Posted by Heather D on 11/20/09

A couple of weeks ago, Congressman Watt of North Carolina, neutered HR 1207 in sub-committee. Dr. Paul was left with only one option, and that was to attempt to reinsert the original language via an amendment process, which took place yesterday, November 19. Please see this link to read full details on what took place and to see important details on what we need to do going forward.

Here is how the Illinois delegation voted:

Representative Gutierrez (CD-4) voted against HR 1207

Representative Bean (CD-8) voted against HR 1207

Representative Foster (CD-14) voted against HR 1207

Representative Biggert (CD-13) voted for HR 1207

Representative Manzullo (CD-16) voted for HR 1207

Please let these representatives know how you feel about their votes; you can find their contact information by clicking here.

Posted 11/21/09 Justin Kapacinskas Des Plaines, IL

Unbelievable. We've gathered several hundred signatures on our petitions in support of HR 1207 in Melissa Bean's district and in Gutierrez's district. To say that the behavior of these two as well as Rep. Bill Foster are repugnant would be an understatement.

Posted by Heather D on 11/13/09

This poll was just brought to my attention. It is sponsored by Dick Durbin, and his claim is that "Most people support a robust public option". Please follow this link and let Mr. Durbin know that his claim is false!

Posted 11/13/09 Heather D Port Byron, IL

When you take the survey, it becomes obvious that this survey was sent out to people that have made it known that they support a public option. (way to skew the results!) Once you submit your answers, you receive an automatic email thanking you for joining his "team", and then you are taken to a page where you are given the option to send an email to your friends so they will take the survey. This is the automatic message that is written for you: Last month Majority Leader Harry Reid introduced a merged Senate health care bill -- a bill that includes a public option. And last weekend, the House of Representatives passed an historic health care reform bill that included a robust public option as well. The question is no longer if we will have some sort of public option in the final health care reform bill, but instead what form it will take. There are several interpretations of what a public option should look like, and I just shared my preferences with Senator Dick Durbin through his online public option poll at: http://www.DickDurbin.com/PublicOptionPoll Please click this link to voice your preferences for the public option included in the final health care reform bill: http://www.DickDurbin.com/PublicOptionPoll

Posted 11/13/09 sjaye Chicago, IL

I voted 0,0,0,0,10 (with the last one being "No Public Option"), and then sent the email to my friends, but I changed the text in the email before I sent it out.

Posted 11/14/09 RMMHS4RP Champaign, IL

Where can we view the results of this poll?

Posted 11/14/09 Heather D Port Byron, IL

If I find a link to the results of the poll, I will update the blog with the link.

Posted 11/14/09 Doug.Bach Wheaton, IL

They take responding to a poll as evidence of joining their team? Seems a little desperate...

Posted 11/17/09 Savannah Liston Pecatonica , IL

Here is the result link: http://ga3.org/dickdurbin/po_poll_results.html?member_key=e5einswr9j3i8wjk&, not very encouraging, but it is probably rigged anyways. :)

Posted 11/19/09 jonathanw Port Byron, IL

Durbin is experiencing the entrenched players dilemma; so desperate.

Posted by Heather D on 11/10/09

Over the weekend we witnessed the continued assault on our Constitution, and liberty in general, when the Democrat majority in the House rallied their troops, twisted (or nearly broke) some arms and passed "The Affordable Health Care for America Act". If you are anything like me, you sat glued to your television set, intently watching C-Span, knowing in the pit of your stomach that Speaker Pelosi would never have brought the bill to the floor if she did not have the votes to pass it.

Some in this country want to believe that the assault on our rights will be stopped simply by replacing the Democratic majority with Republicans. These well-meaning Americans do not understand that establishment Republicans of today are merely Democrat-lite. They preach limited government out of one side of their mouth, yet vote for bigger government and less freedom, seeking more power for themselves and satisfying their most generous donors, dismantling the Constitution in the same manner as the Democrats that they claim to stand in opposition to.

One shining example of this is Senator Lindsey Graham, who has launched a very public war against Ron Paul, Ron Paul Republicans, and in reality, any Republican who supports the Republican platform, rather than paying lip service to it. Senator Graham recently teamed up with Senator John Kerry in an Op-Ed proclaiming the need for cap and trade policies, despite the fact that the bill would serve no real purpose other than to transfer wealth to a few and further destroy an economy that is already imploding. After a public outcry over this, it remains unclear where Senator Graham stands on this dastardly bill, but you can be certain that the danger of this legislation becoming law is still very real.

Taking this example (which is just one of many) into account, what are liberty-loving Americans who bleed red, white and blue supposed to do?

