Live Free Radio Keep Living Free

The Senate will vote on the Frank-Dodd financial (non)reform bill (H.R. 4173) this week and possibly as soon as today. Although it has the votes to pass, it doesn't yet have the 60 votes needed to break a filuster.

This bill will only strangle our already-ailing economy, and will do nothing to prevent future financial collapses or bailouts. Please tell your Senators to support the filibuster and oppose Frank-Dodd through our Reduce Regulations campaign.

You may borrow or copy from this letter . . .

Reducing regulations would actually be the best reform of the financial system. The fraudulent Dodd-Frank bill will only create powerful new armies of regulators who won't actually reform anything.

As David C. John and James L. Gattuso of the Heritage Foundation point out . . . http://www.kentucky.com/2010/07/09/1342459/reinforcing-too-big-to-fail.html

* At 2,300 pages, none of you will have read the bill or know what, exactly, is in it
* The bill empowers regulators to seize private property and "wind down" firms they, and they alone, judge to be "failing."
* A Committee to guard against "systemic risk" won't possibly possess all the knowledge to do their job, and will only discourage and stifle innovation
* The Consumer Protection bureau will reduce the number of options and choices of informed, responsible customers
* The new bureau will also issue supposedly "consumer-friendly" regulations that will conflict with the goal of other regulators of protecting the safety and soundness of financial firms
* By abolishing retail debit card fees (a practice that had nothing to do with the crisis), banks will be forced to raise revenue other ways such as eliminating free checking (and some banks have already begun to do this)
* The bill does nothing to reform Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, two firms that played a huge role in causing the financial crises - which makes future bailouts probable

It gets worse . . .

* A provision to audit the Federal Reserve was gutted in the final bill
* Section 342 seems to require quotas for women and minorities for government agencies and contractors, as if current laws and current departmental civil rights enforcers weren't enough http://tinyurl.com/3997jfu

I don't see how this bill provides ANY benefit to me or to the nation. Instead of reforming our financial system, it just empowers politicians and bureaucrats to reward your friends and punish your enenemies.

A REAL reform bill would . . .

* require greater accountability in the market by forcing even large firms to face the threat of bankruptcy
* abolish "government sponsored enterprises" like Fannie and Freddie
* provide a real and thorough audit of the Fed, whose decisions did so much to cause the crisis

Please introduce real reform that would unleash our over-regulated economy. And I DEMAND you oppose Dodd-Frank!

END LETTER

You can send your letter through DownsizeDC.org's Educate the Powerful System.

If you live in one of the following states, it would also be particularly helpful to call your Senator:

Iowa: Chuck Grassley (Republican)
Maine: BOTH Susan Collins (Republican) AND Olympia Snowe (Republican)
Massachusetts: Scott Brown (Republican)
Washington: Maria Cantwell (Democrat)
Wisonsin: Russ Feingold (Democrat)

You will see your Senator's phone number when you are logged into the system.

And we encourge all of you to tell your friends to take action! Forward this to your friends and share it on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/downsizedc

Thanks for doing your part to Downsize DC!

Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org

IN THE NEWS

CENSUS 2010

Census workers might show up at your door
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You Have a Right to Question the Census Worker
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Census Workers, Local Officials Harass, Take Possessions of Homeless
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OIL SPILL 2010

Toxicologists: Corexit “Ruptures Red Blood Cells, Causes Internal Bleeding”
“Allows Crude Oil To Penetrate “Into The Cells” and “Every Organ System”
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More Evidence Of BP Corexit Chemical Rain Blowing Into Fort Worth Texas
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Residents outraged: BP dumping oily waste in Gulf landfills
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128 BP Oil Cleanup Workers Sickened in Louisiana – Told NOT to go to Public Hospitals
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BP Claims Cap Progress As Oil Spews Freely
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New BP Data Show 20% of Gulf Spill Responders Exposed to Chemical That Sickened Valdez Workers
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The illusion of the BP Oil Spill & NWO Agendas
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OBAMA NATION

White House officially hands cyber oversight to DHS
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Obama’s Summer of Misery and Hardship Tour Hits the Road
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POLITCS & GOVERNMENT

