Get the Facts Newsletter, July 2005
Volume 1, Issue 5
As many of you know by now, I am fighting a long-running court battle against right-wing Republicans who want to punish me for contributing to the downfall of Newt Gingrich by passing along incriminating information to the media. On June 15, 2005, I received some much-needed good news: 17 news organizations—representing nearly all the major U.S. media outlets—filed an amicus curiae (friends-of-the-court) brief in my defense.
Why? Because they realize, as we have all along, that this case is not about me: It's a bold-faced attack on freedom of the press.
As a result of the last decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in this case in 2001, the court has created the possibility that a reporter who obtains information of public importance could be subject to punishment, even if the reporter did not break any law in obtaining it and disseminating it to the public. We've already had a chilling preview of what's to come with the recent Supreme Court decision that reporters should serve jail time for refusing to reveal sources and the Cleveland Plain Dealer editor's recent decision not to publish two investigative pieces because they were based on material that was illegally leaked.
Here are just a few of the familiar signatures on the brief: the Associated Press; the New York Times Company; ABC, Inc.; CBS Corporation; and NBC Universal, Inc. (You'll note, with little surprise, I'm sure, that FOX declined to sign.) To date, the Republicans have not had any amicus curiae briefs filed on their behalf in this case.
Unfortunately, the brief has not yet been posted to the Web, but as soon as it is, we will link to it in this newsletter and on my home page. To get full details on the case, visit my my Web site. Or help us fight to protect the First Amendment by making a contribution.
Sincerely,
NEWS ITEMS OF NOTE
• It's Time to Withdraw from Iraq
• Why I Oppose CAFTA
WEB SITES I LIKE
• Evergreen Politics
• WashPIRG
BOOKS I'M READING
• The World Is Flat
• Resurrecting Empire
TAKE ACTION:
• Join the American Values Team
• Make a Donation
FEEDBACK
Your feedback on the issues—and this newsletter—is very important to me. Send your thoughts to: emailsignup@mcdermottforcongress.com
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Whether you oppose the war in Iraq or not, most of us believe that we should finish what we started by cleaning up the mess we made. But that doesn't mean we have to keep our under-resourced troops there indefinitely and continue writing multibillion-dollar check after multibillion-dollar check. There is a way out:
It is time to involve the rest of the world in Iraq and stop anyone from calling this is the "U.S.-Iraq War." Only the United Nations has the international imprimatur to lead an international coalition in Iraq. Only the United Nations can credibly install a peace-keeping force in Iraq that is seen as such by the entire world.
I would gratefully support a Republican resolution to get the U.N. into Iraq. This would be a positive development to safeguard U.S. ground forces and send a positive signal to a skeptical Arab world that America's intentions are not what the insurgents claim them to be.
Here are links to a couple of thought-provoking articles I've found on the subject, plus a link to a recent speech I made on the House floor:
From the Asia Times: Why Withdrawal Is Possible
By Mark LeVine, June 30, 2005
Excerpt: "…few Americans, especially politicians, are willing to consider the alternative: apologize to the Iraqi people for an invasion and occupation that (whatever our intentions) has gone terribly wrong; ask the United Nations to take over the management of the country's security, lead negotiations to end the insurgency, and oversee redevelopment aid; and leave as soon as a sufficient number of replacement forces are in place."
• Read the article
From TomPaine.com: The Vietnam Solution
By Robert Dreyfuss, June 28, 2005
Excerpt: "The conditions in Iraq and here at home are strikingly similar to those we saw surrounding Vietnam at the end of the Johnson Administration. Those looking for an exit strategy, take note. … It is perfectly clear what the United States has to do. It must abandon its deformed offspring in Baghdad, the hapless regime of Shiite fanatics and Kurdish warlords, and pray that it can establish direct talks with the people it is fighting."
Read the two-part article:
• Part 1
• Part 2
Iraq Solution Lies with U.N. Involvement
By Jim McDermott, June 23, 2005
• Read or watch my speech
WHY I OPPOSE CAFTA
For the past several months, I was willing to give the Administration and Republican majority the benefit of the doubt on CAFTA (the Central America Free Trade Agreement), but not any longer. In my role as a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over international agreements, I voted against CAFTA. I had concerns about it, such as workers’ rights, environmental protection, and true free market trade.
Recently, when the Republican chairman of the Ways and Means Committee hinted publicly that he wanted to improve CAFTA, especially provisions on workers’ rights, I believed I was witnessing a good faith attempt to unite, not divide, the committee and the House. Unfortunately, we have since learned that the Republican majority intends only to divide and conquer, removing any hint at protecting workers.
Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) recently expressed some similar views on CAFTA in an editorial for the Chicago Tribune. He wrote: "There are real problems in the agreement itself. It does less to protect labor than previous trade agreements, and does little to address enforcement of basic environmental standards in the Central American countries and the Dominican Republic. ... But the larger problem is what's missing from our prevailing policy on trade and globalization—namely, meaningful assistance for those who are not reaping its benefits and a plan to equip American workers with the skills and support they need to succeed in a 21st Century economy."
• Read Sen. Obama's editorial
• Read more of my opinions on CAFTA
Here are just a couple of the Web sites I rely on to get the facts.
• Evergreen Politics: http://www.evergreenpolitics.com/
• WashPIRG (Washington State Public Interest Group): http://www.washpirg.org/
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
By Thomas L. Friedman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2005)
New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman takes a break from his usual explorations of strife in the Middle East to ponder the long-term effects of globalization. He's followed the movement of money around the globe and is predicting tough times for U.S. businesses that aren't planning now for major competition from countries like China and India. It's a real wake-up call.
• Get more details
Resurrecting Empire: Western Footprints and America's Perilous Path in the Middle East
By Rashid Khalidi (Beacon Press; 2004)
Rashid Khalidi, chair of Arab Studies at Columbia University and a frequent writer of op-eds for major daily newspapers, brings us an in-depth look at the possible outcomes of Western involvement in the Middle East. Though things look grim when he follows our current route to its logical destination, he also offers ideas that could help the West find a path to peace.
• Get more details
Volunteer:
• Join the American Values Team
Donate to:
• The Jim McDermott Legal Expense Trust
• Jim McDermott for Congress
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Revision date: August 1, 2005
