The state campaign watchdog agency will investigate allegations that a Washington, D.C., group failed to properly disclose how it is funding a campaign against Proposition 64, which would legalize recreational use of marijuana in California, according to a letter released Monday.
The Fair Political Practices Commission sent the letter to attorneys for the pro-ballot measure campaign who had filed a complaint that the group SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) Action Inc. was late in disclosing contributions it received and failed to account for spending at least $149,850.
“Failure to act could result in voters being denied critical information in advance of the election,” the Proposition 64 campaign said in its complaint.
Galena West, chief of the FPPC’s enforcement division, wrote that it “will investigate the allegation(s) under the jurisdiction of the commission" and noted that her office has not made any determination on the validity of the allegations.
The national coalition fighting the marijuana initiative includes former Rep. Patrick Kennedy and has said it is raising more than $2 million to fight initiatives in five states this year, including the November ballot measure in California. A spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Source
Yep,old Patrick Kennedy is heading up SAM. Mr. Drunk Driver Gets Special Treatment From The Cops Kennedy. Nevermind he plows into a school bus while drunk he's a Kennedy. They aren't peons like the rest of us are. They are so high and mighty they will tell you how to live your life.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Federal medical marijuana protections *temporarily* extended.
From Marijuana Majority:
Federal medical marijuana protections *temporarily* extended. Earlier this month we told you that a federal law protecting state-legal medical marijuana patients from DEA harassment was set to expire on September 30. Congress still hasn't resolved the question of whether to extend the provision through next year, but they did just pass a temporary bill prolonging the protections until December 9.
Stay tuned for an action alert making it easy for you to pressure your representatives to keep protecting patients and providers on a longer-term basis.
This is great. It shows we are a powerful lobby that they must take seriously. Thanks to everyone who helped us out by signing the petition.
Federal medical marijuana protections *temporarily* extended. Earlier this month we told you that a federal law protecting state-legal medical marijuana patients from DEA harassment was set to expire on September 30. Congress still hasn't resolved the question of whether to extend the provision through next year, but they did just pass a temporary bill prolonging the protections until December 9.
Stay tuned for an action alert making it easy for you to pressure your representatives to keep protecting patients and providers on a longer-term basis.
This is great. It shows we are a powerful lobby that they must take seriously. Thanks to everyone who helped us out by signing the petition.
Congress grills James Comey
FBI Director James Comey is passionately defending the integrity of the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email setup, arguing that critics are unfair to suggest that agents were biased or succumbed to political pressure.
“You can call us wrong, but don’t call us weasels. We are not weasels,” Comey declared Wednesday at a House Judiciary Committee hearing. “We are honest people and … whether or not you agree with the result, this was done the way you want it to be done.”
The normally stoic FBI chief grew emotional and emphatic as he rejected claims from Republican lawmakers that the FBI was essentially in the tank for Clinton when it recommended that neither she nor any of her aides be prosecuted in connection with the presence of classified information on Clinton’s private email server. He acknowledged he has “no patience” for such allegations.
“I knew there were going to be all kinds of rocks thrown, but this organization and the people who did this are honest, independent people. We do not carry water for one side or the other. That’s hard for people to see because so much of our country, we see things through sides,” Comey said. “We are not on anybody’s side.”
It was at least Comey’s third appearance on Capitol Hill since the Clinton email probe was closed, but the FBI director’s assurances did not seem to satisfy House Republicans, who said the decision not to prosecute Clinton or her aides smacked of favoritism.
“I would be in big trouble, and I should be in big trouble, if I did something like that,” said Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.). “There seems to be different strokes for different folks. I think there’s a heavy hand coming from someplace else.”
Comey insisted there is no double standard, though he said there would be serious consequences — short of criminal prosecution — if FBI personnel handled classified information as Clinton and her aides did.
“Mary or Joe, if they did this in the FBI, would not be prosecuted,” the FBI director said. “They’d be in big trouble, but they would not be prosecuted. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Republicans suggested there were numerous potential targets of prosecution in the case and repeatedly questioned prosecutors’ decisions to grant forms of immunity to at least five people in connection with the probe.
“You cleaned the slate before you even knew. … You gave immunity to people that you were going to need to make a case if a case was to be made,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).
GOP lawmakers focused in particular on the Justice Department’s decision to give a form of immunity to Clinton lawyers Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson to obtain computers containing emails related to the case.
“Laptops don’t go to the Bureau of Prisons,” Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said. “The immunity was not for the laptop, it was for Cheryl Mills.”
The FBI director repeated an explanation he gave for the first time at a Senate hearing Tuesday, that the deal to get the laptops was wise because subpoenaing computers from an attorney would be complex and time consuming.
“Anytime you know you’re subpoenaing a laptop from a lawyer that involved a lawyer’s practice of law, you know you’re getting into a big megillah,” Comey said.
Republicans also questioned why Mills and Samuelson were allowed to attend Clinton’s July 2 interview at FBI headquarters as her attorneys, given that they had been interviewed as witnesses in the email probe.
“I don’t think there’s any reasonable prosecutor out there who would have allowed two immunized witnesses central to the prosecution and proving the case against her to sit in the room with the FBI interview of the subject of that investigation,” said Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), a former U.S. attorney. He said those circumstances signaled that the decision not to prosecute Clinton was already made when she sat down for the interview.
“If colleagues of ours believe I am lying about when I made this decision, please urge them to contact me privately so we can have a conversation about this,” Comey said. “The decision was made after that because I didn’t know what was going to happen during the interview. She would maybe lie in the interview in a way we could prove.”
Comey also said it wasn’t the FBI’s role to dictate who could or couldn’t act as Clinton’s lawyers. “I would also urge you to tell me what tools we have as prosecutors and investigators to kick out of the interview someone that the subject says is their lawyer,” the FBI chief said, while acknowledging he’d never encountered such a situation before.
Ratcliffe said Clinton and the others should have been called to a grand jury, where no one is allowed to accompany the witness.
Comey did say there was no chance of charges against Mills or Samuelson by the time of the Clinton interview.
“We had already concluded we did not have a prosecutable case against Cheryl Mills or Heather Samuelson at that point. If we they were targets of our investigation, maybe we would have canceled the interview,” the FBI director said. ‘Frankly, our focus was on the subject. The subject at that point was Hillary Clinton.”
Despite the second-guessing from Republicans, Comey said he remained convinced that prosecution wasn’t even remotely appropriate given the facts.
“As painful as this is for people, this was not a close call,” he said. “This was done by pros in the right way.”
Source
Has James Comey ever heard of Peter Comey? He should be familiar to him as they are brothers. Peter Comey is tied to the Clinton Crime Family Foundation. That is why James Comey didn't do squat. Everyone was out there saying that James Comey is a straight shooter. If this is what they mean by "straight shooter" then I would hate to see their interpretation of corrupt.
Here is what really happened.
Thursday, September 29, 2016
Is Hillary Clinton above the law?
From Public Advocate-the Clinton Investigative Commission:
It's time for Americans like you and me to take drastic action.
Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be possibly the most corrupt politician in America.
We've seen evidence of countless acts of criminal negligence, corruption and deceit.
She even left Americans to die in Benghazi.
Yet she has not faced one indictment, not one criminal charge.
Instead, she's been praised by the media and President Obama while securing the nomination for president from one of America's two primary political parties.
Is Hillary Clinton above the law?
Is America powerless to hold her accountable?
She's got the White House, the Department of Justice and even the FBI in her back pocket protecting her.
The federal justice and court systems are so packed with Obama's cronies that there's no one to stand up to Hillary's criminal rampage.
The United States Congress is the only force left that can take action against her.
But Republican leadership is sitting on their hands.
That's why I'm writing you today as Director of the Clinton Investigative Commission (CIC).
I'm formally calling on Congress to act now and hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her actions.
But I need your help to do it.
Our Representatives won't speak up unless you and I force them to.
My constitutional experts have uncovered something only a handful of people in the country have realized.
We don't have to wait for November to Impeach Hillary.
That's right.
Congress can impeach Hillary right now for her criminal misconduct as a senior federal official.
I've prepared a petition to Congress, laying out her misdeeds and what they can do about it.
Please sign your petition for Congress to "Impeach Hillary."
All it needs is your signature, demanding they take action.
And once you've signed, please consider chipping in with a donation of $10 or $15 to help fund our efforts.
Hillary Clinton is a criminal of the highest order, and I'm not going to sit by and watch her behavior go unpunished.
She left Americans to die in Benghazi, and then tried to lie to the American public about what happened...
...She abused her power as Secretary of State to funnel untold millions into the Clinton Family slush fund, dubbed the Clinton Foundation...
...She committed criminal negligence in her role as Secretary of State in the handling of classified information, documents and emails...
...and she blatantly lied to Congress about her behavior as Secretary of State, as testified by the director of the FBI.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Hillary still denies she did anything wrong.
That's why I've tasked the Clinton Investigative Commission (CIC) with bringing her to justice.
The CIC was founded to uncover the corruption of President Bill Clinton -- but we've never stopped observing and tracking the activities of the Clinton family, and that includes Hillary.
I have watched in horror this past year as one crime after another committed by Hillary was exposed -- only to see her evade justice each and every time.
For years now, America has known that Secretary Hillary Clinton behaved inappropriately, and even criminally, regarding the Benghazi incident.
But then you and I saw her incompetence and negligence in handling classified emails laid out before the country.
As FBI Director James Comey reported in his findings, Hillary's guilt seemed beyond question -- yet he inexplicably refused to recommend charges against her.
There are former government employees in prison for committing far lesser acts of negligence than Hillary, yet she is allowed to walk free and even seek the highest office in the land!
And just this summer, you and I learned that Hillary Clinton utilized a "Pay to Play" policy during her time as Secretary of State.
An independent investigation found that Hillary gave the overwhelming majority of her discretional time to groups and individuals who made massive donations to her Clinton Foundation.
The Clinton Foundation is nothing more than a tax shelter and slush fund for the Clinton Family under the guise of a "non-profit organization."
Yet again, she is not facing any criminal charges!
Is there a different standard of justice for the wealthy and connected like the Clintons? It's certainly looking that way to most Americans.
We are going to hold Hillary to the same laws that apply to you and me.
And with your help, we can do it.
That's why the CIC is launching the first national petition calling on Congress to impeach Hillary Clinton over her behavior as Secretary of State.
By impeaching Hillary, Congress will be certifying her as "unqualified for national office."
She doesn't even have to be in office for Congress to Impeach her.
It's likely most members of Congress do not realize they have this power.
And Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have shown that they have no desire to hold Hillary accountable.
Which is why Public Advocate's Clinton Investigative Commission is turning up the heat on the Republican-controlled House and Senate.
With your help, the CIC is going to launch a full media blitz to gather support and kick Congress into action.
We will be emailing millions of Americans, launching Google Ads and even using social media to gather more signatures.
I've tasked the CIC with gathering at least 50,000 signatures right off the bat -- and 1 million signatures before it's over.
And then we will turn all our efforts onto Congress by delivering your petitions and pressuring them to act!
So please sign your petition calling for Congress to "Impeach Hillary" over her criminal conduct.
And then please consider chipping in a generous donation to help the CIC do even more.
Authoritative published opinions -- including our own top Clinton Investigative Commission legal counsel -- say impeachment is an extremely appropriate legislative action.
And since it is completely independent of executive involvement, there is no way for the corrupt Obama Administration to stop it.
While Hillary Clinton does not currently hold public office, Congress is empowered under the Constitution to act based on her transgressions while she held federal office.
After Congress impeaches Hillary, the Senate can then bar her from holding any federal office in the future.
Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) has already joined with the Clinton Investigative Commission in calling for impeachment hearings.
Do you think the same laws that apply to you and me should also apply to the wealthy and connected like Hillary Clinton?
Do you think it matters when government employees violate the law, endanger our national security, and use their power to line their own pockets?
If you said "Yes," you need to let Congress know.
Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell have shown us that they aren't going to act on their own.
It's going to take a massive grassroots uprising to force their hand and make them do the right thing.
Signed petitions, emails, faxes, Google Ads, social media, direct mail -- we'll use it all!
The Clinton Investigative Commission will be delivering your signed petition directly to your U.S. Senators and Congressman.
But we need at least 50,000 signed petitions to Congress to get this ball rolling.
And to reach that many people is going to take a full media program -- which isn't cheap.
So after you sign your petition for Congress to Impeach Hillary, please consider chipping in a donation of $20 or even $15 to fund the CIC's efforts.
Even $10 or $5 will be a great help.
Thank you in advance for standing up for law and order in America.
Together, we can show the Clintons they are not above the law.
God Bless,
HON. EUGENE DELGAUDIO
Director, Clinton Investigative Commission
P.S. The Clinton Investigative Commission is launching a first-of-its-kind petition calling on Congress to "Impeach Hillary" over her criminal conduct!
Hillary's pattern of corruption has been exposed for all the country to see -- yet she has still not faced a single indictment, not a single charge.
Obama's administration is sitting on the evidence, refusing to take action. That's why we need Congress to step up and fight for justice.
Click here to sign your petition for Congress to "Impeach Hillary."
And after you sign, please consider chipping in a generous donation of $20, $15 -- or even $10 or $5 -- to fund our efforts to bring Hillary to justice.
*** Clinton Investigative Commission is a project of Public Advocate of the United States.
Public Advocate is a non-profit 501(c)4 that fights for the Family. As such, we do not endorse or oppose any candidate for office.
Contributions or gifts to Public Advocate of the U.S. are not tax-deductible. Public Advocate is a non-profit organization that fights the radical agenda of the Homosexual Lobby. Public Advocate receives no government funds. You may reach us at: Public Advocate, P.O. Box 1360, Merrifield, VA 22116; phone (703) 845-1808; http://publicadvocateusa.org.
