Join John Kerry and add your name to the Congressional Record

[sasha031]

Dear Senators,
I am writing to ask that you vote against Samuel Alito’s nomination to the Supreme Court and work hard to convince other Senators to join you.

Judge Alito does not represent my values. He does not represent mainstream American values. I think it’s time that the United States Senate confirms once and for all that extreme ideology has no place on the highest court in the land.

This is a critical fight for the future of our country. It’s no time to sit on the sidelines. That’s why I’ve taken the time to sign this letter and pass it along to my friends and neighbors. And I hope that’s why you’ll step up to the plate and do the right thing for America: defeat Samuel Alito.

I am honored to join John Kerry by putting my name in the Congressional Record against Judge Alito. I call on you to do the same with your vote.

Sincerely,


http://www.johnkerry.com/action/alito/

http://www.johnkerry.com/action/alito/

[Der Blaue Engel]

1. Done and kicked n/t

[sinkingfeeling]

2. Done. Think that's about the 50th. petition I've signed against Alito.

[Surya Gayatri]

3. Done K & R

Thank you for giving us this opportunity, Senator (Pres.) Kerry.

[RufusEarl]

4. Kerry, votes no on Alito

Here's a short version of the email, no mention of a filibuster


Dear XXXX,
I've studied Judge Alito's legal record. I met with him one-on-one. After all this, I am left with one simple conclusion: if Judge Alito becomes Supreme Court Justice Alito, he will move the Court backwards.
I will vote against Judge Alito's confirmation, and I hope a majority of Senators choose to join us on the Senate floor, voting and speaking out against him. I know we face tough odds, but this is an important fight.
The bottom line is Judge Alito cannot be trusted on the Supreme Court. We can't trust him to stand up to government abuse of power. We can't trust him to ensure all citizens enjoy equal protection under the law. We can't trust him to protect our right to privacy. We can't trust him to defend mainstream American values.

[OnyxCollie]

5. Done. nt

[fooj]

6. Done!

Peace.

[buff2]

7. Done!

K&R. EVERYONE should vote NO on this. Those that vote for this facist idiot hate America and what it stands for,simple as that.

[Sydnie]

8. done n/t

[mntleo2]

9. Done, Commented Upon and Recommended n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

10. Done, and asked him to filibuster if need be,

to stop the Alito nomination.

[Auntie Bush]

11. Signed both

[Jo March]

12. done, kicked and recommended. nt

[annabanana]

13. done.. added "Preserve the Constitution"......eom

[Metta]

14. Done. Important. Thanks.

nt.

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. DONE! n/t

[jsamuel]

16. ./

[LeftyLizzie]

17. Kick!

:kick: It's very important.

[understandinglife]

18. Done. And my included message is:

FILIBUSTER ALITO

VOTE "NO ALITO"

WALK OUT OF SOTU

DEFEND THE CONSTITUTION

IMPEACH BUSH, CHENEY AND ALL THEIR NEOCONSTER MINIONS

IN OTHER WORDS, SERVE YOUR OATH OF OFFICE AND THE PEOPLE OF AMERICA

THANK YOU.

Peace.

[Tuesday_Morning]

19. done! n/t

[MH1]

20. DailyKos diary - let's keep it visible over there, too

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/23/15233/5278

Please recommend and comment on that diary, if you'd like to keep it visible over there too.

Thanks!

[KansDem]

21. Completed (eom)

[dogday]

22. Done

[JerseygirlCT]

23. Done nt

[mzmolly]

24. Done

:kick:

[longship]

25. Done. Recommended and kicked.

nt

[spuddonna]

26. Done... n/t

[ClayZ]

27. Done

Thanks!


:kick:

[fedupinBushcountry]

28. Done

:kick:

[Borgnine]

29. Done.

Let's keep this near the top of the page, people.

[5thGenDemocrat]

30. My name's already in the Congressional Record

December 20, 1994.
Had to do with a weeklong package of stories the Bay City Times produced regarding the condition of the Saginaw River watershed. I was only a small, humble part of the effort -- but enough so to get some federal love and recognition (along with 15 or 18 other people) from our local congressman.
Plus I got a copy of the House Resolution, suitable for framing.
John
Anyhow, done and kicked on the petition.

