids....

~~~~~~~~

The above is a snip of a Detroit News article, I think you C4L patriots on that side of the state could go with lit and inform those in line to get her book and signature that we are out here as a second to none resource if they wish to participate in effecting change.

We could also get a few people in line to ask Mrs. Palin if she would join the C4L in Alaska to support our cause and get an opinion on our alternative health care plan as well as those in line.  She has no real allegiance to any one group, so why not...she thought Ron Paul was in her words " a cool guy", so lets have some fun with this while doing a little recruiting and informing. 

If someone could were a C4L shirt or hat and bring a camera to get this on video, it would be great to post on C4L

Let's help get Dr. Paul on CNBC ...again Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 11/14/09 Last updated 11/14/09

Some of you saw the interview on CNBC...at the end they talked about
having him on for a few hours, as a guest host, which they do.
So just for fun, lets let 'em know.

https://register.cnbc.com/email/EmailSupport.jsp

click the above and on the drop down menu, find "squawk box"  and send
a quick note

End the Fed Rally coming up soon in Detroit Posted by Joel Cole

Posted 11/12/09

We need to step things up and keep this issue in the spot light.  We need to help each other attend if we can.

West MI Liberty Coalition Meeting Notes 11/11 Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 11/12/09

Last night the West Michigan Liberty Coalition met to strategize for 2010 elections and meet a few state reps and candidates for state congress.

2010 Election Strategy
Eric Larson led the discussion with important information about the Kent County GOP. He reasoned that public unrest with Democrats will be extremely high, and it may be an excellent opportunity to turn over a few key seats, not just at the state level, but at the local level as well.

To ensure that these seats go to the right people (liberty-minded, principled folks), Eric stressed that we get involved as basic Precinct Delegates (see kentgop.com to get started), which is free, easy and effective. As a Precinct Delegate, you would have the power to get the right candidates on the ballot so we can set the right policy for the Republican party.

Eric Larson is a member of the Campaign for Liberty, and is one of the most knowledgeable people about the political process. He is an extremely valuable resource for getting involved and taking back the Republican party, so I highly suggest you contact him for more info.

Also, coming soon on the District 3 page - look for open seats in coming elections that you and your liberty-minded, principled friends and family may be able to fill.

State Representatives Agema and Amash

Next we heard from state rep Dave Agema, who worded our current situation most succinctly: "You lose your freedoms one law at a time, and you lose your earnings one tax at a time." He stated the need for "principled leaders who can't be bought" for example, through PAC campaign contributions. Continuing with more topics well-received by the audience:

• We must eliminate the MBT and surcharge, which is the main obstacle to business in Michigan

• We must institute a part time legislature (as most states currently have)

• We must get a budget in early, rather then at the end of summer

• We must prioritize spending (he highlighted that something like 80% of the education budget funds teacher's paid benefits)

• We must value the democratic process on the house floor, which currently doesn't exist

Representative Agema also gave valuable tips for any would-be candidates:

• Knock on doors. It's simply the most effective way to reach people.

• Have 2 or 3 major issues to stand for (my note: see C4L mission to get a few ideas)

• If you're a candidate, the best person to knock is you. Second best is your family; third are people who know you and your platform extremely well.

Overall, I personally thought Rep Agema gave some valuable information, and he may be counted on to vote correctly on several issues. A few red flags were in his stance on war (he would increase war spending and, get this, eliminate the rules of engagement), though I do agree with his position on treating veterans well after they return.
Justin Amash, darling of the West Michigan liberty movement, took the podium next. He reiterated many of the key issues wrong with the Michigan legislative branch, and emphasized the importance of monitoring what our state legislators are doing, and how they are voting. Ask yourself - does their voting record match their rhetoric?

For example, Representative Amash keeps a Facebook page which he uses to update his followers on votes. His staff also keeps statistics on how often he votes yes or no (even as a minority party, he does vote yes a significant percentage of the time).

Tracking how your legislators vote is important because they rarely hear from their constituents - but of course, they do hear from lobbyists every day. He made an undeniable point: if a representative votes against liberty, they're not going to get praise from back home, but they are going to get a mouthful from lobbyists. It's all a matter of pressure - if YOU were in this situation, who would you listen to?

While it's important we get principled people in office, it's equally important that we keep pushing them once they are in (and thanking them for doing the right thing).

I have had the opportunity to hear Rep Amash speak on a number of occasions now, and I will say he is extremely consistent, and one of the brightest hopes for liberty in Michigan congress that we have. He stated if there were just a few more like him, we could make a significant impact on the direction of this state. (This is why it's important to either, get involved as a precinct delegate to get the right people in office, or if you are the right people, run for office yourself).

Liberty Candidates Speak

The last segment of the evening featured state congress candidates Jordan Bush (#75), Rusty Richter (#77) and a representative for Nate Vriesman (also running for 77 - but was at a Veteran's day memorial last night). All of the candidates are currently not politicians, but recognize the need for principled people in politics.

Bush and Vriesman appeared to be the most principled for individual liberties; Bush advocated that when it comes to government, "less is more", he would fight against targeted tax breaks, which chooses winners and losers, and the MBT, and emphasized that "local is better" and "individual responsibility" principles must return to the forefront. Vriesman's rep similarly stated that local governments are most efficient, and that any law created in Michigan should be for the benefit of ALL.

Richter was the most engaging speaker, and highlighted that the "Republican party has mismanaged its minority status". He strayed into gay marriage (annoying, simply because we have MUCH bigger fish to fry), but is firmly against the health care scheme and proudly stated that he had never purchased (and never needed) health insurance in his life, for himself or his family.

Each of these candidates has their own website (ok, I'll do a plug here: JordanBush.com, RustyRichter.com, Nate4State.com) so we'll need to do our research, but at the outset, I would be pleased with any of these candidates working for liberty at the state level.

Pro/Con Health Care Forum Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 11/08/09

The St. Clair County Members of Campaign for Liberty are sponsoring a FREE Health Care Forum for the public on Monday, November 23, 2009, 7:00 p.m.  Location: Port Huron Municipal Office Center, 100 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron, Michigan, 48060.

The forum will feature a panel of professionals representing both sides of the issue.  The panelists are not yet confirmed, but may include:  doctors, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, attorneys, insurance representatives, and legislators.  Questions from the audience will be drawn at random.  We have seating for up to 200 people.  People from all nearby counties are encouraged to attend.

Please spread the word and encourage family, friends, co-workers and aquaintances to attend!

The forum will be moderated by a David A Dudenhoefer of Campaign for Liberty, and we will have a table with information, petitions and literature available.

For more information, you may contact:  Laura McBride at (586) 662-0220.

Kenty County C4L + Liberty Coalition Meeting 11/11 6:30 PM Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 11/07/09

UPDATE - we are now converging with the West Michigan Liberty coalition that night, with 3 local candidates confirmed to attend: "Jordan Bush for #75, Rusty Richter #77, and one who probably will announce but is still waiting."

This is a great opportunity to directly meet and interview the people who will be locally representing us.

***********Please NOTE TIME and LOCATION CHANGE!**********

Centennial Country Club

3361 Charlevoix Dr SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546

6:30 - 8:00 PM (still Wednesday, 11/11)

******************

For everyone who wants to get involved and influence local politics (where all the action really is),

Join a wide net of liberty activists and help accomplish freedom-based iniatives where we can be most effective, at the local level.

All our actions will be in line with Campaign for Liberty values, so explore the depth of resources on campaignforliberty.com and brush up if you're rusty or unfamiliar with our core principles.

This meeting will be the first in a series of bi-weekly meetings to build and strengthen C4L activity in West Michigan.

I.A.E.A. finds no evidence of nuclear weapons program at Qom so now it's back to "Iran supplies weapons to Hamas and Hezbollah" to kick off new war Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 11/07/09

The title from Damian Lataan really hits the nail on the head.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed El-Baradei said that there's nothing to worry about at Iran's nuclear facility at Qom.

So, sure enough: they're back to accusing Iran of supplying weapons to Hezbollah and Hamas.

You know: their violence baaaaaaaaaad!  Israeli violence goooooooooood!   Or something like that.

Because Iraq went so well, yes, let's invade another country that never did anything to harm us.  I'm sure bringing "American-style democracy" will be a walk in the park, even with our tattered economy, right?

Campaign for Liberty Livingston MI 03Nov09 Meeting Posted by Paul S.

Posted 11/07/09

Sixteen people or so gathered at the Brighton Hilton in another Campaign for Liberty meeting.

C4L Coordinator Greg Brown welcomed the attendees and began the campaign by reviewing the goals.

To promote and defend these great American principles by means of educational and political activity:

• individual liberty
• constitutional government
• sound money
• free markets
• non-interventionist foreign policy

He also explained that he was a coordinator, not the leader of the group. One of his tasks is to coordinate Livingston County activities with state and national. Campaign for Liberty

Jason followed Greg and told his story as a family man concerned for his young children. He was no longer willing to wait for a leader to step forward to show the way. He was going to be the leader he wanted as best he can. His call to action asked us to do the same.

Jason introduced Wendy Day our keynote speaker. Day was the organizer of the April 15 2009 Tea Party in Lansing. She began with a personal recommendation of the movie "Amazing Grace". She continued talking about the excitement of arranging and implementing the Lansing Tea Party.

An important part of her current efforts involves looking up the voting records of Michigan Legislators. Their records and their position on the principles of liberty, individual responsibility and limited government are questioned, identified and posted for everyone's benefit.

A question and answer period was followed by a recruitment request for the Campaign for Liberty and a reminder of the next meeting On November 10 at 7:00PM at the Brighton House Restaurant.

November 3, 2009 Meeting Recap Posted by Gregory Brown

Posted 11/07/09

Our November 3rd meeting was a great success!

A number of new (and veteran) faces came out to hear Wendy Day talk about her experience organizing the April 15, 2009 Lansing Tea Party as well as her ongoing efforts to hold Lansing politicians feet to the fire.

She shared with us her tactics and amusing anecdotes to put pain on politicians who let the power go to their heads and start ignoring their earlier professions against raising taxes and government largesse.

Yours truly gave a brief overview of Campaign for Liberty's activities and principles to start things off and ended with a call to join and donate. Along those lines, we were able to add to our mailing list and sign up several new members from our county and neighboring Genesee county.

Overall, it was a successful evening and a great way to kick off our late autum/winter meetings where we can focus on learning more about being involved and affecting the political process to take our country back and restore liberty.

Our next meeting will be on November 10, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. at the Brighton House Restaurant in Brighton, MI. Come on out and we will decide what we want to focus on learning together first.

Health Care Forum Posted by patriot4liberty

Posted 11/07/09 Last updated 11/06/09

The St. Clair County Members of Campaign for Liberty are sponsoring a FREE Health Care Forum for the public on Monday, November 23, 2009, 7:00 p.m.  Location: Port Huron Municipal Office Center, 100 McMorran Blvd., Port Huron, Michigan, 48060.

The forum will feature a panel of professionals representing both sides of the issue.  The panelists are not yet confirmed, but may include:  doctors, nurses, dentists, chiropractors, attorneys, insurance representatives, and legislators.  Questions from the audience will be drawn at random.  We have seating for up to 200 people.  People from all nearby counties are encouraged to attend.

Please spread the word and encourage family, friends, co-workers and aquaintances to attend!

The forum will be moderated by a member of Campaign for Liberty, and we will have a table with information, petitions and literature available.

For more information, you may contact:  Laura McBride at (586) 662-0220.

Treaties/Title of Nobility Constitutional Restrictions Posted by CJLKAS

Posted 11/03/09

RE:  Global Warming Treaty

Amidst all the chatter about the upcoming Copenhagen Treaty, including Adam's recent C4L blog on the same subject, I did a little research to determine if a treaty does indeed become the "Supreme Law of the Land"

Article VI, cl 2 of the Constitution:

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding."

It is a classic rule of construction (rules for understanding the objective meaning of writings) that one must give effect to every word and phrase.  The clause does NOTsay, "Treaties made by the United States are part of the supreme Law of the Land."  Instead it says Treaties made under the Authority of the United States, are part of the supreme Law of the Land.

Therefore, a Treaty becomes part of the supreme Law of the Land ONLY if it is made "under the Authority of the United States".  That authority comes from where?..........the Constitution.

If the Constitution does not authorize the President or Congress to act on a subject, the Treaty is not "Law" - it is a mere usurpation, and deserves to be treated as such.  (Federalist No. 33, 6th para)  Because the Constitution is fundamental law (Federalist No. 78, para 10-11) it is the Standard by which the legitimacy of all presidential acts, all acts of Congress, all treaties, and all judicial decisions is measured (Federalist No. 78, para 9)

For example, in Federalist No. 44, James Madison said that a "treaty which violates a State constitution would have no effect in that State":

"...as the constitutions of the States differ much from each other, it might happen that a treaty or national law of great and equal importance to the States would interfere with some and not with other constitutions and would consequently be valid in some of the States at the same time that it would have no effect in others."

Madison thus illustrated the Principle that a treaty which interferes with the Constitution has no effect.

Also,

In giving to the President and Senate a power to make treaties, the Constitution meant only to authorize them to carry into effect, by way of treaty, any powers they might constitutionally exercise -- Thomas Jefferson: The Anas, 1793. ME 1:408

Surely the President and Senate cannot do by treaty what the whole government is interdicted from doing in any way. -- Thomas Jefferson: Parliamentary Manual, 1800.  ME 2:442
The Supreme Court, in Reid v Covert (1957) has declared that neither a treaty approved by the Senate nor an executive agreement made under the President's authority "can create obligations that violate constitutional guarantees" such as found in the Bill of Rights. [He still does not have enough progressive Supremes to overturn this]

Treaties were clearly meant to be used to undo that for which they do have authority, such as Peace Treaties.

It looks like our unalienable rights enumerated in the 9th and 10th Amendments are still precedent.  Nowhere in the Constitution did the People grant to Congress, the Senate, or the Executive, the authority to control our atmosphere, our weather, or the very air we breathe.  Nor were they granted power to govern over the means of production (energy and/or labor).

I think the bigger problem for Obama is his clear violation of the Constitution (Art 1, Sec 9) which states:

"No Title of  Nobility shall be granted by the United States.  And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever from any King, Prince or Foreign State."

Obama is the first sitting President to accept the Office of President, United Nations Security Council, which is comprised of many Foreign States.

The United Nations Charter does not hold sovereign Nations to any agreements and/or treaties that would violate their individual Constitutions.

Just some food for thought...........

cj

MEMBER BOMB Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 11/02/09 Last updated 11/02/09

The GOP has launched its website to help "youth-en" it up a bit.  www.gop.com

It should be no suprise that a Ron Paul "group" has formed and it is #1 (Thanks Adam)

So, in the usual Paul supporter fashion, a "member bomb" is underway.

Join up, you do not have to use your real name, I signed up as "Thomas Paine" (of course if they are reading this, they know who I am....lol )

You can upload photos, videos, leave comments.  So let's have fun with this and show the GOP the direction this party is heading.....LIBERTY!!!

Right to Life Endorsed Representative Bart Stupak Will Vote For Obamacare Even With Public Funded Abortion Posted by Isaac Miller

Posted 10/30/09 Last updated 10/29/09

Our Right to Life endorsed Congressman, Bart Stupak  says that while he is “leading the charge” to prevent any health care reform from using tax payer funds for abortion, if health care reform legislation makes it to the floor of the U.S. Congress and includes public funding for abortions, he will support it.

Stupak was asked at a recent 1st district town-hall meeting held in Cheboygan Michigan, that if his attempts to get public funding for abortion removed from the health care bill are unsuccessful, if he would still vote yes for the bill.  And his answer to the disappointment of the crowd was: “If I had a chance to vote my conscience I probably would not. I probably would still vote for the health care bill at the end of the day.”

Principles only have value when people stick to them. Why does Stupak feels it necessary to cooperate with a bill that goes against his principles?

Check out the video below:

The video was shot at a Cheboygan town hall meeting Oct. 23, and was presented by the Heritage Foundation’s blog The Foundry.

“If everything I want [is] in the final bill, I like everything in the bill except you have public funding for abortion, and we had a chance to run our amendment and we lost. OK, I voted my conscience, stayed true to my principles, stayed true to the beliefs of this district, could I vote for healthcare? Yes I still could.”

-Bart Stupak

How can someone say they support the right to life, and at the same time vote for public funded abortion?  Let’s not forget that Bart stated recently in a letter he sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that any health care reform bill that contained provisions to fund abortion would be “unacceptable”.

Not to mention that the “Hyde Amendment” makes allocating tax-payer funds for abortion illegal: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyde_Amendment, there shouldn’t even be a debate about public-funded abortion!

In a way this health care bill is a good thing though, it’s forced Bart and many other so-called “Pro-Life Democrats” to actually take a stand for once.  They can no longer play both sides of the table and get away with it.  They’ve been all talk up to this point, but now that they’re forced to actually pick a side, we’ll finally be able to see who the true believers are, and those who choose to be pro-life simply because it’s convenient for them.

On the surface, Stupak has some genuine pro-life credentials based on his voting record, the problem is up until this point there has been no real test to prove his devotion to the right to life cause.  In the face of real opposition his devotion wavers, he is no longer the champion of Right to Life that he has assured us he is, he is quite plainly, a politician.

“I offered an amendment that says no public funding for abortion that’s been the law of the land for many many decades and we lose that vote. Let’s say we lose that vote– we need 218 to win–let’s say we get 217 and we lose. Would I vote against health care? If I had a chance to vote my conscience I probably would not. I probably would still vote for the health care bill at the end of the day.”

-Bart Stupak

The Michigan Right to Life’s endorsement of Stupak is a disgrace to pro-lifers around the country. Stupak in his 2004 campaign was also endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee.   It’s a shame to think that the Michigan Right to Life may be partly culpable in establishing taxpayer funded abortions nationwide, thanks a lot, we trusted you.

If Stupak votes for the public funding of abortion he not only throws out his entire pro-life voting record, he throws out his constituent’s trust as well.

Public-funded abortion is illegal, unconstitutional, unethical, and unacceptable.

We need to replace Stupak as soon as possible with someone who is willing to take a “no compromise” stand against abortion.

This article was taken from the Luce County Michigan Republican Blog.

Are you sure these are the people you want running your health care? Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 10/30/09 Last updated 10/28/09

Ron Paul delivered several excellent H1N1 panic-dispelling points in his most recent video.

The most damning to health care reform, and socialism in general?

September reports from the government promised the public 120 million H1N1 vaccines by mid October. Here we are approaching November and only about 12 million have been available to administer.

That's just 10% what the government originally promised. But par for the course for the Obama administration. 

Of course, there is likely much more to this story than is being let on - but this fact alone inherently begs the question...

Do you want 10% grade health care? Would you be able to handle a delay in your vaccine or medication? Would you survive the waiting list for surgery? Would the underpaid doctor be qualified or concerned enough to not make a permanent mistake, for which you could not sue?

Americans need to realize this will be the reality socialized health care brings. In other words, a serious downgrade in quality of life, liberty, and happiness. All the feel-good propaganda they can create won't make up for the devastation all Americans will feel as government destroys individual autonomy and effectively owns our bodies. When God gave US our bodies!

Let's face it, this health care scheme is 100% evil and God's people are being called to defeat it with love. (See here here here here and here for starters)

C4L hosted a recruitment meeting Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 10/29/09 Last updated 10/29/09

This past Sunday, Oakland County coordinator Sean House, hosted a this meeting dubbed "Jolt the revolt" in which he invited individuals from other grassroots groups to come and lean from one another as well as for C4L to gain new members.  Umong the invities, were Michigan Gubinatorial candidates for the upcoming race.  Micheal Bouchard was the only one to pay us a visit and he gave a short talk to the gathering.  The event was well recieved and our very own, Tony Demott asked one of several tough questions to the candidate for governor.  Thank you to brother James Boglev Jr. for donating his time to shoot the video. 

Response from Debbie Stabenow on Health Care Reform Posted by Jeremy Moore

Posted 10/28/09

Here is Debbie Stab "us in the back" now's response to my concerns relating to health care reform:

My followup response to her programmed correspondence:

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

Week in review Posted by kungfucraig

Posted 10/25/09

Quote of the week

“[Monetary inflation] may be described as a tool of antidemocratic policy. By deceiving public opinion, it permits a system of government to continue which would have no hope of receiving the approval of the people if conditions were frankly explained to them.” – Ludwig von Mises

American Idea

by Walter E. Williams

“We Americans, as human beings, are no different from any other people, including Germans, Russians, Chinese, Africans and other people who have produced tyrannical regimes such as those of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Idi Amin. As such we are just as capable of committing acts of gross evil that have been a part of mankind throughout his history. We’ve not been a perfect nation but we’ve never approached the level of hideousness seen in other nations. That’s despite the fact that our population consists of people who have for centuries been trying to slaughter one another in their home countries, whether it’s between the French and Germans, English and Irish, Japanese and Chinese, or Palestinians and Jews, Igbos and the Hausa of Nigeria. Thrown into the American mosaic are religions that have been in conflict for centuries such as Catholic and Protestant, and Christian and Muslim. The question is: Why is the United States an exception and will it remain so?” more…

Macro for Dummies

by Bill Bonner

“It is safe to assume that no one working at the Federal Reserve or at the White House has a picture of Warren Gamaliel Harding over his desk. Yet, if American presidents were ranked on the basis of how well they faced up to financial disaster, Warren G. Harding might be somebody. His handsome face would be carved on Rushmore. His likeness would grace the $100 bill. Harding was the last American president to deal honestly with a major financial crisis. Every president since has tried to scam his way out of it.” more…

An Update on Peak Oil from ASPO

by Byron King

“Marcio Mello, the former explorationist from Petrobras (PBR: NYSE) and now independent petroleum consultant, electrified the Denver meeting of the Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas (ASPO).” more…

Could an independent Texas survive economically? The facts say ‘Yes’

by Dave Mundy

“Many of those who scoff at the notion of Texas independence do so by trying to paint a portrait of a trailer-park redneck republic which slides rapidly into Third World status without the many intricate connections to its sister states fostered by the benevolent government in Washington, D.C.” more…

Is Adulation of the Military Really Patriotic?

