May 19, 2000 Volume 3, Issue 8

Peyton Knight, Editor

Throughout Clinton’s reign, he has made it clear that his policy initiatives are urgent, and therefore he needn’t worry about consulting the nation’s legislative bodies before signing them into law. But all of that may be about to change. Thanks to all your calls blasting Clinton’s illegal use of executive orders, H.R. 2655 (The Separation of Powers Restoration Act) has picked up 40 co-sponsors! Congressmen Ron Paul (R-TX) and Jack Metcalf’s (R-WA) bill would restore legislative authority to the Congress and prevent President Clinton from dictatorially legislating through use of executive order. Once again, thanks to your calls, H.R. 2655 now has a companion bill in the Senate. S. 1795 (The Executive Orders Limitation Act), put forth by Sen. Michael Crapo (R-RI), is the Senate version of H.R. 2655 and it needs our support!

As you can see, your phone calls, letters and emails to your Representatives have been making a huge impact. But the battle is not over yet. Continue to call your Congressmen and urge them to support H.R. 2655 if they are not already doing so. If they are, let them know you stand behind them!

IN ADDITION it is vitally important that we now begin pushing the issue in the Senate. Call both of your state’s Senators and demand that they co-sponsor S. 1795. The future of our legislative process depends on it!

1. Call your Senators and tell them to co-sponsor S. 1795 which would return legislative authority to Congress and halt Clinton’s illegal use of executive orders. Capitol Hill Senate Switchboard (202) 224-3121.

2. Continue contacting your Representatives, urging them to support H.R. 2655. We’ve made so much progress—don’t stop now! Capitol Hill House Switchboard (202) 225-3121.

Private property rights advocates and landowners received a major blow last week when the House of Representatives passed H.R. 701, the Conservation and Reinvestment Act (CARA). Apparently, owning half of our nation’s land isn’t enough for the Federal government. Even a majority of voting Republicans signed on—with only the few reliable property rights champions refusing to buckle.

CARA would provide $1 billion a year to the Federal government to force private property owners off their land. Now the Senate must stop this monster cold in its tracks before a single landowner is denied his constitutional rights. President Clinton along with radical groups such as the Sierra Club have been lobbying tirelessly for this land-grabbing piece of legislation. That’s why we must counter them with a firestorm of protest. The good news is we’re not alone. Thanks to all our previous calls, letters and emails, a strong alliance of Senators is sitting poised, ready to kill this bill. But without continued action from our side those Senators could be rolled by the massive war chest of CARA supporters. S. 25 (CARA) is due for a hearing in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on May 24^th. It will then be voted on in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 14^th. There is a good chance CARA will be defeated, BUT ONLY IF WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT! Call, write and email your Senators. This one’s far from over!

1. Call your Senators and let them know you’re adamantly opposed to S. 25. Capitol Hill Senate Switchboard (202) 224-3121.

2. Call Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Sen. Robert Smith (202-224-2841) and voice your opposition.

3. Call Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Sen. Frank Murkowski (202-224-6665) and voice your opposition.

The battle to stop the drugging of hundreds of thousands of our nation’s children received a huge boost recently. American lawyers have filed a lawsuit against Novartis, the 30 billion dollar Swiss pharmaceutical company that manufactures the mind-altering drug. The suit cites the growing number of children who have developed cardio-vascular and nervous system problems as a result of Ritalin use. Ritalin is generally prescribed to treat the condition the psych industry calls Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). ADD diagnoses are becoming increasingly controversial as scientific evidence of the "disease" is nonexistent. This could be the first in a barrage of lawsuits against the pharmaceutical cash-cow known as Ritalin. This could also spell major trouble for the Department of Education which wholeheartedly endorses the use of Ritalin on children and even pays public schools $400 for every child diagnosed with ADD.

* Call your Congressman and ask him to support and co-sponsor Congressman Bob Schaffer’s House Resolution #459 to call for immediate Hearings on Ritalin use. Capitol Hill Switchboard (202) 225-3121.