Dear Friends,

Much is at stake concerning  privacy and civil liberties in the coming week in Congress!  First, there is the confirmation or rejection of President Bush's nominee for Attorney General, Michael Mukasey, by the Democratically-controlled Senate.  Second, is the modification or expansion of the Protect America Act, enacted earlier this year, concerning surveillance of American citizens.  This note serves as both an update and a call to action on both matters.

ATTORNEY GENERAL NOMINEE MUKASY:
The Senate Judiciary Committee conducted confirmation hearings for Mukasey this past week.  As far as I know, no one asked him which version of the Constitution he subscribes to--the one in which the judiciary, Congress and the executive are co-equal branches of government or Dick Cheney's version of the Constitution in which all power resides in the President as Commander-in-Chief.  (Did you hear that Lynne Cheney is writing a book about the Constitution for children with which to indocrinate the little ones?)  

But from Mukasey's testimony it appears that  his view aligns much  more with Cheney's than the traditional one.   For instance, he agrees with the Administration the President should be able to name people "enemy combatants" and deny them habeas corpus rights.  Although decrying torture as unAmerican, when asked if waterboarding (an apparent Administration favorite currently being practiced) constitutes torture and is therefore unconstitutional, Mukasey would only say that IF waterboarding is torture, then it is unconstitutional.   He said he is not in favor of closing Guantanamo.  As a former presiding judge in the case of a detainee whose lawyer stated his client had been beaten, Mukasey reportedly responded "He looks fine to me"--so much for the rights of the accused.  And in his confirmation hearing he defended President Bush's illegal electronic surveillance!

Nevertheless, Democrats like Chuck Schumer apparently told Bush BEFORE Mukasey's nomination that he was an acceptable nominee!   Have they not learned anything from their disastrous confirmation of Alberto Gonzales, known at the time to be an apologist for torture?!  Apparently not.  It seems likely that the Judiciary Committee will forward the nominee's name to the full Senate for a vote.  (See additional information underneath my signature for conditions to which the ACLU suggests Mukasey agree before he be approved for such a vote.*)

SENATORS LAUTENBERG AND MENENDEZ have both  expressed a desire to undo the damage of the Military Commissions Act, which they both had the indecency to vote for in an election year.  To their credit, they are both co-sponsors of Senate bills to restore habeas corpus and the Constitution.  But those bills are going nowhere.  Please call them and INSIST THEY OPPOSE THE CONFIMATION OF MUKASEY as Attorney General, should he be approved by the Judiciary Committee.  If our Senators are serious about wanting habeas corpus restored and the Military Commissions Act corrected, it would be totally inconsistent for them to approve as Attorney General a person who opposes the restoration of habeas corpus and apparently thinks the MCA is fine.   Please tell them so in no uncertain terms, and let them know that it's OK for them to say no to President Bush! 

REVISIONS TO OUR SURVEILLANCE LAWS:
You may recall that for several years President Bush broke the law (specifically the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act or FISA) by authorizing the National Security Administration to conduct electronic surveillance of international phone calls of  American citizens, without warrants as mandated by the Constitution.  Last August Congress obliged Bush by passing the Protect America Act (PAA), making such surveillance "legal."   Dems, recognizing that the bill was really a sell-out to the President, limited its life-span to six months, at which time they vowed to take a second look.  

The six months will be up in February and much jockeying is going on concerning the PAA, with Bush insisting it be made permanent, but with even greater concessions to the executive dictatorship.  I am very happy to say that CONGRESSMAN RUSH HOLT, who repreresents many of you in the House and who voted against the PAA (as did Pallone and our Senators), has introduced a bill (FISA Modernization Act, HR 3782) that would repeal the PAA and restore the requirement for individualized warrants for wiretapping Americans!  His bill is the real deal, which of course means that it seems destined to go nowhere.  But if you are his constitutent or even if you are not, PLEASE CALL AND THANK HIM for unabashedly championning our 4th Amendment rights.  And if Pallone is your Representative, ask him to co-sponsor and not to settle for anything less than individualized warrants.

Another and more watered down version of a Dem attempt to revisit the PAA is the RESTORE ACT, HR 3773 ( introduced by Conyers and House Intelligence Committee  Chair Sylvestre Reyes), which would add siginifcant judicial and congressional oversight, but would not reinstate  individualized warrant requirements, and as such is really unacceptable.  But not to worry--faced with a Republican amendment  implying that the bill and its supporters are defending Osama, the Dems withdrew it before a scheduled vote last week.  Bush  had vowed to veto it anyway. 

