Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/load.php on line 651
Notice: Trying to access array offset on value of type bool in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/theme.php on line 2241
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387 reed – RI Future Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The lines are drawn on a proposed nuclear containment deal with Iran. President Obama and “peace-loving” progressives are united in support while the GOP is unsurprisingly against it. Stuck in the middle are the American people and congressional Democrats.
The Rhode Island congressional delegation is on the fence, too.
“Congressman Langevin continues to review the agreement and consider the options in advance of Congressional action this fall,” said his spokeswoman Meg Geoghegan. “He has not yet made a final decision on how he will vote on the issue.” Rich Luchette, a spokesman for Congressman David Cicilline said simply, “Congressman Cicilline is reviewing the proposed agreement.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse “hasn’t announced a position on the Iran deal yet,” according to spokesman Seth Larson. And Chip Unruh, spokesman for Senator Jack Reed, said the ranking member of the RI delegation, and a nationally-regarded foreign policy expert, “continues to thoroughly review.”
As a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Reed has been conducting hearings on the issue with Arizona Sen. John McCain. The Hill lists Reed in the yes column but RIPR coverage from July 16 says Reed “has not decided whether he supports President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran.” Unruh said The Hill “must be speculating.”
Speculation or not, The Hill lists noted progressive leaders Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders as supporting the deal.
This agreement is obviously not all that many of us would have liked but it beats the alternative – a war with Iran that could go on for years,” Sanders said, according to The Hill. And quoting her from the Boston Globe, Elizabeth Warren has said, “The question now before Congress — the only question before Congress — is whether the recently announced nuclear agreement represents our best available option for preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. I am convinced that it does.”
Progressives have largely supported the deal with Code Pink calling it “a great victory for peace-loving people around the world.” The New York Times has a 200 word summary of the deal.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Dear Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jack Reed, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jim Langevin,
You are the people I voted for to represent me at the federal level of government. And because I participate in this democracy, I authorize the federal government’s actions. I bear some responsibility, one vote’s worth, for everything done by the United States.
Therefore, I must say to you, in the strongest terms possible, don’t torture in my name.
I have felt shame and remorse for years now at the torture perpetrated during the Bush administration. I greeted Obama’s directive to end torture with relief. However, we now have the official report on torture from the Senate and we also have the reactions to that report from streams of torture apologists. It has become clear that much more must be done. Just because the monkey is off your back, it doesn’t mean the circus has left town. There is a culture of torture that must be dealt with.
Here are some things I’d like you to do. Phrased another way, here are some things you will do if you want me to keep voting for you. (Barack, in your case, here are some things you will do if you want me to donate to your post-presidency foundation.)
Dianne Feinstein is a national hero and every one of you should go out of your way to state so publicly. Get your picture taken with her at every possible opportunity.
Never use the phrase enhanced interrogation techniques. The person who controls the language of the debate wins. Here is what happened: some kid got picked up in the desert and taken to a secret prison. He was not charged with anything. He did not go to trial. There was a one in five chance that even his captors would admit to having taken him in error. He refused to eat his dinner. His captors put his food through a blender, anally raped him, and squirted puréed humus and crackers up his rectum. This was done to “exert total control over the detainee” and induce a condition of “learned helplessness.” This ain’t enhanced nothing. Never use that phrase again.
Don’t engage in the debate about whether torture produced good information. It doesn’t matter! I don’t want some guy water boarded in my name even if he gives up Bin Laden’s home address. If evil people get you to be evil, they win.
Identify anyone who thought up, authorized, signed off on, contracted for, wrote memos in support of, opined on the legality of, or in any other way brought about the culture of torture. Give them a chance to come clean and admit their culpability. If they don’t, prosecute them. I’m talking about a Truth and Reconciliation type procedure. Propose it, sponsor it, push for it.
Bruce Jessen and Jim Mitchell are the two “psychologists” who had the major contract for interrogations during which detainees were tortured. They were paid $80 million of my dollars! Get it back. They took it under false pretenses. Denounce them as sick bastards and war profiteers. Do this loudly and frequently.
Fire John O. Brennan. Hey Barack, Joe, doesn’t this guy work for you? Did you see him go on TV from inside CIA headquarters and totally contradict your anti-torture stance? Didn’t you feel a little disrespected? How come you’re letting him keep his job? How can the culture of torture be ended at the CIA when the director is a torture apologist? Wait a minute… When you say you are anti-torture, you mean it, don’t you?
Identify and acknowledge all the people who resisted torture in the middle of this despicable situation. They are national heroes. Give them the Medal of Honor.
There is a guy named John Kiriakou who is currently serving time for bringing torture to the attention of the press back in 2007. He was prosecuted in 2013 and sent to prison. Ah… excuse me… Barack and Joe, weren’t you guys in office in 2013? Are you sure you mean it when you say you’re anti-torture? Pardon John Kiriakou. Apologize to him. Compensate him. Is one to laugh or cry at the irony of this man, who has five kids, being locked up while Dick Cheney is free to rant and rave on Fox News?
