House Resolution 418
passed today, with very little coverage in the mainstream media and very little coverage by progressive blogs.
See below the fold for more info on this bill -- but right NOW we need ACTION.
There is good reason to believe this bill will be attached to the Iraq spending bill. We need to do everything possible to stop this measure from going any further or doing any more damage.
Update: Note the link added to RawStory.com below.
This bill is an outrage and should have been stopped for many reasons, including:
-- increasing burdens on immigrants for documentation that will deter their seeking licenses, forcing them out of sight by the system and actually increasing security risks;
-- absurd requirements that demand asylum-seekers provide written documentation from their country of persecution in order to get a license;
-- Homeland Security would be able to suspend ALL LAWS it felt impeded its job, WITHOUT JUDICIAL REVIEW.
WaPo covers these points and more in an article published today, too late since the bill went to the floor on the same date.
The ACLU also outlined the problems with this bill at their site.
We need to take ACTION and NOW.
-- Write to your Senators and urge their action against this bill. You can find your Senator and even drop them an email through this site:
http://www.congress.org
but calling and faxing are recommended.
-- Write to your local papers' editor; you can find your local media through this link:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/media/
If you've already submitted your allotment of LTE inside the last 30 days, find a person who will submit a letter.
-- Note the guilty parties in this article from RawStory.com: http://rawstory.com/news/2005/index.php?p=56
Use the links above to drop them a note and tell them exactly where to get off.
Don't blow this off; this is every bit as big a story as the PropaGannon case.
Imagine Chertoff, an advocate of torture, with the ability to suspend laws at will; imagine the same person, helping an Attorney General like Gonzales by suspending laws Gonzales feels impedes his role.
Imagine in 2008, like Kerry in 2004, hearing Republicans revile a Democratic Senator for voting against military funding -- this is exactly how it happened to Kerry. Crappy legislation was attached to a military funding bill, while a better military bill came to the floor. We need to push NOW to prevent this from being attached to Iraq spending or press for an amendment that modifies the objectionable components.
Get on this, Kossacks, I beg you!
