Hehehe...things are getting fun! Please see original article for links
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19991015_xex_can_internet.shtml
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY
Can Internet
curb Clinton power?
'We're not surrendering, we're
fighting back,' congressman vows
By Sarah Foster
© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
Inspired in part by the successful use of the Internet in
derailing the "Know Your Customer" regulation
promulgated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Agency,
a group of 14 congressmen and eight constitutional
attorneys plan to take the fight for American liberties
and national sovereignty to cyberspace.
The Liberty Study Committee ( http://www.libertystudy.org ), organized by Rep. Ron
Paul, R-Texas, will focus on three interrelated issues:
privacy, including efforts to require Americans to have a
national ID; presidential executive orders; and the
United Nations.
"I am sorry and dismayed that our liberty is indeed being
taken," Paul says, explaining the mission of the
committee. "However, regret and disappointment are
not the same as surrender. We are not surrendering, we
are fighting back."
And they are doing so with determination. According to
Kent Snyder, the group's executive director, the Liberty
Study Committee is not a think tank or research
foundation, but an "action-oriented organization" that
will enable Americans to make their voices heard in
Congress.
"Everything we do is to advance the legislative remedy
to a problem," Snyder told WorldNetDaily. "That's
priority one for the Liberty Study Committee. There are
plenty of organizations that do research, and we
encourage that, but our primary focus is not education
but the legislative solution. Everything we do must
advance the solution -- a specific piece of legislation.
And we will use the Internet to do it."
Although it's a new group, the Liberty Study Committee
has already made its presence felt on Capitol Hill.
Earlier this year they set up a website,
NoNationalID.com. With a click of a mouse, people
could write what they thought about national IDs and
e-mail the message directly to their representative and
the two senators from their state.
On Oct. 1, the House passed the Omnibus
Transportation Bill, which included a rider by Sen.
Richard Shelby, R-Ala., repealing a section of a statute
passed in 1996 requiring that, as of Oct. 1, 2000,
Americans would be forced to carry a national ID.
Under provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Responsibility Act, without an ID no one would be
allowed to board a commercial flight, purchase a
handgun, receive federal benefits or take a new, private
sector job.
Although the repeal language survived the House
Appropriations Committee, there was concern that it
might be deleted on the floors of the House and possibly
the Senate.
That didn't happen. The repeal language was kept by
both houses -- thanks in large part to public response
flooding congressional offices with e-mails, faxes and
letters.
"This is a great moment for all Americans," said Paul,
who led the fight in the House. "We have succeeded in
defeating a program that would have deprived
Americans of constitutional liberties, while imposing a
massive federal bureaucracy to monitor their every step
from cradle to grave."
Snyder detailed the victory to WorldNetDaily.
"We had a lot of people going to the site, a lot of people
sending messages at the very last minute," Snyder said.
"Sources who were involved in the process admitted
that our presence was definitely felt."
Although elated, Snyder cautioned that "the issue isn't
going to go away."
"The committee must remain alert for any push for any
form of a national ID card," he said. "We know that the
forces that want a national ID will continue to work for
it, and we'll continue to fight it."
With one victory to their credit, the Liberty Study
Committee is turning attention to other areas of
concern.
"The 72-hour effort was a practice run for a much larger
effort," said Snyder.
"The effort to stop the national ID within a 72-hour
period was a success ... so we are taking that success
and using it as a first step towards a similar effort on
executive orders, the United Nations, and the other
issues related to a national ID. We have the model, we
have activists nationwide who have used it, we are
becoming better known by liberty-minded individuals
throughout the country."
At present, the Committee is focusing on the president's
practice of issuing executive orders to expand
presidential power and set policy agendas, something
Paul and his colleagues find particularly egregious.
"By using executive orders and declarations of
emergency, President Clinton is vastly increasing the
power of the national government over us," says Paul.
"He is also concentrating more power in his hands alone
by taking the legislative power that rightfully belongs to
the 535 men and women of the United States Congress.
With each stroke of his pen, he is effectively rewriting
our Constitution."
Paul cites as examples:
Presidential Decision Directive 25 enables the
U.S. military to be moved under U.N. command
without congressional approval.
Executive Order 12919 directs cabinet officials
to take over all aspects of the economy during a
declared state of emergency. It effectively puts
the entire United States under the control of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Currently, the U.S. operates under 14 states of
emergency.
Executive Order 13133, titled "Working Group
on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet," was issued
Aug. 7, 1999, stipulating that a group of agency
heads will define "unlawful conduct."
President Clinton has signed over 300 executive orders
since assuming office in January 1993. The number
doesn't include the presidential directives (which are
kept secret), the various initiatives -- such as the Clean
Water Initiative -- that also provide a way for the
administration to make end runs around Congress and
justify federal intervention in state and local
governments.
