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<div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Dear Roland, </font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">You know, when you write me such a nice letter but make the "To:" be towntalk, and just cc me, I don't know exactly how to interpret it. I'll just let that go, I guess. I'm not going to try to top you on the "disagreement" front, but will remain respectfully in disagreement, and within the posting guidelines.</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">I didn't ever think that TownTalk was going to be a forum on constitutional law, but, hey, "anything of interest" is "anything of interest," right?</font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Article 2 is Article 2 is Article 2. </div></span></blockquote></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Article 2 is Article 2. You're right. But the Fourth Amendment (prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures, for those of you reading along) is the Fourth Amendment. When interpreting Article 2, you have to keep the Fourth Amendment in mind (and the Eighth, but that's another discussion). </font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Arial; min-height: 15px; "><br></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><font face="Arial" size="4" style="font: 13.0px Arial">Back to the main point: the courts have the power to review actions taken by the executive branch under Article 2, period. That separation of powers is the foundation of our government. So, if the Executive Branch violates other sections of the Constitution while exercising valid Article 2 powers, the courts can intervene and insist that the violation stop (for example, and much to the point, the December 18, 2003, decision by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case of José Padilla that "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; ">the President lacked inherent constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief to detain American citizens on American soil outside a zone of combat"; that particular point was never reviewed by the Supreme Court and is thus still an open question, admittedly, but NO ONE suggested that the Judicial Branch did not have the right to review the President's actions<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; ">).</span></span></font></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><br></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I suppose you and I differ most on whether the telecom surveillance</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">directed by the executive branch is "patently legal".</div></span></blockquote></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">That IS a big point of disagreement -- I am dubious on that point, and I think the courts should review what happened. And I agree with Senator Dodd that if it is so "patently legal" then the words "motion for summary judgement and dismissal" should be all that the telecom's attorneys should have to say.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Your invocation of the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) doesn't change my mind a bit -- the congress cannot pass laws that violate the constitution. If the Administration violated the Constitution but says "the AUMF said I could", well, sorry, the Constitution trumps the AUMF. (I could open another front in this discussion about amending/repealing the AUMF, but I'm getting tired.)</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I think I can make my case best by referring again to the power of the</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">pardon. Presidents can pardon *anyone*.</div></span></blockquote></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">The "power of the pardon" is not limited (much) by the rest of the constitution. Article 2 is. I guess he could PARDON the telecoms without getting into constitutional hot water. ;-)</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">I do, however, urge you to vote, as I would urge anyone who disagrees</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">with me to vote. And I urge you to keep these matters foremost when</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">you do, because (again, I hope you and I agree) these are among the</div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">most important issues we face when we choose our next leader.</div></span></blockquote><br></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I will vote -- I've missed only one election (school board election in 1991) since turning 18, and I *do* keep matters like this in mind when I consider the candidates. I encourage EVERYONE to vote, regardless of how they feel on any issue, and to educate themselves on the positions and backgrounds of the candidates before casting their vote.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I also encourage them to contact their Senators and Representative to express their opinion on the issue at hand. People should be more involved in government than just tapping a touch screen every few years, and letting your reps know your opinion is an important part of US democracy.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Warm regards,</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Alan</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><blockquote type="cite"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">PS You are so more eloquenter than any old Senator Dodd.</div></blockquote></div></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">I am NOT more eloquenter than Senator Dodd. He probably places punctuation and capitalizes more consistently than I do, too.</span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">P.P.S. Roland's original note (lightly excerpted here) is at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "></span></span></font></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; "><a href="http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/2008-February/003527.html">http://riverdale-park.org/pipermail/towntalk/2008-February/003527.html</a></span></span></font></div><div><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div></body></html>