Topic: Congress

Demand Action For Our Veterans

October 11, 2007 |

The budget for the Department of Veterans Affairs is officially late. Instead of working to get it passed, Congress is caught up in a furor over Rush Limbaugh’s latest comments and MoveOn.org’s most recent ad.

With the help of grassroots supporters, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America Action fund is running this ad to break through the clutter. If you’re interested in getting involved, whether you’re a veteran or a concerned civilian visit their web site.

As a recent report from the Government Accountability Office reveals, seven months have passed since the Walter Reed crisis and serious problems in veterans’ care remain.

As of October 1, the veterans’ budget is late. Until it is approved, the VA will be forced to ration care.

Now, it’s up to the President and Congress to approve the budget. Add your name to the statement, and demand they take action.

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Congress doesn’t like the message? Kill the messenger…

By Christine Anne Piesyk | September 20, 2007 |

With a majority vote censuring Freedom of Speech, Congress today smacked down the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans who are simply saying “we want a drawdown; we want our troops home.” In other words, Americans who want to bring an end to the Iraq War.

Congress did it in the guise of patriotism, but this smackdown was also a blow to the very soldiers who are, according to these same officials, fighting for Democratic/Bill of Rights issues — such as free speech — in Iraq. In the U.S. Senate, a majority of our duly elected Senators, apparently with no more pressing issues to debate, voted on a Republican-sponsored symbolic resolution against MoveOn.org and their widely circulated anti-Petraeus ad that was printed as the general was testifying before Congress about the status of the Iraq War on the anniversary of Sept. 11.

The Senators, with Hilary Clinton and Christopher Dodd among the 25 refusing to join the censure, passed a resolution stating that Petraeus “deserves the full support of the Senate” and the Senate “strongly condemn(s) personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus and all members of the United States Armed Forces.”

“Yesterday, they couldn’t even pass a bill to give soldiers adequate leave with their families before redeploying. But they’re spending time cracking down on a newspaper ad?” – MoveOn.org

Questioning Petraeus and the Bush war machine, as MoveOn.org had the guts and the tactical brilliance to do, is not slamming our troops. It slammed Bush domination of everything related to Iraq. Unfortunately, when it comes to Iraq, Petraeus is the man in the driver’s seat, pushing that machine through the Iraq landscape.

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GAO Report triggers controversy; Pentagon seeks ‘revisions’

By Christine Anne Piesyk | August 30, 2007 |

The mandated and much anticipated report on the status of the Iraq war isn’t even out yet and already the backpedaling is under way: Pentagon officials are asking for revisions, Bush politicos want the standards set for a democratized Iraqi regime lowered to make the record of insufficient progress look better on paper, and the D.C. powers that be are taking the stance that “more time” is needed to pull the Iraq debacle together. After all, if you can’t meet the standards (goals, objectives), dumb down those standards (goal, objectives). Seems to be working for America’s Army recruiters …

The report will be presented to Congress Tuesday, and President Bush will present his view of the data on September 15th in an attempt to validate his push for continuation of the multi-billion war effort and continued presence on Battlefield Iraq. The report, supposedly the product of military leaders including General David Petraeus in Iraq who are “assessing” the status of post-Saddam Iraq, is in fact being amended, adjusted and otherwise penned by the White House. Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are expected to speak before Congress on the 11th or 12th of September. «Read the rest of this article»

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Is this what we sent them to Congress for?

By Bill Larson | June 28, 2007 |

Contact Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander and tell them it’s time to put an end to the obstructionist tactics. «Read the rest of this article»

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True Majority: The Priorities Campaign, Setting the Priorities Straight

May 20, 2007 |

The True Majority Priorities campaign believes that America can solve, or start to seriously address, many of the most difficult problems We face. We can create a national budget that is responsive to domestic and international needs. And we can do it without raising taxes or creating new ones.

How? By insisting that Congress create sensible budget priorities. By reducing government waste and using the savings to strengthen American families and communities.

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Three bills for gay equality should be passed

By David W. Shelton | April 25, 2007 |

Three bills that would put an end to serious injustices against GLBT people have been filed over the last few months in Washington, DC. The first, a bill that would repeal the failed “Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell-Don’t-Pursue” law that bans openly gay people from serving in the military, was filed a few months ago. The second is a bill that would add sexual orientation to hate crime laws. The third, a sweeping Employment Nondiscrimination Act which includes “sexual orientation” was just filed yesterday by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA).

All three of these bills should be passed. These are basic issues on equality which address some much-needed protections for GLBT people across the country. The sad reality is that every one of them has been filed before, and either held up or stymied by a Republican-controlled congress. «Read the rest of this article»

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What hurts our troops!

By Bill Larson | March 23, 2007 |

The House debates the U.S. Troops Readiness, Veterans’ Health and Iraq Accountability Act. The House of Representatives has a choice: either endorse the President’s open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq or demand accountability, support our troops and set a timeline for the phased redeployment of our troops. It passed 218-212. Of course George W. Bush Jr. says he will veto the measure.

This is a portion of the debate from Rep. John Murtha  (D-PA)

This is a good example of why people who really support the troops are also peace activists. You don’t send our troops into harms way when they are not trained, equipped, and ready for combat. You don’t send them to war without an achievable plan for victory. You definitely don’t send them into combat without support systems in place for when they come home again. You don’t send them into battle while at the same time cutting the medical benefits that were promised to them and their families. «Read the rest of this article»

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It’s time for hard questions about Iraq

By Bill Larson | November 2, 2006 |

With new reports of Iraq descending into chaos, the DCCC released a new advertisement about the continued failure of the Bush White House to come up with a strategy to win in Iraq and the Republican Congress to ask a single question or perform any oversight.

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