Happy New Year

Here's hoping that 2009 will be happier than 2008. If anything, things probably won't get much worse. In addition to the bad economic news, the folks at Reason have put together a video compilation of things that were banned in 2008:



Link via Hit and Run

In lighter news, Santa Claus asks for a bailout:



Link via The Agitator

Please vote NO on Issue 5!

Ohio voters have an opportunity to overturn House Bill 545, which would set the maximum interest rate on short-term loans so low that payday lenders would go out of business, by voting no on Issue 5.

If an individual decides that $200 right now is worth more to him or her than $230 two weeks from now, that should be his or her free choice. It's none of the State of Ohio's goddamn business.

Like all legislation that creates consensual crime, Issue 5 would have unintended consequences worse than the "harm" it is designed to prevent. If payday loans are made unavailable, Ohioans will pay more in late fees and overdraft fees. Merchants' losses from bounced checks will increase. Maggie Thurber points out that "In both North Carolina and Georgia, the number of bad checks written went up after payday loans were similarly regulated."

Some people, unable to obtain short-term loans from legitimate businesses, might even turn to loan sharks. The state can make a product or service illegal, but it can't eliminate the demand for that product or service, and black marketeers will step in to satisfy the demand. Issue 5 would create yet another revenue stream for organized crime.

Please vote NO on Issue 5.

Mom in the News

My favorite elected official has been traveling throughout southern Ohio awarding banners to all the excellent school districts in the 10th State Board of Education District, including, among others, Adams County/Ohio Valley, Beavercreek, South Point, Wheelersburg, and Wilmington.

Celebrate Constitution Day with the ACLU!

Today is the 221st anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. Click on the image below to join the ACLU's "Constitution Voter" effort to get federal politicians to pay more attention to the Constitution that they've ostensibly sworn to protect.

Accountability Now

Last month, so-called "Democrats" in Congress caved in to the Bush administration and enacted the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. In response, a diverse coalition of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians has formed the Accountability Now PAC to hold the politicians accountable for their failure to uphold the rule of law. Today, August 8, is a moneybomb day for Accountability Now. Please go here today to give securely through Actblue. At Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald explains Accountability Now's strategy and rationale.

Mom's Column

I was remiss in not linking to my favorite elected official's most recent newspaper column. Luckily, it's still available through the Clermont County Democratic Party.

Urgent: Act Now to Stop the FISA Capitulation!

The Hill reports that so-called House Democratic "Leader" Steny Hoyer is trying hard to capitulate to the Republicans on legislation that would expand the government's power to spy on Americans and grant retroactive amnesty to the telecommunications companies that helped Bush violate the law:

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Wednesday he remains hopeful that the House and Senate can finish the contentious overhaul of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) this week.

The House could vote on the bill Friday, Hoyer said.

Mona at The Art of the Possible and Glenn Greenwald at Salon.com have more.

Please contact your members of Congress today and tell them to vote NO on any bill that would direct federal courts to grant amnesty to the lawbreakers, or that would allow for warrantless wiretaps of Americans' international calls and e-mails, or both. The ACLU's action alert makes it easy to contact your members of Congress. Democrats.com also has an on-line petition.

Now, there's something else you can do. The Blue America PAC vs Retroactive Immunity is dedicated to holding Hoyer and the other so-called "Democratic" traitors accountable for their capitulation. Please go here and give what you can, then pass the message on to any friends you have who might care about freedom, privacy, and the rule of law.

Tell Your State Senator to Vote NO on House Bill 545

The Ohio General Assembly appears poised to create yet another consensual crime. The House of Representatives recently passed House Bill 545, which would set the maximum interest rate on short-term loans so low that payday lenders would go out of business.

If an individual decides that $200 right now is worth more to him or her than $230 two weeks from now, that should be his or her free choice. It's none of the State of Ohio's goddamn business.

Like all legislation that creates consensual crime, H.B. 545 would have unintended consequences worse than the "harm" it is designed to prevent. If payday loans are made unavailable, Ohioans will pay more in late fees and overdraft fees. Merchants' losses from bounced checks will increase. Maggie Thurber points out that "In both North Carolina and Georgia, the number of bad checks written went up after payday loans were similarly regulated."

Some people, unable to obtain short-term loans from legitimate businesses, might even turn to loan sharks. The state can make a product or service illegal, but it can't eliminate the demand for that product or service, and black marketeers will step in to satisfy the demand. H.B. 545 would create yet another revenue stream for organized crime.

Please tell your state senator to vote NO on House Bill 545. MyChoiceOhio.com makes it easy to contact your senator, and provides a sample letter. Another sample letter is available from the National Taxpayers' Union.

There's Something I Kind of Have to Admire about Anthony Gutierrez

Let me first say that I don't condone drunk driving. Nor do I condone reckless use of state property. And I certainly don't condone sexual harassment. I can't emphasize that last point enough.

And yet, there's something I kind of have to admire about Anthony Gutierrez. Take a look at this passage from a Plain Dealer article:

The same woman says in her complaint that weeks later, Gutierrez fell asleep drunk at the wheel of a state-issued Chevy Suburban and struck a guardrail. She told an investigator that Gutierrez showed up at work the next morning, reeking of booze and with vomit caked on his nose.

(entire article here)

That's right. He showed up for work with vomit caked on his nose. A lesser man who had vomit caked on his nose might take a sick day or two. Heck, just feeling like I might vomit is enough for me to call in sick, let alone having my face encrusted in the stuff.

Sure, Mr. Gutierrez is a sleazeball, but I have to give the devil his due. The guy survives a car accident, has vomit caked on his nose, and still shows up for work the next morning, ready to do the people's business. That's dedication.

FISA Immunity Deal - Tell your Representative to Say NO

At Firedoglake, Jane Hamsher reports a rumor of a deal in the works between Sen. Jay Rockefeller and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to grant retroactive immunity to administration officials who violated FISA and their accomplices in the telecommunications industry:

According to the ACLU, there is rumor of a backroom deal being brokered by Jay Rockefeller on FISA that will include retroactive immunity. I've heard from several sources that Steny Hoyer is doing the dirty work on the House side, and some say it will be attached to the new supplemental.

