Free Republic

Follow the Money: Towards Treason Written by Melanie Morgan    Wednesday, 26 March 2008 And now for our trip in today's Way Back Time Machine.Let's visit Iraq, shall we? That's where three United States Congressmen traveled in 2002, in the days before the Bush administration launched a war to depose Saddam Hussein, sparking a huge controversy.  Following Ben Bradlee's excellent advice to Woodward and Bernstein during the Watergate era to 'follow the money', the Associated Press has learned that Saddam Hussein's secret agents financed the trip towards treason.          "An indictment unsealed in Detroit accuses Muthanna Al-Hanooti, a member of a...

BESMAYA — Senator John Ensign (R-NV), Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) visited members of the Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq and Iraqi military, Feb. 10. The intent of their visit was to meet with U.S. and Iraqi government leaders. The group of congressional representatives visited the Besmaya Range Complex where Iraqi Army Col. Abbas, base commanding officer, provided them with a briefing about the complex. They then viewed the BMP-1 Driver Instruction Course and the M-16 firing range. “I am very impressed with the improvement of military capability,” said Senator Coburn. Coburn participated in the...

Half a dozen freshman Democrats took to the House floor one late-October morning to cast their lot with Republicans. Their actions went unpunished by the Democratic leadership that day, as they have on many other occasions in recent weeks. The symbolic gesture -- casting nay votes on approving the House Journal, essentially the minutes of the previous day -- would have no bearing on the leadership's agenda. While they overwhelmingly support that agenda, the bloc of freshmen has begun casting votes against such minor procedural motions in an effort, Democratic sources and Republican critics say, to demonstrate their independence from...

Congressmen press Justice to test Sandy BergerStill no polygraph as agreed in plea deal, 'national security' at issue Posted: October 12, 2007 1:00 a.m. Eastern © 2007 WorldNetDaily.com Two years after agreeing to a polygraph in a plea deal, former National Security adviser Sandy Berger still has not taken the test, prompting 23 Republican Congress members to demand action by the Department of Justice. The aim is to determine "what documents were stolen and how our national security was compromised," said the letter by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., to the acting attorney general. Berger – who was placed on probation,...

WASHINGTON — Arizona’s congressional delegation split on party lines Friday in the vote over a non-binding resolution on a troop surge for Iraq. The symbolic resolution passed by a vote of 246-182, with six members of the House of Representatives not voting. The state’s Democratic House members — Gabrielle Giffords, Raul Grijialva, Ed Pastor and Harry Mitchell — voted for the resolution. Giffords represents the Eighth Congressional District, which includes Cochise County. The state’s Republican House members — Jeff Flake, Rick Renzi, John Shadegg and Trent Franks — voted against the resolution. On Thursday, Giffords spoke on the floor of...

BOGOTA, Colombia - Five Colombian congressmen, including the brother of the foreign minister, were arrested in a widening scandal linking the country's political class and far-right militias drew closer to the president, local media reported. It was the latest wave of arrests of lawmakers arising from a Supreme Court investigation into collusion between politicians and the militias, who are responsible for some of the worst massacres of Colombia's five-decade civil conflict and a sizable portion of its cocaine trade. Previously, other politicians have been charged with funding the paramilitaries and ordering murders during the civil conflict. Colombian media reported late...

USA Citizens Day - July 1st Immigration Control Rally Nationwide Rally on Saturday, July 1st, at noon, at your City HallMay 1st - Million of Illegal Aliens Marched in our StreetsTwelve million illegal aliens demonstrated their political power, and declared May 1st to be A Day Without Undocumented Workers ( illegal aliens ). They boycotted the USA, all US businesses and institutions. Millions of them marched in our streets, carried Mexican flags, shouted "Si se puede!", and demanded new laws from our Congress. July 1st - U.S. Citizens Nationwide Rally for Immigration ControlRally to stop our continuous invasion by...

