McCains Senate Bill

[Marlin T]

Could this affect this site?
Sounds like it is time to write some more letters, or make some phone calls to the folks in DC.

Please forgive me for the links above, unless of course you want to send them money. No, I am in no way attached to this organization except as a reciever of there notices.

So here is what I recieved



Dear MarlinT:

John McCain is trying to shut you up and shut us down!

McCain has just unveiled his newest and most dastardly attack against YOUR First Amendment rights -- an attack that is even more disgraceful and disgusting than McCain-Feingold.

McCain's latest First Amendment assault, Senate Bill 2128 -- the so-called "Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act of 2005" -- is masquerading as a "lobbying reform" measure but essentially, this cruel hoax against the American people has very little to do with reforming lobbying and has just about everything to do with shutting you up and stripping you of your First Amendment rights.

McCain's vicious power play -- if implemented -- will have one immediate and catastrophic consequence:

If S. 2128 is passed, our ability to keep you informed about what's going on in Washington will be severely compromised.

S. 2128 will choke off information absolutely vital to grassroots Americans -- like you -- who live outside the Beltway. People like you won't know what's going on in Washington.

And that's just what John McCain and many of our elected leaders in Washington want!

This time McCain MUST be stopped!



Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush and all 55 Republicans in the United States Senate. Tell them that S. 2128 is nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to cut average Americans like you OUT OF THE POLITICAL EQUATION.

Tell them you will not tolerate this assault against your First Amendment rights. Tell them that stifling the First Amendment rights of average Americans IS NOT lobbying reform!

http://www.acumembers.com/aculobbyreform.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.





What Are Other Conservative Leaders Saying About S. 2128 -- The "So-Called "Lobbying Transparency And Accountability Act Of 2005?

Just what are conservative leaders, organizations and pundits saying about S. 2128?

Here are just a few examples:

"One is tempted to conclude that Senator McCain either has a police state mentality or has decided now is the time to shut up those pesky folks at the grassroots who are always paying attention to issues and bothering him with their complaints."

-- Wes Vernon in an article published by Renew America --



"If McCain's provision stays intact, grassroots organizations would for the first time be subject to requirements and regulations that would devastate their ability to reach out to the general public."

-- Tim Chapman in an article published by Town Hall --



"The Senate is considering 'lobbying reform' language that may inhibit your ability to contact them... but one proposal will have a catastrophic impact on grassroots communications with constituents: strict regulation of organizations reaching out to supporters.

In S. 2128, some Senators are targeting any organization that decides to mobilize individuals to call, write, or otherwise pressure their elected officials in Washington..."

-- Americans For Tax Reform --



"Sen. McCain has struck again. In an effort to reap political advantage from the current controversies in Congress, McCain has now introduced S. 2128 -- the so-called Lobbying Transparency and Accountability Act.

In this bill, McCain targets his wrath on groups like GOA -- requiring them to register their 'grassroots' communications with their members and to file twice as many frivolous reports.

Sen. McCain would rather shine the spotlight on us and YOU, rather than shine the spotlight on himself..."

-- Gun Owners Of America --



And Dr. Richard Lessner -- the former Executive Director of the American Conservative Union -- in an article for Human Events calls S. 2128, "a nifty piece of mischief" and also writes:

"[R]ather than cut itself off cold turkey from the lobbyists' largess, Congress instead will further limit the public's participation in the political process, insulate members against those pesky bands of citizen-activists, and muzzle public criticism or scrutiny of their records...

It's little wonder why some politicians despise grassroots groups. Such organizations tend to make life uncomfortable. They draw the public's attention to issues some politicians would rather avoid. They publicize voting records and issue vote scorecards. They mount letter writing and email campaigns.

So instead of controlling their own behavior, the Republicans want to hide behind measures to restrict the constitutional rights of the citizenry, limit the public's access to their representatives, and further insulate politicians against scrutiny. And this is reform?"

This threat to your First Amendment rights is very real and unless you take action it may come to pass.



Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush and all 55 Republicans in the United States Senate. Tell them that S. 2128 is nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to cut average Americans like you OUT OF THE POLITICAL EQUATION.

