Congress Needs a Kick in the Pants

Ask your US Representative and your US Senators to do the right thing!
Yesterday, the USDA issued the largest recall of beef in U.S. history, the latest action in response to The Humane Society of the United States’ groundbreaking undercover investigation of a dairy cow slaughter plant in Southern California.
The recall of 143 million pounds of beef came two days after San Bernardino County District Attorney Michael Ramos filed criminal charges against slaughter plant workers caught on video torturing crippled cattle, and two weeks after USDA shut down that slaughter plant.
The recall and cruelty charges show that the public will not stand for such abuses of farm animals, nor for the health risks that come with using "downed" cows for food. But the outrage has not yet prompted a change in federal policies related to the inhumane handling of downer cows and other farm animals.
So today, please take the next step and ask your legislators to co-sponsor the Downed Animal and Food Safety Protection Act, which would ban any slaughtering of downed animals for human consumption.
After you’ve taken action, read a personal note from our undercover investigator in this case, then donate to our Investigations Fund to bring other cruelties to light.

The response to our investigation has been felt across the nation -- and millions of people have now witnessed the animal abuse that our undercover investigator so bravely documented. While the exposure is important, the long term goal is for the federal government to step up and meet its responsibility to ensure both food safety and animal welfare. A recall of this staggering scale proves that it's past time for Congress and the USDA to strengthen our laws for the sake of people and animals.
Your action here will make a difference. Tell congress that this bill is the right thing to do, and now is the time to do it.

This May Be Our Last Chance to Save the Delta Queen

A Call For Your Help

I am including below a letter written by Mary Sward Charlton, the historian aboard the Delta Queen steamboat. It addresses issues at hand regarding granting this historic boat the exemption it needs to continue operation. Please consider writing to your U.S. Representative and asking them to vote to grant the waiver in the upcoming legislation. I appreciate your interest in this matter, and hope that you will support the continued operation of this National Landmark.

Dear Mr. Matties,

My sister, Ellen Sward, forwarded to me her correspondence with you regarding the Delta Queen Steamboat. I am the historian aboard the vessel, and I would like to answer any of your concerns, so that you and Representative Boyda have a better understanding of the issues.

The Delta Queen must have an exemption from the Safety at Sea Act in order to operate past this November. This law was passed in 1966 to protect passengers in ocean waters, but the language of the law inadvertently caught the Delta Queen. For 40 years, Congress has passed this exemption—almost always close to unanimously. Representative Oberstar himself voted for it last year. Since then, the boat was bought by a company that does not employ a union crew. Please look up the top contributors to Mr. Oberstar’s 2006 campaign, and you might see why his vote has changed.

The Delta Queen is the last traditional steamboat carrying overnight passengers on our inland waterways. She is the only remaining example of a time when our rivers were our superhighways; when these vessels settled the West. For that reason, she has been designated a National Historic Landmark, and this year she has been nominated for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of the 11 Most Endangered Places in America.

The steamboat is one of the most significant inventions in the history of the world, and it is an American invention. Before the power of steam was harnessed to transportation, the fastest that people could travel was the speed of a galloping horse—and for only as long as the horse could sustain that speed. The arrival of the steamboat meant that not only could people and goods travel faster, but so could knowledge and information.

As for your safety concerns, I sleep below the waterline on the boat, and I assure you, I feel safe. Every room on the vessel is equipped with heat and smoke detectors, as well as a modern sprinkler system. Almost every room has a door directly out to the deck, and for those few that do not, it is at most a 20 to 30 foot walk to the outside deck. Fire extinguishers are very visible, and every passenger and crewmember undergoes a fire and boat drill at the beginning of each cruise. In addition, we have modern fire suppression systems on board in critical areas. Our fire fighting team drills constantly.

Please remember, we cruise only America’s rivers, and are never more than a minute or two from land. Steamboats were built to land just about anywhere along the rivers. They are uniquely designed for this. Many times, if the fog is too thick, we do as steamboats have always done: We “choke a stump” (tie off on any nearby accommodating tree along a bank) until the fog lifts. We can get someone off in a medical emergency anywhere there is a nearby road for an ambulance. Try doing that in the middle of the ocean or thousands of feet in the air. Our safety record is enviable—you can check it yourself online—and compare our “grand old lady” with many newer boats!