Believe it or not, the assault on our liberties did not begin 9 years ago with George W. Bush as president. It did not begin under Bill Clinton, John Kennedy or even Woodrow Wilson. Indeed, our very first president presided over the country when the first assault occurred when he signed the "Whiskey Tax" into law. Then Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, justified the tax "more as a measure of social discipline than as a source of revenue". In other words, this was a SIN tax, meant to punish those who participated in activities that some felt were socially unacceptable. This sin-tax rightly infuriated American citizens, having just lost blood and treasure fighting to be a free people, and they revolted in what is known as "The Whiskey Rebellion".

While it is disheartening to know that it took such a short time for the trampling of our rights to begin, the "Whiskey Tax" served to put the people on notice; when Ben Franklin warned that we had "a Republic if (we could) keep it", he truly meant that as a people, we had to be ever vigilant about guarding our rights.

Much time has passed since the first attacks on our rights were launched, and the passage of time has not been a friend to liberty. The further we got from our founding, the less involved the people became, until many readily and eagerly accepted the loss of freedoms as being a necessary evil. In fact, many do not recognize what is happening today as being a loss of freedoms at all; rather, they believe that they are powerless to "do" for themselves and could not survive without the benevolent hand of government to intervene on their behalf.

The loss of liberty at the hand of a power-hungry government is not new, but the reawakening of the American public is something that has not happened to the degree that it is today in a VERY long time. The key to winning any war is to go into every battle well-armed, and make no mistake, we are truly involved in a war for the hearts and minds of our countrymen, and for the survival of our Republic. We must understand that it has taken over 200 years for us to get to the point we have arrived at today, and the damage is not going to be undone overnight. There will be battles won and battles lost, bad bills passed and the wrong people elected to office along the way. While these losses cause pain to those of us who are dedicated to bringing our country back to it's Constitutional roots, we can not let the losses demoralize or stop us.

This war has many fronts; neglecting even one of them not only makes our jobs harder, it makes winning nearly impossible. Petitioning our elected officials on legislation is one important function that we must not neglect, but that act alone will not advance the cause of freedom. We must educate ourselves and our neighbors about the Constitution and demonstrate to them how a particular bill is in violation of the law of the land, and at the same time, we must offer them solid solutions to the problems we face.

We cannot focus on federal issues and candidates to the exclusion of state and local issues and candidates. Remember, "all politics is local" and it does no good to attempt to reform a federal government run amok while ignoring the bodies closer to home that have been infected by the same disease.

We must stop "fighting City Hall" and focus on BECOMING City Hall. In many cases, changing out the "cast of characters" is our only real option, and while running for office may not be glamorous, or anything (you) may have desired to do in the past, we ignore this important "front" at our own peril. Our Founders envisioned a citizenry that would keep our elected officials honest and compliant with the Constitution by voting the bad eggs out of office, and at this point in time, there are far more bad eggs running than good ones. To ignore the need for liberty candidates at all levels of government guarantees that those seats will be filled by the same old tax-and-spend lawless breed that has infected our country and brought us to the point we find ourselves at today.

We must be more visible than our adversaries. The Tea Parties and Town Halls are a great start, but we can't stop there. We must attend City Council and County Board meetings, sit in the audience during legislative sessions, and personally visit legislator's offices often; in short, we must be a constant thorn in their sides.

Rather than constantly "chasing the ball" and trying to prevent bad bills from becoming law, we must be a part of lobbying for good bills to become law, allowing us to nullify the attempts of legislators to further erode our freedoms. At the federal level, HR 1207 is a shining example of bills we should fight for, and at the state level, we need to address states rights legislation that will nullify federal laws that overstep the dictates set on the federal government by the Constitution.

If we are to win elections and possess the ability to influence our neighbors, we have no choice but to get involved in local politics. Whether you choose to work with the Democrats, Republicans, LP, CP or some other party is entirely up to the individual, but simply showing up at the polls to vote every couple of years limits you to having a vote ONLY on issues or candidates that others have chosen FOR you.

In order to win our freedoms back, we must be committed to leading the way. Ignoring any front in this battle will greatly impair our ability to win. The passage of "health care reform" in the House was disturbing, but the war is not over yet. Recall Samuel Adams famous words, "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds."

Posted 11/09/09 Donnie Mayes Alexandria, KY

Very well said!!!

Posted 11/09/09 ArickStall Arlington, VA

An inspiring article...

