U.S. in Iraq for 50 more Years?????

According to a story at Reuters, President Bush envisions the American military staying in Iraq for the next 50 years. (I'll wait for you to pick yourself up off the floor.....)

Reuters:
President George W. Bush would like to see a lengthy U.S. troop presence in Iraq like the one in South Korea to provide stability but not in a frontline combat role, the White House said on Wednesday.

The United States has had thousands of U.S. troops in South Korea to guard against a North Korean invasion for 50 years.

Democrats in control of the U.S. Congress have been pressing Bush to agree to a timetable for pulling troops from Iraq, an idea firmly opposed by the president.

White House spokesman Tony Snow said Bush would like to see a U.S. role in Iraq ultimately similar to that in South Korea in which "you get to a point in the future where you want it to be a purely support model."

"The Korean model is one in which the United States provides a security presence, but you've had the development of a successful democracy in South Korea over a period of years, and, therefore, the United States is there as a force of stability," Snow told reporters.....

Wow! What a terrible idea! Can you imagine 50 more years of ......
American deaths in Iraq?
IED explosions?
a continuing drain on our treasury?
diverting the National Guard from state emergencies?
Etc., etc., etc.

According to the Cost of War, the Bush's Iraq War has cost us over $430,000,000,000 and almost 3,500 American lives. How much more does this administration think we should give? Do those Republican presidential candidates support 50 more years in Iraq? Someone should ask them.

***Update:
Adding to this information about the Iraq War, we get this from the Ohio Beacon Journal:
Soldiers in the Ohio National Guard are not being trained with the same equipment they would use if deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, according to the state's adjutant general.

"It's about confidence in soldiers, and the soldiers need to train on the right pieces of equipment so they have confidence in the mission we're asking them to do," Maj. Gen. Gregory Wayt said Wednesday.

For example, Wayt said some Army Guard troops will begin three weeks of training starting June 9 using standard-issue M-16 rifles when they would be using shorter, lighter M-4 rifles in the field.

The soldiers also can't train with the type of night-vision goggles or armored vehicles they would use in combat, the Guard said....

According to Icasualties, 146 Ohioans have been killed in Iraq and 1,056 Ohioans have been wounded.
Does the fact that they are not being trained with the proper equipment put our Ohio men and women at a higher risk? Of course! What is Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) doing about this? Why don't we call her office and find out?

Fred Thompson's Voting Record

The Republicans are looking at Fred Thompson as the possible savior of their party. However, as a former U.S. Senator, his voting record will give us more information about his views.

On The Issues:
Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. (Jun 2002)
Voted NO on background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)

more to follow....

In The District

>Since members of the House of Representatives are supposed to be in their home districts this week, it is important that constituents call, e-mail, or drop by their district offices. For example, here in Ohio's 15th district, we need to let Deborah Pryce's office know that we are NOT happy with her support of the Iraq war.

>Looks like Republicans are preparing to throw a hissy-fit:
The Hill:
House conservatives are ready to stop the Senate immigration bill in its tracks with a potent procedural weapon should the contentious measure win passage in the upper chamber.

The trump card conservatives may hold is a constitutional rule that revenue-related bills must originate in the House. The Senate immigration measure requires that illegal immigrants pay back taxes before becoming citizens, opening the door to a House protest, dubbed a “blue slip” for the color of its paper.....

Why do the Republicans hate immigrants? Instead of trying to work on a bill that provides comprehensive immigration reform, the GOP just wants to delay and confuse the issue. Sooner or later the Legislative Branch will do something and the Republicans must work to be part of the solution or they will be regarded as obstructionists.

Numbers to Think About

***Martin Frost thinks Republicans will lose even more seats in the House of Representatives.
FoxNews:
Republicans are mounting an effort to take back the U.S. House of Representatives in 2008. If history is an indicator, they will fall short.....
...It will take a miracle for the congressional out party (the Republicans) to elect a president in 2008. Thus, there will be no coattails for Republican candidates.

