Posted by edwardstaley on 06/18/09
Last updated 06/18/09

Dear Friends of Liberty,

 As you may know, the Campaign for Liberty has recently celebrated it's first birthday. It's hard to believe that it has already been one year since Ron Paul announced that the fire that was ignited during his bid for the presidency was not going to be allowed to die after the primaries, but rather live on forever through the Campaign for Liberty. We have accomplished much. Of course the Rally for the Republic was no small feet, but since then we have continued to dream big and only big. We've started a series of regional conferences held around the nation with hundreds of attendees at each, focused on learning exactly how to restore this republic. We have well over 100,000 members strong. Our first major effort as an organization, having H.R. 1207 pushed through congress, already has a majority of the House as cosponsors. Many of us have been here long enough to know that we are not alone and real change is possible. We can reclaim liberty, reduce government size and scope. We can kindle vigilance in the minds of people and break the mentality that the government, not the individual, should be looked to for answers to society's problems.

 But our goals can only continue to be reached if we remain in pursuit of them. We must continue to grow as a group, as a coalition of freedom-loving activists who learn not only that can count on each other, but how to be self-reliant when need be and be able to teach others how to be as well. It is vital that we reach out to other members, especially in our area and meet them. That, of course, is the first step to ever working with them. As we learn about each other, our efficiency will naturally improve. We will learn what each of us can bring to the table of assets (nothing is too small and nothing is unimportant). We must also learn what other groups are out there and how best to work with them. Many who were awakened recently, came to our site, got discouraged because of an apparent lack of activity in the area and got involved in other groups. We are still awake and we are still out there. Talking to other members in our district, you will learn of a myriad of other liberty-based activist networking sites and the like, but the Campaign for Liberty should, if not your primary network, at least be kept regularly associated with. We cannot afford to find ourselves in the dark on efforts we would have liked to have been a part of.

 With all of that said, let's get specific. What are we doing? Well I'm sure many of us are well aware that H.R. 1207, Ron Paul's bill that calls for a complete auditing of the Federal Reserve is having some considerable success. It currently has been cosponsored by 234 members of the House. 65 of these sponsors are Democrats (currently only 15 Republican members do not support this bill). Our representative, in this district is Brian Higgins (D-NY-27) and he is not currently a sponsor. This is to be considered our primary focus here in the 27th. I urge you to keep the pressure on. Call his office. Send him an email. Stop by his office. Mail in a few signatures on a petition. If you feel you've about used up your welcome at one office, pester his other two. Our voices have been influential in 234 other districts; they can be heard here as well. Excellent resourses pertaining to auditing the Federal Reserve can be found at www.campaignforliberty.com/campaigns/hr1207home.php .

Brian Higgins

726 Exchange St.

Suite 601

Buffalo, NY 14210

(716) 852-3501

     or

431 Cannon HOB

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-3306

     or

Fenton Building

2 East Second St.

Suite 300

Jamestown, NY 14701

(716) 484-0729

 What about here in New York? We want to change the world and there's no shortage of things that should be addressed in order to do it, but we don't want to spread ourselves to thin. We'll naturally spread as we grow, but for now we must keep specific focuses and learn how to work with each other. - before I go on, I want to say that you are very much encouraged to do all you feel compelled to do in the cause of liberty; we are all free-thinkers and there is much diversity with-in our ranks; we're here to help each other and don't hesitate to look to us as a resource for other pursuits- The biggest issues in New York that members have pushed to the front are resisting the REAL ID and fighting the Micro-stamping Bill (SB 4397a) that is currently in our dysfunctional state senate.

 For information on the REAL ID issue, I urge you to poke around our state page. For information on the Micro-stamping bill, and in particular, as it relates to actions taken by our local assemblymen, I refer you to a recent post on our district page entitled "New York Gun-control Legislation 2009". Within our district borders, there are three overlapping senatorial districts, those of: Stachowski (D-58), Young (R-57) and Volker (R-59). I have contacted all of their offices and been assured that should this bill be brought to a vote, they would all vote against it. We are urged to call there offices, affirm there stance and thank them.

