Activism Across America

My moment of realization about the political character of Congressman Dan Lipinski was a vote back in 2005. Representative Lipinski voted in favor of allowing government-funded programs to discriminate against workers on the basis of religion. Lipinski actually thought that it was a good idea to allow bosses to fire employees for not belonging to a church that they approved of.

Most of us Americans do not think it is the business of bosses to make decisions about which churches their employees go to. Dan Lipinski doesn’t see it that way, apparently.

The think about Dan Lipinski is that he just doesn’t see things the way most Democratic voters do. He is in favor of helping big oil companies wreck the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It’s no wonder, with the amount of big oil money Lipinski takes.

Dan Lipinski also votes like a member of the Religious Right on matters of reproductive freedom. He believes that life begins at the moment of conception, and that’s his personal right. Dan Lipinski doesn’t stop there, however. Through his votes in Congress against stem cell research and other related issues, Lipinski tries to force his religious beliefs on everyone else.

That’s not what being a Democrat is supposed to be about. The Democrats are supposed to be the party the respects constitutional liberty. Yet, Dan Lipinski has consistently voted to help George W. Bush set up Big Brother electronic surveillance programs that spy on the private activities of ordinary, peaceful, law-abiding Americans. Dan Lipinski voted for the Patriot Act - twice, without any amendments to protect the American people from having government spies snoop in their private lives. This August, in the middle of the night on a Saturday when he hoped that no one would be paying attention, Dan Lipinski voted for the Protect America Act, a new law that lets the government spy on the Internet activities of American citizens, even when they aren’t suspected of any crime - all without any search warrant or other form of supervision.

The Democrats of the 8th Congressional District in Illinois have had it with Dan Lipinski. That’s why, for the 2008 election, Illinois Democrats are coming together to support Mark Pera, a true mainstream Democrat who will not lose his spine and buckle under to pressure from the Republican Party in the way that Dan Lipinski does.

Please, visit Mark Pera’s web site and give him your support in his challenge to Dan Lipinski’s politics of cowardice.

Jim Marshall voted in favor of starting Iraq War. Congressman Marshall voted in favor of the three laws that have done the most to reduce liberty in the USA: The Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and the Protect America Act. Representative Marshall has voted to allow government-funded programs to engage in religious discrimination against workers. Marshall voted against providing expanded SCHIP health care for the children of working families across America.

Jim Marshall votes just like a Bush Republican. So, why is it that Jim Marshall calls himself a Democrat? Well, it’s because the Democrats are the stronger political party in his congressional district, and he wants to keep on using their political power to maintain his own power. Jim Marshall uses the Democratic Party to stay in Congress, and then kicks Democrats in the teeth by voting against everything that Democratic voters care about.

Up until now, the Democrats of the 8th congressional district have stood by and taken the abuse from Jim Marshall. Not any more. Now, Georgia’s 8th district Democrats have a mainstream Democratic candidate, Robert Nowak, to set things straight. Nowak is challenging Jim Marshall in the Democratic primary for the congressional nomination. Please give him your support.