Author: Campaign For Liberty Blog

By Doug Bandow

If what global warming scaremongers said was true, the planet would be in peril.  But if what they said was true was, in fact, true, they wouldn’t have to lie about the process.

Walter Russell Mead points out in American Interest:

After years in which global warming activists had lectured everyone about the overwhelming nature of the scientific evidence, it turned out that the most prestigious agencies in the global warming movement were breaking laws, hiding data, and making inflated, bogus claims resting on, in some cases, no scientific basis at all. This latest story in the London Times is yet another shocker; the IPCC’s claims that the rainforests were going to disappear as a result of global warming are as bogus and fraudulent as its claims that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035.  It seems as if a scare story could grab a headline, the IPCC simply didn’t care about whether it was reality-based.

With this in mind, ‘climategate’ – the scandal over hacked emails by prominent climate scientists – looks sinister rather than just unsavory.  The British government has concluded that University of East Anglia, home of the research institute that provides the global warming with much of its key data, had violated Britain’s Freedom of Information Act when scientists refused to hand over data so that critics could check their calculations and methods.  Breaking the law to hide key pieces of data isn’t just ‘science as usual,’ as the global warming movement’s embattled defenders gamely tried to argue.  A cover-up like that suggests that you indeed have something to conceal.

The urge to make the data better than it was didn’t just come out of nowhere.  The global warmists were trapped into the necessity of hyping the threat by their realization that the actual evidence they had – which, let me emphasize, all hype aside, is serious, troubling and establishes in my mind the need for intensive additional research and investigation, as well as some prudential steps that would reduce CO2 emissions by enhancing fuel use efficiency and promoting alternative energy sources – was not sufficient to get the world’s governments to do what they thought needed to be done. Hyping the threat increasingly doesn’t look like an accident: it looks like it was a conscious political strategy.

The political war over climate change is ending.  The alarmists have lost.  The campaign won’t disappear any time soon.  But unless the movement sheds its discredited leaders and brings its policy prescriptions into line with the evidence, the center and even the moderate left will begin running in the opposite direction.  After all, in today’s political climate, what politician wants to tell the American people that he or she intends to wreck the U.S. economy for a lie?

Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance

By Doug Bandow

President Barack Obama isn’t doing too well in the polls.  So Daniel Pipes offers some friendly advice:  start another war!!

Argues Pipes:

Not only does a strong majority – 57, 52, 58, 61, and 61 percent in these five polls – already favor using force, but after a strike Americans will presumably rally around the flag, sending that number much higher.

Fourth, if the U.S.limited its strike to taking out Iran’s nuclear facilities and did not attempt any regime change, it would require few “boots on the ground” and entail relatively few casualties, making an attack more politically palatable.

Just as 9/11 caused voters to forget George W. Bush’s meandering early months, a strike on Iranian facilities would dispatch Obama’s feckless first year down the memory hole and transform the domestic political scene. It would sideline health care, prompt Republicans to work with Democrats, and make the netroots squeal, independents reconsider, and conservatives swoon.

Great idea.  Delay rather than stop the Iranian nuclear program.  Trigger retaliation in Iraq against U.S. troops and in the Gulf against Western shipping.  Encourage proliferation by making clear around the world that only possession of nuclear weapons can protect you from U.S. bombing.  Wreck Iran’s democracy movement.  Reinforce hostility against America from even moderate Muslims who see continuing attacks on Islamic states and movements.  And start another war likely to continue for years in one form or another.

But heck.  President Obama could look forward to a temporary rise in popularity.  Starting another war even would make conservatives “swoon”!  The latter should give any president that old “bombing feeling.”

Maybe not, however.  After the debacle in Iraq and growing mess in Afghanistan, one would hope that presidents and lawmakers have learned that it is easier to start wars than end them.  And the conclusion rarely is the grand victory that the ivory tower warriors expect.

Doug Bandow, American Conservative Defense Alliance

By Matt Holdridge

More news regarding Tom Woods and the IU Young Americans for Liberty.

