John McCain is at it again! He’s once again targeting the First Amendment and YOUR right to petition your government. NOW Senator McCain is taking the next step in his crusade to totally eliminate the First Amendment and silence your voice in the political process altogether. And frankly, if S. 2128 is passed, our ability to keep you informed about what’s going on in Washington will be severely compromised. And that's just what John McCain and many of our elected leaders in Washington want! This time around, John 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 everyday 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 free speech and assembly rights of everyday Americans IS NOT lobbying reform! http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lobbyreform.html If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
"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 --
Vernon isn't the only one talking about S. 2128. More quotes appear further down in this letter. But consider what Dr. Richard Lessner, the former Executive Director of the American Conservative Union just wrote about S. 2128: [R]ather than cut itself off cold turkey from the lobbyists' largess, Congress instead will further 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. But this isn't the first time McCain has attacked your First Amendment rights under the guise of "reform." Under McCain-Feingold – also known among conservatives as the Bipartisan Gag Act – groups like the Center for Individual Freedom are now effectively forbidden -- in a number of ways -- from criticizing federal candidates 60 days prior to an election. When he proposed McCain-Feingold, McCain told the American people that he wanted to reform the campaign finance laws. But what he did instead was to hamper the ability of not-for-profit grass-roots organizations like the Center for Individual Freedom to tell you where he stood on the issues prior to an election. Essentially S. 2128 grabs groups like the Center for Individual Freedom, and a host of others; slams us against the wall, and tells us to keep our mouths shut. In short, under S. 2128, McCain is essentially telling us that from now on... when we plan to alert you and enlist your aid to fight one of his future legislative abuses, we will have to file reams of paperwork and we will have to tell HIM (and the political opposition) all about it -- we will have to tell HIM what we are going to do and how we plan to do it -- we have to tell HIM how much money we plan to spend -- and we will have to tell HIM the names of those who help us. Here's what Tony Perkins of the Family research Council had to say: "Section 105 of their bill would force advertisers, printers, direct mail outfits, and other vendors that we do business with to tell Congress twenty days in advance about any campaign of public information we conduct. In effect, the legislation would force nonprofits like FRC to give an advance signal to Planned Parenthood about what we are doing. The problem of corrupt "lobbying" is real. But groups like FRC exist to inform Americans about what their Members of Congress are doing under the Capitol dome. Only an informed electorate can really have an impact in our democracy." 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. If John McCain’s latest Mr. Fixit project -- S. 2128 -- is enacted into law, federal bureaucrats could run us off the Internet. And that's what John McCain really wants. 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 everyday 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 free speech and assembly rights of everyday Americans IS NOT lobbying reform! http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lobbyreform.html If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
"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 --
You see, John McCain doesn't like us. Here's why:
That’s what this legislation is about. It's nothing more than an attempt to silence the Watchdogs of Washington. This isn’t the first time we’ve pursued John McCain. Please don't let it be the last. 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 everyday 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 free speech and assembly rights of everyday Americans IS NOT lobbying reform! http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lobbyreform.html If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
"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. -- Americans For Tax Reform --
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. Finance/Insurance/Real Estate Interests - $4,100,507 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. Let's be honest. In McCain's estimation, the powerful moneyed special interests aren't the problem! In McCain's estimation, YOU are the problem! In our estimation... McCain is the problem. And you are the solution but only if you act NOW! 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 everyday 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 free speech and assembly rights of everyday Americans IS NOT lobbying reform! http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lobbyreform.html If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
"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 -- Gun Owners Of America --
We don't funnel hard and soft-money contributions to political candidates in exchange for legislation that makes us millions of dollars. We don't throw expensive parties for politicians or pay their air fares to exotic places or give them VIP tickets to baseball games. That's what the lobbyists who abuse the system do and under S. 2128, these practices will continue; albeit under more "stringent reporting requirements." We just act as a source of information for people like you. And we give you a powerful means to take action, make your voice heard and engage YOU -- everyday Americans -- in the political process. 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 everyday 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 free speech and assembly rights of everyday Americans IS NOT lobbying reform! http://www.cfiflistmanager.org/lobbyreform.html If the above hyperlink does not function, please copy and paste it into the address bar of your browser.
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Jeff Mazzella
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Center for Individual Freedom Alexandria, VA 22314 703-535-5836 Fax:703-535-5838
CFIF is a 501(c)(4) not-for-profit constitutional advocacy organization with Powered By GrassTopsUSA |