Saturday, January 31, 2009

Life after ice storm dire, getting worse in spots


A little windy out there too, huh? (click here for UNISYS 12 hour loop)



Just as a reminder, the weather in Ketchikan, Alaska (now 34 F - click here) where Ted Stevens wanted to build a road to nowhere, is warmer than some of the northern tier of the USA.


January 27, 2009
St. Francis, Arkansas


January 27, 2009
Piggott, Arkansas


January 27, 2009
Rector, Arkansas


January 28, 2009
Piggott, Arizona - elevation 301 feet above sea level (not thousands, okay - click here)
Photographer states :: These photos were taken in the Piggott, AR area which has been featured nationally on some networks as a disaster area. We are running on generator power, somehow our phone service is intact, and internet service was restored today. The photos are taken at various times through the storm, which lasted a solid 36 hours. More info on this storm in my blog.


By BRUCE SCHREINER
The Associated Press
Friday, January 30, 2009; 8:59 PM
MARION, Ky. -- In some parts of rural Kentucky, they're getting water the old-fashioned way _ with pails from a creek. There's not room for one more sleeping bag on the shelter floor. The creative are flushing their toilets with melted snow.
At least 42 people have died, including 11 in Kentucky, and conditions are worsening in many places days after an ice storm knocked out power to 1.3 million customers from the Plains to the East Coast. About a million people were still without electric Friday, and with no hope that the lights will come back on soon, small communities are frantically struggling to help their residents.
One county put it bluntly: It can't.
"We're asking people to pack a suitcase and head south and find a motel if they have the means, because we can't service everybody in our shelter," said Crittenden County Judge-Executive Fred Brown, who oversees about 9,000 people, many of whom are sleeping in the town's elementary school.
Local officials were growing angry with what they said was a lack of help from the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In Grayson County, about 80 miles southwest of Louisville, Emergency Management Director Randell Smith said the 25 National Guardsmen who have responded have no chain saws to clear fallen trees....


January 28, 2009
Parkersbury, West Virginia

Nine critical directive by Napolitano. Will she stop any further eroding of the National Security of the USA? Can she stop al Qaeda?

Seeking Global Peace has to include a sincere National Security that honors the principles of Democracy. Can Obama achieve what Bush failed to try, a Homeland that is secure as well as free? Americans must participate in their nation's security by being employed in areas that honor our country.

Homeland Security has 1,000 jobs to fill in Arizona; job fair Saturday (click here)
January 30, 2009, 10:37 p.m.
SHERYL KORNMANTucson Citizen
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has more than 1,000 jobs open in Arizona.
A job fair here Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at U.S. Customs and Border Protection headquarters will allow applicants to fill out paperwork and talk with Homeland Security workers about the openings....


Partnership is proving successful in Santa Cruz Co. (click here)
By Denise HolleyPublished Friday, January 30, 2009 9:52 AM MST
Securing the U.S.- Mexico border is a huge job, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) can’t do it alone. That’s why the Department of Homeland Security forged a partnership with local law enforcement called Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) in 2004....


US Customs And Border Protection Job Fair (click here)
Saturday, January 31
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will kick-off National Career Day around the United States to announce CBP’s goal for hiring approximately 11,000 new personnel for frontline, mission support, and operations support positions in 2009.
The multi-city recruitment event themed “A New Year, New Career,” will launch January 31 to raise public awareness on CBP’s mission and broad career options, along with providing potential applicants information on how to apply for a CBP position....



...Secretary Napolitano has already issued nine action directives: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) state and local integration; national planning, cybersecurity; northern border strategy; critical infrastructure protection; risk analysis; state and local intelligence sharing; transportation security; and state, local and tribal integration. She will continue to issue additional action directives in the coming days focused on the missions critical to the department: Protection, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Immigration....

Canada-U.S. border back in the spotlight (click here)

By BOGDAN KIPLING

Thu. Jan 29 - 7:10 AM

THE OBAMA administration has put Canadian border security among its most pressing issues to be dealt with immediately.
That’s the word Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano sent out in an "action directive" on her third full day in office.
"As we have designed programs to afford greater protection against unlawful entry, members of Congress and homeland security experts have called for increased attention to the Canadian border," says a statement released by her office last Friday. She requested an "oral report" no later than Feb. 10, to be followed by a final report a week later.
Secretary Napolitano’s hurry raises an obvious question: What’s wrong?...


