USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?

Subject: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Nemesis
Date: 15 Mar 03 - 04:22 PM

I received this thru from a forum .. sounds horribly familiar :(

CONGRESS WANTS TO TAKE AWAY YOUR RIGHTS
SEVEN THINGS TO DO ABOUT IT

Your right to dance, sing, DJ, listen to good music,
and run your own business is under attack. The federal government may
soon have the power to shut down dance clubs, rock, country, and Hip
Hop concerts, gay and lesbian bars, and anything else federal
officials don't like.

As you may know, Congress is considering three bills that could land
many event promoters, bar and nightclub owners, and stadium owners in
jail if even one person uses drugs at their events.
If enacted, these bills could prevent you from hearing your favorite
band or DJ live. Every musical style would be affected.

The three dangerous bills are the RAVE Act (H.R. 718), the CLEAN-UP
Act (H.R. 834), and the Illicit Drugs Anti-Proliferation Act (S.
226). While aimed at the very real problem of substance abuse, the
bills go too far by punishing business owners for the drug offenses
of their customers and threatening to shut down concerts, circuit
parties, dance clubs, and other forms of entertainment. Business
owners could be jailed for enacting health measures that save lives -
such as teaching their staff first-aid. You could even go to jail for
20 years for throwing a party in your own home.

Drug Policy Alliance worked with dozens of organizations to stop
these bills last year. Tens of thousands of voters urged their
Members of Congress to oppose the bills. Two of the original co -
sponsors withdrew their support and House and Senate leadership never
dared to bring the bills up for a vote. Supporters of these draconian
bills, however, are determined to pass them this year.
They will become law unless you help.

Drug Policy Alliance staff are heading down to Miami next week for
the 2003 Winter Music Conference to work with business owners,
artists, and fans to develop a comprehensive plan for stopping these
bills and protecting music and dancing. Even as you read this e-mail,
however, politicians in Washington, DC are plotting to quickly make
these laws and give the government broad new power over your life.
They will succeed, unless you ACT NOW.

SEVEN THINGS TO DO

***ACTION ONE: SUPPORT US

Contribute to the national campaign to stop these bills. Without your
help, these bills could become law by the end of the year. Drug
Policy Alliance Network needs to raise at least $180,000 in emergency
funding to stop Congress and protect music and dancing. In particular, we need to hire a high-profile Washington lobbying firm
that can voice the concerns of promoters, DJs, and nightclub owners
directly to Members of Congress and pressure them to oppose these
bills. We also need vital funding for grassroots and public education
efforts.

Without emergency funding from people like you, we will not be able
to squash these draconian bills and protect music, dancing, and all
your rights.

Contribute on-line at http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/donate
Any size gift will make a difference.

***ACTION TWO: CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF CONGRESS

Contact your Members of Congress. Tell your Representative to oppose
the RAVE Act (H.R. 718) in its entirety and to oppose Section 305 in
the CLEAN-UP Act (H.R. 834). Tell your Senators to oppose the Illicit
Drugs Anti-Proliferation Act (S. 226).

Fax your Representative for free by going to:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2

&item=1516

Fax your Senators for free by going to:
http://actioncenter.drugpolicy.org/action/index.asp?step=2

&item=1448

Organize a group of voters in your area to meet with your elected
officials directly. Information on organizing a meeting with your
Members of Congress can be found at http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/music/capbasics.htm

***ACTION THREE: HOST AN EVENT

Hold an event in which part of the proceeds goes to the cause.
(E-mail [e-mail] if interested). For instance, Buzzlife
Productions and Maze Nightclub are having an event in Miami in which
the ticket sales go to our fight in Congress. Tickets for this benefit can be purchased at:
http://www.groovetickets.com/ordersystem/groove/eventviewqb.asp?
AffilID=93&EventsID=4750&PGname=Buzzlife%2BProductions

You do not have to attend the event to buy a ticket, and all proceeds
go to Drug Policy Alliance and the Electronic Music
Defense Fund
(EM:DEF) for our fight against the RAVE Act.

***ACTION FOUR: PUT A BANNER AD ON YOUR WEB SITE

Tell people about the fax campaign. Link to our banner ad. Here is a
link to the code you can cut and paste on our website:

http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/music/link_rave.htm

***ACTION FIVE: EDUCATE THE PUBLIC

Raise public awareness by distributing flyers at
events, sending action alerts to e-mail lists, using drug policy
activists soundbites in your music and more. Find out more at:
http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/music/whattodo.htm

***ACTION SIX: SUBMIT A LETTER TO YOUR LOCAL NEWSPAPER

Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper urging your
Members of Congress to oppose these bills. After you submit the
letter, send a copy of the letter to your Members of Congress, along
with a personal note. This is a good way to show your elected
officials that you not only care enough about the issue to write
them, but that you also care enough to write a letter to the local
newspaper.

To find out the contact info for newspapers in your state see:
http://www.mapinc.org/media.htm
For tips on writing a letter to the editor, including talking points,
see:
http://www.nomoredrugwar.org/music/media.htm

To find out who your Representative is see: http://www.house.gov

To find out who your Senators are see: http://www.senate.gov

***ACTION SEVEN: FORWARD THIS ALERT

Forward this action alert to your friends, co-workers, and family
members, as well as e-mail lists. We need thousands of voters to take
action.

