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While press and pundits focus almost ad nauseum on what will happen Tuesday in New York's 23rd Congressional District, as well as the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia, everyone has forgotten the battle being waged for the California congressional seat vacated by Ellen Tauscher when she resigned to become a member of President Obama's State Department. To be sure, the 10th Congressional District of the Golden State is a Democratic stronghold, especially after some recent gerrymandering. The latest poll shows Democratic candidate and current Lt. Gov. John Garamendi with a commanding 10-point lead over Republican challenger David Harmer,...

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for the Americas Everett Eissenstat told a crowd at the Americans Conference that work was progressing on free trade agreements with both Panama and Colombia, though ``less tangible'' concerns about violence and impunity in Colombia have yet to be fully resolved. ``I don't think anyone even in Colombia is happy with the status quo,'' Eissenstat said in an interview with The Miami Herald following an address at the Americas Conference in Coral Gables. ``The Colombian government is undertaking tremendous reforms on its own initiative and I think that is indicative that they feel there is additional...

They came from across the Rio Grande Valley. Citizens of every stripe, Democrats, Republicans, Independents and even non-voting youth from three counties were there. They gathered at a Town Hall meeting in Harlingen, Texas last night. A meeting room in the city library was filled to capacity with a standing-room-only crowd of more than 150 people. Speakers were also placed in an outside patio area next to the meeting room, where another hundred taxpayers assembled to hear information on healthcare reform and other Administration proposals. Everyone showed up, except the two individuals elected to represent those same voters in Washington...

Reminder: Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, 5th District, Missouri, will be holding his monthly "coffee." Here are the details: COFFEE with CLEAVER AUGUST 8, 2009 JP Coffee 3390 SW Fascination Dr. Lee's Summit, MO 8-10 AM

The following letter was sent to urge my senators and congressman to vote against the Obama administration's universal health care proposal. I shouldn't have to elaborate to explain why it is such a foolish idea, but if you don't understand drop me a comment and I would be happy to indulge your curiosity. Senators Udall, Bennett, and Congressman Lamborn, I am a United States citizen residing in Colorado. This letter concerns the upcoming votes in the House and Senate related to the Obama Administration’s health care plan. I am asking you to vote against any proposed government health care plan.

In a time of economic turmoil, most Americans are being frugal with their money, but one freshman congressman is taking cost-cutting to a new level. Newly elected Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, opted out of renting an apartment in Washington, instead deciding on a cot in his office every night. "I will save $1,500 a month doing this," Chaffetz said. "I get paid a very handsome salary, no doubt about it, but you know, I've got expenses and a future for my kids and my family, too." In a stroke of luck, Chaffetz was one of the few freshmen members of...

Rep. Mike Simpson, sleeping with Pelosi on the first date e-mail I sent to Mike Simpson ~ Good job, sleeping with Nancy Pelosi on the first date. You guys will have more leverage for a better bill on the next go around. Maybe if you didn't quit so easy you could get a capitol gains cut and stop Mark to Market. Thank god there were some democrats to vote conservative or we wouldn’t have another shot at making this travesty easier to swallow. Maybe you ought to listen to Newt Gingrich or Steve Forbes or maybe your constituents before you...

Representative Anthony D. Weiner, Democrat of Brooklyn and Queens, drives a 2008 Chevrolet Impala, leased for $219 a month. Representative Michael R. McNulty, a Democrat from the Albany area, gets around in a 2007 Mercury Mariner hybrid, a sport utility vehicle, for $816 a month. “It gets a little better than 25 miles a gallon,” Mr. McNulty said. Charles B. Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, is not so caught up in the question of gas mileage. He leases a 2004 Cadillac DeVille for $777.54 a month. The car is 17 feet long with a 300-horsepower...

DETROIT -- A member of Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's staff filed a police report claiming Detroit City Council Pro Tem Monica Conyers threatened him with a gun at a board meeting on Wednesday. Conyers' chief of staff, Sam Riddle, told Local 4 that Conyers never threatened him with a real gun and what she said was that she had a bigger gun than Milton, and the gun was her husband. Riddle said she was referring to a political gun. Conyers is the wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit. Milton also reported that Conyers said, "I am going to have my...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Tom Lantos of California, the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, died early Monday morning, his spokeswoman said.