At Hullabaloo, Digby adds:

They [the telecom companies] really, really want this to go through. In fact, their insistence is becoming so desperate that there is simply no more reason to doubt they are hiding something. Nobody works this hard if all it would take would be a couple of court cases to publicly clear their names. These corporations must be knee deep in spying on Americans and their corrupt congressional puppets must know it.

Please contact your U.S. representative today, and tell him or her to vote against any legislation that includes amnesty for the FISA violators. The ACLU makes it easy to contact your representative.

Mom's Column

The Community Press has the latest edition of my favorite elected official's quarterly column. The Clermont County Democratic Party has all of her columns for the last two years, in case you missed any of them.

An Opposing View on FISA

In this video, an administration spokesman argues for telecom amnesty and continued warrantless wiretapping:



(link via the innominate one at Grylliade.org)

FISA Update: Tell Pelosi and Hoyer to Stand Firm

Here's the latest action alert from the ACLU:

TELL HOUSE LEADERS: KEEP STANDING UP TO BUSH

We will deliver your letter and comments next week to House Leader Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and representatives who stood up to President Bush.

Please go here to sign the petition.

FISA fight moves to House

From an e-mail I (along with the rest of the ACLU's mailing list) received from Caroline Fredrickson of the ACLU:

Only bold, decisive action from a sizable bloc of House members -- led by the Congressional Progressive Caucus -- can stop warrantless wiretapping of Americans and telecom immunity from becoming the law of the land.

Tell your representative to oppose telecom immunity and warrantless wiretapping.

Then, because time is short, follow up with a phone call.

If the House caves, a bill that ignores the Constitution, condones overreaching executive branch power grabs and provides immunity to phone companies that sold out our privacy will soon reach President Bush’s desk.

If that happens, you can rest assured that the minute Mr. Bush reaches for his pen, ACLU lawyers will be headed to court. Because wherever this fight leads us, we will not let unconstitutional violations of our due process and privacy rights go unchallenged.

Now, though, is no time to concede defeat in Congress.

Demand your representative uphold the Constitution and the rule of law.

Mom's Column

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout southern Ohio, including the (Hillsboro) Times Gazette and the Cincinnati Enquirer. I neglected to link to her September column, but it's still available at the Clermont County Democratic Party's site.

If You're Assaulted in Stark County...

...you might want to think twice before calling 911.

According to WKYC, Stark County sheriff's deputies responded to an assault call by taking the victim to the Stark County Jail, where she was brutally strip-searched by both male and female deputies and left naked in a cell for 6 hours without medical attention or even a blanket. WKYC has a full report, including chilling video footage of the attack. (Link via The Agitator)

The perpetrators of this outrage report to the Honorable Timothy Swanson (D-North Canton) who, according to the Stark County Board of Elections, has a general election opponent. I almost always vote Democratic, but I can think of at least one Democrat I'd vote against if I lived in Stark County.

More FISA Links

In this video clip, Sen. Russ Feingold concisely makes the argument against warrantless international wiretaps:

(link via Open Left)

Julian Sanchez makes an important point:

Recall here that since we're breaking down the old "wall," information gathered as part of a foreign intel sweep—without a warrant or meaningful oversight if the intel bill passes—can be passed on to domestic law enforcement for use in plain vanilla criminal prosecutions.

(entire post here)

FISA Links

Tim Tagaris of Open Left reports that a cloture vote is scheduled for tomorrow at 4:30 pm:

There will be a cloture vote at 4:30 on Monday. There are two potential outcomes here.

a.) Republicans get 60 votes. In which case, there will only be one amendment pending to the final bill, and that is Feingold/Dodd on blanket warrants, I believe. That will get tabled quite easily (much like Judiciary was today), and then the Intelligence Bill as we know it will get a a vote for final passage.

b.) We stop Republicans from getting 60 votes, and we're right back where we left off today -- with no agreement on whether or not there is a 50 or 60 vote threshold to pass amendments.

Why is this a big deal?

Well, because there are a number of amendments out there that would serve as "poison pills," forcing a presidential veto. One or two of those might even get 50 votes (Feinstein's call to make FISA the exclusive means of electronic surveillance).

Julian Sanchez has more at Ars Technica:

While cloture would pass if it garnered the support of all those who voted to kill the alternative FISA reform bill, produced by the Judiciary Committee, at least some Democrats who crossed the aisle for that vote seem unwilling to close off debate just yet. If cloture is defeated, an extension of the Protect America Act seems likely. Meanwhile, any legislation passed by the Senate must still be reconciled with the RESTORE Act approved in the House last year, which contains provisions establishing tighter restrictions and more oversight on surveillance, and lacks the immunity grant for telecoms.

At Salon.com, Glenn Greenwald notes that victory seems possible:

Even just a two-week or one-month extension will allow more time to marshall the opposition to telecom immunity and a new FISA bill and to do what's possible to encourage the House to stand firm behind their bill -- in exactly the way that the Dodd Delay in December prevented quick and easy resolution. The longer this drags on without resolution, the more possible it is to push the opposition to a tipping point, and sometimes unexpected developments or even some luck (such as McConnell's overplaying his hand on Thursday) can prevent it all from happening.

Please keep the pressure on your senators to do the right thing and kill any bill that provides for telecom immunity or wiretaps without warrants based on individualizes suspicion. Once again, here's a link to the ACLU's action alert.

FISA Update 1/24

The U.S. Senate voted today to table the Judiciary Committee's version of the bill to amend FISA, thus defeating an attempt to strip the telecom immunity provision from the bill. In looking at the roll call, I noticed a couple of prominent names. Senators Clinton and Obama couldn't be bothered to do their jobs. They were too busy pandering to South Carolinians. If these two won't show up to vote on the most important issue to face the 110th Congress, then I'm wondering why I should show up to vote for either of them.

