Who Will Protect our Civil Liberties?
To Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Time Magazine reports that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will testify before you tomorrow regarding the administration's clearly illegal warrantless wiretapping. In the article is this statement: "[T]he Attorney General plans to leave open the possibility that President Bush will ask the court to give blanket approval to the program, a step that some lawmakers and even some Administration officials contend would put it on more solid legal footing."
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1156499,00.html
I don't understand how courts can give blanket ap
proval for this activity. The Fourth Amendment clearly states that we citizens have a "RIGHT" to be secure in our "persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures", and that government must obtain a specific warrant based on specific, sworn information to violate that security. The Constitution clearly does not give the Executive the power to go on fishing expeditions, which is what their activities have been.
I don't understand how Congress can exempt the Executive from a requirement clearly prescribed in the Constitution, and I don't understand how the judiciary can do it, either.
President Bush and his minions keep telling us that his first duty is to protect us from terrorists. That allegation is ridiculous on its face, since the administration did nothing to protect us from the 9/11 attacks, despite many solid warnings. But not only is it ridiculous, it isn't true. BUSH'S FIRST DUTY IS TO PROTECT THE CONSTUTION! That's what he swore to do. And so did you.
According to the Time article, Gonzales believes the press reports on wiretapping are "misinformed, confused, or wrong". I believe that it is Gonzales and his boss who are misinformed, confused, AND wrong.
We the people know we cannot count on Republicans to stand up against this lawless administration. We pray that we can count on you to protect our civil liberties.
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Contact them yourself:
Patrick J. Leahy 202-224-3479 senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Edward M. Kennedy 202-224-2417 http://kennedy.senate.gov/contact.html
Joseph R. Biden Jr. 202-224-0139 http://biden.senate.gov/contact/emailjoe.cfm
Herbert Kohl 202-224-9787 http://kohl.senate.gov/gen_contact.html
Dianne Feinstein 202-228-3954 http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
Russell D. Feingold 202-224-2725 http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
Charles E. Schumer 202-228-3027 http://schumer.senate.gov/schumerwebsite/contact/webform.cfm
Richard J. Durbin 202-228-0400 http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.
Philosophical question: If a Bush commits a crime and no one hears about it, has a crime really been committed?
To Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Time Magazine reports that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will testify before you tomorrow regarding the administration's clearly illegal warrantless wiretapping. In the article is this statement: "[T]he Attorney General plans to leave open the possibility that President Bush will ask the court to give blanket approval to the program, a step that some lawmakers and even some Administration officials contend would put it on more solid legal footing."
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1156499,00.html
I don't understand how courts can give blanket ap
proval for this activity. The Fourth Amendment clearly states that we citizens have a "RIGHT" to be secure in our "persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures", and that government must obtain a specific warrant based on specific, sworn information to violate that security. The Constitution clearly does not give the Executive the power to go on fishing expeditions, which is what their activities have been.
President Bush and his minions keep telling us that his first duty is to protect us from terrorists. That allegation is ridiculous on its face, since the administration did nothing to protect us from the 9/11 attacks, despite many solid warnings. But not only is it ridiculous, it isn't true. BUSH'S FIRST DUTY IS TO PROTECT THE CONSTUTION! That's what he swore to do. And so did you.
According to the Time article, Gonzales believes the press reports on wiretapping are "misinformed, confused, or wrong". I believe that it is Gonzales and his boss who are misinformed, confused, AND wrong.
We the people know we cannot count on Republicans to stand up against this lawless administration. We pray that we can count on you to protect our civil liberties.
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Contact them yourself:
Patrick J. Leahy 202-224-3479 senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Edward M. Kennedy 202-224-2417 http://kennedy.senate.gov/contact.html
Joseph R. Biden Jr. 202-224-0139 http://biden.senate.gov/contact/emailjoe.cfm
Herbert Kohl 202-224-9787 http://kohl.senate.gov/gen_contact.html
Dianne Feinstein 202-228-3954 http://feinstein.senate.gov/email.html
Russell D. Feingold 202-224-2725 http://feingold.senate.gov/contact.html
Charles E. Schumer 202-228-3027 http://schumer.senate.gov/schumerwebsite/contact/webform.cfm
Richard J. Durbin 202-228-0400 http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm
Carolyn Kay
MakeThemAccountable.com
Lots more really good stuff at MakeThemAccountable.com.
Philosophical question: If a Bush commits a crime and no one hears about it, has a crime really been committed?
