Activism Across America

In Georgia’s 10th congressional district, Democratic Challenger Bobby Saxon has blasted Paul Broun for voting against H.R. 3999, the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. Remember the deadly collapse of that bridge in Minnesota? H.R. 3999 is designed to help prevent that kind of disaster in the future. It’s the kind of common-sense legislation that everyone ought to agree upon.

137 Republicans in the House of Representatives joined the Democrats to vote for the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act. Not Paul Broun. Congressman Broun was one of only 55 extremist Republicans in Congress who voted against safe bridges.

Saxon wrote,

“Our highways are one of the most visible and important parts of our state and national infrastructure. Bridges are a key link in that infrastructure and we must ensure they are safe for travel. We must put a priority on the safety of our citizens and the proper maintenance of the roads that we all travel.

Mr. Broun’s vote against the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act potentially endangered the lives of our most precious resource, our citizens. Fortunately, responsible leadership prevailed and the bill passed on a bipartisan vote of 367-55. 87% of the Congressional delegation voted in favor of safety for their constituents as I would have had I been the Congressman for the 10th District.”

In 2008, Georgia’s 10th congressional district has the chance to leave the fringes and rejoin the mainstream that is willing to uphold responsible government for the sake of public safety. The 10th district has the opportunity to vote for Bobby Saxon instead of Paul Broun.

New York’s U.S. Representative Maurice Hinchey represents an oddly-shaped district that twists from Poughkeepsie on the eastern shore of the Hudson River all the way along the border with Pennsylvania up to Ithaca, New York in the Finger Lakes. Yet, he represents his constituents well, defending the constitutional freedoms in which residents of his district place their trust.

On June 20, 2008, when so many other Democrats in the House of Representatives panicked and ran into the arms of the Republicans, voting for George W. Bush’s FISA Amendments Act, Congressman Hinchey kept his head. He voted against the FISA Amendments Act.

Hinchey explained,

“The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has been in effect since 1978 and provided every president and his administration since that time with the tools and resources needed to effectively monitor the activities of those wishing to harm the United States. I recognize the need to modernize our surveillance laws and have been willing to make adjustments to improve them, but sacrificing our basic civil liberties and granting de facto immunity to telecommunication companies that may have violated the law to appease the Bush administration is simply unacceptable.

The United States government should have all the tools it needs to keep us safe, but we must recognize that we can definitely achieve that goal without sacrificing the defining principles of the Constitution. Privacy rights must not be compromised simply because this administration is trying to scare everyone into believing such actions are necessary.”

Maurice Hinchey is right. The government should have all the tools it needs to keep Americans safe, provided that those tools do not violate the Americans’ rights.

The FISA Amendments Act is not a necessary tool for America’s security, and it deprives Americans of freedoms that are essential to the survival of democracy in the USA. On both counts, Maurice Hinchey did the right thing in voting NO on the FISA Amendments Act.

Thanks to Maurice Hinchey for doing the right thing, and voting with his head instead of pandering to the politics of fear.