====== FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ======

America First Party
1630 A 30th Street #111
Boulder, Colorado 80301
http://www.AmericaFirstParty.org

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

Bush, Roberts Sacrifice Vets, Constitution to Imperial Presidency

Boulder, CO - The America First Party continues to have deep concerns regarding the nomination of Judge John G. Roberts to the US Supreme Court. We urge all Senators who value justice and the Constitution to vote against his appointment to replace William Rehnquist as Chief Justice. President Bush has failed in his pledge to nominate a Justice in the mold of Justices Thomas and Scalia.

National Chairman Dan Charles said, "A fundamental principle of Constitutional governance is the separation and limitation of powers among the branches. Breakdown of this principle leads to injustice. Throughout his career, Judge Roberts has promoted the unconstitutional transfer of power from the legislative branch to the executive branch at all levels of government. This is not in keeping with a judge in the mold of Justices Thomas or Scalia."

Mr. Charles continued, "The case of Acree et. al. v. Republic of Iraq and Saddam Hussein is a prime example of Mr. Roberts' unfitness for the US Supreme Court. It demonstrates his willingness to betray this constitutional principle and visit great injustice upon our veterans, for the benefit of a foreign people. In this decision from the bench, Judge Roberts ruled that rights of tortured American veterans to sue their tormentors could be stripped by a Presidential decree. Judge Roberts sided with President Bush and Saddam Hussein against veterans of the first Gulf War."

National Secretary John Pittman Hey explained, "During the 1991 Gulf War, 17 American soldiers were severely beaten and otherwise tortured by Saddam Hussein and his henchmen following capture on the battlefield. Under a law signed by President Clinton, these servicemen and their families sued their tormentors and were awarded nearly $700 million dollars in compensation."

Mr. Hey continued,"However, while the POWs' lawsuit was ongoing, President Bush invaded Iraq, and Congress unlawfully granted President Bush authority to void laws governing Iraq. The President abused this power to strip all American citizens of their right to seek justice in Court for the torture they received at Saddam Hussein's hands.

"President Bush asked the Appeals Court upon which Roberts sits to strip the POWs of the award for damages they had received from the District Court Judge. Judge Roberts sided with the President, Saddam Hussein, and the Government of Iraq against the torture victims. Judge Roberts ignored the Constitution, and took away the money the tortured military veterans had been awarded for the abuse and permanent disfigurement they had suffered."

Mr Charles concluded, "The Constitution gives Congress sole authority to determine questions of jurisdiction of the federal courts. Nowhere does it grant them the power to transfer that authority to another branch by statute. When the courts are politicized in times of war, injustice is the result. President Bush and Judge Roberts have betrayed our veterans, they have betrayed our Constitution, and they have betrayed the cause of justice. Judge Roberts should not be confirmed."

The America First Party was founded in April 2002 and is focused on electing principled citizen statesmen who will preserve and protect our people and our sovereignty, promote economic growth and independence, encourage the traditional values of faith, family, and responsibility, ensure equality before the law in protecting those rights granted by the Creator, and clean up our corrupted political system. In 2004, the AFP elected two-thirds of its candidates to public office.

Contacts:
Dan Charles, National Chairman, 1-866-SOS-USA1, ext. 4
Romelle Winters, Press Secretary, 1-866-SOS-USA1, ext. 2

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