In Dubai, everyone refers to their ruler, Emir Mohammed Bin Rashid al-Maktoum, as "MBR." Just to give you an idea of how he is into tourism not terrorism, here's a quick story. He has closed circuit television in his private office. And what are the cameras trained on? Immigration/passport control lines at the airport. If MBR sees the lines are getting too long, he picks up the phone and orders more personnel to reduce the lines. Again, his focus is tourism not terrorism. The US Navy docks its ships at Dubai more often than at any other non-US port in...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A military vehicle carrying three congressmen overturned on a Baghdad road on Saturday night, and two of the representatives, Ike Skelton of Missouri and Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, were flown to Germany for medical tests. Congressional staffers said on Sunday night the two representatives sustained only minor cuts and bruises in the incident, which occurred at the end of a trip to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with U.S. troops in Afghanistan and meet with military commanders in Baghdad. The third congressman, Georgia Democrat Jim Marshall, was not injured. Murphy, a Republican, told CNN on Sunday night the...

Taking the heat By Rebecca Hagelin Oct 18, 2005 Vice President of Communications and Marketing, The Heritage Foundation “In fire, gold is tested,” the saying goes. Just ask Mike Pence. A third-term congressman from Indiana, Pence has been sorely tested lately, enduring a fire that few of us would want to withstand -- and he’s demonstrating that he’s as good as gold. That’s because Pence is largely responsible for the change in attitude we’re seeing in Republican leaders toward spending cuts. Not long ago, they appeared unconcerned about the explosion in growth we’ve witnessed in the size of government over...

H. R. 3352 The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 HR 3352 IH 109th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3352 To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 19, 2005 Mr. SALAZAR introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary --------------------------------------------------------- A BILL To amend title 18, United States Code, with respect to protections for the Medal of Honor, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of...

The 278-149 roll call Thursday by which the House rejected an effort to restrict gun manufacturers' exports of high-powered, .50-caliber rifles. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the amendment restricting the gun exports. A "no" vote is a vote to reject the amendment. Voting yes were 134 Democrats, 15 Republicans and no Independents. Voting no were 65 Democrats, 212 Republicans and 1 Independent. X denotes those not voting.

In a rush to be at the front of those arguing to close the Guantanamo prison facility, Mel Martinez, first term “RINO” senator from Florida, and favorite of the Bush administration in his recent election race against Bill McCollum, who was an “avant garde” terrorism expert with years of experience in the U.S. House of Representatives, placed himself with those who believe Guantanamo must be inhabited by “evil spirits” and should be closed. The problem is that wherever those prisoners go, so will the evil spirits because evil spirits inhabit the prisoners. Is Martinez’s position designed to please his liberal...

THE "NO-WATER" CAPITOL HILL GANG Friday, March 25, 2005 Fifty-eight congressmen--including five Republicans--voted to deny the reinsertion of Terry Schiavo’s feeding tube last weekend. Even though their votes condemned a disabled woman to certain death, there was no recorded vote. Meet the No-Water Capitol Hill Gang: Sorry, but to see the 58 mug shots you have to go to 58 congressmen who sentenced Terri Schiavo to death

More than 40 members of the House reported carrying at least $10,000 in credit-card or charge-card debt in 2003 and parts of 2004, according to a survey of financial disclosure reports conducted by The Hill. The findings come as the House is poised to take up a bankruptcy-reform measure that would give banks and credit card companies expanded powers to seek repayment from debtors who file bankruptcy. Opponents of the bill drew hope from the data, suggesting that lawmakers who nurse high-interest debt might be more likely to sympathize with indebted consumers. High credit-card debt is often a factor in...

Sinclair Lewis once wrote, "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Meet Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pa.): the poster-child of the Republican neo-conservative movement, champion of 527 organizations and one of President George W. Bush's most efficient assets in the U.S. Senate. The rising star of that brilliant Class of 1994, Santorum has established himself as a fiery speaker and an honest evangelical. A combatant of gay and reproductive rights, he is also known for blurring the line between the separation of church and state, dangerously using churches - and their tax-exempt...

If there's another thread discussing this I would very much appreciate a link - I found nothing in my (admittedly limited) searches. Shouldn't we be rebalancing the power of the House and the Senate (I'm thinking about the Electoral College). When the Constitution was written the ratio of House members to Senators was (roughly) 2.5:1. Today it is 4.35:1. This has the unfortunate effect of magnifying the weight of the popular vote in a Presidential election and eroding the weight of the State vote. It seems the best solution would be to nearly double the population requirement for a Congressman,...

