Eric Massa NY29 "Demanding Honest Government"

[trillian]

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Demanding Honest Government Means Holding Congress Accountable


Early last month, I announced my New Bill of Rights. This Declaration is my way of expanding upon the Rights listed in FDR's 1944 State of the Union message to Congress, which I have touched upon in some of my more recent DailyKos Diaries. I know that the way forward for the Democratic Party is to stand with the people against President Bush and the Rubberstamp Republicans, who taken the side of Corporatists rather than the American family. Together, I know we can make this world a better place.

This is the sixth in a ten part series where we will discuss some of the most important issues facing the American people today. I want to hear your opinions and thoughts on each and every one of these topics. Our campaign has had over 40 house parties over the last month which has made it difficult for me to be available every Sunday for liveblogging, but I am very happy to be back with you today from 3-6 pm eastern time.

#6 The People have the Right to an Honest Government...

When our forefathers first came to America, they knew what a dishonest government was like. They traveled across the ocean risking life and limb to live in freedom because they understood how just how bad it is to live under tyranny. As the years went on and the American Revolution succeeded, the Constitution was written to put these feelings into a formal set of rules, rules which we still strive to uphold. They knew of course that they could never envision all of the technological marvels the future would bring. The good and the bad, there was no way they could envision cell phones, let alone the Government illegally monitoring them via the NSA. However they did lay out the Bill of Rights to protect the populace against things such as this.

During the Bush years, we have seen our right diminish under the rule of a power-hungry leader whom I suspect may never have even read the Constitution. During this time we've seen an unconstitutional and illegal domestic spying operation that could have been implemented legally using the FISA courts. We've also seen the Attorney General's office fire 8 US Attorneys for partisan purposes, because they were investigating Republicans taking bribes or were not bringing spurious suits against Democratic voter registration groups. This kind of "cover your own butt and just say you can't recall" attitude needs to change, and it needs to start right now.

In this post, I'd like to open up the history books on these two catastrophic failures of leadership and honesty, and then I hope you'll stick around to discuss how we can work to create an honest government. Far too many elected officials have forgotten that they work for the people they represent, not the President. I often point out in speeches that while the military in Britain swears a pledge to protect the Queen, our military swears to protect the Constitution. I firmly believe our Constitution is in great danger if we do not act.

Is Big Brother Watching?

George Orwell has been dead for almost 60 years, but I don't think this story would have shocked him. In the days following September 11th, the nation was in a state of fear. Everyone worried that terrorists would strike again, and the public wanted us to do whatever we could to protect the homeland. In these days, the Patriot Act, with its many flaws, was rammed through Congress and signed into law before members of Congress could even read it. I understand that there was a rush, but in hindsight, this was a clear erosion of our Constitutional Rights. One part of the Patriot Act I'll discuss today is the expansion of the federal government's ability to legally obtain personal or business records on citizens with approval from a FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) Courts... in other words, to spy on them. Now I am all for this aspect of the law, I believe that if the FBI has probable cause to investigate suspected terrorists inside our boarders, then they should be allowed to, but only if the Courts rule so.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The FISA courts were set up specifically for this purpose, as a check on the government couldn't just investigate anyone they want without probable cause. The Fourth Amendment protects citizens against "unreasonable searches and seizures," so there is no shade of gray here. This is the law, there are no two ways about it. The only problem is that the White House and Attorney General didn't see it that way…

In December 2006, it was discovered that the President gave clearance for the NSA to go ahead and spy on Americans without probable cause and without passing the legal requirements. Perhaps the most amazing part of this violation is that the NSA was allowed to go ahead and spy on Americans and then seek permission from the FISA courts retroactively, but that wasn't good enough for a President who has no regard for the rights of our citizens.

This is wrong on so many levels, it's hard to know where to begin…

The White House, The Attorney General, and 8 US Attorneys

In 2005, it was decided that at least 8 US Federal Prosecutors had to go... who exactly made this decision is still being investigated, but it sure looks like our own Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has his finger prints all over it. The Position of Attorney General is unlike any other in the President's Cabinet in that the AG is supposed to be independent from the White House and unaffected by politics. As the nation's top cop, the AG is beholden to the law, not to political interests. Unfortunately this is not the case with our current administration or our current Attorney General.