Another key issue is that of Bush's insistence on immunity for the telecommunications companies that broke the FISA law by handing over phone calls, emails and other private records of Americans to the Administration without a warrant. It has recently been intimated that such spying began in early 2001 before9/11.  It is essential that immunity not be granted both in order to prevent future violations and so that lawsuits can reveal the facts about this illegal spying.  So far the House has not caved on this issue.

In the SENATE,  the Intelligence Committee headed by Dem Senator Rockefeller reached an agreement with the White House on a Senate "reform" bill that would grant the telecoms immunity.  Senator Chris Dodd  has issued a hold on this bill, which in theory means that the bill cannot go forward until his concerns are resolved, but Senate leader Reid is said to be ignoring this and planning a vote  in November.   (See http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702438_pf.html   for further information about the Senate version.)

When you call our Senators about the Mukasey nomination, please also tell them to OPPOSE ANY SENATE SURVEILLANCE BILL THAT PERMITS WARRANTLESS EAVESDROPPING and/or grants the telecoms immunity.  So-called "basket warrants" that allow the government to sweep up phone call and emails between Americans and anyone outside the U.S. are not acceptable!  And you can thank them for opposing the Protect America Act and its "legalizing" of warrantless surveillance last summer.

BONUS CALLS:
You could call Senator Dodd and thank him for opposing  our country's slide toward dictatorship by putting a hold on the Senate bill that O.K.'s  telecom immunity.  Encourage him to hold firm.  Likewise you could call Harry Reid and tell him to respect Senator Dodd's prerogative and to only support a bill that does not grant immunity and  insists on indivualized warrants.

ADDITIONAL POINT TO MAKE TO OUR CONGRESSMEN:
While you have the offices of Pallone or Holt, Lautenberg and Menendez on the phone please tell them how dismayed you are at their recent votes for legislation designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization.   We want them to OPPOSE the President's plans for a war with Iran, not give them a green light!

CONTACT INFORMATION:
You may reach any Senator or Representative at the Capitol switchboard's toll-free number: 800-614-2803.

LAUTENBERG can also be reached at 202-224-3224.  You can email him at http://lautenberg.senate.gov.

MENENDEZ - call toll-free number above.  You can email him at http://menendez.senate.gov.

PALLONE can also be reached at 202-225-4671 or you can write to him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

HOLT can also be reached at  202-225-5801. Or you can email him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

Thanks to our Coalition's and Rutgers Against the War's wonderful Marching Home conference earlier this month, I had the honor of hosting retired diplomat and Army Colonel  Ann Wright, who resigned in protest of Administration policies in March 2003 and is  now a peace activist par excellence, who speaks truth to power any time, anywhere (often in the halls of Congress).  She said we must not give up and must keep up our calls.   So please keep the activism alive.  

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

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Dear Friends,

IRAQ SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDING and IRAN CAVE-IN

Last week Senate Majority leader Harry Reid's resolution, S.J. 9, to establish a goal of pulling out all combat troops from Iraq by March 31, 2008 went down to defeat, 50-48, mainly along party lines, with Dems Nelson and Pryor voting against it. The Senate Appropriations Committee's "mark up" of the Iraq War Supplemental spending bill is expected to be held this week, with full Senate action to take place perhaps as soon as the week of March 26.

Last week in the House, the Appropriations Committee approved the Dem leadership's version of the supplemental spending bill, giving Bush over $20 billion more than he requested--bringing the total to $124 billion! (An addition to the war, some of that is for Katrina, veterans benefits, and for various pork projects.)

In this version troops can be deployed to Iraq only if they meet certain readiness standards and their deployments are limited to a year at a time, but Bush is allowed to waive any of these requirements--with the effect that Murtha's plan for starving the "surge" is eviscerated. In this version the Iraqi government must meet certain benchmarks by October 2007 or troops will be withdrawn from combat by March 2008, but the bill gives Bush the authority to certify that the benchmarks have been met. Nevertheless, troops will start to withdraw from combat by Mar. 1, 2008 to be completed by Aug. 31, 2008 with the exception that troops can stay to protect US. diplomats, citizens, and the embassy, train Iraqi miitary, and engage in 'limited' activities like capturing and killing terrorists. Not a very thorough withdrawal.

An interesting feature of this bill as reported by United for Peace and Justice is that one of the required benchmarks is the passage by the Iraqis of the so-called "HYDROCARBON" law, which would privatize Iraqi oil fields and give the lion's share of the profits to foreign oil companies for 30 years! I guess those profits must constitute our nation's "interests" in the Middle East that all our pols continually blather about. Kucinich may propose an amendment to delete this "benchmark."