[orleans]

31. i hate to be a bitch, but i think they're gonna have to

FILIBUSTER alito

and if they don't use the filibuster now-----then when?

when is the right time?

when it's too late?

(don't they need 60 votes to vote NO but only 41 votes for a filibuster! "no" is gonna land him on the court---in my guess)

[LittleClarkie]

32. Well, look at it this way, if Sen. Kerry can put enough pressure

on his fellow Senators using this petition as a prop, then perhaps you'll get your wish.

If we can get enough signatures on the thing, maybe we can blow all their socks off. Worth a try, innit?

Along with calling and writing and other things we're doing, it can't hurt, can it?

Just sayin'...

[PWRinNY]

33. Done, K&R nt

[Marie26]

34. Done. K&R

[greiner3]

35. Done; n/t

[mike_c]

36. done

[north houston dem]

37. kicked and recommended

[gordontron]

38. done and

my personal message:

"You know I have only one complaint against Alito. I can't argue that he shouldn't be appointed because he doesn't represent my values, because although that is true the president has the right to appoint someone he likes. I oppose him because i fear that he doesn't realize that the power of the executive needs to be checked. At this critical time when some are claiming that fascism is creeping into the halls and corridors of the government, we need a supreme court with a spine to stand up against this administration and against the congress. "

[mom cat]

39. Done...We are in the Congressional Record as opposing Alito!

K&R
Thanks John!

[EagleCountyDem]

40. this is the time we need a filibuster- now or never

A simple vote against Alito is not enough this time. Americans need a filibuster to protect their rights.

The healthy continuation of our democracy depends on a separation of powers which requires the judicial branch and particularly the Supreme Court to remain absolutely independent of the President. Yet, clearly, Samuel Alito does not intend to vote in the direction of limiting the Presidency. He is a career advocate of a strong executive. His nomination is the product of a partisan effort to permanently move the whole government of this country much farther to the right and to solidify the supreme powers of the President of the USA, the only super power.

The administration has muted its opposition using the highly debatable claim that the USA is in great danger, and therefore needs far more sophisticated and secretive national security (meaning protection which ordinary Americans are not capable of without the help of their government). In fact, the USA is far too powerful already and is no longer limited by a properly working system of checks and balances and therefore is by far the most dangerous nation on the planet. It is the rest of the world which needs security against the USA. That is a fact which is known everywhere but here. Even ordinary Americans now need protection against their all too powerful President.

We already have seen that the executive branch claims the right to secretly wiretap, kidnap, render to foreign regimes, imprison without legal representation and torture Americans. People who brag about these deplorable tendencies run the executive branch. Will Supreme Court Justice Alito work for us to stop them? No, the sad degradation of American values will only continue if Alito is confirmed.

There is no more appropriate time than now for a filibuster. The filibuster is a mechanism to insure that a controversial nomination is acceptable to at least 60% of the Senate rather than the usual simple majority of 51 Senators. What could be more reasonable than a Supreme Court nominee who is acceptable to 60% of the Senate? Should a nation with such low trust in its President be willing to accept a lifetime Supreme Court justice who will receive less than 60 votes? Not in these troubled and divisive times.

Shame on George Bush for nominating a candidate so controversial he may not receive even 60 Senators' votes.

Senators do not be afraid of the filibuster! It is certainly not the most extreme of measures. It is a perfectly legal and responsible way to counterbalance the unfair advantage the White House has in appointing lifetime members to the Supreme Court. This White House has a direct way to unbalance the separation of powers. It seems to be a defect of the Constitution which only the legislative branch can counterbalance.

Also Senators must consider well how the nation will react if a vote puts Samuel Alito onto the Supreme Court, and as a result our nation's judiciary protects only its corporate citizens but forgets about the needs of ordinary individuals. Eventually, when Americans realize what the government has been doing TO them, not FOR them, there will be an embarrassing accounting. Every one of these votes on the Alito confirmation will be remembered for a long long time.

