Replies

Text of letter sent by Islamics to support Delahunt:

Letter sent to Representatives Berman and Delahunt upon introduction of the
Civil Liberties Restoration Act (CLRA) of 2004
June 16, 2004
Dear Representatives:
The undersigned organizations write to express our support for the Civil Liberties Restoration Act
(CLRA) of 2004. Our organizations represent a diverse and growing movement in communities
nationwide who believe that the United States can meet new security demands while preserving
fundamental liberties and American values of fairness and equal treatment for all. Although we
differ in our missions and mandates, we come together around these principles to endorse this
important legislation.
Many of the actions taken by Congress, the Administration, and law enforcement in the aftermath
of the September 11th attacks represent reasonable responses to the terrorist threat. However,
other measures violated basic liberties. For example, after September 11th, hundreds of Arab and
Muslim immigrants with no connection to terrorism were arrested and detained for weeks and
months. The jailed individuals’ names were withheld from the public and their deportation
hearings kept secret – in short, a system of secret detention that fosters abuse. A Department of
Justice (DOJ) Inspector General report subsequently confirmed that many were held for
prolonged periods without charge; that the DOJ adopted a policy of denying bond to every
detainee without any evidence of connections to terrorism or risk of flight; that many were denied
access to a lawyer and held in excessively harsh conditions; and that some were physically and
verbally abused by prison guards.
These and other measures do not enhance national security; rather, they violate our tradition of
due process, alienate immigrant communities, and undermine U.S. efforts to promote democracy,
human rights, and the rule of law abroad. The CLRA will help protect core values at home while
demonstrating to the world that the United States takes seriously the rights of people it detains.
The CLRA will:
• End the government’s ability to issue a blanket order closing all deportation hearings to the
public and to family members of detainees, while permitting the closure of hearings or a
portion of hearings on a case-by-case basis to preserve the confidentiality of asylum
applications or when national security interests so require.
• Provide minimum due process safeguards to individuals who are jailed on suspicion of
immigration violations by giving them timely notice of the charges against them and assure
that immigration authorities and judges make fair, individualized bond determinations.
• Establish an independent immigration court within the Department of Justice and promote
fair hearings by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal.
• Facilitate better law enforcement practices by requiring that the National Crime Information
Center database relied upon daily by state and local law enforcement complies with minimum
accuracy requirements.
• Terminate the troubled National Security Entry-Exit Registration System while encouraging
fairness and a concentrated focus on those who pose a threat to the national security or safety
of Americans.
• Assign reasonable penalties, commensurate to the technical nature of the violations, for noncitizens’
failure to register or provide timely notification of address changes.
• Ensure that people who are charged with a crime based upon national security surveillance
will see the evidence against them in the same manner as people charged with a crime based
upon other kinds of classified information.
• Require the government to submit a public report to Congress on data-mining activities in
order to protect the privacy and due process rights of individuals and to ensure accurate
information is collected and used.
• Amend the USA PATRIOT Act to limit the secret seizure of private databases and individual
records to cases where the government has shown there is a reasonable connection to a
suspected terrorist or terrorist group.
The CLRA promotes the integrity of the American system of justice and reaffirms our
commitment to core constitutional values. The CLRA moves the United States forward at this
important time with a clear understanding that upholding basic rights and the rule of law is
essential to our long-term success in countering terrorism and creating a safer and more stable
world. We commend your leadership in introducing this critical piece of legislation and look
forward to working with you in moving this measure to enactment.
Sincerely,
National Organizations
605 Citizenship Project
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC)
American Civil Liberties Union
Alliance For Justice
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
American Library Association
American Muslim Council
American Muslim Voice
American Voices Abroad (AVA)
Americans for Religious Liberty (ARL)
Amnesty International USA
Arab American Institute (AAI)
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Asian Law Caucus
Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America (APPNA)
Association of Research Libraries
Bill of Rights Defense Committee (BORDC)
Center for American Progress
Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Democracy & Technology
Center for National Security Studies
Code Pink Women for Peace
Consumer Action
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Freedom of Information Center
Freedom to Read Foundation (sister organization to the American Library Association)
Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
Hmong National Development, Inc. (HND)
Homeland Democracy
Human Rights First
Human Rights Watch
Immigrant Legal Resource Center
Indian American Center for Political Awareness
Interfaith Alliance
International Association of Educators for World Peace (U.S. Branch)
Japanese American Citizens League
Jesuit Refugee Service/USA
Korean American Coalition
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR)
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
The Multiracial Activist (TMA)
National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium (NAPALC)
