Monthly Archives: September 2007

Free Talk Live on Sunday? That’s right!
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:::Ian and Mark, hosts of the popular radio show Free Talk Live, are guest-hosting my one-hour show, the Downsize DC Conference Call.
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:::What are they going to talk about? You’ll need to tune in to find out because when Ian and Mark doing their “Free Talk” thing, the listeners choose the topics — YOU can choose the topics — by calling 1-800-259-9231.
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:::And that’s exactly what I’d like for you to do . . . 

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Subject: Own a book from Harry Browne’s personal library::::::First, we only need 500 more messages to reach 40,000 messages to Congress for the fourth month in a row. Please help us reach this goal by sending a message today. You can send a message on any of our current campaigns listed on our home page, or we would specifically recommend sending a message to . . .::::::Prevent a war with Iran:::Tell Congress you’re not afraid of terrorism, and that they should stop being afraid on your behalf:::Repeal the fraudulent “Protect America Act”::::::Second . . .::::::Would you like to own a book from the personal library of the late great Harry Browne? I’m about to tell you how you can do that. Many of these books contain Harry’s personal notes and were used by him in writing his own books. ::::::In addition to being one of the co-founders of Downsize DC, Harry was also the author of more than 13 books which sold more than 11 million copies, including a #1 New York Times best seller, and the classic “How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World.” His wife Pamela gave us a large chunk of his personal library after his death to use as a gift for major donors.::::::We really want to make budget this month, and there are only two days left to do that. Someone we all know and love is raising buckets of money right now, so we know we have to compete hard to get our little sliver of the pie. Maybe Harry’s library will help us to do that. ::::::If you can make a contribution of $500 or more, we’ll send you one of the books from Harry’s library. The list of books, along with descriptions, is below my signature. When you make your contribution simply tell us which book you want in the comments section of the contribution form. We will send the books out on a first come basis, so please list your top three choices in order, in case someone else gets your preferred book first. ::::::You can make your contribution of $500 or more and get your book here.:::If tax deductions is important to you then make your contribution to the Downsize DC Foundation here.:::If you can’t contribute enough to get a book but still want to help, you can contribute here.::::::And don’t forget to help us reach 40,000 messages to Congress for the month. The list of Harry’s books is below the signature. Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.::::::Jim Babka:::President:::DownsizeDC.org, Inc.

Evangelize the Downsize DC message. Please forward this to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Vote: The instrument and symbol of a freeman’s power to make a fool of himself and a wreck of his country.”:::- Ambrose Bierce, “The Devil’s Dictionary”::::::Subject: The Senate’s vote on Iran, plus a media announcement::::::Yesterday, the Senate, by a vote of 76-22, including about half the Democrats, moved the United States one step closer to war with Iran.::::::The Senate did this by urging the President to add the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, an arm of the Iranian state, to the list of international terrorist organizations. ::::::This gives President Bush additional cover to use military force against Iran, which could include military raids into Iranian territory. We have been here before. This is how the Vietnam war was expanded into Laos and Cambodia, which led to the deaths of millions of Cambodians. ::::::The result in this case could be the further radicalizing of the Islamic world, making us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks rather than less.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Amplify your voice. Forward this message to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“The Revolution was effected before the War commenced. The Revolution was in the minds and hearts of the people; a change in their religious sentiments of their duties and obligations … This radical change in the principles, opinions, sentiments, and affections of the people, was the real American Revolution.”:::– John Adams, (1735-1826) Founding Father, 2nd US President, February 13, 1818::::::Subject: REAL ID::::::We’re working on a health care solutions message, but it’s taking time to do it right. It will be next week before we can get it to you. Meanwhile, we really would like to reach the 40,000 messages to Congress mark in September — it would be the fourth month in a row we’ve done that. So . . .

DownsizeDC.org is one of 60 groups that signed this letter sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:::::::September 25, 2007::::::Senator Harry Reid:::Majority Leader:::United States Senate:::Washington, DC 20510::::::Dear Majority Leader:::::::We, the undersigned privacy, civil liberties, government openness and faith-based organizations, write to ask you to insist on public hearings on any proposed legislation to alter the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) before either the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the Senate Judiciary Committee votes on such legislation. Public hearings with Members of both committees on any proposed legislation involving surveillance that affects the rights of people in the U.S. are greatly needed.::::::This opportunity for public examination is essential.::::::This is especially crucial in the aftermath of what happened in August when substantial changes to FISA, crafted by the administration, were passed by Congress without any public hearings with anyone other than administration witnesses speaking to Senators.

422 pages considered within twenty minutes.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“With $10,000 we’d be millionaires! We could buy all kinds of useful things. Like love!”:::– Homer Simpson::::::Subject: And now, a word for our sponsors::::::So far this month we’ve . . . ::::::* Recruited 727 new DC Downsizers. :::* Pounded the powers that be with 31,974 messages. :::* Transmitted 318,746 educational Dispatch emails.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch::::::Amplify your voice. Forward this message to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“It is not because a part of the government is elective, that makes it less a despotism, if the persons so elected possess afterwards, as a parliament, unlimited powers. Election, in this case, becomes separated from representation, and the candidates are candidates for despotism.” :::– Thomas Paine, Rights of Man, Part II.::::::Subject: How the calendar will help us, and how it can hurt us::::::A Senate majority voted last week to restore habeas corpus, which is the right of all persons detained by the government to challenge their detention in a court of law. ::::::Sadly, more than a majority, 60 votes, was needed under Senate rules. We fell 6 votes shy. Too many Republican Senators stuck by the President. ::::::Is this bad news? Not so much. We predict that the aging of the calendar will make all the difference. Republicans will continue to stand with the President, because that’s what the GOP base wants, but we expect this to change once the primary elections are over.

8 callers and roughly 70 emails on the subject of impeachment. ::::::Final vote count (as of the close of the show), 66 for impeachment and 9 1/2 opposed (the half, as described on the program, supported only the impeachment of Cheney). Three of the opposed also stated their opposition only to DownsizeDC.org getting involved in the issue — seeing it as a distraction from the Read the Bills Act and the rest of our agenda. ::::::Also, a Gun Owners of America update on the gun-haters attempt to take gun rights from veterans who suffer from battle fatigue. ::::::The show is “attached” to this blog post in mp3 format.

The Downsize DC Conference Call is a not just a radio show; it’s a national conversation. To impeach or not impeach; that is the question.
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:::If a President can get away with unconstitutional behavior (with “high crimes” and/or “misdemeanors”), what signal does that send to his (or her) successors?
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:::Should THIS President (and/or Vice President) be impeached?
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:::Oh, and here’s a question for you . . .  Should DownsizeDC.org call for this impeachment?