Puck

You gotta love Cathy McMorris, Washington’s Fifth District represenative to Congress. She’s a staunch supporter of torture, claiming (against all evidence to the contrary) that it’s a reliable means of intelligence gathering. (Even the Israelis say torture is useless, but don’t tell Cathy that.) Now she’s written to tell me that ” the right to vote is not an inalienable right, however, and is contingent upon esteeming the rights of others. In committing a felony, a criminal infringes and threatens the rights of fellow citizens. As a consequence, the laws of Washington State are enforced to suspend certain rights of felons, including the right to vote.” Somebody needs to teach this woman to read–read the Constitution, that is. Especially since in the paragraph before she (or her PR flack, who obviously doesn’t know a contradiction from a hole in the wall) writes, “The most fundamental and essential aspect of a democratic society is the right to vote.” Not only is McMorris torture-loving rights revoker, but she’s deceptive as well. Read the rest of this entry »

In response to my letter asking her to support Rep. John Conyers’ H. Resolution 635, which calls for an investigation into the crimes committed by President Bush with an eye toward impeachment, McMorris replied that Conyers’ Resolution was “one of a series of politically motivated attacks” on the President. I suppose that’s true, in the same way a group of sane people defend themselves against the paranoid-schizophrenic rampages of a serial killer. McMorris claims that Bush “has been admirable in defending freedom throughout the world.” I guess it depends upon your definition of “freedom”: illegal incarcerations, extraordinary renditions, torture, illegal spying upon U.S. citizens, and the wholesale slaughter of innocents in Iraq are not, however, within any sane person’s definition of freedom. “President Bush should be praised for his bold leadership and dedicated service to this country,” McMorris continues and again, I have to agree, as long as were defining “bold leadership” and “dedicated service” as including inspiring thousands of Muslims to join the various jihadist movements around the world. The President is dedicated to a “clash of civilizations,” to use Samuel Huntington’s misguided phrase, and to boldly lead the U.S. into a morally and economically draining perpetual war. Meanwhile, Osama Bin Laden roams free–a fact McMorris doesn’t mention (ever) but one that must surely constitute a key component of her definition of “freedom” and of her continued hardline support of the President.

Rep. Cathy McMorris has done it again. This avowed conservative and Bushite, dedicated (she says), to small government and states’ rights, on March 8 voted yes on the National Uniformity of Food Act. This bill voids the rights of individual states to determine food quality and safety and places that power with the federal government. Says the Union of Concerned Scientists, “The bill would remove states’ power to warn consumers about mercury contamination or arsenic in bottled water, void California’s Proposition 65 which requires labeling on food products containing carcinogens, and cost taxpayers more than $100 million to implement. [The bill] is backed by large food manufacturers and trade organizations that have contributed millions of dollars to members of Congress.” Please contact your senators and ask them to oppose this bill.

I recently wrote Rep. Cathy McMorris a letter urging her to take a stand against torture. While she agreed that “Without a doubt, torture is a deplorable, reprehensible act that should be condemned as morally indefensible” she refused to take a stand, adding that “Following the tragedy of September 11, 2001, the President has declared several captured persons as ‘enemy combatants,’ thus not entitled to all of the rights outlined in the Geneva Conventions.” Worse, she adds that this gives the President the power to “use force against those… persons he determines were responsible for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.” Read the rest of this entry »