Posted by LittleLightShining on 09/17/09
Last updated 09/18/09

On Tuesday's C4L day of action I dropped off 260 petitions at Senator Leahy's office. I had a nice conversation with his staffer, Allison, in which I told her how disappointed with the quality of the Senator's reply to my initial inquiry and failure to respond when I contacted the office again. She seemed genuinely disconcerted and sorry that I had the experience I did.

I just received an email from the Senator:

Dear Mrs. Bernier:

 

Over the past several months, many Vermonters like you have contacted me about S. 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act.  In light of the overwhelming interest in this issue, I have decided to become a cosponsor of the bill.  

 

I understand the concerns of some that disclosure of lending information could be a disincentive for banks to borrow from the Federal Reserve because it publicizes their need for an emergency loan.  Still, I believe the American people deserve to know the full extent of the government's lending programs.  

 

In addition, a Federal District Court ruled last month that the Federal Reserve must disclose documents detailing the identities of borrowers and the amounts of loans or the assets put up as collateral under 11 relief programs.  I am hopeful that the Federal Reserve will comply with this court order in a timely manner.  

 

Thank you again for contacting me about this bill.  Please keep in touch.

 

Subscribe to Senator Patrick Leahy's periodic newsletter at the following address:

http://leahy.senate.gov/NwsLtr/indexSub.cfm

 

PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator

Subscribe to the Senator Patrick Leahy's periodic newsletter at the following address:
http://leahy.senate.gov/NwsLtr/indexSub.cfm  

We did it, Vemonters! Thank you all so much for your hard work and dedication!

Posted 09/17/09 Modern Day Patriot Danville, IA

Awesome! Way to go!

Posted by LittleLightShining on 04/30/09
Last updated 04/30/09

Last Friday I called Peter Welch's office about HR1207. I told the aide that I planned to call every single day until Welch signed on to the bill or he explained why he would not. On Monday I called again, asking for a timely response. Later that afternoon I got one of these:

Dear Ms. Bernier.

Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue.

Introduced by Rep. Ron Paul, H.R. 1207 would eliminate restrictions on General Accounting Office (GAO) audits of the Federal Reserve to open up the Federal Reserve operations to enhanced scrutiny. H.R. 1207 was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind the next opportunity Congress has to address this issue. Please continue to be in touch and I hope to see you in Vermont soon.

Sincerely,

PETER WELCH

To which I replied:

Dear Mr. Welch,

Thank you for your timely response to my inquiry about your position on HR 1207. Unfortunately you gave no indication of whether or not you intend to co-sponsor this bill which was my primary concern in contacting you.

It is apparent to me that the Federal Reserve needs to have some sort of oversight. HR 1207 puts in place an audit of the Fed. This is essential for transparency. At a time when Congress is approving hundreds of billions of dollars to shore up the financial sector the taxpayers deserve to the assurance that the Federal Reserve is acting in their best interest.

I find it interesting that you sit on the Government Operations and Reform Committee, yet you are silent on this issue. I am sure that you know all about Reps. Kucinich and Towns' call for an expanded investigation into the Fed's role in the Bank of America acquisition of Merrill Lynch. It is clear to many that the Federal Reserve in cooperation with the Treasury and with the consent of Congress has exhibited behavior which is suspicious and potentially criminal.

I'm also sure that you are aware of the two bills senator Sanders has introduced in the Senate which seek the same ends. If you are in doubt about whether this type of legislation is necessary I suggest contacting him.

I urge you to take a position-- the side of the people of Vermont and the US-- on this issue and support HR 1207. This is a non-partisan issue. It is a straightforward bill which seeks to do one thing--audit the Federal Reserve.

Most businesses and government institutions are audited at some point in their operation. After 96 years, I feel it's about time for the Federal Reserve to open its books.

Please co-sponsor HR 1207, which now has 91 other co-sponsors.

Sincerely,

On Tuesday I made a last minute decision to pack up my 2yo and head for Burlington with some petitions. I only had a little over an hour to gather signatures but out of the 41 people I spoke with 35 signed. I headed over to Welch's office and dropped them off.

Yesterday I called Welch's office again and I was informed by a staffer that there are thousands of bills that the congress must look at and that Peter Welch didn't have the time to consider this one which is "stuck in committee". I explained to the young lady that the bill had gained over 30 co-sponsors in the last week and was gaining momentum. HR1207 now has 109 co-sponsors.

