CALL REID'S OFFICE 1-202-224-3542 They are being flooded with calls

[mom cat]

to fillibuster the torture bill! The staffer in Reid's office indicated that there was hope so keep calling all senators NOW!

Washington, DC
528 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)


Reno
Bruce R. Thompson
Courthouse & Federal Bldg
400 S. Virginia St, Site 902
Reno, NV 89501
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Las Vegas
Lloyd D. George Building
333 Las Vegas Boulevard
South, Suite 8016
Las Vegas, NV 89101
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

Carson City
600 East William St, #302
Carson City, NV 89701
Phone: 775-882-REID (7343)
Fax: [phone]

Washington, DC
528 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)

[annabanana]

1. also FAX...

It's hard to ignore a stack of paper...

(EZ fax here)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2242242&mesg_id=2242242

[jsamuel]

28. CALL YOUR OWN SENATORS TOO

[mom cat]

30. Absolutely! I just called mine!

[mom cat]

101. ********* CONTACT NUMBERS HERE:

Call the Senators below at 1-800-AMNESTY (800-266-3789). Ask the question clearly: will Senator X support a filibuster of Bush's Torture Bill, or will (s)he oppose a filibuster? We need a firm yes or no - be polite but persistent. Post the results of your calls in the comments below. We will keep a tally below, relying on you to report back on your calls.

Current
Total . Goal Now
Filibuster supporter: 0 Abstain or Absent: 48 0
Filibuster opponent: 0 Torture supporter: 2 0 2


Crossed out names support the filibuster - don't call them
Underlined names will be absent - which is good but keep calling them
Bold names will probably vote against Bush's Torture Bill, but oppose the filibuster
Regular names will probably vote against Bush's Torture Bill, but have not declared their position on a filibuster
Italic names will vote for Bush's Torture Bill and against the filibuster
Our first targets are the Senators who filibustered Sam Alito:

$ Barbara Boxer (D- CA) , 202-224-3553
*$ Hillary Rodham Clinton (D- NY) , 202-224-4451
Mark Dayton (D- MN), 202-224-3244, fax: [phone]
* Christopher J. Dodd (D- CT), 202-224-2823
Richard J. Durbin (D- IL) , 202-224-2152
*$ Russell D. Feingold (D- WI) , 202-224-5323
Dianne Feinstein (D- CA) , 202-224-3841
Tom Harkin (D- IA), 202-224-3254, fax: [phone] (absent for Alito filibuster)
James M. Jeffords (I- VT), 202-224-5141
*$^ John F. Kerry (D- MA) , 202-224-2742
$^ Edward M. Kennedy (D- MA) , 202-224-4543
Frank Lautenberg (D- NJ), 202-224-3224, fax: [phone]
Patrick J. Leahy (D- VT), 202-224-4242, fax: [phone]
Robert Menendez (D- NJ), 202-224-4744, fax: [phone]
Jack Reed (D- RI), 202-224-4642, fax: [phone]
Harry Reid (D- NV) , 202-224-3542
* Barack Obama (D- IL), 202-224-2854, fax: [phone]
Paul S. Sarbanes (D- MD), 202-224-4524
$ Charles Schumer (D- NY) , 202-224-6542
Debbie A. Stabenow (D- MI) , 202-224-4822
Ron Wyden (D- OR) , 202-224-5244

* 2008 Presidential Candidate
$ Regularly asks netroots for contributions
^ Led Alito filibuster

These Senators opposed the Alito filibuster but have good reason to support the Torture filibuster:

Daniel K. Akaka (D- HI) 202-224-6361, fax: [phone]: narrowly won Senate primary last week with progressive support
* Evan Bayh (D- IN) 202-224-5623
* Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D- DE) 202-224-5042
Lincoln D. Chafee (R- RI) 202-224-2921 fax: [phone]: fighting for his political life in solidly Blue state
Carl Levin (D- MI) 202-224-6221 fax [phone]: ranking Democrat on Armed Services Committee
Joseph I. Lieberman (D- CT), 202-224-4041, fax: [phone]: still trying to win Democratic and Independent votes against Ned Lamont
John D. Rockefeller, IV (D-WV) 202-224-6472, fax [phone]: Ranking Democrat on Intelligence Committee, authored amendment for greater oversight of CIA torture

Democratic Members of the "Gang of 14" Senators who oppose filibuster except where fundamental principles are at stake. Isn't torture a fundamental principle?

