Where's Exit Plan from LoBiondo?

Two articles printed June 18, “Raids are unraveling al-Qaida,” and “Insurgent bombings kill at least 27 in Baghdad,” show why the Iraq war is an endless trap that we need to get out of now. Obviously, al-Qaida isn't that unraveled. There appear to be an endless supply of terrorists to fill the places of the ones we kill. The lesson to be learned from this is that the United States can not stop the ongoing Iraqi civil war. In fact, our presence there is a catalyst for more violence and attacks on American troops. When given the chance to vote to require an exit plan for the war, U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, refused to join the 153 congressmen who voted to send a message to President Bush that it is time to set a date for bringing our troops home from Iraq. If LoBiondo feels that bringing our troops home in the near future is not the answer, and if staying on the current path is not the answer to ending the Iraq war, then LoBiondo needs to come up with an alternate plan that will end the war and bring our troops home now. If not, then voters in the second congressional district should consider bringing LoBiondo home for good this November. Norm Cohen, Linwood Published June29, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press

Trespasses on our very essence threaten health of our democracy

As we approach the July 4th weekend with its embrace of patriotic flag waving, perhaps it is a propitious moment to look at some of the defining aspects that our Founding Fathers sought to establish in our democracy. This, given the present harsh red/blue divisions and the choice by the present administration, through propaganda and the marketing of "fear" to justify the erosions of many of those principles that have defined us as a special democracy for more than 200 years. Justice Louis D. Brandeis said; "The makers of our constitution undertook to secure conditions favorable to the pursuit of happiness. They recognized the significance of men’s spiritual nature, of his feelings and of his intellect. They knew that only a part of the pain, pleasure and satisfactions of life are to be found in material things. They sought to protect Americans in their beliefs, their thoughts, their emotions, and their sensations. They conferred, as against the government, the right to be left alone–the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized man." Shockingly, today’s extreme right-wing Republicans like our Congressman Frank LoBiondo claim there is no right to privacy in the Constitution . . . no right to privacy in one’s bedroom, hospital, doctor’s office, phone calls, emails . . . . With Republicans in control of the Presidency and Congress we have abandoned any notion of limited government. We now have NSA wiretapping and E-mail snooping without warrants that would require a need for probable cause. There are the Terri Schiavo case and other Republican intrusions into personal medical decisions. Add to this the abandonment of fiscal restraint; tax breaks for the super-rich during a time of massive war expenditures (off the books) and unfunded new programs like Medicare D – all equaling a massive federal deficit and the loss of the checks and balances inherent in our structure of governance as embraced by our Founders. These trespasses on our very essence, now conspire to threaten the safety and health of our great democracy. As we pause to celebrate those principles, it seems apparent to more and more of us, that on international relations, the environment and long-term finance, we are facing critical consequences because of unilateral, short-term and religious-based actions implemented in the last five years by this Republican administration and its obsequious lap dogs in Congress, like LoBiondo. The unnecessary Bush war LoBiondo has supported through every revelation of mismanagement and manipulated intelligence. Torture prisons set up outside our borders to avoid due process is seen by the world as a betrayal of the principles we hold dear. As we celebrate our principles this 4th, the crass marketing by Bush and LoBiondo of progress in the Middle East shows a complete lack of comprehension of the foundation of our democratic principles. As though mere elections in Iraq or Afghanistan were the essence of democracy. On this Day of our Independence, it is in the checks and balances of shared power based on a foundation of inalienable rights for all; including as Brandeis notes "the right to be left alone," ‘by government,’ which today’s Republicans have betrayed. Our obligation as citizens and inheritors of the wisdom of our Founders is noted in what used to be a core value for Republicans before they were captured by evangelicals and a culture of personal materialistic greed . . . a distrust of government. The pamphleteer Tom Paine articulated it best; "The duty of a patriot is to love his country and protect it from its government." Larry Angel, Mullica Twp Published in the Hammonton News July 6, 2006