I again pointed out his committee position should give him additional insight as to the importance of the legislation. I again mentioned that his colleague in the Senate, Bernie Sanders had sponsored similar legislation there.  She politely informed me, again, that he was basically too busy to know about all the bills in Congress. So I asked her how Peter Welch justified co-sponsoring legislation that would honor the town of Pittsfield, MA for coining the term "baseball".

Today when I called I asked if he had co-sponsored the bill yet. I was told he did not. So I made sure to ask her how co-sponsoring "legislation" to honor Arnold Palmer with a gold medal for exhibiting sportsmanship in the game of golf was more beneficial to the American people than co-sponsoring a bill that would provide transparency over the Federal Reserve.

Please call Peter Welch's office and urge him to co-sponsor HR1207. Do it every day. Don't let him get away with this.

(802)652-2450 in VT or (202)225-4115 in DC

Help me keep an eye on this joker. Let's find all the stupid bills he's co-sponsored and in addition to calling him, let's call radio shows and write letters to the editor. Email everyone you know. Continue to download the petitions, get them signed and send them in.

Posted 04/30/09 Joyce Boise, ID

Hi LittleLightShining, Wow! What an excellent written response by you. Go to - thomas.lox.gov/ scroll to - Browse Bills by Sponsor He's listed near end of list. I made a copy of your letter and will use it for future reference. Best of luck to you, Joyce

Posted 05/02/09 usapatriot Milton, VT

Way to go LittleLightShining! Keep up the good work! I've printed out some of the mini-placards "Audit the Fed"/"Support HR 1207" and I'll be handing them out in Chittenden county. I'll also continue to contact Congressman Welch! The snobby dismissive reply he gave to you is unacceptable, and you've nailed it when you point out how absurd it is for Congress to be wasting time on legislation about GOLF when our nation is being bankrupted. Cheers to you. Update: This afternoon (5/2), I handed out around 150 of the fliers I was talking about. I worked the streets around Burlington talking to people about the Fed and handing out information. I met some great folks. Hope that I lit a few brush fires in people's minds.

Posted 05/04/09 TakeBackVermont Hartland, VT

I wrote him an email and got the exact response you did. That makes me mad enough to write up a few more emails. April 28, 2009 Dear Mr. ********, Thank you for contacting me about H.R. 1207, the Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009. I appreciate hearing from you on this issue. Introduced by Rep. Ron Paul, H.R. 1207 would eliminate restrictions on General Accounting Office (GAO) audits of the Federal Reserve to open up the Federal Reserve operations to enhanced scrutiny. H.R. 1207 was referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. I will be sure to keep your thoughts in mind the next opportunity Congress has to address this issue. Please continue to be in touch and I hope to see you in Vermont soon. Sincerely, PETER WELCH Member of Congress

Posted by LittleLightShining on 08/30/09
Last updated 08/30/09

On September 23rd, twenty three Republican US Senators are holding a $500 per plate fundraiser in Washington DC for Trey Grayson - Rand Paul's opponent. This deck stacking favoritism in a highly contested GOP primary is unacceptable!

Join in the fight and help Rand Paul deliver a knock out punch to establishment candidate Trey Grayson with a pledge to donate $100 on the same date!

Read about the DC establishment's fundraiser for one of their own here.

Our goal is to bring together 5,000 common people to donate $100 each creating a one day donation total of $500,000!

Posted by LittleLightShining on 07/05/09
Last updated 08/30/09

Happy Independence Day!

Earlier this year I read a modernized version of the Declaration Of Independence written by a man named Micah Nelson. It rang so true to me that I have to share it with you today-abridged, because like the original it is very long.

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

 The nature of our sentiments regarding The United States is manifest in our deeply held regard for the Ideals which she has but recently, so proudly hailed- Personal Liberty, Justice and above all Freedom.

 

 It is for the protection of these Ideals our Founders established the government set forth in the Constitution of the United States, based on the precepts of Liberty as recorded in our Declaration of Independence.

 

Our rights and freedoms stem from our nature as men, not from the governments we choose to establish among ourselves. The legitimate and noble role of government is the defense of those rights from violation or infringement- be the perpetrator our fellow man or a tyrant.

 

At the Birth of our nation, many believed our Bill of Rights would be unnecessary; it is now clear that our Bill of Rights stands as the final levy against a flood of tyranny.

The History of our government in the last century has been marked with the eroding of our Liberties as Free Men.

 

To Prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid Nation.

All ten of the Amendments we commonly know as the Bill of Rights have in some manner been weakened without our consent- dressed as necessary legislation to keep us safe.        
 
 
Our government has matched the expansion of its power with an expansion of its budget, trillions beyond what we as a nation can honestly afford.

