<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:times new roman, new york, times, serif;font-size:12pt"><DIV>I wrote to Anna Eshoo thanking her for her no vote on the defense authorization bill. This was her reply. I thought you might be interested.</DIV>
<DIV>Caroline<BR></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif; FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><FONT size=2 face=Tahoma>----- Forwarded Message ----<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> "ca14ima.pub@mail.house.gov" <ca14ima.pub@mail.house.gov><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> carolineyacoub@att.net<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Mon, December 19, 2011 3:06:48 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Message From Rep. Anna G. Eshoo<BR></FONT><BR>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="COLOR: #ff0000; FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-WEIGHT: bold"></SPAN> </SPAN> </P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">December 19, 2011 </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Dear </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Mrs. Yacoub </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">, </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Thank you for contacting me about the National Defense Authorization Act, legislation which sets defense policy and spending levels for the coming year. On May 26 </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; VERTICAL-ALIGN: super"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: smaller">th </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I voted against the Ho </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">use version of this legislation. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">O </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">n December 14 </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; VERTICAL-ALIGN: super"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: smaller">th </SPAN></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I voted against the </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">House-Senate Conference Report, </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">but </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">it passed the House </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">by a vote of </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">283-136. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Fiscal Year 2012 </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Defense Authorization </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">authorizes </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">$670 billion </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">for defense </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">activities, inclu </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ding personnel expenses, health </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">care, weapons systems, and base construction. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I could not support the measure for several reasons. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the most general sense, despite severe cutbacks throughout the government and the lowest revenue levels in years, this legislation sets a defense spending level that is twice as high as the rest of the world, combined. Although the overall level is a reduction from last year, the reduction is primarily related </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">to our planned drawdown in Iraq. Congress has </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">failed to make serious, fundamental changes to defense spending. In order to be serious about fiscal responsibility— </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">and </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I believe we must be—Congress </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">has to </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">take a much harder </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">look at the defense budget than this
legislation reflects. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Defense Authorization also include </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">s </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">several provisions that I </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">oppose </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">and consider a threat to our national security and civil liberties. Similar to past pieces of legislation, the bill effectively blocks the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">As </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I' </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ve </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">stated </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">for many years, the continuing use of this facility is strategically counterproductive and offensive to our most closely-held American values. Insisting on its continuing use and prohibiting the transfer of its inmates
to regular prisons </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">, as this legislation does, </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">is a step in exactly the wrong direction. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The Defense Authorization also contains unacceptable provisions related to the treatment of detainees. Ignoring the views of the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Director of the CIA, and the Director of the FBI, the Defense Authorization includes mandatory military detention for </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">many </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">terrorism suspects, including </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">noncitizens </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">captured within the U.S. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The law permits indefinite detention, circumventing suspects' habeas corpus rights. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This policy will thwart the efforts of our civilian law enforcement officers whose efforts have protected our country from terrorism since 9/11 and raise serious Constitutional
issues. </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Although President Obama has indicated he will no longer veto the bill, h </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">uman rights groups, law enforcement </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">, </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">and the defense community are united in their opposition to this policy, and I </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">could </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">not support it. </SPAN></SPAN></P>
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<P class=Normal-P><SPAN class=Normal-H><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">I will conti </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">nue to be an active participant </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">in the discussions concerning how best to protect our country, our civil rights, and our fiscal responsibility, and I appreciate your input into this critical conversation. </SPAN></SPAN></P></DIV><BR>If you have any other questions or comments, let me hear from you. I value what my constituents say to me, and always need your thoughts and benefit from your ideas.<BR><BR>
<P>I've created an ongoing <I>e-newsletter</I> to keep constituents informed on a variety of congressional issues and legislation. Many constituents tell me how much they value reading it, and if you would like to as well, you can go to my website at http://eshoo.house.gov and click on <A href="http://eshoo.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=664&Itemid=664" rel=nofollow target=_blank>Sign Up for ENews</A>. Your email address will never be used by anyone except my office to communicate with you, and your tax dollars will be conserved by using electronic communications rather than traditional mailings. </P>Sincerely,<BR><IMG border=0 src="https://forms.house.gov/eshoo/webforms/images/Eshoo_sig.jpg"> <BR>Anna G. Eshoo<BR>Member of Congress<BR></TD>
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