Please keep the phone calls coming to your senators. The ACLU makes it easy to find your senators' phone numbers, and provides talking points.

FISA Update

Once again, the Senate is taking up legislation to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, and, once again, so-called Democratic Leader Harry Reid is doing all he can to help the other side. Glenn Greenwald has the details.

I don't understand why the so-called Democrats in Congress are so eager to do Bush's bidding on this legislation. According to a poll conducted for the ACLU by the Mellman Group, solid majorities oppose warrantless wiretapping of Americans' international telephone calls and oppose immunity for the telecom companies that helped Bush break the law, yet Reid and company are standing firmly against the will of the people and against the rule of law.

Senator Chris Dodd (D-Ct.) has pledged to filibuster Reid's legislation to gut FISA, and Tim Tagaris, formerly of the Dodd campaign writes " I wouldn't bet on Dodd backing down if a bill contains retroactive immunity."

Senator Dodd's actions on this bill have been admirable, but he needs other senators to back his filibuster. Please call or e-mail your U.S. senators, and tell them to vote against cloture on any bill that allows warrantless wiretaps without individualized suspicion, or that provides for retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies, or both. The ACLU makes it easy to contact your senators.

Additionally, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama need to do their jobs and vote against cloture on the FISA bill. Back in December, Senators Clinton and Obama signed onto a letter supporting Senator Dodd's efforts, but couldn't be bothered to show up for work to vote against cloture because they were too busy shaking hands with Iowans. Please contact Senators Clinton and Obama, and tell them that if they want your presidential vote, they'll be there in the Senate to stop this legislation. Senator Clinton can be contacted here. Senator Obama can be contacted here.

Urgent - Tell your U.S. Senators to Filibuster S. 2248

Please call your U.S. senators this morning and tell them to vote NO on the cloture motion on S. 2248. Your senators' contact information is available here.

I misjudged Harry Reid. After Congress voted "temporarily" to gut FISA back in August, I merely thought he was weak and useless. But, no. The "Democratic" leader isn't just failing to stand up to the traitors in the Bush administration. He's actively helping them. Glenn Greenwald summarizes:

...there were two competing bills which Reid could have brought to the floor -- the Senate Intelligence Committee version engineered by Jay Rockefeller and Dick Cheney which gives the administration most of what it wants, and the Senate Judiciary Committee, which does not contain telecom amnesty and contains far more extensive oversight protections. Reid could have brought the bill to the floor using whatever process he wanted, and he has decided -- contrary to weeks of assurances -- that the SIC bill will serve as the "base" bill, meaning that improving it (by removing amnesty and increasing oversight) will require 60 votes, rendering such efforts virtually impossible. In doing so, Reid is brazenly ignoring the demands of 14 Senators -- including all of the Democratic presidential candidates -- to have the Judiciary Committee bill be the base bill.

Worse still, Reid is completely disregarding the "hold" placed by Chris Dodd on any amnesty bill -- simply refusing to honor it, even as he respectfully honors literally scores of "holds" from GOP Senators such as Tom Coburn.

Mr. Greenwald further states:

The criticism isn't that Harry Reid is being insufficiently aggressive in opposing the White House. It's that he's doing what he can to support the White House, serving as their key ally. I suppose one option is to cheer on Democrats anyway, no matter what they do. But I can't understand how anyone who actually believes in anything other than partisan power for its own sake would consider that option to be an attractive one.

(entire post here, link via Unqualified Offerings)

Please call your U.S. senators this morning and tell them to vote NO on the cloture motion on S. 2248. Your senators' contact information is available here.

Freedom Cartoons

Here are a couple of cool animated cartoons for Bill of Rights Day:





Links viadead_elvis and Randolph Carter of Grylliade.org.

Happy Holidays!

December is almost here, and with it, my two favorite holidays. No, not Christmas or New Year's Eve, but Repeal Day and Bill of Rights Day.

Next Wednesday, December 5, is Repeal Day, which commemorates the ratification of the 21st Amendment, which repealed the prohibition of alcohol.

Bill of Rights Day, which commemorates the ratification of the Bill of Rights, is on December 15, two weeks from tomorrow. JPFO has more information on Bill of Rights Day.

Open Letters to Charles Schumer and Chris Van Hollen

Senator Charles Schumer (D - New York) is the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate. Here's a copy of an e-mail message I sent to Senator Schumer:

Dear Chairman Schumer:

Every year I make contributions, totaling several hundred dollars, to various Democratic candidates and committees, including the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. However, I was extremely disappointed in the Democratic leadership's bringing the so-called "Protect America" Act to a vote, and Senate Democrats' failure to filibuster it, back in August.

The so-called "Protect America" Act will soon come up for renewal. If Congress sends President Bush a bill that either allows for warrantless wiretapping of Americans without individualized suspicion, or provides retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in Bush's illegal, warrantless wiretapping scheme, or both, then I will not contribute to the DSCC for the 2008 election cycle. Furthermore, I will withhold all contributions from congressional Democrats in general election campaigns, and instead contribute to primary challengers who run against Democrats who vote to gut FISA.

There aren't many issues that are absolutely non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, but this is one of them. If you want me to continue to contribute to your effort to elect a Democratic Senate, then you will make sure that Congress does not capitulate to Bush on either of these two points.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

cc:
The Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader
Mr. J. B. Poersch, Executive Director

Senator Schumer's counterpart in the U.S. House is Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Here's a copy of an e-mail I sent to Rep. Van Hollen

Dear Chairman Van Hollen:

Every year I make contributions, totaling several hundred dollars, to various Democratic candidates and committees, including the Democratic Congressionial Campaign Committee. However, I was extremely disappointed in the Democratic leadership's bringing the so-called "Protect America" Act to a vote, and House Democrats' failure to defeat it, back in August.

