Stand by Schiff and Flake

From the Downsize DC Dispatch

It's more fun to cheer than jeer. We constantly criticize politicians and bang on them for doing the wrong thing. But it's just as important to support those few who do good things. Representatives Schiff and Flake are doing good things. They're fighting to prevent Presidents, present and future, from gaining the power to spy on Americans without a warrant.

Schiff and Flake need your support and encouragement. Part of the inspiration for DownsizeDC.org's lobbying system was the Medicare Prescription Drug bill. This boondoggle was the largest entitlement created in a generation. It is estimated that it will cost more than $700 billion over ten years. And it was passed because just two freshman Republicans, who had previously committed to opposing the bill, gave in to overwhelming pressure from the leaders of their party, including the President.

We asked ourselves, "What if they knew lots of people were backing their play and paying attention?" Would they have broken? In a case that seems a little like Deja vu, two Representatives Schiff and Flake, are fighting against warrantless searches and they need your support and encouragement. Schiff has offered legislation (HR 4976) that would reiterate and confirm that this or any future administration must seek warrants through the secret court established by the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Flake has cosponsored Schiff's bill.

Congressional Quarterly reports that difficult negotiations are happening as you read this. We don't want Schiff and Flake to break. Please call their offices. You can do this even if you do not reside in their districts. THANK THEM for their work to stop warrantless searches.

ENCOURAGE THEM TO CONTINUE doing so.

Here are their numbers . . .
Representative Jeff Flake (R-AZ-6) at 202-225-2635
Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA-29) at 202-225-4176

Time is on our side. Our goal, get Congress to go home for their campaign recess without giving in to this President.

Also, SEND ANOTHER MESSAGE to Congress as a whole (yes, your Senators too), opposing warrantless searches. Tell them to back HR 4976 or stall and pass nothing. You can do so here.

MEDIA MENTION
Our good work continues . . . This morning, DownsizeDC.org President Jim Babka was on the Charles Goyette Show on KFNX 1100AM in Phoenix, Arizona. The topic was Read the Bills and, as usual, the host and the callers loved the idea.

FREE SISYPHUS
We step-up our fundraising efforts in the second half of the month to make sure we get all the bills paid by the end of the month. The best way to help is with a monthly credit card micro-pledge of $3 or more, or a $10 or more macro-pledge. More monthly credit card pledges mean that eventually Jim (Sisyphus) Babka can stop pushing his fundraising rock up liability hill. One-time contributions also help. You can make one or the other here.Thank you for being a DC Downsizer.Perry WillisCommunications DirectorDownsizeDC.org, Inc.

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Libertarians Win Lawsuit with Secretary of State

News Release
For Immediate Distribution
August 6, 2006
Contact: Robert Butler :(740) 204-3036 c:(614) 805-8292
hq@lpo.org
www.lpo.org

Libertarians Win Lawsuit with Secretary of State, Ohio Election Law Ruled Unconstitutional

The US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled today that Ohio's election laws are unconstitional, restricting the rights of voters, candidates, and political parties of reasonable access to the ballot."

The evidence in the record shows that in Ohio, elections have indeed been monopolized by two parties...The LPO has put forth evidence that Ohio is among the most restrictive, if not the most restrictive, state in granting minor parties access to the ballot," wrote the Honorable Julia Smith Gibbons, US 6th Circuit Court Judge. "Put simply, the restrictions at issue in this case serve to prevent a minor political party from engaging in the most fundamental of political activities - recruiting supporters, selecting a candidate, placing that candidate on the general election ballot in the hopes of winning and ultimately, the right to govern."

Ohio requires new parties to nominate by primary. Since the primary in presidential years is in March, the new party petition is in November, a full year before the election. The majority court opinion said the combination of the relatively high number of signatures (1% of the last presidential vote was 56,279 signatures in 2004) plus the extremely early deadline, taken together, is unconstitutional. No minor parties appeared on the ballot in Ohio in 2002, 2004, or 2006

Under these same laws, current Libertarian candidate for Governor Bill Peirce was compelled to enter the race as an independent. "This is a step in the right direction. We want to get our name and views out there before the public, but we're still being excluding from the public debates."

"We're very pleased with the decision," said Ohio Libertarian State Chair John Stewart. "We're just seeking equal treatment under the law as the two major parties. All we want is a level playing field."

According to Richard Winger, of Ballot Access News and the Coalition for Free and Open Elections, "There are three remedies the Ohio legislature and the Secretary of State may pursue: sharply reduce the number of signatures needed for minor parties, allow minor parties to nominate by convention and change the deadline for filing signatures, or allow independent candidates to declare a party label when they qualify for the ballot."

"We look forward to working with the legislature and the Secretary of State's office to bring Ohio's election laws in line with the court's decision," said party secretary Robert Butler. "There's already a bill from Rep. Jim Trakas' office that deals with this issue."

For the complete decision please visit: http://www.ca6.uscourts.gov/opinions.pdf/06a0342p-06.pdf