On Thu, 06 Oct 2005 16:20:55 GMT, Obwon <obllOob@att.net> wrote:

Dear MoveOn member,

Two days ago, President Bush nominated his personal
lawyer and long-time friend Harriet Miers to Sandra Day
O'Connor's crucial swing seat on the Supreme Court.
With no judicial experience and an extremely thin
public record, even leading right-wing pundits are
calling her "transparently a crony"1 with
"non-existent"2 qualifications.

President Bush has refused to release any documents
from Miers' time in the White House,3 and claimed he
could not "recall" any conversations with Miers about
abortion over 10 years of friendship and legal
service.4 The people deserve the facts.

Next week our senators will be home on recess, and will
be looking closely at the local press for their
constituents' reactions. This is a perfect time to
write a letter-to-the-editor urging the Senate to
demand real answers about Harriet Miers' views.

You can write and submit your letter online, and it
only takes a few minutes. Please write one today:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=952&id=6085-5369237-dD1xrIBsbyaYNMprRdDdMA&t=2

Immediately after Miers' nomination, MoveOn members
stepped up to try to fill the information void. In the
last 48- hours we've collected nearly 5,000 facts about
Harriet Miers' record- and we're working to get this
information into the hands of the media and our partner
organizations. But it's remarkable how, even after
collecting nearly everything that's publicly available,
Miers' position on major constitutional questions and
her qualifications to be a judge are still almost
completely unknown.

What is clear is the deep personal and professional
connection shared by Harriet Miers and George W. Bush.
Here's what some members have uncovered about their
long relationship:

From David, of Howell, MI:

When Miers was Bush's appointee to head the Texas
State Lottery Commission, the lottery was accused by a
former director of awarding multi-million dollar no-bid
contracts to a technology firm represented by former
Lieutenant Governor Ben Barnes. Barnes has since said
he helped Bush escape active duty in Vietnam, and the
lottery director alleged that Barnes demanded, (and
under Miers received) the lucrative public contracts to
keep quiet about Bush's military service.6

From Paula, of San Mateo, CA

As Governor, Bush signed a law blocking Texas
consumers from collecting a $6 billion dollar judgment
against car dealers for predatory lending and keeping
secret kickbacks. The law firm Miers headed represented
the auto dealers.7

From Nancy of Austin, TX

Miers was hired as legal counsel on both Bush's
gubanatorial campaigns. Among other things, her
research was used to persuade a local judge to excuse
then Governor Bush from jury duty, a civic task that
would have forced him to disclose his 1976 arrest for
drunken driving in Maine. He was then able to keep his
arrest secret until late in the 2000 presidential
campaign.8

From Stephen of Birmingham, AL:

Miers's personal friendship and allegiance to Bush
has been cited for years in connection with her
promotions, including to her highest post of White
House Counsel.9

Cronyism on the Supreme Court is a serious threat to
our democracy. In fact Alexander Hamilton
specifically argued that the Senate should be empowered
to confirm or reject judicial nominees in part to
prevent the President from using the Court to reward
friends and political allies.10

The call to reject cronyism and secrecy is bipartisan.
As conservative columnist George F. Will put it today,
"The president's "argument" for [Miers] amounts to:
Trust me. There is no reason to, for several
reasons."11 We may have different reasons not to take
Bush at his word, but we can all agree on the need for
more information.

It's now up to us to make sure our senators demand that
information, and refuse to offer a lifetime appointment
to a swing seat on the Supreme Court as an act of
faith. If you write a letter-to-the-editor today, you
can help make sure the media, your community and the
Senate hear this message loud and clear.

Please write one today:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=952&id=6085-5369237-dD1xrIBsbyaYNMprRdDdMA&t=3

Thanks for all that you do,

- Ben, Jennifer, Eli, Adam and the MoveOn.org Political
Action Team
Wednesday, October 5th, 2005

Sources:

1 Statement by Michelle Malkin, October 3rd, 2005
http://michellemalkin.com/archives/003660.htm

2 Statement by Patrick Buchanan, October 3rd, 2005
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5445086/

3 "Bush Seeks to Quell Criticism of Court Nominee from
the Right," New York Times, 10/4/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=953

4 "Bush base rattled by court pick" Atlanta Journal
Constitution, 10/05/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=954

5 "Conservatives are wary over President's selection",
The New York Times, 10/04/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=955

6 Texas Speaker Reportedly Helped Bush Get Into Guard"
The Washington Post, 9/21/99
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=956

7 "What's the deal with Harriet Miers?" The Village
Voice, 10/03/05
http://villagevoice.com/news/0540,webmondo3,68426,2.html

8 "Miers ties to Bush include personal lawyer"
Associated Press, 10/03/05
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9577329/

9 "Bush promotes Miers from staff to Counsel" The
Washington Post 11/18/04
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=957

10 Federalist Papers #76 by Alexander Hamilton:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=958

11 "Can this nomination be justified?" George G. Will
column in the Washington Post, 10/05/05
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=959

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