U.S.-Mexico Border Fence Nearly Complete (click here)

2009-01-27 04:42pm
More than 600 miles of a new U.S.-Mexico border fence have been completely, making the stretch nearly complete, the U.S. government reported Tuesday.Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling said 601 miles of the fence have been completed, with 69 left to go in order to meet a goal set by the Bush administration.In December, then President-elect Obama said he wanted to evaluate border security before committing to finishing the fence begun under his predecessor.Easterling has said the White House has not yet told the Department of Homeland Security to halt construction of the fence.(c) 2009 Newsroom.


Rail lines, bus systems show security shortfalls (click here)

By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The first federal evaluation of mass-transit security shows that more than 75% of the nation's major rail and bus systems aren't meeting Homeland Security guidelines.
By contrast, 96% of airlines are complying with security requirements, according to a new report by the department. The report doesn't identify which rail and bus systems fell short.
The assessment comes as new Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano says she plans to focus more on mass transit, possibly through "redeployment" of resources from other areas.
"We've done an awful lot in the aviation world," Napolitano said Monday. "We could pay more attention" to surface transportation security.
The department's little-noticed evaluation, published on its website Jan. 15 just before Napolitano took office, found that 37 of the nation's 48 largest transit systems aren't complying with voluntary guidelines set in 2007. There is no sanction for non-compliance, said Paul Lennon, head of mass transit for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).


Obama nominates cybercrimes expert to DHS (click here)

WASHINGTON, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama Thursday announced plans to nominate a cybercrimes expert as the U.S. Homeland Security Department's next general counsel.
Obama announced plans to nominate Ivan Fong, a former deputy associate attorney general at the Justice Department, as the next general counsel for the Homeland
Security Department.
The announcement coincides with Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano's announcement of several key legal positions on her staff.
Fong, who currently works for Cardinal Health Inc. as chief legal officer and secretary, is the primary author of what Homeland Security Department officials say is a "groundbreaking" report on cybercrime policy titled "The Electronic Frontier: The Challenge of Unlawful Conduct Involving the Use of the Internet."
"Ivan's extensive private sector and senior government experience will provide invaluable counsel in managing the complex issues and important tasks we take on daily, and I look forward to the enthusiasm and expertise this accomplished team brings to the important missions of this department," Napolitano said in a statement.

Will the Tamil Tigers finally reach an end to their reign in Sri Lanka?

"The West" has a peril in democracy through its immigration policies. Europe knows it better than any other continent that where there is a struggle within a country for control, including Israel's recent struggle with Gaza, there is a growing strategy 'within' the borders of The West to bring political pressure.

The question is, could adverse decisions be reached in places like Sri Lanka 'in lieu' of fears of terrorist violence within the borders of The West?

I can understand how Tamils in The West that enjoy 'civilization' and the 'idea' of longevity be concerned for family in Sri Lanka and the issue of human shields. But, how can they protest an end to an attempt by the Sri Lankan government to stop the violence by ending the 'Tigers' regime? I find a 'void' of authority in these instances.

Sri Lanka was a victim to the 2004 Tsunami and was supposed to be receiving aid to 'restore and invigorate' the country and its people.


Mahinda Samarasinghe , Sri Lanka's human rights minister. The government offensive drew protests in Toronto.

Canadian Tamils lead protest march (click here)
TORONTO - Thousands of Canadian Tamils formed a human chain through Toronto's downtown yesterday to protest a Sri Lankan government offensive aimed at crushing the separatist Tamil Tigers.
The greater Toronto area is home to 200,000 Tamils, one of the largest Tamil population outside Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent. A number of protests have been staged in recent weeks.
The protesters are angry over the military offensive, which has ousted the rebels from all major towns after heavy battles in recent months.
The rebels are now cornered in a 115-square-mile area of jungle and villages where 250,000 civilians are trapped, according to the Red Cross. The Tamil Tigers have been fighting for a separate state for minority Tamils since 1983, and were declared a terrorist organization by the United States in 1997 and by Canada in 2006.
- AP


There has been a long struggle in Sri Lanka to end the reign of a group considered to be terrorist in nature. It might be the current initiative by the Sri Lankan government could actually bring about the end to the violence.