It's time for Americans like you and me to take drastic action.
Hillary Clinton has shown herself to be possibly the most corrupt politician in America.
We've seen evidence of countless acts of criminal negligence, corruption and deceit.
She even left Americans to die in Benghazi.
Yet she has not faced one indictment, not one criminal charge.
Instead, she's been praised by the media and President Obama while securing the nomination for president from one of America's two primary political parties.
Is Hillary Clinton above the law?
Is America powerless to hold her accountable?
She's got the White House, the Department of Justice and even the FBI in her back pocket protecting her.
The federal justice and court systems are so packed with Obama's cronies that there's no one to stand up to Hillary's criminal rampage.
The United States Congress is the only force left that can take action against her.
But Republican leadership is sitting on their hands.
That's why I'm writing you today as Director of the Clinton Investigative Commission (CIC).
I'm formally calling on Congress to act now and hold Hillary Clinton accountable for her actions.
But I need your help to do it.
Our Representatives won't speak up unless you and I force them to.
My constitutional experts have uncovered something only a handful of people in the country have realized.
We don't have to wait for November to Impeach Hillary.
That's right.
Congress can impeach Hillary right now for her criminal misconduct as a senior federal official.
I've prepared a petition to Congress, laying out her misdeeds and what they can do about it.
Please sign your petition for Congress to "Impeach Hillary."
All it needs is your signature, demanding they take action.
And once you've signed, please consider chipping in with a donation of $10 or $15 to help fund our efforts.
Hillary Clinton is a criminal of the highest order, and I'm not going to sit by and watch her behavior go unpunished.
She left Americans to die in Benghazi, and then tried to lie to the American public about what happened...
...She abused her power as Secretary of State to funnel untold millions into the Clinton Family slush fund, dubbed the Clinton Foundation...
...She committed criminal negligence in her role as Secretary of State in the handling of classified information, documents and emails...
...and she blatantly lied to Congress about her behavior as Secretary of State, as testified by the director of the FBI.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Hillary still denies she did anything wrong.
That's why I've tasked the Clinton Investigative Commission (CIC) with bringing her to justice.
The CIC was founded to uncover the corruption of President Bill Clinton -- but we've never stopped observing and tracking the activities of the Clinton family, and that includes Hillary.
I have watched in horror this past year as one crime after another committed by Hillary was exposed -- only to see her evade justice each and every time.
For years now, America has known that Secretary Hillary Clinton behaved inappropriately, and even criminally, regarding the Benghazi incident.
But then you and I saw her incompetence and negligence in handling classified emails laid out before the country.
As FBI Director James Comey reported in his findings, Hillary's guilt seemed beyond question -- yet he inexplicably refused to recommend charges against her.
There are former government employees in prison for committing far lesser acts of negligence than Hillary, yet she is allowed to walk free and even seek the highest office in the land!
And just this summer, you and I learned that Hillary Clinton utilized a "Pay to Play" policy during her time as Secretary of State.
An independent investigation found that Hillary gave the overwhelming majority of her discretional time to groups and individuals who made massive donations to her Clinton Foundation.
The Clinton Foundation is nothing more than a tax shelter and slush fund for the Clinton Family under the guise of a "non-profit organization."
Yet again, she is not facing any criminal charges!
Is there a different standard of justice for the wealthy and connected like the Clintons? It's certainly looking that way to most Americans.
We are going to hold Hillary to the same laws that apply to you and me.
And with your help, we can do it.
That's why the CIC is launching the first national petition calling on Congress to impeach Hillary Clinton over her behavior as Secretary of State.
By impeaching Hillary, Congress will be certifying her as "unqualified for national office."
She doesn't even have to be in office for Congress to Impeach her.
It's likely most members of Congress do not realize they have this power.
And Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have shown that they have no desire to hold Hillary accountable.
Which is why Public Advocate's Clinton Investigative Commission is turning up the heat on the Republican-controlled House and Senate.
With your help, the CIC is going to launch a full media blitz to gather support and kick Congress into action.
We will be emailing millions of Americans, launching Google Ads and even using social media to gather more signatures.
I've tasked the CIC with gathering at least 50,000 signatures right off the bat -- and 1 million signatures before it's over.
And then we will turn all our efforts onto Congress by delivering your petitions and pressuring them to act!
So please sign your petition calling for Congress to "Impeach Hillary" over her criminal conduct.
And then please consider chipping in a generous donation to help the CIC do even more.
Authoritative published opinions -- including our own top Clinton Investigative Commission legal counsel -- say impeachment is an extremely appropriate legislative action.
And since it is completely independent of executive involvement, there is no way for the corrupt Obama Administration to stop it.
While Hillary Clinton does not currently hold public office, Congress is empowered under the Constitution to act based on her transgressions while she held federal office.
After Congress impeaches Hillary, the Senate can then bar her from holding any federal office in the future.
Congressman Mo Brooks (R-AL) has already joined with the Clinton Investigative Commission in calling for impeachment hearings.
Do you think the same laws that apply to you and me should also apply to the wealthy and connected like Hillary Clinton?
Do you think it matters when government employees violate the law, endanger our national security, and use their power to line their own pockets?
If you said "Yes," you need to let Congress know.
Speaker Ryan and Majority Leader McConnell have shown us that they aren't going to act on their own.
It's going to take a massive grassroots uprising to force their hand and make them do the right thing.
Signed petitions, emails, faxes, Google Ads, social media, direct mail -- we'll use it all!
The Clinton Investigative Commission will be delivering your signed petition directly to your U.S. Senators and Congressman.
But we need at least 50,000 signed petitions to Congress to get this ball rolling.
And to reach that many people is going to take a full media program -- which isn't cheap.
So after you sign your petition for Congress to Impeach Hillary, please consider chipping in a donation of $20 or even $15 to fund the CIC's efforts.
Even $10 or $5 will be a great help.
Thank you in advance for standing up for law and order in America.
Together, we can show the Clintons they are not above the law.
God Bless,
HON. EUGENE DELGAUDIO
Director, Clinton Investigative Commission
P.S. The Clinton Investigative Commission is launching a first-of-its-kind petition calling on Congress to "Impeach Hillary" over her criminal conduct!
Hillary's pattern of corruption has been exposed for all the country to see -- yet she has still not faced a single indictment, not a single charge.
Obama's administration is sitting on the evidence, refusing to take action. That's why we need Congress to step up and fight for justice.
Click here to sign your petition for Congress to "Impeach Hillary."
And after you sign, please consider chipping in a generous donation of $20, $15 -- or even $10 or $5 -- to fund our efforts to bring Hillary to justice.
*** Clinton Investigative Commission is a project of Public Advocate of the United States.
Public Advocate is a non-profit 501(c)4 that fights for the Family. As such, we do not endorse or oppose any candidate for office.
Contributions or gifts to Public Advocate of the U.S. are not tax-deductible. Public Advocate is a non-profit organization that fights the radical agenda of the Homosexual Lobby. Public Advocate receives no government funds. You may reach us at: Public Advocate, P.O. Box 1360, Merrifield, VA 22116; phone (703) 845-1808; http://publicadvocateusa.org.
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
Make sure those in Congress receive the same medical care our vets get
From Freedom Works:
I’m tired of hearing the horror stories coming from the VA. I’m tired of seeing our veterans receiving terrible health care treatment. If Congress claims the VA health system is good enough for our veterans, it should be good enough for them. Thankfully Rep. Warren Davidson introduced legislation to change that. It’s called the Lead by Example Act and it would require Members of Congress to live under the VA. It's time Congress has some skin in the game in order to help our veterans. If you think that’s a good idea, sign our petition to make Congress live under the VA health care system.
For far too long our veterans have suffered under this terrible VA health care system. They deserve better. And Rep. Davidson’s bill is a big first step to reforming our broken VA system. Sign our petition to make Congress receive the same health care as our veterans.
I’m tired of hearing the horror stories coming from the VA. I’m tired of seeing our veterans receiving terrible health care treatment. If Congress claims the VA health system is good enough for our veterans, it should be good enough for them. Thankfully Rep. Warren Davidson introduced legislation to change that. It’s called the Lead by Example Act and it would require Members of Congress to live under the VA. It's time Congress has some skin in the game in order to help our veterans. If you think that’s a good idea, sign our petition to make Congress live under the VA health care system.
For far too long our veterans have suffered under this terrible VA health care system. They deserve better. And Rep. Davidson’s bill is a big first step to reforming our broken VA system. Sign our petition to make Congress receive the same health care as our veterans.
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Don't get stung by the Stingray
From Demand Progress:
Your local police can tap your cell phone from anywhere.
Police are using “Stingrays”, a device that mimics cell towers and tricks your phone – and up to 10,000 neighboring phones! – into connecting so they can capture your calls and text messages.
And because they don't need a warrant, police could be tapping your phone right now and you'd have no idea!
But police use of Stingrays can interfere with our ability to communicate – they’ve even kept folks from contacting 911 and protestors from talking to each other. In some instances, Stingrays may even be able to spoof messages that appear to be from the owners of the phone!1
The FCC has jurisdiction to stop local police from using these devices, but we need to mount a huge grassroots response to get them to ban Stingrays.
Sign the petition: Tell the FCC to ban the use of Stingrays by local law enforcement!
More and more local police units are using these devices to spy on anyone they deem a threat – whether a criminal or an activist.
The Baltimore Police Department has even used Stingrays more than 1,000 times in the last year alone – disproportionately hurting the African-American community’s ability to communicate.2
But by keeping the use of this irresponsible tool under a veil of secrecy, local police forces are able to use Stingrays largely without any judicial oversight or warrants. To use them, the FBI has been making local police forces to sign non-disclosure agreements, making it so police officers can’t even tell judges about their use!3
Thankfully we don’t have to rely on the FBI, Department of Justice, or Congress to stop local law enforcement from using these this insanely intrusive devices.
The FCC has jurisdiction to regulate Stingrays because they use the same frequencies that we use to make calls and text with our friends and families. And now it's time for the FCC to act.
Tell the FCC: It’s time for the FCC to rein in local law enforcement’s use of Stingrays. Ban local police from using stingrays now!
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Your local police can tap your cell phone from anywhere.
Police are using “Stingrays”, a device that mimics cell towers and tricks your phone – and up to 10,000 neighboring phones! – into connecting so they can capture your calls and text messages.
And because they don't need a warrant, police could be tapping your phone right now and you'd have no idea!
But police use of Stingrays can interfere with our ability to communicate – they’ve even kept folks from contacting 911 and protestors from talking to each other. In some instances, Stingrays may even be able to spoof messages that appear to be from the owners of the phone!1
The FCC has jurisdiction to stop local police from using these devices, but we need to mount a huge grassroots response to get them to ban Stingrays.
Sign the petition: Tell the FCC to ban the use of Stingrays by local law enforcement!
More and more local police units are using these devices to spy on anyone they deem a threat – whether a criminal or an activist.
The Baltimore Police Department has even used Stingrays more than 1,000 times in the last year alone – disproportionately hurting the African-American community’s ability to communicate.2
But by keeping the use of this irresponsible tool under a veil of secrecy, local police forces are able to use Stingrays largely without any judicial oversight or warrants. To use them, the FBI has been making local police forces to sign non-disclosure agreements, making it so police officers can’t even tell judges about their use!3
Thankfully we don’t have to rely on the FBI, Department of Justice, or Congress to stop local law enforcement from using these this insanely intrusive devices.
The FCC has jurisdiction to regulate Stingrays because they use the same frequencies that we use to make calls and text with our friends and families. And now it's time for the FCC to act.
Tell the FCC: It’s time for the FCC to rein in local law enforcement’s use of Stingrays. Ban local police from using stingrays now!
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Friday, September 23, 2016
Don't let them bust medical marijuana dispensaries support the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment
For the past two years, Congress has passed annual spending bills which included a provision protecting those who engage in the state-sanctioned use and dispensing of medical cannabis from undue prosecution by the Department of Justice. However, members of Congress have yet to taken action to reauthorize this provision and therefore the law is set to expire at the end of the month.
The amendment, known as the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment, maintains that federal funds can not be used to prevent states from “implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession or cultivation of medical marijuana.”
Just last month, a three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the amendment, opining that federal officials are not permitted to engage in the criminal prosecution of those who are involved in activity related to medical marijuana absent evidence that the defendants are in clear violation of state law. However, this protection ceases to exist if the provision is not renewed — putting hundreds of thousands of patients and providers at risk.
Please enter your zip code below to contact your federally elected officials and urge them to move quickly to reauthorize the Rohrabacher-Farr Amendment and to keep these important patient protections in place.
To sign petition
Congresswoman kills vets
Illinois Rep. Tammy Duckworth, who is also running for the Senate this November against Senator Mark Kirk, was campaigning instead of attending to grave issues at the Department of Veterans Affairs while serving as the department’s assistant secretary. Records provided by Kirk’s re-election campaign show while the VA scandal regarding outrageous waiting times and mistreatment for the nation’s combat veterans was unraveling, Duckworth, a veteran herself, traveled extensively to campaign for Democratic leaders in the Senate.
In March 2010, Duckworth mixed official travel with political travel as she campaigned for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s re-election. Although expenses for Duckworth’s trip totaled $3,955, Reid’s campaign only reimbursed the VA $813.97 initially. In addition, the VA owed Reid’s campaign $105.33, according to the Office of General Counsel Review, causing Duckworth to keep $708.44 of the reimbursement. Reid’s political action committee (PAC)—Searchlight Leadership PAC—donated $3,500 to Duckworth’s House campaign in 2012, and $10,000 to Duckworth’s Senate campaign this year.
A year later, Duckworth traveled to Montana to campaign for Senator John Tester, who won re-election the following year. Tester returned the favor and donated $2,400.40 to Duckworth’s 2012 House campaign. This year, Tester’s PAC—Treasure State Pac—donated $10,000 to Duckworth’s Senate campaign.
