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Edited on Sun Jul-22-07 11:04 PM by NanceGreggs
... can we at least agree on the ground rules?
By Nancy Greggs
TO: Madam Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
AND TO: The Honorable Senator Harry Reid:
As you are probably aware, WE the People are a tad confused about what has been going on in our government as of late. We were under the impression that there were checks and balances in place so as to avoid the president from exercising any power beyond that which is strictly set out by the Constitution.
The office of the president has always been considered to be accountable to We the People, and devoid of any right to thwart that accountability by way of declaring itself beyond the reach of the law, or above having to cooperate with any investigations into possible wrongdoing.
This has been our long-held understanding. And yet we now hear phrases like executive privilege being bandied about, while this administration literally thumbs its nose in response to legitimate and lawful demands to turn over documents, produce witnesses, or generally abide by laws set in place long before their tenure.
The Republicans in office have failed to speak up against this kind of dictatorial behavior and, by their silence, must be understood to have accepted that these are the new Rules in place for the conduct of the president, the vice president, and all administration members from now on.
In keeping with that situation, would it not be prudent for you, the Democratic leadership, to establish – on the record – that this is how we, as a nation, will proceed in future?
To put it bluntly, if you and the Republicans are going to steal our Constitutional rights, is it not wise to ensure that there will be, you’ll pardon the expression, honor amongst thieves as we go forward?
Might I humbly suggest that you raise this discussion in your respective houses, and get the Republicans on the record with respect to consenting to the following: Should the next (Democratic) president ignore the Constitution, there will be no dissent from the GOP ranks. Should the next (Democratic) president refuse to follow existing rules concerning the retention of documents and communications, there will be no outcry from the Republicans. Should the next president utilize government employees to further the Democratic political agenda, there will be no repercussions. Should the next (Democratic) president declare himself above the law in all matters without exception, the Republicans will accept such an edict without complaint.
The Republicans have remained silent while their own president did all of the above. Is it not fair and fitting that they be bound to the same silence when it one of ours is in office?
Please don’t misunderstand me. I do not want to be taken as approving of the fact that you and your GOP colleagues are arbitrarily changing the rules under which our government has traditionally operated. But by your declaration that impeachment is off the table and the Republican party’s failure to force the resignation of Bush and Cheney, you have both obviously taken it upon yourselves to alter the rules of the playing field.
In light of the agreement by way of silence which both parties seem to have fully accepted, I think it only reasonable that you take all steps to ensure that the new playing field you have decided to establish is a level one.
Of course, as far as We the People are concerned, the best way of proceeding would be to enforce the law as it now stands, and remove Bush and Cheney from office by whatever means necessary. However, neither party seems willing to do so.
We the People would prefer that our democratic process be followed as has always been done in the past. But apparently you have all made other arrangements as between yourselves – arrangements in which We the People have no say.
Therefore, the very least you can do – and I do mean the VERY least – is to firmly establish between the parties that law-breaking is now the right of every president, regardless of party affiliation, just so we’re sure we are all on the same page.
After all, if our so-called elected representatives are going to dispose of the Constitution, the rule of law, and two centuries of democracy, it should be a bipartisan effort.
Yours Most Truly,
Nancy Greggs
(US Citizen and one of the We-the-People crowd that BOTH parties have completely ignored)
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