by Ivan Eland

“A recent article in the New York Times reported that the military has become frustrated with President Barack Obama because he hasn’t quickly decided to risk more of their lives in an Afghan war that is likely to be unwinnable. In a post-World War II world that has featured a non-traditional militarized foreign policy of profligate interventions into the affairs of other nations, the U.S. military and its opinion have acquired great prestige and are accorded hushed reverence in American society. The military and flag are worshiped as never before. But is this really patriotism?” more…

Regulars

• Comics
• Interview with Doug Casey.

News and stuff

• Here’s a nice graphical summary of the outmoded overly-simplistic left-right political paradigm.
• Feds back down on medical marijuana. Will respect local/state laws regarding it.
• Who is Anita Dunn? An admirer of Mao Zedong and a top-Obama advisor. Yikes.
• Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas
• 49% say no healthcare reform would be better than what is being considered. 39% disagree.
• Nancy Pelosi responds with “are you serious?” to the question: “Where specifically does the Constitution grant Congress the authority to enact an individual health insurance mandate?” An aide later remarks: “That is not a serious question.”
• Maker of Russia’s #1 virus software is calling for the end of online anonymity, promotes the notion of “online passports” for all.
• Senate to seek increase in debt limit in a “defense” (read war) appropriations bill.
• US spies buy stake in company that monitors blogs, tweets.
• Senate healthcare bill uses the word tax 124 times.
• Some Senators are trying to water down the Audit the Fed bill.
• Patient’s own stem cells used to grow facial bones.
• An inflation calculator. Fun times!
• Ayn Rand gains traction in India.
• George Soros says that Wall St. profits are a gift from the state.

Videos

• Peter Schiff on CNBC.

And now the numbers…

DOW Jones Industrials – 9,972.18 (-23.73/-0.24%)
S&P 500 – 1,079.60 (-8.08/-0.74%)
VIX – 22.27 (+0.84/3.92%)
CSI 300 (China) – 3,413.252 (+171.543/5.29%)
BSE 500 (India) – 6,546.75 (-163.86/-2.44%)
MICEX (Russia) – 1,365.09 (+48.02/3.65%)
BOVESPA (Brazil) – 65,058.84 (-1,141.652/-1.72%)
RICI – 3,247.69 (+86.37/2.73%)
Gold/oz – 1,056.40 (+4.90/0.47%)
Silver/oz – 17.723 (+0.303/1.74%)
Copper/lb – 303.45 (+18.90/6.64%)
Oil/bbl (Brent) – 78.92 (+1.93/2.51%)
Wheat/bu (CBT) – 547.75 (+49.00/9.82%)
Corn/bu – 397.75 (+25.75/6.92%)
EUR-USD – 1.5008 (+0.0102/0.68%)
USD-JPY – 92.06 (+1.169/1.29%)
USD-BRL – 1.7173 (+0.0073/0.43%)
3 Month Treasury – 0.05 (-0.01/-16.67%)
2 Year Treasury – 1.00 (+0.05/5.26%)
10 Year Treasury – 3.49 (+0.08/2.35%)
30 Year Treasury – 4.29 (+0.05/1.18%)
U.S. Public Debt (official) – 11,896,808,244,570.30 (-49,894,888,237.00/-0.42%)
Baltic Dry Index (BDIY:IND) – 3,043.00 (+315.00/11.55%)

I was walking on campus Wednesday and there were some kids trying to get passers by to write letters to Michigan’s two United States Senators – the venerable hack Carl Levin and the hack in training Debbie Stabenow. Well I didn’t know exactly what they were doing at first, so I asked. Not surprisingly they were trying to support some hare-brained big government bull crap. You know, it’s the University of Michigan. What else would you expect?

In fact, they were supporting “Cap n’ Trade”. They had their talking points on a clip board and would just ask for a moment of your time to transcribe said talking points into a letter. Then at some future date they would deliver those letters to Levin and Stabenow. I have to admit that’s a pretty damn good tactic. One that we could use to our benefit.

Anyway I struck up a conversation with one of the scumbags in training and asked him where the money was going to come from to fund this monstrosity. “Well you know,” he said, “alternative energy sources will bring thousands of jobs to Michigan and besides we import so much coal into this state anyway.” So I asked again, “where is the money for this going to come from? You know we ran like a two trillion dollar budget deficit this year, it’s not getting any better, and well our currency could be destroyed.” “Well you know, we’re all just here on this rock in the middle of space and money doesn’t matter too much in the big scheme of things.” Seriously, that’s what he said. People this freaking stupid and shallow shouldn’t be involved in politics. Uggg…

Since my ride was not due for another fifteen minutes or so, and since I was just going to sit around anyway, I thought I’d try to keep the idiot’s attention for a while longer. So we talked in circles. Finally he says, “you know, I really can’t talk to you because if I stand here and debate you I won’t get any letters written.” But I kept talking. Finally he become adamant about getting back to his “job”. I asked who was paying him. He didn’t say, but he didn’t say he was a volunteer either. But in any case he had to “get back to work”. He wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything just talking to me. I smiled at him and said, “exactly”, and then walked off.

I think that’s another tactic we can use. If you’ve got a bit of time to kill, or just for fun anytime, hijack an activist.

And that brings me to my larger point, which is inline with what Walter Williams said above. Basically there is no conception in this society about the limits of government power. It is assumed that government may do anything it wishes, if only a majority supports it. That is a prescription for despotism indeed.

Can you believe Nancy “are you serious” Pelosi? Shallow and stupid, or malevolent? I keep asking that question… On the other hand does the answer really matter if the destination is the same?

Focus on the states… That’s what I need to keep reminding myself of.

Have a nice weekend.

This post originally appeared at http://www.craigwwright.com/

GITMO Standish Meeting Posted by patrioteer

Posted 10/25/09

There is a meeting on Oct. 26th, Monday 6:00 PM at the Resurrection of the Lord Catholic Church (Standish, M-61, west of traffic light) on the GITMO prison deal.  Any support they can get for people to attend this meeting will be greatly appreciated.  Jenny may think the citizens are welcoming the detainees with open arms, but 95% of the city is NOT!!!  Please attend this meeting if you can. 

Embrace the Light Posted by tfichter

Posted 10/25/09

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Maybe it's the cough, maybe it's the fever. Maybe it's the fact that I have felt horrible for the last 72 hours. Whatever the reason, I feel that the time has come for all libertarians and conservatives to raise the white flag on health care reform and embrace the fundamental change to the way we do this thing here in America. For those who know me well, you are going to want to get a paper towel to clean up that coffee you just spewed all over your screen.

Now, before you revoke my membership in Campaign For Liberty and ban me from the Ludwig von Mises Institute website, hear me out. There is reason to my decision.

First we must look at the history of health insurance here in America. Prior to 1929, there really was no employer paid health insurance. There did exist, since the time of the Civil War, sickness (disability) and accident insurance. In 1929, a group of Dallas based teachers contracted with a hospital that for a periodic premium payment, the hospital would guarantee so many days of care. This worked out great for the hospital, because they were receiving regular income, and prevented the sticky situation of treating a severely ill person who could not afford to pay. As other hospitals saw the benefits of this arrangement, they climbed on board with the practice, and soon, so did private doctors. During the Depression, there was already talk of universal health care insurance paid by the government.

Now, let's back up for a second. What caused this rise in the interest of health insurance? Prior to the early 1900's, there were several competing medical methodologies working in our health care market. These included naturopaths, homeopaths, chiropractors, osteopaths, and allopaths (our early medical doctors). Each discipline ran their own schools, and staffed their own hospitals and medical clinics. Each discipline competed with the other in the free market for treating patients. Then came the rise of the American Medical Association, which first started by standardizing the education of their own doctors, but to gain more market share, lobbied the Federal and State governments to establish standardization of education and licensing of doctors. You don't have a degree from one of the approved schools? You can't practice medicine in our state. The AMA went on a witch hunt to put all other disciplines out of business for "practicing medicine without a license". This led to the rapid decline of availability of alternative care other than allopathy. The AMA had succeeded in creating a monopoly in health care, with the help of the Federal and State governments. With this newly created monopoly, doctors and hospitals had the ability to raise the fees they charged their patients. Then the AMA lobby went to work to obtain federal money to subsidize their expensive research. Don't get me wrong, allopathic medicine is not evil. If I have a stroke, cardiac arrest or get into an auto accident, I would welcome the advancements in medicine. But now medical doctors and hospitals had their thumb on all medical care. As fees started to rise exponentially, it became harder and harder for the average Joe to pay out of pocket.

So, the need for health insurance in America was created in part by the interference of government in the health care free market. Then came World War II. Due to the shortages of just about everything during the war, President Roosevelt enacted price and wage freezes. Businesses and industries could no longer offer higher wages to attract more or better workers, so they improved the benefit package by offering better health care coverage. Unions negotiated for even better health insurance policies, and the lobby was on to make employer and employee contributions to premiums tax deductible. Legislation to that effect was passed in 1954, which firmly entrenched the employer-provided health insurance industry here in America.

After the war, lower wage workers and small businesses were left in the cold when it came to health insurance. To try to close the gap of the uninsured poor and old Congress passed the Medicare and Medicaid bill in 1965. It provided compulsory insurance on seniors for hospitalization, and basic coverage for the poor. The majority of coverage was funded through a partnership of government and private insurance. Although the Medicare and Medicaid rolls grew over the next 25 years, health insurance costs continued to rise and the gap of the uninsured continued to grow. So, even though Government had created a monopoly on coverage for seniors and the poor, more people went without health insurance.

We could talk about the attempt of President Clinton to provide universal coverage, and the passing of HIPAA, which broadened Federal and State regulation and control of health care, or the passage of the Children's Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) in 1997, but the point is this (YES, TODD, GET TO THE POINT!). Since the mid-1900's, once government has been involved in health insurance or health care, they have NEVER given any control back to the people (free market). Today's health care and health insurance industry in America is a fascist marriage of Government, Big Health Care, Big Health Insurance and let us not forget Big Pharma. I am not against big business. I am against our Government creating an unfair playing field which allows certain industries or businesses to flourish at the expense of others trying to compete in the market. It would be like the Dallas Cowboys playing against your local Pee-Wee team, with the referee calling everything in favor of the Cowboys to boot.

Since Government will not relinquish power without a true revolution, bloodless or otherwise, I see no other alternative than to let them have their way, until the whole game collapses under its own weight. Bring on universal health care..viva la France, God Save the Queen, and Oh, Canada! Let us embrace the light, pay our VAT and wait six months for a CAT Scan (but it's free!), until the day comes when our government and the other nations can no longer afford to pay. The difference this time, is that the other nations will not be able to come to us with their hand out to bail them out of their crises, like we did Great Britain after WWII. Yeah, that's right. Great Britain passed Universal Health Care in 1948, and we Americans essentially footed the bill. Now we are more broke (is that financially and grammatically correct?) than the other nations, so the collapse will be the shot heard round the world. Maybe then, men of sound reason and at least average intellect will once again govern this nation and return it to the principles of sound, free markets and limited government. Until then, I am going to embrace universal health care, and go stand in line at the free clinic for my flu shot.

Call your Senators! Posted by Todd A Carter

Posted 10/21/09 Last updated 10/20/09

Attention!

A very watered down and disingenuous bill called the "Federal Reserve Accountability Act" has been introduced by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.) and Sen. Bob Corker (R., Tenn.).  This bill focuses on a small slice of the "Emergency" powers that the Fed has granted to itself.  It does not audit monetary policy tools such as the "discount" window or other interest rate setting tools.  It does not get to the tools that have been killing our economy.

Call your Senators!

Please say that the "Federal Reserve Accountability Act" is NOT an acceptable compromise or replacement for S 604.

This has been put forward as a political ploy to confuse the public and allow non-supporters to point to this bill and say "I am doing something about the Fed."  Unfortunately, this poor bill is limited in scope and does not accomplish any measure of transparency into the Fed.

I will provide additional information as I receive it.

In Michigan

Levin, Carl - (D - MI) Class II
269 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-6221
Web Form: levin.senate.gov/contact/

Stabenow, Debbie - (D - MI) Class I
133 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
(202) 224-4822
Web Form: stabenow.senate.gov/email.cfm

Lookup Your Senator

Todd

Plan for Total Transportation Domain Awareness Centers of Excellence Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 10/13/09 Last updated 10/13/09

A glimps in the future, is this being planned in Michigan as well?

From:
http://www.politicsinminnesota.com/2008/aug/19/now-searchable-mndot-nasco-nafta-super
highway-document-stash

Now Searchable: The MnDOT NASCO NAFTA Superhighway Document Stash

Posted 11:27 am, August 19th, 2008 by Staff

• Document
• MnDOT
• NAFTA
• NAFTRACS

Improving the presentation of one of the strangest Minnesota state government document batches we've ever run across, PIM staff has released a more complete version of the massive MnDOT doc dump about the rather mysterious plan hatched by the North American Super Corridor Coalition (NASCO) to implement a military-style RFID-powered shipping container tracking system on Interstates 35 and 94. We first reported this last July, and provided additional documents obtained by lawyer Nathan Hansen in December.

Now you can get the 598 pages in one PDF file, (a more svelte 43 MB) and we used optical character recognition to make it fully searchable. The rest of the media has still overlooked this strange story about yet another federal boondoggle; in this case, it's been proposed by NASCO's backers at Lockheed Martin, which would collect revenue from building the system, and mine the data it would generate.

To recap: they want to set up monitoring centers dubbed "Total Transportation Domain Awareness Centers of Excellence," which appear to be 'data fusion' centers that would likely turn perpetual profits for contractors supporting the facilities. A system called NAFTRACS, which is based on the military's existing shipping container tracking system, would primarily use RFID tag-based tracking stations to keep an eye on shipping containers, and feed this information into a 'data warehouse' system, which in turn would support some type of supply-chain management system.

[Sidebar: the "Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act" bill also promotes other "centers of excellence" data fusion centers that would monitor America, so apparently this sort of Big Brother proposal is all the rage in Washington.]

Interestingly, the NASCO plan specifies that their NAFTRACS system would generate shipping container supply-chain data that Lockheed's business unit in Eagan would market as a business product. It appears that NASCO's plan has now become illegal under state law, because this year's (vetoed and overridden) transportation finance bill specifically banned privatizing the management of Minnesota's highways:

A road authority may not sell, lease, execute a development agreement for a BOT
facility or BTO facility that transfers an existing highway lane, or otherwise relinquish management of a highway...

No one at the Legislature seems to know about this: is anyone going to check out what the heck is going on? Stay tuned...

Federal Reserve creation discussed on Bill Maher Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 10/13/09

Anytime the "mainstream" is talking about the FED, it is allways worth posting. Nice to hear and see that "they" are waking up.

I cannot think of a better example... Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 10/13/09

...for people to be a part of the Campaign for liberty.  This video not only demonstrates that point, but it also shows why it is important to know you rights and carry them with you.  When friends, family or co-workers question why we chose to think outside of the "mainstream", show them this video.

Relocating terrorist prisoners to Mich. to be discussed at town hall meetings Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 10/12/09

Doug Guthrie / The Detroit News

The security threat posed by the possible transfer of terrorist prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to a state correctional facility in Standish that is being closed will more than offset any economic benefit, according to a pair of terrorism experts who will speak in Rochester tonight.

"The community is not prepared for what they are going to get," retired Army Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu said in a meeting today with The Detroit News Editorial Board.

Very few locals would be hired to staff the specialized facility, and although the unusual prisoners themselves would remain a relatively low threat of escape from the maximum security facility, the city would become a beehive of controversy outside the razor wire fences, claimed Cucullu and former Defense Department terrorism analyst Peter Leitner.

"These aren't rapists and murders who are hoping to escape into society," said the former Green Beret who wrote a book about the military base called Gitmo for short. "It is naïve to assume that containing them successfully is the whole story. Simply transferring them to Standish will make the community a magnet for terrorists from all over the world."

Cucullu and Leitner will take part in a 7 p.m. town hall meeting on the topic at Rochester High School. State Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop, R-Rochester, will take part and WJR-AM (760) radio host Frank Beckmann will moderate the event in the high school auditorium, 180 S. Livernois. The pair will have a similar meeting in Okemos on Tuesday as well as a meeting with legislators in Lansing.

The pair said they hope that despite overwhelming political pressure to close the prison in Cuba where the government has housed the most infamous of its terrorist suspects, they hope President Barack Obama will change his mind to shutter the facility by January and move many prisoners to U.S. facilities. Both said the facility, surrounded by water, U.S. and Cuban military, is safe from exterior attack. They said other prisons in foreign nations and on military bases would be the best second choice.

"Guantanamo, you can't get there from here," Cucullu said. "Standish, you can."

The two talked about how moving the terrorist prisoners to American soil will make that town the focus of international protests or worse. The isolation of Guantanamo has provided no opportunity for access to the prisoners or even events near the prisoners that could capture world attention. However, a small town and its residents all could be targets of protests or violence, Cucullu and Leitner said.

Leitner said transferring prisoners to proceedings in the nearest federal courthouse in Bay City, 33 miles away, would require massive mobile security details that would cause local disruptions. Medical facilities for prisoners in Standish aren't within the secured walls, but in local civilian hospitals. He said local police and governments would find themselves spending extra money dealing with the new security risk in town.

"It would cause unfunded mandates to support the federal security effort," Leitner said.

The possibility of the terrorist detainees being housed in Standish has divided the community and Michigan political figures.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm opposed it unless "concerns" are addressed. The move is supported by Standish officials and Rep. Bart Stupak, D. Menominee, who represents the Standish area.

U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Holland, has said the White House is backing away from its plan for Standish. Hoekstra is the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee and an opponent of detainees ending up in Michigan.

Celebrating and Contributing Posted by Fu Manchu

Posted 10/12/09

Well I finally did it.  After eight months of unemployment, I finally got a job!  I start on Monday in a field I'm highly familiar with.  Transportation.  I was so happy I promptly donated 50 Federal Reserve Notes to the Campaign For Liberty.  Now of course, getting a job didn't suddenly make me 50 bucks richer, however i now have a way to recoup that expense!  Once i am back on my feet (it will take a while to catch back up, being unemployed for so long does that to you) i am hopeful i can contribute more in a regular way.  Having a limited income really effects how much you can participate in things from rallys and marches to meetings and donations.  I simply didn't have the extra money to spend on gas and such.  Now i can continue the stock piling and continue the fight we are all entrenched in.  Restoring our Republic and our personal liberty.  I know this is a short and somewhat meaningless blog, but I'm so excited i just had to share!  Keep up the good fight everyone.

In Liberty

Matt

Another Case against Government Health Care Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 10/12/09 Last updated 10/11/09

Daughter Saves Mother, 80, Left by Doctors to Starve

AN 80-year-old grandmother who doctors identified as terminally ill and left to starve to death has recovered after her outraged daughter intervened.

Hazel Fenton, from East Sussex, is alive nine months after medics ruled she had only days to live, withdrew her antibiotics and denied her artificial feeding. The former school matron had been placed on a controversial care plan intended to ease the last days of dying patients.

Doctors say Fenton is an example of patients who have been condemned to death on the Liverpool care pathway plan. They argue that while it is suitable for patients who do have only days to live, it is being used more widely in the NHS, denying treatment to elderly patients who are not dying.

Full story here.

Simple Ways to Prevent the Flu Posted by knocktwice

Posted 10/12/09 Last updated 11/20/09

Common sense approaches to avoiding swine flu (H1N1) or any contagious diseases.

1. Frequent hand-washing.  Whenever you are in a place that you can wash your hands do so. Have hand sanitizing sprays or pumps at your desk or workplace openly available to all. Ask your employer to thoughtfully place sprays or pumps in high traffic areas such as copying machine rooms, restrooms, lunch rooms, coffee bars and vending machine areas.

2. "Hands-off-the-face" approach. Resist all temptations to touch any part of face unless you want to eat, bathe or other essential times.

3. Gargle twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt). H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms. Simple gargling prevents proliferation. In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one. Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method.

4. Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrils at least once every day with warm salt water. Blowing the nose hard once a day and swabbing both nostrils with cotton buds dipped in warm salt water is very effective in bringing down viral population.

5. Boost your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C (citrus fruits).  If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption.

6. Drink as much of warm liquids (tea, coffee, etc) as you can. Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction. They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm.

Ron Paul on WJR Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 10/10/09

Yesterday, Congressman Paul appeared on the Frank Beckmann show on WJR Radio to discuss the Austrian school of economics, of the Fed, and of his new book.  You can listen to the segment here.  Thanks to David Dudenhoefer for the link.

Dr. Paul's End the Fed promotional schedule has been so hectic lately, we must apologize for being unable to notify members of all appearances in advance!

War and True American Politics Posted by Live4Freedom

Posted 10/08/09 Last updated 10/05/09

I came to a realization the other day.  And it is that, as a nation, we no longer declare war.  Whether it is Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan (WTF did Pakistan do to us to warrant bombing?), or previous "conflicts" in Korea, Vietnam, and, once again, Iraq, we have gone to war on many occasions in recent history without a declaration of war, the vote of Congress, or the will of the American people.  Instead we, as a people, have become complacent and accepting of our nations military aggressiveness and empire-building.  We have allowed ourselves to become a warfare nation.  No longer do we hold to the principles and laws that made this country great.  My brother made a great point when we were discussing this.  That is none of these wars have ever ended, until American outrage for them became too great.  I would go as far to say the nothing positive has ever been gained from these wars, especially in the long term.  Even in the first Iraqi war (Desert Storm/Shield?), the "conflict" might have been over quickly, but look where we are today.  And the only reason it was over so fast is because we had tremendous support from other nations.  Now, most of our allies have abandoned us, a least in the war effort, and a majority of countries of the world view us as a type of greedy, selfish older sibling.  One who will do what they want and take what they want because the younger kids (i.e. the Middle East and other smaller, developing countries) aren't big enough or strong enough to do anything about it.  And that's putting it in relatively nice terms, compared to how most would describe us. 

