Are you a political activist

If you are not one yet perhaps it is time that you became one.
Your political activism can take many forms. It can involve you
in supporting or opposing candidates for office. You can run for
office yourself. You can join or oppose a political party.
You can demonstrate for or against candidates for office.

One member of Congress in the news lately is a pal of Senator Byrd
of West Virgina. He is Congress person Alan Mollohan of West
Virginia.

"Mollohan is a member of the powerful House Appropriations
Committee. It
determines the funding for thousands of government programs,
totaling roughly
one-third of the federal budget (most of the rest is mandatory
spending on
Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid).

Joining Senator Byrd at the Harrison-MarionRegional Airport runway
extension
ceremony(Photo courtesy Fairmont Times West Virginian)
The Appropriations Committee consists of 10 subcommittees. Mollohan
serves on
two of them.
He is "Ranking Minority Member"—the top Democrat—on the Subcommittee
on Science,
State, Justice, Commerce and Related Agencies. The subcommittee
funds the
departments of State, Justice and Commerce, as well as the National
Aeronautics
and Space Administration (NASA), the National Science Foundation
(NSF) and the
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), among others.
Mollohan also is a member of the Subcommittee on Interior,
Environment and
Related Agencies.
In addition to his work on the Appropriations Committee, Mollohan
serves on the
Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, commonly known as the
ethics
committee. He is the panel's ranking Democrat.
source: http://www.house.gov/mollohan/bio.htm

Excerpted from yet another rabidly anti-Israel piece by Shirl
McArthur:
"House Passes Resolution Criticizing Iran's Nuclear Program
As expected, the House passed H.Con.Res. 398, which was introduced
by HIRC Chairman Henry Hyde (R-IL) on March 25. It expresses "the
concern of Congress over Iran's development of the means to produce
nuclear weapons," and was passed under "suspension of the rules" on
May 6 (see the previous issue of this magazine for a full
description of the resolution). Lantos demanded a roll call vote, no
doubt so that AIPAC could take names, and the final tally was 376
for the resolution, three against, 14 answering "present," and 40
not voting. Those voting no were Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Dennis
Kucinich (D-OH), and Ron Paul (R-TX). Those answering "present" were
Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Maurice Hinchey (D-
NY), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), George Miller (D-CA),
Alan Mollohan (D-WV), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Jose Serrano (D-NY), Pete
Stark (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Diane Watson (D-CA), and Lynn
Woolsey (D-CA)."
source: http://www.wrmea.com/archives/July_Aug_2004/0407024.html
Let's defeat every single one of the congress people listed as
voting no and those listed as answering "present" in the excerpt
from Shirl McArthur's rabidly anti-Israel piece above.

"Top Democrat on Ethics Panel Vows to Stay
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: April 8, 2006
Filed at 12:03 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The senior Democrat on the House ethics committee
said Friday
he won't step down from his post, contending there's no truth to
allegations by
a conservative group that he violated financial disclosure laws.
Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia accused Republicans of
orchestrating the
complaint by the congressional watchdog group and then using it to
call for him
to leave the ethics committee.
The National Legal and Policy Center said Friday it filed a
complaint in
February with federal prosecutors, alleging that Mollohan
consistently
undervalued assets on congressional financial reports and also
omitted assets.
Mollohan denied any wrongdoing.
Channing Phillips, principal assistant U.S. attorney in Washington,
said Friday
that he could not confirm receipt of the complaint or comment on any
pending
criminal investigation.
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee,
Rep. Tom
Reynolds, R-N.Y., said the allegations should lead Mollohan to
resign from the
ethics committee.
… Republicans have blamed Democrats for partisan battles that have
kept the
evenly divided ethics committee from opening any major
investigations since the
current Congress convened in January 2005.
House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said Democratic leader Nancy
Pelosi of
California must decide whether Mollohan should step down but
indicated she
should take that course. …"There's a precedent for it," Hastert
said. "I was
wondering why (the ethics committee members) ere dragging their feet
on this
whole ethics thing. I don't know if that has anything to do with it
or not.
We'll see."
Pelosi said she would not ask Mollohan to step down.
…
"No, I'm not going to resign because of this spurious attack. The
attack is
unethical on it's face," Mollohan said. "I have not heard from any
prosecutor."
Kenneth Boehm, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center,
said he has
been contacted by federal prosecutors about his complaint.
Boehm refused to release what he said was a 500-page complaint
because some of
the information it contains has not been thoroughly verified.
However, he said the center did verify that between 1996 and 2004
Mollohan
repeatedly failed to disclose real estate and financial assets and
loans. The
center has deeds and other records to prove its allegations, Boehm
said.
The center began investigating Mollohan's assets after his financial
disclosure
reports showed a significant jump in his net worth between 2000 and
2004, Boehm
said. The center had been looking at all the disclosure reports of
members of
the House Appropriations Committee.
Mollohan's 2000 report indicated he had assets worth between
$170,012 to
$562,000 and liabilities of $170,000 to $465,000. The disclosure
reports allow
congressmen to report their finances within broad ranges.
Mollohan's 2004 report showed he had assets of $6.3 million to $24.9
million and
assets of $3.66 million to $13.5 million.
"The question remains, so where did his greatly improved financial
holdings come
from?" Boehm said.
The Wall Street Journal, in Friday's editions, first reported on
Mollohan's
finances."
source:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Mollohan-Ethics.html?
_r=1&oref=slogin
April 8, 2006
"Congressman's Special Projects Bring Complaints
April 8, 2006
By JODI RUDOREN
As lawmakers have increasingly slipped pet projects into federal
spending bills
over the past decade, one lawmaker has used his powerful perch on
the House
Appropriations Committee to funnel $250 million into five nonprofit
organizations that he set up.
Those actions have prompted a complaint to federal prosecutors that
questions
whether any of that taxpayer money helped fuel a parallel growth in
his personal
fortune.
The most ambitious effort by the congressman, Alan B. Mollohan, is a
glistening
glass-and-steel structure with a swimming pool, sauna and spa rising
in a former
cow pasture in Fairmont, W.Va., thanks to $103 million of taxpayer
money he
garnered through special spending allocations known as earmarks.
The headquarters building is likely to sit largely empty upon
completion this
summer, because the Mollohan-created organization that it was built
for, the
Institute for Scientific Research, is in disarray, its chief
executive having
resigned under a cloud of criticism over his $500,000 annual
compensation, also
paid by earmarked federal money.
The five organizations have diverse missions but form a cozy, cross-
pollinated
network in the forlorn former coal capitals of north-central West
Virginia. Mr.
Mollohan has recruited many of their top employees and board
members, including
longtime friends or former aides, who in turn provide him with
steady campaign
contributions and positive publicity in their newsletters.
The conservative National Legal and Policy Center in Falls Church,
Va., filed a
500-page complaint with the United States attorney for the District
of Columbia
on Feb. 28 challenging the accuracy of Mr. Mollohan's financial
disclosure
forms. The forms show a sharp spike in assets and income from rental
properties
from 2000 to 2004.
Federal authorities said yesterday that they were reviewing the
complaint, which
was reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The case has led several Republican leaders to call for Mr.
Mollohan's removal
from the House ethics committee, where he is the senior Democrat.
In a statement yesterday, he said, "These groups were not created to
benefit me
in any way, and they never have."
Mr. Mollohan noted that the National Legal and Policy Center had
attacked other
Democrats and their union supporters and that it began its inquiry
last May
after he had voted against Republican efforts to water down House
ethics rules.
"Obviously, I am in the crosshairs of the National Republican Party
and
like-minded entities," said Mr. Mollohan, who faces a serious
electoral
challenge in November. Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to
headline a
fund-raiser on April 21 for the Republican whom the White House
recruited to run
against Mr. Mollohan.
"They are angry at me, and I fully expect that from now until
November they will
continue to make baseless charges against me, my record and my
family," the
statement said. "I will vigorously defend my service and not be
intimidated by
their heavy-handed tactics."
In previous interviews, Mr. Mollohan acknowledged that he had failed
to pay 2004
taxes on income from rental properties in Washington and North
Carolina,
resulting in a state lien of $8,948.28 being filed on Dec. 1. He
said the case
was resolved by final payments of all taxes, interest and penalties
by January.
"Obviously it's totally my fault," he said. "I just neglected this,
and it was
paid late, and I regret that."
In the last three years, Mr. Mollohan, a Democrat first elected in
1982 to a
seat long held by his father, has bought $2 million worth of
property on Bald
Head Island, N.C., with… a former employee who now runs one of the
organizations
and is on the boards of two others.
He was unapologetic about his earmarks, saying that local lawmakers
knew their
constituents' needs best, and that he was hardly alone in mainlining
money back
home. "The amount of money in the transportation bill spent in
Illinois in
earmarked projects is astronomical," he said. "It puts $100 million
on the
I.S.R. building in real perspective."
The earmarking occurred as an abundance of local projects was added
to spending
bills outside the normal budget review, from $32.9 billion in 2000
to $64
billion in 2006, the Congressional Research Service said. Although
it is
impossible to trace individual earmarks for certain, an analysis by
Citizens
Against Government Waste, a Washington watchdog, found $480 million
added in the
House or in conference committees, most likely by Mr. Mollohan, for
his district
since 1995. That sum helped West Virginia rank fourth on the
watchdog list —
$131.58 for each of the 1.8 million West Virginians this year.
Although Mr. Mollohan's mentor, Senator Robert C. Byrd, has long
blanketed the
state in bacon in the form of large public works projects and
federal complexes,
Mr. Mollohan has directed more than half his earmarks to his five
organizations
of his design.
Several people involved in the appropriations process said no other
lawmaker
employed that strategy to the same extent.
The first and largest is the West Virginia High Technology Consortium
Foundation, which is absorbing the troubled Institute for Scientific
Research.
Another, the Canaan Valley Institute, works on stream restoration
and wastewater
treatment. The Vandalia Heritage Foundation redevelops dilapidated
buildings,
and the MountainMade Foundation helps artisans market wares.
"He's basically judge, jury and executioner for all this money,"
said Keith
Ashdown, vice president of the Taxpayers for Common Sense in
Washington.
Of the empty building in Mr. Mollohan's hometown, Fairmont, Mr.
Ashdown added,
"This is sort of Mollohan's field of dreams, but in his case, he's
building it,
and it doesn't look like they're going to come."
Kenneth F. Boehm, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center,
said the
bulk of his complaint to the federal prosecutors was made up of
public documents
that showed 260 instances of omitted or undervalued assets on the
financial
disclosure forms that Mr. Mollohan filed with the ethics committee
from 1996 to
2004.
Those forms show a jump in Mr. Mollohan's portfolio from less than
$500,000 in
assets generating less than $80,000 in income in 2000 to at least
$6.3 million
in assets earning $200,000 to $1.2 million in 2004, along with large
mortgage
debts.
…
The complaint also looks at whether Mr. Mollohan properly reported 27
condominiums in the Remington, near Foggy Bottom in Washington. He
and his wife
own the building with a cousin… whose business once received money
from a
federal contract in Mr. Mollohan's district.
"The $64,000 question that's all over this thing is during the
period of time
all these earmarks went to very closely associated nonprofits run by
people who
were very close to him, did any of the money go from Point A to
Point B?" Mr.
Boehm asked in an interview. "Did any of his newfound wealth result
from, in any
way, shape or form, individuals who had benefited from his official
actions?"
Lifeblood for a Weak Economy
About 75 miles southeast of Fairmont along windy roads in Thomas
(pop. 473) sits
the Buxton & Landstreet Building, whose lifeblood is Mr. Mollohan's
largess. The
Vandalia Heritage Foundation used $1.2 million in earmarks from the
Department
of Housing and Urban Development to help transform the yellow-brick
behemoth,
built in 1901 as the coal company store, from broken down to
bustling.
The first floor is a vibrant gallery where the MountainMade
Foundation, relying
on its own earmarks from the Small Business Administration to pay
Vandalia its
$5,166.67 in monthly rent, sells items like Mr. Byrd's thick
autobiography for
$35 and a maple desk for $5,250.
Upstairs, 41 people work on stream restoration and wastewater
treatment in the
Canaan Valley office, whose $5,100 rent to Vandalia is covered by
earmarks from
the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Oceanic
Atmospheric
Administration.
"What else are you going to do to reinvent this economy?" asked… Mr.
Mollohan's
former aide who runs Vandalia and is the co-owner of the North
Carolina beach
property with the congressman. "A lot of what we do would not get
done
otherwise."
Created in 2000 to help artisans market their creations over the
Internet — Mr.
Mollohan favors the earthenware pottery — MountainMade also runs
glassblowing,
spinning and felt-making workshops in another downtown building that
Vandalia
renovated.
The Canaan Valley Institute, which grew out of an effort to create a
wildlife
refuge near property that Mr. Mollohan owns, is building a $33
million
headquarters with classrooms and laboratories on 3,208 acres that it
bought with
earmarks he secured.
Vandalia owns more than a score of properties throughout Mr.
Mollohan's district
like the Baltimore & Ohio station in Grafton that it is turning into
a museum
and office space and lots in Fairmont, where it plans to build
houses. Earmarks
from HUD bought the mothballed Waldo Hotel in Clarksburg ($230,000
in 2000) and
1,129 acres in Canaan Valley ($2.4 million in 2004).
Mr. Mollohan and the organizations' managers said their goal was to
wean from
earmarks and be self-sustaining. But Canaan Valley, the oldest,
continues to
rely on earmarks for 97 percent of its money. Last year,
MountainMade received
$1,085,308 from the S.B.A., nearly twice its $553,000 in sales.
MountainMade
also had a $124,000 state grant.
As for Vandalia, 92 percent of its $31.5 million in grants since
1999 arrived
through federal earmarks. Separately, the 2004 tax return for the
organization
shows that 96 percent of its $8.5 million revenue was from
government grants.
None of the three groups have dues-paying members, like many such
organizations,
or run regular fund-raisers. They worry about the crackdown on
earmarks. The
Vandalia pipeline has begun to dry up since Mr. Mollohan left the
subcommittee
that appropriates HUD money. The organizations said success in
finding other
sources had been sporadic.
The Quid Pro Quos
"The congressman gave us money" for this or that is how the groups'
leaders
frequently explain their programs. And they generally return the
favor at
fund-raisers.
A review of campaign finance records by The New York Times shows
that from 1997
through February 2006, top-paid employees, board members and
contractors of the
five organizations gave at least $397,122 to Mr. Mollohan's campaign
and
political action committees.
Thirty-eight individuals with leadership roles, including all five
chief
executives — all but one of whose 2004 salaries outpaced the $98,456
national
average among nonprofit leaders — contributed, often giving the
maximum allowed.
At the same time, workers at companies that do business with the
federally
financed groups were among Mr. Mollohan's leading contributors.
Employees of TMC
Technologies, which had a $50,000 contract with Vandalia in 2003,
have given
$63,450 since 1998. Workers at Electronic Warfare Associates and Man
Tech
International, military contractors that rent space from the
technology
consortium and whose chief executives are on the board of the
Institute for
Scientific Research, combined to give $86,750.
….
Asked whether contributions were required or expected, Kevin
Niewoehner, the
departed chief executive of the Institute for Scientific Research,
said: "
`Required' is such a strong term. The political environment and the
access that
goes along with it has a number of expectations that involves what is
appropriate and what isn't appropriate." He added that the first
hint that he
was falling out of favor occurred in October, when a $250 check he
wrote to the
campaign was returned uncashed.
"I received invitations to those events on a regular basis," he
said. "I was
invited to participate, and I participated."
`Teaming to Win'
Mr. Mollohan scoffed at the suggestion that the overlap among the
groups that he
supports and his supporters meant anything more than a meeting of
the minds.
"I like to think I'm supported because I work hard," he
said. "Because I bring a
collaborative, a `teaming to win,' if you will, approach to solving
the really
difficult challenges facing West Virginia."
The team includes overlapping rosters among the five organizations.
In addition
to Ms. …multiple roles, Jack Carpenter, an old friend of the
congressman, is
vice president of the consortium and chairman of the MountainMade
board. The
board once included Mr. Mollohan's wife, Barbara.
Raymond A. Oliverio, executive vice president of the consortium, is
also
treasurer of the Robert H. Mollohan Foundation, named for the
congressman's late
father. Gina Fantasia, Vandalia's legal counsel, moved over last
year from the
Institute for Scientific Research. Her brother Nick, mayor of
Fairmont, is
chairman of the Vandalia Redevelopment Corporation, a heritage
foundation
sister.
"He effectively referred to it as a family," said a person involved
in the
Mollohan network, likening the operation to keiretsu, the Japanese
concept of
intermeshed corporate boards.
Down the hill from the steel structure here is the more pedestrian
$14 million
Alan B. Mollohan Innovation Center, built with $3.5 million in
earmarks. It is
the home of the high-tech consortium, which began in 1990 as six
small companies
hoping to seed a new economic area. The center has 200 affiliates
throughout the
state. Earmarks are its engine, underwriting high-tech projects like
AmberView,
which seeks to create a national database of three-dimensional school
photographs to help find missing children.
The consortium has had better luck following earmarks with
competitive grants.
Its Information Research Corporation was spun off as a for-profit
subsidiary
after obtaining a $10 million Navy contract to build 2,500 BomBots,
robotlike
tractors that remotely deliver explosives .
"The congressman has enabled programs and entities to get started,"
said Tom
Witt, director of the West Virginia University Bureau of Business
and Economic
Research. "But at some point, they're going to have to make the
transition or
they'll die."
The big test will be the $134 million Institute for Scientific
Research
building, three-quarters paid by NASA and HUD earmarks. The 57-
member staff is
barely large enough to fill a corner of the 600-plus capacity of the
building.
David Johnston and Aron Pilhofer contributed reporting for this
article.
source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/08/washington/08earmarks.html?
pagewanted=print

