Monthly Archives: August 2007

Evangelize the Downsize DC message. Share this message with concerned friends . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::

“The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them.” :::-George Orwell

::::::Subject: Bad things done in your name::::::Because we tend to forget, it’s time to remember something. We should pause to remember the pictures of prisoner abuse by U.S. soldiers in Abu Ghraib, Iraq.::::::The acts committed in that prison were done in your name. Those acts, in the eyes of the world, are representative of what America does, what America believes, what America is. Like it or not, they are representative of you, and of me. ::::::Sadly, we are about to look at another example — new evidence from another case of another stain on our good name.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Monday, July 30 was a busy day. The House of Representatives passed 36 bills. Assuming a 9-hour day, a bill would have been read, debated, and voted on every fifteen minutes. But that couldn’t have happened, because the House also managed to pass 17 resolutions.
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:::How could the House accomplish so much in one day? By not reading or even considering the bills and resolutions they passed.
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:::All in all, the House passed 48 bills in the last week before the August recess, and the Senate passed 32. We normally tell you the total number of pages of legislation Congress passed, but this week, we just don’t have the time to add it all up. And we don’t think that is needed to prove the point: members of Congress can’t possibly have time to read and understand the bills they pass.
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:::Perhaps Congress needs to pass all these bills to keep Big Government running. But that’s just the problem. If we want Big Government, we can’t have truly representative government.

The Downsize DC approach is going to win. DC Downsizers are already getting their way. It’s amazing, given the circumstances, how well we’re doing.
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:::And we have every reason to hope for more and greater success.
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:::Do you believe that?
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:::This is not idle talk. It’s very important to have a discussion about hope.
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:::I’ve been reading pessimism . . . hearing cynicism. One can feel the gloom. This sense of doom is even pervasive. Worst of all, it’s debilitating.
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:::It’s unwarranted. And in today’s episode (Sunday, 8/12/07) of the Downsize DC Conference Call (my radio show), I’ll explain why I’m hopeful and excited.
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:::I’ll tell you the path to success!
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:::Now here’s what I WON’T tell you.

Plans & Progress

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Evangelize the Downsize DC message. Share this email with friends . . .::::::Quotes of the Day:::::::“A republic, if you can keep it.”:::– Ben Franklin::::::“Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”:::– Benjamin Franklin::::::Subject: Who are we?::::::It seems to us that one of the most important tasks before us may be this . . .

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Today, we roll out a new kind of campaign. We call these campaigns, “Strike at the Root” campaigns, as in . . .::::::“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” :::– David Thoreau::::::These “Root” campaigns will be defiant statements by free people against the encroachments of government. We aim to change the political environment with these campaigns. We want to penetrate the Congressional echo-chamber with messages they aren’t used to hearing. ::::::The success of these campaigns will be based, in large part, on your evangelism. We need you to share these messages and campaigns with others. ::::::Our first “Root” campaign deals with how an overblown fear of terrorism leads to a bigger, more intrusive, and less focused government . . .

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Quotes of the Day:::::::“We have nothing to fear, but fear itself.”:::– Franklin Delano Roosevelt::::::“There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root.” :::– David Thoreau::::::Subject: Fear is the problem. Courage is the solution. ::::::Something strange has happened. It demands an explanation, and a response.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“If the President does it, it’s not illegal.”:::– Richard M. Nixon::::::Subject: What to do about the new spying law::::::They all swore an oath to obey and defend the Constitution. On Saturday a majority of Congress broke that oath.

This episode was previewed in the Sunday Downsizer-Dispatch. ::::::No guests, but as usual, lots of callers and so many emails we only got to a token number of them. There’s lots of concern out there about the crash of yet another civil liberty. But at least there’s hope — and you can hear it in this episode. ::::::This show is hosted by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America.:::

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Subject: Can you answer these questions::::::I hope you listen to my radio show today, and call in. I have a few questions to pose. I’d like to hear your answers.::::::We lost the fight on the FISA bill, which will legalize unconstitutional spying on innocent Americans. All complexities aside, we lost by one vote.::::::Question number one: Why did a Democrat controlled Congress pass a bad bill that President Bush wanted, when the Republican controlled Congress couldn’t muster the votes for it the year before?