John Kerry’s Plan to Fight the War on Terror Without Sacrifcing the Liberties We’re Fighting to Defend
John Kerry is in Iowa today, where he announced that in his first 100 days as President he will end the ‘Era of John Ashcroft’ and outlined his plan for protecting individual civil liberties while stepping up the war on terrorism.
John Ashcroft has violated civil liberties and abused his authority with
Ø invasions of privacy without justification,
Ø holding detainees indefinitely without cause,
Ø using police powers for political purposes, and
Ø refusing to provide information on how his Department is using the new authorities granted in the wake of 9/11.
In the name of the War on Terror, the Bush Administration has tried to destroy the rights that define us by limiting freedoms, stifling dissent, and attacking our patriotism—all while doing little to actually prevent terrorism and increase security.
John Kerry will fight to defend civil liberties and appoint an Attorney General who knows we can fight the War on Terror without attacking America’s freedoms. Kerry will:
Ø Stop indefinitely detaining American citizens and give basic rights to those detained.
Ø Strengthen terrorism laws that work, including sharing information with local law enforcement.
Ø Stop unreasonable sneak and peak searches, and ensure that there are reasonable safeguards on the use of roving wiretaps and the seizing of library and business records.
Ø Assure that terrorism laws are used to combat terrorism and not in ordinary criminal cases, such as to send the FBI to churches or anti-war demonstrations or to help a political cause.
Ø Assure government is transparent and information is available so that Congress and the public can hold the Justice Department accountable.
Kerry will propose new anti-terrorism laws that advance the War on Terror while ending the assault on our basic rights. After serving as a District Attorney and fighting to crack down on terrorists even before 9/11, John Kerry knows the law enforcement needs real tools to fight terror, not restrictions on American’s basic rights.
John Kerry: “In my first hundred days, I will restore our commitment to civil rights and individual rights. And that will begin with the appointment of an Attorney General whose commitment to and understanding of the Constitution is as great as that of all Americans. An Attorney General who knows we can fight the war on terrorism without attacking America’s freedoms. An Attorney General whose name is not John Ashcroft. If I am President, this government will protect individual rights not roll them back. We will protect equal rights, privacy rights, and a woman’s right to choose. And we will restore the constitutional foundation of this nation.”
Find out more about what John Kerry will do to protect YOUR civil liberties HERE. And check out the full speech HERE.
2) ENVIRONMENTAL CHAMPION REP. EARL BLUMENAUER ENDORSES JOHN KERRY
As the Real Deal Express rolled through Iowa today, it made a stop in Iowa City, where John Kerry picked up the endorsement of Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and spoke at the Iowa-Illinois Manor apartment complex, one of Iowa’s designated Superfund sites.
The Congressman from Portland, Oregon spent today campaigning for Kerry throughout the state.
At the Superfund site, Kerry promised to repeal the Bush assault on the environment and make the United States energy independent. In the first 100 days of his Administration, Kerry will rollback Bush’s assault on clean air and clean water and work to strengthen our nation’s environmental laws. He will also introduce a plan to make the U.S. energy independent of Middle East oil in ten years—and create 500,000 jobs by investing in energy renewable sources, such as ethanol, solar, and wind.
Blumenauer said, “As a member of Congress dealing with the consequences of the Bush Administration everyday, the choice of a candidate for president was simple. John Kerry is one person running who is best qualified to be our President. A lifetime of public service -- in the military and as a district attorney and senator -- has made him battletested in a way no other candidate in either party could hope to be. For me, as someone whose career has been devoted not just to the protection but the enhancement of the environment and the promotion of more livable communities, John Kerry has the best record of environmental leadership, period. All our candidates care about the environment. John Kerry has done more on environmental issues and has been fighting our battles longer than anyone else. Anyone can have a good environmental website; John Kerry has the best program, the best team and the best record for the environment. And finally, next November, John Kerry is the strongest Democratic candidate to beat George Bush.”
Throughout his career, John Kerry has been a top leader on the environment, fighting to clean up toxic waste sites, to keep our air and water clean, and to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other pristine wilderness areas. He has been called an Environmental Champion by the League of Conservation Voters and has the highest career rating of any of the presidential candidates at 96%. He has earned the support of several leading environmentalists in Iowa, including David Hurd, President of the Board of the Iowa Environmental Council and Nick Maybanks, President of the Iowa City Sierra Club.
3) John Kerry Marks World AIDS Day with Comprehensive Plan to Combat HIV/AIDS Epidemic
Today on World AIDS day, John Kerry released a comprehensive global AIDS plan. Read the entire plan by going to www.johnkerry.com
John Kerry said, “As we mark World AIDS Day, we must realize that the health of the entire world is at stake. AIDS is a threat to our humanity, and the greatest public health crisis of our time. But AIDS is also fundamentally a threat to our national security, as countries weakened by the disease can become breeding grounds for terrorist activity. We need a president who combines compassion and courage in combating this killer. I have led the fight to combat this epidemic at home and abroad during my time in the Senate, and will continue to fight the AIDS crisis every day of my presidency by providing $30 billion to fight global AIDS, moving towards universal treatment of AIDS victims around the world, and increasing the funding for AIDS treatment right here in the United States. We will not back down from this fight on my watch, because nothing less than our global security depends on our success.”
John Kerry is the author of the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS bill ever to pass the Senate and a proven fighter to expand funding for US bilateral and global AIDS programs.
4) Kerry Hits Bush on Loss of Manufacturing Jobs and U.S. Economy
Today, as President Bush prepared to deliver a speech in Michigan about the U.S. economy (the same one he’s presided over during the loss of 2.7 MILLION MANUFACTURING JOBS), John Kerry sent a letter to President Bush asking him to show REAL leadership for our economy:
”Your Administration has consistently said you are going to take action and yet you have done nothing. Last March your Commerce Secretary Donald Evans announced that your Administration was launching a Manufacturing Agenda and again in September speech he noted your concern about the erosion of our manufacturing base, claiming that you understand that “our economic and national security requires a stable robust manufacturing sector that produces sophisticated goods here in the United States.”
How many more jobs do we have to lose before you are willing to act? How long before you stop offering more tax cuts for the wealthy and nothing to save and create jobs. You cannot help Michigan or American if you do not offer a robust manufacturing agenda..” |
