Urge Senators to block Gonzalez.

If you want to, of course... letter to Senators at link.

Tough Questions for Ashcroft Replacement

Alberto Gonzales, the President's pick to fill the Attorney General cabinet position, has carefully cultivated a moderate reputation, but he may prove to be even more radical than the man he is replacing. His nomination should be anything but a rubber stamp. In fact, senators should vote "no" on his confirmation unless he is able to provide satisfactory answers to a number of tough questions. These questions – first put forth by the Center for American Progress – must be asked of Mr. Gonzales at his confirmation hearing.

Do you think there are circumstances in which torture is legal?

Mr. Gonzales is the author of the infamous document which attempted to provide legal coverage to the White House decision to exempt Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners from protections under the Geneva Conventions. The decision to ignore the rule of war in Afghanistan, and Mr. Gonzales’s legal arguments to support that decision, spiraled out of control and eventually led to the prison abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib.

Would you insist on strict compliance with the Geneva Conventions?

Another memo Mr. Gonzales wrote referred to the Geneva Conventions as "quaint" and "obsolete" given the new paradigm of the war on terror. Do we want an Attorney General who ignores the Constitutional requirement to honor international treaties?

Would you recuse yourself from the Valerie Plame investigation?

Alberto Gonzales has appeared before the federal grand jury investigating which senior administration official violated federal law in telling columnist Robert Novak that Valerie Plame was a CIA operative. His involvement in this matter as White House Counsel makes it highly inappropriate for him to oversee the investigation.

Would you recuse yourself from all Enron-related matters?

Mr. Gonzales worked for the law firm that represented Enron for more than a decade. He also received thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Enron when he ran for reelection to the Texas Supreme Court. However, he did not recuse himself from Enron-related investigations as White House counsel.

Would you recuse yourself from all Halliburton-related matters?

There are three Justice Department investigations of Halliburton ranging from overcharging the government to bribing Nigerian officials. Halliburton was also represented by the law firm Vinson & Elkins while Mr. Gonzales was a partner at the firm, and as a member of the Texas Supreme Court he accepted a $3,000 campaign contribution from Halliburton just before the court heard a case involving the company. Mr. Gonzales did not recuse himself in that case.
Why didn't you give Gov. Bush all the facts about Death Penalty cases?

As chief legal counsel for then Gov. Bush in Texas, Mr. Gonzales was responsible for writing a memo on the facts of each death penalty case. The governor made life and death decisions in these capitol cases based on these memos. The Atlantic Monthly analysis of these memos concludes that “Gonzales repeatedly failed to apprise the governor of crucial issues in the cases at hand” these issues included ineffective counsel, conflict of interest and actual evidence of innocence.
The Attorney General is charged with protecting the civil liberties of every American. The American public must be assured that the person who holds the job is up to that task.

Call to action

Urge your senators to vote "no" on the confirmation of Alberto Gonzales unless he is able to address these extremely important questions.

but I'm not urging my Senator to vote no. We need to pick our fights in the Senate. And what makes you think that anyone else bushco chooses is going to be any better?

It won't make a difference, just like the Porter Goss for CIA Director. They will put those into positions of power who believe in the Republican ideology.

Bush did say that things would be easier for him if this were a dictatorship and he was the dictator. How much easier can it be for him, when his choices for cabinet positions will get a free walk.

The press is no longer free, they spout platitudes, and key on Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson, reality shows are the replacements for having a real life, channels are afraid of showing a movie that gives the best description of what combat is, for fear of being fined by the FCC.

The American people no longer hold dear the concepts of the Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution, and international law does not apply to the US, and the Geneva Conventions are "quaint".

The Republic that the Founders gave us is dead, and we have failed to keep it. Now we will reap the whirlwind of our failure, we who continue to dissent will one day follow in the foot steps of all political dissenters. As for myself, I think I will prefer to go down fighting.

There's another petition around here re Gonzalez, I'll try to find it. Buy, Bush is really bringing in the SS now.