"Alan Mollohan
AKA Alan Bowlby Mollohan
Born: 14-May-1943
Birthplace: Fairmont, WV
Gender: Male
Religion: Baptist
Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Politician
Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Congressman, West Virginia 1st
Father: Robert Homer Mollohan
Mother: Helen Holt Mollohan
High School: Greenbrier Military School, Lewisburg, WV (1962)
U.S. Congressman, West Virginia 1st
Official Website:
http://www.house.gov/mollohan/
source: http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000039942/

We view Mr. Mollohan as an enemy of Israel. We would like to see him
defeated at
the polls. Below was found at:
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2002-05/04/article16b.shtml
(CAIR's Draft Letter)
The Honorable (Name)
I am writing to thank you for not supporting HR392.
HR 392, as so many resolutions before it, is an extremely harmful and
counterproductive effort to exonerate Israel of any responsibility
for the
present conflict, and to scapegoat Palestinians for all the violence
in the
region. Not only does this resolution tell Israel that it can
disregard
international standards for the conduct of armed conflict, it tells
Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims around the world that the US will
support Israel
no matter what it does. HR 392 is yet another high profile example
of the
double standard the US employs in its foreign policy towards the
Middle East.
The source of this conflict is Israel's occupation of Palestinian
territories.
Palestinians are not besieging Israel. Palestinians are fighting to
live free
in an independent state.
Thank you again for taking this strong stand for justice and peace
in the Middle
East.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)"
The letter above thanks the enemies of Israel for voting against
Israel.
We hope that you will help to defeat every single one of those
listed on the
list of enemies of Israel below who were sent the letter above if
they ever run
for public office again in primary and general elections. The list
was found at:
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2002-05/04/article16a.shtml
SENATORS
NOES – 2
Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC)
Web Site: hollings.senate.gov
Phone: (202) 224-6121
Fax: (202) 224-4293
Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV)
E-mail: senator_byrd@...
Phone: (202) 224-3954
Fax: (202) 228-0002
311 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-4801




REPRESENTATIVES
NOES - 21
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI 1st)
E-mail: neil.abercrombie@...
Phone: (202) 225-2726
Fax: (202) 225-4580
Rep. David Bonior (D-MI 10th)
E-mail: david.bonior@...
Phone: (202) 225-2106
Fax: (202) 226-1169
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-VA 9th)
E-mail: ninthnet@...
Phone: (202) 225-3861
Fax: (202) 225-0442
Rep. Gary Condit (D-CA 18th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/gcondit
Phone: (202) 225-6131
Fax: (202) 225-0819
Rep. John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI 14th)
E-mail: john.conyers@...
Phone: (202) 225-5126
Fax: (202) 225-0072
Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR 4th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/defazio
Phone: (202) 225-6416
Fax: (202) 225-0032
Rep. John Dingell (D-MI 16th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/dingell
Phone: (202) 225-4071
Fax: (202) 226-0371
Rep. Earl Hilliard (D-AL 7th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/hilliard
Phone: (202) 225-2665
Fax: (202) 226-0772
Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA 1st)
E-mail: jay.inslee@...
Phone: (202) 225-6311
Fax: (202) 226-1606
Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL 2nd)
E-mail: jjackson@...
Phone: (202) 225-0773
Fax: (202) 225-0899
Rep. Jerry Kleczka (D-WI 4th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/kleczka
Phone: (202) 225-4572
Fax: (202) 225-8135
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA 9th)
E-mail: barbara.lee@...
Phone: (202) 225-2661
Fax: (202) 225-9817
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA 4th)
E-mail: cymck@...
Phone: (202) 225-1605
Fax: (202) 226-0691
Rep. George Miller (D-CA 7th)
E-mail: george.miller@...
Phone: (202) 225-2095
Fax: (202) 225-5609
Rep. David Obey (D-WI 7th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/obey
Phone: (202) 225-3365
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX 14th)
E-mail: rep.paul@...
Phone: (202) 225-2831
Fax: (202) 226-4871
Rep. Thomas Petri (R-WI 6th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/petri
Phone: (202) 225-2476
Fax: (202) 225-2356
Rep. Nick Rahall II (D-WV 3rd)
E-mail: nrahall@...
Phone: (202) 225-3452
Fax: (202) 225-9061
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA 45th)
E-mail: dana@...
Phone: (202) 225-2415
Fax: (202) 225-0145
Rep. Nick Smith (R-MI 7th)
E-mail: rep.smith@...
Phone: (202) 225-6276
Fax: (202) 225-6281
Rep. Fortney Stark (D-CA 13th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/stark
Phone: (202) 225-5065
Fax: (202) 226-3805
PRESENT - 29
Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI 2nd)
E-mail: tammy.baldwin@...
Phone: (202) 225-2906
Fax: (202) 225-6942
Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA 7th)
E-mail: barr.ga@...
Phone: (202) 225-2931
Fax: (202) 225-2944
Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA 30th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/becerra
Phone: (202) 225-6235
Fax: (202) 225-2202
Rep. Sanford Bishop, Jr. (D-GA 2nd)
E-mail: bishop.email@...
Phone: (202) 225-3631
Fax: (202) 225-2203
Rep. Sherrod Brown (D-OH 13th)
E-mail: sherrod@...
Phone: (202) 225-3401
Fax: (202) 225-2266
Rep. Michael Capuano (D-MA 8th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/capuano
Phone: (202) 225-5111
Fax: (202) 225-9322
Rep. Eva Clayton (D-NC 1st)
Web Site: www.house.gov/clayton
Washington Office:
Phone: (202) 225-3101
Fax: (202) 225-3354
Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA 17th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/farr
Washington Office:
Phone: (202) 225-2861
Fax: (202) 225-6791
Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN 8th)
E-mail: john.hostettler@...
Phone: (202) 225-4636
Fax: (202) 225-3284
Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH 9th)
E-mail: rep.kaptur@...
Phone: (202) 225-4146
Fax: (202) 225-7711
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI 15th)
E-mail: carolyn.cheeks.kilpatrick@...
Phone: (202) 225-2261
Fax: (202) 225-5730
Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI 3rd)
Web Site: www.house.gov/kind
Phone: (202) 225-5506
Fax: (202) 225-5739
Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH 10th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/kucinich
Phone: (202) 225-5871
Fax: (202) 225-5745
Rep. Jim McDermott (D-WA 7th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/mcdermott
Washington Office:
Phone: (202) 225-3106
Fax: (202) 225-6197
Rep. Patsy Mink (D-HI 2nd)
Web Site: www.house.gov/mink
Phone: (202) 225-4906
Fax: (202) 225-4987
Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV 1st)
Web Site: www.house.gov/mollohan
Phone: (202) 225-4172
Fax: (202) 225-7564
Rep. James Moran (D-VA 8th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/moran
Phone: (202) 225-4376
Fax: (202) 225-0017
Rep. James Oberstar (D-MN 8th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/oberstar
Phone: (202) 225-6211
Fax: (202) 225-0699
Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ 10th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/payne
Phone: (202) 225-3436
Fax: (202) 225-4160
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN 7th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/collinpeterson
Phone: (202) 225-2165
Fax: (202) 225-1593
Rep. Martin Olav Sabo (D-MN 5th)
E-mail: martin.sabo@...
Phone: (202) 225-4755
Fax: (202) 225-4886
Rep. Bernard Sanders (I-VT At-Large)
E-mail: bernie@...
Phone: (202) 225-4115
Fax: (202) 225-6790
Rep. Hilda Solis (D-CA 31st)
Web Site: www.house.gov/solis
Phone: (202) 225-5464
Fax: (202) 225-5467
Rep. Mike Thompson (D-CA 1st)
Web Site: www.house.gov/mthompson
Phone: (202) 225-3311
Fax: (202) 225-4335
Rep. Karen Thurman (D-FL 5th)
Web Site: www.house.gov/thurman
Phone: (202) 225-1002
Fax: (202) 226-0329
Rep. Melvin Watt (D-NC 12th)
E-mail: nc12.public@...
Phone: (202) 225-1510
Fax: (202) 225-1512
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA 6th)
E-mail: lynn.woolsey@...
Phone: (202) 225-5161
Fax: (202) 225-5163
the article below was found at:
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=11901
Dana Rohrabacher's Troubling Friends
By Kenneth R. Timmerman
FrontPageMagazine.com | January 26, 2004
Top Jewish Republicans who have supported Congressman Dana
Rohrabacher (R-CA)
for decades said in interviews that they have "serious concerns"
with the
California Republican's ties to radical Muslim groups and their
foreign backers,
and his outspoken efforts to champion their cause in Congress.

"Before 9-11, Dana's views seemed idiosyncratic," said Arnold
Steinberg, a
political consultant whose ties to Rohrabacher go back to Youth for
Goldwater in
1964. "We rationalized that he wasn't fully informed or had a blind
spot" to the
Islamists, who were contributing to his re-election campaigns,
hanging around
his office, and sponsoring trips by Rohrabacher and his staff to the
Arab Middle
East.

Rohrabacher seemingly paid back those contributors by an "even-
handed" approach
toward the Israeli-Arab conflict, a key demand of influential Muslim
backers.
"Even-handed" is a code-word used by radical Muslim groups, such as
the American
Muslim Council (AMC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR), to
signify support for the Palestinian cause, including Hamas, and angry
condemnation of Israel as a terrorist state.

After 9-11, Rohrabacher's views and public actions took on a more
sinister
appearance, as radical Muslim groups began to count on him
increasingly as
support for their positions dwindled in Congress.

In a heated May 2, 2002 exchange with conservative talk show host
Alan Keyes,
for instance, Rohrabacher insisted that "[Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel] Sharon
and [Palestinian Authority President Yasser] Arafat are cut out of
the same
cloth" and claimed that "there's been acts of terrorism committed
against the
Palestinian people as well," statements that made Keyes audibly gasp.

When challenged, Rohrabacher claimed that targeting civilians "was
standard
operating procedure of the Israeli army for years of occupation,"
when in fact
the Israelis have consistently sought to spare civilians even at the
price of
the lives of their own soldiers, as was the case during the April
2002 battle of
Jenin. Challenged a second time by Keyes, who called his
comments "outrageously
objectionable," Rohrabacher reiterated his belief that "both sides
have
committed terrorism."

Rohrabacher was one of four Republicans and seventeen Democrats who
voted no to
a May 2, 2002 Congressional resolution (HR 392) that expressed
support for
Israel as it faced a wave of terrorist attacks that killed more than
600
civilians. The resolution, which radical American Muslim groups
lobbied against
unsuccessfully, also stated that "the United States and Israel are
now engaged
in a common struggle against terrorism."

Voting with Rohrabacher against the resolution were Democrats such
as Cynthia
McKinney, Jesse Jackson, Jr. (Ill), Barbara Lee (CA), Peter Defazio
(Or), and
Michigan Representatives John Conyers, David Bonior, and John
Dingell, all of
whom have taken campaign cash from donors who have publicly
supported Hamas and
other terrorist organizations. "Dana has allied himself with the
anti-American
left-wing thugs that we always opposed," said Steinberg.