MO Senate chief ousts panel chairman Purgason for blocking Ford bill
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Man threw horse manure at police officer in State College, authorities say
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Cuba offers to free political prisoners
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Protesters slam G20 mass arrests
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The Murder of Dr. David Kelly
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POLICE STATE NEWS

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Fingerprints Now Required At Poway Skate Park
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Senate bill would make airport body scanners mandatory
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Feds 'Disappear' Edgar Steele - Mystery Deepens
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Free speech in Barack Obama's America: Whatever you say, say nothing
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ECONOMIC NEWS

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Central banks start to abandon the U.S. dollar
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More and more Americans preparing for social unrest
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Retail Sales in U.S. Probably Fell for Second Month as Economy Moderated
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Presenting The Wall Of Worry: The 50 Ugliest Facts About The US eCONomy
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NEW WORLD ORDER NEWS

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Australian vegetables poisoned as police probe sabotage
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ABORTION NEWS

Iowa AG still beating around the bush
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HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA

Appeal likely in 'lunatic' marriage rulings
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Transgender seeks millions for 'distress'
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MORAL DECLINE

D.C. Jury to Watch Porn
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Lesbian couple's savage assault leaves male neigbour who made pass at them for dead
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MILITARY NEWS

DARPA Wants Instant, On-Demand Airstrikes, Removing Middlemen from the Bomb-Dropping Proces
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

iTunes Hackers Strike Again, This Time With Travel Apps
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Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 updates to stop this week
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Time For Blue Dog Democrats To Show Their True Colors
Urge Sen. Kay Hagan to vote NO on Kagan

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://gunowners.org

Friday, July 9, 2010

The nomination of Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court presents an opportunity for pro-gun "Blue Dog" Democrats to vote to protect the Second Amendment -- or stop pretending to be pro-gun.

During her confirmation hearings last week, Kagan ducked and dodged questions about the Second Amendment, and she refused to declare whether she believes the Second Amendment protects an individual right.

While Kagan blathered on and on about precedent and "settled law" with regard to the Supreme Court decisions in Heller and McDonald, this in no way precludes her from ruling that almost any gun law -- including gun owner registration, purchasing limits, waiting periods, private sale background checks, and more -- are consistent with the Constitution.

As GOA attorney William J. Olson, who testified at the hearings, noted: "If [Kagan] were to go on the Court, with what we know about her now, she could be the most anti-gun justice on that Court." (See www.gunowners.org/kagantestimony for video of that testimony.)

Senator Kay Hagan claims to support the Second Amendment. Well, if that's the case then there is NO WAY she can vote to confirm anti-gun radical Kagan to the Supreme Court of the United States!

ACTION: Contact Sen. Hagan and urge her to oppose Elena Kagan for the U.S. Supreme Court. Please urge your family and friends to do the same. A pre-written letter is provided below for you to copy-and-paste or to guide your comments.

Contact info:

Sen. Kay Hagan
Phone -- (202) 224-6342
Webform -- http://hagan.senate.gov/?p=contact

----- Pre-written letter -----

Dear Senator Hagan:

You claim to be a supporter of the Second Amendment. If that is the case, there is NO WAY that you can vote to confirm radical anti-gunner Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court.

During her confirmation hearings last week, Kagan ducked and dodged questions about the Second Amendment, and she refused to declare whether she believes the Second Amendment protects an individual right.

While Kagan blathered on and on about precedent and "settled law" with regard to the Supreme Court decisions in Heller and McDonald during the Senate hearings, this in no way precludes her from ruling that almost any gun law -- including gun owner registration, purchasing limits, waiting periods, private sale background checks, and more -- are consistent with the Constitution.

As GOA attorney William J. Olson, who testified at the hearings, noted: "If [Kagan] were to go on the Court, with what we know about her now, she could be the most anti-gun justice on that Court."

I am sure you have seen the recent polls -- fewer than four in ten Americans want to see Kagan confirmed to the Court. I hope you will follow the will of the American people on this one, and not blindly follow the President who, himself, is at near record lows in the polls.

