Nullification- Firearms Freedom Act Introduced in Ohio Posted by Amy1776

Posted 10/29/09

Introduced in the Ohio House on October 16, 2009, the "Firearms Freedom Act" (HB-315) seeks "To enact section 2923.26 of the Revised Code to provide that ammunition, firearms, and firearm accessories that are manufactured and remain in Ohio are not subject to federal laws and regulations derived under Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce and to require the words "Made in Ohio" be stamped on a central metallic part of any firearm manufactured and sold in Ohio."

The bill was authored by State Representatives Morgan and Martin, and currently has 15 other co-sponsors. (h/t BuckeyeFirearms.org and OhioFreedom.com)

While the HB315's title focuses on federal gun regulations, it has far more to do with the 10th Amendment's limit on the power of the federal government.

Full Article <a
href="http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/2009/10/21/nullification-firearms-freedom-a
ct-introduced-in-ohio/">HERE.</a>

Ohio Issue 1 Posted by amyers68

Posted 10/26/09

As a veteran of The Persian Gulf War and understanding the good intent of Issue 1, borrowing approximately $294 million (with interest according to OBM) to pay cash bonuses to veterans of the Middle East conflicts does not make sound financial sense. As insensitive as some may think this is, I can assure you it is not. The Department of Veterans Benefits (http://www.vba.va..gov/VBA)  has numerous programs to help veterans and their families transition into civilian life such as loans for housing, GI Bill, health and dental, vocational training and survivors benefits to name just a few. I was one of those veterans who did just that, and I appreciated the assistance I received from those programs that are already established. In light of these difficult financial times for our nation, the state of Ohio and its citizens, this proposal would seem inappropriate and fiscally irresponsible at this time. As a veteran who served proudly with honor, and continues serve in a non-military capacity, I will vote NO on Issue 1 and hope my fellow veterans will do the same.

Andy Myers

Region Coordinator

Ohio's Firearms Freedom Act HB 315 Posted by amyers68

Posted 10/26/09

Reps. Seth Morgan, R-Huber Heights, and Jarrod Martin, R-Beavercreek, have introduced legislation that would allow for firearms made and sold within Ohio to be exempt from federal firearms regulations.

Morgan said on Friday, Oct. 23, that House Bill 315, is mainly a preemptive effort to protect the state against any federal regulations pushed by President Barack Obama's admininistration.

He added, however, that a debate over the issue of state control should have been held earlier.

"I"m sure there are some (federal) laws that I'd like to see changed," said Morgan.

Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, said the legislation is not needed. Gun advocates seem obsessed with the notion that "people are going to take things away from them," she said.

"If you're going to have firearms and ammunition, ....you ought to be held accountable," said Hoover.

Justice Department Ruling on Party Affiliations Posted by galejoy

Posted 10/21/09

As if we needed another reason to vote for Independents and 3rd Party Candidates you need only look at the ruling by the Justice Department in the North Carolina election case.

This is yet another case of the federal government overstepping their bounds and inhibiting the liberties and rights of local governments.

It needs to be realized that the 2 major parties will utilize everything in their arsenal to limit the success of 3rd Party candidates and Independents. This is done to retain their control and power in the election process.

Not only do they require 3rd Party and Independent candidates to get more registered voter signatures. They are also in charge of validating the signatures that are submitted. unless we end the 2 Party system of electing our government officials we will never be able to truly take back our country.

Call the Senate TODAY! No compromise on S604 and HR 1207! Posted by RobB

Posted 10/20/09

Friends,   Please take the time to contact Senators Brown and Voinovich, your local Representative to Congress, and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bob Corker (R-TN) this week.

  http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=26686#  

Merkley and Corker are leading the charge to derail HR 1207 (303 co-sponsors) and S604 (33 co-sponsors), our long fought for legislation to provide for the first comprehensive audit of the Federal Reserve System in its 96 year existence. They are certainly acting on behalf of the Big Banks and The Fed, who have recently been panicking about the threat of a transparent audit of U.S. monetary policy (the printing and distribution of trillions of new dollars through various mechanisms) and their relationship and deal-making with foreign governments and foreign central banks, something that neither we nor Congress is privy to.  

Merkley and Corker today introduced the "Federal Reserve Accountability Act", an alternative Fed Audit bill, in an attempt to erase S604. It is a watered down audit of only the TARP funds and other high profile bailouts, excluding all other Fed functions and actions from audit...just what the Big Banks, The Fed, and Big Government lovers want. After all, if they want the unending money spigot to remain open to fund gargantuan government and their cronies in the Big Banks, they cannot have the public looking into their books.   

I need all of you to ask your membership to call our politicians in Washington this week. Tell them that the time is now for the American people and Congress to fully see and understand the actions of the Federal Reserve with regards to monetary policy, the details of the bailouts, and all agreements or commitments to foreign central banks and governments. Our financial future and our national sovereignty are at stake. We will accept nothing less than a comprehensive, transparent audit of all Federal Reserve functions.

If there is nothing to hide, then there is nothing for them to worry about. We and Congress do not want to take over monetary policy, but we deserve to know where we are headed, what is happening to our dollar, and whether anyone is selling us out to foreign interests.

  Here's the links to contact info :  

Senator Corker : http://corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm? (202) 224-3344  

Senator Merkley : http://merkley.senate.gov/contact/ (202) 224-3753  

Senator Brown : http://brown.senate.gov/contact/ (202) 224-2315  

Senator Voinovich : http://voinovich.senate.gov/public/index.cfm (202) 224-3353    

 Please also call your personal rep to the US House...here's a few for the Cincinnati area :  

Rep. Jean Schmidt : http://www.house.gov/schmidt/ (202)225-3164 OR 791-0381  

Rep. Steve Driehaus : http://driehaus.house.gov/ (202) 225-2216 OR 684-2723  

 Rep. Michael Turner : http://turner.house.gov/ (202) 225-6465    

 

Action Plan:  

1. Call your Senators Brown and Voinovich and tell them that you want them to co-sponsor S604 (33 cosponsors), and you will not accept the Merkley-Corker watered down Fed Audit. Supporters of a watered down audit are bought and paid for by the Financial Services Industry, and we plan to remove such individuals from the Senate by supporting their opponents financially and through the grass roots activism that we specialize in.  

2. Call your Representative to the House and tell them that their continued support of HR 1207 is appreciated (all local Reps have co-sponsored HR 1207 except Driehaus...big time contributions from the Financial Services Industry this year) and we insist that they demand that HR 1207 be passed immediately in full, without compromise. Tell Driehaus to get on board if he believes in transparency and cares about his constituents' finacial future, if he is your Rep.  

3. Call Corker and Merkley and tell them that their bill is unnecessary and an obvious attempt to provide cover for the Fed, and that 75% of Americans want a comprehensive audit of the Fed, according to the most recent polls. Tell them that if they fight against a comprehensive Fed Audit, then we'll fight against their re-election with all our energy and money.  

Thanks to all of you in advance for your help in distributing the message. Bad "Trojan Horse" bill announced today, fight back tomorrow for what is good and right. That's how it should be done.

In Liberty...    

              

Press Release: Federal Reserve Accountability Act An Unacceptable Compromise Posted by Gary Howard

Posted 10/20/09 Last updated 10/23/09

Federal Reserve Accountability Act An Unacceptable Compromise

Washington D.C. October 20, 2009 -Today, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Bob Corker (R-TN) introduced the Federal Reserve Accountability Act S.1803, an attempted compromise on the issue of transparency for America's secretive central bank.  The bill would permit an audit of the Fed's actions in the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) and similar high profile bailouts, but would not allow Congress to review the Fed's inflation of the money supply or the its agreements with foreign central banks.

Legislation that would bring a full audit of the Fed, Congressman Ron Paul's H.R. 1207 and its Senate companion S. 604, has gained strong grassroots support and built tremendous pressure on banking special interests.

Opponents of Fed Transparency argue that a full audit of the Federal Reserve would damage the central bank's "independence" and allow Congress to dictate monetary policy.

"Claims that transparency at the Federal Reserve would leave Congress in charge of monetary policy are simply bogus," said Jesse Benton, Senior Vice President of Campaign for Liberty. "There is absolutely no reason why The American People should not be able to review the minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee after a reasonable amount of time has passed."

"The Federal Reserve Accountability Act does not audit the monetary policy functions which have been responsible for our deteriorating dollar and so many of our current economic problems, and it is not an acceptable piece of legislation. Campaign for Liberty will continue to push for a full audit of the Fed."

The announcement of the new legislation comes after the number of cosponsors in the House of Representatives for H.R. 1207 recently climbed to 303, and S. 604 gained 30 senate cosponsors.  Campaign for Liberty has been leading the grassroots effort on H.R .1207, getting it to its current point with 75% of Americans showing support for a thorough audit of the Federal Reserve.

Eric Deaton for US Senate Posted by galejoy

Posted 10/16/09

My name is Gale Joy. I am working on the campaign to elect Eric Deaton to US Senate in the seat being vacated by George Voinovich. Eric has decided to run as an Independent candidate as he has been unable to identify with the platforms of either of the 2 major parties.

We are looking for groups and individuals that would allow us to come to a meeting of your organization to explain our platform and where we stand on the issues facing our nation.

We are not asking for your endorsement at this point. We are only looking to expand the knowledge of our campaign and where we stand. If you have felt misrepresented or at the very least under-represented by your elected representatives in the past then now is your chance to make your voice heard.

It is our contention that most Ohioans will be able to more closely identify with us and our position than the other candidates that will be running. Eric is a strong proponent of the US Constitution and the liberties that it guarantees. He is also a strong supporter of limited government and will fight to limit the actions of the federal government by returning power to the state.

I hope this has intrigued you to look into our campaign and allow us to come and meet with you.

Feel free to contact us at any time with questions, comments, or to request more information.

We look forward to meeting with you and your organization.

Gale Joy
937-835-4858
www.deatonforsenate.com

Ron Paul Responds to Lindsey Graham Posted by John Tate

Posted 10/14/09

For far too long, the Republican Party has been controlled by the "neoconservatives," those who readily abandon the free market at the drop of a hat if it means expanding government power and who think the United States should be the policeman of the world. They want us to support those who throw substance and principle to the wind in favor of political expediency.

Last Monday night, Senator Lindsey Graham reiterated his disdain for Ron Paul and limited government conservatives at a town hall when he said that he was not going to allow the Republican Party to be "hijacked by Ron Paul."

Instead, he thinks we should get behind those who he tells us "can win," even if it means abandoning every belief we hold dear in the process.

In addition to his afternoon appearance on Judge Napolitano's Freedom Watch, Congressman Paul will be responding to the neoconservatives on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer tonight at 6 pm eastern and also on MSNBC's The Ed Show at 6:30 pm eastern.

CNN has shared with my staff that they want to hear from you on this issue. Contact The Situation Room and let them know you think neoconservatism has had its day and it is time for our elected officials to stick to the Constitution.

In our efforts over the past two years, we have made it clear we will no longer be silent while those who claim to believe in limited government and freedom behave exactly the opposite and help run our country into the ground.

The freedom movement is growing larger every day, and we will take our country back without abandoning our principles to do so.

Update:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njDSf8Hetgg

Update #2:

Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dauk46aAIgA

Part 2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNRMcuwxpMk

Breaking news: Marijuana now legal in Massachusetts Posted by Sean Ryan

Posted 10/14/09 Last updated 07/26/09

People hate on Massachusetts for many things. We have high taxes, tough gun control, and we provided the country with a blueprint for socialist health care (a plan which is now causing us some problems). Believe it or not, giving government monopoly powers over an industry doesn't work on the state level either, costs are exceeding revenues, and cuts are having to be made. The governor recently proposed denying health benefits to certain LEGAL immigrants, a decision that would have no basis in in the realms of logic or morality.

Two hundred and thirty-odd years ago, though, we were the epicenter of freedom. You know what other concept got its first test run here in MA? The written constitution. The legal document we all share - as citizens of what was originally a federation of diverse states with shared free trade, foreign, and defense policies - was based on the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, drafted by none other than Sam Adams, a graduate of my high school. When I think about his and other names on the great frieze above the royal purple curtains in the assembly hall back at the Latin School, I can't help but be a little proud of my Bostonian heritage.

To the matter at hand: today I read an article from last week's Herald (the more conservative of Boston's two newspapers), about the effects on law enforcement practices of the recently-enacted citizen referendum to make marijuana possession a civil rather than criminal offense. Here's the opener:

"Thumbing their noses at the state's lax new pot law, Bay State stoners are brazenly lighting up in front of cops and then refusing to pay fines - leading some frustrated police chiefs to all but give up the fight."