Rep. Barbara LEE may propose a significant AMENDMENT, previously defeated in the Appropriations Committee, that would limit the spending of the bill's funds to the safe withdrawal of U.S. troops and contractors, to be completed by the end of 2007.

Disgustingly and ominously, the House Dem leadership decided to drop a requirement that would have barred the President from attacking Iran, another oil rich country, without Congressional authorization. This not only continues Congress' pattern of ceding all its power to Bush, effectively making him a tyrant, but GIVES THE GREEN LIGHT TO BUSH'S IRAN WAR PLANS--this from the supposedly anti-war Dems. Hopefully an amendment to require Congressional authorization will be introduced and adopted. (It's reported that Sen. Webb may introduce such an amendment to the Senate version).

At our meeting with Rep. Pallone last month he assured us he would continue to vote against this funding for a continuation of the war, as he has consistently done in the past. PLEASE CONTACT HIM OR REP. HOLT (depending who is your Congressman) and ask him to support the proposed Lee and Kucinich amendments, and any amendment preventing Bush from attacking Iran without Congressional authrorization--in fact, ask them to propose the latter amendment. In no case should they vote for the Supplemental funding unless the Lee admendment, at a minimum, is attached. The VOTE MAY BE HELD THIS WED., MAR. 21.

PLEASE CONTACT OUR SENATORS and ask them to support the Webb amendment barring an attack on Iran without Congressional authorization, and ask them to propose amendments to the Senate version of this bill that are comparable to the Lee and Kucinich amendments. Unless these amendments succeed insist that they vote against this funding. In fact I URGE YOU TO REQUEST THAT THEY FILIBUSTER this bill! According to Senate rules, it only takes one Senator to successfully filibuster (and 40 abstentions). Thus the DEMS HAVE IT IN THEIR POWER TO END THE WAR NOW! (See "How One Senator Could End the War": http://www.counterpunch.com/walsh03142007.html ) You can sign a petition to all U.S. Senators to filibuster the war at http://www.filibusterforpeace.org/

OTHER IRAQ (AND IRAN) WAR LEGISLATION:
IN THE SENATE, Sen. Feingold, with the lone support of Boxer and Leahy, has introduced S. 448 (Iraq Redeployment Act of 2007), which would prohibit the use of funds to deploy our Armed Forces in Iraq beyond six months of the enactment of this Act, but contain exceptions for funding of "targeted counterterrorism operations in Iraq," etc. Due to the exceptions we are not pushing for this bill, but use your own judgment.

IN THE HOUSE, ask our Reps. to cosponsor Woolsey's HR 508 (Bring the Troops Home and Iraq Sovereignty Restoration Act--currently has 49 co-sponsors), McGovern's HR 746 (Safe and Orderly Withdrawal from Iraq Act--26 co-sponsors) and Nadler's HR 455 (Protect the Troops and Bring Them Home Act--13 co-sponsors). A possible advantage of the Nadler bill is that the other bills instruct Bush to end the war in a specific time frame and only afterward forbid the use of additional funds, the Nadler bill immediately restricts the use of funding to withdrawing the troops from Iraq. Also, ask Pallone to sign on to H.CON RES 33 and HJ RES 14, requiring Bush to get Congressional authorization to attack Iran, and thank Holt for already having done so. Go to http://.thomas.loc.gov for the details of all these bills and resolutions.

CIVIL LIBERTIES:
A Justice Department audit recently revealed that the DOJ has been wildly abusing (surprise, surprise) "NATIONAL SECURITY LETTERS" (those devices by which the FBI can obtain all sorts of information about us without court warrants) to search through records of thousands of innocent Americans. This is in addition to the WARRANTLESS WIRETAPPING conducted by the National Security Adminstration (NSA) in definace of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).

When calling Pallone, please ask him to co-sponsor HR 11, the NSA Oversight Act which would make chapters 119 and 121 of US Code and FISA the exclusive means by which electronic surveillance can be conducted. When calling Holt, please thank him for having already joined twenty-four others in co-sponsoring this bill. Also, ask them to work to contain the out-of-control national security letter system, e.g. require that "NSL"s be approved by the FISA court, that records be purged when no connection to terrorism is found.

As you know, the MILITARY COMMISSIONS ACT OF 2006 struck a body blow or worse to the rule of law in this country. During the week of March 19, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, the ACLU and other organizations are calling on their members to lobby Congress for corrections to the MCA--let's join them.

