Netline To Congress
???Government v. The People - Americans Given A New Weapon
About
Between 1998-1999, Netline To Congress was an ambitious pro-active program carefully planned and designed to meaningfully and effectively communicate the Will of the American People to their Senators and Congressmen, the purpose of which was to motivate such officials, without reservation, to ardently and fully restore, preserve, honor, and protect, in spirit as well as in fact, the Bill of Rights and a Constitutional government in the United States of America.
The content below is from the site's 1998-1999 archived pages.
When I moved to Washington DC from Baltimore in 1998, my neighbor's told me about this site. I remember that period of my life very vividly. I was deeply ensconced in an advocacy to regulate Google. No one was on my side. Google could do no evil. But why is it ok for a search for someone's name to show harmful content in the search results? This is going to be a huge problem for thousands of people and businesses once all the bogus and fake content that gets perpetrated daily all gets indexed by Google and starts to show up in harmful Google results with damaging consequences. The only people who seem to really get it are the entrepreneurs and early adopters who see an opportunity to solve a problem with a removal service that could be extremely valuable if enough people are impacted. These startups assume that the market not only exists, but will explode. They are correct, and that by itself is the argument for regulation. It's so frustrating to have facts on your side and still not able to make a good case because of a complacent public. I'm sure the market for search removal services will grow exponentially as long as there is legal imperative for Google to permit individuals to remove private information upon request as in the EU. I kinda burned out and needed an escape. I'll miss the energy of Washington DC, but the toxic atmosphere of the highly partisan Congress has made the government seem totally gridlock. Forget the Will of the People, it's partisan politics straight down the line. Where I am in California is so laid back and the beaches here something to behold. I'm chillin'
How Does It Work and What is Its Purpose?
Every week (except during holidays, periods of Internet, equipment, or technical problems, and when it is deemed appropriate to continue a question for more than one week), on Wednesday, at or about 12:00 noon (EST), a question concerning a major issue or important subject with respect to the United States of America is posted on the Netline To Congress main page of this web site. Visitors to this site are invited to vote their YES or NO opinion in regard to the Weekly Question. The collective voted opinion of the participants is then sent weekly, via an e-mail message, to every U.S. Senator and Congressman with a known e-mail address (most of the 535 Senators & Congressmen have an e-mail address). Special security measures have been devised to safeguard and ensure the integrity and accuracy of the voting process. Each week this web site also reports the opinion results from the previous week's question.
Additionally, once a month that month's Weekly Questions and responses are tabulated in a computer database, and the statistical results are printed in a report. A copy of the printed report is then delivered to the Washington D.C. office of every Senator and Congressman, and is also delivered to the offices of the Clerk of the Senate and House of Representatives. In the event that the e-mail is ignored the hard copy printed report serves as public notice of the opinion votes.
Every important and significant piece of proposed legislation is scrutinized before any vote for its passage occurs in Congress. If the First American Constitutional Committee deems it appropriate, a Weekly Question designed to elicit the will of the people, with respect to the proposed legislation, will be posted in this web site by Netline To Congress. Thus, the very pulse of the Will of the American People will be known by all members of Congress before any such legislation is passed. Popular present day opinion polls do not do this. Netline To Congress has been designed to effectively communicate the Will of the American People to Congress every week. No longer will Senators and Congressmen be able to introduce and/or vote for the passage of laws, which violate the Bill of Rights or any other provision of the Constitution, or which are inconsistent with the Will of the American People, without such constitutional violation and Will being clearly known beforehand by each and every Senator and Congressman.
The voting record of each Senator and Congressman with respect to every significant legislative act passed is entered into a computer database, and is then cross-matched with the voting opinion of the American public as derived from the Weekly Questions. The information is then statistically analyzed and portrayed in very informative and persuasive graphical PowerPoint presentations. The information can clearly and quickly show any average American, as a graphical percentage, the Senator's or Congressman's Voting Record v. the Will of the People, with respect to most laws passed by Congress. The information will then be exported to this web site and made available for download. The information will also be widely and massively distributed throughout the country to the news media, and to interested organizations, groups and individuals via the Internet. Many organizations, groups, and individuals have volunteered to help with such distribution.
In the past, Senators and Congressmen have grossly ignored the Will of the People on many issues, resulting in a serious and negative impact upon the sovereignty, constitutional rights, freedoms and liberty of American citizens. The damage done has been so great that many Americans believe that the very existence of the Republic is threatened. However, Netline To Congress is going to change this situation. How? By helping to impose practical term limits upon Senators and Congressmen. Armed with the persuasive information that Netline To Congress will make available, political challengers will be able to launch very creative, potent, and effective campaigns against incumbents. So, in the future Senators and Congressmen may choose to ignore the Will of the People, but they will do so at great risk of losing re-election. Put another way, one might say that they may be making a career decision by continuing to ignore the People's Will.