A friend of mine, a libertarian who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons, was recently smoking pot in a public park, and I asked him what he planned to do if a policeman passed by, and decided to hit him with the $100 fine that is the penalty for carrying an ounce or less of cannibus. "If he told me to give him 100 bucks?!" he retorted. "I'd tell him to give ME 100 bucks!" If you read the article, you'll find that lots of other Boston-area residents seem to share his understanding of this issue. There is no reason ever to pay this fine. Points will not get added onto your license, and they won't arrest you. They could haul you into court, theoretically, but that would cost them more than the amount of the fine. We may be socialists up here, but not all problems of economic calculations elude us.

"All told, a staggering 83 percent of 415 tokers cited in Boston since the law took effect in January have refused to pony up the $100, a Herald review shows."

This should be major news! One hundred and sixty-years ago, a liberty-minded Massachusetts native wrote, in his treatise on the idea of civil disobedience to government, "when the subject has refused allegiance, and the officer has resigned his office, then the revolution is accomplished."

83% of pot smokers are refusing allegiance to the state, by openly defying it. Police officers aren't enforcing the law, if not on grounds of justice, than at least for practical reasons. According to Henry Thoreau's definition, marijuana is now legal in Massachusetts (in my neighborhood, anyway). If the other 13% of the "Bay State stoners" heard the news, I am positive they would turn to civil resistance as well. Let's all take note of Thoreau's advice, and take heart: as ever, the strength of the people lies in our numbers, and if enough of us refuse to submit to oppression, oppression will end. I guess this means I'll have to revise my campaign platform.

For Starters Posted by ppetrides

Posted 10/13/09

I used to be a Republican.  I never signed up for a political party, and probably never will.  However, I would support a Republican candidate.  I was too much of a blind follower.  I took the party to be conservative which I knew I was but was too young to define.  As many misguided conservatives, I took what Republicans said and did as conservative.  This was a mistake.  A couple of years ago, I started educating myself.  I read The Revolution and it really opened my eyes to what it truly meant to be conservative.  Since then I have decided that it makes sense.  I wish that all the other misguided Republican conservatives wake up and educate themselves and get a better grip on reality. It's better when everything makes sense.

Trumbull County Tea Party with Jim Traficant - Issues and Action Posted by kmacpher67

Posted 10/13/09

Trumbull County Tea Party with Jim Traficant

CONTACT:
Trumbull County Campaign for Liberty
Ken MacPherson
330 219-35
64
http://www.meetup.com/Trumbull-County-Campaign-for-Liberty/calendar/11486883/

kmacpher67@yahoo.com

Immediate Release

TITLE: Tea Party on the Square - Issues and Action

Tea Party on the Square - Issues and Actions

Trumbull County Tea Party  - Court house Downtown Warren, oh

Name:  Tea Party on the Square - Issues and our Future
where:  Court House Warren, downtown
when:  Saturday, 10am October 17th, 2009
what:  Issues and our future.

GUEST SPEAKER:
Former Congressman Traficant

Open speakers positions available. Contact: Ken MacPherson 330 219-3564 for details.

Promote and defend the great American principles of:
* individual liberty,
* constitutional government,
* sound money,
* free markets, and
* a noninterventionist foreign policy

Show up and speak out.

Campaign For Liberty (C4L):
Who are we?
Campaign for liberty is a non-partisan group of citizens, individuals, and people. We are about education, activation and elimination.  Personal freedom and liberty are the bedrock and historical fact of America. Our goal is promote the principles of liberty and individual freedom in politics, government laws, and daily practice. The US constitution is at the heart of liberty and the basic protection of each us. 

What are we doing?
Many Americans today are frustrated.  The political choices they are offered give them no real choice at all.  For all their talk of "change," neither major political party as presently constituted challenges the status quo in any serious way.  Neither treats the Constitution with anything but contempt.  Neither offers any kind of change in monetary policy.  Neither wants to make the reductions in government that our crushing debt burden demands.  Neither party talks about bringing American troops home,  not just from Iraq, but from around the world places like Europe, Asia, and rest of the middle-east.  Our country is bankrupt with 11 TRILLION dollars of debt, and none of these sensible proposals are even on the table.

Cuyahoga County is in Big Trouble with Issue 6 Posted by mapetranek

Posted 10/11/09

Issue 6 in Cuyahoga County is being billed as the end the corruption issue. It will also be the end of you voting for your sheriff among many other offices. This issue will no more end corruption than a bottle of seltzer water can end a magnesium fire. In fact, it will contribute to even more corruption in the future by putting the power to appoint offices, including the sheriff, in the hands of just a few individuals.

6

Shall a county charter be adopted

providing for an elected county

executive, an elected county prosecutor,

eleven county council members elected

by district, and all other county officers

appointed by the county executive whose

appointments are subject to the

confirmation by council and who shall

serve at the pleasure of the county

executive?

Need I say more?

Maryanne Petranek

Ohio Issue 2 Posted by amyers68

Posted 10/09/09

Letter to the editor

Oct 7, 2009

Farm Czars in Ohio?  

On Monday October 19, several Central Ohio community groups are organizing a debate on Issue 2 in Columbus. Issue 2 will amend the Ohio constitution to create a Livestock Care Standards Board in Ohio. Proponents say it will protect farmers and the Ohio agriculture industry from more draconian regulation that may result if it passes. Opponents say it is a large agribusiness power grab that will hurt small farms and restrict the freedom of Ohio farmers. The debaters are Maurice Thompson; Director of 1851 Center for Constitutional Law at the Buckeye Institute. Roger Wise; President of The Ohio Farmers Union. Ohio House of Representative and co-sponsor Margaret Ruhl and Ohio State professor of agriculture Thomas Marshall. It is the belief of the many Liberty Groups in Ohio that a merger of big-agribusiness and government would be a big mistake and NOT BENEFIT consumers, food saftey, farmers or animals.  The winners will be a few large corporations and government bureaucrats; we the consumers and small farmers will pay the price. It is ironic that existing government meddling at the direction of big business has caused the destruction of the small farm and the rise of factory farming in the first place. In typical fashion, the government cannot offer any solutions other than more of the same.

There are actually many examples of private organizations developing industry standards, like Underwriters Laboratories (UL). This private regulatory model works well because these standard-bearers are not granted a monopoly, and if the standards are not good, they face the threat of competition, and competition creates excellence. This model should be applied to farming in Ohio too. A non-profit organization could work with the industry to develop a set of standards. Food retailers would desire to sell certified responsible products and should proudly display the seal of approval, because, now more than ever, consumers are interested in quality food from responsible sources. Farmers' rights would also be protected because they are not forced into any system. However, they face the threat of lost business if they don't respond to the desires of consumers. Issue 2 forces farmers and consumers into a lose-lose situation. There are other options that should be considered that will protect freedom, competition, and the small farmer too. To learn more about Issue 2 and the debate at Independence Hall at The Ohio State University, please go to www.ohiofreedom.com and click on the Issue 2 Debate link at the top of the page.

Andy Myers

Jamestown, OH.

Audit the Fed Petitions Delivered Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 09/16/09

Quick update on the Sept 15 petition delivery.  We met at the statehouse at lunchtime then Campaign for Liberty members went over to the office of Senator Brown and Voinovich in downtown Columbus to deliver all the petition signatures we had gathered.  We delivered 1700 signatures on teh 15th, and another 100 came in the day after too.  Thank you for the help and hard work, and please keep calling our senators.  

Candidates, issues on Nov. 3 ballot in Portage County Posted by Gabe McGranahan

Posted 08/30/09 Last updated 08/20/09

*denotes incumbent
One to elect, unless otherwise noted

CANDIDATES

CITIES

AURORA
MAYOR
Thomas H. Dreher
John J. Kudley Jr.
Lynn McGill*
COUNCIL AT LARGE
Richard A. Duncan
Joe Kastelic*
Brady Krebs
WARD 1
James L. Vaca Sr.*
Fred Rote
WARD 3
Carl G. Rausch*
WARD 5
James M. Fisher*

KENT
MAYOR
Jerry Fiala (I)
Rick Hawksley (D)
COUNCIL AT LARGE
(Three to elect)
Michael A. DeLeone* (D)
Vic Hart (D)
Drew Smith (I)
Robin G. Turner* (D)
Erik D. Valenta (I)

RAVENNA
COUNCIL AT LARGE
(Two to elect)
Joseph Bica Jr.*
Gene Brown*
Amy Michael
Kenneth Roach Sr.
WARD 1
Steven R. Bailey*
Sharon Spencer
Mary E. Willett
WARD 2
Frank Seman*

STREETSBORO
MAYOR
Glenn M. Broska
Pete Buczkowski
Robert Carothers
Jana Dengg
Regis V. Faivre
Leon G. Jankowski
Raul Leoni
Brett McClafferty
John Ruediger
Arthur Scott*
COUNCIL AT LARGE
(Three to elect)
Timothy J. Claypoole
Chuck Kocisko
James E. Lupton
Julie Sanders*

PORTAGE COUNTY MUNICIPAL JUDGE
(Term beginning Jan. 1, 2010 )
Paul Brickner (I)
Becky Doherty (I)
Tommie Jo Marsilio (R)
Kevin T. Poland (D)

(Term beginning Jan. 2, 2010 )
David Brode (I)
Mark K. Fankhauser (D)
William A. Nome (R)

TOWNSHIPS

ATWATER
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
James Conley*
John B. Kovacich
Bill Manion
Sonja Smith
Lynn R. Whittlesey

BRIMFIELD
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Mike Kostensky*
Clinton Parsons Jr.
Cliff Porter
Gary Rodd
Jeff Smith
Charles J. Sprague Jr.
Dan Tronge*

CHARLESTOWN
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
James E. Eskridge*
Tim Patrick*

DEERFIELD
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
David R. Allison
Ed Dean*
John Girscht
Craig W. Stratton
Randy Wilburn*
Matthew Woodford

EDINBURG
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Thomas M. Repcik*
Diane Hargett Austin
(unexpired term)
Judy Repcik*

FRANKLIN
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Mark Beckwith*
Keith Benjamin*
Clarence Cobb

FREEDOM
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Roy E. Martin
J.J. Leet*
William N. McDowell Jr.
Michael J. Mikulski
John C. Zizka*

HIRAM
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Jack Groselle*
Paul Huter
Terry Kulka*
Steven F. Pancost
Kathleen Schulda

MANTUA
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Jason Carlton
Victor W. Grimm*
Mark L. Hall*

NELSON
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Mark Apple
Steve Clarence Berecek
Jeremy J. Hutchinson
Tom Matota*
Joe Leonard
James M. Turos*

PALMYRA
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
James H. Deffenbaugh*
Henry Michael*

PARIS
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Tom Freborg Jr.
Thomas A. Smith*
Dorene M. Spicer*

RANDOLPH
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Bill Carter
Gary L. Horning*
Roger Klodt*
Susan White
John Wise

RAVENNA
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Patsy Artz*
Robert A. Cherry*
Vince Coia

ROOTSTOWN
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
David A. Armentrout*
Luke Darrah
Diane Dillon*
Roy J. Kelsey
James R. Gerren
James Greener
Brett A. Housley
Bill Madlem
Jim Manion
Ron Snyder
Tom Weese Jr.