We cannot continue like this.  It is an untenable position.  We have to change how we operate and how we view ourselves.  Once again, my brother made a interesting, and very valid, point during our discussions about the Liberty Movement.  This is nothing new.  The beliefs and ideals of Liberty are as unchanged now as they were during the American Revolution.  It is only because we have gotten SO far away from these principals over the years that this seems like a new idea.  I love what Jon Stewart said in a recent interview with Ron Paul on his show "How you survived in government for 11 terms, I do not know."  And he's right.  With politics in the state that it's in, it's almost absurd to see a man like Ron Paul be so successful.  This is what we need to work on.  This is what we need to encourage.  That being a representative/senator/president/politician(ewww!) is a civic duty or responsibility.  These people shouldn't be running for office because they get to make decisions, or gain power, or as a stepping stone to further appointments.  They should be there as a public service, to represent their constituents, to fight for Liberty, and to uphold the Constitution and the ideals of American society.  This is true American politics.  And until we reach that point, we will continually be mired by selfishness, corruption, and greed.

Lecture Notes: Tom Woods on Money, Morality & the Economic Crisis Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 10/08/09

The people of Grand Rapids, Michigan had the opportunity to hear Dr. Thomas E. Woods give a presentation on the current financial situation and solutions during a luncheon at the Acton Institute on Wednesday.

Dr. Woods made many important, enlightening points, and just as importantly, served them with a dash of charisma, and I scribbled down as much of it as I could, documented here for the benefit of everyone.

Dr. Woods has a unique gift of captivating and relating to his audience, rearranging complex subjects so they're engaging and understandable - a point he made from the outset. "They want you to think the economy is too difficult for us peons to grasp - that you'll think, 'I'll just leave it all to the wise overlords.'" Woods emphasized that truly anyone can understand these simple, logical concepts - except maybe, the politicians who stand to lose from public awareness of them - and then proceeded to give an overview that was indeed educating and entertaining all at once.

Dr. Woods began with a brief introduction to the Austrian school of economics. The Austrian school, he explained, actually has little to do with the present day country of Austria, and there are now more Americans belonging to it than actual Austrians. It simply originated with economic scholars who hailed from Austria, such as Ludwig von Mises.

Economists of the Austrian school disproportionately possess abilities that most other economists lack: that is, they have a theory about business cycles, that often leads them to make startlingly accurate predictions about the busts that inevitably follow the bubbles. What's their secret? While financial and media pundits lead us to believe business cycles are "natural", Austrian school economists have a more lucid perspective: business cycles, including booms and busts, are not only artificially created, but purposely perpetuated as well.

Because it counters nearly everything the media and government officials tell us, this type of claim requires solid substantiation. Evidence can be found with a simple comparison of free market economics and the socialist-infused economic system we somehow operate under today.

As a natural rule, businesses tend to make long-term investments when interest rates are low.  Additionally, when interest rates are low, more investments are made in higher-order goods - goods that aren't for direct or immediate consumption, such as mining, construction, farming, and research & development. These projects generally require a large amount of resources, time and energy. At the other end of the spectrum are lower-order goods, such as wholesale, retail and marketing, which are designed for immediate consumption.

In a free market, low interest rates signify that people are saving money instead of spending it all on lower-order goods. As a result, demand decreases for lower-order goods - which may not be the best news for those industries - but it does free up those essential resources to support higher-order goods production, which will be necessary for long-term investments to be fruitful. This is the harmony of the free market.

What if interest rates artificially come down? With market intervention, low interest rates automatically imply people are saving, even though they're actually not saving - they're continuing to consume lower-order goods. Now those lower-order goods industries will stay in business, so they won't make the contractions necessary to free up resources for higher-order goods, which are of course still getting more investments with the low-rate signal. Thus, there is no harmonious coordination, but bad investments in ventures that will largely end up unfinished and a waste of time, money and resources - also known as the "bust" phase a business cycle. Just so we're all on the same page, the Federal Reserve System (aka the Fed, central bankers who are currently not  even subject to an audit of their monetary activities - though they could be!) has been manipulating our economy in this way for the past 96 years.

Woods cited 2001 as a real-life example, when Alan Greenspan, the New York Times' infallible maestro (some "real Pravda-type stuff", Woods noted), decided it was "time to laugh again"(to the crowd's ironic laughter), and lowered interest rates even after a devastating and embarrassing dot com bust.

As bad as it might temporarily feel, and as much as the media and government fears a recession, Woods assured us that a recession is actually a correction of the free market, a healthy necessity, and to think of a recession as more of a "restoration". Short-term pains may be felt, but going through them now ensures prosperity will return sooner.

However, in 2001, Greenspan eased the pain and encouraged housing starts - to the market, even in "this economy", housing was apparently still doing well - so many people got into it. Now, as we all know, it's busted, and because all the Fed can offer is more of the same (0% interest rates, billion dollar bailouts), we are only prolonging and intensifying the true restoration process and its associated pains. Which, given the nature of free markets and the knowledge of the Fed's role in creating boom/bust cycles, leads to the morality component of Woods' speech:

Maybe there's something fundamentally wrong with the System.

Woods referenced F.A. Hayek, a Nobel Prize winning Austrian economist, whose work definitively elucidated the system we have now yields the business cycle. We know that the Fed and central banking is responsible for a laundry list of crimes against freedom and the American people. Now, while many questions are being asked about greed and capitalism, the most productive question may truly be "should we rethink our system?"

The fiat money system, with a brief shake to Bretton Woods, is essentially the Federal Reserve taking paper and saying "Let this be money!", chuckles Woods. The evil in this practice is that it indirectly steals from every American who doesn't happen to be closely connected to Washington - as certain select parties spend the new money while prices are still low. Meanwhile, everyday citizens will see prices steadily rise to accommodate the ever-decreasing value of their money.

Hyperinflation occurs when money-printing escalates out of control (kind of like it has over the past year) so the money becomes nearly worthless and prices grow outrageous. Woods cited a harrowing example from one of the most infamous instances of hyperinflation in recent history: postwar Germany. A German man had saved 68,000 marks in his bank account - but hyperinflation had grown so bad, the 1 million mark was the lowest denomination being printed. The kind bank said, no problem, we'll round your withdrawal up to 1 million marks! BUT -  the postage stamp on the envelope is 5 million marks.

America is not invincible from this danger - Woods affirmed that every instance of hyperinflation in history existed under a system like the one we have now. But while you can find a supporting opinion for almost any statement on when and how the dollar will end, we need to make more talk about a solution.  Fortunately, the Austrian economists have plenty to say on the subject.

They suggest we look at going back to gold and silver - a commodity-based currency. Woods pointed out that gold was the standard throughout the 19th century, a time everyone can agree was most prosperous for America. The few panics that did occur during that time were all related to unsound print money practices.

Woods made a simple and logical case for gold and silver. A common argument for print money is that "we need to expand the money supply" - Woods counters that no, we don't, because these commodities will actually increase in value. Mining would still be needed for gold/silver goods industries and in creating smaller denomination coins as value increases over time.

The bottom line is that bailouts and surplus liquidity encourage reckless risk takers, redistribute wealth to an inside few, and punish those who save and the American population in general. The question is: why should questioning the Fed be considered odd?

Dr. Woods encouraged us to "influence public opinion, not follow it". Don't listen to the "respected opinions" in the New York Times and Newsweek, or of Bernanke and Geithner. They in fact, are not respectable.

You cannot address big government while ignoring its money machine, Woods emphasizes. The Austrian school thoroughly understands this, has predicted the "unpredictable" over and again, and most importantly, offers sustainable solutions for change we can really believe in.

After resounding applause (the crowd was impressively responsive, and large: "I won't call the fire marshal if you won't!", Woods quipped), a short Q & A revealed that, while Ron Paul leads the charge of Austrian economists in congress, interest there in free market economics is definitely growing - and with 2010 elections on the horizon, we have a beautiful opportunity to amplify it.

The restoration has begun.

You can read several Austrian economist titles free online, as well as read current scholarly articles and updates at www.mises.org.

If you attended, please share your own insights and experience below.

Special thanks to the Acton Institute for hosting this event.

Hack attack Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 09/25/09 Last updated 09/24/09

The Campaign For Liberty had its first hacker attack today. It was a little scary for a while, but I want to assure everyone that your data is safe. C4L maintains NO credit card information anywhere on our server and there is no chance that any credit card info was pirated--it was never there in the first place.

We've fixed the site and no data was lost. Based on the hacker activity it looks like it was some automated script and no data was captured, but to be on the safe side, please change your password.

It's a bummer that we must now divert energy from site development to a security investigation, but look on the bright side: our opponents have begun using dirty tricks, which can only mean they are afraid of us. Hey, when you oppose the warfare state, the welfare state, the Fed, globalism, and foreign aid, you get some powerful opponents. Apparently their ordinary political defenses aren't working, that they are resorting to cheap hacking.

First the ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.

—Gandhi

People tend to ascribe hacker activity to senseless nihilism. That makes as much sense to me as the "senseless nihilism" attributed to anti-American terrorism. None. It is possible that we were a random victim, but as a group with powerful enemies, we should assume the attack was politically motivated.

I hope nobody was too alarmed by the hack attack, which appears to have only affected the system for three hours yesterday at most. Change your password to play it safe, but we're confident that your account information was not compromised.

If you have any information leading to the capture of the Internet terrorists who perpetrated the attack, please drop us a line and we will investigate.

Victory! State sovereignty resolution passes Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 09/21/09

[This bill having already passed the Michigan House, the resolution is passed!  Thanks to David Dudenhoefer for posting this.  --Adam]

About a month ago, a coalition of liberty advocates descended onto Lansing Michigan to remind our legislators of one key aspect of our US Constitution.

State Sovereignty under the 10th amendment tells the Federal Government that those powers not enumerated in the Constitution are reserved for the several states and to the people.   It means if the federal government does something it ought not to, the States do not have to follow, nor can the Federal government impose upon the states that which would violate the constitutions of the several states.

Yesterday, on Constitution Day, our Michigan state senate passed 33-0 (4 not voting) SCR 004 to reaffirm Michigan's sovereignty under the 10th amendment. Thank State Senator Bruce Patterson 7th district Canton, for bringing this issue to the floor.

Here is the video of his speech:

http://www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/MMPlayer_Video.asp?ArticleID=663&District=7

Campaign for Liberty played a key role as we collected many signatures thought the summer to help move this bill along.

In liberty,

David A Dudenhoefer
Wayne county coordinator
Campaign for Liberty

Audit the Fed Action Recap Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 09/17/09 Last updated 10/28/09

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West Michigan participated in Tuesday's Audit the Fed Mass Action day with a rally and our personal delivery of S604 petitions to Senators Levin and Stabenow.

While the rally turnout was modest, many benefits came out of our gathering on Tuesday that will positively impact the success of future events and liberty initiatives in West Michigan.

1. We shook up local C4L leadership. State coordinators Tony DeMott and Adam de Angeli made the long drive out to our side of the state - thank you! - to meet with your new local C4L coordinator - that's me!- and to promote organization and motivation within the ranks. Look for exciting news and updates as we get the ball rolling for Ron Paul's message in the conservative heart of Michigan.

2. West Michigan delivered over 1,000 signatures to our Senators, with Detroit delivering over 2,000 signatures to support transparency in government. We were able to get signatures from several passers-by in the park and traipsed with our signs through downtown Grand Rapids, opening more minds to the ideals of open government.

3. Campaign members made contact with 2010 Congressional candidate Michael Van Kleeck, a common man for common sense who is working tirelessly to get on the ballot against Vern Ehlers in the U.S. House of Representatives. What I like most about Michael is that not only can he see through the bs, he's not afraid to call Congress out on it. "I'll tell them exactly how unconstitutional they are; and they'll tell me to sit down and shut up; and I'll respond, 'I was voted in because the People feel this way!'" He was careful to avoid the now-tainted word "maverick", but Michael truly has a fighting spirit and a passion for freedom that's invaluable to our future.

It was a beautiful sunny day on the river as this dedicated group convened to change the course of history, and with the combined effect of liberty lovers around the nation, we surely did just that. The wheels are in motion for the campaign's success in 2010 and beyond!

The museum security guard signed the petition!Interestingly, the museum was concurrently hosting immigration naturalization day. Tony quipped, "I bet they're not getting any pocket constitutions." Hopefully they were able to catch a glimpse of what it truly means to be an American.

A small group of us in front of the federal building after dropping of petitions. Rush hour traffic supported with waves and horns - we could taste the fear of the federal workers! 

Of course, everyone had their own experiences during the event. Please share your thoughts, insights and special moments with the class! And thanks again to all who supported the petition drive and rally - we could not have done it without you!

Starting Small Posted by CharleneN

Posted 09/16/09

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.

C4L @ the Dally in the Alley Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 09/15/09

On its 35th annual event, the Campaign for Liberty participated in this Detroit street fair to recruit and collect signatures for our audit the fed initiative.  I arived bright and early to set up and was greeting by a very warm gathering of local artists, musicians, poets and other political activists.  Campaign for Liberty was the first to arive and soon after other groups came with their agenda.  Some how our table was nestled in between to socialist groups, but we were the last table standing by days end.  As one man who came to visit stated, "You guys(C4L)I like, those guys, not so much"  Others expressed there distain for socialism using various hand gestures.  These folks have no problem expressing their opinions, the irony is that this is a very liberal crowd, but even they could see the writing on the wall.  The writing was literaly on the wall..."liberty, prosperity, peace" was  banner I placed above our C4L banner, a positive message that unites us all.  As we collected signatures we heard many colorfull expressions about peoples opinions concerning the Fed. much of which I cannot repeat, I ws just happy they were on our side.  We collected over 300 signatures, and I gave a short speech on their "soap box" located on the main street as many others learned about C4L and our goals.  A professor at one of the local universities asked us to speek in his class in the near future.  Many stopped by to take photos of our END THE FED sign through out the day and we were asked to come back next year.  I plan to have tables at many future Detroit area events, this is just the beginning.  For liberty!

C4L @ the Dally in the Alley Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 09/13/09

On its 35th annual event, the Campaign for Liberty participated in this Detroit street fair to recruit and collect signatures for our audit the fed initiative.  I arived bright and early to set up and was greeting by a very warm gathering of local artists, musicians, poets and other political activists.  Campaign for Liberty was the first to arive and soon after other groups came with their agenda.  Some how our table was nestled in between to socialist groups, but we were the last table standing by days end.  As one man who came to visit stated, "You guys(C4L)I like, those guys, not so much"  Others expressed there distain for socialism using various hand gestures.  These folks have no problem expressing their opinions, the irony is that this is a very liberal crowd, but even they could see the writing on the wall.  The writing was literaly on the wall..."liberty, prosperity, peace" was  banner I placed above our C4L banner, a positive message that unites us all.  As we collected signatures we heard many colorfull expressions about peoples opinions concerning the Fed. much of which I cannot repeat, I ws just happy they were on our side.  We collected over 300 signatures, and I gave a short speech on their "soap box" located on the main street as many others learned about C4L and our goals.  A professor at one of the local universities asked us to speek in his class in the near future.  Many stopped by to take photos of our END THE FED sign through out the day and we were asked to come back next year.  I plan to have tables at many future Detroit area events, this is just the beginning.  For liberty!

The President on Health Care Reform Posted by celticreeler

Posted 09/13/09

The speech just ended; I listened carefully.  Using my Constitution-O-Meter, I will now rate it:

Number of times the President mentioned the Constitution:  Zero

Times the President mentioned the Constitutionality of government-run healthcare:  Zero

Times the President referred to the Founding Documents:  Zero

Times the President mentioned the Founding Fathers or the Founders:  Zero

The Constitution-O-Meter detected no activity.

The Government Can - Funny Video Posted by tfichter

Posted 08/26/09

This video by Tim Hawkins is very funny, but disturbingly true:

Recess Rally Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 08/24/09

Yesterday I attended the rally held in Birmingham.  My estimate is that aproximately 200-300 attended and many were very open minded to subjects and issues other than those shoved down their throats by the GOP (neo-cons).  After ten minutes it became obvious that others from campaign for liberty were there as well and our message of tranparency was getting out. I obtained some 150 signatures for S 604 and discussed states rights as well.  I made several contacts and in a 2 hour period we got the word out about C4L and Ron Paul.  Overall a productive day.

I'm looking for a list of potential alliance partners... please contribute ideas. Posted by Todd A Carter

Posted 08/16/09

The Campaign for Liberty (C4L) has the unique position of being a general purpose political organization. We are centered around the CORE beliefs of the United States of America; these being Individual Liberty, Constitutional Government, Sound Money, Free Markets and a Non-Interventionist Foreign Policy. There are many groups that focus on a single topic... Pro-Life, End-the-Fed, Healthcare Reform (more free market in Healthcare), etc. These individual topics are very important and can be derived from our CORE beliefs. We can expand our reach and increase our ability to communicate with more people by creating communication channels to other organizations.

In this post, I'm asking for you to list any organization that you believe we can work with. Please provide: 1) Organization Name, 2) Contact Person, 3) Contact Phone number, 4) Website. At a minimum, Organization Name.

Thanks.

Todd

John Dingell Romulus Townhall Posted by kungfucraig

Posted 08/08/09

I showed up to the event about 20 mintues early and there was a line forming outside. I was probably about 20 or 30 people or so back. We were informed that the building was full and we were not going to be allowed in. I started talking to the folks around me, most of whom opposed HR3200 (aka the Healthcare Bill). From there we got onto other topics like the corrupt system of central banking that we are saddled with and which is well on its way to enslaving us.

Turns out there was a big anti-Fed guy standing right next to me. I hope I convinced him to sign up for the Campaign for Liberty. In any case he did sign up for my newsletter. I got 3 or 4 new subscribers actually.

We talked and time passed and then I looked back and there must have been at least 250 people behind me in line. Probably more. People with signs and flags and other paraphenalia. The anti-HR3200 people probably outnumbered the pro-HR3200 people by 10 to 1. Also remember there were already at least 250 people in the buliding at this time.

And there were flags and placards and signs. There was a picture of Barack Obama with a Hilter mustache that said “I’ve Changed.” Of course the gadsen flag was on proud display. The anti-abortion crowd was out to as HR3200 would provide government funding for abortions, which really is just abhorent. Of course there were some pro-Obama signs, but so very few in comparison.

After a while folks started to get tired and began leaving, but then the Dingell staffers came out and said he would have a second meeting with those who were still waiting outside.

By this time I had been standing around for a while and the conversation around me was petering out, so I went and got my HR1207 (Audit the Fed) petitions and started getting signatures. So very few people refused to sign and I only got about 1/6 or so down the line before the second meeting started. Still I got 60 signatures or thereabouts. If there had been 3 or 4 more of me I could have had over 200 signatures easy. Auditing the Fed is such a braindead obvious thing to do.

One guy was just abosoutely hell bent on thrwarting me though. For instance he says, “you don’t trust the government so how could you trust the Congress to Audit the Fed?” You just can’t argue with these people. What are you supposed to say, “yeah well, I’d rather we break the US into 50 independent republics?” How well is that going to go over? I cajoled him and he agree to sign the petition. But he just wrote Xs where his signature and address were supposed to be. Uggg.

I saw another girl standing in line with a “Healthcare is Right” badge on, but still of course asked her, “would you like to sign my audit the Fed petition?” She shook her head. She seemed very lonely, standing there all by herself, unhappy, no friends, so trusting of our Imperial Federal Government. I kept moving. Most of those around her were talking about how corrupt and useless Washington is.

So after all of that I never went into the meeting, but from what I heard it was a typical political dog and pony show. Dingell puts all of his apologists and supporters in the front rows with signs, asks people to write down their questions, cherry picks the questions he’s going to answer and then proceeds to answer. I did hear some chanting from outside and apparently there were some disturbances inside, and some ranting by his constiuents, which I full well support.

I’m sick of the political class regardless of political party. They are abjectly corrupt and inept and they all need to be thrown out. Thursday evening was just another reminder of that.

This was originally posed at http://craigwwright.wordpress.com/2009/08/07/john-dingell-romulus-townhall/.

Ron Paul In East Grand Rapids Posted by Justin DeWind

Posted 07/29/09 Last updated 07/29/09

Ron Paul attended a small meet and greet hosted by the Kent County GOP on July 24th. Jordan Bush and Eric Larson both did a great job organizing the event. The event was small enough that it was extremely easy to meet and talk with Congressman Paul and hear his thoughts on the issues. It was also an opportunity to show the Kent County GOP that young people do care about liberty and that the Republican rebuilding process has to be around young liberty minded activists.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/dewindj/RonPaulGrandRapids2009

Video:

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=26FD0D20072A098A

Puppet Congressman Explains Cash For Clunkers Posted by erichilliard

Posted 07/27/09

Every politician has a puppet inside just dying to jump out and spill the beans. Listen as the Puppet Congressman Mark Schauer explains how the cash for clunkers program screws over the majority of American Taxpayers.

Citizens meet Sheriff "Serve and Protect" Posted by David Lonier

Posted 07/27/09

July 23, 2009  

Report from the

Oakland County Michigan

Citizens/Sheriff Coalition Committee 

Attneding the meeting, representing the Citizens of Oakland County were:

Dennis Marburger, Anna Janek and Dave Lonier 

We proceeded to explain the project to place the materials package in the hands of every Sheriff in every county in the Country.  To date Michigan has either hand-delivered or mailed the package to every Sheriff in the State.  Nationwide, 6 other States have also completed this vital mission. For details see:  "No Sheriff Left Behind" at: http://sheriffmack.com/  

Having read the letter requesting the meeting, Sheriff Bouchard let us know that he had read Sheriff Mack's book and had seen the DVD, and was well aware of the role, powers and responsibility of the Sheriff.  

Nonetheless, we diligently presented the material item by item, noting the Newsletter from the Police and Military Assn., which he hadn't seen, and the Pocket Constitution, personally hand signed by Ron Paul and Judge Andrew Napolitano.  

The Sheriff let us know that he "almost" always carries his pocket Constitution with him, and graciously accepted our copy along with the other items.  

We next voiced our concern that the rights of Americans everywhere are being increasingly eroded, and of the vital role the Sheriff plays in safeguarding those rights in his county.    We then read a quote by Supreme Court Chief Justice William O. Douglas:        

"The privacy and dignity of our citizens [are] being whittled away by sometimes imperceptible steps.  Taken individually, each step may be of little consequence.  But when viewed as a whole, there begins to emerge a society quite unlike any we have seen - a society in which government may intrude into the secret regions of a [person's] life.    

