Posted by Jeff from d53-237-236.try.wideopenwest.com (64.53.236.237) on Thursday, February 13, 2003 at 0:06AM :
Dear MoveOn member,
Sorry to be contacting you twice today, but we have great news.
Responding to thousands of our calls, Democrats have just launched
a filibuster* to prevent the confirmation of Miguel Estrada to
America's second-highest court. This filibuster is the first sign
of real resistance to extremism in Congress and the White House.
We’ve got to support this filibuster.
Please call your Senators now, at:
Senator Levin (D)
Local Phone: 313-226-6020
DC Phone: 202-224-6221
Senator Stabenow (D)
Local Phone: 517-203-1760
DC Phone: 202-224-4822
If your Senator is a Democrat, say:
"Thank you for supporting the filibuster to block the Estrada
nomination. Please speak out on the Senate floor."
If your Senator is a Republican, say:
"Please support the filibuster to block the Estrada nomination."
If you are asked why you support the filibuster, make some of the
following points in your own words:
- Estrada has hidden his views on the law from the public;
- Estrada has a reputation as a right-wing extremist;
- The Senate must be informed to advise and consent on nominations.
Please let us know you're making your calls, at:
http://www.moveon.org/callmade2.html
The filibuster is a bold move -- playing the Senate's ultimate ace --
and bold moves carry big risks. This filibuster is now the battle line
on which everything we care about depends. Republicans will make every
effort to peel Dems away from the filibuster.
If they succeed, we're screwed. It's that simple. If the Dems cave
in here, the right wing will steamroller us on every issue, gutting
environmental protections, giving enormous new tax breaks to the rich
while the economy tanks, and eviscerating our civil rights.
But if the filibuster succeeds, it will be a resounding victory, giving
us a real chance to protect the things that matter to us. It could
even embolden the Democrats to challenge the White House's war plans.
Six weeks ago, nobody thought we'd get this far. Yet more than
18,000 MoveOn members have called since last week in support of the
filibuster. Hundreds of us vistited Senate offices a month ago.
Senators are telling each other what a difference MoveOn is making.
Our work is paying off and we've got to keep it up.
Please make your calls today. Please call again, even if you've called
before.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
--The MoveOn Team
Carrie, Eli, Joan, Peter, Wes, Zack
February 12, 2003
P.S.:
A story on the filibuster in today's New York Times is at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/12/politics/12ESTR.html
For more information on Estrada, there's a good fact sheet at:
http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx?oid=7795
* For more information on filibusters, see our recent bulletin at:
http://www.moveon.org/moveonbulletin/bulletin11.html
Here's a list of organizations opposing the Estrada nomination:
ADA Watch/National Coalition for Disability Rights
AFL-CIO
Alliance for Justice
American Association of University Women
Americans for Democratic Action
Congressional Hispanic Caucus
Congressional Black Caucus
Earthjustice
Feminist Majority
Labor Council for Latin American Advancement
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
MoveOn.org
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Council of Jewish Women
National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Women's Law Center
People For the American Way
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
Sierra Club
Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project
United Auto Workers
Working Assets
________________
-- Jeff
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