From CampusReform.org:

Several days ago we shared an article from the Indiana Standard, the independent conservative/libertarian student newspaper at Indiana University.  As reported there, Indiana University refused to host Dr. Thomas Woods on campus on the lame excuse that he doesn’t have “sufficient academic credibility.”

Tom Woods, it’s worth noting, has academic credentials which include undergrad at Harvard, a doctorate from Columbia, success on the New York Times bestseller list, and a position as Senior Scholar at the Mises Institute.  The excuse IU gave could be called “flimsy” at best.

Woods himself agreed and, with his typical wit, commented: “If it’s my academic credentials they question, anyone can judge for himself at TomWoods.com.  But from their point of view I’m surely uncredentialed: unlike other speakers they might consider, I haven’t wrecked any economies.”

Though he hasn’t wrecked any economies, Woods nonetheless seems to make the IU economics department nervous.  That’s the department which prompted the lectures committee to reject Woods and — according to one alumni comment — a department which isn’t exactly friendly to free market philosophies like the Austrian School of Economics to which Woods subscribes.  (The lectures committee could not be reached for comment.)

So what’s next for the Young Americans for Liberty chapter at IU which is still interested in bringing Tom Woods to speak on campus?  Well, that’s where you can help.

As explained by the chapter’s president, Sam Spaiser:

With or without the help of the university, YAL @ IUB is committed to bring Woods to IU to shed some light on a gloomy liberal/statist campus.

In order to do so, we need to raise $3000.

Please help us to further the cause of liberty on campus and spread the Austrian School perspective by making a donation towards funding this event.

Let’s bring Tom Woods to Indiana University! Click here to lend a hand.

 

By Matt Hawes

For those who are interested, we’ve posted Ken Buck’s Colorado survey results in the same format as those already posted from Illinois.  We’ll continue to update the results as more candidates respond.

Click here to view the results.

By Matt Hawes

The following note is from Ronnie Paul, chairman of C4L’s Board of Directors:

Dear C4L Member,

Last week, Campaign for Liberty bought airtime in Colorado as part of our candidate survey program. Our purpose was to get candidates for office on the record about their position on issues like undeclared war, abolishing the IRS, supporting competing currencies and rescinding the Patriot Act.

Our intentions were good, but we made mistakes. We had poor communication with you about the program and the messaging of the commercial did not fit with C4L’s principles. Many of you have spoken out and offered constructive criticism. We have learned some important lessons, and will be stronger as a result. We will implement checks and balances to prevent anything like this from happening again.

A small but vocal minority has decided to wage cruel and vicious personal attacks against our president, John Tate. This is unfortunate. John is a kind and decent family man who has worked unbelievably hard and has always tried to do the right thing. There should be no place for this in our movement and simply wastes the time and energy we should be using to fight for Liberty.

Looking at the big picture, C4L has achieved tremendous success over the past year. We have been instrumental in passing Audit the Fed in the House. We have trained thousands of activists so they have the tools to win. We have set up independent state chapters across the country. And, our numbers have grown to over a quarter million strong, forming a grassroots army to take our freedoms back. Our successes greatly outweigh our mistakes, and we WILL stay the course.

C4L is playing a leading role in the Liberty Movement. I am convinced that our efforts, along with those of many others, will continue the Ron Paul Revolution. C4L’s successes are many, and as we progress into our second year, I see many more ahead. We deeply appreciate your support.

In Liberty,

Ronnie Paul

Chairman of the Board

By dljholt

 

SB417, Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act, IS A WIN!!!

Congratulations Patriots! You did it!!!

SB417 won on the Senate floor with a vote of 23 – 17.  SB283 & SB311 were bundled with SB417 as the language was the same on all three bills, word for word.

There was much debate on the floor, with Senate Democrats putting up quite a fight for a win, but we were able to convince 5 Democrats as well as all 18 Republicans to vote with us in favor of health care freedom for Virginia.

Here are the Democrats who voted with us:

Senator Charles J. Colgan
Senator Phillip P. Puckett
Senator R. Edward Houck
Senator John C. Miller
Senator Wm. Roscoe Reynolds

If the House versions also pass later this week and both the Senate and the House bills pass in cross over, the federal health care mandate will be null and void in Virginia.  We will keep our choice to purchase any health care plan we wish or not to purchase one at all.  Federal authority over our health care choices will be stopped at the border.