He replied that he couldn't agree more.  He informed us that he personally worked at ground zero NYC, and the Katrina aftermath and witnessed firsthand federal disaster relief.  He expressed the need for County law enforcement to take charge if and when Federal agencies are called into the county, citing a law being considered in California making it clear that County Sheriffs have total command of any and all federal incursions into their counties. Opposed to the seat belt law on constitutional grounds and a strong Second Amendment advocate, he assured us that there would be no gun confiscation in Oakland County in times of emergency.  He also noted his exercising the Sheriff's prerogative whenever State Police operate within the County.   

As evidence of his personal commitment to the Citizens of his county, one of his first orders of business upon assuming office was to change the building sign from "Oakland County Sheriff Department" to "Oakland County Office of the Sheriff".  

Sheriff Bouchard also informed us that he is President of the "Major Counties Sheriffs' Association, made up of all Counties having a population of over 500,000.  For details see:  http://www.mcsheriffs.com/  

He let us know that he is willing to speak with groups such as a statewide meeting of C4L, (inviting other sheriffs to join him) SOAR or NORC, which would further our opportunity to question our Sheriffs on their commitment to protect and serve. He further expressed a willingness to invite us to attend and have speakers at meetings of the Michigan County Sheriffs.  Dennis questioned him on media opportunities such as recommending him to Judge Napolitano's radio show for a live interview to which he was agreeable.  

His unsolicited statement that, as the county's only duly elected peace officer, his duty is first and foremost to serve and protect the citizens who elected him (words to that effect), was well received.  

By this initiative we have started what must become a continuing Citizen-generated effort to strengthen the bond between ourselves and our duly "elected" Sheriff.

On behalf of all the Citizens of Oakland County, we need to thank Diane Szostak and Candy Wingard for realizing the importance of this project and bringing it to fruition in our State.     

For Liberty,

The Oakland County Citizens/Sheriff Coalition Committee

Dave Lonier, Chairman  

Livingston County Organizational Meeting Posted by Gregory Brown

Posted 07/27/09 Last updated 07/26/09

On July 25, 2009, Livingston County members of Campaign For Liberty met to organize coordinated activities in the county. The meeting served as the first time most had met each other in person. It also provided an opportunity to attendees to meet like-minded people, network, discuss the issues of the day and begin planning recruitment, educational, and other activities in the county.

The meeting was a success. The attendees were enthusiastic and eager to take the message of liberty to the people of Livingston County. A number of good ideas were generated and a few were chosen to research and follow up on.

The meeting was held at Dave and Angie Canny's house, so they get thanks for the use of their place. I particularly liked the fact that everyone brought some food to share.

The next meeting was scheduled for the following weekend, as everyone wanted to get on the ball and reach out to people.

The only ones disappointed were the kids as the weather kept them from swimming. Hopefully for them, the weather will cooperate more next time.

My rep opposes HB 4601. Does yours? Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 07/24/09

(MI) HB 4601, introduced by Rep. Richard LeBlanc (D) on March 17, 2009, to allow local governments to require the fingerprinting of business license applicants, or licensees in "certain occupations" (which is not defined in the bill, but probably includes street vendors), for the purpose of obtaining criminal history record information.

I don't think I need to explain to this audience why this bill is repulsive.  I weighed in with my state rep, and her response, for the record:

Hey there Obama (Drink the Kool Aid) Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 07/20/09 Last updated 07/20/09

This is great, check it out. 

Obama Welcomed by Audit-the-Fed activists (Live vs. TV) Posted by scotaboman

Posted 07/19/09

Warren, MI - At 1:00 PM on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 supporters of a more transparent Federal Reserve system picketed outside Macomb Community College in Warren, to express their support of HR 1207 and S 604: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009.  The rally was scheduled to coincide with President Barack Obama's visit to the campus. The event occurs in the wake of pleas be the Obama administration to greatly increase the power of the Federal Reserve, giving it stronger oversight of the largest financial firms.

According to one of the organizers, Scotty Boman, "The political embarrassment of opposing transparency would be too much if the general public were made more aware of the facts. The leadership of both houses of Congress has resorted to procedural tactics to block a vote on the issue. None of these people have been able to present an argument against auditing the Fed, that would make sense to the average voter."

Another organizer, Dan Tollis commented, "Congress passes sweeping multi-billion dollar legislation without even reading it, and auto workers lose their jobs. Now the President is talking about giving the Fed new powers, without being subject to an audit. This all ties together. We need transparency at all levels; our leaders need to know what they're doing, and so do we."

Texas Congressman, Ron Paul was the author of HR 1207: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. The act is "to amend title 31, United States Code, to reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United States and the manner in which such audits are reported, and for other purposes." Congressman Paul has introduced legislation that relates to the Federal Reserve before, but this time he is gaining support from his colleagues; the Act currently has 260 cosponsors (60% of the House of Representatives).

Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Senate version of the bill (S 604) in March. Eight other Senators have signed onto the bill. Organizers expect this momentum to continue.

Note:

The Free Press gave the only real coverage:

http://www.freep.com/article/20090714/NEWS15/90714036/

Protesters to gather at Obama event
BY KATHLEEN GRAY

• FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER July 14, 2009

It might be an invitation-only crowd, but there will be plenty of protesters and supporters gathering at Macomb Community College today when President Barack Obama arrives to give a speech on higher education.

There will be people protesting the impact of the economic stimulus package, the Federal Reserve system and the fact that Obama is giving a speech rather than holding a town hall meeting. Others will call on Obama to stop foreclosures and evictions.

Macomb County Republicans, a group supporting U.S. Rep. Ron Pauls legislation on the Federal Reserve and Repower Michigan, which supports climate change legislation, will rally outside the Warren campus during the presidents visit.

 

MUST WATCH: The Fed Under Fire Posted by Scott D

Posted 07/14/09 Last updated 07/11/09

The Federal Reserve is one of the most powerful and secretive institutions in Washington, long considered beyond the reach of lawmakers. But now, as details emerge of how the Fed secretly doled out more than a trillion dollars during the financial crisis, a rare bipartisan movement in Congress demands that the Fed be held accountable.

My Congressman's change of tone regarding HR 1207 Posted by hlkman

Posted 07/07/09

Something's caused Dave Camp (MI-4) to change his tone regarding the Fed.  Maybe he's learned that the central bank is destroying our currency, but chances are (based on his voting record and currently sponsored and cosponsored legislation) he's only going with the group.  Either way, I'm thankful he's now a cosponsor of HR 1207.

Here's the first response to my request that he cosponsor. (Just the typical canned response.)

Then, after he finally became a cosponsor:

Dear Brian,

I would like take [sic] a moment to inform you I recently became a cosponsor of H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act, introduced by Representative Ron Paul (R-TX).

As you may know, since its creation in 1913, the Federal Reserve has had unlimited authority to buy and sell government debt, lend to failing banks and financial institutions, and make agreements with foreign central banks.  It can do all this while being exempt under the bank's charter from any public disclosure or audit.  Using these powers, the Federal Reserve has put trillions of taxpayer dollars on the line over the past year and Congress has been unable to see their books or scrutinize their actions.

The Federal Reserve Transparency Act would make all this information public and require the U.S. Comptroller General to immediately conduct a full audit of the Federal Reserve.  I believe it is as important as ever for Congress to oversee and, if necessary, rein in the actions of the Federal Reserve.  If this financial crisis  has taught us anything, it is that we need more transparency and accoutability in our financial system.

For these reasons, I have decided to cosponsor H.R. 1207 and am hopeful the House of Representatives will soon take up and pass this bill.  Again, I am glad to know your support for this important legislation and, as always, I welcome you comments on any federal matter.

              &
nbsp;             &n
bsp;             &nb
sp;             &nbs
p;  Sincerely,

              &
nbsp;             &n
bsp;             &nb
sp;             &nbs
p;  DAVE CAMP   

Grand Rapids, MI Tea Party Recap Posted by Sarah Denhof

Posted 07/07/09 Last updated 07/05/09

Since there isn't a chance we can get fair and balanced coverage in the controlled media, I like to use this weblog to assume the role of reporter and get the word out there.

July 4, 2009 was likely the most patriotic Independence day many of us have experienced. The weather was mild and slightly overcast, creating the perfect background for a revolutionary event without wondering what's going on at the beach.

We drove down Monroe avenue until we saw the TEA PARTY signs, the entrace to Riverside park flanked by two Gadsden "Don't Tread on Me" flags, situated beautifully across the street from the Veterans home and what looked like a hundred foot American flag hanging from the trees in front.

We were early and cars were already packed in. Estimated at over 1500, the crowd got situated in front of the main stage, got to know each other, and visited various booths run by (my personal favorites), the West Michigan Tea Party featuring Common Sense and a very viable opponent to Vern Ehlers in the next election for US Congress, 3rd District, Mike Van Kleeck, who had many family members spearheading the patriotic festivities. More on him later!

Because there were so many people who arrived before the Tea Party "officially" started, organizers decided to let audience members spend 60 seconds on the amusingly decorated "Soap Box" - and we heard a wide range of American sentiments that reassured me this group cannot be divided by any label or term (many voiced anger at the 'right wing extremist' nickname we are so affectionately given).

The festivities began with the Tea Party's lead organizer, Tina DuPont, a remarkable woman who stepped up to deliver a warm and eloquent welcome and a call to action. In no particular order (that I can remember, at least), a variety of speakers stepped up to the podium, to read the Declaration of Independence, to give a harrowing oration of the horrors our Founding Father's experienced while fighting for our Freedom, to denounce the hasty and dangerous Cap & Trade, and to encourage us to log on to groups like icaucus.org to get involved. The Van Kleeck family is quite musical, and entertained us with beautiful vocal and instrumental renditions of patriotic melodies. We were also treated to a professional and moving performance of "God Bless the USA" by a very talented singer whose name unfortunately eludes me and my quick Internet research skills at the moment.

They saved the best for last, in my opinion, with an introduction of Mike Van Kleeck and his campaign for US Congress in the 3rd Congressional district, who gave an intelligent and well-worded speech about what the government does and does not have the power to do. Mike did not have to speak forcefully, as the veracity of his words resonated loudly within all our hearts. A "Michigan boy" as his family calls him, he gives me great hope for a district currently weakly represented by whom many call a "Pro-life Democrat"(I mean no disrespect personally to Mr Ehlers, who DID vote against Cap & Trade... but too little, too late. Career politicians need to start looking for new work!) I am excited to participate in his campaign and get Grand Rapids on the map as a stable seat of Liberty in Michigan.

Our audience, similar to the Tax Day Tea Parties, was very lively and shouting witty responses to the speakers' shouts, raising flags and unique signs, and cheering and singing along. Even in a time of intense uncertainty, the positive energy in this park was palpable as our leaders encouraged us to stick together, Live NOT in fear, and to keep fighting the food fight. I was thrilled to see kids from the family sitting next to us who were passing out literature with recommending reading, websites, and what to do next. The little revolutionaries are the future of the movement, and based on the crowd and the leadership shown on this Independence day, we are not going anywhere but the top! Washington, look out for 9/12!

A warm thanks and blessing to all who attended, and to those who attended in spirit. I'm so Proud to be an American with you all!

Campaign For Liberty on the Front Page! Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 07/06/09 Last updated 07/06/09

The Ann Arbor News has published a front-page top story about the Campaign For Liberty! The article is imperfect as all stories are ("Libertarian" should not have been capitalized), but overall, it was a very positive interview, and any day Murray Rothbard's book appears on a front page, I'm happy.

Click here to read the full story. My favorite quotes:

Tony DeMott's smile flickered as he fielded the question about who he voted for in the last presidential election.

"I've never voted for anyone that's won," said DeMott, 38. "Let's put it that way."

DeMott said they believe in limited government and civil liberties.

"We've been given no choice," DeMott said. "There is no choice between the Democrats and the Republicans."

Reading the latter statement above, at first I thought, "well, there is some choice between the two parties." But in context of limited government and civil liberties, isn't DeMott presently correct?

Special thanks to Rhys for persisting in getting the story discovered and published!

Please write your congressmen to oppose H.R. 2749 (Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009) Posted by kclemens11390

Posted 06/30/09

Please write your State Representative to oppose bill H.R. 2749: Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.  Here is a sample letter I sent, feel free to use it when contacting your Representative.  This is an important issue that could take away your freedom to choose what types of food to put in your body.

Dear Congressmen            &n
bsp;              ,

H.R. 2749 The Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009 is a bill that is in desperate need of attention.  This bill is parading under the guise of enhancing food safety while taking away rights of local farmers, and farmer's market based communities.  Our current food system is in major need of an overhaul.  Many of the health problems plaguing the American people are a direct result of the food industry's science experiments and 'more product for less cost' mentality.  Many people have been opting for local or organic food since discovering the steps our food goes through in order to arrive on our dinner tables.  If this law passes, all food producing facilities large and small will be required to be registered with the government, pay registration fees, and  be subjected to government policy on how our food should be produced.  Namely forcing GMO crops, animal growth hormones, and application of petrochemical fertilizers and pesticides on any producer of food.  Americans deserve the freedom to choose what they would like to put into their bodies, whether they would like organic or pesticide covered, GMO crops.  The passage of H.R. 2749 would take away any freedom to choose what we can and cannot eat.  Food safety needs to come through the re-examination of our processing centers, and regulation of large and powerful food companies like Monsanto, not by simply imposing more legislation on an already failing system. 

I urge to read bill H.R. 2749 and oppose this piece of legislation, as it takes away basic freedoms.

Thank you for your time and consideration,
Sincerely,

 Your name here    

Michigan Patriot Sean House on Patriot Pastors Radio Tonight Posted by Caleb Kinley

Posted 06/15/09 Last updated 06/04/09

Hello C4L Liberty Lover's!

June 4, 2009

Tonight on Patriot Pastor's Radio: "Michigan Patriot and C4L County Coordinator Sean House"- 10:00pm Central, 11:00pm Eastern

Disclaimer: Not all views mentioned by the host or guest on Patriot Pastors Radio are views held by Campaign for Liberty or Patriot Pastors Radio.

Sean House served in the Army in Desert Storm and left the Army decorated with seven medals, including the Army Commendation for Heroism for rescuing a helicopter pilot from a crash he witnessed. Sean is a 15-year veteran emcee and disc jockey of his own business, Magic Moments. Sean has been involved with local politics and has been a strong voice for conservatives for over 20 years. He is passionate about the right to life movement, and constantly advocates for a return to sensible government. He is currently the Coordinator for the Most Populous County in Michigan and a close advisor of the Michigan State Coordinator for the conservative-based grassroots organization, The Campaign for Liberty. The following video is Sean House giving an excellent speech at the North Oakland Republican Club.

Instructions 

To listen online, go to Patriot Pastor's Radio and click on the "Click to Listen" icon at showtime. The "click to listen" icon will not show until showtime. To listen in by phone, the call in number is 1-646-929-0529 (call is free if you have free long distance). For those who will listen on their computers, you must have Windows Media Player for PC's or Quicktime for MAC users to listen online.

If you cannot make it to the live show, every show is recorded and archived for your convenience. To listen to archived shows, please click here.

Liberty Minded People Running for Office who need YOUR support

RJ Harris (OK)

Mike Vasovski (SC)

Adam Kokesh (NM)

Paul Lambert (AL)

Rand Paul (KY)

C4L ACTION ALERT!

The top priority for C4L is Congressman Paul's HR 1207, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act.  If you have not yet signed the C4L online petition, please do so now here.  If you're logged into C4L you should see your name at the bottom of the petition page.  Once you submit your signature, it will automatically go your your representative.  But don't stop there.  Make sure you also call your Congressman and tell them that HR 1207 has 185 co-sponsors, you want to know where your money is going, and that you would appreciate it if they co-sponsored HR 1207 to prove their belief in transparency of the use of tax payer dollars.

Long Live Liberty!
Thanks and God Bless,
PPR

Whistleblower protection bill in MI legislature Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 06/10/09

From Jack Hoogendyk:

 

When it comes to dealing with agencies of state government, over-regulation, delays and permit denials are a way of life. State agencies are not user-friendly. There especially seems to be an agenda to stifle property development and economic growth in the name of environmental protection.

Why has it been so difficult to make improvements to how the regulators do business? One key reason is that the regulatory agencies engage in retribution and retaliation. Affected property owners are afraid to call their legislators and complain. They fear further delays and denials if they do so.

State Representative Ken Horn, from Frankenmuth has introduced bi-partisan legislation to put a stop to such practices. His bill, HB 5045, has 57 sponsors! (It takes 56 votes to pass a bill out of the House.)
"The Citizen Whistleblower Act" will protect a citizen's right to freely communicate with his/her state lawmaker regarding problems with state agencies, prohibit retaliation by those agencies, and provide remedies should such actions take place.

You can read the plain language of this short, two-page bill here. Go the Ken's web site and learn more about what he is doing in Lansing by clicking here. You can also send him a note of thanks.

The bill has been sent to the Committee on Great Lakes and the Environment. Rep. Rebekah Warren is the Chair of that committee. She did not sign on as an initial sponsor, but that doesn't mean she is unwilling to take up the bill in her committee. Either way, she could certainly use some encouragement. Send a note to Representative Warren by clicking here. Respectfully ask her to take up bill 5045 so that your rights as a property owner will be protected.

House Bill 5045, if enacted, will help greatly in providing protections to property owners and in holding regulatory agencies of government accountable. This will, in turn begin to make Michigan a more desirable place to live and invest, and that means jobs!

 

A Warm Welcome on Memorial Day Posted by Sean House

Posted 05/28/09 Last updated 05/29/09

Memorial Day began at 7:00 am.  Just seven hardcore volunteers meet for eggs, bacon, waffles, and at least 2 pots of coffee.  We began at the legendary Mayberry's in Farmington Hills.  

Seven of our best volunteered to walk the parade route and distibute lit.  Thank you to William Skellenger, Jim Hardin, Anna Janek, Jennifer Porubsky, Jason Mrozek and Erin Mrozek, Jim, and a valuable few others. 

Pics from the parade here: http://picasaweb.google.com/seanmhouse/C4LParade52509OaklandCountyMI

We they returned we lined up over 30 members and friends, got behind Dave & Glenna's 1953 Ford Pickup and was followed by Mark & Rick Van Camp pulling Dianne Szostak's prize winning Liberty Float.  Candy Wingards grandaughter dressed as Lady Liberty and some other kids rode the float.

The most amazing part was the rounds of applause and the thank you's we got from the crowd.  Although we offered the crowd cards as we passed many actively sought our cards and info.

After the parade we headed to a nieghborhood park where we grilled grass fed beef, and many great organic dishes.  (OK we also dug into bags of chips and pop!)  We relaxed around conversation, some played badminton, some trampolined, but all relaxed and had fun.

As we march down this ever so important road to Liberty, please remember to stop and enjoy our friends and family and have fun!

Michigan sovereignty legislation endorsed by Libertarians Posted by scotaboman

Posted 05/27/09 Last updated 05/26/09

 
May 24, 2009 
 
Jackson , MI - A bill pending in the Michigan Legislature was the subject of a resolution that was approved at this year's Libertarian Party of Michigan Convention.  The resolution, proposed by 2008 United States Senate candidate Scotty Boman, read:
  
"We support SCR004 of 2009 and HCR0004 of 2009, which have been introduced in the Michigan legislature.  These resolutions affirm the sovereignty of Michigan, and its residents, under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, and urge the federal government to halt its practice of imposing mandates upon the states for purposes not enumerated by the Constitution of the United States."
 
Boman said, "Our platform already affirms an interpretation of the Tenth Amendment that strictly limits the powers of the federal government to those enumerated in the Constitution.  Platform resolutions, however, deal with current events and legislation.  This legislation is needed because our federal government routinely exceeds its legal authority, as defined in its own Constitution.  For instance, they arrest people who comply with their state's medical marijuana laws, though the Constitution only permits them to regulate commerce between states, not commerce within a state."
  
HCR0004 was introduced to the State House by Representative Paul Opsommer on January 22nd.  State Senator Patterson, along with Senators Richardville, Brown, Cropsey and Sanborn, submitted SCR004 to the State Senate on March 3rd. 
 
The Libertarian Party of Michigan held its annual convention on Saturday, May 23rd, in Jackson at the Commonwealth Commerce Center.
 
The Libertarian Party of Michigan is the third largest political party in the state. Last November it ran 85 candidates who garnered over 1.7 million votes, with two people elected. Libertarians promote policies that support economic growth, lower taxes, and personal freedom and responsibility.

The Congressional Water Grab Posted by JackHoogendyk

Posted 05/20/09

Michigan, through its Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is one of only two states in the Union that regulates wetlands with a state agency rather than through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This has been a problem because the state guidelines are much more strict than the federal guidelines. Additionally, the DEQ has proven to be arbitrary and capricious in its decision-making and has often caused long, unnecessary delays in approving permits.

While the concerns about over-regulation by a state agency are valid, they may be rendered "moot" by recent efforts in Congress. U.S. Senator Russ Feingold has introduced a bill, S787, which was sponsored by 23 other members (all Democrats including Levin and Stabenow.) Senate Bill S787 is entitled, "To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to clarify the jurisdiction of the United States over waters of the United States." Notice they start the description with the words "pollution control." That makes it sound caring and good, doesn't it?

All surface waters will come under Congressional Control

The fact is, this legislation will put ALL surface waters in the United States of America under Congressional jurisdiction. The bill language, which can be read here, has a couple of key phrases in it. The first changes the definition of what is under Congressional jurisdiction. Ever since the Commerce Clause of the Constitution and several test cases in the Supreme Court, Congress has had jurisdiction over navigable waters. The meaning of that word has been argued, but according to precedent and legal definition, navigable includes anything you can get a canoe down, or anything that is connected by water to the same.

...mudflats, wet meadows, prairie potholes...