I urge you in the strongest possible terms to oppose the confirmation of Elena Kagan and join a filibuster of her nomination.

Sincerely,

IN THE NEWS

OIL SPILL 2010

BP aims to fix oil spill 'by end of July'
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POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Gates Names to Central Command General Who Called Shooting Enemies 'Fun'
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Companies brace for end of cheap made-in-China era
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DOJ in bed with New Black Panther Party?
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Perspective: Whitewashing black racism
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Obama Raises $500,000 for Robin Carnahan in Missouri Senate Race
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Court paves way for enmity toward Christians
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Gov't shouldn't influence medical matters
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Judges order newspapers to 'unpublish' 5 articles - 1st Ammendment Attacked
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US Cuts Aid After Millions Siphoned Off to Dubai
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U.S. Plans Cyber Shield for Utilities, Companies
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U.S. House plan overturning Obamacare halfway there
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Snitching to the IRS
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The secret code in U.S. Cyber Command's logo
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POLICE STATE NEWS

NSA to Spy on Critical Infrastructure, Says WSJ
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Jury finds Officer Guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Deadly BART Shooting
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Protesters Riot in The Streets of Oakland Following Verdict
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Raw Video: Riots in Calif. After Bart Verdict
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CTV 'spy cars' rake in £8m in fines after catching nearly 200,000 victims
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Mark Of The Beast Rears Its Head In Pennsylvania
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Google Street View 'broke Australian privacy laws by collecting personal data through WiFi'
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Treason in New York, National Guard Confiscating Guns from Citizen
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Right-To-Travel NH Native Sparks Anti-FSP Vitriol
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Free Our Friends! Community Update on G20 Detainees
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REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

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ECONOMIC NEWS

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Greenspan Says Economy May Be Undergoing a `Pause'
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40 percent of Florida homes sales are foreclosures
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Wyoming threatens to sell prime Grand Teton land
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As the United States Collapses, Media Worships LeBron James
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Plague-infected rats reported in Myanmar's capita
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HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA

NBC changes rules to allow gay `Today' wedding
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PCUSA divided over 'gays'
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Reporter’s Question on Obama’s Illegal-Immigration Policy Leaves Gibbs Stammering
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Individuals Donate $500,000 to Arizona to Defend Immigration Enforcement Law
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Obama creates 'protected class' of illegals
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Schoolyard Killer Sentenced To Life In Prison
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MORAL DECLINE

Teacher Faces Sex Charges
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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Database Admin Gets 12 Months For Hacking Employer
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Dangers of Free Public Wifi
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Hackers pose as US senator in email fraud bid
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Pirate Bay offline briefly after security breach
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WEATHER NEWS

Thousands evacuated in Texas and Mexico as storm approaches
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO FIGHT TAXPAYERS BEING FORCED TO FUND MORE CAMPAIGNS THIS WEEK

Dear Grassroots activist:
With no public notice, the North Carolina State House Speaker, Representative Joe Hackney, (D-Chapel Hill) has just now (3:00 PM Wednesday July 7th) announced he will hold a stealth vote to force you into funding political campaigns against your will. The vote will be held later today and another vote will likely come tomorrow.

Take action now by clicking here.

Despite your massive opposition there are some Raleigh lawmakers that are continuing to push a massive expansion of using taxpayer money to fund political campaigns!!

Let's be clear. We must stop this movement now. The other side will not rest. Every time they add one more elected office to the list you are forced to fund, they move on to the next one, with the goal of using your tax dollars to fund anybody who runs for political office, from the dog catcher to the Whitehouse.

Senate Bill 20 and House Bill 120 would permanently expand taxpayer financing of political campaigns to State treasurer and some municipal races. Taxpayers should not be forced to fund campaigns they disagree with.

Recently the members of American for Prosperity helped stop a scheme to raise taxes and spend millions of your dollars to fund political races. But we need your help again.

AFP-NC urges you to TAKE ACTION and contact your lawmakers and ask them to against Senate Bill 20 and House Bill 120 and/or any bill that expands forced taxpayer support of political campaigns.

