Mitch" Approval rating back down to 46%
The following shows, for the following dates, "Mitch" McConnell's approval ratings with the voters. That means that 54% of the likely voters approved of the job "Mitch" McConnell was doing on 5/10/05, but only 46% of the likely voters approved of the job "Mitch" McConnell was doing on 4/14/2008:
"TRACK POINTS 05/10/05 06/13/05 07/11/05 08/15/05 09/19/05 10/17/05 11/14/05 12/12/05 01/16/06 02/13/06 03/13/06 04/10/06 05/15/06 06/12/06 07/17/06 08/14/06 09/18/06 10/16/06 11/12/06 12/11/06 01/15/07 02/12/07 03/12/07 04/16/07 05/14/07 06/11/07 07/16/07 08/13/07 09/17/07 10/15/07 11/12/07 12/16/07 01/07/08 02/05/08 03/17/08 04/14/08
"Approve 54% 56% 54% 51% 54% 55% 54% 53% 52% 53% 49% 53% 52% 51% 53% 51% 53% 52% 54% 50% 52% 49% 49% 53% 54% 52% 48% 50% 51% 49% 44% 51% 49% 52% 52% 46%"
Let's Ditch Mitch.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
See Dick Cheney explain why we shouldn't be in Iraq.
Click: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BEsZMvrq-I to see Dick Cheney explain why we should not have U.S. troops in Iraq. What he said was true in 1994, and what he said in 1994 remains true today. It is too bad the neocons don't agree with the 1994 Dick Cheney. Kenneth Stepp.
A Letter to you.
Dear Blog Reader,
The Democratic Primary Election for U.S. Senator, Kentucky is less than thirty days away. Right now, it looks like Republican do-nothing Senator Mitch McConnell will be re-elected this fall.
You have a clear choice this year. Mitch McConnell used the power of filibuster to block the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. I, Kenneth Stepp, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Kentucky support the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and support equal pay for women. Of the nine remaining Kentucky candidates for U.S. Senate (there are two Republicans in the race, you remember), only I, Kenneth Stepp, as a trial lawyer have filed a Federal Civil Rights suit against an employer on behalf of a woman employee, saying that the employer discriminated against the woman because she was a woman. The suit was in Federal Court, and the owner of the Defendant corporation was an organization based in Shelbyville, Kentucky. Of the nine remaining candidates for U.S. Senate, Kentucky, only Kenneth Stepp would be active and on the job the first day on the job defending the interests of women, sick kids, union workers, troops, veterans, etc. Without your support for Kenneth Stepp, the special interests win, and the women, sick kids, union workers, troops, veterans, etc. lose.
You have a clear choice this year. Mitch McConnell used the power of filibuster to block withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. I, Kenneth Stepp, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, Kentucky promise that I will use the purse strings of Congress to end American troop deaths in Iraq. I will "just vote no" on pouring more money into sending U.S. troops into Iraq, and keeping U.S. troops in Iraq. I am the candidate most outspoken against American participation in the Iraq Civil War. Without your support for Kenneth Stepp, the Iraqi killing of American troops continues, and the American troops lose.
You have a clear choice this year. Mitch McConnell used the power of filibuster to block Congress from outlawing warrantless wiretaps against U.S. citizens. Of all the candidates for U.S. Senate--Kentucky, I, Kenneth Stepp have been the most outspoken against warrantless wiretaps against U.S. citizens. Without your support for Kenneth Stepp, the warrantless wiretaps of U.S. citizens will continue, and the ordinary U.S. citizens lose.
You have a clear choice this year. Mitch McConnell used the power of filibuster to block Congress from outlawing waterboarding, torture, and rendition for torture by U.S. personnel. Of all the candidates for U.S. Senate--Kentucky, I, Kenneth Stepp have been the most outspoken against waterboarding, torture, and rendition for torture. Without your support for Kenneth Stepp the waterboarding, torture, and rendition for torture will continue, and free people everywhere lose.
You have a clear choice this year. Mitch McConnell in a recent year helped Congress reduce Federal spending on education. I, Kenneth Stepp favor the Scotland Plan, which means full public college undergraduate-level financing by the government. Without your support for Kenneth Stepp, the government funding of education will remain stalled at previous levels, and the U.S. students and families of students lose.
Time is running short. You can make a difference. I ask you to vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate--Kentucky in the May 20 Democratic Primary. I ask you to discuss the Kenneth Stepp platform with your friends, and ask them to vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate--Kentucky. I ask you to punch the "CONTRIBUTE NOW" button located on this blogspot, and contribute $25 or $50 or whatever you can afford to help elect Kenneth Stepp to U.S. Senate--Kentucky and to help put an end to the foolish shenanigans of Republican Minority Leader Mitch "The Chief Obstructor" McConnell. Your help is vital. Please contribute now.
Kenneth Stepp
Religious people, 9/11, and the American Empire.
"How Should Religious People Respond?
"by David Ray Griffin
"I now turn, finally, to the question of how religious people should respond to 9/11 and the American empire. My discussion of this question must be very brief, consisting merely of four suggestions.
"First, discover and then speak the truth: I would suggest that religious people should--if they have not done so already--study about both 9/11 and the American empire to see if they find the claims I have made about them true. If they do, then they should do everything in their power to make others aware of these facts.
"Second, create new means to spread the truth: It is clear that the mainstream press in America is complicit in the cover-up of the truth about the American empire in general and 9/11 in particular. For example, my second book, which exposes many outrageous lies in The 9/11 Commission Report, has not been reviewed by any mainstream publication; the same was true of my earlier book, The New Pearl Harbor. There are, of course, alternative publications, both in print and on the internet, that seek to expose the truth about the American empire. Most of these, however, fail to deal with 9/11. And most of them are indifferent or even hostile to religion, so they do not provide effective organs to communicate with religious communities. Perhaps the most important thing that could be done by religious groups concerned with getting out the truth about 9/11 and the American empire would be the creation of new means of communication, means through which the total contrast between the values of the religious traditions and the values of the global domination project can be made clear. On this basis, an ecumenical religious movement to oppose the global domination project, partly by exposing the truth about 9/11, might be formed.
"Third, formulate proposals for subverting the global domination project: As such a movement begins to form, it will need to decide rather concretely how to go about trying to subvert the global domination project. We need, therefore, proposals for how to do this from religious thinkers of the various tradition. I will soon, I hope, be publishing my own proposal, which is centered around the idea of global democracy.[53] Other people will favor different proposals. But I stress the importance of having such proposals from religious thinkers. It is probably only such proposals, drawing explicitly on the moral principles of the religious traditions, that will have the power to move large numbers of people.
"Fourth, form alliances with other moral nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). I have emphasized that it is important for representatives from the various religious traditions who take their common moral principles seriously to join forces. Indeed, my motto is: “Religions of the world unite! You have nothing to lose by your impotence.” But it is essential, at the same time, for these religious groups to forge alliances with what we can call the other moral NGOs of the world. Whether they are working for human rights, for peace, for ecological sustainability, or some related cause, the moral principles that motivate these NGOs are diametrically opposed to the values of the global domination project. By emphasizing the moral principles that we have in common, NGOs that are and are not explicitly religious can join forces in opposing that radically immoral project.
"I will close with the observation that, insofar as Americans participate in this anti-imperialist movement, their activities will be deeply patriotic, because they will be seeking to call our nation back to its moral ideals, which stand diametrically opposed to the values implicit in the global domination project.
"***** ENDS *****
Notes:
52. Rebuilding America’s Defenses, 14.
53. Fair-minded people will, of course, wait until I have actually published this proposal, with my explanations of what I mean--and do not mean--by “global democracy” and why I believe it to be necessary, before they proceed to offer criticisms of it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Ray Griffin is author of New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11 and The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions
"by David Ray Griffin
"I now turn, finally, to the question of how religious people should respond to 9/11 and the American empire. My discussion of this question must be very brief, consisting merely of four suggestions.
"First, discover and then speak the truth: I would suggest that religious people should--if they have not done so already--study about both 9/11 and the American empire to see if they find the claims I have made about them true. If they do, then they should do everything in their power to make others aware of these facts.
"Second, create new means to spread the truth: It is clear that the mainstream press in America is complicit in the cover-up of the truth about the American empire in general and 9/11 in particular. For example, my second book, which exposes many outrageous lies in The 9/11 Commission Report, has not been reviewed by any mainstream publication; the same was true of my earlier book, The New Pearl Harbor. There are, of course, alternative publications, both in print and on the internet, that seek to expose the truth about the American empire. Most of these, however, fail to deal with 9/11. And most of them are indifferent or even hostile to religion, so they do not provide effective organs to communicate with religious communities. Perhaps the most important thing that could be done by religious groups concerned with getting out the truth about 9/11 and the American empire would be the creation of new means of communication, means through which the total contrast between the values of the religious traditions and the values of the global domination project can be made clear. On this basis, an ecumenical religious movement to oppose the global domination project, partly by exposing the truth about 9/11, might be formed.
"Third, formulate proposals for subverting the global domination project: As such a movement begins to form, it will need to decide rather concretely how to go about trying to subvert the global domination project. We need, therefore, proposals for how to do this from religious thinkers of the various tradition. I will soon, I hope, be publishing my own proposal, which is centered around the idea of global democracy.[53] Other people will favor different proposals. But I stress the importance of having such proposals from religious thinkers. It is probably only such proposals, drawing explicitly on the moral principles of the religious traditions, that will have the power to move large numbers of people.
"Fourth, form alliances with other moral nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). I have emphasized that it is important for representatives from the various religious traditions who take their common moral principles seriously to join forces. Indeed, my motto is: “Religions of the world unite! You have nothing to lose by your impotence.” But it is essential, at the same time, for these religious groups to forge alliances with what we can call the other moral NGOs of the world. Whether they are working for human rights, for peace, for ecological sustainability, or some related cause, the moral principles that motivate these NGOs are diametrically opposed to the values of the global domination project. By emphasizing the moral principles that we have in common, NGOs that are and are not explicitly religious can join forces in opposing that radically immoral project.
"I will close with the observation that, insofar as Americans participate in this anti-imperialist movement, their activities will be deeply patriotic, because they will be seeking to call our nation back to its moral ideals, which stand diametrically opposed to the values implicit in the global domination project.
"***** ENDS *****
Notes:
52. Rebuilding America’s Defenses, 14.
53. Fair-minded people will, of course, wait until I have actually published this proposal, with my explanations of what I mean--and do not mean--by “global democracy” and why I believe it to be necessary, before they proceed to offer criticisms of it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David Ray Griffin is author of New Pearl Harbor: Disturbing Questions About the Bush Administration and 9/11 and The 9/11 Commission Report: Omissions And Distortions
Kenneth Stepp, campaigning in 2006.
"This is Kenneth Stepp, a Democratic Candidate for the United States Senate, Kentucky.
All American troops should be withdrawn from Iraq; "Mitch" McConnell has voted to keep American troops in Iraq.
Torture should be banned; "Mitch" McConnell voted against a bill outlawing torture.
Illegal Federal Warrantless Wiretapping should be stopped; "Mitch" McConnell has voted to keep on having Federal Warrantless Wiretapping.
Federal support for education should not be decreased; "MItch" McConnell has voted to cut Federal support for education.
Kenneth Stepp supports gun owners' rights, right to life, and the $7.25 minimum wage law.
Elect Kenneth Stepp, a Democratic candidate, to the U.S. Senate, Kentucky.
SEVEN REASONS TO ELECT KENNETH STEPP TO CONGRESS.
SEVEN REASONS YOU SHOULD VOTE FOR KENNETH STEPP
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR U.S. HOUSE KY-05
1. ALL UNITED STATES TROOPS SHOULD BE WITHDRAWN FROM IRAQ, BUT MITCH MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO “STAY THE COURSE” AND KEEP U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ.
2. TORTURE SHOULD BE OUTLAWED, BUT "MITCH" McCONNELL HAS VOTED AGAINST A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE OUTLAWED TORTURE.
3. FEDERAL ILLEGAL WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS SHOULD BE STOPPED, BUT "MITCH" MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO ALLOW FEDERAL WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS.
4. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE CUT, BUT "MITCH" MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION.
5. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE $7.25 MINIMUM WAGE.
6. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE RIGHTS OF GUN OWNERS.
7. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE RIGHT TO LIFE.
ELECT KENNETH STEPP TO THE U.S. SENATE, KY
BRING "MITCH" MCCONNELL HOME.
OUST "MITCH" THE REPUBLICAN RUBBERSTAMP.
POLITICAL AD, PAID BY KENNETH STEPP
THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR U.S. HOUSE KY-05
1. ALL UNITED STATES TROOPS SHOULD BE WITHDRAWN FROM IRAQ, BUT MITCH MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO “STAY THE COURSE” AND KEEP U.S. TROOPS IN IRAQ.
2. TORTURE SHOULD BE OUTLAWED, BUT "MITCH" McCONNELL HAS VOTED AGAINST A BILL THAT WOULD HAVE OUTLAWED TORTURE.
3. FEDERAL ILLEGAL WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS SHOULD BE STOPPED, BUT "MITCH" MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO ALLOW FEDERAL WARRANTLESS WIRETAPS OF AMERICAN CITIZENS.
4. FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION SHOULD NOT BE CUT, BUT "MITCH" MCCONNELL HAS VOTED TO CUT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR EDUCATION.
5. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE $7.25 MINIMUM WAGE.
6. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE RIGHTS OF GUN OWNERS.
7. KENNETH STEPP SUPPORTS THE RIGHT TO LIFE.
ELECT KENNETH STEPP TO THE U.S. SENATE, KY
BRING "MITCH" MCCONNELL HOME.
OUST "MITCH" THE REPUBLICAN RUBBERSTAMP.
