I have deeply respected the mature, responsible and thoughtful manner in which hundreds of thousands of citizens have politely exercised free speech in protesting Governor Walker’s proposal to end 52 years of collective bargaining. People who represent different political views and who come from all walks of life in Wisconsin have united in the effort to fight against this assault on workers rights. The Governor’s proposal has given the citizens their voice back and they have been passionately expressing that voice in an attempt to urge a compromise on the bill.
Had the Senate Democrats not left the state this bill would have been passed in five days, disenfranchising the hundreds of thousands who have protested throughout our state and who have contacted their legislators urging compromise on this bill. I have received from constituents 4,822 email contacts in opposition to the bill and 770 in support of the Governor’s proposal. The simple fact is that these citizens would not have had the opportunity to express their views because the bill would have been passed two weeks ago.
Our decision to leave the state strengthened democracy by enabling citizens to be more personally engaged in their government. Last night’s swift and possibly illegal vote turned the lights out on democracy in Wisconsin. Today Governor Walker had the gall to suggest that he “wanted a civil debate that would respect the rights of others.” His comments are an insult to all citizens who understand that his legislation was specifically designed to eliminate the rights of workers.
Citizens have a right to feel duped and frustrated that their voices fell on the deaf ears of the Governor and the extremist control of the legislative republicans. I call upon all citizens to rise above the pathetic behavior of some of these elected officials and politely, respectfully and diligently apply their energy to engage in the political process to recall legislators who so blindly ignored the will of the people.
###
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
My Latest Letter from Senator Bob Jauch D-Poplar
Thank you for writing. I am glad you took the time to write and enable me to offer an explanation of my efforts to find common ground to protect the taxpayers and preserve collective bargaining. I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but the massive number of calls and emails has prevented an earlier response.
I am doing my job in representing the citizens of northern Wisconsin who have overwhelmingly expressed opposition to Governor Walker's plan to eliminate collective bargaining. Thousands of citizens have contacted my office to oppose Governor Walker's plan and they have asked me to seek a solution. Statewide public opinion polls indicate that over 67% of the public strongly disapprove of his proposal.
My colleagues and I took the decision to leave the state seriously. We had to take unprecedented action to respond to the unprecedented and unjustified assault on workers rights. Our decision to leave the state was to slow down the process and allow the public a chance to better know the harmful consequences of the budget repair bill and provide the public a chance to engage in the deliberation process.
Since we left the state hundreds of thousands of citizens have traveled to Madison to voice their displeasure regarding the bill. The more the public knows about the legislation the stronger the opposition to the measure.
The Governor, Senate Democrats and the unions are in the heat of an agreement regarding the plan to increase pension and health care employee contribution. If Governor Walker is serious regarding the fiscal concerns of the state then he should accept our offer to adopt the fiscal matters that will save $845 million and remove the collective bargaining provisions that are so strongly opposed by the public.
Since Governor Walker introduced this legislation every day I have talked with Republican lawmakers and former Thompson Cabinet officials to seek a pathway to find common ground. Those conversations revealed that 6 or 7 Republican Senators hated the collective bargaining provisions but felt pressured by Governor Walker to vote for the bill.
The reality is that there is a strong majority of legislators who don’t want to get rid of collective bargaining but voted against the wishes of the constituents because they were compelled to vote with Governor Walker. Recently Representative Stone, a Republican candidate for Milwaukee County Executive, admitted that he voted for the budget repair bill but did not agree with getting rid of collective bargaining. I have spoken with a number of Republican representatives who voted for the bill and are hoping the Senate will adopt compromise language.
Yesterday Governor Walker said that he had been working day and night to find a solution to the issue. The fact is that he has held more press conferences blasting Democrats than there have been meetings. It took his Administration 18 days before a request was made for a meeting.
Last Wednesday evening my colleague and I received a call inviting us to a meeting in Kenosha with two members of his staff. Along with Senator Miller we met at 9:00 in Kenosha for an hour and half discussion.
We had a candid and professional conversation regarding several issues that may be concepts for an agreement, however, there was no agreement on either the process or the areas under consideration.
The following day I drafted some additional details for further discussion but upon receiving the memo my computer crashed as a result of a virus. I contacted his staff to call me so I could explain the memo. Unfortunately, they took it into Governor Walker and he held yet another press conference angrily denouncing the Democrats.
At my request the Governor’s staff met Senator Cullen and me at a meeting in South Beloit to consider possible agreeable items. After our two hour discussion I sent them a summary of those items which I hoped would be the basis of an agreement.