Cathy Young (R-57): (716) 372-4901         Dale Volker (R-59): (716) 656-8544      WIlliam Stachowski (D-58): (716) 826-3344

 Additionally, I would like to remind everyone that Interim Erie County Coordinator, Keith Stone, is holding a C4L meeting. All are welcome and their presence is much appreciated. A link to information can be found on the Erie County and Region 27 pages on C4L. I thank everyone for being involved in this movement in any way that they are. 

-In Pursuit of Liberty,

-Edward Donald Staley, Interim Regional Coordinator (NY-27), C4L

Posted 06/25/09 edwardstaley dunkirk, NY

The offices of Young, Volker and Stachowski have all stated that these senators would be very opposed to any of the anti-gun bills that passed the house and that they would vote against them. Senator Razenhofer has said that he is actively working to see none of these bills pass the senate.

Posted 07/04/09 Susan Rusnak Buffalo, NY

Great insight Ed. Thankyou so much for your persistance. Will be calling you this week.

Posted by edwardstaley on 06/11/09
Last updated 06/18/09

 On Tuesday April 28, the extremely Democraticly tilted New York State Assembly (it currently stands at 109 Democrats and 41 Republicans) passed a large group of legislation that spits in the face of gun owners and liberty advocates. These measures would do everything from ban many additional arms and ammunition types, to cater to the idea that you are abusing your child by having firearms in the home as they commonly sit today. As we sit back and look at this batch of proposals , we can see that for the most part, our area of New York's Assemblymen are not the problem, as far as attacks on the Second Amendment are concerned. This is great, because we will not have to exhaust our efforts on this all too common issue, but rather we can work on them with other issues (and we have quite a laundry list). If you are registered in Assembly districts 142, 143, 145, 146, 148, 149 or 150, your representative voted against every measure. If you happen to live in district 144, your representative voted for every measure, all ten of them. His name is Sam Hoyt (D-144). His area encompasses Grand Island and much of north west Buffalo. He has highlighted himself and we will not let him forget it.

 As it is shaking out right now, one of those bill's companion legislation has emerged as having a very real chance of being put to a vote on the Senate floor, Senate Bill 4397a. This bill would require that any semi-automatic pistols that are sold in New York State be capable of micro-stamping a unique code onto the casings of the ammunition they fire. The idea is that this would give police a starting point in a criminal  investigation, true enough, so why does this sit so wrong with those who demand that the right to private firearms ownership be taken seriously? First thing that springs to mind is that if this legislation were passed, no matter how clumsily it was enforced, no matter how expensive and ineffective it turned out to be, no matter how many people were wrongfully pulled into legal battles, no matter how hard it ultimately made it for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to own a gun, the precedence this would set, would cause this to spread like fire through the more liberal states. A flood of legislation would come expanding and re-enforcing the effort, closing it's "loopholes". First it would expand to include revolvers. Then all previously grandfathered arms would be confiscated; since all legally owned pistols are registered in the Empire State, the government knows exactly what doors to knock on. Then we would be given the pitch that the same must go for rifles and shotguns. Then criminal guns would be blamed on out of state sources, so it would become a state's rights issue, as federal legislation started to be pushed. Ultimately all of this would be ineffective at detouring any crime. We can already rule out the prevention of crimes of passion; such actions are carried out with little regard for the ramifications. This leaves crimes performed by those who are routinely part of the criminal element of society. As the older guns at large fell into decay, criminals would be forced to go to such lengths as to apply a nail-file to the hammer of their weapon.

 The entire idea of "micro-stamping laws" goes right in the face of individual rights. Imagine freedom of speech, but everything you say must now be tracable right to your mouth. No, we cannot take this issue lightly, nor can we count on our newly created "Republican majority" here in New York to stop this. Both senators that sided with Republicans last week have stated that they continue to consider themselves Democrats and are co-sponsors of this bill!  Whatever party is the "majority", the fact that two Democrats now caucus with the Republicans, doesn't change the fact that there are still 32 Democrats and 30 Republicans.  Party affiliation also holds little water as a litmus test for how a particular official may vote on any particular issue at any particular time. At any rate, this would be a very close vote. Since the legislature is scheduled for its recess to begin on June 22, any action taken with this bill will happen very soon. We need to call our state senators today! We need to spread this message fast!

