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From: PFAW Activist Network [mailto:alerts@pfaw.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 11:37 AM
To: Eugene Matusov
Subject: Update: Bush nominee's hands dirtier than thought!
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PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY June 16, 2004
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Bush Judicial Nominee Appointed Authors of Report Arguing Rules Against
Torture Need Not Apply
We've already shared with you many problems surrounding the nomination of
William Haynes to be a federal judge: he was an
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architect of detention policies in the war on terror; he signed off on
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allowing U.S. citizens to be stripped of their rights by being dubbed 'enemy
combatants'; and he helped develop the
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military tribunals about which the Army's own Judge Advocates General have
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expressed grave doubts.
But now it has emerged that Haynes, the Pentagon's top lawyer, oversaw a
working group that provided the Bush administration with a report promoting
unsettling policies on torture. Haynes' group
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actually argues that President Bush, in exercising his powers as commander
in chief during times of war, is under no obligation to adhere to any rule
of law - international or domestic - that bars the use of torture.
You read that correctly. Despite the U.S. Constitution's plain language that
laws passed by Congress and treaties ratified by the United States are the "
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supreme law of the land" and that the President is obligated under the
Constitution to "
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care that the laws be faithfully executed," Haynes' group believes that such
laws and treaties - including the 1984 Convention Against Torture, to which
the U.S. was a party - in no way restrict George Bush's right to order
torture.
All of this is outrage enough, even if we ignore the fact that President
Bush is actually attempting to put this man in a position of great power
over domestic law by making him a powerful federal appellate judge. But of
course we can't ignore that. Remember: because the U.S. Supreme Court
accepts so few cases, the federal appeals courts have the final say in 99
percent of the cases making it to that level. We must draw a line in the
sand.
Over 25,000 outraged citizens have already signed a petition statement
demanding Bush withdraw William Haynes' nomination for a lifetime seat on
the powerful 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. The statement goes on to urge the
Senate to deny Haynes confirmation should Bush choose to pursue this
troubling nomination.
It is unprecedented for us to have collected so many names for an
under-the-radar nomination like this, but we do not have enough.
Your signature matters because:
* We will deliver your signatures to George W. Bush. This nomination
is becoming more of an embarrassment to the administration each day, but the
heat hasn't reached the point at which Bush will pull the plug. We can help
make that possible.
* We will deliver your signatures to the U.S. Senate. If the Bush
administration pushes on with this nomination, there is reason for optimism
that William Haynes will not be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Every
constituent voice into our Senators lets them know that we care about our
courts and we're paying attention to this nominee.
* Your signatures bring attention to this nominee. Outrage gets
covered - so let's show outrage. When news outlets know that something
matters to many viewers, listeners or readers, they are more likely to cover
it. Due in part to the signatures we've already collected, People For was
interviewed by National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., about the problems
surrounding the Haynes nomination.
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Sign the petition and
<http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6428345103005986896655&iEvent=24367> tell
your friends. If you take part in online discussions or regularly post to
community boards that address issues that might dovetail with the Haynes
nomination, we encourage you to promote our action there.
The future of our Constitution is at stake - and by extension, the future of
America. Stand up and be heard now, before our speech is subject to the
filter of federal judges like William Haynes.
Link Summary:
Sign the petition statement against Haynes' nomination:
<http://www.pfaw.org/go/haynes/> http://www.pfaw.org/go/Haynes/
Tell your friends about the petition and ask them to sign:
<http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6428345103005986896655&iEvent=24367>
http://www.pfaw.org/go/Haynes-TAF/
Get PFAW Foundation's resources on how another right-wing justice would
affect our rights:
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http://www.pfaw.org/go/supreme_court_stakes
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TAKE ACTION
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Our campaign to defeat the federal judgeship of William Haynes is off to a
successful start - over 25,000 Americans have joined so far. New revelations
about Haynes' role in setting the Bush administration's stance on torture
demand even greater outrage.
<http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6428864103005986896655&iEvent=24367>
Sign the petition to President Bush urging that Haynes' nomination to a
federal appeals court be withdrawn.
Then,
<http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M6428346103005986896655&iEvent=24367> ask
your friends to sign on, too, and help make certain that Haynes is never
given lifetime power on the federal bench over our rights and liberties.
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COURTING DISASTER
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The Supreme Court
People For the American Way Foundation has put out an updated version of its
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Courting Disaster report, identifying important issues that could be
affected should another right-wing justice be appointed to the Court.
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Click here to read the report, view the fact sheets or engage our
interactive tool, built to quickly demonstrate what's at stake in the High
Court.
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PFAW C 2004
This message was sent to: ematusov@udel.edu
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Tue Nov 09 2004 - 11:42:57 PST