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (NCAPACD)
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA)
National Immigration Forum
National Immigration Law Center
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
National Lawyers Guild
National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
National Writers Union/UAW L.U. 1981
Open Society Institute
Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAKPAC)
PeaceRoots Alliance
People For the American Way
Presbyterian Church (USA)
Privacy Activism
Rhetoricians for Peace
Service Employees International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC
Sikh Coalition
Sikh Mediawatch and Resource Task Force (SMART)
Society of American Law Teachers
South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow (SAALT)
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations (UUAC)
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC)
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
UNITED SIKHS
VotersUnite!
Local Organizations
Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice, Albuquerque, New Mexico
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, Los Angeles/Orange County Chapter, Anaheim,
California
American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, Denver, Colorado
American Civil Liberties Union -- Douglas County Chapter, Lawrence, Kansas
American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, Austin, Texas
Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, Dearborn, Michigan
Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
Big Sky Civil Liberties Committee, Montana
Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Bastrop County, Texas
Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Benton County, Corvallis, Oregon
Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Conway, Massachusetts
Blazing Ballerina Productions, Brooklyn, New York
Brazilian Immigrant Center, Allston, Massachusetts
Central Jersey Coalition Against Endless War, North Brunswick, New Jersey
Coalition Against War and Injustice (CAWI), Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
Concord (Massachusetts) Civil Liberties Committee, Concord, Massachusetts
Council of Pakistan Organizations (COPO), Brooklyn, New York
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Arizona Chapter (CAIR-AZ), Phoenix, Arizona
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Florida Chapter (CAIR-Florida), Davie, Florida
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Michigan Chapter (CAIR-Michigan), Southfield,
Michigan
Council on American-Islamic Relations, New Jersey Chapter (CAIR-NJ), New Jersey
Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York Chapter (CAIR-NY), New York, New York
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Ohio Chapter (CAIR-OH), Columbus, Ohio
Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Antonio, Texas Chapter, San Antonio, Texas
Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Diego, California (CAIR-San Diego), San Diego,
California
Council on American-Islamic Relations, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter (CAIR, SFBA), San
Francisco, California
Council on American-Islamic Relations, Southern California Chapter (CAIR-LA), Anaheim,
California
Dharma Megha, Okemos, Michigan
Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Durham, North Carolina
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC), Oakland, California
Estes Valley Multicultural Connections/Las Conexiones Multiculturales, Estes Park, Colorado
Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center, Miami, Florida
Guilderland Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Guilderland, New York
Hate Free Zone Washington, Seattle, Washington
Human Rights, Education and Law Project Inc. (HELP), Newark, New Jersey
Heartland Alliance for Human Needs and Human Rights, Chicago, Illinois
Idaho Patriots, Boise, Idaho
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR), Chicago, Illinois
Illinois Single Pagans, Aurora, Illinois
Immigrant Initiatives, CUNY School of Law, Flushing, New York
India Foundation Inc., East Lansing, Michigan
Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights, San Francisco, California
International Service Society, Okemos, Michigan
Japanese American Services of the East Bay (JASEB), Berkeley, California
Korean American Resource & Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois
Korean Resource Center, Los Angeles, California
Libertarian Party of San Joaquin County, California
Littletonians for Civil Liberties (LCL), Littleton, Massachusetts
The Lorax Society, Tulare, California
Midwest Immigrant and Human Rights Center, Chicago, Illinois
Na Loio - Immigrant Rights and Public Interest Legal Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
New York Immigration Coalition, New York, New York
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, Seattle, Washington
Northwest Workers' Justice Project, Cornelius, Oregon
Peace Action WI, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Port Orford Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Port Orford, Oregon
Rights for All People/Derechos Para Todos, Denver, Colorado
Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Boulder, Colorado
Sakhi for South Asian Women, New York, New York
Save Our Rights Coalition of the Tri-Valley (SAVOR), Tri-Valley, California
Seva International, East Lansing, Michigan
South Asian Network (SAN), Artesia, California
Strength Through Peace, Fort Collins, Colorado
Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC), Nashville, Tennessee
Texas Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, San Antonio, Texas
Thai Community Development Center, Hollywood, California
University Peace Initiative (UPI), Honolulu, Hawaii
Vaishnava Center for Enlightenment, Lansing, Michigan
Vedanta Society of East Lansing, East Lansing, Michigan
Washington Defender Association's Immigration Project, Seattle, Washington
Washington Watch Inc. Lansing, Michigan
Women For: Orange County, Irvine, California
Worldview, Ltd., Peterborough, New Hampshire
YKASEC - Empowering the Korean American Community, New York
21LE4003AA