Find our state senators, contact them, urge them that if Senate Bill 4793a (the micro-stamping bill) comes to a vote you urge them to vote "no'':

http://www.nysenate.gov/

You may also want to find out how your assemblyman voted. Call their office and let them know you just had this issue brought to your attention and that if they voted against these measures ( 6468, 6157, 5844, 3076, 3211, 2882, 2881, 1326, 801 and 1093) you appreciate it; this happens much less often than people calling and yelling at them or telling them what they should do. It also serves as re-enforcement that they made the right choice for their constituents. If they voted for these things, let them know how you feel about that too.

http://assembly.state.ny.us/

Posted 06/18/09 edwardstaley dunkirk, NY

Since the writing of this post, we have been in contact with all three of the Senators' offices that hold representation overlapping our district. All three have assured us that they would not vote for any of these anti-gun bills, should they ever make it to a vote. Please take the time to personally verify this with a call to their offices and thank them.

Posted by edwardstaley on 04/23/09
Last updated 04/29/09

 Yesterday, we, as members of the Campaign for Liberty, were called upon by our fellow patriots across this nation to do our part in displaying public support for H.R.1207. We were asked to circulate petitions in our districts, urging our representatives to sign on as cosponsors and present the signatures to our congressman's door. This bill, "The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009", introduced by Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX-14), seeks to allow for a full audit of the Federal Reserve. If passed, this legislation will remove the prohibitive language from Title 31, U.S. code, that prevents the GAO or Congress from having any effective oversight over the Federal Reserve. ( read the text of Ron Paul's address to congress here: http://www.ronpaul.com/2009-02-28/ron-paul-introduces-bill-to-audit-the-fed/ )

  As of yesterday, it was reported that H.R.1207 had 92 cosponsors. It is very clear that this legislation has a real chance, it's sponsorship is growing steadily and includes both Republican and Democratic backing. Unfortunately for us, instead of being in a district where we could just give the office a call and say "thanks", we were required to get off our butts and do something more. Brian Higgins is not currently a cosponsor and, unless properly motivated by his constituents, we have no reason to believe he would become one all on his own. The issue of Federal Reserve transparency is a fresh issue, and by that I mean, it has not yet been absorbed wholly into a partisan stance. However, as the numbers grows, we are seeing fewer and fewer Democrats signing on (currently, only 13 cosponsors are Democrats). This, combined with the fact that it was introduced by a Republican, makes it increasing less likely for other Democrats to sign on, as this could be viewed as their political detriment. That being said, it becomes evident that we must focus our efforts even harder on our Democratic representatives. If this is allowed to become a partisan issue, it will surely fail in a legislature where both bodies are firmly controlled by the left party.

 Contrary to popular opinion, congressmen do sometimes factor in the opinions of their constituents. They do (in part, at least) rely on the voters of their districts to get re-elected. How much they listen depends on many factors: will this offend the "deep pockets" that helped them campaign?, if they are blue and in a distinctly blue district, will this make them look red (and vice versa)?, what organizations (if any) are behind this? do they even agree with this legislation (in theory, this has to at least cross their mind)?, etc. . We need to be aware of this, as we put the pressure on Higgins. It is vital that we come off, not as "Ron Paul nut-balls", not as members of any party or affiliation, not as people with a greater agenda (ie. ending the Federal Reserve System entirely), but as members of the communities he represents united with just one concern: the actions of the Federal Reserve have a tremendous impact on our economy, and we wish to be able to know what those actions are.

