To the Honorable Howard B. Dean III, Chair of the Democratic National Committee:
Edmund Burke reportedly stated that, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Evil is afoot today in the state of Florida, the Congress, and the White House, and is on full display in the Terry Schiavo case.
As made clear in the statements by others, the Democratic Party has been silent in the face of what can only be called a totalitarian imposition by the Republican Party in this case. This includes, and is not limited to, the attempts to actively override the decisions of the courts and of medical personnel, the belief that marital responsibility must be subrodinated to the whims of the Congresional majorty, and the gross abuse of the lawmaking process (in which far too many Democrats have participated.)
Democrats have stayed silent for the sake of political calculation. You have repeatedly displayed, in both word and deed, that you have no use for such calculation. That is why you are now leader of the Party.
The time has come for you to actively lead. I appreciate the tours you have undertaken on the Party's behalf, and applaud the concept; I believe that it is important that the Party show its commitment to compete everywhere.
But that tour must be postponed. Your subordinates have demonstrated that they are simply incapable of opposing the evil coming from the Republicans. Whatever deals you have made with them should be considered abrogated. In addition, you should demand that they become more active in their opposition to the Bush-DeLay administration, or you will seek their replacement by those who will.
I implore you, as a Democrat, a citizen of the United States, and as a human being, to make it clear in some public forum at the earliest possibility, that you, the Democratic Party, the American people, and all of humanity condemn this would-be dictatorship in the harshest terms possible, and will everything within your power to confront and defeat it.
I was proud to have supported you at the ballot box, with my modest donation, and with my public statements of support. I do not see how I can personally support the party or yourself if you do not do so in the very near future. While I leave the timing and forum to you, the time for passivity is over.
Brian Jenkins
Athens, Georgia