Posted on 04/01/2006 4:55:41 PM PST by AgentOrange3
WASHINGTON, April 1 — Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada announced his resignation earlier today in a letter addressed to the American people. The text of the letter is as follows:
My Fellow Americans,
After much thought, and serious discussions with friends, family and colleagues, I have decided to retire from public service.
Therefore, this letter is to formally announce my resignation from the United States Senate. The decision has been a difficult one, but ultimately, the right one.
In light of recent events, I feel I can no longer be associated with the Democratic Party. It is an organization that undermines and opposes true progress solely for the personal and political gain of its members, instead of what is best for the people it claims to represent.
Several days ago, the Democratic Party unveiled its new national security strategy. This strategy has made several bold claims, yet does not provide for any means to achieve its lofty goals.
We have vowed to eliminate Osama Bin Laden, yet when offers were made by the President of Sudan to arrest and deliver Bin Laden a decade ago, President Clinton refused on at least three separate occasions.
We have promised to remove American troops from Iraq, essentially handing the country over to terrorists, including al-Qaeda, that have repeatedly shown that they are committed to destroying Iraq’s newly established democratic government, before Iraqi forces are ready to take control for themselves. In a country where an overwhelming majority of its citizens have shown bravery and resolve in creating a new democracy and fighting terrorism and tyranny, a pullout of American forces would be devastating.
Democrats have also promised to eliminate the dependence of the United States on foreign oil, yet have consistently opposed recovering oil from domestic sources, including Alaska, California, and in the Gulf of Mexico. We have also opposed nuclear power, a source of renewable energy with zero negative emissions and the construction of windmill projects in ideal locations such as Nantucket Sound.
The notion that Democrats are strong on national security issues, willing to do what is necessary to protect American citizens, and able to skillfully fight the War on Terror is folly. Democrats have opposed the NSA wiretaps that have allowed the current administration to listen to phone calls made from terrorist organizations overseas to operatives and terrorist cells already within our own borders. Americans have overwhelmingly supported President Bush’s decision to seek these wiretaps and recently, FISA court judges have spoken out, saying that the President did not act illegally and was well within his constitutional powers.
Despite this, Democrats continually seek to undermine the President’s efforts to fight the War on Terror and this compromises America’s security, it does not strengthen it.
Democratic leaders have opposed the President's right to order wiretaps, yet have not sought to stop the wiretaps or offer an alternative idea. They have only resorted to extreme measures of censure and rumors of impeachment in order to further divide and polarize the electorate.
This is nothing new. The Democratic Party has constantly undermined efforts to do what is right, instead relying on separatism to further its own goals.
The prime example of this is certainly the Civil War. The Democrat-dominated South believed that limiting or ending slavery would take away their rights as slave owners. They opposed the election of a president that would limit their civil liberties in this regard. In the ultimate act of separatism, Democrats secedes from the Union upon election of a Republican president.
This was not the last attempt of the Democrats to undermine efforts to do the right thing in American history. In fact, Democrats have been on the wrong side of every major issue since then.
It is said that what is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular. The problem with the Democratic Party is that they will consistently choose what is popular instead of what is right.
Take the example of civil rights, a cause the Democrats claim to have championed.
The legendary Civil Rights Act of 1964, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson dismantling racist “Jim Crow” laws established in most of the Democratic South and ending discrimination based on race, religion, sex or national origin. Before it was signed into law by the President, it had to be passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives
In order for the bill to be passed on to the President, it must be supported by two thirds (67%) of voting members in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The final version of the bill was supported by 68% of the Democrats and 82% of the Republicans in the Senate (a total of 73%), and 63% of the Democrats and 80% of the Republicans in the House of Representatives (a total of 70%). It is clear to see that, if left to the Democrats, the bill would not have been passed. In fact, the most vocal opponents of the bill were Democrats, including Senators Al Gore, Sr. and Robert Byrd. It was the overwhelming support by Republicans that enabled the bill to become law.
Since the signing of that bill, Democrats have used it as their rallying cry; they are the party that granted civil rights. It is simply not true.
Democrats opposed civil rights just like they opposed abolition. They have simply lied about it to this day and people continue to believe them. It is my intent to correct this error.
This is not the only case of deliberate deception by the Democratic Party in order to cover up their past mistakes. All Democrats, myself included, believe that when you tell a lie enough times or hide the truth, your words become fact. This premeditated rewriting of history has been very effective for the Democratic Party. If the American people knew how much false information Democrats continue to portray as fact, especially in the last few years, with utter disregard and contempt for historical fact, other Democrats in addition to myself would be shamed out of office. By controlling the information as we see fit, we have effectively controlled public thought in our own favor. This is a system I no longer wish to be a part of. I can no longer stand as an obstruction to justice. I can no longer stand for what is popular instead of what is right. Rule by popular opinion is essentially rule by mob. Mob rule is a dangerous thing. Mob rule suppresses the opinions of others, regardless of their merit. What America needs is a leader, someone who will stand up for what is right, even in the face of adversity; someone who will stand up for what is right even when it is unpopular. You will not find such a leader in the Democratic Party.
Immediately after signing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, President Johnson remarked, “We have just lost the South for a generation.” The man had just signed one of the most important pieces of legislation in our nation’s history and his foremost concern was of popularity.
Today, as a leader in the Democratic Party, I believe that if we continue our efforts to undermine right and proper action simply because it may be unpopular, we will have lost America.
It is my sincerest hope that my resignation will not go unnoticed and I would ask my colleagues to either do the same or completely rethink their politics and reassess their methods and goals. We need to work together as a country toward a common goal, not seek to divide the people. I implore every Democrat in an elected position today to consult your conscious as I have done and consider the effects of your actions. Personal and political gains should never be put ahead of what is right when it comes to serving and protecting the United States of America.
I encourage elected leaders of both parties to work together toward a common vision for American government. We need a government that protects its citizens, not one that divides them. We need a government that repects authority and leadership, not one that undermines it.
Most importantly, we need elected leaders that not only present bold goals, but also provide a means to those ends, a need that, unfortunately, puts current and future members of the Democratic Party leadership at risk. The current rhetoric of the Democratic Party is not adapted to the realities of today's world.
I can only hope that my resignation serves as a wake-up call for the Democratic Party and that others will choose to do the right thing.
Sincerely,
(signature)
Harry M. Reid
April fool???
Too bad it is not April 2 yet
We could only wish.
I thought this thread was pulled..?
IBTZAB
IBTZ
Sincerely, [signature] Harry M. RED
If only........
[...The decision has been a difficult
one, but ultimately, the right one...]
That's the line that gave it away for me. Reid
has yet to ever make a ***RIGHT*** decision.
Note the date?
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