Out with the tourists on Friday, and it was an education. I'd say it was about 60% Dem / 40% Repub out there. Quite a few people replied to my grab line saying "I like it!", or "I support Bush!" Certainly more people than on the day we stood in the middle of the Castro.

Oh and here's the line we're using to start the conversation: "Hi there! Would you like to help stop President Bush's abuse of power?" Most just shake their heads and smile as they walk by. Some laugh outright. Others reply ruefully, "You can't stop it!" A few do stop to chat, though, and most leave slightly shocked by the facts I'm telling'em. A couple of times on Friday it even moved them to the point of action, and now there are several more card-carrying members of the ACLU out there.

Here's some recent news about said abuse of power. The White House has been using RNC email accounts to avoid oversight. They used the RNC accounts instead of White House accounts because White House accounts can be subpoenaed, and it is illegal to destroy any official White House emails. By using the RNC accounts, they hoped to avoid scrutiny. Surprised? Yeah me neither. Here's the meat of the story:

The Presidential Records Act requires the President to “take all such steps as may be necessary to assure that the activities, deliberations, decisions, and policies that reflect the performance of his constitutional, statutory, or other official or ceremonial duties are adequately documented … and maintained as Presidential records.” To implement this legal requirement, the White House Counsel issued clear written policies in February 2001 instructing White House staff to use only the official White House e-mail system for official communications and to retain any official e-mails they received on a nongovernmental account.

The evidence obtained by the Committee indicates that White House officials used their RNC e-mail accounts in a manner that circumvented these requirements. At this point in the investigation, it is not possible to determine precisely how many presidential records may have been destroyed by the RNC. Given the heavy reliance by White House officials on RNC e-mail accounts, the high rank of the White House officials involved, and the large quantity of missing e-mails, the potential violation of the Presidential Records Act may be extensive.

This is just one more example of an Administration gone batshit insane. I hope they face legal repercussions. If anyone can make a difference in this fight, it's the ACLU, and it feels great to building their ranks.