Robert C. Byrd (D- WV) , 202-224-3954, fax: [phone]
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) 202-224-5824 fax: [phone]
Ben Nelson (D-NE) 202-224-6551, fax: [phone]
Mark Pryor (D- AR), 202-224-2353, fax: [phone]
Ken Salazar (D- CO) , 202-224-5852, fax: [phone]

These Senators also opposed the Alito filibuster:

Max Baucus (D- MT), 202-224-2651, fax: [phone]
Jeff Bingaman (D- NM), 202-224-5521, fax: [phone]
Maria Cantwell (D- WA), 202-224-3441, fax: [phone]
Thomas R. Carper (D- DE), 202-224-2441, fax: [phone]
Kent Conrad (D- ND) 202-224-2043, fax: [phone]
Byron L. Dorgan (D-ND) 202-224-2551 fax: [phone]
Daniel K. Inouye (D- HI), 202-224-3934, fax: [phone]
Tim Johnson (D- SD) , 202-224-5842, fax: [phone]
Herb Kohl (D- WI), 202-224-5653, fax: [phone]
Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D- AR), 202-224-4843, fax: [phone]
Barbara A. Mikulski (D- MD), 202-224-4654, fax: [phone]
Patty Murray (D- WA), 202-224-2621, fax: [phone]
Bill Nelson (D- FL), 202-224-5274, fax: [phone]


Republican Members of the "Gang of 14" Senators who oppose filibuster except where fundamental principles are at stake. Isn't torture a fundamental principle?

Susan Collins (R-ME)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Mike DeWine (R-OH)
John McCain (R-AZ)
Olympia Snowe (R- ME), 202-224-5344, fax: [phone]
John Warner (R-VA)


This list and more info are at democrats.com:
http://www.democrats.com/

[madame defarge]

2. I called & was dismissed because...

I'm not a constiuent of Nevada. I told the staffer I was a constiuent of the US & Reid is the Dem leader of the Senate, so that makes me his constiuent! I called the DC office. Guess I'll have to call the NV offices now.

[rodeodance]

5. rec

[bananas]

11. Does somebody have a handy list of senator phone#'s?

There's only 100 of them.

[havocmom]

14. Here's a link

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[bananas]

20. thank you

I posted that in a new thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2242530&mesg_id=2242530

[havocmom]

49. Post it EVERYWHERE. Some of you without a sig line might consider...

putting that link in your profile/sig line

We have lots of lurkers reading DU, looking for ways they can fight back against the madness. We get more all the time. Put tools in their hands. You never know who you reach, but rest assured, you reach people!

And we need to keep hounding the Hill, even after the vote. We need to apply LOTS of heat and remind them how close we are to Nov. It's not like we are gonna forgive & forget on this one.

Support the troops! Keep up the noise that bushco (with the help of Congress) is guarantying our troops are at greater risk of being tortured now.

Support the troops. Cover their backs by raising holy hell about this.

[mom cat]

54. That is the spirit! Don't give up without a fight!

[havocmom]

63. If there is life, there is fight

They only win when we give up. It IS that simple.

[mom cat]

118. I so agree with you!

[mom cat]

52. GREAT INFORMATION THREAD .... RATE IT UP!

Great compilation of contact info and issues!Thanks! This needs to be up there where it can be seen!

[mom cat]

31. That link really rocks!

[bunny planet]

27. They didn't even ask me where I was a constituent, just said they'd pass

on my message to Senator Reid.

[mom cat]

29. I got a great staffer who did not even ask where I was from!

[derby378]

95. They didn't dismiss me, and I'm from TX

Try calling again in a little bit. Jam the lines!!

