Update on the Teaspoon Brigade

At Change.gov
Our big Change.gov question that we've been tracking along with the folks at Democrats.com, "Will you appoint a Special Prosecutor--ideally Patrick Fitzgerald--to independently investigate the gravest crimes of the Bush Administration, including torture and warrantless wiretapping?" still has the most votes (22,656), with no indication of when the voting will end, other than "We’ll close this round of questions and put together our responses in the new year."

But don't get complacent. The folks asking about ending the war on drugs and legalizing marijuana have been doing a great job of soliciting votes for their questions. So if you haven't already done so, please ask your friends and family to vote for the special prosecutor question (under "Additional Issues").

In the quarter-teaspoon category, Tom's question, "Will you appoint postal policy makers who will restore USPS' financial ability to serve people, rather than to profit big mailers and private postal companies? Limit discounts to costs avoided? Fully use idle USPS resources before contracting out?" now has three votes in favor and one vote against (harrumph)! Many thanks to the good soul who voted for it. It's comforting to know we're not alone.

The first question I submitted, "What will you do to restore the checks and balances in the U.S. government?" now has a walloping ten votes, and my second, "Will you repudiate any claims for the legal force of presidential signing statements and affirm the executive branch's obligation to enforce the law and uphold the Constitution of the United States?" now has eight. Ah, well, one teaspoon (or in this case, quarter-teaspoon) at a time.

At Change.org
In the voting for the top ten ideas for change in America, now in round 2 at Change.org (no relation to Change.gov), the special prosecutor question isn't even in the top twenty! It's in 21st place and needs 1,967 more votes to make it into the top ten. So please get over there and add your vote and ask your friends and family to do the same. Voting ends at 5pm Eastern Time on Thursday, January 15.

The more Obama and his administration hear about this from us, the more likely it is that they will act on it. Without a big push from us, I don't think anything will come of it, at least not from that quarter.

Please don't forget how critically important this issue is. I've said it before:

This is not just one issue among many. Yes, there are many, many pressing issues confronting us. But if we cannot uphold the Constitution and the Rule of Law, then we may as well just throw in the towel. This is ground zero, the foundation, the core of our being. Without it, we are not ourselves, we are not the United States of America. We are a third-rate autocracy, a powerful global thug.

The folks at Change.org let each person vote for up to ten ideas for change. "The top 10 rated ideas from the final round will be presented to the Obama administration on January 16 at an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, co-hosted by the Case Foundation. At the event [Change.org] will also announce the launch of a national advocacy campaign behind each idea in collaboration with [its] nonprofit partners to turn each idea into actual policy."

Here are my ten picks:

1. Appoint a Special Prosecutor for the Crimes of the Bush Administration (1897 votes)
2. Get FISA Right, repeal the PATRIOT Act, and restore our civil liberties (5314 votes)
3. Pass the DREAM Act - Support Higher Education for All Students (2930 votes)
4. Free Single Payer Health Care (6566 votes)
5. Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace and Nonviolence (3838 votes)
6. Make the grid green in 10 years (5664 votes)
7. Make FREE Trade FAIR Trade For Them AND for US (1257 votes)
8. Pass Marriage Equality Rights for LGBT Couple Nationwide (5823 votes)
9. End Corporate "personhood" (3394 votes)
10. Bridging the Empathy Gap - Yes We Can! (2983 votes)

Many thanks for your commitment to all that's right and good in this country and in the world. Keep working those teaspoons!