[CC] Brace yourself: Frist going nuclear! (fwd)

[Alan Sondheim]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2005 12:40:20 -0700
From: PFAW Activist Network <alerts at pfaw.org>
Reply-To: noreply at pfaw.org
To: Alan Sondheim <sondheim at panix.com>
Subject: Brace yourself: Frist going nuclear!

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SUPREME COURT CAMPAIGN -- People For the American Way
April 20, 2005
________________________________________________________________

Dear Alan,

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will stop at nothing to push
his "nuclear option" on the American people. This Sunday, he is
speaking via closed circuit television to thousands of church
congregations organized by the radical right Family Research
Council as a part of "Justice Sunday," a desperate and offensive
campaign claiming that the 200 year-old Senate filibuster is
being used to target people of faith.

This is a campaign of religious McCarthyism. We must not let it
pass without calling Frist to account for his pandering to the
Religious Right and his unconscionable injection of religion
into the business of Congress. And House Speaker Tom DeLay's
recent threats against the judges in the Schiavo case make this
all the more urgent.

Support People For's response to Frist's tactics:

http://pfaw.kintera.org/supportstoptheabuse

Frist and his "Justice Sunday" allies want to clear the path
for President Bush's extreme far-right nominations to the
federal courts, including the Supreme Court. They can do it by
nuking the filibuster, the last "check and balance" against the
majority's abuse of power.

The independence of the federal courts is all that stands
between democratic checks and balances in government and
unchecked total far-right domination. That independence rests on
our ability to defeat the nuclear option, which could come up
for a vote as early as next week.

Take a moment right now to support our efforts to defend
America's democratic traditions:

http://pfaw.kintera.org/supportstoptheabuse

For several months, People For the American Way has been
working to educate the public, the media and elected officials
about the critical role that the filibuster has played in
protecting minority rights in the Senate. Last month, we helped
collect more than one million signatures via the Internet on
petitions presented to Frist and Senate Minority Leader Harry
Reid urging them to preserve the filibuster. In addition, People
For the American Way is continuing its long-standing opposition
to far-right nominees to the federal courts.

In a separate effort, People For the American Way Foundation,
which launched a "Mr. Smith" ad campaign a few weeks ago that
helped bring the nuclear option threat into the open, ratcheted
up its ad campaign by releasing yesterday a new ad with a
sharper message that makes the stakes ever clearer. The new ad
features Ted Nonini, the same common-sense Republican
firefighter who appeared in the original ad, telling viewers
that far-right political leaders abusing their power,
threatening judges, and injecting religion into politics and
shutting down debate is a sure sign that something is wrong.

In reaction to both organizations' efforts, the far-right has
intensified its counter attack on the independent judiciary. The
Radical Right and their allies on Capitol Hill are putting
intense pressure on Republican Senators to support their nuclear
option. Radical Right groups have started running highly
personal attack ads on Senators who do not support the nuclear
option. They're pulling out all the stops now to force Frist to
pull the trigger as early as next week!

People For the American Way needs your support right now to
help preserve the Senate's last check and balance against the
majority's abuse of power. Please support our Supreme Court
Defense Fund today.

http://pfaw.kintera.org/supportstoptheabuse

With sincere gratitude for all that you do,
Ralph G. Neas
President
________________________________________________________________

People For the American Way
2000 M Street, NW | Suite 400 | Washington, DC 20036
http://www.pfaw.org/
1-800-326-PFAW | 202/467-4999

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