Showdown Today on Dems’ House Censorship

HumanEvents.com ^ | 7/27/2009 | Connie Hair

[2nd amendment mama]

The battle against censorship by the House Democrat majority continues today as Republicans plan to speak out on the issue during their hour-long leadership Special Orders speeches tonight from the House floor. Highly-placed Republican staffers tell HUMAN EVENTS that all Republican members were invited to defend their First Amendment right to free speech tonight during one-hour Special Orders speeches, giving examples of censorship of their franking privileges by Democrats on the Franking Commission.  Members were asked to bring and read aloud franking disapprovals they have received that may have violated their free speech rights.

Democrats on the commission are blocking the approval of payment for postage for correspondence to their constituents from some 20 Republican House members that includes a chart illustrating the Democrats’ government run healthcare scheme.  

Sources tell HUMAN EVENTS that Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), Charles Boustany (R-La.), Kevin Brady (R-Texas), Mike Conaway (R-Texas), John Culberson (R-Texas), John Fleming (R-La.), Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), Wally Herger (R-Ca.), John Kline (R-Minn.), Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Chris Lee (R-N.Y.), Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.), Pete Olson (R-Texas), Tom Price (R-Ga.), Peter Roskam (R-Ill.), Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) and Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) all have correspondence to their constituents being held up by the commission.

House staff sources said that in 1993 a similar chart depicting then-First Lady Hillary Clinton’s government-run healthcare scheme was approved for mailing by the Franking Commission.

“I have in my hands, the franking approval from 1993 for a similar chart on HillaryCare… Democrats approved it then… only big difference is color,” one staffer said.

The Franking Commission is comprised of three Democrats and three Republican members.

On Friday, Brady and Roskam were preparing a “Dear Colleague” letter asking all Republican members to join them in sending the chart in question in a franked mail piece.  From the proposed “Dear Colleague” letter:

As you have no doubt heard by now, the “bipartisan” Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, or Franking Commission, is refusing to allow Republican Members of Congress to share vital information on health reform legislation with the families and businesses in their districts.

After rushing a 1,018 page government health care takeover bill through votes in two committees with no chance to read it, Democrat Leaders are trying to further prevent the American people from finding out just what this legislation will mean for hardworking families and businesses.

As Roll Call reported today, the Democrat staff at Franking has denied approval for mailings submitted by nearly 20 Republican Members of Congress that included a chart of the incredibly complex bureaucracy the Democratic health reform plan wedges between doctor and patient, calling it “misleading and false.”

The chart is anything but. Prepared by Brady and the Joint Economic Committee, this chart shows the massive new government intervention in personal health decisions proposed by the Democrats’ health plan.  

Please join me in sending a constituent mailing on health reform that includes the Brady JEC Chart on Democratic Health Care Bureaucracy to the Franking Commission for approval today.  If the Majority is going to continue to politicize our ability to educate constituents on the legislation before Congress, we need to make sure every American hears about it.  Surely one of the 178 Members of the Republican Conference can craft a health reform letter that is not “misleading.”

As HUMAN EVENTS reported exclusively on Friday, House Republicans are also being barred from using the term “government run health care” in their constituent correspondence.  Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), secretary of the House Republican Conference and former District Court judge, was informed via email that his communications to constituents could not include that term.  Carter read from the email he received from the Franking Commission.

“What we proposed as language was as follows, ‘House Democrats unveiled a government-run health care plan,’” Carter said.  “Our response from Franking was, ‘You cannot use that language.’  You must use, ‘The House majority unveiled a public option health care plan,’ which is Pelosi-speak or ‘just last week the House majority unveiled a health care plan which I believe will cost taxpayers…’”

Carter objects to the Democrat censorship as a violation of his right to free speech.

Last week, House Republicans planned to speak during their Monday leadership Special Orders hour on the refusal of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to help secure the release of CIA briefing logs that would disprove or substantiate her accusations that the CIA lied to Congress in national security briefings.  House Democrats blocked the ability of Republicans to speak from the House floor last Monday night by abruptly adjourning instead of allowing for the traditional Special Orders speeches at the conclusion of business.

Leadership sources say if the House adjourns tonight in an attempt to again silence Republicans from speaking from the floor, this time on Democrat censorship, the Republicans will move the Special Orders speeches outside to the front Capitol steps in protest.

Stay tuned.

Sex Trafficking of Children in the United States

Last week, Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), a senior member of the House Committee on International Relations, chaired a joint briefing of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking and the Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus to unveil a new report on the trafficking of our own children within our borders for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, America’s Prostituted Children assessed four components of domestic minor sex trafficking: identifying the victims; prosecuting the traffickers; combating demand; and providing protection, access to services and shelter for the victims -- mostly teenage girls. Experts estimate that at least 100,000 American minor children are the victims of sex trafficking within our own borders each year.

“The United States has come far in the fight against this modern day slavery, yet there is still a lot of work to do, particularly regarding the sex trafficking of minors,” Smith said.  “It is a problem all over the world and the United States is no exception. There are new victims in our country every day.”