Also, there were a number of Republicans who barely hung on in 2006 and could fall to well-financed Democratic challengers in 2008 (Heather Wilson, Deborah Pryce and several other incumbents in New York and Pennsylvania come to mind). The mess in Iraq already is putting pressure on nervous Republican congressmen from swing districts.

Additionally, the DCCC is doing a good job of making sure that new Democratic members elected from swing districts in 2006 are raising enough money to hold on to their seats in 2008....

Hmm. Interesting. It appears that many constituents have had enough of the Republicans' support of Bush's Iraq war. Since Pryce won by only a little more than 1,000 votes, it is possible that she could lose this time around. With fixed voting machines and Republicans out of power in Ohio (except for Husted and his do-nothing-GOP-that-caters-to-right-wing-religious-groups), it is possible that we could have legitimate elections in Ohio next time.

***The month of May is not over yet and the American fatalities in Iraq have already exceeded April 2007.
ICasualties.org:

U.S. Deaths Confirmed By The DoD:	3456
Reported U.S. Deaths Pending DoD Confirmation:	8
Total	3464

***Also, ICasualties states that Ohio has had 1,056 wounded and 145 killed in Iraq. How many more Ohioans will die or be injured before Pryce, Tiberi, and Boehner stop supporting Bush's Iraq war?

Jon Husted & Oberer

How is it that the Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, Jon Husted, is so demanding to the Ohio Dept. of Transportation? How is it that employees of the Oberer Companies contribute so much money to Republican Jon Husted and Oberer just happens to be getting contracts with ODOT?

According to the Ohio Secretary of State's website on campaign finance for candidates in Ohio, since 1999 associates/employees/owners of the Oberer Companies/Development, have contributed 20 times to Republican Husted for a total of $18,350. Can you guess who is doing so many of the construction projects in Husted's district? Oberer!

John Boehner

Think Progress has a video of Republican Rep. John Boehner's (OH-8) crying scene on the House floor. According to the Washington Post, Boehner voted against:
-veterans' benefits (Vote 265: H R 1591) and a timetable to get our troops out of Iraq
-against implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission (Vote 15: H R 1)

And, according to Project Vote Smart, Boehner's support of veterans' issues since the beginning of Bush's Iraq war can only be described as poor:

2006 In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Representative Boehner a grade of C.

2006 Representative Boehner supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 66 percent in 2006.

2005 Representative Boehner supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 0 percent in 2005.

2004 Representative Boehner supported the interests of the Disabled American Veterans 0 percent in 2004.

2004 On the votes that the The Retired Enlisted Association considered to be the most important in 2004, Representative Boehner voted their preferred position 33 percent of the time.

2003 On the votes that the Disabled American Veterans - House considered to be the most important in 2003, Representative Boehner voted their preferred position 0 percent of the time.

2003 Representative Boehner supported the interests of the American Veterans 50 percent in 2003.

If Boehner really cared about our troops, their families, and the future of all Americans, he would be voting for veterans issues and against prolonging the war in Iraq.

Who knew?

-I watched part of the Monica Goodling hearing yesterday. Who knew that college student government and working for the Republican political party qualified someone to be in the Justice Department? How many other Republican robots and Regent University grads are in the Bush administration? No wonder the Bush administration is a mess.

-Have you noticed that Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) doesn't have too much to say recently? She rarely speaks on the House floor and her interviews with TV/newspapers are rare (except during election campaigns).

Pryce appears to want to reward her buddies at the gas/oil companies by letting them have free rein over building refineries wherever they want. Pryce, who has received big money from gas and oil concerns and their people (see Open Secrets), calls Democrats obstructionists. However, she did not want to support a vote on Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act (see Washington Post).

By the way, what is Deborah Pryce doing to get us out of Iraq? Ask her.

A Question for Pryce

Why would Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) skip this vote? Democrats and Republicans both supported the vote. Pryce had voted in bills both before and after this particular vote. Perhaps she can provide an explanation for her refusal to vote.
(Washington Post)

5/22/07

Vote 398: H R 2264: No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act “Nopec”

--Not Voting

According to the Washington Post, HR 2264 is described as......