[pberq]

3. Just called - staffer said he would pass on the message

Senator Dodd on the floor of the Senate now - we must uphold the rule of law!

[mom cat]

38. Call him and thank him and ask him to push for a fillibuster! Contact info

U.S. Senator Chris Dodd
448 Russell Building | Washington D.C., 20510
Tel: [phone] | Fax: [phone]

100 Great Meadow Rd | Wethersfield, CT 06109
Tel: [phone] —CT only

[katsy]

4. Called the DC office.

Press "1" for staff.

Spoke with a young man, he said Reid is voting against the bill.

I asked him if they would filibuster and he said it depended what the final bill looked like.

[librechik]

6. The Rs can't use the nuclear option when the filibuster's against tortu

can they?

[femmedem]

7. I called from CT.

The staffer said they are are still looking at the language, and if it still permits torture (I know, I know, defined by whom?) and if it denies habeus corpus, there is still a chance of filibuster. He said we should still be contacting our senators.

[grizmaster]

8. done

[rodeodance]

9. call you own Senators office. dem and Repug alike. they need to know

your thoughts on this matter.

[rodeodance]

10. my major concern is that retrospective get out of jail card.

[havocmom]

15. Here's a tool to use so you can call them

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

[liberalmuse]

17. I won't...

Fuck Hatch and Bennett. I'm sick of calling them and then receiving a form letter later on thanking me for supporting their heinous bullshit. Then again, I may call out of spite.

[mom cat]

33. Please share your rage! It is better to let it out!

[EFerrari]

79. You should see the letter I got from Feinstein. It was enough

to make you :puke:

But, we have to keep at them.

[liberalmuse]

12. I will call after work today...

I called the Senate Judiciary Committee last night. I will call Reid tonight. I also called Kerry and Feingold and thanked them for standing against Bush's policies. It was all I could do not to break down during the phone call, and I'm not normally a cry baby. I was so upset by the passage of the torture bill in the house that I had one hell of a time driving home from work yesterday.

[Wisconsin Larry]

13. Call everybody!!! Thus far, I have called Reid, Kohl, Feingold, Chafee,

and Obama. http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ is an interactive map to phone numbers.

Reid's staffer indicated that Reid is working hard to stop this (finally) and that if all else fails, filibuster is an option. But he had to get going because the calls were really backed up on this issue.

Kohl will vote against. Feingold's staffer read a strong statement against the torture and the wiretapping bills. I asked the staffer to read it to Senator Reid which got a chuckle.

Chafee's staffer said that the Senator has not taken a position and will be checking in to see how the calls are going.

Only Obama's office asked where I was calling from so All calls count!

[mom cat]

34. Right on!

[lazyriver]

16. Just called-got right through

It seemed strange that I got right thru to a staffer who didn't seem too overwhelmed with calls. C'mon everybody let's make him busy!

[jasmeel]

18. I called-was on hold for a bit-then got through to a tired sounding

guy.

[mom cat]

37. Lets wear them out. Let them know that the Constitution is at stake!

[Armstead]

78. Exactly --

[mom cat]

35. Sounds like lazyriver just became roaring river! Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[Ian David]

19. Done!

[in_cog_ni_to]

21. Here's Durbin and Obama DC numbers...Illinois

Dick Durbin 202-224-2152

Barak Obama 202-224-2854

[City Lights]

36. Thanks! Just called both. eom

[Armstead]

22. I just called Kerry's office

Staffer said he would vote against it, but a filabister not likely.

I begged them to pull whatever parliamentary tactic they could to at least delay it and take a symobolic stand. I told her many people are frustrated by the Democrats silence on this.

I'd suggest everyone call their own (democratic) Senator.

[mom cat]

39. Kerry's office was a bit wimpy when I called, but enough pressure

could change that!

[Armstead]

46. Yep -- All massachusetts residents should give him a call

[femmedem]

23. I'm calling twice. Once to speak to a staffer, and once to leave message.

On the message, I'm telling them that if they want their base to be energized to come out and vote for Dems for the midterms, and to work for them in the meantime, they had better filibuster.

