Waiting for the print shop

These days between approving the proof and the arrival of our local UPS man, James, feel longer than they are. For someone who constantly complains that everyone wants something done yesterday, I enjoy this space. While I’m waiting, I’m a best-selling author. While I’m waiting, every postcard I send results in a sale.

But, also while I’m waiting, there’s the weight of Washington.

In order to produce the White Paper as quickly as I could make sense of what appears to be going on, two bills got numbered. One, no particular action, but it’s a Senator Rubio-sponsored bill, so it could move forward at any time. The other: too much action.

“The Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2021” numbered-in as House Bill 350 and Senate Bill 963. “I oppose 3-5-0” was my mantra as I pounded at my keyboard to put my analysis down on paper. The bill would grant authority to DHS, DOJ, and the FBI to pursue Americans on U.S. soil as “domestic terrorists” in the same manner that Executive Branch intelligence agencies pursue foreign terrorists, even though “domestic terrorism” is not a chargeable crime.

The bill is behaving like a new release from the Beatles, moving up the co-sponsor pop chart, as House Members rush to get their names on it. It felt like several times per week I received an alert e-mail about the bill, and I kept having to edit my draft of the White Paper regarding the number of Congressional co-sponsors. Then, I had to edit my copy because three Republican Congressmen signed on. Then I simply had to pick a cut-off date for new research for the White Paper and that included upticks in the number of co-sponsors.

The ticker tape paused on May 4, 2021. No new co-sponsors in nearly a month.

Congress.gov is a wonderful thing. You can sign up for a free account. You can flag a bill of interest, and sign up for bill alerts.

But it doesn’t show you who has what up their sleeve until it’s on public view.

We have almost zero assets on the federal playing field at this point. If you do only one thing today to protect the Second Amendment, read through H.R.350 Sign up for the Congress.gov alerts on the bill.

The next time you offer up a blah-blah-blah that is political (probably somewhere within five minutes of reading this blog), ask yourself: what if it was my name on the next indictment spitting out of the DOJ printer. U.S. v. __________. What political regrets would I have?

Everyone can write a letter of opposition and post it in the mail.

Everyone can make even one telephone call during normal business hours to clearly state opposition to a bill.

Even you.

Even me, while I am waiting for the knock upon the door. Hopefully it’s James, the UPS man.