This is an article regarding the Sri Lankan military from 2007:

Tamil Tigers vow to take revenge on army (click here)
By Tom Farrell in Killinochchi
Last Updated: 2:04AM BST 18 Jul 2007
...Speaking at his office in Killinochchi, the de facto rebel capital in the north of the island, SP Thamilselvan told The Daily Telegraph that the Tigers would now switch to guerrilla tactics to recapture territory lost in the east....




Bomb blast kills policeman in Sri Lanka (click title to entry - thank you)
6:00PM Wednesday Jan 21, 2009
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A bomb blamed on ethnic Tamil rebels exploded this afternoon (NZ time) outside a police station in eastern Sri Lanka, killing a police officer and a civilian and wounding 11 other people, authorities said.
The attack came as the military pushes ahead with an offensive in the north aimed at defeating the Tamil Tiger rebels and ending the country's 25-year-old civil war.
The bomb was attached to a bicycle left near a petrol storage facility outside a police station in the eastern city of Batticaloa, military spokesman Brig. Udaya Nanayakkara said....



Sri Lanka deadline for civilian safe passage ends (click here)
By VIJAY JOSHI – 6 hours ago
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A Sri Lankan government deadline for Tamil Tiger rebels to let civilians leave the northern conflict zone ended Saturday with only about a hundred reaching safe areas. The government accused the insurgents of holding the civilians as human shields.
According to the Red Cross, some 250,000 civilians are trapped in the 115-square mile (300-square kilometer) area where the rebels have been boxed in by advancing troops. The government puts the number at about 120,000.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that more than 100 civilians including 16 children fled the war zone and "sought protection with security forces" on Saturday.
They included 63 people who arrived in Visuamadu town, while 43 others made their way in two boats across the choppy waters off Mullaittivu toward Pulmoddai town, it said.
"We gave a chance to the Tigers to release the civilians during the 48 hours but the terrorists are not allowing innocent civilians to get out. They are using them as human shields," said Lakshman Hulugalla, a government spokesman....


With next election in mind, Karunanidhi strikes (click here)

...He also got the Tamil Nadu Asembly to pass a resolution condemning the killings of Tamils in Sri Lanka. He followed all this by calling UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi to explain why something should be done.

The government seized upon it as a way to further Indian policy: 'exercising decisive influence without direct involvement' although they knew this was an empty threat because it was simply not tenable: if he had withdrawn support from the centre, the government would have gone into a minority; but if the Congress had withdrawn support to the DMK government in Tamil Nadu, it would have fallen, a risk the Chief Minister was obviously unprepared for.

Significantly, the government of India - and the government of Tamil Nadu - did not at any point voice the demand for a ceasefire in northern Sri Lanka. What they sought was an end to the killing of civilians....

Reducing the 'spectrum' of war will reduce the deficit spending of the USA and enhance economy at home.

Pakistan would be interested in the activities and interests of India in Afghanistan as it would place India in a favorable position in regard to Kashmir as well.

Realizing that 'Taking Back Afghanistan" from the Taliban means redefining Karzai's goals, it would include strong economic development, ridding the region of the Poppy Culture and empowering the security of the villages while disarming the warlords.


It would also include a 'regional' peace between Pakistan and India to faciliate quality of life for the people and disbanding 'terrorist' interests that disrupt peace in Kashmir. What is good for a Kashmirian Peace is also good for Afghanistan, India and Pakistan.

It is a solid conclusion that terrorist networks exist in imporverishment. The Afghan people along with those in Kashmir and the border villages of Pakistan have sustained poverty for longer than any civilized world should allow. Honoring their culture while allowing for solid economic goals, the 'region' could move away from violence and into a benevolence for their children.

A high priority of the region, including Iran, has to be developing a 'strategy' to bring people into housing that can survive earthquakes as well.

US in contact with Pakistan over Afghan deployment: Pentagon (click here)
WASHINGTON: No decision has been made so far on the deployment of additional US troops in Afghanistan and the Pentagon has been in close contact with Islamabad over the proposal, the Pentagon said on Thursday. It said if implemented, the proposal would also help Pakistan curb cross-border militancy. Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said Defence Secretary Robert Gates was expected to give a recommendation on the proposal to US President Barack Obama ‘in the coming days’. He said the additional troops in Afghanistan would be “a delicate plus-up because you have got to do it commensurate to the infrastructure that exists” in Afghanistan. Asked if India was going to play a greater role in Afghanistan, he said, “I know there’s a great deal of investment by India in Afghanistan ... but I couldn’t tell you that I have any knowledge of a game plan for India to play a more pronounced role in Afghanistan.” Morrell said attacks on some of the lines of communication from Pakistan into Afghanistan had ‘not had an operational impact’ on supplies to Afghanistan. app



