(I don't agree with this assessment. In fact, I now think Cathy O'Brien may
have been accurate about Leahy in her book "Trance-formation of America" -
Samantha)
forwarded message attached
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Thank you Patrick Leahy for standing up for the American Constitution. As the White
House and John Ashcroft make ongoing end runs around liberties guaranteed by our most
sacred document, you remain a true patriotic voice.
Bush has told us to go about our normal busines and show the terrorists that they
cannot change our American ways. Yet, the White House and Ashcroft have conceded
points to the terrorists, in a tragic irony, by undermining our most basic
Constitutional rights. The Republican Party has always jawboned about its partiotism.
But it is not patriotic to compromise our freedoms and our legal system.
Our founding leaders must be hanging their heads in disapproval at the wholesale
thrashing of Constitutional guarantees being undertaken by the Bush Administration.
Let Senator Leahy know that you appreciate his commitment to standing up for America
and our Constitutional rights.
You can find contact information for him at http://www.senate.gov/~leahy/.
Leahy was the intended recipient of an Anthrax filled letter that could have killed
100,000 people. But he is not cowed; he is not backing down. The letters sent to him
and Tom Daschle haven't broken the will of the Democrats, as was probably the intent
of the sender.
Senator Patrick Leahy is a true patriot amidst those who would undermine our cherished
democracy in the name of fighting terrorism.
Comments from BuzzFlash.com
The following is a Reuters news service account of Senator Leahy's November 25th
comments on upcoming Senate Judiciary hearings.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/htx/nm/20011125/ts/attack_court_congress_dc_1.html
Sunday November 25 2:53 PM ET
Ashcroft to Face Tough Senate Grilling on Tribunals
By Joanne Kenen
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General John Ashcroft will face a tough grilling from
lawmakers in coming weeks over President Bush's proposal to create secret military
tribunals and employ other ``ad hoc, outside the justice system methods'' to fighting
terrorism, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said on Sunday.
Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, said lawmakers in both parties were
upset with Ashcroft, who won sweeping new powers to fight terrorism in post-Sept. 11
legislation and has since announced other controversial measures such as monitoring
conversations between suspects and defense attorneys and interviewing thousands of
young men from the Middle East.
Leahy, who negotiated the anti-terror legislation with Ashcroft last month, noted on
NBC's ``Meet the Press'' that the attorney general had held out the likelihood of
immediate arrests of terror suspects once those new prosecutorial powers were granted.
The wave of arrests did not materialize, and Ashcroft has instead announced new
measures including a proposal for secret military tribunals that would not follow the
usual rules and standards of the U.S. criminal justice system, Leahy said.
``We pick up the paper every morning and here's, 'We're going to wiretap defense
counsel, we're going to do these ad-hoc, outside-the-justice-system methods,''' Leahy
said, referring to the administration's tactics.
Asked if he was upset with Ashcroft, Leahy emphatically answered, ``Yes, very much
so.'' Leahy plans a preliminary hearing this week and expects Ashcroft to testify the
following week, an appearance that he said would not be ``perfunctory.''
President Bush has said he wants the option of instituting military tribunals for
accused terrorists, in which military officers would act as judge and jury.
Trials could be secret, with procedures and composition of the courts to be determined
by the U.S. defense secretary and military commanders. The usual rules of evidence and
right to defense counsel would not necessarily apply, Leahy noted.
Bush said he wanted to have that option if any al Qaeda members linked to the Sept. 11
suicide aircraft attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon are apprehended.
However, critics on both the left and right have said these tribunals would abrogate
civil liberties and undercut the fundamentals of the U.S. criminal justice system.
Leahy noted he was not disposed to be soft on terrorism, particularly since he
personally was the target of an anthrax letter that investigators believe may have
contained enough of the potent bacteria to kill up to 100,000 people.
But he said he was not convinced that military tribunals were the only or the best way
to achieve justice.
``We all agree that there should be justice here,'' Leahy said. ``But let's be a
little bit careful how we do it.''
Also appearing on the show, Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, said he was not as
critical as Leahy of Ashcroft, but that he too had concerns, particularly about any
wiretapping of attorney-client conversations.
>From Reuters
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