========= ==== From the HSLDA E-lert Service… ============ ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ====
HSLDA: Call to Stop Confirmation of Justice Candidate Dear HSLDA Members and Friends:
We previously informed you that David Ogden has been nominated by President Obama for the position of deputy attorney general of the United States, the second highest position in the Justice Department.
The Senate Judiciary Committee held their confirmation hearing for Ogden on Feb. 5. The committee could vote on his confirmation as early as tomorrow.
Home School Legal Defense Association urges you to immediately contact your U.S. senator who is on the committee, as listed below, and voice your opposition to Ogden’s confirmation.
The most important reason to oppose Ogden’s nomination is his belief that the rules found in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (http://www. hslda.org/ elink.asp? id=6077) are already binding on the United States under the doctrines of international law.
This means that Ogden believes that the legal rules contained in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child are already binding on the United States, even though this treaty has never been sent to the U.S. Senate for ratification.
For background information on this doctrine, see Michael Farris’ article, “A Deeper Understanding of the Threat of International Law” (http://www. hslda.org/ elink.asp? id=6078) in the November/December 2007 Home School Court Report.
Homeschoolers have long understood the dangers of this international treaty, which contains the core principle that the government may decide what it believes is best for each child without any proof of wrongdoing by the child’s parents.
Ogden promoted the use of this UN treaty in the Supreme Court to reach the conclusion that America’s courts have the power to overrule state law, using international law as their guidepost for constitutional interpretation.
Unfortunately, he was successful in doing so in the Roper case.
It also means that Ogden is a proven advocate for the position that international law should be used to interpret the Constitution of the United States and bind the decisions of our elected officials. I
f this weren’t enough, Ogden has a history of representing Playboy and other purveyors of pornography in high-profile legal cases. He also challenged the legality of using filters on library computers to protect children from seeing pornography.
It would be hard to imagine how Ogden would faithfully enforce the nation’s pornography laws if he is placed in this position at the Justice Department.
The United States Senate needs to understand right now that the American public will not countenance the idea of the nation being led by people who believe that international law trumps American law.
Please call your senator today to register your opposition to David Ogden.
You can also use our Legislative Toolbox to contact your senator: http://www.hslda. org/elink. asp?id=6079
SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Patrick J. Leahy Chairman, D-Vermont (202) 224-4242
Herb Kohl D-Wisconsin (202) 224-5653
Arlen Specter Ranking Member, R-Pennsylvania (202) 224-4254
Dianne Feinstein D-California (202) 224-3841
Orrin G. Hatch R-Utah (202) 224-5251
Russell D. Feingold D-Wisconsin (202) 224-5323
Charles E. Grassley R-Iowa (202) 224-3744
Charles E. Schumer D-New York (202) 224-6542
Jon Kyl R-Arizona (202) 224-4521
Richard J. Durbin D-Illinois (202) 224-2152
Jeff Sessions R-Alabama (202) 224-4124
Benjamin L. Cardin D-Maryland (202) 224-4524
Lindsey Graham R-South Carolina (202) 224-5972
Sheldon Whitehouse D-Rhode Island (202) 224-2921
John Cornyn R-Texas (202) 224-2934
Ron Wyden D-Oregon (202) 224-5244
Tom Coburn R-Oklahoma (202) 224-5754
Amy Klobuchar D-Minnesota 202-224-3244
Edward E. Kaufman D-Delaware (202) 224-5042
Sincerely, J. Michael Smith
HSLDA President Elissa Wahl
Common? Sense... 