[mom cat]

40. AMEN TO THAT!

[mom cat]

24. The staffer I talked to said he agreed with a fillibuster and that Reid

was feeling the pressure to act on this. Keep up the pressure. Call his other offices (see the OP) fax, e- mail and dont forget to do your own and Collins. Snowe and Chaffee.
KEEP UP THE FIGHT!
NO SURRENDER!

[EFerrari]

80. Kick

[Raffi Ella]

25. !!!

DONE! K&R :kick: Go DU!

[Armstead]

26. Kick

[Melissa G]

32. Called DC spoke to Reid staffer and left message in Nevada..

Calling Hutchison and Cornyn just for the symbolism, not that it will do any good.:grr:

[Melissa G]

44. just talked to Cornyn and Hutchison's aides..

Cornyn says it only applies to non Americans.. I told him that was not how I read it not that i thought torturing anyone was a good idea. I suggested the aide read the bill and wished him a nice though likely, busy day.

Hutchison's aide said she supported the President. I said it troubled me greatly that my Senator would support torture and the removal of rights from American citizens. I asked her to filibuster against the bill and to please pass my comments on to the Senator.

[bbgrunt]

41. ...and don't just leave a message, ask to speak to staff.

[mom cat]

58. or do both!

[derby378]

42. Done!

The distinguished Senator's office is on my speed-dial now...

[BlueCentrist]

43. I just faxed them (all)

I'm going to call them now.

[mom cat]

55. Woo Hoo!

:woohoo:

[lostnfound]

45. My call

I told him to consider this a plea -- no, I am begging -- to please tell Senator Reid to filibuster this bill; that I want my son to grow up protected by the bill of rights including habeas corpus, not a country that allows torture. And by the way, please suggest to Senator Reid that they need to fight against the party of torture, and that the Democrats should make it public that the GOP is the party that supports torture.

And then I got off the phone quickly so that all of you folks can get through.

[mom cat]

56. Fantastic! That was great!

[Skidmore]

47. Called Grassley and Harkin...their numbers are

Grassley 202-224-3744
Harkin 202-224-3254

[mom cat]

57. Thanks for the info!

[mmonk]

48. Great! Something worthwhile. Do it.

[Wisconsin Larry]

50. My fax ..

Is THIS what you wish to be known for?

Vote no on the Torture Bill today.

<sig>

[mom cat]

59. Powerful message! ... Thanks!

[Wisconsin Larry]

62. My fax program is working now sending the above fax to all the members

of the Senate Judiciary Committee. I just remembered that I had entered them all in a list last March so it was a simple thing to do.

Got to go to work now but it's been a busy morning.

Thanks for kicking this off.

[EFerrari]

51. Kick

[mom cat]

60. I have to go to the doctor soon. Could you please help keep this kicked!

:hug:

[bananas]

61. Hope it's nothing seriousness. nt

[mom cat]

103. Not serious, just getting ready for a hip replacement in two weeks.

A bit of a deal, but I will be able to walk muck better after it is done!

[EFerrari]

69. Sure.

[mom cat]

104. Thanks so much. I just got back. I will be in and out, but it looks like

people are getting buzy!

[Armstead]

53. Kick

All posts urging people to call Congress now should be made sticky during this debate.

[Sugarcoated]

64. I called

I asked if Sen. Reid intended to fillabuster and the staffer said it depends on any ammendments that get attached to it. I urged him to fillabuster if not.

[mom cat]

105. Great! That means he is considering it! Thanks for the info!

Keep cranking everyone.

[Maraya1969]

65. Anyone who justifies torture is NOT A CHRISTIAN. For all your Christian

senators. Someone posted that line here and I have been using it. You can't get closer to the truth.

[chill_wind]

66. Done! This is THE MOST IMPORTANT phone call any DUer can make

today. Got right thru to Reid's office. Urging everyone to do the same.