POLITICAL AD, PAID BY KENNETH STEPP
Spendthrift Republicans, Anti-Education Republicans
Spendthrift Republicans! Since Republican George W. Bush became President, while Republican "Mitch" McConnell was already the U.S. Senator--KY in the Republican-majority Congress, the gross federal debt has jumped from $5.8 trillion in 2001, to a 2007 estimate of $9.3 trillion--an amazing 60 percent increase. Undoubtedly, spendthrift Republican "Mitch" McConnell, as a part of the rubber-stamp Republican Congress, will vote "Yes" to spendthrift George W. Bush's big jump to a $9.3 trillion gross federal debt. Elect Kenneth Stepp your U.S. Senator, and Kenneth Stepp will vote "No" to a $9.3 trillion gross federal budget, and "No" to increasing the legal federal debt ceiling.
Anti-Education Republicans! Much of the outcry from Democratic lawmakers, concerning Republican President Bush's 2007 fiscal year budget, centered on the proposed 28 per cent cut in education. Undoubtedly, KY Republican U.S. Senator "Mitch" McConnell did vote with the rubber-stamp Republican Congress and voted "Yes" to Republican President Bush's proposed 28 per cent cut in education in the 2007 fiscal year budget. Elect Kenneth Stepp your U.S Senator, and Kenneth Stepp will vote "No" to the Republicans' proposed 28 per cent cut in education, and Kenneth Stepp will vote "No" to any cut in federal education spending.
Anti-Education Republicans! Much of the outcry from Democratic lawmakers, concerning Republican President Bush's 2007 fiscal year budget, centered on the proposed 28 per cent cut in education. Undoubtedly, KY Republican U.S. Senator "Mitch" McConnell did vote with the rubber-stamp Republican Congress and voted "Yes" to Republican President Bush's proposed 28 per cent cut in education in the 2007 fiscal year budget. Elect Kenneth Stepp your U.S Senator, and Kenneth Stepp will vote "No" to the Republicans' proposed 28 per cent cut in education, and Kenneth Stepp will vote "No" to any cut in federal education spending.
You have a video from the Kenneth Stepp Kentucky U.S.
You have a video from the Kenneth Stepp Kentucky U.S.
Senate campaign. Please click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVm5jLeRnTY
Kenneth Stepp
Senate campaign. Please click:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVm5jLeRnTY
Kenneth Stepp
See and hear Kenneth Stepp speak.
Kenneth Stepp and son Conrad Stepp celebrate Kenneth's 59th birthday in rural Clay County, Kentucky with a birthday cake with two toy dinosaurs on it. If you click http://www.qualitynewsnetwork.com/2006intv.htm#Kentucky and then go to Kentucky and then punch Kenneth Stepp, you will hear the radio network interview of the candidate Kenneth Stepp by the Quality News Network out of Monterey, California in 2006. If you click http://www.wkma.org/election/primary06_forums.htm and then go down the page to Fifth District, and then punch it, you can see and hear the Kenneth Stepp Democratic Primary Debate in 2006. Another candidates' debate is scheduled with KET1 October 9, 2006 after 8:00 P.M. Kenneth Stepp should be debating with the U.S. Senate KY Democratic Primary candidates 7:00 P.M., Monday, May 12, 2008.
Paul Newman speaks for a Democratic Senate.
Paul Newman speaks for a Democratic Senate.
A Special Message from Paul Newman
by Mike Liddell Tue Jun 26th, 2007 at 11:37:51 AM ESTDon't miss this special video message from Paul Newman:
General :: click this: Entry Link :: 1 Comment
A Special Message from Paul Newman
by Mike Liddell Tue Jun 26th, 2007 at 11:37:51 AM ESTDon't miss this special video message from Paul Newman:
General :: click this: Entry Link :: 1 Comment
Kenneth Stepp's duties in the Navy.
After entering the Navy as a Seaman (left), and after attending Naval Officer Candidate School and becoming a Naval Officer, Kenneth Stepp was Assistant Inner Range Officer, and later Assistant Underwater Range Officer at the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range, in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Vieques Island, Culebra Island, and Luis Pena Island. The Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range is a U.S. Navy outfit headquartered at Roosevelt Roads along the East coast of Puerto Rico, and including portions of the nearby islands of Vieques, Culebra, Luis Pena, and St. Croix. We had a Navy captain (same rank as an Army colonel--wears an eagle on his collar) "Commodore" Mackey was in charge of the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range. While I was there, Commander "Bill" Danner ( same rank as an Army Lt. Col.)was the Underwater Range officer--in charge of the Underwater Range torpedo shop and operations for underwater equipment and tests in Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, and also the Underwater Range off the coast of Fredericksted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. He had two Assistant Underwater Range Officers, myself and Ensign Mike Metcalf; Mike got out of the Navy a couple of years after I did, and I understand he is back in Ohio, running a fish market. Anyway, what I was in charge of, as Assistant Underwater Range Officer, the operations at the Underwater Range in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, for about three days per test, or six days a month, I was on St. Croix at the Underwater Range, being the highest-ranking Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range Officer there, supervising and coordinating the approx. twenty private contractor employees operating the electronic equipment of the Underwater Range, and the Navy enlisted men who were the Navy underwater divers and who operated the Navy torpedo retrieval boat (TRB). The Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range is a pretty big operation. I was in charge of eighteen men (gunners mates and fire control technicians) when I was Gunnery Assistant and Second Division Officer aboard the USS Blakely, a Destroyer Escort--later a Frigate. When I was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Range as an Assistant Inner Range Officer, for one-day stretches, I was in charge of supervising on shore the Naval Gunfire Support firing of big Naval guns at shore targets, using dummy ammunition on Culebra Island, and using live, high-explosive ammunition on the Island of Vieques. Usually, on those islands, I was the highest-ranking armed forces officer on the gunfire support range and directed the people on the ship when and where to fire, and supervised approx. five Navy enlisted men also on the island gunfire support range.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Click: to see Stepp, Cassaro, Lunsford, and Fischer speal at Pikeville.
Click the above, to see the four candiates, Stepp, Lunsford, Cassaaro, and Fischer speak at "Hillbilly Days" in Pikeville, April 19, 2008.
Click: to see Kenneth Stepp 4 min. speech at Laffoon dinner.
Click the above to watch the Kenneth Stepp 4 min. speech at the Ruby Laffoon dinner in Madisnoville, Kentucky earlier this year. video by Jim Pence.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Lexington Herald-Leader Praises Stepp and Wylie.
Vote Smart survey
Give credit to candidates who responded
Related Content
Survey results
Candidates who responsed Kenneth Stepp (D)
David Wylie (D)
U.S. House
1st District: Heather Ryan (D)
2nd District: David Boswell (D)
4th District: Warren Stone (R)
State House
4th District: Michael Cherry (D)
15th District: Brent Yonts (D)
17th District: C.B. Embry (R)
24th District: Anthony Stargle (R)
29th District: James Sexton (D)
33rd District: Ronald Crimm (R)
33rd District: Greg Galbraith (D)
34th District: Michael Pitzer (R)
39th District: Robert Damron (D)
48th District: David Watson (D)
51st District: Doug Mullins (D)
51st District: Asa Swan (R)
57th District: Frank Haynes (R)
61st District: Royce Adams (D)
63rd District: Ken Padgett (D)
64th District: Thomas Kerr (R)
64th District: Stephen Knipper (R)
74th District: Woodrow Wells (R)
75th District: Kathy Stein (D)
82nd District: Dewayne Bunch (R)
90th District: Ronnie Melton (R)
100th District: Bobby Woods (D)
State Senate
19th District: Bob Heleringer (R)
19th District: Tim Shaughnessy (D)
25th District: Pete Frye (D)
33rd District: Gerald Neal (D)
35th District: Denise Harper Angel (D)
37th District: Perry Clark (D)
Comments
If one wonders how a lawmaker would put self-interest over public good, look first at the general unwillingness of political candidates to tell voters what they believe.
Only five of 28 candidates for Kentucky's congressional seats were willing to answer questions in a national, non-partisan survey. That's 18 percent.
Of the total 195 candidates for the General Assembly, only 28 took the time to respond. That's a return rate of 14 percent.
Kentucky candidates continue to be among the lowest responders of any state to the Political Courage Test, designed by journalists, political scientists and representatives of major and third parties.
The test has been distributed for more than a decade by Project Vote Smart, a research group whose founders include Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Newt Gingrich, Barry Goldwater, John McCain and Geraldine Ferraro.
The non-profit has been getting dwindling responses to the test since 2000. Political party leaders and consultants have been telling candidates not to answer the survey because opponents may challenge their points of view.
"If candidates are so afraid of letting their opponents know where they stand on key issues," said Richard Kimball, president of Project Vote Smart, "how can they possibly let the voters know how they will handle the job if they are hired?"
Not knowing makes it harder to weed through attack ads, the platitudes on mailings and the warm-and-fuzzy TV ads.
Kentucky voters should applaud those who took the time to answer the questions, more fully offering themselves for public service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Herald-Leader is pleased to provide this opportunity for readers to comment on stories and issues. However, we urge readers to avoid personal attacks or inappropriate remarks in their postings. Some of the comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Registered user names are posted for comments.
Recent Comments
Be the first to post a comment using the form below
Post Your Comment
You must log in to post comments.
Give credit to candidates who responded
Related Content
Survey results
Candidates who responsed Kenneth Stepp (D)
David Wylie (D)
U.S. House
1st District: Heather Ryan (D)
2nd District: David Boswell (D)
4th District: Warren Stone (R)
State House
4th District: Michael Cherry (D)
15th District: Brent Yonts (D)
17th District: C.B. Embry (R)
24th District: Anthony Stargle (R)
29th District: James Sexton (D)
33rd District: Ronald Crimm (R)
33rd District: Greg Galbraith (D)
34th District: Michael Pitzer (R)
39th District: Robert Damron (D)
48th District: David Watson (D)
51st District: Doug Mullins (D)
51st District: Asa Swan (R)
57th District: Frank Haynes (R)
61st District: Royce Adams (D)
63rd District: Ken Padgett (D)
64th District: Thomas Kerr (R)
64th District: Stephen Knipper (R)
74th District: Woodrow Wells (R)
75th District: Kathy Stein (D)
82nd District: Dewayne Bunch (R)
90th District: Ronnie Melton (R)
100th District: Bobby Woods (D)
State Senate
19th District: Bob Heleringer (R)
19th District: Tim Shaughnessy (D)
25th District: Pete Frye (D)
33rd District: Gerald Neal (D)
35th District: Denise Harper Angel (D)
37th District: Perry Clark (D)
Comments
If one wonders how a lawmaker would put self-interest over public good, look first at the general unwillingness of political candidates to tell voters what they believe.
Only five of 28 candidates for Kentucky's congressional seats were willing to answer questions in a national, non-partisan survey. That's 18 percent.
Of the total 195 candidates for the General Assembly, only 28 took the time to respond. That's a return rate of 14 percent.
Kentucky candidates continue to be among the lowest responders of any state to the Political Courage Test, designed by journalists, political scientists and representatives of major and third parties.
The test has been distributed for more than a decade by Project Vote Smart, a research group whose founders include Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Newt Gingrich, Barry Goldwater, John McCain and Geraldine Ferraro.
The non-profit has been getting dwindling responses to the test since 2000. Political party leaders and consultants have been telling candidates not to answer the survey because opponents may challenge their points of view.
"If candidates are so afraid of letting their opponents know where they stand on key issues," said Richard Kimball, president of Project Vote Smart, "how can they possibly let the voters know how they will handle the job if they are hired?"
Not knowing makes it harder to weed through attack ads, the platitudes on mailings and the warm-and-fuzzy TV ads.
Kentucky voters should applaud those who took the time to answer the questions, more fully offering themselves for public service.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Herald-Leader is pleased to provide this opportunity for readers to comment on stories and issues. However, we urge readers to avoid personal attacks or inappropriate remarks in their postings. Some of the comments may be reprinted in the newspaper. The views expressed here are not those of the Herald-Leader or its staff. Registered user names are posted for comments.
Recent Comments
Be the first to post a comment using the form below
Post Your Comment
You must log in to post comments.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Endorsement by Tyler Yandall.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Time for the US Senate to Stepp Things Up!
Next month will be the first time in which I am legally able to vote in a Democratic Primary for the United States Senate. This election year, we in Kentucky have been exposed to a truly diverse array of candidates. While much of the blogosphere focuses on who has the most money and name recognition, yours truly focuses on the issues.
I'm formally endorsing eastern Kentucky's own Kenneth Stepp.
Mr. Stepp is, in my opinion, the hardest working man in the Senate race this year. He's driven countless miles, shook a multitude of hands, and made it to as many events as his schedule and limited campaign finances will allow. He's not the most known candidate running for Senate, but he should be.
Stepp's website is personally run and updated by himself, usually multiple times a week. He's a constant force on blogs and is always available to answer each and every question I've ever asked of him.
However, the main reason I'm endorsing and voting for Kenneth Stepp is because of his unwavering opposition to the disastrous war in Iraq. After staying out of politics for several years, he made a comeback because he saw what so many of us see today: the war in Iraq should have never been waged and should be ended now. He is the war's most vocal opponent here in the Democratic Party of Kentucky.
Stepp is also vehemently opposed to torture and warrantless wiretaps.
This Primary Election, do the right thing. Instead of taking a step back, Stepp forward with Kenneth!
Posted by Tyler B. Yandall at 8:05 PM 1 comments
Time for the US Senate to Stepp Things Up!
Next month will be the first time in which I am legally able to vote in a Democratic Primary for the United States Senate. This election year, we in Kentucky have been exposed to a truly diverse array of candidates. While much of the blogosphere focuses on who has the most money and name recognition, yours truly focuses on the issues.
I'm formally endorsing eastern Kentucky's own Kenneth Stepp.
