In the race for Kentucky’s First Congressional District, the differences between Exxon Ed Whitfield and Heather Ryan are like night and day. There are huge differences that have monumental implications for the first district, but not only that the state of Kentucky, our nation, and indeed the world. There is no issue that shows this more than the fight against torture.
This is one issue that Exxon Eddie either wants to have both ways, or simply lacks the courage of his own convictions to stand up to President Bush and his chickenhawk lackeys within the Republican Party. Why would I say that? I wrote him as a constituent asking him to vote to override President Bush’s veto that would allow America to torture. Here is a telling part of his response about why he refused to vote to override Bush’s veto:
I do have some concerns about how this legislation may affect our country’s policies on torture of enemy combatants. I am opposed to acts of torture and other human rights abuses and believe that the United States should continue to be a leader in ending such atrocities. For that reason I supported the Fiscal Year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 109-163), which included provisions to require uniform standards for interrogated people in the custody of the Department of Defense. This law expressly bans cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment of detainees in the custody of any U.S. agency anywhere overseas. I will continue to work in the Congress to ensure that individuals in U.S. custody are treated humanely.
So which is it Exxon Eddie? Why was torture OK to fight against in 2006, but suddenly it is not? It seems if his “concerns” were that great, he would have enough courage to stand up to Bush and his own party when they are wrong. The people of the first district deserve a Representative with the courage of his own convictions.
What of the reasons why he opposed this veto? Well, lets look:
I opposed the override because I believe this bill adversely impacts our intelligence community’s ability to protect Americans from future terrorist attacks.
So, Exxon Eddie is playing the fear card of further terrorist attacks to justify the fact that he doesn’t have the courage to stand up for his own stated beliefs. Do we need to remind him that the incompetence of this Administration which was rubber-stamped before and after 9-11 by both he and Mitch McConnell, his mentor, played a role in those attacks? If he has forgotten the memo Bush got that said, “Bin-Laden determined to attack America”, we sure haven’t. He and his Republican cohorts will do anything to keep from admitting a competent administration could have avoided these attacks in the first place.
But the next reason is most telling as to why Exxon Eddie could not follow his convictions and vote to override:
Among other problems, I am concerned that this bill makes serious cuts to our Human Intelligence program, directs our intelligence community to unrelated activities such as studying global climate change, and contains too many unneccesary and costly earmarks.
Now, this explains it!!! Ed Whitfield votes his stock options!! His Exxon and Chevron stocks dictate that the study of climate change is against HIS interests. Forget the fact that global climate change poses a greater threat to our planet than terrorist attack, it could spurn investment in Renewable Energy which would benefit our state and the world not himself and Big Oil. And where was all this concern about earmarks when he was voting for subsidies and corporate welfare for Big Oil and drug companies, while voting against investment in renewables and SCHIP?
We need a Representative who believes in American values and isn’t afraid to fight for them. Most of all, we need a Representative who is beholden to US, not his own stocks, his special interest contributors, and his “bosses”, Mitch McConnell or President Bush.
Heather Ryan is just that Representative. She is young, energetic, and smart. She is a veteran, mother, and wife as well as attending Drake University and attaining a degree in Political Science. This is her first run for public office, so she is an outsider who knows how people in our district live, because she lives here with us not in Florida like Exxon Eddie.
Her campaign does not take special interest or lobbyist money so she is beholden only to the grassroots Americans who want change, and support candidates who will fight for it. She makes us all lobbyists, as we are her special interest group. Want to know how she feels about torture and fighting for Big Oil? Here:
You can also see my video of her in Benton, Ky here, alhough the quality is pretty poor. I am investing in a better camera soon!!:
I hope everyone sees just how badly we need Heather fighting for us in the Congress. She shares our disgust with the direction of this country and will fight for us with every fibre of her being.
That is why we need your help. We desperately need to get our message to the people of our district. To do this we need money. Although we don’t like the system, we are playing within it. Unfortunately we are running in one of the largest, and poorest districts in the nation. Exxon Eddie and men the likes of Mitch McConnell’s handiwork.
The Democrats in this district deserve the support of our party too. We are respectfully asking for it. We want to fight for the ideals of our party!!
Please help me in meeting my goal of $1500 by May 20 and the Kentucky primary she is unopposed in. You can do so here:
http://www.actblue.com/page/am…
I am more than a third of the way to my goal, and what could be better than supporting grassroots, “fighting Democrats” that are informed and fired up?
Best wishes fellow Democrats!!