For 15 years I have been allowed the privilege of representing the people of the 2nd District of Alabama in the U. S. House of Representatives. This has been an honor, privilege and responsibility that I have taken seriously. I've worked hard at it, and hope that my efforts to serve our nation, state and the 2nd District have been well received. "In February I will celebrate my 71st birthday. While there remains much work to be accomplished by Congress, I made a difficult decision over the weekend not to seek election for a ninth term. The decision was difficult...

GRANDVILLE, Mich. (AP) - A state lawmaker has taken a break from the ongoing state budget talks to hunt snow sheep in Russia. Rep. David Agema stayed in session until 4 a.m. Saturday and voted three times against a proposal by Democrats to raise the state income tax before leaving on the two-week trip, said his chief of staff, Karen Spoelman. The House of Representatives worked without a resolution throughout the weekend. The Grandville Republican had planned the trip for three years, long before he was elected to his first House term last November, said Trevor Pittsley, a member of...

The Republican candidate who's trying to unseat Democratic Rep. Tom Allen on Tuesday called for the resignation of GOP House Speaker Dennis Hastert over the congressional page sex scandal.Darlene Curley said Hastert has allowed attention to be drawn away from important issues facing Congress through his "failure to investigate the issue properly." The FBI is conducting a criminal investigation and the House ethics committee is investigating any potential violations of standards of conduct following the resignation of Florida Rep. Mark Foley's over his come-ons to male pages. Regardless of the outcome, Hastert should step down anyway, because he has...

Mornin' Freepers, Make it easy for your voice to be heard by putting your Senators, Rep, and newspaper in your cell phone and email directories. You may want to include your mayor's office, school board, etc. This will make it more likely that we get our voices heard. Contact Info on your Senators, Rep, and local newspaper. Another idea I had a while back for maximizing your voice locally is to set up a group of 10, 15, or 20 like-minded individuals. Depending on the size of the group (which should be a multiple of 5), each person in the...

U.S. Army Spc. Miranda Pressley BOSS Representative Enhances Unit’s Morale By Capt. Lyn Graves 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment KIRKUK, Iraq, July 18, 2006 -- Keeping up a deployed unit’s morale is vital to sustained operational readiness, and one 101st Airborne Division soldier, who helps keep morale in Iraq high, is the morale “BOSS.” Spc. Miranda Pressley is the battalion Better Opportunities for Single Soldiers, or BOSS, representative for Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 426th Brigade Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. The BOSS program provides an organized outlet for single soldiers to interact in positive, constructive...

State Rep. Avon Wilson died Monday at her Roswell home after a long battle with cancer. She was 76. Wilson, a retired school teacher and former director the Adult Basic Education Program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, had represented District 59 in the New Mexico House since 2000. The district includes part of Roswell. She was a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Labor and Human Resources Committee. Wilson, a Republican, also served on the Welfare Reform Oversight Committee, which meets between sessions. Throughout her illness, said State Rep. Dan Foley, R-Roswell, Wilson would ask about...

HOLMDEL, N.J., July 10, 2006 – More than 40 American Gold Star Mothers and their guests from around the country came together here yesterday to honor the children they've lost in the country's conflicts. Members of American Gold Star Mothers Inc., are escorted by New Jersey State Troopers to the New Jersey Vietnam Memorial. A ceremony at the memorial July 9 honored the mothers and the children they lost in America's conflicts. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The ceremony, held at the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial here, included a roll call honoring...

Nationwide Rally to Stop Illegal Immigration on Saturday, July 1st, at noon, at every City HallOn May 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. On July 1st - U.S. Citizens Nationwide Rally and BoycottRally to stop the invasion by millions of illegal aliens. 1-Day boycott...

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...

WASHINGTON — Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia struck a Capitol Hill police officer Wednesday morning after the officer, not recognizing her as a member of Congress, tried to stop her from stepping around a security checkpoint, police confirmed. The incident "has been brought to our attention and it is being investigated," said Sgt. Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for Capitol Hill police. Congressional and police authorities, who spoke on condition that they not be named, said the investigation into the incident would stretch into today and that no arrest warrant would be issued for the DeKalb County Democrat — if, indeed,...

King was right In September, we took our congressman, Steve King, to task for voting against a $52 billion aid package for victims of Hurricane Katrina. King - who was just one of 11 members of Congress who voted against the package which passed both houses and was signed by President Bush - based his vote on the need for "fiscal responsibility." He said the federal government needed to develop a comprehensive plan for spending aid dollars, including input from members of Congress, before more money was appropriated. He earlier had voted for a $10.5 billion emergency aid package. Well,...

The disciplinary arm of the N.C. State Bar dropped charges of felonious misconduct against two former Union County prosecutors Friday because of a 1999 clerical error at the state Supreme Court. The State Bar had charged Kenneth Honeycutt and Scott Brewer with lying, cheating and withholding evidence in a 1996 death penalty case. The ruling Friday marks the second time that Honeycutt and Brewer won on procedural grounds before the bar's Disciplinary Hearing Commission, which sits as judge and jury in disciplinary cases. . . . Prosecutors around the state are concerned that the case is damaging their reputation and...

Dear Virginia Senators and Delegates, I’m writing this letter to encourage you to stand for what is good and right. With all of the important matters you face, you must have a righteous standard to guide your decision making. Without such a standard you can easily be persuaded to promote and support bills that are not worthy of such promotion or support. The Scriptures are the standard by which we will all be judged and you are not excluded. Please seek to find out where you should stand on issues by learning where God stands on those issues. This is...

Unfair Labor Practice On December 22, 2005 NJSCA/FOP 200 Parole Officer State Representative Joseph Martin sent an email to the State Parole Board Chairman John D’Amico regarding three very serious labor related issues. Those issues involved the State Parole Board administration forcing parole officers to become essential status without negotiation, the recent epidemic of involuntary transfers against the negotiated contract, and the grievance procedure (a recent grievance decision in particular). Later that same day, State Parole Board Executive Director Michael Dowling scheduled a meeting with the Parole Officer State Representative for 12/23/05 at 9:00am. The following administration staff were present...

I offer a proposal: The U.S. military will withdraw from Iraq, the Patriot Act will not be renewed and the United States will stop monitoring phone calls by potential terrorists. In return, if there is another terrorist attack on the United States, the Democratic Party will disband and contribute all of its assets to the families of victims, all Democratic senators and congressmen will resign and The New York Times will contribute $1 trillion to the fund for the families. Fair deal? Richard Slawsky Milford, Conn.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2005 – The U.S. military is not a "poor man's force." That's the conclusion Defense Department officials reached following examination of enlisted recruiting statistics gathered over the past year. "There is an issue of how representative of America is the force," said Curt Gilroy, the director of DoD's accessions policy in the Pentagon. DoD tracks "representativeness" - as Gilroy calls it - very closely. And representativeness can take a whole host of forms - race, education, social status, income, region and so on. "When you look at all of those, you find that the force is really...

A seven-year legislative veteran is switching parties, giving Republicans a milestone 100 seats in the House of Representatives. State Rep. Greg Morris, a Vidalia Democrat and entrenched party insider, is set to appear before friends and supporters in his hometown today to announce his defection to the GOP. His decision bolsters the comfort level of the new Republican leadership in the 180-member House, which heads into the 2006 General Assembly session in control of 100 seats, nine more votes than they need to pass most legislation. His defection is significant for Democrats since Morris, 41, was part of former Democratic...

AUGUSTA — Democratic House leaders on Friday played down the potential impact of a decision by a representative to quit their party and go independent, a move that further narrows the already-close partisan breakdown in the House. Rep. Thomas Saviello of Wilton said he decided to drop his Democratic affiliation after consulting with his family and friends. Saviello said the decision to drop his party registration and become independent is best for his constituents and the rural area he represents. "We have special challenges and needs in District 90 that need to be talked about and addressed in Augusta. I...

Certain seasons or events have historically spawned their own lexicons which are unique to those events and used almost exclusively to describe them. Late in the college football season, some games have what are unfailingly called, “serious bowl implications.” Likewise vice-presidential candidates must possess ''gravitas'' and Super Bowls oddly acquire roman numerals. So. too. does the Supreme Court nomination process require its own terminology, especially when the president is a Republican. Over the next several weeks there are a number of ordinary words and phrases that will be used ad nauseam in reference to whomever President Bush submits to the...

Washington—In a stunning, White House-busting development, Rep. John Conyers, D-MI, has insisted that Karl Rove be marched to Gitmo till he reveals that he’s the source of the leak uncovering CIA agent Valerie Plame. In a letter that is now being circulated in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Michigan Democrat cited recent reports that Rove discussed Plame with Time magazine reporter Matthew Cooper before she was outed as a CIA agent in July 2003, conclusively linking Rove as the new ‘Deep Throat’ and this case as the Watergate of its day. The Conyer letter urges Bush to require Rove...

