When is protecting our troops “anti-troop?”

Answer: when the Republicans–the ones who are lockstep with Bush’s muddled non-plan for his war in Iraq–say it is. Here is a question for you: if a member of your family was about to be sent to Iraq, wouldn’t you want him or her to have the best available equipment? Of course you would. This is why Representative Jack Murtha (who is a Vietnam veteran) is pushing a plan in Congress that prohibits President Bush from sending more of our sons and daughters to Iraq if they are not well-equipped.

Strangely, the Republicans in Congress are calling Murtha’s plan “anti-troop.” Anti-troop? Hmmm. By this reasoning, putting our children in car seats to protect them shows that we are anti-automobile. Or inoculating them against childhood diseases means we are anti-God (after all, we might be interfering with God’s will).

Either the Republicans have lost their ability to reason, or they value ideology over the lives of our sons and daughters. You might call Representative Dave Camp (his toll free numbers is: 1-800-342-2455) and ask him what he values most: the lives of our troops or sticking with the President‘s failed policy.

Recent News Does Not Bode Well For Camp

A couple of recent news pieces bring bad news for Dave Camp.

Camp's voting record clearly demonstrates that he identifies as a party line Republican. When his party's conservative, he's conservative. When his party is moderate, he's moderate. A couple of recent news pieces indicate that Camp's rubber stamp loyalty isn't going to work out for him in '08.

First, there's this disturbing Newsweek poll, which indicates that only 30% of Americans approve of Bush, while 48% say that their opinion of Bush will be at least "somewhat important" in determining who gets their vote in '08. 61% are dissatisfied with the way things are going in America. 31% of Republicans say that their party didn’t do enough to challenge the administration on the war.

(By the way, does anyone else remember the slogan, "On their turf, on our terms. Not on our turf, on their terms"? You should, if you were unfortunate enough to encounter one of Camp's campaign schleps in 2004. That's how he defended his support for the war.)

America is dissatisfied, and even Republicans aren't happy with Republicans. But Camp can take comfort in the fact that his gerrymandered district was carved out to fit him perfectly, right?

But then comes this little piece, from ABC News 12:

But as some look to the future, they say it may get worse. In Mid Michigan, Genesee County doesn’t have the highest percentage of kids living in poverty.

Of counties with populations over 65,000, Saginaw County has the most, followed by Isabella and Midland counties with numbers in the teens and Shiawassee and Lapeer with more than 10 percent of their children living in poverty.

Saginaw. Isabella. Midland. Shiawassee.

All in the 4th district.

All of them "represented" by Camp.

People are suffering. People are dissatisfied. People don't like Bush. Bush is a Republican. Camp is nothing but a Republican.

Bye bye, Rubber Stamp Camp.

Camp and stem cells

Once again, ol’ Rubber Stamp Camp has voted “no” on stem cell research just like his party told him to. He got away with it before because W, who has no problem with basing public policy on personal religious beliefs, vetoed the legislation and the Republican-controlled Congress rolled over and played dead again.

It is different this time around. Bush has vowed to veto this legislation, but this time is that the Democratics might be able to override his veto. We have the votes in the Senate, but the House is still iffy.

Contact Camp and urge him to take a brave and, for him, scary step, and vote “yes” to override the veto. If he responds with the usual “concern for human life” (something that has not concerned him much as he voted to send American soldiers to needlessly die in Iraq; legalized automatic weapons; or when he cast the many votes against funding for pre-natal health care, health care for the children of the poor, and the many other “no” votes that diminished the lives of the poor and middle class), let him know that his constituents are finally waking up his hypocrisy, and 2008 is not far away.