Here is an email I sent to him and his response.
email
I am very disappointed in your vote to for h.r. 6166. How dare you give cover for the war crimes being committed "in our name" to this administration. You should put an "R" beside your name, you really are not a Democrat.
"We the people", are loosing our rights in this country and you are an enabler of this process. The Republicans are trying very hard to do away with the bill of rights in this country and the Geneva Convention for the war crimes they are committing.
I am ashamed of all Dems that voted for this bad legislation.
All of this in the name of a so called never ending "war on terror" wow am I scared..............NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Response
Thank you for contacting me regarding legislation establishing military commissions for the trial of detainees being held at Guantanamo and other locations. I appreciate hearing from you.
As you know, two pieces of legislation regarding detainees were considered before the House of Representatives. H.R. 6166, the Military Commissions Act, was brought before the full House early in the last week of September just days after being introduced. Though passed in the House, this particular piece of legislation was not considered in the Senate. Instead, the Senate considered their own version of the Military Commissions Act, S. 3930. S. 3930 passed the Senate and was debated and voted on in the House later that same week. I voted against S. 3930. Unfortunately, S. 3930 passed in the House, and has since been signed into law by the president.
H.R. 6166 was brought to the floor quickly without the chance for a thorough review by the House. I voted for that bill because I felt and continue to feel that it is important that we have a system to try accused terrorists for their war crimes in a quick and fair way. We cannot leave detainees indefinitely in Guantanamo and other prisons around the world. In my original review of the bill, I believed that it took steps to protect fundamental human rights, prevent torture and provide for a fair legal process.
As I heard from more and more legal experts, after they had the chance to fully review the consequences of H.R. 6166, and as I heard from my constituents, it became clear that both H.R. 6166 and S. 3930 did not create a system that met our high American standards for a fair trial and protection of human rights. In particular, I came to the conclusion that the Military Commissions Acts did not clearly state to either the American people or to the international community that United States personnel do not conduct any form of torture, that the United States would ensure a day in court for detainees and that detainees would be subject to a fair judicial process.
I believe that convicted terrorists must be punished for their war crimes. However, the values of the American people must continue to be upheld throughout any detainment, interrogation and trial process. That is why after much consideration I voted against S. 3930 when it was considered in the House. While some might suggest this vote was inconsistent with my previous vote, I believe strongly that elected officials must have the strength to be open-minded to new information and analysis, and to continue to weigh these facts with respect to past and future decisions so that in the end the right decisions are made. Let me be clear, I voted against the military commissions legislation, S. 3930, that was considered in both the House and Senate and signed into law by the President.
I have always felt that the war on terrorism is more than a military conflict. Terrorists will use fear, oppression, and violence to spread their ideologies of hate. We cannot simply rely on our military strength to combat this foe. We must demonstrate through our actions that freedom, and even more importantly justice, are fundamental and universal human rights. I have and always will oppose any form of torture by US personnel. It is critical that we hold ourselves to a higher standard and ensure that we do not abandon our values.
Thank you again for sharing your views with me. In addition, I also provide occasional email updates on a range of issues affecting people in Maine. If you would like to receive this information, please visit my website at
http://michaud.house.gov/email_newsletter.asp and sign up for my email newsletter. I appreciate the opportunity to represent you.
With warmest regards,
Michael Michaud
Member of Congress
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