• Question: On Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass, As Amended
• Bill: H R 2264
• Vote description: No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act “Nopec”
• Vote type: 2/3 Yea-and-Nay (Help)
  A two-thirds majority of those present and voting is required for approval or passage. Used for suspension calendar bills in the House and certain Senate votes.
• Result: Passed, 345-72, with 15 not voting.
• Date/time: May 22, 2007, 4:30 p.m.
• Republican majority opinion: Yes (Help)
  The position of more than 50 percent of voting Republicans. "None" means an equal split between "Yes" and "No."
• Democrat majority opinion: Yes (Help)

Pryce's News Letter

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has mailed out a newsletter with all of her accomplishments (?). I'm looking for the jobs she said she brought to central Ohio (they must all be at Wal-mart). Anyway, I think her mailing is a crock of ----- (you fill in the blank). If you live in the 15th, invest 41 cents for the reply card and tell Pryce what you really think.

Ohio News of Interest

An impeachment vote came before the Oberlin City Council. Dispatch:
In front of more than a dozen residents wearing peach "Impeach Bush and Cheney" buttons, the Oberlin City Council voted unanimously to ask the House of Representatives to do just that.

Last night's vote backs a petition signed by 648 Oberlin residents and makes Oberlin the first city in Ohio to formally support impeaching the president and vice president. Fifty-seven other cities and Vermont's legislature have passed similar measures....

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland has restored some protection that Republican Gov. Taft had taken away. Bucyrus Telegraph:

Discriminating against people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity is wrong. Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's signing of an executive order banning such discrimination at state agencies is a good thing.

Strickland signed the order Thursday to protect state workers who are gay, lesbian and transgender or who may appear to be. According to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, there have been 60 cases of such discrimination filed against the state in the last three years.

The rule specific to sexual orientation had been in effect since Democratic Gov. Richard Celeste was in office in the 1980s, remained in place during Republican George Voinovich's administration and was removed in the early months of Gov. Bob Taft's administration.

The order prohibits the consideration of sexual orientation and gender identity among state workers when it comes to hiring, layoffs, termination, transfer, promotion, demotion, compensation and eligibility for training.

For other people to be protected and this group to be removed from protection was wrong in the first place. It never should have happened. Strickland's signature to this order Thursday was righting a wrong the residents of this state never should have let happen....

The NBA draft lottery is tonight and Greg Oden is probably a little anxious about where he'll go. See the Dispatch.

The Lantern has a story about how there was a blood drive near Ohio State for soldiers in Iraq:

In honor of Memorial Day, soldiers in Iraq will receive the ultimate care package - 300 pints of blood, courtesy of a local church.

On Sunday, members and volunteers at the Newman Center on Lane Avenue hosted a blood drive to help wounded soldiers being treated in Baghdad hospitals. The large room in the center was filled with 27 beds and a steady stream of volunteers ready to roll up their sleeves and help.

"With the shortages of blood in the hospitals, I knew we needed to do something to help," said Hank Bobulski, the blood drive coordinator for the center.

Bobulski said he was inspired by a segment on "60 Minutes" about the shortage of blood in Iraqi hospitals and immediately contacted the Armed Services Blood Program, the only organization that collects blood specifically for the Army, Navy and Air Force, and started organizing the event....

Another Tough Monday

-->Working for farmers:
(Dayton Daily News)

...U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., joined forces this last to introduce a bill aimed at making it easier for fruit and vegetable farmers to bring their product to market....

-->Ohio Republicans and their leader in the legislature, Jon Husted, are just plain pathetic.

In yesterday's Columbus Dispatch, Republican Jon Husted and his GOP buddies in the Ohio legislature, were taken to task for spending too much time on a bill on lap dancing at strip clubs. Here is an excerpt:

How comical that House Speaker Jon A. Husted would chide reporters for paying too much attention to a bill regulating strip clubs....

...lawmakers didn't have to spend hours and hours debating how far a stripper must stay from a patron. They could have ignored the issue and left the group to seek about 120,000 signatures to put the issue on a statewide ballot.