If it doesn't pain you too much, you might thank Sen. Menendez for attempting to correct his egregious vote for the MCA by sponsoring with Sen. Dodd, S. 576 (Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007). Also ask him to co-sponsor Leahy's more limited S. 185 (Habeas Corpus Restoration Act of 2007). And thank Sen. Lautenberg for signing on to both bills, unless you are too pained by his original MCA vote.

In the House please ask Pallone or Holt to support two bills introduced by Nadler and Harman, the House version of the Restoring the Constitution Act, HR 1415, and the House version of theHabeas Corpus Restoration Act, HR 1416 (and, if you like, HR 267 and HR 1189, also to restore habeas corpus). Among other things, the Senate and House Restoring the Constitution Acts would partially dismantle the MCA by prohibiting testimony gained by torutre or coercion, narrowing the definition of enemy combatant and reasserting the Geneva Conventions.

In a series of chilling and persuasive articles Jacob Hornberger argues that we have given the President tyrannical powers and that we are only another 9/11 away from the mass rounding-up, torture and execution of American citizens (See"The Pentagon's Power to Arrest, Torture and Execute American Citizens" http://www.fff.org/comment/com0702k.asp ,etc.) Making that a whole lot easier is a provision concerning martial law that the Administration snuck into the last enormous defense bill.

This MARTIAL LAW provision violates the principle of posse comitatus (barring military forces from engaging in law enforcement) and the Insurrection Act of 1807 (limiting a president's use of the military in law enforcement to putting down insurrection where a state is violating federal law or persons' Constitutional rights). It allows the President to use military troops domestically in response to a natural disaster, a disease outbreak, terrorist attack or any "other condition." According to a Feb.19 New York Times editorial the bipartisan Leahy/Bond S.430 (The National Guard Empowerment Act of 2007) would take back this power from the President, but after looking at it at http://thomas.loc.gov I'm not sure that it does. In any event, let's ask our Senators and Reps. to propose legislation that will accomplish that.

BONUS CALLS: When Sen. CHUCK HAGEL spoke at Rutgers recently advocating a more rational approach to Iran and the Middle East, I challenged him on his vote for the Military Commissions Act. He said he now supports S. 185 to restore habeas corpus. I told him about the more comprehensive S. 576, and he said he would look into it. So far he is not listed as a co-sponsor of either bill. Call his office through the Capitol switchboard and urge that he make good on these statements he made in New Jersey.

Call House Speaker NANCY PELOSI and express your dismay that she abandonned the plan to require the President to get Congressional authorization before attacking Iran, and insist she put it back in the Iraq Supplemental bill. Give her any other advice about ending the war that you choose.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
You may reach any Senator or Representative at the Capitol switchboard's
toll-free number: 800-614-2803.

**LAUTENBERG **can also be reached at 202-224-3224. You can email him at
lautenberg.senate.gov.

**MENENDEZ** can also be reached at 202-224-4744.. You can email him at
menendez.senate.gov.

**PALLONE **can also be reached at 202-225-4671 or you can write to him
at www.house.gov/writerep/.

**HOLT** can also be reached at 202-225-5801. Or you can email him at
www.house.gov/writerep/.

Thank you for reading and for calling!

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

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Dear Friends,

As you may know, the Senate joined the House on Thursday in voting for Bush's Military Commissions legislation, S3930. The vote in the Senate was 65-34, with 12 members of the so-called Opposition Party joining all but one of the Republicans. The twelve included our own SENATORS LAUTENBERG AND MENENDEZ, giving New Jersey the distinction of being the only state with two Dem Senators to trash the rule of law. (I suppose that their previous failure--along with that of almost every other Dem Senator--to sign on to Senator Feingold's resolution to censure President Bush for breaking the FISA law and conducting illegal wiretaps was a tip-off that they don't give a high priority to our Constitution and the rule of law.)

Do you sometimes feel, as I do, that you must be dreaming? Imagine HANDING MORE POWER to this power-mad President and Vice President and basically giving carte blanche to their made-up theory of the "unitary executive"! And just when the President's "war on terror," i.e. Iraq War, has been exposed, if it wasn't already, as a complete disaster by the newly disclosed National Intelligence Estimate and every rational observer. And after Katrina, etc., etc. It's true that many eloquent and anguished words of protest were uttered on the Senate floor by Senators Leahy, Obama and others--but since they failed to take effective action, i.e. filibuster, their words ultimately rang hollow.

