Bingo - I was thinking the same thing. The Net has not only enabled the free flow of information, but it can also serve as a platform for direct democracy. While the basic principles of the republic are sound, the founders never imagined a future where an entrenched judicial/political class had a stranglehold on the will of the people.
Until we regain control of the system in Calif., this is the time and place for direct democracy. I can easily envision a public takeover of the political system for at least the next 12-18 months. The DL issue is just one of many.
My guess is that these treshold numbers used to be intimidating, but now they almost seem laughable. 400k sigs? Pisha, this thing will qualify in weeks - FR serves as an excellent forum to serve these purposes.