We thought the NDAA was fixed. We thought we had won the fight. Between a court injunction and the hard work of Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul to pass the Feinstein-Lee Amendment, we thought that the issue of indefinite detention of US citizens without trial had been laid to rest and that the NDAA was finally fixed. We saw the bill pass the Senate and celebrated a major legislative victory.

Then it went to a conference committee chaired by John McCain which was tasked with reconciling the House and Senate versions, and despite all good sense and the cries of the people, the final version which will be voted on by both Houses on Thursday has had the strong language against indefinite detention taken out of it and replaced with redundant and watered down platitudes.

At this point the only viable course of action is to tell the House and Senate to vote down the bill and insist that it go back to committee and have the Lee-Feinstein Amendment wording restored to protect the rights of our citizens against unprecedented abuses of their most fundamental rights.

The big challenge here is that both houses will vote on the bill sometime Thursday, so you need to take action right now. Use the handy tool below to email your Senators and Representative and tell them you want them to stand up for liberty and the Constitution and vote down the conference committee version of the NDAA and send it back to be fixed.

John McCain is the Chairman of the Conference Committee. He’s the one who put indefinite detention back in the bill. In addition to emailing, take a few minutes to call him and tell him what you think of Republicans who don’t believe in the rule of law and the Constitution at (202) 224-2235.

Make sure to customize the language of the email to make it unique and in your own words.

In the midst of the most important budget negotiations of our lifetimes, House Speaker John Boehner has removed the four most fiscally conservative house members from two key committees because he is afraid that they will lead resistance to his plans to sacrifice cuts and compromise on tax increases in the budget negotiations with the Obama administration.

Justin Amash (R-MI) and Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) were removed without notice from the Budget Committee on Tuesday and Walter Jones (R-NC) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) were removed from the Financial Services Committee. All four had records of opposing past budget compromises and were reportedly ranked below other Republican representatives on a loyalty index put together by the house leadership, because they were more likely to vote based on principle and constituent requests rather than in lockstep with the leadership. These removals were made over the objections of the chairmen of the committees.

We believe that these four representatives have been outstanding advocates for the concerns of grassroots Republicans and all Americans who are worried about this nation’s dire financial condition. They should be looked to as leaders in determining fiscal policy, not cut out of the process. We hope that you will join us in a three-phase campaign to pressure House leaders to reinstate the “Fiscal Four” and stand firm for a budget which is fiscally responsible.

First: Use the form below to email your representative and request that they contact the party leaders in the House to ask that the Schweikert, Jones, Amash and Huelskamp be given back their committee assignments.

Second: Call Speaker Boehner’s office at (202) 225-0600 and tell them you want the Speaker to speaker to listen to grassroots Republicans and listen to strong fiscally conservative voices in the budget process and give the four Congressmen back their committee assignments.

Third: Get on twitter and send a comment to @SpeakerBoehner asking that Huelskamp, Amash, Shweikert and Jones be given back their assignments. Tag it #FiscalFour. Something like “@speakerboehner Please give the #FiscalFour back their committee assignments and stand firm for spending cuts” works great.

When you use the email form below to email your representative, take a few minutes to customize the message with your own words.

I hope that most people reading this are very familiar with the abuses of process, fraud and violations of party rules which marred the Republican National Convention in Tampa. From the start of the committee meetings to the final gavel there was a pattern of behavior from the party leadership which made very clear that control of the party had been taken away from the body of members and the delegates representing them at the convention and seized by a small cadre acting on behalf of the Romney campaign and powerful special interests. They sacrificed the best interests of the party and the rights of party members to take control of the convention and restructure the party rules to reduce the influence of the grassroots and of state parties in the future.

The national media gave this story of what went on behind the scenes at the convention very little coverage, but you may have followed some of the developments here on this site. If you didn’t follow the story or wanted to know what was behind some of the protests you may have heard about, the best way to catch up on what went on is to read our archive or view the outstanding video reports from Ben Swann on WXIX in Cincinnati.

The result of these events is that a convention which should have been designed to build unity behind the presidential nominee instead helped to unify grassroots Republicans against the small group of opportunists who seem to have taken over the party. The events at the convention finally made many average Republicans realize that what was going on was not an attempt to stop Ron Paul supporters from being disruptive, but a much larger powergrab directed against all of the traditional constituencies of the party except for a small group of insiders. Republicans are starting to realize that after Tampa it is no longer our party, but one controlled by powerbrokers who plan to use the party and use us for their own ends.

In response it is essential that the base of the party reassert itself and that we demand a return to bottom-up organization where authority derives from the members through their county and state parties and is not imposed from above by the dictates of a small elite. The first step in doing that is to assert clearly that we do not accept what happened in Tampa, that we condemn the methods used and we reject the rule changes which resulted.

This petition directed at state party leadership and the Republican National Committee is based on the resolution proposed earlier this fall by a working group of RLC delegates and precinct chairs, but does not represent an official statement of the RLC or any of our chapters unless they choose to pass it as such – which many have done. This petition is your chance to personally show your support for reversing these rule changes and restoring popular control of the Republican Party.