We need a Supreme Court who will surely protect us from a Presidency which obviously can be and in fact already is out of hand. It is our known-to-be problematic President who was made into President, not by the vote of the people, but by the Supreme Court. Now he wants another of his friends supporting his non-centrist ideology on the same Supreme Court which brought him to his supremely powerful position. Stop this trend towards an all-powerful White House, while there is still time.

Harvie Branscomb
Carbondale CO

[jazzjunkysue]

41. Done. Emailed Hilary and Chuck last week and called both.

Call. Just do it. We'll have to live with this bastard forever.

[kpete]

42. K&R

I Hate that the right is already celebrating when the Fat Lady has NOT sung yet.

[Laurab]

43. Done and kicked. n/t

[bklyncowgirl]

44. Done nt

[cry baby]

45. done

[lonestarnot]

46. already done.

[Kurovski]

47. Done & Kicked.

[journalist3072]

48. Done!!!! What's more, here's what I added to the Comments section:

The following is what I typed in, in the Comments section of the form:

I am very proud to add my name to this Open Letter to all United States Senators.

The United States Senate has the responsibility of advise and consent, and also has an extremely important oversight role to exercise.

When a judicial nominee such as Samuel Alito has clearly demonstrated that they are outside the mainstream of American jurisprudence, the United States Senate has not only the right, but the OBLIGATION, to either filibuster or vote down the nominee.

His performance during the confirmation hearing process, showed that Judge Alito intended to keep his views hidden from the Senate.

He refused to say how he would have ruled in Bush v. Gore, a case that clearly has already come before the court and been settled.

He refused to answer whether or not he thought Roe v. Wade was the settled law of the land, a question that now Chief Justice John Roberts answered during his confirmation hearings.

Samuel Alito MUST be filibustered or voted down.

[Catchawave]

49. Done !

I'm signing and calling everything petitiony that comes my way :hi: I'm sure my Senators have put me on their DoNotCall list :rofl:

[Vadem]

50. I did it and asked him to filibuster until Bush withdrew his nom..n/t

[Greybnk48]

51. done n/t

[wisteria]

52. Signed!! Thanks!! n/t

[Raster]

53. done. kicked.

:kick:

[NYFlip]

54. Done

[Labalanza]

55. Done n/t

[LeahD]

56. Done and kick. n/t

[Stand and Fight]

57. Done ....... n/t

[mirandapriestly]

58. Did it and thanks for making it easy for lazy people like me! nt

[pat_k]

59. Vote Against Cloture! -- Vote against Alito is meaningless on its own!

A vote against Alito on the Floor Doesn't Cut It!!

What they intend to do IF Alito's nomination gets to the floor DOESN'T Matter!!

Their ONLY concern right now is fighting to keep Alito's nominiation from EVER getting to the floor.

Our ONLY question should be:
Are you going to fight to stop it or not?? Are you going to Filibuster or not?

They Have THREE Options: FILIBUSTER, Vote Yes, OR Get Out !!

It's simple:

1. Filibuster;
2. Vote Yes to Confirm; or
3. Get Out!

Any Senator who Opposes the Filibuster, Supports Alito's Nomination.

Either publicly throw your support behind the Filibuster OR Vote Yes.

Hypocrites who make a useles and phony display of Voting NO after refusing to support the Filibuster are exactly the kind of weasels we no longer need.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2386948

[LittleClarkie]

83. Not so simple, as one vote no on cloture is pretty meaningless as well

One could vote no on cloture,

and vote no on the nomination itself,

and Alito still gets in.

So there is another option.

Kerry will vote no on cloture.

Kerry will vote no on the nomination itself.

But through this petition he is ALSO putting pressure on his fellow Senators to act.

There is acting for oneself, which is all you're asking for. Big deal. Alito still gets in. We vote the rascals out, but Alito still gets in.

So, a Senator can act for himself, and pressure others as well.

Do you want to help him do that, or don't you?

It's simple.

Sign the petition.

Or don't sign the petition.

The petition is sort of like chicken soup for the country. It might help. It can't hurt.

Choice is yours.