"We'd need a lifespan of 300 years to fight all the
executive orders and initiatives if we take them on one
at a time," said Snyder. "If we attack the orders in a
piecemeal way, we'd be going round and round like
gerbils in a cage.
"The only solution is a comprehensive bill -- right now
that's Rep. Paul's HR 2655 -- the Separation of Powers
Restoration Act."
Paul introduced HR 2655 this July, with co-author Jack
Metcalf, R-Wash. It builds on House Concurrent
Resolution 30 which Metcalf introduced in March, but
which failed to get out of committee. HR 2655 is far
broader than its predecessor.
If enacted, HR 2655 would:
Repeal the War Powers Resolution and end all
states of national emergency.
Require that treaties and executive agreements
purporting to assign powers not amongst those
specifically granted to the federal government by
the Constitution would be non-binding.
Require that the president, in issuing executive
orders, cite the specific congressional enactment
and the constitutional authority on which it's
based.
Prohibit delegation of power to a foreign
government or international body when no such
delegating authority exists under the Constitution.
Grant legal standing to individual members of
Congress, state officials and private citizens who
believe a presidential executive order is
unconstitutional.
As it did to fight the national ID law, the Liberty Study
Committee has set up a special website,
executiveorders.org with information about executive
orders -- what they are, how they work, what they do,
as well as a bibliography about executive orders and
emergency powers for people who want to explore the
issue in depth.
"At this juncture, we want to make the public aware of
the subject of executive orders and the abuses," said
Snyder. "There will be an endless list of abuses --
examples of the usurpation by the president of
congressional powers. They represent the total
breakdown of the separation between the presidency
and the Congress. Our first step is to throw some light
on this subject."
Asked what people should do about the problem,
Snyder urged that they use the website, just as they did
to oppose the national ID.
"I'd advise them to go to our site to read about
executive orders -- then find out online if their
representative is a co-sponsor of HR 2655. If they are
not, then send them a message urging them to become a
co-sponsor. Currently we have eight. There are a lot
that have not signed on. If they are co-sponsors, then
send a message of thanks.
"We're involving the public step by step in the legislative
process. It's very simple: Here's the issue, here's the
remedy. They must urge their representatives to take a
stand on the issue of presidential executive orders by
supporting HR 2655." [/quote]
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
[This message has been edited by DC (edited October 15, 1999).]
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19991015_xex_can_internet.shtml
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY
Can Internet
curb Clinton power?
'We're not surrendering, we're
fighting back,' congressman vows
By Sarah Foster
© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
Inspired in part by the successful use of the Internet in
derailing the "Know Your Customer" regulation
promulgated by the Federal Deposit Insurance Agency,
a group of 14 congressmen and eight constitutional
attorneys plan to take the fight for American liberties
and national sovereignty to cyberspace.
The Liberty Study Committee ( http://www.libertystudy.org ), organized by Rep. Ron
Paul, R-Texas, will focus on three interrelated issues:
privacy, including efforts to require Americans to have a
national ID; presidential executive orders; and the
United Nations.
"I am sorry and dismayed that our liberty is indeed being
taken," Paul says, explaining the mission of the
committee. "However, regret and disappointment are
not the same as surrender. We are not surrendering, we
are fighting back."
And they are doing so with determination. According to
Kent Snyder, the group's executive director, the Liberty
Study Committee is not a think tank or research
foundation, but an "action-oriented organization" that
will enable Americans to make their voices heard in
Congress.
"Everything we do is to advance the legislative remedy
to a problem," Snyder told WorldNetDaily. "That's
priority one for the Liberty Study Committee. There are
plenty of organizations that do research, and we
encourage that, but our primary focus is not education
but the legislative solution. Everything we do must
advance the solution -- a specific piece of legislation.
And we will use the Internet to do it."
Although it's a new group, the Liberty Study Committee
has already made its presence felt on Capitol Hill.
Earlier this year they set up a website,
NoNationalID.com. With a click of a mouse, people
could write what they thought about national IDs and
e-mail the message directly to their representative and
the two senators from their state.
On Oct. 1, the House passed the Omnibus
Transportation Bill, which included a rider by Sen.
Richard Shelby, R-Ala., repealing a section of a statute
passed in 1996 requiring that, as of Oct. 1, 2000,
Americans would be forced to carry a national ID.
Under provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and
Responsibility Act, without an ID no one would be
allowed to board a commercial flight, purchase a
handgun, receive federal benefits or take a new, private
sector job.
Although the repeal language survived the House
Appropriations Committee, there was concern that it
might be deleted on the floors of the House and possibly
the Senate.
That didn't happen. The repeal language was kept by
both houses -- thanks in large part to public response
flooding congressional offices with e-mails, faxes and
letters.
