A sample letter (relating to my recent post)

Dear Rep. Platts--

Last September, I had the priveledge of listening to you provide a memorial to the victims and survivors of the attacks of September 11th, 2001. I was deeply struck with your composure, your sympathy, your condolences, and, most of all, your resolve to make our world safe.I am deeply concerned with the ongoing existence of the Military Commissions Act of 2006. You might be familiar with the MCA, having voted on it as H.R. 6166 and H.R. 6054. Though I am unsure as to how exactly you voted on each of these propositions, they passed, and went to the Senate for review. The Senate went through the revisionary process, and, on September 29th, just 18 days after you impressed me with your powerful spoken message and commemoritve dedication, you had a chance to cast your vote on S. 3930. You voted in favor of S. 3930, which transforms America, the American that I love, from a country based solely in constitutional law granting civil liberties, such as the right to a fair trial, to all citizens, to the America of a power-hungry dictatorship that will operate above the law.

Rep. Platts, I am astounded that you voted in favor of a bill which sacrifices the very ideals you spoke about only 18 days before. Was not the memory of September 11th, 2001, fresh in your mind when you spoke at Gettysburg College five years later? I can recall you shared the story of exactly what you were doing at the time of the attacks. Surely, you remeber September 11th. And surely, you must have remembered speaking on September 11th, 2006, to the students and faculty at Gettysburg College. If you could remember 5 1/2 years into your past, I must believe that you could remember 18 days into your past.

Rep. Platts, I am astonished that you would speak on the beauty of our great country, and the wonderful provisions granted to us by our constitution, and, furthermore, claim that you believe in the upholding of democracy and the U.S. constitution, and then, only 18 days later, cast a vote in favor of a bill which restricts American Freedom, strips Americans of the basic civil right of habeus corpus, allows torture, and gives the President, and all Top-Tier White House officials and Cabinent members legal amnesty should they be found guilty of committing war crimes.

Rep. Platts, I want to be sure that I heard you correctly on Sept. 11, 2006, when you claimed that America was beautiful because the people who comprise the country are granted basic human liberty and that the government is, ultimately responsible. I believe in an American government that is accountable for their actions; a government that is accountable to the people it represents. I support the American democracy, but I do not support S. 3930, for this is an unconstitutional law which restricts the freedom of American citizens and transforms the government of America into a psuedo-dictatorship under which the leaders act above the law, rather than bound by it.

Rep. Platts, I want to be clear: I understand that the safety of our nation is important. Though I do not support the Military Commissions Act, I do support our country. I love democracy, I love the fact that I am free to write this letter to you, and I love the fact that you just might read it, should your aides deem it important enough to grace your desk. I would ask you now, for your support of H.R. 1415, which would repeal most of the illegal and, frankly, unconstitutional provisions of the Military Commissions Act. I would also urge you to consider a complete repeal of the MCA, S. 3930, so that I can once again believe in the American democractic process.

I will also be sending a copy of this letter through the wonderful USPS. I can only hope that you have a chance to read it.

Yours,

Jason Parker
Gettysburg College
Class of 2009
President,
Amnesty International Club(919)452-8048
parkja03@gettysburg.edu