Open Letter to Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-SC

Below is a copy of an email I just sent to Senator Graham. If you want to express your opinions to him on the issues of Torture and Waterboarding, email him here: http://t.co/LyVxpRYb

Sir,

I have just been listening to debate on the Senate floor regarding S.1867 and your arguments for your Amendment, and against the Feinstein Amendment.

Regarding your statement "a lot of Americans believe we should waterboard these people (terrorists), whatever we need to do because they're so vicious":

Let me disabuse you of this notion, Sir. I am an American. I do NOT approve of waterboarding. I do NOT approve of "do whatever you need to". I believe in the rule of law, I believe in the US Constitution. I believe in the Eighth Amendment, which states:

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

I would posit that waterboarding and other forms of torture would fall under the heading of "cruel and unusual punishments", and against the spirit of America. If we allow such behaviors, we become as bad as our enemies. If we compromise our beliefs in Justice and Liberty, we give away the very things that make us American.

I would like to further remind you, Sir, of the Preamble to the US Constitution:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common
defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to
ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the
United States of America."

Congress is not "Providing for the Common Defence" when it threatens to detain a free citizenry without charge, without due process, without trial, as S.1867 with your amendment will allow.

Congress and the Executive Branch are not Promoting the General Welfare when they bailing out free-enterprise banks, which then register record profits at the same time hardworking people are losing their homes, their jobs, their pensions and their health care.

Congress and the Executive Branch are not Insuring Domestic Tranquility by allowing harm to come to those Americans who are actively exercising their right to free speech and their right to assemble.

Those Blessings of Liberty that we are promised from birth, that our nation tries to bring to every corner of the world, are being extinguished by this Congress with this bill, this amendment.

You are the Servant of the People. You do NOT have the right to rob me of my birthright, MY FREEDOM, by means of legislation written in secret, passed without so much as a single public hearing.

No sir. Your actions in the Senate this week tell the Free People of the United States loud and clear that you are treasonous, willing to sell our birthright to continue to promote a war that was started with lies and misinformation, that was never voted on properly in Congress per our Constitution.

If James Madison and Thomas Jefferson were alive, they'd probably take you behind the shed.