Governor Walker’s statement that Senator Cullen and I were working for an agreement so that he and I and a couple more legislators could come back to Wisconsin was an absolute lie. As leaders it is our obligation to find solutions to problems that constitute a win for the citizens of Wisconsin and Senator Cullen and I dedicated considerable time to meet that obligation. We had many conversations with his staff to indicate our desire to pursue solutions that would heal the deep divisions within the State Legislature and hopefully bind the wounds that divided Wisconsin.
Any serious leader does not negotiate contentious issues by press conference. His public announcement of what were supposed to be confidential discussions is a serious breach of faith. Furthermore, Governor Walker’s identification of Senator Cullen and me was intended to use us as a wedge in public opinion and showed he was not seriously interested in achieving a meaningful solution.
An election determines winners and losers. Governing requires leadership by public officials to develop policies that are considered a win for the state. Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to offer collective bargaining for public employees and public opinion soundly opposes the effort to become the first state in the nation to eliminate collective bargaining.
The Archbishop of Milwaukee said it best, “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.” As Pope Benedict wrote in his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in veritate:
Governments, for reasons of economic utility, often limit the freedom or the negotiating capacity of labor unions. Hence traditional networks of solidarity have more and more obstacles to overcome. The repeated calls issued within the Church's social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum [60], for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honored today even more than in the past, as a prompt and far-sighted response to the urgent need for new forms of cooperation at the international level, as well as the local level. [#25]
This has become a protracted fight about unions when we should not lose sight that the ultimate goal is to protect workers rights as a moral imperative. These hard working citizens contribute to the public good and should not be considered the public enemy. They are hard working teachers, bus drivers, prison guards, snowplow operators, nurses, firefighters, clerks, and police offers whose contributions to the commonwealth make Wisconsin a great state.
This is an historic moment. We didn’t plan for it, but citizens have seized the opportunity to protect the values, traditions and rights that make Wisconsin special. I stand by my decision to leave Wisconsin to go to the Land of Lincoln to protect these values. When history records our time I wish to be on the right side of protecting workers and not on the wrong side of eliminating workers’ rights.
I hope that the Governor and the Republicans will soon realize that their obligation is to listen to the overwhelming majority of the citizens of our wonderful state and not adhere to the rigid ideologues who don’t care about good government in our state.
Wisconsin policies have always been a beacon to the rest of the nation. It is my hope that we can find a resolution that protects worker rights and taxpayer and preserves collective bargaining. Such an agreement can lead to unity instead of division and enable us to then work together to improve our economy and move Wisconsin forward.
Thank you for contacting me.
Bob Jauch
State Senator
I am doing my job in representing the citizens of northern Wisconsin who have overwhelmingly expressed opposition to Governor Walker's plan to eliminate collective bargaining. Thousands of citizens have contacted my office to oppose Governor Walker's plan and they have asked me to seek a solution. Statewide public opinion polls indicate that over 67% of the public strongly disapprove of his proposal.
My colleagues and I took the decision to leave the state seriously. We had to take unprecedented action to respond to the unprecedented and unjustified assault on workers rights. Our decision to leave the state was to slow down the process and allow the public a chance to better know the harmful consequences of the budget repair bill and provide the public a chance to engage in the deliberation process.
Since we left the state hundreds of thousands of citizens have traveled to Madison to voice their displeasure regarding the bill. The more the public knows about the legislation the stronger the opposition to the measure.
The Governor, Senate Democrats and the unions are in the heat of an agreement regarding the plan to increase pension and health care employee contribution. If Governor Walker is serious regarding the fiscal concerns of the state then he should accept our offer to adopt the fiscal matters that will save $845 million and remove the collective bargaining provisions that are so strongly opposed by the public.
Since Governor Walker introduced this legislation every day I have talked with Republican lawmakers and former Thompson Cabinet officials to seek a pathway to find common ground. Those conversations revealed that 6 or 7 Republican Senators hated the collective bargaining provisions but felt pressured by Governor Walker to vote for the bill.
The reality is that there is a strong majority of legislators who don’t want to get rid of collective bargaining but voted against the wishes of the constituents because they were compelled to vote with Governor Walker. Recently Representative Stone, a Republican candidate for Milwaukee County Executive, admitted that he voted for the budget repair bill but did not agree with getting rid of collective bargaining. I have spoken with a number of Republican representatives who voted for the bill and are hoping the Senate will adopt compromise language.
