November 12, 2002
Dear Friend,
We are members of the legal teams that helped overturn the convictions of Fred Korematsu, Gordon Hirabayashi and Minoru Yasui in the mid-1980s for their refusal to obey the military orders aimed at Japanese Americans during World War II. Like all Americans, we mourn the loss of lives on 9/11 and remain concerned about the nation's security. But through the lens of the unique Japanese American historical perspective, we have become extremely alarmed at the Bush Administration's attempts, primarily through Attorney General John Ashcroft, to steamroll our civil rights and squelch any criticism or dissent.
We are concerned that the ugly precedent set by the Supreme Court's infamous decision in 1943 and 1944, which upheld Korematsu's, Hirabayashi's and Yasui's wartime convictions, are being revived by the Bush Administration to justify the mass internment of "suspected terrorists". By exploiting the tragedy of 9/11, Ashcroft, on behalf of this Administration, has pushed through legislation and issued orders that are seriously compromising our civil rights.
Here are some examples of Ashcroft's war on civil rights:
1. * He has secretly arrested and detained over 1000 people "suspected" of terrorism and has withheld their names from the public;
2. * He has proposed the creation of detention camps for U.S. citizens whom this Administration, without judicial review, secretly deems to be "enemy combatants";
3. * He has imprisoned U.S. citizens indefinitely in military brigs without bail, criminal charges, or access to attorneys, and has ordered people to be held in jail without charges, in violation of the Administration's own USA PATRIOT Act, which requires charges within 7 days of their arrest;
4. * He has breached the protective wall between criminal prosecutions and national security investigations, which was erected toprevent wiretap and surveillance abuse;
5. * He has authorized the monitoring of privileged communications between attorneys and federal
prisoners/detainees;
6. * He has ordered the continued detention of people in custody even after an immigration judge has found them eligible for release.
There are more examples, but it is clear to us that Ashcroft presents a clear and present danger to the Constitution, to civil rights and to anyone who chooses to dissent against the Administration's policies. We believe John Ashcroft is simply not fit for the position of Attorney General of the United States - he is a right wing extremist.
We believe it is now time to call for his removal as Attorney General.
Americans have been reluctant to stand up to Bush and Ashcroft because of the political authority conferred on them by the tragic events of 9/11. But silence now is the same silence which allowed Japanese Americans to go to prison with only a few isolated dissents. Ashcroft's policies and actions demonstrate that he is incapable of understanding or learning this lesson.
We would like to reach out to the larger American public with our concerns through the mass mailing of a letter similar to the above. If you agree with us, please signify your agreement via email response to this email so that we can use your name to support another letter to be sent to as many like-minded friends demanding Ashcroft's removal and offering specific ideas for breaking the silence and taking action. We will send you the final letter for your approval before we disseminate it.
If we receive an enthusiastic response we will coordinate an even larger public action calling for his removal. If we don't get such a response, we will try to publish that letter as an op-ed or open letter.
Signed: Fred Korematsu
Gordon Hirabayashi
Lorraine Bannai
Karen Kai
Dale Minami
Peggy Nagae
obert Rusky
Donald K. Tamaki
Eric Yamamoto
Gary Iwamoto
Rod Kawakami
Susan Kiyomi Serrano
Project Director
Equal Justice Society
131 Steuart Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-9444 x233
(415) 543-0296 fax
sserrano@lccr.com
UPDATE: To make clear -- this is not a project of the Equal Justice Society.