This is an urgent request for all PTFers, but particularly those who live in Pennsylvania and Virginia. As early as TWO DAYS from now, Vice President Cheney and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will be attempting to ram their extremist right-wing judicial nominees through our system of checks and balances by threatening the so-called "nuclear option" and doing away with the filibuster - a rule within the political system of checks and balances which has been in existence for over 200 years, and has served the voices of BOTH political parties, to the betterment of our way of life.
But this will go beyond judicial nominees. Once the axe has been lowered, and Republicans have silenced their opposition, there is a whole laundry list of legislation that will begin to go unchecked.
PLEASE - contact Senator Specter in Pennsylvania and Senator Warner in Virginia and voice your opposition to these tactics. I just got off the phone, and it's a VERY simple way of registering your voice. If you can't afford the call, e-mail Senator Specter or Senator Warner... here's something I wrote - feel free to use it:
"Hi there. My name is _______ and I live in ________. I’d like to urge the Senator to please oppose and vote against any efforts to eliminate the filibuster and to oppose the “nuclear option” being pushed by Republican leadership right now.
Our government is based on a system of checks and balances, and Congress has used the filibuster for over 200 years, to the betterment of our political system and to ensure that the voices of BOTH parties have been heard. Please do not let this system of fairness end."
Cut and paste my friends... it's all I ask.
Too many times, we complain about how our government is being run without taking the few brief moments that it actually takes to become involved in the process. So PLEASE do this now. Press the Flesh with your Senator. It's more important now than it's been in a long, long time.