“In addition to helping rehabilitate those brought to the US for sex trafficking purposes our shelters and programs for treatment must have the capacity to help trafficked American teens,” Smith continued.  “If we do not, these teenage victims will return to the street broken, destitute, and particularly vulnerable to being re-trafficked.”

“The buyers of commercial sex must be sensitized to the harm they cause women and girls and to the fact their money fuels modern day slavery,” Smith said.  “A cultural shift that recognizes the link between commercial sex and the trafficking of women and girls would starve the modern-day slaveholders. If potential buyers knew of the unspeakable lives of servitude and degradation these victims suffer, I think they would think twice before laying down their money.”

[2nd amendment mama]

The democrats/fascists in the House want to stifle free speech. Frankly I'm not at all surprised.

[Buckeye McFrog]

a future GOP majority needs to add “eliminate/privatize the Postal Service” to it’s to-do list

[Ulysse]

Should not that deserve a HUGE PROTEST for constitutional violation(again)?

[Sunshine Sister]

Nor am I. The thing that has me grinning however is that this is not happening in a vacuum. We know about the perfidy and I bet it will get mentioned during several radio shows today. I just love it that the traitors can't hide any more!

[KarlInOhio]

I'm a little hung up on mailing that chart. That chart is clearly an attempt to make a political issue about it and I have trouble with using government money to print and mail it. The real question is what have Dems mailed for free recently, not what could be mailed 16 years ago. If a lot of the Dems are using their free mail to send constituents info meant to sway general opinion on issues, then this one should be allowed.

Ideally, with the Internet now available for "broadcast" of information, I would even disallow whole district free mailing for both parties and only allow individual mail.

[SunkenCiv]

How the Myth of Institutional Racism Persists
OneSTDV.blogspot.com
Posted on 07/27/2009 3:25:22 AM PDT by nodont
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2301835/posts

[airborne]

a future GOP majority needs to add “eliminate/privatize the Postal Service” to it’s to-do list

OK. As long as I get to keep my current mail man. He's a very nice guy, and delivers over sized packages up to the house, instead of making me run to the post office.May not seem like a big deal, but to a disabled vet it is.

[MarkT]

Carter should excerpt material from the Congressional Record which use the same words wants to use. Give attribution, and the Commission surely will not censor the CR.

[SeattleBruce]

““Our response from Franking was, ‘You cannot use that language.’ You must use, ‘The House majority unveiled a public option health care plan,’
+++++++++++++++++++++

This should send chills down our spines...

[aimhigh]

Republicans plan to speak out

Meaningless. The press won't cover it. They need to walk out on Congress, then they might get a page 4 mention.

[kevkrom]

Censorship often has the consequence of drawing attention to that which you’re trying to censor.

[Jeff Head]

Here is a link to the full House Democrat Health Care Plan in PDF. In Section 1233 E & F, pages 426-433, you find the part about mandatory end-of-life counseling for anyone over 65 years of age. Section 152 Page 50: All healthcare services will be provided without regard to "personal characteristcs" which is not defined within the document but is understood to include immigration status.

A lot more provisions now being documented at that site.

HOUSE DEMOCRAT HEALTH CARE PLAN - http://www.jeffhead.com/DemHealthCare.htm

Also, here's a large image of the Democratic (Obama) Health Plan chart-another Obama empty promise. This is the one the House democrats are censuring. Email these links or the image to everyone you know.

Decmocrat (Obama) Health Plan
http://www.jeffhead.com/DemHealthCare.htm

Obama and all those pushing his radical agenda are abject marxist ideologues. Their "fundamental; change" is nothing more than a destruction of the American free market and fundamental republican principle.

A PETITION FOR CONSTITUTIONAL RESTORATION

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

A 4TH OF JULY TEA PARTY SPEECH

UNITED SOCIALIST STATES OF AMERICA - A SONG
By Ron and Kay Rivoli

...and on the lighter side, take your mind off the Obamanation for a few minutes and enjoy some beautiful Western US scenery slideshows.

JEFF HEAD'S WESTERN US SCENERY SLIDE SHOWS

[Waco]

And Congress exempts itself from the health plan it intends to shove up the nations axx.

[Oldpuppymax]

And have republicans taken this to the national media??? Don’t laugh, someone might report the travesty!

[nonliberal]

I have trouble with using government money to print and mail it.

I don't. Bludgeon the liberals using their weapons.

[Peter Horry]

:Government-Run Healthcare

[EdReform]

BTTT

[Polarik]

I'm a little hung up on mailing that chart. That chart is clearly an attempt to make a political issue about it and I have trouble with using government money to print and mail it.

And I suppose that the Dem'Rats are not making it a political issue either, holding bogus townhall meetings, stuffing press conferences with stooges, with the President delivering two primetime TV speeches on it??

[bamahead]

Libertarian ping! Click here to get added or here to be removed or post a message here!
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[dodger]

Just who are the members of this congressional Franking Commission, anyway?