Yesterday Governor Walker said that he had been working day and night to find a solution to the issue. The fact is that he has held more press conferences blasting Democrats than there have been meetings. It took his Administration 18 days before a request was made for a meeting.
Last Wednesday evening my colleague and I received a call inviting us to a meeting in Kenosha with two members of his staff. Along with Senator Miller we met at 9:00 in Kenosha for an hour and half discussion.
We had a candid and professional conversation regarding several issues that may be concepts for an agreement, however, there was no agreement on either the process or the areas under consideration.
The following day I drafted some additional details for further discussion but upon receiving the memo my computer crashed as a result of a virus. I contacted his staff to call me so I could explain the memo. Unfortunately, they took it into Governor Walker and he held yet another press conference angrily denouncing the Democrats.
At my request the Governor’s staff met Senator Cullen and me at a meeting in South Beloit to consider possible agreeable items. After our two hour discussion I sent them a summary of those items which I hoped would be the basis of an agreement.
Governor Walker’s statement that Senator Cullen and I were working for an agreement so that he and I and a couple more legislators could come back to Wisconsin was an absolute lie. As leaders it is our obligation to find solutions to problems that constitute a win for the citizens of Wisconsin and Senator Cullen and I dedicated considerable time to meet that obligation. We had many conversations with his staff to indicate our desire to pursue solutions that would heal the deep divisions within the State Legislature and hopefully bind the wounds that divided Wisconsin.
Any serious leader does not negotiate contentious issues by press conference. His public announcement of what were supposed to be confidential discussions is a serious breach of faith. Furthermore, Governor Walker’s identification of Senator Cullen and me was intended to use us as a wedge in public opinion and showed he was not seriously interested in achieving a meaningful solution.
An election determines winners and losers. Governing requires leadership by public officials to develop policies that are considered a win for the state. Wisconsin was the first state in the nation to offer collective bargaining for public employees and public opinion soundly opposes the effort to become the first state in the nation to eliminate collective bargaining.
The Archbishop of Milwaukee said it best, “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.” As Pope Benedict wrote in his 2009 encyclical, Caritas in veritate:
Governments, for reasons of economic utility, often limit the freedom or the negotiating capacity of labor unions. Hence traditional networks of solidarity have more and more obstacles to overcome. The repeated calls issued within the Church's social doctrine, beginning with Rerum Novarum [60], for the promotion of workers' associations that can defend their rights must therefore be honored today even more than in the past, as a prompt and far-sighted response to the urgent need for new forms of cooperation at the international level, as well as the local level. [#25]
This has become a protracted fight about unions when we should not lose sight that the ultimate goal is to protect workers rights as a moral imperative. These hard working citizens contribute to the public good and should not be considered the public enemy. They are hard working teachers, bus drivers, prison guards, snowplow operators, nurses, firefighters, clerks, and police offers whose contributions to the commonwealth make Wisconsin a great state.
This is an historic moment. We didn’t plan for it, but citizens have seized the opportunity to protect the values, traditions and rights that make Wisconsin special. I stand by my decision to leave Wisconsin to go to the Land of Lincoln to protect these values. When history records our time I wish to be on the right side of protecting workers and not on the wrong side of eliminating workers’ rights.
I hope that the Governor and the Republicans will soon realize that their obligation is to listen to the overwhelming majority of the citizens of our wonderful state and not adhere to the rigid ideologues who don’t care about good government in our state.
Wisconsin policies have always been a beacon to the rest of the nation. It is my hope that we can find a resolution that protects worker rights and taxpayer and preserves collective bargaining. Such an agreement can lead to unity instead of division and enable us to then work together to improve our economy and move Wisconsin forward.
Thank you for contacting me.
Bob Jauch
State Senator
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Sen Jauch's Answer to Governor Walker's War on Unions.
Thank you for contacting me. I share your outrage.
Thousands have demonstrated and hundreds have testified during 17 hours
of committee hearing. The GOP discontinued the hearing but my Democratic
colleagues continued to listen to all who desired and deserved to speak.
At 3:00 in the morning when the committee refused to accept any more
hearing slips my colleagues and I held a press conference along with
over 400 individuals who continued to commit their voice for worker
rights. It was an inspirational scene.
The bill is being mislabeled as the budget repair bill. It should be
referred to as the worker retribution bill as Governor Walker is trying
to undo 60 years of collective bargaining history in our state.