Some of Rohbacher's Muslim donors are currently in federal prison
awaiting trial
on terrorism-related charges.

Steinberg is just one of a closely-knit group of Rohrbacher friends
and
supporters who have been trying over the past eighteen months to get
the
California libertarian to open himself up to other viewpoints. For
years, these
supporters - many of whom asked not to be cited by name for this
article - have
urged Rohrabacher to travel to Israel. When he complained that no
one would
sponsor the trip, they offered to pay his travel expenses, but again
he refused.

"He was a journalist for years, he was in the White House, he was a
member of
congress since 1988," one donor said. "Somehow, he never went to
Israel, despite
trips all over the world, and especially to Arab countries."
Rohrabacher finally
traveled to Israel and the Palestinian territories as part of a
three-day
Congressional delegation in 2003.

"Dana has a very antagonist attitude toward Ariel Sharon," says long-
time
supporter Howard Klein, a member of the influential Lincoln Club of
Orange
county Republicans. "But it goes much deeper than that. He doesn't
understand
the strategic or moral imperatives in the U.S. alliance with Israel
and the
forces that want to drive Israel to extinction."

Rohrabacher refused to answer questions for this article, on the
grounds that
the publisher of Frontpagemag.com, David Horowitz, has
been "actively involved
in trying to recruit someone to run against him in the Republican
primary," a
spokesman said. But an aid who accompanied him on the trip to Israel
insisted
that Rohrabacher "spoke the same language" to Israeli and
Palestinian leaders,
infuriating them both.

"In Ramallah, he told [Palestinian security chief] Mohammad Dahlan
that the
Palestinians had to give up the right of return," the aid said,
referring to a
long-held PLO position that insists on including Palestinian
refugees from the
1948 war in a final settlement by allowing them to return to the
properties they
abandoned more than fifty years ago. "In Israel, he told the Foreign
Minister
that Israel would have to give up the settlements."

Rohrabacher aids insisted that the American-Israeli Public Affairs
Committee
(AIPAC), which regularly sponsors congressional fact-finding
missions to Israel,
never offered to take Rohrabacher along.

But an official at AIPAC's legislative affairs department gave a
more nuanced
account. "We've offered repeatedly to take Rohrabacher to Israel,
but he always
had a scheduling conflict." The one time Rohrabacher asked AIPAC to
sponsor him
was to make a trip during the Easter recess. "That happens to fall
during the
Jewish Passover, when nobody is around you can talk to," the AIPAC
official
said. "We don't do Israel trips over Passover."

"Dana thinks Israel is a rogue state," another supporter
complained. "To our
regret, he is turning into the Paul Findley of our times and has
become a
mouthpiece for extremist views." Former Illinois Congressman Findley
has been
lionized by radical Muslim groups for denouncing AIPAC lobbying
efforts in
Congress.

Shawn Steele, a recent chairman of the California Republican Party,
counts
himself as a long-time Rohrabacher supporter. "Dana is my best
friend, and I'm
deeply involved with his re-election campaign, but I have been
unhappy with some
of his utterances."

While he was serving as state Republican Party chairman, Steele
proudly opened
the Party to local Muslims. Recently, however, he ran afoul of the
Council on
American Islamic Relations (CAIR) when he told a "support the
troops" rally
sponsored by the University of Southern California chapter of College
Republicans that the Muslim community "has a cancer growing within
it, which
hates Jews, hates freedom, and hates Western society."

Following that speech, Steele says he was barraged with hate mail
from CAIR
supporters, and was ultimately sued by a top CAIR official in
California. The
official's suit was dismissed by Orange County Superior Court last
December.

Steele believes that Rohrabacher is "in the process of changing his
views," and
has been "dismayed with the lack of support for the U.S. mission in
Iraq among
his Muslim friends."

Foremost among those friends is Khaled Saffuri, a former government
affairs
director of the American Muslim Council who has coordinated
contributions to
Rohrabacher's re-election campaigns from Muslim donors, some of whom
today are
in federal prison on terrorism-related charges.

While at AMC, Saffuri worked under AMC Executive Director
Abdulrahman Alamoudi,
who was jailed last October on charges of illegally laundering money
from the
Libyan government. At a September 2000 rally in Lafayette Park in
front of the
White House, Alamoudi led followers in chanting their support for
Hamas and
Lebanon's Hezbollah, both of which are considered as international
terrorist
organizations by the U.S. government.

As AMC's chief Washington lobbyist from 1995-1998, Saffuri worked to
organize
AMC members and contributors into an effective political force.
Besides $10,400
in direct contributions he made to Rohrabacher's re-election
campaigns, he
helped raise another $24,000 for in direct contributions to
Rohrabacher's
campaign war chest from AMC members and sympathizers, according to
publicly-available Federal Election Commission records compiled for
this
article.

Born to Palestinian parents, Saffuri has made a career in
Washington, DC of
putting a moderate face onto radical Islamic causes while mixing
with a
Wahhabi-inspired network of donors who include Alamoudi and former
University of
South Florida teacher Sami Al-Arian, who was jailed on Feb. 20, 2003
for his
alleged involvement in the leadership of Palestinian Islamic Jihad,
an outlawed
terrorist group.

Even more disturbing are Saffuri's ties to Jamal Barzinji, the head
of a group
of Muslim charities that has been targeted by a joint U.S.
government task force
investigating terrorist-related fund-raising in the United States,
revealed here
for the first time.

The charities, which include the Safa Group, SAAR, and Barzinji's
Marjac group
of investment companies, are sometimes referred to by federal
prosecutors as
"555 Grove street," the address they shared in suburban Herndon,
Virginia.

Organizations tied to Safa Group that were raided by the Greenquest
task force
on March 20, 2002 include the International Islamic Relief
Organization (IIRO),
the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), and al-Haramain, all of
which have
been linked by prosecutors to al-Qaeda.

A lawyer representing the Safa Group, Nancy Luqué, insists that her
clients have
not been charged with any crime. But a previously-sealed affidavit
that lays out
the government's motives for the massive raid alleges that Barjinzi
and the Safa
Group companies were "suspected of providing material support to
terrorists,
money laundering, and tax evasion through the use of a variety of
for-profit
companies and ostensible charitable entities under their control,
most of which
are located at 555 Grove Street, Herndon, Virginia."

Saffuri collected contributions from Barjinzi and thirteen other
individuals who
listed their occupation as officers or employees of Safa Group
companies for a
political action committee he established in April 1993, known as
National
Muslims for a Better America (NMBA).

For the five years of its official existence, which overlapped
Saffuri's stint
as Government Affairs director for the AMC, NMBA shared offices with
the AMC at
1212 New York Avenue, Suite 400. That was the same address listed by
Abdulrahman
Alamoudi in his contributions to NMBA.

Among the contributors to Saffuri's AMC-sponsored PAC:

Hisham Al-Talib, who lists his employer alternately as the SAAR
Foundation and
Marjac Investment Group, the private company controlled by Barzinji.

Muhammad Ashraf, "an officer and/or director of Safa Group
companies including
Sterling Investment Group, Sterling Charitable Gift Fund, and York
Foundation,"
according to the government's affidavit. Ashraf's residence at 12528
Rock Ridge
Road in Herndon was one of the locations searched during the March
2002 raid.

Mohammad Jaglit, a SAAR Foundation director consided by federal
investigators
as a key figure in the terror-support networks whose residence was
also raided.
The affidavit cites Jaglit as "an active supporter of [Sami] Al-
Arian and
[Palestinian Islamic Jihad], both ideologically and financially,"
and notes that
letters accompanying checks he sent Al-Arian from the SAAR
Foundation instructed
Al-Arian "not to disclose the contribution publicly or to the media."

Yaquib Mirza, a Pakistani national considered to be the financial
wizard of
the Safa/SAAR network.

Basheer Nafi, identified as the "US agent of [Palestinian Islamic
Jihad] in
the affidavit

Iqbal Unus, a director of Safa Group companies "including Child
Development
Foundation," whose Herndon, Va residence was raided.

During the entire period the AMC's PAC operated, from 1993-1998,
Saffuri was
listed as its Treasurer. Altogether, he raised just over $28,000 for
the
AMC-sponsored PAC and distributed it to members of Congress including
Rohrabacher and Democrats Cynthia McKinney, David Bonior, John
Conyers, Bill
Richardson, James Traficant, Peter Defazio, and Nick Rahall.

Saffuri dissolved NMBA in May 1998. Since leaving the AMC, he has
severed public
ties with his former friends and colleagues, joining forces instead
with
conservative activist Grover Norquist, president of Americans for
Tax Reform.

Together with Norquist, he established the Islamic Institute in 1998
with seed
money provided in part by donors in Saudi Arabia and by the
Government of Qatar.

During the 2000 election campaign, Saffuri became the head of Muslim
Outreach
for the Bush-Cheney campaign, and orchestrated a meeting between
Governor George
W. Bush and Al-Arian during a campaign stopover in south Florida.

Since then, Saffuri and Norquist have helped set up meetings in the
Oval Office
with the president for AMC and CAIR leaders. White House officials
have
acknowledged that Alamoudi attended at least one of these sessions
with the
president.

Saffuri and Norquist have also set up meetings for leaders of
radical Muslim
groups with FBI Director Robert Mueller and with Attorney General
John Ashcroft,
to urge the Bush administration to abandon the USA Patriot Act.
Government
records disclosed in affidavits supporting the arrests of Al-Arian
and Alamoudi
show that the Justice Department has long sought to dismantle alleged
terrorist-support networks operating in the United States, but
lacked the legal
tools for successful prosecution until the USA Patriot Act became
law in 2002.

Rohrabacher voted for the USA Patriot Act in its original form in
2002, but also
voted for amendments putting restrictions of government
investigative powers
that passed Congress overwhelmingly last year.

Rohrabacher friends and colleagues believe that Norquist initially
introduced
Rohrabacher to Saffuri. They point to the Congressman's long-
standing ties to
Norquist, which go back at least as early as the mid-1980s, when
they worked
together to build support for anti-Communist insurgencies in
Afghanistan,
Angola, Cambodia and Nicaragua.

"Grover has led a lot of people astray in recent years," one
Rohrabacher
colleague said. "Saffuri would always call Dana's office whenever he
was doing
an event, just as any lobbyist would do. He was well-schooled by
Grover on how
to be a politician's buddy."

Rohrabacher friends and backers in California discounted the campaign
contributions from radical Muslim groups and their supporters
documented here -
$34,450 over a ten year period - as insignificant. "Dana can't be
bought," one
long-time friend confided. "What you are seeing here is a
commonality of
interest, not someone who has been bought. Dana is a lazy fund-
raiser who has
gotten used to running in a safe district."

But Frank Gaffney, whose 11,000 word expose of Norquist's ties to
radical
Islamic groups was published by frontpagemag.com in December,
believes the
apparently small amounts of money contributed by Saffuri and the
Safa Group
donors to Rohrabacher is misleading. "We tend to underestimate how
much
influence $2,000 can buy you. It means you are a maximum-level
donor, so you get
on the guy's radar screen. I worry that Dana's poor judgment has
given rise to
openings to people who shouldn't have access to members of
Congress," Gaffney
said.

He was not the only source who warned of a "classic influence
operation."

Key to understanding Rohrabacher's ties to radical Islamic groups
and the causes
they espouse are several trips Rohrabacher has made to Qatar, paid
for by the
Islamic Institute and the Government of Qatar, according to
Rohrabacher's
financial disclosure forms.

Coordinated in part with the Heritage Foundation, the conferences
ostensibly
focused on promoting free market economics in the Arab and Muslim
world.

During the April 2001 trip, however – just months before the 9-11
attacks -
Rohrabacher met privately with Taliban Foreign Minister Mullah Wakil
Ahmed
Muttawakil. Wakil on the fringes of the conference, which Norquist
and Saffuri
also attended.

Wakil reportedly asked Rohrabacher to lobby the Bush administration
for an
increase in foreign aid to Afghanistan, apparently in exchange for a
Taliban
pledge to allow U.S. oil company UNOCAL to build a pipeline to bring
oil from
land-locked Central Asia to Pakistan and India. The pipeline
project, as well as
political support for the Taliban, were earlier championed by the
Clinton
administration.

Secretary of State Madeline Albright met with top Taliban leaders
during a visit
to Pakistan in November 1997, and U.S. ambassador to the United
Nations Bill
Richardson went to Kabul in April 1998, just three months before Bin
Laden
operatives blew up U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing
more than 200
civilians.

According to an AFP account of the Rohrabacher-Taliban meeting,
Saffuri told an
Al Jazeera reporter that "The position of the Taliban was flexible
on most of
the issues and the Afghan delegation showed itself to be ready for
dialogue."

The Taliban later announced in Kabul that it had rejected what it
considered
were unreasonable demands by the U.S. side. Rohrabacher's staff
would not answer
questions about the Taliban talks.

Norquist tried to downplay Rohrabacher's meeting with the Taliban
when asked
about it by liberal columnist Josh Michael. ""Dana ran into some guy
who was a
representative of the Afghan government, and since he [Rohrabacher]
had worked
in Afghanistan he sat down and talked to the guy. They literally
met in the
hallway. I just remembered Dana mentioning that he ran into these
guys ... and
he yelled at them about blowing up the Buddhist statues."

Rohrabacher's Democratic opponent in 2002, Gerry Schipske, tried to
make a
political issue of the meeting by accusing Rohrabacher of
meeting "secretly"
with the Taliban in violation of the Logan act, which prohibits
private
individuals from conducting foreign policy in the name of the United
States.

But Rohrabacher never concealed the meeting, and indeed, told wire
service
reporters who were present in Doha at the time that he had discussed
a "peace
plan" with the Taliban.

Rohrabacher was quoted in the November/December 1996 issue of the
Washington
Report on Middle East Affairs, a pro-Muslim broadsheet, as calling
the Taliban
"devout traditionalists – not terrorists or revolutionaries."

While Rohrabacher's judgment on the Taliban – which he has since
reversed –
coincided with the policies of the Clinton administration at the
time, it also
fit nicely with the views of the Qatari and Saudi governments, who
along with
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates were the sole international
supporters of
the Taliban.

"Dana was more naļve and more loyal than he should have been" when
he agreed to
April 2001 meeting, a former colleague said. "He listened to Saffuri
and he
shouldn't have. Qatar is the influence-peddling center of the Middle
East, and
Dana fell right into the trap they set for him."