On Friday's "All Things Considered" Senator Lautenberg explained that he cast his vote for the "survivor families." I wonder what Kristin Breitweiser and the other Jersey Girls--the ones who insisted on the 9/11 Commission--would say to learning that the Senator voted to decimate the Geneva Conventions and the Constitution for their sakes. I only hope they heard him and take him to task in a New York Times op-ed. (Anyone know how to get in touch with them?)

I have posted an excellent summary from the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's website of the shocking particulars of the Military Commissions Bill at the end of this note, beneath my signature, and I highly recommend that you read it. Beyond the dreadful particulars of this legislation, this bill sends a terrible message to Bush that his power grab is unopposed and that he can do whatever he wants, whether that be to nuke Iran or lock any of us up. And we know that he will do whatever he wants without regard for the consequences. More than a little scary.

There was some good news which was that both REPS. HOLT AND PALLONE VOTED AGAINST this legislation in the House, where the vote was 250-170, with seven Republicans joining many Dems in the nay column. Please call and thank them for doing the right thing. Also, please call our Senators and lambaste them for their extremely dangerous and disgraceful votes, as in are they out of their minds? And, very importantly, tell them NOT TO LEGALIZE BUSH'S UNLAWFUL DOMESTIC WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE, as in the proposed Specter and DeWine bills. And while you have their staffs on the line you might ask the Senators to co-sponsor S.3768, the Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

You may reach any Senator or Representative at the Capitol switchboard's toll-free number: 800-614-2803.

LAUTENBERG can also be reached at 202-224-3224. You can email him at http://lautenberg.senate.gov.

MENENDEZ - call toll-free number above. You can email him at http://menendez.senate.gov.

PALLONE can also be reached at 202-225-4671 or you can write to him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

HOLT can also be reached at 202-225-5801. Or you can email him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

Thank you for expressing your views to our Congresspersons!

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

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Dear Friends,

HABEAS CORPUS, TORTURE:

     This week is probably our last chance to make calls to our Congresspersons concerning the dreadful legislation about tribunals, torture, etc.--before it is enacted into law.  I am referring to the so-called "compromise" struck last Thursday by Bush and the so-called Senate rebels, McCain, Warner and Graham, and now introduced for passage by Sen. Mitch McConnell.  It is top priority for the Administration to get the bill passed before Congress adjourns at the end of this week until November, when some Congressional seats may change hands.  (Scroll further down for other important  legislative matters.)

      Several things are wrong with this murky, tortured "compromise" legislation.  First off, the legislation DENIES HABEAS CORPUS RIGHTS, which many say is the most fundamental right of all, to any foreigner whom Bush declares an illegal combatant.  This would throw out of court the many cases challenging their indefinite detention  filed on behalf of Guantanamo detainees--many of whom were apparently innocent persons in the wrong place at the wrong time, sold to us by bounty hunters.   Thus, these persons will have fewer rights than the alleged war criminals that Bush designates for military tribunals.   And, under the "compromise," evidence obtained under duress will be admissible in these tribunals  if it is deemed relevant by a judge, and so will some hearsay evidence.  

     Furthermore, the legislation RE-WRITES THE WAR CRIMES ACT, which currently makes all violations of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions a war crime.  Now only "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions would violate the Act, such as murder, torture, rape, etc. (which might also have the effect of limiting Bush's liability in any future war crimes proceedings).  And the new legislation leaves it to the President to designate in an executive order  what if any techniques not rising to the level of grave breaches, but still objectionable, would also be prohibited--thus giving Bush wide discretion concerning acceptable interrogation techniques.  The executive order is to be made public, but national security adviser Stephen Hadley has said the specific techniques will remain secret!

     On Friday's "All Things Considered" Republican commentator David Brooks predicted that this week the so-called opposition party will collapse like a house of cards and fall in line behind this legislation; his  Democratic opposite, E. J. Dionne, agreed, explaining that  the Dems hope to get  the "war on terror" off the table and the Iraq  War back on, as they go into the mid-terms.  In other words, they will have no trouble joining in shredding  the Constitution and the Geneva Conventions in a pathetic and futile attempt to get the debate back to what they think is a more favorable topic.

TAKE ACTION:  A staff person in Sen. Lautenberg's office on Friday told me that the Senator strongly favors the right of habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions and that he opposes illegal surveillance.   Please call our Senators and your Representatives  and tell them about the Brooks/Dionne prediction and  urge them to  step up to the plate and be a true opposition party, i.e. exhibit leadership, filibuster this legislation, educate the public as to why this is necessary.  (And support the Specter-Levin amendment on habeas corpus should it be introduced.)  You might also call Harry Reid's office to register your disgust with his ceding the whole discussion of these grave Constitutional issues to the Republicans.   And since the Senate Judiciary Committee is taking up the habeas corpus issue on Monday, Sept. 25, you might want to call ranking Dem member Senator Leahy and other Dem members like Kennedy and Diane Feinstein and Dick Durbin to express your sentiments.  Also, remember to tell one and all to oppose the Specter and DeWine bills on electronic surveillance in case they raise their ugly heads this week.  (Contact info at end.)