Sincerely,
Dallas H. WoodhouseState Director
Americans for Prosperity - North Carolina

STAND UP + SPEAK UP = LIVE FREE

IN THE UNEWS

OIL SPILL 2010

A punch in the gut to BP relief recipients?
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OBAMA NATION

Obama condemned for invoking race and religion in border dispute
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Obamas New Iran Sanctions: An Act of War
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Obama warns corruption erodes faith in government
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POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Accused Russian Spy Anna Chapman Reacts to Racy Photos
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TAKE ACTION NC State House To Hold Stealth Vote To Fund Political Campaigns
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State of Emergency declared in Chester, PA
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Hawaii governor vetoes same-sex civil unions bill
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Ron Paul on CNN
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The BP/Government police state
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Governor Jan Brewer Exerts her Political Influence
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Illegal Immigration Costs U.S. $113 Billion a Year, Study Finds
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Justice Department Files Suit Against Arizona Immigration Law
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California school district adopts Bible course
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Presbyterians to consider redefining marriage
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GLOBAL WARMING

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Hackers accessing your accounts through apps?
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Credit Card Hackers Visit Hotels All Too Often
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Hackers Cause Problems For YouTube And Apple
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Hackers Target George Bush Library Website
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Google issues fix for hacked YouTube
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Social Media 101 for activists

Seven ways to change the world with Twitter and Facebook.
By Ambreen Ali
Congress.org

Imagine the reaction if someone stood on a chair at a cocktail party and began shouting opinions and asking for money.

That's precisely what many activist groups do on social networks, Deanna Zandt argues.

The author of "Share This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking" faults organizations for treating Twitter and Facebook like broadcasting venues instead of places to have a conversation.

"You're sharing and participating and working with each other," she said.

Facebook is full of groups for one cause or another, but few of their followers actually do something. How can activists move people beyond so-called slacktivism?

Zandt offers seven tips on using social media to make a real difference.

1. Share your story. Perhaps the biggest benefit of using social networks is that they allow you to share personal stories with others, Zandt said. Compelling narratives have always been an important way to pull people into a cause. Twitter and Facebook just enhance how that works.

"Any kind of organizing, whether it be door knocking or phone banking, starts with stories," she said. "Stories create empathy, and empathy is a building block of any kind of social change movement regardless of whether someone's politics are left or right."

2. Cultivate relationships. Zandt put her theories to test while writing the book by asking friends and family to donate to the "Feed Deanna" fund. The money went to pay for the author's living expenses while she penned the social media guide.

She sent e-mails to 500 people that yielded $6,000 in cash and a handful of unique offers like $100 a month in pizza from the local restaurant and a free eye exam. What she learned applies to activist groups that often find themselves pinched for funds.

"The biggest takeaway is that fundraising is all about relationships," Zandt said, noting that she knew almost every donor personally. "You need to build your community before you need them. I couldn't have just made 500 friends in a day and then asked them for money."

3. Be personable. Robotic tweets that read like a press release won't get you anywhere. Casual prose and a human touch are the expectations on these social sites.

"You should be using the tone of voice that you would with a coworker you don't know well. Think about having a conversation with someone rather than broadcasting something," Zandt said.

4. Meet people where they are. Not all the people who would be drawn to your cause are on Twitter. Even those that are may not use it in the way you think.

Zandt gave the example of a student-led immigration protest several years ago that used MySpace to build its base. The social networking site is popular with teenagers, so it made sense for organizers to start there.

The protest was planned on a school day, and students were going to walk out of their classrooms in protest. Knowing that the students wouldn't have access to MySpace in school, activists collected their phone numbers ahead of time and texted them.

The concept, called last-mile organizing, means "understanding the community you're trying to reach and figuring out what the appropriate technology is for them," Zandt said. Many people don't use the internet regularly at all, she added, emphasizing the importance of continuing traditional activism.

5. Treat social media like a tool. No technology can take the place of traditional organizing tactics like knocking on a door, holding a protest, or meeting with a lawmaker.

"Those are still tools in the toolbox. This is an additional tool that people can use," Zandt said.