Kenneth Timmerman is author of Preachers of Hate: Islam and the War
on America
and a senior writer for Insight Magazine.

Kenneth R. Timmerman is the author of Countdown to Crisis: the
Coming Nuclear
Showdown with Iran (Crown Forum, New York), and Executive Director
of the
Foundation for Democracy in Iran."

"Congress Passes Resolution Expressing Solidarity with Israel The
House of Representatives and Senate passed a resolution today
expressing America's solidarity with Israel, reaffirming Israel's
right to self-defense, supporting additional defense assistance to
the
Jewish state and condemning Palestinian terror. House Majority Whip
Tom DeLay (R-TX) and the ranking member of the House International
Relations Committee Tom Lantos (D-CA) have introduced the resolution
in the House, while Sens. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Gordon Smith
(R-OR) have introduced a similar resolution in the Senate
http://www.aipac.org/newthisweek.html The U.S. Congress must stand in
solidarity with Israel at a time when it is engaged in a battle for
its own survival. The Solidarity with Israel resolution (S. Res. 247)
introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and Gordon Smith (R-OR), and
H. Res. 392, introduced by Reps. Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Tom Lantos
(D-CA) was passed on May 2 in both the Senate and the House. The
resolution expresses solidarity with Israel, reaffirms Israel's right
to self-defense, supports additional defense assistance for Israel
and
condemns Palestinian terror. Please thank you members of Congress for
voting for this resolution. http://www.aipac.org/Action1.cfm
May 3, 2002 CONGRESS House and Senate Support Israel in Strong
Resolutions
By ALISON MITCHELL WASHINGTON, May 2 - The House and Senate voted
overwhelmingly today in rapid succession to express strongly worded
support for Israel in its recent military operations, The two
Congressional
resolutions were non-binding, but they put the legislative branch of
government on record as backing the military actions of Prime
Minister
Ariel Sharon of Israel,*** The Senate voted 94 to 2 in favor of its
resolution, which also calls on the Palestinian Authority to act
against terrorism, as Mr. Bush has also done. The House voted 352 to
21 for a tougher-worded measure stating concern that the actions of
Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, "are not those of a viable
partner for peace." Twenty-nine House members voted present*** In
emotional debate, House members and Senate members, from the left and
from the right, repeatedly branded Mr. Arafat a "terrorist" and a
"despot." *** Senators Ernest F. Hollings, Democrat of South
Carolina,
and Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia, were the only senators
who voted against the resolution. " On the eve of
the vote, the House majority leader, Dick Armey of Texas, (said) "I'm
content to have Israel grab the entire West Bank, he said in an
appearance on MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews." (note we are
looking for the exact transcript, we think that Armey is being
paraphrased in the article being quoted, if anyone has the exact
transcript please post it, thanks, as the proper terminology would be
Judea and Samaria to describe the so-called "West Bank" we believe
that everything West of the Jordan River all the way to the
Mediterranean Sea belongs to Israel, good fences make good neighbors,
we believe the border should be the Jordan River with everything east
of it being Jordan and everything west of it being Israel, including
Judea and Samaria, and of course the Golan Heights and the Gaza
Strip.) " He added under questioning, "I happen to believe that the
Palestinians should leave." (note, not part of article being quoted.
Dick Armey was right when he said that to Matthews, you should have
seen Matthews jaw drop! We recall Matthews as the character doing all
the talk show appearances he can to oppose the move to liberate Iraq
from the evil Saddam Hussein International Terrorist. We recall
Matthews as being pro-arafat and anti-Israel. but what can you
expect from NBC which is owned, after all by General
Electric, a company Nelson Rockefeller
admitted was one heavily invested in, to put it mildly, by
Rockefeller
interests in his Congressional confirmation hearings to be Gerald
Ford's Vice President. What can you expect from Microsoft- MSNBC
http://www.microsoft.com/catalog/display.asp?subid=22&site=645
which also hosts the rabidly anti-Israel Ashleigh Banfield
NBC is owned by General Electric, a firm with major Rockefeller
family
ties according to testimony given during the confirmation hearings
for then Vice Presidential nominee Nelson A. Rockefeller.

Wednesday, 20 June, 2001, 21:40 GMT 22:40 UK
US Senators lash out at EU A US Senator has said the US may
retaliate against the European Union (EU) if it fails to approve the
merger of General Electric and Honeywell International. In a letter
to European Commission (EC) vice president Loyola de Palacio,
Senator John Rockefeller, a Democrat from West Virginia, said, "If
it appears that the European Commission is unfairly blocking mergers
between US companies principally to protect the position of European
competitors, then the subcommittee will need to re-examine the open
market the US has maintained for [aerospace] acquisitions." In his
letter, Senator Rockefeller said the EC's review of the merger "will
raise serious concerns among Americans about whether this review has
been conducted with fairness and neutrality."

Mr Rockefeller also wrote that US officials will "explore what might
be the most effective US response if the fairness and openness we
have historically extended to the European aerospace firms is not
being reciprocated."
Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/1399719.stm

Source for material quoted below:
Trading with the Enemy: The
Nazi-American Money Plot, 1933-1949 Charles Higham Format: Hardcover,
277pp. ISBN: 0760700095 Publisher: Barnes and Noble Books
Pub. Date: November 1995 "W.S.S. Rodgers "linked up with the
Rockefeller empire by going into Partnership with Harry D. Collier,
cheerful chairman of Standard Oil Of California and the former Jersey
Standard employee Jimmy Moffett. Rodgers formed Caltex, which jointly
bought up millions of dollars worth of oil from the arabian sea. The
banker was James S. Forrestal of the board of the Nazi General
Aniline and Film,who was about to become Under Secretary of the
Navy. Saudi
Arabia had intricate economic and political links with Hitler. On
June 8th,1939, Khalid Al0-Hud Al Qarqani, royal counselor of Ibn
Saud, was
received by Ribbentrop in Berlin. Ribbentrop expounded to Khalid his
general sympathy toward the arab world and pointed out that Germany
and the arabs were linked by a common foe in the shape of the Jews.
Khalid answered that Ibn Saud attached the greatest importance to
entering into Relations with Germany.Khalid…stressed that the King
hated the British, who Hemmed him in. By contrast, Khalid stated, Ibn
Saud was sympathetic toward Mussolini. The conversation ended with
salaams and Heil Hitlers. At 3:15 p.m. on June 17th,1939, Hitler
received Khalid Al-Hud at the Berghof. The reception was given
worldwide attention. As a result of it Emil Puhl and Walther Funk's
Reichsbank gave Ibn Saud a credit of one and a half million
Reichsmarks from Hitler's personal treasury for the purchase of 8,000
rifles, 8 million rounds of ammunition, light anti-aircraft guns,
armored cars, a special Merecedes for the king and The building for a
munitions factory. Soon after ard Emil Phul arranged a further loan
of 6 million marks that was paid in installments for the rest of the
war. " "On November 28th,1941...the Grand Mufti of Jeruslaem, among
the
bitterest enemies of the Jews, met with the Fuhrer in Berlin. The
Grand Mufti, with the authorization of the Arab world, expressed his
admiration of Hitler and named the same enemies: the English, the
Jews and the communists. He promised to guarantee assistance in war
by
acts of sabotage and revolution. He offered to raise the Arab Legion
from
all available Moslem men of military age"

Senator Rockefeller has become a harsh critic of the liberation of
Iraq.
He joins NBC assets Chris Matthews, Andrea Mitchell, Phil
Donahue,and many
many other NBC assets, in that harsh criticism of the liberation of
Iraq.

Here is Rockefeller being quouted in
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030531/2003053114.html

"Sen. Rockefeller: no mass destruction weapons in Iraq
Iraq-USA, Politics, 5/31/2003 Senator Jay Rockefeller of West
Virginia, a member at the US intelligence committee doubted the
American allegation that there are mass destruction weapons in Iraq,
saying should these weapons exist, they would have been found.

Rockefeller added that if the US believed these weapons are hidden
and are difficult to find it, the thinking was that more time should
have been given to the UN inspectors before deciding to launch the
war against Iraq.

He said that the intelligence committee will press intelligence
officials for answers about the false allegations that were used
against Iraq."
Source:
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030531/2003053114.html

Whether it is Moran's home state of Virginia or neighboring West
Virginia
the "good old boys" from that part of the country seem not to have
faded away after all. When Democrats controlled the US Senate
Robert Byrd. a `former' Ku Klux Klansman, was an even bigger threat
than he is today. "AS ELECTED PRESIDENT PRO TEMPORE OF THE UNITED
STATES SENATE, ROBERT
BYRD IS THIRD IN LINE TO SUCCEED THE PRESIDENT, FEW PEOPLE REALIZE
HOW
POWERFUL HE IS" read one of the many internet postings about Byrd.
Byrd's fellow West Virginia Senator is Jay Rockefeller, of the vast
Rockefeller family. Those 2 West Virginia Democrats are really good
examples of the need to make sure that Democrats do not regain
control of the US Senate. Nor would we want Byrd or Rockefeller to
become committee chairs, which they just well might if Democrats
regained control of the US Senate.
The name: "Mrs. Mohammad (Mona Byrd) Fatemi" may not be familiar to
many people. If you go to
http://byrd.senate.gov/biography/story/story.html
you will find that Mrs. Mohammad (Mona Byrd) Fatemi (of McLean,
Virginia), is a daughter of U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd, Democrat of
West Virginia
As it turns out Mohammad Fatemi "is a physicist at the Naval
Research Laboratory in Washington".
Source:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
resž01E5D81E31F937A35756C0A961958260
Then of course there is one "Fariborz Fatemi Former staff member
Senate foreign relations committee McLean, Virginia, USA" source:
www.guardian.co.uk/letters/story/0,3604,1028842,00.html
Here is a bit of what you will find If you look a bit at the rabidly
anti-Israel Congresswoman
"Rep. Marcy Kaptur
(OH-09)
2104 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
T: 202-225-4146
F: 202-225-7711
Contact- Fariborz Fatemi"
Fariborz Fatemi was listed as the contact for her office.
Fariborz Fatemi, McLean, Virginia, USA, is also listed as a " Former
staff member of the U.S. Senate foreign relations committee.
Fatemi is also a donor to anti-Israel politicians, for example:
"FATEMI, FAIRBORZMC LEAN,VA 22101 (occupation) CONSULTANT
date of campaign contribution: 5/31/2002 amount of
campaign contribution:$1,000 recipient of campaign
contribution:Torricelli, Robert G
source: http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?
NumOfThou=0&txtNameśtemi&txtState=VA&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&tx
t2006=Y&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&Order=N
FATEMI, FARIBORZ SMCLEAN,VA 22209 (occupation)REP MARCY KAPTUR
date of campaigncontribution 12/19/1997 amount of campaign
contribution $250 recipient of campaigncontribution Pascrell,
William J Jr
source: http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?
NumOfThou=0&txtNameśtemi&txtState=VA&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&tx
t2000=Y&txt1998=Y&Order=N
FATEMI, FARIBORZ SMCLEAN,VA 22181 (occupation)US HOUSE date
of campaign contribution 10/7/1996 amount of campaign
contribution $250 recipient of campaign contributionPascrell,
William J Jr
source:
http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?
NumOfThou=0&txtNameśtemi&txtState=VA&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&tx
t1994=Y&txt1996=Y&Order=N

