Wanna say something to Barbara Mikulski?

Written by: Maida Schifter on Aug 14, 2007 10:59 PM EDT

Last week Senator Barbara Mikulski voted to expand Bush and Gonzales'
power to ignore FISA. (The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
(FISA) of 1978 is a U.S. federal law prescribing procedures for the
physical and electronic surveillance and collection of "foreign
intelligence information" between or among "foreign powers". It allows
the government to spy on us without a warrant as long as the court is
notified within 72 hours. Bush would not work within that rule.) She
was one of 16 Democrats who caved to Bush's "demand" that Congress
pass the bill before leaving on their vacation. She was the ONLY
Democrat from Maryland – counting both the Senate and the House – to
give Bush what he wanted. I was stunned and digusted.

I sent her a note saying I pledged to no longer support or vote for
her, after doing just that for many years. I want a senator who is
smart enough to see through Bush's ploy and principled enough to stand
up for the Constitution. When I later read her statement about her
FISA vote, I thought it could have been written by Bush himself. Read
it here:

http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=280609

Instead of parroting Bush about how Al Quaeda is at our doorstep and
how we have to give up our rights to protect ourselves, why isn't
Mikulski asking why Bush, with all the intellectual, technical and
financial resources available to our country, is not protecting the
country effectively? Why has he not found Bin Laden? Why is he
implying that if we don't give up our rights and we are attacked, it
will be our fault? Why doesn't she ask who failed to act to protect
our country when, in August 2001, the Presidential Daily Briefing said
Bin Laden was planning to attack our country by flying airplanes into
buildings? Why isn't she pointing out that Bush is deflecting
attention from his administration's FAILURE TO PROTECT US (rememberKatrina?) by telling us over and over that if we don't do what hedemands, it will be our fault if we are not protected?

The new FISA changes are in effect for 180 days. They allow the
adminstration to listen in on any conversation between someone in this
country and someone outside the country. Bush wants to make
them permanent. Is that OK with you?
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/8/14/193823/061

Now's the time to let Barbara Mikulski know where you stand. She
needs to hear from us. She pays attention when we – her constituents
– tell her what we think. Here's how to reach her:

• Call her Capital Hill office: (202) 224-4654
• Call or send a letter to one of her state offices:
http://mikulski.senate.gov/contactme/officelocations.htm
• Send her an e-mail: http://mikulski.senate.gov/contactme/mailform.html

We have the power to affect policy. But it only works if we use it.

-Maida

 

 

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Location: MD