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american.swan
01-14-2008, 07:43 PM
Dear -----,

Are you ready to see Congress punish the Bush administration for abusing its executive power? Are you willing to take two minutes to encourage your U.S. representative to stand up for the institution -- and the country -- he or she was elected to defend? If so, read on and follow one of the links below to take action.

As you probably know by now, one of the primary goals of the American Freedom Campaign (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=gnTpodGWC51%2FYk10B63q1xbRuMZLiNCO) is to restore the federal government's system of checks and balances, which has been dangerously eroded over the past seven years. For this reason, we have taken the lead in pushing Congress, especially the U.S. House of Representatives, to bring contempt charges against White House officials who defied congressional subpoenas to testify about the U.S. Attorneys scandal. Well, it seems like our calls may finally have been answered.

Today, the Washington Post reported that the House is "likely" to vote on contempt resolutions in the next "couple of weeks."[1] This could be the end of a nearly six-month delay by Democratic leaders.

We are asking everyone who has not already sent an email about contempt to his or her representative to do so immediately. Even if you did send an email previously, feel free to send another one today. It would be good for all representatives to receive a wave of emails calling for contempt at this critical time. Along those lines, please spread the word about this important congressional action by forwarding this email or by using our "tell a friend" option after sending an email to Congress.

Click on the following link to send a message to your representative:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21919 (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=ocWVah8t8%2B3YSIRNch0ooBbRuMZLiNCO)

The purpose of the contempt-of-Congress resolution is to officially issue charges against White House chief of staff Joshua Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas.

It was way back on July 12 of last year when Bolten and Miers defied Congress and refused to show up at a hearing held to investigate the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006. This was not a situation where they appeared at the hearing and refused to answer certain questions. They did not offer some testimony and assert executive privilege on a handful of subjects. They just completely blew off the subpoenas issued by Congress -- a co-equal branch of government with oversight powers -- as if they had been sent an informal invitation to a Democratic National Committee picnic.

Tell your representative it is time for the people's Congress to take a stand against an executive branch that acts as if it is accountable to no one. It must do so by issuing these contempt charges. If it does not, the next administration -- whether it is led by a Republican or a Democrat -- will be emboldened to take even more drastic steps in furtherance of an all-powerful and tyrannical executive branch.

Send a message by clicking on the following link:

http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/1027/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=21919 (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=W1xYCRjigq3BiwKPlWSY7xbRuMZLiNCO)

Thanks so much for taking action to defend our constitutionally-established system of government.

Steve

Steve Fox
Campaign Director
American Freedom Campaign

[1] House Democrats Target Bolten, Miers, Washington Post, January 14, 2008.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/13/AR2008011302718.html (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vpj1Ch7B5Dq47hx6I37ZoRbRuMZLiNCO)

P.S. If you support the work the American Freedom Campaign is doing to reverse abuses of the Constitution and to restore our system of checks and balances, please make a contribution to support our efforts today:
https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2165/t/2629/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2644 (http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=O71wY%2BAriE5tdD3JjJyekBbRuMZLiNCO)