(Dear Sen. Obama)

As an Obama supporter, a [here I list my Obama campaign and Democratic Party credentials], I am deeply disappointed, saddened and bewildered by your vote for the very flawed so-called “compromise” on FISA.

In particular, I am disturbed by your vote for a bill that included the provision granting retroactive immunity to telecom companies that broke the law and violated Americans’ right to privacy by willingly assisting in the Bush Administration’s criminal program of wiretapping American citizens, with no demonstrated connection to terrorism, without warrants in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Senator Obama, whatever happened to accountability? Whatever happened to the rule of law? Whatever happened to Congressional oversight of the Executive Branch? What happened to your oath to uphold and defend the Constitution? Why did you and a number of other Democrats cave in to the White House on this odious piece of legislation? As a purported Constitutional scholar, how could you attack our Constitution in such a flagrant manner?

I still intend to vote for you for president, but whether I carry out that intention will depend on your conduct between now and the November election. I call on you to come out strongly in support of a thorough criminal investigation of the Bush Administration’s illegal warrantless wiretapping program against innocent Americans, such investigation to be commenced immediately upon your taking the oath of office as President of the United States in January 2009.

Please make a better effort to explain to your loyal supporters why you cast such a bad vote on FISA and retroactive immunity and what you will do as President to ensure that the Bush Administration and the criminal telecom companies that violated our right to privacy are brought to justice.

Then I thought of Stanley Dunham, an anthropologist who worked in Indonesia. You might not think you know about Stanley…but I bet you do.

Here’s a person that would have obviously been on the NSA’s watch list. A social activist in the Muslim communities of Indonesia, Dunham helped establish a system of loans to small businesspersons and farmers to help improve their lot in life. Married to Third World foreigners…twice. First to an African, then to an Indonesian…both ostensibly Muslim. Obviously a suspicious type of person, whose emails might carry some sort of intelligence information. Of course the personal stuff (about the kids, or relatives) might also have been useful down the road…just in case some pressure was needed to be made on Stanley.

Especially now…since Stanley’s son is now running for the Presidency. Yes, Stanley Ann Dunham was Obama’s mother. And this is precisely the sort of dangers allowing the NSA to spy on the communications of US citizens without warrants can entail.

Maybe someone should ask if there is any sort of file on Stanley Ann Dunham made by the CIA, FBI, NSA or other Intelligence agencies? How would Obama like his personal and private affairs explored in such a manner by the government? Maybe a situation for a FOIA suit would wake this guy up to the problems related to this sort of privacy invasion!

While this will not throw his nomination to the dogs it will signal that many of his supporters are quite upset at his vacillations and move to the right move to fascistic principles of super-surveillance of Americans.

i do appreciate arguing it out here in the threads, because i have yet to devise a sure fire way of knowing when i’m being rational and when i’m rationalizing. it helps to have my thinking challenged – i really do want that.

… it’s just gets so wearing though to be characterized as “petulant” and worse. that was the source of my plea. because i really didn’t think you meant it, i took it more as a sign of your own frustration.

anyway, i like your idea to attempt to influence the party platform. i think we should do any and all things that we can think of. it’s hard to know what might help.

I’m mad as heck about it, too. I have feelings about it. The point is, what to do about it? What would be the consequences of any particular course of action? I waver around a lot, myself. Kucinich and Ralph Nader sound good to me.

But part of Obama’s history is that, at least up until a few weeks ago, he has been a good listener. Do we want to get his ear? These Platform meetings are overtly an organized listening process. I say let’s give him an earful. How often do us rank & file folks have an opportunity to influence the Democratic Party platform?

Bob in HI