Posted 11/09/09 rightsman Las Vegas,, NV

Heather D., All politics IS local. The recent passage of the health care bill is a prime example. It effects every man woman and child in America, and some in Mexico. The problem, as I see it, is the power games played by those involved in local politics. A Republican Candidate for the U. S. Senate to replace Harry Reid was making a presentation here in Clark County Nevada and the County Chairman called an "emergency" meeting at the same time. Thus depriving some from hearing the Candidate. When shenanigans like this are pulled, we all lose. The Chairman has someone in mind for the post that would not benefit from the Candidate from the North being able to present herself to the Republicans in the Southern part of the State, But, you're right! It is the City Councils, the County Commissions, and the State Legislatures that are going to make the difference in the coming fight. We must also repeal the 17th amendment. We basically lost the Senate for all practical purposes with the dubious ratification of that article. Thank you, Robert Walker

Posted 11/10/09 Matt Phillips Lombard, IL

Heck yes Heather! Well put.

Posted 11/10/09 BillNM Carlsbad, NM

Heather, very well said and a very good assessment. It always comes down to self interest. Very few, and maybe only Dr. Paul, of our elected officials actually put the people's interest above their personal interest. The Apostle Paul when speaking about the Mosaic Law noted nearly some two thousand years ago that the law was spiritual but became weak when mixed with the flesh. In other words, self interest among the leaders would always find a way to profit at the expense of the people. So, your suggestion to put leaders into office who really have the people's interest at heart is spot on. The struggle here is never over.

Posted 11/10/09 JohnF Lake Mary, FL

America became the most powerful nation in human history because she was rich in liberty and natural resources. Unfortunately, this enticed greedy, power hungry people to rape her and steal her prosperity. While this piece is true, we may be past the point where it can be accomplished. We are top heavy, aging, non-productive and ignorant. It may be that the only chance we have to make a case for liberty will be when the feds topple themselves. In the wake of panic and destruction, it will be our only hope... The Democrats are foolish and ignorant. They don't realize that the party is over and the booze is gone. They've been out of power for awhile, dreaming of taking over again and causing all sorts of havoc. They think it unfair that they've inherited only the shell of America, but it seems they got to DC a few months too late. It is a very real possibility that there won't BE another election in 2012, and that the Constitution we esteem so highly will cease being the law of the land. We should prepare for that possibility as well, I think.

Posted 11/10/09 roserty Orem, UT

JohnF, I believe our nation can be saved through local governments asserting their rights. At least, we won't know it can't until we've tried. We can fight the health care bill by asking our state legislatures to pass resolutions to void any federal intervention in health care. I sometimes wish more C4Ler's would run for city council or the state legislatures instead of federal positions. They would have a much better chance at making a difference there, as well as at just getting elected. Our city just had an election and there wasn't one really good candidate for the entire city council. Worse, it looks like the incumbents might have been re-elected after they spent millions for a massive deal project. We really need to start on the local level, so if the federal government does topple, we'll be ready on the ground level to step in.

Posted 11/10/09 redshirt Philadelphia, PA

Agreed.

Posted 11/10/09 sjaye Chicago, IL

There is also a possibility that a town, county, or state can be transformed into a Liberty Town or a Rebellion Town. By this I mean, C4L members take over the governing body, and refuse to collect any Federal $$, while also refusing to allow Federal taxes to be collected from the people of the town. This is a risky strategy, as Federal agents may respond violently, but also could create a domino effect that eventually undermines our illegitimate Federal Government.

Posted 11/10/09 gharalam Astoria, NY

Heather excellent article but I digress that we just need to show up and nag them at everywhere they go. The people DID just that in the healthcare bill and they ignored us. They laughed at us literally when the bill was passed. we need to take it one step further. To take this "peaceful" revolution to its very brink. We need to show them we mean business.

Posted by Heather D on 11/03/09

HR 1207 has come a long way in the 8+ months that we've been working on it, and currently has 308 cosponsors in the House. This is truly an amazing accomplishment when you consider that Dr. Paul has been trying to bring awareness to the secrecy of the Fed for 30 years with little notice by his peers, or from the public at large. We have proven that we are a force to be reckoned with. In under a year, we worked to gain the support of 308 members of the House, and we also saw HR 1207 receive a hearing in front of the House Financial Services Committee.

Of course, when liberty's light begins to shine through the muck and the mire, the establishment takes notice, and they tend to fight back.

According to Campaign for Liberty President, John Tate:

 Mel Watt (D-NC), Chairman of the Monetary Policy Subcommittee, has sided with banking interests and is working to gut substantial audit provisions from H.R. 1207.  The bill Congressman Watt has sent to the full Financial Services Committee contains no audit of the Fed’s monetary   policy-making authority or transparency of the Fed’s secret agreements with foreign central banks. 

Without these provisions, a so-called “audit” of the Fed would be worthless.