It's important to use the tool when it's best fit. Social media may not be the place to negotiate with a fellow activist group, for example, but it can help bring people together in a crisis.

When books about feminism and gay rights mysteriously disappeared from Amazon.com's search results last year, authors turned to Twitter to share what they were seeing. Pretty soon, the subject "Amazon Fail" was one of the most popular trending topics on the site, and mainstream media sites took notice.

Amazon had to react in a matter of days. Before social media, Zandt said the publisher could have pushed the issue aside or waited weeks before doing something about it.

"Maybe activists would have written to Amazon. But along the line, a number of gatekeepers would have had to approve that this was a valid story to tell," she said.

6. Don't chase the numbers. Not every cause requires a million followers. It's more important to have a dedicated group of activists who are willing to share your information with others and help out than to have tons of followers who don't really care all that much about what you do.

Parents in Florida demonstrated that when they started voicing their frustrations with the public school system through social media sites. They joined together on Facebook, eventually landed a meeting with school officials and had their concerns addressed.

"Eight thousand people may not be a lot for the Red Cross," Zandt said, "but it's a fantastic number for Palm Beach County parents who are putting pressure on a school system."

7. Reward people who help. Activists often struggle with getting their Facebook fans and Twitter followers to actually do something. One way to address that is by giving people easy-to-accomplish tasks and rewarding them publicly for completing them.

The Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit that uses technology to make government more accessible, used social networks to collect data on lawmakers who hire family members. They uploaded a tool and instructions asking people to look up one member of Congress and report back what they found.

Within two days, the group had data on every member.

"One of the smart things they did is that after you hit submit, they told you, 'While you were working on your lawmaker, four others were submitted.' It was a very subtle clue that you were part of something," Zandt said.

IN THE NEWS

OIL SPILL 2010

Bolivar, TX residents find oil on beach
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OBAMA NATION

Analyst: Obama has U.S. economy in 'death spiral'
http://bit.ly/bPwLZ6

POLITICS & GOVERNMENT

Doesn't a National Holiday Presuppose an Independent Nation?
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Independence from Modern Tyranny
http://bit.ly/9xG3GJ

Charging per mile 'inevitable'
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Fury as doctor who said Lockerbie bomber would die in three months admits: He could live for a decade
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POLICE STATE NEWS

Oakland Transforms as it Prepares for Street Rebellions
http://bit.ly/a7pizw

Police back down over spy cameras - an amazing result in Birmingham
http://bit.ly/cDNvVM

The militarization of The Police Force in USA
http://bit.ly/bMONUN

Don't kid yourself, it's a Police State
http://bit.ly/9Frpwc

Felony Charge for Writing to a Senator
http://huff.to/cfFN6f

Spy cameras may turn from streets to sidewalks
http://bit.ly/bVB4It

Detroit police probe own gang unit
http://bit.ly/bi0DhJ

America is riddled with politically motivated surveillance
http://bit.ly/cS6wC8

Biometric ATM gives cash via 'finger vein' scan
http://bit.ly/bS1lJg

Man sues RCMP over alleged beating
http://bit.ly/db38vd

DUMBING DOWN AMERICANS

26% of U.S. don't know who we declared independence from
http://bit.ly/cBgvxc

ECONOMIC NEWS

State authorities bust $8 million mortgage fraud ring
http://bit.ly/d08aCV

State and Local Gov't Workers' Job Security Fades
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Schwarzenegger puts 200,000 workers on $7.25 per hour
http://bit.ly/duattI

7.9 million jobs lost, many forever
http://yhoo.it/aoJtAM

With the US trapped in depression, this really is starting to feel like 1932
http://bit.ly/bS4MaN

How China's New Generation Of Workers Won't Accept Slave Labor
http://bit.ly/dcqQJL

State workers in I.E. dread impending pay cut
http://bit.ly/aZn0gR

VA state funds drying up for subdivision streets
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First day of Honolulu's city furloughs
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HEALTH NEWS

Bedbugs Expand Their Horizons Beyond the Bedroom
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REAL ID & PRIVACY NEWS

Enhanced driver's licence not so popular with Canadians
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SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Hackers poison 4th of July search results to sell scareware
http://bit.ly/bjwSu6

Zoo to bring dead animals back to life, 'Jurassic Park'-style
http://bit.ly/bNOkf4

Schoolboys Nick Webber and Ryan Thomas 'ran £8m online fraud network'
http://bit.ly/awWZdA

Tenth of UK PCs compromised by hackers
http://bit.ly/9cWr8k

MORE STORMS?