With Ohio struggling economically, you'd hope our elected leaders would put their priorities where the voters' are. Is the existence of nudie bars what Ohioans are worried about these days?

Gov. Ted Strickland made the point a couple of times recently.

"We've got health-care and school-funding and crime-and-punishment and environmental issues and a lack of jobs and all of these things that I think are much more deserving of time and attention," he said....

Ohio Republicans just don't get it! Instead of trying to help kids and bring jobs to Ohio, they have to waste time on their stripper bill!

--->What is Republican Deborah Pryce (OH-15) doing to bring our troops home from Iraq? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

According to ICasualties, 145 Ohioans have been killed in Iraq, and 23 of them are from central Ohio. Why is Deborah Pryce so afraid to speak out against the war? Oh, I forgot. She said the war in Iraq has nothing to do with her.

Helping

-According to the Dispatch, over 37,000 participated in the Komen Race for the Cure in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The runners included Mayor Mike Coleman. Local celebrities were on hand, including Democrat and Franklin County Commissioner, Mary Jo Kilroy.

-A mother who lost her son in Iraq has started a charity to help the troops. Check out the Adam C. Conboy Memorial Fund:
Operation Bedding:
Operation Bedding came to be after a Sunday morning phone call from our son Adam. At the time he was serving in Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He asked if I could send him bed sheets, he requested forty sets. He explained that the weather was so hot, and with little free time clean sheets would be nice. He was concerned that his friends have the same comforts that he had and that's why he needed forty sets. He jokingly said get Operation Bedding going mom. That Friday he was killed.

Without realizing it Adam had just set up his own memorial fund. For the funeral services we requested money instead of flowers so we could send a shipment of supplies to Adam's friends still serving. The outpouring of love and support was overwhelming. So many expressed their gratitude and were eager to help.

Since that time with the support and generosity of others we have been able to send thousands of dollars in supplies and goodies. It is our way to express our gratitude to those so willing to lay down their life for our freedom. Please join our effort!
Monetary donations can be sent to:

WACHOVIA BANK
c/o The Adam Conboy Memorial Fund
6128 Ridge Avenue
Philadelphia, Pa 19128

Is there a way for you to help this worthy cause?

White House Against Military Pay Raise

-Yesterday was a very busy day in the House of Representatives. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) continues to keep marching with her Republican leadership in her votes. (See Washington Post for voting records.) She voted against ---

Vote 377: S CON RES 21: Setting Forth the Congressional Budget for the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2008 and Including the Appropriate Budgetary Levels for Fiscal Years 2007 and 2009 Through 2012
S CON Res. 21 passed without Pryce's support.

-The White House is against a military pay raise. Raw Story has the details:
The White House has come out in opposition to a proposal by Congress to raise military pay by 3.5 percent, according to a report by Army Times....
Even though our military has been forced to have 2, 3, and 4 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, the White House is against a pay raise. Is that a way to support the troops?

Buzzflash has an interview with author, Greg Palast. Palast has written a book on how to prevent Rove and others from stealing an election again.

Thursday's Notes

The American Prospect has looked at some of last year's election contests. Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) was one of the names mentioned. The blog can be found HERE.
(As noted at American Prospect, Ohio's 15th district has had an increase in population. However, as a resident of the 15th congressional district, I can also state that there is more racial diversity in the district. The 15th was once a predominately white district, but now is more multicultural. That is a good thing!)

*An up-to-date list of the 145 Ohioans killed in Iraq can be found at http://icasualties.org/oif/USMap.aspx?hndState=Ohio

*Have you seen Kelly Croy's political cartoons? There is a cute one about dogs and Rudy Giuliani here.
(Poor little doggies will have nothing to fear, as long as Rudy and Judy stay out of the White House!)

* The Buckeye State Blog has an interesting bit of information on Republican Rep. John Boehner:

Dave Harding over at Progress Ohio had a great blog post this week about how hypocritical John Boehner was in the House debate regarding the supplemental military funding bill. Here's what the House Majority Leader said this week:

"We can look it up and we can walk out. We can walk out on Iraq just like we did in Lebanon, just like we did in Vietnam, just like we did in Somalia and we will leave chaos in our wake." (emphasis added.)