As Duckworth collected the dough, problems at her agency were only becoming sticky. In 2009 the VA disclosed that, due to poorly disinfected equipment, at least 10,000 veterans who underwent colonoscopies in Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida were exposed to potential viral diseases. Thirty-seven tested positive for two forms of hepatitis, while six tested positive for HIV. Then-VA Director Eric Shinseki initiated disciplinary actions and required hospital directors to provide written verification of compliance with VA operating procedures. Shinseki resigned in May 2014.
In 2011, as Duckworth campaigned for Tester, nine Ohio veterans tested positive for hepatitis after routine dental work at a VA clinic in the state. A dentist at the VA medical center in Dayton acknowledged not washing his hands or even changing gloves between patients for 18 years. That same year, in Pennsylvania, there was an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease at the VA hospital in Oakland, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Over the next two years, at least five veterans died. Two years later, the newspaper disclosed VA records which showed evidence of widespread contamination of the Oakland facility since 2007.
According to a CNN report, at least 19 veterans died at VA hospitals in 2010 and 2011 due to delayed waiting times for simple medical screenings like endoscopes and colonoscopies. According to a VA internal document acquired by the network, 82 veterans—during that time period—died or were dying or suffering serious injuries because of delayed diagnosis or treatment for those procedures.
The Duckworth campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Source
This is disgraceful. If this woman is a vet she sure doesn't have much time or compassion for her fellow vets. If she is a Democrat and campaigning for Democratic candidates then she is campaigning for those that hate the military because they are a bunch of '60's radicals. What she did is shameful and should be investigated.
In March 2010, Duckworth mixed official travel with political travel as she campaigned for Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s re-election. Although expenses for Duckworth’s trip totaled $3,955, Reid’s campaign only reimbursed the VA $813.97 initially. In addition, the VA owed Reid’s campaign $105.33, according to the Office of General Counsel Review, causing Duckworth to keep $708.44 of the reimbursement. Reid’s political action committee (PAC)—Searchlight Leadership PAC—donated $3,500 to Duckworth’s House campaign in 2012, and $10,000 to Duckworth’s Senate campaign this year.
A year later, Duckworth traveled to Montana to campaign for Senator John Tester, who won re-election the following year. Tester returned the favor and donated $2,400.40 to Duckworth’s 2012 House campaign. This year, Tester’s PAC—Treasure State Pac—donated $10,000 to Duckworth’s Senate campaign.
As Duckworth collected the dough, problems at her agency were only becoming sticky. In 2009 the VA disclosed that, due to poorly disinfected equipment, at least 10,000 veterans who underwent colonoscopies in Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida were exposed to potential viral diseases. Thirty-seven tested positive for two forms of hepatitis, while six tested positive for HIV. Then-VA Director Eric Shinseki initiated disciplinary actions and required hospital directors to provide written verification of compliance with VA operating procedures. Shinseki resigned in May 2014.
In 2011, as Duckworth campaigned for Tester, nine Ohio veterans tested positive for hepatitis after routine dental work at a VA clinic in the state. A dentist at the VA medical center in Dayton acknowledged not washing his hands or even changing gloves between patients for 18 years. That same year, in Pennsylvania, there was an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease at the VA hospital in Oakland, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Over the next two years, at least five veterans died. Two years later, the newspaper disclosed VA records which showed evidence of widespread contamination of the Oakland facility since 2007.
According to a CNN report, at least 19 veterans died at VA hospitals in 2010 and 2011 due to delayed waiting times for simple medical screenings like endoscopes and colonoscopies. According to a VA internal document acquired by the network, 82 veterans—during that time period—died or were dying or suffering serious injuries because of delayed diagnosis or treatment for those procedures.
The Duckworth campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Source
This is disgraceful. If this woman is a vet she sure doesn't have much time or compassion for her fellow vets. If she is a Democrat and campaigning for Democratic candidates then she is campaigning for those that hate the military because they are a bunch of '60's radicals. What she did is shameful and should be investigated.
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Senator Lindsey Graham cosponsors the CARERS Act
Lindsey Graham’s Mind-Expanding Pot Journey
The conservative senator’s evolving views track a striking shift in public opinion on medical marijuana.
By James Higdon
September 20, 2016
Eighteen months ago, three junior senators attempted something their chamber had never considered, much less accomplished—starting to roll back the long-entrenched federal ban on marijuana.
Though all first-termers, the senators—Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rand Paul of Kentucky—knew enough about the difficulties of marijuana politics to avoid any mention of full-scale legalization. They tailored the bill to focus narrowly on medical marijuana and the half-dozen stumbling blocks in federal law that have made it so difficult for Americans to get safe access to the increasingly popular drug.
They branded their bill with a clever acronym: the CARERS Act, for the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act of 2015, which, if passed, would do a number of sensible things: reclassify marijuana so that it is considered to have some medical value; permit banks to handle money from legal marijuana businesses; prevent the government from interfering with state-legal medical marijuana programs; exclude non-psychoactive marijuana extracts from the definition of marijuana; grant military veterans access to medical marijuana; and break the government’s monopoly on medical marijuana research.
To no one’s surprise, the bill went absolutely nowhere. But it didn’t die. Despite being ignored by leadership, it managed to collect 16 cosponsors by the end of 2015, a laundry list of mostly Democrats, two Republicans and an independent. Then, early this year, a 17th name was added, and a surprising one at that: Lindsey Graham.
The senior senator from South Carolina, an establishment Republican if ever there was one, a foreign policy hawk who ran for president this cycle in large part because he perceived Rand Paul’s isolationism as a threat to national security, Lindsey Graham—who represents a state that doesn’t even allow medical marijuana—has become one of the unlikeliest and potentially most influential of the bill’s backers because he is unique among the bill's cosponsors (now at 20), as he’s the only one with a gavel.
And unlike his colleagues among Republican leadership, Graham is using his authority to move the marijuana bill forward. In mid-July, he chaired a Judiciary subcommittee hearing focused on the pros and cons of changing the way the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana like it was heroin. Over the 4½ decades of the war on drugs, there have been plenty of hearings on the dangers of marijuana, but before July 13 there had never been a hearing on marijuana's medical benefits. “If there was one, I don't know about it,” Graham told POLITICO Magazine.
The emergence of Graham as an honest broker of information on this issue reflects rapidly shifting attitudes among conservative Americans. Opposition to marijuana legalization among Republicans has withered from 60 percent in December 2014 to 42 percent in July 2016, while the percentage of Republicans in favor of legalizing pot has grown from 28 percent to 45 percent over the same period. But Graham does more than just add a prominent voice. His decision to chair a hearing was a critical step (though no guarantee) toward getting a vote on the CARERS Act in the full Judiciary Committee, the only avenue by which it can reach the Senate floor.
Graham, he is at pains to point out, rejects marijuana for recreational use, but he told POLITICO Magazine, “I am open-minded to the idea that the plant may have medical attributes that could help people.…I'm convinced that we should, as a nation, research the medical applications of the marijuana plant....It could be life-changing. I just want to do it in a scientific way…and the current system doesn't allow for the research that we need.”
We’ve seen this before, when public opinion swings suddenly on a divisive cultural issue and yanks lawmakers along by the arm. It happened with gay marriage, and the impetus of the change is always personal experience. Graham’s conversion has been no different.
“I have several people that I personally know who have children who have some epilepsy and other diseases,” Graham told POLITICO, “and the parents seem to think this helps. And…what stuns me is how little we know and how much more we could know. Some of these [diseases], like epilepsy, the families tell us that it has changed the child's life. That’s why I want more research. Is that anecdotal, or is it real? To me, that's very exciting.”
Parents of children with epilepsy have become the most effective advocates for marijuana law reform at every level. Consequently, in a very short time frame, laws legalizing cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant, have passed in 16 states, mostly in the south and southeast: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and, yes, South Carolina. The problem is that most of these laws provide little access to actual CBD because marijuana is still classified as a highly addictive drug with no medical benefit. So the state laws, in some cases, have made matters worse by providing false hope for the parents of sick children, a problem the CARERS Act aims to solve.
“When you ask if it is still illegal under federal law, it’s almost a trick question,” said Jill Swing, a South Carolina resident and mother of a child affected by a disease that is treatable with CBD. “Currently the federal government is in conflict with itself. The Federal Farming Act of 2014 allows for cultivation of hemp….That being said, all forms of cannabis, including hemp, are considered Schedule I controlled substances by the DEA. That is why the CBD component of the CARERS Act is so important.”
It’s parents like Swing who helped educate Graham on the importance of CBD, and legalizing CBD has become sort of an entry-level course for former drug warriors who are now inching toward drug policy reform.
Even Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and longtime bête noire of marijuana advocates, made an appearance at Graham’s subcommittee hearing in July to express his support for legalizing CBD. But he made sure to limit his support to juvenile epileptics and “children who suffer from these rare conditions.” In essence, he was acknowledging the medical benefit of marijuana but reserving the right to determine which sick people deserve access to that medicine.
Graham’s open-mindedness on the issue goes back to an experience with his own mother, whose death he wrote about in an autobiography he released in the run-up to his presidential campaign. In My Story, a 126-page e-book available on his website, Graham relates in gripping detail his mother Millie’s battle with stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, her quick wasting, how the doctors pronounced her dead, and how Lindsey rushed to her bedside and revived her, if only for a few days. His mother, 56, told him, "Lindsey, let me go.” After a week, during which the 21-year-old college student witnessed his mother convulse with seizures, Graham, fighting back tears, told his mother: “Okay, let go. We’ll be fine. Let go.”
“She smiled at me,” Graham wrote, “and died five minutes later.”
The book never delves into whether marijuana might have helped his mother (she died in 1976, decades before the debate would emerge so publicly), but the anecdote is just the kind of experience that could cause even a lobbyist-besieged senator to empathize with cancer survivors evangelizing the benefits of medical marijuana. So, I asked Graham if that’s what happened with him.
“Absolutely,” he said, without hesitation. “I mean, chemotherapy—they kill you to make you better. And people who go through chemo treatment go through hell. If there's an application of the marijuana plant that can help patients like that? I know they need all the help they can get. I just want to make sure we do it based on science, but that is a worthy goal....Sign me up.”
But Graham’s votes haven’t always matched his thinking on the issue. It took some gentle nudging from Don Murphy, director of conservative outreach for the Marijuana Policy Project, to get Graham’s votes to reflect his rhetoric.
It was the morning of June 11, 2015, when Murphy said he caught Graham in the hallway before Graham went into a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee to vote. Graham asked Murphy, “How you doing?” And Murphy seized the opening.
“Well, that depends on how you vote on my amendment.”
“Well, what amendment is that?”
“It’s the medical marijuana amendment,” Murphy recalls telling Graham, “and I’ve read that you’ve made certain positive statements about the states making these decisions and patients making these decisions, and I hope your vote reflects your previous statements.”
Indeed, in February 2014, Graham had told WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina: “…when it comes to medicinal marijuana and this [CBD] oil, I think politicians should embrace what makes sense….This is about families with sick children.” In effect, Graham was making favorable statements for more than a year before Murphy grabbed him in the hallway. He just wasn’t voting that way.
Murphy reminded him of this, he said, eliciting polite nods from Graham as the senator clutched the doorknob of the committee room before disappearing inside.
Murphy’s amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), aimed at restricting federal law enforcement from meddling with state-legal medical marijuana programs. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee that day by a vote of 21-9, with eight Republicans in favor. At the end of the meeting, Murphy was ecstatic, shaking hands and thanking members, but then he was disappointed to see that Graham had voted no by proxy.
Later that day, while roaming the halls on the second floor of the Russell Office Building, Murphy said he just happened to bump into Graham and a staffer as they left his office. Graham was holding a laundered shirt on a hanger, which impressed Murphy because Graham hadn’t delegated that chore to his staffer.
“How you doing?” Graham asked Murphy, recognizing him from earlier.
“Well, I’d be doing better if, you know, I thought I’d get your vote.”
“What do you mean?” Graham said.
“You voted no by proxy."
Graham looked at his staffer and said, “I did?” And the staffer said, “Yeah, you did.” In long committee meetings, it's not uncommon for a member to step out for a few minutes and for a staffer seated behind the member to indicate with a head nod to the chair how the member intended to vote for a particular amendment. In this case, Graham's staffer guessed incorrectly.
“What!?” Graham said. “I didn’t want to do that!” And right there, Graham pulled out his flip phone and called the clerk to change his vote, but it was too late. From that moment on, Graham was thinking about the issue in a new way.
About six months later, Murphy was in New Hampshire lobbying presidential candidates for the Marijuana Policy Project and he bumped into Graham at a Jeb Bush rally, just a few weeks after Graham had suspended his own campaign. Graham came up to Murphy and told him, “I’m on that bill!”—meaning the CARERS Act, which caught Murphy off-guard because it’s his job to know these things. He went back to his hotel that night and looked it up on his laptop and didn’t see Graham’s name listed as a co-sponsor, so the next day he hunted Graham down and found him at another Jeb rally.
“Senator, respectfully, I don’t see your name on there,” Murphy said.
“It’s on there! I promise you, it’s on there!” Graham insisted. For whatever bureaucratic reason, Graham’s name wasn’t officially added to the co-sponsor list until March 10, a month after the New Hampshire primary.
On July 13, 6½ months after Graham withdrew from the presidential race and six months after he saw Don Murphy in New Hampshire, Graham chaired the Senate’s first-ever hearing on medical marijuana. Murphy was sitting in the gallery.
About an hour into the hearing, Graham shuffled through his papers, found what he was looking for, and holding it up, he said, “I don’t mean to advertise for this guy, but Dr. Reefer—”displaying a photo of a pot leaf-emblazoned billboard for a Las Vegas-area business that provides medical marijuana cards to qualifying residents. “He has a billboard. I think this is in Las Vegas," Graham said, eliciting enough laughs from the gallery to wake the room up.