 Yesterday, that is just what we tried to do. Nine of us showed up at 2PM at the office door of Brian Higgins with hundreds of signatures. We talked with a member of his staff (as Brian was not there), giving him the gist of our concern. The short notice was the main reason for the limits of our signatories, but fret not. We probably still have a couple weeks to keep the pressure on. Sometime next week, we will meet up again and hand in a fresh batch of petitions and show his office some fresh faces. There were many that would have liked to be there, but for whatever reason with their schedule, could not be present. Those are the people I am looking for right now. It is very important that we do not send the message that this is the same few people that care, going out and getting people to sign a piece of paper just so they will be left alone. Rather, we need as many waves of fresh faces going in there as we can. I know of at least several others that will be willing to go with separate groups to the office. Please contact me if you are interested in getting involved in this effort. Don't be intimidated as to what you will be asked to do. The signatures of a few family members, getting hooked up with someone else and going around a neighborhood, simply standing there and being another silent head as the petitions are handed over, anything you want to do. Remember, these actions represent a lot more than simply backing an audit of the Federal Reserve, they are part of a "go at your own pace", "no pressure", training for getting involved and putting the control of this nation back in the hands of it's people. You may also be surprised at how fast you start making genuine ties with would-be strangers that you meet out there in this movement. That back-up that we give each other is both very encouraging and self-rewarding. As always, I encourage you to comment, as these comment threads are a good way for us to communicate with others that are visiting here.

Posted 04/30/09 edwardstaley dunkirk, NY

update: this bill now has 100 cosponsors. Brian Higgins (D-NY-27) is still not amongst them. to date there is still only ONE cosponsor from new york, eric massa D-NY-29(new york has 29 reps!)

Posted 05/13/09 edwardstaley dunkirk, NY

there are now 149 cosponsors. 218 is the key number. that is a congressional majority. our represenative is not yet with us. please call higgins(d) today and ask him why the democratic party seems to be standing up and saying "we will not stand for government transparency!"

Posted 06/01/09 edwardstaley dunkirk, NY

we now have 179 cosponsors and still no brian higgins. many of the fence straddlers have come over. call higgins' office today and ask "what exactly is his stance on transparency of the federal reserve?". his staff is friendly and will not try to invoke a political debate out of you, i assure you. don't be scared. give him a call. 716 852 3501. most people find that phone calls have a little more weight than e-mails (imagine if i had called you about this; now imagine if i hand-wrote you a letter; now imagine if i showed up at your door; now imagine if i showed up at your door with several people; you get the idea).

Posted by edwardstaley on 04/02/09
Last updated 04/02/09

 Outrage. That's where my head's at right now. It's hard to get down to thinking and writing when my head is so consumed with such emotion, but I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try to respectfully, but emphatically show my disapproval of such a precedence. How we handle this proposal will reflect the attitude for future generations' mindsets on cameras in public places. Wow, before I get started, I must again emphasize. . . I am outraged.

 On Tuesday, of this week, March 31, 2009, the Buffalo Common Council, in a 5-3 vote approved a proposal to ask the state legislature for the special permission required for placement of public cameras at 50 different intersections. For those of us who are less familiar with the Buffalo government, the Buffalo Common Council is the city's legislative branch (all nine of which's members are Democrats by the way). This proposal already has the approval of the executive branch; Mayor Byron Brown has been pushing for this for three years now.

 To listen to the councilmembers' discussions on the issue is enough to make you clench your fists. The issue of privacy never comes up at all. The short-sightedness of our elected officials rings loud and clear through their silence on the long term implications of this initiative.What we hear is centered around the concept of fleecing more money out of Buffalonians to help pay for their ineptitude at guilding the area away from becoming an economic sinkhole. It has been estimated (by the proponents, mind you) that the new cameras, put up as a means for police to enforce red lights, would result in the confiscation of an additional $2.75 million from Buffalo's private sector (whoops! I mean "would result in $2.75 million in additional revenue for the city")! Since the growth and maintenance of government based scheming is dependant upon money from the private sector to stay in business, it only makes sense that during times of economic hardship, that the government shrink. That is to say, that when there is less money to pay for something, you should naturally only be willing to spend less on it. Unfortunately, that is not the case when it comes to politics. Whenever it is obvious that spending should be cut, politicians find it politically impossible to do so. They are dependant on those who are dependant on the flow of money associated with the state meddling and those raised to see no other way. It is political suicide to make sense. And so we find ourselves with legislative bodies in the mindset that when the government doesn't have enough money to pay for their needs, some trick must be thought of, not to shrink the cost of government, but to increase the percentage of the private funds seized. The problem with this plan is that there is an end-game. No matter how hard it tries, it is a mathematical impossibility for them to seize more that one hundred percent of your money (I just scared myself, by realizing that might not be true, but that's another discussion). . . but I am getting away from my main gripe. . . disregard for privacy.

