To: The Honorable Gordon Smith

[stevedeshazer]

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Senator,

As a constituent and fellow native Oregonian, I was taken aback by your comments on the floor of the Senate today regarding President Bush's war in Iraq.

It was striking to hear your words: "I, for one, am at the end of my rope when it comes to supporting a policy that has our soldiers patrolling the same streets in the same way, being blown up by the same bombs day after day. That is absurd. It may even be criminal. I cannot support that anymore....I would have never voted for this conflict had I reason to believe that the intelligence we had was not accurate. It was not accurate, but that is history.”

The reason for my surprise resides in your voting record. Since the beginning of the ill-advised invasion of Iraq, you have supported the President's policy every step of the way, voting to support the invasion and voting for every subsequent bill supporting the funding of the war. You supported the USA PATRIOT Act, which violates several constitutional amendments.

Senator, if you will allow me to indulge in a shared memory, let's revisit August 22nd, 2002. We were there, together, but for very different reasons.

You came to my home town with President Bush to raise money at the Portland Hilton before the war we all knew was coming. Thousands of my friends and I chose to greet you and the President in the streets of downtown.

Just in case you've forgotten, here's a reminder:



Now, I know your experience was quite different than mine that day. President Bush raised large amounts of cash for you in a comfortable hotel full of wealthy donors and a sympathetic audience of supporters.

The 30,000 or so of your constituents outside instead raised signs and voices against the foreign policy you now say you think may be "criminal".

Let me ask on behalf of all the Oregonians who were there that hot summer afternoon a full seven months before the invasion of Iraq: Why did you not listen to us? How could we possibly know in advance the abject failures that were to come when you did not?

And, why should we believe you now?

On November 8th, 2006, the people of Oregon and the nation responded to your party's failed policies and voted en masse to reject them. Not a single incumbent Democrat in either the Senate or the House was defeated. Surely you have taken notice; your statement of Thursday evening screams it.

Where were you then, Senator Smith?

We know. And we won't forget. And we won't go away.

And we won't be fooled again.

You are a fair-weather friend in your newly-found moderation. May I suggest your retirement?

Is the last Republican Senator on the west coast a newly endangered specie?

That is what I am hearing in your words.

Here's to 2008! See you then!

Sincerely,

Steve DeShazer

Portland, Oregon

[Catshrink]

1. Nicely done!

:yourock:

[montanacowboy]

2. Great Letter

isn't it amazing that we all knew way before the war, and none of those assholes on Capitol Hill knew nothing, but believed the intelligence.....

You are right, fair weather friend indeed...will he call for the criminal Bush's impeachment?

[opihimoimoi]

4. Smith is TOAST...his too little too late shit don't fly....

The GOP has amnesia when it comes to this crap....

[stevedeshazer]

12. We knew...

We were right all along, just following the truth.

I think Sen. Smith would vote for impeachment to save his own political skin.

[grasswire]

14. maybe we could pressure him into BEGINNING impeachment

Ha! That would be a good trick on the ole pea packer. Pressure him into calling for articles of impeachment. And then dump him in 2008 anyway.

[in_cog_ni_to]

3. Great letter. That's exactly how I feel about him and all of his repuke

comrades who have 'all of a sudden' seen the light. I call bullshit. If I knew this illegal invasion would be a disaster, he and his cronies had to know. No slack from me. He doesn't deserve it. November 7 has seemed to enlighten quite a few of these warmongers. IMCPO, they're just covering their asses so THEY aren't thrown out of office like Allen, Santorum, Dewine, Burns and their ilk. They should have seen the light BEFORE we sent our soldiers into harms way based on LIES!

[NMDemDist2]

5. K&N for telling it like it is (and was) n/t

[originalpckelly]

6. If they had only listened.(nt)

[Quantess]

15. Hah! They can eat their words!

The news that Bush was actually going to invade Iraq roused this nonchalant, apolitical, person into a hopping rage.
I lived in the Portland area at the time, and I regret not attending. At the time, none of my friends or acquaintances were as pissed as I was.

I do remember a couple of people who wondered why I disagreed with the Whole dumb Iraq invasion. One was a guy who had asked me out. We had some good conversations, but when I said that I was against the Iraq invasion, he expressed that I was silly for not realizing that we've got to get "the bad man" Saddam Hussein.
I had already heard .........okay...... that Saddam Hussein was NOT implicit in 9-11 attacks, and that the whole thing was a really terrible idea. I told the guy not to call me again. No regrets on my part. I do sort of wonder if he has changed his mind about it, though.

[Sydnie]

7. Great letter

Hope you send it to all of his offices, hard copy too. Let everyone in the office know that your memory is very long, as will be the memory of those that stood in the sun with you.

to you.

to him.