Any challenge by the feds of our state sovereignty will be fought in the courts by our new State Attorney General, Ken Cuccninelli, who also supports our bills.

Democrat Senator Phillip Puckett was interviewed by Greta Van Susteren.  Here’s a video of that interview:

Virginia Senate Bans Forced Universal Healthcare As Unconstitutional !!!

 

Thank you for all of your hard work. It goes to show what we can do when we commit our time and effort to defending liberty in Virginia.

 

Yours in liberty,

Donna Holt

By Matt Hawes

The weekend brought news that our Nobel Peace Prize-winning president is sending Patriot missles to four middle eastern nations – Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

According to the UK’s Guardian:

American officials said the move is aimed at deterring an attack by Iran and reassuring Gulf states fearful that Tehran might react to sanctions by striking at US allies in the region. Washington is also seeking to discourage Israel from a strike against Iran by demonstrating that the US is prepared to contain any threat….

The chief of the US central command, General David Petraeus, said in a speech 10 days ago that countries in the region are concerned about Tehran’s military ambitions and the prospect of it becoming a dominant power in the Gulf: “Iran is clearly seen as a very serious threat by those on the other side of the Gulf front.”….

So instead of allowing them to build up their own militaries and take care of their own business, we’re offering to do it for them.  And this comes right after the president’s speech declaring his newfound dedication to fiscal responsibility.  After all, since we’re obviously doing so well paying for our current foreign policy, why not expand it a bit more?

Besides the new missile deployment, Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia to create a 30,000-strong force to protect oil installations and other infrastructure, as well as expanded joint exercises between the US and military forces in the region….

That’s sure to calm down Iran’s leaders.

Read the rest.

By Matt Hawes

Yesterday, I mentioned that as part of our CPAC 2010 activities, we would have a nullification event featuring Tom Woods. (Who, as he announced in Atlanta, is also currently working on a new book on the subject.)

This event will directly follow Thomas DiLorenzo’s “Lincoln on Liberty” session. 

I’m excited about having two excellent speakers tackle two very important topics.  We hope it will have a great impact on attendees and get them thinking about some subjects they may not have ever considered before.

Here’s our promotional information:

To fight big government, we keep trying the same strategies, and nothing seems to work. Even Ronald Reagan couldn’t keep the federal budget from growing. Is it time to try something else?

Pioneered by Thomas Jefferson, nullification is the idea that a state has the right to “nullify” federal legislation it believes violates the Constitution.

The central government in America is on the side of every degenerate aspect of culture and society, and this is true regardless of which party is in power.

The time has come to think seriously about alternatives to the modern state, and Thomas Jefferson gave us the blueprint. Come find out what it was!

This FREE lecture will take place in the Delaware Room on Thursday, February 18 at 2:00 pm. A question and answer time will take place following the speech.

There’s still time to sign up for discounted tickets and lodging for CPAC 2010, which takes place February 18-20 in Washington, D.C.  Find out more here.

By dljholt

 

Look how far we’ve come!

We now have 40 co-patrons in the House and 9 in the Senate for HB10, Virginia Healthcare Freedom Act.

The Senate health care bills, SB417, SB283, and SB311, had the support of two Democrats, Senator Phillip Puckett and Senator Charles Colgen, in the Commerce & Trade Committee. If we can keep their vote on the floor, we can win today with a deciding vote by Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling. You can watch the live stream from the floor at noon today here.

The Virginia Firearms Freedom Act, HB69, is picking up momentum with 21 co-patrons in the House and 4 in the Senate. DEMOCRAT, Senator Phillip Puckett, has now signed on as a co-patron. If we can get one more Democrat on the Senate side to support HB69, WE CAN GET THIS BILL PASSED INTO LAW!!!

You are amazing to get so much accomplished in so little time and should be very proud. You showed up, you called, you wrote letters, you sent emails. YOU HAVE MADE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

HB69 is likely to be heard in the Militia, Police, & Public Safety Subcommittee #1 on Thursday, February 4 at 5PM in the 4th Floor West Conference Room. Watch for an email confirmation of that agenda later this week and make plans to be there if you can.

