Remember who voted for this loss of liberty

[mark.d.crowley]

I sent multiple LTEs on the NDAA.  The first one was printed today (1/7/2012) in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  I sent this in before Obama signed it, so I focused on PA's federal politicians who apparently didn't have a copy of the Sixth Amendment.

When the PG called to confirm intent to print I asked how many LTEs they got on the NDAA.  Sadly, mine was the only one the letters editor could remember getting.  The holidays might have been a factor and maybe that's why Obama signed it on New Year's Eve.

Remember who voted for this loss of liberty
Saturday, January 07, 2012

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12007/1201853-110-0.stm

[Mik]

Nice job, Mark! I can't believe there weren't more letters. No, wait. Yes, I can.

[mark.d.crowley]

I also submitted an NDAA letter to the Pittsburgh Trib on 1/2/2012, but it never printed.  I hoped that the Trib would consider printing such a letter, but it apparently didn't.  The property tax assessment mess in Allegheny County is front and center right now.  I can't believe that not even one LTE on the NDAA would be printed after Obama signed it.  No, wait.  Yes I can.  (Sigh)

Here's the unprinted LTE.  I like the Toomey paragraph best.

Dear Editor:

Barack "G. W." Obama signed the NDAA into law despite its threat to due process (“Stealing Your Freedoms”, Andrew Napolitano, Trib, 12/2/2011).  

While indefinite detention further stains his legacy, don’t forget some fellow Pennsylvanians with equal contempt for personal liberty and lust for authoritarian government.  Consider NDAA supporters Senators Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.

Casey’s email explanation of his support totaled over 1500 words.  This apparently struck a public nerve. I can’t recall such a defensive essay from him.  Let’s hope he’s defending it into November.

Toomey, the self-billed Tea Party candidate, should consult the Tea Party.  It might now mean “Tyrannized Enough Already.”  Schedule that meeting quickly because they’ll soon be fighting Republican attacks to deny them ballot access. Again.

House locals Jason Altmire, Mark Critz, Mike Kelly, Tim Murphy and Bill Shuster also voted to gut the Sixth Amendment.  The incumbent parties prove again they’re indistinguishable.
 
America is now officially a battleground where troops could police us indefinitely.  The Third Amendment must be next.  Tidy up the guest room.

Mark Crowley
Plum

[mark.d.crowley]

I had a LTE printed and I didn't even know it!  

I sent the LTE listed in this post to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review and they printed it in their sister-paper the Valley News Dispatch (New Kensington, PA area).  I might have had several "rejected" LTEs actually printed elsewhere in the Trib system.  I'll have to check because they no longer call me to confirm intent to print.

I should say they "sorta" printed it as they removed some wording that spoke ill of Republicans.  Besides a reference to Barak "G. W." Obama, they removed one curious sentence about conservative favorite Pat Toomey.  The text as-submitted is immediately earlier in this post.  What follows is what they actually printed.  It suggests to me that the Trib editors sometimes consider irrelevant some things that others wouldn't.  

Please take a look and let me know if I'm just overly critical of a little editing.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/valleynewsdispatch/opinion/s_778301.html

NDAA a threat

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law despite its threat to due process ("Stealing Your Freedoms," Andrew P. Napolitano column, Dec. 2).

Some of our fellow Pennsylvanians believe in indefinite detention and have contempt for personal liberty and lust for authoritarian government - Sens. Bob Casey and Pat Toomey.

Casey's e-mail explanation of his support totaled more than 1,500 words. I can't recall such a defensive essay from him. Let's hope he's defending it into November. Toomey, the tea party candidate, should consult the tea party. It might now mean "Tyrannized Enough Already."

Congressmen Jason Altmire, Mark Critz and Mike Kelly also voted to gut the Sixth Amendment by supporting NDAA. The incumbent parties prove again they're indistinguishable.

America is now officially a battleground where troops could police us indefinitely. The Third Amendment must be next. Tidy up the guest room.

Mark Crowley
Plum