Monthly Archives: March 2008

On today’s Downsize DC Conference Call, my two-hour Sunday RADIO show, which airs at at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, and 12:06 PM Pacific), we’ll be talking about the Real ID Act.
:::
:::Not only do I contend that Real ID is not good for America, but I also believe it is anti-American. I’ll give you a great many details about what’s going on in the fight because we’re now at the point where we need to turn up the pressure at a national level. This will be a show that has some good news in it.
:::
:::For the last two years the battle has shifted to the states on this issue and I really want to hear from the activists working in the states. What’s happening in your state?
:::
:::Please let me know at

Quote of the day:
:::
:::”Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.”
:::– Mark Twain
:::
:::Subj: Radio and More
:::
:::In this message . . .
:::
:::* Volunteer Wanted: We need a body-builder/model
:::* A radio appearance this afternoon on Straight Talk with Jerry Hughes
:::* A radio appearance on Free Talk Live with Ian and Mark
:::* An action item to support a Downsize DC partner
:::* Downsize DC on Free Minds TV
:::
:::But first . . .
:::
:::Real ID on the Downsize DC Conference Call
:::
:::We are now just a little more than a month away from the original deadline for implementation of the Real ID Act (Real ID). Because of 17 states who have, at various levels, refused to cooperate, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has pushed back the required implementation date. But May 11, 2008 still remains a deadline of sorts.
:::
:::The deadline situation is kind of complicated, but on my Sunday radio show

Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“The Senate being tied is a start. Now, if only it could be gagged.”:::– Bob Thaves, from his comic strip “Frank & Ernest” ::::::Subject: Gridlock is good::::::The President wants unlimited spying powers, through the renewal or replacement of the Protect America Act (PAA). Fortunately, he isn’t getting what he wants. Congress seems to be gridlocked on this issue, and gridlock is our friend. ::::::The gridlock involves two versions of a new spying bill, a Senate version, and a House bill – HR 3773. The Senate bill is basically the President’s wish-list for expanded surveillance powers. He’s threatened to veto anything short of this bill. ::::::The House is resisting. It’s bill would permit the administration to do broad surveillance, but not in the unsupervised, un-Constitutional way the President has dictatorially demanded. ::::::Republican leaders have responded with petulant whining, tantrums, and lies. They assert that “We are now vulnerable to terrorist attack,” because the PAA no longer exists. This claim ignores the fact that all the surveillance authorized by the PAA can be maintained for twelve months, and new surveillance can still be authorised under the old FISA law.::::::The Democrats and the media are well aware of these facts, so the GOP’s scare-tactics haven’t worked, yet.::: :::But there’s still talk of a “compromise.”

Jim Harper of CATO was my guest, and the primary subject was the Real ID Act. This episode was previewed here.::::::The “attachments” to this blog post are mp3 files you can download and listen to hours one and two of show. ::::::The Downsize DC Conference Call is Jim Babka’s private radio show (and he’s entirely responsible for the content), and DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America are sponsors of the show. The views expressed on the program are not necessarily those of the staff, management, or sponsors of the show.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“And to say that society ought to be governed by the opinion of the wisest and best, though true, is useless. Whose opinion is to decide who are the wisest and best?”:::– Thomas Babington Macaulay, “Southey’s Colloquies on Society”:::::::::Subject: REAL ID loses in Montana::::::The federal government is slowly but surely losing the fight to impose REAL ID identity cards on the American people. The people do not want REAL ID. Fourteen other state governments have either neglected to authorize cooperation and implementation, or have passed resolutions of official opposition to the Real ID Act. ::::::In response, the Feds have tried everything. They’ve tried to bribe the states, offering money in return for compliance. They’ve tried extortion too, threatening to deny the states federal funds, or to make it impossible for their citizens to board airplanes.::::::None of these strong-arm tactics are working.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“Power gradually extirpates from the mind every humane and gentle virtue”:::– Edmund Burke::::::Subject: Trying to meet our recruitment goal::::::We want to try something different today. We usually recruit new supporters as a result of current Downsizers forwarding these emails to others. Today we want to experiment with having you specifically ask people you know to join. ::::::In January we recruited 1,114 new Downsizers. Last month we recruited 1,160. This was one of our best two-month period ever. But it can be hard to maintain that kind of pace. So we’ve only recruited 497 new Downsizers so far this month. We’d need another 664 new recruits over the next 7 days to exceed last month’s result.::::::Can we do that?::::::It might seem difficult, until you consider that it would only take 3 new recruits per every 100 subscribers to this list. It’s entirely possible that we might recruit more people faster if you specifically asked others to join. So let’s give it a try and see what happens. ::::::Do you have friends who think the federal government is way too big, and needs to be downsized? Send them an email something like the following . . .