No matter because under S787, the word navigable is stricken, which means now ALL surface water is under Congressional jurisdiction. Additionally, in case there was any question of state's rights, the bill also states that this applies to interstate and intrastate waters. That means there is no state sovereignty over waters within that state's boundaries. And, if you have any doubt as to what the congressional definition of "waters" is, they spell that out, too. It includes, "all waters subject to the ebb and flow of the tide, the territorial seas, and all interstate and intrastate waters and their tributaries, including lakes, rivers, streams (including intermittent streams), mudflats, sandflats, wetlands, sloughs, prairie potholes, wet meadows, playa lakes, natural ponds, and all impoundments of the foregoing, to the fullest extent that these waters, or activities affecting these waters, are subject to the legislative power of Congress under the Constitution."

...interstate and intrastate...

The bottom line is this: Congress is taking over all the water. If the Obama administration and Congress are anything like this state's governor and her administration, you will see free trade and commerce come to a virtual stand still. Manufacturing especially will come to a screeching halt. Water is an essential resource in the manufacture of virtually any consumable or durable good. Without ready access, manufacturers will be stifled in their attempts to create new products for market and the jobs that go with them.

RightMichigan.com has a blogging challenge Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 05/19/09

From RightMichigan,

http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2009/5/19/12233/6233

How would YOU (yes, YOU) like to win a free, all-expenses-paid trip to Pittsburgh, PA for this August's Right Online bloggers conference? We're talking round-trip airfare, housing, conference fees, the works, hanging out and working with some of the biggest and brightest names in the conservative movement, courtesy of the good folks at AFP. That's a prize worth hundreds of dollars and an experience of a lifetime.

The blog has a long list of things one can do to win the contest, and it isn't clear whether one must do them all to be eligible to win:

I'm not clear about the eligibility requirements, who decides the winner, how to submit your blog, etc., so I'd contact Nick de Leeuw directly at rightmichigan@gmail.com and ask.

However, prize or not, these are useful activities to be engaging in, especially if your blog is proactive and task-oriented. This sounds like a great contest to motivate people to practice their communication skills.

Response from Mike Rogers on HR 1207 Posted by Jeremy Moore

Posted 05/16/09

Dear Mr. Moore:

            Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the Federal Reserve. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

            As you may know, H.R. 1207, the Federal Transparency Act was introduced by Representative Ron Paul on February 26, 2009. This bill would mandate a complete audit of the Federal Reserve by 2010. Currently, the agency is audited on an on-going basis.

            Please know that I share many of your concerns. I believe the last two Administrations and Congress have failed in providing proper oversight to the Federal Reserve. Our economy is facing a difficult test, lenders, borrowers, and consumers are all wary of each other. Congress can and should restore confidence to the financial markets by reforming how we regulate the financial services industry and increase transparency.

            Currently, H.R. 1207 has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. While I do not serve on this committee, rest assured I will keep your views in mind should this legislation come before me for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

            Again, thank you for your correspondence. Please keep in touch. 

The Lords and Ladies of Congress Have a Plan for Us Serfs Posted by JackHoogendyk

Posted 05/16/09 Last updated 05/16/09

Have you ever noticed that there is a tendency by the Lords and Ladies of Congress, and the President to apply certain laws and regulations on the "serfs" (the people) while exempting themselves?

President Barack Obama joined key members of Congress in a press conference Wednesday, to announce that Congress would begin the monumental task of rapidly reforming US healthcare.

Obama indicated he would leave Congress to draft the legislation, but called for it to encompass "three basic principles." "First that the rising costs of health care have to be brought down; second, that Americans have to be able to choose their own doctor and their own plan; and, third, all Americans have to have quality, affordable health care."

This sounds great, doesn't it? The President knows these goals are impossible to achieve in a plan that is run by the government, but it is such a great sound bite that nothing else matters. Unfortunately, most Americans are too concerned about their own financial well-being; they don't have time to pay attention to the details of a "Universal Health Care Plan." They don't know that everywhere else on the planet this has been tried, it has been an abysmal failure.

No matter, the mainstream media has just hammered home the message that we will have a government-run, socialized, single-payer plan that will be less expensive, allow for choice of doctor and plan, and will provide quality, affordable health care. Mr. Obama has a loudspeaker of the mainstream media spreading his message, regardless whether it is truthful or accurate.

Congress is about to foist a health care plan on America that will not work and will greatly increase the cost of health care while only lowering the quality.

Here is an idea: why not tell the Lords and Ladies of Congress to try it on themselves before forcing it on the serfs?

Let's tell Congress that if they have such a great idea, they should enact a pilot program, run it for three years, and then evaluate it for cost, quality, availability, etc. And who should be the test group? Congress! Yes, let's tell Congress to try their great ideas on themselves, their staff members and all members of the executive branch of the federal government. I believe I heard there are over one million employees in the executive branch alone. That should be a large enough group to successfully test a pilot program for three years.

If it works as well as they think it will, they can roll it out for the rest of the country.

Military to use Flint suburb for training... Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 05/13/09

...taxpayers not to be compensated. 

http://www.mlive.com/burton/index.ssf/2009/05/naval_training_over_burton_is.html

Thanks Christe

Letter from Rep Joel Sheltrown on Michigan Sovereignty Reslolution Posted by WhiteOwl

Posted 05/12/09 Last updated 05/12/09

Thank you for your e-mail in support of HCR 4, HCR 9 and HR 36. HCR 4 would affirm Michigan's sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and to urge the federal government to halt its practice of imposing mandates upon the states for purposes not enumerated by the Constitution of the United States. HCR 9 and HR 36 would reaffirm the right to bear arms under the Michigan Constitution, the supremacy of the Second Amendment over the Commerce Clause, and the intent of the Michigan Legislature to not recognize or enforce unconstitutional firearm restrictions placed upon its citizens. As the primary sponsor of HR 36, I strongly support the message to the federal government includes in all three resolutions and am working to bring the resolutions to a vote in the House. I appreciate your vigilance to help protect our individual liberties.

Sincerely,

Joel Sheltrown
State Representative
103rd House District

>>> "Jim Neubacher" 5/9/2009 6:13 AM >>>
Dear Representative Joel Sheltrown

Many fellow citizens have become greatly concerned about our future and are fighting to keep our constitutional republic and our liberty. It is obvious that some the DC leadership is constantly trying to limit our liberties. I am writing is to let you know that I am supporting Michigan for Constitutional Sovereignty on a Ning social site ... http://www.statesstandmichigan.ning.com I have a petition link posted that has 160 signatures in the first month that calls for strong State Sovereignty affirmation. We believe that this issue transcends party lines and want all of our legislators to the support 10th amendment sovereignty affirmation. It is a first step towards returning governance back to "we the people".
Like minded citizens are encouraging our legislators to put laws in the books to help prevent further encroachment of our state rights and our constitutional liberties. I, and many others, support resolutions such as the HR 9 the right to bear arms resolution, and we thank you for sponsoring this initiative. We will be working to try and get more attention to these issues and as citizens become educated and aware of the stakes, we will have much more support for these issues in the near future. You are probably aware that more than 30 states have either passed or are considering passing 10th amendment sovereignty resolutions. It is time for the states to stand up to DC and say "No" to abusive Federalism.
We cannot afford to allow DC to continue to attempt to limit our liberty. When can we expect some activity on this legislation? We need strong leadership and we are counting on you, Representative Joel Sheltrown, to step up and lead! Thank you for your service. I will be making several trips to Lansing in the next few weeks to find out what more I can do to garner support for this important cause.

Best Regards,

Mark Schauer (D-MI) Agrees To Support HR 1207 Posted by erichilliard

Posted 05/10/09

After attending a Mark Schauer event hosted by Spring Arbor University today, I was able to press Mark Schauer (Democratic Congressman from Michigans 7th District) for an answer concerning him signing onto HR 1207.  Congressman Schauer stated that while he has not become an official cosponsor as of yet, he will be tossing his hat into the ring shortly as soon as he finalizes some things with his staff.  He also added that we as tax payers have a right to know what is happening with "our money."  While I am far from agreeing with Congressman Schauer on many things, a good deed cannot go unnoticed or unrewarded... Congressman Schauer -  Good Job!

Correspondence with my State Rep Robert B Jones Posted by Jumperno64

Posted 05/07/09

Honorable Robert B. Jones,

I urge you to co-sponsor HCR 004 and vote yes. Do you sometimes think that the federal government has too much control over state affairs in Michigan? You are not alone. The constitution states very clearly that the federal government should be serving the states and not dictating our liberties and decisions. The federal government has been infringing on our state rights for too long. HCR 004 reasserts the Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. When you took oath of office you swore to uphold the Constitution just as I did when I joined the military. The founders were very prudent when they drafted the Constitution. They knew of the dangers of a central government. I live in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I should be able to depend on my leaders in Kalamazoo to support the democratic consensus and not the lawmakers in Washington. They are too removed from my way of life to decide where state funds (labeled as federal) should be spent.

          The latest controversies over bailout funds and the medical marijuana scandal in California are great examples of why the Tenth Amendment should be adhered too. You have a state that votes to allow medical marijuana for its sick people and allows for the growth and sale of marijuana. The federal government then steps in and infringes on state rights by raiding marijuana growth facilities and denying state rights in court. It is plain as day that this is unconstitutional.

          Passing or even debating this legislation (HCR 004) is a large step in the right direction for the Republic of the United States and the State of Michigan. We are long overdue for a return to what made this country great in the first place, individual and state liberties. I look forward to your co-sponsorship and support of this resolution.

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

Thank you for your thoughtful e-mail concerning House Concurrent Resolution 0004 (2009). I appreciate your comments on this matter and agree that this legislation is important and should be given careful consideration by all serious-minded legislators.

The time is NOW to connect with your local Michigan Township Officials Posted by mullj

Posted 05/07/09

Greetings all,

I write to you with a heavy heart, knowing that many of my peers will be facing the difficult task of restructuring budgets in the IMMEDIATE future.

The state of Michigan passed Executive Order 2009-22 earlier this week authorizing a 4.8% cut to its revenue sharing to local municipalities.

Although we certainly do not want to be dependent on any form of government, we may use this historic event as an opportunity--TO OPEN PEOPLE'S EYES TO THE TRUTH. 

This cut to our local revenue sharing IS A VERY BIG DEAL!

I cannot speak for the rest of the state, but in my tiny township of Bridgewater, our revenue sharing makes up almost 25% of our budget.  This 4.8% cut alone would DROWN us if we were not aptly prepared with a stable contingency and fund balance; in fact, we may be able to survive long after many of our peers because of this fact.

What I am suggesting to you is this:  We need to tap into the energy that is quickly being created by this announcement of fund-cutting; there is a strange sort of momentum that gets behind and around the local officials' circles when something like this happens to affect ALL OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME! 

Go to your township board meetings, and start with a whisper--let them know that you are aware of what is happening with the state revenue cut, and that you want to help in WHATEVER WAY YOU CAN.  Offer to paint a wall in the townhall for no charge, to serve on a committee without compensation, or help file paperwork after school...

BE AVAILABLE.  When times get tougher, we all seek the voice of Truth.

Jolea Mull, Bridgewater Township Supervisor

Swine Flu Smoking Gun? CDC was Combining Flu Viruses in 2004 Posted by Fu Manchu

Posted 04/30/09

Last week, when what is now called a "swine flu" was first reported to be infecting and killing some people in Mexico, health officials noted it was a strain of flu never before seen. In fact, it is technically incorrect to call this simply a "swine" flu. Analyses showed it's a mixture of swine, human and avian viruses, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Moreover, it is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. Bottom line: the new flu virus contains DNA from avian, swine viruses (including elements from European and Asian viruses) and human viruses.

So did this curious mixture just develop naturally, out of the blue? Is it the result of inhumane farming practices, as the Humane Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org/) has suggested, that exposes immune-compromised pigs to all sorts of animal and human feces?

Well, maybe. But let's go back and look at the facts to see if any other scenario could be possible.

First of all, there's the troublesome detail that the virus has elements that come from multiple continents. Then there's the fact that true swine flu is only rarely transmissible to humans -- this flu is spreading human-to-human, most likely because it contains DNA from human flu.

Could someone have deliberately mixed these viruses together? Is that possible? Absolutely.

Was this virus mixing being done artificially in the lab, or had it already been done? Yes.

Who was blending potentially viruses in labs? Were those horrible generic boogie men known to Americans far and wide as "terrorists" doing it? There's no proof of bioterrorism at work here yet. However, there is evidence the United States government has been working on concocting new flu virus blends.

So could the hysteria-provoking, new swine flu have escaped from a lab? Or was it deliberately released as some kind of test? When these kinds of questions are asked, the knee-jerk reaction of the mainstream media (MSM) is to giggle and talk about "conspiracy theories" and to joke about wearing tinfoil hats.

But here's the potential smoking gun, the facts that suggest a potential source of the pandemic could be CDC labs. And at the very least, this possibility deserves thoughtful examination and research.

The University of Minnesota Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) is hardly a place most Americans have heard about and, apparently, the Center's web site has news the MSM isn't familiar with, either. But information they published years ago has now taken on an urgent importance. CIDRAP, along with the Canadian newspaper Canadian Press (CP), revealed back in 2004 that the CDC was launching experiments designed to mix the H5N1 (avian) virus and human flu viruses. The goal was to find out how likely it was such a "reassortant" virus would emerge and just how dangerous it might be. Of course, it's logical to wonder if they also worked with the addition of a swine flu virus, too.

Here's some background from the five-year-old report by the University of Minnesota research center: "One of the worst fears of infectious disease experts is that the H5N1 avian influenza virus now circulating in parts of Asia will combine with a human-adapted flu virus to create a deadly new flu virus that could spread around the world. That could happen, scientists predict, if someone who is already infected with an ordinary flu virus contracts the avian virus at the same time. The avian virus has already caused at least 48 confirmed human illness cases in Asia, of which 35 have been fatal. The virus has shown little ability to spread from person to person, but the fear is that a hybrid could combine the killing power of the avian virus with the transmissibility of human flu viruses. Now, rather than waiting to see if nature spawns such a hybrid, US scientists are planning to try to breed one themselves -- in the name of preparedness."

And CDC officials actually confirmed the government had plans for the research. The CIDRAP News folks did a great job covering this important issue, which was apparently mostly ignored by the MSM back in 2004, and CIDRAP News wrote to the CDC for information. This e-mail produced an answer from CDC spokesman David Daigle who admitted the CDC was working on the project in two ways. "One is to infect cells in a laboratory tissue culture with H5N1 and human flu viruses at the same time and then watch to see if they mix. For the human virus, investigators will use A (H3N2), the strain that has caused most human flu cases in recent years," the CIDRAP story stated. This co-infection approach was described as slow and labor-intensive. However, it was a way to produce a new virus that appeared to be closer to what develops in nature.

There was another, faster way CDC scientists could create the mix, too. Called reverse genetics, it involves piecing together a new virus with genes from the H5N1 and H3N2 viruses. Reverse genetics had already been used successfully to create H5N1 candidate vaccines in several laboratories, the CDC's Daigle wrote. "Any viable viruses that emerge from these processes will be seeded into animals that are considered good models for testing how flu viruses behave in humans... The aim will be to observe whether the animals get sick and whether infected animals can infect others," he revealed in his e-mail.

What's more, the CP reported the CDC had already made hybrid viruses with H5N1 samples isolated from patients in Hong Kong in 1997, when there was the first outbreak of that virus, dubbed the "Hong Kong flu". It is not clear if the results of that research were ever published. Back in 2004, Dr. Nancy Cox, then head of the CDC's influenza branch, would tell the CP only: "Some gene combinations could be produced and others could not."

The CP's report noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) had been "pleading" for laboratories to do this blending-of-viruses research. The reason? If successful, these flu mixes would back up WHO's warnings about the possibility of a flu pandemic. In fact, Klaus Stohr, head of the WHO's global flu program at the time, told the CP that if the experiments were successful in producing highly transmissible and pathogenic viruses, the agency would be even more worried -- but if labs couldn't create these mixed flu viruses, then the agency might have to ratchet down its level of concern.

The 2004 CIDRAP News report addressed the obvious risks of manufacturing viruses in labs that, if released, could potentially spark a pandemic. However, the CDC's Daigle assured the Minnesota research group the virus melding would be done in a biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) laboratory. "We recognize that there is concern by some over this type of work. This concern may be heightened by reports of recent lab exposures in other lab facilities," he told CIDRAP. "But CDC has an incredible record in lab safety and is taking very strict precautions."

Five years later, we must ask more questions. Were those safety measures enough? Was the CDC creating or testing any of these virus mixes in or near Mexico? What other potentially deadly virus combinations has the US government created? Don't US citizens, as taxpayers who funded these experiments, have a right to know? And for all the residents of planet earth faced with a potentially deadly global epidemic, isn't it time for the truth?

For more information:
"New flu is a genetic mix", http://www.reuters.com/article/dome...

"CDC to mix avian, flu viruses", http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/co...

"CDC to conduct avian flu pandemic experiements", http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...

http://www.naturalnews.com/026159.html

Justin Amash speaks at Grand Rapids Tea Party Posted by Justin DeWind

Posted 04/29/09

Justin Amash is a local state representative for district 72 in Michigan. He is a liberty minded representative and we could use more like him. Below is a youtube video of the speech he gave at the Grand Rapids Tea Party.

Protesters call for an Audit of the Federal Reserve Posted by scotaboman

Posted 04/29/09 Last updated 05/21/09

By Scotty Boman

April, 25th 2009

Detroit - At 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 25, 2009 nearly 200 people picketed outside the Federal Reserve Building on E. Warren Avenue, to express their support of HR 1207: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009.  This gathering followed a day of literature distribution at the nearby Eastern Market.  The crowd included members of Campaign for Liberty, End the Fed Network, and the Libertarian Party.

The literature summarized the bill and called upon voters to contact their representative in Congress and ask him or her to sign on to the bill.  Petitions were also circulated with the same message.  Most of the literature was provided by the Campaign for Liberty.  Campaign for Liberty is an organization founded by Congressman (and Libertarian Party life member) Ron Paul in the wake of his unsuccessful effort to win the Republican nomination for President. 

The 1988 Libertarian presidential candidate was the author of HR 1207: Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009.  The act is "to amend title 31, United States Code, to reform the manner in which the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is audited by the Comptroller General of the United States and the manner in which such audits are reported, and for other purposes."  Congressman Paul has introduced legislation that relates to the Federal Reserve before, but this time he is gaining support from his colleagues; the Act currently has 92 cosigners.   This act differs from others, such as HR 2755, in that it simply calls for transparency, rather than the transformation of the monetary system.

Supporters are using current events to help promote the bill.  One part of the handout being distributed reads, " In addition to our $11 trillion national debt, Congress, the Treasury Department, and the Federal Reserve have put us on the hook for almost $10 trillion in bailouts and loans. Yet, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke recently flatout said, "No" to Congress when asked to name which financial institutions have received trillions of dollars in these loans from the Fed. The Federal Reserve, the unelected central bank of the U.S., refuses to fully disclose its operations and agreements to Congress, including details of its deals with foreign central banks and governments. To end this secrecy and deliver answers to the American people, Congressman Ron Paul has introduced HR 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act."

The Detroit event was one of many Audit the Federal Reserve rallies to be held in major cities throughout the United States.

Unoffical Campaign for Liberty Document Sharing Network Posted by Isaac Miller

Posted 04/29/09 Last updated 04/29/09

I just set up a CFL document sharing network on Scribd.com so we can embed documents in CFL blog posts. I noticed there was really no good way to upload and embed documents on Campaignforliberty.com, so I thought this would be an OK solution.

Scribd supports most common document formats including:

Microsoft Office: doc, docx ppt, pptx, pps xls, xlsx

PDF: pdf, ps

Open Office: odt, odp, sxw, sxi, etc.

Text: txt, rtf

How to join the CFL Group and upload a document:

1. First go to http://www.scribd.com/group/74508-campaign-for-liberty

2. Click the "Add docs to this group" link on the left hand menu.

3. Make an account with your username, password, and email address.

4. Upload your document!

Once your document is uploaded you can embed the document directly into your CFL blog post:

1. To do this simply click the "embed" link over your document page and copy the embed code. 

2. Paste the embed code in to a text edit program and find the "embed src="http://d.scribd.com/ScribdViewer.swf?document_id=YOUR DOCUMENT ID HERE&page=1&version=1&viewMode="" line and copy everything between the quotation marks.

2.Create a new entry in your CFL blog.  Click the "embed media" button (the one that looks like a video button). 

3.Paste the code in to the "File/URL" field and make width "100%" and height "500" and click "insert" (You can make it any size you choose, this is just a nice looking size.)

4. You're done!

A space holder box will show up in place of your document until you publish your blog post.

Here's a sample of how it will look:

The Republicans are listening.... Posted by Sean House

Posted 04/27/09 Last updated 04/25/09

...and most of them are liking what they are hearing from the Campaign For Liberty.

On April 23, 2009 I spoke to the largest Republican Club in Michigan, the North Oakland Republican Club (NORC).  After losing the election and yearning for members, the NORC opened its microphone to 6 Conservative groups.  But only the Campaign for Liberty's Sean House, and Michigan Taxpayer Alliance's Leon Drolet had much interest from the crowd.  Other attendees included, Americans for Prosperity, Right To Life, Gun Owner's of America, Taxpayers Unite, the Family Rights Coalition.

Please take a moment to watch the video and pass it on.  Not only to C4L Members, but also any rank and file GOP member.  Let them know we are here, and we are one of the fastest growing organizations in America!!

Sean House

We Need YOU to Get Rep. Schauer on board with Auditing the Fed!!! Posted by Deanne Hunt

Posted 04/24/09

We need BODIES, as many as possible, to visit Schauer's office as a group on Tuesday, April 28. At this writing, 88 other House reps have signed on to cosponsor Ron Paul's bill to Audit the Fed. The action on the bill is EXPLODING (33 sponsors gained just this week), and the time to get Schauer on board is now. We really need him since he's a Democrat. It's believed that once we get over 100 co-sponsors, we'll get the bill out of committee, to the floor, and to a favorable vote. With 1/5 of the House sponsoring this bill, the Senate bill will get traction. We ARE going to audit the Fed, and then we're going to End the Fed!

When visiting Schauer's office, we're going to deliver signed petitions...Can you obtain signatures in your area? Don't worry if you don't have many. Congressman generally assume that one signed petition from their district means there are another 100-150 like-minded voters in their district. They win an election by a small margin, and they start worrying about losing the next election by that margin should they anger a well-organized and active group.

