What is Adam Smith's("d"-Wa) problem????

If you have not heard, one of our fair state's Congressmen has voted across party lines to support the Patriot Act. Here is the story...

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/181622_smithpatriot10.html


Could somebody please tell me how we can get rid of these Republican-lite people infesting the Democratic Party in Washington State? I used to live in Adam Smith's district and in 2002, I decided to go with the Libertarian candidate out of my distain for Smith and his DLC-inspired views. I cannot stand these people like Gary Locke, Adam Smith, and Christine Gregoire who come into this party and make it like a lite version of the GOP. It makes for a boring and docile political system.

:eyes:


John

You might also want to contact Paul Berendt (state chair) and recommend that he NOT head the WA state delegate slate. I'd suggest Jim McDermott instead.

President Bush and Attorney General Ashcroft have prevailed, for now, in keeping the Patriot Act intact because of Congressman Adam Smith.

The final vote on the Freedom to Read Amendment was a tie, thus defeating the amendment, with Smith voting AGAINST the amendment.

Seattle Times - 9 July 2004
Push by GOP ends attempt to scale back Patriot Act http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001975584_patriot09.html

"By a 210-210 tie vote that GOP leaders prolonged for 23 tumultuous minutes while they corralled dissident members, the House rejected a proposed change to the USA Patriot Act that would have barred the Justice Department from searching bookstore and library records.

...Democrat Adam Smith joined Washington state's three Republicans in voting against the Patriot Act changes. He was one of only four Democrats to do so."

Los Angeles Times - 9 July 2004 http://www.latimes.com/la-na-patriot9jul09,1,3612252.story

"At issue was one provision of the Patriot Act, the anti-terrorism law passed by huge bipartisan margins after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The amendment would have blocked a section of the act that requires libraries, booksellers and others to release information about the reading habits of people under government investigation using a lesser standard of probable cause than is required under a normal criminal investigation.

The American Library Assn., which supported the amendment, has called that section of the act "a present danger to the constitutional rights and privacy rights of library users."

The American Booksellers Assn. joined the ALA and the PEN American Center, a writers organization, in urging passage of the amendment."

Congressman Adam Smith:
1717 Pacific Avenue #2135
Tacoma, Washington 98402-3234
Telephone: 253-593-6600
Toll Free: 1-888-764-8409
Fax: 253-593-6776
District Director: Linda Danforth
Linda.danforth@mail.house.gov

Too late, of course.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001979070_adamsmith14m.html

Says he was "misled". We've gotten some replies to our emails from his campaign manager...tap dancing all the way.

Also bothered us he showed up and stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Bush when he appeared at Ft Lewis. Didn't see any other Reps or Senators there. Write and ask for a answer on that one and see what you get !!

Problem is that a Liberal probably wouldn't do that well in the 9th district :(

God, guts, and guns. However, I cannot believe Adam Smith calls himself a Democrat.
:eyes:

John

First of all I have sent several e-mails to Congressman Smith and he has always been responsive. I was really pissed over this vote and below is parts of his letter back to me.

"I have publicly stated that I operated on insufficient information and voted wrong. I owe you an explanation for that vote."

He then states that he absolutely opposes Attorney General John Ashcroft and the way he runs the Justice Department. "That the Patriot Act should be substantially altered." ...
Note: He doesn't say eliminated but altered but he does state that the Patriot Act expires next year.

"When the issue at the heart of the Sanders Amendment first came to my attention -Section 215- I re-read the section of the bill and sought opinions of legal experts. I was first told that this section allowed for searches without probable cause or warrants. A second expert told me that this was untrue, that the Justice Department needed to go to the FISA court and demonstrate probable cause before the warrant was issued."

"It was at this point that the amendment came to a vote. Operating under the assumption that a warrant was required and that probable cause had to be demonstrated, I opposed the amendment."

He then states that after the vote it then came to his attention that "probable cause" is not even a consideration in the FISA court. "Had I had this information prior to the vote, I would have voted in favor of the amendment."

He then went on about the issue of the Republicans holding the vote open for 30 minutes, etc.

I have sent another e-mail back asking him who are these "experts" and did other congressmen get "bad info from them.

As noted above he has always been responsive and has voted to my satisfaction. I'll continue to support Congressman Smith but will closely follow his votes in the future.