Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party's presidential candidate, is petitioning Congress to STOP abusing the Bill of Rights.  Here's the text:

Petition to the U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on the Judiciary, Congressman Conyers, Chairman

Whereas, the basis for the laws of this great Republic is the Constitution, adopted September 17th, 1789; and,

Whereas, that Constitution provided for a clear but difficult procedure for amending it; and,

Whereas, the founding fathers saw a need for Amendments to guarantee certain civil rights to citizens including the right to a free press, free religious expression, the right to keep and bear arms, freedom from government seizure of their property, freedom from unlawful detention, the right to a prompt and fair trial by a jury, and protection from unreasonable bail requirements; and,

Whereas, these and other rights were considered important enough to be added as the first 10 Amendments and these have become known as The Bill of Rights; and,

Whereas, The Bill of Rights, ratified in 1791 remain untouched by Amendment for more than two centuries; and,

Whereas, the Executive branch of the Federal Government, through executive orders and other schemes has eroded many of these rights and still greater threats loom; Now therefore the undersigned citizens of the United States petition Congress to rise to its responsibilities and enforce and protect the Bill of Rights through any and all means at its disposal including but not limited to Committee Hearings and legal action through the courts.

Take action, sign the petition and show Congress that we the people demand that they follow the Bill of Rights.  Click here to stand up for the Bill of Rights.

submitted by Mark Adams

On June 9, 2008, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush. These articles describe a wide variety of actions George W. Bush has taken as president in violation of the law and the Constitution.

The next step is for the House to refer the articles to the House Judiciary Committee. The Judiciary Committee will then determine -- by majority vote -- whether the grounds for impeachment exist. An objective review of the articles would undoubtedly demonstrate that many, if not most, of the articles prepared by Rep. Kucinich are backed up by sufficient grounds to proceed with the impeachment process.

Now is the time to let your U.S. representative know that you strongly support impeachment hearings before the House Judiciary Committee and further proceedings on the House floor. Please take a moment to let your U.S. representative know that you support the impeachment of George W. Bush by using this link.

The founders of our country feared more than anything else the prospect of an executive who put his own power and desires above the Constitution. Congress was given the power of impeachment so that it could remove any president who committed the high crime of violating the Constitution during his (or her) term in office.

A strong case can be made that no president in the history of this country is more deserving of impeachment than George W. Bush. If he is not impeached, the bar for impeachment will have been raised so high that it might as well no longer exist. Future presidents will know that they can violate the Constitution at will, confident in the fact that Congress does not have the courage as an institution to do anything about it.

We cannot allow this to happen. Please send an E-mail to your representative today urging immediate action on the impeachment of George W. Bush.

Thank you for standing up for your country and the Constitution.

For Liberty!  Click Here

In October, Rep. Ron Paul introduced HR 3835 - the American Freedom Agenda Act of 2007.

This bill, if passed, would go a long way towards restoring liberty and the constitution in this country, and eliminate a number of "laws" that were enacted beyond the Constitution's limit on federal power.

More specifically, The American Freedom Agenda Act would

• bar the use of evidence obtained through torture
• require that federal intelligence gathering is conducted in accordance with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)
• create a mechanism for challenging presidential signing statements
• repeal the Military Commissions Act, which, among other things, denies habeas corpus to certain detainees
• prohibit kidnapping, detentions, and torture abroad
• protect journalists who publish information received from the executive branch
• ensure that secret evidence is not used to designate individuals or organizations with a presence in the U.S. as foreign terrorists.

Click Here to take action on this bill today!

No Net Taxes! Click Here

On November 1st of this year, the tax moratorium on the Internet is set to expire. If not renewed, Internet users could expect to see higher internet rates as additional taxes could be applied. 

This week, the House of Representatives voted to extend this internet tax moratorium for five more years! The Internet Tax Freedom Act passed decisively, 405-2, to continue to ban state and local governments from levying taxes on the internet and electronic commerce. [1]

But, the bill still needs to pass the Senate.

Send a letter demanding that your Senators pass this bill now!  It takes just a couple minutes with our online system.

http://www.populistamerica.com/hands_off_the_internet

We must keep a watchful eye on such moves by the federal government.  What starts as just a tax, often ends up as full control by the bureaucrats.  The criminalization of marijuana, for example, started as a simple $1 federal tax. [2]

Congressman Ron Paul may have put it best:

"I believe strongly that government should refrain from any and all unconstitutional intervention in the internet and e-commerce.  The internet is a dynamic and growing medium of communication that needs freedom from burdensome government restraints to grow and develop to its fullest extent."

Although most pundits are placing their bets on the Senate passing the bill, their actions over recent years have shown little love for your freedom.  In the event that neither an extension or a permanent ban is supported by the Senate, and the moratorium was not extended, Internet users could be faced with an unwelcome surprise. 

Subscribers could see multiple state and local tax charges added on to their Internet bills. With more fees for customers to pay, broadband providers could also see a drop in demand, said Ray Keating, chief economist for the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. [3]

Tell your senators to do something unusual - tell them to stand up for your liberty - by saying NO! to Internet Taxation:

http://www.populistamerica.com/hands_off_the_internet

What's the reason for government taxation of the Internet? It should be quite obvious by now - government sees money being made, and like a mafia thug offering "protection," it wants to get a piece of the pie.  Allowing them to do so could set a dangerous precedent.  The freedom of the Internet is a model for freedom in our society.

Thomas Jefferson said, "Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it." Were Jefferson alive today, he would see his insight applied in the real world beyond his expectations - on the Internet, where the error of opinion is unlimited and only rivaled by the efforts of good people to combat it, the truth does, more than in the old media, come out. [4]

The Internet is truly the home of freedom - and our greatest hope for long-term liberty. On it we see the free market of ideas and services flourish even as the politicians try to stamp out civil society in realspace. On it we see the truth win out over the political and media establishment. On it we see the spirit of liberty. [4]

Tell your Senators: Hands off the Internet!

Click here to take action on this issue now.

In Liberty,

Michael Boldin
Populist Party of America

*************

P.S. Our Readers are our primary source of funding. Make a donation today to help the Populist Party grow and stay active!

http://www.populistamerica.com/contribute

Sources:
[1] "Congressman Paul Supports Moratorium on Internet Taxation" Ron Paul's Press Release, October 17, 2007
http://www.house.gov/paul/press/press2007/pr101707.htm

[2] "1937 Marihuana Tax Act" from Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1937_Marihuana_Tax_Act

[3] "Living in a Tax Free Internet Zone" Keisha Lamothe, CNN Money, October 17, 2007.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/16/pf/internet_tax/?postversion=2007101716

[4] "The Internet vs. the State" Eric Garris, LewRockwell, November 22, 2005.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig/garris3.html

Make Congress read every word of every bill they create before they vote on it.

Reading laws before voting to pass them is a simple act of responsibility. Congress has failed to meet even this most basic duty to you for a long time.

To counter this trend, DownsizeDC.org has created the "Read the Bills Act" (RTBA), which requires, among other things, that all bills must be read in their entirety before a vote is taken.  Populist Party columnist Steve Osborn recently took action on this, and wrote a powerful letter to his members of Congress demanding that they introduce and vote for the RTBA.

We strongly urge you to take action on this as well.

Learn more and contact your reps here:
No Pork, No Side Issues and No Riders!