This is a great chance for Republicans nationwide to make their objections to these rule changes and the abuses at the convention very clear in this petition which will be sent to all state parties and the Republican National Committee before it meets in January.

Audit the Fed is now in the Senate and it’s the lame duck session and the Democrats are doing everything they can to stop it. We need to get all the sponsors on board that we can, particularly Democrats and the few remaining reluctant Republicans.

Right now Audit the Fed (S. 202) is still being held in the Senate Banking Committee after 2 months, and Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD) is under orders from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) not to let it out of committee. If it doesn’t get out of the committee it never even gets a chance for a vote from the Senate as a whole. Some progress is being made. The bill now has 37 co-sponsors, even including one Democrat. That puts some pressure on the House leadership, but not enough.

Experts are declaring Audit the Fed to be “dead on arrival” in the Senate, but if our government works at all, if there is enough grassroots outcry for the Senate to take action on the bill, we ought to be able to pressure Reid and Johnson to release the bill for a fair vote on the floor.

Making this happen requires a two phase plan of action.

First, you have to call Reid and Johnson directly yourself. They’re Democrats and they may not represent your state, but they should still take your call because of their leadership positions. Don’t necessarily tell them you’re not a Democrat. Just make very clear to their staff member who answers the phone that you’re concerned about Audit the Fed (S.202) and would like the Senate to have a chance to vote on it. Point out the strong bipartisan support in the House and the wide popular support in polls. That might help.

Call Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) at 202-224-5842
Call Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) at 202-224-3542

Second, use the form below to write your Senators and urge them to join as sponsors of the bill and to contact Reid and Johnson and ask that they bring the bill to the floor of the Senate for a vote. If enough people contact them about it they will reach out to these two powerful Democrats and if enough Senators take action it might wear them down. Use the text entered in the email form or it might be even better if you customize it to express your concern in your own words.

Here is the current list of sponsoring Senators. If yours are not on the list, you absolutely must email them and urge them to sponsor it.

Sen Ayotte, Kelly [NH] – 9/10/2012
Sen Barrasso, John [WY] – 10/6/2011
Sen Begich, Mark [AK] – 9/12/2012
Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] – 10/6/2011
Sen Boozman, John [AR] – 5/24/2011
Sen Brown, Scott P. [MA] – 9/19/2012
Sen Burr, Richard [NC] – 10/6/2011
Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] – 7/25/2011
Sen Coburn, Tom [OK] – 10/6/2011
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] – 7/25/2012
Sen Collins, Susan M. [ME] – 11/13/2012
Sen Cornyn, John [TX] – 3/28/2012
Sen Crapo, Mike [ID] – 9/6/2011
Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] – 1/26/2011
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] – 8/2/2012
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 7/17/2012
Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] – 10/31/2011
Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] – 5/24/2011
Sen Heller, Dean [NV] – 6/22/2011
Sen Hutchison, Kay Bailey [TX] – 9/12/2012
Sen Inhofe, James M. [OK] – 10/6/2011
Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] – 9/10/2012
Sen Kirk, Mark Steven [IL] – 7/31/2012
Sen Lee, Mike [UT] – 3/1/2011
Sen McCain, John [AZ] – 10/31/2011
Sen Moran, Jerry [KS] – 9/10/2012
Sen Murkowski, Lisa [AK] – 7/23/2012
Sen Portman, Rob [OH] – 11/13/2012
Sen Risch, James E. [ID] – 10/6/2011
Sen Roberts, Pat [KS] – 11/13/2012
Sen Rubio, Marco [FL] – 10/6/2011
Sen Sessions, Jeff [AL] – 9/19/2012
Sen Shelby, Richard C. [AL] – 8/2/2012
Sen Thune, John [SD] – 10/6/2011
Sen Toomey, Pat [PA] – 8/1/2012
Sen Vitter, David [LA] – 1/26/2011
Sen Wicker, Roger F. [MS] – 10/6/2011

(This resolution proposal originated from a working group of RLC delegates and precinct chairs, but does not represent an offiical statement of the RLC or any of our chapters unless they choose to pass it as such. The intent is for it to be acted on by individuals through their local Republican parties, not necessarily as an official initiative of RLC chapters)

By now I would hope that most people reading this are very familiar with the abuses of process, fraud and violations of party rules which marred the Republican National Convention in Tampa. From the start of the committee meetings to the final gavel there was a pattern of behavior from the party leadership which made very clear that control of the party had been taken away from the body of members and the delegates representing them at the convention and seized by a small cadre acting on behalf of the Romney campaign and powerful special interests. They sacrificed the best interests of the party and the rights of party members to take control of the convention and restructure the party rulesto reduce the influence of the grassroots and of state parties in the future.

The national media gave this story of what went on behind the scenes at the convention very little coverage, but you may have followed some of the developments here on this site. If you didn’t follow the story or wanted to know what was behind some of the protests you may have heard about, the best way to catch up on what went on is to read our archive or view the outstanding video reports from Ben Swann on WXIX in Cincinnati.

