Lots of Things: Last week, I went over the 4 "big things" that will be addressed in Congress this month. This week, I’ll give you a brief rundown on "lots of things" both large and small that have been going on here in Washington during an active period:
- Border Fence: Yesterday, the House passed a bill to construct 700 miles of new fencing along the border with Mexico, by a vote of 283-138. This bill, which I cosponsored, is the first in a series of proposals the House will take up this as part of a substantial border security package. Now we will see if this approach is acceptable to the Senate and the president.
- Earmark Reform: Yesterday, the House also approved reforms to the earmark process. The reforms change House rules to require the disclosure of earmarks in a very similar manner to the way I made mine known last month. A House rule, unlike a bill, does not require Senate approval and takes effect immediately. The downside is that it expires at the end of the year and will have to be renewed next year.
- Chaplain Prayer: In a continuing assault on freedom of religious expression, some senators are proposing language in the Defense Authorization Bill which would require military chaplains to be "sensitive and tolerant" of other faith groups in situations other than a sectarian service. The bastion of radical atheism, the ACLU, is apparently very excited about this language because it believes the language can be used to legally prohibit many cases of prayer in the military. (Heavy, heavy sigh). There has been a saying for decades that there are no atheists in a foxhole, but if this language passes, there could be a requirement that only atheists may be in a foxhole. This is so unbelievably wrong that I can’t find words to describe it. We are on a full court press to insure that this language does not become law. I, and others, will oppose the defense bill if this language is in there. More on this next week.
- My Earmarks: Some of you, who respond to the list of "earmark" requests I disclosed a few weeks ago, questioned why I had so many requests related to cleaning up ocean water and creeks and streams. First of all, I’m just a clean water and clean beaches kind of guy. I think much of the culture of Orange County depends on it. But, the main reason for requesting federal money here is that longstanding federal law gives the Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction over virtually all of the nation’s waterways. So, projects to dredge the Newport Back Bay or clean up Aliso Creek, or Doheny Beach are necessarily federal projects requiring federal approval, design and authorization. Therefore we need federal money for these projects to occur. So, therein lies the federal nexus.
- POTUS: POTUS is the abbreviation ubiquitously used around here for "President of the United States". It took me a while to get used to that. Anyway, the POTUS spent an hour talking to and taking questions from the House Republican Conference. He talked about a lot of things, but mostly about the war against Islamic Fascism (my phrase, not his). He said that this year on September 11th, he spoke to many relatives of victims and that all but one of them gave him the same message: Mr. President, Don’t quit. He also said that the press says that his plan is to "stay the course". He said that is wrong. We must adapt to the enemy and keep our word. He went on to say that one thing we must explain to those who do not support our efforts in this war is just what "the stakes of failure and the benefits of success" are. The radical left can do or say what they want. This President knows the stakes. He understands the benefits, and he will not be deterred from the mission. Thank God for that.
- Horses: In the midst of all the debate over war, budget and taxes, there are lesser things going on. The house took up a bill (HR 503) which will ban the interstate transportation of horses for the purpose of slaughter for human consumption. The future of the Republic may not hinge on this vote, but I got lots of letters and phone calls about it and the press in this town wrote a lot about it. Apparently, horse meat is a delicacy in Japan, France and Belgium and is consumed as "cheval". But much of it comes from three slaughterhouses in Illinois and Texas. I voted for the bill. We, as humans, have a special relationship with dogs, cats and horses. We don’t eat them. At least not in this country. The bill, which I supported, passed by a vote of 263-146.
September 15th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Has the President given up yet Congressman on amnesty for illegal aliens? I bet he didn’t talk about that in the caucus meeting. I remember distinctly you telling me after your election that the President looked you right in the eye during a meeting you had with him and he said he is against amnesty. I guess he has a different definition of the word than most people because he’s still pushing for it.