SHALERSVILLE
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Paul E. Moore
Frank R. Ruehr*
Larry Solak*
Nancy Vines

SUFFIELD
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Tom Calcei
Janice Cowan
James A. Demboski
Ronald C. Mishler*
David T. Vartenuk*

WINDHAM
TRUSTEE
(Two to elect)
Howard Furl*
Darryl McGuire
Todd Phillips
Dann S. Timmons*
Jesse W. Wirick

VILLAGES

BRADY LAKE
COUNCIL
(Four to elect)
Ruth A. Carlson*
Ted L. Holland
Joshua R. Moore
Joe Pittinger*
Chuck Young*

GARRETTSVILLE
COUNCIL
(Four to elect)
Karen Clyde*
Teri Eiermann*
Steve Hadzinsky
Charles Klamer*
Robert W. Matson*
PUBLIC AFFAIRS
(One to elect)
Stephanie Byrne*

HIRAM
COUNCIL
(Four to elect)
Robert E. Dempsey*
Alan Donley*
David C. Smith*
Tom Wadkins*

MANTUA
COUNCIL
(Four to elect)
Linda S. Clark
Martin S. Hura*
Ben Prescott*
Giles E. Seith*

SUGAR BUSH KNOLLS
COUNCIL
James Robert Beal*
John M. Guidubaldi
Elizabeth M. Hartley
Nancy K. Stillwagon

WINDHAM
COUNCIL
(Four to elect)
Rachel Barrett*
Debbie Blewitt
Barron Chambers
Scott Garrett*
Robert Maszaros
Jenna Miranda
Randall S. Slusher*
Philip C. Snyder*

SCHOOL BOARDS

AURORA
(Three to elect)
Gerald Kohanski*
Beverly B. Kuch*
Pamela L. Mehallis*

CRESTWOOD
(Two to elect)
Norman Erickson*
Martha Phillips*
Christopher Semety

FIELD
(Three to elect)
David Gynn*
Terry Kettering
Jeremy W. Powell
Donna J. Karg
Allyson Westover

JAMES A. GARFIELD
(Two to elect)
Patricia Brett*
Guy V. Pietra*
Dave Quick

KENT
(Three to elect)
Brian K. Boykin*
Marlene R. Dorsey
Ryan Ferrara*
Michel Finley

RAVENNA
(Three to elect)
Robert Best
Deborah Davison*
Joan Seman*
Mike Tontimonia*

ROOTSTOWN
(Three to elect)
Robert C. Dunn*
Jay Kelsey*
Tom Siciliano*

SOUTHEAST
(Two to elect)
David Kemble*
Rob White*

STREETSBORO
(Two to elect)
Thomas Gilmer
Andrew J. Lesak*
Denise Baba*

WATERLOO
(Two to elect)
Tara Bolanz*
Jason Dean Braddock
Cynthia L. Franks
Steve Jones
Matthew L. Montgomery
Brian Pusateri*
Brian Trautman
Dianne M. Whittlesey

WINDHAM
(Three to elect)
Terrie K. Altiere*
Tom Byich*
William D. Hickman*
Sherri Pennington

PORTAGE COUNTY EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CENTER
(Three to elect)
Thomas M. Biltz*
Paula Hluch*
Jack W. Schaeffer*

ISSUES

COUNTY ISSUES
CHILDREN SERVICES
A 0.75-mill, five-year renewal levy for care, placement and treatment of abused, neglected and dependent children.
HEALTH DISTRICT
A 0.4-mill, five-year additional levy for operations.

SCHOOL ISSUES
CRESTWOOD
A 2.66-mill, 28-year bond issue to raise $12.8 million for constructing, furnishing and improving a new high school.
ROOTSTOWN LOCAL
A 5.29-mill, five-year renewal levy for emergency requirements.
STREETSBORO
A 9.5-mill, five-year additional levy for operations.
WINDHAM
A 5.8-mill, five-year renewal levy for emergency requirements.

CITY ISSUES
AURORA
A 1.1-mill, 11-year additional levy for rehabilitating wastewater treatment facilities.
A charter amendment for emergency ordinance or resolution.
A charter amendment for the master plan review by city council.
A charter amendment concerning conflict of interest.
A charter amendment so electors may by referendum approve or reject any ordinance or resolution enacted by council.
KENT
A 1.16-mill, five-year renewal levy for operations.
A 0.5 mill, permanent replacement levy for recreational purposes
RAVENNA
A local option to allow Sunday sales of wine, mixed beverages and liquor at Valu King, in Ward 1, Precinct B.
A local option to allow Sunday sales of wine, mixed beverages and liquor at BPOE Lodge, in Ward 2, Precinct C.
STREETSBORO
A local option to allow Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages at Walmart, in Ward 1, Precinct C.

TOWNSHIP ISSUES
BRIMFIELD
A 0.95-mill, five-year additional levy for road and bridge construction and repair.
A local option to allow Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages at Walmart Supercenter, in Precinct E.
CHARLESTON
A 2.5-mill, five-year renewal levy for fire protection.
DEERFIELD
A referendum petition to amend zoning.
FRANKLIN
A 3.42-mill, five-year renewal levy for fire protection and EMS.
HIRAM
A 2-mill, five-year replacement levy for EMS
A 3-mill, five-year replacement levy for road maintenance.
PALMYRA
A 1-mill, five-year replacement levy for fire protection and EMS.
RANDOLPH
A 1-mill, five-year renewal levy for ambulance and EMS.
RAVENNA
A local option to allow Sunday sales of wine and mixed beverages at Walmart, in Precinct D.
ROOTSTOWN
A 1.3-mill, five-year renewal levy for fire protection.
SUFFIELD
A 1-mill, five-year renewal levy for road maintenance.

VILLAGE ISSUES
BRADY LAKE
A 4-mill, five-year renewal levy for recreational purposes.
GARRETTSVILLE
An ordnance to aggregate retail electric loads located in the village.
HIRAM
A 2-mill, five-year renewal levy for EMS.
WINDHAM
A 2-mill, five-year additional levy for fire and EMS.

OTHER ISSUES
DISTRICT LIBRARY
A 0.5 mill, 10-year additional levy for operations.
MANTUA-SHALERSVILLE FIRE DISTRICT
A 2.25-mill, five-year renewal levy.
WINDHAM FIRE DISTRICT
A 1-mill, five-year replacement levy.

Health Insurance Reform Now Event--Columbus Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 08/30/09

What: Health Insurance Reform Now Event--Columbus

When: September 1, 2009 7:00 PM

Where:
The Lausche Building at the Ohio Expo Center
717 E. 17th Ave. Ohio State Fairgrounds
Columbus, OH 43211

Let the voice of freedom be heard above the political drones calling for yet more control over health care.

Featured Speakers will be Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, Lt Governor Lee Fisher, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman and Organizing for America Deputy National Director, Jeremy Bird. Others will be announced at a later

http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/letsgetitdonehealthinsurancereformnowpubl
icevents/gpfkx4

Aug 28 Thomas Woods Speaking in Cincinnati Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 08/19/09 Last updated 08/19/09

Ask yourself these questions or ask them of a friend!

1. Can you have an educated conversation with anyone about the values of a free market system?

2. Do you understand the Federal Reserve, monetary system and interest rates including effects on the economy?

3. Can you, with certainty, predict how the next economic bust will come about?

4. Need a way to clearly articulate the pitfalls of stimulus bills and government spending?

August 28th - You are invited to attend a speaking engagement with Thomas Woods at University of Cincinnati where he will answer these questions.

There is no tool better than education to strengthen our ability to defend the Republic. Please join us at the University of Cincinnati to welcome Mises Scholar and author of Meltdown: A Free Market Look at Why the Stock Market Collapsed, the Economy Tanked, and Government Bailouts Will Make Things Worse

RSVP: http://www.cincinnatiteaparty.org/Events/20090828woods.htm

Date: August 28th

Time: 7pm

Location: University of Cincinnati, Zimmer Hall

Map of UC:
http://www.uc.edu/pubsafety/documents/parking_services/UC_Campus_Map_West_ParkingStud
entVisitor.pdf

Thomas Woods Website: http://www.thomasewoods.com/about/

Sept 15 Audit the Fed Ohio Rally Point Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 08/19/09

On Sept 15 we will deliver the audit the fed petitions you have been helping to gather to our senators.  If you can make the time please join us Sept 15th at 12:30 to delivery those petitions.  More details soon but we plan to meet at the Ohio Statehouse west side (High Street). 

An Open Letter to Dennis Kucinich on Universal Healthcare Posted by mapetranek

Posted 07/15/09

Good Afternoon,

It is hard to even begin addressing all the issues that are intrinsic in a discussion on healthcare. The first question I ask is: Is it the government's responsibility to provide healthcare for all the people in this country? The answer is no. The federal government is responsible for keeping the people of the United States safe at the borders and preserving our liberty. That's it. Finished.

With government intrusion in the healthcare system some 30 or 40 years ago, the government created the current system which sees unreasonable health insurance that is inaccessible to many Americans. The government. Isn't that you? Isn't it your responsibility for what has happened to the price of insurance, hospital care, etc.? Isn't it your responsibility that the "middle men" were created in the first place? If we need to get a history lesson here, can we keep the facts straight?

You see, I remember the system we had prior to what has happened over these last few decades. I am 53 years old and when I was a child, we didn't have this global health insurance that would cover anything from a runny nose to falling off the roof of your home. No, we paid the doctor for an office visit, we paid for any "drugs" that were prescribed or any vaccinations that were given. I don't have the records for when I was a child but I believe the office visit was around $10.00. What I do have is the records for when my son was a child. Guess what? He is 32 now and I paid in cash for the office visit and any "drugs" or vaccinations that were given. I have records showing the cost of the office visit at $16.00. But that was going to change. This was during the time where the government stepped in and started the creation of HMO's and the sequence of nightmares that has arisen in healthcare over the last few decades.

Those office visits went to $40.00 and then to $60.00 and then to $75.00 in a very short period of time. Those drugs went from $2.00 to well over $20.00 and they continued to go up.

You see, it is not the middle men and those insurance companies that caused this, it is Congress that caused it. You might have meant well at the time, but you created the monster we have now.

Another issue I am addressing is what insurance is for. In those days, insurance was for a catastrophic event. An auto accident, a fall off the roof of the house, a wound with blood spurting out an artery, you know what I mean. We actually could purchase a policy at SCHOOL for $5.00 per month in case there were any accidents at school. Insurance was never meant to pay for the small stuff. But You, Congress, created this other monster called medical advertising on TV and other media. You allowed our for-profit "healthcare system" to spend a lot of money in advertising to get to the consumer and convince them that at every turn, something life-threatening is happening to them. The typical consumer, who watches a lot of TV, in turn started demanding more drugs, more protection. You, Congress, created it. You created the bubble in drug prices.

Hey, hold on here. Whatever happened to individual responsibility for health? Another oversight on the part of Congress. Congress has allowed the FDA to have unprecedented power over anyone who isn't involved in the "system." What do I mean? You, Congress have allowed the FDA to hunt down and prosecute other forms of healthcare besides the mainstream, drug-pushing system. You Congress have allowed an agency of the government to try to halt forms of "medicine" that have been practiced for hundreds if not thousands of years. Americans would be healthy if they had clean food and clean water.

It's not your job to keep me safe from myself---it's your job to keep the borders safe. It is not your job to tell me what I can and cannot do. Your job is to preserve my liberty.

In light of all the problems Congress has created, you now want to be the administrator of a universal healthcare system for all Americans. I'm sorry, that's not quite accurate. I meant everyone who is currently living in this country, legally or illegally. It's not the job of the federal government to provide healthcare for all people. It was never your job to create Medicare or Medicaid either. Neither one of those systems works very well and now you want to create an even bigger system of healthcare and it won't work either.

Mr. Kucinich, I know you are a smart man but stop making yourself betrothen to others and start following your own inner conscience of what is right and what is wrong.

Why should I be paying for everyone else's health insurance? Why should I have to be forced to be involved in a plan that I don't want nor will I use. Your job is to protect my liberty. If you really feel a need to go forward with this, at least put in an amendment to allow people to OPT OUT of all this.

I spend my money on clean food and clean water. I spend my money on local, organic fruits and vegetables and I am in perfect health. I intend on keeping myself in good health and don't want any federal program which is unconstitutional forced on me.

I want the government out of healthcare and everywhere else except for keeping the borders of this country safe and preserving my god-given unalienable rights.

Have you ever witnessed the Medicare or Medicaid system first hand? It's a nightmare. This country spends more money on healthcare than any country on the planet and in 2000 the WHO ranked us 37 in health. Imagine that. What do you suppose would happen if we took the pharmaceutical advertising off of TV, encouraged everyone to get rid of sugar in their diet and spend time outdoors? I wonder what would happen if we honestly told people why they were in failing health instead of trying to prosecute everyone who is trying to tell them why they are in failing health? I wonder what would happen if we got rid of this sadistic healthcare system that preys on people and doesn't tell them the truth ? What if we trained doctors to know real health and how the human body works instead of training them on removing body parts and pharmaceutical drugs?

I could write a book on this. Please reconsider your role in this and stop trying to pass legislation that is clearly not the job of the government and start preserving my individual liberties the way you are supposed to.

Thank you for your time and attention,

Maryanne Petranek

Cleveland, Ohio

The Making Of America Webinar Posted by mapetranek

Posted 07/08/09 Last updated 07/08/09

Last night was the first in a series of four Tuesdays for a webinar on The Making Of America. For anyone who thinks they know all there is to know about our founders and the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, check the seminar out because Earl Taylor has such a great way of synthesizing the information, I will bet you hear things you have never heard before.

Let's try this thought:

As an individual, if I do not have the authority to have someone do something,then I cannot delegate that authority to the government. Simple thought, simple execution.

Let's try it out:

Does the government have the authority to require me to fence my yard because I have a swimming pool?

( Remember, if you do not have the authority to tell your neighbor to fence their yard, then the government can't have the authority to tell your neighbor to fence his yard.)

Does the government have the authority to force me to use my seat belt?

Does the government have the authority to require my neighbor to get my permission to become a plumber?

If you apply this to any legislation brought up locally, statewide or in the federal government, then you will be able to take action on a bill as it is brought up in the legislature or city council or anywhere there is a governing body. You will be able to take action when it is brought up by calling the initiator of said legislation and asking them why they brought it up.

The National Center for Constitutional Studies has 28 guiding principles of our founding fathers. If we were all to memorize these principles, we would be able to look at any legislation and determine if it is constitutional and take action on it.