Bush Ignores Family Values

More than 2,500 U.S. servicemen/women have now died in Iraq, and we do not get up-to-date figures on how many servicepeople are injured and maimed for life. But President Bush says he's there for the duration, reiterating his La La Land dream that we Americans can both police and solve the problems of Iraq and the Middle East with our young blood and our money. Bush does not have much to say about the state of our own country — the money-grabbing health-care system, a lack of affordable housing, less and less financial help for higher education, secure retirement hopes eroded, an abundance of menial jobs with good jobs outsourced around the world, and a preponderance of two-salary families trying to keep up with expenses. All these conditions, in our opinion, put an enormous hole in “family values.” What is this administration doing to help the average, working-class family? Yes, we need to protect our own shores, and that is what our military should be doing. But it has become nauseating listening to reports of violence and problems in Iraq and observing the economic decline of our own country. Sadly, most Americans sit back and do nothing about it. Wake up, folks. Betty Canderan & John Canderan, Cape May Court House Published June 23,2006 in the Atlantic City Press

Bush Peddles Fear to Nation

When Franklin Roosevelt was elected president in 1932, our country was in the midst of an economic depression. Banks were failing; farmers were losing their farms; 25 percent of the work force was unemployed; and the stock market had crashed. Yet, in his inaugural address, FDR said, “My fellow Americans, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” In contrast, the Bush administration's platform seems to be “We have nothing to offer you but fear itself.” They tell us we should fear flag burning, gay marriage and illegal immigrants from Mexico. They say they are being patriotic in calling these fears to our attention. But isn't there something un-American in telling us we need to be a fearful people? John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington must be rolling over in their graves. Don't we really need a Ronald Reagan to tell us that “It is time for morning in America” or a Bill Clinton to tell us that “America is a place called hope”? Harold A Clark, Egg Harbor Twp Published June 23, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press

Fear Mongering

When Franklin Roosevelt was elected President of the United States in 1932 our country was in the midst of an economic depression. Banks were failing, farmers were losing their farms, 25% of the workforce was unemployed, and the stock market had crashed. Yet, in his inaugural address he said, “My fellow Americans, we have nothing to fear but fear itself.” In contrast, the Bush Administration’s platform seems to be, “We have nothing to offer you but fear itself, because they tell us we should fear Flag Burning, Gay Marriage, and Illegal Immigrants from Mexico. They say they are being patriotic in calling these fears to our attention, but isn’t there something un-American in telling us we need to be a fearful people. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington must be rolling over in their graves! Don’t we really need a Ronald Reagan to tell us that “It is time for morning in America” or a Bill Clinton to tell us that “America is a Place called Hope”. Harold A. Clark PhD Egg Harbor Township

LoBiondo's Record

Frank A. LoBiondo attracted over $7 million from supporters that funded his six campaigns for the office of U.S. Congressional Representative, 2nd D, NJ. OpenSecrets.org lists contributions to Mr. LoBiondo’s 2006 campaign, which shows support from business and labor at a 3 to 1 ratio, including Big Oil; $49,600 from Health Care Organizations; and split-support from In-State and Out-of-State interests at $372,445 and $169,180, respectively. Mr. LoBiondo draws a yearly Civil Service salary of $168,500, with benefits, which taxpayers pay for his vote on legislative issues. House Bills were put forth by the Majority Leader, Tom Delay, who “resigned” on 6/8. Like most of his colleagues, Mr. LoBiondo consistently voted with the Leader for 12 years, even after the House Ethics Committee sanctioned Mr. Delay because of dealings with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Thus, throughout his tenure Representative LoBiondo’s votes eased business regulations and tax restrictions that maximized Big Oil’s profits and helped raise gasoline price at the pump, eased Government oversight to allow Enron-like corporate schemes to fleece shareholders, increased costs for senior’s medications and supports the invasion of Iraq “to protect our [oil] interests.” If elected for another term, to whom does Representative LoBiondo owe his votes? Big Oil? Labor? Out-of-State Interests? Taxpayers can remove this doubt: Let’s ease LoBiondo’s retirement this November by voting for a true Representative of the taxpayers of South New Jersey’s 2nd District: Ms. Viola Thomas-Hughes. CHARLES A. ANDRADE Galloway Township