"October 3, 2002 Robert C. Byrd was the
only Senator in the 100-member chamber to vote against opening debate
on the Iraq question. The Senate has opened debate on Joint
Resolution
46, a resolution authorizing the President to use whatever force he
deems necessary in Iraq or elsewhere. Byrd was first elected to the
Senate in 1958 and has now served for 44 years." Of course Byrd has a
long record in such matters.
Ultra-right-wing extremst and notorious anti-Israel CNN Crossfire
co-host Robert Novak, interviewing Colin Powell, of all people,
quoted
his fellow anti-Israel lunatic Senator Robert Byrd:
"MR. NOVAK: Mr. Secretary, Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, the
president pro tem of the Senate, often speaks his mind. He did this
week, and we'll put it up on the screen. He said, "If we expect to
kill every terrorist in the world, that's going to keep us going
beyond doomsday. How long can we afford this?"
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2002/8624.htm
How long could the terrorists afford to continue to be wiped out by
the US government we wonder? Well I guess that question never
occurred
to Byrd or to the online Egyptian newspaper AL-AHRAM which used the
same quote from Byrd. Clearly Byrd hates the idea of wiping out arab
terrorists.
http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2002/576/re74.htm
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Al-Ahram Weekly
Online 7 - 13 March 2002 Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia: "If we
expect to kill every terrorist in the world, that's going to keep us
going beyond doomsday," he said. "How long can we afford this?" The
thing is, though clearly Byrd, Novak, and Al Ahram aren't interested,
is that we cannot afford not to continue to go after terrorists like
arafat and bin Laden and their master Saddam Hussein. All of whom we
guess must be among Byrd's and Novak's biggest fans. THIS FROM AN
ANTI-ISRAEL SOURCE: "only Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) had a perfect
record of zero compliance with recommendations of the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Israel's principal Washington, DC
lobby." Quite a turn of phrase there, in case it slipped by you, the
anti-Israel source quoted immediately above used the
word "compliance"
, a buzz-word among classical anti-Semites in their "vast Jewish
conspiracy" theories.
THIS FROM a very different sort of source entirely: "Friends, if ever
there was a definitive list of the anti-Israel members of Congress,
we
have it now. It's the 23 members-two in the Senate and 21 in the
House-who voted against yesterday's House and Senate resolutions of
support for Israel. If you are a U.S. citizen and contribute to
political campaigns in the U.S., you may want to contribute to the
opponents of the members below, regardless of party, so long as these
incumbents' opponents are pro-Israel. If you don't or can't
contribute
to campaigns, please feel free to forward this list to anyone who
might. No other issue and no U.S. political party allegiance is more
important in these times than the safety and security of Eretz
Yisrael. (the land of Israel) The New York Times, Friday, May 3, 2002
Following is a list of legislators who voted "No" on yesterday's
resolutions of support for Israel:
SENATORS VOTING "NO" (2)
Robert Byrd, Dem., W.Va. ,
Ernest Hollings, Dem.S.C.
HOUSE MEMBERS VOTING "NO" (21)
Neil Abercrombie, Dem., Hawaii,
David E. Bonior, Dem., Mich.,
Rick Boucher, Dem., Va.,
Gary A. Condit, Dem., Calif.,
John Conyers Jr.,Dem., Mich.,
Peter A. DeFazio, Dem., Ore.,
John D. Dingell, Dem., Mich.,
Earl F. Hilliard, Dem., Ala.,
Jay Inslee, Dem., Wash.,
Jesse L. Jackson Jr., Dem., Ill.
(Please note this is Jesse Jacksons son),
Gerald D.Kleczka, Dem., Wisc.,
Barbara Lee, Dem., Calif.,
Cynthia A. McKinney,Dem., Ga.,
George Miller, Dem., Calif.,
David R. Obey, Dem., Wisc.,
Ron Paul, Rep., Tex.,
Thomas E. Petri, Rep., Wisc.,
Nick J. Rahall II, Dem.,W.Va.,
Dana Rohrabacher, Rep., Calif.,
Nick Smith, Rep., Mich.,
Fortney Pete Stark, Dem., Calif.,
Here yet another internet posting tracks the terrorists' best friend
on
Capitol Hill, Robert Byrd: "Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2002 Sen. Byrd Gripes
About War on Terror Senator Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., the famous former
Ku
Klux Klansman, complained today, "There's no end in sight in our
mission in Afghanistan." The remarks "were among the harshest in
Congress yet about the anti-terrorism campaign," the Associated Press
noted today. Long ago saddled with the nickname Senator Pork for his
notoriously wasteful squandering of taxpayer dollars, Byrd controls
spending legislation as chairman of the Senate Appropriations
Committee. Though he loves bringing boondoggle make-work projects
home
to West Virginia, he has begun expressing reluctance about footing
the bill for ending terrorism." Byrd's obstructionism to fighting
terrorists like arafat and bin Laden and their master: Saddam
Hussein,
seems to have no bounds, "Thursday, October 10, 2002 By a 66-31 vote,
the Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Robert Byrd D-W.Va. - the
most outspoken Senate opponent of the war resolution - that would
have ended the authorization for him to use force against Iraq after
two years." Fortunately a number of people on and off the net have
been keeping track of the terrorists' best friend on Capitol Hill, US
Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, for instance: "WHY AM I NOT
SURPRISED? Finally, Congress has somewhat meekly voiced its support
for Israel. The Senate version of the bill was symbolic and largely
omitted language from the House which placed blame on Arafat. Despite
the watering down in the Senate, two members voted against it: "The
two most senior Democrats, Sens. Robert Byrd of West Virginia and
Ernest "Fritz" Hollings of South Carolina, still opposed it, however
Byrd is a former Klansman. " http://opinionated.blogspot.com/
"This ex-Klansman wasn't just a passive member of the nation's most
notorious hate group. According to news accounts and biographical
information, Sen. Byrd was a "Kleagle"-an official recruiter who
signed up members for $10 a head. He said he joined because it
"offered excitement" and because the Klan was an "effective force" in
"promoting traditional American values." Nothing like the thrill of
gathering `round a midnight bonfire, , tying nooses, and promoting
white supremacy with a bunch of your hooded friends. The ex-Klansman
allegedly ended his ties with the group in 1943. He may have stopped
paying dues, but he continued to pay homage to the KKK. (someone) in
West Virginia discovered a letter Sen. Byrd had written to the
Imperial Wizard of the KKK three years after he says he abandoned the
group. He wrote: "The Klan is needed today as never before and I am
anxious to see its rebirth here in West Virginia" and "in every state
in the Union." The ex-Klansman later filibustered the landmark 1964
Civil Rights Act-for more than 14 hours. He also opposed the
nominations of the Supreme Court's two black justices, liberal
Thurgood Marshall and conservative Clarence Thomas. Meanwhile, author
Graham Smith recently discovered another letter Sen. Byrd wrote after
he quit the KKK, this time attacking desegregation of the armed
forces. The ex-Klansman vowed never to fight "with a Negro by my
side.
Rather I should die a thousand times, and see Old Glory trampled in
the dirt never to rise again, than to see this beloved land of ours
become degraded by race mongrels, a throwback to the blackest
specimen from the wilds."
http://www.capitalismmagazine.com/2001/march/mm_byrd_kkk.htm
"One of the most influential Nazi spies in the U.S. was Dr. Walter
Becher, an anti-Communist "refugee leader" from the Hitler regime.
Becher joined the Nazi Party in December, 1931, and became an editor
of Die Zeit, a Nazi propaganda sheet in 1937. He was a Brown-Shirt
for
a spell and a member of the National Socialist Student Bund. He
editorialized for the purge of all Jews from state-owned radio in
Prague. During the war, Becher worked in the Goebbels Propaganda
Ministry and for the Wehrmacht as a war correspondent. Soon after the
war, he founded a newspaper in Germany that agitated for the
restoration of National Socialism. Becher had his advocates in
Washington, D.C. In 1957, Congressman Usher Burdick inserted one of
Dr. Becher's propaganda pieces in the Congressional Record, and in
August 1959, seven more appeared in the pages of the Record. When he
junketed to the States, conferences were arranged for him by the
State
Department. His geopolitical opinions were trumpeted by scores of
newspapers and the Mutual Broadcasting Network's 600 affiliates.
Dr. Becher's early contacts in Washington were McCarthy and William
Jenner in the Senate, and a handful of congressmen in the House. T.H.
Tetens in The New Germany and the Old Nazis, was awed by the Nazi's
camaraderie with Beltway politicians, and tracked his movements
through the District of Columbia: "During the early fifties, when he
first came to Washington, he began to build for himself a formidable
political machine. His scheme was very simple. If he could obtain the
support of leading politicians in the United States, his prestige and
stature would grow enormously at home.... With the help of the
McCarthy faction in the United States, he could establish a
nationwide
reputation as the foremost leader of the anti-Communist crusade."
Among the senators who sent personal letters of support to Dr. Becher
in Munich in the 1950s:…Robert Byrd.". Below excerpted from
Committee contributions - BYRD, ROBERT C
http://www.tray.com/cgi-win/x_ptoc.exe?DoFn=S6WV00014BYRD,$ROBERT$C00
AMERICAN SUGAR CANE LEAGUE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
10/30/00 $1,000.00 contribution
ARTHUR ANDERSEN PAC (FKA) ARTHUR ANDERSEN/ANDERSEN CONSULTING PAC
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/24/00 $2,000.00 contribution
BAYER CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified - (higher
contrib limit)]
01/24/00 $1,000.00 contribution
[] BETHLEHEM STEEL GOOD GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified - (higher
contrib limit)]
09/13/99 $1,000.00 contribution
BFGOODRICH POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/05/99 $1,000.00 contribution
BOEING COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (BPAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
06/05/00 $1,000.00 contribution
COCA-COLA COMPANY NONPARTISAN COMMITTEE FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
06/09/00 $1,000.00 contribution
CSX TRANSPORTATION INC PAC (FKA SEABOARD SYSTEM RAILROAD PAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
05/18/00 $1,000.00 contribution
DAIMLERCHRYSLER CORP POL SUPPORT CMTE A/K/A DAIMLERCHRYSLER POL
SUPPORT COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
09/14/99 $2,000.00 contribution
06/17/99 $5,000.00 contribution
09/22/99 $1,000.00 contribution
DAIRY FARMERS OF AMERICA INC DEPAC (DAIRY EDUCATION POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEE)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
06/21/99 $1,000.00 contribution
10/26/99 $1,000.00 contribution
10/17/00 $1,000.00 contribution
EMPLOYEES OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
(ENGPAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
12/06/99 $1,000.00 contribution
FORD MOTOR COMPANY CIVIC ACTION FUND [PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib
limit)]
10/05/99 $2,000.00 contribution
05/11/00 $1,000.00 contribution
07/14/99 $1,000.00 contribution
GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
03/20/00 $1,000.00 contribution
06/18/99 $1,000.00 contribution
09/20/99 $1,000.00 contribution
10/25/00 $1,000.00 contribution
HOFFMANN-LA ROCHE INC GOOD GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
10/31/00 $1,000.00 contribution
INSTITUTE OF MAKERS OF EXPLOSIVES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (IMEPAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
04/12/00 $500.00 contribution
ITT INDUSTRIES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE A/K/A (IINPAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
06/14/99 $1,000.00 contribution
05/25/00 $1,000.00 contribution
LIVESTOCK MARKETING ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (LMA-PAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/12/00 $1,000.00 contribution
LOCKHEED MARTIN EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
12/15/99 $1,000.00 contribution
08/22/00 $2,000.00 contribution
10/21/99 $1,000.00 contribution
09/01/99 $1,000.00 contribution
MICROSOFT CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
09/21/99 $1,500.00 contribution
NATIONAL BEER WHOLESALERS' ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
(NBWA PAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
04/17/00 $2,000.00 contribution
NATIONAL MILK PRODUCERS FEDERATION PAC (NMPF PAC)
[PAC/Non-Qualified Committee - (lower contrib limit)]
12/08/99 $1,000.00 contribution
PHILIP MORRIS COMPANIES INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (AKA PHIL-PAC)
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/05/00 $1,000.00 contribution
06/15/00 $1,000.00 contribution
SIEMENS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Non-Qualified
Committee - (lower contrib limit)]
11/02/00 $1,000.00 contribution
TRW GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/04/99 $500.00 contribution
UNION CARBIDE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
11/03/99 $1,000.00 contribution
UNION OIL (UNOCAL) POLITICAL AWARENESS FUND [PAC/Qualified - (higher
contrib limit)]
10/26/00 $1,000.00 contribution
UNION PACIFIC CORP FUND FOR EFFECTIVE GOVERNMENT [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
12/20/99 $1,000.00 contribution
UNITED PARCEL SERVICE INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified -
(higher contrib limit)]
11/16/99 $1,000.00 contribution
06/24/99 $1,000.00 contribution
UNITED STATES BEET SUGAR ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/26/00 $1,000.00 contribution
UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
11/10/99 $5,000.00 contribution
11/10/99 $3,000.0
UNISYS CORPORATION EMPLOYEES PAC
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
06/29/00 $1,000.00 contribution
USX CORPORATION PAC
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
09/21/99 $2,000.00 contribution
WINE AND SPIRITS WHOLESALERS OF AMERICA, INC. POLITICAL ACTION
COMMITTEE
[PAC/Qualified - (higher contrib limit)]
10/31/00 $1,000.00 contribution
06/01/00 $1,000.00 contribution
10/18/99 $1,000.00 contribution
06/23/99 $1,000.00 contribution
WORLDCOM INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE [PAC/Qualified - (higher
contrib limit)]
10/18/00 $1,000.00 contribution
[]"Senate Asks Clinton to Oppose
Palestinian Declaration
12 March, 1999
JERUSALEM (CNS) - The U.S. Senate
Thursday overwhelmingly approved a
resolution asking President Bill
Clinton to oppose a unilateral
declaration of an independent
Palestinian state.
"The president should unequivocally
assert United States' opposition
to the unilateral declaration of a
Palestinian
state ... and that a declared state
would not be recognized by the
United States," the resolution said.
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV) was the
only dissenter in the 98-1 vote."
"Senator Robert Byrd former Ku Klux Klan Grand Kleagle"
"When Congress recently passed a
resolution in support of Israel and our "common struggle against
terrorism," the only two
dissenting votes in the Senate were Democrats - Senators Robert Byrd
of West Virginia and
Ernest Hollings of South Carolina. Later, Hollings, seemingly just to
remind us that he is just as
anti-Israel as Byrd has always been,"
"Senate Expressing Solidarity with Israel in its
Fight Against Terrorism
5/2/2002
On the Amendment 05/02/2002
Senate Roll Call No. 102
107th Congress, 2nd Session
By 94 yeas to 2 nays (Vote No. 102), Reid (for Lieberman) Amendment
No. 3389 (to Amendment No. 3387), to express solidarity with Israel
in
its fight against terrorism.
The two senators who voted against
solidarity with Israel:
Ernest Hollings (D-SC) and Robert Byrd (D-WV)"
"From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@...>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, March 12, 1999