Keep this thread K&R'd.

[chill_wind]

67. P.S. I wasn't asked where I was calling from. Every call will count.

Two or three days ago Sen Reid blew this off, was quoted as calling this piece of legislation a "Republican catfight", one Dems would be sitting out.

(!!!)


Let him know what a grievous political miscalculation that was.

[Armstead]

68. Get back to the top

If you are reading DU, make a phone call or two, at least.

[Armstead]

70. C'mon people keep thses threads at the top

[emlev]

71. I'm confused. Has vote happened yet? EOM

[Armstead]

72. Voting on an amendment now....Big vote said to take place tonite

[emlev]

74. Thanks for the clarification.

[EFerrari]

73. I got through much too easily!

I told the staffer that I was very concerned about habeus corpus and that I didn't think I could vote for a pro torture Democrat in November. :(

And I asked him to please tell Senator Reid that we need him to do the right thing now.

Let's keep calling! Find a DU buddy and ask them to call!

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Subdivisions]

75. Just spoke to Reid's office...Yes! If the Spectre amendment fails,

the possibility of a fillibuster is LIKELY!

FOR GOD'S SAKE EVERYBODY CALL!!! KEEP THIS THREAD KICKED!

[mom cat]

106. WOOT! ... BIG WOOT! KEEP CALLING ... ITS WORKING!

Thanks for the lift!

[emlev]

76. Also tell them to support the CONFIDENCE IN VOTING ACT

while you're on the phone.

More info about this emergency paper ballot legislation here.

[JimDandy]

96. K and R for both!! n/t

[mom cat]

108. Absolutely! That is a critical bill!

[EFerrari]

77. Kick

[emlev]

81. link to summary of the bill?

I'm sending an alert to my email list and want to include this. Thanks.

(edited to correct typo)

[mom cat]

111. Try this: NYT Editorial today!

ProSense (1000+ posts) Thu Sep-28-06 03:13 AM
Original message
NYT editorial: Rushing Off a Cliff (on torture)
Edited on Thu Sep-28-06 03:14 AM by ProSense
Editorial
Rushing Off a Cliff
Published: September 28, 2006

Here’s what happens when this irresponsible Congress railroads a profoundly important bill to serve the mindless politics of a midterm election: The Bush administration uses Republicans’ fear of losing their majority to push through ghastly ideas about antiterrorism that will make American troops less safe and do lasting damage to our 217-year-old nation of laws — while actually doing nothing to protect the nation from terrorists. Democrats betray their principles to avoid last-minute attack ads. Our democracy is the big loser.

Republicans say Congress must act right now to create procedures for charging and trying terrorists — because the men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks are available for trial. That’s pure propaganda. Those men could have been tried and convicted long ago, but President Bush chose not to. He held them in illegal detention, had them questioned in ways that will make real trials very hard, and invented a transparently illegal system of kangaroo courts to convict them.

Snip...

These are some of the bill’s biggest flaws:

Enemy Combatants: A dangerously broad definition of “illegal enemy combatant” in the bill could subject legal residents of the United States, as well as foreign citizens living in their own countries, to summary arrest and indefinite detention with no hope of appeal. The president could give the power to apply this label to anyone he wanted.

The Geneva Conventions: The bill would repudiate a half-century of international precedent by allowing Mr. Bush to decide on his own what abusive interrogation methods he considered permissible. And his decision could stay secret — there’s no requirement that this list be published.

Habeas Corpus: Detainees in U.S. military prisons would lose the basic right to challenge their imprisonment. These cases do not clog the courts, nor coddle terrorists. They simply give wrongly imprisoned people a chance to prove their innocence.

Judicial Review: The courts would have no power to review any aspect of this new system, except verdicts by military tribunals. The bill would limit appeals and bar legal actions based on the Geneva Conventions, directly or indirectly. All Mr. Bush would have to do to lock anyone up forever is to declare him an illegal combatant and not have a trial.

