Earlier this evening I posted the full interview that Rep. Darrell Issa did with Cam Edwards and Ginny Simone of NRA News. They have excerpted the really key things Issa said in the three clips below. If you have time, listen to the full interview. If not, the clips below are great.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
How To Say Nothing In Five Paragraphs
I got the following email today from Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) regarding efforts in Congress to remove the authority of the Environmental Protection Agency under the Toxic Substances Act to manage lead in ammunition, bullets, and fishing tackle. While I don't actually remember writing her on this subject, I must have done so.
If you read the entire letter, nowhere in it does she say where she stands on the subject at hand. She's happy to hear from me and wants me to continue to share my opinions with her. She says she is moderate and bipartisan. She says she supports the military and has military ties in her family. Blah, blah, blah.
What makes this banal email from her even more frustrating is that she is a co-sponsor of the bill in question. You would think if she got an email or letter asking her to support the bill, she would tout the fact that she not only supports the bill but is a co-sponsor.
This letter should be used in training classes for PR hacks as example of how to use spin on your constituents.
All I can say is that 2014 can't get here soon enough.
If you read the entire letter, nowhere in it does she say where she stands on the subject at hand. She's happy to hear from me and wants me to continue to share my opinions with her. She says she is moderate and bipartisan. She says she supports the military and has military ties in her family. Blah, blah, blah.
What makes this banal email from her even more frustrating is that she is a co-sponsor of the bill in question. You would think if she got an email or letter asking her to support the bill, she would tout the fact that she not only supports the bill but is a co-sponsor.
This letter should be used in training classes for PR hacks as example of how to use spin on your constituents.
All I can say is that 2014 can't get here soon enough.
July 19, 2011
Dear Friend,
Thank you so much for contacting my office in regards to the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act (S.838). I greatly appreciate hearing from you, and I hope you continue to share your opinions and ideas with me. I am honored to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and it is important to me that my office is open and accessible.
Whenever I am asked to evaluate an issue, I look at all perspectives and interests so I can make the most informed decisions possible. I have always felt that elected officials should do more to work across the aisle to pass legislation that benefits all Americans. I have strived to promote bipartisanship among my colleagues in the Senate, and I pledge to continue working with individuals from all political backgrounds as I champion the interests of North Carolina.
I take great pride in my moderate record, both in the United States Senate and the North Carolina Senate. Throughout my career in public service, I have been particularly dedicated to advocating for middle-class families, making sure our children have access to quality education and promoting fiscal responsibility. North Carolina is the most military-friendly state in the nation, and I will work to continue this tradition. My own family has a strong military background, and I am so proud of our brave men and women serving in the armed forces.
As legislation comes before Congress, please feel free to contact me with your concerns, questions, and ideas. I have always said that constituent service comes first. As I tackle issues in the Senate that are important to our state, I want as much input as possible from the citizens of North Carolina.
Again, thank you for contacting my office. It is truly an honor to represent North Carolina in the United States Senate, and I hope you will not hesitate to contact me in the future should you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Signature
Kay R. Hagan
Rep. Jason Altmire On Self-Defense Carry On Army Corps Of Engineer Land
Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) proposed an amendment that restricts funding for the Army Corps of Engineers to enforce a ban on firearms on Corps-managed land. They manage over 11 million acres of land throughout the U.S. The Gosar-Gibbs-Altmire Amendment passed last week.
Rep. Altmire is also the co-sponsor along with Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) of HR 1865 - the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2011 - which would do away with the ban on firearms on Army Corps of Engineers land. This bill has 73 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. From the text of HR 1865:
Rep. Altmire is also the co-sponsor along with Rep. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) of HR 1865 - the Recreational Lands Self-Defense Act of 2011 - which would do away with the ban on firearms on Army Corps of Engineers land. This bill has 73 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. From the text of HR 1865:
The Secretary of the Army shall not promulgate or enforce any regulation that prohibits an individual from possessing a firearm including an assembled or functional firearm at a water resources development project covered under section 327.0 of title 36, Code of Federal RegulationsSo long as an individual was not prohibited from possessing a firearm and as long as possession at the lake or water recreation area was permitted under state law, the Corps would no longer be able to ban possession of a functional firearm on property they manage.
Rep. Darrell Issa On The Demand For Info From The DEA And FBI
Rep. Darrell Issa was a guest on Cam and Co. He was interviewed by both Cam Edwards and Ginny Simone. He discusses the letters sent to the heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He revealed that that he and his investigators already know the names of the confidential informants that may have been paid with taxpayer monies.
It is a very informative interview to say the least.
It is a very informative interview to say the least.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Bloody Hands
Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) introduced HR 2554, Stop Gun Trafficking and Strengthen Law Enforcement Act of 2011, on Friday to great fanfare along with Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY). They say they want to provide law enforcement with more "tools" to stop smuggling of arms along the border of Mexico. This, of course, ignores all the other laws already on the books which makes each and every thing covered under this bill a crime.