Tell them you will not tolerate this assault against your First Amendment rights. Tell them to enact real lobbying reform that attacks the abuses in the system.

http://www.acumembers.com/aculobbyreform.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.



Fool Me Once, Shame On You: Fool Me Twice, Shame On Me

It is nothing but a shell game.

Every time our elected leaders talk about reforming Washington, they actually wind up consolidating their political power. And they further entrench the abuses they claimed they were going to fight and cut the American people further out of the political process.

Years ago, McCain told the American people that he wanted to reform the political process.

His offering... McCain-Feingold -- legislation he co-authored with the one of the most radical leftist in the U.S. Senate -- cut off the arms of the First Amendment.

Under McCain-Feingold -- known among conservatives as the Bipartisan Gag Act -- groups like ours are effectively forbidden in a number of ways from criticizing candidates 60 days prior to the election.

Now McCain's at it again: And he wants to cut off the legs of the First Amendment by stuffing new legislation down the throats of groups that weren't silenced by McCain-Feingold.

In Gag Act II, John McCain and his co-conspirators on the left are trying to force organizations like the American Conservative Union, to file tons of reports whenever we call upon you to take action.

To put it another way, McCain is essentially telling us that when we plan to alert you and enlist your aid to fight one of his future legislative abuses, we will have to tell HIM (and the political opposition) all about it -- we will basically have to tell HIM what we are going to do and how we plan to do it -- we will have to file reams of paperwork -- we have to tell HIM how much money we plan to spend -- and we have to tell HIM the names of those who help us.

The intended result is to make it difficult for us to be your watchdog, tell you about the abuses in Washington and call you to action.

Does that sound like a free society to you?



Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush and all 55 Republicans in the United States Senate. Tell them that S. 2128 is nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to cut average Americans like you OUT OF THE POLITICAL EQUATION.

Tell them you will not tolerate this assault against your First Amendment rights. Tell them that stifling the First Amendment rights of average Americans IS NOT lobbying reform!

http://www.acumembers.com/aculobbyreform.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.




What Should Any Real Attempt At Lobbying Reform Entail?

Any real attempt at lobbying reform should aggressively target earmarks -- those annoying pieces of pork that are attached to appropriations bills at the last minute and under the cover to darkness.

Earmarks are the mother's milk of lobbying abuse. As an example of what I mean, consider the following story by Margaret Talev published in McClatchy Newspapers:

"Alaska Rep. Don Young gained infamy last year as the chairman of the House Transportation Committee who secured more than $200 million for a "bridge to nowhere" in his home state."

Less noticed was his support for projects elsewhere in the country favored by contributors to Midnight Sun, a political action committee. Known as a leadership PAC, Midnight Sun is controlled by Young, and its treasurer is a registered lobbyist with a client list that includes transportation interests."

In southeast Arkansas, more than a dozen men and women connected to road paving and auto sales in and near Pine Bluff gave about $28,000 last March to Midnight Sun, on top of about $20,000 to Young's re-election committee. When the highway bill passed a few months later, it had more than $200 million for their region over the next five years, including a $72 million interstate construction project extending to Pine Bluff."

Young's office and several Arkansas donors declined to comment for this story. One donor, Clydine Davis, said of Young in a telephone interview, "We just all banded together to support him as he supports Arkansas."

Or better yet -- how about the following story by Jeffrey Birnbaum of the Washington Post?

"Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) yesterday denied a published report that suggested that one of his staffers may have helped her lobbyist husband get federal appropriations for his company's clients."

Responding to a story in USA Today, Specter conducted a telephone news conference to defend the actions of his office and of his former appropriations aide, Vicki Siegel Herson. He added, however, that his chief of staff would ask further questions about the situation and that he would refer the issue to the Senate ethics committee.

The newspaper reported that Specter claimed credit for securing 13 narrowly focused allocations, called earmarks, worth $48.7 million over the past four years for six clients represented by Michael Herson and the firm he co-founded, American Defense International.

