Last night I wrote an e-mail to my Senator, George Allen (Wingnut-VA). I expressed my concerns about Alberto Gonzales, about the leading role he played in establishing torture as American policy, and about his disrespect for the rule of law.
I got the same response I always get from George Allen: a response that does not address my concerns, that restates the party line, and that is so profoundly dissatisfactory a response from a supposed public servant that I wonder how the man manages to get himself re-elected. He clearly doesn't read, or even seem to realize he's writing back to someone who is bitterly opposed to this nomination.
Letters below the fold:
Sen. Allen,
I do not often write to you, because although I'm a Virginian, I am not one of the Virginians who elected you.
However, some things are so serious that you must consider them, you must listen to the moral outrage of the opposition.
Alberto Gonzales is, unless Republicans break ranks, to be confirmed as Attorney General. Yet Alberto Gonzales is the chief architect of the
Bush Administration's justification for torture.
I'm sure you've read the memos. And seen the pictures. Did those low-ranked soldiers just happen to stock up on black hoods and electrodes
(and other tools of torture) before shipping out to Iraq? To those of us who watch, those very implements speak of a planned use of torture,
coordinated at a level higher than individual soldiers. And they leave persistent images in the minds of peace-loving Americans and of people
across the world.
There are lines that we, as Americans, should not cross. Americans should fight the good fight; Americans should be decent and humane insofar as
one can be in the context of war. Americans should follow due process -- innocent until proven guilty. Americans should not torture prisoners
already helpless by the fact of their capture. Will you accept the adoption of torture as the American Way, just because it was authored
by Republicans?
If we're not going to hold Alberto Gonzales and others at a high level accountable for war crimes, can we at least not demonstrate to the world
that we support the use of torture, as we will if we promote this particular man?
Alberto Gonzales' flaws extend beyond advocacy for the use of torture. His memos justify this atrocity on the grounds that the president is
somehow above the law. The definition of tyranny is the abuse of the coercive power of the state in the absence of the rule of law.
The president is not above the law; he is not himself the law. The President's men are not above the law. This is a Constitutional
Democracy; the president is an elected citizen leader who is subject to the laws of the land.
Keep that in mind when you consider Alberto Gonzales.
Sincerely,
And Senator Allen's response, which reads as if it were written on some other plane of reality where this answer would totally address the concerns I raised:
Dear [kismet]:
Thank you for contacting me regarding President Bush's nomination of Alberto Gonzales to become the next Attorney General of the United States.
I appreciate your concerns and value to opportunity to respond.
I applaud President Bush's nomination of Alberto Gonzalez. He is the embodiment of the American dream, a man whose hard work, legal sense
and intellect have already lifted him to some of the highest positions of trust in our nation. I look forward to his confirmation hearings and a fair vote before the U.S. Senate. I am confident that he will make an outstanding U.S. Attorney General.
Once again, I appreciate you contacting me regarding this matter and hope you will not hesitate to contact me again about issues important to you.
If you would like to receive an e-mail newsletter about my initiatives to improve America, please sign up on my website (http://allen.senate.gov).
It is an honor to serve you in the United States Senate, and I look forward to working with you to make Virginia and America a better place to live,
learn, work and raise a family.
With warm regards, I remain,
If a tree falls in the forest, and everyone looks in the other direction, did the tree really fall? Can we ever speak loudly enough that the wingnuts will give a shit?
I'm feeling mighty not represented, right now.