 
It has abdicated its legitimate role of defending our borders and caring for the Veterans who sacrifice their safety for our liberty;   

It has decimated the sovereignty of state laws and courts.

It has created a complicated bureaucracy for every situation-- from taxation to homeland security--- in an attempt to exhaust citizens into compliance.

It has interfered with the pricing of our commodities and services, placing basic medical and energy needs in jeopardy.

It has established a welfare system which unfairly takes from taxpayers to provide for the poor, subsidizing mediocrity with no incentive for success, trapping our most vulnerable citizens in an endless cycle of dependence.

 

 It has used the general funds of the government to subsidize private industries and corporations, altering the principles of a free market and artificially controlling prices to the detriment of the consumer.

It has placed the burden of these excesses on our children's children- taxing the future, of wealth they may never see.

It has limited our freedom of speech in the name of fairness, vilifying opinionated political speech- the very speech the first amendment was conceived to protect.

In every stage of these oppressions we, collectively, have done nothing.

 

We have entrusted to a few self proclaimed elites the political destiny of our nation- naively hoping in their wise discretion.

 

 It is clear now that we have failed in our duty as citizens to hold our government accountable to the Constitution.     

 

Instead We have blamed the conservatives and the liberals,   the establishment and the nonconformist, the fundamentalists and secularists,    the Republicans and the Democrats.

 

 In reality we have no one to blame but ourselves.

We, therefore, the Citizens of the United States, Recognizing the importance of the preservation of American Liberty, hereby affirm that Citizens of this great nation are,          and by right ought to be free men. We affirm that our government does and by right should, belong to the people;   and that we will no longer condone the use of fear, false patriotism, or desire for security in wresting hard fought freedoms from the grasp of the common man.

 

For the support of this Affirmation, we mutually pledge to each other the assurance of vigilant attention to the care of our rights and responsibilities so that they may be a blessing to generations to come."

Usurpations and abuses of power are nothing new to humankind. From the rebellion of the barons in England which led to the creation of the Magna Carta to the Continental Congress which led to our own beloved Declaration of Independence, people have testified to and preserved in writing their status as free people.

The patriots were NOT protesting taxes for government social programs. They would never conceive of the government fulfilling this type of role! No, they were protesting taxes and impositions in the name of empire, war, and mercantilism.

Sound Familiar?

 The authors of the Magna Carta and the United States and Vermont Constitutions secured for posterity the right to petition for redress of grievances. Because our petitions have gone unheeded or met with repeated injury, we must take a page from our Founders.

Later this year, elected delegates representing the people of each state will convene as a national assembly to debate our Constitutional Crisis and establish practical strategies the People can take to peacefully reclaim Liberty and restore Constitutional Order.

These historical proceedings will be known as the Continental Congress 2009.

Fliers are being circulated today with information about the We The People Foundation for Constitutional Education and the We The People Congress.

 It's time for us to wake up from our complacency and work together to impose the yoke of Law upon our servant federal government.

Are we going to stand up or down for our freedom? Will we protect the Constitution at all costs? Even if it makes you unpopular?

So long as those of us who claim to care about freedom and liberty accept personality and politics as a substitute for real leadership and governance we will never be able to turn back the tidal wave we're facing.

Vermonters have a duty to principle. The 18^th Article of the Vermont Constitution bears this title:

Regard to fundamental principles and virtues necessary to preserve liberty

It doesn't get any plainer than this, folks:

That frequent recurrence to fundamental principles,

and a firm adherence to  justice, moderation, temperance, industry, and frugality,

are absolutely necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty, and keep government free;

the people ought, therefore to pay particular attention to these points, in the choice of officers and representatives, and have a right, in a legal way, to exact a due and constant regard to them, from their legislators and magistrates, and in making and executing such laws as are necessary for the good government of the State.

It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for you to vote for someone who is wishy-washy in regard to the law, decadent and self-indulgent. It is UNCONSTITUTIONAL for you to vote for someone who will reward idleness, wastefulness and partiality.

It is YOUR DUTY to consider the fundamental principles of justice, moderation, temperance, industry and frugality when you vote! They are ABSOLUTELY necessary to preserve the blessings of liberty and keep government free!

After the votes are counted our elected officials swear an oath or affirmation. This is what they say:

"You do solemnly swear (or affirm) that as a member of this Assembly, you will not propose, or assent to, any bill, vote or resolution, which shall appear to you injurious to the people,

 nor do, nor consent to any act or thing whatever,    that shall have a tendency to lessen or abridge their rights and privileges, as declared by the Constitution of this State;

but will, in all things, conduct yourself as a faithful, honest Representative and guardian of the people, according to the best of your judgment and ability. So help you God. Under the pains and penalties of perjury."

