Grassroots Gag Order [bill would silence organizations like American Family Association]

capwiz.com ^ | 4-19-2007 | staff writer

[bedolido]

Original Sponsor: Henry Waxman (D-CA 30th)

The bill would silence organizations like American Family Association in needless paperwork and burdensome reporting requirements any time it communicates to constituents on public policy issues that are before Congress, with the threat of severe fines and criminal penalties.

[Just A Nobody]

Tom Davis, R-VA 11th and Chris Shays, R-CT 4th listed as sponsors/cosponsors. Niiiiice

[EagleUSA]

Another pass at the First Amendment by our repressive socialists. A large thanks to the mindless voters who made this kind of Stalinism possible.

[lowbridge]

How DARE the people assembly and petition congress!

The two Republicans in favor of this bill are Chris Shays of CT, and Thomas Davis of Virginia.

http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/bills/?bill=9642491&cs_party=all&cs_status=C&cs_state=ALL

[Boxsford]

From traditionalvalues.org:
...what should be more accurately described as the “Big Brother Act Of 2007” will require Executive Branch officials to report every “significant contact” with lobbyists and any private party (including citizens). This will require them to spend countless hours logging emails, conversations, faxes, phone calls, letters, etc. These contacts will then be made available on a public database. This covers all Executive Branch officials except the Vice President and President. It applies to all military officers up to one-star generals!

The bill provides a civil fine of $50,000 for any infraction in reporting all of these contacts!

The bill sets up a public database where all of these contacts are exposed to scrutiny.

The ultimate effect of this legislation will be to make it less likely that officials will respond to public communications on policy issues,” said Lafferty. “It will also chill the efforts of citizen activists to communicate with government officials if they think that their contacts will be posted online.

[Boxsford]

That’s one funky profile page you have there. The elephant is so cool.

[Wuli]

And are these legislators making these same requirements for themselves.

[SittinYonder]

Just for fun I went to read the text of the bill to see how imposes restrictions on grass roots groups. I’m still not sure that I understand how it does that ... what it appears to do is create an atmosphere where grass roots groups (and private citizens, for that matter) get shut out because it imposes reporting procedures on government officials.

What bothers me is, there’s so many bills every year being enacted just like this ... bills we seldom hear anything about and only at some later date understand that it’s some kind of government regulation, but we’re never sure why or how.

This, IMO, appears to be a ploy by the Dems to add another layer to the restrictions whereby they can continue to play their constant game of “gotcha” with their political opponents.

This is the sort of thing that allows for a manufactured scandal later on when some presidential political appointee forgets to record a meeting.

There should be a Constitutional amendment restricting congress from making more than two or three new laws in a single year.

[PresidentFelon]

The Stalanist left is working hard to silence their enemies by hook or crook, free speech and the Constitution be damned. The left’s assault on democratic priciples is intense and pervasive at every level of the bureaucracy, educational establishment, and the entrenched traditional media establishment.

From the CIA to the State Department, career liberal employees of the Executive Branch have sought to undermine the elected President of the United States. Their willingness to reveal classified information to friendlies at the New York Times, simply to damage this President and our war effort, has been an object lesson in the contempt for which liberals hold the very ideal of democratic elections and democratic principles. By their nactions they have demonstrated that both the law and the safety of their countrymen is secondary to advancing their own political agenda. Their behavior is reprehensible and an affront to democracy itself.

Things are even worse in our educational establishment where propoganda has replaced education, and in our newsrooms where the reporting of facts has been replaced by naked and unrestrained advocacy. Both conditions engineered by a totalitarian left that seeks to destroy and silence those they cannot effectively debate. Again, imperical evidence of the left’s contempt for both the truth and democratic ideals.

Henry Waxman’s effort to stifle free speech and restrict the voice of the public should be a surprise to nobody, it is just the next step in a long line of Democrat efforts to silence their enemies and undermine the freedoms that our soldiers arte now dying for.

He, and they, don’t deserve to call themselves Americans.

PF

[MACVSOG68]

Although an unpopular opinion, I can see the need for ethical reform in the Executive Branch. First, the bill does one important thing. It sets a 2 year cooling off period for taking certain jobs after leaving government. How important is that? In one small government agency alone, every single SES manager including the Department's procurement officer all retired and took jobs with the major systems contractor that they had been responsible for hiring, and who could not effectively do the job. That happens throughout government.

Secondly, any rules promulgated by the government must appear in the Federal Register and provide for written comments that all can be made aware of and which are available for review. Bypassing this process is indicative of a secrecy that is not beneficial to anyone, most especially the taxpayers. Just remember the Clinton Administration.

Finally, the Abramoff scandal was only one of many that have taken place throughout government, most of which never see the light of day.

The Republicans are no less prone to scandal than are the Democrats. Americans should demand accountability. If this proposed legislation isn't that accountability, perhaps some here might suggest other rules.

[maxter]

Term limits needed.

[gman992]

Dude just veto it!

[Bitsy]

There is a petition on American Family Association website. Please go over there and sign petition to your congressman.