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, Mar. 12, 1999 / Adar 25, 5759
SENATE AGAINST UNILATERAL ARAFAT DECLARATION The American Senate
voted
almost unanimously last night to oppose a unilateral declaration of
independence by Yasser Arafat and the PLO. "The president should
unequivocally assert United States opposition to the unilateral
declaration of a Palestinian state... and that a declared state would
not be recognized by the United States," read the resolution. Only
one
Senator - Robert Byrd, Democrat of West Virginia - voted against,
while 98 voted in favor." The following is excerpted from a
virulently anti-Israel website calling itself: "Washington Report on
Middle East Affairs" which ran a typically virulent anti-Israel
piece excerpted from below, which lauded Murtha and his anti-Israel
colleagues in Congress in December of 2000 c.e.
"House of Representatives Condemns and Threatens Palestinians
By Shirl McArthur
Of the several bills introduced in the House and the Senate by
Israel's sycophants threatening to cut off aid to a unilaterally
declared Palestinian state, one, introduced by Gilman, was passed by
the House on Sept. 26 by a roll-call vote of 385-27, with four
voting "present." Like the resolution described above condemning the
Palestinians, this bill was only symbolic because it has not been
passed by the Senate. The 31 who either voted against the bill or
abstained were, voting no: Reps. Bonior, Julia Carson (D-IN), Clay,
Clayton, Conyers, Pat Danner (D-MO), Dingell, Hilliard, Jesse
Jackson Jr., Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Lee, Jim McDermott (D-
WA), McKinney, George Miller (D-CA), Moran, John Murtha (D-PA),
David Obey (D-WI), Payne, Rahall, Martin Sabo (D-MN), Serrano,
Stark, Sununu, Jim Traficant (D-OH), Waters, and Watt. Abstaining
were Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA), DeFazio, Kucinich, and Rivers."
DECEMBER 2000
"Shirl McArthur, a retired foreign service officer, is a consultant
based in the Washington, DC area"
source: http://www.wrmea.com/archives/Dec_2000/0012017.html
Murtha has long been the darling of the hate Israel crowd. Here's
another
bit by Murtha on the old anti-Israel big lie about the USS Liberty,
a favorite big lie of the hate Israel gang the source of this APRIL
2000 item was http://www.washington-
report.org/archives/April_2000/0004072.html
"Representative Murtha's Reply To Mr. Ackerman
To Mr. Robert L. Ackerman, New Alexandria, PA, Nov. 24, 1999.
Your postcard is very much appreciated, and I thank you for your
comments and observations on the USS Liberty.
Mr. Ackerman, I well remember this incident, though I didn't realize
there had never been a full investigation. I'll check with the
Defense Department on what records and information they maintain,
and I'll also ask the Library of Congress to track down for me any
information they can find on investigations done independently.
If there's something beneficial to learn from a reinvestigation of
this event, Mr. Ackerman, I'm glad to pursue it in the interests of
U.S. security policy. The strength and security of U.S. defense
policy and personnel are always my top priorities, Mr. Ackerman, and
I'm glad to try and help reach this goal.
Thank you again very much for contacting me, and all best wishes.
Representative John P. Murtha, House of Representatives, Washington,
DC"
source: APRIL 2000 http://www.washington-
report.org/archives/April_2000/0004072.html
Now for an excerpt from a piece dated January February 1998 source:
http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/0198/9801024.htm
from the same anti-Israel website praising Murtha among others for
voting against a bill which had sought to stop Iran from getting
missiles capable hitting Israel, and other targets of Iran, with
weapons of mass destruction. Murtha was actually able to overcome
his normal intense hostility to China, lots of Muirtha's top
contributors are either lobbyists for Taiwan, or arms manufacturers
who supply Taiwan with weapons, since in this instance China, (and
Russia), have been supplying arms to Iran, and since Israel is a
likely target of those weapons, Murtha and his pals in Congress were
happy to jump in on Iran's side against Israel.
Here's the excerpt:
"Congress Keeps Pressure on Iran
By Shirl McArthur
In early October, three separate anti-Iran resolutions that had been
languishing in committee since their introduction in early July were
resurrected. The first two, Senate Resolution 48 and House
Resolution 121, were identical and aimed at stopping alleged missile
technology exports from Russia to Iran. The resolutions urge Clinton
to "demand" that Russia take action to stop governmental and non-
governmental entities in Russia from providing missile technology
and technological advice to Iran, and, if Russia's response is
inadequate, to impose sanctions on the offending entities and
to "reassess cooperative activities with Russia." Sen. Jesse Helms's
Foreign Relations Committee considered S.R. 48 on Oct. 8, referred
it to the full Senate on Nov. 4, and the Senate passed it by voice
vote on Nov. 7.
Meanwhile, in the House, Gilman's International Relations Committee
brought up H.R. 121 on Oct. 9, and issued several press releases
denouncing both Russia and Iran. At about that same time, Gilman
resurrected his earlier resolution, H.R. 188, denouncing China for
providing Iran with C-802 cruise missiles, calling this
a "destabilizing" violation of the Iran-Iraq Arms Non-Proliferation
Act of 1992, and urging the Clinton administration to impose
sanctions under the act. Suddenly, however, Gilman got the idea of
combining the two resolutions. The operative portions of H.R. 121
were folded into H.R. 188 on Nov. 6, and it was passed the same day
by roll-call vote, 414-8, with 11 not voting. The eight congressmen
who voted against H.R. 188 were Reps. Lee Hamilton (D-IN), Amo
Houghton (R-NY), E.B. Johnson (D-TX), John LaFalce (D-NY), Jim Moran
(D-VA), John Murtha (D-PA), David Skaggs (D-CO), and Sidney Yates (D-
IL)."
Here's another example of Murtha, Moran and their pals, hard at work
against Israel.
From the October 1996 item titled: "Special Report A Look at the
104th Congress by Shirl McArthur"
Here's the excerpt from the McArthur piece:
"In the interest of space the accompanying table lists only those
congressmen who, in our opinion, were on the side of justice and the
U.S. national interest by voting against moving the Embassy to
Jerusalem (A) or by supporting lifting the travel ban on Lebanon (B)
or by urging humanitarian aid for Lebanon. Only 8
representatives (4 from Michigan) and 2 senators show up in all
three columns. About the same number of representatives (9) but
several more senators (11) appear in two columns." Murtha and Moran
are among those praised for their anti-Israel votes in the McArthur
piece at:
http://www.washington-report.org/backissues/1096/9610035.htm
On other topics, Murtha said: China is "eating our lunch"
economically;
source: http://pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/s_417696.html
"Congressman's Son Held on Drug Charges (November 2, 1991)
The son of a powerful Congressman was arrested Thursday on charges
of possessing crack and selling the drug to an undercover police
officer, the authorities said today.
The suspect is John M. Murtha, 33-year-old son of Representative
John P. Murtha, the Pennsylvania Democrat who heads the House
Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.
The younger Mr. Murtha was arrested with eight other people in this
western Pennsylvania town, which is part of his father's district,
and is being held on $20,000 bond.
The drug sweep in which he was seized resulted from a six-month
investigation into crack dealing in the Greensburg area, said the
town's Police Chief, Ray Attenberger.
Mr. Murtha was convicted on burglary charges in 1978 and 1979 in the
Johnstown area. In a statement issued after his latest arrest, his
father said that "he's struggled with a lot of personal problems for
15 years" and that the Congressman and his wife, Joyce, "feel
terrible about it."
source: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?
res¯0CE2DB1F38F931A35752C1A967958260&sec=&pagewanted=print


excerpted from: THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
DATE: Thursday, August 4, 1994
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: By Frank Greve, Knight-Ridder News Service


…QUESTIONABLE GRANTS
John Murtha, who is not a rich man, gave his alma mater nearly $100
million last year.
His secret: The money was yours.
Murtha, an 11-term western Pennsylvania Democratic congressman,
quietly slipped his gifts into the huge defense appropriations bill
passed by the powerful House subcommittee he chairs.
"Academic pork" is the name of his game….
Sometimes it's hard to know just what America's political
philanthropists are up to. Leon Haley, top spokesman for the
University of Pittsburgh, Murtha's alma mater, says he knows "almost
nothing" about how the $99,600,000 in grants to the school included
in the 1994 appropriation are being spent.

"Nobody knew what the h—l to do with it," recalls Lawrence Korb, a
former top Pentagon official whose advice was sought by a friend,
the university's president, when Murtha first offered the money.
Most of the money actually is going to Concurrent Technologies
Corp., a subsidiary of the University of Pittsburgh Trust. Both are
nonprofit corporations used to fund academic research by faculty
members and others.

According to a CTC brochure, its research is focused on
metalworking, manufacturing software and anti-pollution systems. CTC
is based in Johnstown, Pa., Murtha's hometown, 80 miles east of the
university's main campus.

Generous senior House and Senate Appropriations Committee members
like Murtha are behind the successes of the universities and states
that have won the most academic pork since 1980.
Pennsylvania is far out in front with an estimated $377,238,000,
...The congressional handouts - called earmarks - are specific
spending orders
by Congress's most powerful figures. They involve outlays not called
for in the
president's budget and generally made without debate on the merits
of the
spending.

Pennsylvania dominates the earmark game because Joseph McDade of
Scranton, another Pennsylvanian enthusiastic about academic pork, is
the ranking Republican on the Defense Appropriations subcommittee
that Murtha chairs. Together, they can steer just about anything
through the House."
ACADEMIC PORK
Sources: Library of Congress, Chronicle of Higher Education
For copy of graphic, see microfilm
KEYWORDS: U.S. CONGRESS EDUCATION FUNDING
source: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-
Pilot/issues/1994/vp940804/08040543.htm


"University Times
VOLUME 27 NUMBER 5 OCTOBER 27, 1994
University of Pittsburgh


Connolly named chairperson-designate of Pitt trustees
J.W. Connolly, retired senior vice president of H.J. Heinz Co. and a
Pitt law
alumnus, was elected chairperson-designate of the Board of Trustees
at the
board's Oct. 21 meeting....
Connolly originally was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 1985
as one of
the board's first special trustees. After two terms as a special
trustee, he was
elected a term trustee in June 1991. He has served on several board
committees,
including the public affairs, audit, and budget
committees....Connolly currently
is a director of Presbyterian University Hospital and the University
of
Pittsburgh Medical Center System....* Concurrent Technologies Corp.
(CTC) of
Johnstown has severed its ties to the University of Pittsburgh
Trust,...
However, ... Pitt faculty and students, especially at the Johnstown
campus, will
continue to participate in CTC research.
...the boards of CTC and the University Trust agreed to the
separation mainly in
response to new federal government regulations that severely
restricted federal
funding to institutions such as CTC that are perceived to be
supervised or
operated by universities....
Pitt's reputation has suffered from the "erroneous perception that
the
University of Pittsburgh was directly receiving CTC's funding" from
the U.S.
Department of Defense...." a widely circulated bulletin stated that
Pitt was the
big winner in the pork barrel competition this year, receiving $70
million in
so-called earmarked federal funding. The University does not need
this type of
publicity...
-- Bruce Steele

Source:http://www.pitt.edu/utimes/issues/27/102794/24.html


For
more on Murtha please do searches for the following posts:
Can You Connect The Dots
What Does The Murtha Money Trail Teach Us
Murthas Money Trail World
The Murtha Moran McKinney Axis of Evil
The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
Can We Stop The Coming War Against China
Hear No Evil See No Evil Speak No Evil The Modern Ministry of Truth
Message From An Alternate Future Universe
(A fictional account of the day the world ends.)
If your research leads you to believe that Murtha, Moran, or others
may have
broken any American laws we urge you to contact the U.S. Department
of Justice,
including the Attorney General.BY MAIL:Correspondence to the
Department,
including the Attorney General, may be sent to: U.S. Department of
Justice 950
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20530-0001 BY E-MAIL:E-mails
to the
Department of Justice, including the Attorney General, may be sent to
AskDOJ@...

that is AskDOJ at usdoj.gov

E-mails will be forwarded to the responsible
Department of Justice component for appropriate handling.
"We have a situation where our military is in such bad shape, it
couldn't deploy to a second front," Murtha said. "And the Iranians
know this. North Korea knows it. China knows it. We're depleting
our resources in Iraq."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10774136/from/RSS/
Murtha: Give Dean DNC chair
By Hans Nichols
January 5, 2005 Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) is actively lobbying
Democratic National Committee (DNC) delegates to select former
Vermont Gov. Howard Dean as their next chairman.

The endorsement...
signals a rehabilitation of Dean's image in the House and
greatly increases his prospects of leading the party, many
Democratic lawmakers and aides said.
Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) is writing letters in support of Howard
Dean.
At Dean's request, Murtha wrote to Pennsylvania's seven delegates to
the DNC last week explaining why he is endorsing..."(DEAN) "Murtha
said he contacted Dean to tell him of his
support."We're thrilled that Murtha has decided to endorse us....
Rep. Barney Frank is calling Massachusetts delegates on
behalf of his onetime House colleague, former Rep. Martin Frost (D-
Texas), who was defeated Nov. 2.In a late-breaking development,
former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk bowed out of the race yesterday evening
and endorsed former Frost.Frost also appears to have the respect of
many of his former colleagues in the House, if not the unvarnished
support. Many said that Frost's obvious command of politics on every
level and understanding of House Democrats' goals would serve him
will as DNC chairman.One Democratic lawmaker who admitted that he
and Frost had crossed swords in the past said that Frost "is just
too smart not to take seriously."Another lawmaker added, "Tom DeLay
wants to chip away at the Jewish vote, both in terms of voting and
fundraising, and Martin Frost" (who happens to be Jewish) "is not
going to let that happen."Meanwhile, many House lawmakers said they
thought that the
House minority leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), was clearly
leaning in favor of former Rep. Tim Roemer (D-Ind.). While Pelosi
has shied away from an overt endorsement,lawmakers said that in
private conversations she is always pushing for Roemer."She's always
asking, `Well, what do you think about Roemer?'" one lawmaker said.
http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/010505/m
urtha.html

"[ The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: 8/3/02 ]
"Some McKinney donors probed for terror ties By BILL TORPY
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer Rep. Cynthia McKinney is
backed by many Islamic individuals and groups. Rep. Cynthia
McKinney's re-election campaign has accepted contributions from
several people who have come under federal investigation for
suspected
links to Middle Eastern terrorists or have voiced support for
extremist groups. The outspoken DeKalb County Democrat, a frequent
critic of U.S. Middle East policy, has long drawn Arab and Muslim
financial support. Most of McKinney's individual donors listed on
disclosure reports in 2001 and this year have Arabic names and live
out of state. According to a review of federal campaign disclosure
records, they include:
Abdurahman Alamoudi, leader of a Muslim organization, who during a
2000 rally outside the White House expressed support for the violent
Palestinian group Hamas and for Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite party
linked to bombings. The controversy surrounding his comments caused
Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton and George W. Bush's
presidential campaign to return his contributions. A professor who
was
jailed in 1998 on contempt charges for refusing to answer a grand
jury's questions about alleged money-laundering links to Hamas. Five
businessmen whose homes or businesses were searched in March during
an
FBI raid investigating financial links to terrorism. Another was an
officer in one of the groups under investigation, according to
Federal
Election Commission reports. Bill Banks, manager of McKinney's
re-election campaign, said this week that the congresswoman was not
aware that any of her donors might support terrorist activities, or
have ties to organizations involved with terrorism. The McKinney
campaign reported most of those contributions as having come Sept.
11,
the date of the terror attacks in New York and Washington. FEC
spokeswoman Kelly Huff said the date listed on disclosure reports is
supposed to be, by law, the date the campaign received the money. But
FEC officials said it was up to the campaign to document the proper
date. Banks said the campaign accepted contributors' money believing
"in good faith that they are law-abiding citizens. If you did an
investigation of everyone who gave money, people would stop giving."
McKinney is locked in what a poll released this week shows to be a
virtual dead heat against former DeKalb County State Court Judge
Denise Majette in the Aug. 20 Democratic primary. Majette declined to
comment Friday on McKinney's fund-raising. McKinney caused a tempest
earlier this year by suggesting President Bush knew the Sept. 11
attacks were coming but did nothing so his associates could make
money
in the ensuing war. And last October, she also caused controversy for
apologizing to a Saudi prince whose $10 million donation for terror
victims was rejected by New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. The prince
had laid part of the blame for the Sept. 11 attacks on U.S. policy.
The following week, McKinney collected $32,150 in a fund-raiser, her
best fund-raising day in 2001.
McKinney's support for Arab causes is well known. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations, an Islamic advocacy group whose director
was named on the Sept. 11 listing as giving McKinney $500, recently
asked members to support her. "She is our strategic choice. Pro-
Muslim
candidate. Supporter of Palestinian state for over seven years.
Against secret evidence. Against aid to Israel."
Steven Emerson, who runs a private counterterrorist institute in
Washington, called McKinney's contributors "the A list of militant
Islamic front groups." Two years ago, Emerson warned a Senate
committee about increasing terrorist activity in America, sometimes
in
the name of charity. Alamoudi, the president of the American Muslim
Foundation who expressed support for Hamas and Hezbollah, gave the
maximum allowable contribution of $2,000.
Clinton, then a Democratic Senate candidate in New York, returned the
$1,000 Alamoudi gave her after her opponent called the
donation "blood
money." Her spokesman, explaining the decision to return the money,
said, "Hillary is a strong supporter of peace and security for
Israel." Reps. James Moran (D-Va.) and David Bonior (D-Mich.),
Republican Senate candidate John Sununu of New Hampshire and the Bush
presidential campaign all have returned Alamoudi's contributions
since
last fall.
Alamoudi did not return phone calls seeking comment. Another donor,
Abdelhaleem Ashqar, now a Howard University professor, who gave $250,
was jailed for six months in 1998 after refusing to testify before a
federal grand jury investigating money laundering in the United
States
by Hamas. Ashqar told the grand jury that he would not testify
because
the information would be "used against my friends, family and
colleagues in the Palestinian liberation movement." He was never
charged with a crime and did not return phone calls seeking comment.
Six of McKinney's donors were officers with companies and
organizations that are under investigation.
On March 20 and 21, Treasury agents served warrants on the Herndon
Va.-based Saar Foundation, Safa Trust, the International Institute of
Islamic Thought and 13 other locations. The groups are part of a
Saudi-based financial empire that U.S. investigators say has handled
$1.7 billion since the mid-1990s, allegedly sending some of it to
groups that authorities have linked to terrorists, The Washington
Post
reported. No charges have been filed in that investigation.
Listed as McKinney donors on Sept. 11 are M. Yaqub Mirza, Mohamed
Omeish and Ahmad Totonji.
Federal agents in March searched the offices of Mirza, who
contributed
$500. The former president of Saar, Mirza was the central figure in
the interlocking multinational corporations being investigated. He is
the president of Mar-Jac, which includes investment firms and a North
Georgia poultry plant, which also was searched in March. He did not
return phone calls seeking comment.
Omeish is president of Success Foundation, a refugee relief
organization whose office was searched in March. He is listed as
having given $500. Omeish said investigators returned computers taken
from his office. Totonji, founder of Saar and the IIIT, gave $1,000.
Federal agents carted away numerous computers from his offices in the
March raid. Two weeks later, on Sept. 26, Jamal Barzinji, Taha
Alalwani of Herndon, Va., and Hisham Al Talib of California all gave
$500 to McKinney's campaign, according to FEC records. Barzinji, a
business associate of Mirza's, is also president of Mar-Jac Poultry
in
Gainesville. Alalwani is a founder of the IIIT and Al Talib, was the
treasurer for Safa and the IIIT vice president."
Father of Ousted McKinney Spells Defeat `J-E-W-S'
By ELI KINTISCH
FORWARD STAFF
ATLANTA — The father of Rep. Cynthia McKinney is blaming Jews for
her defeat in Georgia's Democratic primary, but observers said that
Tuesday's outcome had less to do with dueling donations from pro-
Israel and pro-Palestinian activists than with high Republican
turnout in the open primary and tepid support from black voters and
congressmen.
The pro-Palestinian McKinney, a five-term incumbent, was upset by
Denise Majette in a race featuring two black candidates. The race's
much touted fund-raising fight mirrored a June election in which
longtime Rep. Earl Hilliard, backed by Arab donors from across the
country, lost Alabama's Democratic primary to Artur Davis, an
opponent heavily financed by Jewish donors nationwide. Majette
received more than $1 million in donations from supporters — many
Jewish — while Arab Americans also increased their historically
strong support of McKinney. But in the end, McKinney's polarizing
personality seemed the difference, as whites, Jews and Republicans
voted in droves, while African-American turnout was relatively tepid.
"It looks like the Republicans wanted to beat me more than the
Democrats wanted to keep me," McKinney said in a concession speech
around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Majette defeated McKinney 58% to 42%,
with all but one precinct accounted for.
But her father, civil-rights stalwart and DeKalb County community
leader Billy McKinney, pointed a finger at her pro-Israel critics.
When asked by a local television reporter what the election had
hinged on, he responded: "J-E-W-S."
In a press release, Anti-Defamation League southeast director
Deborah Lauter condemned Billy McKinney's remark, calling
it "classic antisemitism." He caused a similar stir in 1996 after
calling his daughter's opponent a "racist Jew," a comment Cynthia
McKinney repudiated.
Considered the most outspoken liberal in Congress, McKinney had
trounced white, black and women candidates in five previous
elections by relying on massive support in south DeKalb County, a
predominantly black area. But in Majette, McKinney found her
strongest challenger yet, a Democrat with nearly 20 years under her
belt as a local judge. One of the first black women to graduate from
Yale, Majette will face a Republican challenger in the fall with a
distinct advantage since the district's registered voters are
overwhelmingly Democratic.
Majette, who expressed her support of Israel during the campaign
when asked about the Middle East, generally avoided foreign policy
issues on the campaign trail, instead highlighting her own
credentials and questioning McKinney's ability to help the
district. "The issue I think for a lot of people was the 10-year
record of my opponent," Majette said. "The people in the district
are really focused on the schools, hospitals and jobs here in
DeKalb."
The race saw Georgia's 4th District, comprised almost entirely of
DeKalb County, bitterly divided, as white Republicans rushed to the
polls to oust McKinney. Republican voters also played a major role
in ousting Georgia's other controversial long-time congressman, Bob
Barr, a conservative lawmaker who led the push to impeach former
president Bill Clinton. In a Republican primary in which
redistricting forced a face-off between two incumbents , Barr was
easily defeated by Rep. John Linder.
In the days leading up to Georgia's Democratic primary Nation of
Islam leader Louis Farrakhan repeatedly blamed the American Israel
Public Affairs Committee for McKinney's troubles, though it was
unclear whether the result would harm relations between blacks and
Jews, two of the Democratic Party's key constituencies.
Several observers said it was likely that the reverberation would be
slight due to lopsided nature of McKinney's defeat and the
relatively low level of support that she received from her black
colleagues in Congress.
According to the political newsletter Hotline, while 31 members of
the Congressional Black Caucus gave donations to help Hilliard in
June, only 16 members supported McKinney in her primary fight.
Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, whose district includes
Harlem, wasn't ruling out aftershocks, but he was confident that
blacks and Jews wouldn't turn on one another. "I think we should
continue to talk about the things we agree on, rather than the
disagreements," Rangel said.

Despite relatively weak support from her congressional colleagues,
McKinney was joined on the campaign trail by several prominent black
leaders, including Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Martin Luther King III,
Al Sharpton and Walter Fauntroy, a legendary civil rights leader and
former head of the Congressional Black Caucus.
Among leaders of mainstream Jewish groups, McKinney was considered a
more controversial member of Congress than other black lawmakers on
the left. Along with her support of the Palestinian cause, McKinney
refused in 1994 to condemn a fiery speech by a Nation of Islam
spokesman, the late Khalid Muhammed. More recently, she also
infuriated otherwise indifferent Republicans in her district when
she suggested that President Bush might have known about September
11 before it happened, and possibly profited from it.
Last October, after New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani returned a $10
million gift to the city from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal after
the prince criticized Israel in published comments, McKinney issued
a public letter supporting the prince, asking that he donate the
money to black charities.
In May, along with Hilliard, McKinney was one of 5 of the 36 voting
members of the Congressional Black Caucus to oppose a pro-Israel
resolution that put the bulk of the blame for the conflict on the
Palestinians. McKinney said the measure would "undermine America's
vital role as peacemaker"...Democratic institutional support for
McKinney, who has been a solid member of the Democratic caucus in
the House, was weak. In the Hilliard race the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee took much heat for its financial
support of the five-term incumbent, with some asking why the
committee was using resources on a solidly Democratic district. In
this race, the committee, whose function is to help increase the
Democratic ranks in the House, stayed out.
The committee declined to comment on the McKinney race, but Rangel,
who donated $5,000 to her campaign, said: "Some Republicans and
Democrats support incumbents, and others don't." Rangel is board
chair of the committee.
Democratic House Whip Nancy Pelosi of California also donated $5,000
to McKinney's effort.
National Jewish Democratic Committee executive director Ira Forman
declined to comment on Pelosi's funding. But a Jewish Republican
activist slammed Democratic support of McKinney.
"For the Democrats and the NJDC and other groups to remain silent is
an abdication of their responsibility," the activist said. Pelosi's
office did not return a call for comment.
Several thousand of DeKalb County's Jews were transferred into
Democrat John Lewis's district in the 2000 redistricting after
complaining about McKinney to their state senator, but a few
thousand remained.... most Jewish residents and pro-Israel activists
rejected McKinney's rhetoric and condemned her recent backing from
Farrakhan. "I found Farrakhan's involvement as offensive as Michael
Lerner's," Schneier said.
McKinney was the ninth incumbent to be ousted in a House primary
this year. Weeks before the election, some McKinney supporters urged
the legislator to wage a write-in campaign leading up to the
November general election. But McKinney campaign officials reached
at press time said they haven't considered it."
http://www.forward.com/issues/2002/02.08.23/news2.html
"McKinney voted NO on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China.
(May 2000)
McKinney voted NO MFN for China; (Nov 1999)"
http://www.issues2000.org/GA/Cynthia_McKinney.htm
We are sad to report that McKinney is back in Congress.
Her website is at:
http://www.house.gov/mckinney/

PM Sharon's Knesset Speech Against Anti-Semitism 26-Jan-2005
26/01/2005 17:13:04

For the second year, we mark the day commemorating the State of
Israel's
struggle against anti-Semitism. We chose to mark this day of struggle
against
anti-Semitism on the day of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau
death camp,
that horrible symbol of the Holocaust.

The allies knew of the annihilation of the Jews. They knew and did
nothing. On
April 19, 1943, the Bermuda Conference gathered, with the
participation of
representatives from Britain and the United States, in order to
discuss saving
the Jews of Europe. In fact, the participants did everything in their
power to
avoid dealing with the problem. All the suggestions for rescue
operations which
the Jewish organizations presented were rejected. They simply did not
want to
deal with it.

The Bermuda Conference was nothing more than a continuation of the
shocking
story of the "Ship of the Damned," the Saint Louis, which set sail
from Germany
in 1939 with 1,000 Jews who had succeeded in escaping from the Third
Reich on
board. The passengers knocked on the doors of Cuba and ports in the
eastern
United States, but were refused sanctuary and were forced to return
to the
shores of Europe. Most of them were murdered in the death camps.

The leadership of the British Mandate displayed the same obtuseness
and
insensitivity by locking the gates to Israel to Jewish refugees who
sought a
haven in the Land of Israel. Thus were rejected the requests of the
769
passengers of the ship Struma who escaped from Europe -- and all but
one found
their deaths at sea.

Throughout the war, nothing was done to stop the annihilation. When,
in the
summer of 1944, the mass deportations in Hungary were carried out,
the allies
did not bomb the train tracks which led to Auschwitz from Hungary,
nor the
murder facilities in Birkenau, and this was despite the fact that
they had the
ability to do so. Allied planes attacked targets near Auschwitz, but
they
refused to bomb the camp itself, in which 10,000 Jews were murdered
daily. Thus
were 618,000 Jews annihilated in a number of weeks -- the Jews of
Hungary.

Mr. Speaker, the sad and horrible conclusion is that no one cared
that Jews were
being murdered.

"Do not put your trust in men in power," said the poet of the Psalms.
And
indeed, during the most terrible, critical hour, those in power and
the declared
friends did not lift a finger. This is the Jewish lesson of the
Holocaust and
this is the lesson which Auschwitz taught us, the enchained people.

The State of Israel has learned this lesson, and since its
establishment it has
done its utmost to defend itself and its citizens, and provide a safe
haven for
any Jew, wherever he may be. We know that we can trust no one but
ourselves.

This phenomenon of Jews defending themselves and fighting back is
anathema to
the new anti-Semites. Legitimate steps of self-defense which Israel
takes in its
war against Palestinian terrorist -- actions which any sovereign
state is
obligated to undertake to ensure the security of its citizens -- are
presented
by those who hate Israel as aggressive, "Nazi-like" steps.

Many of the manifestations of anti-Semitism in the past years are no
longer
aimed only at Jews as individuals. Rather, they are aimed at the
embodiment of
all Jews: the State of Israel, the Jewish state. As early as 1967,
in "A Letter
to an Anti-Zionist Friend," Dr. Martin Luther King wrote that anti-
Zionism is no
less than disguised anti-Semitism.

I quote: "The times have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim
openly a
hatred of the Jews. This being the case, the anti-Semite must
constantly seek
new forms and forums for his poison. He does not hate the Jews, he is
just
"anti-Zionist"! My friend, when people criticize Zionism, they mean
Jews -- make
no mistake about it."

These days, the generation that was witness to the horrors is
disappearing, and
ignorance is increasing. Fewer people around the world have heard of
the
Holocaust or are aware of what happened in Auschwitz, and the
manifestations of
anti-Semitism are on the rise. Sixty years after the liberation of
Auschwitz,
the evil that gave rise to the horror still exists and still
threatens us.

Israel stands with governments, as well as Jewish and international
organizations around the world, that remember Auschwitz and are
determined to
fight this evil uncompromisingly and relentlessly.

We will continue to act tirelessly in order to ensure that the memory
of
Auschwitz and the lessons of the Holocaust will not be forgotten, so
that
Auschwitz will never again return.

Israel is a very small country, blessed with talented and courageous
people.
However, it must always be remembered that this is the only place in
the world
where we, the Jews, have the right and the capability to defend
ourselves, by
ourselves. And we will never relinquish this.

