THIS BELONGS TO YOU ~ THE U.S. CONSTITUTION

In the United States, the oath of office for the President of the United States is specified in the U.S. Constitution (Article II, Section 1):

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

I am a campaign volunteer for Senator Barack Obama for President. I am committed to Obama for ’08.

At the same time, I am impressed with other democrats who are also running for President. I can’t remember a time in my lifetime when we have had such a good selection of people giving us a choice for electing a leader to lead us. Except, for Hillary Clinton, who I have recently turned against. I no longer trust her.

Senator Dodd said that he would filibuster FISA Bill today (December 17) "as long as I can". www.msnbc

Earlier today when asked whether the Senators running for President ~ Hillary, Obama, Biden ~ would be on hand to support Chris Dodd's planned filibuster of the Senate FISA bill containing telecom immunity. First out of the box with a statement was Obama:

"Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies and has cosponsored Senator Dodd's efforts to remove that provision from the FISA bill. Granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same. It's not clear whether he can return for the vote, but under the Senate rules, the side trying to end a filibuster must produce 60 votes to cut off debate. Whether he is present for the vote for not, Senator Obama will not be among those voting to end the filibuster."

Senators Edward Kennedy and Russ Feingold assisted Senator Chris Dodd with his filibustering effort for our U.S. Constitutional rights to be upheld against the Bush administration providing retroactive immunity to Verizon and AT&T.

"My longstanding concerns were over this retroactive immunity" for telecommunications companies, Dodd said after Reid declared the FISA bill would be set aside. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the Senate FISA renewal bill containing telecom immunity off the floor.

Senator Whitehouse is in the blue shirt and red tie. This is May 28, 2007 in his Providence, Rhode Island office for a Darfur lobby meeting.
I am in the green t-shirt that reads
INSTEAD OF MOURNING A GENOCIDE ~ STOP ONE

I am, also, impressed with freshman Senator Sheldon Whitehouse from my state of Rhode Island, who replaced Senator Lincoln Chafee January 2007. Senator Whitehouse has not only voted well on behalf of the people of Darfur, but he has been outspoken at times when others have not. Senator Whitehouse asked appropriate and pointed questions of the former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and asked the right question of the then nomination candidate Michael Mukasey for Attorney General:

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE (D), Rhode Island: So is waterboarding constitutional?

MICHAEL MUKASEY: I don't know what's involved in the technique. If waterboarding is torture, torture is not constitutional.

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: If it's torture? That's a massive hedge. I mean, it either is or it isn't. Do you have an opinion on whether waterboarding, which is the practice of putting somebody in a reclining position, strapping them down, putting cloth over their faces, and pouring water over the cloth to simulate the feeling of drowning, is that constitutional?

MICHAEL MUKASEY: If it amounts to torture, it is not constitutional.

SEN. SHELDON WHITEHOUSE: I'm very disappointed in that answer. I think it is purely semantic.
Source: mukasey

Today, a Press Release of Senator Whitehouse on FISA was released.
Senator Whitehouse Fights for Court Oversight for Americans Traveling Abroad
Monday, December 17, 2007
At whitehouse.senate you can hear his speech (Surveillance Bill Must Protect Americans' Civil Liberties "Latest News" ~ "Watch the Video")and at whitehouse you can read the speech. This is vitally important to the United States keeping its freedoms.

This Belongs To You
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youtube
This Belongs To You
Music is John Dunbar’s theme from Dances With Wolves

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Call 1~800~GENOCIDE
and urge
your U.S. Representative and Senators
to pass the funding fully
for the UN Peacekeepers for Darfur

President Bush's Comment Phone Line
202-456-1111
He needs a push to do something right

savedarfur
genocideintervention
darfurgenocide

GENOCIDE STOPS WITH US
Pictures from Darfur Walk in Newport, Rhode Island, USA
April 28, 2007
Organized by Sandra Hammel

OUTRAGED. HOW THE SENATORS VOTED ON MUKASEY

11-8 VOTE OF SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE RUBBERSTAMPS TORTURE AS OK



BETRAYED BY SCHUMER & FEINSTEIN…

THAT is the nice way of putting their votes to pass Mukasey onto us, as U.S. Attorney General. They are stooges of the lame President who is a criminal in any just arena.

BIG SHAME ON YOU SCHUMER & FEINSTEIN…while Bush undermines the US Constitution. You just helped him out in that regard.

Mukasey nomination goes forward A US Senate committee has approved Michael Mukasey as attorney general despite his refusal to denounce simulated drowning as unlawful torture.

The Judiciary Committee voted to advance Mr Mukasey's nomination by 11 votes against 8. All of the Republicans on the Committee voted in favour of Mr Mukasey, while all but two of the Democrats on the panel opposed the nomination.

The support of the two Democrats - Senators Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein - was crucial in allowing Mr Mukasey's nomination to go forward…” From the BBC link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7081443.stm

Judiciary Panel OK's Waterboarding, Er, Mukasey
The Nation http://news.yahoo.com/s/thenation/20071106/cm_thenation/15249153 The

Senate Committee on the Judiciary hearing on the nomination of Michael B. Mukasey to be Attorney General of the United States with PDF links to each member’s follow-up questions and the full C-Span video footage. http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearing.cfm?id=3001#AGQuestions

I called my U.S. Senator who sits on the Judiciary Committee that voted today at 11:45 a.m. to send the vote to the full senate next week on Mukasey being confirmed to be OUR United States Attorney General, following Alberto Gonzales. I asked for the Mukasey voting record of each Senate Judiciary Committee member and they couldn’t provide it.

But I have listed it here after compiling the list and coordinating it with the BBC’s article information.

THE VOTE of the Senate Judiciary Committee for Mukasey as United States Attorney General November 6, 2007:

8 Vote AGAINST MUKASEY for Attorney General

Patrick J. Leahy CHAIRMAN, D-VERMONT

Edward M. Kennedy D-MASSACHUSETTS

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. D-DELAWARE

Herb Kohl D-WISCONSIN

Russell D. Feingold D-WISCONSIN

Richard J. Durbin D-ILLINOIS

Sheldon Whitehouse D-RHODE ISLAND, My Senator

Benjamin L. Cardin D-MARYLAND

11 Vote FOR MUKASEY for Attorney General

Arlen Specter RANKING MEMBER, R-PENNSYLVANIA

Charles E. Grassley R-IOWA

Dianne Feinstein D-CALIFORNIA

Jon Kyl R-ARIZONA

Jeff Sessions R-ALABAMA

Charles E. Schumer D-NEW YORK

Lindsey Graham R-SOUTH CAROLINA

John Cornyn R-TEXAS

Sam Brownback R-KANSAS

Tom Coburn R-OKLAHOMA

Orrin G. Hatch R-UTAH
http://judiciary.senate.gov/members.cfm

US: Will the Next Attorney General Allow Torture?
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/10/25/usint17174.htm