Bill Richardson Issues Statement on Senate Bill Giving Telecom's Amnesty

  New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson issued a statement today calling for the United States Senate to reject the amnesty bill that Bush wants to give the telecom's for helping him spy on U.S. citizens.

  Governor Richardson is most certainly right in prodding his Senators into not signing this bill. Bush and his crime family have had more than enough free passes since 2000 and now is the time to put the brakes on this asshole and his friends.

  Here is the statement.

  "Like most of his promises, President Bush's inauguration day pledge to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution has been folded away and forgotten. From torture to secret prisons and wiretapping, this administration systematically has stripped away or ignored many of the most basic rights and principles upon which this nation was founded.

"This unprecedented assault on American laws and values, cloaked falsely and irresponsibly in the guise of national security, must be stopped.

"Incredibly, the Senate stands on the verge of abetting another Presidential outrage by considering a bill that would grant immunity to telecommunications companies that admitted to assisting the government in spying on American citizens by disclosing personal information. This bill must not pass.

"We need strong leadership to prevent this latest injustice, not equivocation or political calculation. Senators Clinton and Obama say they will oppose the bill, but are leaving the door open to a potential compromise. There can be no compromise on personal rights and privacy. I urge my Democratic primary opponents, and every Senator, to stand up and state loudly and clearly -- without any equivocation -- that he or she will not pass any bill that grants retroactive immunity to companies that willingly aided the Bush administration in violating the law and spying on our own people.

"As President, I will follow the Constitution. America needs and deserves leadership that reflects and upholds our finest principles and traditions. We can have a secure America without trampling on the Constitution and personal freedoms. For now, though, we have President Bush. It is about time that the Senate stood up to him."

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