This is the first one:

The only reliable basis for sound government and just human relations is Natural Law.

Check out the webpage and see if all of this doesn't make a lot more sense! By the way, there were 543 people from 49 states on the call last night. By next week, I am sure we will have all 50 states represented.

Gosh, how does anyone have the time to do this? It starts at 9:00p PM eastern time and goes until 10:30 PM. Remember, I don't watch TV.

National Center for Constitutional Studies--FREE Webinar Posted by mapetranek

Posted 07/01/09

Accelerating Our Teaching with Technology

An amazing thing has been happening in America since the last general election. I do not speak of the seemingly unending proposals which tear at the very foundations of our republic and which are designed to move this country hard to the left. This has been going on for decades. Even though there were a few warning voices, most Americans were not that concerned and apparently thought that this is the way things have to be in our modern age. But with the acceleration of these socialistic efforts, we are seeing our fellow Americans, even some of those who haven't been too concerned in the past, finally becoming very afraid at what is occurring. Apparently the speed at which this is all happening is revealing the true motives of those who want to permanently change America 's formula for freedom, prosperity, and peace. It is literally scaring more people than ever. What I am referring to are the thousands of sincere, freedom-loving people who are waking up to what is happening and have decided to do something about it. All this brings to mind the stirring words of Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence when he described how people will take abuses only so far and for so long. Said he:

"... all experience has shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

"But, when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security."

If there is a silver lining to all that is happening, it must be that more and more people are waking up to the stark reality of the real possibility of losing our freedom and liberty. Perhaps that is why one woman who called recently said, "I have been a mere observer for too long. I have been silent for too long. I must get off the fence and do something!"
The Need for Universal Education

Scores of thousands of Americans are now reading The 5000 Year Leap . Among the principles of liberty, which the Founders said was essential to freedom, was education. Concerning education, the Founders felt that, "A free society cannot survive as a republic without a broad program of general education." (Principle 23) The English colonists in America undertook something which no nation had ever attempted before -- educating the whole people. The colonists had a sense of "manifest destiny" which led them to believe that they must prepare themselves for a most unique and important role in the unfolding of modern world history. Universal education was therefore considered an indispensable ingredient in this preparation.
De Tocqueville Comments on American Education in 1831

Gradually, the zeal for universal education spread from New England to all of the other colonies. By 1831, when Alexis de Tocqueville of France visited the United States , he was amazed by the fruits of this effort. He wrote:

"In New England every citizen receives the elementary notions of human knowledge; he is taught, moreover, the doctrines and the evidences of his religion, the history of his country, and the leading features of its Constitution. In the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts , it is extremely rare to find a man imperfectly acquainted with all these things, and a person wholly ignorant of them is a sort of phenomenon."

Education Includes Morality and Politics

He then went on to comment concerning the close relationship between the program of universal education and the preservation of freedom:

"It cannot be doubted that in the United States the instruction of the people powerfully contributes to the support of the democratic republic; and such must always be the case, I believe, where the instruction which enlightens the understanding is not separated from the moral education.... An American should never be led to speak of Europe , for he will then probably display much presumption and very foolish pride.... But if you question him respecting his own country, the cloud that dimmed his intelligence will immediately disperse; his language will become as clear and precise as his thoughts. He will inform you what his rights are and by what means he exercises them; he will be able to point out the customs which obtain in the political world. You will find that he is well acquainted with the rules of the administration, and that he is familiar with the mechanism of the laws.... The American learns to know the laws by participating in the act of legislation; and he takes a lesson in the forms of government from governing. The great work of society is ever going on before his eyes and, as it were, under his hands.

"In the United States , politics are the end and aim of education...." (See The 5000 Year Leap , p 252-254)

NCCS Inundated with Teaching Requests

A wise leader once advised that the best way to organize and lead people to do good is to teach them correct principles and let them govern themselves. The National Center for Constitutional Studies is an organization that teaches principles, so that no matter what the issue is people can apply a principle to it and have a solution. Perhaps that is why NCCS seminars have become so popular with people who are looking for answers.

Our seminars as presently scheduled may be found on our website at www.nccs.net . As you can see we have seminars scheduled all over the country and every available Saturday throughout the year. In many cases we are teaching seminars in several places at the same time. But still the requests keep coming in nearly every day. Some of them come from urban areas and some come from areas that are difficult to get to in a few hours. We will continue to schedule as many live seminars as possible, but we have many requests that we have not been able to schedule. We appreciate you patience. Some have volunteered to learn the material well enough so that they can teach it to groups in their own area. We will work with anyone who wants to do this. There is no magic to learning to teach the Founders message. One must study and then teach it. We at NCCS believe that there are no "experts" when it comes to the Founders message. It is simple enough to be understood and taught by most people. We believe we should get in the habit of thinking that Americans should be teaching one another the doctrines of freedom and liberty. So we encourage any and all to do so.

One thing that is sometimes on the mind of would-be-teachers is the remuneration available for doing so. We believe, as is emphasized in the third principle of liberty, that this is a cause, not a job. No one gets paid for teaching the Founders' message. We have separate means of support and do this work because we, like you, love America , and wish to see it strengthened and preserved. We do, however, hope to recover our expenses as we go around the nation teaching these seminars.
Announcing "The Making of America Webinar" Series

As can be seen in the current happenings in Iran where the regular channels of media have been silenced, the use of technology is both powerful and effective in combating the growth of tyrannical rule both at home and abroad.

In addition to our live seminars, we are announcing the beginning of seminars over the internet called "webinars." They will begin on the first Tuesday in July and continue each Tuesday for the first four Tuesdays of each month. We will teach our regular Making of America seminar but divide it up into four parts, presenting one part each Tuesday evening for four Tuesdays and then repeat the four parts again each month. It will also give an opportunity for participants to ask questions and have them answered during or after the formal presentation.

As with our Saturday seminars, we will make available to our participants the fill-in-the-blank study guides for that evening. Each participant may go to our NCCS website and download the applicable pages to the next Tuesday's webinar. In that way, each participant will have the material he or she needs for the meeting without having to wait for an order to be delivered. There is no cost for these webinars.

Here is a summary of the subjects covered in each of the four parts:
The Making of America , Part I (first Tuesdays)

Few Americans today know the real story of how America was made. The struggle of the Founders through 180 years to discover the ideas of freedom will give you a deep appreciation for these people. As each American today experiences this amazing story, he will want to become an advocate and a teacher of America 's formula for freedom.
The Making of America , Part II (second Tuesdays)

In this session we will learn why the Founders called the study of politics a "divine science." This concept surprises most Americans, but those who hear the story of where the Founders got their great ideas gain a great new hope for America today. One man said, "This is what I always felt inside, but I just have never heard it put in words before." Also, we will discover why most people in history seem to have to go through a very rough period in order to have the perspective to really appreciate freedom.
The Making of America , Part III (third Tuesdays)

In Parts I and II we learned the development of good constitutional ideas in the minds of the Founders. Now in Part III we undertake the study some of the more profound provisions of the magnificent document we call the Constitution of the United States . We will point out original intent and it will be very apparent how far we have strayed by the examples we give. This is the point that participants begin to ask themselves how we could have gotten so far off base!
The Making of America , Part IV (fourth Tuesdays)

We continue our study of the greatest freedom document ever written by man. Participants come away with the definite impression that the Founders really did have answers to nearly every problem we have in America today. This document is simple, yet profound. It is beautiful and its principles are universal and everlasting. This concluding session contains ideas and suggestions of what citizens can do now that they know somewhat about the freedom document that made the first free people in modern times.

Are you ready to learn from the Founders in the comfort of your own home? What could be easier than forwarding an email invite to your friends? Make sure NCCS has your email address so we can send you the real invite in a few days. (Go to www.nccs.net/seminars/ for more information and to sign up.)

Here is a sample invite you will receive by email a few days before the first webinar. When you receive the actual invitation, you will want to forward it to everyone on your own email lists. Time listed is Mountain Standard Time or Arizona time (which never changes):
The Making of America , Part 1 of 4
Join us for a Webinar on July 7

Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
(Your actual invitation will include the internet address to register)

(Description of Part I)
*Participants should download Study Guide for Part I at www.nccs.net prior to the webinar.
**This webinar will be recorded and archived at www.nccs.net
***There is no cost for this webinar

Title: The Making of America , Part 1 of 4
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM MST
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista
Macintosh®-based attendees required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

We look forward to participating with you on the webinar beginning on July 7th.

Sincerely,

Earl Taylor, Jr.

Dennis Kucinich, H.R. 1207 and why his co-sponsorship doesn't matter Posted by neiljones

Posted 06/10/09

Here we sit, 207 co-sponsors for 1207, yet Dennis hasn't signed on. He's probably the only guy on the Democrat's side that I've ever heard blast the Fed with reckless abandon, and yet, just when you thought his co-sponsorship was a no-brainer, not only has he not signed on, but he drafted a separate and practically the same bill, but with a more narrow scope! It's sitting in committee with 4 co-sponsors, fairly stagnant. Don't laugh; Ron Paul's written a lot of bills with goose eggs in the co-sponsor column. It took a lot of hard work by C4L members to give 1207 traction, and look how far we've come. 

This morning, I re-read Dennis' bill, trying to understand why he'd bother to do that, and not just co-sponsor our bill. I remembered that Congressman Kucinich isn't someone that needs to be sold on the fundamental problems that a central bank creates. He can reasonably be relied on to vote things down that are contrary to the Constitution. He understands our argument. We don't need to reach him, or convince him that the Fed is bad. So far, the only way I can rationalize him not jumping on the bandwagon is, if there's already over 200 co-sponsors for a bill that's likely going to see a vote, why settle for a single angle of attack on the Fed, when your committee can not only grill Bernanke on the BofA/Merrill fiasco, but you can spin it up into a full-fledged subpoena on the boring, nothing-to-see-here Federal Reserve?

It could be construed as a coordinated attack on the Fed on multiple fronts. China's top investors have been ridiculing Treasury and quantitative easing measures by the Fed, a bill by a former presidential candidate to audit the Fed is getting mainstream media coverage, and now a subpoena on the BofA/Merrill shotgun wedding. Let's face it, beating up on the Fed is popular right now. At the rate members of Congress are signing on with H.R. 1207, I really don't see getting 10 more co-sponsors taking very long at all. Dennis is already a believer; we need to focus on people that didn't even realize the nature of the Fed and why monetary policy is so important. 

What do you think?

June 14 Cincinnati "Rally For Freedom" Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 06/07/09

We would like to encourage everyone to attend the "Rally For Freedom" on Sunday, June 14, Noon-6pm, to be held at the Bandstand in New Richmond, Ohio (10 miles east of Cincinnati). This is a non-partisan celebration of our Constitutional principles of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets. The event was organized by The Cincinnati 912 Project and The Cincinnati Tea Party. The OFA and CFL have recently held a meeting with the leaders of the Cincinnati Tea Party and the Cincinnati 912 Project, and we have a great deal in common, above and beyond their stated goals.

They have formally invited Ohio Freedom Alliance and Campaign For Liberty to join the rally, and they have generously offered tent space to both organizations. Both OFA and CFL will use the space to provide attendees with educational materials, expand our membership, and to collect signatures for HR-1207 and HCR-11 petition drives.

The stated goal of the organizers is 5,000-10,000 attendees, based on the 5,000 attendees at both of the recent Cincinnati Tea Party events. This event is a great opportunity for OFA and CFL to reach a very large base of like-minded individuals, and the Cincinnati area OFA and CFL members would greatly appreciate the attendance and participation of all of you who are able to make the trip.

Registration isn't necessary to attend, but if you want to register or just learn more about the event, go to :

www.cincinnati912project.com?page_id=136 and www.cincinnatiteaparty.org

Marcia Fudge (D-CD11) wants to protect the Federal Reserve Posted by Grant McCallum

Posted 05/18/09

Thanks to James for providing the below response from Marcia Fudge regarding co-sponsoring HR1207.  We now have her on record for protecting the Federal Reserve although she claims: "I remain vigilant and committed to the proper oversight and accountability of federal government agencies."

Perhaps she does know the Fed is a private company and not a federal government agency, therefore, she doesn't want to audit it?  Either way, we need to educate her on the harm the Fed has caused and continues to cause on her constituents.  If she does not change her position after this, I see no other alternative than to inflict political pain on her by flooding her Congressional District with negative press on this issue.