NO PERMANENT BASES:

Majorities in both the House and the Senate have approved language in the military appropriations bill that would prevent the Pentagon from spending money for permanent military bases in Iraq.  But despite the Bush rhetoric, e.g. "we'll stand down when they stand up," the Administration is telling Congress not to rule out permanent military bases.  Urge your Representative, be it Pallone or Holt, to sign the "Dear Colleague" letter of Rep. Barbara Lee and Tom Allen in support of the "no permanent bases" provision in the military appropriations bill.  Bush has already gotten that language removed from the Senate version.

NUCLEAR DEAL WITH INDIA:

You may remember that in violation of yet more U.S. law, President Bush has promised nuclear fuel and information to India, a country that refused to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NNT), has tested nuclear bombs and refuses to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and refuses IAEA safeguards over all of its nuclear facilities.   

Bush's deal with India would seriously undermine the NNT and encourage an arms race.  Tell our Senators to tell the President to obey U.S. law as it stands and ask them to oppose S.3709!

LANDMINE PROTECTION BAN:

Introduced in August by Senators Leahy and Specter, S. 3768, the "Victim-Activated Landmine Abolition Act of 2006" would prohibit the U.S. from procuring landmines and other victim-activated weapons being cooked up by Bush's Pentagon.  The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) explains that while the bill would not ban the use of landmines it would be an "essential step toward a total ban," effectively freezing their production.  FCNL reports that both of our Senators have supported anti-landmine initiatives in the past and that the U.S. is one of only 13 countries that produce or reserve the right to produce antipersonnel mines, which do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.  Please call Senators Menendez and Lautenberg and urge them to co-sponsor S. 3768.

BONUS CALL TO NANCY PELOSI:

Were you incensed, as I was, to hear House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi defend Bush and label Hugo Chavez a "thug" for his speech at the U.N. excoriating the President?  If so, please give a call to Minority Leader Pelosi's office and inform her of who the true thug is, since she seems to have missed it.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

You may reach any Senator or Representative at the Capitol swithchboard's toll-free number: 800-614-2803.

LAUTENBERG can also be reached at 202-224-3224.  You can email him at http://lautenberg.senate.gov.

MENENDEZ - call toll-free number above.  You can email him at http://menendez.senate.gov.

PALLONE can also be reached at 202-225-4671 or you can write to him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

HOLT can also be reached at  202-225-5801. Or you can email him at
http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME IN MAKING AS MANY CALLS AS YOU CAN TO AS MANY CONGRESSPERSONS AS YOU CAN DURING THIS CRUCIAL WEEK BEFORE CONGRESS ADJOURNS.  Thank you as always for your participation.

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

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Worse Than Patriot Act

Dear Friends,

Congress is now in back in session and on the fifth anniversary of September 11th is poised to pass legislation that is worse than the Patriot Act, whose excesses were rationalized as the result of hasty enactment following the traumatizing 9/11 attacks.  This alert/update will address that legislation and other bills that could further eviscerate our laws and our Constitution; war; the call for impeachment and Rep. Pallone's August town meetings.

WAR--THIS TIME WITH IRAN?

With an election in the offing, will an attack on Iran be the 'October surprise'?  The Bush Administration seems to be beating the drums for war again..  Perhaps you have read about their displeasure with the CIA's Iran intelligence,  which must mean  that it is time for them to re-cook the books.  In a recent speech to the American  Legion, Bush repeated much of his pre-Iraq invasion rhetoric:  Iran is a "grave threat"; Iran is pursuing WMD; Iran is "denying human rights to millions of its people"; and it is time for Iran "to make a choice."  Sound familiar?

When calling your Congresspeople, please tell them you are worried about the possibility of this psychopathic Administration waging another war (with possible 'tactical' nukes) and ask them what they will do to prevent this.  And tell them to bring our troops home from Iraq now!