If you have not contacted the members of this subcommittee who are not co-patrons for HB69, please do so today.

Delegate H. Morgan Griffith (R) – [email protected]

Delegate David A. Nutter (R) – [email protected]

Delegate Mark L. Keam (D) – [email protected]

We only need the vote of one of these gentlemen to get this bill on the House floor for a vote.

Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to defending our rights in Virginia.

Yours in liberty,

Donna Holt

 

By Matt Hawes

Thanks to Marc for the news that Judge Napolitano now has an official YouTube channel!  This will be a great addition with which to spread our message.  There are only a few videos currently, but more updates will be coming soon.

Be sure to pass his videos around and drive up views to help demonstrate to Fox News producers the Judge’s ever-growing popularity.  Time to get Freedom Watch on television!

Check it out here.

By Matt Hawes

I don’t think that question is too hard to answer, and it is also the name of one of our C4L-sponsored events at CPAC 2010 – taking place Feb. 18-20 in Washington, D.C. – that I am really looking forward to.

Featuring Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo, our Thursday, February 18 “Lincoln on Liberty: Friend or Foe?” event will directly confront the myths surrounding one of the establishment’s favorites.

Here’s our promotional information for the lecture:

In modern times, President Abraham Lincoln is viewed as a secular saint, a figure of legend who receives almost universal reverence.

But does a close examination of the historical record support conventional wisdom? Or do the facts paint a different picture of our sixteenth president?

Was Lincoln the Great Emancipator? Or was he a dictator in all but name who destroyed the Founders’ vision of our Republic?

Author and Loyola College economics professor Thomas DiLorenzo explores the Lincoln legacy in this FREE one hour lecture.

The speech will take place in the Delaware Room on Thursday, February 18 at 1:00pm. A Q&A will follow the presentation.

Volunteers are coming in from all across the country to help us make an impact at CPAC, and discounted tickets and lodging are going fast.  “Lincoln on Liberty” is just one of many great activities we have planned(including the nonintervention forum mentioned earlier by Jesse, a live taping of Judge Napolitano’s Freedom Watch, a Tom Woods event on nullification, and much, much more.)  Find further CPAC details here and reserve your spot today.

By Matt Hawes

From the UK’s Daily Mail:

Thousands of protesters from across Japan marched today in Tokyo to protest against U.S. military presence on Okinawa, while a Cabinet minister said she would fight to get rid of a marine base Washington considers crucial.

Some 47,000 U.S. troops are stationed in Japan, with more than half on the southern island of Okinawa.

Residents have complained for years about noise, pollution and crime around the bases….

Read the rest.

After sixty-five years, it’s well past time (sixty-five years past, matter of fact) to bring them home.

By Jesse Benton

Big News! Last year, Campaign for Liberty commissioned Bruce Fein, president of the American Freedom Agenda and former Deputy Attorney General, to write a foreign policy book. We needed a hard core educational tool that we can circulate to show the absurdity of the warfare state from someone with rock-ribbed intellectual credentials.

The book is complete and is now in its final editing process! Campaign for Liberty will publish, print, and promote this book through our contacts and social networks and mount a major media campaign to make sure this work gets serious attention at a critical time.

For the first time, pasted below is an exclusive sneak peak for our members. I cannot wait to get this published!

THE AMERICAN EMPIRE: BEFORE THE FALL

by Bruce Fein

 

Chapter 1

The American Empire At Its Meridian

 

It is the best of times for the American Empire.

It is the worst of times for the American Republic.

President Barack Obama has embraced if not bettered the national security instruction of the Bush-Cheney duumvirate, confounding messianic expectations.

His Nobel Peace Prize address boasted of the American Empire’s six decades of policing the world, and of his unchecked power reminiscent of British Kings to commence war in ostensible defense of the United States or for professed humanitarian purposes on his say-so alone. The President spoke while he expanded United States wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan against adversaries unthreatening to United States sovereignty.

More than 100,000 American troops are fighting in Iraq while civil war or partition looms.

