Jim Ramstad Response

March 26, 2006

John C. Grady, Jr.
6075 Goldenrod Ln. N.
Plymouth, MN 55442

Congressman Jim Ramstad
103 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515

Congressman Ramstad,

I was disappointed by your response to my “An Open Letter to America” that I sent to your office on February 14, 2006. In that letter I had addressed many points that showed a steady and deliberate erosion of citizen’s rights by the current administration. Your response, however, only minimally addressed one of those issues. That issue being the unconstitutional spying on American citizens.

In your response you say that it is important to note these points:

Senior Congressional leaders…were briefed about this program…

…the program involves monitoring the conversations of those who have had contact with suspected al Qaeda members.

…House and Senate members have announced plans to investigate this intelligence program.

To your first point I argue that the Constitution does not state that its protections may be set aside as long as Congress is made aware of it.

Addressing your second point, if there is evidence that the American citizens being spied upon are colluding with Al Qaeda then that evidence should be presented to a court of law and a warrant obtained for the surveillance of those American citizens.

And to your third point, I am aware of no investigation.

None of your points justifies, legitimize, nor make the surveillance operations constitutional.

Recently the Congress and the President have gotten together and decided among themselves to suspend any and all investigations and to continue this unconstitutional program. I point out to you that neither the Congress nor the President has the authority to continue this program.

The Constitution is clear on matters of domestic surveillance. The government of the United States may not gather information on American citizens for investigative purposes without a court issued warrant. Why is this so difficult to understand?

I am greatly disappointed in all of the members of both the House and the Senate for allowing this program to continue and for not immediately bringing impeachment proceedings against the President after he publicly admitted to forsaking his oath of office.

And I am also disappointed in your complete lack of response to the other points of my initial letter to you, listed below.

Watch lists
Military imprisonment of American citizens
Imprisonment of American citizens without due process
The executive branch declaring Americans as non-citizens and unconstitutionally removing them from the protections of the Constitution
The isolation of the Judicial branch from the system of checks and balances
The President breaking his oath of office
The historic parallels to our current political environment

All I hear coming out of Washington these days is fear. Fear of Al-Qaeda. Fear of Iran. Fear of other terrorist groups. Whatever happened to the “Home of the Brave”? This fear has been used as an excuse for 4 years to polarize this nation and to tear apart the protections of our Constitution. When the citizens of Minnesota elected you to office they expected you to fight for their rights and to be a leader who would stand up and speak out for them. I invite you to reread my initial letter and hopefully reply with a more well thought out and American response than the one that I received from you that was composed on March 2^nd of 2006.

If you no longer have the original copy of my letter, you may find an online copy at http://www.asinglevoice.us/Politics/Rights/AnOpenLetterToAmerica/AnOpenLetterToAmerica.html.

As always, I will make myself available to meet with you and discuss these issues in greater detail at your convenience.

Respectfully yours,

John C. Grady, Jr.

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