I was supposed to meet with Senator Arlen Specter or one of his aides today as part of a MoveOn action to attach some strings to Chimpy's request for $87 billion for Iraq. MoveOn arranged the meeting and advised us to use their talking points. Using their guide, I wrote myself the following script:
Mr. Specter,
Earlier this year, you and Congress gave Mr. Bush what amounted to a blank check to wage war on Iraq. We were promised that the war would be a “cakewalk” (Wolfowitz) and that the Iraqis would meet us with “flowers and cheers” (Dick Cheney), that the war could be won with significantly less troops that the Powell Doctrine dictates (Rumsfeld), and that the war would cost $20 billion, and probably less.
We now know that none of these claims were true: I won’t even begin to go into the conclusions of the Kay report, other than to say one 10-year old vial of botulin in the back of someone’s refrigerator (probably behind that old bottle of Ranch dressing no one’s touched since 19985) does not a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction make. And now Mr. Bush wants the US taxpayer to pony up $87 billion this year alone, for a war that was supposed to cost $67 billion less? With no exit strategy? While our troops go on year long rotations, and then some? While our own people have decaying roads and highways, poor schools, no health insurance? With tax cuts for the ultra rich subsidized by my property taxes?
Mr. Specter, I am a homeowner, a father-to-be, and voter. I can see far better uses for this money: for Americans. I don’t want you to authorize ANY of this funding until: Mr. Bush gets rid of the people responsible for this mess, and I’m speaking of Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, and Rice; the administration develops a realistic plan for reconstruction, with a transparent and open bidding process; until our own social services are funded (as a father, I am extremely concerned about the state of our schools in Philadelphia).
Mr. Specter, it is widely acknowledged that the administration played games with the truth (I know that politicians have an allergic reaction to the word “lies”). It has been clearly demonstrated that Bush and his people were wrong about everything regarding this war: there are no weapons of mass destruction; there were no flowers and cheers, only rocket powered grenades and bullets; we are facing a guerilla war with no end in sight; the international community did NOT get on board when we “won,” as promised and now American taxpayers (or rather, middle-class and working-class taxpayers) are footing the bill (given your income senator, I must assume that you were one of the lucky ones who got a tax break: how much are YOU paying toward the war effort?). With all these mistakes, how can anyone trust the adminsitration’s current team to get it right in Iraq? At the very least, Mr. Rumsfeld must go. And you must get push for an independent counsel into the Wilson Plame affair: we all know Mr. Ashcroft has close ties to Mr. Rove and can’t be trusted to investigate the White House.
Sadly, when we got to Arlen's Philadelphia office, there was no one to meet us. In fact, said the old man who was nervously collecting letters from irritated MoveOn members, "No one told us about this..."
Riiiiiiiiiiiight. MoveOn, who I have volunteered with for about a year now, "forgot" to set up the appointment. Strange, they were very efficient when we met with Fattah a month or two back. Strange that a Republican who voted for the war and for tax cuts wasn't informed of his upcoming meeting with constituents who disagreed with both. Strange how the old man tried to shoo us away.
I got tired of waiting, so I left. And wrote the following letter to Mr. Specter, which will be mailed as soon as I go downstairs and buy a stamp:
Dear Mr. Specter,
On October 9, 2003, several Philadelphians and I, constituents all, came to your office at 600 Arch Street to meet with you or a staff member about the proposed $87 billion dollar budget for Iraq. This meeting, which was to coincide with others organized around the nation by MoveOn, a liberal PAC, was announced on October 5. However, when we got to your office, not only was no one available to talk to us, the one employee who met us at the elevator collected our letters and attempted to shoo us away. While I later heard that someone met with two of our group, this response is inadequate: we took time from our lives to meet with you, and you stood us up.
Mr. Specter, I took time away from my job to meet with you or your aides. I am not a wealthy man like you. I do not, like you, have the kind of high-powered job in which I can vote myself a pay-raise or take summer off. It was difficult for me to make the time to meet you, and I lost time at work. I am angry and offended that I was treated this way. You are my representative in Congress: you are obligated to listen to your constituents.
Mr. Specter, there are some who like to say “the government should be run like a business, and the citizens should be seen as our customers.” If this is the case, your customer service department is lousy. The result is that I feel disenfranchised, that you don’t care about talking to and hearing from your constituents. Perhaps not hearing the opposing point of view makes your life a little easier, but Mr. Specter that is not what your job description is about.
I expect an apology for this treatment, and I expect you to explain why you decided you didn’t need to discuss this matter with your constituents. A form letter will not do, and I will be following up this letter within 1 week with a phone call if I do not get a personal response. My opinion matters, Mr. Specter, and I will not be treated in this manner by a public servant, even if you do hold the title “Senator.”
This is the second letter I have written Mr. Specter this week. I don't expect a response any time soon, so I will have to start sending more letters, making more phone calls.
