Get the Facts Newsletter, February 2006
It was with much dismay that I watched John Boehner (R–OH) rise to the position of House Majority Leader a few weeks ago. (Full disclosure: I am currently embroiled in a court battle with Boehner.) This development signals yet another blow to the House's efforts to right our badly listing ethics ship. In response, I thought it was the right time to provide you with insight into the real John Boehner. The following is a list of facts about his record that progressives will find disheartening.
• Read the Boehner Facts Sheet
THE PRESIDENT FAILS TO CONNECT THE DOTS
After listening to the tin-eared rhetoric in President Bush's recent State of the Union speech, I was moved to post the following editorial on Arianna Huffington's blog:
If you hadn't lived in America over the last year, you might be taken in by the President's rhetoric. Instead of a speech, the President wanted a vote of confidence. He didn't get it. This was the sixth time the President laid out his vision for the nation. It was the clearest indication yet that he does not see what his policies have done in America and in other parts of the world
• Read the full posting
KUDOS TO SOME FELLOW BLOGGERSI want to extend my congratulations to David "Goldie" Goldstein, founder of the anti–Tim Eyman blog Horse's Ass, for winning Journalist of the Year, awarded by the King County Democrats.
Also, I wanted to alert you to two fine blog postings I read recently on Daily Kos. One is called "Iraq Postcard II" by a blogger whose handle is "Ivory Bill." It offers a chilling and in-depth look into the Shi'a politics of fear.
The other is a piece favoring a long-time core issue of mine: single-payer health coverage. Blogger "Bonddad" argues that such a system would increase U.S. competitiveness in part because it would relieve the heavy burden that health-care costs impose on small businesses. I wrote my own missive on the topic in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer last week called "Science will force us to improve health care coverage."
• Read more about David Goldstein and the King County Democrats' awards
• Read "Iraq Postcard II" and my comment
• Read "Single-Payer Health Would Increase U.S. Competitiveness" and my comment
• Read my Op-Ed in the Seattle P-I
While current headlines are focusing on kidnappings and oil pipeline explosions in Nigeria's delta region, they are neglecting to mention the serious human rights violations, especially rape of women, being committed by the Nigerian military. Since the attacks on the oil industry began in early February, Nigerian forces have been raiding villages in search of members of a rebel group called the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, which is demanding a larger share of oil profits for Nigerians. But civilians are getting caught in the crossfire.
According to Amnesty International: "The security forces reportedly used excessive force against community members, including using machine guns. . . . The security forces also reportedly set houses on fire by soaking clothes with petrol and throwing them into the houses." In addition, on February 4, 2005, "Nigerian troops responsible for Chevron's security, fired on 200 demonstrators protesting the lack of jobs and development in the oil-rich Niger delta."
The U.S. government and U.S.-based oil companies must not only protect our business interests and American workers in Nigeria, but also demand that the Nigerian government bring human rights violators to justice and its military forces into compliance with international human rights laws.
• Learn more about how oil companies fail to support Nigerians' human rights
• Urge Chevron's CEO to support human rights in Nigeria
• Find news updates on Nigeria
The Earth has really taken a beating from the Bush Administration. Nothing is sacred: not the Endangered Species Act, the Clean Air or Water acts, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). And that's just the short list. Unfortunately, I'm not surprised to see this happening given that our President gets his "facts" about global warming from a fiction writer: Michael Crichton. Sheesh!
Democrats have been fiercely beating back these relentless assaults and can claim a few small victories, most notably preserving the ANWR. For my part, I introduced the Salmon Planning Act to help secure the preservation and recovery of the salmon and steelhead of the Columbia River Basin. I also received a 94 percent rating for my voting record from the League of Conservation Voters (LCV) in its annual National Environmental Scorecard. The Washington State delegation earned an average rating of 70 percent, while the national average for representatives in both houses is a pathetic 45 percent.
Clearly, we must do more. We cannot lose the fight to preserve our planet. Democrats must continue to sound the alarm about global warming and take back the mantle of alternative fuel from the President. A country that can send people to the moon can surely find better energy sources than the ones the President is pushing. In fact, some very smart folks right here in Washington State are already doing it, such as the Apollo Alliance, Climate Solutions, and biodiesel distributors Propel Fuels.
As part of this effort, I'd like to ask you to share your ideas about unique ways to combat global warming as well as your personal eyewitness stories of how the Earth is suffering as a result of global warming. Please send them to me at: emailsignup@mcdermottforcongress.com
• Read about Bush's meeting with Michael Crichton
• Read my Salmon Planning Act
• Read the LCV's 2005 National Environmental Scorecard
• Send me your global warming stories
Here are just a couple of the Web sites I rely on to get the facts:
• The GuideStar.org Hurricane Katrina/Pakistan Earthquake Disaster Relief Site: http://www.guidestar.org/reports/partners/guidestar/hurricane.jsp
• Kicking Ass: The Democratic Party's Blog: http://www.democrats.org/blog.html
• DirtyDickPombo.com: This is a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee site that highlights recent ethics charges against antienvironment congressman Richard Pombo (R–CA): http://www.dccc.org/pombo/main.html
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
By Charles C. Mann (Knopf; 2005)
Much of what you learned in school about what the Americas were like before the arrival of Europeans is demonstrably untrue, according to Science and Atlantic Monthly writer Charles C. Mann. Through studying previously unheralded scientific research, Mann has come to some though-provoking new conclusions, such as the fact that the earliest cities in the Western Hemisphere were thriving before the Egyptians built the Great Pyramid.
• Get more details
Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas
By Elaine Pagels (Vintage; 2004)
Princeton professor of religion Elaine Pagels pits the Gospel of Thomas against the Gospel of John to demonstrate that (to paraphrase Shakespeare) there are more ideas in Christianity than are dreamed of in modern Christians' philosophy. For example, Thomas believed that Jesus was a teacher, not "God." His interpretations became unpopular early in the last millennium and, for all intents and purposes, disappeared until the ancient text was rediscovered, literally, in Egypt in the mid-20th century. Through writing this book, Pagels found, as I often do, that challenging and reexamining her religion only strengthened her faith.
• Get more details
• Join the American Values Team
• Make a donation
Note: Jim McDermott is not responsible for content on Web sites listed in this newsletter except for http://www.mcdermottforcongress.com.
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Revision date: March 20, 2006
