MoveOn Against Illegal Wiretapping

[thecai]

The president is breaking the law. Can you host a Constitution Vigil to bear witness to his lawbreaking and remind Congress that it's their job to hold him accountable?

Dear MoveOn member,

The Washington Post is reporting today that the Senate may abandon its bid to fully investigate the president's illegal domestic spying program.1 Momentum for such an investigation was building for weeks, but after an intense lobbying campaign by the White House, some senators are starting to cave. It's really important to act now and show them that Americans are counting on them to hold the president accountable.

That's why we're organizing a massive set of nation-wide Constitution Vigils to keep the focus on the key point: President Bush broke the law, and Congress must do its job and hold him accountable.

These events will be a powerful opportunity to show Congress that many Americans are truly concerned about the president's power grab. The more of us that participate, the louder our message will be. Can you host a Constitution Vigil to bear witness to the president's lawbreaking?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1470&id=6866-3304396-lZ9aHLxIPYEBAGsE4hPQgA&t=3

At each vigil, we'll get together with other MoveOn members and read the Bill of Rights to remind Congress about what's at stake and that it's their job to defend the Constitution. And, we'll invite the media and get our message out to millions of Americans.

Hosting a vigil is really easy. All you have to do is pick a place to have it, register online and gather folks together when people arrive at your event. We'll provide you with all the tools you need. If you have time, we'll also make it easy for you to reach out to your local media.

The vigils are also part of our broader strategy to highlight the abuse of power and corruption that Republican leadership has brought to Washington—laying the groundwork for change in November.

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1470&id=6866-3304396-lZ9aHLxIPYEBAGsE4hPQgA&t=4

With growing concern from Democrats and Republicans, the prospect of a thorough investigation seemed almost certain. But the Bush administration is nervous about what such an investigation will find, so they've been on a full-blown lobbying campaign to steer Republicans away from such an inquiry. According to the Washington Post, it's been "full court press," and even Dick Cheney has personally lobbied out-of-line Republicans.

If Congress doesn't do its job and enforce the law now, there's no limit to what President Bush or any president who comes after him can do. With intense pressure from the White House to let this go, they're only going to enforce the law if they know Americans are concerned and want answers.

The president's central defense at this point is "trust me." But our system of checks and balances is critical precisely because presidents have abused these powers in the past. We can't stand by and let it happen again.

Can you host a Constitution Vigil to hold the president and Republicans accountable for this dangerous abuse of power?

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1470&id=6866-3304396-lZ9aHLxIPYEBAGsE4hPQgA&t=5

Over recent weeks we've sent more than 380,000 signatures to Congress demanding a thorough investigation and the appointment of a special prosecutor, written more than 18,000 letters to the editor about the president's power grab and made thousands of calls to the Senate in advance of the hearings.

We're making a difference, but now it's time to really step it up.

Thanks for all you do,

–Eli, Nita, Tanya, Matt and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Wednesday, February 15th, 2006

Sources:

1. Congressional Probe of NSA Spying Is in Doubt, Washington Post, February 15, 2006. http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1468


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