Nato figures show surge in Afghanistan violence (click here)
Violence soared by nearly a third last year, the highest rise since coalition operations began

Jason Burke
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 31 January 2009 18.52 GMT
Violence in Afghanistan soared by nearly a third last year, the highest rise since coalition operations in the troubled country began more than seven years ago.
According to new
Nato statistics obtained by the Observer, violence rose by 31%, taking levels of fighting to a new peak of intensity. In 2007 there were around 5,000 "violent incidents" in the 20 worst-affected districts of the country. Last year the total rose to around 7,000.
Nato officials said the sharp rise was "in large part" due to more international troops pushing into areas that were previously without any military presence – such as the major deployment of US marines to the southern province of Helmand where UK forces are based – provoking more combat....


Obama seems unlikely to widen war in Afghanistan (click here)
By ANNE GEARAN – 5 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, who pledged during his campaign to shift U.S. troops and resources from Iraq to Afghanistan, has done little since taking office to suggest he will significantly widen the grinding war against a resurgent Taliban....




Army suicides (January 30, 2009)

2006 Courant Investigation (click here)
This award-winning series first published in May 2006 and its follow up coverage examine the U.S. military's gaps in mental health care for its soldiers.

Army Suicides In 2008 Hit Highest Level Ever Recorded (click here)
By MATTHEW KAUFFMAN The Hartford Courant
January 30, 2009
At least 128 active-duty soldiers killed themselves last year — the highest number ever recorded — leading Pentagon officials to declare an Armywide "stand down" to address the problem soldier by soldier....



An Afghan police officer checks a gun as weapons are displayed after being handed over from local commanders of illegal militants through the Disbandment of Illegal Armed Group (DIAG) in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Ningarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009. DIAG is a U.N.-backed program for disarming the illegal militants in Afghanistan.
Rahmat Gul / AP Photo




US-funded program to arm Afghan groups begins (click here)

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press Writer
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A U.S.-funded program to train and arm community members in Afghanistan's most dangerous regions as a way to defend against the Taliban has begun, the country's interior minister said Saturday.
The U.S. will provide funds to arm the community force with the same weapons used by Afghan police - Kalashnikov rifles, said Interior Ministry Mohammad Hanif Atmar.
The program has already begun, but Atmar refused to say where, citing security concerns. Other officials have said the program will begin in Wardak, an increasingly dangerous province on the southwest side of Kabul.
"After training they will have the responsibility of protecting the people, providing security for the highways, schools, clinics and other government institutions," Atmar told a news conference....

The Middle East and a 'return' to the Peace Initiative void of War Priorities

Secretary of State Clinton will meet with a far different dynamic in The Middle East opposed to her former Clinton peer, Madeline Albright. Today the nations of the Middle East have been muddling through without much assistance by the USA, while a 'new' war has complicated issues.




Egyptian Islamic activist detained at Gaza border (click here)
Sat Jan 31, 2009 2:25pm EST
ISMAILIA, Egypt (Reuters) - Egyptian security forces detained an Islamist opposition activist on Saturday as he crossed into Egypt from the Gaza Strip, saying they believed he had entered Gaza illegally via a cross-border tunnel, security sources said.
The sources said that Magdy Ahmed Hussein, the head of the Islamist-oriented Labor party, was carrying no papers other than a driving license when he tried to return to Egypt through the Rafah border crossing.
The government suspended the activities of Hussein's party in 2000, partly due to its links with the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest opposition group.
For the 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip, the tunnels have become a main source of goods, including fuel, since Israel tightened its embargo after Hamas seized control of Gaza from the forces of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2007....


Netanyahu says Iran will not get hands on nukes (click here)
By ARON HELLER – 2 hours ago
JERUSALEM (AP) — Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's leading candidate for prime minister, said Saturday that Iran "will not be armed with a nuclear weapon."
In an interview with Israel's Channel 2 TV, Netanyahu said if elected prime minister his first mission will be to thwart the Iranian nuclear threat. Netanyahu, the current opposition leader and head of the hardline Likud party, called Iran the greatest danger to Israel and to all humanity....