A real coup would be to hear an aide tell me "I'm quitting my job because of you." fat chance, I guess.
Mr. Specter,
Earlier this year, you and Congress gave Mr. Bush what amounted to a blank check to wage war on Iraq. We were promised that the war would be a “cakewalk” (Wolfowitz) and that the Iraqis would meet us with “flowers and cheers” (Dick Cheney), that the war could be won with significantly less troops that the Powell Doctrine dictates (Rumsfeld), and that the war would cost $20 billion, and probably less.
We now know that none of these claims were true: I won’t even begin to go into the conclusions of the Kay report, other than to say one 10-year old vial of botulin in the back of someone’s refrigerator (probably behind that old bottle of Ranch dressing no one’s touched since 19985) does not a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction make. And now Mr. Bush wants the US taxpayer to pony up $87 billion this year alone, for a war that was supposed to cost $67 billion less? With no exit strategy? While our troops go on year long rotations, and then some? While our own people have decaying roads and highways, poor schools, no health insurance? With tax cuts for the ultra rich subsidized by my property taxes?
Mr. Specter, I am a homeowner, a father-to-be, and voter. I can see far better uses for this money: for Americans. I don’t want you to authorize ANY of this funding until: Mr. Bush gets rid of the people responsible for this mess, and I’m speaking of Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Perle, and Rice; the administration develops a realistic plan for reconstruction, with a transparent and open bidding process; until our own social services are funded (as a father, I am extremely concerned about the state of our schools in Philadelphia).
Mr. Specter, it is widely acknowledged that the administration played games with the truth (I know that politicians have an allergic reaction to the word “lies”). It has been clearly demonstrated that Bush and his people were wrong about everything regarding this war: there are no weapons of mass destruction; there were no flowers and cheers, only rocket powered grenades and bullets; we are facing a guerilla war with no end in sight; the international community did NOT get on board when we “won,” as promised and now American taxpayers (or rather, middle-class and working-class taxpayers) are footing the bill (given your income senator, I must assume that you were one of the lucky ones who got a tax break: how much are YOU paying toward the war effort?). With all these mistakes, how can anyone trust the adminsitration’s current team to get it right in Iraq? At the very least, Mr. Rumsfeld must go. And you must get push for an independent counsel into the Wilson Plame affair: we all know Mr. Ashcroft has close ties to Mr. Rove and can’t be trusted to investigate the White House.
Sadly, when we got to Arlen's Philadelphia office, there was no one to meet us. In fact, said the old man who was nervously collecting letters from irritated MoveOn members, "No one told us about this..."
Riiiiiiiiiiiight. MoveOn, who I have volunteered with for about a year now, "forgot" to set up the appointment. Strange, they were very efficient when we met with Fattah a month or two back. Strange that a Republican who voted for the war and for tax cuts wasn't informed of his upcoming meeting with constituents who disagreed with both. Strange how the old man tried to shoo us away.
I got tired of waiting, so I left. And wrote the following letter to Mr. Specter, which will be mailed as soon as I go downstairs and buy a stamp:
Dear Mr. Specter,
On October 9, 2003, several Philadelphians and I, constituents all, came to your office at 600 Arch Street to meet with you or a staff member about the proposed $87 billion dollar budget for Iraq. This meeting, which was to coincide with others organized around the nation by MoveOn, a liberal PAC, was announced on October 5. However, when we got to your office, not only was no one available to talk to us, the one employee who met us at the elevator collected our letters and attempted to shoo us away. While I later heard that someone met with two of our group, this response is inadequate: we took time from our lives to meet with you, and you stood us up.
Mr. Specter, I took time away from my job to meet with you or your aides. I am not a wealthy man like you. I do not, like you, have the kind of high-powered job in which I can vote myself a pay-raise or take summer off. It was difficult for me to make the time to meet you, and I lost time at work. I am angry and offended that I was treated this way. You are my representative in Congress: you are obligated to listen to your constituents.
Mr. Specter, there are some who like to say “the government should be run like a business, and the citizens should be seen as our customers.” If this is the case, your customer service department is lousy. The result is that I feel disenfranchised, that you don’t care about talking to and hearing from your constituents. Perhaps not hearing the opposing point of view makes your life a little easier, but Mr. Specter that is not what your job description is about.
I expect an apology for this treatment, and I expect you to explain why you decided you didn’t need to discuss this matter with your constituents. A form letter will not do, and I will be following up this letter within 1 week with a phone call if I do not get a personal response. My opinion matters, Mr. Specter, and I will not be treated in this manner by a public servant, even if you do hold the title “Senator.”
This is the second letter I have written Mr. Specter this week. I don't expect a response any time soon, so I will have to start sending more letters, making more phone calls.
A real coup would be to hear an aide tell me "I'm quitting my job because of you." fat chance, I guess.
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