"This is a great moment for all Americans," said Paul,
who led the fight in the House. "We have succeeded in
defeating a program that would have deprived
Americans of constitutional liberties, while imposing a
massive federal bureaucracy to monitor their every step
from cradle to grave."
Snyder detailed the victory to WorldNetDaily.
"We had a lot of people going to the site, a lot of people
sending messages at the very last minute," Snyder said.
"Sources who were involved in the process admitted
that our presence was definitely felt."
Although elated, Snyder cautioned that "the issue isn't
going to go away."
"The committee must remain alert for any push for any
form of a national ID card," he said. "We know that the
forces that want a national ID will continue to work for
it, and we'll continue to fight it."
With one victory to their credit, the Liberty Study
Committee is turning attention to other areas of
concern.
"The 72-hour effort was a practice run for a much larger
effort," said Snyder.
"The effort to stop the national ID within a 72-hour
period was a success ... so we are taking that success
and using it as a first step towards a similar effort on
executive orders, the United Nations, and the other
issues related to a national ID. We have the model, we
have activists nationwide who have used it, we are
becoming better known by liberty-minded individuals
throughout the country."
At present, the Committee is focusing on the president's
practice of issuing executive orders to expand
presidential power and set policy agendas, something
Paul and his colleagues find particularly egregious.
"By using executive orders and declarations of
emergency, President Clinton is vastly increasing the
power of the national government over us," says Paul.
"He is also concentrating more power in his hands alone
by taking the legislative power that rightfully belongs to
the 535 men and women of the United States Congress.
With each stroke of his pen, he is effectively rewriting
our Constitution."
Paul cites as examples:
Presidential Decision Directive 25 enables the
U.S. military to be moved under U.N. command
without congressional approval.
Executive Order 12919 directs cabinet officials
to take over all aspects of the economy during a
declared state of emergency. It effectively puts
the entire United States under the control of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Currently, the U.S. operates under 14 states of
emergency.
Executive Order 13133, titled "Working Group
on Unlawful Conduct on the Internet," was issued
Aug. 7, 1999, stipulating that a group of agency
heads will define "unlawful conduct."
President Clinton has signed over 300 executive orders
since assuming office in January 1993. The number
doesn't include the presidential directives (which are
kept secret), the various initiatives -- such as the Clean
Water Initiative -- that also provide a way for the
administration to make end runs around Congress and
justify federal intervention in state and local
governments.
"We'd need a lifespan of 300 years to fight all the
executive orders and initiatives if we take them on one
at a time," said Snyder. "If we attack the orders in a
piecemeal way, we'd be going round and round like
gerbils in a cage.
"The only solution is a comprehensive bill -- right now
that's Rep. Paul's HR 2655 -- the Separation of Powers
Restoration Act."
Paul introduced HR 2655 this July, with co-author Jack
Metcalf, R-Wash. It builds on House Concurrent
Resolution 30 which Metcalf introduced in March, but
which failed to get out of committee. HR 2655 is far
broader than its predecessor.
If enacted, HR 2655 would:
Repeal the War Powers Resolution and end all
states of national emergency.
Require that treaties and executive agreements
purporting to assign powers not amongst those
specifically granted to the federal government by
the Constitution would be non-binding.
Require that the president, in issuing executive
orders, cite the specific congressional enactment
and the constitutional authority on which it's
based.
Prohibit delegation of power to a foreign
government or international body when no such
delegating authority exists under the Constitution.
Grant legal standing to individual members of
Congress, state officials and private citizens who
believe a presidential executive order is
unconstitutional.
As it did to fight the national ID law, the Liberty Study
Committee has set up a special website,
executiveorders.org with information about executive
orders -- what they are, how they work, what they do,
as well as a bibliography about executive orders and
emergency powers for people who want to explore the
issue in depth.
"At this juncture, we want to make the public aware of
the subject of executive orders and the abuses," said
Snyder. "There will be an endless list of abuses --
examples of the usurpation by the president of
congressional powers. They represent the total
breakdown of the separation between the presidency
and the Congress. Our first step is to throw some light
on this subject."
Asked what people should do about the problem,
Snyder urged that they use the website, just as they did
to oppose the national ID.
"I'd advise them to go to our site to read about
executive orders -- then find out online if their
representative is a co-sponsor of HR 2655. If they are
not, then send them a message urging them to become a
co-sponsor. Currently we have eight. There are a lot
that have not signed on. If they are co-sponsors, then
send a message of thanks.
"We're involving the public step by step in the legislative
process. It's very simple: Here's the issue, here's the
remedy. They must urge their representatives to take a
stand on the issue of presidential executive orders by
supporting HR 2655." [/quote]
------------------
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
[This message has been edited by DC (edited October 15, 1999).]
