Give Hell to Harry

The morning routine consists of waking up, feeding Liam, and then reading the Washington Post in bed. This morning I ran across an article about interstate abortions, click here to read the article. Upon further investigation and several click later, I was staring at a list of Democrats who voted in favor of making it illegal for a minor to cross statelines in order to avoid parental notification laws. Some of the names on that list were not a great surprise but one really disgusted me. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada gained a good deal of attention earlier this year by his calling for a closed door session to confront Republican leadership over their handling of the war in Iraq and legislating in a manner that has locked out Democrats. There it was, his name in the yes column. Give 'em hell Harry? How could this be?? I thought this guy was one of the good ones! Rumors of ties to Abramoff and now a vote for the anti-choice advocates? Even Lincoln Chaffee voted against this one folks. Well, I got so angry I decided to write Senator Reid a letter. Here it is:

Dear Senator Reid,

After reading an article in the Washington Post this morning concerning The Child Custody Act, S. 403, I was compelled to email you. Why this name was chosen I have no idea because it is not protecting anyone, rather taking away rights from those in need of them. After watching you confront the Republicans over the Iraq war, I gained a lot of respect for you and signed up at your Give 'Em Hell Harry website. Democrats need leaders right now, and many of us looked to you to fulfill one of those roles. Today your "yes" vote on S.403 makes me ashamed that you call yourself a member of this party.

The ability to go across state lines for a minor is essential in areas where parent notification is required and there have been instances of incest or rape. In the case of Mississippi, it may be the only option to go across state lines because there is only one clinic left! The right to an abortion is under serious attack in this nation; the fight to protect it is one of the main reasons I support the Democratic party. Even fellow Senators like Barack Obama and John Kerry, who are faithful people, voted against the Child Custody Act.

Senator Reid, I am completely disappointed in your vote that helped tally another point for the far right and the anti-choice advocates. My question for you is, why? What was so compelling about this act that you felt the need to vote in favor of its passage? I understand that I am not one of your constituents, so my opinion may not matter much to you in the grand scheme of things. I truly hope you do not have intentions of running for national office because your vote on S.403 may be acceptable to the people of Nevada but it is deplorable for a Democrat representing the party as a whole.

Best regards,
Corie Wiren


It is really easy to contact our congressional leaders via email. Do it people, write emails, express your concerns.... If we hope to take back the congress, we need to be vocal. Harry Reid and other leaders of the Democratic party need to hear that this kind of voting won't be accepted! To email or call your representatives, go to the Senate or House site, look them up, click contact them, and voila! Tell them about how you are fed up with the policy on the environment, foreign policy, our civil rights, our soldiers dying, lack of oversight, the list can go on and on. We have to make the effort because we can't afford to let the Republican party run the country any longer.