[Davis Democrats] Sen. Ted Kennedy: Draw the Line vs. Alberto's Warrantless Spying on Everyone

[John Chendo]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Sen. Ted Kennedy" <action at democraticmajority.com>
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 15:02:10 -0400
To: john chendo <jac07 at dcn.org>
Subject: Draw the Line

 
 
  
    
  
  <http://www.democraticmajority.com/page/m/pfqjSEzpMgn/74VXzl> Dear john,

I don't trust Alberto Gonzales with the power to spy on the American people
­ and neither should you.

In recent months, Gonzales has been under increasingly heavy fire for his
shameful role in a number of shocking scandals, including the Bush
Administration's illegal eavesdropping program and his refusal to come clean
about what he has done. He's lost the confidence of the American people, and
many -- myself included -- have called for his resignation.

But rather than holding Gonzalez and other members of the Administration
accountable for breaking the law, the White House pushed for legislation
that legalizes their actions. Two weeks ago, the Bush Administration and
their rubber-stamp Republican allies in Congress forced revisions of the
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to expand the government's right to
spy on American citizens without outside oversight.

Once again, George Bush, Dick Cheney and Alberto Gonzalez are taking the
Bill of Rights into their own hands. Tell the White House to stop scaring
the American people into surrendering their basic rights:

http://www.democraticmajority.com/wiretaps
<http://www.democraticmajority.com/page/m/pfqjSEzpMgn/74VXzl>

There's no doubt FISA had serious gaps that Congress needed to close. But as
the New York Times stated, the new FISA law goes "far beyond the small fixes
that administration officials had said were needed to gather information
about foreign terrorists."

Under the new law, any conversation between an American citizen and a
foreigner can be monitored without a warrant.

Any conversation at all!

But even worse, there's no accountability for this massive new surveillance
program.  The Bush Administration will set the rules about who gets spied
on, and will also have the responsibility for determining whether they're
complying with their own rules.

It's like taking a test, and then getting to grade it yourself.

Each of us wants to do everything in our power to protect America from the
threat of terrorism. But the Bush Administration refuses to draw any line
between fighting terrorism and violating basic civil liberties.

Together, we can draw the line. Sign the petition, letting Washington know
that you don't want Alberto Gonzales spying on honest, hard-working
Americans like you:

http://www.democraticmajority.com/wiretaps
<http://www.democraticmajority.com/page/m/pfqjSEzpMgn/74VXzl>

This is the same Administration mentality that gave us Guantanamo and Abu
Ghraib. Again and again, Alberto Gonzalez, Dick Cheney, and George Bush have
thumbed their noses at the Constitution and the rule of law, and then
demanded that Congress condone their abuses and trust their judgment.

Not this time. We owe the nation a better approach, and you can help us do
it.

Sincerely,






Senator Edward M. Kennedy
<http://www.democraticmajority.com/page/m/pfqjSEzpMgn/Lvt061>
  
  
    
 
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