 There will never be a shortage of reasonings that if this right or that right were respected just a little less that this "problem" or that "problem" could be resolved. In this case, we find out that if we agree to be spied on (only at intersections, for now) issues of public safety will improve. Some compare this to this to the idea that it is no different from having a police man at every corner (and further implying the public would see this as a good thing). I might remind them that these places have and do exist. They are called police states. The populace of such areas find themselves, at least potentially, under the eye of the state at all times and as you may be able to guess they react with something less than jubilance.Today, privacy rights must be guarded like never before. The technology now exists to wipe out all practical privacy in any area of life we hold most intimate (be it financial, medical, legal or otherwise) will the stroke of a pen and the approval of a computer tracking program. Any advancement at all made by the government into our lives should be fought tooth and nail. And anyone who doesn't equate the putting up of public cameras with the eventual dulling down of the public's opinion of being spied on, is naive (sorry, but I believe, I did mention at the beginning that I was a little upset). Unfortunately, what we're born into, we get used to and are much less likely to fight, we fight the addition of new problems, not the ones we're used to working around.

 The battle is not over yet however. While it is expected that the state will approve of the measure, the issue must then be brought to one final vote by the Common Council and let us remember the last vote was 5-3, with one absentee also in favor. It wasn't a complete wash. The pressure must be put on, and hard. Contact your state representatives and urge them to oppose this measure. Contact all city council members (regardless of where you live or how they voted) and tell them how you feel about privacy and the world you want future generations to live in. On behalf of liberty, I thank you.

Brian C. Davis - Ellicott District - voted
"yes"            &nb
sp;  email: brdavis@city-buffalo.com

Richard A. Fontana - Lovejoy District - voted "no"      email: rfontana@city-buffalo.com

David A. Franczyk - Fillmore District - voted "yes"       email: dfranczyk@city-buffalo.com

Joseph GolombeK, Jr. - North District -voted "yes"     email: jgolombek@city-buffalo.com

Michael P. Kearns - South District - voted "no"            email: mkearns@city-buffalo.com

Michael J. LoCurto - Delaware District - absent but in favor  email: mlocurto@city-buffalo.com

David A. Rivera - Niagara District - voted "no"             email: darivera@city-buffalo.com

Bonnie E. Russell - University District - voted "yes"    email: brussell@city-buffalo.com

Demone A. Smith - Masten District - voted "yes"        email: dsmith@city-buffalo.com

Posted 04/03/09 TonyM Depew, NY

We're under seige. A waste of money. But, if we don't put forth the effort to stop every thing a human does wrong, we will all still be individuals.

Posted 04/08/09 SteveWills Fredonia, NY

Invasion of privacy in the name of "saftey". It's sad the way public officials mock their own people with policies like this. It makes me feel untrusted in my own society. i have nothing to hide, but that is not the worry of anyone but myself.

Posted 04/13/09 heteloto dunkirk, NY

Its nonsense. I remember a few years ago and flipping on our (yours and mine) former public access channel 12 and seeing video shots of our central ave. I felt a bit violated. I got in my car seconds later and drove to where the cameras were and allowed myself to be on camera flicking the bird to the bird in the sky. Aside from the public "red light camera" insult I think people would be surprised to know we have cameras all over the place. My new home, Buffalo is no exception. Although I remember when I first attempted to live in Buffalo I was driving around with a friend from Rochester and we witnessed a man get mugged. He was layed out cold right on Elmwood (or Main) while 2 others ran his pockets and dissapeared into an alley where a parked car was waiting for escape. Cameras work for nothing. I dont trust it, i dont feel safer and never will. "Never give up liberty for saftey" Lets set up cameras in the offices of those who enforce these laws.

Posted 04/30/09 WaxLily Fredonia, NY

Patterson is expected to sign the approval any day now. I tell you, I will not want to visit Buffalo any longer. I am not a walking "$" sign. Our gov't. reps. are thieves, and we are supporting our own mugging. Like a battered wife who lies to protect her abuser.