PLEASE RESPOND to me if you can obtain signed petitions or if you can meetup with others to go visit Schauer on Tuesday April 28.

Nobailatol - The Wonder Drug To Fix Blunders Posted by erichilliard

Posted 04/21/09

PLEASE RATE IT AT 5-STARS and share it with as many people as you are inclined to. The number of views/ratings will go into the decision as to who makes it into the finals, so every view counts. If you'd like, post it on your blog, facebook, myspace, or any other place you can think of to gain exposure for the video. Comments are also appreciated as getting it "discussed" will move it up the ladder on Youtube.

Thanks for taking the time to check it out, and for continuing to support Tara and I in our adventures.

Kalamazoo Tea Party Posted by Unkept

Posted 04/16/09 Last updated 04/16/09

While most of my friends in Liberty here at the CFL attended the Lansing protest... Fellow Local Coordinator Mason Moore and myself attended the Kalamazoo Tea Party. Here are some shots I took at the protest and I will also include a slideshow at the end. Mason is the guy in the suit by the way.

I am the ugly one on the right in the last picture!

The protest went fairly well. We handed out HR 1207 flyers and had some good converstations with fellow Patriots. Our focus was definantly on the Federal Reserve. Unfortunantly some neo-conservatives were allowed to speak at the event, but hopefully most saw the important message of the rally and wish to return to the Constitution.

-Joe McCullough

Here is the slideshow! A couple shots were taken by the "staff" who organized the Kalamazoo Tea Party, they deserve credit for a few of these shots ;) , and thank you Lindsey for helping me with the signs! They got lots of good comments.

Congressman Mike Rogers Reply To My HR1207 Email Posted by David3

Posted 04/16/09

Dear Mr. Knight:

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding the Federal Reserve. I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.

As you may know, H.R. 1207, the Federal Transparency Act was introduced by Representative Ron Paul on February 26, 2009. This bill would mandate a complete audit of the Federal Reserve by 2010. Currently, the agency is audited on an on-going basis.

Please know that I share many of your concerns. I believe the last two Administrations and Congress have failed in providing proper oversight to the Federal Reserve. Our economy is facing a difficult test, lenders, borrowers, and consumers are all wary of each other. Congress can and should restore confidence to the financial markets by reforming how we regulate the financial services industry and increase transparency.

Currently, H.R. 1207 has been referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. While I do not serve on this committee, rest assured I will keep your views in mind should this legislation come before me for a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Again, thank you for your correspondence. Please keep in touch.

Sincerely,

Mike Rogers

Member of Congress

Michigan US Congressional District 8

Tea Party Victory in Grand Rapids Posted by Justin DeWind

Posted 04/15/09 Last updated 04/16/09

We handed out fliers to all these people (well, most of them)

I would estimate this picture accounts for 3/4 of the crowd.

We certainly didn't have as many Campaign For Liberty members as the tea party in Lansing had. However, we distributed 1500 economic freedom fliers and the equivalent of that in HR 1207 (it also included other bills) fliers. Unfortunately having that many fliers still wasn't enough and we ran out before we were able to distribute them to everyone.

Thanks to PC Oldskool we have video!

The reception we recieved was extraordinarily positive; people cheered us, asked for our fliers, and thanked us for the work we were doing. Outside of the C4L presence there were a lot of Ron Paul supporters, Libertarians, Constitutionalists, and young people. This is in a part of Michigan that is generally made up of socially conservative Republicans.

I think the event was a complete success for C4L in West Michigan and I think we will have a lot of success recruiting new C4L members out of this event. Here is a link to the pictures I took at the event.

Tea Party Victory in Lansing Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 04/15/09 Last updated 04/19/09

You could say the Campaign For Liberty had a fairly visible presence in Lansing today:

Because we were the only group (of over at least ten who organized participants) to plan our sign messages in advance, the sign breakdown was roughly 30 Audit/End the Fed signs, 20 Campaign For Liberty signs, maybe 20 "TEA--Taxed Enough Already" signs (those weren't our idea), 10 "Don't tread on me" signs and flags, maybe 5 "Who is John Galt?" signs, and 300 unique ones bearing everything else you could think of. We were easily the most visible group in the crowd of roughly 5,000.

A Republican candidate for Secretary of State was seen helping us hold up the 8' x 4' Campaign For Liberty banner in the back (which also had the beginning ofthe Declaration of Independence written in calligraphy on the reverse)

Our literature table (which I'm not sure, but I don't think was ever registered or paid for) was a non-stop scene of people signing up to join us. We had the HR1207 slim jims printed and handed out thousands.

About halfway through the event I got an urgent call from HQ--they needed me to produce the list of Congressional office phone numbers; the HR 1207 petition notices were getting faxed today. I was able to duck into the Capitol building and use the wireless network to get the numbers to them, and informing our volunteers that Congress was going to receive something like 80,000 (or is it more?) faxes today really fired everyone up! (Turns out they were notice letters for the bulk paper to be delivered later, but still it fired us up!)

Funniest sign of the day.

Cutest sign of the day.

The thumbnail above will open the full-size crowd shot. How many Audit the Fed signs can you count?

Michigan Coordinator Tony DeMott was interviewed by a local newspaper, a local radio station, a freelance journalist, and one of Glenn Beck's people.

In sum, the event was a complete success:

• We got contact information from many interested people
• We made HR 1207, the only legislation called for at this major rally, highly visible
• We made our own organization highly visible
• We had no trouble with any counterdemonstrators of any kind
• We received our share of media coverage
• We helped make the event a success for similar groups, who expressed interest in working with us again in the future

On that last point, I noticed an interesting thing. At the St. Louis Regional Conference (footage, by the way, will soon be available for sale at this website), Kirk Shelley discussed the many risks associated with coalitions, both official and ad hoc. Looking back, what we managed to do, by communicating very little with other groups in advance and just sticking to our plan to do our business and keep out of theirs, effectively was to work with these other groups essentially as a coalition yet without any of the hassle or baggage. We were able to hold a complete peaceful, energetic rally and get a lot accomplished, without the differences of opinion on issues or priorities getting in the way.

So once again, I thank everyone in Michigan's Campaign For Liberty for yet again handling a challenging situation exactly right. In a few days we'll regroup, follow up with the sign-ups we earned today, follow up with phone calls to our Representatives' district offices, work and getting SCR 4 passed in the Michigan Senate, and continue building our movement to victory!

Look at the text versus the size of my hands. Someone (Seth, Lisa, Melissa, Michael and Julia Bechtel) spent hours writing this out. It is awesome--sure to be used for many future occasions.

Setting Table for a Tea Party Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 04/12/09 Last updated 04/13/09

Throughout the month and especially April 15th, demonstrations against taxes will take place across the country. The stated purpose of these efforts is to lobby the government to reduce or eliminate taxes. The true purpose for many of these events will be to benefit the organizations putting on the events and the politicians attending them.

There are many possible scenarios. Perhaps your local Campaign For Liberty group is leading the charge and you are organizing the event yourselves. In Michigan, a group called Americans For Prosperity, an economic freedom lobby, is organizing the event and bringing (sigh) Joe the Plumber. In your state, another organization may be putting on the event, or a campus organization, or maybe a politician is planning an appearance. I'll try to cover a wide range of situations here.

A true story

It was at the very end of August 2007 that a local "peace" organization planned a rally at the University of Michigan. The students were still returning from summer vacation and getting back into school mode. Moveon.org was co-sponsoring the demonstration. By all indications it was to be a tame event where people express sadness, join an email list, and go home and do nothing.

Yet something else happened: 2 dozen people donned 2x3 Ron Paul sandwich boards with messages targeting anti-war college students. They displayed "Ron Paul 2008" in big letters, and beneath that were four bullet points: -Bring the troops Home -Restore civil liberties -Balance the Budget -Stop the World Bank and IMF Several of them carried clipboards and the rest handed out literature.

The peace group had brought speakers, but their sound system wasn't the greatest and they had a table instead of having people mingle with the crowd. Because of the sandwich boards, the Ron Paul supporters were far more visible to the audience (and importantly, to passersby) that it almost appeared as if they hosted the event.

The outcome: The Ron Paul supporters got sheets of contact information. The event set the tone for the upcoming school year. The University of Michigan ran one of the most active campus chapters in the country; airplanes flew Ron Paul 2008 banners over football games and students displayed Ron Paul signs that made it onto ESPN. They got a great deal of campus press, and when Dr. Paul came to U-M the next month, three thousand attended. (Side note: PLEEEEEASE message me if you have a hi-res photo of that event).

The lesson here is that you can get a lot accomplished at an event, even one your group isn't organizing. But you need to plan and prepare, and your whole group must understand the plan going into the event.

Step 1: State the goal and the target

Many people gauge the success of an event strictly by turnout. This is wrong--a small event may be an enormous success (an exciting legislative victory that never makes it onto the news) and a huge event may be almost meaningless (most anti-war demonstrations are).

Set a tangible goal. "This Wednesday in Lansing we're going to recruit 20 Local Coordinators and find someone to be the 5th Regional Coordinator." Great. A fascinating thing happens: from this defined goal, the obvious goal (turnout) becomes obviously not the goal. Given this goal, it is clear that our most important target is not the public, it is the attendees of the event. After all, these are people who care just like we do. They're liable to volunteer, to contribute, and to grow our organization more than the people who stay home. If you have no idea how many people to expect at your event, you may revise your goal when you get to the event, but it's easier to change a number than decide the goal at the event itself.

What about the goal of stopping the next tax increase? That might happen in the future, but it's not going to happen as a direct result of the event. If two thousand people come to the Lansing protest, that still probably won't convince the legislator who sponsored the bill to withdraw it. Changing the law is therefore not the immediate goal of the demonstration. The goal is to expand our network for long-term change.

What about the goal of turnout? Even if the event is led by your local Campaign For Liberty, turnout is secondary to expanding our network. The value of turnout is by how much it expands our network.

It is also important to define your political target. Don't just blame "the government." Decide in advance whether you want to make the target the US Congress or your state legislature. The more focus, the better. You don't necessarily need to have the same target as every other group organizing the event, but within your group, have one target.

Step 2: Choose the message

It's always a pleasure to read the various hand-made signs at a protest. But the pleasure is misleading; it's actually better to have only a few designs with the fewest "unique" signs. There are several reasons:

• The newspaper, seeking an attention-getting photograph that will sell a paper, will print the goofiest sign they shoot
• The slogan most repeated is the slogan most remembered and most likely to appear in TV and Youtube coverage
• An appearance of consistency looks better (both to participants and media spectators) than an appearance of chaos

As in the story above, big signs bearing the Campaign For Liberty name are great, both for conveying the popularity of our organization and for getting people signed up.

Use only one or two slogans for "message" signs. Those slogans should be as short as possible, they should not be mean-spirited (though they can be negative), and should contain no obscure acronyms. "Audit the Federal Reserve." "Inflation IS a tax." Avoid naming politicians, which inflames opposition. Pick a relevant topic, that is, the issue your organization is working on. In Michigan we're lobbying on civil liberties and a sovereignty resolution, neither of which relate (directly) with taxes. So we're pushing for HR 1207, currently co-sponsored by only one of Michigan's fifteen Congressmen.

Step 3: Prepare the literature

Depending on the theme of your event, you may wish to print out materials on our website, or have your group create something specific for the event (if you do so, please make clear that your flier was not created by the Campaign for Liberty). Slim jims are excellent.

You will also need clipboard with signup sheets. Get them printed in advance and bring plenty of them--when you find yourself drawing sloppy gridlines across a white page, you're likely to lose a sheet in the shuffle. Remind them to print clearly. If you are organizing the event or have a booth, and someone in your group has an "air card" (a USB device with an antenna that gives your laptop an Internet connection via cellular networks), have them bring their laptop for registering members on the spot. Have clipboards to get their phone numbers and email addresses so you can contact them later; and have a username field for registered members to sign in. (It's good to have a list on hand of people who have volunteered). Your group should designate one trustworthy person to keep the sign-in sheets after the event and organize a follow-up phone bank. Have plenty of clipboards with signup sheets on hand.

A great way to make a batch of signs is to use discarded cardboard or old campaign signs, paper, and wheatpaste. You can make enough wheatpaste for a dozen sandwich boards with a dollar's worth of flour and water--google a recipe--and they hold up in the rain if they're dry before you go out. Wheatpaste both sides of the cardboard to prevent warping. If you're writing your sign with a marker, take a lot of time to line everything up and trace an outline. If you run out of room on the board your sign will look terrible. Personally, I prefer to get a poster printed at a local print shop--you might get a good deal if the printer supports your cause, and it saves a lot of time if you're making more than a few signs.

Step 4: Train the Team

Now that you've made your plans and assembled the supplies, you need to make sure your team executes the plan with no problem.

Everyone should have a standard line if asked something by the media, so that there's a possibility of our message appearing in the media. It could be something as simple and honest as "We are here to express that we are going to hold Congress and the Federal Reserve accountable for undermining our economy."

Have a designated person, your best speaker, do all the rest of the talking, and others to film important interactions. Click here to view a video that illustrates the value of a team where everyone plays their position correctly. (Action starts at about 2:20)

Have a simple message and keep it relevant. Don't mention Barack Obama--the economic crisis pre-dated his Presidency and if it appears that we're blaming Obama for causing the recession, we'll look ignorant. Keep the blame squarely where it belongs-on Congress and the Fed.

Make it clear that you are not here to confront the group putting on the event. Don't go to a FairTax event with signs that have "FairTax" crossed out and "No Tax" written underneath; you'll be too busy handling enemies to make friends. Your members should be reminded that they are to treat all other demonstrators as fellow activists with only slightly different priorities. You're there to get to know them, not to confront them and not to patronize them.

The event may have counter-demonstrators. Typically a small fraction of demonstrators will take the bait and get in a shouting match. It's unusual at tax demonstrations, but common in large anti-globalism protests, for police and federal law enforcement to pay people to infiltrate demonstrator groups and provoke violence.

Be clear that nobody in the group is to provoke the police or instigate violence for any reason. The police are powerless to disperse a crowd if there's no disorder, and if a provocateur decides to create disorder, let the police arrest him. If the crowd gets enraged the police might riot, but if the crowd seems to be on the side of the law and not the violent protester, the police will protect you and not attack you. It is no coincidence that there was not a single instance of violence at any Ron Paul 2008 campaign event.

Pick a place to meet a few hours before the event for everyone to get hyped up, and pick a restaurant to celebrate at afterward. It's much easier to choose a place in advance.

At the event

The events themselves are really exciting. Expect to be on high alert throughout the event. Time will pass slowly. Talk to as many people as you can, but remember to listen. I cannot tell you how many times at a demonstration an activist has come up to me and, presuming himself an expert, start spouting off all kinds of facts and opinions, telling me what our priorities should be, who I need to listen to, what I need to know about tax policy... often I will interrupt with "yes I've read it" or "yes I know" and yet they just keep right on going. Listen to your listener, find out what they are upset about and relate to them.

Added 4/13, more things to keep in mind at the event

Arrive early.  It is much easier to grasp the dynamics of a crowd when you see it develop from the start.  If you show up and hundreds of people are already there, you're going to spend the first 15 minutes just getting a sense of it.

Keep yourself busy. Don't talk to the same person for more than 5 minutes unless there's a compelling reason to; check in with everybody you know as often as possible; the more you move around, the better.  This way you'll easily keep on top of the situation and meet the most people.

Helping people is the easiest and best way to meet them. Everyone at a demonstration needs help with something--a banner, a camera, finding a person, knowing what's going on, whatever--be helpful and introduce yourself. Once you've helped a person they're obliged to introduce themselves and talk to you. HELP AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN.

At all times:

-Keep engaged

-Remember to listen

-Keep the peace

Update on Michigan HCR6 (Opposing support for "Real ID") Posted by capo 211

Posted 04/02/09

As some may be aware Paul Opsommer, introduced a resolution in the Michigan house called HCR 006 which is described by the short title: "A concurrent resolution to memorialize the President, the Congress, and the Department of Homeland Security of the United States to change requirements, agreements, and memorandums of understanding relating to the creation of Enhanced Drivers Licenses."  See full text here.  Oversimplified summary is: Hey DHS this is a stupid idea and we don't want to do it.

Either way.  This resolution passed the house on March 26th and today (March 31st) was referred by the senate to the Committee on Transportation.  The members of this committee are:

They should probably be encouraged to pass this out of committee with a favorable reccomendation.  Five phone calls, should take about 20 min. to get done.

Why take up the cause of the Tenth Amendment? Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 03/25/09

Last Saturday, county organizations from across the great state of Michigan organized a coordinated phone bank to get people to call their senators and representatives and encourage them to support the 10th Amendment resolutions currently in the Michigan House and Senate.  It was a big success.  Phone banks were organized in multiple cities throughout Michigan and called lots and lots of people. 

Afterword, I received a couple of messages with questions about the action.  I will list the questions below without listing the names of those who submitted them so I can put this into context.

1. I disagree with this.  Reaffirming our soverign rights under the 10th Amendment is, in a way, asking the federal government for permission to have the Constitutional Rights which have already been guaranteed.  This action gives too much perceived power to congress, and could set a very dangerous precedent.  I would rather see us focus on holding our elected officials accountable for what has already been established.  The only way to do this is by educating our community (door-to-door), and by taking the federal government to court.

2.  Before calling, I would like to read this bill but I can't find it anywhere. If you could direct me to it I would appreciate it.

What I don't understand about it is the fact that we already have a law that makes us sovereign, The 10 th amendment. So why would we need another one? What happens if they vote it down?

This is not a law.  It is a resolution that reaffirms Michigan's intention to follow the constitution and observe our tenth amendment rights. 

This is basically a statement putting our federal government on notice that we will not relinquish our rights as a party to a contract (our constitution) to evaluate the terms of the contract. 

Why do this and not just educate our whole community?  The simple answer is that policy is not set by the community.  We must apply pressure to the Michigan Legislature to go on the record with this issue.  There are lots of other benefits such as:

1. Training.  We must become proficient at organizing and accomplishing successful phone banks (among other actions).  In the military, we didn't just hand someone a gun and tell them to point and shoot, the whole team needed to be trained on how to fold their cloths.  you may think that is a ridiculous analogy but it was designed to teach us how to pay attention to detail.  Almost every recruit at the time was complaining at the time about doing something so meaningless.  By the end of their career, they all understood the benefits of the drill.  Those that choose not to participate lost the opportunity to gain valuable experience and working knowledge.  They will also be unable to teach these skills to others.

2. All counties that participated connected with people that previously were uninvolved who now are getting involved.  People were very happy to hear from us and many volunteered to help with future projects (very necessary to have enough volunteers to help when canvassing).

3. Lansing is buzzing with questions like who are these Campaign for Liberty people?  How in the world are they able to pull of such an action.  They are also realizing that we are a group that cannot be just dismissed.  They see that we are a voting block and that we have the ability to get them fired if they do not do the right thing.

It is true that the United States Constitution already guarantees the states' rights to self-government by the principle of enumerated powers.  This means that anything not specifically enumerated to the federal government is prohibited to the federal government.  In fact, the 10th Amendment doesn't change anything in the original (before amendments) constitution.  It simply clarifies the constitution.  It is very telling that our founders decided to clarify this in an amendment.  It indicates the level of importance that they gave this particular principle. 

In retrospect, our early leaders were dead on about how the federal government would behave absent states rights.  Technically we have not lost states' rights but we have surely chosen to not observe the principle and we ended up with exactly what they said we would.  Our efforts in Michigan are to rekindle the peoples desire to observe states' rights.  This will be done by a combination of actions and a variety of tactics.

We are not the first ones to fight for states' rights.

Let me give you an example:

Northern states attempting to nullify the fugitive slave laws used the tenth amendment argument.  In a 1859 the Wisconsin Legislature stated:

Resolved, that the government formed by the constitution of the United States was not the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself; but that, as in all other cases of compact among parties having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress. 

Resolved, that the principle and construction contended for by the party which now rules in the councils of the nation, that the general government is the exclusive judge of the extent of the powers delegated to it, stop nothing short of despotism, since the discretion of those who administer the government, and not the Constitution, would be the measure of their powers; that the several states which formed that instrument, being sovereign and independent, have the unquestionable right to judge of its infractions; and that a positive defiance of those sovereignties, of all unauthorized acts done or attempted to be done under color of that instrument, is the rightful remedy.

As you can see there have been other times in our countries history that have required states to send a message to the federal government reminding them that we are the arbitrators of this agreement, not them. 

Other examples are the Kentucky resolutions in 1798 (in response to the Alien and Sedition Act) and the South Carolina nullification of protective tariffs in 1823.

You can find the text of HCR004 at
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/concurrentresolutionintroduced/Hous
e/pdf/2009-hICR-0004.pdf

You can find the text of SCR004 at
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/documents/2009-2010/concurrentresolutionintroduced/Sena
te/pdf/2009-sICR-0004.pdf

So to conclude, we are not trying to pass a new law.  We are actually just stating very loudly that we have not forgotten the 10th amendment or the principles of nullification and will exercise our constitutional rights to resist unconstitutional federal mandates / legislation. 

I would prefer to take a copy of the constitution to Washington in person and beat our legislature over the head with it until each one could recite it verbatim but congress would probably consider that torture.  My guess is they would declare me a terrorist, render me to some dark dungeon in some nasty foreign country, and I would never be heard from again.

Maybe I would get in less trouble if I just water boarded them.

Diebold admits all versions of their software delete ballots without notice Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 03/19/09

Diebold Admits ALL Versions of Their Software Delete Ballots Without Notice

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6995

Startling admission made during public hearing in CA to consider decertification of the company's voting and tabulation software...

Posted By Mitch Trachtenberg On 17th March 2009 @ 23:06 In Diebold/Premier, Election Irregularities, Debra Bowen, California, Election Reform, Voting System Certification, Election 2008, EAC, Accountability, Humboldt County | 1 Comment

Guest Blogged by Mitch Trachtenberg

Even the audit log system on current versions of Premier Election Solutions' (formerly Diebold's) electronic voting and tabulating systems --- used in some 34 states across the nation --- fail to record the wholesale deletion of ballots. Even when ballots are deleted on the same day as an election. That's the shocking admission heard today from Justin Bales, Premier's Western Region manager, at a State of California public hearing on the possible decertification of Diebold/Premier's tabulator system, GEMS v. 1.18.19.

