A letter by my firend (The Dude) sent to the senator of Montana after he voted in favor of HR 6304.
Senator Baucus:
I was sorely disappointed to see that you voted in favor of the amendment to H.R. 6304. This is one more step in the wrong direction for America. Our civil liberties have been trashed by the Bush Administration; what is worse, though, is that congress is allowing it to happen. Democrats have the majority in both the House and the Senate, yet nothing has changed. We are still at war in Iraq and Afghanistan; the poor are still being pillaged by taxes, while the rich get off scot-free; absolutely nothing has been done on the national scale to combat global warming; every year, the president's budget is passed, no questions asked; and our civil liberties are being stripped away, one at a time. In America, we pride ourselves on being some kind of great democracy, but what is democracy when even those who have been elected to protect our 'freedom' will not stand against those who are taking it from us? Does the system of checks and balances, which we were so grandly taught about in grade school, even exist anymore? I understand that this is an election year for you, and so you have to vote in a way that will make it more difficult for your opponents to make you look bad; that is the only explanation I can think of for such a backward vote as the one you cast today, July 9. But in your enthusiasm to 'protect' us from the evil terrorists, you have stripped one more shred of our freedom and protection from our own government. Senator Baucus, I am a registered Democrat, but I am seriously considering NOT voting for you in November. I have been disgusted with the Senate's inability to accomplish, well, anything in recent years. You have allowed yourselves to be pushed around at the whim of the Bush Administration, yet is is us - the voters and taxpayers - who are paying the price. I had been struggling over who to vote for in recent months, but this most recent vote seems to have made my choice much easier: anyone but Baucus. Thank you for taking the time to read my message. I sincerely hope it leads you next time to vote not for what is best for your 'image', but what is best for the citizens of the United States. Best of luck to you, Senator.