A friend passed along the following email, which she received via a property rights mailing list she didn't know she belonged to. I think it's an interesting read for all of us who are working to kick Rep. Richard Pombo's butt out of office in two weeks, and it also gives a good look at all the support being given to
Subject: Save Pombo From The Greens
Land Rights Network
League of Private Property Voters
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Dear Defender of Private Property Rights:
I write today to report that Capitol Hill's number-one Defender of Private Property Rights needs our help.
His name is Richard Pombo. He has probably never asked you for anything before, and he isn't now. I am.
You know Richard as a rancher and Member of Congress from Tracy, California. He authored a book called "This Land is Your Land" in 1996, outlining the litany of abuses we private property owners have endured at the hands of left-wing bureaucrats armed with over-zealous environmental regulations.
Over the course of his 14 year tenure in the House of Representatives, he has raised the awareness of private property rights battles in Congress. Year by year, fight by fight, Richard has led the charge for us; for rural America.
That is exactly why private property rights advocates across the country exalted when Congressman Richard Pombo became Chairman Richard Pombo of the House Resources Committee in 2003. Finally, we the few defenders of this constitutionally guaranteed right, had one of our own in a powerful chairmanship in the Congress.
And fight he did. Just days into his first term as chairman, he took on the radical left and changed misguided and overzealous forest management policy with the Healthy Forest Initiative for the first time in decades.
From there he moved on to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), long considered the Holy Grail by environmentalists. And for the first time in its 34 year existence, Richard led the House of Representatives to successful passage of a complete ESA overhaul.
Not only did his reform bill repeal the ESA's worthless critical habitat provision, it actually contained private property rights protections with federal compensation requirements for takings!
The radical environmental left has taken notice of Richard's ability to fight and win, ladies and gentleman, and they are pouring everything they have into defeating him on November 7th. That's just 17 days from today.
We cannot, and must not let this happen.
Richard needs our help, right now. Look at what he's up against:
--Defenders of Wildlife has spent $410,000 against Richard to date, and just filed an "Independent Expenditure" report yesterday with another $500,000 for television attack ads.
--The Democrat National Campaign Committee (DCCC) just sent $250,000 to the 11th District to help Jerry McNerney, Richard's liberal opponent. And intelligence informs us that more is on the way.
--The Sierra Club has already spent more than $94,000 against Richard, and more is on the way for the final two weeks of the campaign.
--The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) has already spent $143,000 smearing Richard, with more on the way for the home stretch.
--Liberal billionaire George Soros' Moveon.org has sent blank checks and armies of activists to Richard's district to get out the vote.
--And Environmental Action PAC just put-up $20,000 for anti-Pombo phone banking.
This is it, folks. We cannot afford to lose everything we have gained or the man who has helped us achieve great things in the last decade. We must act.
I cannot overstate the urgency of this call to arms. PLEASE visit Richard's campaign website and make a contribution of $25, $50, $100, $500 or $2100 -the maximum allowed by law per individual.
Every dollar helps, and Richard needs a lot of them to beat back this final push to defeat him. Even if all you can do is to send $15 dollars, please do so. Everyone needs to send something to defend the one person who has been defending us.
Make no mistake: this attack on Richard is retribution for his work on behalf of every defender of private property rights, on behalf of the Constitution as the framers envisioned it, and against the radical liberals who have no respect for either one.
Please click here: http://www.RichardPombo.com to support Richard Pombo for Congress RIGHT NOW and help us win this fight.
Sincerely,
Chuck Cushman
Chairman
League of Private Property Voters
PS. No one in Congress has done more to stop Eminent Domain, protect communities, encourage Federal lands access and save rural America. Please visit http://www.RichardPombo.com to do you part now.