Need help: Information on a questionable Bill

[elfwitch]

My husband told me this weekend that he remembers a bill being introduced to Congress (some time within the last 6 months) that would make it possible to fine and/or jail people for writing directly to their Congressional representative.

Does anyone here remember anything like this?

[boxster]

1. Methinks your leg is being pulled...

If not, it really is 1984.

[elfwitch]

3. hubby is a joker but...

not on something like this...

[Dookus]

2. umm...no

and such a thing would, rightly, be laughed out of congress. It's one of the explicit protections in the Bill of Rights.

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

[elfwitch]

4. I know about the 1st amendment

But he recalls reading something like this a few months ago.

[Dookus]

5. And I'm saying he misread it

Such a proposition is unthinkable, and anybody who proposed it would've been made a national laughingstock.

Furthermore, I can't even think of a reason WHY anybody would want to do this. Legislators LIKE getting constitutent feedback.

[sui generis]

6. turnabout is fair play

said Shakespeare (I think). Methinks your husband should be informed that Castro has been deposed in a bloodless coup and Gloria Estefan is now the president of Cuba. Really - it's on all the news channels!

[elfwitch]

7. So much for DU helping...

Wasn't really wanting people to imply that my husband was either gullible or retarded, THANKS! He is neither.

He sincerely believes that he saw something like this a few months ago. He doesn't frequent bogus or questionable news sources.

So, thanks to you few DUers that took the time to insult his intelligence instead of either not replying or merely saying that you didn't recall anything like that coming up.

And we bemoan those who label liberals with the "elitist" or "intellectual snob" labels. Way to go guys!
:mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke: :mad: :grr: :nuke:

[Dookus]

8. Elfwitch

I don't think anybody here said anybody was gullible or retarded.

We have said he was mistaken.

[elfwitch]

9. see post #6

n/t

[Dookus]

10. OK...

I did.

It says nothing about gullibility or retardation.

Please don't feel offended by the responses - no offense was meant.

[elfwitch]

11. Just forget it then...

Man I totally understand why there are some folks that just stay in the Lounge.

[sui generis]

12. miss elfwitch!

it was funny -- loosen up! gollee. :pals:

[elfwitch]

13. I am normally pretty loose

but jeeze... I was looking for an answer.
As much questionable shit the the * cabal tries to pull off.
With DeLay in charge.
It is not completely beyond imagining that some super RW congress person might at least offer up a bill like this. Even if it got shot down before the full House saw it.

He remembered it quite clearly. AP wire or something.
DU is a storehouse of people keeping tabs on the bad guys.
Was it really so hard just to say you don't remember anything like this or nothing at all?

[phoebe]

15. Perhaps you were thinking of anti-spamming regulations?

some constituents were worried that multiple letters from grass roots organizations would be viewed as spam by congress. If this is not helpful - apologies..

[sui generis]

16. again,

just trying to get a chuckle from you. I don't remember anything like this at all, and it did seem odd. In my experience with my mate something that fundamentally odd is usually playful - sorry if that's not your experience. Saying nothing at all is what people on other boards suggest.;-)

[AZCat]

14. I haven't found anything, but here are a couple of helpful links...

Here is the most important one: www.house.gov

From there you can search for bills, look up their status, and read them (boooooring but useful).

Also, I go here: www.findlaw.com
for useful news and commentary. I think they would have been on top of something like this pretty quick.

Hope this helps reassure you that the coup hasn't started quite yet.
(although I don't know about after the election)

:)

On Edit: After spending some more time at the House site, I can't find any bills during the 108th Congress that dealt with that. I wasn't sure what terms to use for the search, so I did it with a variety and checked the bills that seemed suspicious. Nothing jumped out at me.