Livni to Cypriot FM: Confiscate weapons from Iranian ship (click here)
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni spoke to her Cypriot counterpart Markos Kyprianou by phone and requested that he act toward confiscating weapons aboard the ship that were allegedly on their way from Iran to Syria. Livni emphasized that the passage of the weapons is in contravention of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 that prohibits trade in weapons with Iran because of its ongoing nuclear program.

The saga of a ship suspected of carrying arms from Iran to Gaza grew more complicated Saturday as Cypriot authorities searched the ship, then backed away from previous assertions that it was violating United Nations resolutions.
Authorities will now conduct a second search, the Cypriot foreign minister said.
...




Replacing Hillary Clinton is no small task, but, Gillibrand was a 'natural' choice for the Governor of New York. Coming from the 20th District of New York (click here) as a US House Representative, Ms. Gillibrand is likely to be re-elected. She is popular in her district and would carry it in any national election. That would give this Democrat a 'leg up' on winning repeatedly. Her district is 'sought' after by the RNC as a must win in the next House election.

"...and I did not ask why."

Voting station attacked as Iraqis go to polls (click title to entry - thank you)
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Mortar shells have fallen near a voting station as Iraq stages its first elections since 2005.
A massive security operation is in place for the local council ballot.
It is seen as a vital test-run before a full parliamentary poll later this year.
Nobody was hurt in the attack which happened in Saddam Hussein's home town of Tikrit.




Shoe monument in Iraq demolished (click here)
Baghdad - A sculpture of an enormous shoe erected in honour of the Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at then-US president George W Bush in December, was taken down on Friday.
The huge bronze-coloured sculpture, made of fiberglass, was erected at an orphanage complex in the northern Iraqi city of Tikrit on Thursday.
The head of the Childhood organisation, which the orphanage belongs to, said that the Provincial Joint Coordination Centre told her to take the structure down immediately.
"I did take the shoe down immediately and destroyed it; and I did not ask why," Shahah Daham, the head of the charity organisation, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.

But, can Michael Steele be elected as President of the USA in 2004?

Sooner or later, the Bipartisan desires of Barak Obama will become an agenda that won't work. Bipartisanship post Bush White House is more or less 'a game' similar to Fantasy Football (click here) in that 'one is a faux player' with a hopeful agenda that never really has the opportunity to become less a fantasy and more a reality.

The Republican Party 'wants the country's treasury back' and they will stop at nothing. Having Judd Greg in Commerce will play to the Republican agenda for 2004 and don't believe otherwise.

Basically, the Republicans 'don't get it.' They are profound bigots that believe if they change the color of the skin of their Chairman, then fame and fortune will come their way. They believe the African-American Vote is based in 'visual acuity' instead of 'cognitive decision-making.'


When the country moved away from the Bush Republican agenda it was based in cognitive decisions to stop warring in Iraq while reclaiming the American Economy to put people back into American jobs. The African Americans that voted for Barak did so in recognition of a man that sincerely had the 'right message.' He voted against the war in Iraq and believed in American labor while working at the 'grass roots' level of politics as a Community Organizer. He left any promise of wealth at the Harvard Law Review and decided to be one of the most loyal Americans this country would come to know, determined to 'take by the country.'




In a historic move, the Republican National Committee has elected its first black chairman, Michael Steele. And with the White House now occupied by the nation’s first black president, Democrat Barack Obama, both major parties are under the guidance of African Americans – making Friday’s election at the RNC’s winter meeting in Washington doubly historic.
Republicans wanted “a new face, they want[ed] to show that there is change in the party,” said party activist Ann Stone, a Steele supporter.
Evident in Mr. Steele’s election was a desire to send a signal that the GOP has not given up on diversity and inclusion, especially after a presidential election in which 95 percent of African Americans voted Democratic....


This 'move' by the RNC is a true Republican classic. Mimic the Democrats and then redirect the powers elected to and take advantage of the power of the military and prestige of the country for personal gain and wealth. That is all the RNC is doing AGAIN by putting Michael Steele as their Chairperson.


Michael Steele was a delegate to the 2000 Republican convention that nominated George Walker Bush to the top of their ticket. Hello?

Steele was able to be elected as a running mate to the Maryland Governorship because the 'team' took a margin victory away from the Democrats. The small margin they won was due to an unpopular, end of term limits Governor with marital issues. It wasn't as though Steele and his running mate had better ideas, it was just that they was no scandal associated with them that Republican Fundamentals would disapprove.

