Below is a letter to Rep. Chris Van Hollen, a rising Democratic star who is Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee but who is afflicted with an excess of timidity, miscalled "centrism."
The letter is my response to yesterday's introduction of H.R. 383 to institute a Select Committee to investigate the dirtiest, seamiest Bush administration evils: torture, FISA law violations, wiretapping and other civil liberties attacks.
Please consider adapting it to your Congresscritter's circumstances, as I adapted mine to Van Hollen's.
As HR 383 co-sponsor Rep. Robert Wexler has said, "We can't look forward without fully understanding what occurred. We must take a hard look at what went wrong in the last 8 years. We must continue to peel back the veil of secrecy that the previous Administration used as cover to undermine our system of checks and balances, and establish a clear line between what is necessary for our security and what is unlawful government intrusion and a violation of our civil liberties.
This legislation need only pass the House and therefore we have a terrific chance to enact it."
See the full bill text here.
Representative Chris Van Hollen
US House of Representatives
Washington DC
Dear Congressman Van Hollen:
Please join in coponsoring H. Res 383 to ensure that the torture and abuses that occurred during the Bush Administration will never happen again.
Co-sponsored by Congresswoman Barbara Lee with Congressman Robert Wexler and Chairman John Conyers, this legislation establishes a bi-partisan Select Committee tasked with making comprehensive recommendations on our national security policy - including those covering laws on torture, FISA law violations, wiretapping, civil liberties protections, among others. This committee would have all of the power of a standing committee, including subpoena power.
It is time the Democratic Leadership in the House exerted genuine courage by moving to punish the dreariest Bush illegalities: torture, rendition and spying on US citizens.
Show Congressman Steny Hoyer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi how it is done and sign on to HR 383. You know what the Bush administration did was wrong. Now let's investigate it instead of saying "The time is not right." The time was not right for them to violate the constitution and the law, but they did it anyway.
Your Humble Constituent,
Mahmadhan Ptolemy Thayerdbee Dazelykzis