Graham entered Dr. Reefer into the record to demonstrate that some states’ medical marijuana programs “have not gone down the scientific route,” and he called Dr. Reefer a prime example of a bad actor using medical marijuana as a fig leaf to cover, in Graham’s words, “de facto backdoor legalization” of marijuana for recreational use.
For Graham, the medical marijuana issue is a spectrum: On one end are the juvenile epileptics who need CBD, who he supports without reservation, and on the other end is Dr. Reefer, an operation that Graham sees as making a mockery of medical marijuana in order to legitimize criminal activity. During his hearing, practically in real time, it appeared Graham was trying to determine where along that spectrum he felt comfortable landing.
Graham was introduced to the problem of Dr. Reefer by Miriam Adelson, a medical doctor and an addiction researcher who is also the wife of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. “They said, 'This is not what you want,’” Graham tells POLITICO Magazine. “And I got a bunch of stuff from California, too. But the Dr. Reefer was just too easy, so I chose him.”
A lawmaker looking for clarity on this issue isn’t likely to get much help from the Adelsons, who have taken seemingly contradictory positions on medical marijuana. The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation studies medical marijuana in its facility in Tel Aviv, but just two years ago, in 2014, Sheldon Adelson, one of the most prolific donors to conservative causes, gave the anti-medical marijuana campaign in Florida $5.5 million. The Las Vegas Review Journal flipped its editorial position on marijuana from pro to con after Adelson purchased the newspaper. In September, the Adelsons reinforced their commitment to fight medical marijuana with an additional $1 million to fight legalization in Florida. “The Adelsons are strong opponents of medical marijuana,” says Michael Collins of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Miriam Adelson has not responded to a request for comment from POLITICO Magazine. Craig Moon, publisher of the Review Journal , replied in an email, “the editorial board reports to me, I believe that Nevadans should vote no on the recreational marijuana amendment. The Adelson family also shares my view.”
Dr. Reefer is not a real person; it’s a business that doesn’t grow or sell any marijuana. Since it opened in 2001, it charges patients a fee and provides them with a medical card that allows them to purchase marijuana legally at separate establishments. It was founded by a three-time felon who ran afoul of federal authorities in 2010, when he was caught overstepping the bounds of Dr. Reefer’s business model by selling marijuana directly to clients. Dr. Reefer continues its busy referral business with its provocative brand name under new ownership (whose identities are difficult to determine).
“As for the billboards, it’s nothing new,” says Derek Sante, spokesman for Dr. Reefer. “Those billboards have been up for more than a decade.”
Although advocates like Don Murphy have no love for the Adelsons (“It’s heartless to support making criminals out of cancer patients, and that's what Adelsons' position does”), Murphy concedes that operations like Dr. Reefer remain an obstacle to his work.
“Look, he’s not wrong,” Murphy said, referring to Graham. “The nonsense that went on in California for years has made it very difficult for those of us who are advocating for legitimate medical marijuana patients.” But Murphy goes on to connect the dots between bad state law and a paralyzed Congress: “California happens because legislators don’t do their jobs.”
“So, anyway,” Murphy said, bringing it back around to the CARERS Act hearing in July. “I’m real happy with Lindsey Graham.” Like many activists who sat through Graham’s historic Senate hearing, Murphy left that day feeling like Graham meant business.
“I do mean business,” Graham told POLITICO Magazine.
“Sen. Graham has gone above and beyond,” says Murphy. “He just didn’t put his name on it [the CARERS Act], he actually held a hearing. And I give him major props for that, and the hearing was pretty fair.”
“What we're doing today is not enough,” Graham said of the federal drug-law status quo. “We need to do more, and I just want to make sure that what we do doesn't get us to legitimizing the Dr. Reefers of the world.”
On August 11, the DEA refused to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to the less-severe Schedule II, as the CARERS bill would do, but did promise to accept applications for licensed growing operations in order to improve access to research-quality marijuana. It didn’t indicate how many applications it would approve. (Graham has not responded to requests for comment regarding the DEA’s decision.)
Unless something changes in the lame-duck session, the likelihood the CARERS Act gets a vote in this Congress remains close to zero; the fight over Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland is all the Senate Judiciary Committee is focused on. While the CARERS Act's progress is historic, it's still just a marijuana bill on Capitol Hill.
And the lame-duck session could indeed follow a landslide of state-level marijuana victories that could rattle even the most steadfast drug-war loyalist. Medical marijuana will be on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota, while full Colorado-style legalization will be on the ballot in California, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, where voters could render Dr. Reefer and his "de facto legalization" scheme beside the point.
But Don Murphy of MPP is having a field day with it. He tells all the Republican lawmakers in states where it's on the ballot: "I bet you marijuana gets more votes than you do."
James Higdon is a freelance writer based in Louisville and author of The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate’s Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History. He can be reached at @jimhigdon. Full disclosure: His father, Jimmy Higdon, is a Republican state senator in the Kentucky state legislature.
Source
This is great. We should contact Senator Lindsey Graham and thank him for cosponsoring the CARERS Act. Someone as influential as Graham can make CARERS go far. Let's tell him about the advantages of recreational marijuana and reassure him that the anti-marijuana propaganda are all lies put out by a desperate alcohol industry that is afraid of competition. They are afraid of not getting the money for selling their poison like they used to.
The conservative senator’s evolving views track a striking shift in public opinion on medical marijuana.
By James Higdon
September 20, 2016
Eighteen months ago, three junior senators attempted something their chamber had never considered, much less accomplished—starting to roll back the long-entrenched federal ban on marijuana.
Though all first-termers, the senators—Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rand Paul of Kentucky—knew enough about the difficulties of marijuana politics to avoid any mention of full-scale legalization. They tailored the bill to focus narrowly on medical marijuana and the half-dozen stumbling blocks in federal law that have made it so difficult for Americans to get safe access to the increasingly popular drug.
They branded their bill with a clever acronym: the CARERS Act, for the Compassionate Access, Research Expansion and Respect States Act of 2015, which, if passed, would do a number of sensible things: reclassify marijuana so that it is considered to have some medical value; permit banks to handle money from legal marijuana businesses; prevent the government from interfering with state-legal medical marijuana programs; exclude non-psychoactive marijuana extracts from the definition of marijuana; grant military veterans access to medical marijuana; and break the government’s monopoly on medical marijuana research.
To no one’s surprise, the bill went absolutely nowhere. But it didn’t die. Despite being ignored by leadership, it managed to collect 16 cosponsors by the end of 2015, a laundry list of mostly Democrats, two Republicans and an independent. Then, early this year, a 17th name was added, and a surprising one at that: Lindsey Graham.
The senior senator from South Carolina, an establishment Republican if ever there was one, a foreign policy hawk who ran for president this cycle in large part because he perceived Rand Paul’s isolationism as a threat to national security, Lindsey Graham—who represents a state that doesn’t even allow medical marijuana—has become one of the unlikeliest and potentially most influential of the bill’s backers because he is unique among the bill's cosponsors (now at 20), as he’s the only one with a gavel.
And unlike his colleagues among Republican leadership, Graham is using his authority to move the marijuana bill forward. In mid-July, he chaired a Judiciary subcommittee hearing focused on the pros and cons of changing the way the Drug Enforcement Administration classifies marijuana like it was heroin. Over the 4½ decades of the war on drugs, there have been plenty of hearings on the dangers of marijuana, but before July 13 there had never been a hearing on marijuana's medical benefits. “If there was one, I don't know about it,” Graham told POLITICO Magazine.
The emergence of Graham as an honest broker of information on this issue reflects rapidly shifting attitudes among conservative Americans. Opposition to marijuana legalization among Republicans has withered from 60 percent in December 2014 to 42 percent in July 2016, while the percentage of Republicans in favor of legalizing pot has grown from 28 percent to 45 percent over the same period. But Graham does more than just add a prominent voice. His decision to chair a hearing was a critical step (though no guarantee) toward getting a vote on the CARERS Act in the full Judiciary Committee, the only avenue by which it can reach the Senate floor.
Graham, he is at pains to point out, rejects marijuana for recreational use, but he told POLITICO Magazine, “I am open-minded to the idea that the plant may have medical attributes that could help people.…I'm convinced that we should, as a nation, research the medical applications of the marijuana plant....It could be life-changing. I just want to do it in a scientific way…and the current system doesn't allow for the research that we need.”
We’ve seen this before, when public opinion swings suddenly on a divisive cultural issue and yanks lawmakers along by the arm. It happened with gay marriage, and the impetus of the change is always personal experience. Graham’s conversion has been no different.
“I have several people that I personally know who have children who have some epilepsy and other diseases,” Graham told POLITICO, “and the parents seem to think this helps. And…what stuns me is how little we know and how much more we could know. Some of these [diseases], like epilepsy, the families tell us that it has changed the child's life. That’s why I want more research. Is that anecdotal, or is it real? To me, that's very exciting.”
Parents of children with epilepsy have become the most effective advocates for marijuana law reform at every level. Consequently, in a very short time frame, laws legalizing cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant, have passed in 16 states, mostly in the south and southeast: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi and, yes, South Carolina. The problem is that most of these laws provide little access to actual CBD because marijuana is still classified as a highly addictive drug with no medical benefit. So the state laws, in some cases, have made matters worse by providing false hope for the parents of sick children, a problem the CARERS Act aims to solve.
“When you ask if it is still illegal under federal law, it’s almost a trick question,” said Jill Swing, a South Carolina resident and mother of a child affected by a disease that is treatable with CBD. “Currently the federal government is in conflict with itself. The Federal Farming Act of 2014 allows for cultivation of hemp….That being said, all forms of cannabis, including hemp, are considered Schedule I controlled substances by the DEA. That is why the CBD component of the CARERS Act is so important.”
It’s parents like Swing who helped educate Graham on the importance of CBD, and legalizing CBD has become sort of an entry-level course for former drug warriors who are now inching toward drug policy reform.
Even Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and longtime bête noire of marijuana advocates, made an appearance at Graham’s subcommittee hearing in July to express his support for legalizing CBD. But he made sure to limit his support to juvenile epileptics and “children who suffer from these rare conditions.” In essence, he was acknowledging the medical benefit of marijuana but reserving the right to determine which sick people deserve access to that medicine.
Graham’s open-mindedness on the issue goes back to an experience with his own mother, whose death he wrote about in an autobiography he released in the run-up to his presidential campaign. In My Story, a 126-page e-book available on his website, Graham relates in gripping detail his mother Millie’s battle with stage IV Hodgkin’s lymphoma, her quick wasting, how the doctors pronounced her dead, and how Lindsey rushed to her bedside and revived her, if only for a few days. His mother, 56, told him, "Lindsey, let me go.” After a week, during which the 21-year-old college student witnessed his mother convulse with seizures, Graham, fighting back tears, told his mother: “Okay, let go. We’ll be fine. Let go.”
“She smiled at me,” Graham wrote, “and died five minutes later.”
The book never delves into whether marijuana might have helped his mother (she died in 1976, decades before the debate would emerge so publicly), but the anecdote is just the kind of experience that could cause even a lobbyist-besieged senator to empathize with cancer survivors evangelizing the benefits of medical marijuana. So, I asked Graham if that’s what happened with him.
“Absolutely,” he said, without hesitation. “I mean, chemotherapy—they kill you to make you better. And people who go through chemo treatment go through hell. If there's an application of the marijuana plant that can help patients like that? I know they need all the help they can get. I just want to make sure we do it based on science, but that is a worthy goal....Sign me up.”
But Graham’s votes haven’t always matched his thinking on the issue. It took some gentle nudging from Don Murphy, director of conservative outreach for the Marijuana Policy Project, to get Graham’s votes to reflect his rhetoric.
It was the morning of June 11, 2015, when Murphy said he caught Graham in the hallway before Graham went into a meeting of the Senate Appropriations Committee to vote. Graham asked Murphy, “How you doing?” And Murphy seized the opening.
“Well, that depends on how you vote on my amendment.”
“Well, what amendment is that?”
“It’s the medical marijuana amendment,” Murphy recalls telling Graham, “and I’ve read that you’ve made certain positive statements about the states making these decisions and patients making these decisions, and I hope your vote reflects your previous statements.”
Indeed, in February 2014, Graham had told WBTV in Charlotte, North Carolina: “…when it comes to medicinal marijuana and this [CBD] oil, I think politicians should embrace what makes sense….This is about families with sick children.” In effect, Graham was making favorable statements for more than a year before Murphy grabbed him in the hallway. He just wasn’t voting that way.
Murphy reminded him of this, he said, eliciting polite nods from Graham as the senator clutched the doorknob of the committee room before disappearing inside.
Murphy’s amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), aimed at restricting federal law enforcement from meddling with state-legal medical marijuana programs. It passed the Senate Appropriations Committee that day by a vote of 21-9, with eight Republicans in favor. At the end of the meeting, Murphy was ecstatic, shaking hands and thanking members, but then he was disappointed to see that Graham had voted no by proxy.
Later that day, while roaming the halls on the second floor of the Russell Office Building, Murphy said he just happened to bump into Graham and a staffer as they left his office. Graham was holding a laundered shirt on a hanger, which impressed Murphy because Graham hadn’t delegated that chore to his staffer.
“How you doing?” Graham asked Murphy, recognizing him from earlier.
“Well, I’d be doing better if, you know, I thought I’d get your vote.”
“What do you mean?” Graham said.
“You voted no by proxy."
Graham looked at his staffer and said, “I did?” And the staffer said, “Yeah, you did.” In long committee meetings, it's not uncommon for a member to step out for a few minutes and for a staffer seated behind the member to indicate with a head nod to the chair how the member intended to vote for a particular amendment. In this case, Graham's staffer guessed incorrectly.