The power underlying the approach being taken by Netline To Congress rests in today's computer technology and the Internet. For those intrigued by numbers, consider the resulting mathematical events if 50,000 individuals responding to just one Weekly Question were to cause a separate e-mail message to be sent to each Senator and Congressman. 50,000 x 535 e-mail messages = 26,750,000. Over 26 million e-mail messages! 500,000 x 535 e-mail messages = 267,500,000. Over 267 million e-mail messages! Of course, such amount of e-mail would be trashed without first being read. Even today, most e-mail messages to members of Congress simply cause to be generated an automated impersonal response. The point, however, to grasp is that such documented and enormously focused effort occurring every week would likely lead to other impactful consequences and outcomes, as indicated above, which include Senators and Congressmen losing re-election.
One way or the other, the Will of the People will prevail!
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Question of the Week
10-27-99 (Wednesday)
NATO peace-keeping troops, which include American Forces, have served in Bosnia since the civil war in that country ended in 1995. According to news reports, the Pentagon has announced that the Georgia Army National Guard's 48th Brigade, the Texas 49th Armored Division, Virginia's 29th Infantry Division, Pennsylvania's 28th Infantry Division, and the Army's 3rd Infantry Division are scheduled to contribute forces as Bosnia peacekeepers through 2002. The activation of the National Guard, according to Brig. Gen. Robert Hughes, the 48th's commander, is the result of the way the U.S. active-duty forces are spread out around the world. QUESTION: Should Congress pass legislation which eliminates all present and future funding for American military peacekeeping activity in Bosnia?
9-1-99 Janet Reno on national TV has expressed deep feelings that she was lied to by the FBI concerning Waco, and their use of incendiary devices which could have caused the fire that killed 80 people. The FBI, before Congress, also denied the use of any such devices. QUESTION: Should Congress appoint a Special Prosecutor to seek indictments and prosecution of all those FBI agents who testified and lied before Congress? Results: No=8% Yes=92%
9-8-99 Besides choosing between Democrat and Republican candidates would you like to be able to vote for candidates running on a third national political party ballot? Results: No=10% Yes=90%
9-15-99 Based on recent TV news reports, it appears that President Clinton, Attorney General Janet Reno, and members of the FBI and BATF lied to Congress and to the American Public about certain issues regarding the attack on the Branch Davidians at their Church and Residence in Waco, Texas. According to the reports, witnesses are now coming forth who are saying that they know that Clinton and Reno ordered the attack, and the use of military personnel and incendiary devices. A federal law, the Posse Comitatus Act, prohibits the domestic use of the military against American citizens. QUESTION: Should a federal Grand Jury be called to investigate and hear evidence with respect to the Waco incident, and then render indictments against those believed to have violated the law? Results: No=6% Yes=94%
9-22-99 The United States, since WWII, has been acting as a global peacekeeper and engaging its military in foreign country and regional conflicts. In the last 10 years such action has been increasing in frequency, and has resulted in American peacekeeping troops being currently stationed in several countries around the world. The contribution by the American people is substantial: Besides it risking the health and lives of American military personnel, the American taxpayer ultimately pays for most of the costs associated with the military action. QUESTION: Do you believe that Congress needs to pass legislation which clearly and substantially controls the use of our Military in foreign conflicts? Results: No=12% Yes=88%
9-29-99 National health care coverage is once again back in the news as a result of it being highlighted as a major issue by certain presidential candidates. It is a fact that millions of Americans do not have health care insurance because they cannot afford it. QUESTION: Should Congress pass legislation which provides for government funded basic and catastrophic health insurance for every American citizen? Results: No=74% Yes=26%
10-6-99 Although news coverage, along with public outcry, is increasing as a result of the continuing revelations with respect to the Waco incident, many Americans are questioning the sincerity of the pending congressional investigations and suspect that Congress will whitewash the matter. On the other hand, this opinion is not shared by everyone. QUESTION: Do you believe that Congress will find no fault on the part of the government, or any government officials or officers, for the deaths which occurred in Waco? Results: No=26% Yes=74%
10-13-99 Defense Secretary William Cohen, according to a recent national news report, stated that he believed Americans would agree to giving up some of their constitutional rights and to the use of the military, domestically, in exchange for more national security. QUESTION: Do you believe that Congress should ever pass legislation, without a constitutional amendment specifically supporting such legislation being proposed and ratified by 3/4 of the states, that reduces or impairs or attempts to reduce or impair constitutional rights for any purpose or reason? Results: No=98% Yes=2%
10-20-99 Attempts by some members of Congress to legislate campaign finance reform has once again failed. This week the Senate voted against a Senate Bill that would have banned all "soft money" contributions to political parties. While Senator McCain argued that such contributions must be banned because they give the appearance of corruption, other Senators argued that a legislative ban would chill freedom of political expression and violate the 1st Amendment. QUESTION: Do you believe that Congress could pass effective and constitutional legislation, if it really wanted to implement campaign finance reform? Results: No=29% Yes=71%
More Background On Netline-To-Congress.com
Netline To Congress was an innovative initiative that engaged the American public in the legislative process through the use of technology, aiming to bridge the gap between citizens and their representatives. While direct information about Netline To Congress specifically from sources other than its own website is scarce, understanding the broader context of initiatives and referendums in the United States can offer insight into the kind of democratic engagement Netline To Congress sought to foster.