[Cha]

8. That's an amazing well put

together letter for the senator. I'm in the category that is thankful for all the help we can get to end this misbegotten War On Iraq, however.

There are still the ones who are not saying shit..let me count the ways.

[stevedeshazer]

20. I'm in that category, too

If Smith opposes the war now, fine. But it's important to recognize his conversion for precisely what it is...pure political calculation. As his constituent, it's important to me to point that out.

[Cha]

27. You are so

right! I'm really grateful that you're doing it, too!

[DesEtoiles]

9. fax this to his office

[KingFlorez]

10. Right on!

[Pastiche423]

11. Bravo!

An excellent letter. Please let us know if he responds. lol

A few more photos from that day:


This appeared on the front page of the Oregonian I still have a copy. (That's a rubber bullet wound.)


Us vs them


Riot cops

[Hippo_Tron]

13. new nickname: Senator Too Little Too Late

[OregonBlue]

16. Thank you. Make sure he get's a hard copy too. Looks like he

figured out that he CAN BE DEFEATED.

[malaise]

17. Brilliant letter

K & R

[pdxmom]

18. Excellent letter! And you've inspired me to send my own. This

speech by Smith was the opening of the 2008 election season and I hope all fellow Oregonians see it for what it was...insincere and politically motivated.

According to Smith, he changed his opinion based on a talk with a Oregon soldier in 2005...and this is the end of 2006. Why has he kept his mouth shut for a year? He is a coward and his keeping quiet to get through the 2006 election has aided and abetted in the deaths of more and more of our soldiers. He is not to be believed, on this issue or any other.

[Jcrowley]

19. K & R n/t

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

21. K & R.

Monday, I'm going to call gordo & ask if he's still glad that dumbya didn't listen to the New York Times, The Washington Post & Hollywood.

[barbtries]

22. i love it

Please send it! and post the response you get.

i know it'll be a cold day in hell when a politician responds,

dear ethical constituent,

you are right. the war was always wrong and it was damn near criminal of me to sell my soul to the bushies while ignoring the people who elected me. i despise the whore i have become here in washington, and am slowly realizing that my time here is nearing an ignominious end. it grieves me to admit that my constituency will be much better off without a so-called "representative" such as myself being a party to the destruction of the constitution i was sworn to uphold....please, people try to forgive me - and if forgiveness is too lenient, let me turn myself in admit to my crimes and commence doing my time.


more like, the senator will take your thoughts into consideration as he works on your behalf and on the behalf of our great nation blah blah blah

often i wonder how they sleep.+

edited to add one caveat: "honorable" is not descriptive of the person whom you address :)

[stevedeshazer]

25. I only used it because it's the proper form to address a Senator

http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/FORMSOFADDRESS/SpkWritFrmsAddr.html

I agree in principle.

[Blue Belle]

23. My only critique would be...

removing the word "honorable" from the title as a descriptor of Gordon Smith. Otherwise, the post is spot on. WELL DONE!!

:applause:

[stevedeshazer]

24. I used that term specifically because it is how one is to address a Senator

http://www.cftech.com/BrainBank/OTHERREFERENCE/FORMSOFADDRESS/SpkWritFrmsAddr.html

Thanks.

[Blue Belle]

26. I know its proceedure... I just find it offensive to put that word in front of Smith...

or any other rubber-stamping Republican for that matter. They sold their honor a long time ago.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

28. Found this pretty cool list of how gordo puke puke voted.

http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/s001142/votes/

I'm still looking for the one that gives what percentage of the time he votes with the repugs. I want it so when I call him again & his staffer tells me "Sen (sic) gordo puke puke (sic) is a moderate" I can hit him/her up with facts instead of my usual hysterical laughter or retching noise.

[stevedeshazer]

31. You will find that he has voted the Republican party line since January 2007

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/person.xpd?id=300090

[WhoDoYouTrust]

29. Great letter, my friend!

Proud to give you a :kick:

[stevedeshazer]

30. Hey, you!

How ya doin'?

:)

[WhoDoYouTrust]

33. Just got home from Uncle Ron's funeral.

It's been a tough year for the family. I've been down for three funerals this year and these were young ones.

Life goes on.

:hug:

[stevedeshazer]

34. That's tough.

My condolences. I lost two aunts and two cousins.

Peace. :)

[stubtoe]

32. Great job! Thanks for doing this.

It would be interesting to read any response that you might recieve from the Senator. He's always sent me the same old party line bs on issues I've written him about; you know I wonder if you will even hear back from him at all.

[MasonJar]

35. Now it is clear why the sudden change of attitude! Thanks for the

heads up. Good-bye, Senator Smith in 2008.

[Roland99]

36. Kick-ass letter!!

[Viva_La_Revolution]

37. oh Steve! It's an amazing letter