“What!?” Graham said. “I didn’t want to do that!” And right there, Graham pulled out his flip phone and called the clerk to change his vote, but it was too late. From that moment on, Graham was thinking about the issue in a new way.
About six months later, Murphy was in New Hampshire lobbying presidential candidates for the Marijuana Policy Project and he bumped into Graham at a Jeb Bush rally, just a few weeks after Graham had suspended his own campaign. Graham came up to Murphy and told him, “I’m on that bill!”—meaning the CARERS Act, which caught Murphy off-guard because it’s his job to know these things. He went back to his hotel that night and looked it up on his laptop and didn’t see Graham’s name listed as a co-sponsor, so the next day he hunted Graham down and found him at another Jeb rally.
“Senator, respectfully, I don’t see your name on there,” Murphy said.
“It’s on there! I promise you, it’s on there!” Graham insisted. For whatever bureaucratic reason, Graham’s name wasn’t officially added to the co-sponsor list until March 10, a month after the New Hampshire primary.
On July 13, 6½ months after Graham withdrew from the presidential race and six months after he saw Don Murphy in New Hampshire, Graham chaired the Senate’s first-ever hearing on medical marijuana. Murphy was sitting in the gallery.
About an hour into the hearing, Graham shuffled through his papers, found what he was looking for, and holding it up, he said, “I don’t mean to advertise for this guy, but Dr. Reefer—”displaying a photo of a pot leaf-emblazoned billboard for a Las Vegas-area business that provides medical marijuana cards to qualifying residents. “He has a billboard. I think this is in Las Vegas," Graham said, eliciting enough laughs from the gallery to wake the room up.
Graham entered Dr. Reefer into the record to demonstrate that some states’ medical marijuana programs “have not gone down the scientific route,” and he called Dr. Reefer a prime example of a bad actor using medical marijuana as a fig leaf to cover, in Graham’s words, “de facto backdoor legalization” of marijuana for recreational use.
For Graham, the medical marijuana issue is a spectrum: On one end are the juvenile epileptics who need CBD, who he supports without reservation, and on the other end is Dr. Reefer, an operation that Graham sees as making a mockery of medical marijuana in order to legitimize criminal activity. During his hearing, practically in real time, it appeared Graham was trying to determine where along that spectrum he felt comfortable landing.
Graham was introduced to the problem of Dr. Reefer by Miriam Adelson, a medical doctor and an addiction researcher who is also the wife of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson. “They said, 'This is not what you want,’” Graham tells POLITICO Magazine. “And I got a bunch of stuff from California, too. But the Dr. Reefer was just too easy, so I chose him.”
A lawmaker looking for clarity on this issue isn’t likely to get much help from the Adelsons, who have taken seemingly contradictory positions on medical marijuana. The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Medical Research Foundation studies medical marijuana in its facility in Tel Aviv, but just two years ago, in 2014, Sheldon Adelson, one of the most prolific donors to conservative causes, gave the anti-medical marijuana campaign in Florida $5.5 million. The Las Vegas Review Journal flipped its editorial position on marijuana from pro to con after Adelson purchased the newspaper. In September, the Adelsons reinforced their commitment to fight medical marijuana with an additional $1 million to fight legalization in Florida. “The Adelsons are strong opponents of medical marijuana,” says Michael Collins of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Miriam Adelson has not responded to a request for comment from POLITICO Magazine. Craig Moon, publisher of the Review Journal , replied in an email, “the editorial board reports to me, I believe that Nevadans should vote no on the recreational marijuana amendment. The Adelson family also shares my view.”
Dr. Reefer is not a real person; it’s a business that doesn’t grow or sell any marijuana. Since it opened in 2001, it charges patients a fee and provides them with a medical card that allows them to purchase marijuana legally at separate establishments. It was founded by a three-time felon who ran afoul of federal authorities in 2010, when he was caught overstepping the bounds of Dr. Reefer’s business model by selling marijuana directly to clients. Dr. Reefer continues its busy referral business with its provocative brand name under new ownership (whose identities are difficult to determine).
“As for the billboards, it’s nothing new,” says Derek Sante, spokesman for Dr. Reefer. “Those billboards have been up for more than a decade.”
Although advocates like Don Murphy have no love for the Adelsons (“It’s heartless to support making criminals out of cancer patients, and that's what Adelsons' position does”), Murphy concedes that operations like Dr. Reefer remain an obstacle to his work.
“Look, he’s not wrong,” Murphy said, referring to Graham. “The nonsense that went on in California for years has made it very difficult for those of us who are advocating for legitimate medical marijuana patients.” But Murphy goes on to connect the dots between bad state law and a paralyzed Congress: “California happens because legislators don’t do their jobs.”
“So, anyway,” Murphy said, bringing it back around to the CARERS Act hearing in July. “I’m real happy with Lindsey Graham.” Like many activists who sat through Graham’s historic Senate hearing, Murphy left that day feeling like Graham meant business.
“I do mean business,” Graham told POLITICO Magazine.
“Sen. Graham has gone above and beyond,” says Murphy. “He just didn’t put his name on it [the CARERS Act], he actually held a hearing. And I give him major props for that, and the hearing was pretty fair.”
“What we're doing today is not enough,” Graham said of the federal drug-law status quo. “We need to do more, and I just want to make sure that what we do doesn't get us to legitimizing the Dr. Reefers of the world.”
On August 11, the DEA refused to reclassify marijuana from Schedule I to the less-severe Schedule II, as the CARERS bill would do, but did promise to accept applications for licensed growing operations in order to improve access to research-quality marijuana. It didn’t indicate how many applications it would approve. (Graham has not responded to requests for comment regarding the DEA’s decision.)
Unless something changes in the lame-duck session, the likelihood the CARERS Act gets a vote in this Congress remains close to zero; the fight over Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland is all the Senate Judiciary Committee is focused on. While the CARERS Act's progress is historic, it's still just a marijuana bill on Capitol Hill.
And the lame-duck session could indeed follow a landslide of state-level marijuana victories that could rattle even the most steadfast drug-war loyalist. Medical marijuana will be on the ballot in Arkansas, Florida, Montana and North Dakota, while full Colorado-style legalization will be on the ballot in California, Arizona, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada, where voters could render Dr. Reefer and his "de facto legalization" scheme beside the point.
But Don Murphy of MPP is having a field day with it. He tells all the Republican lawmakers in states where it's on the ballot: "I bet you marijuana gets more votes than you do."
James Higdon is a freelance writer based in Louisville and author of The Cornbread Mafia: A Homegrown Syndicate’s Code of Silence and the Biggest Marijuana Bust in American History. He can be reached at @jimhigdon. Full disclosure: His father, Jimmy Higdon, is a Republican state senator in the Kentucky state legislature.
Source
This is great. We should contact Senator Lindsey Graham and thank him for cosponsoring the CARERS Act. Someone as influential as Graham can make CARERS go far. Let's tell him about the advantages of recreational marijuana and reassure him that the anti-marijuana propaganda are all lies put out by a desperate alcohol industry that is afraid of competition. They are afraid of not getting the money for selling their poison like they used to.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Before he leaves office Obama wants to take away your guns
From Campaign For Liberty:
Even with all of the Orwellian madness you and I are seeing today, the statists know achieving the authoritarian utopia they crave depends on finally wiping out the last roadblock standing in their way...
That's the American people's right to keep and bear arms.
Now, with President Obama's time in the White House winding down, I'm afraid the threat of a federal "NO GUN LIST" is growing bigger by the day.
Should President Obama get his way, law-abiding American patriots could find themselves stripped of their Second Amendment rights -- with ZERO recourse.
And just like you and I have seen with government debt, ObamaCare funding, and defending the out-of-control Federal Reserve, I'm afraid BOTH parties will be on the deal!
That's why I'm counting on you to please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions IMMEDIATELY.
As you'll see, these petitions draw a line in the sand, insisting that your U.S. Representative and Senators vote "NO!" on any gun control scheme that reaches the floor of Congress.
The truth is, even before last December's shootings in San Bernardino, California (which government spying failed to prevent -- yet again!), President Obama was already claiming gun control would be the "central issue" of his remaining year in office.
Shortly after -- seemingly out of nowhere -- BOTH parties began rallying for a so-called "NO GUN LIST."
Under this gun control scheme, any law-abiding American citizen the federal government places on the federal "No-Fly List" could suddenly lose their Second Amendment rights with no due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment!
Since this list is secret, it would leave citizens with effectively zero legal recourse if targeted by a rogue Attorney General.
Worse, I'm afraid it's no accident.
I'm afraid -- during this critical election year -- members of BOTH parties are anxious to tell the anti-gun national media they "did something" about gun violence and terrorism all at the same time.
Even as you and I see the Middle East burning under ISIS, BOTH parties will never admit the horrific failure of their failed policies.
Instead, their answer is to come after even more of our freedom once again!
Frankly, I'm sick of watching Washington, D.C., blame the liberty of law-abiding Americans for their own Big Government failures.
And it makes my stomach churn to imagine what could happen if our federal government were ever to gain the illicit power of a federal "No-Gun" list.
Any American an administration identifies as a "problem citizen" could easily become a secret target.
That could be just because the government doesn't like the political candidates you support, the church you attend, or the limited government beliefs you hold.
Remember that Missouri Information and Analysis Center (MIAC) document -- an affiliate of the Department of Homeland Security -- that warned about citizens who displayed the Gadsden flag or supported my candidacy for President?
Well, just last year, our federal government issued a warning that stated that these citizens pose a threat "equal to -- and in some cases greater than -- the threat from foreign Islamic terror groups, such as ISIS, that garner more public attention."
Already, the federal "No-Fly List" is infamous for mistakenly including the names of Members of Congress, conservative editorialists, folk musicians, Department of Homeland Security employees and even toddlers.
That's bad enough.
But you and I both know that should our federal government gain this power, the "NO GUN LIST" would be used to target anyone who dares stand up to the statists' authoritarian dreams for the country!
With support of key members of BOTH parties, President Obama could just get the votes he needs to RAM this gun control scheme into law!
That's why Campaign for Liberty staff is preparing an all-out mobilization campaign to FIGHT BACK.
Sadly, I'm afraid Campaign for Liberty is one of the ONLY organizations that will tell the American people the truth about what the "NO GUN LIST" could mean for the future of liberty in America.
As we've seen with the so-called "PATRIOT Act," Internet regulation, and other statist schemes, few Members of Congress balk at handing our federal government more power over our lives if "terrorism" is the excuse.
But as far as I'm concerned, the Second Amendment -- and every other God-given freedom protected by the Bill of Rights -- is non-negotiable for any reason!
If you agree, please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions to Campaign for Liberty right away.
And if you possibly can, please agree to your most generous contribution of $15 right away to help Campaign for Liberty prepare for the anti-gun onslaught I'm afraid is set to hit Congress.
Your generous contribution will enable Campaign for Liberty to launch an all-out mobilization program, including:
*** Contacting up to eight million Americans using mail and email to generate NO GUN CONTROL petitions.
*** Using social media and highly-trafficked blogs to turn up the heat on key swing votes in Congress;
*** Working talk-radio and cable TV news shows to explain why we can't allow government to start gutting our most basic freedoms without due process;
*** Running hard-hitting Internet, radio and even TV ads (if I can raise the resources), calling on U.S. Representatives and Senators by name to vote "NO" on gun control.
But Campaign for Liberty can't put any of this into action without your support -- especially with ongoing battles on Audit the Fed and battling BOTH parties' outrageous Big Government agenda.
That's why I'm counting on you to agree to your most generous contribution of $15 right away.
I know that's far more than you've done in the past.
But I'm asking all Campaign for Liberty supporters to stretch to help us put this plan into action.
Of course, if $15 is too much, please agree to $10 or at least $5.
If we are to remain in any sense "free," we cannot just stand by while our Second Amendment is destroyed right before our eyes.
So please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions, and agree to your most generous contribution of $15, $10 or at least $5 IMMEDIATELY!
For Liberty,
Ron Paul
Chairman
P.S. With President Obama's time in the White House winding down, I'm afraid the threat of a federal "NO GUN LIST" is growing bigger by the day.
If passed, it would allow the federal government to strip law-abiding American citizens of their Second Amendment rights with ZERO due process!
That means you could lose your gun rights just because a rogue Attorney General doesn't like the candidates you support, the church you attend, or the limited government beliefs you hold.
That's why I'm counting on you to please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions, and agree to your most generous contribution of $15, $10 or at least $5 TODAY!
Even with all of the Orwellian madness you and I are seeing today, the statists know achieving the authoritarian utopia they crave depends on finally wiping out the last roadblock standing in their way...
That's the American people's right to keep and bear arms.
Now, with President Obama's time in the White House winding down, I'm afraid the threat of a federal "NO GUN LIST" is growing bigger by the day.
Should President Obama get his way, law-abiding American patriots could find themselves stripped of their Second Amendment rights -- with ZERO recourse.
And just like you and I have seen with government debt, ObamaCare funding, and defending the out-of-control Federal Reserve, I'm afraid BOTH parties will be on the deal!
That's why I'm counting on you to please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions IMMEDIATELY.
As you'll see, these petitions draw a line in the sand, insisting that your U.S. Representative and Senators vote "NO!" on any gun control scheme that reaches the floor of Congress.
The truth is, even before last December's shootings in San Bernardino, California (which government spying failed to prevent -- yet again!), President Obama was already claiming gun control would be the "central issue" of his remaining year in office.
Shortly after -- seemingly out of nowhere -- BOTH parties began rallying for a so-called "NO GUN LIST."
Under this gun control scheme, any law-abiding American citizen the federal government places on the federal "No-Fly List" could suddenly lose their Second Amendment rights with no due process as guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment!