The post-9/11 perpetual and global war against international terrorism continues unabated. The United States claims unique legal power to violate the sovereignty of every foreign country in seeking to capture or kill an Al Qaeda suspect.

Now United States weapons, money, troops, military advisors, and professed nation-building bureaucrats are poised to intervene in Yemen in response to a foiled Christmas day attempt to blow up a commercial aircraft by a Nigerian Muslim youth who may have been radicalized there. The Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Joe Lieberman (Ind. Conn.), declares the incident an act of war that requires a military, not a law enforcement response. He advocates for the would-be bomber, 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutullab, to be regarded as a prisoner of war and prosecuted before a military commission. Somalia is next in the queue to be invaded by the American Empire because of the presence there of the Somali terrorist organization Al Shabab, which collaborates with Al Qaeda in Yemen.

Tiny Denmark, whose defense budget is a decimal point of the Pentagon’s, is less easily frightened. On January 1, 2010, a Somali Muslim attempted to assassinate artist Kurt Westergaard in revenge for a 2005 cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammad as a terrorist. The cartoon had earlier provoked Muslim firebombing attacks on Danish diplomatic missions and three other radical Islamic plots to kill the Danish cartoonist. Denmark’s intelligence chief asserted the assassination incident was “terrorist related,” with a possible connection to Al Shabab. The Danish Prime Minister descried the terrorism as “an attack on our open society and our democracy.” Yet Denmark did not declare war on terrorism or against Al Shabab. It did not declare the would-be assassin a prisoner of war. It charged him with attempted murder subject to prosecution in civilian courts with customary due process protections. The American Empire would have characterized the crime as war, and the perpetrator as a warrior.

Stories featured in leading newspapers and broadcasts corroborate General Douglas MacArthur’s post-World War II observation: “Our economy is now geared to an arms economy bred in an artificially induced psychosis of war hysteria and an incessant propaganda of fear.” Never has United States sovereignty been so invulnerable. Never has the United States been so frightened of foreign danger.

The Empire is electrified by a feeling of self-righteousness. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sermonized: “America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.”

The Founding Fathers would be shocked. They had constructed an American Republic that vehemently opposed crusades, constant warfare and virtual deification of the President. They had pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to defeat the British Empire, and to renounce entangling alliances as the bane of peace, checks and balances, limited government, and individual liberty. President Thomas Jefferson’s First Inaugural Address proclaimed: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliances with none.” President Grover Cleveland elaborated on the foreign policy of the United States inherited from the Constitution’s makers:

It is the policy of peace suitable to our interests. It is the policy of neutrality; rejecting any share in foreign brawls and ambitions on other continents, and repelling their intrusion here. It is the policy of Monroe and of Washington and Jefferson: Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.

But the Founding Fathers’ handiwork has turned to ashes. The American Empire’s annual military budget exceeds $690 billion, greater than the yearly military expenditures of the next 25 countries combined. United States military spending climbs despite the disappearance of all foreign dangers to United States sovereignty.

I’m also proud to announce that Bruce Fein will be joining us at CPAC 2010 for a C4L-sponsored panel on why we need to oppose the War on Terror.  It’s sure to be an exciting event!

By southernavenger

I would like to call attention to two articles currently featured at The American Conservative concerning antiwar Republicans.

There are many different political types who make up Campaign for Liberty, YAL and the Liberty movement at-large–traditional conservatives, libertarians, independents–and Justin Raimondo’s take (Raimondo is a libertarian) on Russell Kirk’s take (Kirk was a traditional conservative) on Sen. Robert A. Taft (an Old Right standard bearer adored by libertarians and conservatives alike) is a good example of this much-welcomed, ideological intermingling (yes, I know Kirk rejected ‘ideology,’ but let’s not split hairs here). This is also good history lesson for conservatives or libertarians of all stripes. Writes Raimondo:

For Taft-and Kirk, who waxes particularly eloquent when describing Taft’s disdain for crusading “democratism”-the foundational principle of a truly conservative foreign policy is a respect for the natural limits not only of American power but of human capabilities. If, as Taft averred, “socialism will not work” because “there is no man and no group of men intelligent enough to coordinate and control the infinitely numerous and complex problems involved in the production, consumption, and daily lives of one hundred and twenty million individualistic and educated people,” then the task of coordinating and controlling a global empire would be a fool’s errand. Yet it is precisely that errand on which the fools who now call themselves conservatives-or, more precisely, neoconservatives-would have us embark.

