DISCLLSE ACT PASSED IN HOUSE - FIGHT MOVES TO THE SENATE
This afternoon House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forced the free-speech limiting DISCLOSE Act through the House of Representatives.
Because of the heroic efforts of gun rights activists like you, the DISCLOSE Act barely passed with a vote of 219 to 206. YOUR pressure -- your phone calls, your e-mails -- turned the easy passage of this measure into a tough and expensive political battle
(Click here to see how your Congressman voted.)
OF COURSE LARSEN, INSLEY, BAIRD voted to pass the act!
Thank you for your commitment to this important fight -- you are making a difference!
We must continue the pressure to stop this in the Senate. If passed into law, it could silence virtually every state and national conservative group in the country, including the National Association for Gun Rights and any state level gun organizations you may belong to.
The DISCLOSE Act is a direct attack on your First Amendment right to petition Congress and mention legislation or voting records during the election season.
You and I both know that election season is the best time to hold politicians accountable for their votes.
The DISCLOSE Act is designed to silence grassroots activists LIKE YOU and protect the Establishment politicians in Washington. The DISCLOSE Act will affect every political organization you belong to, on any and every issue.
The fight against the free-speech infringement that is the DISCLOSE Act must now be taken to the U.S. Senate.
Without a doubt, our right to free speech hangs in the balance -- and today’s vote is step in the wrong direction.
However, I am still optimistic.
If activists like you and me can keep the pressure up in the U.S. Senate, we still have a chance of killing this awful legislation.
Please, call both your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121 and demand that they publicly oppose the DISCLOSE Act.
Tell them that any vote to restrict free-speech will be considered a vote against Freedom!
BACKGROUND:
Once again, free speech and political liberty are under attack in Congress.
And this time they have a surprising assailant -- the National Rifle Association.
You see, if there is one thing the establishment hates, it is watching its hand-picked candidates be held accountable for their records on liberty issues.
They want their Big Government power grabs to go unnoticed.
After watching some of their favorites go down in flames in race after race these past few months and seeing their statist schemes like Cap and Tax grind to a halt as a result of a massive uprising by liberty-loving Americans, they plan to strike back.
In a move that has dire consequences for our First Amendment right to freedom of speech and for our ability to fight for our freedoms, incumbent politicians have colluded with a super-sized establishment lobbying group, the National Rifle Association, to push H.R. 5175, the DISCLOSE ACT, or as I like to call it, the "Establishment Protection Act," through the House of Representatives as soon as this week.
According to Politico, the NRA bargained for an exemption for itself and other large, established groups while trampling the rights of private citizens, new groups (like Campaign for Liberty), and small organizations. As John Bresnahan reports, "The proposal would exempt organizations that have more than 1 million members, have been in existence for more than 10 years, have members in all 50 states and raise 15 percent or less of their funds from corporations... The NRA, with 4 million members, will not actively oppose the DISCLOSE Act, according to Democratic sources."
RedState's Erick Erickson mentions one of our Regional Conference sponsors when saying, "I support Gun Owners of America, which is a consistent and uncompromising defender of the second amendment, not a weak little girl of an organization protecting itself while throwing everyone else under the bus."
Another pro-gun organization, the National Association for Gun Rights, said in a national email, "And frankly, this craven deal by the NRA will damage our gun rights and our free speech rights."
As we hold politicians accountable and put them on record with our issue discussion program, the Establishment Protection Act will force organizations to turn over the names of their "top" donors for exercising our First Amendment rights.
You see, they are targeting PATRIOT groups because they think their "right" to hold office is more important than your rights to privacy and free speech.
They watch as we inform you which candidates support the Constitution and which candidates refuse to take a stand on liberty issues.
And they know we won't play their Washington game of trading principle for power. They want to silence us once and for all by going after donors and supporters.
WE will not be silenced, and we will lead the fight against the Establishment Protection Act so you have the right to speak freely without your name and personal information being turned over to Big Brother.
Call Representative Rick Larsen at 202-225-2605 right away and INSIST they uphold your First Amendment right to free speech and vote against H.R. 5175, the Establishment Protection Act.
After you contact your representative, call the NRA headquarters at 1-800-672-3888 and their Legislative Action group at 1-800-392-8683 and let them know how you feel about their move to stab freedom organizations in the back.
Guns and Free Speech
The NRA sells out to Democrats on the First Amendment.
NRA Promises to Hold Fire on Campaign Disclosure Bill
By
Tory NewmyerRoll Call Staff June 15, 2010, 3:28 p.m.
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The National Rifle Association is publicly pledging to uphold its end of the bargain with House Democratic leadership over a measure to roll back a controversial Supreme Court decision on political spending.
The gun lobby’s position, in essence: Leave us alone, and we’ll leave your bill alone. The opposition of the powerhouse grass-roots organization was threatening to sink the broader package, so leaders crafted a carve-out to exempt it from new disclosure requirements.
In an unattributed statement Tuesday afternoon, the group confirmed the deal. “As a result, and as long as that remains the case, the NRA will not be involved in final consideration of the House bill,” the statement said.
But while pledging neutrality, the group made clear that without a carve-out, it would otherwise object to the DISCLOSE Act, which is designed to beef up disclosure, political coordination and disclaimer requirements in the wake of a Supreme Court decision that overturned existing rules.
“The NRA cannot defend the Second Amendment from the attacks we face in the local, state, federal, international and judicial arenas without the ability to speak,” the statement continued. “We will not allow ourselves to be silenced while the national news media, politicians and others are allowed to attack us freely. The NRA will continue to fight for its right to speak out in defense of the Second Amendment. Any efforts to silence the political speech of NRA members will, as has been the case in the past, be met with strong opposition.”
A coalition of five government reform groups including Democracy 21, Public Citizen and the League of Women Voters sent a letter to House lawmakers on Tuesday urging them to support the manager’s amendment that will include the NRA’s fix and the broader package.
But other outside groups advocating government transparency decried the deal. Ellen Miller of the Sunlight Foundation said she was “beyond outraged.” Miller said, “It is so damaging to this legislation, we have to wonder whether the bill will be worth anything.” And U.S. PIRG, which had backed the measure, said it would now oppose it as long as it contains the exemption.
Some politically vulnerable House Democrats have expressed reservations about the bill, citing opposition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others. Those concerns remain. But a question for leaders now playing out is whether fallout from the NRA deal will cost them significant votes from their liberal flank.