are you into petitioning and donating?

Dear 99,

What would you do to help save our constitutional republic? Would you forward an E-mail to 10 friends? Would you post it on your blog (if you have one)? I hope so.

The American Freedom Campaign has set a goal for itself. We want to expand our base of online supporters from 38,000 to 50,000 people over the course of the next month. With this 30+ percent increase, we will enhance our ability to influence Congress when important bills are under consideration. We will also be able to activate a larger number of Americans during the upcoming general election season when the issue of excessive presidential power should be at the top of the national agenda.

Why should your friends join the American Freedom Campaign - either by signing our petition or by signing up for AFC updates on our home page? That's a good question. This is why (and this, of course, is what they will read when you forward this E-mail along):

--The American Freedom Campaign was launched less than eight months ago to build a grassroots movement to help restore the Constitution and reverse the violations of civil liberties and human rights that have occurred over the past seven years.

--Over the past few months, the American Freedom Campaign has filled an important role in Washington by leading the fight to restore our system of checks and balances. While there are many organizations fighting specific policies considered unconstitutional, few, if any, are focused almost exclusively on restraining executive overreach.

--Consistent with its mission to restore checks and balances, AFC aggressively - and successfully - pushed the U.S. House to pass a contempt resolution against Bush administration officials who refused to comply with congressional subpoenas. The Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call, in an article about the contempt vote in the House, cited AFC as an example - in fact, the only example - of an advocacy group generating grassroots pressure on House members.

--AFC has also helped inject constitutional balance of powers issues into the debate over the nation's Iraq policy. As the Bush administration negotiates an agreement with the Iraqi government to establish the parameters of the two nations' bilateral relationship beyond 2008, AFC is working with members of Congress to ensure that no significant commitment is made without the approval of Congress. Toward this end, AFC hosted a conference call on which Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), joined by two constitutional scholars from Yale Law School, introduced a resolution expressing the sense of the House that any major agreement reached without congressional approval will be invalid.

--As the 2008 campaign moves forward, AFC will play a critically important educational role. We will aggressively push the message that the Bush administration's dramatic expansion of executive power makes the selection of the next president one of the most important decisions the citizens of this nation will ever make.

But if we are going to succeed moving forward, it will only be with your help. So, please, take a minute and forward this email to anyone you think would be interested in our mission. We hope they will then either sign our petition or sign up for AFC updates on our home page:

http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org/

If you are not able to forward this email along, we hope that you will consider making a financial contribution to the American Freedom Campaign. If every person on this list gives just $10, we will be able to dramatically expand our public education efforts. To visit our donation page, just click on this link:

https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/2629/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2644

Best,
Steve

Steve Fox
Campaign Director
American Freedom Campaign and the
American Freedom Campaign Action Fund