Since this list is secret, it would leave citizens with effectively zero legal recourse if targeted by a rogue Attorney General.
Worse, I'm afraid it's no accident.
I'm afraid -- during this critical election year -- members of BOTH parties are anxious to tell the anti-gun national media they "did something" about gun violence and terrorism all at the same time.
Even as you and I see the Middle East burning under ISIS, BOTH parties will never admit the horrific failure of their failed policies.
Instead, their answer is to come after even more of our freedom once again!
Frankly, I'm sick of watching Washington, D.C., blame the liberty of law-abiding Americans for their own Big Government failures.
And it makes my stomach churn to imagine what could happen if our federal government were ever to gain the illicit power of a federal "No-Gun" list.
Any American an administration identifies as a "problem citizen" could easily become a secret target.
That could be just because the government doesn't like the political candidates you support, the church you attend, or the limited government beliefs you hold.
Remember that Missouri Information and Analysis Center (MIAC) document -- an affiliate of the Department of Homeland Security -- that warned about citizens who displayed the Gadsden flag or supported my candidacy for President?
Well, just last year, our federal government issued a warning that stated that these citizens pose a threat "equal to -- and in some cases greater than -- the threat from foreign Islamic terror groups, such as ISIS, that garner more public attention."
Already, the federal "No-Fly List" is infamous for mistakenly including the names of Members of Congress, conservative editorialists, folk musicians, Department of Homeland Security employees and even toddlers.
That's bad enough.
But you and I both know that should our federal government gain this power, the "NO GUN LIST" would be used to target anyone who dares stand up to the statists' authoritarian dreams for the country!
With support of key members of BOTH parties, President Obama could just get the votes he needs to RAM this gun control scheme into law!
That's why Campaign for Liberty staff is preparing an all-out mobilization campaign to FIGHT BACK.
Sadly, I'm afraid Campaign for Liberty is one of the ONLY organizations that will tell the American people the truth about what the "NO GUN LIST" could mean for the future of liberty in America.
As we've seen with the so-called "PATRIOT Act," Internet regulation, and other statist schemes, few Members of Congress balk at handing our federal government more power over our lives if "terrorism" is the excuse.
But as far as I'm concerned, the Second Amendment -- and every other God-given freedom protected by the Bill of Rights -- is non-negotiable for any reason!
If you agree, please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions to Campaign for Liberty right away.
And if you possibly can, please agree to your most generous contribution of $15 right away to help Campaign for Liberty prepare for the anti-gun onslaught I'm afraid is set to hit Congress.
Your generous contribution will enable Campaign for Liberty to launch an all-out mobilization program, including:
*** Contacting up to eight million Americans using mail and email to generate NO GUN CONTROL petitions.
*** Using social media and highly-trafficked blogs to turn up the heat on key swing votes in Congress;
*** Working talk-radio and cable TV news shows to explain why we can't allow government to start gutting our most basic freedoms without due process;
*** Running hard-hitting Internet, radio and even TV ads (if I can raise the resources), calling on U.S. Representatives and Senators by name to vote "NO" on gun control.
But Campaign for Liberty can't put any of this into action without your support -- especially with ongoing battles on Audit the Fed and battling BOTH parties' outrageous Big Government agenda.
That's why I'm counting on you to agree to your most generous contribution of $15 right away.
I know that's far more than you've done in the past.
But I'm asking all Campaign for Liberty supporters to stretch to help us put this plan into action.
Of course, if $15 is too much, please agree to $10 or at least $5.
If we are to remain in any sense "free," we cannot just stand by while our Second Amendment is destroyed right before our eyes.
So please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions, and agree to your most generous contribution of $15, $10 or at least $5 IMMEDIATELY!
For Liberty,
Ron Paul
Chairman
P.S. With President Obama's time in the White House winding down, I'm afraid the threat of a federal "NO GUN LIST" is growing bigger by the day.
If passed, it would allow the federal government to strip law-abiding American citizens of their Second Amendment rights with ZERO due process!
That means you could lose your gun rights just because a rogue Attorney General doesn't like the candidates you support, the church you attend, or the limited government beliefs you hold.
That's why I'm counting on you to please sign your NO GUN CONTROL petitions, and agree to your most generous contribution of $15, $10 or at least $5 TODAY!
Monday, September 19, 2016
Say no to government waste
From Freedom Works:
Will you let these liberal DC insiders rush a big, bloated federal budget through Congress, a budget that wastes BILLIONS of your tax dollars on corrupt, big government projects? I don’t know about you, but I won’t. FreedomWorks is doing everything we can to stop their nefarious plot. But we can’t do it ourselves. WE NEED YOUR HELP! That’s why I’m asking you to call your congressman at 202-360-4370 and tell them to say NO to a short-term budget.
If they succeed, either your taxes will go up or the national debt will continue to skyrocket. Thankfully there’s still time left to stop this nightmare scenario. But the clock is ticking. And time is running out. So please, take 30 seconds and call your member of congress at 202-360-4370 right now. Tell them NO lame duck budgets, period. Tell them to say NO to a short-term budget.
Will you let these liberal DC insiders rush a big, bloated federal budget through Congress, a budget that wastes BILLIONS of your tax dollars on corrupt, big government projects? I don’t know about you, but I won’t. FreedomWorks is doing everything we can to stop their nefarious plot. But we can’t do it ourselves. WE NEED YOUR HELP! That’s why I’m asking you to call your congressman at 202-360-4370 and tell them to say NO to a short-term budget.
If they succeed, either your taxes will go up or the national debt will continue to skyrocket. Thankfully there’s still time left to stop this nightmare scenario. But the clock is ticking. And time is running out. So please, take 30 seconds and call your member of congress at 202-360-4370 right now. Tell them NO lame duck budgets, period. Tell them to say NO to a short-term budget.
Saturday, September 17, 2016
Tell Obama to pardon Edward Snowden
From Demand Progress:
As the movie launching this week reminds us, Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing revealed the NSA’s massive, secret – and unconstitutional – surveillance programs.
He took a huge personal risk to bring these programs to light. And his actions launched a vital national debate on whether the NSA should be spying on innocent Americans.
But three years later, Snowden is still being forced to live in exile and threatened with likely spending the rest of his life in prison if he ever comes back to the country he loves.
We have less than 125 days to push President Obama to officially pardon this important American whistleblower.
Tell President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now!
Presidential pardons are about justice. They are for when the legal system has failed, or the laws are unjust or when our consciences demand it.
Snowden made his sacrifice not for personal gain, but because he knew it was the only real way to expose the unconstitutional spying programs he witnessed.
So when the White House tries to claim Snowden “is not a whistleblower”1 because he didn’t follow the "proper" whistleblower process, they’re just playing cynical word games.
Intelligence contractors, like Edward Snowden, are NOT protected by the Intelligence Community’s whistleblower protections. The Intelligence Community’s own lawyer, even admits it.2
Even had Edward Snowden followed the “proper” process, his whistleblowing wouldn’t have been protected.
Presidential pardons exist for exactly this kind of extraordinary situation. It’s time that President Obama uses that power to recognize Snowden’s public service.
Sign and share the petition to President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now and let him come home!
Snowden acted out of desperation and patriotism to inform Americans of the unconstitutional mass surveillance the NSA was conducting.
Even former Attorney General Eric Holder agrees: “I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made.”3
Snowden stood up for our rights. Now it’s time we stand up for his.
Stand up for Edward Snowden and tell President Obama: Three years is enough. Pardon Snowden and bring him home!
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
As the movie launching this week reminds us, Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing revealed the NSA’s massive, secret – and unconstitutional – surveillance programs.
He took a huge personal risk to bring these programs to light. And his actions launched a vital national debate on whether the NSA should be spying on innocent Americans.
But three years later, Snowden is still being forced to live in exile and threatened with likely spending the rest of his life in prison if he ever comes back to the country he loves.
We have less than 125 days to push President Obama to officially pardon this important American whistleblower.
Tell President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now!
Presidential pardons are about justice. They are for when the legal system has failed, or the laws are unjust or when our consciences demand it.
Snowden made his sacrifice not for personal gain, but because he knew it was the only real way to expose the unconstitutional spying programs he witnessed.
So when the White House tries to claim Snowden “is not a whistleblower”1 because he didn’t follow the "proper" whistleblower process, they’re just playing cynical word games.
Intelligence contractors, like Edward Snowden, are NOT protected by the Intelligence Community’s whistleblower protections. The Intelligence Community’s own lawyer, even admits it.2
Even had Edward Snowden followed the “proper” process, his whistleblowing wouldn’t have been protected.
Presidential pardons exist for exactly this kind of extraordinary situation. It’s time that President Obama uses that power to recognize Snowden’s public service.
Sign and share the petition to President Obama: Pardon Edward Snowden now and let him come home!
Snowden acted out of desperation and patriotism to inform Americans of the unconstitutional mass surveillance the NSA was conducting.
Even former Attorney General Eric Holder agrees: “I think that he actually performed a public service by raising the debate that we engaged in and by the changes that we made.”3
Snowden stood up for our rights. Now it’s time we stand up for his.
Stand up for Edward Snowden and tell President Obama: Three years is enough. Pardon Snowden and bring him home!
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Millionaire tries to thwart the marijuana legalization movement in California
From Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform:
It was reported that a single Pennsylvanian millionaire gave a whopping $1.3 million to groups in California opposing Proposition 64.
However, there is also a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission as to whether this money was donated illegally. The commission will determine if the opposition's funds are within the rules, but in the meantime, we need to redouble our efforts.
Will you help counter this major influx of money to our opponents by making an immediate donation here?
I have no doubt that we will pass Prop 64 and legalize marijuana for adult use in California if we can come together at this moment. The opposition may be well-funded, but we know we are on the right side of this battle and history.
Please help us get this done: Donate now to support our campaign to legalize marijuana for adult use. Any amount helps.
Thank you,
Lynne Lyman
Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform
Paid for by Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform, Sponsored by Drug Policy Action, 1330 Broadway Suite 1426, Oakland CA 94612
It was reported that a single Pennsylvanian millionaire gave a whopping $1.3 million to groups in California opposing Proposition 64.
However, there is also a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission as to whether this money was donated illegally. The commission will determine if the opposition's funds are within the rules, but in the meantime, we need to redouble our efforts.
Will you help counter this major influx of money to our opponents by making an immediate donation here?
I have no doubt that we will pass Prop 64 and legalize marijuana for adult use in California if we can come together at this moment. The opposition may be well-funded, but we know we are on the right side of this battle and history.
Please help us get this done: Donate now to support our campaign to legalize marijuana for adult use. Any amount helps.
Thank you,
Lynne Lyman
Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform
Paid for by Californians for Responsible Marijuana Reform, Sponsored by Drug Policy Action, 1330 Broadway Suite 1426, Oakland CA 94612
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Not only does Hillary Clinton insult Trump supporters but she is a racist on top of it
'Basket' case: Clinton regrets 'generalistic deplorables' jibe as Trump supporters pounce
Javier E. David,CNBC Sat, Sep 10 11:16 AM PDT .
Democratic presidential contender HIllary Clinton was forced on Saturday to walk back her contention that half of Donald Trump's supporters were part of a "basket of deplorables" , as the remark was met with a barrage of criticism that it insulted average American voters.
At a New York fundraiser on Friday, the former Secretary of State cautioned her supporters not to take a victory for granted, with recent polls showing the presidential race tightening. She then categorized Trump's base as divided between people yearning for change, but disparaged the other half as "a basket of deplorables."
In a campaign statement on Saturday, the former Secretary of State apologized in part for the crack, saying that she was "wrong" to suggest half of Trump's backers were deplorable. However, she added that she would continue to speak out against what she said was intolerance on the campaign trail.
The controversy came days after the two contenders traded barbs over their respective credentials to serve as commander in chief, after an NBC News forum on the subject failed to produce a clear winner.
Meanwhile, the real estate mogul and his supporters pounced on Clinton's remark, with even some of his most implacable GOP critics siding with him on the issue. Trump himself calling it "a new low", while his campaign called on her to apologize for a sentiment they say betrays contempt for voters.
The remark, which some observers compared to 2012 GOP nominee's infamous "47 percent" comment that undermined his standing with many voters — for which he was forced to apologize —appeared poised to roil an already polarizing and volatile race where both candidates have struggled to connect with key voting blocs.
For Trump, a durable electoral coalition has thus far proven elusive given his charged remarks about immigrants. In light of this, Clinton has made a concerted effort to define Trump by legions of supporters known euphemistically as the "Alt-Right"
Trump's most prominent backers have furiously denied being motivated by racism, and are instead deeply concerned about the economy. At the same time, many of the GOP contenders supporters have been linked to bigoted behavior and opinions, especially on social media.
Clinton's backers were equally as quick to rally to her defense, unleashing a wave of furious sparring on social media between both camps.
However, even Republicans critical of Trump's candidacy in general distanced themselves from Clinton's broadside. A number of "Alt Right' Republican critics found themselves defending Trump's umbrage at Clinton's remark.
Tom Nichols, a "Never Trump" Republican and a national security expert who has backed Clinton over Trump, likened her remark to Romney's "47 percent" jibe in 2012.
Source
Saturday, September 10, 2016
Who are these marijuana prohibitionists?
A lot of people are asking just that. One of these idiotic groups is called Smart Approaches To Marijuana or SAM for short. Calling these assclowns "smart" is like calling a big guy "tiny". One of these esteemed idiots is Patrick J. Kennedy. This guy is a real winner. The idiots at SAM criticize us but we don't have felons on our side like they do. Yep,I'm referring to Mr. Patrick J. Kennedy himself. Mr. DUI or DWI himself. He crashed his car into a barricade in Washington DC. Not only did he not get arrested he was spared the sobriety tests and the officer drove him home. Pro-marijuana advocate Bill Maher once said that a lot of people need that after work joint. But not Patrick J. Kennedy. He is proud of the fact that he never did any hard work in his life. I guess hard work is for us morons who don't have a choice. We are about equal opportunity the other side seems to be about royalty. If you want to back the good guys we will be glad to have you and work with you as equals or you can work for them while they look down through their noses at you.
Put pressure on the House to hold an up and down vote on Audit The Fed
From Campaign For Liberty:
Eight years ago this month, thousands of pro-liberty Americans gathered in Minnesota for Campaign for Liberty's Rally for the Republic.
These Americans, many of whom were new to the Liberty Movement, traveled across the country to celebrate all that had been accomplished during Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign.
And more importantly, they began to plan the next stages of the Liberty r3VOLution.
Shortly after the rally, the housing bubble burst, the stock market crashed, and Wall Street -- aided in part by the Federal Reserve -- rushed to Congress demanding a bailout.
Congressional leadership, the administration, and the special interests all expected the bailout to pass Congress with little or no meaningful debate or dissent.
But then Campaign for Liberty mobilized pro-liberty Americans to flood Congress with phone calls opposing the bailout.
And what was supposed to be a slam dunk turned into one of the most continuous battles I witnessed in my years on Capitol Hill as Dr. Paul's legislative director.
Although the bailout ultimately passed, Campaign for Liberty showed the Congressional leadership and whole political class that the r3VOLution was not going away.
Not only that, public outrage over the Federal Reserve's responsibility for the maker meltdown and its role in the bank bailout led more Americans than ever to favor a full audit of the Federal Reserve.
So, shortly after the fight over the bailouts, Campaign for Liberty launched an effort to move Congress to respond to the growing anti-Fed sentiment by passing Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill.
As a result of the efforts of Campaign for Liberty supporters like you, Audit the Fed twice passed the House by overwhelming (and increasing) majorities.
Today, this critical bill is just six votes away from breaking Harry Reid's filibuster, passing the Senate, and being signed into law!
The next step in our efforts is to have another House vote, thus sending the bill back to the Senate where we can force the Senate to vote right before going home to campaign.
But even though House Speaker Paul Ryan has supported the bill in the past, he has yet to commit to holding a roll-call vote.
So please, call Paul Ryan today at 202-225-0600 and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed (HR 24) immediately!
Audit the Fed may be needed now more than ever.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has recently stated that the Fed needs to start thinking "outside the box" about how to respond to the next financial crisis.
Among the "outside the box" ideas Yellen wants the Fed to consider are increasing the Fed's purchase of stocks, bonds, and other private assets and "modifying" the Fed's inflation targets.
In other words, increase the Fed's power over the economy by bailing out big banks, large financial firms, and other large corporations, while eroding your standard of living via inflation.
The American people deserve to know the full truth about how the Fed evaluates the economy and what plans it is making when the next crash comes.
Including any and all "arrangements" the Fed has made with foreign central banks, as well as plans to purchase stock in private companies, bail out the big banks, and ramp up the printing presses.
If we can force the House leadership to hold a vote on, and pass, Audit the Fed within the next several weeks, we can then force the Senate to hold a vote right before going home to campaign.
This will present fence-sitting Senators with a tough choice...
... Either stand with the nearly 75% of Americans who support Audit the Fed...
... Or stand with the Fed and its powerful allies who are desperate to keep you from knowing the facts about America's monetary policy.
A House and Senate vote this month will also put Hillary Clinton and her allies in a difficult position.
You see, Secretary Clinton has yet to take a public position on Audit the Fed.
And major high-profile votes on the bill will force her to take a public position on the bill and answer some uncomfortable questions about her relationship with Wall Street special interests.
House and Senate votes on Audit the Fed this month will keep Audit the Fed at the forefront of the public debate.
And will set us up to make more progress -- and even pass the bill -- as soon as next year, no matter who wins the White House!
While time is short, it is still possible to have a vote on Audit the Fed this month.
Getting Speaker Ryan to agree to hold a vote is the key.
So please call Paul Ryan today and sign your petition to tell him to hold a vote on Audit the Fed ASAP!
You can reach Speaker Ryan at 202-255-6000.
The only reason Audit the Fed has come as far as it has is because Campaign for Liberty -- with your support -- was able to mobilize Americans to put the heat on Congress.
And you and I did not let up until their members cosponsored and until the leadership scheduled roll-call votes on the bill.
You see, most politicians want to avoid controversial votes that force them to choose between their constituents and powerful special interests.
After all, taking a stand means they will make someone mad at them, and making someone mad means they might lose a campaign contribution, or a valued volunteer, or an influential endorsement...
... And if they make enough people mad, they may even lose re-election!
So they try to avoid taking a stand by telling their constituents they are "studying" the issues or "following its progress."
Even worse, they try to buy us off by promising some compromise that appears to increase Fed transparency, but in reality protects the Fed from a full audit.
The only way to make Congress act is to not just put the pressure on, but to keep it on and make them know that we will not settle for any phony compromises.
And for eight years, Campaign for Liberty members have done just that.
Campaign for Liberty's principled activists are the only reason that Audit the Fed has gone from a fringe issue to the center of American politics.
For years, Ron Paul warned about the dangers of allowing monetary policy to be controlled by secretive central banks.
But until 2008, few in Congress (although many in America) joined him in working to open the Fed's books.
What changed?
It was not just that grassroots Americans started listening to Dr. Paul.
It was also because Campaign for Liberty encouraged Americans to let their elected Representatives know that they were listening and they expected the rest of D.C. to listen to Ron Paul!
Campaign for Liberty members like you are the reason we are closer than ever to passing Audit the Fed, but we need your continued help.
So please, call Paul Ryan today and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed as soon as possible.
You can reach Speaker Ryan at 202-225-0600.
And if you can, please chip in $50, $30, $20, or $10 to help Campaign for Liberty‘s efforts to pass Audit the Fed.
In Liberty,
Norm Singleton
P.S. Thanks to the years of hard work by Campaign for Liberty members like you, we are just seven votes shy of passing Audit the Fed in the Senate.
... And we may be able to pass the bill if we can force the Senate to hold another vote this month...
And force the Senate to either stand with the 75% of pro-Audit the Fed Americans, or stand with the powerful special interests that benefit from Fed secrecy right before going home to campaign.
While time is tight, it is still more than possible to force votes on Audit the Fed in both the House and the Senate if we turn up the heat, and keep it up, until we have achieved our goal.
The first step is passing Audit the Fed through the House.
So please call House Speaker Paul Ryan at 202-225-0600 and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed now.
And if you can, please sign the petition and chip in $50, $30, $20 or even $10 to help Campaign for Liberty mobilize more Americans to pressure Congress to pass Audit the Fed.
I tried to contact Congressman Ryan's office by phone but his voicemail box is full so on top of signing the petition you can contact him here as well.
Eight years ago this month, thousands of pro-liberty Americans gathered in Minnesota for Campaign for Liberty's Rally for the Republic.
These Americans, many of whom were new to the Liberty Movement, traveled across the country to celebrate all that had been accomplished during Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign.
And more importantly, they began to plan the next stages of the Liberty r3VOLution.
Shortly after the rally, the housing bubble burst, the stock market crashed, and Wall Street -- aided in part by the Federal Reserve -- rushed to Congress demanding a bailout.
Congressional leadership, the administration, and the special interests all expected the bailout to pass Congress with little or no meaningful debate or dissent.
But then Campaign for Liberty mobilized pro-liberty Americans to flood Congress with phone calls opposing the bailout.
And what was supposed to be a slam dunk turned into one of the most continuous battles I witnessed in my years on Capitol Hill as Dr. Paul's legislative director.
Although the bailout ultimately passed, Campaign for Liberty showed the Congressional leadership and whole political class that the r3VOLution was not going away.
Not only that, public outrage over the Federal Reserve's responsibility for the maker meltdown and its role in the bank bailout led more Americans than ever to favor a full audit of the Federal Reserve.
So, shortly after the fight over the bailouts, Campaign for Liberty launched an effort to move Congress to respond to the growing anti-Fed sentiment by passing Ron Paul's Audit the Fed bill.
As a result of the efforts of Campaign for Liberty supporters like you, Audit the Fed twice passed the House by overwhelming (and increasing) majorities.
Today, this critical bill is just six votes away from breaking Harry Reid's filibuster, passing the Senate, and being signed into law!
The next step in our efforts is to have another House vote, thus sending the bill back to the Senate where we can force the Senate to vote right before going home to campaign.
But even though House Speaker Paul Ryan has supported the bill in the past, he has yet to commit to holding a roll-call vote.
So please, call Paul Ryan today at 202-225-0600 and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed (HR 24) immediately!
Audit the Fed may be needed now more than ever.
Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has recently stated that the Fed needs to start thinking "outside the box" about how to respond to the next financial crisis.
Among the "outside the box" ideas Yellen wants the Fed to consider are increasing the Fed's purchase of stocks, bonds, and other private assets and "modifying" the Fed's inflation targets.
In other words, increase the Fed's power over the economy by bailing out big banks, large financial firms, and other large corporations, while eroding your standard of living via inflation.
The American people deserve to know the full truth about how the Fed evaluates the economy and what plans it is making when the next crash comes.
Including any and all "arrangements" the Fed has made with foreign central banks, as well as plans to purchase stock in private companies, bail out the big banks, and ramp up the printing presses.
If we can force the House leadership to hold a vote on, and pass, Audit the Fed within the next several weeks, we can then force the Senate to hold a vote right before going home to campaign.
This will present fence-sitting Senators with a tough choice...
... Either stand with the nearly 75% of Americans who support Audit the Fed...
... Or stand with the Fed and its powerful allies who are desperate to keep you from knowing the facts about America's monetary policy.
A House and Senate vote this month will also put Hillary Clinton and her allies in a difficult position.
You see, Secretary Clinton has yet to take a public position on Audit the Fed.
And major high-profile votes on the bill will force her to take a public position on the bill and answer some uncomfortable questions about her relationship with Wall Street special interests.
House and Senate votes on Audit the Fed this month will keep Audit the Fed at the forefront of the public debate.
And will set us up to make more progress -- and even pass the bill -- as soon as next year, no matter who wins the White House!
While time is short, it is still possible to have a vote on Audit the Fed this month.
Getting Speaker Ryan to agree to hold a vote is the key.
So please call Paul Ryan today and sign your petition to tell him to hold a vote on Audit the Fed ASAP!
You can reach Speaker Ryan at 202-255-6000.
The only reason Audit the Fed has come as far as it has is because Campaign for Liberty -- with your support -- was able to mobilize Americans to put the heat on Congress.
And you and I did not let up until their members cosponsored and until the leadership scheduled roll-call votes on the bill.
You see, most politicians want to avoid controversial votes that force them to choose between their constituents and powerful special interests.
After all, taking a stand means they will make someone mad at them, and making someone mad means they might lose a campaign contribution, or a valued volunteer, or an influential endorsement...
... And if they make enough people mad, they may even lose re-election!
So they try to avoid taking a stand by telling their constituents they are "studying" the issues or "following its progress."
Even worse, they try to buy us off by promising some compromise that appears to increase Fed transparency, but in reality protects the Fed from a full audit.
The only way to make Congress act is to not just put the pressure on, but to keep it on and make them know that we will not settle for any phony compromises.
And for eight years, Campaign for Liberty members have done just that.
Campaign for Liberty's principled activists are the only reason that Audit the Fed has gone from a fringe issue to the center of American politics.
For years, Ron Paul warned about the dangers of allowing monetary policy to be controlled by secretive central banks.
But until 2008, few in Congress (although many in America) joined him in working to open the Fed's books.
What changed?
It was not just that grassroots Americans started listening to Dr. Paul.
It was also because Campaign for Liberty encouraged Americans to let their elected Representatives know that they were listening and they expected the rest of D.C. to listen to Ron Paul!
Campaign for Liberty members like you are the reason we are closer than ever to passing Audit the Fed, but we need your continued help.
So please, call Paul Ryan today and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed as soon as possible.
You can reach Speaker Ryan at 202-225-0600.
And if you can, please chip in $50, $30, $20, or $10 to help Campaign for Liberty‘s efforts to pass Audit the Fed.
In Liberty,
Norm Singleton
P.S. Thanks to the years of hard work by Campaign for Liberty members like you, we are just seven votes shy of passing Audit the Fed in the Senate.
... And we may be able to pass the bill if we can force the Senate to hold another vote this month...
And force the Senate to either stand with the 75% of pro-Audit the Fed Americans, or stand with the powerful special interests that benefit from Fed secrecy right before going home to campaign.
While time is tight, it is still more than possible to force votes on Audit the Fed in both the House and the Senate if we turn up the heat, and keep it up, until we have achieved our goal.
The first step is passing Audit the Fed through the House.
So please call House Speaker Paul Ryan at 202-225-0600 and sign your petition to tell him to schedule a vote on Audit the Fed now.
And if you can, please sign the petition and chip in $50, $30, $20 or even $10 to help Campaign for Liberty mobilize more Americans to pressure Congress to pass Audit the Fed.
I tried to contact Congressman Ryan's office by phone but his voicemail box is full so on top of signing the petition you can contact him here as well.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Force Congress to hold an up and down vote concerning the National Right To Work Act
From The National Right To Work Committee:
Now is the time to expose Big Labor's allies in Congress.
With the 2016 Elections right around the corner, the time has never been better to put every member of Congress on record for or against compulsory unionism with a roll-call vote on the National Right to Work Act (S. 391/H.R. 612).
And thanks to you, the pressure is building. Already, 154 members of Congress have cosponsored the Right to Work Act.
But there is more to do!
That's why it's vital you sign your petition, urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act TODAY.
As you read this, 11 million Americans are forced to pay union dues or face losing their jobs.
And nearly 80% of Americans agree that's just plain wrong.
A National Right to Work law would free hardworking Americans from the chains of forced-unionism -- and stop the union bosses' forced-dues gravy train.
This federally provided special privilege has not only allowed union bosses across the country to enjoy fat-cat limousine lifestyles, but it has also shored up piles of cash for Big Labor to funnel into the campaign coffers of their handpicked politicians -- nearly two BILLION dollars -- every election year.
Keeping their allegiance to Big Labor secret, throngs of politicians head back to Washington again and again to protect and expand the union bosses' forced-dues privileges.
And the cycle will not end . . .
Unless you and I expose them!
The good news is, that's exactly what a vote on the National Right to Work Act would do.
The fact is, union bosses know a vote on the Right to Work Act could mean real trouble for their favorite Big Labor politicians this year.
So to keep their pet politicians off the record on Right to Work, Big Labor is determined to stop any and all public debate on the National Right to Work Act.
But you and I have the one thing the union bosses don't -- massive support from the American people.
History has shown time and time again that when there is a high-profile vote on forced-unionism, politicians who kowtow to Big Labor go down in flames at the ballot box.
So putting Big Labor's allies on record could be the final nail in their political coffins on Election Day.
But your IMMEDIATE action is critical to forcing the vote.
So please sign your petition, urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, any your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act today.
You and I both know, in politics, nothing moves unless it's pushed.
And since Big Labor's allies will do just about anything to stay off the record, it's vital you and I push HARD.
It's up to you and me to hold Congress' feet to the fire.
So please sign your petition IMMEDIATELY to:
*** Your Congressman and Senators, demanding they cosponsor the National Right to Work Act immediately;
*** Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, insisting he schedule a floor vote on this crucial legislation; and
*** Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, urging him to bring the National Right to Work Act to the House floor for a vote at once.
And if at all possible, please donate a generous contribution of $50, $25, $10 or 10 to help your Committee mobilize tens of thousands of Right to Work supporters across the country to pressure Congress to hold votes on the National Right to Work Act NOW, so politicians can be held accountable.
In this crucial election year, it is up to you and me to put Congress on record for or against forcing workers to pay union dues and fees just to earn a living.
So please act TODAY!
Sincerely,
Mark Mix
President, National Right to Work
P.S. Time and time, again history has shown that when politicians are forced to take a stand on the compulsory unionism issue, forced-dues partisans go down in flames at the ballot box.
Now, with the 2016 Elections fast approaching, it's vital every member of Congress is put on the record with roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act.
So, to turn up the heat on Congress to hold roll-call votes before the crucial November Elections, please sign the petition and consider your most generous contribution TODAY.
Now is the time to expose Big Labor's allies in Congress.
With the 2016 Elections right around the corner, the time has never been better to put every member of Congress on record for or against compulsory unionism with a roll-call vote on the National Right to Work Act (S. 391/H.R. 612).
And thanks to you, the pressure is building. Already, 154 members of Congress have cosponsored the Right to Work Act.
But there is more to do!
That's why it's vital you sign your petition, urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, and your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act TODAY.
As you read this, 11 million Americans are forced to pay union dues or face losing their jobs.
And nearly 80% of Americans agree that's just plain wrong.
A National Right to Work law would free hardworking Americans from the chains of forced-unionism -- and stop the union bosses' forced-dues gravy train.
This federally provided special privilege has not only allowed union bosses across the country to enjoy fat-cat limousine lifestyles, but it has also shored up piles of cash for Big Labor to funnel into the campaign coffers of their handpicked politicians -- nearly two BILLION dollars -- every election year.
Keeping their allegiance to Big Labor secret, throngs of politicians head back to Washington again and again to protect and expand the union bosses' forced-dues privileges.
And the cycle will not end . . .
Unless you and I expose them!
The good news is, that's exactly what a vote on the National Right to Work Act would do.
The fact is, union bosses know a vote on the Right to Work Act could mean real trouble for their favorite Big Labor politicians this year.
So to keep their pet politicians off the record on Right to Work, Big Labor is determined to stop any and all public debate on the National Right to Work Act.
But you and I have the one thing the union bosses don't -- massive support from the American people.
History has shown time and time again that when there is a high-profile vote on forced-unionism, politicians who kowtow to Big Labor go down in flames at the ballot box.
So putting Big Labor's allies on record could be the final nail in their political coffins on Election Day.
But your IMMEDIATE action is critical to forcing the vote.
So please sign your petition, urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Paul Ryan, any your Congressman and Senators to cosponsor and seek roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act today.
You and I both know, in politics, nothing moves unless it's pushed.
And since Big Labor's allies will do just about anything to stay off the record, it's vital you and I push HARD.
It's up to you and me to hold Congress' feet to the fire.
So please sign your petition IMMEDIATELY to:
*** Your Congressman and Senators, demanding they cosponsor the National Right to Work Act immediately;
*** Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, insisting he schedule a floor vote on this crucial legislation; and
*** Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, urging him to bring the National Right to Work Act to the House floor for a vote at once.
And if at all possible, please donate a generous contribution of $50, $25, $10 or 10 to help your Committee mobilize tens of thousands of Right to Work supporters across the country to pressure Congress to hold votes on the National Right to Work Act NOW, so politicians can be held accountable.
In this crucial election year, it is up to you and me to put Congress on record for or against forcing workers to pay union dues and fees just to earn a living.
So please act TODAY!
Sincerely,
Mark Mix
President, National Right to Work
P.S. Time and time, again history has shown that when politicians are forced to take a stand on the compulsory unionism issue, forced-dues partisans go down in flames at the ballot box.
Now, with the 2016 Elections fast approaching, it's vital every member of Congress is put on the record with roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act.
So, to turn up the heat on Congress to hold roll-call votes before the crucial November Elections, please sign the petition and consider your most generous contribution TODAY.
Comcast and their ilk threaten Net Neutrality
From Demand Progress:
The FCC's historic Open Internet rule made Net Neutrality the law of the land.
But an army of telecommunications industry lawyers just filed yet ANOTHER legal appeal aimed at overturning it.1
Now the court is demanding that our side respond to the appeal this month, and our coalition's legal defense fund is running low on money.
This is a serious threat, and if we don't respond to the court's demand for a brief, then Net Neutrality could be overturned completely. Will you chip in $5? Half your donation will go directly to the coalition legal defense fund, and we'll use the rest to keep mobilizing grassroots support.
Comcast and their allies have filed at least ten lawsuits against Net Neutrality, and it's clear it will fight all the way to the Supreme Court if it has to.2
This most recent appeal comes after a 3-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the rule. Now Comcast's allies want the full court to review the entire case again.
This is a classic example of how giant corporations use their money to override the will of the people. The FCC received more than 3.7 million comments in favor of Net Neutrality. Polls show that voters overwhelmingly support it.3
But by drowning the FCC in legal filings and lawsuits, Comcast and its buddies are wasting time and taxpayer money, delaying enforcement actions—and they just might get Net Neutrality overturned completely.
We know that Comcast and the other big telecommunications companies can spend virtually unlimited amounts of money on lawyers. And the only reason we even have a chance is because the facts are so clearly on our side.
But taking on corporate giants like this isn't cheap—and we're counting on your help. If you chip in today, we'll split your donation 50-50 between our coalition's legal defense fund and ongoing grassroots organizing by Demand Progress to defend Net Neutrality in the court of public opinion. Will you chip in $5?
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
The FCC's historic Open Internet rule made Net Neutrality the law of the land.
But an army of telecommunications industry lawyers just filed yet ANOTHER legal appeal aimed at overturning it.1
Now the court is demanding that our side respond to the appeal this month, and our coalition's legal defense fund is running low on money.
This is a serious threat, and if we don't respond to the court's demand for a brief, then Net Neutrality could be overturned completely. Will you chip in $5? Half your donation will go directly to the coalition legal defense fund, and we'll use the rest to keep mobilizing grassroots support.
Comcast and their allies have filed at least ten lawsuits against Net Neutrality, and it's clear it will fight all the way to the Supreme Court if it has to.2
This most recent appeal comes after a 3-judge panel at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upheld the rule. Now Comcast's allies want the full court to review the entire case again.
This is a classic example of how giant corporations use their money to override the will of the people. The FCC received more than 3.7 million comments in favor of Net Neutrality. Polls show that voters overwhelmingly support it.3
But by drowning the FCC in legal filings and lawsuits, Comcast and its buddies are wasting time and taxpayer money, delaying enforcement actions—and they just might get Net Neutrality overturned completely.
We know that Comcast and the other big telecommunications companies can spend virtually unlimited amounts of money on lawyers. And the only reason we even have a chance is because the facts are so clearly on our side.
But taking on corporate giants like this isn't cheap—and we're counting on your help. If you chip in today, we'll split your donation 50-50 between our coalition's legal defense fund and ongoing grassroots organizing by Demand Progress to defend Net Neutrality in the court of public opinion. Will you chip in $5?
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Wednesday, September 7, 2016
The TPP is not dead yet
From Fight For The Future:
Hi, several media outlets have reported that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is now dead. [1]
Unfortunately, these reports are greatly exaggerated. [2] While some top officials have made comments suggesting that the anti-democratic, censorship spreading TPP deal is on its death bed, the reality is that the White House and multinational corporations are more determined than ever to ram the TPP through right after the election in November. [3]
People watching this closely on Capitol Hill say that many of the politicians currently staying silent on the TPP or criticizing it will change their tune the day after the election.
This is an incredibly dangerous moment. Misleading media articles have many people thinking that the fight is already over, and we have just a matter of weeks to make the TPP so politically toxic that Congress can’t approve it.
This is such an urgent threat that we’re scaling up our plans for a massive anti-TPP mobilization in Washington, DC. It needs to be even bigger than we had planned for, which means we need to raise the funds to make it possible.
Will you chip in $5 to hold our elected officials accountable and stop the TPP?
We’ve been exposing the TPP’s corruption day after day with our Rock Against the TPP tour featuring well known musicians and celebrities helping sound the alarm and educate the public about how the TPP threatens our basic rights.
Together, we’ve already made this the largest mobilization against the TPP in U.S. history.
Now it’s time to bring our message directly to decision-makers in Washington, DC and put them on notice that if they vote to approve this toxic deal, they’ll have an uprising on their hands.
We planned for a huge protest. But now we need to make it even bigger. Will you chip in to help make it possible?
The TPP is not dead yet, but we have a very real chance of stopping it. Without all of your support, it would have become law months ago. The stakes are high, but we can win.
To sign the petition
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Hi, several media outlets have reported that the Trans-Pacific Partnership is now dead. [1]
Unfortunately, these reports are greatly exaggerated. [2] While some top officials have made comments suggesting that the anti-democratic, censorship spreading TPP deal is on its death bed, the reality is that the White House and multinational corporations are more determined than ever to ram the TPP through right after the election in November. [3]
People watching this closely on Capitol Hill say that many of the politicians currently staying silent on the TPP or criticizing it will change their tune the day after the election.
This is an incredibly dangerous moment. Misleading media articles have many people thinking that the fight is already over, and we have just a matter of weeks to make the TPP so politically toxic that Congress can’t approve it.
This is such an urgent threat that we’re scaling up our plans for a massive anti-TPP mobilization in Washington, DC. It needs to be even bigger than we had planned for, which means we need to raise the funds to make it possible.
Will you chip in $5 to hold our elected officials accountable and stop the TPP?
We’ve been exposing the TPP’s corruption day after day with our Rock Against the TPP tour featuring well known musicians and celebrities helping sound the alarm and educate the public about how the TPP threatens our basic rights.
Together, we’ve already made this the largest mobilization against the TPP in U.S. history.
Now it’s time to bring our message directly to decision-makers in Washington, DC and put them on notice that if they vote to approve this toxic deal, they’ll have an uprising on their hands.
We planned for a huge protest. But now we need to make it even bigger. Will you chip in to help make it possible?
The TPP is not dead yet, but we have a very real chance of stopping it. Without all of your support, it would have become law months ago. The stakes are high, but we can win.
To sign the petition
1. Source
2. Source
3. Source
Don't let the Feds resume arrests of medical marijuana patients
From Americans For Safe Access:
As a medical cannabis advocate, you are probably aware that the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget has been helping defendants win in federal court. Beginning with the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana ruling last October, to dropping the case against Harborside this May, to the McIntosh victory in the 9th Circuit last month, the amendment has been protecting safe and legal access for patients. The amendment was passed in 2014 and 2015 thanks in part to the support and efforts of medical cannabis activists like you!
Earlier this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted overwhelming to include it in next DOJ budget. However, the amendment is set to expire at the end of September and the House has yet to vote on it. If the amendment expires, the federal prosecutions against those obeying their state medical cannabis laws could resume once again.
You can help by sending an email to your representative thanking them for voting yes last year or to encourage those who voted no to take another look at the issue. Also contact your Senators and tell them to extend these protections for another year.
As a medical cannabis advocate, you are probably aware that the Rohrabacher-Farr amendment to the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) budget has been helping defendants win in federal court. Beginning with the Marin Alliance for Medical Marijuana ruling last October, to dropping the case against Harborside this May, to the McIntosh victory in the 9th Circuit last month, the amendment has been protecting safe and legal access for patients. The amendment was passed in 2014 and 2015 thanks in part to the support and efforts of medical cannabis activists like you!
Earlier this year, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted overwhelming to include it in next DOJ budget. However, the amendment is set to expire at the end of September and the House has yet to vote on it. If the amendment expires, the federal prosecutions against those obeying their state medical cannabis laws could resume once again.
You can help by sending an email to your representative thanking them for voting yes last year or to encourage those who voted no to take another look at the issue. Also contact your Senators and tell them to extend these protections for another year.
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