What they say and what they really mean are two entirely different things. Their bill and the fanfare with which it was introduced have dual aims: to promote more gun control and to divert attention from Eric Holder and the Obama Administration for its culpability in the death of hundreds of Mexicans along with Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata. By doing so, they are just as complicit in those deaths as those in the Obama Administration who dreamed up Operation Fast and Furious and all the other variants of Project Gunwalker to build support for more gun control.
The co-sponsors of Rep. Maloney's bill are listed below. By signing on as co-sponsors they share in the goal of diverting attention on this scandal away from Eric Holder and Barack Obama. As I said above, complicit.
What they say and what they really mean are two entirely different things. Their bill and the fanfare with which it was introduced have dual aims: to promote more gun control and to divert attention from Eric Holder and the Obama Administration for its culpability in the death of hundreds of Mexicans along with Brian Terry and Jaime Zapata. By doing so, they are just as complicit in those deaths as those in the Obama Administration who dreamed up Operation Fast and Furious and all the other variants of Project Gunwalker to build support for more gun control.
The co-sponsors of Rep. Maloney's bill are listed below. By signing on as co-sponsors they share in the goal of diverting attention on this scandal away from Eric Holder and Barack Obama. As I said above, complicit.
Rep Ackerman, Gary L. [NY-5]
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32]
Rep Connolly, Gerald E. "Gerry" [VA-11]
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14]
Rep Cummings, Elijah E. [MD-7]
Rep Farr, Sam [CA-17]
Rep Filner, Bob [CA-51]
Rep Lynch, Stephen F. [MA-9]
Rep McCarthy, Carolyn [NY-4]
Rep Moran, James P. [VA-8]
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC]
Rep Quigley, Mike [IL-5]
Rep Rangel, Charles B. [NY-15]
Rep Speier, Jackie [CA-12]
Rep Tierney, John F. [MA-6]
Chris Cox On Arms Trade Treaty
Chris Cox, Director of the NRA-ILA, was interviewed by Ginny Simone of NRA News on the UN's Arms Trade Treaty. One very important point that he made was that a treaty doesn't go away at the end of a session of Congress if it isn't ratified. It stays out there forever and a succeeding Senate could ratify it years after it was first submitted. That is what makes the Arms Trade Treaty so dangerous to our gun rights and freedoms.
A Ph.D. In Biochem Doesn't Make You An Expert In Everything
Sean has a story about an opponent of HB 111 which would allow concealed carry - but not alcohol consumption - in North Carolina restaurants and eating establishments that serve alcohol. Dr. Art Kamm has his Ph.D. in biochemistry and had worked in the pharmaceutical industry in the development of drugs to fight cancer for a number of years before he retired.
If Dr. Kamm was opining on the efficacy of a certain cancer drug, I would listen to him. If he were talking about clinical trials and the lengthy regulatory process it takes to bring a drug to market, I'd be interested. If he said something about the inner workings of the FDA, I'd assume he had some first hand knowledge. However, if as Dr. Kamm says, that passing HB 111 will scare the tourists, I'd say stick to your area of expertise. Anecdotal stories about one group of visitors from Australia doesn't make you an expert on tourism or firearms policy.
Art Kamm reminds me of an old crank that lived in Haywood County years ago. Richard Suhre had been a scientist with the Atomic Energy Commission (the predecessor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Suhre was a college educated man from a generation where few people had his level of education. He also thought that made him an expert in everything. He was constantly writing letters to the local paper giving his "learned" opinion on virtually everything. When he was talking about a potential nuclear waste dump in the mountains, he knew what he was talking about. On other things, not so much. So it is with Dr. Kamm.
Go to Sean's site and read the whole thing.
If Dr. Kamm was opining on the efficacy of a certain cancer drug, I would listen to him. If he were talking about clinical trials and the lengthy regulatory process it takes to bring a drug to market, I'd be interested. If he said something about the inner workings of the FDA, I'd assume he had some first hand knowledge. However, if as Dr. Kamm says, that passing HB 111 will scare the tourists, I'd say stick to your area of expertise. Anecdotal stories about one group of visitors from Australia doesn't make you an expert on tourism or firearms policy.
Art Kamm reminds me of an old crank that lived in Haywood County years ago. Richard Suhre had been a scientist with the Atomic Energy Commission (the predecessor to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Suhre was a college educated man from a generation where few people had his level of education. He also thought that made him an expert in everything. He was constantly writing letters to the local paper giving his "learned" opinion on virtually everything. When he was talking about a potential nuclear waste dump in the mountains, he knew what he was talking about. On other things, not so much. So it is with Dr. Kamm.
Go to Sean's site and read the whole thing.
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