The so-called "Protect America" Act will soon come up for renewal. If Congress sends President Bush a bill that either allows for warrantless wiretapping of Americans without individualized suspicion, or provides retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in Bush's illegal, warrantless wiretapping scheme, or both, then I will not contribute to the DCCC for the 2008 election cycle. Furthermore, I will withhold all contributions from congressional Democrats in general election campaigns, and instead contribute to primary challengers who run against Democrats who vote to gut FISA.

There aren't many issues that are absolutely non-negotiable as far as I'm concerned, but this is one of them. If you want me to continue to contribute to your effort to elect a Democratic House, then you will make sure that Congress does not capitulate to Bush on either of these two points.

Sincerely,
Jason Sonenshein

cc:
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker
Mr. Brian Wolff, Executive Director

My contributions alone won't matter much to the DCCC and the DSCC. However, there probably are others who believe as I do. If you're a Democratic contributor, or a potential Democratic contributor, and you agree that another FISA cave-in would be a deal breaker, please let Senator Schumer and Representative Van Hollen know.

General Assembly Rushes to Halt Skill Game Emergency

In its continuing quest to stamp out fun in Ohio, the Ohio House of Representatives approved emergency legislation to ban skill games. Jim Siegel and James Nash of The Columbus Dispatch report:

The Ohio House voted overwhelmingly yesterday to put an immediate end to the proliferation of slot machine-like games in the state.

The bill would ban games with cash payouts or prizes with values of more than $10. It also bans tournaments, such as those for Golden Tee Golf machines, darts or pool, in which the house takes a cut of the proceeds.

[...]

If enacted, the law will be "devastating" to bars and other businesses that draw in customers with pool and dart tournaments and games such as Golden Tee Golf and Silver Strike Bowling, said David P. Corey, executive vice president of the Ohio Coin Machine Association. Many of those bars already are losing business because of the statewide smoking ban, he said.

(entire article here)

But wait, it gets worse. Mr. Nash also reports:

As written, the bill declares illegal any "mechanical, video, digital or electronic device" that pays out any amount of cash or merchandise with a wholesale value of $10 or more. It also bans tournaments in which the house takes a cut of the proceeds.

The restrictions alarm some bowling-alley proprietors, who say it's not hard to conceive of authorities defining a bowling alley as a mechanical device and a tournament purse as a cash payout. Several bowling operators are lobbying state senators to explicitly exempt them from the proposed law.

"This legislation appears to be extending way beyond just the skill-game issue," said Lee Zavakos, who owns a Dayton bowling alley and is an officer with the Bowling Proprietors Association of America. "They claim they're not coming after us, but there's language that's definitely going to hurt us."

Nearly all bowling leagues issue cash prizes to winners, said Jo Dimond, manager of the central Ohio chapter of the U.S. Bowling Conference.

(entire article here)

That's right, under this legislation, nearly all bowling leagues in Ohio could be illegal. This is emergency legislation, meaning that it would take effect immediately and opponents would not have the opportunity to collect signatures for a referendum to repeal it.

Our last chance to stop this legislation may be in the Ohio Senate. No Fun Ohio has an action alert, with contact information for your state senator. However, the correct bill number is 177, not 117, as No Fun Ohio states.* Please call or e-mail your state senator today and ask him or her to vote NO on Amended Substitute House Bill 177. Please also contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto H.B. 177.

In its rush to curb the gambling menace, the General Assembly is poised to outlaw bowling, dart, and pool tournaments. Meanwhile, the West Virginia Lottery Commission recently approved 24-hour-a-day table game operations at three locations, including two on Ohio's shores.

* Update: No Fun Ohio has since corrected the bill number.

Today is Your Last Chance

If you're an Ohio voter, today is your last chance to protect Ohio's economy against the loss of a quarter billion dollars of economic activity and 10,000 jobs. It's your last chance to protect your community's power to regulate adult entertainment as it sees fit. It's your last chance to protect the free choice of consenting adults. It's your last chance to protect your neighborhood from the proliferation of residential adult entertainment.

Today is the deadline to sign the petition to allow Ohio's voters to repeal Senate Bill 16. The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations where you can sign the petition. If you've not yet signed the petition, please go to one of these places today and sign it.

Last Chance to Stop Senate Bill 16

It's not looking very good for the referendum to overturn Senate Bill 16. The Plain Dealer reports:

State election officials said Friday that only 125,430 valid signatures had been gathered by the Vote No on Issue 1 Campaign - slightly more than half of the 241,366 needed to make the fall ballot. However, supporters of the ballot push have 10 days from Monday to continue collecting signatures.

"Obviously, those percentages are a lot lower than we had expected," said Sandy Theis, a spokeswoman for the strip club owners pushing for the vote. "I still think we have a very good chance to be on the ballot."

If you have not yet signed the petition, please do so as soon as possible. The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations throughout the state where you can sign.

Also, you can download a petition and circulate it among your friends. The Citizens for Community Standards provide instructions. Thanks to the good folks at the Ward 20 Democratic Club who signed my petition this past Tuesday night.

Last Chance to Put It on the Ballot

If you haven't yet signed the petition to put the Cuyahoga County sales tax increase to a vote, I'll be at the Fairview Park Regional Library from 6:30 to 9:00 pm tomorrow. PutItOnTheBallot.com also has a list of locations where you can turn in outstanding petitions tomorrow.

Put It on the Ballot

I'm helping to circulate petitions to let the voters decide on the sales tax increase recently passed by the Cuyahoga County commissioners. I'll be at the following west side rapid transit stations from 7:00 am to 8:00 am this week:

Tuesday - W. 150th and Puritas
Wednesday - West Park
Thursday - Trisket

For more locations where you can sign the petition, and for more ways to help, please visit PutItOnTheBallot.com. Any registered Cuyahoga County voter may sign the petition, and any Ohio resident may circulate petitions.

