Senators out of line
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Editor,
The 47 Republican Senators — including our own Senator Steve Daines — who sent a letter to Iran, are completely out of line. It is not an understatement to suggest that the outrage over the Senate Republican letter is national. Many national newspapers have published editorials criticizing their act. The ridiculous partisan divide in our country is as blatantly unpatriotic as it is blindingly stupid. The House of Representatives has turned into a three-ring circus, and the letter from the Senators to Iran is a singular act of insanity. Senator Daines signed the letter to the Iranian government. That action is in direct violation of the Logan Act. As it turns out, the Logan Act is a federal law, signed in 1799 and last amended in 1994, which prevents unauthorized citizens from communicating with foreign governments for a variety of reasons. The text of the law is as follows:
“Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.”
I did not vote for Daines, and now I sincerely wish that others had not, as well. If this is his contribution to the well being of our country, as a Montanan, I am deeply ashamed to claim him as our duly elected Senator.
Susan Evans
Polson
