Greetings fellow Obama Supporters!
I trust that you are all doing well, and that you continue to support PRESIDENT OBAMA in his efforts to deliver on the promises he made during the 2008 Campaign. For the latest examples, have a look at an outstanding example of transparency just released today: Data.gov. This and other resources are always available on the the White House website.
On this topic of transparency in our government, I'm sure you've heard about the new legislation passed by Congress to improve fairness for consumers with respect to Credit Card providers. I hope you are also aware that the NRA and their political bloc managed to insert an addendum to this bill that has absolutely NOTHING to do with consumer lending practices. The addendum was to reverse a previous legal statute that prohibits carrying concealed weapons within our National Parks.
THIS is an outrageous example of the same OLD political process, concealing the work of special interests and hijacking the legislative process to achieve a goal that would not be achievable in an "open" process. Our democratic process will only survive if we take an active role in OUR government. WE must hold our legislators accountable to be sure that our representative government is truly representing US!
So how can we do that? One way to ensure that our voices are heard is to take the time to let your Senators and Representatives know how YOU feel about a given issue. The web makes this much easier than writing and mailing a letter. The following website is a good place to begin...
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
...and the passage of "bad" legislation as an amendment to "good" legislation is a great issue to begin with. Wouldn't you agree?
Suzanne and I were certainly outraged by this maneuver, and she has crafted the letter below that she's sent to Georgia's two US Senators. Please feel free to cut & paste into the webform for our Senators to help amplify the feedback they are receiving on this issue!
I understand the deeply held beliefs of the gun lobby and their supporters but I am offended that my Senator chose to support the Coburn amendment to a critical and sure-to-pass bill. This says to me that 1) you think we, the voting public, will not understand this deplorable tactic, 2) you think that there are no Georgians who actually support the curtailing of weapons availability, or 3) you cannot stand up to the NRA. We do not need concealed weapons in parks. Any threat represented by wildlife can be mitigated, as they have been, by the use of "tranquilizer vests" that shoot, yes, tranquilizers. So the purpose of the bill - to protect the public in national parks" is at best spurious and at worst, a ruse. Shame on you, Senator. At least be willing to de-couple these issues and take a stand!
I understand the deeply held beliefs of the gun lobby and their supporters but I am offended that my Senator chose to support the Coburn amendment to a critical and sure-to-pass bill. This says to me that 1) you think we, the voting public, will not understand this deplorable tactic, 2) you think that there are no Georgians who actually support the curtailing of weapons availability, or 3) you cannot stand up to the NRA.
We do not need concealed weapons in parks. Any threat represented by wildlife can be mitigated, as they have been, by the use of "tranquilizer vests" that shoot, yes, tranquilizers. So the purpose of the bill - to protect the public in national parks" is at best spurious and at worst, a ruse.
Shame on you, Senator. At least be willing to de-couple these issues and take a stand!
Please let your voice be heard._ James
P.S.For additional information on this issue please visit the following websites:
The Brady Campaign
CNN Politics.com
The Huffington Post
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