Act Now to Stop Warrantless Wiretapping

Jame Risen of The New York Times reports:

Under pressure from President Bush, Democratic leaders in Congress are scrambling to pass legislation this week to expand the government’s electronic wiretapping powers.

Democratic leaders have expressed a new willingness to work with the White House to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to make it easier for the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on some purely foreign telephone calls and e-mail. Such a step now requires court approval.

It would be the first change in the law since the Bush administration’s program of wiretapping without warrants became public in December 2005.

This is an outrage. Bush has provided no evidence that his illegal domestic spying scheme has made Americans safer against terrorism, and congressional Democrats appear likely to cave in to his demands. Worse yet, I have not been able to find any details of this legislation. Congress should not rush to pass any legislation amending FISA without allowing citizens to review and comment on it.

Please call or e-mail your members of Congress today and tell them not to rush to enact any legislation that would amend FISA. The ACLU provides talking points and an action alert that makes it easy to find your members' contact information. If you are a liekly Democratic primary voter, please contact Senators Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, and Joseph Biden. These for senators are running for president. Let them know that if they want your presidential vote next year, they will not vote to amend FISA before the August recess.

Hinchey Amendment Update

According to the Drug Policy Alliance, the Hinchey Amendment is scheduled to come to a vote this week, perhaps as early as tomorrow. The Hinchey Amendment would block funding for federal raids on medical marijuana dispensaries in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. If you haven't yet taken action on this, please do so now. Last year's vote on the Hinchey Amendment was the closest ever. Here's an excerpt from the DPA's action alert:

What to Do: Call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121. Ask to speak to your U.S. Representative. If you're not sure who represents you, the operator can tell you. You can also look up your Representative by entering your zip code at the top of the page.

What to Say: Once the operator transfers you to your Representative's office, give the person who answers the following message:

"Hi, I'm a constituent. I'm calling to urge my Representative to vote for the Hinchey medical marijuana amendment to the Commerce-Justice-Science ('CJS') spending bill, which will be voted on this week. This issue is very important to me."

(Hinchey is pronounced Hinchee.)

Then forward this alert to friends and family.

Some Quotes

"If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." -Samuel Adams

"The best jockey hinders the horse the least." -Eddie Arcaro

"Democracy means that when there's a knock in the door at 3 am, it's probably the milkman." -Winston Churchill

"The rifle itself has no moral stature, since it has no will of its own. Naturally, it may be used by evil men for evil purposes, but there are more good men than evil, and while the latter cannot be persuaded to the path of righteousness by propaganda, they can certainly be corrected by good men with rifles." -Jeff Cooper

"The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation." -Aliester Crowley

"When the government fears the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." -Thomas Jefferson

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." -Friedrich Nietzsche

Act Now to Stop the DEA's War on Sick Americans!

At the Drug War Rant, Pete Guither reports that the Hinchey Amendment, which would stop the Justice Department from arresting or prosecuting users and providers of medical marijuana in states where medical marijuana is legal under state law. Please take a few minutes to clikck on one of the following links and tell your U.S. representative to vote yes on the Hinchey Amendment to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations Bill. The Marijuana Policy Project, NORML, and StopTheDrugWar.org all make it easy to contact your congressman via e-mail. If you prefer to make a telephone call, Paulie Cannoli provides the number for the Capitol Hill switchboard, along with a brief telephone script.

Sign the Petition!

The Buckeye Association of Club Executives has a list of locations where you can sign the petition to overturn Senate Bill 16.

Mom's Column

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in newspapers throughout southern Ohio, including the Chillicothe Gazette.

Senate Bill 16

The Ohio General Assembly approved Rep. Lou Blessing's (R-Colerain Twp.) watered down version of Senate Bill 16, and Governor Strickland let it become law without his signature.

Jill Miller Zimon of Writes Like She Talks calls Governor Strickland's action "a mistake." I'm not so sure. I would have liked to have seen the governor stand up to the CCV and their porn-addicted ayatollah, but I think the governor's action here was understandable. The bill passed by veto-proof majorities in both houses. It probably wouldn't have been good for the governor if this had been his first veto override.

At The Audient Files, Audient points out a hilarious loophole in the new law:

(1) No patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family shall knowingly touch any employee while that employee is nude or seminude or touch the clothing of any employee while that employee is nude or seminude.

(2) No employee who regularly appears nude or seminude on the premises of a sexually oriented business, while on the premises of that sexually oriented business and while nude or seminude, shall knowingly touch a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or the clothing of a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or allow a patron who is not a member of the employee's immediate family or another employee who is not a member of the employee's immediate family to touch the employee or the clothing of the employee.

That's right. The law specifically exempts incestuous touching between exotic dancers and customers. Those Republicans with their family values!

I think the interest groups who opposed S.B. 16 should go for a referendum to overturn it. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 45% of Ohio voters supported the original version of S.B. 16 while 46% opposed it. In a referendum, a yes vote would be required for the new law to take effect, and undecided voters tend to vote no on ballot issues. It probably would be possible to swing public opinion against the new law by pointing out the incest exemption, and the possible proliferation of adult entertainment into residential neighborhoods. A referendum would be expensive, requiring over 241,366 signatures* to get on the ballot, but if opponents can afford it, they stand a good chance of winning.



*I think I figured that correctly. The Constitution requires signatures from 6% of voters to get a referendum on the ballot, and the secretary of state reports that 4,022,754 voters voted in last year's gubernatorial election. 6% of 4,022,754 is 241,366.

Legislative Updates

Aid Elimination Penalty

Still no news on the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee action on amendments to the Higher Education Act. If you haven't yet taken action on this, here's the action alert from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy. The SSDP also provides more information about the aid elimination penalty.

