Can you handle another victory? We've had a bunch this year. Now here's one more . . .
We just won a big verdict in the Chris Hedges case against the legalized kidnapping provisions of the 2011 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Remember, Hedges meets with and writes stories about terrorists. He's afraid that this could lead the U.S. military to arrest him and hold him without trial. So Chris filed suit seeking to deny the military this power. But that raised a legal question. Does Chris have “legal standing” to challenge this law, or must he be arrested first?
The Judge asked for briefs to argue this question. We were invited to submit one of those briefs. You helped fund it, and our legal team wrote it. In fact . . .
We filed the ONLY amicus brief in the case.
And we got what we wanted!
PLUS MORE!
And get this . . .
The Judge agreed with two of our main arguments. We said the new law is . . .
- Illegally vague. The Judge said there has to be a precise definition of who is subject to the law, and this law fails.
- Unfair, because it subjects people to detention even when they had no intent to cause harm or knowledge that they were risking such detention.
Now here's the PLUS part . . .
The Judge not only gave Hedges standing to challenge the law, she also issued an injunction to halt the legalized kidnappings!
That's right. Barack Obama and Company are now prohibited from using these powers on American soil, or with Americans, until either Congress fixes the bill or this trial ends!
Moreover, the Judge's approach vindicates our position: these NDAA provisions really do apply to American citizens, no matter what your Congressional reps have been telling you. So you see . . .
We get everything we wanted and MORE!
Mr. Hedges and his fellow plaintiffs have standing. NDAA kidnapping will go on trial.
And we got the injunction and vindication as a bonus!
This is just one more example of how we've become masters at doing a lot with a little.
But even in the shadow of this victory, there's a problem. Each month…
- We have a goal of raising $1 for every subscriber, about $30,000.
- Our budget goal, the money needed to pay all the bills, is $20,250.
This month…
We've raised less than $5,000. Pledges will still come in, and we'll top $10,000.
But if the current trend continues we'll still end up about $10,000 short.
Someone reading this message could contribute $10,000 right now. If that speaks to you, I hope you'll act.
But what we really want is large numbers of small monthly donors, because that fits with our overall strategy. We're trying to reduce the cost you must pay to fight State criminality. Could you start a monthly pledge today, bearing in mind that the definition of “small cost” will vary from person to person? https://secure.downsizedc.org/contribute/
- Our largest pledger gives $250 each month.
- The average pledger submits $14.
- Your pledge can be for as little as $1!
And we've just reduced the “risk” of pledging. Your Downsize DC Toolbox now includes a feature that lets you modify or cancel your pledge whenever you want. You're in complete control.
Of course, since we're running so short this month, we'll need more than new monthly pledges. It will take donations of varying sizes.
Repeatedly, you've been there for us. I can only hope you're pleased with our output and thrilled by the results.
Whatever you can give, we'll do our best to use it wisely. You can contribute to DownsizeDC.org here.
Or, if tax-deductibility is important to you, then make your donation to the Downsize DC Foundation here.
Thanks again for making our progress possible.
Jim Babka
President
Downsize DC Foundation
& DownsizeDC.org, Inc.