Departing congressmen cash in for big bucks By MATT STEARNS Posted on Tue, Dec. 21, 2004 Knight Ridder Newspapers WASHINGTON - For many congressmen and senators, Congress is something like the Eagles' song "Hotel California": Members check out, but they never really leave. With the 108th Congress now passed into history, another Washington tradition is playing out this month as departing members of Congress, rather than returning home, trade their years of service for big paychecks from lobbying groups, investment banks and law firms. Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., is sifting among offers. Rep. Jack Quinn, R-N.Y., will join one of...

How long are we going to tolerate senators and congressmen who divulge our most closely-held secrets to the public in search of cheap political gain? We have laws that make those leaks serious federal crimes. We're spending enormous resources on finding out who leaked Valerie Plame's identity as a CIA agent to the press. Leaks that are vastly more important -- and which should be pursued with no less determination and resources -- are regularly ignored because the culprits are sitting members of Congress. These leakers should be thrown out of office and prosecuted. It's been about two years since...

The following tribute to two decent Congressmen is posted in FrontPageMag.com's "War Blog" today. TWO CONGRESSMEN I'LL MISS by Ben Johnson FrontPage Magazine In the aftermath of the presidential election, two significant Congressional races have gone unnoticed. Last Tuesday, America lost two representatives who have served their districts and their nation honorably: Charlie Stenholm of Texas and Phil Crane of Illinois. Rep. Charlie Stenholm, D-TX, earned a reputation as one of his party's most responsible moderates. Representing the interests of west Texas, he became the ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee. During his 25-year tenure, he displayed his mainstream...

"For many of us there is little to remember but the promises... of educational and medical aid which was downgraded in priority below bombs and guns" (New Soldier) Kerry Links Iraq War Cost, Domestic Woes - "Now the president tells us we don't have the resources to take care of health care and education here at home. That's wrong." (ABC News) "I think that, more than anything, the New Soldier is trying to point out how there are two Americas." Kerry on Our Allies Kerry on Allies: "We found also that all too often American men were dying in those...

To the Editor: Re "Democrats Criticize Denial of Communion by Bishops" (news article, May 20): With Americans dying every day in Iraq and other pressing issues demanding serious and thoughtful consideration, these religious leaders would have voters use abortion rights as a litmus test for office? Our founding fathers were divinely inspired when they established boundaries between the church and the state. The bishops should support those boundaries by encouraging voters to analyze candidates' qualifications. Should abortion rights be part of the calculus? Sure — along with all the other pressing issues of the day. BRIAN MCCABE North Caldwell, N.J., May...

I have now turned off all media. The heavy breathing, sweaty brows and raspy reporting of the "abuse" photos has finally ended my news watching. The picture of the female with the leash, is mild dominatrix swill. The pyramids stuff is easily found in any homosexual porn rags. Yet here we have Senators and Congressmen/women on TV grinning telling in detail the disgusting scene. They scream for Rummy's resignation hoing to make ALL of our military look like pornographers. If the Evil ones can do this then they brunt the WAR CRIMINAL Kerry's achilles heel. Fvie or six out of...

John Kerry's (search) campaign has said he -- "never, ever" attended a 1971 meeting of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War that debated a plan to assassinate pro-war congressmen, insisting Kerry had resigned from the group months earlier. But it now turns out Kerry was being followed by the FBI at the time, and newly released FBI records indicate Kerry was in fact at that November meeting in Kansas City. Kerry reportedly rejected the assassination plan, and then resigned shortly afterward -- not months earlier. Kerry's campaign now says he -- "had no personal recollection of this meeting ... [but]...

MILL VALLEY, Calif. — Senator Kerry of Massachusetts yesterday retreated from his earlier steadfast denials that he attended a meeting of Vietnam Veterans Against the War at which a plan to assassinate U.S. Senators was debated. The reversal came as new evidence, including reports from FBI informants, emerged that contradicted Mr. Kerry’s previous statements about the gathering, which was held in Kansas City, Mo. in November 1971. “John Kerry had no personal recollection of this meeting 33 years ago,” a Kerry campaign spokesman, David Wade, said in a statement e-mailed last night from Idaho, where Mr. Kerry is on vacation....