Mr. Oberstar is right—the Delta Queen can run overnight with fewer than 50 passengers, or as a day excursion boat with more. What he is not telling you is this: it takes about 100 overnight passengers to break even. It is not financially feasible to run as he suggests. Furthermore, why is it that he is not concerned about the safety of 49 passengers staying overnight? Either the boat is safe, or she is not. Here is the dismal truth about old boats changed for other uses: they sink. They simply do not make enough money for their own maintenance, no matter what their use. Just look up the Showboat Goldenrod, or the steamboat Julius Wilke in Winona, MN. If the Delta Queen cannot run as she is, she will die.

These are American jobs we are talking about, but let me tell you about the American people this would affect. They are a microcosm of what is good in this country, a dedicated staff of men and women who represent all facets of our society. They are black, white, Hispanic; young and old; male and female; gay and straight, and from every part of the country. We get along—we are friends who share a common goal, and we love what we do! Some of the people who work on this vessel lost everything they had in Hurricane Katrina; the stories passengers tell of those tragic days when many staff had no idea where their family members were, yet continued to provide exemplary service, are heart-rending. Not only that, but some of the small towns up and down the rivers of America depend on us for a boost to their economy. Ask the ladies in Helena, Arkansas, who put on one of the most popular tours we offer. Their town is dying, but they bring it to life with their generosity of spirit, their fine singing, and their popular soul food.

I hope I have convinced you—and Ms. Boyda – that this is a far more complicated issue than Mr. Oberstar would have you believe. Please talk to Rep. Chabot’s office. Go to Save-the-Delta-Queen.org or Steamboats.org for more information. Call me! I expect you to do your research. But please, make sure that you are getting both sides.

I had the pleasure of meeting Rep. Boyda in Washington for her swearing-in a year ago. I would love to show her my boat, and let her see for herself. This is not an ordinary boat—she is an American icon. If Congress does not pass the bill by November, she will lose her Certificate of Inspection, and can never run in a meaningful way again. Please give us a chance to preserve history, as Congress has done for us for the past 40 years.

Sincerely,
Mary Sward Charlton
Historian, Delta Queen

Senator Thompson Falls to the Cookie-cutter Washington Campaign Ethics

Tuesday was a very sad day for me. My hopes for a true conservative were gone. This quote from Hugh Hewitt's Blog at Townhall.com makes it very clear why Thompson's campaign didn't survive.

Posted by Patrick Ruffini Thursday, January 24, 2008
"Ultimately, the story of the Fred Thompson campaign will be one of authenticity and grassroots potential wasted on a cookie-cutter Washington campaign. "

Cookie-cutter Washington campaign. What phrase could possibly describe it better, or make it more clear just what state this country is in?

Mitt Romney - Emotion-Free Animal Cruelty

The following article appeared in the Boston Globe, June 27, 2007. Here we have presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, who not only committed animal cruelty and did it in front of his 5 sons, he did it with absolutely no concern or remorse.

"Journeys of a shared life
Raising sons, rising expectations bring unexpected turns

By Neil Swidey and Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff | June 27, 2007

The chevy station wagon with the wood paneling was overstuffed with suitcases, supplies, and sons when Mitt Romney climbed behind the wheel to begin the annual 12-hour family trek from Boston to Ontario.

As with most ventures in his life, he had left little to chance, mapping out the route and planning each stop. The destination for this journey in the summer of 1983 was his parents' cottage on the Canadian shores of Lake Huron. Romney would be returning to the place of his most cherished childhood memories.

Even for someone who had always idolized his father, the similarities between his path in life and the one George Romney had cut before him were remarkable. Husband to his high school sweetheart, father to a brood of young children, bishop of his local Mormon church, and businessman on the threshold of life-altering success.

If anything, 36-year-old Mitt, who had just been tapped to lead a new venture capital firm, was on track to achieve more at a younger age than his famously overachieving father.

His father had known poverty as a child, Mitt only privilege. His father had succeeded without a college degree while Mitt was launched with the finest educational pedigree. Given all his advantages, Mitt seemed restless to make his mark sooner.

Before beginning the drive, Mitt Romney put Seamus, the family's hulking Irish setter, in a dog carrier and attached it to the station wagon's roof rack. He'd built a windshield for the carrier, to make the ride more comfortable for the dog.

Then Romney put his boys on notice: He would be making predetermined stops for gas, and that was it.

The ride was largely what you'd expect with five brothers, ages 13 and under, packed into a wagon they called the ''white whale.'' As the oldest son, Tagg Romney commandeered the way-back of the wagon, keeping his eyes fixed out the rear window, where he glimpsed the first sign of trouble. ''Dad!'' he yelled. ''Gross!'' A brown liquid was dripping down the back window, payback from an Irish setter who'd been riding on the roof in the wind for hours.

As the rest of the boys joined in the howls of disgust, Romney coolly pulled off the highway and into a service station. There, he borrowed a hose, washed down Seamus and the car, then hopped back onto the highway. It was a tiny preview of a trait he would grow famous for in business: emotion-free crisis management. And it offered his sons a rare unplanned stop."

It offered his sons something else too. It showed them that their father was totally emotionless regarding the distress of their dog, and that he thought this treatment of their family pet was completely acceptable.

Can anyone possibly believe that this kind of cold, calculating, abusive behavior won't carry over into the Presidency?

Mike Huckabee's Son is a Dog Killer

I have waited to get official information on this horrific story - now it is officially true.

Yes, I would certainly say that the issue was "dealt with." It's how it was dealt with that is suspect.

The Facts -
On 11 July 1998 two young men working as counselors at Camp Pioneer in Hatfield, Arkansas killed a dog at that Boy Scout Camp. One of those young men was 19 year old Clayton Frady of Texarkana and the other David Huckabee, the youngest son of then Governor of Arkansas, Michael Dale "Mike" Huckabee. David Huckabee was 17 at the time of the slaying, although he would turn 18 less than 2 weeks later. Both young men were fired over the incident.

As to why the young men were fired, if what they had done was put a suffering animal out of its misery, or struck down a sickly animal that looked like it had been about to attack, Scout executive Young, the person who dismissed them from their jobs, said the pair were fired because they had violated a Scout Law: "A Scout is kind."

A December 2007 Newsweek article says that shortly after the animal's death, the local prosecuting attorney wrote a letter to the Arkansas state police asking them to investigate the case to see if the two young men involved had violated state animal-cruelty laws. The state police did not look into the matter, and no charges were filed.

Newsweek reported that people in Governor Huckabee's employ tried to persuade the director of the Arkansas state police to write a letter stating that no investigation had been called for.

Governor Huckabee denies using his influence to keep police out of the matter, saying to Larry King: "Well, let me categorically say that is absolutely not true. I never used my influence. In fact, if anything, I said treat it like you would anything else. I don't want special treatment for him or against him. My son was a minor at the time. It was not a criminal issue. It was an issue that was dealt with".

And all this from the Baptist minister who claims above all else that God is his guidance and wisdom. Well done, Mike Huckabee. I'm sure God is proud of you now.

Earth - Let's Give it a Break

It's time to do something about the dozens of unwanted catalogs you receive in the mail every month. This volume is the result of your name and address being sold over and over again to companies world wide.

About a non profit organization called Catalog Choice
Catalog Choice is a free service that will reduce the number of unwanted catalogs mailed to your home. We aim to make it easy to lighten your footprint and go paperless without touching your wallet.The service is brought to you by the Ecology Center and is endorsed by the National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council. Funding support is provided by The Kendeda Fund, The Overbrook Foundation, and the Merck Family Fund.

Here is a way to stop this wasteful abuse of our natural resources. Go to the Catalog Choice web site and sign up to decline receiving all those unwanted catalogs. This non profit web site is making a difference. By sheer volume and demand, companies are beginning to respond to the customer's wishes.

Let's all give the earth a break!

The Delta Queen's End is Near

2008 has arrived, and it is the last year that the Delta Queen will sail the Mississippi River with overnight passengers if Congress doesn't grant a waiver.

Read the facts about why the Delta Queen should have her waiver.

Two members of the US Congress are adamantly opposed to granting the waiver. Why they feel this way is shrouded in political murkiness. They are:

Congressman James Oberstar, Chairman of the Transportation Committee
Duluth, MN office fax 218-272-8270
Chisholm, MN office fax 218-254-5132
Brainerd, MN office fax 218-828-4400

and Senator Daniel Inouye, Chairman of the Commerce Committee.
Honolulu, HI office fax 808-541-2549
Hilo, HI office fax 808-961-5163
Kona, HI office fax 808-961-5163
Molokai, HI office fax 808-560-3385
Kauai HI office fax 808-246-9515

The rest of Congress just seems to be apathetic. Let's show them how the American people feel about this issue.

If you would like to help preserve this piece of American History, then fax your Senator and your Congressmen. You can locate fax numbers here and here. Now would be a good time to contact them in their home offices before they return to DC later this month.