Three Possible Hurricanes Aim For The Gulf
http://bit.ly/9Qm1D1

The House and Senate are expected to vote on the final version of the fraudulent "financial reform" bill this week.

We need to defeat this bad bill, HR 4173, which is a whopping 2,319 pages long.

To achieve REAL financial reform we need to pass Ron Paul's Free Competition in Currency Act instead. Please send a letter to Congress pushing for both of these outcomes.

You may borrow from or copy the following sample letter for this purpose . . .

In addition to supporting the "Free Competition in Currency Act" please vote NO on the big Obama-Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill, HR 4173. Ron Paul's currency bill addresses the root causes of the financial crisis, while the regulation bill does not.

The financial crisis was caused by . . .

* The Federal Reserve keeping interest rates artificially low
* The Federal Reserve inflating the money supply to satisfy Congress's deficit spending
* Government policies encouraging or forcing financial institutions to issue credit to undeserving people

Together, these policies caused the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the mal-investment of easy money. The result was the Great Recession.

What does the Obama-Dodd-Frank bill do to address these problems?

NOTHING!

Instead, it sets up a "Consumer Protection" agency whose regulations will conflict with other regulatory agencies.

* Congress wants to continue the policy of pressuring lenders to continue lending to borrowers with bad credit
* And then when those borrowers default, financial institutions will be blamed for "predatory lending"
* And I won't be surprised if some of these institutions are bailed out at the same time that they are being scapegoated

Worse, the Obama-Dodd-Frank bill will create armies of new regulators determined to harass Main Street businesses who did nothing to cause the crisis!

Even the one good aspect of the bill, an audit of the Federal Reserve, was severely weakened in the conference committee.

But the main problem with this bill is that it increases the power of the very people who helped create the crisis. Consider these insights . . . http://www.aei.org/outlook/100968

* Donald L. Kohn, vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board: "Many central bankers and economists, myself included, were a little complacent coming into the crisis. We thought we knew enough about the basic structure of markets and the economy. . . . The reality is that we didn't understand the economy as well as we thought we did. Central bankers, along with other policymakers, . . . failed to foresee or prevent a financial crisis."
* Economist Arnold Kling: "The regulators made the same cognitive errors as the regulated."

Politicians and regulators do not know any more about the economy than the businesses and consumers they regulate. But Congress can do much more damage than any business can . . .

* You have vast powers to create laws and regulations that impact the entire economy -- no business or consumer can do that
* You suffer no personal consequence equal to the vast size of the mistakes you make, plus . . .
* You have a disturbing tendency to bailout big businesses and special interest groups to protect them from the consequences of their mistakes

At the heart of the problem is the fact that government is a monopoly. And the solution is for you to restore my freedom to choose. Ending the Federal Reserve's monopoly control over what I use for money is a good place to start . . .

* Americans are essentially forced to use just one currency unit, the dollar
* The dollar's value is NOT determined by the free market, but by the Federal Reserve Board
* This monopoly control by the Fed causes wild price fluctuations and mal-investments in a complex economy

Ron Paul's Free Competition in Currency Act provides the real financial reform we need. It repeals the legal tender law and allows other forms of money to compete.

* Individuals and businesses could negotiate their own terms of purchase, using any form of money they mutually agree on
* The open competition will force the Federal Reserve to stop inflating, thereby ending the booms and busts caused by the Federal Reserve's policies
* Power and choice will be in the hands of the consumer

I insist that you oppose the Obama-Dodd-Frank financial reform bill, HR 4173. Instead, Support the Free Competition in Currency Act!

END LETTER

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Jim Babka
President
DownsizeDC.org

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