HR 1207 could be voted on by the full House Financial Services Committee this week, and it is imperative that we act now to ensure that the original language is restored.

While Dr. Paul will be offering an amendment to restore the original provisions contained in HR 1207, he needs our help to ensure that when the vote is taken, those who have already cosponsored the bill remain faithful to their promise to support a full audit of the Federal Reserve. The committee is made up of 41 Democrats and 29 Republicans. 13 of the Democrats who serve on the House Financial Services Committee have cosponsored this bill, and we need to call them and urge them to vote "YES" on the Paul Amendment.

The following is a list of the 13 Democrats who have cosponsored:

1. Rep. John Adler, NJ (202) 225-4765

2. Rep. Travis Childers, MS (202) 225-4306

3. Rep. Steve Driehaus, OH (202) 225-2216

4. Rep. Alan Grayson, FL (202) 225-2176

5. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, TX (202) 225-2531

6. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, FL Toll Free: 1-877-956-7627

7. Rep. Dan Maffei, NY (202) 225-3701

8. Rep. Brad Miller, NC (202) 225-3032

9. Rep. Walt Minnick, ID (202) 225-6611

10. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, CO (202)-225-2645

11. Rep. David Scott, GA (202) 225-2939

12. Rep. Brad Sherman, CA (202) 225-5911

13. Rep. Jackie Speier, CA (202) 225-3531

When contacting these members, remember that up to this point, these members have been allies on this issue.  A civil yet firm tone should be kept during these calls.  They should be thanked for their cosponsorship, told that Mel Watt’s changes to the bill are unacceptable, and urged to hold the line and honor their promise to support transparency at the Fed by voting “Yes” for the Paul amendment.

We can win this, our first major battle, but in order to do so, we must see it through and call these Representatives. In addition to that, please remember to call Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and urge them to schedule a "stand-alone, up or down vote on the real Audit the Fed bill".

Rep. Barney Frank: (202) 225-5931

Speaker Nancy Pelosi: (202) 225-0100

With a little more effort, we will see HR 1207 pass the House.

Posted 11/03/09 Justin Kapacinskas Des Plaines, IL

Talk about a 15-round heavyweight bout. We really have to go to the mat for this thing, and then keep coming and coming. We are up against the darkest and most corrupt forces on the planet. They will apparently stop at nothing to maintain their power over us.

Posted 11/03/09 Justin Kapacinskas Des Plaines, IL

Oh yea, I love how mum's the word on this in the dysfunctional "mainstream" media, like it doesn't even exist, including from propagandist Glenn B*ck. What a pathetic joke. Everyone, do yourselves a favor and kick Big Brother's telescreen to the curb.

Posted by Heather D on 10/30/09

Consider for a moment the legislation that is making it's way through Congress. Health Care reform bills in the House and Senate are an expensive, unconstitutional power grab that promise to dismantle our health care system, steal our rights to privacy and choice, increase our taxes, and deal a devastating blow to our already failing economy. If that isn't the final nail in our economic coffin, Cap and Trade will finish the job. While enriching certain elites that will buy and sell carbon credits, increased energy costs will inflict severe financial hardship on average Americans who are already suffering in this great recession. Large businesses will move to countries with friendlier laws, and small businesses will simply close their doors, costing valuable jobs that are so desperately needed. The Cyber Security Act will give control of the internet to the government, dismantling our right to free speech. The recently passed hate crimes legislation which was attached to a defense spending bill ensures unequal treatment under the law. This is by no means a complete list, but it demonstrates the extreme depths to which our rights are under assault.

How do we stop this out-of-control spending and outright thievery of our rights as Americans? The first step to reigning in the spending and restoring our rights is to audit the Federal Reserve! When the American people TRULY understand the extent of our debt, the fact that the Federal Reserve system is what causes our constant economic crises, as well as the destruction of the middle class and the value of our currency, THEN the Congress will have no choice but to end their spending frenzy.

There is but ONE bill in the Congress that enjoys the support of 75% of the public, has bi-partisan support, and will help America recover from our current economic situation, HR 1207 and her sister, S 604.

We've worked tirelessly since February to bring awareness to this legislation, and we've managed to get 308 cosponsors in the House and 30 in the Senate. This was by no means an easy thing to do, but we did it, and we should all be proud of that. Our efforts also paid off when HR 1207 received a hearing in the House Financial Services Committee, but our work is not done. Despite the popularity of and support for auditing the Fed, this legislation continues to be ignored.

As Campaign for Liberty President John Tate says, we need to "unleash a torrent of political pressure on Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid..." Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid continue to stand in the way of allowing a vote on this legislation. We have worked far too hard for far too long to allow them to continue to waffle on these bills. It's the bottom of the ninth, and all bases are loaded! It's time to bring the runners home.