Regards,

Grant

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

<form enctype="application/x-www-form-urlencoded">Sent 05/13/09 10:05 PM from jjnahra to Grant McCallum    
Subject: Re: CD11 ACTION!!: Call/Email Marcia Fudge and tell her to co-sponsor H.R. 1207!
This message is in response to: CD11 ACTION!!: Call/Email Marcia Fudge and tell her to co-sponsor H.R. 1207! sent 04/25/09 12:39 PM
You replied to this message: Re: CD11 ACTION!!: Call/Email Marcia Fudge and tell her to co-sponsor H.R. 1207! on : 05/14/2009

this is the response that I received from Marcia Fudge in reference to HR1207 support. Unfortunately she makes no commitment to supporting it. She does what it seems all government officals do. THey repeat your question and tell you what the bill is about (even though I of course wrote her about the Bill which I have knowledge of):

 jim nahra
(no subject)
Marcia Fudge <Congresswoman.Marcia.Fudge@oh11.us.house.gov> Tue, May 12, 2009 at 1:04 PM
To: jnahra@gmail.com

letterhead_fudge_021809

May 12, 2009

Dear Mr. Nahra

Thank you for writing in regards to H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing your views and I apologize for the delay in my response.

This bill allows the Comptroller General of the U.S. Government Accountability Office to carry out an onsite examination of an open insured bank or bank holding company without the written compliance of the appropriate federal regulatory agency. Additionally, it directs the Comptroller General to complete, before the end of 2010, an audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and of the federal reserve banks, followed by a detailed report to Congress.

Please know that I remain vigilant and committed to the proper oversight and accountability of federal government agencies. This will help bring lasting solvency to the economy and strengthen confidence in the markets. Our current economic condition may have developed due to both the structure of our national monetary and banking system and the actions of the actors operating within the system itself. While the stability of our financial markets has not been as strong as it once was, the security provided by the very existence of the Federal Reserve allows our nation to participate in global markets and to continue providing our nation's businesses with access to capital.

As your Congresswoman, I appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns regarding the Federal Reserve Board. Please know I am and will remain open to your suggestions of perfecting our financial markets and institutions.

Sincerely,

Marcia L. Fudge

Member of Congress

MLF:eh

CD 10 Members Deliver Petitions to Dennis Kucinich's Offices Posted by Pete Bura

Posted 04/30/09 Last updated 04/29/09

Here's how it went:

John S. (Liberty for All) rallied a group of four people to visit Kucinich's Parma office with 30 petitions that they had gathered, and were received with great courtesy.  John inquired as to Dennis' position on HR 1207, and was referred to the congressional website.  Dennis, acting as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, has demanded documents from the Fed concerning Bank of America's takeover of Merrill Lynch (details here http://domesticpolicy.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2403) but has said nothing about the Audit the Fed initiative so far.

I frankly did a poor job of collecting petitions myself, but I swallowed and went down to Dennis' Lakewood office with the seven petitions I had gathered in less than half an hour Monday evening in hand.  I told the man who took them that though my showing was pathetic, he could see from the pattern of addresses that the majority of people I asked, Democrats and Republicans alike, were glad to sign and were in support of more transparency from the Fed.  He noted my comments on the petition form and said that he would fire it off to Washington right away.

I narrowly missed Sheila B. from Lakewood, who did an OUTSTANDING job of collecting 46 signatures all by herself, mostly over the weekend, and delivered them to Dennis' office shortly after I left.

Summary: 6 bodies, 83 petitions

On the plus side

This issue is extremely popular with mainstream voters, once they learn about it.  We CAN get hundreds of signatures, if all of us get out and ask for them.  It is not necessary to venture far beyond one's comfort zone, but it is necessary that we do at least act.

As of today, HR 1207 has 100 co-sponsors, with Dennis Kucinich still not among their ranks.  Get yourself some petition forms, and let's shoot for a stronger showing in May.

http://files.meetup.com/514165/HR1207_OH10_single.pdf

http://files.meetup.com/514165/HR1207_Petition.pdf

CD 10 Members Deliver Petitions to Dennis Kucinich's Offices Posted by Pete Bura

Posted 04/30/09 Last updated 04/29/09

Here's how it went:

John S. (Liberty for All) rallied a group of four people to visit Kucinich's Parma office with 30 petitions that they had gathered, and were received with great courtesy.  John inquired as to Dennis' position on HR 1207, and was referred to the congressional website.  Dennis, acting as Chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, has demanded documents from the Fed concerning Bank of America's takeover of Merrill Lynch (details here http://domesticpolicy.oversight.house.gov/story.asp?ID=2403) but has said nothing about the Audit the Fed initiative so far.

I frankly did a poor job of collecting petitions myself, but I swallowed and went down to Dennis' Lakewood office with the seven petitions I had gathered in less than half an hour Monday evening in hand.  I told the man who took them that though my showing was pathetic, he could see from the pattern of addresses that the majority of people I asked, Democrats and Republicans alike, were glad to sign and were in support of more transparency from the Fed.  He noted my comments on the petition form and said that he would fire it off to Washington right away.

I narrowly missed Sheila B. from Lakewood, who did an OUTSTANDING job of collecting 46 signatures all by herself, mostly over the weekend, and delivered them to Dennis' office shortly after I left.

Summary: 6 bodies, 83 petitions

On the plus side

This issue is extremely popular with mainstream voters, once they learn about it.  We CAN get hundreds of signatures, if all of us get out and ask for them.  It is not necessary to venture far beyond one's comfort zone, but it is necessary that we do at least act.

As of today, HR 1207 has 100 co-sponsors, with Dennis Kucinich still not among their ranks.  Get yourself some petition forms, and let's shoot for a stronger showing in May.

http://files.meetup.com/514165/HR1207_OH10_single.pdf

http://files.meetup.com/514165/HR1207_Petition.pdf

CD 10-What are you waiting for? Kucinich has not signed on to HR 1207 yet!! Posted by mapetranek

Posted 04/27/09

This is Monday, April 27 at 8:15 PM. I just called Congressman Kucinich's Lakewood Office and surprisingly, someone answered the phone!!

He is en route to Washington tomorrow and will discuss this with Congressman Kucinich. I had a nice chat with the person who answered the phone and just registered MY SURPRISE that Congressman Kucinich had not yet become a co-sponsor. After all, I stated, the congressman is the voice of the people and the people deserve to see what the Federal Reserve has been doing with all this money!!!!

In closing, I once again stated I was surprised he hadn't signed on yet. Simple. Easy. Nice. Polite. Mission Accomplished.

Pick up your phone on Tuesday and call Dennis Kucinich's Washington office. Keep it simple. Keep it polite. BUT MAKE THE CALL. If you can't use long distance, call one of the local offices.

Lakewood Office

14400 Detroit Avenue
Lakewood, Ohio 44107

Phone (216)228-8850
Fax (216)228-6465

Parma Office

Parmatown Mall
7904 Day Drive
Parma, Ohio 44129

Phone (440)845-2707
Fax (440)845-2743

Washington Office

2445 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Phone (202)225-5871
Fax (202)225-5745

Cheers!!

Maryanne

ALERT - April 28 National Day of Action for HR1207 Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 04/24/09 Last updated 04/23/09

This is a nationwide day of action being organized by the Campaign for Liberty.

We will be organizing in every district in Ohio a time on April 28 where we will go down to our local Congressman's office, deliver petitions we have signed for HR1207, and show our support for an Audit of the Federal Reserve. More details coming soon about the specific locations, times, and organizers for each district.

Plan to post the details for every district meeting soon.  

For now please collect as many petition signatures as possible!

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/pdfs/Fed_Petition.pdf

Media relations Posted by kendelrio

Posted 03/24/09

WARNING!

Be very careful dealing with the media. If you come across too hard, you may end up with a lot of negative publicity that will do nothing but harm to C4L!

First, a little about myself.

I worked in the radio industry for about ten years. I started as a part-time weekend jock and worked my way up to morning show host and what's called the "Program Director". During this tenure, I had the opportunity to study the media from the inside. I was a copywriter, production/continuity director and program director. There are ways to get the message out, you just have to know the right avenue of approach and the correct terminoligy!

First, the chain of command at radio stations. Now, because there are a lot more stations with a fewer amount of employees due to automation, syndication etc, many of these positions will be held by the same person.

 Jock:

              These are at the bottom level. They can be part-timers, full-timers or even "voice-tracked" in another state. Their job is to present a reasonably coherent somewhat entertaining/informative show. They answer to the Assistant Program Director or if the station is small enough, directly to the program director.

Assistant Program director/Music Director/Production Director/Imaging Director/PSA Director (I know.... lots of "directors") or any combination thereof: 

              Usually theses people are full time jocks. They are in charge of commercial production, liner production, PSA's. They work behind the scenes to help the "sound" of the station fit the ideals of the "Program Director"

Program Director:

              Top of the food chain on the Programming side. They may or may not be a jock. Usually they come from a background of being a jock and understand the dynamics of being on the air. They are ultimately responsible for the way the direction of the station goes. They decide (usually) what the station images itself as. For instance, if it is a rock station, they want to make sure the liners, imaging, promotions etc are geared to a rock audience. They answer to the General Manager

General Manager:

              Takes the sales/marketing team and the programming team and finds the best methods to maximize listeners and more importantly advertising revenue.

Those are the main players on the side of radio we are interested in.

I understand the frustrations of how to get the message about C4L out. The biggest problem is WHO DO I TALK TO?

 Now, here is the beautiful part. Did you know radio stations will make Public Service Announcements (PSA's)/live reads for FREE? What is a PSA/live read, you ask? I'm glad you did, because I just happen to know!

A public service announcement is exactly that. An announcement for the benefit of the public. Did you know radio stations are required to provide time each month for PSA's? They are. They also are required to keep a log of all PSA's aired, and if they don't, they are fined.

Who qualifies for these free announcements? Hmmm. Schools, churches, social organizations and other non-profit organizations. You know, Boy Scouts, Girls Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies, United Way and Campaign for Liberty. (Yeah, you read right!)

As a non-profit organization that supports no political party and no political candidate, C4L does not fall under the "equal time" laws. C4L also falls under the "we're doing community service by making this announcement clause".

What does this mean for you? It means you can get the message about your next meeting/event publicized. 

Find out who the Program Director of your local station is. Type up a PSA: Here is an example:

"The local chapter of the Campaign for Freedom is having a meeting this Friday at 7PM at Smiths Gizmos to discuss individual rights for citizens and other issues affecting America today. Call Bob Smith at 555-1234 for more information."

The PSA only can be about 10-20 seconds long, and the average person speaks 90 words a minute, so keep that in mind. Your PSA will probably be worked into a jocks break for them to talk about as opposed to a produced commercial.

Now you have two options. You can fax it to them, or bring it by and leave it for them. (You won't get past the receptionist without an appointment. I promise. That's their job!). You can then follow up with a phone call to them, leave a voice mail. Be very polite and be sure to leave your contact information.

At that point, one of two things will happen; they will either add it to their list of PSA's to be read or not. At the end of the day, you have lost nothing at the worst and maybe found a sympathetic ear at the best.

They may try to turn you over to the sales team. DO NOT LET THIS HAPPEN AS ALL THEY WANT IS TO GET YOU TO SIGN A CONTRACT! Explain to them the non-profit/non-political status of the organization and that you just want to get this PSA on the air. Again, I refer you to the warning at the top......

Good luck. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!

Ken  

545 People by Charlie Reese Posted by mapetranek

Posted 03/15/09

Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years.

545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-pickingthing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash.

The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.

She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red .

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it.......... Is up to you.

Follow up on Cleveland Ward Redistricing Plan Posted by mapetranek

Posted 03/10/09

From Bette S. Meyer, Facilitator for Near West Side Community Meeting on March 4

To residents of Cleveland interested in Council re-districting:

Below is the compilation of the discussion group report-outs from the Community Meeting held March 4, at Applewood Center. Among the 200 persons present, there was strong consensus on the five major themes:

* EACH NEIGHBORHOOD AND/or CDC MUST BE WHOLLY WITHIN ONE WARD:
* RESIDENTS WANT OPEN COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY ON THIS ISSUE:
* KEEP RE-DISTRICTING APOLITICAL and LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES
* BASE NUMBER & LOCATION OF WARDS ON ACCURATE POPULATION NUMBERS
* ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT

Since that meeting, some Councilpersons have been shown tentative maps of their proposed new ward. Councilman Cummins was not shown a map, but given a verbal description of the lines which are being proposed, dividing the current Ward 15 into sections to be given to four different Wards.

Based on the sketchy pieces that are being parceled out, it appears that the new ward boundaries may violate all of the principles listed above. Several neighborhoods are divided; there is still no public communication of the proposal nor opportunity for input; and the proposal appears to protect certain Councilpersons rather than attending to the concerns of the neighborhoods. In addition, although there has been no public release of the numbers on which the plan is based - there is at least a question as to whether the Federal "one person; one vote" provision will be met, in that the areas of the City which experienced significant population loss are not the same ones which are being divided or combined with other wards.

We have met with the Plain Dealer, and expect that they will put more of this on the public record. Councilman Cummins has made a "public records request" to secure the population data on which the proposal is based. It is not yet known when Council will receive the full proposal - but perhaps later this week. Council vote on this could be anytime between now and April 1. Councilman Kelley told the March 4 meeting that there would be a Council Committee scheduled to review the plan; but that date has not been set. We will notify you when we know anything further.

Please, NOW - send your questions/concerns to both the Clerk of Council and to the media, asking them to make the plan public and allow opportunity for public comment and input. Let Council know we are watching.

Thanks for all your efforts on behalf of our community,

Bette S. Meyer

FINDINGS:

Near West Side City Council Wards Community Meeting: Redistricting 3.04.09

Public Input and Overall Findings

(200+ attendees; 8 break-out groups yielded these consensus issues)

* EACH NEIGHBORHOOD AND/or CDC MUST BE WHOLLY WITHIN ONE WARD:
o Don't divide the neighborhoods but use history and topography as guides for redrawing the wards
o Preserve the neighborhoods; keep the neighborhoods intact;
o The vibrancy of neighborhoods must be reflected in the new plan
o Keep CDC service areas within one ward (can't be effective if broken up)
o Ensure there isn't a disruption of support for neighborhood organizations
o One SPA=One Ward (use neighborhoods as criteria for ward boundaries)
o Use natural boundaries to determine the wards
o When two or more neighborhoods are contained within one Ward, strategically combine neighborhoods with similar needs and characteristics
o Ensure a realistic redrawing of wards by using identifying features that define sections of the city, and by evenly distributed population counts
o Use natural features and infrastructure as boundaries while avoiding obvious political gerrymandering (curly-cue tails)
* RESIDENTS WANT OPEN COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPARENCY ON THIS ISSUE:
o Transparency is needed throughout this process
o There needs to be a public opportunity to review the plan before it is enacted
o Keep public informed of the process and make as ‘open' as possible
o Residents are concerned Council won't have input from the public and CDCs
o Residents are concerned they are not getting all of the information they need
o Residents want the media to jump in, ask hard questions and focus attention on this issue
o Produce communication pieces in foreign languages
o Residents want a public disclosure of population numbers, plan, and community wishes
o Improve communication about this process to the public through the media and other technology
o Why aren't other parts of the city having an opportunity to speak as this group did?
* KEEP RE-DISTRICTING APOLITICAL and LEARN FROM PAST MISTAKES:
o Put community interests over political interests
o Don't use ward boundaries to settle political scores (reward or punish)
o Emphasize practicality over politics- what works for citizens, rather than what works for politicians
o Repeating dysfunctional political traditions impairs and demeans the process
o Residents are concerned that those who made mistakes in the past are still in power and will continue to make mistakes now and in the future
o This is an opportunity to correct mistakes from the past
* BASE NUMBER & LOCATION OF WARDS ON ACCURATE POPULATION NUMBERS:
o Ensure the plan accurately reflects population losses and where they occurred
o Make sure decisions (# of Wards) are not based on "east and west" thinking
o Use real population figures, not estimates
o Seek to put the entire process on hold until the census is complete
o Feel the timeframe is too short, especially when this process will be redone in a few years
* ASSURE COMPLIANCE WITH FEDERAL VOTING RIGHTS ACT:
o Relative to provision for minority group representation (e.g. Hispanic, Asian)
o Relative to equality in ward population numbers

RELATED ISSUES:

* Resident's are worried their voices will be diluted with fewer Wards
* Ward representatives must act as champions and advocates for their ward
* History and historic preservation must remain, even if councilperson changes
* Improve the quality of the members of the council
* Will the allocation formula for CDBG funding change?
* How will this affect voting precincts?

Near Westside Public Meeting - Cleveland City Council – 2009 Ward Redistricting Process Posted by mapetranek

Posted 03/02/09

Members who live in the city of Cleveland should consider attending this. Should be a pretty good show because NOT ONE councilperson stepped forward prior to the November election to favor/disfavor this plan. The vote was taken, council will be reduced, now let's see who is worried about losing their job.

WHO:
Near Westside Cleveland City Council Members.

Community Partners:
Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Esperanza, Inc, Hispanic Business Association, Hispanic Roundtable, Merrick House, Near West Side/May Dugan Multi-Service Center, Northeast Ohio Citizens League, Ohio City Near West Development Corporation, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, Spanish American Committee, Stockyard Redevelopment Organization, Tremont West Development Corporation, Westside Community House.

WHAT:
A community meeting to share information with the public pertaining to the approved Charter Amendment that requires Cleveland City Council to re-divide the City into wards using a population-based model with a ratio of one ward to every 25, 000 residents. Estimated population figures compiled by the US Census Bureau and other reliable sources are being used to estimate population (see legislation referenced below).

WHEN:
7:00 pm, Wednesday, March 4, 2009

WHERE:
Applewood Center, Jones Campus, Multipurpose room 3518 W. 25th Street
(entrance off of Daisy Avenue).

REF:
Final Ballot Language, passed 11-4-2008;
http://clevelandcharter.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/final_approved_ballot_i
ssues_9-2-08.pdf
Cleveland City Council – City Record;
www.dln.com/cr/index2008/September32008.pdf
November ballot may contain Cleveland City Council reduction
by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter, 9/2/2008
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/09/november_ballot_may_contain_cl.html
Cleveland City Council reduction close to approval
by Henry J. Gomez/Plain Dealer Reporter, 11/4/2008
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/11/cleveland_city_council_reducti.html

2008 Charter Review Commission’s policy recommendation to create Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts

In addition to the meeting announcement above, I have called on my colleagues, as well as Mayor Jackson’s Administration, to pursue deliberations that would lead the City of Cleveland to adopt the 2008 Charter Review Commission’s policy recommendation to create Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts. Here is an excerpt of my communication which is provided as an attachment:

…In carrying out this redistricting process this year and in the future, following the decennial census of 2010, I recommend that we along with the Administration pursue and adopt the Charter Review Commission’s Policy Recommendation # 3 that was submitted to City Council in August, 2008 called for “the creation of Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts”.

The rational for this recommendation was for it to be a “companion proposal to any reduction in the number of City Council ward representatives”, and that neighborhood districts would help ensure efficient management and delivery of services and better public involvement. The recommendation (see attached) was passed with a ten to zero vote with four persons abstaining and was recommended to be placed on the ballot along with the council rightsizing legislation. Although that did not occur, I believe it would now be prudent to pursue the establishment of the legislation in cooperation and partnership with the Mayor and his Administration as well as community stakeholders.

Additionally, here is the Charter Review Commission’s policy recommendation in full:

CITY OF CLEVELAND
2008 CHARTER REVIEW COMMISSION
Final Report to City Council
August 1, 2008

PART II RECOMMENDED POLICY CONSIDERATIONS EXCERPT – 3rd of 3

Recommendations. POLICY RECOMMENDATION #3 (Proposal #139)

The Charter Review Commission recommends to City Council, as a companion proposal to any reduction in the number of City Council ward representatives, the creation of Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts, which should be constituted and operate more or less as described in points (1) through (4) below. To the extent that any Charter revision is determined to be required for this proposal to be enacted, the Commission recommends the submission of that revision to the voters at the same time as such a reduction in City Council representatives.

(1) The Council should establish, by ordinance, Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts in the City. Each district should consist of undivided, contiguous wards and contain mo more than one-fifth (1/5) of the total residential population of the City, as determined by the most recent decennial U.S. Census.

(2) Each Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service District should be represented by a district commission consisting of the members of Council representing the wards located in the district as ex officio members; a district resident or business proprietor representing each bona fide nonprofit community association located in the district selected by each association; and additional district residents chosen by the voters of the district as Council determines. Bona fide nonprofit community associations in a district should be determined through standards established by ordinance of Council. Each district commission should hold a regular monthly meeting at a location in the district, with notice of the place and time for the meetings provided to all district residents. Commission members should serve without pay, provided however that Council might authorize the reimbursement of expenses incurred by commission members in the performance of their official duties up to a maximum amount per member per year as determined by the Council.

(3) The City departments that provide direct services, such as safety, community and economic development, recreation, utility, community relations, code enforcement and right-of-way services, to residents or businesses throughout the city should be required by ordinance to prepare an annual service plan for each Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service District. Each annual service plan should include an organizational table identifying the City employee or employees in each service department with direct authority and supervisory responsibility for the provision of services within each district. To the maximum feasible extent, each service department should be required to adopt an administrative structure consistent with, and responsive to, the Neighborhood Development, Planning and Service Districts. The Mayor should submit the annual service plan to each district commission by no later than November 30th of each year. Each district commission should conduct a public review and evaluation of the annual service plan, including conducting at least one public hearing in the district with the time and place of the hearing advertised in a newspaper of general circulation in the district. Based on this review and evaluation, each district commission should submit written comments on the annual service plan to Council within 60 days of receipt of the annual service plan from the Mayor.

(4) In addition to the review and evaluation of annual service plans, each district commission should monitor implementation of the plan and the general delivery of services by City departments in their district; receive and investigate complaints or recommendations from district residents and businesses regarding City services; and recommend legislation or administrative policy measures to improve service by City departments to their district. The director of a City department, or a person designated by the director, should be required to attend each commission meeting at which his or her presence is requested.

Reason: If Council decides to place an issue on the ballot to change the size of City Council, then the Commission recommends that the Council consider this recommendation to establish Neighborhood Service Districts to improve government services to the City’s neighborhoods.

Vote: Yes: 10; No: 0; Abstain: 4

Georgia Water Worker Did The Right Thing--Will the People of Georgia Stand Up For Him? Posted by mapetranek

Posted 01/16/09

In an article posted on FlourideAlert.org, a Georgia water utility worker was fired after he refused to add the toxic substance flouride to the community drinking water.

"Purchasing Coordinator Wally Baab notified his superiors at Dalton Utilities that he could no longer in good conscience purchase the flouridation chemical used by the public utility after learning the National Research Council in 2006, designated kidney patients, infants and diabetics as "susceptible subpopulations" that are especially vulnerable to harm from flouride exposure."

"The updated 2008 statement from the National Kidney Foundation says that kidney patients should be notified of the potential risk of flouride exposure. "

Mr. Baab did the right thing. He could understand the risk of flouride exposure so he simply would not order it to be put into community drinking water. He lost his job. Two State Representatives in Tennessee are standing up for Mr. Babb, Joey Hemsley and Frank Nicely. Representative Hensley is a physician and former flouride supporter!

Should Mr. Baab have been fired or commended?

Mr. Baab should have been commended but it is tough on the whistleblowers when all those up the food chain bow and scrape to the ultimate powers. The ultimate powers this time are the producers of the flouride. The next logical question here is who produces this stuff??

The Atomic Energy Commission is one of the culprits. Uranium production depends on phosphate beds but since uranium is only a trace component, lots of phospate has to be used yielding lots of waste flouride. Next, we permit flouride to be dumped into public water systems decreasing the cost to the producers because it no longer has to be considered the toxic waste that it is. The New York State Coalition Opposed to Flouridation has the full article here.

The next tidbit is interesting also. You probably didn't know that the EPA Headquarters Union of Scientists, numbering over 1500 scientists, is adamantly and vehemently opposed to flouridation. Why? They actually started looking at all the evidence of flouride toxicity and what they found, they didn't like. They also demanded that the water they drink at work be treated to remove all the flouride. Their statement can be found here.

Is the answer for everyone who has flouridated water to use a reverse osmosis filtering system to take out most of the flouride? Temporarily, it is the only way to get flouride out of your water and stop risking your health. Many health food stores have water machines where you can fill your own bottles with water for the week. But I don't think it is a long term solution.Unfortunately, even more concentrated amounts of flouride are returned to lakes and streams, polluting and mutating every living thing. I think the answer is to grieve this, educate your community and fight the flouridation of water in every community, everywhere. Flouridealert.org has pages for every state in the union. Here is the link for Ohio.

In 1969, Ohio passed a law stating any community serving over 5000 persons was required to flouridate their water. Communities had the opportunity to "opt-out" within 240 days of the law being passed. That was a generation ago. Isn't it time we figure out how to get it out of our water? This issue alone could keep the media hopping, our legislators hopping and give everyone a project to come together on. Consider it a test campaign. We find a legislator to introduce a bill, we educate the community and we take back the right not to have our drinking water contaminated with a known toxin.

One story I have seen several times on the internet is flouride was used to pacify the prisoners in WWII death camps so they wouldn't resist. I have never been able to find clear documentation on this.

Now, you may be thinking that Mr. Baab probably had a lot of money saved up so he could lose his job without thinking twice about it. Wrong! Mr. Baab and his wife are in a very bad position because his wife has MS and she just underwent surgery to remove a tumor. Doesn't sound like he has the world by the tail, does it?  However,he does have a clear conscience for not endangering the lives of the people in his community any more than they are already endangered on a daily basis.