Kirk, in his later years, had a memorable run-in with that movement in a famous lecture delivered at the Heritage Foundation. As prominent neocons sat horrified in the audience, Kirk described the members of this “political sect” as “often clever, but seldom wise.”

The other article is The American Spectator’s James Antle’s anaylsis of the US Senate race in Indiana pitting antiwar Republican Congressman John Hostettler against pro-war Democrat incumbent Evan Bayh. Considering that the GOP establishment seemed to prefer that Republican Congressman Mike Pence challenge Bayh (Pence is not), Antle writes:

There are reasons the National Republican Senatorial Committee preferred Pence to Hostettler. Bayh was re-elected with 62 percent of the vote in 2004; Hostettler lost his House seat, drawing just 39 percent, in 2006. Hostettler’s independence from the party line makes him unpredictable — he was one of just six Republicans in the House to vote against authorizing the war in Iraq — and his refusal to take political action committee money frequently causes him to fare poorly at fundraising. Bayh is sitting on a $12.7 million war chest.

Some of the problems that have plagued Hostettler in the past may not be an issue this year. His Iraq war vote — perhaps an unspoken reason some Republican hawks were so interested in finding a different challenger for Bayh — could help his fundraising through Ron Paul-style “money bombs.” Hostettler’s campaign is already looking closely at Rand Paul’s surprisingly successful effort in Kentucky. 

By Matt Hawes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08w5J5cnacw

By LibertyMage

Ron Paul speaks with Ron Smith on 1090AM WBAL, 1/25.

By Bonnie Cannon

With the release of John’s statement, I wanted to take a minute to fill you in on what has been happening out here in Colorado.

I have been amazed at the effect the survey has had on other candidates. Several candidates have called and/or emailed me asking to fill out the survey or to tell me they have mailed in the form. This includes some who flat-out refused to fill it out before. Incumbents have also taken notice. Both CO C4L and I are being treated with much more respect now, instead of being written off as far-out “Ron Paulers” (which I proudly am!). 

In speaking with Ken Buck last year, I found that he has been “educated” into a complete 180 regarding the Federal Reserve, and he is actively calling out Bennet to co-sponsor S. 604. Yesterday, he also chastised Bennet for his “yes” vote to confirm Bernanke for a second term. With his stance on the war, he is not perfect, but I have learned that he is teachable! He has also been working with three main C4L organizers in CO to learn about what we stand for, and he has read several of Ron Paul’s books (The Revolution twice).

Yes, the commercial should have been different, but the survey has already had a great impact out here in CO, and I’m looking forward to continuing to hold politicians accountable for where they stand on our issues.

By John Tate

Throughout 2010, Campaign for Liberty will be running an issue discussion program through our candidate surveys in every state to promote our issues and agenda and to lobby candidates for federal office and to get them on the record in support or opposition on our issues.

Since our inception, we have had many requests from our members for such an effort to help in their work to educate those around them.

As part of this program, mail, radio and TV ads, banner ads, and other forms of communication may be run to encourage candidates to go on record in support of our Liberty agenda, to highlight the responses of the candidates on our issues, and to hold those candidates who ignore our cause accountable.

There have been some questions as to why certain candidates have received surveys while others haven’t. This is simply a matter of putting in place a systematic approach based on candidate filing deadlines and clear survey response deadlines in order to send out surveys in an organized fashion.

For example, Texas candidate surveys have been mailed, and Kentucky surveys will be mailed next week. Illinois survey results are already available on our web site.

As we launch this new undertaking, I also want to take a moment to address your inquires about one of our first public survey ads in Colorado.

First, I think it is important to state up front that, in keeping with our 501(c)4 status, none of our work is in endorsement, support, or opposition for any candidate. In our survey program, we seek only to report where candidates stand in regard to the specific questions to which they have responded.