Mr. Stepp is, in my opinion, the hardest working man in the Senate race this year. He's driven countless miles, shook a multitude of hands, and made it to as many events as his schedule and limited campaign finances will allow. He's not the most known candidate running for Senate, but he should be.
Stepp's website is personally run and updated by himself, usually multiple times a week. He's a constant force on blogs and is always available to answer each and every question I've ever asked of him.
However, the main reason I'm endorsing and voting for Kenneth Stepp is because of his unwavering opposition to the disastrous war in Iraq. After staying out of politics for several years, he made a comeback because he saw what so many of us see today: the war in Iraq should have never been waged and should be ended now. He is the war's most vocal opponent here in the Democratic Party of Kentucky.
Stepp is also vehemently opposed to torture and warrantless wiretaps.
This Primary Election, do the right thing. Instead of taking a step back, Stepp forward with Kenneth!
Posted by Tyler B. Yandall at 8:05 PM 1 comments
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
"Mitch" McConnell and torture.
Pushed for Guantanamo Torture!!
April 19th, 2008 Jim Pence
(Cross posted at Hillbilly Report)
Senator Mitch McConnell it’s time for you to speak up on this issue or approve of it with your silence!!!!!
Go to Original
Torture and the Law
By Spencer Ackerman
The Washington Independent
With nine months remaining in President George W. Bush’s term, virtually no legal analyst expects that anyone in his administration will face indictment and prosecution in connection with the torture of terrorism detainees. However, a new admission from Bush last week has some legal analysts contending that the case for such prosecution has gotten significantly stronger.
ABC News reported on Apr. 9 that then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice chaired an informal panel of top administration officials that approved specific brutal interrogation tactics for use on three suspected Al Qaeda detainees. The panel consisted of Vice President Dick Cheney, and former administration officials - Donald H. Rumsfeld, then defense secretary, Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state, George Tenet, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and John Ashcroft, then attorney general. This group debated for use on detainees - and eventually approved - methods of abuse like being “slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding,” ABC reported.
On Apr. 11, Bush told ABC that he was personally aware of the panel’s discussions. “Well, we started to connect the dots in order to protect the American people.” Bush said. “And yes, I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.”
Read More.
Go to Original
Top Bush Aides Pushed for Guantanamo Torture
By Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian UK
Senior officials bypassed army chief to introduce interrogation methods.
America’s most senior general was “hoodwinked” by top Bush administration officials determined to push through aggressive interrogation techniques of terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, leading to the US military abandoning its age-old ban on the cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners, the Guardian reveals today.
General Richard Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff from 2001 to 2005, wrongly believed that inmates at Guantánamo and other prisons were protected by the Geneva conventions and from abuse tantamount to torture.
The way he was duped by senior officials in Washington, who believed the Geneva conventions and other traditional safeguards were out of date, is disclosed in a devastating account of their role, extracts of which appear in today’s Guardian.
In his new book, Torture Team, Philippe Sands QC, professor of law at University College London, reveals that:
Senior Bush administration figures pushed through previously outlawed measures with the aid of inexperienced military officials at Guantánamo.
Myers believes he was a victim of “intrigue” by top lawyers at the department of justice, the office of vice-president Dick Cheney, and at Donald Rumsfeld’s defense department.
The Guantánamo lawyers charged with devising interrogation techniques were inspired by the exploits of Jack Bauer in the American TV series 24.
Myers wrongly believed interrogation techniques had been taken from the army’s field manual.
Read More
(Note: To visit the homepage of this site, click here).
« Keith Olbermann’s List Of Questions For George Stephanopulos To Ask John McCain This Sunday On His Show “This Week”. Youtube Video.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pm and is filed under 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race, Torture, Guantanamo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
6 Responses to “George W. Bush’s Top Aides Pushed for Guantanamo Torture!!”
CW Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Lies, nothing but damn lies…. “We do not torture.” yeh right!
Sunday, November 20, 2005 (CNN)
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A former top State Department official said Sunday that Vice President Dick Cheney provided the “philosophical guidance” and “flexibility” that led to the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, told CNN that the practice of torture may be continuing in U.S.-run facilities.
Traveling in Latin America earlier this month, President Bush defended U.S. treatment of prisoners, saying flatly, “We do not torture.”
April 11, 2008 (ABC)
Bush Aware of Advisers’ Interrogation Talks
President Says He Knew His Senior Advisers Discussed Tough Interrogation Methods
President Bush says he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details about how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to an exclusive interview with ABC News Friday.
snip…
Sunday, November 20, 2005 (CNN)
Cheney has come under mounting criticism for his position. Last week, Stansfield Turner, a military veteran who served as director of the CIA during the Carter administration, labeled him the “vice president for torture.” (Full story)
In a statement responding to Turner’s remark, Cheney said his views “are reflected in the administration’s policy. Our country is at war and our government has an obligation to protect the American people from a brutal enemy that has declared war upon us.”
“We are aggressively finding terrorists and bringing them to justice and anything we do within this effort is within the law,” the statement said, adding that the United States “does not torture.”
April 11, 2008 (ABC)
……. the Principals Committee included Vice President Dick Cheney, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The so-called Principals who participated in the meetings also approved the use of “combined” interrogation techniques — using different techniques during interrogations instead of using one method at a time — on terrorist suspects who proved difficult to break……
Jim Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
When Lawyers Are War Criminals.
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-lawyers-are-war-criminals.html
andy42302 Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Excellent job Jim! It’s disturbing that the media hasn’t picked up on this more than they have. Perhaps lapel pins are more important?
kilowat Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
quote jim link
For this issue, one Nuremberg case forms the key precedent: United States v. Altstoetter, also called the Reich Justice Ministry case. That case stands for some simple propositions. One of them is that lawyers who dispense bad advice about law of armed conflict, and whose advice predictably leads to the death or mistreatment of prisoners, are war criminals, chargeable with potentially capital offenses.
Jim Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I know the videos I posted are quite long, but Philippe Sands has a lot to say and the videos are worth watching. The videos are of the same interview of Philippe Sands and broke into two videos.
Kenneth Stepp Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I say let’s outlaw the torture of human beings. If Kentucky can outlaw the torture of animals, surely we can afford the same right to human beings. If elected to the U.S. Senate, I pledge to take action to outlaw the torture of human beings. Kenneth Stepp, Candidate for U.S. Senate, Democrat, Kentucky.
April 19th, 2008 Jim Pence
(Cross posted at Hillbilly Report)
Senator Mitch McConnell it’s time for you to speak up on this issue or approve of it with your silence!!!!!
Go to Original
Torture and the Law
By Spencer Ackerman
The Washington Independent
With nine months remaining in President George W. Bush’s term, virtually no legal analyst expects that anyone in his administration will face indictment and prosecution in connection with the torture of terrorism detainees. However, a new admission from Bush last week has some legal analysts contending that the case for such prosecution has gotten significantly stronger.
ABC News reported on Apr. 9 that then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice chaired an informal panel of top administration officials that approved specific brutal interrogation tactics for use on three suspected Al Qaeda detainees. The panel consisted of Vice President Dick Cheney, and former administration officials - Donald H. Rumsfeld, then defense secretary, Colin L. Powell, the former secretary of state, George Tenet, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and John Ashcroft, then attorney general. This group debated for use on detainees - and eventually approved - methods of abuse like being “slapped, pushed, deprived of sleep or subjected to simulated drowning, called waterboarding,” ABC reported.
On Apr. 11, Bush told ABC that he was personally aware of the panel’s discussions. “Well, we started to connect the dots in order to protect the American people.” Bush said. “And yes, I’m aware our national security team met on this issue. And I approved.”
Read More.
Go to Original
Top Bush Aides Pushed for Guantanamo Torture
By Richard Norton-Taylor
The Guardian UK
Senior officials bypassed army chief to introduce interrogation methods.
America’s most senior general was “hoodwinked” by top Bush administration officials determined to push through aggressive interrogation techniques of terror suspects held at Guantánamo Bay, leading to the US military abandoning its age-old ban on the cruel and inhumane treatment of prisoners, the Guardian reveals today.
General Richard Myers, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff from 2001 to 2005, wrongly believed that inmates at Guantánamo and other prisons were protected by the Geneva conventions and from abuse tantamount to torture.
The way he was duped by senior officials in Washington, who believed the Geneva conventions and other traditional safeguards were out of date, is disclosed in a devastating account of their role, extracts of which appear in today’s Guardian.
In his new book, Torture Team, Philippe Sands QC, professor of law at University College London, reveals that:
Senior Bush administration figures pushed through previously outlawed measures with the aid of inexperienced military officials at Guantánamo.
Myers believes he was a victim of “intrigue” by top lawyers at the department of justice, the office of vice-president Dick Cheney, and at Donald Rumsfeld’s defense department.
The Guantánamo lawyers charged with devising interrogation techniques were inspired by the exploits of Jack Bauer in the American TV series 24.
Myers wrongly believed interrogation techniques had been taken from the army’s field manual.
Read More
(Note: To visit the homepage of this site, click here).
« Keith Olbermann’s List Of Questions For George Stephanopulos To Ask John McCain This Sunday On His Show “This Week”. Youtube Video.
This entry was posted on Saturday, April 19th, 2008 at 1:09 pm and is filed under 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race, Torture, Guantanamo. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
6 Responses to “George W. Bush’s Top Aides Pushed for Guantanamo Torture!!”
CW Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Lies, nothing but damn lies…. “We do not torture.” yeh right!
Sunday, November 20, 2005 (CNN)
WASHINGTON (CNN) — A former top State Department official said Sunday that Vice President Dick Cheney provided the “philosophical guidance” and “flexibility” that led to the torture of detainees in U.S. facilities.
Retired U.S. Army Col. Larry Wilkerson, who served as former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff, told CNN that the practice of torture may be continuing in U.S.-run facilities.
Traveling in Latin America earlier this month, President Bush defended U.S. treatment of prisoners, saying flatly, “We do not torture.”
April 11, 2008 (ABC)
Bush Aware of Advisers’ Interrogation Talks
President Says He Knew His Senior Advisers Discussed Tough Interrogation Methods
President Bush says he knew his top national security advisers discussed and approved specific details about how high-value al Qaeda suspects would be interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency, according to an exclusive interview with ABC News Friday.
snip…
Sunday, November 20, 2005 (CNN)
Cheney has come under mounting criticism for his position. Last week, Stansfield Turner, a military veteran who served as director of the CIA during the Carter administration, labeled him the “vice president for torture.” (Full story)
In a statement responding to Turner’s remark, Cheney said his views “are reflected in the administration’s policy. Our country is at war and our government has an obligation to protect the American people from a brutal enemy that has declared war upon us.”
“We are aggressively finding terrorists and bringing them to justice and anything we do within this effort is within the law,” the statement said, adding that the United States “does not torture.”
April 11, 2008 (ABC)
……. the Principals Committee included Vice President Dick Cheney, former National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Secretary of State Colin Powell, as well as CIA Director George Tenet and Attorney General John Ashcroft.
The so-called Principals who participated in the meetings also approved the use of “combined” interrogation techniques — using different techniques during interrogations instead of using one method at a time — on terrorist suspects who proved difficult to break……
Jim Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
When Lawyers Are War Criminals.
http://balkin.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-lawyers-are-war-criminals.html
andy42302 Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Excellent job Jim! It’s disturbing that the media hasn’t picked up on this more than they have. Perhaps lapel pins are more important?
kilowat Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
quote jim link
For this issue, one Nuremberg case forms the key precedent: United States v. Altstoetter, also called the Reich Justice Ministry case. That case stands for some simple propositions. One of them is that lawyers who dispense bad advice about law of armed conflict, and whose advice predictably leads to the death or mistreatment of prisoners, are war criminals, chargeable with potentially capital offenses.
Jim Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
I know the videos I posted are quite long, but Philippe Sands has a lot to say and the videos are worth watching. The videos are of the same interview of Philippe Sands and broke into two videos.
Kenneth Stepp Says:
April 19th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I say let’s outlaw the torture of human beings. If Kentucky can outlaw the torture of animals, surely we can afford the same right to human beings. If elected to the U.S. Senate, I pledge to take action to outlaw the torture of human beings. Kenneth Stepp, Candidate for U.S. Senate, Democrat, Kentucky.
Click: To contribute to the winner of the Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate, Kentucky.
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Thursday, April 17, 2008
Larry Dale Keeling says:
"New Lunsford spin doesn't spin true
"Saturday was too dreary and cool for comfort on the golf course. So, I wandered into downtown Frankfort to see what kind of response Democratic senatorial candidate Bruce Lunsford got at a meet-and-greet scheduled to coincide with the Franklin County Democrats' county convention. The turnout was decent, but the more interesting thing to me was a new spin the Lunsford camp was putting on his endorsement of Republican Ernie Fletcher in his 2003 gubernatorial against Democrat Ben Chandler.
"This spin holds that the endorsement can be a positive force for Lunsford in the U.S. Senate race by virtue of appealing to Republicans who hold a grudge against incumbent Minority Floor Leader Mitch McConnell for his abandonment of Fletcher during the BlackBerry Jam hiring scandal that resulted in Fletcher's indictment. This spin goes on to hold that Lunsford's ability to exploit R disenchantment with McConnell will be particularly important in Western Kentucky, where the Lunsford folks expect the race to be decided.
"Hello! Let me count the ways this spin fails the reason test, starting with the fact that Lunsford still has to win the Democratic primary before he can exploit any issue against McConnell. Sure, he's the prohibitive primary favorite. But there is much to be said about not tempting karma by counting the eggs before the chicks emerge.
"But assuming Lunsford does meet McConnell in the fall, there is still a couple of problems with this positive spin on the Fletcher endorsement. First, the R's remain in the minority in Kentucky. So, exploiting the antipathy a minority of R's feel toward McConnell probably won't offset the antipathy a minority (or even a majority) of D's remain pissed at Lunsford for dissing his party's candidate in 2003.
"Second, appealing to disenchanted R's isn't going to win Western Kentucky, where all R's (disenchanted or otherwise) are outnumbered by about a 2-1 margin by D's. And conservative Western Kentucky D's, who will determine the outcome of the Senate race in that region, aren't likely to be Fletcher fanatics who will take their wrath out on McConnell. On the contrary, their reason for crossing party lines to vote R has far more to do with the policy positions they share with McConnell than with any allegiance to Ernie Fletcher."
"Saturday was too dreary and cool for comfort on the golf course. So, I wandered into downtown Frankfort to see what kind of response Democratic senatorial candidate Bruce Lunsford got at a meet-and-greet scheduled to coincide with the Franklin County Democrats' county convention. The turnout was decent, but the more interesting thing to me was a new spin the Lunsford camp was putting on his endorsement of Republican Ernie Fletcher in his 2003 gubernatorial against Democrat Ben Chandler.
"This spin holds that the endorsement can be a positive force for Lunsford in the U.S. Senate race by virtue of appealing to Republicans who hold a grudge against incumbent Minority Floor Leader Mitch McConnell for his abandonment of Fletcher during the BlackBerry Jam hiring scandal that resulted in Fletcher's indictment. This spin goes on to hold that Lunsford's ability to exploit R disenchantment with McConnell will be particularly important in Western Kentucky, where the Lunsford folks expect the race to be decided.
"Hello! Let me count the ways this spin fails the reason test, starting with the fact that Lunsford still has to win the Democratic primary before he can exploit any issue against McConnell. Sure, he's the prohibitive primary favorite. But there is much to be said about not tempting karma by counting the eggs before the chicks emerge.
"But assuming Lunsford does meet McConnell in the fall, there is still a couple of problems with this positive spin on the Fletcher endorsement. First, the R's remain in the minority in Kentucky. So, exploiting the antipathy a minority of R's feel toward McConnell probably won't offset the antipathy a minority (or even a majority) of D's remain pissed at Lunsford for dissing his party's candidate in 2003.
"Second, appealing to disenchanted R's isn't going to win Western Kentucky, where all R's (disenchanted or otherwise) are outnumbered by about a 2-1 margin by D's. And conservative Western Kentucky D's, who will determine the outcome of the Senate race in that region, aren't likely to be Fletcher fanatics who will take their wrath out on McConnell. On the contrary, their reason for crossing party lines to vote R has far more to do with the policy positions they share with McConnell than with any allegiance to Ernie Fletcher."
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Mountaintop Coal Removal
1. MOUNTAINTOP COAL REMOVAL
Although mountaintop coal mining is unpleasant, it is better for coal workers’ health than underground coal mining.
Pollution is to be minimized. Clean drinking water is needed. Even with mountaintop removal coal mining, we need to avoid unreasonable impacts upon the economy of the coal mining communities. More should be done to protect Kentucky’s streams from mining impacts. Regulation should be based upon size of streams. Larger streams and rivers should be given more protection than smaller streams and springs. Mountaintop removal is necessary, but its impact on water quality should be minimized, especially upon larger streams.
As a lawyer that represented over sixty disabled coal mine workers or their widows in “black lung” claims, I am familiar with the harm that breathing coal dust and carbon particles has on health.
Coal severance creates external economic costs in coal mining areas; for this reason, the coal severance taxes should go to benefit especially the residents of the coal mining areas. The mountainous nature of Eastern Kentucky makes it difficult for Eastern Kentucky to compete with the rest of the state for jobs in factories and growing vegetables, grains, and livestock--which can be best done on flatter ground. The nation and Kentucky should not turn our backs on our coal mining communities.
Although mountaintop coal mining is unpleasant, it is better for coal workers’ health than underground coal mining.
Pollution is to be minimized. Clean drinking water is needed. Even with mountaintop removal coal mining, we need to avoid unreasonable impacts upon the economy of the coal mining communities. More should be done to protect Kentucky’s streams from mining impacts. Regulation should be based upon size of streams. Larger streams and rivers should be given more protection than smaller streams and springs. Mountaintop removal is necessary, but its impact on water quality should be minimized, especially upon larger streams.
As a lawyer that represented over sixty disabled coal mine workers or their widows in “black lung” claims, I am familiar with the harm that breathing coal dust and carbon particles has on health.
Coal severance creates external economic costs in coal mining areas; for this reason, the coal severance taxes should go to benefit especially the residents of the coal mining areas. The mountainous nature of Eastern Kentucky makes it difficult for Eastern Kentucky to compete with the rest of the state for jobs in factories and growing vegetables, grains, and livestock--which can be best done on flatter ground. The nation and Kentucky should not turn our backs on our coal mining communities.
Energy Policy
2. ENERGY POLICY
American energy policy should be based on self-reliance, and on cleaner use of coal.
Coal is a plentiful source of energy, and we have the new technology to make burning coal safe, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly.
Our oil policy should be to avoid helping OPEC. American import statistics from oil-exporting countries should be kept secret--we should not enforce their quotas or provide information to the enforcers of OPEC quotas. We should get American troops out of the Middle East and quit disrupting oil production in the Middle East. Further exploration of oil should be encouraged.
Nuclear power should be carefully regulated and inspected. Used nuclear fuels should be recycled. In America, where nuclear power production has been carefully regulated and inspected, we have been able to avoid mishaps, and reduce the cost of electricity with nuclear power. Although coal-producing Kentucky is unlikely to desire nuclear power plants, regulations should be so that new nuclear power plants should be available to those states where they are wanted.
New forms of energy such as ethanol, geothermal energy, and wind power should be encouraged.
Since coal is a major product of Kentucky, the Kentucky members of Congress should help the coal industry to modernize and provide more energy to America in the future.
American energy policy should be based on self-reliance, and on cleaner use of coal.
Coal is a plentiful source of energy, and we have the new technology to make burning coal safe, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly.
Our oil policy should be to avoid helping OPEC. American import statistics from oil-exporting countries should be kept secret--we should not enforce their quotas or provide information to the enforcers of OPEC quotas. We should get American troops out of the Middle East and quit disrupting oil production in the Middle East. Further exploration of oil should be encouraged.
Nuclear power should be carefully regulated and inspected. Used nuclear fuels should be recycled. In America, where nuclear power production has been carefully regulated and inspected, we have been able to avoid mishaps, and reduce the cost of electricity with nuclear power. Although coal-producing Kentucky is unlikely to desire nuclear power plants, regulations should be so that new nuclear power plants should be available to those states where they are wanted.
New forms of energy such as ethanol, geothermal energy, and wind power should be encouraged.
Since coal is a major product of Kentucky, the Kentucky members of Congress should help the coal industry to modernize and provide more energy to America in the future.
Basic Health Care
3. BASIC HEALTH CARE
Providing Basic Health Care for all Americans is best done by expanding existing programs.
The Veterans’ Health Benefits programs, through the VA, should be expanded. As wounded veterans return from Iraq and Kuwait to join the disabled veterans from other conflicts, we must keep our implied promises of good health care for disabled veterans, and not be cutting back on benefits for wounded and disabled veterans.
K-CHIP (Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program) and S-CHIP (States’ Children’s Health Insurance Program) and Children’s Medical Services should be expanded to include more people.
Medicare should be improved and extended.
Medicaid should be improved and extended.
American consumers should be allowed to buy prescription drugs online from Canadian pharmacies.
Employers should be given further tax breaks to encourage them to provide fringe benefits of health insurance and health care payments for their employees and their employees‘ families.
The above-listed special programs should be expanded to include organ transplants and other procedures that, although expensive, are widely accepted in the medical community, and could be useful in saving lives and restoring people to normal health.
Providing Basic Health Care for all Americans is best done by expanding existing programs.
The Veterans’ Health Benefits programs, through the VA, should be expanded. As wounded veterans return from Iraq and Kuwait to join the disabled veterans from other conflicts, we must keep our implied promises of good health care for disabled veterans, and not be cutting back on benefits for wounded and disabled veterans.
K-CHIP (Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program) and S-CHIP (States’ Children’s Health Insurance Program) and Children’s Medical Services should be expanded to include more people.
Medicare should be improved and extended.
Medicaid should be improved and extended.
American consumers should be allowed to buy prescription drugs online from Canadian pharmacies.
Employers should be given further tax breaks to encourage them to provide fringe benefits of health insurance and health care payments for their employees and their employees‘ families.
The above-listed special programs should be expanded to include organ transplants and other procedures that, although expensive, are widely accepted in the medical community, and could be useful in saving lives and restoring people to normal health.
Poverty
4. POVERTY
I would drastically increase educational expenditure to fight poverty. Poverty is predictable based upon governmental policies. According to a regression analysis done by me, approx. sixty per cent (60%) of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is explained by the nation’s per cent of GDP per capita spent on education. Based upon my personal experience also, generally a college professor makes more income than a farm worker. I favor the Scotland Plan. In Scotland, a public university student has all tuition paid by the government; the United States should follow that Scotland Plan with fuller funding of college education by the government in the United States.
This country needs an improved G.I. Bill for veterans returning from the Gulf Wars. G. I. Bills have been helpful for full-time soldiers, sailors, and marines. We need a G.I. Bill that extends college, trade school, and technical school expense payments by the U.S. Government to cover the National Guard members who are veterans of the wars we have fought in Iraq and Kuwait, and such wars that may involve us in the near future, although they have had irregular tours of duty.
Increased Federal funding of adult education is desirable, because trade schools and technical job training help raise people from poverty, and increase incomes and ability to pay taxes as people prepare for the higher paying jobs of the future.
Immigration should be more selective. People with special educational qualifications should have special immigration quotas.
I would drastically increase educational expenditure to fight poverty. Poverty is predictable based upon governmental policies. According to a regression analysis done by me, approx. sixty per cent (60%) of a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita is explained by the nation’s per cent of GDP per capita spent on education. Based upon my personal experience also, generally a college professor makes more income than a farm worker. I favor the Scotland Plan. In Scotland, a public university student has all tuition paid by the government; the United States should follow that Scotland Plan with fuller funding of college education by the government in the United States.
This country needs an improved G.I. Bill for veterans returning from the Gulf Wars. G. I. Bills have been helpful for full-time soldiers, sailors, and marines. We need a G.I. Bill that extends college, trade school, and technical school expense payments by the U.S. Government to cover the National Guard members who are veterans of the wars we have fought in Iraq and Kuwait, and such wars that may involve us in the near future, although they have had irregular tours of duty.
Increased Federal funding of adult education is desirable, because trade schools and technical job training help raise people from poverty, and increase incomes and ability to pay taxes as people prepare for the higher paying jobs of the future.
Immigration should be more selective. People with special educational qualifications should have special immigration quotas.
Voting Rights for Former Felons
5. VOTING RIGHTS FOR FORMER FELONS
Kentucky should keep up with the other states, and allow most former felons to vote.
At English Common Law, felonies were punishable by hanging; thus, former felons did not get an opportunity to vote.
With the introduction of penitentiaries, where, it was hoped that people would become penitent and rehabilitated, hangings for felonies became less common.
For a while in the 1970’s, the U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to State Government executions of prisoners in the United States. After a few years, the executions resumed; however, many States do not have capital punishment. Today, most states have different classifications of felonies: some for sentences of up to five years, others for sentences of up to ten years, others for sentences of up to fifteen years, and others for up to life in prison or death sentences. The term “felony” has a very different meaning today, than it had in the 1600’s. Many present felonies did not exist as crimes in the 1600’s due to changing roles of government and changing technology.
If a person pleads guilty to, or is convicted of, murder, manslaughter or treason, that person should not be allowed to vote.
If a person pleads guilty to, or is convicted of a lesser crime, then that person should be allowed to vote after that person has completed their prison sentence, plus all their parole and probation time.
Any person receiving a full pardon should have their right to vote restored.
Kentucky should keep up with the other states, and allow most former felons to vote.
At English Common Law, felonies were punishable by hanging; thus, former felons did not get an opportunity to vote.
With the introduction of penitentiaries, where, it was hoped that people would become penitent and rehabilitated, hangings for felonies became less common.
For a while in the 1970’s, the U.S. Supreme Court put a stop to State Government executions of prisoners in the United States. After a few years, the executions resumed; however, many States do not have capital punishment. Today, most states have different classifications of felonies: some for sentences of up to five years, others for sentences of up to ten years, others for sentences of up to fifteen years, and others for up to life in prison or death sentences. The term “felony” has a very different meaning today, than it had in the 1600’s. Many present felonies did not exist as crimes in the 1600’s due to changing roles of government and changing technology.
If a person pleads guilty to, or is convicted of, murder, manslaughter or treason, that person should not be allowed to vote.
If a person pleads guilty to, or is convicted of a lesser crime, then that person should be allowed to vote after that person has completed their prison sentence, plus all their parole and probation time.
Any person receiving a full pardon should have their right to vote restored.
Iraq War
6. IRAQ WAR
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake. We should withdraw quickly from there.
The U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq was a mistake at the time, for several reasons. First, pre-emptive strikes at other nations had never been a part of our defense doctrine, is a bad doctrine, and leads to more war than our previous doctrine. Many have claimed that America is a Christian nation. Part of Christianity means “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” America would not want other nations attacking us, bombing us, or invading us; therefore, we should not make pre-emptive strikes at other nations by attacking them, bombing them, and invading them. The decision to attack, bomb, and invade Iraq was based on false intelligence: we were told that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found, probably because Iraq did not have such weapons at the time we invaded them.
Now, we should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq quickly. The American invasion and continued military occupation of Iraq has cost over 4,000 American lives, at least tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, left Iraq divided along its religious and ethnic lines, strengthened the theocracy in Iran, made the U.S. a pariah in much of the Islamic world, and has cost the U.S. over five hundred nine billion dollars ($509,000,000,000). America should act in America’s own best interests and get out of Iraq.
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake. We should withdraw quickly from there.
The U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq was a mistake at the time, for several reasons. First, pre-emptive strikes at other nations had never been a part of our defense doctrine, is a bad doctrine, and leads to more war than our previous doctrine. Many have claimed that America is a Christian nation. Part of Christianity means “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” America would not want other nations attacking us, bombing us, or invading us; therefore, we should not make pre-emptive strikes at other nations by attacking them, bombing them, and invading them. The decision to attack, bomb, and invade Iraq was based on false intelligence: we were told that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found, probably because Iraq did not have such weapons at the time we invaded them.
Now, we should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq quickly. The American invasion and continued military occupation of Iraq has cost over 4,000 American lives, at least tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, left Iraq divided along its religious and ethnic lines, strengthened the theocracy in Iran, made the U.S. a pariah in much of the Islamic world, and has cost the U.S. over five hundred nine billion dollars ($509,000,000,000). America should act in America’s own best interests and get out of Iraq.
Iraqi War
6. IRAQ WAR
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake. We should withdraw quickly from there.
The U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq was a mistake at the time, for several reasons. First, pre-emptive strikes at other nations had never been a part of our defense doctrine, is a bad doctrine, and leads to more war than our previous doctrine. Many have claimed that America is a Christian nation. Part of Christianity means “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” America would not want other nations attacking us, bombing us, or invading us; therefore, we should not make pre-emptive strikes at other nations by attacking them, bombing them, and invading them. The decision to attack, bomb, and invade Iraq was based on false intelligence: we were told that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found, probably because Iraq did not have such weapons at the time we invaded them.
Now, we should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq quickly. The American invasion and continued military occupation of Iraq has cost over 4,000 American lives, at least tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, left Iraq divided along its religious and ethnic lines, strengthened the theocracy in Iran, made the U.S. a pariah in much of the Islamic world, and has cost the U.S. over five hundred nine billion dollars ($509,000,000,000). America should act in America’s own best interests and get out of Iraq.
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake. We should withdraw quickly from there.
The U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq was a mistake at the time, for several reasons. First, pre-emptive strikes at other nations had never been a part of our defense doctrine, is a bad doctrine, and leads to more war than our previous doctrine. Many have claimed that America is a Christian nation. Part of Christianity means “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” America would not want other nations attacking us, bombing us, or invading us; therefore, we should not make pre-emptive strikes at other nations by attacking them, bombing them, and invading them. The decision to attack, bomb, and invade Iraq was based on false intelligence: we were told that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found, probably because Iraq did not have such weapons at the time we invaded them.
Now, we should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq quickly. The American invasion and continued military occupation of Iraq has cost over 4,000 American lives, at least tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, left Iraq divided along its religious and ethnic lines, strengthened the theocracy in Iran, made the U.S. a pariah in much of the Islamic world, and has cost the U.S. over five hundred nine billion dollars ($509,000,000,000). America should act in America’s own best interests and get out of Iraq.
Immigration
7. IMMIGRATION
Immigration should be more selective, with strict law enforcement, and 100 hours of community service.
Uneducated illegal immigrants glut the job market at the lower end, while highly skilled jobs are difficult to fill and create bottlenecks in the modern high-tech economy. International Corporation executives and CEO’s, physicians, scientists, Ph.D.’s, Master’s degree holders, Bachelor’s degree holders, and people with special knowledge concerning nuclear power generation, computer technology, and other specialty fields are in short supply, and should have special immigration quotas, to encourage such highly qualified people to qualify for immigration.
We have an estimated 14 million illegal and undocumented immigrants living inside the United States. Although I oppose amnesty and a “path to citizenship” for the illegal immigrants, I would require at least one hundred hours of community service to the local community in which the illegal immigrant resides as a part of any such “path to citizenship”. We legal residents of the United States have been generous with our time and money to others in our local communities, and we should require the same from those illegal immigrants who seek to join us.
Nations whose leaders are hostile to the United States should find that America’s gates are open to their skilled workers such as physicists, chemists, and scientists whose presence in those nations is necessary to present a threat against the United States. The “brain drain” can be used against America’s opponents.
Immigration should be more selective, with strict law enforcement, and 100 hours of community service.
Uneducated illegal immigrants glut the job market at the lower end, while highly skilled jobs are difficult to fill and create bottlenecks in the modern high-tech economy. International Corporation executives and CEO’s, physicians, scientists, Ph.D.’s, Master’s degree holders, Bachelor’s degree holders, and people with special knowledge concerning nuclear power generation, computer technology, and other specialty fields are in short supply, and should have special immigration quotas, to encourage such highly qualified people to qualify for immigration.
We have an estimated 14 million illegal and undocumented immigrants living inside the United States. Although I oppose amnesty and a “path to citizenship” for the illegal immigrants, I would require at least one hundred hours of community service to the local community in which the illegal immigrant resides as a part of any such “path to citizenship”. We legal residents of the United States have been generous with our time and money to others in our local communities, and we should require the same from those illegal immigrants who seek to join us.
Nations whose leaders are hostile to the United States should find that America’s gates are open to their skilled workers such as physicists, chemists, and scientists whose presence in those nations is necessary to present a threat against the United States. The “brain drain” can be used against America’s opponents.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Mitch named to Leadue of Conservation Voters Don of "Dirty Dozen"
LCV Members Elect Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell the New Don of the “Dirty Dozen
Self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green” Continues to Stand for Polluters while Standing in the Way of Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Energy
Louisville, KY – The members of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the independent political voice for the environment, today added Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to its 2008 “Dirty Dozen” list.
LCV members voted online to decide which 2008 candidate had committed the most egregious offenses against the environment. 25,000 concerned citizens voted for the next member of the “Dirty Dozen,” and chose Sen. McConnell by an overwhelming margin.
“Our members know that Mitch McConnell has voted against our health and safety since he came to Washington. They know that he stands as an impassable roadblock in the way of a clean energy future for this country,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “They know that it is time to tear down this roadblock. That’s why McConnell, this ‘Godfather of Green,’ is the new ‘Don’ of the Dirty Dozen.”
McConnell’s lifetime LCV score of 7% is among the worst in Washington. In 24 years in the Senate, he earned an annual score of 0% twelve times, and in the last fourteen years, McConnell has cast only two pro-conservation votes. Since becoming his party’s Leader in the Senate, McConnell has served as the chief enforcer for Big Oil and other corporate polluters, leading efforts to derail and weaken legislation that would protect our families and keep America’s land, air, and water clean.
LCV’s trademark “Dirty Dozen” program targets current and former members of Congress – regardless of party affiliation – who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome.
“In 2006, our members brought down nine members of the Dirty Dozen, nine of the worst politicians in Washington. With that kind of record, this Dirty Dozen election may be the last vote that Senator McConnell ever wins,” Karpinski said.
McConnell joins Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO) on the 2008 Dirty Dozen. LCV will name the rest of the 2008 Dirty Dozen members in the coming months.
For information on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” program, visit http://lcv.org/campaigns/dirty-dozen. For more facts on McConnell’s voting record, visit http://lcv.org/mcconnell.
Self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green” Continues to Stand for Polluters while Standing in the Way of Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Energy
Louisville, KY – The members of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the independent political voice for the environment, today added Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to its 2008 “Dirty Dozen” list.
LCV members voted online to decide which 2008 candidate had committed the most egregious offenses against the environment. 25,000 concerned citizens voted for the next member of the “Dirty Dozen,” and chose Sen. McConnell by an overwhelming margin.
“Our members know that Mitch McConnell has voted against our health and safety since he came to Washington. They know that he stands as an impassable roadblock in the way of a clean energy future for this country,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “They know that it is time to tear down this roadblock. That’s why McConnell, this ‘Godfather of Green,’ is the new ‘Don’ of the Dirty Dozen.”
McConnell’s lifetime LCV score of 7% is among the worst in Washington. In 24 years in the Senate, he earned an annual score of 0% twelve times, and in the last fourteen years, McConnell has cast only two pro-conservation votes. Since becoming his party’s Leader in the Senate, McConnell has served as the chief enforcer for Big Oil and other corporate polluters, leading efforts to derail and weaken legislation that would protect our families and keep America’s land, air, and water clean.
LCV’s trademark “Dirty Dozen” program targets current and former members of Congress – regardless of party affiliation – who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome.
“In 2006, our members brought down nine members of the Dirty Dozen, nine of the worst politicians in Washington. With that kind of record, this Dirty Dozen election may be the last vote that Senator McConnell ever wins,” Karpinski said.
McConnell joins Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO) on the 2008 Dirty Dozen. LCV will name the rest of the 2008 Dirty Dozen members in the coming months.
For information on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” program, visit http://lcv.org/campaigns/dirty-dozen. For more facts on McConnell’s voting record, visit http://lcv.org/mcconnell.
Call "Mitch" and ask him to assign War money to social programs.
Tell Congress: Defund the War and Refund Human Needs in the U.S. and Iraq
Dear Viewer,
Call Congress Today and Tomorrow
Call the Capitol Hill switchboard toll-free at 1-800-473-6711.
Ask for the office of your member of the House of Representatives.
Find your representative and more key points for your conversation at www.afsc.org/taxday.
This Tax Day, April 15, Congress will consider continuing funding the war in Iraq and cutting funding to human needs programs. With the economy getting worse, it’s urgent that Congress choose the right priorities now.
Join thousands nationwide in asking Congress to defund the war in Iraq and boost funding for vital services such as food stamps, unemployment benefits, and Medicaid.
Congress needs to hear from you about the right priorities for spending your tax dollars. Join the nationwide call-in day, today!
Please make three 2-minute calls today. You can use our toll-free number to be connected to your senators’ and representative’s offices.
It’s easy. Here’s how:
Today and tomorrow, call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 1-800-473-6711. Ask for the office of your member of the House of Representatives. (If you are not sure who your representative is, use a Congressional Directory.)
Sample Message
Here is a sample message, but feel free to use your own words:
“My name is _______________ and I live in (your town/city).
“I’m calling to ask that you defund the war in Iraq and refund human needs at home and in Iraq.
“Each day that the U.S. continues to occupy Iraq adds $720 million to the cost of this war, in addition to the terrible human cost. With a looming recession, we need Congress to spend our money wisely.
“Please tell Representative (or Senator) _______________ to vote for a budget resolution and an economic stimulus plan that increases funding for human needs programs. Vote for more money for food stamps, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and aid to the states to help people meet basic needs and rebuild the economy.
“Please tell the representative to also vote for funding to meet the basic needs of Iraqis and Iraqi refugees, not continued occupation. Meeting these needs is a key step toward ending the violence and bringing about reconciliation in Iraq. It’s time to bring all the troops home now, with no permanent bases left in the country.”
Thank you for making this call! Now, call your two U.S. senators and make sure they get the message too.
Call 1-800-473-6711 again and ask for one of your senators. (If you are not sure who your senators are go to our Congressional Directory for their names, or just tell the operator where you’re from.)
Thanks so much for your calls and your ongoing support for peace. Feel free to share this with your friends and family and help us flood Congress with calls this week.
During the week of April 14, the House Appropriations Committee will consider a bill that could continue funding the Iraq war. The full House of Representatives may consider the bill as soon as April 21.
That week, the House will also be deciding whether to include food stamps, unemployment benefits, state fiscal relief, and other human-needs provisions in a new economic stimulus plan.
In addition, the House and Senate need to pass a budget resolution soon that sets a total funding level for human needs programs for the budget year starting October 1, 2008.
The majority in this country wants to end the war in Iraq and to help people meet their basic needs. They don’t want to fund tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy few at the expense of the common good for all.
It’s time we let Congress hear our voices. Call your senators and representative today, toll-free at 1-800-473-6711.
Peace,
Kenneth Stepp
Vote for the Peace candidate. Vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate, Kentucky in the Democratic Primary May 20, 2008.
Dear Viewer,
Call Congress Today and Tomorrow
Call the Capitol Hill switchboard toll-free at 1-800-473-6711.
Ask for the office of your member of the House of Representatives.
Find your representative and more key points for your conversation at www.afsc.org/taxday.
This Tax Day, April 15, Congress will consider continuing funding the war in Iraq and cutting funding to human needs programs. With the economy getting worse, it’s urgent that Congress choose the right priorities now.
Join thousands nationwide in asking Congress to defund the war in Iraq and boost funding for vital services such as food stamps, unemployment benefits, and Medicaid.
Congress needs to hear from you about the right priorities for spending your tax dollars. Join the nationwide call-in day, today!
Please make three 2-minute calls today. You can use our toll-free number to be connected to your senators’ and representative’s offices.
It’s easy. Here’s how:
Today and tomorrow, call the Capitol Hill switchboard at 1-800-473-6711. Ask for the office of your member of the House of Representatives. (If you are not sure who your representative is, use a Congressional Directory.)
Sample Message
Here is a sample message, but feel free to use your own words:
“My name is _______________ and I live in (your town/city).
“I’m calling to ask that you defund the war in Iraq and refund human needs at home and in Iraq.
“Each day that the U.S. continues to occupy Iraq adds $720 million to the cost of this war, in addition to the terrible human cost. With a looming recession, we need Congress to spend our money wisely.
“Please tell Representative (or Senator) _______________ to vote for a budget resolution and an economic stimulus plan that increases funding for human needs programs. Vote for more money for food stamps, Medicaid, unemployment benefits, and aid to the states to help people meet basic needs and rebuild the economy.
“Please tell the representative to also vote for funding to meet the basic needs of Iraqis and Iraqi refugees, not continued occupation. Meeting these needs is a key step toward ending the violence and bringing about reconciliation in Iraq. It’s time to bring all the troops home now, with no permanent bases left in the country.”
Thank you for making this call! Now, call your two U.S. senators and make sure they get the message too.
Call 1-800-473-6711 again and ask for one of your senators. (If you are not sure who your senators are go to our Congressional Directory for their names, or just tell the operator where you’re from.)
Thanks so much for your calls and your ongoing support for peace. Feel free to share this with your friends and family and help us flood Congress with calls this week.
During the week of April 14, the House Appropriations Committee will consider a bill that could continue funding the Iraq war. The full House of Representatives may consider the bill as soon as April 21.
That week, the House will also be deciding whether to include food stamps, unemployment benefits, state fiscal relief, and other human-needs provisions in a new economic stimulus plan.
In addition, the House and Senate need to pass a budget resolution soon that sets a total funding level for human needs programs for the budget year starting October 1, 2008.
The majority in this country wants to end the war in Iraq and to help people meet their basic needs. They don’t want to fund tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy few at the expense of the common good for all.
It’s time we let Congress hear our voices. Call your senators and representative today, toll-free at 1-800-473-6711.
Peace,
Kenneth Stepp
Vote for the Peace candidate. Vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate, Kentucky in the Democratic Primary May 20, 2008.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Godfather of Green, My Foot!
Godfather of Green My Foot!
April 10th, 2008 Terri Whitehouse
Just thought I’d share this blast issued by the League of Conservation Voters about Sen. Mitch McConnell, the self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green“:
LCV Members Elect Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell the new Don of the “Dirty Dozen”
Self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green” Continues to Stand for Polluters while Standing in the Way of Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Energy
Louisville, KY – The members of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the independent political voice for the environment, today added Senate MinorityLeader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to its 2008 “Dirty Dozen” list.
LCV members voted online to decide which 2008 candidate had committed the most egregious offenses against the environment. 25,000 concerned citizens voted for the next member of the “Dirty Dozen,” and chose Sen. McConnell by an overwhelming margin.
“Our members know that Mitch McConnell has voted against our health and safety since he came to Washington. They know that he stands as an impassable roadblock in the way of a clean energy future for this country,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “They know that it is time to tear down this roadblock. That’s why Mitch McConnell, this ‘Godfather of Green,’ is the new ‘Don’ of the Dirty Dozen.”
McConnell’s lifetime LCV score of 7% is among the worst in Washington. In 24 years in the Senate, he earned an annual score of 0% twelve times, and in the last fourteen years, McConnell has cast only two pro-conservation votes. Since becoming his party’s Leader in the Senate, McConnell has served as the chief enforcer for Big Oil and other corporate polluters, leading efforts to derail and weaken legislation that would protect our families and keep America’s land, air, and water clean.
LCV’s trademark “Dirty Dozen” program targets current and former members of Congress – regardless of party affiliation – who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome.
“In 2006, our members brought down nine members of the Dirty Dozen, nine of the worst politicians in Washington. With that kind of record, this Dirty Dozen election may be the last vote that Senator McConnell ever wins,” Karpinski said.
McConnell joins Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO) on the 2008 Dirty Dozen. LCV will name the rest of the 2008 Dirty Dozen members in the coming months.
For information on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” program, visit www.lcv.org/campaigns/dirty-dozen.
For more on McConnell’s voting record, visit www.lcv.org/mcconnell
In case you forgot, Sen. McConnell’s “Godfather of Green” claim stems from the fact that he secured pork-barrel spending for Louisville’s oustanding park system. And while I am a fan of parks, I’m also a fan of math. Louisville’s park system, great as it is, only occupies about one-half of one percent of all of the land in Kentucky, and is only about 3.5% of the size of our state park system, which of course doesn’t include national parks, municipal parks, private hunting and fishing areas, farmland, mines, land developments, etc. Parks are great places to spend time and are of real value to our communities, but as wonderful and important as they are, they are NOT the sole indicators of land, air, and water conservation.
One-half of one percent, folks. I’d say that’s probably a good number when measuring just how much Sen. McConnell really cares about Kentucky’s citizens. It is time to DITCH MITCH!
(Note: To visit the homepage of this site, click here).
« The Real McCain
Greg Fischer In Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Youtube Video »
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am and is filed under Mitch McConnell, 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race, Climate Change, Kentucky, Energy Industry, Ditch Mitch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Godfather of Green My Foot!”
CW Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Below are some of the devastating consequences of GOP inaction on Global Warming, Poor Energy, and Economic Policies:
ENGLAND: GORDON Brown has been warned that the rising price of food could threaten economic stability and could lead to further rioting across the globe.The warning came at a summit of world leaders in Watford last week, which drew together some of the world’s most influential politicians including former US president Bill Clinton. Delegates warned Mr Brown that rising demand, supply shortages and the move into biofuels were a threat to economic and social stability.
Global food prices extended their run up, increasing 57 percent last month from a year earlier, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said. Prices of nearly all food commodities have risen since the beginning of the year, supported by a persistent, tight supply and demand situation,” FAO said. The recent gains in meat prices “mostly reflect the continued surge in feed prices.” Rice and wheat futures traded on the Chicago Board of Trade both have doubled in the past year. Corn has risen 62 percent in the past 12 months. In the past year, the price of commodities has ratcheted up to record levels.
As food riots sweep the developing world, the EU’s foreign aid chief has warned that sky-rocketing food price rises threaten a “humanitarian tsunami” in Africa,”A global food crisis is becoming apparent,” said EU humanitarian aid commissioner Louis Michel.
“The world food situation is very serious today with food riots reported from many countries such as Mexico, Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Senegal. We fear that this may spread to other countries,” Mr Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, told reporters.
In Cairo Egypt, bread is so scarce that it is sold from behind a barricaded wall. Government ministers are trying to find ways to appease workers in the wake of 2 days of deadly riots over sky-rocketing food prices.
Driven by hunger, mob storms Haitian palace At least five people have been killed in the civil unrest that started last week as food prices increased sharply and people struggled to feed themselves. “We are hungry,” they shouted before attempting to smash open the palace gates with metal bins.
Fear of rice riots as surge in demand hits nations across the Far East. on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, thousands of makers of traditional tempeh soyabean cakes strike in protest as their livelihoods are destroyed and their countrymen starve. Armed guards for rice deliveries will become a common sight in many countries in East Asia.
The World Bank says 33 countries from Mexico to Yemen may face social unrest because of spiraling food and energy costs. This week’s story that no one read and everyone should have is about tortilla riots in Mexico. Yes, tortilla riots. In Mexico. Some 75,000 people protesting the rising price of tortillas.
Out of control prices demand a food strategy for NZ : New Zealand must start developing strategies to ensure a sufficient supply of food to withstand global shortages and out of control food prices.
Action Needed On Climate, Food Crisis Says Oxfam
WASHINGTON, DC - April 8 - As the Bretton Woods Institutions meet this week for the Spring Meetings, Oxfam calls on them and governments to keep poverty top of the agenda. At a time when the global economy is facing a crisis, Oxfam said the emphasis on the rich world must not eclipse action in developing countries where rapidly rising food prices, increased flooding and droughts due to climate change are wreaking havoc.
Jim Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDsCgIALZo
Leave a Reply
April 10th, 2008 Terri Whitehouse
Just thought I’d share this blast issued by the League of Conservation Voters about Sen. Mitch McConnell, the self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green“:
LCV Members Elect Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell the new Don of the “Dirty Dozen”
Self-proclaimed “Godfather of Green” Continues to Stand for Polluters while Standing in the Way of Clean Air, Clean Water, and Clean Energy
Louisville, KY – The members of the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), the independent political voice for the environment, today added Senate MinorityLeader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to its 2008 “Dirty Dozen” list.
LCV members voted online to decide which 2008 candidate had committed the most egregious offenses against the environment. 25,000 concerned citizens voted for the next member of the “Dirty Dozen,” and chose Sen. McConnell by an overwhelming margin.
“Our members know that Mitch McConnell has voted against our health and safety since he came to Washington. They know that he stands as an impassable roadblock in the way of a clean energy future for this country,” said LCV President Gene Karpinski. “They know that it is time to tear down this roadblock. That’s why Mitch McConnell, this ‘Godfather of Green,’ is the new ‘Don’ of the Dirty Dozen.”
McConnell’s lifetime LCV score of 7% is among the worst in Washington. In 24 years in the Senate, he earned an annual score of 0% twelve times, and in the last fourteen years, McConnell has cast only two pro-conservation votes. Since becoming his party’s Leader in the Senate, McConnell has served as the chief enforcer for Big Oil and other corporate polluters, leading efforts to derail and weaken legislation that would protect our families and keep America’s land, air, and water clean.
LCV’s trademark “Dirty Dozen” program targets current and former members of Congress – regardless of party affiliation – who consistently vote against the environment and are running in races where LCV has a serious chance of affecting the outcome.
“In 2006, our members brought down nine members of the Dirty Dozen, nine of the worst politicians in Washington. With that kind of record, this Dirty Dozen election may be the last vote that Senator McConnell ever wins,” Karpinski said.
McConnell joins Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Rep. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), and former Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO) on the 2008 Dirty Dozen. LCV will name the rest of the 2008 Dirty Dozen members in the coming months.
For information on LCV’s “Dirty Dozen” program, visit www.lcv.org/campaigns/dirty-dozen.
For more on McConnell’s voting record, visit www.lcv.org/mcconnell
In case you forgot, Sen. McConnell’s “Godfather of Green” claim stems from the fact that he secured pork-barrel spending for Louisville’s oustanding park system. And while I am a fan of parks, I’m also a fan of math. Louisville’s park system, great as it is, only occupies about one-half of one percent of all of the land in Kentucky, and is only about 3.5% of the size of our state park system, which of course doesn’t include national parks, municipal parks, private hunting and fishing areas, farmland, mines, land developments, etc. Parks are great places to spend time and are of real value to our communities, but as wonderful and important as they are, they are NOT the sole indicators of land, air, and water conservation.
One-half of one percent, folks. I’d say that’s probably a good number when measuring just how much Sen. McConnell really cares about Kentucky’s citizens. It is time to DITCH MITCH!
(Note: To visit the homepage of this site, click here).
« The Real McCain
Greg Fischer In Elizabethtown, Kentucky. Youtube Video »
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at 11:06 am and is filed under Mitch McConnell, 2008 KY U.S. Senate Race, Climate Change, Kentucky, Energy Industry, Ditch Mitch. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
2 Responses to “Godfather of Green My Foot!”
CW Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Below are some of the devastating consequences of GOP inaction on Global Warming, Poor Energy, and Economic Policies:
ENGLAND: GORDON Brown has been warned that the rising price of food could threaten economic stability and could lead to further rioting across the globe.The warning came at a summit of world leaders in Watford last week, which drew together some of the world’s most influential politicians including former US president Bill Clinton. Delegates warned Mr Brown that rising demand, supply shortages and the move into biofuels were a threat to economic and social stability.
Global food prices extended their run up, increasing 57 percent last month from a year earlier, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said. Prices of nearly all food commodities have risen since the beginning of the year, supported by a persistent, tight supply and demand situation,” FAO said. The recent gains in meat prices “mostly reflect the continued surge in feed prices.” Rice and wheat futures traded on the Chicago Board of Trade both have doubled in the past year. Corn has risen 62 percent in the past 12 months. In the past year, the price of commodities has ratcheted up to record levels.
As food riots sweep the developing world, the EU’s foreign aid chief has warned that sky-rocketing food price rises threaten a “humanitarian tsunami” in Africa,”A global food crisis is becoming apparent,” said EU humanitarian aid commissioner Louis Michel.
“The world food situation is very serious today with food riots reported from many countries such as Mexico, Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti, Burkina Faso and Senegal. We fear that this may spread to other countries,” Mr Jacques Diouf, FAO Director-General, told reporters.
In Cairo Egypt, bread is so scarce that it is sold from behind a barricaded wall. Government ministers are trying to find ways to appease workers in the wake of 2 days of deadly riots over sky-rocketing food prices.
Driven by hunger, mob storms Haitian palace At least five people have been killed in the civil unrest that started last week as food prices increased sharply and people struggled to feed themselves. “We are hungry,” they shouted before attempting to smash open the palace gates with metal bins.
Fear of rice riots as surge in demand hits nations across the Far East. on the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia, thousands of makers of traditional tempeh soyabean cakes strike in protest as their livelihoods are destroyed and their countrymen starve. Armed guards for rice deliveries will become a common sight in many countries in East Asia.
The World Bank says 33 countries from Mexico to Yemen may face social unrest because of spiraling food and energy costs. This week’s story that no one read and everyone should have is about tortilla riots in Mexico. Yes, tortilla riots. In Mexico. Some 75,000 people protesting the rising price of tortillas.
Out of control prices demand a food strategy for NZ : New Zealand must start developing strategies to ensure a sufficient supply of food to withstand global shortages and out of control food prices.
Action Needed On Climate, Food Crisis Says Oxfam
WASHINGTON, DC - April 8 - As the Bretton Woods Institutions meet this week for the Spring Meetings, Oxfam calls on them and governments to keep poverty top of the agenda. At a time when the global economy is facing a crisis, Oxfam said the emphasis on the rich world must not eclipse action in developing countries where rapidly rising food prices, increased flooding and droughts due to climate change are wreaking havoc.
Jim Says:
April 10th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDsCgIALZo
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
Kenneth Stepp's Economic Policy.
Kenneth Stepp's Economic Policy has the following goals: the rich get richer; the poor get richer; the middle class gets richer.
1988 Kenneth Stepp Political Experience.
In 1988, Kenneth Stepp was in a six-man Party Primary Election for the U.S. House of Representatives seat then held by incumbent Democratic Representative Kenneth Hood (Buddy) McKay. Cliff Stearns won the six-man Primary Election, won the general election against Jon Mills, and became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives as a result of the 1988 general election.
1986 Prior Political Experience of Kenneth Stepp.
In 1986, Kenneth Stepp ran for U.S. House of Representatives in the Democratic Primary against incumbent Democratic Congressman Kenneth Hood (Buddy) McKay. Buddy McKay was renominated in that Primary Election, and was re-elected over his Republican opponent in November of that year.
Nov. 2006 Kenneth Stepp Prior Political Experience.
In November 2006, Democrat Kenneth Stepp was toe-to-toe against popular Republican U.S. Representative Hal Rogers in the General Election for the Fifth District of Kentucky U.S. House of Representatives seat. Although Kenneth Stepp was defeated by the popular incumbent, Stepp received approx. 52,000 votes, and carried the Bath County Fifth District vote with sixty per cent of the vote in that county.
May 2006 Kenneth Stepp Prior Political Experience.
In May 2006 Kenneth Stepp won the Democratic Primary against another candidate for the Fifth District Kentucky seat in the U.S. House of Representatives with approx. 47,000 votes and with approx. seventy per cent (70%) of the vote, carrying approx. fourteen (14) of the eighteen (18) counties of the Fifth District of Kentucky.
1990 Prior Political Experience of Kenneth Stepp.
Kenneth Stepp received approx. two hundred forty thousand (240,000) votes in a statewide party primary for State Commissioner of Education against a former governor and another fellow, for thirty seven per cent (37%) of the vote.
The War in Iraq.
The U.S. invasion of Iraq was a mistake. We should withdraw quickly from there.
The U.S. and allied invasion of Iraq was a mistake at the time, for several reasons. First, pre-emptive strikes at other nations had never been a part of our defense doctrine, is a bad doctrine, and leads to more war than our previous doctrine. Many have claimed that America is a Christian nation. Part of Christianity means “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” America would not want other nations attacking us, bombing us, or invading us; therefore, we should not make pre-emptive strikes at other nations by attacking them, bombing them, and invading them. The decision to attack, bomb, and invade Iraq was based on false intelligence: we were told that Iraq held weapons of mass destruction, but such weapons were never found, probably because Iraq did not have such weapons at the time we invaded them.
Now, we should withdraw all U.S. troops from Iraq quickly. The American invasion and continued military occupation of Iraq has cost over 4,000 American lives, at least tens of thousands of Iraqi lives, left Iraq divided along its religious and ethnic fault, strengthen the theocracy in Iran, made the U.S. a pariah in much of the Islamic world, and has cost the U.S. over five hundred nine billion dollars ($509,000,000,000). America should act in America’s own best interests and get out of Iraq.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Stepp slams McConnell "stay the course" in Iraq.
The following news article explained the McConnell policy on Iraq:
"McConnell defends McCain on Iraq
"By Ryan Alessi
"RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
"BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II."
"He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Kenneth Stepp replies: John McCain called for keeping troops in Iraq for a hundred years; we have only had troops in Germany and Japan for sixty three years. Germany and Japan are homogeneous biologically and do not have an ongoing civil war. Iraq has Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds who hate each other, more like Yugoslavia which fell apart, rather than Germany and Japan. We wisely did not try to keep the doomed Yugoslavia together, and we should cease interfering in the Iraqi civil war. Also, there are other differences. In 1941, Japanese planes attacked and bombed the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S.A, then the U.S. declared war on Japan, then Japan declared war on the U.S., then Germany declared war on the U.S., then the U.S. declared war on Germany. Concerning Iraq, the only attack was done by America and our allies, and there were no declarations of war on either side. The U.S. Constitution says Congress shall declare war, and does not authorize what we have done, nor what we are doing in Iraq. Let's bring the troops home, now.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. Kenneth Stepp replies, the question is "What do we do now?" We have four thousand American dead, because of the ongoing Bush-Cheney-"Mitch" McConnell U.S. military occupation of Iraq. No, we do not need to suffer another thousand American deaths in Iraq, while we wait for the current Republican Administration to expire. Each additional flag-draped coffin that arrives in the U.S. from Iraq is additional proof that the Republicans, including "Mitch" McConnell, are the misguided concerning Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said. * * *"
Kenneth Stepp replies: A gamble? Where is the uncertainty? America is suffering one thousand deaths a year in Iraq. In a hundred years of military occupation of Iraq, we will have lost 100,000 American military dead in Iraq--more than American troop deaths in the Viet Nam War and the Korean War combined!
"McConnell defends McCain on Iraq
"By Ryan Alessi
"RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
"BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II."
"He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Kenneth Stepp replies: John McCain called for keeping troops in Iraq for a hundred years; we have only had troops in Germany and Japan for sixty three years. Germany and Japan are homogeneous biologically and do not have an ongoing civil war. Iraq has Sunnis, Shiites, and Kurds who hate each other, more like Yugoslavia which fell apart, rather than Germany and Japan. We wisely did not try to keep the doomed Yugoslavia together, and we should cease interfering in the Iraqi civil war. Also, there are other differences. In 1941, Japanese planes attacked and bombed the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, U.S.A, then the U.S. declared war on Japan, then Japan declared war on the U.S., then Germany declared war on the U.S., then the U.S. declared war on Germany. Concerning Iraq, the only attack was done by America and our allies, and there were no declarations of war on either side. The U.S. Constitution says Congress shall declare war, and does not authorize what we have done, nor what we are doing in Iraq. Let's bring the troops home, now.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq. Kenneth Stepp replies, the question is "What do we do now?" We have four thousand American dead, because of the ongoing Bush-Cheney-"Mitch" McConnell U.S. military occupation of Iraq. No, we do not need to suffer another thousand American deaths in Iraq, while we wait for the current Republican Administration to expire. Each additional flag-draped coffin that arrives in the U.S. from Iraq is additional proof that the Republicans, including "Mitch" McConnell, are the misguided concerning Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said. * * *"
Kenneth Stepp replies: A gamble? Where is the uncertainty? America is suffering one thousand deaths a year in Iraq. In a hundred years of military occupation of Iraq, we will have lost 100,000 American military dead in Iraq--more than American troop deaths in the Viet Nam War and the Korean War combined!
Something encouraging happened.
Something encouraging happened today.
I represented someone in a Court hearing. Next, I talked with that person's relative. I wanted to hand that relative one of my business cards, but I didn't have one on me, so I handed her one of my campaign cards. I told her the address and phone number were the same.
She asked me what I was running for. I told her the U.S. Senate. She asked me who all is running. I told her that "Mitch" McConnell and Mr. Esseck are running for the Republican nomination. I told her we have several Democrats, in addition to myself running. I said that Millionaire Mr. Lunsford--who ran twice for governor (once against Ben Chandler and once against Steve Beshear)--is running. I told her that other Millionaire Greg Fischer, who invented the pop machine ice dispenser, is running. I told her that third Millionaire Dr. Cassaro, is running. I told her that Mr. Williams, who has the same name as the Republican President of the State Senate, but he is not the same man, is running. I told her that Mr. Wylie and Mr. Rice are running. I told her that Andrew Horne had been running, but he had dropped out. She thought for a minute and said she'd like to help my campaign. I gave her all the campaign cards I had on me, and she said she would hand all of them out. After we talked for a while, we went our own ways.
I represented someone in a Court hearing. Next, I talked with that person's relative. I wanted to hand that relative one of my business cards, but I didn't have one on me, so I handed her one of my campaign cards. I told her the address and phone number were the same.
She asked me what I was running for. I told her the U.S. Senate. She asked me who all is running. I told her that "Mitch" McConnell and Mr. Esseck are running for the Republican nomination. I told her we have several Democrats, in addition to myself running. I said that Millionaire Mr. Lunsford--who ran twice for governor (once against Ben Chandler and once against Steve Beshear)--is running. I told her that other Millionaire Greg Fischer, who invented the pop machine ice dispenser, is running. I told her that third Millionaire Dr. Cassaro, is running. I told her that Mr. Williams, who has the same name as the Republican President of the State Senate, but he is not the same man, is running. I told her that Mr. Wylie and Mr. Rice are running. I told her that Andrew Horne had been running, but he had dropped out. She thought for a minute and said she'd like to help my campaign. I gave her all the campaign cards I had on me, and she said she would hand all of them out. After we talked for a while, we went our own ways.
Comments from "The Rural Democrat"
I guess it's O.K. If the Rural Democrat objects, then I will cancel the following blog. The comments on his blogspot are much more interesting than mine, so I have reproduced some of his, here:
"Comments
" You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
"This is just about the dumbest move the party has ever made in an election, but whaddaya gonna do? I'll vote for the prick, but that's it. Alot of Dems won't.
"Posted by: | April 03, 2008 at 09:24 PM
"Many progressive Democrats are simply shattered by consistently being forced into the position of some revolting compromise. Allowing ourselves to lend support, and eventually be duped , by candidates who never stand and deliver has gotten egregiously monotonous.
"Andrew Horne has turned out to be yet another disastrous choice who ran to the front of the parade and pretended to lead. He, and many of those who promoted his candidacy, now ask us to support a turncoat like Bruce Lunsford. Many of us reject this obnoxious suggestion out of hand.
"We much prefer to allow a Mitch McConnell to remain as the minority leader of a failed, and disgraced party.
"Posted by: CW | April 03, 2008 at 10:34 PM
"I agree with 10:34 but I understand the lesser of the two evils question. Lunsford before Mitch the Bitch.
"Posted by: | April 03, 2008 at 10:43 PM
"A whole big lot of us are going to follow Lou
Dobbs of CNN and become Independents. The time has come. Both partys have proven that they can not do anything right anymore. They don't have the testicles to increase taxes on cigarettes, but they can give money to the big companies. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, if we don't bail out the big companies, none of us would have a job, and we should all be glad that the C.E.O.s of some of these big companies should get billion dollar bonuses even if their compnaies loose money.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 09:31 AM
"Obama on the ballot will really help Lunsford...NOT.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 10:08 AM
"Obama and Hillary driving out the vote helps the person with the most name ID. 40% of the voters won't know who they are voting for until they walk in the door and they will pick a name they know. How do you think David Williams won the primary for Ag Comm last year?
"Posted by: anon | April 04, 2008 at 11:16 AM
"Before it became unfashionable to use sexist remarks, we had a healthy disrespect for a man who was ‘pussy whipped’. Everyone knew he wanted it so damn bad, he’d sell his soul for it. Today the whole damn democratic party seems to be ‘whipped‘. We want that win so damn bad, we will ignore all principles, and vote for any yeller dawg that claims to be a D.
"No disrespect for women intend here, but one hell of a lot of contempt for unprincipled, myopic democrats who badmouth real democrats (Beshear, Chandler, Reid, Pelosi, etc. ) for being ‘weak”, or “inept” , and then fall in line like a pack of hounds following a bitch in heat simply to get that win.
"Party insiders have 81% of Americans totally dissatisfied with the direction this country is headed (Cheney says: SO!) This applies to both parties, if haven’t realized by now. Democrats should be told loud and clear, “We gave you the vote, we don’t like what you did, we may cut our nose off, but you are out of here! No more win at any cost.”
"Posted by: CW | April 04, 2008 at 11:17 AM
"CW, I have seen your posts over the last few days all over the dem blogs - slamming Horne and saying you would rather have McConnell? [You can't mean that.] The posts came @7pm, 10pm 3pm 11am 6pm, and some are just a copy of the same post saying Horne pretended to lead while running in front of the parade. From the timing you seem like your a full time blogger, working for Fischer maybe? Mitch?
"Either way, from a person that has seen Horne and has started to know him he doesn't just talk the talk he walks the walk. In late 2005 and early 2006 when everyone was scared to say boo about the war he was there on CNN and in the street giving a lot of regular people confidence to say what they already felt. And unlike some of "good dems" he didn't miss a beat when he lost to John Yarmuth he kept right on going and helped beat Northup. So if you don't mind I am going to trust the Colonel. I just hope if Fischer stays in he doesn't go negative like Hillary is to Obama and make our job harder.
"Posted by: anon | April 04, 2008 at 01:24 PM
"Like Andrew Horne, I am on the Democratic Primary ballot for U.S. Senator KY May 20, I am a veteran, I am a lawyer, and I was on the Democratic Primary ballot for U.S. House in 2006. I'm suprised that Andrew Horne endorsed Bruce Lunsford instead of me. You can't buy a Democratic nomination, as Bruce Lunsford should've learned in his unsuccessful run for Govenor against Steve Beshear, and in his unsuccessful run for Governor against Ben Chandler. If Kentucky Democrats want a workhorse, they will vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate D-KY; if they just want a showhorse, they will vote for a millionaire.
"Posted by: Kenneth Stepp | April 04, 2008 at 02:59 PM
"Times are a changin, we want a workhorse, not a playboy with money.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 07:46 PM
"Horne was adopted by progressives but the truth was he was never much of a Democrat, he was registered as an independent, and changed conveniently before his run, and had never been involved much in Democratic politics..........so why the surprise now? Bruce Lunsford is "not much of a Democrat" either.
"With the presidential ticket, there will be those that vote for the name they know like Eddie Murphy's character in The Distinguished Gentleman.......BUT
"There will be lots and lots of yellow dogs that vote in EVERY primary, and Lunsford's not gonna get that vote, plus there are yellow dogs working hard against him.
"He hasn't bought anything yet...and he's spent a **** pot.
"Posted by: e pluribus unum | April 05, 2008 at 02:55 AM
"You are clearly a Fischer supporter to go after Horne like that so tell us about Fischer's Democratic credentials. I'll start - "wealthy Democrat" donated to Northup[R], Jackson[R] multiple times in Louisville and sat on his hands for Conway, Miller and Yarmuth against her in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Not concerned enough about Iraq, etc to make any Iraq campaign events or donate, etc. Suddenly saw the light about how bad things had gotten gave to Democratic party 12/07 gave Yarmuth 9/07 coincidentially decided to run for Senate about that time.... Your turn.
