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Letters to the editor: Feingold Forum

Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, recently introduced a resolution to censure President Bush for what Feingold alleged was illegal wiretapping of American citizens.

Feingold has guts to challenge Bush

PESHTIGO — Regarding your Opinion page cartoon declaring Senator Feingold to be "Patron Senator Of Hopeless Causes": The reason those causes have been hopeless is that Sen. Feingold seems to be the only person in Washington, D.C., who recognizes the peril into which Bush and his gang are placing this nation, and is also the only one with guts enough to try to do something about it.

Pete Wilberding

Feingold succeeded in another campaign

DE PERE — Joe Heller's cartoon depicted Sen. Russ Feingold as the "Patron Senator of Hopeless Causes" and showed some of his failed efforts.

Not all of Senator Feingold's causes have failed, however. He did succeed in his campaign against free speech.

Steven P. McNicoll

Investigation needed on wiretapping issue

GREEN BAY — Congratulations to Russ Feingold for proposing to censure President Bush. The president needs to understand we live in a nation of checks and balances, and he is an elected official, accountable to the people.

Republicans are trying to spin this and say Senator Feingold is against wiretapping terrorists. That is nonsense. Nobody is against wiretapping terrorists. They are trying to mislead the public.

Let's have an honest debate. The issue isn't about those in favor of wiretapping terrorists and those against it. Both sides are in favor of wiretapping terrorists. The debate is about whether to wiretap American citizens with accountability and oversight, or wiretap them with no accountability whatsoever.

Who knows who they have been eavesdropping on? Terrorism in the past has been so vaguely defined it could include peace activists, anti-war church groups, or anybody who disagrees with this administration's policies.

We need an investigation to find out who they have been wiretapping. If they have done nothing wrong, then they have nothing to worry about.

George Bush asks us to trust him. I, for one, don't.

Eric Carter

Feingold represents the American people

GREEN BAY — We, the people, demand the president be censured. Senator Feingold is representing, we, the people; he is protecting the people's constitutional rights. We, the people, don't want his war in any country.

Cindy Dominiczak

Feingold is a loose cannon in Congress

SHAWANO – Watch out, Wisconsinites. You have a loose cannon in Washington by the name of Feingold.

In January, he asks if the president thinks he's a king. Well, Mr. Feingold, he's not a king but, if he was, you would be a feudal serf.

While the National Security Agency is protecting our country, Feingold would rather not. He tried to filibuster the extension of the PATRIOT Act but could only get two senators to join him.

Now he says he wants to censure the president, which is strictly a ploy. When the Senate majority leader offered a vote on censure the Democrat senators walked out.

Feingold is going all over the country giving speeches for 2008. Current polls show him with a whopping 1 percent support.

Larry Oinas

Writer supports the call for censure

MARIBEL — I wish to point out that, when the ordinary citizen is at fault — speeding, failure to pay taxes, improper compliance with the zoning laws — he or she must obey the law and pay the penalty. Why are the elected not so bound? Even Christ offered "the elected" the same treatment as the heathen. All were equal before God.

I support the call to censure the president for not following the law. Calling Senator Feingold a traitor for asking a question is similar to demanding that Jesus be killed for calling himself a savior.

Nancy Slattery

Congress must check presidential power

GREEN BAY — Senator Feingold is the only representative who has truthfully stood up to the current administration. This administration has held itself above the law and censored information the public is allowed to receive.

President Bush must be held accountable for his actions. This administration wants to hold the public in a state of fear; the only one to fear is our incompetent president.

All of Congress should be standing with Senator Feingold to protect the rule of law. Feingold is standing up to the Bush administration's attack on our Constitution, and he shouldn't be fighting alone.

Republicans know the president broke the law. That's why they are trying to discredit Feingold — to keep the public thinking about terrorism and not the real issue: President Bush broke the law.

Congress must hold President Bush accountable and preserve its role as a check on the power of the presidency.

Diane Spaak

Feingold fights to keep our rights

GREEN BAY — Why do the press and other government leaders refer to the "USA PATRIOT Act" as "USA Patriot Act"? It gives the impression that it has something to do with patriotism. This is far from the truth.

It is an acronym: Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism.

It bothers me when I see it in the Green Bay Press-Gazette as "USA Patriot Act" instead of all caps. If you do a little research, you will understand how hard Senator Feingold is fighting to protect the American people.

We can easily lose our rights without even knowing it. Remember what Hitler did. He took away a lot of freedoms. He fought for a peaceful society by taking away guns. The rest is history.

Geraldine Haen