Senate Bill 16

• The Ohio House Judiciary Committee held hearings on Senate Bill 16 today. The Associated Press, via The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Chairman Louis Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) has doubts about the constitutionality of the bill, and has called the 6-foot distance requirement "ridiculous."
• At the Progress Ohio blog, Dave Harding catches the Citizens for Community Values in a lie. I guess the CCV doesn't consider the truth to be a community value.
• Aaron Marshall of The Plain Dealer reports that Dennis Roche, president of the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland has weighed in against S.B. 16, saying that Cleveland would be at a competitive disadvantage with convention locations that have a "progressive attitude toward adults and their ability to make their own decisions."
• Thanks to Writes Like She Talks, Brewed Fresh Daily, Really Bad Cleveland Accent, Unsought Input, Framed, guidedbynoises.net, and any other blogs that might have linked to my initial post on S.B. 16.
  
• Finally, if you haven't yet taken action, please contact your state representative, or sign the on-line petition at StopTheHouse.com. Also, please contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto S.B. 16 if it reaches his desk.
  

Senate Bill 16 Update

The House Judiciary Committee heard testimony regarding Senate Bill 16 last Thursday, and is scheduled to hold another hearing on the bill on Wednesday, according to the House Committee Schedule.

Some dancers have formed a group called Dancers for Democracy, which is scheduled to hold a press conference tomorrow morning at 10:00. Progress Ohio has the details.

If you have not yet contacted your state representative, please do so. Stop The House has a petition you can sign. If you prefer to compose your own message, you can find your representative's contact information here. Here are some points to make:

1. Bad for Neighborhoods: Senate Bill 16 would push adult entertainment out of commercial zones and into residential neighborhoods, where it would be harder to regulate.
   
2. Bad for Taxpayers: Adult entertainment generates $250 million in economic activity in Ohio. If local governments lose the tax revenue from this economic activity, some of them will have to make up the shortfall, probably by raising taxes.
3. Bad for Cities: Local governments already have the power to regulate strip clubs. Senate Bill 16 would take this power away by setting a statewide standard that might or might not be right for each individual community.
4. Bad for Ohio: For the above reasons, Senate Bill 16 is bad for all Ohioans, including those of us who have no interest in the adult entertainment industry.

Aaron Marshall of The Plain Dealer reports that Governor Strickland has not decided whether to sign or veto the bill. Please contact Governor Strickland and ask him to veto Senate Bill 16 if it reaches his desk. Go here to find the governor's contact information

Aid Elimination Penalty Update

Last week, I posted an action alert from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy regarding the aid elimination penalty, which bars students with drug convictions from receiving federal student aid. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee is considering an amendment to the Higher Education Act that would eliminate the penalty. According to Pete Guither of Drug WarRant, the committee could vote on the amendment late this week or early next week. Ohio's own Senator Sherrod Brown is on the committee. Here is a complete list of HELP Committee members:

Members:	Members:
Kennedy, Edward (MA) , Chairman Dodd, Christopher (CT) Harkin, Tom (IA) Mikulski, Barbara (MD) Bingaman, Jeff (NM) Murray, Patty (WA) Reed, John (RI) Clinton, Hillary (NY) Obama, Barack (IL) Sanders, Bernard (VT) Brown, Sherrod (OH)	Enzi, Michael (WY), Ranking Member Gregg, Judd (NH) Alexander, Lamar (TN) Burr, Richard (NC) Isakson, Johnny (GA) Murkowski, Lisa (AK) Hatch, Orrin (UT) Roberts, Pat (KS) Allard, A. (CO) Coburn, Tom (OK)

Three names on that list stand out. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are running for president, and Senator Chris Dodd seems to think he's running for president. If you're a likely voter in next year's Democratic primaries or caucuses, please call Senators Clinton, Obama, and Dodd and tell them to vote to repeal the aid elimination penalty. Here's a sample script from the SSDP:

* When the receptionist in your senator's office answers the phone, politely say something like: "My name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR CITY]. When the HELP Committee revises the Higher Education Act soon, I hope that the senator will make sure to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. This law causes more, not less, drug abuse by blocking access to education."

All senators' offices can be reached through the Capitol Hill switchboard at (202) 224-3121.

Senate Bill 16 - Bad for Neighborhoods, Bad for Ohio

In this post (link probably NSFW), an adult entertainer by the name of Strippergreyson predicts that Senate Bill 16 would lead to more adult entertainment in private residences:

Well, it looks like a win for private dancers such as myself. The US Supreme Court has already stated that governments cannot ban adult entertainment. All this will do is close clubs and push dancers into private homes.

There is only one problem with that for the CCV. It is understood that constitutional freedoms are even stronger and open to less regulation in a private residence.

Like I said, dancers will flee the clubs like rats from a sinking ship if the money dries up. They will simply follow the money to private parties in private homes.

(link via Technorati)
Strippergreyson is probably right. Vice laws don't make vice go away, they just push it underground or behind closed doors, and S.B. 16 would be no exception. The movement of adult entertainment into private residences is disturbing for a couple of reasons.

First, I seem to remember a recent case out of Durham, North Carolina that involved exotic dancing at a party in a private residence. You might have read or heard something about that case. It attracted a fair bit of media attention.

It would be disingenuous to argue that adult entertainment in a private residence proximately caused the Duke lacrosse debacle. It had more to do with a complainant who lied and a prosecutor who withheld exculpatory evidence. And yet, had the Duke lacrosse players gone to a strip club rather than held a private party, things would have been better for all concerned. First, there would probably not have been any underage drinking. Licensed establishments take the prevention of underage drinking very seriously. Otherwise, they don't stay licensed for long. Second, there would have been a lot of disinterested eyewitnesses around. Third, strip clubs have bouncers, so strip club patrons who get out of hand are removed from the premises.

Another problem with the proliferation of residential adult entertainment that likely would result from Senate Bill 16 is the negative effect on neighborhoods. I don't think I'd want one of my neighbors regularly holding adult entertainment parties in my neighborhood, making noise and taking up all of the street parking. S.B. 16 would make such a scenario more likely than it is now.

You can help prevent the proliferation of adult entertainment in residential neighborhoods. Please tell your state representative to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. Go here to find your representative's contact information.