Follow up on Fun Way to Get Things Done Posted by mapetranek

Posted 01/16/09

Hi All,

I want to share with you one of my favorite groups of all time. It was a couple of years ago that someone, somewhere, sent me a link to this group. Since then, I have been keeping careful track of them. The first link is their latest adventure, followed by my ultimate favorite sketch they did.

Once again, what does this have to do with politics, corruption, bank bail outs, etc? It's all in how you perceive things. We have all been conditioned to believe that all the good ideas are taken, all the good inventions have already been designed and the world as we know it will stay the way it is right now--except of course for the end of the world people, who just know that everything is going straight down from here. Are there any different ways to know your community, dialogue with people and have discussions? I believe there is---for every different community or precinct you might say, there is some way for each one of us can have an impact that is different, refreshing, even exciting. Only then will the political dialogues work, one person by one person.

So, for just a few minutes, look at something refreshing, look at something different, and realize, we are all just human beings who actually want the same things: a little plot of land, a warm enclosure to keep our loved ones in, a shirt on our back and food in our bellies. Everything else is so superfluous to our true human experience. BTW, that's every human being, not some, not others, everyone truly desires the same basic things.

No Pants Subway Ride 2009

Frozen Grand Central

Enjoy!

Maryanne

Update on Manna Storehouse Posted by rbollas

Posted 01/07/09

The Columbus-based Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, through its 1851 Center for Constitutional Law, and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund [FTCDLF] filed a joint, 12-page complaint Dec. 17 in the Lorain County Court of Common Pleas against the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Lorain County General Health District and the state’s attorney general for violating the Stowers’ constitutional rights, including their rights to due process and equal protection, and unlawful use of state police power.

[read more here ...]

A Fun Way to Get Things Done Posted by mapetranek

Posted 01/06/09

Hi All,

I am posting this message in a few places because it is so heartening. What a fresh look at the way some people get things done. Tell me this just makes you smile.

What does it have to do with Campaign for Liberty?

Everything or nothing, depending on how you look at it.

http://www.wherethehellisMatt.com

It lets you know that we are all just part of the same human family, so why shouldn't we have fun and put smiles on the faces of others? Take a few minutes and watch the video.

Enjoy!

Maryanne

Journal of Whole Food and Nutrition Posted by mapetranek

Posted 01/03/09

I want to introduce to you new developments in the State of Ohio for Family Farm Food and Nutritional Health Freedom for producers and consumers, including raw milk. Ohio Connections for Whole Food and Nutritional Healing, members of The Weston A. Price Foundation, facilitates meetings statewide for 5-star nutritional education as well as connections to real food sources and proper preparation of traditionally healthy wholesome foods.

Also, please see our new statewide Journal of Whole Food and Nutrition.

Augie
David M. Augenstein, M.S., P.E
Coordinator

Stop the Ohio Con-Con Call-128th General Assembly Convenes January 5, 2009 Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/29/08

Thanks to your quick action and vigilance, the Ohio con-con resolutions were defeated in committee!! Representative Huffman’s office however, confirmed that he will be reintroducing his resolution when the 128th General Assembly which convenes on January 5, 2009.

LET’S BE PRO-ACTIVE!

Between now and the reintroduction of the con-con resolutions, we need to encourage those returning house and senate co-sponsors to get educated on the dangers of a constitutional convention. Most legislators are unaware of this never used method for proposing amendments to the Constitution.

A coalition of citizens and liberty groups are forming to work together using our respective talents and resources to defeat this legislation. We are implementing strategies to influence the co-sponsors and others from within the Ohio house and senate. Grassroots pressure from citizens all across Ohio will be critical! It has already worked, so let’s not give up - let’s take the offense.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

1. Keep updated at: www.stoptheconcon.org. This website will provide resources, updates and action items on this effort. Sign up to receive email alerts.

2. Contact the returning former House and Senate co-sponsors. Let them know that Huffman and Faber intend to reintroduce the legislation. Impress upon them that an Article V call for a constitutional convention is a matter that merits great consideration and close scrutiny. Ask that they view the video: Beware Article V.

a. To email them together cut and paste the following into the ‘bcc’ field of your email:

district04@ohr.state.oh.us, district87@ohr.state.oh.us, district05@ohr.state.oh.us, district69@ohr.state.oh.us, district29@ohr.state.oh.us, district78@ohr.state.oh.us, district17@ohr.state.oh.us, district72@ohr.state.oh.us, district66@ohr.state.oh.us, district77@ohr.state.oh.us, district21@ohr.state.oh.us, SD12@senate.state.oh.us, SD31@senate.state.oh.us, SD08@senate.state.oh.us

(To email them separately or contact them by phone, fax or snail mail - see below)

b. Craft your own subject

c. Sample letter:

Dear Honorable Representatives and Senators:

On December 10,2008, ten Ohio citizens gave opposition testimony before the House Judiciary Committee concerning HJR 8, which would apply to Congress for an Article V constitutional convention to propose a balanced budget amendment. On Tuesday Dec. 9th, the Senate introduced its companion version SJR 9.

I understand that Representative Matt Huffman and Senator Keith Faber will be reintroducing their respective resolutions.

It is important to discern the wisdom of this drastic, unprecedented action. The ramifications of an Article V convention are very real and very serious so I am asking you to please review the four part video: Beware Article V before co-sponsoring this resolution again.

This video is presented by Mark Stubbs, a former member of the Idaho legislature. It will give you the facts about:

1.) the plain language of Article V;

2.) the historical precedent from our nation’s only Constitutional Convention; and

3.) the opinion of legal jurists and Constitutional scholars about the danger of using this method for proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Thank you for taking the time to consider this important issue. I look forward to your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Name
Address
Phone
E-mail

HOUSE CO-SPONSORS

Matt Huffman ( R ) - Main Sponsor
District 4
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-9624
Fax: (614) 719-0004
Email: district04@ohr.state.oh.us

Clyde Evans ( R )
District 87
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-1366
Fax: (614) 719-6987
Email: district87@ohr.state.oh.us

Gerald L. Stebelton ( R )
District 5
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8100
Fax: (614) 719-0005
Email: district05@ohr.state.oh.us

William G. Batchelder ( R )
District 69
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8140
Fax: (614) 719-3969
Email: district69@ohr.state.oh.us

Louis W. Blessing, Jr. ( R )
District 29
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-9091
Fax: (614) 719-3583
Email: district29@ohr.state.oh.us

John Adams ( R )
District 78
Representative
77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-1507
Fax: (614) 719-3978
Email: district78@ohr.state.oh.us

Josh Mandel ( R )
District 17
Representative
77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6041
Fax: (614) 719-6956
Email: district17@ohr.state.oh.us

Ross McGregor ( R )
District 72
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-2038
Fax: (614) 719-3972
Email: district72@ohr.state.oh.us

Kevin Bacon ( R )
District 21
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6030
Fax: (614) 719-6960
Email: district21@ohr.state.oh.us

Joe Uecker ( R )
District 66
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8134
Fax: (614) 719-3966
Email: district66@ohr.state.oh.us

James J. Zehringer ( R )
District 77
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-6344
Fax: (614) 719-3977
Email: district77@ohr.state.oh.us
SENATE CO-SPONSORS

Keith Faber (R) - Main Sponsor
District 12
Senate Building
Room #034, Ground Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Telephone: 614/466-7584
Fax: 614/466-3691
Email: SD12@senate.state.oh.us

Tim Schaffer (R)
District 31
Senate Building
Room #142, First Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Telephone: 614/466-5838
Email: SD31@senate.state.oh.us

Bill Seitz (R)
District 8
Senate Building
Room #143, First Floor
Columbus, Ohio 43215
Telephone: 614/466-8068
Email: SD08@senate.state.oh.us

--

Important Information About Running For Local Offices Posted by JoeBozzi

Posted 12/20/08 Last updated 12/20/08

After the recent elections, a lot of thought has gone into how we can begin effecting real changes for liberty in Ohio.

With our 'end' being liberty, some of our means for attaining it are developing an educational strategy to bring the issues directly to the people of Ohio. Additionally, we will begin lobbying for liberty issues at the state and local levels. And of course, we will help to get candidates elected to office.

To effect real and lasting change, we realize we need change from the bottom up. We need to identify and encourage candidates who have the truth to start building their resumes and gaining credibility as electable candidates. To do so, we are encouraging people to seek out office in their local races. These will generally be non-partisan races, like township trustee, city council, and county commissioner. With these offices on your resume, future runs for partisan offices like general assembly, can be more attainable.

If you are interested in running for a local race, we want to know about it. Please consider some of the following:

• In Ohio, local races run in the odd years, higher level races (GA and above) in the even years.
• Filing deadlines are in January of 2009 for the 2009 races, so start preparing now.
• Some counties have updated their election calendars for the 2009 elections: Ross County BOE, Franklin County BOE.
• These races are usually non-partisan.

If you are interested, please let me know! You can email me at matt@ohiofreedom.com. This will allow us to get election and campaign related information to you (like the updated candidate guide from the SOS office once it is published).

Additionally, should you win and have the non-partisan office added to your resume, you become a more valuable candidate for future partisan races. In which case, you will need to identify yourself with a party. Consequently, it would be good to have that party know who you are now, that they may get involved with you and you with them.

You might also consider what issues you will run on. It is important to know them right now, but you will need to be prepared to state them as the election approaches. Get on the ballot now, determine your issues before the elections approach.

Finally, it is important to determine whether your race is partisan or not. Partisan races will require an earlier deadline as primaries may be involved, non-partisan races may have a later deadline as there aren't usually primaries involved. The election calendars above will help you determine what your deadline is. For other counties, you can check their board of election for a 2009 election calendar.

Thank you for working together with us to fight for freedom in Ohio and in these United States!

Appropriations Process Moving Forward with NAIS Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/17/08

This in from Dave Augenstein at Ohio Food Connections:

Calls needed from states with subcommittee members!

In Ohio call Marcy Kaptur. Spread this message to anybody in any
state!! Thanks. We have got to stop NAIS!

"My name is _________. I am a constituent [or live in your state, if
you aren't in their district]. I am calling about the Agriculture
Appropriations bill for 2009. I am opposed to NAIS, and I do not want
it to be tied to the School Lunch Program. I ask that you work to keep
this provision, which was in the House Subcommittee' s version, out of
the conference version of the Appropriations bill. Please follow the
Senate version, which did not include any such provision. I also urge
you to stop all funding for NAIS, particularly any mandatory or
coercive programs. Thank you for all of your work."

It is very important to be succinct, brief, and polite! The staffers
are extremely busy right now and working under a tight deadline. A
short, clear message will be more effective than an in-depth
conversation. And if you can, find something positive to say - whether
about a specific position the Congressperson has taken recently, or
simply a generic "thank you" - please be sure to add that.

U.S. SENATE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE:

• Diane Feinstein (D-CA) – 202-224-3841
• Tom Harkin (D-IA) – 202-224-3254
• Richard Durbin (D-IL) – 202-224-2152
• Mitch McConnell (R-KY) - 202-224-2541
• Sam Brownback (R-KS) – 202-224-6521
• Kit Bond (R-MO) – 202-224-5721
• Thad Cochran (R-MS) – 202-224-5054
• Ben Nelson (D-NE) - 202-224-6551
• Byron Dorgan (D-ND) – 202-224-2551
• Arlen Specter (R-PA) – 202-224-4254
• Jack Reed (D- RI) – 202-224-4642
• Tim Johnson (D-SD)- 202-224-5842
• Bob Bennett (R-UT) – 202-224-5444
• Robert Byrd (D-WV) – 202-224-3954
• Herb Kohl, Chairman (D-WI) – 202-224-5653

U.S. HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE:

• Sam Farr (D-CA) – 202-225-2861
• Rosa DeLauro, Chair (D-CT) – 202-225-3661
• Allen Boyd (D-FL) – 202-225-5235
• Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA) – 202-225-3631
• Jack Kingston (R-GA) - 202-225-5831
• Tom Latham (R-IA) – 202-225-5476
• Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) – 202-225-0773
• Rodney Alexander (R-LA) – 202-225-8490
• Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO) – 202-225-4404
• Steven Rothman (D-NJ) – 202-225-5061
• Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) – 202-225-6335
• Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) – 202-225-4146

Ohio Connections to Whole Food Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/14/08

David Augenstein is leading the cause of Food Freedom with Ohio Connections to Whole Food and Nutritional Healing. I support this coalition with Mr. Augenstein. For Food Freedom join the Ohio Connections to Whole Food and Nutritional Healing". Meet others in your local area and throughout the State of Ohio interested in becoming more educated on the nutritional benefits of eating, preparing and preserving traditional whole foods-- as well as the fight for freedom to eat healthy food. Ohio Connections provides a central location for referring and inviting members to the nearest meetings, where we discuss traditional nutrition, locally and naturally raised organic meat, vegetables, dairy and where to find it. Ohio Connections now has 280 members since February and over 50 meeting agendas posted in our group! The 2009 Meeting Agendas are now posted throughout the state of Ohio, and it is also another source for important communications from WAPF members. There is no cost to join, it's free! Simply visit www.wholefood.meetup.com/165 to register and look for meetings in your area and receive periodic notices concerning the food movement in Ohio and preservation of our family farms. Ohio Connections to Whole Food and Nutrtional Healing is being coordinated by Annie and Dave Augenstein in Louisville, Ohio. Dave has 35 years experience in the environmental, health and safety field and currently works for an Ohio department of health. David M. Augenstein, M.S., P.E.