Coerced Evidence: Coerced evidence would be permissible if a judge considered it reliable — already a contradiction in terms — and relevant. Coercion is defined in a way that exempts anything done before the passage of the 2005 Detainee Treatment Act, and anything else Mr. Bush chooses.

Secret Evidence: American standards of justice prohibit evidence and testimony that is kept secret from the defendant, whether the accused is a corporate executive or a mass murderer. But the bill as redrafted by Mr. Cheney seems to weaken protections against such evidence.

Offenses: The definition of torture is unacceptably narrow, a virtual reprise of the deeply cynical memos the administration produced after 9/11. Rape and sexual assault are defined in a retrograde way that covers only forced or coerced activity, and not other forms of nonconsensual sex. The bill would effectively eliminate the idea of rape as torture.

•There is not enough time to fix these bills, especially since the few Republicans who call themselves moderates have been whipped into line, and the Democratic leadership in the Senate seems to have misplaced its spine. If there was ever a moment for a filibuster, this was it.

We don’t blame the Democrats for being frightened. The Republicans have made it clear that they’ll use any opportunity to brand anyone who votes against this bill as a terrorist enabler. But Americans of the future won’t remember the pragmatic arguments for caving in to the administration.

They’ll know that in 2006, Congress passed a tyrannical law that will be ranked with the low points in American democracy, our generation’s version of the Alien and Sedition Acts.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/28/opinion/28thu1.html

[chill_wind]

82. 95,000+ registered users on DU. A handful kicking this over and over.

only 26 recommends after hours of visibility. UNBELIEVABLE.

Even if anyone were to suggest only half that number, if even only about 1000 of that number were really active participants here--- this is pitiful. As Americans and self-professed Democrats, surely to God we can do better than this.

One last kick.

[EFerrari]

83. Still kicking

[chill_wind]

87. Love you for it. Can always count on you!

[EFerrari]

88. Pete Domenici is an @ss. Some NM DUer, call his office!

:kick:

[mom cat]

112. And you too! Thanks!

[emlev]

84. Toll-free numbers for the Senate here

CALL YOUR SENATORS NOW TOLL-FREE AT 800-828-0498, 800-459-1887 OR 800-614-2803 AND TELL THEM TO FILIBUSTER

[williesgirl]

85. Just called on 202 line - got thru - just give zip code to staffer & filib

uster request

[Fiendish Thingy]

86. k&r! keep calling! n/t

[watercolors]

89. no, for Fl Senators

Bill Nelson 202-224-5274
Martinez 202-224-3041

Please make your calls. this is so important!

[EFerrari]

90. Kick

[Sapphire Blue]

91. I've called Reid & my senators; now I'll start on the other 97. K & R

[mom cat]

113. Great big hug!

:grouphug:

[Sapphire Blue]

114. Back atcha!

:grouphug:

Now to the 'J's...

[Change has come]

92. Done

having friends do the same.

[EFerrari]

93. Great. I wish everyone would.

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

94. Here's my fax:

To: Senator Harry Reid

September 28, 2006

Dear Senator Reid,

As the Senate Minority Leader, I strongly urge you to lead a filibuster of the bill currently being debated regarding the treatment of persons detained by the U.S.

Habeas corpus has been a fundamental principle of Western law for centuries and is a pillar of a nation’s defense against tyranny by despotic rulers. The Constitution of the United States reinforces habeas corpus. It must not be removed by the arbitrary and self serving whim of this president. If there is to be any semblance of checks and balances remaining in our government, the Democratic Senators MUST RESIST this slide towards tyranny.

As for the issue of torture, I find it an extremely sad time in the history of this country that there should even be a debate about the issue of torturing other humans. The reason why the Geneva Conventions have not been found lacking in providing guidance for our behavior up until now is because we have not had an administration so morally bankrupt as to vigorously pursue and endorse behaviors that amount to torture, now belatedly seeking exoneration and immunity from crimes already committed.