Act Now to Stop Senate Bill 16

(Scroll down for update.)

If you live in Ohio, please contact your state representative today and tell him or her to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. It's not just bad for strip clubs; it's bad for all Ohioans. The Ohio General Assembly makes it easy to find your representative's contact information here.

On Tuesday, the Ohio Senate approved Senate Bill 16, which would place new restrictions on strip clubs and other adult entertainment establishments. Aaron Marshall of the Plain Dealer reports:

A bill that would effectively end the strip club world as we know it in Ohio passed the Senate Tuesday afternoon in a 24-8 vote.

Senate Bill 16 was proposed by an initiative petition filed by the Citizens for Community Values, a Cincinnati-area group that successfully pushed the gay marriage ban in Ohio. The bill was approved 7-1 Tuesday morning by the Senate's State and Local Government Committee.

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives. Every Ohioan, even those of us who aren't strip club patrons, should oppose this bill. Here are some points to consider:

• The organization pushing S.B. 16 is led by self-proclaimed former porn addict Phil Burress. I guess Mr. Burress has trouble conducting himself responsibly when it comes to sexual matters, and so he figures the rest of us do too. As Aleister Crowley said, "The Prohibitionist must always be a person of no moral character; for he cannot even conceive of the possibility of a man capable of resisting temptation."
• The adult entertainment industry generates $250 million per year in Ohio, according to Angelina Spencer, who testified in committee against Senate Bill 16. If this economic activity is eliminated, state and local governments will lose tax revenue, and will probably have to raise your taxes to make up the shortfall. If S.B. 16 becomes law, hold onto your wallet!
• Ms. Spencer also stated that adult entertainment employs 10,000 people in Ohio. The last time I checked, Ohio didn't have 10,000 extra jobs waiting to be filled. More excerpts from Ms. Spencer's testimony can be found at the Progress Ohio blog.
• At Writes Like She Talks, Jill Miller Zimon attacks S.B. 16 on local home-rule grounds. Ms. Zimon points out that the General Assembly just gave townships the power to regulate strip clubs last August, and now is poised to take that power away by setting a statewide standard.
• If S.B. 16 becomes law, an exotic dancer who gets within 6 feet of a customer would be committing a first-degree misdemeanor. Some other first-degree misdemeanors in Ohio are assault, theft, domestic violence, aggravated menacing, and negligent homicide. It's more than a little ridiculous to put a stripper getting too close to a customer in the same league with such fairly serious crimes.
• S.B. 16 would be futile. Prostitution is illegal in Ohio, but you wouldn't know it by looking at the advertisements in the back pages of the Scene, the Free Times, or other alternative weeklies. If police can't enforce laws against prostitution, what makes anyone think they'll be able to enforce S.B. 16?
• S.B. 16 won't keep Ohioans from attending strip clubs. Ohio strip club customers would just go out of state, just as Ohio casino customers currently do. No part of Ohio is more than half a day's drive away from Canada, which offers not only full-contact exotic dancing (or so I've heard), but also legal prostitution.
• And speaking of Canada, take a look at these statistics from the Public Health Agency of Canada and compare them to these statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Canada's rates of most of the sexually transmitted diseases that both agencies report are substantially lower than those in the United States. Additionally, Canada has a lower abortion rate than the United States, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute. While correlation doesn't necessarily imply causation, it would seem that Canada's tolerant attitude toward sex work isn't causing too much harm to the health or morals of Canadians.
• Finally, and probably most importantly, if you don't like strip clubs, you don't have to go to them. Consenting adults should be free to choose whether and under what conditions they operate, patronize, or work in strip clubs. The State of Ohio has no business making that choice for its citizens.

If you live in Ohio, please contact your state representative today and tell him or her to vote NO on Senate Bill 16. It's not just bad for strip clubs; it's bad for all Ohioans. The Ohio General Assembly makes it easy to find your representative's contact information here.

UPDATE: Daniel Jack Williamson makes a great point in the comments section on this post at Writes Like She Talks. Mr. Williamson points out how S.B. 16 might actually increase prostitution. As Mr. Williamson states, "Those that support this bill haven't understood that more "restrictive" does not equal more effective." If you're on the fence on this, please read Mr. Williamson's entire comment.

Supreme Court Upholds Federal Ban on "Partial Birth" Abortion

Mark Sherman of the Associated Press reports:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long- awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench.

The 5-4 ruling said the Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act that Congress passed and President Bush signed into law in 2003 does not violate a woman's constitutional right to an abortion.

The opponents of the act "have not demonstrated that the Act would be unconstitutional in a large fraction of relevant cases," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion.

The decision pitted the court's conservatives against its liberals, with President Bush's two appointees, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito, siding with the majority.

(entire article here)

If you voted for Ralph Nader in 2000, especially if you live in Florida or New Hampshire, I hope you're proud of what you helped to accomplish.

Urgent Action Alert from the SSDP

Here's an e-mail I received today from the Students for Sensible Drug Policy:

As a resident of OH, you can play a huge role in helping Students for Sensible Drug Policy overturn the harmful and unfair law that strips financial aid from college students with drug convictions.

That's because Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is a member of the committee that will be deciding whether to get rid of or keep the aid elimination penalty THIS WEEK!

Thousands of people from all across the country have taken action in our nearly decade-long campaign to repeal this law, but now you and other supporters in OH can help us ensure victory and reinstate financial aid to hundreds of thousands of students.

There are two easy things you can do to help:

1) Members of the Senate HELP Committee need to hear that constituents like you support repealing the penalty, so please speak your mind by making a phone call to your senator's office today.

* Dial the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. When the operator answers, ask to be connected with the office of Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

* When the receptionist in your senator's office answers the phone, politely say something like: "My name is [YOUR NAME] and I live in [YOUR CITY]. When the HELP Committee revises the Higher Education Act soon, I hope that the senator will make sure to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. This law causes more, not less, drug abuse by blocking access to education."

