Just Say No to VermontMy WorldNetDaily column of (May 29, 2002) put out an argument for a vacation boycott of Vermont. The case for this boycott grew even more compelling on June 3, 2002 when Senator Leahy directed the staff of the Judiciary Committee to demand internal memos from the Office of the Solicitor General from the days when Miguel Estrada was a Deputy Solicitor General. This is a fishing expedition of the worst sort, and the Administration will of course reject this demand, giving Leahy an excuse --threadbare and repugnant, but an excuse nonetheless-- to delay Estrada and other nominees to the federal appeals bench for months into the future.
The answer of course is to elect a GOP majority and strip Leahy of his power to impose this one-man blockade. Help do that by contributing to the leading GOP candidates in races where a Democratic incumbent is on the ropes: www.JohnThune.com; www.ColemanforSenate.com; www.TalentforSenate.com; www.Saxby.org.
But the story of Leahy's outrageous tactics must make it to Vermont as well, and there is no better way to get a State to look up than by telling it you are not going there for vacation. Hundreds of you have already done so, as the spokesman for the Vermont Chamber of Commerce stated on Channel 3 news in Burlington this weekend. But he also professed to not be bothered by this as Vermont captures millions of tourists and their dollars.
So I guess the volume needs to be turned up if Leahy is going to hear anything from his constituents. E-mail the chamber at www.vtchamber.com. And let the editor of the Burlington Free Press know as well. But most important is your random selection of a travel destination --hotel, B&B, or ski resort-- that you might have visited but now won't. Make sure to let them know that their establishment is off your radar because Estrada and seven other nominees --sent to the Senate more than a year ago-- are off Leahy's scope.
Repetition matters. Many of you tell me that your contribution budget is tapped out and ask what else you can do. Well take up this cause, and let the media in Vermont and beyond know what you are doing and why. "Critical mass" is only a few weeks of activism away.
...also please e-mail this petition to EVERYONE on your list...