In retrospect, the ad we are running could have been messaged differently to help avoid any confusion on its intent and to better advertise our issue discussion program. Your invaluable feedback will help us correct this in the future and, as a result, strengthen the effectiveness of our program. This is C4L’s first foray into launching this kind of national initiative, and we are convinced it has the potential to make a tremendous impact.

The candidate featured in the Colorado ad answered 19 out of 20 questions correctly on our C4L candidate survey, and he has been publicly outspoken on Audit the Fed and an out of control federal government. He also answered the Foreign Policy questions and warrantless search question on our survey correctly.

We treat these surveys as a personal promise from the candidate as to how they will vote upon entering Congress. And I can guarantee you we will hold them accountable for their actions and responsible for how they presented themselves to us.

That being said, there is an even more important fact: The Colorado program was funded by a small number of Colorado activists. The funding for this program came ENTIRELY from this small group of new C4L donors.

So for all our great grassroots who are wondering why we might not have used this money elsewhere, I can say two things: First, we WILL have similar programs in MANY other places soon, and second, we did NOT use any money raised generally by Campaign for Liberty to run these ads in Colorado.

In order to both launch the Colorado effort and test our survey program, C4L did not use existing donor funds but built new support and donations, especially within Colorado, specifically for this project. This is the approach we hope to take as we seek funding for many other special projects this year in other states.

I take our message of peace, freedom, and prosperity as well as the responsibility entrusted to me to run this organization very seriously. I hope you all know that, and can give us here at C4L the benefit of the doubt when a situation arises about which you might want more information, or with which you even might not agree. As a multi-issue organization with activists from all manner of backgrounds, we each certainly will have our share of disagreements and agreements. The critical question is whether or not we will let disagreements on occasional topics destroy the unity we share in our desire to be a free people.

This movement has a unique window of opportunity to change politics in our country and restore our lost liberties. But to accomplish this, it will take our unified effort and focus. I see great things for us in 2010 and beyond if we can do that. I hope I’ll have your support as we continue our campaign for liberty.

By Matt Hawes

According to Markham Heid of the Washington Examiner:

The Highway Loss Data Institute examined insurance claim records in D.C., New York, Connecticut and California, as well as nearby areas lacking cell phone bans.

The findings: Cell phone bans don’t lower crash rates.

“We looked at states that have had hand-held cell phone bans in place for the longest times,” said Russ Rader, a representative of the Highway Loss Data Institute, which is a research wing of the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. “We found that there was no change in the crash trends before compared to after the laws banning cell phone use were put in place.”….

Read more.

This data is not surprising, but it’s good to see such a headline in the news.  Time for people to be honest about why cell phone bans are pushed so much: 1.)To enhance state revenues through handing out tickets and to build up the power of the state and 2.)To make nanny state proponents feel good.

By carolyn moffa

This week, the interns from Campaign for Liberty drove to Maryland for Ron Paul’s speech at Loyola University and met with everyone from Young Americans for Liberty! Dr. Paul’s speech, “The Case Against The Fed” was so well attended that even an overflow room of supporters was packed. While we were there, YAL and C4L worked together in recruiting volunteers for CPAC.

If you don’t know already, the Conservative Political Action Conference will be held in Washington, D.C. from February 18-20^th and Campaign for Liberty will be a cosponsor there! Along with the grassroots, we are working to make this event one of our own.

Just a few of the speakers we will have attending are the great Dr. Paul, Judge Napolitano and Tom Woods, not to mention our very own Steve Bierfeldt and Andrew Ward! Campaign for Liberty’s Outreach department has even set up an anti-war panel towards the end of the conference.

 

One of the ways you can help make this year’s CPAC a success is to sign up as a volunteer! Not only will it be an amazing event, but you will get to meet other activists from all over the country and show the Republican Party what real conservatism is all about.

Tickets are going fast and Campaign for Liberty has great deals on lodging. So if you haven’t purchased your tickets or signed up as a CPAC volunteer yet, make sure you do it today! Just don’t forget use “Carolyn” as the promo code.

What are you waiting for?

Go to C4L Outreach to sign up and click Here for tickets!