For Governor Walker to suggest that public employees are the economic
elite demonstrates an arrogance and pathetic ignorance about true
economic condition of public employees. Here is my public statement on
the matter:
I am deeply disturbed that Governor Walker has chosen to treat public
employees as the evil empire by attacking collective bargaining. Public
employees have not caused the current economic crisis and should not be
used as a fall guy. The Governor's choice to unleash dictatorial power
in order to pick a fight with unions defies the character of Wisconsin.
Negotiation can, has, and will work. Public employees have been
agreeing to major concessions including acceptance of increased
contributions to their health care benefits. Local governments want to
keep working with their employees, while this Governor clearly does not.
It is sadly apparent that he is using the deficit as a ruse to destroy
workers rights. This legislation should be named the Worker Retribution
Act. Governor Walker is doing this because his ultimate goal is to get
even with the unions.
We all share a desire to solve our fiscal challenges, but retribution to
the men and women who provide basic services in Wisconsin is a cynical
political stunt that is harmful to the people of this state. The
governor is showing disrespect to the dedicated service of state
employees.
Last week during the blizzard thousands of State employees showed up for
work even though the buildings and roads were closed because they are
committed to their jobs. The decent thing for Governor Walker to do is
to sit down with public employee unions, treat them with respect, and
develop a mutual cooperative agreement. That is the Wisconsin way of
solving problems.
Sincerely,
Senator Bob Jauch
Thousands have demonstrated and hundreds have testified during 17 hours
of committee hearing. The GOP discontinued the hearing but my Democratic
colleagues continued to listen to all who desired and deserved to speak.
At 3:00 in the morning when the committee refused to accept any more
hearing slips my colleagues and I held a press conference along with
over 400 individuals who continued to commit their voice for worker
rights. It was an inspirational scene.
The bill is being mislabeled as the budget repair bill. It should be
referred to as the worker retribution bill as Governor Walker is trying
to undo 60 years of collective bargaining history in our state.
For Governor Walker to suggest that public employees are the economic
elite demonstrates an arrogance and pathetic ignorance about true
economic condition of public employees. Here is my public statement on
the matter:
I am deeply disturbed that Governor Walker has chosen to treat public
employees as the evil empire by attacking collective bargaining. Public
employees have not caused the current economic crisis and should not be
used as a fall guy. The Governor's choice to unleash dictatorial power
in order to pick a fight with unions defies the character of Wisconsin.
Negotiation can, has, and will work. Public employees have been
agreeing to major concessions including acceptance of increased
contributions to their health care benefits. Local governments want to
keep working with their employees, while this Governor clearly does not.
It is sadly apparent that he is using the deficit as a ruse to destroy
workers rights. This legislation should be named the Worker Retribution
Act. Governor Walker is doing this because his ultimate goal is to get
even with the unions.
We all share a desire to solve our fiscal challenges, but retribution to
the men and women who provide basic services in Wisconsin is a cynical
political stunt that is harmful to the people of this state. The
governor is showing disrespect to the dedicated service of state
employees.
Last week during the blizzard thousands of State employees showed up for
work even though the buildings and roads were closed because they are
committed to their jobs. The decent thing for Governor Walker to do is
to sit down with public employee unions, treat them with respect, and
develop a mutual cooperative agreement. That is the Wisconsin way of
solving problems.
Sincerely,
Senator Bob Jauch
Monday, January 24, 2011
My Liberal Identity
You are a Working Class Warrior, also known as a blue-collar Democrat. You believe that the little guy is getting screwed by conservative greed-mongers and corporate criminals, and you’re not going to take it anymore.
Take the quiz at
About.com Political Humor
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Is this my Last Letter from Feingold?
Dear Mr. Schaefer,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the "Commission") and defense spending. I appreciate hearing from you.
On February 18, 2010, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13531, creating the Commission. President Obama appointed Senator Alan Simpson, formerly a Republican Senator from Wyoming and Erskine Bowles, formerly President Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff, to co-chair the Commission. Neither Senator Simpson nor Mr. Bowles required Senate confirmation in order to assume their positions. Should legislation be developed based on the recommendations of the Commission, I will be certain to keep your thoughts in mind.
You also contacted me regarding defense spending. We owe our military personnel and their families our support. I will continue to work to ensure that our troops and their families have the resources that they need, both to combat our adversaries and to provide for their families, during this challenging time.
President Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have recommended several changes in defense spending to ensure that we are allocating sufficient funds for current military operations. It is important that the Department of Defense maintain the ability to deter and defeat the current and possible future threats to our country.