We do know for certain that the Attorney General's office ultimately decided to fire these 8 attorneys for performance reasons, but their job performance evaluations tell a very different story. As this story continues to develop, it's looking more and more like White House advisors Karl Rove, and Harriet Miers directed Gonzales to fire them for political gain. The fact that the White House is refusing to allow testimony from either Miers or Rove (unless it's private, not under oath, and without a transcript) only shows how dishonest they really are and how much they have to hide. It is hard to imagine that they actually expect us to just believe that these prosecutors were fired for poor performance.

Let's take a look at one of the fired attorneys... San Diego US Attorney Carol Lam oversaw the prosecution of convicted Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a man who literally had a bribery menu. Cunningham received over $2.3 Million from defense contractors to give preferential treatment from the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, which Cunningham sat on, to these contractors. Given the overwhelming evidence against Cunningham, I can only imagine a prosecutor being fired for losing the case. Mrs. Lam did everything her government asked her to do, and for it, the Attorney General stabbed her in the back.
Way to be independent Mr. Gonzales.

Accountability?

The President and his cronies act as though they are above the law, but this country was not created as a monarchy, this is a democracy. I always carry a copy of the Declaration of Independence with me so I can read the thoughts of our forefathers whenever. Most people know the first few lines of it, but often it's forgotten that about 90% of this document is a list of grievances against King George. Allow me to share a little:

The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

Sound like sheltering White House advisors from testifying on the attorney scandal?

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation.

Illegal Wiretaps anyone?

My opponent has Rubberstamped his way through Congress for the past three years. As a Deputy Minority Whip, he is in fact whipped to George Bush. Just last week, he issued a Press Release (PDF here... he's since taken it off his website) bragging about all of the wonderful things he's going to bring home by voting for the Homeland Security Appropriations bill from last Friday. The only problem was that he actually voted against it.

When asked at a town hall meeting what he thought about the Gonzales attorney firing scandal, he refused to take any position and suggested that the audience "take it outside."

This is unacceptable, and if we want an honest government, then we must demand accountability from our elected officials.

Solution:

In both the NSA domestic spying program and the Gonzales attorney firing scandal, the basic problem is an executive branch running free without fear of being held accountable. The government was set up with three separate yet equal branches, and the Rubberstamp Republicans still hold the keys as long as we don't have an FDR majority in Congress.

Under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, we are starting to move in the right direction. Congressional oversight is the key to solving these gross assaults on our rights and preventing further damage. The solution really is that simple, but it starts with electing honest candidates who are beholden to nobody.

I promise that when I am elected to Congress, I will always put the American public above everything else. Unlike 99.9% of Congressional Candidates, I have never accepted a single cent of Corporate PAC money, and that is why I need your help. We can have honest government, and I know that this starts with Clean Money/Clean Elections. I believe that if you're going to talk the talk, then you need to walk the walk, so I must rely on your support to help me defeat one of the most right wing, Rubberstamp Republicans the House of Representatives has ever seen. With the June 30th FEC filing deadline right around the corner, your contribution today is more important than at any other time. Last year, we raised over $1 Million in individual contributions, and for it we came within 1% of winning. This year we need to up the ante and take the ball just one yard further. I know we can do it, and with your support, we will.

With that, I am standing by to answer any and all questions, so please leave your comments or contact me at my website.

Thank you,

-Eric Massa

#1 The Right to Not be Dragged into an Unnecessary War

#2 The Right to Quality, Affordable Healthcare

#3 The Right to Gainful Employment

#4 The Right to a Sustainable Environment

#5 The Right to a Government Capable of Emergency Response

[Totally Committed]

1. Kick for those who haven't read it...

:kick:

TC

[trillian]

2. Thanks TC

Stranger ;)