Author Archives: "Archives"

This is a follow-up last month’s post on U.S. Attorney appointments. Last week, Dianne Feinstein spoke on the Senate floor about the issue. An excerpt::::

Unbeknownst to any of us, in March 2006, in the PATRIOT Act reauthorization, a provision was included that allows the Attorney General to appoint an interim U.S. attorney for an indefinite period of time.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::We all want peace and stability for Iraq. How can we best obtain it?::::::The Bush formula reduces to this — we will force the Iraqi’s to stop fighting each other. ::::::We have made an effort to show that U.S. force is very unlikely to bring peace to Iraq, because it does not address the underlying dispute between the Shia and the Sunni, and because we lack sufficient troops (and savagery) to compel the Iraqi’s to stop fighting. ::::::So what is DownsizeDC.org’s alternative?

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Restore Habeas Corpus::::::”First, do no harm.” This is the rule of every physician who treats you for an illness. The doctor’s objective is to make you better, not worse. ::::::Government should operate by a similar rule. Indeed, it’s supposed to abide by several such rules, including the presumption of innocence, habeas corpus, and all of the other protections that go by the general name of “due process.” ::::::The idea is that whatever government does to address a problem, it must start by not making the problem worse. ::::::First, do no harm. ::::::Government must not punish the innocent. And it must not turn the rest of the world into foes by treating foreigners differently than Americans would want to be treated under similar circumstances. ::::::We must live by the same standards we apply to others. Truth must count. Innocence must matter. ::::::For the past several years our government has been doing the exact opposite.

February 18th episode of the Downsize DC Conference Call

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::We want to make this clear — passage of the Downsize DC Agenda, including the “Read the Bills Act,” the “Write the Laws Act,” and the coming “One Subject at a Time Act,” will set the stage for Downsizing Big Government. But, and this is a BIG BUT . . .::::::Once the stage has been set, radical surgery will be required to actually remove the malignant tumor that Cancerous Government has become. Below, we will show just how malignant this tumor really is.

Do you know the difference between a Shia and Sunni? Do you know which sect is behind the Iraqi insurgency? Which is Al Quaeda? Which is Taliban? Which is the majority in Iran? …Saudi Arabia? Do you know why the Shia and Sunni are fighting a civil war in Iraq?

1ST INTERVIEW

In just a few minutes, Downsize DC President Jim Babka will on the radio again today for his regular Friday appearance with Jerry Hughes. The interviews have gotten really deep and interesting as this relationship has progressed.

Time: 3:00 PM Eastern, 2:00 PM Central, 1:00 PM Mountain, Noon Pacific

This show is a great opportunity to spread the DC Downsizer message. Please support this show. Help us create “buzz!” You can do so by listening, but especially by calling-in or sending an email.

The toll-free call-in number is: 1-866-222-2368
The email is: Jerry at AccentRadio dot com

Length: 1 hour
Host: Jerry Hughes
Show: Straight Talk w/ Jerry Hughes
Internet: www.accentradionetwork.com/chooseplayer.htm
Click Winamp or Windows Media Playerm, as appropriate.

You can listen to the show in more than 20 markets. A complete list of “affiliates” is available here.

2ND INTERVIEW

Also, tonight (Friday), I’ll be on Free Talk Live AND our monthly message from co-host Ian Bernard appears below.

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Please bring this item to the attention of concerned friends . . .::::::Progress on REAL ID Act::::::Things are looking more-and-more likely for repeal of the REAL ID Act. The Maine legislature got the ball rolling, and now as many as 34 others states are threatening to pile on.

Downsize DC Conference Call – February 11, 2007

Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::Please bring this item to the attention of concerned friends . . .::::::You hear it all the time: no good outcome is possible in Iraq. ::::::By saying this over-and-over again we are fostering a state of mind that psychologist Martin Seligman calls “learned helplessness.” Here’s what Wikipedia says about learned helplessness . . .:::

“Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which a human or animal has learned to believe that it is helpless. It thinks that it has no control over its situation and that whatever it does is futile. As a result it will stay passive when the situation is unpleasant or harmful and damaging.”

::::::This describes Congress and the American public almost perfectly. ::::::Congress is debating how to remain passive about the problem in Iraq. One side says “let’s continue exactly as we are with few changes,” while the other side says “let’s continue exactly as we are with just a small surge of troops used in a slightly different way.” ::::::Neither side seems to recognize that a massive problem that is massively resistant to current attempts at a solution requires a massively different approach.