Gonzales must be removed from office

"The power of the executive to cast a man into prison without formulating any charge known to the law, and particularly to deny him the judgment of his peers, is in the highest degree odious, and the foundation of all totalitarian government whether Nazi or communist." Winston Churchill.

One of the duties of the U.S. Attorney General is to advise the executive branch as to the legality or possible illegality of any direction or action the executive may wish to follow or implement. If the attorney general conspires with the executive branch to circumvent and thus abnegate oversight by Congress and/or assists in attempts to evade the restrictions placed on the executive by the Constitution and this collusion results, or fails, in restricting the rights of American citizens, in my opinion, should this ever happen, this collaboration defines treason.

The standard of ethics and dedication in service to the American people that I demand of the U.S. Attorney General was established by a personal hero of mine, one Robert F. Kennedy.

Appearing before a congressional committee, under oath, Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General, chief legal officer of the United States, stated that the U.S. Constitution does not guarantee American citizens the right of habeas corpus.

Mr. Gonzales took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. His assertion frightens me as it should all patriotic Americans who believe in the freedoms that are established, inferred and explicit, within our Constitution and Bill of Rights. I believe his interpretation is a threat to our cherished democracy and has demonstrated a failure to champion our democratic principles and thus he has violated his oath.

Based on his determination alone concerning habeas corpus, Mr. Gonzales should be immediately removed as U.S. Attorney General.

WILLIAM R. OUIMET

Sandpoint