To the Totally Dishonorable Charles Schumer:
Sir:
This morning I watched a truly great man – a man whose dedication to his country, his constituents, and his party has been nothing less than exemplary – resign from office. To have witnessed this knowing he was taken down by the Republicans would have been a bitter pill to swallow. To know that he was taken down by members of his own party is beyond heartbreaking; it is contemptible.
Senator Franken has denied the accusations against him, and did so in the most gentlemanly manner imaginable. He did not call his accusers liars; he said their recollections of their encounters with him differed from his. He said he was sorry for any discomfort he may have caused any woman, albeit unintentionally. He invited a full investigation into any alleged wrongdoing, and offered his full cooperation in furtherance of determining the truth.
Those are not the words or actions of a guilty man, a man fearful of being exposed for having engaged in sexual misconduct. They are the words and actions of a man who knows the truth is on his side.
You and your colleagues who called for Senator Franken’s resignation did so not on the basis of any wrongdoing, but on the basis of being accused of wrongdoing. You did so without a shred of credible evidence against him, and fully knowing that our political opponents have no qualms about levelling false accusations at our most effective lawmakers in order to distract from their own real wrongdoers, and from their party’s unrelenting assault on the citizens they have sworn to serve.
You and your colleagues appointed yourselves judge and jury, and determined that Senator Franken’s actual guilt or innocence was irrelevant. You then went a step further, and decreed the punishment to be meted out to a man who was never even given the opportunity to defend himself: his removal from office, and the destruction of his political career.
Your refusal to defend your fellow Democrat, to afford him a fair hearing, and to stand with him against a party that is so devoid of principles, it has elevated a self-admitted sexual predator to the presidency, is beneath contempt.
In any political climate, that refusal would be astounding in its unfairness. Given today’s political climate, it is downright unconscionable.
There is no excuse for your behaviour, or that of your colleagues. There is nothing that can absolve you of your apparent willingness to abandon one of our best and brightest. You were not merely complicit in the GOP’s efforts to destroy a good man; you actually told them not to get their hands dirty, because you would gladly do their dirty work for them.
If you haven’t bothered to listen to what Democrats are saying on political and social media sites, I suggest you do so. There are people so incensed by your actions, they are vowing to shut their wallets to Democratic causes. There are people who are so disgusted by your behaviour, they are actually considering leaving the party altogether. They see no purpose in supporting a party that refuses to support its own.
We will never know how many Democratic voters we will lose as a result of your actions. We will never know how many potential Democratic voters will now forever close their ears to our message. But you can be damned sure that your message is resounding throughout the nation right now, the message that says ”Please have our backs – but don’t ever expect us to have yours.”
I will continue to support my party, because I have faith that people of Senator Franken’s calibre are still a part of that party. But I will no longer support you, or anyone of your ilk. I have no respect for those who betray the trust of the very people who put them in office, nor for those arrogant enough to declare themselves the final arbiters of justice when it is clear that in this instance, justice was not even considered, no less served.
In light of what we are currently up against – a Republican party anxious to dismantle the foundations our country was built upon, a lying madman in the Oval office, and a party determined to destroy the poor and the middle-class – it is useful to know who’s on our side and who isn’t. So I should at least thank you for making it crystal clear whose side you’re on.
--- Nance Greggs (US citizen AND registered New York voter)
= new reply since forum marked as read
Facebook.
She said she feels so much better 
In fact, she said a LOT of folks were unloading on Gilibrand.
GOOD!
I phoned her office yesterday and told the sweet, perky young thing who answered the phone what I thought of the whole mess. She accepted it all with perky good cheer. 
Will send an email tomorrow telling Gillibrand how I feel now. Don’t need to scorch the ears of a child.
Response to NanceGreggs (Original post)
And Chuck - pull those glasses up off the tip of your nose to where they belong and..
..START DOING SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR US!!!!!!!!
