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This episode was previewed on this blog. We talked extensively about the accuracy of polls. We had lots of good callers. ::::::To listen, just click on the mp3 “attached” to this blog post. ::::::My thanks, as always, to DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America for their sponsorship.
Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Recruit more Downsizers. Share this with 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: Manifesto::::::A man strings together long chains of poetic but meaningless phrases, such as “the audacity of hope” and “the urgency of now.” He speaks constantly of change, but the nature of this change remains undefined. His words are full of “sound and fury,” but “signify nothing.” Nevertheless, he is hailed not merely as a man, nor as a candidate, but as a movement.::::::A woman almost cries. It is a tiny expression of emotion born of a wounded ego. She fears the loss of the chance to control the lives of millions, and to bend them to her highly personal vision of what they need. Beyond this the tears say nothing, and mean nothing, but thousands swoon and she is rewarded with victory. ::::::Another man states a willingness to keep American troops in Iraq for 100 years — a policy that will inflame the patriotic and religious emotions of a billion Muslims. And yet, he is hailed as a sober man, perhaps uniquely qualified to protect you from the very forces he promises to incite. Many members of the media freely admit that this man’s main constituency is the media itself. After all, he has no money, because no one cares to give him any, but the media’s cheer-leading is enough to lift him to victory. ::::::Meanwhile, another man is largely ignored by the media. He is rarely mentioned in the same breath as the “Audacious Hoper,” the “Tearful Egotist,” or the “100-year spiller of other people’s blood.” And yet, he has many millions of dollars, because hundreds of thousands of people cared to give it to him. This man has run for president before. He was ignored by everyone then, but he is supported by many now. The difference is the label he runs under. Only that, and little more. His positions remain mostly the same. Only the label has changed.::::::Look around. Take notice.
This episode of the Downsize DC Conference Call was previewed on this blog. For one thing, I provided a compelling, almost irrefutable explanation for why the Major League Baseball/Mitchell Report was bad. I’ve used this argument to change minds. ::::::My thanks, as always, to DownsizeDC.org and Gun Owners of America for sponsoring this show.
Recruit more Downsizers. Forward this message to others.::::::Quote of the Day:::::::“War is the art of conquering at home.” :::– Thomas Paine, The Rights of Man::::::Subject: 60 radio ads now running in Michigan::::::We proposed it. You funded it. We did it. 60 radio ads promoting Ron Paul’s “American Freedom Agenda Act” are now running in the Detroit, Michigan area.::::::There’s something special about these ads. It isn’t only that the ads promote a bill that would . . .
On today’s Downsize DC Conference Call, my one-hour, Sunday radio show, heard at 4:06 PM Eastern (3:06 PM Central, 2:06 PM Mountain, 1:06 PM Pacific), I’ll give you my insights as a trained psephologist (someone who analyzes polls).
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:::Do you trust the polls? What do you expect will happen in Iowa and New Hampshire? I want to hear from you!
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:::Plus I’ll tell you about the three heroes of the Ron Paul campaign (one of them will really shock you).
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:::BIG NEWS!
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:::The Downsize DC Conference Call is about to grow. Already I’m on a better show clock with fewer commercial breaks and longer segments. Even better, my talks with a program director at an FM talk radio station took another step forward this week, and the Genesis Communications Network is offering to double my show to two hours. Should I take the extra hour?
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:::I have more to say about this, below my signature. Please check it out.
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:::JIM BABKA TO SPEAK AT THE NEW HAMPSHIRE, FREE STATE PROJECT THIS WEEK
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:::It’s time for the second annual Liberty Forum of the Free State Project, Thursday January 3 to Sunday January 6, 2008 in Nashua, New Hampshire. I’ll be speaking on Saturday, January 5th.
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:::Ron Paul will be there. Other speakers will be Bernard von NotHaus currency architect and creator of the Liberty Dollar, Carla Howell from the Center for Small Government, Ethan Nadelmann Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, and Wayne Green creator of Byte magazine, and many more!
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:::Ian and Mark of the nationally syndicated radio show “Free Talk Live” to be set up, doing their broadcasts direct from the site as well.
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:::On top of that, my wife Sue and I expect to do another installment of “Breakfast with the Babkas” on Sunday morning, January 6th. If you want to attend that breakfast,
Forward this message to concerned friends. And Digg it too!
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:::Has Ron Paul been banned from FoxNews?
Today’s Downsizer-Dispatch . . .::::::MEDIA NOTICE: Jim Babka is on the radio today. Look below the signature for listening information.
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:::TODAY’S SUBJECT: The Read the Bills Act
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:::On Sunday, December 16, members of Congress were handed a 3,417-page spending bill, H.R. 2764 – or was it a 1,443-page bill? It depends on what you include. The shorter version is found at the legislative information website thomas.loc.gov, but then there are attached committee reports, in which we find most “earmarks,” or specific designations for the money Congress authorized in the bill.
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:::And it appears these committee reports have the force of law. According to analyst Brian M. Riedl, “The appropriations bills’ texts contain several sections stating that a certain amount of a program’s budget ‘shall be available for projects and in the amounts specified in the explanatory statement described in section….; This may effectively make many of the earmarks in the conference reports legally binding.” Source: Heritage Foundation
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:::That means the larger figure is more accurate. In any case, Congress has the responsibility to comb through both the bill and the earmarks to prevent waste.
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:::Which Congress did not do. The House passed the bill within 24 hours (and passed an amended version two days later.) The Senate passed it Tuesday evening. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina objected to the rush, leading Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois to reply that the bill had been posted on the Internet for two whole days!
Please pass this message on to fans of Ron Paul’s American Freedom Agenda Act (HR 3835).
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:::You can also “Digg” this message.
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:::Subject: Second radio ad
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:::Here’s another radio ad (draft script) we want to start broadcasting in Michigan . . .
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Leaving the Road of Fear (120 seconds) (5 parts, plus Jim Babka)
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:::JB: The following is a paid legislative alert from Downsize DC dot org . . .
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:::N: 9/11. It was horrific. It was natural for us to respond — emotionally, viscerally… even hysterically.
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:::And our Founding Fathers recognized that fear in the face of insecurity might cause us to drift from our principles. But they gave us a beacon back to the right path. It’s called the Constitution.
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:::Thomas Jefferson wrote,
Today’s Downsizer Dispatch . . .::::::Subject: Radio ads!::::::In our last message before Christmas we asked you if you like Congressman Ron Paul’s “American Freedom Agenda Act. Remember, the American Freedom Agenda Act would repeal . . . ::::::* Torture. :::* Rendition.:::* Detention without due process.:::* Warrantless wiretapping. :::* Punishing Whistleblowers.:::* Presidential Signing Statements.::::::We also asked . . .::::::If you were going to do the most good for Congressman Ron Paul’s American Freedom Agenda Act, how would you do it, where would you do it, and when would you do it? Here are our answers . . .