In 2005, Bush chose Steele as a delegate to the investiture of Pope Benedict XVI at the ceremonial mass in St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City.

As with most Republicans, their personal fiscal portfolio is lacking. From Salon (click here). Steele was never overtly illegal, exactly, but always a little shady:

...Update: At first glance, this appears to be the kind of step forward that the Republican Party needs to be successful in the years ahead. As I noted in an earlier post, the race for RNC chair came down to a choice between an African-American moderate and a Southern white man with a troubled history when it comes to racial issues. Clearly, for a party that's increasingly relegated to representing only Southern whites, the RNC's voting members made the right choice, at least judging by that factor alone....

...His record as a businessman wasn't stellar, either. A consulting firm he founded never turned a profit, and was a serious drain on his finances. Shortly after he began his run for lieutenant governor, Steele ran into trouble because of a $25,000 loan his sister had given to his campaign for comptroller that he'd never paid back. Then, there were revelations of an additional $35,000 in personal debt, as well as more than $100,000 he'd taken out of two retirement accounts in order to support his family, leaving a balance of less than $600 at the time the news broke. He suffered further embarrassment over his finances when it was revealed that the Republican Party was paying him a consulting fee of $5,000 a month during his campaign for lieutenant governor.

What would Judd Gregg do? He'd look the other way and encourage everyone to do the same just as any Bush Republican would do !

There was a time in the USA when the FDA 'actually' did protect people.

Hello?



Peanut Corp of America earlier this week expanded the recall to include all products made at the plant since Jan. 1, 2007.
Photograph by: Richard Arless Jr., Montreal Gazette

Feds rarely file charges in tainted food cases (click title to entry - thank you)
By GREG BLUESTEIN – 3 hours ago
ATLANTA (AP) — As federal officials launch a criminal investigation into a Georgia peanut processor at the center of a deadly salmonella outbreak, food safety experts say they hope it's a signal that the government plans to be more aggressive in prosecuting other cases in the future.
Food safety watchdogs and legal experts say criminal charges have only been brought against a handful of companies involved in high-profile outbreaks though federal law allows cases to be prosecuted without proof the company knew it was distributing contaminated food. They say the law is not used often because there has been little will to pursue criminal charges in all but the most noteworthy and outrageous cases, and that has put the public at risk.
"Part of that system is the ability to penalize the people that fail," said Michael Taylor, a food safety scientist at George Washington University. "And there's been a real failure to do so at the federal and state level."
Food safety advocates hope that is starting to change....

Judd Gregg is an ultraconservative that will continue the work of Don Evans whom is currently pandering to China

If Democrats are putting Gregg into Commerce to 'play politics' to hope for a 60 seat majority in the Senate, then that is simply desperation.

The USA needs 'competent' leadership in Commerce to avoid 'road blocks' to effective environmental policy and someone who also believe in labor. Judd Gregg believes in NONE of those issues. He will continue Bush's policies cloaked in Democratic jargon.


Judd Gregg among all 'the greats' of the Republican Party.


Voting Record on Civil Rights (click here)

Voted YES on recommending Constitutional ban on flag desecration.

Voted NO on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage.

Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes.

Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping.

Voted NO on expanding hate crimes to include sexual orientation.

Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women.

Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business.

Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage.

Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation.

Voted YES on Amendment to prohibit flag burning.

Voted YES on banning affirmative action hiring with federal funds.

Supports anti-flag desecration amendment.

Rated 20% by the ACLU, indicating an anti-civil rights voting record.

Rated 33% by the HRC, indicating a mixed record on gay rights.

Rated 7% by the NAACP, indicating an anti-affirmative-action stance.


The remaining Voting Record of Bush's Judd Greg (click here)

Juff Gregg voted NO to priorities of the Clinton Administration. What do you think he will do in Commerce?

Senator Gregg voted NO

Vote to pass a bill that appropriates $13.96 billion for the Interior Department and related agencies for fiscal year 1994.

HR 2520: Making appropriations for the Department of the Interior and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1994, and for other purposes. (click here)

- $2.38 billion for the Forest Service
- $1.94 billion for Indian Health Services
- $1.78 billion for the Bureau of Indian Affairs
- $2.03 billion for the Department of Energy, including $690.38 million for energy conservation
- $1.47 billion for the National Park Service
- $1.04 billion for the Bureau of Land Management
- $682.4 million for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- $347.72 million for the National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities