Contacting Members of the Conference Committee for TRAVEL to CUBA

[Say_What]

Contacting Members of the Conference Committee


Action: Contact the members of the conference committee to let them know that the American people expect the Cuba travel provisions to survive the conference committee process. The Democrats on the committee must feel pressure to stand up to the Republicans and fight for these amendments. Meanwhile, the Republicans need to know that the American people are watching this conference and will raise a MAJOR fuss if they act undemocratically. IF YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS ISN'T ON THIS LIST, SOLICIT ANY FRIENDS OR FAMILY WHO LIVE IN THESE DISTRICTS/STATES TO CONTACT CONGRESS.

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Senator Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Senator Kit Bond (R-MO)
Senator Robert Bennett (R-UT)
Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-CO)
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX)
Senator Mike Dewine (R-OH)
Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Senator Harry Reid (D-NV)
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI)
Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND)

Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R-FL 10)
Rep. David Obey (D-WI 7)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD 5)
Rep. Earnest Istook (R-OK 5)
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA, 10)
Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA, 41)
Rep. Harold Rogers (R-KY 5)
Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS 4)
Rep. Anne Northup (R-KY 3)
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL 4)
Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY 20)
Rep. John Culberson, (R-TX 7)
Rep. John Olver (D-MA 1)
Rep. Ed Pastor (D-AZ 4)
Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI 10)
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC 6)
Rep. Steven Rothman (D-NJ 9)

The message is the following:

Dear ______________

For the first time, the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have both adopted legislation to lift the ban on travel by Americans to Cuba (as part of the Treasury-Transportation Appropriations bill).

I urge you to stand up to the Congressional leadership and refuse to let them drop the Cuba travel language from the final bill that is sent by Congress to President Bush. Because the House and Senate passed identical language, dropping the language would be contravening the will and the rules of Congress.

U.S. policy of isolating Cuba, economically and diplomatically, has been a failure for decades. The ban on travel by Americans to Cuba restricts our constitutional right to travel where we wish, and it limits very important contacts and opportunities for commerce between Americans and Cubans.

I urge you to stand strong, to support freedom for Americans and Cubans, and to fight to preserve the language permitting travel by Americans to Cuba. Please report to the House and Senate members our expression of support.

Sincerely,

Name
Address

<http://www.lawg.org/pages/new%20pages/countries/Cuba/travel_calls_conf.htm>

[Say_What]

1. PLEASE KEEP KICKED. If you care about your rights,

please keep this kicked! Repukes are trying to kill what both House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a few weeks ago so that Bush doesn't have to veto the Transportation bill.

<clips>

WASHINGTON - Stripping House- and Senate-approved language to ease travel restrictions to Cuba from a spending bill would be an awkward example of democracy to the rest of the world, congressional supporters said Wednesday.

Instead, Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., House sponsor of the amendment to loosen the 40-year-old restrictions on Americans, and others called on congressional leaders to leave the language intact despite Bush Administration threats of a veto.

"Clearly, it is the overwhelming judgment of this Congress that this ban is ineffective," Flake said at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Flake, pointing to his amendment's passage last month in the House, 227 to 188, and identical language last week passed in the Senate, 59-36, said Senate-House negotiators who will devise a final two-house version of the spending bill should "recognize this is the will of the people."

… Added McGovern: "It's not enough to talk about democracy. We need to practice what we preach."

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=191394>

[Judi Lynn]

2. Bush needs to be confronted on this issue.

He needs to explain to the American public why he wants to override majority votes in both the House of Representatives (third year running) and the Senate.

He needs to make a choice of serving the majority of the American public/taxpayers, or the small group of wealthy Cuban "exile" right-wing extremists in Miami and New Jersey.

[Mika]

3. A big

:kick:

Maybe there's a few DUers who care.

[Say_What]

4. Cuba travel battle looms

<clips>

WASHINGTON - Strong majorities in the House and Senate have approved similarly worded measures to end the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. Normally, that would ensure final passage.

But there's nothing normal about Cuba policy on Capitol Hill.

President Bush has pledged to veto any bill with such a provision, and House Republican leaders have said they will work to remove it when a conference committee of House and Senate members approves a final version of the Treasury-Transportation appropriations bill.

In a few weeks, Republican leaders say, it's likely that several spending measures will be wrapped up into one omnibus bill to fund most of the federal government for the next year. With bigger issues getting attention during the hectic end of a congressional session, that would make it even easier to drop the Cuba provision behind closed doors.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/cuba/7147628.htm