A letter from my Rep. Give Jan some props. Please.

[yellowdogmi]

hank you for contacting me to urge my support for
investigations into the Bush Administration's secret domestic spying
program. I appreciate hearing from you, and I agree with you.
I believe President Bush broke the law when he unilaterally
authorized secret wiretaps of U.S. citizens in 2002. Since then, the
National Security Agency has secretly monitored international
telephone calls and e-mail messages of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
people inside the United States without warrants; in other words,
without any independent review or judicial oversight. The day after
this shocking abuse of power became public, President Bush not only
admitted that he had authorized it but argued that he had the authority
to do so. The nonpartisan Congressional Research Service said in a
recent memo that limiting Congressional oversight of the NSA program
as the Bush Administration did "would appear to be inconsistent with
the law."
President Bush's claim that he is not bound by that law is simply
astounding. It is a Presidential power grab that poses a challenge in the
deepest sense to the integrity of the American system of government -
the separation of powers, the concept of checks and balances on
executive power, the notion that the president is subject to the law like
everyone else, and the general respect for the "rule of law" on which
our democratic system depends.
I have signed several letters calling for a full investigation of the
Administration's domestic spying tactics. I am also a cosponsor of
H.Res. 636 and H.Res. 637, resolutions censuring President Bush and
Vice President Cheney for their actions. Prominent journalists,
scholars, attorneys, and national nonprofit organizations (including the
American Civil Liberties Union) have filed lawsuits against the
Administration to challenge the legality of this program. I will closely
monitor the lawsuits and continue to work hard to protect the privacy
rights guaranteed under the Constitution for all Americans.
Again, it was good to hear from you. Please do not hesitate to
contact me if I can be of assistance in the future.


Sincerely,


Jan Schakowsky,
Member of Congress


http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/contact.html

[blm]

1. She's one of my faves in Congress.

.

[benburch]

2. She is a great one!

That reminds me that I have yet to send her the $20 I had planned to donate for her re-election.