FEINSTEIN Not Only Voted For Torture-She Tried To Cover-It-Up

[kpete]

Feinstein not only voted for the unconstitutional MCA last year, http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/09/23/feinstein/
she tried to cover up her abandonment of principle yesterday by suggesting that an amendment outlawing waterboarding be attached to the FISA bill, but that would be even more pernicious. She already voted for the disastrous Intelligence Committee version of the FISA bill, which contains serious violations of the 4th Amendment and extends immunity to the telecom companies. So she’s proposing to condition any prohibition of undisputed torture on accepting these further affronts to the Constitution.

http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/11/05/mukasey-and-the-constitutional-wing-of-the-democratic-party/

[Solly Mack]

1. K&R

[TechBear_Seattle]

2. Same shit, different day

Get back with us when things change. :eyes:

[Le Taz Hot]

3. I still haven't figured out whether we can

or cannot recall her. Was there ever a consensus? Google had DU and DailyKos and a few personal blogs on the subject but nothing concrete. We need to get her OUT!

[EFerrari]

6. The material that onenote posted seemed to indicate she cannot

be removed except by the Senate and iirc, by the Court.

[fed-up]

11. hate to ask, but I forgot what iirc stand for....and I didn't vote for DiFi last election nt

[EFerrari]

12. If I remember correctly.

I didn't vote for her either. She doesn't seem to care any more.

[EFerrari]

4. She's so disgusting but I don't think there's any way to move her.

The best shot is Schumer because he has a stake in electing Democrats in 2008.

[sampsonblk]

5. K & R

[EV_Ares]

7. It makes you even more angry at one of your own pulling this kind

of crap. Who votes for her in CA anyway & where does most of her support come from. I am sure she did not change overnight and has done the sneaky stuff before.

[NNN0LHI]

14. Apparently some of the same IDIOTS who voted for Ahnold

Hard to believe.

Don

[EV_Ares]

23. Actually & I don't know that much about the CA politics but from what you

read, at least you know what you have with Arnold.

[Le Taz Hot]

15. The support and money

come from the state and national Machines. It's like she knows she's in her last term (she'll be 79 when her term is up) and she just doesn't give a damn anymore -- trying to glean as much blood-soaked war profits that she can for hubby. Make a nice retirement, don't 'cha know. I couldn't bring myself to vote for her either in 2006. I was serious when I said I'd never vote for anyone that voted "yes" on the IWR.

[EFerrari]

20. She has consolidated a lot of power in the Senate. The party

doesn't want to mess with that, especially after being out of power for so long.

And no, she didn't change over night. She's been this way for years.

[mod mom]

8. FDL provides numbers to call:

You know what to do:

Sen. Harry Reid — [phone] FAX [phone]

Senate Judiciary Committee Contact Information:

Every Senate direct dial number can be found here (including links to just about every senator’s web page, which include both DC office contact information and local office numbers as well). You can reach your Senators toll free thanks to these numbers that katymine found:

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (800) 614 - 2803
1 (866) 340 - 9281
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437

Also, the Senate Judiciary Committee membership and contact information is as follows:

Arlen Specter - Pennsylvania - [phone] Fax [phone]
Joe Biden — Delaware — [phone] Fax: [phone]
Orrin G. Hatch - Utah - [phone] Fax [phone]
Patrick J. Leahy (Chairman) - Vermont - [phone] Fax [phone]
Charles E. Grassley - Iowa - [phone] Fax [phone]
Edward M. Kennedy - Massachusetts - [phone] Fax [phone]
Jon Kyl - Arizona - [phone] Fax [phone]
Herbert Kohl - Wisconsin - [phone] Fax [phone]
Jeff Sessions - Alabama - [phone] Fax [phone]
Dianne Feinstein - California - [phone] Fax [phone]
Lindsey Graham - South Carolina - [phone] Fax [phone]
Russell D. Feingold - Wisconsin - [phone] Fax [phone]
John Cornyn - Texas - [phone] Fax [phone]
Charles E. Schumer - New York - [phone] Fax [phone]
Sam Brownback - Kansas - [phone] Fax [phone]
Richard J. Durbin - Illinois - [phone] Fax [phone]
Tom Coburn - Oklahoma - [phone] Fax [phone]
Benjamin Cardin — [phone] Fax [phone]
Sheldon Whitehouse — [phone] FAX [phone]



http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/11/02/12665/#more-12665

[Land Shark]

9. Torture always has had to run and hide, because it's so despicable...

Unbelievably, it has reached a high water mark in terms of being open and notoriously voted-upon in recent years in America. The prior history of the 20th Century was that NOBODY, except perhaps the most backwards despicable country, practiced torture or inhumane treatment and actually voted for it openly.