As David pointed out, John Boehner apparently was in favor of "mandatory surrender dates" before he was against him as he voted multiple times to speed up the timetable to bring the troops home from Somalia (House Roll Call Vote #179, 5/22/93 and House Roll Call Vote #555, 11/9/93) and voted against funding the war effort there. (House Roll Call Vote #188, 5/26/93)....

I see. Boehner was for troop withdrawal when there was a Democratic President, but against troop withdrawal when there is a Republican President. Hmmmm.

Yahoo News has an opinion piece by Ron Fournier that explains that Bush's pals, advisers, and appointees appear to be nincompoops (my word):
Alberto Gonzales and Paul Wolfowitz could be poster boys for what's wrong with politics today — cronyism, incompetence and a brazen lack of accountability that has voters craving change....

Are Gonzales, Wolfowitz, Goodling, Harriet Miers, 'Heckuva Job" Brownie, and others, all examples of the losers associated with this administration? They all seem to be completely incapable buffoons who are willing to blindly support Bush, even if it means that they break the law and destroy common decency.

The Payday Lenders in Ohio

Ohio is being swamped by the "payday" lenders. These quick cash or payday advance places started to appear during the administration of former governor, Bob Taft (Republican). The directors/owners of the payday companies have been major contributors to Taft and the Republican Party. Unfortunately, now Ohio's poor and disadvantaged are caught up in high interest rates and loans that can never be fully repaid. The Toledo Blade has an editorial about these payday lenders. Here are some excerpts:

YEARS ago, "loan sharks" were among the perennial targets of good-government movements everywhere. Now, Ohio is afflicted with a modern version of the old plague. It's called the payday lending industry, and it badly needs to be brought under state control.

You've probably seen the explosion of these establishments on the state's landscape. In barely more than a decade, they have mushroomed from 107 to more than 1,500, all of them existing to suck unsuspecting and poor customers into their web.

Fortunately, an Ohio legislator finally is trying to rein them in. State Sen. Ray Miller, of Columbus, wants to keep fewer people from falling into financial ruin. He recognizes that payday lenders are predatory creatures. They give their businesses catchy names like "Easy Money" and "Cashmart."

..... There's a big problem, though. Senator Miller is a Democrat. So in the Republican-controlled state House, his recommendations may be ignored. That would be disturbing.

Jamie Frauenberg, president of the lenders' trade group, the Ohio Association of Financial Service Centers, says more oversight is not necessary because customers don't complain and the need won't disappear. He's right to the extent that they don't complain because they feel helpless.

If there was ever a place for governmental oversight to protect citizens from predators, this is it.

Thank you, State Sen. Ray Miller, for trying to get these blood-sucking payday companies under control. I hope that the Republicans, like Jon Husted and Kevin DeWine are listening and ready to act on Miller's proposals.

Here We Go Again

According to the Washington Post, Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has once again missed votes on a Monday. Last week Pryce missed votes on Monday, May 7th. How can she continue to do this? Should we adjust her pay because she doesn't show up to work on Mondays???? Have Mary Jo Kilroy and Paula Brooks, potential Democratic candidates for Pryce's seat, heard about Pryce's attendance problem????? Not only is Pryce missing important votes, she is disrespecting her constituents and their trust.

Pryce Is Still Not Getting the Message

Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) apparently is still not hearing enough from her constituents. Despite winning her last election by a narrow margin, Pryce continues to follow her party leadership in support for the war, taxes, education, funding and social programs. The Republicans continue to try to slow down the votes in the House and use procedural methods to delay votes. Pryce goes along with her Republican leadership in these roadblocks to progress. If you look at her votes as reported in the Washington Post, you'll notice she is definitely doing all she can to march to the beat of the obstructionist, slow-moving, pro-war, Republican leadership (Link).