2) Once you've made a call, please take another 30 seconds to follow up by sending a pre-written e-mail to your legislators on Capitol Hill. We've made it as easy as possible for you to help; all you have to do is visit http://www.SchoolsNotPrisons.com/help/ and enter your contact information.

This is our best chance to overturn the aid elimination penalty since it was enacted in 1998, so please forward this message to all your friends and family so they can take action too.

I checked Thomas, which doesn't show any action on this, so I hope I'm not too late. If you live in Ohio, please call Senator Brown's office as soon as possible and tell him to vote to get rid of the harmful and unfair law that takes away financial aid from college students with drug convictions. For those of you in other states, here's a link to the SSDP's action alert.

Using the Dead to Make a Point

The victims of the shooting earlier today in Blacksburg haven't been dead for a full day, and already Paul Helmke of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Self Defense Gun Violence can't wait to use them to score political points. Here's an excerpt from a quote by Mr. Helmke in a Brady Campaign press release:

"...we've done nothing as a country to end gun violence in our schools and communities. If anything, we've made it easier to access powerful weapons.

"We have now seen another horrible tragedy that will never be forgotten. It is long overdue for us to take some common-sense actions to prevent tragedies like this from continuing to occur."

Contrast the Brady Campaign's exploitation of this horrible crime with this statement from the National Rifle Association:

The National Rifle Association joins the entire country in expressing our deepest condolences to the families of Virginia Tech University and everyone else affected by this horrible tragedy.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families.

We will not have further comment until all the facts are known.

I'm almost always up for a spirited debate on gun control, but now really isn't the time. Now is the time to mourn the dead and keep those they left behind in our thoughts.

Mom's Column

My favorite elected official's quarterly newspaper column recently appeared in several fine publications throughout southern Ohio, including the Lawrence Herald and the Community Press.

How Does an Asshole Walk his Dog?

Go here to find the answer. (link via Brewed Fresh Daily)

The Vice Fund

Here's a link to something interesting I heard on NPR last weekend. Debbie Elliott interviewed Charles Norton, manager of the Vice Fund, which invests in tobacco, alcohol, gambling and defense companies. Finally, a socially responsible fund I can get behind.

To Serve and Protect Terrorize and Endanger

Carl Chancellor of the Akron Beacon Journal reports:

Georgette Prince was making a quick run to the store last Thursday morning for orange soda and lottery tickets -- a venture that should have been an uneventful five-minute trip but became a terrifying 20-minute ordeal.

The unsuspecting Prince was caught in the storm of a SWAT team raid that had her in fear for her life.

"I thought I was going to be shot. I thought I was going to die," Prince recalled over the weekend as she sat in the living room of her Grace Avenue home.

She said she was just stepping out the front door of Mr. Pantry, a Copley Road convenience store, when her world became a frantic, frightening blur of guns, shouts and shoves of helmeted, armored men with guns.

[...]

Prince said she and her 12-year-old son, Davonte, drove to the store around 10 a.m. He waited for her in the their Jeep as she made her purchases and started back.

"I was holding the pop in my arms and was backing out the door, pushing it open with my back," Prince said.

"The next thing I know, I'm being shoved back into the store and someone is pointing a rifle at me, yelling at me to get back, get back and to get down on the floor."

With the rifle trained on her and an officer clad in helmet and body armor advancing toward her, Prince went to the floor face-down. She said her hands were pulled behind her back and she was handcuffed.

"I was crying and telling them my son was outside in the car," she said.

According to Prince, another customer, a man, ran toward the cooler when officers barged in and she saw the owner of the store at the counter.

"He had a gun on his hip... ," Prince said. "I was just hoping he didn't do anything. I was thinking if the owner made any kind of move, I was going to get killed.

"They (the officers) kept yelling: 'Tell us where the guns and money are.' I was so scared."

Outside the store, Prince's son found himself in an equally frightening situation as he stared down the barrel of a rifle.

"I was just sitting in the car waiting for my mom" when a SWAT officer pointed a rifle at him, Davonte said.

"He was looking at me through the rifle's scope and telling me to get out of the Jeep, get on the ground and put my hands behind my back," Davonte said.

The Perkins Middle School student said he complied and lay on the ground, which was wet from the morning's rain.

(entire article here, link via Hit and Run)

Not only did the sheriff's deputies terrorize Ms. Prince and her son, they also recklessly exposed the Princes, and any other customers who might have been in the store, to unnecessary danger.

[Captain] Roach and [Inspector] Thornton explained that a SWAT entry was used because the "target," the store owner, allegedly had a violent background and carried a gun.

Roach said it was understood that there was "the potential for customers" inside the store.

In other words, the deputies knew of the risk that the suspect would be armed and violent, and they knew of the possibility that customers would be in the store, but they recklessly chose to risk putting those customers in the crossfire between a SWAT team and an armed, allegedly violent, suspect.

The perpetrators of the assaults on Ms. Prince and her son report to the Honorable Drew Alexander, whose contact information is as follows:

Phone: (330) 643-2181

Fax: (330) 434-3513

e-mail: drewalexander@summitsheriff.com

Sheriff Alexander is up for re-election next year.

"First God made the idiot for practice...

...and then He made the school board." So said Mark Twain. I'm not going to name any names, but watch this video of a Mason Board of Education meeting and see how true Mr. Twain's words still are.

Words of Wisdom from Dennis Kucinich

My congressman on the drug war:

I have studied the issue for decades and recognize that our "War on Drugs" has failed. In fact, because our War on Drugs drives up the price, it encourages violence. Prohibition simply doesn't work. It only creates thousands and thousands of Al Capones. Prison should be for people who hurt other people, not themselves. We don't jail people for merely drinking. We jail people when they drink and drive or hurt another human.

[...]

The shredding of our rights to privacy and property promoted by the Drug War is inconsistent with a free society. Criminalization of private or self-destructive behavior is not acceptable in a free nation.

(entire statement here, link via StopTheDrugWar.org, via To the People)