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Campaign Finance Reform=GUN CONTROL
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Incumbent Protection Bill Nearing Showdown-- Time to send another volley towards Capitol Hill Gun Owners of America8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102Springfield, VA 22151 (703)321-8585 "Campaign finance reform is long overdue," said Michael D. Barnes, President of the Brady Campaign and a former Congressman from Maryland. "The passage of Shays-Meehan is a victory for democracy.... Perhaps now, the gun lobby's stranglehold on Congress will be broken." -- U.S. Newswire, February 14, 2002 (Thursday, March 14, 2002) -- Look who's supporting the Incumbent Protection Bill these days. Sarah Brady's organization, formerly known as Handgun Control, Inc., recently hailed the passage of the anti-gun bill in the House. Michael Barnes, the president of the Brady Campaign, basically admitted that his group can't compete with pro-Second Amendment organizations. So he wants to "level the playing field" by silencing the voice of his opponents. "Even though [Shays-Meehan] will impact our election activities as well," Barnes says, the bill will reduce even more "the gun lobby's ability to obstruct the progress of sensible gun laws. Shays-Meehan will level the playing field so that our lawmakers are no longer beholden to special interest groups like the NRA." Of course, it's not a level playing field that Barnes is after. Anti-gun groups like the Brady Campaign get more free publicity from the media than they could ever afford to buy. So Barnes knows good and well that by squelching the First Amendment freedoms of pro-gun organizations, his group will have a great advantage. This is not a surprising attitude from a man who makes his living trying to restrict other freedoms -- such as the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms -- guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Barnes' attitude is somewhat reminiscent of the ole' Federalists, who passed the Sedition Act of 1798 as a means of punishing their opponents who were critical of the John Adams administration. Instead of giving the Federalists an advantage, however, the law enraged people so much that they went to the polls and defeated members of that party in the election of 1800. The act was one of the main things that drove the Federalist Party into extinction. Ignoring the lessons of history, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) is committed to passing the bill that will muzzle the First Amendment rights of groups like Gun Owners of America. As a result, the Senate could begin voting on the Shays-Meehan bill by this Friday (tomorrow). That's why it is so important that you contact your Senators right now. More than likely, you have already contacted them. Please contact them again. Urge your friends and family to contact their Senators as well. CONTACT INFORMATION: You can call your Senators at 202-224-3121 or toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. To identify your Senators, as well as to send a message via e-mail, see the Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm on the GOA website.
Pre-written message
Dear Senator: I hope you will take a strong stand against the Incumbent Protection Bill, and will vote AGAINST any attempt to invoke cloture should the bill be filibustered. This legislation -- erroneously known as campaign finance reform -- would squelch the voice of organizations that I support. In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act in an effort to punish those who criticized elected officials. President John Adams, a Federalist, signed the bill into law. Because of the Federalist Party's support for the onerous law, John Adams and many other members of his party were defeated in the next election. In the end, it proved to be the death-knell for the Federalist Party. I can't predict what will happen to those who vote for the Incumbent Protection Bill -- or those who show their support by opposing the filibuster. But I do know that the Incumbent Protection Bill is NO DIFFERENT, in principle, from the Sedition Act that was passed more than 200 years ago. This bill is simply an attempt by legislators to punish those who criticize elected officials. Again, I urge you to vote AGAINST invoking cloture and vote AGAINST final passage. This bill is anti-free speech. Please let me know how you intend to vote. Sincerely, ****************************Fight for freedom every time you make a long distance phone call! GOA has partnered with Promise Vision, one of America's major long distance telephone providers. Every long distance call made by a GOA customer of Promise Vision results in a 15% payment to GOA. Unlike with ATT, Sprint or MCI, patrons of Promise Vision have none of their moneys filtered to anti-gun candidates. Promise Vision offers different rate plans, depending on one's long distance volume. One plan offers 7 cents a minute with a small monthly service charge. You can help yourself and help GOA by using Promise Vision. See http://www.gunowners.org/pvld.htm for more details and to sign up. Or call the special GOA toll-free number at Promise Vision; that number is 1-866-458-9111. http://www.gunowners.org/a031402.htm
Pre-written message
Dear Senator: I hope you will take a strong stand against the Incumbent Protection Bill, and will vote AGAINST any attempt to invoke cloture should the bill be filibustered. This legislation -- erroneously known as campaign finance reform -- would squelch the voice of organizations that I support. In 1798, Congress passed the Sedition Act in an effort to punish those who criticized elected officials. President John Adams, a Federalist, signed the bill into law. Because of the Federalist Party's support for the onerous law, John Adams and many other members of his party were defeated in the next election. In the end, it proved to be the death-knell for the Federalist Party. I can't predict what will happen to those who vote for the Incumbent Protection Bill -- or those who show their support by opposing the filibuster. But I do know that the Incumbent Protection Bill is NO DIFFERENT, in principle, from the Sedition Act that was passed more than 200 years ago. This bill is simply an attempt by legislators to punish those who criticize elected officials. Again, I urge you to vote AGAINST invoking cloture and vote AGAINST final passage. This bill is anti-free speech. Please let me know how you intend to vote. Sincerely, ****************************Fight for freedom every time you make a long distance phone call! GOA has partnered with Promise Vision, one of America's major long distance telephone providers. Every long distance call made by a GOA customer of Promise Vision results in a 15% payment to GOA. Unlike with ATT, Sprint or MCI, patrons of Promise Vision have none of their moneys filtered to anti-gun candidates. Promise Vision offers different rate plans, depending on one's long distance volume. One plan offers 7 cents a minute with a small monthly service charge. You can help yourself and help GOA by using Promise Vision. See http://www.gunowners.org/pvld.htm for more details and to sign up. Or call the special GOA toll-free number at Promise Vision; that number is 1-866-458-9111. http://www.gunowners.org/a031402.htm
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