[ray of light]

10. More important info-

From this morning:

http://codepinkdc.blogspot.com/

Dianne Feinstein stated on CNN today that Mukasey is the best we can expect and that if he isn't confirmed now, Bush will probably appoint someone worse during the holiday recess. This is unacceptable! Our senators are second-guessing what George W. Bush will do and this drives the votes of the U.S. Senate? Incredible!!

A small group of concerned citizens turned out at CNN this morning to voice our dissent to this confirmation. Karen, Liz, Leslie, Medea, Gael, Allison, Mona, Marietta, Carol, Jess, Steve, Dick, Clark, Mahboud, Vernon and I arrived around 10:30 this morning at the doors to the CNN studios to pressure Sen. Feinstein to change her mind. We staged a mock waterboarding on her way in and after the program. As we cornered Ms. Feinstein all she said and I paraphrase, "We're going to pass legislation to declare waterboarding illegal". On Wolf Blitzer's Late Edition she stated that only the CIA can waterboard legally.

***

And for tomorrow:

Press Release

For release: Monday November 5, 2007

Demonstration of Torture for Mukasey at Justice
Live Waterboarding at 10th and Pennsylvania NW

(Washington, DC) On the eve of the Senate Judiciary Committee vote on the nomination of Judge Michael B. Mukasey, anti-torture activists will demonstrate waterboarding at the Justice Department, 10th & Pennsylvania, NW, at noon on Monday November 5.

“Waterboarding is torture, and we’re here at the Justice Department to show the world and Judge Mukasey just exactly what this torture looks like,” said Clark Kissinger, organizer of the event. “Waterboarding is illegal under U.S. and international law, and it is shameful for anyone to pretend otherwise.”

Waterboarding is not “simulated drowning”—it IS drowning. The torturer forces water into the victim’s lungs, making breathing in a controlled manner impossible.

“Chuck Schumer and Dianne Feinstein are trying to have it both ways,” said Kissinger. “But no amount of equivocating can hide their craven failure to condemn criminal acts. A vote for Mukasey is a vote to leave the door open for torture.”

What: Live demonstration of waterboarding torture technique
Where: 10th and Pennsylvania NW in front of the Dept. of Justice
When: Noon, Monday November 5, 2007

[BlueJac]

13. Throw the enablers out of office...........

These nut case people should be put where they can no longer destroy American values and rights!

[havocmom]

16. Who has the goods on her husband? And can we get it all out in the open?

Have heard rumors about husband having some sort of legal problems, but no idea what it is about. If we can get it all out in the open, perhaps she would no longer be subject to neocon control via blackmail.

Take away their power to blackmail pols by getting info out to the public. General unethical or downright illegal practices, hidden and protected is the problem. The need to hide truth is the problem. Makes people too easy to control if they will cower to bullies who threaten to expose dirty laundry. NOT REPORTING THE TRUTH IS THE PROBLEM.

Take away the ability of the junta to control by blackmail and America has a fighting chance.

[fed-up]

18. Bush/Rove/Cheney and co do and that probably controls her votes....nt

[havocmom]

22. phone taps are for terrasts! Yeah right.

Phone taps are for information. Information is power. But only if we let information stay in the hands of the blackmailers.

[SteveM]

17. Hard-line ganja and gun prohibitionist who has a CCW and packs,

in addition to having armed body guards. She wants a small country where she can be in charge.

[Moochy]

19. Because she was briefed on the torture

while sitting on the intelligence committee.

So now.. how can she argue against it? doesnt that make her look a bit guilty since she knew it was happening and believed it was not torture then?

[EFerrari]

21. Ditto for the IWR. n/t

[DCKit]

24. I suppose she could use the excuse that, no matter what she does....

Nobody will be happy.

Read the Constitution Dino, read some factual tomes on fascism and listen to your constituents, not your corporate donors.