It is our historic responsibility. It is my personal historic
responsibility."
APRIL
Is an interesting month, it begins on April 1st, commonly known as
APRIL FOOL'S DAY
and ends on April 30th, also known as Walpurgisnacht . It includes
Hitler's Birthday on April 20th and Martin Luther King's
Assassination
Day on April 4th. Had Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy NOT been
assassinated Eugene McCarthy, who was 7 points ahead of Nixon in the
polls, would have been nominated by the Democratic Party as its
Presidential candidate in 1968 and gone on to win the White House.
Gene would have ended the Vietnam War promptly in 1969. Gene McCarthy
was a good personal friend of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. He
was a friend of Israel. Gene would probably have been re-elected in
1972. There probably would NOT have been an arab surprise attack on
Israel on October 6th, 1973 with Gene McCarthy in the White House and
the US NOT tied down in Indochina. Nor would MILLIONS of Vietnamese,
Laotians and Cambodians have been killed as the war dragged on and on
under Nixon. Gene would have tilted towards India rather than
Pakistan
during his administration, so there would have been no Bangladesh
massacre of East Pakistani Bengalis by West Pakistani Punjabis, a
slaughter that some estimate took THREE MILLION LIVES! In our view
ARAFAT ordered the assassinations of BOTH BOBBY KENNEDY AND DR.
MARTIN
LUTHER KING. The cost to the African-American community of the death
of the most Gandhi like leader it ever had is incalculable in terms
of
wasted human lives. Dr. King was also a friend to the Jewish
community. Imagine a world in which there never had been a split
between the Jewish community and the African American community.
Instead of Jesse Jackson assuming the mantle of the slain Dr. King,
and going on to lead the charge against the Jewish community after
Jimmy Carter fired Andy Young for shaking hands with an arafat
observer at the UN, and going on to make his infamous "Hymietown"
remark, Martin Luther King would have led the African-American
community.
(JIMMY CARTER ALLEGEDLY GOT TEN MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE INFAMOUS
ARAB CIA DRUG BANK BCCI FOR THE CARTER LIBRARY, ANDY YOUNG ALLEGEDLY
GOT $100,000 FROM BCCI, JACKSON ALLEGEDLY GOT $5 MILLION DOLLARS FOR
HIS OPERATION PUSH FROM IRAQ AND ALLEGEDLY GOT ANOTHER $5 MILLION
DOLLARS FROM LIBYA). A united African-American and Jewish community
would NEVER have permitted the nomination of Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Nor
would the outgoing President McCarthy. Instead Martin Luther King
might well have been the Democratic nominee in 1976. After being
elected in 1976 Dr. King would have been re-elected in 1980. F.D.R.
died on
April 12th. Abraham Lincoln's Assassination occurred
on April 14, 1865.
Martin Luther King, Jr. at sunset on April 4th,1968 Martin
Luther King, Jr. was
fatally shot while standing on the
balcony of the Lorraine Motel in
Memphis, Tennessee.
There were riots and disturbances in
130 American cities. There were
twenty thousand arrests.
King's funeral on April 19 was an
international event. By now Martin
Luther King would
Have served two terms as President of
the United States and would be a
US Senator. Before He Was Murdered Doctor King had endorsed the
Presidential
Candidacy of Eugene McCarthy, Democrat of Minnesota for the 1968
Democratic Presidential Nomination. Senator McCarthy, (not to be
confused with Republican Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin who was
Eugene McCarthy's opposite in more ways than one), campaigned on a
platform of opposition to the Vietnam War in 1968, a war that
McCarthy
called: Illegal, Immoral, and unconstitutional. When Dr. King
endorsed
Senator McCarthy's presidential candidacy He joined the noble causes
of Peace and Civil Rights together. Just as they should be joined.
Two
weeks Later Dr. King was murdered in Memphis. Had he lived he would
have gone on to campaign for McCarthy, who was 7 points ahead of
Nixon
in the polls. With Dr. King by his side McCarthy would have gone on
to
be nominated by the Democratic Party in 1968 and elected President in
November 1968. I have no doubt, as someone who worked in the McCarthy
campaign, that Dr. King would have been in President McCarthy's
Cabinet in 1969. Robert F. Kennedy would have ended his campaign and
joined with Gene McCarthy and Dr. King to end the war. Instead Dr.
King's murder caused disunity in the Democratic Party. Bobby Kennedy
sought the Democratic Presidential nomination, only to be murdered
himself on June 4th, 1968 2 months to the day after Dr. King was
murdered. June 4th,1968 was also the first anniversary of the Six-Day
War. As the US Senator from New York State, a state that McCarthy
would have carried handily in the June 1968 Democratic Primary Bobby
Kennedy would have to have obeyed the wishes of the people of his
state and dropped out of the Presidential race after that primary and
endorsed Gene McCarthy. But the primary came after Bobby Kennedy had
been killed. Beating a dead Bobby Kennedy was no victory. Not having
a
live Bobby Kennedy on hand to concede defeat and endorse Gene
McCarthy
meant that Hubert Humphrey, a supporter of the war in Vietnam, would
go on to become the Democratic Presidential nominee, only to lose to
Richard M. Nixon in November of 1968. Thus the war in Vietnam would
continue no matter who, Humphrey, or Nixon, won. With America tied
down in
Vietnam it had to have been thought in the
arab world that America would not be able to intervene to save Israel
when the inevitable arab attack on Israel came.RFK was killed on the
first anniversary of the Six Day War "
http://www.idf.il/english/history/sixday.stm the inevitable arab
attack came some years later with THE 1973 YOM KIPPUR WAR
http://www.adl.org/Israel/Record/yomkippur.html The same gang that
bombed the World Trade Center in 1993 murdered Anwar Sadat in 1981 on
the 8th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. That same gang killed the
Speaker of the Egyptian Parliament for Saddam Hussein when Egypt
broke
ranks with Iraq over the invasion of Kuwait.
"Who Shot Martin Luther King? The federal government, and Tennessee
authorities, aggressively pushed the lone-gunman theory-although this
explanation was rejected out of hand by millions of Americans. At
Ray's sentencing, as the state was telling the jury what the evidence
would have been at a trial, Ray interrupted the proceedings to say he
did not agree with the statement of Ramsey Clark, U.S. attorney
general, that there was no conspiracy. Three days later Ray tried to
withdraw his plea of guilty, even though that would subject him to a
possible death sentence. The court refused. From that day forward
there has been a tug-of-war between conspiracy believers and
lone-gunman advocates. In 1979 the House Select Committee on
Assassinations issued a report saying there probably was a
conspiracy."
http://www.metroactive.com/papers/sonoma/08.07.97/mlkj-9732.html
Martin Luther King on anti-Zionism From
M.L. King Jr., "Letter to an
Anti-Zionist Friend," Saturday Review
XLVII (Aug. 1967), p. 76.
Reprinted in M.L. King Jr., "This I
Believe: Selections from the
Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr."
". . . You declare, my friend,
that you do not hate the Jews, you are
merely `anti-Zionist.' And I
say, let the truth ring forth from the
high mountain tops, let it echo
through the valleys of God's green
earth: When people criticize
Zionism, they mean Jews-this is God's
own truth. Anti-Semitism, the
hatred of the Jewish people, has been
and remains a blot on the soul
of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this:
anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitic, and ever will be so. Why is
this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal
of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The Jewish
people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing
Commonwealth in the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the
Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered Our Lord. Driven
from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced to wander the
globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the lash of
whichever
tyrant happened to rule over them. The Negro people, my friend, know
what it is to suffer the torment of tyranny under rulers not of our
choosing. Our brothers in Africa have begged, pleaded,
requested-DEMANDED-the recognition and realization of our inborn
right
to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our own country. How
easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right
of
all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People
to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult
in
the fulfillment of God's promise, that his People should return in
joy
to rebuild their plundered land. This is Zionism, nothing more,
nothing less. And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the
Jewish
people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of
Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is
discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In
short, it is anti-Semitism. The anti-Semite rejoices at any
opportunity to vent his malice. The times have made it unpopular, in
the West, to proclaim openly a hatred of the Jews. This being the
case, the anti-Semite must constantly seek new forms and forums for
his poison. How he must revel in the new masquerade! He does not hate
the Jews, he is just `anti-Zionist'! My friend, I do not accuse you
of
deliberate anti-Semitism. I know you feel, as I do, a deep love of
truth and justice and a revulsion for racism, prejudice, and
discrimination. But I know you have been misled-as others have
been-into thinking you can be `anti-Zionist' and yet remain true to
these heartfelt principles that you and I share. Let my words echo in
the depths of your soul: When people criticize Zionism, they mean
Jews-make no mistake about it." http://www.likud.nl/ref27.html

"Here's a rundown from Daniel Pipes, a former Reagan administration
Middle East aide who now runs the Middle East Forum in Philadelphia
and the wonderfully informative Web site DanielPipes.org:
Mr. Pipes says: "CAIR is a particularly worrisome organization
because
it has succeeded in portraying itself as a public affairs
organization
promoting `interest and understanding among the general public with
regards to Islam and Muslims in North America.' In fact, this
organization is radical to the core; it seeks nothing less than the
imposition of Islamist mores on the United States."
Mr. Pipes notes that CAIR's record includes the following:
"Apologizing for such killers as Hamas (a group associated with the
murder of 7 Americans) and Usama bin Ladin (charged with the Tanzania
and Kenya embassy bombings a year ago). . . . Helping promote
terrorism: In the words of Steve Pomerantz, a former Chief of
Counterterrorism for the FBI, `CAIR, its leaders, and its activities,
effectively give aid to international terrorist groups.' . . .
Intimidation of patriotic Muslims who disagree with CAIR's chauvinist
agenda: In one case (Sheikh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani), the FBI is
looking into charges that he received death threats after renouncing
the chauvinists. . . Defense of even the most archaic and barbaric of
customs associated with Islam: When a prosecutor in Cleveland argued
that the bail of two young men being held for an `honor killing' of
their female cousin should be increased, CAIR replied by accusing him
of `ethnic and religious stereotyping' and called for a formal
investigation into the prosecutor's actions."
In addition, as anti-terrorism expert Steven Emerson has noted in
Congressional testimony, CAIR co-sponsored a May 24, 1998, all-day
program in the Walt Whitman Auditorium of Brooklyn College in
Brooklyn, New York. As Mr. Emerson testified, "In Arabic, Wagdi
Ghuniem, a militant Islamic cleric from Egypt, mesmerized his
audience, with his relentless tirade against the Jews, reminding them
of the Jews' `infidelity,' `stealth' and `deceit.' Known for his
folksy deliveries and exhortations to commit violence against the
Jews, Ghuniem did not disappoint his crowd, several of whom had come
just to hear him. The conflict with the Jews, he said, was not over
land but one of religion. `The problem of Palestine is not a problem
of belief. suppose the Jews said "Palestine-you [Muslims] can take
it." Would it then be ok? What would we tell them? No! The problem is
belief, it is not a problem of land.'"
Mr. Emerson continued: "Ghuniem then led his rapt audience, which
numbered as many as 500, in a special song, the audience responsively
repeating each refrain: `No to the Jews, Descendants of the Apes.'"
Says Mr. Pipes: "In short, CAIR represents not the great civilization
of Islam but a radical utopian movement originating in the Middle
East
that seeks to impose its ways on the United States. Americans should
consider themselves warned: a new danger exists in their midst." So
much for CAIR. But, according to the CAIR Web site, CAIR wasn't the
only radical, terrorist-sympathizing American Muslim group that
President Bush met with yesterday, less than a week after the worst
terrorist attack in American history. In fact, according to the CAIR
web site, the meeting yesterday also included "representatives from
the American Muslim Alliance" and the Muslim Public Affairs Council.
The Muslim Public Affairs Council is a group founded and headed by
Salam Al-Marayati. He's the man whose views on terrorism were so
problematic that, after an outcry, Rep. Richard Gephardt withdrew his
support for Mr. Al-Marayiti as a nominee to a federal anti-terrorism
commission. According to an article in the August 22, 1998, Los
Angeles Times, the Muslim Public Affairs Council called America's
1998
missile strikes on Osama Bin Laden's training camps in Afghanistan
"illegal" and "immoral." Again, Daniel Pipes, in an article posted on
DanielPipes.org, is instructive. Mr. Pipes writes of Mr. Al-Marayati:
"Here are three elements of his radicalism: First, he wraps the
American flag around some of the least attractive features of Middle
Eastern life. In 1993, he memorably asserted that `When Patrick Henry
said, "Give me liberty or give me death," that statement epitomized
jihad [Islamic holy war].' In 1996, he made the silly and inaccurate
observation that `American freedom fighters hundreds of years ago
were
also regarded as terrorists by the British.' Mr. Al-Marayati's intent
here is obvious: to render jihad and terrorism acceptable to
Americans."
Mr. Pipes continued: "Second, Mr. Al-Marayati apologizes for the most
ghastly Middle Eastern regimes and draws moral equivalencies between
them and America. In his view, Iraq is no better or worse than
America:
`Saddam Hussein's behavior in and around Iraq has been characterized
as reckless. The same can be said about U.S. policy as a result of
its
reactionary mode.' . . .Third, Mr. Al-Marayati turns a blind eye to
terrorism if it is of a fundamentalist Muslim persuasion (not a great
credential for someone hoping to serve on a counterterrorism
commission). Take the February 1996 incident when a Palestinian named
Muhammad Hamida shouted the fundamentalist war cry, Allahu Akbar
(Allah is Great), as he drove his car intentionally into a crowded
bus
stop in Jerusalem, killing one Israeli and injuring 23 others. Before
he could escape or hurt anyone else, Hamida was shot dead. Commenting
on the affair, Mr. Al-Marayati said not a word about Hamida's
murderous rampage but instead focused on Hamida's death, which he
called `a provocative act,' and demanded the extradition of his
executors to America `to be tried in a U.S. court' on terrorism
charges."
Then there is the American Muslim Alliance, another group that CAIR
reports had a representative at the Bush event yesterday. That's the
group so extreme that even Hillary Rodham Clinton, no anti-Muslim
extremist, decided to return $50,000 it had raised for her senate
campaign. The American Muslim Alliance was also a sponsor of the "No
to the Jews, Descendants of the Apes" rally at Brooklyn College. And,
as Steven Emerson has reported on OpinionJournal.com, "AMA's head,
Agha Saeed, has openly sanctioned the use of `armed resistance'
against Israel and declared that the `Zionist occupiers of Palestine
can be beaten back.' At its 1997 annual convention, the AMA
distributed an article by S.A. Ahsani, head of the AMA's Texas
chapter, denying the existence of `Auschwitz, Birkenau and Majdanek.'
At AMA national conferences in 1997, 1998 and 2000, numerous speakers
numerous speakers condemned the `Jewish and Zionist' lobbies and
their `control'
of the United States."
SOURCE: SmarterTimes.com
September 18, 2001

http://www.smartertimes.com/archive/2001/09/010918.html