We have something special we want to share with you today — about the big Second Amendment case at the Supreme Court, DC vs Heller.
:::
:::Yes, today is Easter. Do we ever take a break? Well, can we afford to take a day off?
:::
:::Well, actually, yes, we’re taking a break (kind of). In my case, I’m going to spend much of my time celebrating this special day with family. But the work of shrinking government continues — and so does my Sunday radio program, the Downsize DC Conference Call.
:::
:::Fortunately, we have some quality programming in the archives, and we’ll be pulling out an “evergreen” episode from January where we talked about “the things that matter most… if we want to Downsize DC!” The show starts at 3:06 PM Eastern (2:06 PM Central, 1:06 PM Mountain, 12:06 PM Pacific).
:::
:::The show is on in Montana, West Virginia, and sometimes in Texas AND NOW Canton, Ohio, but the best way for nearly everyone in America to catch the show is at GCNLive.com.
:::
:::The Downsize DC Conference Call radio show is sponsored by DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America.
::: 
:::Today’s Gun Owners Update is being served up right here

Quote of the Day:
:::
:::“If we permit our constitutional rights to be watered down out of fear, we have given up our democracy. Congress must stand firm and defend the Constitution.”
:::– Dennis Kucinich
:::
:::Subject: Standing Up
:::
:::Every major telecom, except Qwest, agreed to help the federal government spy on Americans without warrant or probable cause.
:::
:::Two whistleblowers, Mark Klein and Babak Pasdar, have stepped forward and told us the spying was (and may still be) truly widespread, and that in Klein’s case, it went back more than a year before 9/11.
:::
:::And as if that’s not enough, the federal government has taken several steps to remove our rights and freedoms through fear. As writer/director William Lewis points out, the list includes, “The Military Commissions Act, which ended Habeas Corpus; The John Warner Defense Act, which ended Posse Comitatus; The Detainee Treatment Act, which protects torture; The Real ID Act rider attached to HR 1268, which will give us a national ID card; and a half dozen others . . .”
:::
:::And as if that’s not bad enough, we have a financial crisis brought on by gross deficit spending, monetized debt, and bad lending laws.
:::
:::All of these things must be addressed, and at DownsizeDC.org you can find a campaign to address most of these issues. But one issue looms bigger than all of these, and it’s this issue on which we ask you to focus today . . . 
:::
:::How can we begin to reverse the tide?
:::
:::Put another way . . .  What is our realistic strategy for actual change?
:::
:::Many of our ideas seem strange and are marginalized by the powers that be. We need an approach that will make our ideas familiar and accessible.
:::
:::Only one strategy offers real possibility of success. It’s the strategy of

Last month I posted on Ten Reasons to be Critical of the Federal Reserve. Well, here’s five more, from Bankaholic.::::::I’m not sure I agree with all of the criticisms, but they underscore two broad points. The first is, it is nearly impossible for the Fed to “make the right call” when reading the economy and managing the money supply, because the economy is too large and complex. ::::::The second is, trying to prevent short-term economic downturns will lead to far more serious long-term consequences, which we are now only beginning to experience. As long as the Fed exists, it would do well to focus on controlling the money supply to prevent inflation, rather than come to the rescue whenever some segment of the economy is struggling. Markets are better off correcting themselves.::::::And this underscores the need for reform. We can break the Fed’s monopoly over the money supply by passing Ron Paul’s Honest Money Act and Free Competition in Currency Act. You can tell Congress to pass these bills here.

Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Change the political environment. Recruit more Downsizers. Share this message with others.::::::Quotes of the Day:::::::NINTH AMENDMENT: The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.::::::TENTH AMENDMENT: 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.::::::Subject: “Enumerated Powers Act” makes progress::::::The “Enumerated Powers Act” would force Congress to site its Constitutional authority for every law is passes. When we last reported to you on this bill in late January it had 38 co-sponsors. Since then the bill has gained 6 more co-sponsors. Perhaps the 8,328 messages Downsizers have sent in support of this bill have helped to create this progress.::::::Let’s keep pushing.