In the dog days of early August 2007, our district congressional representative, Heath Shuler, sold our Fourth Amendment down the river. Mr. Shuler voted with his precious Blue Dog coalition of conservative Democrats, and with the congressional Republicans, for the Orwellian-named Protect America Act. The act gives George Bush legal powers—with extremely lax oversight and accountability—to snoop on Americans.
I would guess that Shuler voted this way because of his and his Blue Dog’s fears of being branded “weak on terrorism” by the GOP noise machine.
Why else would Heath Shuler cave to the most untrustworthy, secretive, incompetent and unpopular president—arguably—in U.S. history?
After thousands died on a pile of lies and no WMD, why would any Democratic lawmaker trust anything coming out of this fear-mongering White House?
How can you give our Fourth Amendment rights away to an attorney general who is a hair’s breadth away from impeachment for perjury and politicizing the Department of Justice? Why did you give Bush and Gonzales more powers and legal cover to snoop on American citizens, with almost no oversight?
In these uneasy times, we need wise, strong patriots—not foolish, weak capitulators—watching over the executive branch in Washington, D.C. Mr. Shuler, I truly hope you figure out real soon that your foremost core duty and obligation is to support and to defend the U.S. Constitution—not your own seat, not the Blue Dogs and not George Bush or Alberto Gonzales.
— Anne Walch
Asheville
