Yearly Archives: 2007

Subject was Chertoff’s Gut — specifically that it told him we’re about to have a terrorist attack. More than 30 emails and 4 calls, ALL saying they believed a terrorist attack was imminent. The only thing that varied were the reasons. ::::::You can listen to the show in mp3 format by clicking on the “attachment” link at the end of this blog post. ::::::The Downsize DC Conference Call is Jim Babka’s radio show. It is sponsored by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.”:::– Thomas Jefferson::::::Subject: Agriculture bill and medical marijuana amendment, plus MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT::::::Votes are still pending on the big agriculture bill and the amendment to stop federal arrests of medical marijuana patients in states that permit the use of medical marijuana.::::::Let’s keep our eye on the ball and keep hitting Congress on these two issues.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies.” :::- C.S. Lewis::::::Subject: Congress to vote tomorrow on amendment to stop federal arrests in medical marijuana states::::::Everyone is different. Some people are helped by Vioxx, while others are endangered by it. Some medications work in some cases, but not in others. Medical marijuana does little for some patients, but it’s the difference between life and death for many individuals. Your mileage may vary. One size does not fit all.::::::Federal law doesn’t work this way. It takes no account of individual differences and needs. Federal law applies to everyone, equally, from the top down. It tries to nail square pegs into round holes.::::::The pegs are people. The hammering leads to suffering and death. Those who run the federal government seem not to care. One size must be made to fit all.

Please share with concerned friends . . .
:::Please Digg this column too.
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:::Subject: Will Congress cheat in order to regulate DownsizeDC.org?
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:::This is the “bad thing” we warned you about on Saturday.
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:::A small cabal of organizations and members of Congress have dreamed and schemed for a long time to regulate grassroots organizations like DownsizeDC.org.
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:::First, they came for the blogs and web activists. We beat them there.
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:::And already this year, we’ve clobbered this proposal three times, fair and square, when their target was grassroots organizations who use mass media tools, including the web.
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:::But now, there’s a very real danger that this cabal may cheat in order to get what they want anyway.
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:::Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi are planning to

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff caused quite a stir recently when he said his “gut” was telling him a terrorist attack might happen soon. Of course, his Gut also told him that the federal government needed more power to stop it.
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:::Now why this announcement? And why now? And why no details? Is he really relying on his Gut?
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:::As one media figure put it, “All hail the Gut!”
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:::But what about your gut? Do you think a terrorist attack is coming soon? Why?
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:::And if so, should our government take extraordinary measures? Should we surrender more liberties? …sacrifice more privacy? …be scared?
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:::I’d like to hear from you on today’s (Sunday) Downsize DC Conference Call — my one hour radio show.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him.” :::– Robert Heinlein::::::Subject: Advance warning::::::Congress is about to do something very bad in a very bad way. We will tell you what, and how to fight it on Monday, assuming there are no surprises, so please be ready to read the Monday Dispatch and take immediate action. Speaking of surprises . . .

Quote of the Day:::::::“Capitol: Seat of misgovernment.”:::– Ambrose Bierce, from “The Devil’s Dictionary”::::::Subject: Grocery prices::::::The tepid Democrat plan to reduce the number of troops in Iraq failed. The Defense Authorization bill to which that plan would have been attached has been withdrawn. With it goes the amendments that would have restored habeas corpus and dismantled the military tribunals.::::::But all of these issues will be back soon. The defense bill has to be passed, and when the vote comes we have a very good chance to pass the amendments. ::::::Your messages on these issues were helpful. You can be sure they have been reported to your members of Congress. Congress knows what you want. When these issues come back to the floor we will hit them again. ::::::Meanwhile, other bills will be brought to a vote. One of the most important is likely to be the agriculture bill. Year-in and year-out this is one of the worst bills Congress considers. It’s a grab bag of wasteful spending and corporate welfare. ::::::It’s not yet time to try to stop the bill as a whole. We need to be larger and stronger. But we can work with others to stop some of the worst aspects of this legislation.::::::Perhaps you’ve noticed that your grocery bills are rising. I certainly have. There are many causes. Recent government inflation that first drove up the stock market, and then the housing market, is likely to now be finding its way to your food bill. But there are also other causes . . .::::::Farmers around the country are having a hard time getting their crops harvested. Apparently, there aren’t enough Americans who want to do that kind of work, and there aren’t enough Mexicans to meet the demand. More importantly . . .::::::Government subsidies for ethanol production have caused a lot of farmers to shift from producing food to growing corn for fuel production. This is having downstream effects on everything you eat. Funny thing is, it costs more to make ethanol than we get out of it.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch…
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:::Is Congress doing its job?
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:::On paper, they sure look busy. Over the week of July 9-14 the House passed 14 bills totaling 663 pages. The Senate passed 3 bills that came to 498 pages. (A complete list of the Bills Congress passed, along with links to roll call votes, is available at the end of this post, below my signature.)
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:::One bill in particular stands out. On July 11, Congress passed the Food and Drug Administration Administration Act (you read that correctly), which ran to an astonishing 308 pages. Health freedom advocates warn that this bill will turn the FDA into a public-private partnership with the ability to develop and patent drugs on its own. They further warn this bill will jeopardize our access to vitamins and other nutritional supplements that compete with Big Pharma.
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:::But only forty minutes were allowed for debate, and amendments could not be proposed or considered. Instead of questioning this process, Congress rubber-stamped the bill with only 16 votes against it.
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:::How many of the 403 who voted “yea” blindly followed the advice of lobbyists and Congressional leaders? How many then patted themselves on the back for “protecting” the American people from supposedly “dangerous” foods?
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Today’s Downsizer Dispatch::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Subject: Habeas corpus, military tribunals, Iran::::::Congressman Ron Paul is right. The terrorist threat is primarily blowback from decades of bad foreign policy in the Middle East, much of it hidden from the American people. As Congressman Paul has noted, this is the conclusion of studies by both the CIA and the Defense Department. ::::::Sadly, U.S. foreign policy has only gotten worse since 9-11. Nearly everything our politicians have done has only served to further radicalize the Islamic world.::::::Yes, we know, the reasons for Islamic extremism have now moved beyond U.S. foreign policy, to include cultural issues. This is a cancerous development. But this tumor was first created by our foreign policy, and that is also where the cure must begin. ::::::We can start by restoring our own values.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Please share with concerned friends . . .::::::Subject: War with Iran, war in Iraq, habeas corpus, military tribunals::::::We’ve had a breathless morning. There are emergencies developing in all directions. Urgent action is needed on a number of campaigns all at once.::::::PLEASE TAKE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS IMMEDIATELY.