But if McCain's latest offering at reforming the system is any indication of what he thinks, it seems apparent that McCain doesn't think that earmarks and quid pro quo deals are part of the problem. It would appear that he thinks YOU are the problem.

Our elected officials know what must happen to really reforming the system -- and now you know it too.

The question remains -- what are you going to do about it?


Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush and all 55 Republicans in the United States Senate. Tell them that S. 2128 is nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to cut average Americans like you OUT OF THE POLITICAL EQUATION.

Tell them you will not tolerate this assault against your First Amendment rights. Tell them that stifling the First Amendment rights of average Americans IS NOT lobbying reform!

http://www.acumembers.com/aculobbyreform.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.



Let's Take A Good Hard Look At John McCain

McCain was one of the Keating Five -- a team of U.S. Senators who received fat contributions from Charles Keating and improperly intervened in Keating's behalf.

About McCain, the Senate Select Committee on Ethics reported the following:

"Mr. Keating, his associates, and his friends contributed $56,000 for Senator McCain's two House races in 1982 and 1984, and $54,000 for his 1986 Senate race. Mr. Keating also provided his corporate plane and/or arranged for payment for the use of commercial or private aircraft on several occasions for travel by Senator McCain and his family, for which Senator McCain ultimately provided reimbursement when called upon to do so. Mr. Keating also allowed Senator McCain and his family to vacation with Mr. Keating and his family, at a home provided by Mr. Keating in the Bahamas, in each of the calendar years 1983 through 1986."

Charles Keating was convicted of racketeering and fraud in both state and federal court.

McCain -- the only Republican among the five -- got a slap on the wrist from the Senate Select Ethics Committee.

But that's not all:

Over the past five years, over 70 percent of the money John McCain has raised has come from out of state donors and much of that money has come from powerful special interests.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, here are some of the industries that have made hard and soft money donations to John McCain during his career:

Finance/Insurance/Real Estate Interests - $4,100,507.00
Communications/Electronics Interests - $2,309,441.00
Lawyers & Lobbyists Interests - $1,866,933.00
Health Interests - $1,284,138.00
Transportation Interests - $1,091,938.00
Energy/National Resource Interests - $629,802.00
Construction Interests - $581,996.00
Agribusiness Interests - $460,405.00
Defense Interests - $320,775.00

You better believe that these special interests have a say in government as far as John McCain is concerned... but as for you... well that's another matter.

John McCain wants to cut YOU out of the political equation. We can't let that happen. Please join me and let's flood the fax machines of our elected officials.

Tell the they you are wise to this shell game they are calling "lobby reform" and tell them that stifling the First Amendment rights of average Americans IS NOT lobbying reform!



Use the hyperlink below to send your URGENT Blast Fax messages to President George W. Bush and all 55 Republicans in the United States Senate. Tell them that S. 2128 is nothing more than a cleverly disguised attempt to cut average Americans like you OUT OF THE POLITICAL EQUATION.

Tell them you will not tolerate this assault against your First Amendment rights. Tell them that stifling the First Amendment rights of average Americans IS NOT lobbying reform!

http://www.acumembers.com/aculobbyreform.html

AOL Members Use This Hyperlink

If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.





J. William Lauderback
Executive Vice President
American Conservative Union

[Xracer]

Looks like the Fat Cat Lobbiests are bring out their big guns (and big mouths) out on this one.

Gee whiz.....those poor lobbyists will no longer be able to bribe congressmen with free golfing trips to Scotland.....and free all-paid "Seminars" in Bermuda during the winter.

Why.....they may not even be able to bribe influential House and Senate committee members to sneak billion dollar "earmarks" into the budget!

How grossly unfair!

[Marlin]

I sent blast faxes to the President and all 55 GOP Senators yesterday through the CFIF program on the subject of trying to shut up organizations that let us small people know what's going on..

This man is way beyond DANGEROUS and we need to make sure ALL KNOW HIS TRUE COLOURS. . . . .

[pickenup]

Now why would our elected REPRESENTATIVES
want to know our opinion on any given topic.

To them (unless it’s election time) we are nothing but mushrooms,
they want to keep us in the dark, and feed us bulls**t.