Update on Ohio Con-Con--Victory for Now Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/12/08

Good job to all who testified and called and did all of the e-mailing. We can celebrate for a while, but remain vigilant!
A message from Teri Owens:

I have personally gotten confirmation from both Senator Carey’s office (chairman in senate committee) as well as Representative Huffman’s office (sponsor of house bill) that neither committee will be having any further meetings or votes on the con-con bills for the remainder of this legislative session.

It appears that the Con-Con is dead – at least for this legislative session. But we still need to keep our eyes open and keep the pressure on until the end of the year when the legislature adjourns.

“Anything can happen until the general assembly adjourns sine die,* which may be held off until the very end of the year, given the instability of the state's budget...they may, or the governor could, call an emergency session to deal with issues, so we need to stay on guard until that last gavel drops on the 127th G.A.” – Barry Sheets of the Institute for Principled Policy.

I had a lengthy conversation with Lisa Valentine of Huffman’s office regarding what they expect to do in the next general assembly.

I will be posting that next. In short, they will be re-introducing the legislation in the next assembly.

http://www.ohiofreedom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2198 --

Next steps in Ohio regarding the Con-Con Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/12/08

On Wednesday December 10th, the House Judiciary Committee heard tesimony in from 10 Ohio citizens in oppposition to HJR 8 - an Ohio call for an Article V Constitutional Convention. Read some of  the testimonies.  The House committee's next move will likely be to vote whether to send the resolution to the House for a full vote. This vote is imminent!

The Senate companion bill was introduced SJR 9 on Tuesday and has been assigned to the Finance and Financial Institutions Committee. A Hearing is expected early next week.

 
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:  (Even if you do not live in Ohio)
1. Send an email to the House and Senate Committee Members asking them to view the comprehensive video Beware Article V so they can cast an informed vote.

a. Cut and paste the emails below into the 'Bcc' field in your email.

b. Cut and paste the relevant letter below into the body of the email.

c. Sign the email with your name, address and phone.
2. Call the Senate Committee Members  (phone numbers below) and ask for public testimony to be heard at the hearing.

EMAIL TO HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
website

district29@ohr.state.oh.us, district21@ohr.state.oh.us, district69@ohr.state.oh.us, district55@ohr.state.oh.us, district19@ohr.state.oh.us, district17@ohr.state.oh.us, district65@ohr.state.oh.us, district08@ohr.state.oh.us, district43@ohr.state.oh.us, district61@ohr.state.oh.us, district13@ohr.state.oh.us

Dear Honorable Ohio Representatives:

Yesterday 10 Ohio Citizens gave opposing testimony to HJR 8, which would apply to Congress for an Article V constitutional convention. On Tuesday the Senate introduced its companion version SJR 9. I understand the legislation in both houses to be progressing quickly.

The ramifications of an Article V convention are very real and very serious so I am asking that you please review the four part video: Beware Article V which is located at http://www.principledpolicy.com/ before casting your vote in the Judiciary Committee to send this legislation to the floor for a full House vote.

It is important to discern the wisdom of this drastic, unprecedented action and this video will give you the facts about 1.) the plain language of Article V; 2.) the historical precedent from our nation's only Constitutional Convention and 3.) the consensus opinion from legal scholars, who agree that an Article V convention creates an imminent peril to the well-established rights of the citizens and the duties of various levels of government.

EMAIL TO SENATE FINANCE AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS COMMITTEE
website

SD17@senate.state.oh.us, SD16@senate.state.oh.us, SD22@senate.state.oh.us, SD10@senate.state.oh.us, SD04@senate.state.oh.us, SD12@senate.state.oh.us, SD14@senate.state.oh.us, SD20@senate.state.oh.us, SD02@senate.state.oh.us, senatorcafaro@maild.sen.state.oh.us, Senatorkearney@maild.sen.state.oh.us, senatorsawyer@maild.sen.state.oh.us, senatorwilson@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Dear Honorable Ohio Senators:

Yesterday 10 Ohio Citizens gave opposing testimony to the House Judiciary Committee regarding HJR 8, which would apply to Congress for an Article V constitutional convention. On Tuesday the Senate introduced its companion version SJR 9 which has been assigned to your committee. I understand the legislation in both houses to be progressing quickly.

The ramifications of an Article V convention are very real and very serious so I am asking that you please review the four part video: Beware Article V which is located at http://www.principledpolicy.com/ before casting your vote in the Finance and Financial Institutions Committee to send this legislation to the floor for a full Senate vote.

It is important to discern the wisdom of this drastic, unprecedented action and this video will give you the facts about 1.) the plain language of Article V; 2.) the historical precedent from our nation's only Constitutional Convention and 3.) the consensus opinion from legal scholars, who agree that an Article V convention creates an imminent peril to the well-established rights of the citizens and the duties of various levels of government.

PHONE NUMBERS FOR HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEE MEMBERS

HOUSE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE

Louis W. Blessing, Jr. (614) 466-9091 district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Kevin Bacon (614) 644-6030 district21@ohr.state.oh.us
William G. Batchelder (614) 466-8140 district69@ohr.state.oh.us
William P. Coley, II (614) 466-8550 district55@ohr.state.oh.us
Larry L. Flowers (614) 466-4847 district19@ohr.state.oh.us
Josh Mandel (614) 644-6041 district17@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Stabile Harwood (614) 466-3488 district65@ohr.state.oh.us
Armond Budish (614) 466-5441 district08@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Dyer (614) 466-1790 district43@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark D. Okey (614) 466-1464 district61@ohr.state.oh.us
Michael Skindell (614) 466-5921 district13@ohr.state.oh.us

SENATE FINANCE AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS COMMITTEE

Keith Faber (614)466-7584 SD12@senate.state.oh.us
Tom Niehaus (614) 466-8082 SD14@senate.state.oh.us
Joy Padgett (614) 466-8076 SD20@senate.state.oh.us
Mark Wagoner (614) 466-8060 SD02@senate.state.oh.us
Capri S. Cafaro (614) 466-7182 senatorcafaro@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Eric H. Kearney (614) 466-5980 Senatorkearney@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Tom Sawyer (614) 466-7041 senatorsawyer@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Jason H. Wilson (614) 466-6508 senatorwilson@maild.sen.state.oh.us

CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS IN OHIO **CON CON**** Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/10/08

For anyone who has not called their legislators regarding the con con, here are links for you to find out who they are:

Please go to the Ohio Freedom Alliance for updated information

Please go to Sweet Liberty for information

Maryanne

Stop the Ohio Con-Con Call Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/09/08

 

If a Constitutional Convention is called, our U.S. Constitution
and Bill of Rights would be up for grabs and open to any and all changes.

It is clear that this con-con call is being quickly pushed through the lame-duck legislature before most Ohio citizens learn about it.  The legislation was referred to the House Judiciary Committee and they are voting this Wednesday to determine whether to send it to the house for a full vote -- only a week after its introduction! 

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED ASAP!

1.      Get educated on the facts of a Constitutional Convention by watching Beware Article V (4 parts) which was created by state legislators to educate other legislators.  Stay updated and join the discussion at The Ohio Freedom Alliance Forum.

3.      Join us at the Committee Meeting on Wednesday morning at 9:30am at the statehouse in Columbus to give testimony or just to show your support for the legislations withdraw.  A large attendance will bring this issue into the spotlight and prevent a hasty, uninformed vote.  Details here.  

SUMMARY OF THE DANGER: A Constitutional Convention has no limitations!

Once Congress calls for a Constitutional Convention Article V grants that assembled convention the exclusive power to propose amendments regardless of the original reason for its call.  By its very definition a Constitutional Convention is a sovereign body and therefore cannot be limited. 

Ohio Freedom Alliance--Sign Up---SLAM---HJR 8 Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/09/08

From Joe Bozzi at the Ohio Freedom Alliance:

Hi, if you have signed up at ohiofreedom.com, you can log in and user your id to automatically send an email about this issue to the house judiciary committee and your own rep

see this link

http://www.ohiofreedom.com/SLAM/issue.php?issueid=2

or this thread on the forum for info

http://www.ohiofreedom.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2179

ACTION: Ohio is attempting to call a Constitutional Convention Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/08/08

From Robert Owens, Delaware County, Ohio

This is a call to immediate action.  When you stop reading this, please stop what you are doing and take action immediatly.  Here is what is at stake:  The U.S. Constitution.  Forces are at work to get an article 5 Constitutional Convention.  HJR 8 was introduced in the Ohio House on Dec.3.  It is up for a vote on Wednesday Dec 10.  If passed, Ohio could be considered the 33rd state to call for a Convention.  Only 34 States are needed.  Immediate action is needed. 

Here are the steps you need to take:  (3 simple steps)

1.  Get educated on the issue.  There is a good 30 minute presentation from 2 states legislators that gives you a good primer.  It is here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za8_pdJ1dPo&feature=related

2.  Take action.  E-Mail AND call your State Rep and EACH AND EVERY Co-sponsor and member of the Judiciary subcommittee.  

Sample E-mail:

Please vote NO on HJR 8. While I support having a balanced budget, I firmly oppose a Constitutional Convention. Once an Article V convention is called, Congress, not the states will determine how delegates to the convention are chosen and the Convention itself will have no legal limitations on its scope or outcome no matter what the initial intention.

With our current political climate, I'm afraid any such convention would result in the Constitution and Bill of Rights our Founding Fathers gave us being disregarded.

Please use your influence to OPPOSE HJR 8.

Thank you.

Name, address, phone number, e-mail

Here is where to send it:

Link to Judiciary Committee Members:  Click this link

Co-Sponsors (14):

Matt Huffman ( R ) - Main Sponsor
District 4
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-9624
Fax: (614) 719-0004
Email: district04@ohr.state.oh.us

Colleen Grady ( R )
District 18
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-4895
Fax: (614) 719-6957
Email: district18@ohr.state.oh.us

Tom Brinkman, Jr. ( R )
District 34
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6886
Fax: (614) 719-3588
Email: district34@ohr.state.oh.us

Arlene Setzer ( R )
District 36
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-8051
Fax: (614) 719-3590
Email: district36@ohr.state.oh.us

Clyde Evans ( R )
District 87
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-1366
Fax: (614) 719-6987
Email: district87@ohr.state.oh.us

Gerald L. Stebelton ( R )
District 5
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8100
Fax: (614) 719-0005
Email: district05@ohr.state.oh.us

William G. Batchelder ( R )
District 69
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8140
Fax: (614) 719-3969
Email: district69@ohr.state.oh.us

Louis W. Blessing, Jr. ( R )
District 29
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-9091
Fax: (614) 719-3583
Email: district29@ohr.state.oh.us

John Adams ( R )
District 78
Representative
77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-1507
Fax: (614) 719-3978
Email: district78@ohr.state.oh.us

Josh Mandel ( R )
District 17
Representative
77 S. High St
12th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6041
Fax: (614) 719-6956
Email: district17@ohr.state.oh.us

Ross McGregor ( R )
District 72
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-2038
Fax: (614) 719-3972
Email: district72@ohr.state.oh.us

Kevin Bacon ( R )
District 21
Representative
77 S. High St
13th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 644-6030
Fax: (614) 719-6960
Email: district21@ohr.state.oh.us

Joe Uecker ( R )
District 66
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-8134
Fax: (614) 719-3966
Email: district66@ohr.state.oh.us

James J. Zehringer ( R )
District 77
Representative
77 S. High St
11th Floor
Columbus, OH
43215-6111
Tel: (614) 466-6344
Fax: (614) 719-3977
Email: district77@ohr.state.oh.us<!-- / message --><!-- sig -->

3.  Spead the message far and wide.  E-mail and call your firends.  Network on myspace and facebook.  If your friends never take action, encourage them to break that habbit this one time.  Our Constitution is under assault!

Republican caucus in Ohio calls for Constitutional Convention Posted by mapetranek

Posted 12/08/08 Last updated 12/08/08

Members of the Republican caucus in the Ohio Legislature have decided the time is right for a Constitutional Convention....