I just sent an email to Charles Grassley on State Secrets quest. to Alito

[cascadiance]

... that I think he should ask to be true to the actions he's taken in the past.

That would be to ask Alito's position on State Secrets privilege, and how Alito would or wouldn't support using it on cases brought before the court involving it.

I think Grassley, though he's vocalized a lot of support for Alito on his web site, would be a unique Republican senator to ask this question. Why? Because he's one of two senators (along with Patrick Leahy) who have actively supported Sibel Edmonds' efforts to be heard in court, which has been struck down numerous times on States Secrets privilege rule invocations. It's happening now with other cases too. Grassley has been known in the past for investigation other FBI actions, etc. too, so calling him out on this SHOULD be a hot button for him.

Basically tell him that it's put up or shut up time for him. Time for him to back up his words with actions to help ensure we don't put in place a justice that will facilitate coverups, but will seek to make sure that they are heard about and exposed in court of law when they come before the Supreme Court. That hasn't been happening over the last month or so on at least two occasions. By having a commitment by Alito in words in his confirmation hearing that he won't allow coverups to be facilitated through this privilege, we can also have evidence later if we DO get a coverup that happens that will help with grounds to impeach him.

Join me and either call or write him (especially if you're an Iowan, I'm a former Iowa resident) to let him know that this is important and isn't going to go under the radar to all of us voters. If he doesn't ask this, he will have to explain this to the voters the next time he runs.

Please be respectful but firm in your request here. Make sure that he knows he has to back up his words, but don't call him names, etc. to indicate that you're going to try and tear him down anyway, no matter what he does. Perhaps this is one vote we can win over if we get enough folks to call on this issue and get the "wrong" response from Alito.

Here's his contact form:

http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home

State and DC offices info:

http://grassley.senate.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Offices

[cascadiance]

1. Here's the text I sent him...

Mr. Grassley,

I as a former resident of Iowa and current resident of California am deeply concerned about the nomination of Samuel Alito to our Supreme Court. I'm deeply concerned about his positions on strengthening executive privilege to the extent of it upsetting our balance of powers in our government.

Though I tend to side with the Democrats on many things, I have to commend you on one very important issue to me that you've stood out to help do the right things on. Those were to help expose problems in our security agencies with your support of folks like Sibel Edmonds in their efforts to give us the truth of what's been going on in them and what ineffectiveness and potential wrongdoing might have been going on in them.

The Supreme Court as it currently sits has had a poor record at trying to support legitimate hearings of cases that would help us answer these questions. Instead it has along with many other courts deferred to the executive branch's use of "State Secrets" privilege to dismiss and not even hear these cases, not only unconstitutionally taking those filing these cases rights to due process, but also perhaps threatening all of us in our country with covering up misdeeds that might otherwise be corrected if the courts would hear them.

I would like to think of you being an ardent defender of Sibel Edmonds efforts, that you could help her case today by asking Samuel Alito what would be the criteria he would look at to support usage of State Secrets privilege and where he wouldn't and how he thinks dismissing supreme court appeals of these cases "without opinion" to be justified. If you do so, you will retain my respect for your independent actions in this case and not someone who's just working in a partisan fashion. If you don't, I have to question whether your support of Sibel Edmonds is truly one to help us the American people in getting to the truth, or part of perhaps some other set of agenda.

From what I've known of you, I truly don't think the latter's the case, and I really would like to hear this sort of question coming from you. Please help us feel sure that this judge won't support the potential tearing down of the fabric of our government. Philosophical things and rulings can be altered and fine tuned over time. Changing the very fabric of the government underneath the courts, the legislative branch and the executive branch might not be reparable. Please help us ensure that our system of government is protected.

If you do feel that this question isn't adequately answered, please consider joining the Democrats efforts to fillibuster or vote down this nomination.

[Debi]

2. He'll get back to you in June....n/t

[cascadiance]

3. Maybe so, but I got to believe if we push some folks' hot buttons...

that might not otherwise be on the fence, perhaps we can help sway the balance of even the Dems attitudes towards doing a fillibuster. We need to persuade some who've had stakes in the ground on certain issues where they might have them adversely affected by Alito's being selected to take action and at least make sure that Alito answers to questions on how they will deal with those issues.

Calling "the choir" might not help in the big picture, whereas if enough of us were to call Grassley's office with this, maybe he might do something about it. There's a LOT I don't like about Grassley, but I do think that there lurks somewhere in there someone who does want to prevent a police state, moreso than other Republicans. When that letter came out about the Patriot Act Part 2 that was crafted by Hastert, Cheney, and Ashcroft that had monstrous things about it that weren't even discussed with many Republican members of Congress, Grassley was one that was quoted in that article as being "very concerned" with it. I've seen enough of different instances of his actions to prevent state abuse of civil rights, etc. that I think that might be an area where we can appeal to his senses.

I've got my day job to get to shortly which prevents me from calling his office now, but I might try and call later. I think calling his office would help us get quicker attention on this. I encourage others out there who might have more free time now to do this. I DO think that this might make a difference. Go to http://www.justacitizen.com/ if you don't believe that Grassley's helped out Sibel Edmonds a lot in the past. If you can get to the initial 60 minutes "Lost in Translation" piece done with her in it, Grassley's quotes in that are VERY strongly in favor of "tearing the FBI upside down".

[Debi]

4. I just meant that Grassley and his staff do a poor job of talking

with his constituency. The vote will be over before he even knows you wrote. I admire your efforts, though, I'm more ashamed that a man who's been in office so long has forgotten why he was elected.

[cascadiance]

5. I think many Iowans do vote for him based on his stances like this one...

If he falters and doesn't "deliver" on following through on these sorts of stances, his staff should be reminded that this could cost him a lot of moderate votes in the coming election where many will make sure that this is an election issue of where he's not keeping his promises. For someone that likes to be felt as a defender of truth and honesty in government from his stances on these sorts of issues, I would think he'd want to not be taken to task for being perceived as disingenuous about it.

[Debi]

6. From Today's Des Moines Register....

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060112/NEWS09/601120386&SearchID=73232354745725


<snip>

"We have an old saying in the Midwest about if a horse is dead, quit beating it," he said.

"And I think several horses have been beaten to death, particularly on the other side."

<snip>

Um, Social Security reform Senator?????