Those are the questions we posed to Courage Campaign members in an email we sent out earlier today, crowdsourcing ways to hold Senator Feinstein accountable.
Dear Julia,
"You are leaving this country -- and all of us -- to the waterboards, symbolic and otherwise, of George W. Bush."
That's what MSNBC's Keith Olbermann said to Senator Dianne Feinstein Monday night about her pivotal Judiciary Committee vote to approve Judge Michael Mukasey -- the U.S. Attorney General nominee who refuses to admit that "waterboarding" is torture.
Olbermann's "Special Comment" highlighted the heroic actions of Daniel Levin, President Bush's former Acting Assistant Attorney General, an astonishingly patriotic man who subjected himself to waterboarding to personally determine if it was, indeed, torture -- and then was fired for concluding the obvious.
As Olbermann says, instead of standing up for fundamental human rights and civil liberties that Americans used to take for granted, Dianne Feinstein is allowing George W. Bush to waterboard America and the world.
Click here to watch this amazing must-see "Special Comment" by Keith Olbermann and then take action to hold Dianne Feinstein accountable:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
Have you had enough?
From waterboarding and wiretapping to Iraq and Iran, we've had enough. Enough caving. Enough capitulation. Enough Republican-lite triangulation.
Unfortunately, condoning torture is just the ugly tip of a very dangerous iceberg. Judge Mukasey also is willing to grant George W. Bush executive power carte blanche to ignore the law. And now, with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act up for review by the Judiciary Committee Thursday morning, Senator Feinstein stands at the precipice of history again.
If you care about protecting the Fourth Amendment and stopping warrantless wiretapping, call Senator Feinstein about FISA right now at 202-224-3841.
Of course, just like us, you've probably tried everything in your power to reach her before. Phone calls. Emails. Faxes. Petitions. Protests. Smoke signals. And nothing seems to work. It seems that Dianne Feinstein, much like George W. Bush, is walled off from the rest of us in a Fox News-warped world in which torture is acceptable and the rule of law is ignored.
So, here's the big question: In the wake of her vote to condone torture, what will it take to get Feinstein's attention? We need your brainpower and creativity. Can you take a few seconds to click here and send us your best ideas on how to make Dianne Feinstein accountable to Californians?:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
As your comments come in, we'll take direct action as soon as possible on at least one idea brainstormed by the Courage Campaign community.
What was Senator Feinstein's spin for why she failed to stand up for core American values? "First and foremost, Michael Mukasey is not Alberto Gonzales."
Well, Senator Feinstein, you are no Daniel Levin. Or Russ Feingold. Or even John McCain, for that matter. As Senator McCain, someone who understands the brutality of torture, has said: Waterboarding is "a horrible torture technique... How can we condone this sort of stuff?"
On some of the most important issues of our lifetime, Senator Feinstein is giving political cover to regressive politicians like Rudolph Giuliani -- even though she represents a blue state. A blue state that does not support torture. Or wiretapping Americans without a warrant. Or funding an endless war in Iraq. Or giving aid and comfort to George W. Bush as he seeks to provoke a new war with Iran.
It's time to blow up the box of political expediency -- to hold blue-state "Democrats" like Feinstein accountable. Right now, you can tell us what the Courage Campaign should do -- what you would do -- to trigger the conscience of Senator Feinstein:
http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
If you send us your thoughts right now, we will take direct action ASAP on at least one idea from our people-powered community.
In email after email, we are witnessing the deep disappointment of grassroots and netroots supporters -- a rising tide of frustration with Dianne Feinstein, her actions, and her lack of accountability.
If Senator Feinstein cares about nothing else, she cares about her legacy. At this moment, whether she knows it or not, Senator Feinstein's place in history has been soiled by a decision that she will likely later regret, if only because it is catalyzing a movement to hold her accountable.
You are at ground zero in this movement. While this people-powered project may not create the desired outcome, we won't know unless we try something new. Something different. Something from you.
As the always eloquent Keith Olbermann says in signing off his broadcast and channeling the ghost of Edward R. Murrow,... "Good night, and good luck."
Eden James
Managing Director
P.S. With the unprecedented support you just gave us on ActBlue, the Courage Campaign continues to build a movement to stop the Republicans from stealing the White House, block Blackwater's base on the California border, and hold Senator Feinstein accountable.
Last week, we asked the Courage Campaign community to help us meet a mission-critical goal within one week -- 1,000 "No Dirty Tricks" donors on ActBlue -- a goal you blew past in less than 48 hours. And now, unbelievably, we're at 1,243 "No Dirty Tricks" donors on ActBlue and counting.
We need to keep up the momentum. Can you help the Courage Campaign reach 1,500 donors ASAP so we can lead a grassroots and netroots-driven movement to make politics in California people-powered and progressive?
http://www.couragecampaign.org/...
Feel free to leave your suggestions below.
(full disclosure: I am working for Courage Campaign)
Permalink | 56 comments