Pryce needs to get more information from the people of the 15th district. Call her office and let her know you are not at all pleased with her rubber-stamping of the GOP's right wing agenda:
Pryce's office in Columbus (614) 569-5614 and in Washington, DC (202) 225-2015.

Pryce's Votes

The Ohio Farm Bureau and those farmers who live in Ohio's 15th congressional district will be asking themselves why Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce would vote against a bill for agriculture:
Washington Post: Vote 336 HR 2207: Making Supplemental Appropriations for Agricultural and other Emergency Assistance for the Fiscal Year Ending September 30, 2007.
Pryce voted NO (Washington Post vote). However, the bill did pass 302 to 120. Why did Pryce vote against a bill that would help those farmers in her district?

Pryce also voted against Vote 330: HR 2237--- To Provide for the Redeployment of United States Armed Forces and Defense Contractors From Iraq (WP)

Pryce voted against the redeployment of our troops. In summary, Pryce is supporting an unending war in Iraq. Keep that in mind. Even though Pryce once said that ".....the war in Iraq has nothing to do with me..." we have proof that the war does have something to do with her. Pryce wants the war in Iraq to go on, and on.

What is she doing?

FYI from the Washington Post: Deborah Pryce has missed 39 votes (12.7%) during the current Congress.
Many of those absences/missed votes were on Mondays. (Did you ever work with someone who always was absent/missing on a Monday? Wasn't that annoying?)

You are probably wondering what kinds of bills Republican Rep. Deborah Pryce (OH-15) has sponsored so far in the current session of Congress. Here is a list of bill sponsored by Pryce (Library of Congress):

1. H.RES.292 : Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that schools should celebrate National Garden Month through a curriculum that includes outdoor learning.
Sponsor: Rep Pryce, Deborah [OH-15] (introduced 3/29/2007)
Latest Major Action: 4/25/2007 Passed/agreed to in House.

2. H.R.1553 : To amend the Public Health Service Act to advance medical research and treatments into pediatric cancers, ensure patients and families have access to the current treatments and information regarding pediatric cancers, establish a population-based national childhood cancer database, and promote public awareness of pediatric cancers.
Sponsor: Rep Pryce, Deborah [OH-15] (introduced 3/15/2007)
Latest Major Action: 3/15/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

3. H.R.1966 : To fully exempt persons with disabilities from the prohibition against providing section 8 rental assistance to college students.
Sponsor: Rep Pryce, Deborah [OH-15] (introduced 4/19/2007)
Latest Major Action: 4/19/2007 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

In summary, the only action/proposal sponsored by Pryce and passed by the House was actually a Resolution, not a bill.

Shouldn't we be getting someone who will work a little harder for us here in central Ohio?

Another Republican Going to Prison

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation was really hit hard with scandals under the Taft administration. Now there is news that another person associated with the former Republican state administration is going to prison.

13ABC.COM
The former chief financial officer of the scandal-ridden Bureau of Workers' Compensation was sentenced Wednesday to five years and four months in prison for his role in an investment scandal that was blamed in part for the GOP's political losses in last November's election.

Terrence Gasper, 60, pleaded guilty last June to accepting bribes in exchange for doling out agency investment business. He could have been sentenced to a maximum 20 years in prison but got less in exchange for testifying against others involved in the scandal....

....Gasper was fined $60,405, the value of his stays at a Florida condominium and other bribes he received in exchange for providing agency business....

....Others have pleaded guilty in the investment scandal, including Clarke Blizzard, an investment marketer who admitted to conspiring to bribe Gasper. He was sentenced last week to three years and one month in prison.

More than $300 million in losses were reported at the bureau, and the investigation reached all the way to former Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded no contest to charges that he failed to report golf outings and other gifts on his disclosure forms. Taft was fined $4,000.

A state audit released in March cited mismanagement and a lack of oversight as the keys to the scandal at the agency. The report by Auditor Mary Taylor's office also found during the review of operations for 2005 and 2006 that some key financial documents had been destroyed.

I'm sure I speak for many Ohioans when I say that we'll be paying for the losses, screw ups, and scandals from the last Republican administration for a long, long time.