Friday, May 26, 2006

Congressman Willian "dollar bill" Jefferson ? wants his cash back

Congressman Willian "dollar bill" Jefferson ? wants his cash back



Jefferson, 59, has not been charged and he denies the allegations, which have shocked residents in the Katrina-ravaged neighborhoods he represents.


"I believe he is innocent, whatever the accusations are," says Pearl Thomas, Jefferson's 73-year-old neighbor.


Others, such as Cheron Brylski, a political consultant who once backed Jefferson's opponent in a congressional race, say they have always wondered about him.


"We called him 'Dollar Bill.' ... There is this awful perception of him as someone out for personal gain, and that has haunted him almost from day one," Brylski said. She later befriended Jefferson, however, and ran two of his campaigns. "The Bill Jefferson I know, there are two sides. I would consider him one of the few Democrats who literally believes in the Democratic Party platform."



http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060526/ts_usatoday/jeffersoncasemayhurthisparty

McCain aide attacks woman who spoke out against Mccain

McCain aide attacks woman who spoke out against Mccain



McCain aide attacks woman who spoke out against senator
during New York City commencement



A longtime aide to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) who co-wrote
several of the senator's books wrote a startling
frank comment on a blog post at The Huffington Post
late Sunday, revealing his derision for a student
at the New School commencement in New York City.

Mark Salter, McCain's aide, responded to the
commencement speech given by student Jean Rohe
who spoke out in an unexpectedly strong-worded
speech against the senator and the speech he
intended to give.

Rohe remarked: "Based on the speech he gave at the other institutions [including Rev. Jerry Falwell's
Liberty University], Senator Mc Cain will tell us today
that dissent and disagreement are our "civic and moral obligation" in times of crisis. I consider this a time of crisis and I feel obligated to speak.
Senator Mc Cain will also tell us about his cocky self-assuredness in his youth, which prevented him
from hearing the ideas of others. In so doing,
he will imply that those of us who are young are too
naïve to
have valid opinions and open ears. I am young, and
although I don't profess to possess the wisdom that time affords us, I do know that preemptive war is dangerous and wrong, that George Bush's agenda in Iraq is not worth
the many lives lost. And I know that despite all the
havoc that my country has wrought overseas in my name,
Osama bin Laden still has not been found, nor have those weapons of mass destruction."

Salter responded in a comment at Huffington Post.
That comment follows.

#
I am employed by Senator McCain and I helped draft his remarks for the New School commencement ceremony. Ms. Rohe takes exception to the fact that the speech was written with all four commencements he has been invited to address. The Senator's intention was to discuss with Americans, not any particular subset of Americans, but his fellow countrymen, the things that he feels are important to remember in our political debates: that we owe each other our respect just as we owe each other our best advocacy for the things we believe are important for our country. He did not feel that the students of Liberty University were a more appropriate audience for his address than the New School's graduates. It was an act of respect. Although it is quite clear that part of his audience at Madison Square Garden had no intention of reciprocating.

Evidently, the Senator's regard for his audience was misplaced. Ms. Rohe and those of her fellow graduates who hailed their school's President as a war criminal and who greeted the Senator's reference to a friend's death with laughter proved only one thing, one sad thing, that they could learn a thing or two about tolerance and respect from the students of Liberty University. Like the protestors at the Garden, many in the audience at Liberty University disagreed with various of the Senator's views. Some disagreed with his support for campaign finance reform. Some disagreed with his support for comprehensive immigration reform with a path toward legalization for undocumented workers. Some disagreed with his position of climate change. Some disagreed with his opposition to the Federal Marriage Amendment. Whatever their differences with him they listened to him attentively and respectfully, as one American to another, divided in some respects, united in much more important ones.

see complete article at..........
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/McCain_aide_attacks_woman_who_spoke_0522.html