Feingold is speaking now on Cspan2
come play in the sandbox with me?
filler: my fax on the real id act:
Dear Senator:
I urge you to denounce the Real ID Act which has been attached to the Iraq emergency budget. It is entirely inappropriate to tie two completely independent pieces of legislation to the same vote.
Beyond that, this proposed act is a bad direction for America to take. Its wording is too vague to provide specific relief for the complex issues it addresses. This same lack of precision also imperils the civil rights of all Americans. To quote a passage from HR 418 itself, it would grant Chertoff "the authority to waive all legal requirements" in matters of border security. Does that extend to Miranda Rights? Will he be able to suspend Habeas Corpus? Will the tenet of "innocent until proven guilty" still be honored? What of protections against unreasonable search and seizure?
I could go on and on, but I'm sure the point is made: This legislation leaves too much gray area regarding civil rights protections. The freedoms enjoyed by Americans are what make this country great. To decide something is worth sacrificing these freedoms, wrested by our founding fathers at great trouble and expense from despots past, is to abandon all that America is and represents.
In a nation that values the rule of law, our civic privileges as defined in the Bill of Rights must always be the highest priority. To a public servant sworn to uphold and defend our constitution, there is clearly only one way to vote on HR 418:
A resounding NO would suffice, but "Give me liberty or give me death" seems rather appropriate.
Thank you for your attention to this critical matter.
Sincerely,