SPYING; WAR CRIMES; TRIBUNALS--VERY IMPORTANT:

The Administration's drive to LEGALIZE ITS MULTIPLE ILLEGALITIES  is coming to a head in Congress now.  A U.S. District Court in Michigan has ruled the National Security Agency's surveillance program unconstitutional, but there are now three bills before Congress that would not only make that surveillance legal  (and thereby immunize  Bush, who has broken the FISA law governing electronic surveillance), but would VASTLY EXPAND  the government's power to spy on Americans without individualized judicial check.  The ACLU warns that these bills are much worse than the Patriot Act and will make our cell phone records and email inboxes vulnerable.  For instance, the government will be able to look at any email you send if it does not know where all the recipients are physically located. Hmm.

Do you recall the Total Information Awareness program that Congress supposedly scuttled a few years back?  As Georgetown University law professor Jonathan Turley explained in a June 27 L.A. Times article, Congress left enough loop-holes so that the same result could be achieved by creating smaller systems that  could  be linked later,  and that is what is  happening.    As Turley notes, the ADMINISTRATION DENIES TRANSPARENCY FOR ITS OWN OPERATIONS BUT DEMANDS TOTAL TRANSPARENCY FOR US:  "It is perhaps the greatest danger that can face a free society: a government cloaked in secrecy with total information on its citizens."  Turley also notes that, per the New York Times,  the safe-guarding of our civil liberties with respect to our financial transactions has been out-sourced to a private auditing firm!  (What will they privatize next?)

Senator Specter's bill, S.2453 purports to introduce judicial review, but it is by the SECRET FISA court, which would rule on the legality of the NSA program.  Also, any lawsuits against the wiretapping program would be shunted from the traditional legal system to the FISA court, which has no procedures for hearing arguments from anyone but the Administration. 

Please call our Senators and Representatives and tell them to oppose Specter's S.2453, DeWine's S. 2455, and Rep. Wilson's H.R 5852.  (For a summary of these and other bills see http://www.bordc.org/threats/legislation/index.php#surveil.)  On Sept. 7 at a Judiciary Committee meeting the Dems united to pull some of the most egregious provisions from the Senate bill  but were defeated by the Republicans, and  Frist is threatening to force a vote on the bill.   Call on our Senators to FILIBUSTER the Specter and DeWine bills.  OTHERWISE THERE WILL BE NOTHING TO STOP THE GOVERNMENT FROM UNILATERALLY AND SECRETLY SURVEILLING US WITHOUT CAUSE.

As you may know, Rush Holt is on the House Intelligence Committee, and those of you who reside in his district may wish to thank him for the strong statement he made at a committee hearing on FISA legislation demanding a "probing review of the entire scope and propriety of the Administration's domestic surveillance activities before we consider any legislation on this topic" and citing the FBI's and DoD's surveillance of various Americans with no known connections to Al Qaeda.  (You can read this statement at http://www.holt.house.gov/pdf/FISA.072706.pdf).  He is a co-sponsor of H.R. 5371, which would make title 18 of the U.S. Code and the FISA law the sole means by which domestic electronic surveillance can be conducted.  Those in Pallone's district please ask Pallone to join him.

MILITARY TRIBUNALS, WAR CRIMES AND INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES:

In June the Supreme Court narrowly ruled (Hamdan vs.Rumsfeld) that, contrary to Bush's contention, Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions applies to detainees in the so-called war on terror.  According to Article 3 detainees are entitled to fair judicial procedures and to protection from inhuman and degrading treatment.  The Court ruled that the military commissions set up at Guantanamo were also in violation of U.S. law because they do not follow the Uniform Code of Military Justice--by allowing hearsay evidence, secret evidence that is withheld from the defendant and his lawyer, evidence gathered from coercion, lack of appeal to independent court review, etc.

With that ruling by the Supreme Court, it would seem that the Administration is guilty of perpetrating war crimes. Back in 1996  Congress passed the War Crimes Act,  making violation of Common Article 3 a war crime.  (At first intended to be applied to other nations, the Act was  amended in 1997 to apply to American perpetrators as well as victims of war crimes),

In a speech last week Bush announced the transfer of 14 detainees held in secret CIA prisons to Guantanamo and enunciated his response to Hamdan.  He is asking Congress to PASS LEGISLATION ADOPTING HIS SYSTEM OF MILITARY TRIBUNALS and to REVISE THE WAR CRIMES ACT by removing violation of Common Article 3 as a war crime, RETROACTIVE TO SEPT. 11, 2001.  How convenient for him! 

And  unable to shake its predilection for torture, the Administration has argued to Congress that Article 3's  prohibitions against "humiliating and degrading treatment," etc. are too vague and propose instead a short list of specific interrogations techniques that are forbidden.

