Posted on 05/25/2006 6:47:19 AM PDT by rdmartinjd
Dear Conservative Friend,
Oklahoma's pro-gay Democrat Attorney General Drew Edmondson doesn't like free speech, if it's directed against his agenda, at least. And he's doing something about it.
On May 3rd, 2006, he filed -- in the name of Oklahoma's taxpayers -- a bogus $10 million lawsuit designed to bankrupt family values activist Tim Pope. And we have to stop him.
Tim Pope is a great American. A family man, a Christian, and President of the Oklahoma Republican Assembly, he is also a great friend of all of us at TheVanguard.Org and volunteers his time as our Grassroots Director. He is also a seven term Oklahoma House member, served six years as Republican Whip, and won awards for legislative excellence from the Oklahoma Rifle Association, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Oklahoma Taxpayers Union.
In short, he is not a bigot, a crackpot, or a nobody. He's a high-profile, highly-respected familly values leader. And that's precisely why Drew Edmondson wants to take him down.
You can read Tim's story here, and you should. It's one of the most shameful abuses of government power you'll have ever heard.
But what you really need to do is help. Tim's legal fees are going to go through the roof. Drew Edmondson has the full power of the Oklahoma State Treasury behind him. Tim Pope doesn't. And that's precisely the point. Edmondson doesn't mean to win: he knows he can't. What he means to do is bankrupt Tim, and intimidate the whole pro-family movement.
Help us stop him. Send a donation -- any amount will help -- to the Tim Pope Legal Defense Fund today. Strike a blow against the radical homosexual agenda and its minions in government, and help this decent honest man today. Conscience demands no less.
We're counting on you. Tim is counting on you. And I know you'll do the right thing.
For Freedom,
Rod D. Martin Chairman, TheVanguard.Org
Don't cha just LOVE the tolerance of the left?
Drew Edmondson is the worst. When are we ever going to get rid of him? Anyway, I will do what I can.
BTTT
Thanks for the heads up!
FYI.....
This attonrey general is a complete and total embarrasment to the state of Oklahoma.
It's quite obvious he intends to missuse and abuse his power in any way he can to punish those who dare to blow the whistle on his buddies.
He needs to get his butt thorwn out of office and not a moment too soon.
Hopefully we'll have much better luck in the next election
actually folks,
if FR activists really want to get back at these lawyers those in that state should be filing BAR COMPLAINTS.
If the state follows a written ethics code for lawyer regulation, filing such law suits is an ethics violation.
If enough of these public servant lawyers are disbarred perhaps they will start getting the message.
Ex-Lawmaker Ordered to Yurn Over Records
By Bryan Dean
The Oklahoman
Tim Pope's political action committee gets multicounty grand jury subpoena.
A former state legislator has been ordered to turn over records of his political action committee to the Oklahoma multicounty grand jury, but plans to fight the subpoena, The Oklahoman has learned.
An attorney for political consultant and former legislator Tim Pope confirmed Wednesday that Pope was served with a grand jury subpoena May 18 asking for "any and all" records of his political action committee, the Oklahoma Republican Assembly.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation began investigating Pope's campaign activities after a story by The Oklahoman in February. The newspaper detailed contributions from his political action committee to the 2004 campaign of Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart.
Law enforcement agencies sometimes use the grand jury to help collect records. The grand jury apparently is not investigating Pope.
Pope is being sued by Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who claims automated phone calls paid for by Pope violated federal law.
Attorney Stephen Jones, who is representing Pope, filed an answer Wednesday to Edmondson's lawsuit and mentioned the grand jury subpoena. Edmondson's assistants guide grand jury investigations.
Lawsuit response
The calls, made in late January, accused one of Rinehart's political opponents, District 1 Commissioner Jim Roth, of "advancing the homosexual agenda in Oklahoma County."
Pope told The Oklahoman in January he paid for the calls. They included a recorded message from a female voice and did not identify who was paying for the calls or leave a return number.
Edmondson's lawsuit, filed May 3, claims the calls violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which requires automated phone calls to include the identity of the person or entity making the calls and a return telephone number.
Jones' response states that the calls are protected by the First Amendment because they were political in nature. It also accuses Edmondson of filing the lawsuit to try to court the gay and lesbian vote by supporting and defending Roth, who is openly gay.
Edmondson called those allegations "simply garbage."
A week after the calls, details emerged about donations from the Oklahoma Republican Assembly to Rinehart's 2004 campaign.
Contributions investigated
The OSBI is looking into whether Pope's political action committee illegally funneled money to Rinehart's campaign.
Pope denies wrongdoing.
Jones said Pope was ordered to deliver the records when the grand jury meets in June. He thinks Edmondson's claims against Pope are politically motivated.
Edmondson and Roth are Democrats. Pope and Rinehart are Republicans.
Roth said the accusations against Edmondson are part of a larger strategy by Pope and Rinehart.
"They are attacking the attorney general, the district attorney, the sheriff," Roth said. "I think they have a pattern of attacking anyone that eventually may have to arrest them."
Contributing: Nolan Clay
This call was not a partisan political call because it did not advocate for or against any candidate for political office
. On the 3rd of this month Edmondson filed a civil lawsuit against Pope for violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act because he did not include both a name and a phone number in his message and asked for $10 million in fines!
Is Pope denying that in fact he broke the law?
This whole thing stinks on a variety of levels but not the least of them is that “robocalls” have been used in this, and most other, states for years
Yes, they have. And because of it Oklahoma recently passed do not call legislation that addresses them.
This is nothing more than an over active AG trying to stomp out the freedom of speech of someone he disagrees with.
Perhaps the law is being selectively applied. It would not surprise me.
It should be noted that President Clinton
Before the do not call list was passed.
and (very recently) President Bush made calls like this.
