Okay, this is short and sweet and it is a call to action. Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, has placed a hold on All of the Presidents nominations. A hold is an archaic and anti-democratic way for Senators to hold up nominations. It is a kind of notice to filibuster. It is an informal practice which has held up nominations for long periods of time.

Why is Sen. Shelby placing a hold on all nominations? Does he have deep concerns about the qualifications of these candidates? Hardly. Sen. Shelby (Stickup Man, AL) wants money for his state,. Here are the projects which TPM is reporting he is to be insisting on in order to remove his hold:

A $40 billion contract to build air-to-air refueling tankers. From CongressDaily: "Northrop/EADS team would build the planes in Mobile, Ala., but has threatened to pull out of the competition unless the Air Force makes changes to a draft request for proposals." Federal Times offers more details on the tanker deal, and also confirms its connection to the hold.

- An improvised explosive device testing lab for the FBI. From CongressDaily: "[Shelby] is frustrated that the Obama administration won’t build" the center, which Shelby earmarked $45 million for in 2008. The center is due to be based "at the Army’s Redstone Arsenal."

This is beyond the pale, even for Republicans. We need to turn up the heat on Sen. Shelby. Below is his contact information:

Washington Office:
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Telephone: (202) 224-5744
Fax: (202) 224-3416
Email: senator@shelby.senate.gov

I am asking everyone to call the Senators office and politely but strongly tell the Senator that his hijacking of the nomination process for pork barrel projects is at best unpatriotic.

If you need a little script, here is one:

Hi my name is (insert name).

It is my understanding that Sen. Shelby has placed a blanket hold on all nominations by the President. I am calling as a citizen to say how completely appalled I am at this abuse of Senatorial power. Sen. Shelby should be ashamed of himself and I am asking that he immediately remove these holds. The work of the nation is far more important than two pork barrels spending projects.

Thank you.

Now the other thing we need to do is call Majority Leader Reid’s office and demand that he not honor any more holds from any Senator, regardless of party. The time for allowing the Republicans to hijack our democracy with impunity is over.

Senator Reid can be reached at:

522 Hart Senate Office Bldg
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-3542
Fax: 202-224-7327
Toll Free for Nevadans:
1-866-SEN-REID (736-7343)

If you are angry like the I am, if enough is enough of this spinelessness by the Democrats and obstructionism by the Republicans, make these two calls and start to make your voice heard!

The floor is yours.

Update: So, I called Sen. Shelby’s office. I was put on hold, I got to listen to some crappy harp music for about two minutes. When I got to talk to the staffer I asked to leave a message. When I told her I was appalled at the Senators behavior, she said thank you and hung up.

This is what you are likely to get, but don’t let that deter you! Lets make this a really hard day in his offices, shall we?

Update Two: I called Sen. Reid’s office twice. Once I left a message and the second time I called and talked to his press office. When I asked if the Senator had a posistion on honoring these holds, they took my contact info and said they’d get back to me. We will see if that happens and what they say.

In the mean time, call! Light up those phones!