To the editor: A couple of weeks ago our representative came to town. The sad thing was, he was not our congressman. Tom Tancredo, from Colorado and not from Arizona, said the things the large majority of Arizonans, and quite possibly the whole country, had been hoping to hear from their congressman. Regrettably, Jim Kolbe is a congressman and not a representative. The difference being a representative represents the wishes of a majority of his constituents, while a congressman represents himself. We have the specter of the president of Mexico to tell us we need to accept the citizens of...

<p>An al Qaeda suspect in custody in Belgium told American investigators he saw members of the terror organization training snipers in preparation for attacks on U.S. soil, a source told The Post last night.</p> <p>One of the planned attacks targeted U.S. senators on a golf course.</p>

Congressmen say Iraq cash would be better spent at home By David Rennie in Washington (Filed: 24/09/2003) Senior congressmen of both parties have warned the Bush administration that a revolt is brewing over its request for £54 billion to rebuild Iraq. The warning came as details emerged of such spending as £62.5 million for a witness protection scheme, £181 million for the fire brigade, and nearly £6 million to give the country a system of post codes. Paul Bremer, the head of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Baghdad, flew to Washington this week to urge a "grandeur of vision" in...

I am a young, conservative high-school sophomore who is very interested in politics. Both of my parents are registered democrats; in South NJ, you must be a democrat if you want to get something accomplished. I have recently found out about the Congressional Page program, and I am very interested in it. I understand that prospective candidates must have a Congressman or Senator sponsor them. My problem is finding sponsership; my Representative is a Democrat (Andrews), and so are both senators. Will my political affiliation kill my chances? If so, is there any other way for me to get sponsorship...

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2002The Congressmen Who Support U.S. Sovereignty - and Who Don't Americans For Sovereignty has issued its first congressional scorecard, rating senators and representatives according to 10 votes on such issues as standing up to the U.N. and the bogus International Criminal Court. Republicans, of course, dominated the 46 senators and 154 representatives in the organization's Hall of Fame. Among those with perfect voting records: Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah, Trent Lott of Mississippi and Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma; Reps. Tom DeLay and Ron Paul of Texas and Philip Crane of Illinois. Democrats, of course, dominated the...

GOTTA SEE THIS - War for Enduring Freedom 10/1/02 - Congressmen in Iraqi parliament, Traitors in Basra, Zadran taken near Gardez, Kabul, minor explosion, Kandahar, Nablus, Ramallah BREAKING: Congressmen in Iraqi parliament, BREAKING: Traitors in Basra, BREAKING: Zadran taken near Gardez, BREAKING: Kabul, minor explosion, Kandahar, Nablus Ramallah ========= Basra, Iraq ========= BREAKING: The Armies of Good take out a site which painted surveillance aircraft. BREAKING: In Basra, Iraq, at the Abu Flous water treatment plant, Thompson (D-CA), David E. Bonior (D-MI) and Jim McDermott (D-WA), find new ways to bad mouth the USA as they spout Iraqi PR that...

There will romantic interludes between Representatives and interns if two members of the House get their way. Rep. Scott McInnis, (R-Col) and Rep. Brian Baird, (D-Wash) want the House to adopt a dating rule to prohibit romantic or sexual relationships with House interns, according to the Washington Times. "I have absolutely no desire to impose morality on fellow members," Mr. McInnis and Mr. Baird said in a joint statement to the House Rules Committee. "However, if governing and government are about accountability, I find it absolutely appropriate to set clear boundaries for our conduct similar to that which other institutions...

Congressmen attack Bush's isolationist policy 10:41 29 August 02 NewScientist.com news service US President George Bush has come under surprise attack from leading American politicians at the World Summit for the "disastrous consequences" of his isolationist foreign policy. In an early morning press conference which caused a mini-sensation in Johannesburg on Thursday, three democratic congressmen and a former state governor launched a fierce broadside against Bush for ignoring the world's attempts to cut poverty and pollution. "There are two Americas," said Jerry Brown, a former governor of California. One was "an America of isolationship and retreating from co-operation with the...