You may be interested to know that S. 1390, the Defense Authorization Act of 2010, passed the Senate on July 23, 2009. Members of the House and Senate are meeting to draft a final version of this bill. I was pleased to be a cosponsor of an amendment to S. 1390, offered by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to strike $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 aircraft procurement by the U.S. Air Force. The Senate's passage of this amendment is a victory for the Armed Forces and American taxpayers. Now defense dollars can be freed up to address real world threats and fill gaps in our defense capabilities.
I have been a strong advocate for better oversight of our defense and military spending. Recently, I offered an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution to set aside funds in the defense budget to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in defense spending. I was pleased that the Senate Budget committee adopted my amendment. This amendment supports the efforts of the Senate Armed Services Committee and others to reform our acquisition process, through such efforts as increased competition among contractors, testing and prototyping, and oversight of weapons development. In addition to the ongoing efforts to reform the acquisition process, this amendment could support further auditing and investigations. This amendment will help increase critical oversight activities over the record levels of defense spending.
Thank you again for contacting me. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
Thank you for contacting me regarding the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (the "Commission") and defense spending. I appreciate hearing from you.
On February 18, 2010, President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13531, creating the Commission. President Obama appointed Senator Alan Simpson, formerly a Republican Senator from Wyoming and Erskine Bowles, formerly President Bill Clinton's Chief of Staff, to co-chair the Commission. Neither Senator Simpson nor Mr. Bowles required Senate confirmation in order to assume their positions. Should legislation be developed based on the recommendations of the Commission, I will be certain to keep your thoughts in mind.
You also contacted me regarding defense spending. We owe our military personnel and their families our support. I will continue to work to ensure that our troops and their families have the resources that they need, both to combat our adversaries and to provide for their families, during this challenging time.
President Obama and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates have recommended several changes in defense spending to ensure that we are allocating sufficient funds for current military operations. It is important that the Department of Defense maintain the ability to deter and defeat the current and possible future threats to our country.
You may be interested to know that S. 1390, the Defense Authorization Act of 2010, passed the Senate on July 23, 2009. Members of the House and Senate are meeting to draft a final version of this bill. I was pleased to be a cosponsor of an amendment to S. 1390, offered by Senator John McCain (R-AZ), to strike $1.75 billion in funding for F-22 aircraft procurement by the U.S. Air Force. The Senate's passage of this amendment is a victory for the Armed Forces and American taxpayers. Now defense dollars can be freed up to address real world threats and fill gaps in our defense capabilities.
I have been a strong advocate for better oversight of our defense and military spending. Recently, I offered an amendment to the fiscal year 2010 budget resolution to set aside funds in the defense budget to prevent waste, fraud and abuse in defense spending. I was pleased that the Senate Budget committee adopted my amendment. This amendment supports the efforts of the Senate Armed Services Committee and others to reform our acquisition process, through such efforts as increased competition among contractors, testing and prototyping, and oversight of weapons development. In addition to the ongoing efforts to reform the acquisition process, this amendment could support further auditing and investigations. This amendment will help increase critical oversight activities over the record levels of defense spending.
Thank you again for contacting me. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
Friday, October 1, 2010
Holding BP accountable Senator Kohl-WI
Dear Mr. Schaefer:
Like you, I have been closely following the oil spill at BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Although the oil well has finally been capped and the leak stopped, nearly 5 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico , making this the worst accidental oil spill ever. This tragic accident caused the deaths of eleven workers aboard the rig and has wreaked environmental and economic devastation throughout the Gulf region.
Congress and the administration have already begun investigating the causes of this catastrophe, mitigating damage from the remaining oil slick, and strengthening safety enforcement to prevent similar spills from happening in the future.
Scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are monitoring the damage to coastlines, fisheries, and wildlife, as well as studying the safety of chemical dispersants used to break up the oil.
There is no doubt that BP and its partners are financially liable for this incident. Current law states that an oil company is responsible for all oil spill removal costs, plus up to $75 million for damages associated with the spill, such as to natural resources and property, as well as economic losses.
However, the damage caused by this spill has already far exceeded $75 million. Therefore, Congress is considering legislation that would raise - or entirely remove - the liability cap and increase the $1 billion per incident cap on the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
Recently, I joined my Senate colleagues in writing to BP calling on the company to create a $20 billion account - which an independent trustee will administer - to pay for the cleanup and for the Gulf region's economic losses. I am pleased that BP has set up such a fund. However, as damage to the region continues to be assessed, even $20 billion may not be enough. You can be sure that we will hold BP and its partners responsible for paying the full costs of the damage they have caused.