When US Representative Henry Hyde spoke about the bill that would penalize the United Nations half the dues it extorts from the US annually for not embracing reform he included as shocking a statement that has ever been uttered on Capitol Hill. He alluded to the fact that those who represent us in Washington DC need to be “good stewards of the people’s money.” Of course, for this statement of common sense to have any meaning those in Washington would first have to understand that the money they “appropriate” isn’t theirs, it’s ours, and that they work for us. I...

A Republican congressman is pushing a bill that would prohibit the federal government from paying Social Security benefits to non-citizens living in other countries. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, re-introduced his bill, the Social Security for American Citizens Only Act, H.R. 858, in February after sponsoring a similar piece of legislation last year. "Please protect Social Security from being transformed into a system of global welfare by cosponsoring my Social Security for American Citizens Only Act," Paul wrote to his colleagues. The bill amounts to a pre-emptive strike against any efforts by the Bush administration to allow non-citizens in Mexico who...

The old NRA slogan says, "Guns don't kill people. People do." That's no fun, if you're a "lawmaker" -- odious name for a representative, isn't it? U.S. Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-South Boston), "has filed a bill seeking to pull the controversial drug [painkiller Oxycontin] from the market," reported the Boston Herald Saturday, May 7. In announcing his bill, Lynch referred to a recent robbery attempt in an Arlington, Massachusetts pharmacy. Two would-be thieves showed guns and demanded the druggist's Oxy stash. Lynch did not tell what happened next, which would have suited the NRA's purposes better than his. The...

New York faces the prospect of losing two seats in the House of Representatives after the 2010 census, according to projections to be released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. New York's population is projected to grow during the next five years, but at a rate far slower than states in the South and West, the Census Bureau reports. Florida is expected to pass New York as the third most populous state, behind California and Texas. "We're still a big state, but it does hurt us, no doubt," said Robert Spitzer, professor of political science at the State University College...

President Bush has chosen Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) as the new United States Trade Representative, according to an administration source. He will replace Robert B. Zoellick, who is leaving to become the number two person in the State Department.

04:57 PM CST on Monday, February 7, 2005 Associated Press AUSTIN – Republican Rep. Talmadge Heflin withdrew his election challenge Monday after a lawmaker overseeing evidence in the contest found that he failed to prove his November loss to Democrat Rep. Hubert Vo should be overturned. Republican Rep. Will Hartnett, who was named "master of discovery" in Heflin's challenge of the Harris County race, found that Vo's margin of victory was reduced from 33 votes to 16 votes. Hartnett recommended that the challenge be dismissed. Hours later, Heflin withdrew, before Hartnett's findings could move on to a special House committee...

WASHINGTON - It came as little surprise last week when Doris Matsui announced, four days after her husband's funeral, that she would run for his seat in Congress. If the widow is successful in succeeding her late husband, Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Calif.), she will join a long list of lawmakers to follow relatives into office.

Teresa Heinz may have failed in her bid to become first lady, but she's not giving up on buying her way into political power. "The word in Pennsylvania is that Kerry and other family members are pressing her son Chris Heinz to run for a House of Representatives seat," says the Washingtonian Magazine. "Chris Heinz is attractive and photogenic, and campaign funding won’t be a problem," the mag notes. The tart tongued billionairess who calls opponents "scumbags" also believes that leading conservative Sen. Rick Santorum is beatable in 2006. Mrs. Heinz is expected to pour some of her ketchup cash...

The purpose of FreeRepublic.com's multiple message boards is to limit the topics for each board to particular topics. Posting the same message on all the boards defeats the purpose of multiple-boards for special topics. It is very annoying to see the same message on every bulletin board. PLEASE! DO THE READERS A FAVOR. STOP CROSS-POSTING YOUR MESSAGES!

Want to see how well your Senator or Representative scored with the ACLU according to their 2003-2004 108th Congress vote record? Go here and here.

Is it time to file a Lawsuit against Albany? While the majority of the country is moving forward, New York is still in reverse. The same old people, with the same old baggage are once more on their way back to Albany. Their Mission this time, Reform Albany, in other words, " to fix what they broke" ... 20 years and 2000 re-election campaigns only 30 incumbents have been defeated and not one on time budget... Their #1 job is to pass a budget. And they are going back to fix and reform the legislative process? The Albany Legislators continue...

