Update to Regulations Update #2!!

Jim Johnson (jjohnson@igc.apc.org)
Mon, 01 Feb 1993 08:48:11 -0800 (PST)

Yo -

Thomas asked me to upload this. He now has an email address:
prop1@uujobs.com

PLease direct any responses to him.

Onelove!

Thump

-begin append-

Date: Fri, 29 Jan 93 00:00:11 EST

LEGALIAISON/D.C. CREW
c/o P.O. Box 27217
Washington, D.C. 20038
(202) 265-5389

URGENT -- URGENT -- URGENT -- URGENT -- URGENT -- URGENT

IGNORE ALL RUMORS THAT THE REGULATIONS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED!!!

January 30, 1993

To All Our Relations
Within the legal jurisdiction of the United States
Planet Earth

Brothers and Sisters of the Belly Button,

THE GOOD NEWS: On January 22, 1993 Leon E. Panetta, director of
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), ordered that most
"regulations not yet published in the Federal Register," be
returned for approval of "the agency head or the delegee of an
agency head who, in either case, is a person appointed by
President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate."

THE BAD NEWS: those Bush administration regulations -- including
a National Forest Service proposal to regulate public gatherings,
long guaranteed under the First Amendment, on land which has been
"public" since the beginning of this nation -- are now under
consideration by the Clinton administration.

As of January 25th the government was still acting like this
regulation is Top Secret. We've been unable to even determine
the official designation of the regulation. It should be
referred to as: THE PROPOSED NATIONAL FOREST SERVICE RULEMAKING
TO RESTRICT PEACEABLE ASSEMBLIES ON PUBLIC LANDS. They will know
what you're talking about. They also haven't been willing to
tell us exactly what the regulation says. Our concerns are ANY
requirements for PERMITS, INSURANCE or PERFORMANCE BONDS.

It is strongly suggested that NOW IS THE TIME for a flood of
public comment. If it comes now the comment can be directed
toward the new presidential administration.

SUGGESTED ACTION

ONE: Familiarize yourself with the enclosed materials and
generate telephone calls. Lots and lots of them. Organize phone
trees. Call your friends, explain the basics to them. Tell them
to make calls. Tell them to tell their friends to make calls,
and to call their friends to have them make calls to the numbers
below. It is our hope that the sisters and brothers laboring in
government don't understand what they are doing. Educate
yourself, educate the administration; ASK (polite) QUESTIONS.

AND

TWO: ALSO write letters to the folks listed below. Tell your
friends to write letters. Tell them to tell their friends to
write letters (To insure that your voice is heard also send a
copy of your letter to Legaliaison at the above address). YOU
HAVE THE RIGHT TO DEMAND A PUBLIC HEARING. Note, At this time
Legaliaison considers a Congressional hearing premature and
inappropriate, we specifically suggest an administrative hearing.

White House Secretary of Agriculture
Carol Rasco, ATT: Ron Blackley
Domestic Policy Advisor 14th & Independence SW 200-A
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20250
Washington, D.C. 20500 202-720-3631
202-456-2216

We suggest writing & and calling each of the above. Phone calls
are important. Letters make a more lasting impression. If the
technology is available, faxes also seem like a great idea. The
more public opposition to RESTRICTING PEACEABLE ASSEMBLIES ON
PUBLIC LANDS these good folks receive, the more seriously they
will consider whether this is what they really want to do.

Theoretically, we will still have the opportunity to comment on
whatever regulation the government might finally publish in the
Federal Register. The point now is to convince the new
administration not to publish anything in the Federal Register,
because, practically speaking, if the new administration goes
along with the old administration and publishes this rulemaking
in the Federal Register, that will mean -- almost certainly --
the only recourse left is to defend the RIGHT OF PEACEABLE
ASSEMBLY ON PUBLIC LANDS in court.

Some folks might have more confidence in the judicial system than
others, and we hope the optimists are correct. Consider,
however, that if forced to a legal defense against the
elimination of free assembly under totalitarian regulations, the
defenders will be opposing not only the new administration, which
will be promulgating the regulation, but also the old
administration, which initiated the regulation in the first
place, while arguing before courts that hold unreasonable
opinions (see, e.g., Herrara v. Collins, decided by the
Supreme Court, January 25, 1993). Tough odds.

Thus, we conclude, it is imperative to ACT NOW!!!

In service to the Spirit of Understanding

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