I will work with my colleagues to make sure that taxpayers do not foot the bill for this mess. Additionally, we will work to keep accidents like this from happening in the future. As these efforts move forward, I will be sure to keep your comments in mind and will reflect on them should legislation on offshore drilling come before the Senate. Thank you very much for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Herb Kohl
United States Senator
Like you, I have been closely following the oil spill at BP's Deepwater Horizon oil rig. Although the oil well has finally been capped and the leak stopped, nearly 5 million barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Mexico , making this the worst accidental oil spill ever. This tragic accident caused the deaths of eleven workers aboard the rig and has wreaked environmental and economic devastation throughout the Gulf region.
Congress and the administration have already begun investigating the causes of this catastrophe, mitigating damage from the remaining oil slick, and strengthening safety enforcement to prevent similar spills from happening in the future.
Scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are monitoring the damage to coastlines, fisheries, and wildlife, as well as studying the safety of chemical dispersants used to break up the oil.
There is no doubt that BP and its partners are financially liable for this incident. Current law states that an oil company is responsible for all oil spill removal costs, plus up to $75 million for damages associated with the spill, such as to natural resources and property, as well as economic losses.
However, the damage caused by this spill has already far exceeded $75 million. Therefore, Congress is considering legislation that would raise - or entirely remove - the liability cap and increase the $1 billion per incident cap on the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.
Recently, I joined my Senate colleagues in writing to BP calling on the company to create a $20 billion account - which an independent trustee will administer - to pay for the cleanup and for the Gulf region's economic losses. I am pleased that BP has set up such a fund. However, as damage to the region continues to be assessed, even $20 billion may not be enough. You can be sure that we will hold BP and its partners responsible for paying the full costs of the damage they have caused.
I will work with my colleagues to make sure that taxpayers do not foot the bill for this mess. Additionally, we will work to keep accidents like this from happening in the future. As these efforts move forward, I will be sure to keep your comments in mind and will reflect on them should legislation on offshore drilling come before the Senate. Thank you very much for contacting me.
Sincerely,
Herb Kohl
United States Senator
Monday, September 20, 2010
Letter from Feingold Military Comission vs Federal Court
Dear Mr. Schaefer,
Thank you for contacting me regarding the trial of terrorism suspects in federal court. I appreciate hearing from you.
The White House is currently considering whether to try five Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of conspiring to commit the September 11 attacks in federal criminal court or by military commission. I believe we must bring these men to justice and believe that our federal court system is more than capable of securely, effectively and fairly trying alleged terrorists. Federal courts have been used successfully for years to prosecute terrorists, including Zacarias Moussaoui for his involvement in the 9/11 attacks, Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," and Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.
It is important to note that only a handful of convictions have ever been achieved in the military commissions process, and two of the people convicted have since been released to their home countries. While exact figures of how many people have been convicted in the federal court system are harder to pin down, the Bush administration said in 2008 that since 2001 it achieved 319 convictions or guilty pleas in terrorism or terrorism-related cases in the federal court system. I am concerned that using the comparatively untested military commission process would be riskier than prosecuting these individuals in our federal courts.
Thank you again for contacting me. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
Thank you for contacting me regarding the trial of terrorism suspects in federal court. I appreciate hearing from you.
The White House is currently considering whether to try five Guantanamo Bay detainees accused of conspiring to commit the September 11 attacks in federal criminal court or by military commission. I believe we must bring these men to justice and believe that our federal court system is more than capable of securely, effectively and fairly trying alleged terrorists. Federal courts have been used successfully for years to prosecute terrorists, including Zacarias Moussaoui for his involvement in the 9/11 attacks, Richard Reid, the so-called "shoe bomber," and Timothy McVeigh for the Oklahoma City bombing.
It is important to note that only a handful of convictions have ever been achieved in the military commissions process, and two of the people convicted have since been released to their home countries. While exact figures of how many people have been convicted in the federal court system are harder to pin down, the Bush administration said in 2008 that since 2001 it achieved 319 convictions or guilty pleas in terrorism or terrorism-related cases in the federal court system. I am concerned that using the comparatively untested military commission process would be riskier than prosecuting these individuals in our federal courts.
Thank you again for contacting me. I look forward to hearing from you in the future.
Sincerely,
Russell D. Feingold
United States Senator
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