Show some courage, Mr. Reid. Have some faith that the decent people of the United States who find the very notion of our government committing acts of torture to be abhorrent are a substantial majority. Opposing torture in any and all forms is not only simply the right position morally, but it is also the winning position politically, if the Democratic Party will only stop being afraid of how Republicans will paint them in election campaigns and see this simple truth.


This is a fundamental moral issue upon which the very survival of the idea of America as a democracy depends. The Republican Party has completely abdicated any responsibility of oversight over a presidency run amok. The fate of the country and its democratic system of government is now in your hands, and the Democratic Party, for better or worse. If the Party cannot be troubled to take the morally correct position on this most vital issue, it deserves no further support from this time on.


Sincerely,

Mayberry Machiavelli

[chill_wind]

100. Whooooot!!!!! A chill wind is blowing through this nation

this very day. The coldest one yet, if that's even imaginable.

(...)

And then came the speech: You are either with us or against us. And the bombing began. And the old paradigm was restored as our leader encouraged us to show our patriotism by shopping and by volunteering to join groups that would turn in their neighbor for any suspicious behavior.

In the 19 months since 9-11, we have seen our democracy compromised by fear and hatred. Basic inalienable rights, due process, the sanctity of the home have been quickly compromised in a climate of fear. A unified American public has grown bitterly divided, and a world population that had profound sympathy and support for us has grown contemptuous and distrustful, viewing us as we once viewed the Soviet Union, as a rogue state.

(...0

Tim Robbins April 15, 2003.


Dems, there is no "tomorrow" on this. We have hours, not days, to be heard. Act now!

[Cameron27]

97. Warner whores himself for an idiot president

but he does it ever so politely. These people have no shame.

[Solly Mack]

98. excellent!!!!!

[Sapphire Blue]

99. kick

:kick: starting on the 'D's

[EFerrari]

102. Kick

[spuddonna]

107. Done!

Keep calling! Phone lines for Cantwell and Murray rolled to voice mail, so busy! And Murray's voice mail is FULL! Keep it up!

[gulfcoastliberal]

109. I called, my gandmom called, and my stepdad faxed...

Will they step up the the plate and do what's just and moral?

[buddhamama]

110. i just got off the phone with Reid's office

the staffer sounded tired. I mentioned Filibuster and Unconstitutional twice.

[BlueStorm]

115. I just called Carl Levin's office

the staffer said he will relay the message to my senator...

Does anyone know if Stabenow is voting on it at all, and what is the name of the bill again, I forgot.

Blue

[Wisconsin Larry]

116. I call it the Torture Bill but I think the supporters prefer the "Detainee

Bill".

[BlueStorm]

122. Yes that is what I called it as well...

I called both of my senators, Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow as well as Henry Reid's office.

I just hope that this bill does not pass.


Blue

[Wisconsin Larry]

117. Just Caught part of Graham's act on Cspan2 and called his office.

I asked the perky staffer who answered if he intended to support the Torture Bill in its current form.
When she said yes, I said that I was shocked that Senator Graham would want torture to be his legacy and asked her to pass that along to the Senator.

Just trying to get the Repubs to try on the label of the "Pro-torture party" before they vote. Cannot believe that this is what they wish to be known for. But if so, let's shout it from the roof tops.

[eridani]

119. Reid's mailbox is full

2PM PDT

[mom cat]

120. Try the other offices.

[sproutster]

121. His mailbox is no longer full - Just did my civic duty

[freedomfries]

123. K & R

[redacted]

124. VM MAILBOX FULL AGAIN at DC offices

This is how it happened in Nazi Germany. As Randi Rhodes says, if this bill passes, it's an express train to fascism.

[brettdale]

125. Is there a time limit

When will he need to filibuster by???

[redacted]

126. Huh? What do you mean?

[gordontron]

127. his mailbox is full :(

[patrioticliberal]

128. We heard that same bullshit on Alito. Did they filibuster? NO

[mom cat]

129. I just wanted to thank everyone for their heroic efforts.

Get used to it. We will be needing a lot of heroic efforts now. Take some time to lick your wounds and get re-orienter to the new reality, then get up and fight again. :hug: