Voices FOR Gun Control

[MrBenchley]

Since we've looked at the sort of scum who are pushing the phony gun rights agenda, let's look at some of the decent people working for gun control.

[MrBenchley]

1. Carolyn McCarthy

She's synonymous with gun control.

Carolyn McCarthy is in her fourth term representing Long Island's 4th Congressional District. A life-long resident of Mineola, she has over 30 years experience as a nurse. She holds many honors, including Newsday's 100 Long Island Influentials, Long Island Business News' Long Island Top 50, Congressional Quarterly's 50 Most Effective Legislators, Redbook Magazine's Mothers and Shakers, Ladies' Home Journal 100 Most Important Women, and Advertising Age's list of "Most Impact by Women in 1999", and The American Organization of Nurse Executives' 2003 Honorary Member Award.

Congresswoman McCarthy serves on the Education and Workforce Committee, and the Financial Services Committee. She was a key figure in the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

http://www.house.gov/carolynmccarthy/aboutcarolyn.htm

She's pro-reproductive choice, pro-equal rights for all, pro-environment and opposed to Star Wars..

[DoNotRefill]

2. "Uncle Joe" Stalin....

of course, he's dead now...

[iverglas]

36. dead indeed

Not sure how he fits in this thread ...

.

[DoNotRefill]

52. He was big into gun control....

and slaughtering his own (disarmed) people in huge numbers.

[MrBenchley]

95. By the way...

Remember how every serf in Russia had a gun under the czar? Guess Stalin ended that.

[DoNotRefill]

3. Pol Pot....

Isn't he dead now?

[iverglas]

39. dead indeed, and

... never lived in the US, to my knowledge. Or had any position on firearms control in the US that I'm aware of.

I mean, I'm frequently told that this discussion is about the US. Did you forget?

.

[DoNotRefill]

51. Nope...

where does it say "in the US" in the thread topic? This isn't a specific case relating to a fixed set of laws, it's a general topic, so even Canadian people would fit here.

[CO Liberal]

53. You Just Discovered One of the Pro-Gunner's Modus Operandi

Throw anything in to a serious discussion to result in its being locked. For some of them, it's easier than having them face the truth about their beloved guns and allows them to continue living in denial.

[MrBenchley]

55. Exactly so

Meanwhile, you will note that one of our new Democrats is actually calling himself Oberst Klink...

[Oberst Klink]

60. Hey... Iike Hogan Heros'

It's a joke! I could put Scott Trudeau, with my address and phone number, if you like.

[DoNotRefill]

56. ROTFLMAO!!!!!

This is a MrBenchley thread..."serious discussion"????

"Sez you"--MrBenchley

Need I say more?

[MrBenchley]

58. Gee, refill

Nobody's forcing you to snivel about Dianne Feinstein or Ted Kennedy...

[CO Liberal]

59. It Started Off Serious

Until the pro-gunners started adding ridiculous names like Stalin and Pol Pot.

[Oberst Klink]

63. These are your fellow gun control advocates

Do you want to win elections or take my guns?

[iverglas]

70. ah ...

"These are your fellow gun control advocates"

Just like Ted Nugent is one of your fellow opponents of protecting the public from the harm caused by the violent or stupid use of firearms?

That's so clever.

It's just that NO ONE here is advocating removing firearms from private hands in the US. So proposing a parallel between dead fascists who did impose bans on private firearms possession and advocates of gun control in the US really just isn't all that clever at all, is it?

.

[MrBenchley]

77. Smacks more of desperation, doesn't it?

But hey, if it weren't for hysteria and distortion, the RKBA crowd would have to be mute.

[DoNotRefill]

81. that's a pretty bold statement...

"It's just that NO ONE here is advocating removing firearms from private hands in the US."

In fact, I've seen several anti-gun posters here advocate JUST THAT. Do you need me to find you the posts?

[DoNotRefill]

66. Are you suggesting that they were NOT for gun control?

Links, please, to back that up.

The American gun control movement is following in the footsteps of their predecessors. Gun control didn't start here.

[MrBenchley]

74. Demonstrates perfectly

the bad faith on the "gun rights" side....

[DoNotRefill]

4. Slobodan Milosevic....

Isn't he in custody now, for crimes against humanity???

[iverglas]

69. got a cite?

For the gun control part; I'm familiar with the rest of the tale.

Just curious.

Of course, I'm also curious what parallel you might be suggesting between controls on firearms possession to protect a fascist government from ouster and controls on firearms possession to protect the public from death and injury at the hands of other members of the public. I'm not seeing one.

You're apparently seeing a parallel between the fact that racists who want to regain power reject firearms control and the fact that fascists who are in power would like to disarm their opponents. I'm not seeing one.

In fact, this kinda just highlights the absurdity of the accusations made against Benchley.

Fascist governments impose gun control because they are fascist governments. We don't need to look any farther.

With racists and opponents of gun control, we are looking for the common factor that results in such hugely overlapping sets.

It makes perfect sense to say that fascist governments impose gun control because they are fascists and therefore by definition seek to hold onto power by any means necessary. It makes no sense to say that racists oppose gun control because they racists, or that opponents of gun control are racists because they are opponents of gun control. That might be why nobody says it.

Fascists who are in power *impose* gun control, because the presence of firearms in the population would jeopardize their hold on power. Just like racists in power, etc. etc.

Fascists who are not in power *oppose* gun control, because access to firearms increases their chance of seizing power. Just like racists who have seen power slip from their grasp, etc. etc.

Just as Orwell, a socialist who perceived democracy to be under threat from fascism, and who perceived working people to be under threat from the élites, supported firearms possession to counter those threats.

Some of us tend to make distinctions between these aims: (a) using force to seize and hold power in order to oppress, and (b) using force to overthrow oppressors. And we can tell who is doing which.

And as I've said ... when you can just get the people to use that force against themselves, to keep them occupied with the fear and violence that the oppressors then just have to show on teevee every night ... who needs or wants gun control?? The oppressive state exercises its monopoly on force and keeps itself in power by allowing all those diversionary skirmishes to continue without even having to dirty its hands. Poverty and exploitation coupled with ready access to firearms results in more oppression -- more death and violence and fear and insecurity -- and less likelihood of rebellion in the US, it seems to me.

Maybe it's the trifocals that enable me to see through all the mud and smoke kicked up around here.

.

[el_gato]

5. as opposed to

MrBenchley and his phoney anti-gun agenda

I love your even-handed treatment of the subject. he he

[Oberst Klink]

6. Castro

doesn't like guns in the hands of his victims either.

[DoNotRefill]

7. Heinrich Himmler....

Dead now, but still being paraphrased by Clark...

[MrBenchley]

8. John Lewis

"Lewis was born the son of sharecroppers on February 21, 1940 outside of Troy, Alabama.  He grew up on his family’s farm and attended segregated public schools in Pike County, Alabama.  He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religion and Philosophy from Fisk University; and he is a graduate of the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee.  He has also been awarded numerous honorary degrees from colleges and universities throughout the United States, including Clark Atlanta University, Brandeis University, Columbia University, Fisk University, Morehouse College, Princeton University and Williams College.  John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards, including the prestigious Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize.
At an early age, Lewis developed an unwavering commitment to the Civil Rights Movement.  For more than forty years, he has been in the vanguard of progressive social movements and the human rights struggles in the United States.  As a student, John Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations at segregated lunch counters in Nashville, Tennessee. 
In 1961, Lewis volunteered to participate in the Freedom Riders, which were organized to challenge segregation at interstate bus terminals across the South.  Lewis risked his life and was beaten severely by mobs for participating in the Rides.
In 1964, Lewis coordinated SNCC efforts to organize voters registration drives and community action programs during the “Mississippi Freedom Summer.”  The following year, Lewis led one of the most dramatic nonviolent protests of the Movement.  Along with fellow activist, Hosea Williams, John Lewis led over 600 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama on March 7, 1965.  Alabama state troopers attacked the marchers in a confrontation that became known as “Bloody Sunday.”  That fateful march and a subsequent march between Selma and Montgomery, Alabama led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965."

http://www.house.gov/johnlewis/biography.htm

And he's for gun control.

[Oberst Klink]

9. Hitler

perfered the Jews to be unarmed before he sent them to his death camps.

[Oberst Klink]

10. Jim Crow South

perfered their resident blacks to be unarmed.

< /alabama.accent.on>'Dem pesky colored folks tend to git uppity when day're armed with a smoke pole. < /alabama.accent.off >

[Township75]

11. The Taliban

I watched a CNN interview of the Taliban spokesman which was taken before 9/11. In it he boasted of the good deeds the Taliban performed in Afghanistan...one of which was "disarming the populace".

Another decent person working for gun control.

[DoNotRefill]

12. Dianne Feinstein....

who supports gun control for the masses, but had a CCW permit.


"Some animals are more equal than others."--George Orwell

[Township75]

14. Barbra Boxer too!

.

[MrBenchley]

21. Hey, let's look at Barbara Boxer

"Barbara Boxer became a United States Senator in January 1993 after 10 years of service in the House of Representatives. She was elected to a second six-year term in 1998.

In the House, she made her mark as a champion of human rights, environmental protection, military procurement reform and a woman's right to choose. Boxer disclosed the famous $7,600 Pentagon coffee pot and successfully passed more than a dozen procurement reforms – one of which has saved taxpayers more than $2.6 billion.

Boxer has won numerous awards for her efforts to create a cleaner, healthier environment. As a Senator, she successfully amended the Safe Drinking Water Act to ensure that drinking water standards are set to protect the most vulnerable Americans, including children, pregnant women, and the elderly. She has been a leader in the fight to remove arsenic from drinking water, block oil drilling in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and along California's coast, and revitalize the Superfund to clean up toxic waste sites.

Senator Boxer authored landmark legislation providing federal support for local after-school programs, which have been proven to increase student performance while decreasing juvenile delinquency, crime, and drug use. Her "Computers in Classrooms" law encourages the donation of computers and software to schools.

Senator Boxer joined colleagues to pass the 1994 Crime Bill, which led to the lowest crime rate in 25 years. Her legislation to prevent the criminal use of personal information obtained through motor vehicle records was signed into law and upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. She also authored the Violence Against Women Act while serving in the House and helped steer it successfully through the Senate; it also is now law."

[MrBenchley]

19. Let's look at Feinstein

She was the first woman on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the first woman Mayor of San Francisco, the first woman elected Senator of California and the first woman member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
A native of San Francisco, Senator Feinstein was appointed by California Governor Pat Brown to the women's parole board in 1960 at age 27. In 1969, she was elected to the San Francisco County Board of Supervisors, where she served 2 ½ terms as President of the Board.
She became Mayor of San Francisco in November 1978 following the assassination of Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, where she immediately demonstrated a steadiness and command that calmed the city during that turbulent time.
The following year she was elected to the first of two four-year terms. As Mayor, Dianne Feinstein managed the City's finances with a firm hand, balancing nine budgets in a row. In 1987, City and State Magazine named her the nation's "Most Effective Mayor.""

http://feinstein.senate.gov/biography.html

She's pro-reproductive choice, pro-civil rights, pro-public schools, pro-environment, and pro-health care. In short, she's not a racist Republican piece of shit like Trent Lott or Orrin Hatch.

[DoNotRefill]

20. She's still a hypocite....

"guns for me, none for you, 'cause I'm SPECIAL!"

"Some animals are more equal than others."--George Orwell

[MrBenchley]

24. Sez you

It doesn't bother me...but then I know what a pantload the "anti-gun" accusations are.....

[DoNotRefill]

29. You don't see any contradiction...

for a person to push for disarming "regular people", while refusing to be disarmed herself?

Don't those "regular people" have the exact same right to self-defense that she does?

[Oberst Klink]

32. You see, a single woman has to live in fear...

... so she will vote for more protection from the state that will never actually be there.

[Name removed]

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[Township75]

31. As long as I can have mine, it doesn't bother me about yours...

appears to be the motto for the gun control movement.

[Character Assassin]

100. Blind to the facts as always, I see.

In short, she's not a racist Republican piece of shit like Trent Lott or Orrin Hatch.

No, she's an hypocritical authoritarian piece of shit and virulently pro-WOD.

I'm not suprised in the least that you fawn over her. Birds of a feather, and all that.

[DoNotRefill]

13. Rosie O'donnell

Who campaigned for gun control, yet employed armed bodyguards.

[MrBenchley]

22. Gee, so I guess those screams of "she's anti gun"

Were just so much RKBA horseshit. Who is surprised?

[DoNotRefill]

25. Actually, no.

she was very anti-gun, but since she was "special", the rules she wanted to enforce on others apparently didn't apply to her.

[MrBenchley]

30. Yeah, surrrrrre....

[DoNotRefill]

38. Is that REALLY the best you can do?

I'm not terribly surprised... :shrug:

[MrBenchley]

43. You mean more than THAT was needed?

[DoNotRefill]

46. I don't understand your obsession for meaningless posts...

meant only to flame people.

[DoNotRefill]

15. Ted Kennedy....

wasn't one of his bodyguards arrested for possession of an illegal Uzi SMG?

[Oberst Klink]

16. I think we've made our point.

we will win elections when we drop this issue. Forever.

[billbuckhead]

26. Just ask Arnold Swartzeneggar.

All this "gun rights" bullshit is just code for white racism. Everybody knows it. Just listen to NRA speeches by Heston, Nugent and the rest of the gun whores.

[MrBenchley]

33. I guess the point they made was

that any lie the RKBA crowd can make up is worth repeating.

"All this "gun rights" bullshit is just code for white racism."
You got that right.

[Name removed]

37. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrBenchley]

44. Funny

...how many self-proclaimed Democrats in the gun dungeon are more than happy to repeat slanders against other Democrats.

[Oberst Klink]

57. These are not slanders

Each of his posts are accurate.

The Democrat rank and file must do an about face on the gun control issue.

Take a clue from the party leadership on this one. If you want to win elections, get you filthy paws off my guns, you damn, dirty ape!

[DoNotRefill]

62. It's not the rank and file that's the problem...

it's the elitists who presume to speak for us, even when they say things we oppose.

Ask your average blue-collar union guy what he or she thinks of gun control....and you'll find the answer to the questions "why do we keep losing elections?"

[MrBenchley]

65. Elitists?

Hahahhahahahahahahaha......

"Ask your average blue-collar union guy"
That would be the blue collarr union guy whose union is unnder attack by the GOP...which is trying to push through "right to work laws"

[DoNotRefill]

67. which should make you wonder...

why they'd turn their backs on us if gun control wasn't a big issue for them....

They belong FIRMLY in the Democratic camp. People like you drive them out.

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

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[MrBenchley]

72. John Kerry

"John Kerry graduated from Yale, and enlisted in the Navy. While serving as a swift boat captain, patrolling the Mekong Delta in Vietnam, Kerry was honored for his bravery and valor, earning a Silver Star, three Purple Hearts, and the Bronze Star with Combat V awards. When he returned home after two tours of duty he became a cofounder of Vietnam Veterans of America. Throughout his career, as a veteran himself, Senator Kerry has been a consistent and tireless advocate for a wide range of veteran's issues, including health care, exploring the causes of Agent Orange, and creating employment opportunities for veterans.


After returning home from Vietnam, Senator Kerry attended law school and was elected as the assistant prosecutor for Middlesex County, MA in 1976. He cleared a backlog of cases that were languishing in the courts, and created an innovative rape crisis crime unit. He has continued to work for criminal justice, supporting and writing the Community Oriented Police System Act that provided federal funds to put more police on the streets.

In 1982, Senator Kerry won a hotly contested race and was elected to serve as Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. While in office, he served as vice chairman on the governor's Anti-Crime Council, where he pushed for expanded racketeering laws and a victims' assistance program. He established himself as a strong voice for the environment, working hard to reduce the sulfur dioxide emissions that were poisoning the water in Massachusetts.

When Senator Paul Tsongas retired from the Senate seat in 1984, Senator Kerry scored an upset victory. In his role as Senator he has been a staunch supporter of campaign finance reform, and refused to take PAC contributions for his campaign. While still a freshman Senator, John Kerry started an investigation that led to the exposure of the Oliver North's ties with the Contras. He has worked with John McCain extensively to address the issue of Vietnam POW/MIAs, and to normalize trade relations with Vietnam. Senator Kerry has worked with a number of Republicans on public school reform, including changing teacher certification and ending tenure. He broke with many in the Democratic party when he supported the 1996 welfare reform legislation. Throughout his Senate career he has supported the rights of unions to collectively bargain, and has consistently cosponsored legislation to provide federal funds for hiring new fire fighters."

http://www.firefightersforkerry.org/why/johnsbio.php

[MrBenchley]

75. Gee refill

I'm not the one repeating GOP slander....

[MrBenchley]

64. Yeah, surrrrrrre.....

"The Democrat rank and file must do an about face on the gun control issue."
Sez who? Ted Nugent?

[demsrule4life]

48. Check your sources

Progun folks do not trust Arnold.

[MrBenchley]

50. Duh.....

[MrBenchley]

27. Let's look at Ted Kennedy

One of the most courageous voices in the Senate for education, health care, the environment, and public health and safety.

"Throughout his career, Kennedy has fought for issues that benefit the people of Massachusetts and the nation. The battle to bring quality health care to every American is a battle that Kennedy has been waging ever since he arrived in the Senate. Recent achievements include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which makes it easier for those who change their jobs or lose their jobs to keep their health insurance, and the law that created the Children's Health Insurance Program 1997, which makes health insurance more widely available to children in all 50 states. Kennedy is currently a leader in the Senate in the effort to amend Medicare to include a prescription drug benefit for senior citizens, and to enact the Patients' Bill of Rights, which will end the abuses of HMOs and managed care health plans and provide greater protection for patients and physicians in dealing with insurance companies.

In addition, Kennedy is active on a wide range of other, current issues, including all aspects of homeland security, restoring economic growth and helping the unemployed, improving elementary and secondary schools and making colleges more affordable, raising the minimum wage, defending the rights of workers and their families, strengthening civil rights laws, protecting a woman’s right to choose, assisting individuals with disabilities, fighting for cleaner water and cleaner air, protecting and strengthening Social Security and dealing with judicial nominations."

[DoNotRefill]

34. And Mussolini made the trains run on time....

What's your point?

[MrBenchley]

41. Are you comparing Ted Kennnedy to Mussolini, bub?

[DoNotRefill]

42. Nope...

I'm saying you can find something good to say about anybody, but a hypocrite is still a hypocrite.

[DoNotRefill]

17. Carl Rowan...

long-time supporter of gun control, but shot a fence-jumper with an illegal handgun.

"some animals are more equal than others"--George Orwell

[DoNotRefill]

18. Barbara Graham....

Speaker at the Million Mom March...convicted of shooting an innocent man.

[methinks2]

23. Hitler, Lenin, Jefferson

The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed the subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that the supply of arms to the underdogs is a sine qua non for the overthrow of any sovereignty."
Adolph Hitler, 1938


A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie."
Vladimir Lenin

"Laws that forbid the carrying of arms..disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one." - Thomas Jefferson quoting Cesare Beccaria, Criminologist in 1764. That was 230 years ago.

[Oberst Klink]

28. Another Patriot

Democrat, in the original sense! You are a danger to yourself and our party!

[iverglas]

73. "Cesare Beccaria, Criminologist in 1764"

Talk about your unassailable authorities, eh?

If we depended on, oh, epidemiologists from 1764 for our public health notions, I suspect a lot of us would be, well, dead.

Has nobody south of that 49th parallel noticed yet that THIS IS NOT THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY?

Please consider the possibility that things thought and said by people over 200 years ago (be they criminologists, epidemiologists, philosophers, geologists ... or POLITICIANS, who have nothing but opinions to offer anyhow) may really just be DUMB. We can't blame them, but really, following them just makes us dummies. If not plain dead.

.

[MrBenchley]

47. Chuck Schumer

Throughout his 20 years in Congress, Schumer has been a pioneer in the fight against crime. His work in this area led Attorney General Janet Reno, the nation's top law enforcer, to state, "I have never met a public official more dedicated to fighting crime than Mr. Schumer."
Schumer sponsored and helped pass the Omnibus Crime Bill of 1994, which put 100,000 new cops on the street, enforced "three strikes and you're out" sentencing, and created after school programs for troubled teens. As of August 2000, the Crime Bill's COPS program had put 11,461 new officers on New York's streets.
A member of the Banking committee in the House and the Senate, Schumer worked for a decade to pass the 1999 Financial Services Modernization legislation, which modernizes regulations governing the US banking, securities and insurance industries. He played a key role in drafting language to ensure that financial companies serve traditionally underserved areas and has exposed unequal lending practices of banks and predatory lending practices of subprime lenders in minority communities.
Schumer has also worked to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and children. He authored the 1993 Brady Bill, which instituted mandatory background checks for handgun purchases, and the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. In the Senate, Schumer won the first federal funding for Albany, Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester to implement Project Exile, a program that enforces strict sentencing guidelines for illegal gun possession.
To protect a woman's right to choose, Schumer wrote the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which makes blockading family planning clinics a federal crime. He also authored the Violence Against Women Act, the first federal legislation protecting women from domestic abuse, and has been a leader in the fight against hate crimes and terrorism.
Schumer has also had a powerful effect on a wideranging number of issues, including:
o Consumers : The "Schumer Box," enacted in 1988, requires that credit card companies clearly inform consumers of their terms.
o Immigration: Schumer forged an agreement in 1986 that resulted in an overhaul of the immigration system.
o AIDS: Schumer authored the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Law.
o Israel : Schumer is a staunch advocate for our Middle East ally and has been a leader in bringing restitution to Holocaust survivors and their families.
A product of the Brooklyn public schools, Schumer, 49, is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. He was elected to the New York State Assembly at age 23, one of the youngest members since Theodore Roosevelt, and to Congress at 29. Schumer upset Al D'Amato to become New York's junior Senator in 1998.

[MrBenchley]

68. Charles Rangel

"Congressman Charles B. Rangel is serving his 16th term as the Representative from New York’s 15th Congressional District. Rangel is the ranking member of the Committee on Ways and Means, deputy Democratic whip of the House of Representatives, a co-chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and dean of the New York State Congressional Delegation.
Rangel is the principal author of the $5 billion Federal Empowerment Zone demonstration project to revitalize urban neighborhoods throughout America. He is the author of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit, which finances 90 percent of the affordable housing built in the United States in the last 10 years. The Work Opportunity Tax Credit, which Rangel also championed, has provided thousands of jobs for underprivileged young people, veterans, and ex-offenders.
Rangel is a founding member and former chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; he also was chairman of the New York State Council of Black Elected Democrats and was a member of the House Judiciary Committee during the hearings on the articles of impeachment of Richard Nixon.
Rangel served in the U.S. Army in Korea from 1948 to 1952, and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He authored several pieces of legislation to benefit minority and women veterans, including a successful bill that established the Office of Minority Affairs within the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In 1987, at the height of the battle against apartheid, Rangel led the effort to include in the Internal Revenue Code one of the most effective anti-apartheid measures, denial of tax credits for taxes paid to South Africa. In addition, Rangel played a vital role in restoring the democratic government in Haiti. "

http://www.pta.org/ptawashington/legconf/rangelbio.asp

[MrBenchley]

76. Jon Corzine

"Jon Corzine was elected to his first term in the United States Senate in November 2000, after a long and successful career as an investment banker.
He is a prime sponsor of legislation to reform 401 (k) retirement programs to insure that investment portfolios are diversified to reduce risk. Along with Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, he is the chief sponsor of legislation to tighten business accounting standards and boost enforcement efforts at the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Senator Corzine is a leading Democratic Party spokesman on protecting the Social Security System and favors extending Medicare to include a prescription drug program for all seniors.
The senator is also sponsoring legislation known as the "Start Healthy, Stay Healthy Act,'' which would expand access to health care coverage for children and pregnant women.
He authored legislation in 2001 that should improve access to affordable housing. The FHA Multifamily Housing Loan Limit Adjustment Act increased by 25 percent the statutory limits for multifamily project loans that can be insured by the FHA. This increase reflects the increased costs associated with the production of multifamily units since 1992.
In response to the September 11th terrorist attacks, Senator Corzine introduced legislation that directs states to put together plans to deal with the threat of biological or chemical attacks. He is also sponsoring separate legislation to strengthen security at chemical facilities.
Early in his first term, the senator introduced legislation that would outlaw racial profiling, and he is a co-sponsor of legislation to tighten gun control measures in the country. He has sponsored legislation mandating tougher child passenger safety standards for automobiles, and wants states to take measures regulating the use of cell phones by drivers."

http://corzine.senate.gov/bio/

[MrBenchley]

78. Frank Lautenberg

"Frank Lautenberg is a product of the post-World War Two boon in America. He grew up poor, the son of a European Jewish immigrant silk worker in Paterson, N.J. During the war, Lautenberg served in the Army Signal Corps and afterwards used the GI Bill to attend Columbia University, where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in 1949. Three years later he started Automatic Data Processing, a venture that went on to become one of the premier business services companies, processing payroll for 450,000 employers and 30 million employees in 2002.

Lautenberg steered the company for thirty years, garnering a sizeable personal fortune from his company's explosive growth. He became a Democratic activist and financial supporter. In 1978, his support helped him secure a spot on the NY & NJ Port Authority Commission.
Four years later he took the leap from activist to candidate, running for the state's open Senate seat. Few voters knew him when he entered the 1982 Senate race, but he was willing to spend $5 million of his own money to build a base of support. He went on to upset Republican Congresswoman Millicent Fenwick 51 to 48 percent.
Six years later, Republicans targeted Lautenberg for defeat. Republican Peter Dawkins, a 50-year-old retired Army general, Heisman Trophy winner and Rhodes Scholar, ran against Lautenberg. The campaigns spent nearly $15 million, mostly on negative campaign ads. Despite the fact that President George H.W. Bush won the state, Lautenberg scored re-election by eight percentage points.
During his years in the Senate, Lautenberg quietly built a long list of major legislation he either penned or contributed to heavily. His legislative accomplishments include a 1986 law requiring companies to disclose chemicals they release into the environment, a 1987 law banning smoking on domestic airplane flights, a 1996 law barring those convicted of domestic violence from owning guns and a 2000 law pressuring 31 states to tighten their definition of drunken driving."

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2002/races/nj_lautenberg.html

[MrBenchley]

79. Dick Gephardt

"Dick Gephardt grew up in the same working class neighborhood on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri, that he represents today in the U.S. Congress.
Gephardt's father, a milk truck driver and Teamster, taught him the value of hard work. His mother, a secretary, taught him an appreciation for the value of community and caring about the needs and aspirations of others. While his parents didn't finish high school, they instilled in him a lifelong desire to strive and succeed.
Gephardt was able to continue his education past high school with the help of a church scholarship and student loans. Shortly after Gephardt graduated from Northwestern University and the University of Michigan Law School, he began a career in public service as a grassroots organizer in St. Louis politics.
Gephardt also served in the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1971. He enlisted in the National Guard in 1965 and became an officer as Judge Advocate for the 131st Combat Support Squadron based in St. Louis. He achieved the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged.
Elected Alderman in 1971, Gephardt learned firsthand how government policies could help or hinder the working families he represented. He saw how families, senior citizens, small business owners, and others yearned to have lawmakers who would listen to them, care about their circumstances, and commit to working on their behalf.
From the very beginning, Gephardt understood that Democrats could be counted on to give people a fair opportunity, to defend Social Security and Medicare, and to make sure that government worked for the many, instead of the few.
Now, after 26 years in the Congress, Gephardt is an accomplished lawmaker and leader in the Democratic Party. Passionately committed to raising the level of debate in American politics, Gephardt has forcefully spoken of the need to put aside the "politics of personal destruction" and instead focus on the issues central to America's future.
In 1989, Gephardt was elected to be the House Democratic Leader. Among his most notable accomplishments was House passage of President Clinton's economic plan to slash the deficit, invest in education, cut taxes for working families and ask the wealthy to pay their fair share.
As the Democratic leader, Gephardt steered this initiative to passage without a single Republican vote. The GOP asserted it was a job killer, but in fact this economic plan led to the single longest economic expansion in history, the highest home ownership ever, the lowest inflation in a generation and over 24 million new jobs."

http://www.dickgephardt2004.com/plugin/template/gephardt/24/*

And he's for gun control...

[demsrule4life]

80. When someone makes quotes like this

"When I am president, we'll do executive orders to overcome any wrong thing the Supreme Court does tomorrow or any other day."

the last thing we need is gun control.

[DoNotRefill]

82. Holy SHIT!!!

Did he REALLY SAY THAT!!!

Got a link???

[demsrule4life]

85. Sure

http://slate.msn.com/id/2089056

[MrBenchley]

83. Another attack on a Democrat from the RKBA crowd

Gee, is anyone surprised? Not me.

[demsrule4life]

86. Just stating a fact

[MrBenchley]

84. Dennis Kucinich

"Kucinich first came to national prominence in 1977 when he was elected mayor of Cleveland at age 31; the youngest person ever elected to lead a major American city. In 1978, Cleveland's banks demanded that he sell the city's 70 year-old municipally-owned electric system to its private competitor (in which the banks had a financial interest) as a precondition of extending credit to city government. Kucinich refused to sell Muny Light. In an incident unprecedented in modern American politics, the Cleveland banks plunged the city into default for a mere $15 million. Kucinich lost his re-election bid in 1979. Fifteen years later, Kucinich made his first step toward a political comeback, winning election to the Ohio Senate on the strength of the expansion of the city's light system which provides low-cost power to almost half the residents of Cleveland. In 1998 the Cleveland City Council honored him for, "having the courage and foresight to refuse to sell the city's municipal electric system."
As chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (which is the largest congressional caucus). Kucinich has promoted a national health care system, preservation of Social Security, increased Unemployment Insurance benefits, and the establishment of wholesales cost-based rates for electricity, natural gas and home heating oil. When the Supreme Court rules that mandatory arbitration could be a condition of employment, Kucinich introduces a bill to reverse the Court's decision.
In his Cleveland, Ohio district, Kucinich has been recognized by the Greater Cleveland AFL-CIO as a tireless advocate for the social and economic interests of his community. He is currently leading a civic crusade to save Cleveland's 90 year-old steel industry and the thousands of jobs and retiree benefits it provides. While hundreds of community hospitals have been closed throughout the country, Kucinich led a powerful citizens' movement which reopened two Cleveland neighborhood hospitals."

http://www.house.gov/kucinich/info/bio.htm

And he’s for gun control…

[1a2b3c]

87. Shoot 'em all

And let god sort them out. OR something like that.

[MrBenchley]

88. Tim Johnson

"During his years in the South Dakota Legislature, Tim earned a reputation as a hardworking, effective author of sound fiscal and social policy. ...s elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986 with nearly 60 percent of the vote. During his first term in Congress, he was responsible for passing more legislation than any of the other 50 first-term members. And, he received national awards by the National Farmers Union, Disabled American Veterans, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving. Within the House Democratic leadership organization, Tim served as Regional Deputy Whip from 1991-94. Tim served as South Dakota's congressman for five terms before being elected to the Senate on November 5, 1996.
As a Senator, Tim has already distinguished himself. In the 108th Congress, Tim serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Committee on the Budget, and he serves as the Ranking Member of the Financial Institutions Subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee. Additionally, Tim serves on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee."

http://johnson.senate.gov/biohome_files/biohome.htm#bottom

And he's pro gun control.

[BullDozer]

89. and the ACLU says........

Lets look at what the ACLU has to say about the examples that are being held up as perfect.

Mr Benchleys examples and their ACLU rating from the current 4 issue scorecard

1 - Abortion Ban
2 - Government Surveillance Powers
3 - Ban on Raves
4 - Reporting on Guantanamo Bay Detainees


Dianne Feinstein 25%
Barbara Boxer 25%
John Kerry Did Not Vote on any of the scored issues.
Chuck Schumer 25%
Jon Corzine 25%
Frank Lautenberg 25%
Dennis Kucinich 75% with one Did Not Vote
Ted Kennedy 25% with one Did Not Vote
Tim Johnson 0%


Mr Benchleys examples and their ACLU rating from the current 5 issue scorecard

1 - Religious Discrimination
2 - Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment
3 - School Vouchers
4 - Ban on Raves
5 - Abortion Ban

Carolyn McCarthy 60%
John Lewis 100%
Charles Rangel 75% with one Did Not Vote
Dick Gephardt Did Not Vote on any of the scored issues.


Looks like the ACLU isn't totally happy with everyone you want to put on a pedestal now are they? Are they racists too? I've told you before that the D after someone's name does not provide invulnerability from criticism.

I'm all for jumping on a politician when they do something I dislike, you may want to just snap to and salute their flagpole regardless of what they say or do, but I won't stand idle if they do a piss poor job of representing me.

[1a2b3c]

90. John Lewis 100%

I hate anyone who votes to make flag burning illegal.

[Name removed]

91. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Valarauko]

98. I didn't say that - you did.

You don't "give a roaring crap" for human rights?

[Name removed]

99. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

101. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[MrBenchley]

92. John Edwards

"Senator Edwards was a chief sponsor of the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act, strong and far-reaching patient protection legislation that passed the Senate in 2001.

Senator Edwards's bipartisan accomplishments also include a major investment in America's public schools, strong antiterrorism measures, modernization of the nation's banking system, sweeping campaign finance reform and legislation to fight corporate corruption.

The News & Observer of Raleigh described Senator Edwards as "smart, disciplined, hard-working" with "a down-home manner." The Wall Street Journal called him a senator who "impresses colleagues in behind-doors deliberations." The Washington Post said Senator Edwards has "the ability to think on his feet...master complex issues and...communicate in plain language to ordinary people."

Senator Edwards serves on four committees: Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Intelligence; Judiciary; and Small Business."

http://edwards.senate.gov/about.html

And he's for gun control.

[MrBenchley]

93. Maxine Waters

"Elected in November 2002 to her seventh term in the House of Representatives with an overwhelming 77.6 percent of the votes in the 35th District of California, Congresswoman Maxine Waters represents a large part of South Central Los Angeles, the Westchester community and the diverse cities of Gardena, Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale.
Formerly the Chair of the 39-member Congressional Black Caucus (1997-98), Rep. Waters has held the influential leadership position of Chief Deputy Whip of the Democratic Party since the 106th Congress and was recently named Co-Chair of the powerful House Democratic Steering Committee.
She continues to be a member of the House Committee on Financial Services and the ranking member of its Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. She also continues to serve on the Committee on the Judiciary.
Throughout her 25 years of public service, Maxine Waters has been on the cutting edge, tackling difficult and often controversial issues. She has combined her strong legislative and public policy acumen and high visibility in Democratic Party activities with an unusual ability to do grassroots organizing.
During 14 years in the California State Assembly, she rose to the powerful position of Democratic Caucus Chair. She was responsible for some of the boldest legislation California has ever seen: the largest divestment of state pension funds from South Africa; landmark affirmative action legislation; the nation’s first statewide Child Abuse Prevention Training Program; the prohibition of police strip searches for nonviolent misdemeanors; and the introduction of the nation’s first plant closure law.
As a national Democratic Party leader, Congresswoman Waters has long been highly visible in Democratic Party politics and has served on the Democratic National Committee since 1980. She was a key leader in five presidential campaigns: Sen. Edward Kennedy (1980), Rev. Jesse Jackson (1984 & 1988), and President Bill Clinton (1992 & 1996). In 2001, she was instrumental in the DNC’s creation of the National Development and Voting Rights Institute and the appointment of Mayor Maynard Jackson as its chair.
She has used her skill to shape public policy and deliver the goods: $10 billion in Section 108 loan guarantees to cities for economic and infrastructure development, housing and small business expansion; $50 million appropriation for “Youth Fair Chance” program which established an intensive job and life skills training program for unskilled, unemployed youth; expanded U.S. debt relief for Africa and other developing nations; creating a “Center for Women Veterans,” among others.
She is a co-founder of Black Women’s Forum, a nonprofit organization of over 1,200 African American women in the Los Angeles area. In the mid-80s, she also founded Project Build, working with young people in Los Angeles housing developments on job training and placement. Following the 1992 civil unrest, she founded Community Build, the city’s grassroots rebuilding project.
As an advocate for human rights, Congresswoman Waters was a leader in the movement to end Apartheid and assure one-person, one-vote democracy in South Africa. She founded the Los Angeles Free South Africa Movement and continues to be an advisor to TransAfrica. In 1994, she was on the official U.S. delegation to Nelson Mandela’s inauguration as President of a free South Africa."

www.house.gov/waters/bio.htm

And she's for gun control.

[MrBenchley]

94. Barbara Mikulski

"Determined to make a difference in her community, Mikulski became a social worker. She worked for Catholic Charities and Baltimore's Department of Social Services, helping at-risk children and educating seniors about the Medicare program.
Social work evolved into community activism when Mikulski heard about plans to build a 16 lane highway through Baltimore's Fells Point neighborhood. She helped organize communities on both sides of the city and stopped the road, saving Fells Point and Baltimore's Inner Harbor, both thriving residential and commercial communities today.
• She stands up for America's seniors. Mikulski wrote the landmark Spousal Anti-Impoverishment Act to keep seniors from going bankrupt to pay for a spouse's nursing home care. She continues to fight for a prescription drug benefit under Medicare.
• She is a leader on women's health. Senator Mikulski fought to have women included in clinical trials and medical research at the National Institutes of Health. She doubled NIH's funding for important health research. Mikulski wrote the law requiring federal standards for mammograms, and she backed legislation to help uninsured women get screenings and treatment for breast and cervical cancer.
• She fights for our veterans. As the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds the Departments Veterans Affairs, she fights to put more money in the federal checkbook for veterans healthcare. Senator Mikulski is standing firm against toll charges on access to health care for America's veterans.
• She builds communities. Senator Mikulski is a leader in the fight against flipping and predatory lending. After seeing how housing scams were bankrupting homeowners and destroying communities in Baltimore, Senator Mikulski worked with the HUD Secretary to set up a National Flipping Taskforce. She helped change the face of public housing by creating HOPE VI – a program that replaces high-rise slums with livable communities.
• She is champion of our first responders. Senator Mikulski increased funding for FEMA's fire grant program from $150 million in 2001 to $745 million in 2003. FEMA Fire Grants help local fire departments buy equipment and protective gear.
• Mikulski is an advocate for space exploration and scientific inquiry. As the senior Democrat on the Appropriations Subcommittee that funds NASA, she supports the Hubble Telescope, Mission to Planet Earth and other science and space programs.
• Mikulski understands that 21st century jobs require 21st century skills. She is fighting to double funding for the National Science Foundation to expand opportunities for math and science education. She is fighting to close the digital divide. She pushed legislation to create Community Technology Centers, giving families in underserved urban and rural areas access to technology. "

http://mikulski.senate.gov/biography.html

And she's for gun control...

[Valarauko]

96. Ben-Gurion

Author of the "Altalena Massacre"

[Valarauko]

97. Ariel Sharon (nt)

nt