Supreme Court Ruling Silences Whistle Blowers

On May 30, the U.S. Supreme Court decided five to four that public employees can be punished for complaining to their management about possible wrongdoing. In this case, the employee, an assistant district attorney, was transferred to a lesser job farther from home and denied promotion. His infraction was writing an intra-office memo that alleged a police officer lied in order to obtain a search warrant. The case was heard twice because the first time it ended in a four-four tie with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor not voting. President Bush must be extremely pleased that his court nominations, which fit his Scalia ideal, are returning dividends. The signal sent by the court is "whistle-blowers better watch out because we can now get you for releasing any information that is embarrassing to us." One doesn't have to be a genius to conclude that government wrongdoing will go unreported because people will be afraid to speak out. We are not totally aware of the freedoms we have lost because the government does not feel obligated to inform us when it does so. The National Security Agency, with full presidential approval, was conducting warrantless wiretaps on private conversations for four years before we learned about it. Now it seems that another freedom has been taken by the Bush administration. Mr. Bush has displayed unprecedented hubris in managing a presidency that can trump laws passed by Congress and even parts of the Constitution that he finds inconvenient. I just wonder how many more freedoms must be taken from us before we rise up and say enough. Nick Reina, Milmay Published June 15, 2006 in The Daily Journal

On Haditha, Bush Can't Be Trusted

President Bush is struggling to distance himself from the killing of civilians in the town of Haditha. He is using the same explanation that was put forth for prisoner abuse: Only a few bad apples are responsible. That is being debunked as more reports come out of the war zone that U.S. troops are indeed killing unarmed civilians, including women and children. It is extremely difficult to believe Bush, who as commander-in-chief ultimately creates the culture under which the military operates. It was Bush who refused to sign onto the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes war criminals, called certain provisions of the Geneva Conventions outdated, redefined torture and secretly sanctioned the practice of rendition and the setting up of secret prisons throughout the world to house and torture detainees. Our people in Iraq have been placed in an impossible situation from which they see no relief, and they have become very frustrated and angry. If Bush is not responsible for their state of mind, then no one is. This is not the same country we grew up in. We have always tried to be the good guys, we played and fought hard but we were always the ones who followed the rules even when our adversaries did not. Bush behaves as if the rules are for suckers and losers. He can't even sign a bill into law without putting caveats on what provisions he will and will not obey. It is time to demand from Bush the values on which he ran for office, integrity and honesty. He owes us that much. Karen Padmore, Cape May Court House Published June 15, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press

Bush Hypocritical on Veterans

In his Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, President Bush describes himself as being “in awe of the men and women who sacrifice for the freedom of the United States.” It is hard to believe his sincerity when viewed in relation to his own military record, his questionable rationale for sending Americans into a preventive war, giving higher priority to tax cuts over Kevlar vests and vehicle armor and, especially, for signing legislation that radically degrades veterans' benefits.For example, with the help of the votes of Reps. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, and Jim Saxton, R-3rd, President Bush has passed legislation that denies the National Guard and Reservists the same medical insurance that the regular military gets and increases the costs of veterans' health care. Veterans in most parts of the country now must travel farther for treatment as well as pay more for one-time charges and copayments for treatment and medication.President Bush also signed the bankruptcy law, passed with the votes of LoBiondo and Saxton, that does not exempt Guard and Reservists who have been forced to seek relief while serving extended tours in Iraq and have been unable to cover their small business expenses and mortgage payments.If Bush really wanted to honor Americans, not just those in the military, he would have insisted that the campaign against Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the Taliban be pressed until most of them were captured, killed or reduced to ineffective fringe groups. Had we invested in Afghanistan the resources we diverted to Iraq, one could reasonably conclude that Afghanistan might today be the model of democracy that Bush has been desperately seeking to establish in the Middle East. Nick Reina , Milmay Published June 8, 2006 in the Atlantic City Press

Apology too late for bellicose Bush

Mr. Bush just confessed before the nation that, while everything else he did was right, those truly historic phrases "dead or alive" and "bring 'em on" were "widely misinterpreted" across the world and wrecked his popularity. What a pity. Actually, the bogus bellicosity of this fake cowboy has been very accurately interpreted around the world as the ravings of an incompetent and reckless aspiring tyrant who really has weapons of mass destruction and has been responsible for the death and maiming of thousands of his own people and tens of thousands of Iraqis. Sound familiar? But don't worry. Laura sent him to charm school and he has been practicing how to improve his engaging 'snile.' The polls should start to climb now and the world will again be safe for Enron, and Exxon, and the real American way once Iraqis "stand up." Where was "regime change" when we really needed it, like 2001? Donald W. Connolly, Linwood Published in The Press of Atlantic City on June 7, 2006