[pat_k]

85. Any Senator (even if just one) who votes against Cloture is NOT complicit.

Responded to your post on the other thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=2388509&mesg_id=2389478

[Moosepoop]

60. Done. n/t

[mikelewis]

61. Done yesterday

[IdaBriggs]

62. Done and kicked! nt

[myrna minx]

63. Done. n/t

[SunDrop23]

64. Done. And kicked.

[ohio_liberal]

65. Done

K & R

:kick:

[peekaloo]

66. done

[Dragonbreathp9d]

67. Signed

well, sorta, it is online

[rg302200]

68. Done

and kicked!

[Dora]

69. I did. n/t

[bonito]

70. Done

[Slippery_Hammer]

71. I have added my voice

With a recommendation for impeachment.

[alfredo]

72. One thing the neo cons and royalist don't understant is if

the masses can't obtain a fair hearing of their grievances through legal means, they will do it in other ways. There needs to be balance. The American people need to know they will be treated fairly.

Also, people like to be able to get away with simple infractions like jaywalking, or picking a flower from pubic land. Now we can't do that without knowing if there was a camera watching your every move.

[Greylyn58]

73. Done and Kicked

Here's my comment:

This is about much more than Roe vs Wade and Judge Alito being appointed for life to the ultimate court in America. It is about who this man represents. Is it the President and the Corporations and their control over us or does he represent the common people of the nation? Does he and the other members of our highest court want to move this country forward or drag us back to the Dark Ages where most of us would have no say in our lives and where the laws of this country would make most of us little more than surfs for the powerful, the rich, and the elite.

[GoneOffShore]

74. Done my bit

K&R

[McCamy Taylor]

75. Done. Democrats need to stand up for American Values.

The majority of Americans support the right to privacy including Roe v. Wade. Since Alito does not support these rights, he OPPOSES American values, therefore he must be opposed.

It is time for a show of Democratic unity and strength in support of American values.

[VOX]

76. Done. n/t

[demo dutch]

77. Done!

[shadower]

78. What the point????

WE'RE ALL DOMMED!!!!

[MrSlayer]

80. Dommed is it?

Try not to be so obvious.

[LittleClarkie]

81. mmmm.... champaign...

Though I prefer something less dry, thanks.

[oasis]

90. Yes, just like in the police series, "Dragnet". Dum de dum dum.

Or dumb de dumb dumb :dunce:

[Voltaire99]

79. My letter to Democratic senators

Dear Senator,

Vote No on Alito, filibuster, or go screw yourself.

Remember: we can always vote Green.

Yours,

V99

[Just Me]

82. kick

:kick:

[grateful581]

84. Done!

[mark11727]

86. Here's mine... FWIW.

At this time, when the separation of powers in our government is at its most precarious, it is imperative that every effort be made to preserve what remains of it. Over the past several years, while the true mainstream of our countrymen have remained centrist, we have witnessed the gradual shift of our government to more and more radical conservative positions.

Had there been better evidence of Justice Alito truly embracing a moderate position, I would have no quarrel with his nomination, but unfortunately, that has not been the case. Instead, he has obfuscated and parsed his positions from everything from women’s' reproductive rights to the concept of a unitary presidency. Although Justice Alito has relied on his answers before the committee to convince us that his positions were either moderate or benign, his prior voting record reveals otherwise.

Confirming Justice Samuel Alito to the United States Supreme Court would not only be wrong, it would be tragic.

(signed)

[nevergiveup]

87. Done!

I believe in Miracles!

[mojavekid]

88. Done, and Thanks for posting! n/t

[Dunvegan]

89. Done...

Judge Alito is not a reasonable replacement for Judge O'Connor.

Alito does not stand for moderate and majority American values.

Judge Alito was evasive and dissembling regarding his shameful collegiate membership in CAP, a known exclusionary and radical organization.

Our Supreme Judges must be jurists who defend and uphold the promise of the Constitution for ALL Americans.

America must moderate the Supreme Court with a nominee who will uphold the spirit of Judge O'Connor's legacy and decisions.

I stand with Senator John Kerry and support a vote against Samuel Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court.

I join with Senator Kerry in urging the Congress to send the message of moderation with a no vote on Alito.

And I further urge our Congress to deliver to the American people a moderate and fair judge worthy of the penultimate judicial post in the land.