You can listen to the show — it is “attached” to this message in mp3 format, below.
Here’s what we we covered…
Big Announcement — a new sponsor will be joining us in February. We’ll still have Gun Owners of America and DownsizeDC.org, but now we’ll be joined by the Marijuana Policy Project as well! They get promotion and we get additional dollars to use to promote the show in the radio community — to program directors and station managers. This is just the first bit of good news. We’re working on two other items even as I write this that will also help grow this show and get the message out that “Big Government Hurts, but Liberty Works.”
I also, at the request of a few DC Downsizers, re-read the statement regarding Harry Browne’s health on the air. It comes from Pamela Browne, Harry’s wife. Here it is…
As some of you know, Harry has been in and out of Vanderbilt University Medical Center the past 8 months. He’s undergone a thorough workup — including countless tests and appointments with numerous neurologists. His doctors have had a difficult time making a diagnosis due to the complexity of his symptoms. But recently his neurologists told us that he has two separate diseases — a progressive neurological disease and a progressive dementia.
Harry’s doctors have been unable to characterize the peripheral neuropathy. But they believe he probably has CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demylinating Polyneuropathy) or Polyneuropathy Multiplex which has left him wheelchair bound. In addition, he has FLD (Frontal Lobe Dementia), a disease similar to Alzheimer’s, but with the addition of changes in personality and behavior.
Harry was hospitalized again about 3 weeks ago. This past Monday he was finally discharged from Vanderbilt to the sub-acute rehabilitation wing of an assisted living and health center near his home for extended rehabilitation. During his stay he’ll be involved in various daily therapies, and in time he’s hoping he’ll return home and to work — writing, and broadcasting his radio and television shows.
As promised, we also revealed the McCain bill that is going after “grassroots lobbying” — Section 105 even expands the definition to include groups like DownsizeDC.org, Gun Owners of America, and the Marijuana Policy Project! The McCain bill is S 2128. It’s House counterpart is HR 4575, sponsored by Christoper Shays. Those are the Republican bills — c.y.a. responses to the Abramoff scandal. Politicians do something wrong, you lose your liberty.
But the Democrats have their versions as well. Russ Feingold has S 1398 and Martin Meehan has HR 2412. So the whole anti-First Amendment gang is reunited — remember McCain-Feingold & Shays-Meehan and their Frankenstien creature BCRA, 2002 (I think I can hear Peaches and Herb singing in the background of this reuninion). This is incumbent protection, pure and simple. We’re going to address this issue in detail in the coming days and weeks. We see this as an immediate and real threat to DownsizeDC.org. Listen to the show or stay tuned for updates.
Why is corruption in Washington such a problem? Why is so much money attracted to these politicians? Because government is way too big. All that money is going to attract attention. There is, as Ron Paul points out, only one real solution to all the corruption — a foolproof program: “DOWNSIZE” the federal government. Yes, now even Ron Paul is using the Downsizing meme!
GOA Update (for Gun Owners of America) was about a provision to the Patriot Act that allows the BATFE to go on fishing expeditions through gun records. You can read more about it and learn how to take action by clicking on this link.
We had a caller and an email. Took a question on Iran. Short answer: I’m not losing sleep at night that Iran is going to nuke my house.
We closed with some comments on “Stupid in America,” John Stossel’s ABC special on public schools. I had a great deal to say about this on Saturday during the Harry Browne Show, but with just a minute-and-a-half left, I could only scratch the surface here.