Saying No to Little Elian Alberto VO5 Gonzales
My good friend Scott recently sent a letter to Senator Dianne Feinstein (D - Waste of Skin California) regarding the upcoming confirmation vote on Alberto VO5 as Attorney Generalissimo of These United Snakes. He passed along a copy for me to read, and I thought it was so good and echoed my own sentiments so well that I had to share it in its entirety with you. Here it is:
Dear Senator Feinstein:
I appreciate your response to my letter concerning the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales to U.S. Attorney General.
However, since your response dated 12/22/04, Mr. Gonzales has contributed additional information to those of you considering his nomination, information which I believe clearly makes Mr. Gonzales unfit for Attorney General. In fact, I think it can be argued that Mr. Gonzales' responses on the question of torture make him unfit to practice law.
During repeated oral questioning and in written responses to questions on the torture issue, Mr. Gonzales has equivocated in his answers and has yet to be entirely forthcoming on this crucial matter. He has left himself considerable "wiggle room" on U.S. interrogation policies that leave open a rather wide door for the continuation of abuses in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo, and in unknown "rendition" centers around the world.
I was recently in Europe and was struck by how insular the Congressional discussion on the matter of torture seemed from a distance. In English language as well as foreign newspapers and journals, the impression I gathered of the Gonzales hearings was that like Congressional debate on many issues today, the chief concern from many quarters seems to be a calculation of Democratic or Republican political advantage, and not the fundamental policy - and human - aspects raised by the issue. Of course, as I expect you know very well, the core issue raised in Mr. Gonzales' case extends far, far beyond how his confirmation will affect Democratic or Republican politics. The whole world is watching. I am convinced - more than ever after reading Mr. Gonzales' responses on the torture issue - that confirming him to Attorney General will tarnish the United States for decades to come, both in the eyes of the world and in the ideals of citizens such as myself, who feel a deep sense of anguish and shame over the direction in which "leaders" like Mr. Gonzales seem to be taking the country's commitment to human freedoms.
I have other concerns as well about Mr. Gonzales, particularly relating to his capacity as counsel to Governor Bush in Texas in the matter of capital punishment cases. His behavior and advice regarding these cases raise extremely serious concerns about his capacity to deal with death penalty cases fairly and justly (even if one is able to suspend, for theoretical purposes, opposition to a practice that puts the United States terribly out of step with the world's most developed countries and in league with the most tyrannical regimes on the planet).
I therefore strongly urge your principled opposition to Mr. Gonzales' confirmation as Attorney General.
In fact, as a life-long Democrat, I believe so strongly about this issue that I am resolved to abandon the Democratic Party should the Democratic leaders I most respect, such as yourself, fail to vote against elevating to the highest law enforcement position in the country a man who can equivocate about torture in such a fashion. I understand the calculations of political advantage that surround Mr. Gonzales' proposed appointment, and the ways in which a vote to confirm now might be effective in preventing his possible elevation to the Supreme Court and/or offer other "gains" for the Democrats. But this is a time for conviction and resolution and courage, not for political calculation. I am rather astonished to find myself saying this, but if principled Democrats cannot draw a firm line in the sand against something so fundamentally wrong as the ongoing torture of detainees - when even their mere detention raises monumental human rights questions and concerns - then I want nothing more to do with such a party.
Sincerely as always,
SW
Dear Senator Feinstein:
I appreciate your response to my letter concerning the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales to U.S. Attorney General.
However, since your response dated 12/22/04, Mr. Gonzales has contributed additional information to those of you considering his nomination, information which I believe clearly makes Mr. Gonzales unfit for Attorney General. In fact, I think it can be argued that Mr. Gonzales' responses on the question of torture make him unfit to practice law.
During repeated oral questioning and in written responses to questions on the torture issue, Mr. Gonzales has equivocated in his answers and has yet to be entirely forthcoming on this crucial matter. He has left himself considerable "wiggle room" on U.S. interrogation policies that leave open a rather wide door for the continuation of abuses in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Guantanamo, and in unknown "rendition" centers around the world.
I was recently in Europe and was struck by how insular the Congressional discussion on the matter of torture seemed from a distance. In English language as well as foreign newspapers and journals, the impression I gathered of the Gonzales hearings was that like Congressional debate on many issues today, the chief concern from many quarters seems to be a calculation of Democratic or Republican political advantage, and not the fundamental policy - and human - aspects raised by the issue. Of course, as I expect you know very well, the core issue raised in Mr. Gonzales' case extends far, far beyond how his confirmation will affect Democratic or Republican politics. The whole world is watching. I am convinced - more than ever after reading Mr. Gonzales' responses on the torture issue - that confirming him to Attorney General will tarnish the United States for decades to come, both in the eyes of the world and in the ideals of citizens such as myself, who feel a deep sense of anguish and shame over the direction in which "leaders" like Mr. Gonzales seem to be taking the country's commitment to human freedoms.
I have other concerns as well about Mr. Gonzales, particularly relating to his capacity as counsel to Governor Bush in Texas in the matter of capital punishment cases. His behavior and advice regarding these cases raise extremely serious concerns about his capacity to deal with death penalty cases fairly and justly (even if one is able to suspend, for theoretical purposes, opposition to a practice that puts the United States terribly out of step with the world's most developed countries and in league with the most tyrannical regimes on the planet).
I therefore strongly urge your principled opposition to Mr. Gonzales' confirmation as Attorney General.
In fact, as a life-long Democrat, I believe so strongly about this issue that I am resolved to abandon the Democratic Party should the Democratic leaders I most respect, such as yourself, fail to vote against elevating to the highest law enforcement position in the country a man who can equivocate about torture in such a fashion. I understand the calculations of political advantage that surround Mr. Gonzales' proposed appointment, and the ways in which a vote to confirm now might be effective in preventing his possible elevation to the Supreme Court and/or offer other "gains" for the Democrats. But this is a time for conviction and resolution and courage, not for political calculation. I am rather astonished to find myself saying this, but if principled Democrats cannot draw a firm line in the sand against something so fundamentally wrong as the ongoing torture of detainees - when even their mere detention raises monumental human rights questions and concerns - then I want nothing more to do with such a party.
Sincerely as always,
SW
posted by Generik at 3:06 PM
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