Initiatives and referendums have been part of the U.S. political landscape for over a century, serving as a form of direct democracy where citizens have the power to propose new laws or repeal existing ones through a vote. This process, which originated during the Progressive Era (1896–1917), was aimed at reducing the power of political bosses and parties, allowing average citizens to become more directly involved in the political process.
The process of getting an initiative onto the ballot involves several steps, including the preliminary filing of a proposed petition, review for compliance with statutory requirements, preparation of a ballot title and summary, circulation to obtain the required number of signatures, and submission for verification. If successful, the initiative is placed on the ballot for a public vote.
Historically, the initiative process has seen fluctuating levels of use across different states and periods. For instance, California experienced a notable peak in initiative activity following the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. The decades of 1981-1990 and 1991-2000 were particularly prolific, demonstrating the initiative process's significant role in shaping state legislation.
At the national level, however, the United States does not have a process for federal initiatives and referendums, meaning that any such process, like Netline To Congress, would primarily influence rather than directly change federal law. Still, initiatives and referendums serve as important tools for civic engagement, allowing the electorate to express their views directly on key issues and policies.
Netline To Congress, within this context, represents an effort to apply the spirit of direct democracy to the digital age, facilitating a direct line of communication between American citizens and their representatives in Congress. By enabling voters to express their opinions on major issues and proposed legislation, Netline To Congress sought to ensure that the will of the people was communicated clearly and regularly to those in power. Though it operated in a specific historical and technological milieu, the underlying goal of enhancing democratic participation and accountability remains highly relevant in today's political environment.
Popularity
Netline To Congress, operational between 1998-1999, was designed to directly communicate the American people's opinions to their representatives in Congress. It aimed at ensuring legislative decisions aligned with public opinion, especially concerning the Bill of Rights and constitutional governance. The initiative utilized weekly questions on major issues, with responses sent to Congress, intending to influence legislative actions and promote accountability. Despite its ambitious goals, specific details on its popularity and direct impact are not readily available. For more information, visit the Netline To Congress website.
Audience
The audience for Netline To Congress primarily consisted of American citizens interested in directly influencing congressional actions and decisions. Through the initiative, participants could express their views on major issues by voting on weekly questions. These collective opinions were then communicated to U.S. Senators and Congressmen, aiming to ensure that legislative actions reflected the will of the people. This platform sought to engage politically aware individuals who desired a more responsive and accountable government.
Known For
Netline To Congress was known for its innovative approach to enhancing democratic participation in the late 1990s. It allowed American citizens to vote on critical issues each week, then communicated these collective opinions directly to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. This initiative aimed to ensure that congressional actions reflected the public's will, promoting accountability and responsiveness in government.
Location
Netline To Congress was based in the United States, targeting American citizens for participation in its democratic engagement initiatives. It operated primarily through its website, allowing people from across the country to contribute their opinions on major national issues directly to their congressional representatives.
History
Netline To Congress was an initiative active between 1998 and 1999, designed to bridge the communication gap between American citizens and their congressional representatives. It provided a platform for voters to express their opinions on significant national issues through weekly polls. The collective opinions were then forwarded to members of Congress, aiming to influence legislative decisions in line with the public's will. This endeavor sought to enhance democratic participation and ensure government accountability to the electorate.
Cultural & Social Significance
Netline To Congress held cultural and social significance as it represented an early effort to harness the internet for enhancing democratic engagement. By facilitating direct communication between citizens and their representatives, it reflected and contributed to a broader cultural shift towards greater transparency, accountability, and public participation in governance. This initiative exemplified the growing influence of digital technologies on political processes and civic involvement, highlighting the potential of the internet as a tool for empowering individuals and influencing legislative actions in the digital age.