"When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful." --
Malala Yousafzai
This week we have a choose-your-own Rebel Action of the Week, depending on whether you live in NH or out of state.
For New Hampshirites:
Write a Letter to the Editor Urging the NH House to Take Action on Citizens United
In last week's Rebel Action we told you that a NH House committee refused to move forward with SB136, which simply forms a committee to study endorsing a U.S. Constitutional amendment to repeal Citizens United. That recommendation came after a unanimous vote of support in the Senate. Now it's in the hands of the full NH House come January.
In a letter to your local newspapers, tell your community that NH should pass a resolution to amend the Constitution and end the unlimited and secret money unleashed from the Citizens United decision. Sixteen states have already passed resolutions, and dozens more have proposed bills. And it has overwhelming support: Recent national polling shows 80% of Republicans and 82% of Democrats support overturning Citizens United.
Urge readers to call or write their NH state representatives to override the "interim study" recommendation from committee and vote to support SB136! Make sure to mention that NH sees the evils of unlimited electioneering first hand with the barrage of negative Super PAC ads from outside special interests.
Need your newspaper's contact information? Check our list.
For Out of Staters:
Write a letter to the editor calling on President Obama to make political donations to Congress from federal contractors transparent to the voters
It's called "Pay-to-Play." A federal contractor makes a donation to a PAC benefiting a member of Congress who sits on a committee which will make the decision on its contract. Sound like corruption? It is.
How bad is it? A dollar spent on this kind of influence yields $760 in federal contracts. Pretty good return on investment, wouldn't you say? Read this article in The Hill for more stats.
President Obama can use his executive action powers to make these legal bribes transparent, so we can at least see who is buying influence. The President promised to take this action during his campaign, but hasn't.
Keep a few things in mind when writing your letter:
- Keep it to 200 words
- Include your name, address & phone (newspapers typically don't print the address, but will print your name and town)
- Submit it to your local papers and online news sites
- Ask others to write to President Obama directly to urge this action
When you've sent your letter, please also post it to Facebook and any other social media channels. Oh, and send us a copy, too, so we can post it on the NH Rebellion Facebook page!
It's in your hands, Rebels! Let's send a strong message!
Brian Beihl and the NH Rebellion Team
P.S. - If you haven't signed the new "We the People" Pledge to Fight Big Money, do so ASAP! Your pledge will be delivered in person to all the candidates on February 6th!