For more information on these bills and the war on dancing and music
see:

http://www.drugpolicy.org/communities/raveact/
and http://www.nomoredrugwar.org

Please consider giving to our campaign to protect your rights.
Without your help, Congress may soon destroy music and entertainment,
as we know it. Contribute on-line at:
www.nomoredrugwar/donate
.

PS: MIAMI WINTER MUSIC CONFERENCE

If you will be in Miami the week of March 17th, check out the following:

Wednesday, March 19th
Music Benefit for Drug Policy Alliance and EM:DEF
Maze Nightclub
1290 18th Street
Miami Beach, FL
10pm-5am, $15
(Special thanks to Buzzlife Productions!!!
)

Friday, March 21st
"No to S. 226", Music and Fun
The Laundry Bar
721 Lincoln Lane
South Beach Miami, FL
10pm-5am || Giveaways from sponsors all night
(North East corner direction of the Sony Music
Building)
This is a FREE event
(Special thanks to LuvChild Entertainment!!!
http://www.luvchildentertainment.com)

Drug Policy Alliance will have booths at both of these events, as
well as numerous other events during the Winter Music Conference. If
you are attending Remix Hotel
(), make sure
to stop by our booth in the exhibit area.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Nemesis
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 01:31 PM

I was just wondering if anyone else knows about this? Is it true?

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 05:03 PM

What on earthbhas this kind of thing got to do with the Federal Government anyway? (Even aside from the human rights side of it.)

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: SINSULL
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:06 PM

Probably a reaction to to the burning deaths in a Rhode Island club and trampling deaths in another state.

The reality is that if the local agencies had been doing their jobs, neither would have happened. No need for new laws just enforce the existing ones.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: artbrooks
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:11 PM

Lots of stupid bills get introduced, especially in the House. The Senate generally has more sense than to let them through...even a Republican Senate.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: GUEST
Date: 16 Mar 03 - 06:45 PM

Exactly, Art.

Hille seems determined to find an 'anti folk' conspiracy on behalf of some government or other, however difficult it is to find. It's rather sad, really.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: The Shambles
Date: 17 Mar 03 - 01:56 AM

A flower accidentally trampled, remains just as dead as one that is deliberately cut.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Nemesis
Date: 17 Mar 03 - 07:44 PM

Eh? Excuse me, Guest ... you know fuck all about what I am determined to find .. I was trying to ascertain the veracity of something that was passed onto me ..

What a stupid, illogical and personal remark .. any particular reason why you choose to make it anonymously?

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Mr Happy
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 03:02 AM

deja vue?- the issue sounds uncannily like the PEL probs we've been experiencing in England & Wales.

Bush & Blair want to stomp on live music at home & also both want to kill lots of people, their own & in other countries.

Coincidence or what?

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 03:07 PM

I'd imagine that having the power to close down anything, if even a single case of someone using an illegal drug could be proved, would give the authorities a free hand to apply it as and where they want. Obviously they couldn't apply it uniformly, or there wouldn't be a venue in the country that could stay open. Arbitrary power.

Sounds like a great moneymaker, and opportunity for backhanders. But I'm still puzzled how this could be a federal matter under your system. It doesn't involve taking things across state lines, or anything like that.

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Barry Finn
Date: 18 Mar 03 - 07:36 PM

Hille, if your post is not in jest then pay no attention to the man behind the curtain untill he/she/it exposes themselves. Shit like that happens here from time to time. I did note that guest's 'anti folk' conspiracy phrase differs from you mentioning that this would cover all types of entertainment.

Nice anaolgy Shambles.

I haven't heard any thing on this one way or another, sorry no help there. On the other hand why would I not be surprised with the loss of so much else recently. Some states where there is or was a zero tolerance drug policy the money, vehicle, house or what have you goes into the county's coffers supposedly to help the local war on drugs. Sadly in some of the same counties the local police & town fathers are living quite high on the hog giving all the more reason & room for improprieties & false accusations. We are in a very sad state of affairs, I can only hope that it can't get any worst (who am I kidding?) Barry

Subject: RE: USA PEL issue (sort of) Your turn now?
From: Blackcatter
Date: 19 Mar 03 - 01:18 AM

Hille,

Remember that Guests only sayu something when someone admits to hearing them. They need not be any more real than a 3 dollar bill.


As to this issue. If we are moving rapidly to a police state, then this is something to worry about.

But,

Please remember that all government agencies whave been legislating nearly everything they can think of so that when someone does something wrong, they can hit him or her with a whole bunch of charges.

This aids the prosecutors pile up charges so that when someone trys to fight in court, there's so many charges against them that they decide to plead down to only one or a couple of lesser charges. This gives the prosecutors an easy win, saves the system money and time, and nearly eliminates the chance that a jury will ever hear the case. Defense attorneys now have to deal with pleading all the time in order to get the best solution for their clients.

When it comes to the above laws, it is unlikely that they will be enforced on a usual basis, but if there is a club that is potentially doing illegal stuff, this will allow law enforcement to enter and do a quick and easy drug buy in the club. this will them force the club to be searched, financial records seized, etc. Stuff the police have a diffucult time doing without that "entry" offence.

Is it good? Nope.
Is it fair? Nope.
Will it be abused? Sometimes.
Is it an attack on live music? Probably not. The Federal Government has this country so flummoxed that dissent doesn't do much good, so they're actually happy to let it continue. It makes them look fair and even handed. Meanwhile, they do whatever they want.

pax yall - oh and wait for the U.S. to use small nuclear arms in Iraq in response to the bio and chem. agents they'll throw at our troops. Remember that you heard it here.