Democrats Send Campaign Help to Republican Associated Press BOUNTIFUL, Utah - U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop got an unexpected campaign contribution this week. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee mailed the freshman lawmaker a computer program to create campaign ads for his 1st Congressional District race."This is a cool little campaign toy that could be helpful to our campaign," he said.While Bishop said he was grateful to the Democratic Party for their kind consideration of his campaign needs, the Republican decided to send it back.Bishop figured - and the Democrats agreed - the program was intended for the other freshman congressman with...

http://www.thetowntalk.com/html/CF1C7CFE-CB7C-4475-99A1-55DBA91020C7.shtml

NewsweekJuly 5, 2004 issue - Porter J. Goss of Hotchkiss and Yale has long been seen as a model of patrician restraint on Capitol Hill. After 9/11, when other Republicans in charge of overseeing intelligence condemned CIA Director George Tenet, Goss stayed nimbly above the fray. "I'm not going to fall for the bait of getting into the political discussion," the chairman of the House intelligence committee, who served in the CIA's clandestine service for a decade, once said. So many a bushy eyebrow was raised when Goss interrupted a House debate on a new intelligence bill—typically a fairly genteel,...

Greenwood resignation rumors abound U.S. Rep. James Greenwood said in a release Monday that he is currently considering another job, stoking rumors that he is poised to resign from office to pursue a position in the private sector. “From time to time during my twenty four years of public service, I have been approached and offered other types of challenges and opportunities,” Greenwood’s statement read. “Such has been the case in the last few days, and I am currently reviewing one of these opportunities. I will make my decision public in the very near future and will have no other...

4. Nor, perchance did the fact which We now recall take place without some design of divine Providence. Precisely at the epoch when the American colonies, having, with Catholic aid, achieved liberty and independence, coalesced into a constitutional Republic the ecclesiastical hierarchy was happily established amongst you; and at the very time when the popular suffrage placed the great Washington at the helm of the Republic, the first bishop was set by apostolic authority over the American Church. LONGINQUE OCEANI      ON CATHOLICITY IN THE UNITED STATESENCYCLICAL OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIII, JANUARY 6, 1895 To the Archbishops and...

Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - Congresswoman asked for leniency for worker's son convicted of rape Rep. Lynn Woolsey apologized yesterday for "making a horrible situation worse" by asking for leniency for an acquaintance who raped a Marin teenager. "I am writing to apologize to the young woman from Terra Linda who was the victim of sexual assault at the hands of Stewart Pearson," Woolsey, D-Petaluma, said in a brief written statement to the Independent Journal. "I did send a letter during the sentencing phase to (Marin Superior Court) Judge Terrence Boren, explaining that I knew Mr. Pearson's family, thought highly...

ELECTION 2004Rep. Ron Paul wins seat earlyNot 1 challenger filed to run against Texas' 'Mr. Constitution' Posted: January 21, 20041:00 a.m. Eastern © 2004 WorldNetDaily.com Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas – known as "Mr. Constitution" on Capitol Hill for his strict adherence to the document when voting on legislation – won't face any challengers for his House seat this year since he was the only person to file for the race. The deadline to file in his 14th Congressional District was Friday. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas The Liberty Committee, which Paul founded, pointed out the fact lawmakers need not bow to political pressure...

<p>The Justice Department said Thursday it would review complaints from political watchdog groups that Republican House leaders tried to bribe Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich., to vote for a Medicare bill.</p> <p>Smith voted against the bill despite what he described as threats against his son, Brad Smith, who is running for the House seat his father is vacating next year.</p>

Janklow Manslaughter Trial Begins Monday By CARSON WALKER Associated Press Writer FLANDREAU, S.D. (AP) -- Bill Janklow, a former four-term South Dakota governor and the state's only congressman, returns to his boyhood hometown Monday to face a trial that may decide his political future. The 64-year-old is charged with speeding, running a stop sign, reckless driving and manslaughter in an Aug. 16 accident that killed a motorcyclist at a rural intersection in South Dakota. If convicted of manslaughter, he could face up to 10 years in prison, as well as a House ethics committee investigation. Under the committee's rules, any...