How recently?
The section of law that makes such requirements of robotic calls does not apply to political calls.
But you have already admitted in the beginning that this was not a political call.
It has been a very short time since the liberal Trial Lawyers front group used robocalls without a phone number to attack over 20 different Republican Representatives
Yes, but as you said, phone numbers are not required for political calls, so what is the problem?
and only last month a Democrat State Representative made anonymous robocalls against a Republican State Representative but the Attorney General has remained silent on those occurrences.
Need more details.
Look, if you want sympathy, at least be upfront on the facts. It looks like Pope violated a law that is VERY popular with the people of Oklahoma.
Edmondson's lawsuit, filed May 3, claims the calls violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which requires automated phone calls to include the identity of the person or entity making the calls and a return telephone number.
Well, is that true? Does the law state that, and did Pope violate it?
Jones' response states that the calls are protected by the First Amendment because they were political in nature.
1. So is it your position that anyone can use robo calls as much as they want to harass people about things as long as it is about something political? I sure hope not. What is the precedent on this?
I know most Oklahoma's would be outraged if they knew this was happening.
OK Fine. But then let's stick to that argument, rather then claming that Pope did nothing wrong. If I got one of the robo calls I would have been pissed, even though I agree with Pope.
Rodney, you are correct. From everything I know, Tim Pope is in the wrong, and I cannot stand Edmonson so no one better think I support him. We are getting too many Republicans that now think they are above the law and as arrogant as can be IMHO.
I agree. That is exactly where I am coming from. If Pope did violate the law, then everyone else that did needs to be fined 10 million and brought before a grand jury, but that won't happen. Because Edmondson is nothing but a Democrat hack, who I pray will be voted out of office. I couldn't believe we couldn't get him last time after that Boy Scout stunt.
Whether it stinks to get such a robocall is beside the point. What matters is that being political it was legal.
I'd love to see the actual regulations. My guess is that the "being poltical" exmpetion applies only to actual campaigns, or else every political group and lobbying group around would be constantly robo-calling the whole country.
It was about Rinehart's campaign, dissing one of his opponents (and if true, he needed dissed).
This oughtta be an open and shut case. If one of the heavies like ACLJ gets hold of this case, the floor will be mopped with Edmonson.
Oh, and the exemption sounds like it's there for 1st Amendment reasons.
Perhaps. However the misleading tone and nature of the original post leads me to discount the assertion that Pope is in the clear due to the political nature of the call. I'd like to see the regulation. Everything on the FCC site simply mentions that they must state who is placing the call and include a return phone number. I can't seem to find anything that includes a political exemption at all.
Many of the conservative biggies do hot, panting appeals like this. Personally it's grating.
Yeah. Look, I hope that Edmundson is wrong and will wind up embarassed. However, I had a negative reaction to the original email appeal because it seems to be full of half-truths, and is more worthy of the type of appeals that go out on DU.
I am surprised anyone would be against someone making phone calls to advance a political agenda. That is what free speech is all about. If you don't want to listen, hang up.
I disagree, I think I should be allowed to put myself on a Do Not Call list for all calls if I want to.
I hope Edmondson keeps this in the spotlight, it can only hurt him.
Yes, it means they were not calls for a profit-making enterprise. The Federal do not call registry only stops phone calls from businesses, not charities or political organizations. This is the law I believe which also requires identification.
Yes, it means they were not calls for a profit-making enterprise. The Federal do not call registry only stops phone calls from businesses, not charities or political organizations. This is the law I believe which also requires identification.
Ditto to PKM & Rodney -- Pope is a pompous, self-important jerk. The people in his district, of which I am one, are glad to be rid of him as a representative. He is the representative, if you care to recall, that once carried a .44 magnum revolver in a shoulder holster under his jacket on the floor of the legislature before Oklahoma had a concealed carry law.
yellowdoghunter, I think it is time to call it a night and round up the pack because these dogs just won't hunt. Anybody with a scintilla of political acumen knows that Pope doesn't know any better than to poop in the Republican nest and foul it up for everybody else. Cut your losses and let this one go.
I would also like to specifically note that I am not a fan of either the AG or the Oklahoma County Commissioner that Pope was pursuing with his call campaign. It simply comes down to whether Pope's effort was legal or not.
I have spoken to several people in his district this afternoon and they have quite a different opinion of him than do. I will leave it at that.
"I will support his right to make his views known on the subject."
Sounds like all that would have been required in this case to do so legally is admitting who was behind the call, and giving a contact phone number. I think the fact that these were anonymous automated hits seems to be what got him in trouble. I've got no problem with folks making their views known (to people who aren't on "no call" lists), but it simply INFURIATES me when I get an anonymous, automated telemarketing or political call -- especially when it ties up the line and won't let me hang up until it's done.
If he's going to pay to harrass people with automated calls, he darn well oughta let them know who's behind it.
How I pray we can one day defeat Edmondson. He is a disgrace to Oklahoma.
>> Edmondson's lawsuit, filed May 3, claims the calls violated the federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which requires automated phone calls to include the identity of the person or entity making the calls and a return telephone number.
Jones' response states that the calls are protected by the First Amendment because they were political in nature<<
This should be pretty straight forward...is there an exception to the telemarketing rules for political calls? I know there is not an exception for non-profits.
Annonymous mud slinging calls are pretty low any way even if the mud sticks and the target is worthy of mud.
Pope is being sued by Attorney General Drew Edmondson, who claims automated phone calls paid for by Pope violated federal law.
Why didn't he just give the names on these phone calls? Wouldn't this solve the problem and end all this? Why are elected people of all political spectrums always trying to stretch the law as far as they can go. I feel for this guy to be going through this, but dang if only he cleaned his house better than he would not be in this pickle.
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