The result of these events is that a convention which should have been designed to build unity behind the presidential nominee instead helped to unify grassroots Republicans against the small group of opportunists who seem to have taken over the party. The events at the convention finally made many average Republicans realize that what was going on was not an attempt to stop Ron Paul supporters from being disruptive, but a much larger powergrab directed against all of the traditional constituencies of the party except for a small group of insiders. Republicans are starting to realize that after Tampa it is no longer our party, but one controlled buy powerbrokers who plan to use the party and use us for their own ends.

In response it is essential that the base of the party reassert itself and that we demand a return to bottom-up organization where authority derives from the members through their county and state parties and is not imposed from above by the dictates of a small elite. The first step in doing that is to assert clearly that we do not accept what happened in Tampa, that we condemn the methods used and we reject the rule changes which resulted.

The way to do this is for Precinct Chairs nationwide to take a resolution to their county parties condemning the abuses at the convention and making very clear their rejection of the new rules and new structure of the party. A working group of Delegates and Precinct Chairs has drafted a proposed resolution, and we hope that it or something like it will be passed by as many County Executive Committees as possible, sent on and passed by State Republican Executive Committees and ultimately make its way to the Republican National Committee before it meets in January.

Here is the text of the resolution. If you are active in your local Republican Party, please take it to your Count Executive Committee or your Precinct Chair and urge them to pass it and act on it.

Whereas, the management of the Republican National Convention in Tampa displayed a blatant disregard for the rules under which the convention committees and convention’s general business session were supposed to be conducted;

Whereas, national party leaders and agents of the Romney campaign worked to disenfranchise legitimately elected delegates, silence dissent and disregard legitimate motions and the results of votes during the national convention;

Whereas, fraud and coercion were used to pass new rules which reduce the power and autonomy of state and local party organizations, allow future rule changes without proper oversight by the body of the party and impose a top-down structure of governance in place of the party’s traditional bottom-up structure;

Whereas, most of the factional problems at the convention could have been resolved through reasonable negotiation in ways which promoted unity and cooperation, but were instead dealt with by a heavy handed incompetence which has led to greater divisions, a weakening of the party and loss of support for the presidential nominee;

Whereas, responsibility for the mismanagement and abuse of process at the national convention ultimately rests with the national Chairman;

Whereas, it is to the benefit of the party to protect the rights and interests of party members and preserve the traditional and unique practices of the state parties;

Therefore be it resolved that:

We call for the immediate resignation of Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus;

We reject the validity of all of the revisions to the party rules passed at the Tampa convention and consider the 2008 rules to remain in effect;

We assert the primacy of the state parties in determining policy for conducting party elections, nomination of candidates and apportionment of delegates within their states without the interference of the national committee or any campaign or outside entities.

We urge our State Republican Executive Committee, our State Chairman and our Republican National Committee representatives to act on this resolution and vote to return control of the party to the state parties and the body of party members.

Remember, this resolution needs to be passed by as many county and state parties as possible before the end of the year so that it can be sent on to the RNC in January.

On Tuesday the Rules Committee at the Republican National Convention will meet to work out final details of proposed rules changes which were produced over the weekend and widely greeted with outrage by the grassroots of the party.

We have provided extensive coverage of this situation (see our News and Opinion sections) and between our efforts and those of other groups and activists the media has taken a strong interest in the situation.

As a result a compromise proposal has been offered by party insiders in the Rules Committee, which only partially addresses some of the concerns raised in the Minority Report.

This small compromise is not a sufficient response. It leaves the RNC with the ability to change rules at will between elections and still imposes onerous top-down restrictions on state parties which reduce grassroots participation. It is like a thief offering you a slice of the loaf of bread he stole from you and expecting gratitude.

At this point there seems to be no good reason for the delegates to back down and accept a compromise. If they want their media showcase convention then the party elite cannot afford the negative press which would come from prolonging this confrontation.

If we can persuade delegates and committee members to stand firm the opposition will back down.

At this link you will find a PDF file with the phone numbers and emails of the members of the committee. Please take a few minutes in the morning to call or email the ones from your state or any others you might wish to reach out to and urge them to vote to withdraw all of the proposed rule changes.

Remember the 4th Amendment? How does a remote controlled drone knock on your door and present a search warrant?

The answer is that it can’t.

In the name of security our government at the federal, state and local level, has launched another assault on oiur 4th Amendment rights by authorizing the use of military style drones to monitor the activities of civilians with no warrants and no due process of law. With penetrating scanning technology these drones can watch you and listen to your conversations through the walls of your house and even read your email remotely without you even being aware that you are under surveillance, all of this without any kind of Constitutionally required due process of law – no hearing, no charges, no search warrant. Under the PATRIOT Act that drone might as well be sitting in your living room or bedroom, invading every private aspect of your life.

Senator Rand Paul has introduced the Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act (S. 3287) which would require a legal warrant issued by a judge before drones were used for any purpose other than patrolling the borders or pursuing known terrorism suspects. It would keep drones from engaging in preemptive surveillance or broadly tasked data gathering missions as proposed in the PATRIOT Act. It would protect you and other law abiding citizens from being monitored by drones for nothing more than the convenience and curiosity of the NSA or local law enforcement.

Read more about the bill in The Hill and please use our convenient tool below to write your Senators today and ask them to join on as sponsors.