Tuesday 25 January 2005

AGNO

Call your Senators now!
Their phone numbers are here

Let them know that you oppose the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales as Attorney General of the United States.

This is from a letter to the editor at Stars & Stripes signed by many prominent retired military officers:
As retired professional military leaders of the U.S. armed forces, we are deeply concerned about the nomination of Alberto R. Gonzales to be attorney general. We feel that his views concerning the role of the Geneva Conventions in U.S. detention and interrogation policy and practice have put soldiers in harm’s way.

During his tenure as White House counsel, Gonzales appears to have played a significant role in shaping U.S. detention and interrogation operations in Afghanistan; Iraq; Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and elsewhere.

Today, it is clear that these operations have:

--Fostered greater animosity toward the United States;
--Undermined our intelligence-gathering efforts; and
--Added to the risks facing our troops serving around the world.
Not convinced? Scroll to the bottom and follow the links.

        Calling tips:
- Give your name
- State your purpose clearly
- Be calm and be brief

Remember you are talking to a staffer who is basically taking a tally. They are not responsible for the President's choices, only for registering your opinion.

If you feel, as I have come to feel, that this is one of those rare cases where the Democrats should employ a filibuster (voting against cloture), then let them know that.

If you want to go the extra mile, call the most moderate Republicans in the Senate and urge them to draw the line with their Democratic colleagues against this ill-advised appointment.

202-224-2921 Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island
202-224-2235 John McCain of Arizona
202-224-2523 Susan Collins of Maine
202-224-5344 Olympia Snowe of Maine
202-224-4814 Richard Lugar of Indiana
202-224-4224 Chuck Hagel of Nebraska
202-224-4254 Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania

An assessment of the Gonzales hearing with more links
Another assessment by the Quakers
An article from The Nation
My article at WatchBlog
DailyKos has generated a lot of excellent discussion on the nomination here and here and here and here.


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2 comments:

Walker said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Aldon Hynes said...

I would also encourage anyone who sends letters (or emails) to your senators to post them on http://opengov.smartcampaigns.comOpen Gov is a place where people can openly publish their letters to their elected officials and encourage their elected officials to publicly reply there.