Delahunt's family connection to Islamic support groups located here:

http://www.jrtelegraph.com/2006/01/congressman_del.html

January 28, 2006
Congressman Delahunt's Daughter is a Registered Lobbyist for Saudis
Boston Globe published an article about many congressional family members working as lobbyists. Somewhere in the middle of the story they buried very interesting information about Representative William Delahunt from the Massachusetts 10th congressional district. Please note how delicately they introduce good Congressman:

Some members of Congress say they don't talk to family members who lobby, or don't even know about it.

For example, Kara Delahunt, the daughter of US Representative William Delahunt of Quincy, registered in July as a lobbyist for the Saudi Economic and Development Co., an investment firm that bills itself as ''a leader in Islamic investments," and says it only puts money in projects that adhere to Islamic law.

The Democratic congressman said he didn't know his daughter had registered as a lobbyist until contacted this week by the Globe, even though her employment was noted briefly in a few local and professional publications last summer.

''Honestly, I was totally unaware of that," Delahunt said in a telephone interview.

Kara Delahunt said in a telephone interview that she did public relations work and never lobbied for the Saudi company. Lance Morgan, president of Powell Tate, the public relations firm that formerly employed Kara Delahunt, characterized her registration as a lobbyist as a technicality. ''We registered her to make absolutely sure we adhered to the laws, but Kara never lobbied anyone and her work was all communications and media-related," he said. [link]

More information about the good Representative Delahunt here:

2005 Representative Delahunt supported the interests of the Council on American-Islamic Relations 100 percent in 2005. Source: Project VoteSmart [link]

Here information about CAIR from Daniel Pipes:

The Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations presents itself as just another civil-rights group. "We are similar to a Muslim NAACP," says spokesman Ibrahim Hooper. Its public language - about promoting "interest and understanding among the general public with regards to Islam and Muslims in North America" - certainly boosts an image of moderation.

That reputation has permitted CAIR to prosper since its founding in 1994, garnering sizeable donations, invitations to the White House, respectful media citations and a serious hearing by corporations.

In reality, CAIR is something quite different. For starters, it's on the wrong side in the war on terrorism. One indication came in October 1998, when the group demanded the removal of a Los Angeles billboard describing Osama bin Laden as "the sworn enemy," finding this depiction "offensive to Muslims."

The same year, CAIR denied bin Laden's responsibility for the twin East African embassy bombings. As Hooper saw it, those explosions resulted from some vague "misunderstandings of both sides." (A New York court, however, blamed bin Laden's side alone for the embassy blasts.)

In 2001, CAIR denied his culpability for the Sept. 11 massacre, saying only that "if [note the "if"] Osama bin Laden was behind it, we condemn him by name." (Only in December was CAIR finally embarrassed into acknowledging his role.)

CAIR consistently defends other militant Islamic terrorists too. The conviction of the perpetrators of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing it deemed "a travesty of justice." The conviction of Omar Abdel Rahman, the blind sheikh who planned to blow up New York City landmarks, it called a "hate crime." The extradition order for suspected Hamas terrorist Mousa Abu Marook it labeled "anti-Islamic" and "anti-American." [link]

Back to the Globe's story. Asked about his daughter being a Saudi lobbyist Delahunt said:

''Honestly, I was totally unaware of that," Delahunt said in a telephone interview.[link]

Really? You don't say so.

JRT reader, Yechezkal Gutfreund points out in his comments to this post that the good Congressman is known to be himself on the take of the Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez. We wrote about Chavez on this site here. The same Chavez who said:

Chavez in a Christmas Eve speech last month said: "The world has enough for all. But it turned out that some minorities, descendants of those who crucified Christ, descendants of those who threw Bolivar out of here and also crucified him in their own way in Santa Marta, there in Colombia, a minority took the world's riches for themselves." [link]

Let's sum it up -- Papa Delahunt is a crony of Hugo Chavez, his daughter works as a registered lobbyist for Saudis investing exclusively into Muslim charities. Papa Delahunt has 100 rating from CAIR. Now we are talking about a family business indeed.

Once Mass GOP gets its act together and puts an opponent to Delahunt, please get your checkbooks ready.

posted by: jrtelegraph

Posted at 10:47 PM | Permalink