"Posted by: anon | April 06, 2008 at 12:40 AM"
"Comments
" You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
"This is just about the dumbest move the party has ever made in an election, but whaddaya gonna do? I'll vote for the prick, but that's it. Alot of Dems won't.
"Posted by: | April 03, 2008 at 09:24 PM
"Many progressive Democrats are simply shattered by consistently being forced into the position of some revolting compromise. Allowing ourselves to lend support, and eventually be duped , by candidates who never stand and deliver has gotten egregiously monotonous.
"Andrew Horne has turned out to be yet another disastrous choice who ran to the front of the parade and pretended to lead. He, and many of those who promoted his candidacy, now ask us to support a turncoat like Bruce Lunsford. Many of us reject this obnoxious suggestion out of hand.
"We much prefer to allow a Mitch McConnell to remain as the minority leader of a failed, and disgraced party.
"Posted by: CW | April 03, 2008 at 10:34 PM
"I agree with 10:34 but I understand the lesser of the two evils question. Lunsford before Mitch the Bitch.
"Posted by: | April 03, 2008 at 10:43 PM
"A whole big lot of us are going to follow Lou
Dobbs of CNN and become Independents. The time has come. Both partys have proven that they can not do anything right anymore. They don't have the testicles to increase taxes on cigarettes, but they can give money to the big companies. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, if we don't bail out the big companies, none of us would have a job, and we should all be glad that the C.E.O.s of some of these big companies should get billion dollar bonuses even if their compnaies loose money.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 09:31 AM
"Obama on the ballot will really help Lunsford...NOT.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 10:08 AM
"Obama and Hillary driving out the vote helps the person with the most name ID. 40% of the voters won't know who they are voting for until they walk in the door and they will pick a name they know. How do you think David Williams won the primary for Ag Comm last year?
"Posted by: anon | April 04, 2008 at 11:16 AM
"Before it became unfashionable to use sexist remarks, we had a healthy disrespect for a man who was ‘pussy whipped’. Everyone knew he wanted it so damn bad, he’d sell his soul for it. Today the whole damn democratic party seems to be ‘whipped‘. We want that win so damn bad, we will ignore all principles, and vote for any yeller dawg that claims to be a D.
"No disrespect for women intend here, but one hell of a lot of contempt for unprincipled, myopic democrats who badmouth real democrats (Beshear, Chandler, Reid, Pelosi, etc. ) for being ‘weak”, or “inept” , and then fall in line like a pack of hounds following a bitch in heat simply to get that win.
"Party insiders have 81% of Americans totally dissatisfied with the direction this country is headed (Cheney says: SO!) This applies to both parties, if haven’t realized by now. Democrats should be told loud and clear, “We gave you the vote, we don’t like what you did, we may cut our nose off, but you are out of here! No more win at any cost.”
"Posted by: CW | April 04, 2008 at 11:17 AM
"CW, I have seen your posts over the last few days all over the dem blogs - slamming Horne and saying you would rather have McConnell? [You can't mean that.] The posts came @7pm, 10pm 3pm 11am 6pm, and some are just a copy of the same post saying Horne pretended to lead while running in front of the parade. From the timing you seem like your a full time blogger, working for Fischer maybe? Mitch?
"Either way, from a person that has seen Horne and has started to know him he doesn't just talk the talk he walks the walk. In late 2005 and early 2006 when everyone was scared to say boo about the war he was there on CNN and in the street giving a lot of regular people confidence to say what they already felt. And unlike some of "good dems" he didn't miss a beat when he lost to John Yarmuth he kept right on going and helped beat Northup. So if you don't mind I am going to trust the Colonel. I just hope if Fischer stays in he doesn't go negative like Hillary is to Obama and make our job harder.
"Posted by: anon | April 04, 2008 at 01:24 PM
"Like Andrew Horne, I am on the Democratic Primary ballot for U.S. Senator KY May 20, I am a veteran, I am a lawyer, and I was on the Democratic Primary ballot for U.S. House in 2006. I'm suprised that Andrew Horne endorsed Bruce Lunsford instead of me. You can't buy a Democratic nomination, as Bruce Lunsford should've learned in his unsuccessful run for Govenor against Steve Beshear, and in his unsuccessful run for Governor against Ben Chandler. If Kentucky Democrats want a workhorse, they will vote for Kenneth Stepp for U.S. Senate D-KY; if they just want a showhorse, they will vote for a millionaire.
"Posted by: Kenneth Stepp | April 04, 2008 at 02:59 PM
"Times are a changin, we want a workhorse, not a playboy with money.
"Posted by: | April 04, 2008 at 07:46 PM
"Horne was adopted by progressives but the truth was he was never much of a Democrat, he was registered as an independent, and changed conveniently before his run, and had never been involved much in Democratic politics..........so why the surprise now? Bruce Lunsford is "not much of a Democrat" either.
"With the presidential ticket, there will be those that vote for the name they know like Eddie Murphy's character in The Distinguished Gentleman.......BUT
"There will be lots and lots of yellow dogs that vote in EVERY primary, and Lunsford's not gonna get that vote, plus there are yellow dogs working hard against him.
"He hasn't bought anything yet...and he's spent a **** pot.
"Posted by: e pluribus unum | April 05, 2008 at 02:55 AM
"You are clearly a Fischer supporter to go after Horne like that so tell us about Fischer's Democratic credentials. I'll start - "wealthy Democrat" donated to Northup[R], Jackson[R] multiple times in Louisville and sat on his hands for Conway, Miller and Yarmuth against her in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Not concerned enough about Iraq, etc to make any Iraq campaign events or donate, etc. Suddenly saw the light about how bad things had gotten gave to Democratic party 12/07 gave Yarmuth 9/07 coincidentially decided to run for Senate about that time.... Your turn.
"Posted by: anon | April 06, 2008 at 12:40 AM"
Saturday, April 05, 2008
Mitch says "stay the course for a hundred years in Iraq".
McConnell defends McCain on Iraq
By Ryan Alessi
RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II.
He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said. * * *"
By Ryan Alessi
RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II.
He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said. * * *"
McConnell defends McCain on Iraq
By Ryan Alessi
RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II.
He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said.
McConnell, who is up for re-election this year, told 80 Republicans at the Madison County Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday that the U.S. Senate is taking steps to combat the lagging economy.
He pointed to a stimulus plan passed earlier this year that would provide up to $1,200 tax rebates to middle- and lower-class households. McConnell also said he expected the Senate to approve a measure creating $3,500 tax credits over two years for people who buy houses in the foreclosure process as a way to nudge the housing market to correct itself.
Speaking at Berea's Russel Acton Folk Center, McConnell also pledged to clean up remaining chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
"I'm going to guarantee, before I leave the Senate, we're going to get rid of every single drum of nerve gas over there at the Blue Grass Army Depot," he said
By Ryan Alessi
RALESSI@HERALD-LEADER.COM
BEREA --U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell said he expects his Republican colleague to win Kentucky in this fall's presidential race and defended Arizona Sen. John McCain's position that U.S. troops will be in Iraq for the foreseeable future.
"The key thing is not whether we have troops there but whether they're getting killed," he said, noting that Americans have been stationed in Japan and Germany since World War II.
He said it could be the same in Afghanistan and Iraq.
"The goal here in both countries is to leave behind a government that's relatively stable and pretty much in league with the better countries in that region," he said.
The Democratic presidential contenders, McConnell argued, are misguided by pushing for immediate troop withdrawal from Iraq.
"That would be very exciting ... but it would be a delusional thing to do. It would be a huge gamble," he said.
McConnell, who is up for re-election this year, told 80 Republicans at the Madison County Lincoln Day Dinner on Friday that the U.S. Senate is taking steps to combat the lagging economy.
He pointed to a stimulus plan passed earlier this year that would provide up to $1,200 tax rebates to middle- and lower-class households. McConnell also said he expected the Senate to approve a measure creating $3,500 tax credits over two years for people who buy houses in the foreclosure process as a way to nudge the housing market to correct itself.
Speaking at Berea's Russel Acton Folk Center, McConnell also pledged to clean up remaining chemical weapons at the Blue Grass Army Depot.
"I'm going to guarantee, before I leave the Senate, we're going to get rid of every single drum of nerve gas over there at the Blue Grass Army Depot," he said
Thursday, April 03, 2008
"Mitch" kills bankruptcy bill, helps banks.
Senate kills bankruptcy measure
By J. Taylor Rushing
Posted: 04/03/08 06:04 PM [ET]
"The Senate Thursday killed a key bankruptcy provision that had stalled work on a bipartisan housing bill, clearing the way for the legislation's passage.
"The 58-36 vote to table the amendment allowed senators to move on to less contentious amendments to the housing measure forged Wednesday by Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
"All 36 ‘no’ votes were Democrats, except for Independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont and the motion to table the amendment was made by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who sponsored the amendment. That raised the possibility that Democrats could use the vote to paint the GOP as obstructionists during the country’s worsening housing crisis.
"Durbin argued passionately for the amendment for seven hours before moving to table it, noting that Republicans only showed up on the Senate floor to discuss the bill at the rate of one per hour.
"“This really tries my patience,” he said. “At this point in time, we don’t have the appetite in the Senate to face this.”
"Durbin’s amendment would allow judges to revise the terms of mortgages on primary residences. It is opposed by the banking lobby and most Republicans. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for example, said earlier Thursday that he would have insisted on a 60-vote threshold for the amendment’s adoption. That all but doomed the bill’s chances in a Senate split 51-49.
"Opponents of the bankruptcy provision say it would force interest rates higher.
"Durbin already limited the proposal to existing mortgages, and said the provision is the single most valuable piece of the overall housing bill.
"But banking lobbyists cheered the tabling vote. Francis Creighton, vice president for legislative affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicted it will be difficult for the Senate to resurrect the idea.
"This has been at the very top of our members' priority list,” Creighton said, adding that the change would have been a "terrible thing for the housing market, our customers and, yes, our members."
Popular millionaire and racehorse owner Bruce Lunsford had no comment about the Senate Republicans blocking the Democratic-supported bankruptcy bill which favored homeowner mortgage debtors.
Mitch McConnell and Bruce Lunsford do not care about mortgage debtors, but Kenneth Stepp does. Ditch Mitch and elect Kenneth Stepp your U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
By J. Taylor Rushing
Posted: 04/03/08 06:04 PM [ET]
"The Senate Thursday killed a key bankruptcy provision that had stalled work on a bipartisan housing bill, clearing the way for the legislation's passage.
"The 58-36 vote to table the amendment allowed senators to move on to less contentious amendments to the housing measure forged Wednesday by Sens. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.).
"All 36 ‘no’ votes were Democrats, except for Independent Bernard Sanders of Vermont and the motion to table the amendment was made by Majority Whip Dick Durbin, who sponsored the amendment. That raised the possibility that Democrats could use the vote to paint the GOP as obstructionists during the country’s worsening housing crisis.
"Durbin argued passionately for the amendment for seven hours before moving to table it, noting that Republicans only showed up on the Senate floor to discuss the bill at the rate of one per hour.
"“This really tries my patience,” he said. “At this point in time, we don’t have the appetite in the Senate to face this.”
"Durbin’s amendment would allow judges to revise the terms of mortgages on primary residences. It is opposed by the banking lobby and most Republicans. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), for example, said earlier Thursday that he would have insisted on a 60-vote threshold for the amendment’s adoption. That all but doomed the bill’s chances in a Senate split 51-49.
"Opponents of the bankruptcy provision say it would force interest rates higher.
"Durbin already limited the proposal to existing mortgages, and said the provision is the single most valuable piece of the overall housing bill.
"But banking lobbyists cheered the tabling vote. Francis Creighton, vice president for legislative affairs at the Mortgage Bankers Association, predicted it will be difficult for the Senate to resurrect the idea.
"This has been at the very top of our members' priority list,” Creighton said, adding that the change would have been a "terrible thing for the housing market, our customers and, yes, our members."
Popular millionaire and racehorse owner Bruce Lunsford had no comment about the Senate Republicans blocking the Democratic-supported bankruptcy bill which favored homeowner mortgage debtors.
Mitch McConnell and Bruce Lunsford do not care about mortgage debtors, but Kenneth Stepp does. Ditch Mitch and elect Kenneth Stepp your U.S. Senator from Kentucky.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Click this for video.
Click the above title to watch the video prepared by Jim Pence, of Kenneth Stepp speaking to the Democratic Rally at Madisonville March 29.
Parental rights.
Kenneth Stepp believes in parental rights. Although I was paid to represent an indigent 22 year old mother in a trial court Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) case in which her parental rights to her two young children were taken away by the State, I don't get paid any additional money to handle an appeal of that case. Nevertheless, as a pro bono project, I have expended about twenty hours this week representing that indigent 22 year old mother on an appeal of the judgments in that case terminating her parental rights in her two young children. I believe that parents should be the people that raise their children, and that only in rare cases should the State intervene. When the State takes her children away from a 22 year old woman, who now lives in a private home, the matter should be reviewed by the Court of Appeals. This I intend to present to them. Being a lawyer is helping other people. Being a U.S. Senator is helping other people. I hope you will make me your U.S. Senator, so I can help you, and every one in Kentucky who has to deal with the government. The government makes a good servant, but a poor master.
At the time of the Aliens and Sedition Acts in the late 1700's, Thomas Jefferson was elected our first Democratic President and put an end to such nonsense. I care about you. The Democrats care about you. I ask you to vote for me in the Kentucky Democratic Primary May 20, and then vote for the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in the general election.
At the time of the Aliens and Sedition Acts in the late 1700's, Thomas Jefferson was elected our first Democratic President and put an end to such nonsense. I care about you. The Democrats care about you. I ask you to vote for me in the Kentucky Democratic Primary May 20, and then vote for the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in the general election.
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