I know more than a few of you can think of more than a few instances where this oath has been flagrantly ignored and violated.

It is YOUR DUTY "to exact a due and CONSTANT regard for them from your legislators and magistrates!"

The Constitution will not defend itself. It is up to WE THE PEOPLE to protect it-for future generations.

We have a situation in our state in which a bill was passed- which contained an unconstitutional provision. -- (H442, commonly known as the supplemental budget)-

The legislature was warned by the attorney general before they voted on it that the provision to require the administration to get permission from the legislature before eliminating any state employee positions was unconstitutional.

Whether or not you agree with the idea behind the provision, it is still unconstitutional. Whether or not you liked other parts of the bill, it is still unconstitutional.

The executive branch may not give some of its authority to the legislative branch. It violates the separation of powers. Every person who put their name on that bill violated their oath of office.  

This is wrong. I don't care who you are, what party you belong to, what other wonderful legislation you've been party to-this still violates the Constitution.

 I want to remind our legislators that their job is to craft responsible legislation, not to spend weeks on a single issue that wasn't even on the radar at the beginning of the session, or to pawn off legislative duties onto unelected committees because they lacked the proper time to do the jobs they were elected to do.

I want to remind our legislators that this behavior during the worst recession since the great Depression was irresponsible and led to sloppy and unconstitutional legislation.

Our infrastructure is falling apart, the unemployment fund is starting to make that sucking sound that comes when you drain a bathtub and private sector job growth in Vermont for the last decade--s at 0%! 

I've discussed this with legislators. To be honest I'm disappointed and disgusted with the explanations and excuses I've received. The Bible says, "Ye shall know them by their fruits."

It's not about personalities and politics! It's about principle!

 I've been told that "this is why we have three branches of government... now it's up to the courts to decide." THIS from legislators who have taken an OATH OF OFFICE to "make no law injurious to the people or that will have a tendency to abridge their rights under the Constitution."

Some might think, "Big deal, it's just a part of the governor's job." But it IS a big deal because the government belongs to the people.

We have ceased to recognize this for far too long and this is part of the reason we find ourselves in the situation we are in today-being "ruled" by a group of elites who treat us as subjects rather than employers!

So I ask you, WHERE is the principle? Why should we allow elected officials to abrogate the duties of a branch of government?

Why should we allow the Federal Government to abrogate the duties of our state?

The Tenth Amendment states: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That's it. If the Constitution doesn't directly specify powers to the Federal Government and if the Constitution doesn't forbid the states from them    then the states alone are responsible for those powers.

With this in mind, any federal attempt to legislate beyond the Constitutional limits of Congress' authority is a usurpation of state sovereignty and unconstitutional.

Do you support Federalized health care? No Child Left Behind? Cap and Trade? Bailouts of private companies? Subsidizations of industries?

The VT Campaign for Liberty has drafted a proposal for a State Sovereignty resolution. There are copies of our proposal available here today for you to read and consider. If you agree with the resolution I ask that you sign and send a copy to your state representatives and Senators.

It is only by standing up and claiming your rights that the government will respect them. Do not sit down, do not be discouraged.  There are many battles which must be fought if we are to win the war. Our objective-to retain our God-given rights as free people.

Posted 07/05/09 Woodstocker Woodstock, VT

Jessica, this is fantastic. Wish I could have been there to hear you address the crowd!

Posted 07/06/09 usapatriot Milton, VT

Jessica, Nice speech. Do you have a link to a soft-copy of the Proposed State Sovereignty resolution that you referenced? I picked up a hard copy in Burlington, but I'd like to have a PDF where I could print extra copies.

Posted by LittleLightShining on 05/22/09

Yesterday I confirmed with Peter Welch's office that he did indeed co-sponsor HR1207. He's not showing up on any official counts yet but I am absolutely thrilled with this news.

VT C4L has worked so hard to get him on board, in the process educating hundreds, if not thousands, of people about the Federal Reserve. We called him, called radio shows, wrote letters, distributed petitions, sent out emails to many, many people, used our social networking tools, posted on blogs and finally Peter Welch has seen the light!

Thank you, Peter Welch!

Posted 05/24/09 usapatriot Milton, VT

Thanks for working on this LLS. I got confirmation of his co-sponsorship from one of his staffers on Friday morning. That made my day! Thanks to you, and everyone else who worked to educate our Representative and our neighbors about this important bill.