Click here to sign the petitions to Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid demanding that they bring Audit the Fed to the floor for a vote, if you have not done so already. Then CALL, FAX and EMAIL your Senators and Congressman to insist that they cosponsor this legislation if they haven't already. Ask them to tell Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid to bring HR 1207 and S 604 to the floor for a vote. Spread the word to your family and friends that the final push to get these bills passed has begun, and we need their help to make it happen.

Our freedoms are under attack, but we can change that. Let's clog up the phone lines and crash their servers! It's time to bring Audit the Fed to the floor for a vote.

Posted 10/30/09 spinnikerca Studio City, CA

Per Bloomberg, Ron Paul is saying HR 1207 is being gutted. I don't know how to post so this shows up, but here: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=atc2o1ijLRno We definitely need to clog up the phone lines!

Posted 10/30/09 Isomies Mechanicsville, VA

This is the buzz. According to the article it was North Carolina rep MEL WAT who GUTTED THE AUDIT THE FED BILL. They gutted it, the bastards watered it down. So much for representation. Don't believe for a second that this government represents you or has anything but their own interests in mind. It's enough to make us....

Posted 10/31/09 Linda APO AP, Japan

Rep. Watt was quite pro-Fed during the hearing, too. Are his constituents writing him about this? I don't see anything about there being changes made. Wouldn't that be posted on thomas.loc.gov? Can we see the revised version? Getting this out will let people see what's going on.

Posted 10/31/09 Linda APO AP, Japan

Copied from Bloomberg: Federal Reserve Policy Audit Legislation ‘Gutted,’ Paul Says Share Business ExchangeTwitterFacebook| Email | Print | A A A By Bob Ivry Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Representative Ron Paul, the Texas Republican who has called for an end to the Federal Reserve, said legislation he introduced to audit monetary policy has been “gutted” while moving toward a possible vote in the Democratic-controlled House. The bill, with 308 co-sponsors, has been stripped of provisions that would remove Fed exemptions from audits of transactions with foreign central banks, monetary policy deliberations, transactions made under the direction of the Federal Open Market Committee and communications between the Board, the reserve banks and staff, Paul said today. “There’s nothing left, it’s been gutted,” he said in a telephone interview. “This is not a partisan issue. People all over the country want to know what the Fed is up to, and this legislation was supposed to help them do that.” The Fed, led by Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, has come under greater congressional scrutiny while attempting to end the financial crisis by bailing out financial firms and more than doubling its balance sheet to $2.16 trillion in the past year. The central bank is also buying $1.25 trillion of securities tied to home loans. Paul, a member of the House Financial Services Committee, said Mel Watt, a Democrat from North Carolina, has eliminated “just about everything” while preparing the legislation for formal consideration. Watt is chairman of the panel’s domestic monetary policy and technology subcommittee. Keith Kelly, a spokesman for Watt, declined to comment and said Watt wasn’t immediately available for an interview. Watt’s district includes Charlotte, headquarters of Bank of America Corp., the biggest U.S. lender. Original Language Paul said he intends to introduce an amendment to the bill when it comes to the House floor for a vote restoring the legislation’s original language. Representative Barney Frank, a Democrat from Massachusetts and chairman of the committee, said in interview that he intends to ensure legislation would provide a time lag between FOMC actions and the reporting of them. Such a provision would “lessen the market impact,” he said on Oct. 20. “The importance is to see that there are no abuses and to judge what they did.” The legislation will probably be included in a broader Democratic package of financial-regulation changes in the House, Frank said. To contact the reporter on this story: Bob Ivry in Washington at bivry@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: October 30, 2009 17:48 EDT

Posted 10/31/09 galtgulch9 Southborough, MA

I am not saying it is all that counts, but it is "imperative" that each of us pass the torch. Let people know Campaign For Liberty exists and what we have accomplished with HR1207. Make them aware of our goal to restore the Constitution by replacing those politicians who fail to keep the oath, which is to say all but one or two that we know of, with those who will keep the oath to secure the rights of the individual. The sooner we double and redouble our membership, which is growing thanks to some of us, the sooner we will reach the one million milestone. Then up to two, four, eight, sixteen, thirty two and sixty four millions. The power of compounding is based on each of us doing his or her share. It only takes a few moments, less than a minute to ask if someone you encounter has heard of the Campaign For Liberty. Then the thing about the politicians who take an oath they ignore.

Posted 10/31/09 MichaelBarry Sebring, FL

The fascists are very powerful and will make every possible move to avoid transparency.