An election system's audit logs are meant to record all activity during the system's actual counting of ballots, so that later examiners may determine, with certainty, whether any fraudulent or mistaken activity had occurred during the count. Diebold's software fails to do that, as has recently been discovered by Election Integrity advocates in Humboldt County, CA, and then confirmed by the CA Secretary of State. The flaws, built into the system for more than a decade, are in serious violation of federal voting system certification standards.

The problems may lead to decertification of the company's voting systems, as well as an examination of voting systems made by other companies to determine if they too may have been able to sneak such violations past both federal and state testers...

Today's hearing was a response to the startling discovery last December, by a volunteer group in Humboldt County that, under fairly common circumstances, the older version of GEMS used by the county, and several others in the state, dropped all votes from the ballots in the first deck of ballots run through GEMS. (See BRAD BLOG coverage: here ^[1], here ^[2] and here ^[3].)

The Humboldt County Election Transparency Project, using the free and open source software program Ballot Browser, found that Diebold's GEMS system had eliminated all votes from 197 vote-by-mail ballots cast in a single precinct in Eureka, CA during last November's general election. [DISCLOSURE: Mitch Trachtenberg, author of this article, was one of the volunteers who helped develop Ballot Browser, which led to the discovery of the Diebold error.]

The revelations were made just after Humboldt County Registrar of Voters Carolyn Crnich had certified the election results with the state, forcing her to recertify with new numbers after the discovery. Crnich, who helped found the Transparency Project, was present at today's hearing.

Following the discovery of Diebold's dropped votes, and the equally disturbing revelation that Diebold had been aware of the problem for years ^[4], CA's Secretary of State Debra Bowen, initiated an investigation which confirmed [PDF] ^[5] that, under common circumstances, the GEMS software would drop all votes from the first scanned deck of ballots, the so-called "deck zero."

The investigation also revealed that the problems went far beyond the dropping of votes ^[6]. GEMS v1.18.19, the version used in Humboldt County --- as well as versions 1.18.20, 1.18.21, 1.18.22 and 1.18.23 --- were discovered to have defective audit logs.

In addition, the software was discovered to have a "Clear" button which, when pressed, would actually delete the contents of an audit log without even asking for confirmation from the user. That, despite repeated federal and state testing and certification of the software which failed to notice the egregious programming flaws in violation of federal voting system standards requiring indestructible logs to track all system events.

The flaws should have kept the systems from receiving certification at all.

"In terms of being able to track down the precise mechanism by which the problem had occurred in [the Humboldt] election, critical information was simply never recorded," in the audit logs, Deputy Sec. of State Lowell Finley said ^[7] at today's hearing which was made available to the public via one-way audio teleconference.

Today's hearing was meant to help determine whether or not GEMS v. 1.18.19, as used in Humboldt County, should now be decertified by the state. However, in response to a question, Premier representative Justin Bales admitted that even the most recent versions of GEMS, used in a number of other states, such as FL and TX, as well as CA, still fail to record the deletion of ballots in their audit logs.

For a decade or more, e-vote system vendors have pointed to the audit logs as a way of ensuring that every operation performed by their software would be available for inspection in post-election examinations. As a result of today's hearing, it has become clear that even the most recent versions of Diebold/Premier's vote counting software do not actually record all system events.

Bales admitted that his company had "not yet" corrected the problem, which was first implemented in the company's software more than a decade ago.

Wired's Kim Zetter quotes Bales ^[8] as noting "We never, again, intended for any malicious intent and not to log certain activities. ... It was just not in the initial program, but now we're taking a serious look at that."

CA SoS Bowen described the Diebold audit logs as "useless".

According to the Secretary of State's report, the four year old bug in Diebold/Premier's software triggered a problem in Humboldt's election as a result of a personnel change. Diebold had sent a memo, back in 2004, to elections managers still using GEMS 1.18.19. This memo, without going into details of the software bug, instructed elections officials to begin their elections by creating and deleting an empty "deck zero."

However, Diebold never sent similar instructions to the federal body that had certified their software, never notified the California Secretary of State of the problem, and never modified their instruction manuals. In Humboldt County, the previous election manager left the county without alerting his successor or his superiors of Diebold's suggested "workaround", sent out as a single notice, via email, back in 2004 (their terse email is posted here ^[9].)

Although the California Secretary of State's report indicated that the problem was Premier's responsibility, Premier's representative attempted to tell the hearing that the blame should be shared, suggesting that Crnich, the Humboldt Registrar, should have somehow known to delete "deck zero" before using GEMS to count ballots, despite her having access to no such instructions.

Crnich responded that she was "offended" by Diebold's attempt to shift blame, adding "if you are saying that your system needs to be checked every damn time you turn it on, then I agree with you."

Tom Pinto, a staffer at Humboldt County's District Attorney's office and a volunteer with the Transparency Project, urged that the approach used in Humboldt --- independently scanning ballots with separately developed open source software and off-the-shelf hardware --- be expanded statewide. Pinto stated that the project had demonstrated the need for "100% audits."

The question of whether similar problems exist in the audit logs of systems certified by other companies was also raised at today's hearing ^[10] by both Election Integrity advocates during the public comment period, and afterwards by Bowen herself.

"Clearly, we're going to have to look at this," she told Wired. "That's one of the obvious next steps."

A transcript of today's hearing will be posted at this CA SoS webpage ^[11].

Additional reporting by Brad Friedman.

===

Mitch Trachtenberg is a member of the Humboldt County Election Transparency Project, and the author of Ballot Browser, free and open source ballot counting software. He is also a partner in Trachtenberg Election Verification Systems ^[12] (TEVSystems), which provides support for Ballot Browser.

The BRAD BLOG ^[13] has covered your electoral system, tirelessly, fiercely and independently for years, like no other media outlet in the nation. Please support our work, which only you help to fund, with a donation ^[14] to help us continue the work so few are willing to do. If you like, we'll send you some great, award-winning election integrity documentary films in return! Details on that right here... ^[15]

HR 1207 - The art of possibility Posted by Alan Smith

Posted 03/17/09 Last updated 03/17/09

Dear CFL,

I called my Congressman (Doggett) in Austin a couple weeks ago and the staff seemed to not know anything about HR 1207. I called again Friday and they seemed very aware. I think we can attribute that progress to the actions of CFL members. Good job everyone! 

But my Congressman still wouldn't take a position. "We'll take your information".

I take this silent treatment and not being a co-sponsor as a rejection. We are owed an explanation on an issue as high-profile as this. Our representatives need to make a statement to our districts explaining why or why not it's time to audit the Federal Reserve (so we can vote accordingly).

I've decided to go door to door in my precinct with a clipboard and petition asking my Congressman to take a position, yes or no. My minimum goal is 25 names in my precinct. Then I'm going to call all my local press, then turn in my signatures in to my Congressman's office.

The press might suggest my 25 names aren't significant. Just like people laughed at Ron Paul and said his single 'No' votes don't matter. But it sure did matter. His lone protest votes woke up a nation. So I'm not going to let anyone define for me the significance of 25 names. I'm going to act with my head held high and feel good about every one of them when I call the press and turn them in. I am committed to taking responsibility for my backyard.

I refuse to accept that we have four branches of government, and that the Federal Reserve is unelected, untouchable, and unaccountable to me and you.

If you would like to join me, we'll coordinate turning in names and have a bigger story. 

-Alan

The Tortoise and the Hare Posted by Deb Wells

Posted 03/15/09 Last updated 03/16/09

Remember the famous fable, attributed to Aesop, about the tortoise and the hare? 

Well, one day the quick hare mocked the slow tortoise, and the tortoise decided to challenge the hare to a race.  The hare thought he had it sewed up.  He raced way ahead of the tortoise, then because he was confident of winning, he decided to take a nap midway through the course.  When he awoke from his leisurely nap, he found that his competitor, crawling slowly but steadily, had already won the race!

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a tortoise in our midst who is crawling slowly but surely to the finish line.  That tortoise is Missouri's Campaign for Liberty team.

Between February 14 and March 13, Missouri saw the largest increase of any state in number of Precinct Leaders - an impressive 6.15%.  The next closest state in terms of growth is Montana with a 5.88% increase, followed by South Carolina with 4.79%.

Missouri's 1st Congressional District Coordinator, Robyn Hamlin, has set her sights on bringing in 25 Precinct Leaders before the St. Louis Regional Conference slated for March 27-29. 

Robyn writes, "This might be a high expectation for myself but it is important to:

Aim at the sun. You may not
reach it, but you will fly higher
than if you never aimed at all."

It's a sign that she has on her computer desk, and it has helped her to bring in 12 of those Precinct Leaders just recently.

Do you want to know her secret?  She is holding small, informal meetings with 4-5 people at a time to walk them through the website.  She talks to them about the importance of signing up as a Precinct Leader so they can help take back our country, one neighborhood at a time.  She reminds those who are already dues-paying members that they are just one click away from becoming a Precinct Leader.  She explains the goals and helps them understand that this is the way we will all win.

It's a simple but brilliant strategy.  It's a slow and sure way to educate and recruit our most coveted members - those who understand that they must make a commitment, a pledge, to fight and win back their precinct.  It's not an easy task, but it's what must be done to ensure our future.

I'll leave you with this quote:

"The time is getting ripe for a revolution. I pray it will be a bloodless one, won at the ballot box, as our forefathers intended when they pledged and gave their lives, their fortunes and their honor so that we, their posterity, could vote out tyrants every two years and never have to pay the price they paid." 

Can you guess who said this?

You are responsible for understanding earmarks! Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 03/11/09 Last updated 03/11/09

To all liberty activists:

Dr. Paul needs your help in an upcoming major PR battle. This week, Dr. Paul made unequivocal statements defending his aggressive policy of earmarking spending for his Congressional district, both to Congress and TV audiences.  As you may know, many fake-conservative fake-grassroots organizations have attacked earmarks as "pork barrel" spending, which they equate with political corruption.  They couldn't be more mistaken.

The fact is, Dr. Paul votes against all spending bills with earmarks, because no spending bill has ever met his requirement that the budget be balanced.  But given that a spending bill will pass, he would rather the money was earmarked for his constituents than handed over to the bureaucrats to spend.

Earmarked money is spent as it's designated to be spent.  Money that isn't earmarked (98-99% of it) is spent at the whim of bureaucrats where it's much more likely, due to the lack of public scrutiny, to be spent in a corrupt way.

Earmarks don't raise the cost of government. They control the spending.

Think of this way: Congress voted for Obama's Scamulus package, giving roughly 1 trillion dollars to the Fed and Department of the Treasury to give to their banker friends. But, 1% of that money, which would otherwise go to the bankers, is reserved for projects that constituents asked their Congressmen for. Is that such a bad thing?

On the contrary, at least the taxpayers know where their money is being spent!

For more about this issue, watch the videos below. We need to aggressively voice our support for responsible earmarking, or else adversaries will use this issue to pit well-meaning but ill-educated conservatives against us.

If you saw Dr. Paul's interview with MSNBC's David Schuster, you saw the mass media in a desperate attempt to draw Dr. Paul and his supporters into a fight with Rush Limbaugh and his supporters. Now that the mass media is making an issue of Dr. Paul's stance on earmarks (a position he clarified during his Presidential run), it's becoming clear that the mass media is making an effort to sow distrust between us and the more mainstream conservative audience.

We need to work overtime to educate our fellow conservatives that while earmark-laden budgets should be opposed, the earmarks themselves are making the best of a bad thing, and should not be condemned.

Watch these videos until you feel comfortable making the argument:

10th Amendment in Michigan Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 03/09/09

Great news!

Sen. Bruce Patterson (R) has introduce Senate Concurrent Resolution 004 which has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Listen to Rep. Opsommer on WTCM Radio in Traverse City, Michigan. 
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/02/26/paul-opsommer-talks-michigan-sovereign
ty/

Now it's our turn!

Sen. Patterson and Rep. Opsommer cannot do this without our help.

Here is what we need to do:

1.  Call your Senator and your Representative and let them know that you support these resolutions!  Find Who they are and their contact information you can use this link: http://michiganvotes.org/Find.aspx

2.  Write letters to the editors of all the Michigan media outlets.  You can find contact info here http://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php/Michigan_media or here http://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/22.

3.  Contact the county coordinator in your area and volunteer to help with a phone bank so we can get the word out!  If you are not sure who to contact go to: www.campaignforliberty.com.


Remember, we are ambassadors of Liberty.  Maintain a polite, professional tone with all of your communications.



Other Links:

(Link)

www.tenthamendmentcenter.com

Henry Ford Musem seeks Ron Paul 2008 memorabilia Posted by David Dudenhoefer

Posted 03/06/09 Last updated 03/06/09

To all the revolutionaries involved in the 2008 campaign.  If you have been looking for a home for the old signs and bumber stickers, the buttons and photos or news paper articles.  We have a chance to record what the media would not.

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn Michigan has materials from every presidential campaign dating back to George Washington.  They have requested materials from our grassroots campaign, and after speaking with the curator, she has agreed to accept memorabilia unique to Ron Paul 2008.  This includes the famous Tyvek highway signs, the R[3vol]ution material, articles and photos about The Blimp, The R[3vol]ution March, The Rally for the Republic, Our single largest campaign fundraising day in U.S. history as well as material from the Campaign for Liberty.  I mentioned to her that our organization is a direct result of the 2008 campaign and so she has agreed to accept material from C4L as well.

Articles about the media blackout, the Nevada electoral votes and what that group achieved, The "End The Fed" material, Ron Paul's The Revolution: a manifesto.  Dr. Paul has mention on numerous occations about the Ann Arbor rally following the CNBC debate as being the night he realized something big was happening, so any photos or articles about that night.  She has also agreed to accept our unique You-Tube videos if we can get them in DVD format.  Some of you have had your videos censored, now you have a home for them.  This is our chance to have our achievments recorded for future generations to see and perhaps feel just piece of the blood, sweat and tears that we put into our movement. 

Contact me with what you have and we can arrange for shipping of your materials.

Letter to Reps: 10th Ammendment Resolution HCR 4 Posted by Justin DeWind

Posted 03/03/09 Last updated 03/03/09

Dear Represenative,

I am writing you to urge your support of HCR 4, introduced by Rep. Opsommer and affirming Michigan's sovereignty under the 10th Amendment.

This nation was founded under the idea that a collection of individual states could work together to form a more perfect union. However, it was recognized that each state would govern itself under its own laws and was in fact a sovereign entity. The Constitution grants the Federal government certain and limited powers; the rest are delegated to the states.

Our federal government for decades has slowly centralized power to the bureaucrats and special interests in Washington at the expense of the States and the People. Heavy handed laws that are both unconstitutional and unrepresentative have been passed in Washington repeatedly -- it is time the States assert their power over the Federal government.

Change comes slow to Washington. That is why we have States where the people's representation is more granular and representative. A bad law or policy can be overturned much easier than it could ever be in Washington.

Please let me know your position on this issue and the action you intend to take.

Your concerned constituent,

Justin De Wind

Compulsory Attendance Bill Vote Scheduled for Wednesday Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 03/03/09 Last updated 03/03/09

Thanks to Jack Hoogendyk for sending this along. --A

Saul Anuzis joins American Solutions Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/28/09 Last updated 03/02/09

[Note:

Michigan's previous GOP chairman, Saul Anuzis, announced yesterday that he has joined American Solutions as chairman of its "Save American Jobs Project."

As you may recall, it was the American Solutions platform that was put to a vote and resoundingly defeated by Michigan Republicans at their state convention last summer. That platform included nothing about civil liberties (except one statement regarding the right to worship), nothing about the Federal Reserve, nothing about reducing the size of government, nothing about reducing the scope of government. Instead, it included big-government solutions including giving "large" amounts of tax dollars to particular inventors, giving people tax credits for giving away their cars, giving tax credits to people "who agree not to develop their land," giving tax benefits to the coal industry, and on and on. To back up this ridiculous platform, American Solutions surveyed Americans with blatantly leading questions and boasted the results right in the platform.

Why such an absurdly anti-freedom platform was proposed before the Michigan Republican Party, now we know.

That being said, the effort to defeat the deceptively-named "Employee Free Choice Act" is an important battle for workers' rights.  I wish Saul the best.

You can help fight the mis-named Employee Free Choice Act; find out more from the National Right to Work Committee.

Michigan Legislator Liberty Rankings, 2007-2008 Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/24/09

Thanks to an anonymous person for pointing out this web page to me.  Our friends at the Michigan Republican Liberty Caucus compiled a useful graph of Michigan legislators' performance on issues of economic and personal liberty for the 2007-2008 session.  The main page is linked here, and the rubric with sources is linked here.

Congratulations to Jack Hoogendyk, who these results find to be the champion of liberty in the Michigan house.  Pity he was term-limited out of the state house, and unable to beat the Carl Levin juggernaut for the Senate.  And to Sen. Mark Jansen, who voted most consistently for personal liberty (a Republican, interestingly) and Sen. Alan Sanborn who voted most consistenty for both types of liberty.  However, the results of both parties was pretty bad overall--only ten representatives (all Republican) and one Senator (Sanborn, R) voted for liberty on more than half of the issues voted upon.

State Senate:

State House:

State Convention and Summit Report Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/22/09 Last updated 02/22/09

Our booth at the Michigan GOP State Convention looked perfect. Stacks of brochures, Constitutions, membership forms, literature, and Common Sense Revisited adorned the table while a flat-screen perched well above eye level played a loop of Isaac Miller's contest-winning promotional video. It was situated right by the entrance to the main floor. The booth committee thought of everything, including buying rolls of logo stickers. State senators were overheard saying, "I hadn't heard of the Campaign For Liberty, but I see tons of people wearing their stickers." But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

Because liberty activists defeated the neo-conservative American Solutions platform at the previous state convention, the state party offered a far better set of government-limiting, non-objectionable platform resolutions, which passed with little protest:

We oppose any tax increases, or other revenue enhancement(s). We support giving children locked in failing schools a chance to get a good education through the expansion of parental choice in public education, including charter schools. We support full transparency in all government spending and operations. We believe all proposed state legislation should be required to objectively assess its impact on private sector job creation and retention in Michigan. We oppose any state funding for embryonic stem cell research.

This is one far cry from the embarrassingly neo-conservative and neo-liberal American Solutions platform attempted last year.

It was unmistakable that our prior actions led to more conservative, yet less controversial policy resolutions being proposed, put to vote, and approved. Small or not,that's a victory to our credit. But the satisfaction of seeing the difference that we made was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

We raised some 800 fed-notes more than we spent, to save for the next event. We could buy a TENT with that! But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

We garnered (through negotiation in some district caucuses and old-fashioned slate-stopping and floor-fighting in others) twelve seats on various GOP district executive committees and a seat on the state committee. We now have eyes, ears, and voices where last week we had none. But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

Rep. Paul Opsommer spoke at our summit. Opsommer is the leading freedom fighter in the Michigan legislature for introducing House Concurrent Resolutions 4 and 6, 4 being a 10th Amendment resolution of state sovereignty, and 6 being a rejection of the dangerous "Real" ID Act and its disguise, the "Enhanced Driver's License." He expressed his gratitude for us joining him in this fight. But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

In less than an hour, I wrote software for an instant runoff voting system that enabled voters to verify that their vote was counted correctly. This was to be used for dues-paying members to vote on which state project proposal would be adopted. Instant runoff voting, which would prevent the "spoiler effect" and ensure that a winning candidate had a majority, turned out to be unnecessary, as Tony DeMott's project proposal for a clean elections initiative won by majority on the first ballot. I was surprised that it worked the first time! I guess Diebold just doesn't have good help. (wink) But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing.

Rep. Justin Amash, a Republican Liberty Caucus-endorsed freshman Representative who, along with Rep. Tom McMillin of Rochester, has pioneered transparency in government by making detailed expense reports readily available on his website. He was scheduled to speak at the Summit but could not attend due to the downpour of snow. He wrote us:

To all those in attendance at the Campaign for Liberty Summit: I'm sorry that I am not able to be here with you this evening. The Campaign for Liberty stands at the forefront of the battle to return this country to its foundational principles, and I want to encourage all of you never to let up.

For my part, I will continue to press forward on issues such as government transparency and accountability. My office has chosen to list all of our expenses on-line at house.mi.gov, and I will continue to urge my colleagues to follow suit. It is vital that we, as citizens and taxpayers, understand how and where our elected officials and government administrators are spending our hard-earned money.

Please know that you can reach me anytime at justinamash@house.mi.gov. I encourage you to contact my office with any of your questions, concerns, or legislative ideas. As long as the spirit of liberty resides within you, no government can control you no matter how oppressive it becomes. All the best to you this evening and safe travel to your homes.

In liberty,

Justin Amash
State Representative
District 72

Very touching words, the first to my ears from a sitting legislator other than Ron Paul to say that "the Campaign for Liberty stands at the forefront of the battle to return this country to its foundational principles." But that was not the highlight of our weekend in Lansing (though it came close).

The highlight was seeing and meeting so many friends. Some of them I see every week; some I saw for just the second or third time; others I knew only from conference calls and e-mails. And then there are the people who just discovered us: a township supervisor who attended our summit; delegates who took materials and tipped us at our booth; the state senator who commented on how many of our stickers he saw on people.

All told, it was a perfect performance. Big thanks to Christe and all the booth committee volunteers, Seth and Lisa for booking the conference venue, Tony for his leadership and project proposal, CJ and Eric for taking the time to develop their proposals (many of their recommendations are likely to be incorporated into the clean elections project), Sean for serving as parliamentarian at our summit (and coordinating Michigan largest Republican county), everyone in the 9th and 11th districts who defeated a slate to elect five liberty activists to their district committees, David for being elected to the state central committee, and... ah, too many people to thank. Everyone!

It's back to work for me (CPAC starts for me in 2 days, St. Louis is going to get here fast, and I'm weeks behind on my email already) but the rest of you have my permission to take a week off. You've earned it.