The military has broken ranks with the President on this, however.  On the same day of Bush's speech, the Pentagon announced the release of the REVISED ARMY FIELD MANUAL FOR INTELLIGENCE  INTERROGATIONS which OUTLAWS the use of the interrogation tactics of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo such as beatings, electric shocks, the use of dogs, sleep deprivation, shackling in stress positions, hooding, bombardment of sound and light--many of Rummy's favorites (how did he let this happen?)-- and orders conformance to Common Article 3.  But Bush announced that he will retain his secret CIA hide-aways where his and Rummy's old methods will be applied to those whom they designate.

Please contact our Senators and Congressmen and advise them to oppose legislation that embodies Bush's version of military tribunals and insist instead that they be based on the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  Urge them to insist that adherence to Common Article 3 regarding the treatment of detainees be retained in our law and that the War Crimes Act not be revised!

IMPEACHMENT AND PALLONE TOWN MEETINGS:

It might slow the Administration from waging more wars and violating the Constitution, if the Dems, rather than circumstances, had succeeded in the least in putting the Administration on the defensive.  Coalition members tried to suggest this to Rep. Holt in the spring and Rep. Pallone in the summer in their respective town meetings when we encouraged them to sign on to the Conyers resolution to investigate possible grounds for impeachment.  In both cases our reasoning fell on deaf ears. 

In August Coalition members attended Pallone meetings in Plainfield and Edison and urged the Congressman to sign on to Conyers, but he wasn't having it.  I am told by those who attended that the pretext Pallone gave was that the Dems have a higher standard than the Republicans for impeachment and we don't know that Bush was really intending to commit any high crimes.  While it is true that in some instances courts of law might take intention into consideration, an impeachment proceeding is not a court of law and if Bush were to be impeached he would  be removed from the presidency, not deprived of his liberty.  

If Pallone's reasoning astounds you--please call his office and say so.  We would very much appreciate as many of you as possible making calls to Pallone or Holt, depending on which is your Congressman, to reinforce the message we gave them at their town meetings that Bush MUST be held accountable for holding himself above the law, and that  by standing up and calling for impeachment  they can begin to put the brakes on this out of control presidency.  As all the above makes clear, the consequences of their failure to do so are growing more disastrous for our country by the day.  You might also once again urge our Senators to sign the Feingold censure resolution.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

You may reach any Senator or Representative at the Capitol swithchboard's toll-free number: 800-614-2803.

LAUTENBERG can also be reached at 202-224-3224.  You can email him at http://lautenberg.senate.gov.

MENENDEZ - call toll-free number above.  You can email him at http://menendez.senate.gov.

PALLONE can also be reached at 202-225-4671 or you can write to him at http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

HOLT can also be reached at  202-225-5801. Or you can email him at
http://www.house.gov/writerep/.

With so much at stake for our democracy in the next week or two I hope you will join me in taking action as soon as possible.  Thank you.

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War

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Pallone Town Hall Meeting--Mon., Aug. 7

Dear Friends,

Congressman Frank Pallone is having a series of town hall meetings in early August. We particularly encourage you to attend the one on Monday evening, Aug. 7, 7:30PM-9:30PM in the Council Chambers at the Edison Municipal Complex at 100 Municipal Blvd.

You probably know that the Coalition is actively supporting the impeachment of the Bush/Cheney regime. At Congressman Pallone's town meeting we will present him with the petitions we have collected requesting that he sign on to H.Res. 635 to establish a commission to examine grounds for impeachment, and we will make our case.

We also need to talk to him about ending the war now (e.g. sign on to HR4232 to de-fund the war), about the escalating violence in Lebanon and Israel, about the on-gong and largely unopposed transformation of our democracy into a dictatorship by Bush/Cheney, and about his own recent vote for the flag amendment. On the positive side we can thank him for signing on to the Murtha resolution to pull our troops from Iraq.

Congressman Pallone will also be holding a town meeting in Plainfield on Thursday August 3, 7:30PM-9:30PM at 515 Watchung Avuene; in his New Brunswick office on Thursday, Aug. 10th, 1PM-4PM, at 67-69 Church St., New Brunswick; and in Parlin on Aug. 10, 7:30-9:30PM at the Samsel Upper Elementary School, 298 Emston Avenue. If you would like additional information you can call his office at 732-249-8892.

I hope you will be able to attend one of these meetings. Congressman Pallone holds these general town meetings but once a year. At his Edison meeting last year we managed to be a very vocal presence in demanding that the war be brought to an end and that our civil liberties be protected.

Looking forward to your participation -

Althea Schoen
for the Legislative Committee