P.S. Election of the Project Committee has been postponed and will be done on-line. Please submit nominations (Michigan members only, of course) as comments here.

One busy booth

Crowd around our booth by the convention floor entrance

Our screen could be seen from any distance at the convention

Relaxing between convention and summit

Rep. Opsommer at the Summit

At the Summit

Our lit table at the Summit

Unfortunately this shot only shows the top of the stairs... the photos taken from further away didn't turn out.  We filled the staircase from top to bottom and beyond--roughly 100 people.

Campaign for Liberty Clean Elections Project Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 02/19/09

Campaign for Liberty Clean Elections Project

Summary

This projects foal is to remove the process of protecting the integrity of elections from the state authorities and place it in the hands of the local authorities.  This project will effectively place the responsibility onto a body more responsive to the community's concerns and also institute election practices that will render local elections open, verifiable and transparent.  This will be accomplished by a combination of community education, enacting local ordinances, and involvement in the monitoring process.

Description

At this point in time there is little hpe of working within the current state structure to ensure open, verifiable and transparent elections.  Currently, agencies of the Michigan Government have created an interwoven, insurmountable, self perpetuating structure that does nothing less than ensure that the opportunity to manipulate any election is available.  Mechanisms that no elementary school teacher would condone during a third grade class election are protected vigorously by public officials and their followers.  This is allowed to go on because of a mixture of the following reasons:

• 1. The false belief that the Secretary of State runs elections. By law, this office supervises elections not runs elections. The Secretary of State is constrained within the law and has no authority for election day decrees that alter law.
• 2. The false belief that as a community we have no say over how the elections are carried out in our community. The city clerk and the local police are both under the direction of city ordnances, the city council, or the city manager.
• 3. The lack of knowledge by the community of, and adherence by public officials to, basic constitution and state law.

•a.      The body of United States Supreme Court Law continually reinforces the sentiment expressed in United States V. Saylor, 322 U.S. 385 (1944), 'We regard it as equally unquestionable that the right to have one's vote counted is as open to protection by Congress as the right to put a ballot in a box.'

•b.      The Open Meetings Act is also very clear in its meaning and application to elections although there is no case law on this.

• 4. A cultivated attitude that we must continually look to ever larger bodies of authority to come save us, combined with a complete lack of awareness of the awesome power and strength of local governments, leaves the community ignorant of their own capacity to effect change and thus helpless and hopeless when facing the issues at hand.

The Campaign for Liberty Clean Elections Project will focus on individual communities, one by one, with the intended result being a domino effect that will cover Michigan.  A select few communities will be targeted first so we can focus our resources.  

Strategy

Achievement of the stated goals will require a three step process;

• 1. Community mobilization and education.
• 2. Local ordinance adoption by local government.
• 3. Election monitoring.

Community Mobilization and Education

Using grassroots mobilizing techniques such as door knocking, fliers, and phone banks, we organize community meetings over the next 3 months utilizing the following principles:

• 1. Avoid large city or county wide mass meetings until a critical mass has developed. This means neighborhood size meetings. This also means numerous meetings. The key is to keep the pressure on. Think domino effect.
• 2. Organizers do not have to be an expert in election law or election reform. The state committee will provide speakers and materials. We will also supply talking points to use during organizing.
• 3. Build a phone and email list of attendees. Invite people from the first meeting to the second meeting in the next neighborhood and so on down the line so the meetings get larger and larger. At a strategic point we start inviting the local officials (if they have not already started to attend on their own.)
• 4. Our speakers will focus on what can be done locally & start laying the ground work for a run on city council.

Local Ordinance Adoption

After critical mass is reached, our next step is to apply pressure to city council and enact ordinances that will mandate specific reforms.  The reforms will focus on the following areas:

• 1. Verification and documentation of the number of blank ballots initially received by the local election authority.
• 2. Local adoption of the Open Meetings Act with full enumeration as it applies to elections and the polling place.
• 3. Clarification of the powers of local police authority as it applies to elections and polling places including full enumeration of policing powers with special clarification concerning poll watchers, poll challengers and citizen witnesses.
• 4. Adoption of clear chain of custody standards with full disclosure.
• 5. Adoption of ballot counting standards, including but not limited to, counting and announcing the ballots and results before the ballots leave the polling place and public view.

I have organized with other election groups that are specialist in Michigan election law to help craft and analyze proposed ordinances for the targeted communities.

Election Monitoring

Organize teams to monitor ballot chain of custody from beginning to end, polling place video, documentation of the number of voters, the counting of the ballots and the transfer to central state tabulation. 

Coordinate with local election monitoring groups such as the Michigan Election Reform Alliance Monitors (MERAs Monitors) and other groups.  These groups have the infrastructure and processes in place.   We will supplement this process with our people while they provide us legal analysis and support.

Current Michigan Bills Worth Supporting Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/16/09 Last updated 02/16/09

Thank to Sean House for pointing these out, some hardly revolutionary but still helpful bills.

House Bill 4226 (Cut Michigan Business Tax rate )
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on February 11, 2009, to cut the rate of the "modified gross receipts" component of the Michigan Business Tax from 0.80 percent to 0.70 percent. Senate Fiscal Agency Link of the tax at the time it was adopted suggest that this component accounts for approximately 60 of the money the tax takes from businesses.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82214

House Bill 4227 (Cut personal income tax rate )
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on February 11, 2009, to cut the personal income tax rate from 4.35 percent to 4.25 percent starting Oct. 1, 2009; 4.1 percent one year later; and 3.9 percent on Oct. 1, 2011.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82215

House Bill 4228 (Ban government competition with private enterprises ("yellow pages test") )
Introduced by Rep. Tom McMillin (R) on February 11, 2009, to prohibit government agencies from competing against private enterprises, or subsidizing any charitable or not-for-profit institution that would use the support to compete against private enterprises. Activities normally provided by government would be exempted, including "essential services" and "necessary services," both defined in the bill. "Vital services," including things like food stores, drugstores, child care, elder care, and telecommunications services could only be provided if there were no private sector alternatives. Privatization of essential and necessary services would be explicitly allowed, including water supply, sewers, garbage and trash removal, recycling, utilities, streets and roads, public transportation, correctional facilities, fire departments, emergency services, and medical services. A private enterprise could sue to obtain an injunction forcing the government competitor to stop, and would only have to show prima facie evidence that the government entity is or is planning to compete, not that the private enterprise has been damaged. Governments already providing commercial goods or services would be grandfathered, but could not expand.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82216

House Bill 4083 (Require citizenship and resident preferences in subsidies & tax breaks )
Reported in the House on February 10, 2009, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=72114

House Bill 4085 (Require citizenship and resident preferences in subsidies & tax breaks )
Reported in the House on February 10, 2009, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=72122

House Bill 4086 (Require citizenship and resident preferences in subsidies & tax breaks )
Reported in the House on February 10, 2009, with the recommendation that the substitute (H-1) be adopted and that the bill then pass.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=72126

House Bill 4087 (Require citizenship and resident preferences in subsidies & tax breaks )
Reported in the House on February 10, 2009, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=72127

House Bill 4090 (Require citizenship and resident preferences in subsidies & tax breaks )
Reported in the House on February 10, 2009, without amendment and with the recommendation that the bill pass.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=72131

House Bill 4208 (Vehicle trade-in "sales tax on the difference" only )
Introduced by Rep. Tom Pearce (R) on February 6, 2009, to exempt from sales tax the value of a trade-in on the purchase of a new motor vehicle. The buyer would only pay sales tax on the difference between the value of the trade-in vehicle and the purchase price of the new vehicle.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79338

Current Michigan Bills Worth Opposing Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/16/09 Last updated 02/16/09

Thanks to Sean House for compiling these. My comments in red.  Comments in quotes are my parody of the sponsor's intentions.

House Bill 4196 (SMOKING BAN)
Introduced by Rep. Dian Slavens (D) on February 6, 2009, Prohibit allowing private workplace or restaurant smoking to prohibit a business owner, including the owner of a bar or restaurant, from choosing to allow smoking in his or her establishment. The bill would apply to all "public places," including government facilities. However, tobacco specialty shops and "cigar bars" would be exempt.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79324

The government should have no right to prohibit business owners from allowing law-abiding customers to do anything. The dangers of smoking are known to all, and people visit, own, or work at a restaurant at their choice. This law would put some restaurant owners out of business (smokers would congegate elsewhere more frequently) to protect the customers from... themselves? More "big brother knows best" arrogance.

House Bill 4229 (Give ex-legislators funeral benefits)
Introduced by Rep. Fred Durhal, Jr. (D) on February 11, 2009, to require the state to give at government expense a state flag to the survivor or an ex-legislator who dies, and provide a state police escort at the funeral.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82217

Tax theft.

House Bill 4230 (Expand certain business subsidy tax credit eligibility )
Introduced by Rep. Dan Scripps (D) on February 11, 2009, to lower from $100,000 to $25,000 the size of an initial investment in an "advanced automotive, manufacturing, and materials technology" business subsidized through an income tax credit under a provision of a "http://www.michiganvotes.org/2005-SB-521">community-based seed capital fund" related to the "http://www.michiganvotes.org/2005-HB-5047">21st Century Jobs Fund" business subsidy program.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82218

Expanding tax benefits for a very narrow population segment defined not by what they do but who they invest in. This is your basic, common sort of political corruption, designed to give the tax (and thus investment) advantage to an industry sector that donates to the politicians (in this case, technology firms.)

House Bill 4231 (Authorize tax break for photovoltaics )
Introduced by Rep. Dan Scripps (D) on February 11, 2009, to authorize a refundable Income Tax credit of 50 percent of the cost a person incurs to purchase and install a photovoltaic electric generation system in a residential property.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=82219

"And you who can't afford a solar generator can just pay the full amount!"

House Bill 4170 (Grant biofuel tax breaks to )
Introduced by Rep. George Cushingberry (D) on February 6, 2009, give a $5 per dry ton non-refundable income tax credit to a taxpayer who taxpayer that collects, handles, packages, sorts, prepares, dries, densifies, or stores biomass to for conversion into biofuels, bioenergy, or bioproducts, up to a maximum of $25,000 annually.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79272

So, Rentech gets a taxpayer-subsidized workforce to operate its Fischer-Tropp plants?

House Bill 4171 (Authorize county "homeless trust fund" tax )
Introduced by Rep. Robert Jones (D) on February 6, 2009, to authorize the levy a county of a 25 cents per $500 in value "deed tax" on property transfers to pay for a "homeless trust fund".
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79274

"Why let private charities do the government's job?!"

House Bill 4173 (Authorize county "homeless trust fund" tax )
Introduced by Rep. Robert Jones (D) on February 6, 2009, to establish reporting procedures for the "homeless trust fund" for which House Bill 6191 authorizes a new county tax.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79278

House Bill 4175 (Establish state tax break for federal "new markets tax credits" )
Introduced in the House on February 6, 2009, to authorize a state income tax credit based on a taxpayer's use of a federal "new markets tax credit," which is a program that subsidizes capital investments or loans to certain business entities or individuals in low-income communities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79282

House Bill 4176 (Establish state tax break for federal "new markets tax credits" )
Introduced by Rep. Tim Melton (D) on February 6, 2009, to authorize a Michigan Business Tax credit based on an insurance company's use of a federal "new markets tax credit," which is a program that subsidizes capital investments or loans to certain business entities or individuals in low-income communities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79284

House Bill 4177 (Establish state tax break for federal "new markets tax credits" )
Introduced by Rep. Jon Switalski (D) on February 6, 2009, to authorize a Michigan Business Tax credit based on an insurance company's use of a federal "new markets tax credit," which is a program that subsidizes capital investments or loans to certain business entities or individuals in low-income communities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79287

House Bill 4178 (Establish state tax break for federal "new markets tax credits" )
Introduced by Rep. Robert Jones (D) on February 6, 2009, to require the Department of Treasury to report to the legislature each year on the activities of the department related to the treatment of state tax credits based on federal "new markets tax credits," as proposed by House Bills 6429 to 6431. "New markets tax credits" is a program that subsidizes capital investments or loans to certain business entities or individuals in low-income communities.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79289

House Bill 4187 (Ban marriage license without social security numbers )
Introduced by Rep. David  Agema (R) on February 6, 2009, to prohibit the issuance of a marriage license unless the application has the social security numbers of the parties.
http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=79307

The whole concept of marriage licensing violates the separation of church and state, since marriage is "holy matrimony."  The real purpose of this sort of legislation is to strengthen the government's grip over marriage.  No marriage without showing your papers to Big Brother?  Repulsive.

Voting vendor: "Use unauthorized system or we punish you on maintenance agreement" Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 02/13/09

From Bev Harris of Black Box Voting:

You are receiving this message because our records indicate that your state uses ES&S voting machines. This is a public education message to keep you informed about important public policy issues.

Wisconsin citizen John Washburn has obtained public records showing that Election Systems & Software, citing murky needs to alter hardware on all computerized voting systems (M100 scanners, AutoMARK, Unity servers, iVotronics), has failed to gain federal approval and therefore failed to gain state approval, so it is threatening its maintenance contracts with local election officials.

This is equivalent to your car dealer warning you that unless you let them make an adjustment to your car that makes it violate your state's emissions laws, they will punish you by charging you extra on a maintenance agreement you've already paid for, or refuse to service your car.

As Washburn correctly points out, it is difficult to imagine any part common to all these systems. We don't know what ES&S wants to change, but we do know that if election officials allow this, a private company will gain inside access to voting machines to add, delete, or switch something, without really telling us what they are doing.

Washburn obtained records from ES&S is for Wisconsin, but other records indicate that ES&S notices about this issue went out to at least nine states. Here is a link where you can see photocopies of the documents and discuss this:
http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/8/79488.html

As another citizen, Mark E. Smith, commented: "Can you imagine a toaster repairman stating that he needs to access your toaster to replace something, but he can't tell you what?"

Washburn writes to election officials in his area:

"Details please. Which new parts? For which discontinued parts? From which new manufacturers? Because which manufactures discontinued the part? and for which ES&S equipment? Have you contacted the manufacturers to see if the parts are actually discontinued or just not available through ES&S (e.g. distributor contract expired)? The letter is a bit skimpy on those details. I cannot think of any parts common to so much of the ES&S product line (M100 precinct scanners, M650 Central count scanners, iVotronics touch screens, and AutoMark ballot markers)... I hope during your investigation into this matter you ask and press hard for details, specifics, names and addresses."

What to do: John Washburn is demonstrating an example of how democracy really works. He is an alert citizen who saw something amiss. He has notified election officials in Wisconsin about these concerns. As individual citizens, it is important for us all to ask questions and keep our eyes open -- for all kinds of things! Democracy is not a spectator sport. Stay informed (as you are doing by reading this); don't hesitate to ask questions of public officials, and blow the whistle when something wrong-headed is going on.

Depending on your location, you may soon see efforts to achieve "vendor independence" on voting machines, such as requiring public ownership and maintenance of voting systems (as Oklahoma does) or even better, requiring public-owned "open source" systems to be used. Support these kinds of efforts!

Black Box Voting is not a lobbying group; we focus on consumer investigations and public education to help citizens, like you, understand the issues so you can make informed choices about public policy.

I will be speaking at the "Power Shift" conference this month, to help educate and motivate enthusiastic, organizing youth groups. This involves about 20,000 young adults and will take place in Washington DC, and I am very excited about this opportunity.

My message for all of us: We cannot have democratic elections when private companies run elections on secret software and information is hidden from the public. The core problem is Freedom of Information and -- once achieved in elections, the core solution must always involve individual citizen vigilance, just as the founders of this nation intended.

Please pass this e-mail along to others you think may be interested, and feel free to blog about it. Thanks for reading this to stay abreast of core issues and actions to protect voting rights.

Bev Harris
Black Box Voting
http://www.blackboxvoting.org

To support our work:
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/donate.html
or mail to: 330 SW 43rd St Suite K PMB 547 Renton WA 98057


This message was sent by: Black Box Voting,  Inc., 330 SW 43rd St Suite K - PMB 547, Renton, WA 98057

Paul Opsommer's contact information Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/09/09

Here are his resolutions:

Outreach, Grassroots Vice Chair candidates Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/07/09 Last updated 02/07/09

One of the candidates for Vice-Chair of Outreach, Akindele Akinyemi, has his own blog you can check out:

http://whoisakindele.info/

He also writes for rightmichigan.com, and has a campaign site http://akindeleforoutreach.com/

He is, to my knowledge, the only candidate in the running right now.  Please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Troy Rolling, who is running for Grassroots Vice-Chair, has a campaign site here: http://votetroyrolling.com/   Again, he's the only one running, to my knowledge.

Campaign For Liberty Video Contest for Michigan Republican State Convention Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 02/02/09

On February 20-21, the Campaign For Liberty will have a table at the Michigan Republican State Convention.

That got me thinking: it'd be great to have a short promotional film to present us to the Republican mainstream.

So, we're holding a design contest.

The prize is:

• 2 tickets to the First Campaign For Liberty Regional Conference, to be held March 27-29 at the Millenium Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri
• Autographed copy of The Revolution: A Manifesto by Congressman Ron Paul
• 100 Federal Reserve Notes

Guidelines for a winning video are:

• 5-7 minutes in length (use your own judgment to weigh brevity v. detail)
• Respects copyright (all non-original material should fall within fair use guidelines)
• Emphasizes our growth rate (100,000+ members in less than one year)
• Emphasizes our true conservative principles
• Emphasizes our emphasis on monetary policy and the previously un-tapped energy committed to it
• Emphasizes our desire to work with, not against, like-minded Republicans
• Emphasizes our sophisticated web-based organizing system with state and local coordinators across the country

Feel free to use the comments section below to ask questions and post links to your submissions.  Multiple submissions are allowed.

The contest ends Wednesday, February 18, and the winner will be announced as quickly as possible thereafter.

CPAC 2009 Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 01/31/09

If anyone wants to go, I was able to get round trip tickets at southwest.com for $138 total including taxes. Let me know if you're going; we may be able to get a deal on a hotel as a group.  Speakers at our Liberty Forum will include Dr. Paul, GOA President Larry Pratt, Right to Work President Mark Mix, Von Mises Institute Senior Fellow Thomas Woods, and constitution lawyer Bruce Fein.

Michigan Campaign for Liberty Member Running for Office. Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 01/30/09 Last updated 01/30/09

One of the basic principles of this organization is to get involved locally.  Without like minded people in local politics, we will have a very hard time establishing this movement. 

One of our very own members, John Cruz, is leading the charge here in Michigan.  John has answered the call to duty and is running for Mount Clemens school board. 

I have had many occasions to chat with John and there is no doubt he's an honest man who wants the best for his community.  He has long been a voice for limited government, parental choice in education, and individual liberties.  I will be proud to spend my free time helping his campaign. 

John has taken the first step and now we must do our part.  Liberty activists from all over the state should sacrifice a little time and help John's campaign out.  You can visit his facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/John-Cruz/56417281678 and his campaign page at http://www.electjohncruz.com/.

The election will be held on May 5th.

Michigan County Convention Success Stories Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 01/29/09 Last updated 01/29/09

[Anthony, Matt: please leave off national blog until comments accumulate —A]

Michigan activists, please use the comment form on this blog entry to post additional stories from around the state of our success tonight.

In Luce county, Campaign For Liberty county coordinator Eric Cadeau was unanimously voted Republican Party County Chairman. Eric delivered the opening remarks at the First Michigan Liberty Summit.

In Washtenaw county, the county coordinator, Dave Franklin—who isn't old enough to order a beer—is up for consideration for District Committee, with the endorsement of the county chair and vice chair. Some thirty liberty activists became delegates to the state convention. That's almost an absolute majority from the county. And another liberty activist, who was recently elected to the county executive committee, was selected as teller for the district at the state convention.

In Macomb county, activists were elevated to Precinct Delegates and several members were elected alternate delegates to the state convention.

As the conventions got out a little late, this is all I've heard so far. Please share your convention stores using the comments section below.

2nd Michigan Summit: Lansing, February 21 Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 01/29/09

The poll on time closes tomorrow, but "Saturday February 21, (right after the state convention)" has a solid lead of 14 votes over 10 votes for other options. 

Therefore, the locaton poll, which has Detroit beating Lansing 10-7 as the preferred location for the Summit, is overruled, since it'd only make sense to have our meeting in the same city as the state GOP convention if it'll be on the same day.

Republican Chair candidate bows out of the race Posted by Tony DeMott

Posted 01/27/09

It's official, Jack Hoogandyk has officially withdrawn his candidacy for Michigan Republican Chair.  We wish Mr. Hoogandyk the best of luck in his future endeavors and we wish Mr. Weiser the best of luck as the chairman of the Michigan Republican party. 

Now is the time for our members that are part of the GOP to get down to work and help Mr. Weiser and the Republican party fight for limited government, individual liberty, our Constitution and the future of Michigan.  We will continue to bring in as much help for the party as we can.  We will show up to conventions and knock on doors.  They will no longer be for lack of help.

It is also the time for all members of the Michigan Campaign for Liberty regardless of party affiliation to buckle down and prepare to act locally.  Every group should be thinking how to operate on a local level.  When is the next election? What offices will be elected?  What local and state issues can be used to build coalitions with community groups?  How can we help our local governments tighten their belts to better weather the depression.  How can we volunteer in our communities?  How can we encourage our youth to read and study our founding documents?

I cannot wait to speak to my neighborhood association.  Our political backgrounds are very different but we still have a lot of common ground.  We can agree on issues such as the need for organic fresh produce and we share the same buy local philosophy.  Another member has suggested a booth at the farmers market where we can educate people on the inherent right to buy raw milk, hand out literature, and at the same time support some of our finest members of society, our local farmers. 

There are so many ways we can help and I haven't even mentioned the funnest one yet...holding politicians feet to the fire.  I love the smell of burnt polical foot in the morning.

Michigan Liberty Summit: When Shall We Meet? Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 01/22/09 Last updated 02/06/09

Please vote in the following poll; the results will dictate when we have our next state meeting.

Poll: Location of Second Michigan Liberty Summit Posted by Adam de Angeli

Posted 01/21/09

Michigan members, please let us know which location you prefer for the second Michigan Liberty Summit to take place in late February.