So, Barack, Joe, Jack, Sheldon, James, that is my to do list for you. I know you got a lot on your plates, but, in terms of the soul of this country, there are few things more important than making sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
“We are a nation of laws and principles,” said Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed about the now-declassifiedCIA torture practicesmade public yesterday in a Senate Intelligence Committee report. “This report highlights a systemic failure to uphold those laws and principles. It is troubling and difficult to digest, but it’s important to have all the facts to prevent a repeat of these mistakes.”
Reed, a senior member of the Armed Services Committee who is often on the short list for a high-level position in the Pentagon, said in a statement: “The use of torture is abhorrent and stands in stark contrast to our constitution and values. It is not an effective tool to obtain reliable intelligence. As we continue to confront the threat of terrorism at home and abroad, we are reminded that we are stronger as a nation when we remain true to our democratic principles.”
Senator Sheldon Whithouse was a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee in the early stages of developing the report. He’s taken an active role in opposing torture, such as chairing a 2009 Judiciary Committee hearing on torture during the Bush Administration.
Whitehouse said of the report in a statement sent out yesterday, “After years of effort and millions of documents reviewed, the Senate report at last lays out in painstaking detail how the CIA under President Bush and Vice President Cheney turned down the dark path to torture, and then to cover its tracks misled Congress and executive officials about the efficacy of the torture program. These are hard facts to face as Americans, but it’s important that the facts be known. Chairman Feinstein and our Intelligence Committee staff deserve our country’s deep appreciation for their extraordinary efforts.”
Congressman David Cicilline, a member of the House Foreign Intelligence Committee, said in a statement: “The Senate Intelligence Committee’s report is deeply disturbing. Among the many findings, this report reveals that the CIA employed more brutal interrogation techniques than had been previously detailed publicly, deliberately misled Congress and the White House about the program’s effectiveness, and damaged the United States’ reputation around the world. These abuses are a violation of basic human rights and are in stark contrast to our values as a nation, and this report provides further confirmation that these techniques simply fail to provide results that strengthen our national security. I applaud the members of the Senate Intelligence Committee for their efforts to provide the American people with an account of the actions carried out in their name. It is now our duty as elected officials, and American citizens who believe in the values upon which our nation was founded, to ensure serious violations such as this never occur again.”
And said Congressman Jim Langevin in a statement: “I am deeply concerned by the findings of the Senate Intelligence Committee. The tactics detailed in the report are contrary to American values, and these programs have been rightly ended. Human rights must be preserved in times of peace and war, and I sincerely hope we can learn from this dark moment in our history.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Fossil Free Rhode Island stands in solidarity with the courageous protestors and takes emphatic exception to the statement issued by Senator Reed’s office that the senator is an “environmental champion” who “always puts public health and safety first.”
The memes featured in this post were created by FANG.
In June of 2013, the Obama administration launched the President’s Climate Action Plan, which touts natural gas as a “bridge fuel.” In June, the EPA proposed its Clean Power Plan that allegedly “will maintain an affordable, reliable energy system, while cutting pollution and protecting our health and environment.” Both Rhode Island U.S. senators, although aware of the problems associated with natural gas, are on record for their strong support of its expanded use.
At a public forum held May 16, 2014, responding to a question of the senators’ stands on natural gas, Whitehouse said:
I do think that trying to ease the choke points into New England so that we are not seeing price spikes, as a short-term benefit for our economy, is a value.
We should be able to generate significant resources to safely rebuild our pipelines in New England so that we do not have methane leakage so that we tap into energy sources around the country.
Unfortunately, a “short-time economic benefit” is inconsistent with the typical 50-year lifetime of natural gas infrastructure. Even more jarring is that science tells us that humanity has about a decade to develop a global, sustainable energy system. A report released in December of 2013 by a multidisciplinary team of scientists “conclude[s] that the widely accepted target of limiting human-made global climate warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial level is too high and would subject future generations and the earth itself to irreparable harm. Carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel use must be reduced rapidly to avoid irreversible consequences such as a sea level rise large enough to inundate most coastal cities and extermination of many of today’s species.”
More important than what the senators say are their omissions. In their pitch for a business-as-usual infrastructure in New England they mention that escaping methane is a serious problem. However, they fail to mention that 75% of the leakage occurs near the fracking wells rather than in the pipelines. Nor do they utter a word about the public health and safety concerns associated with fracking: “A significant body of evidence has emerged to demonstrate that these activities are inherently dangerous to people and their communities. Risks include adverse impacts on water, air, agriculture, public health and safety, property values, climate stability and economic vitality.”
Meanwhile, the planned use of natural gas is based on serious underestimates by the EPA[10] of how much methane leaks into the atmosphere. The bottom line is that this development is likely to exacerbate the greenhouse gas emission problem.
We’ve seen many governments delay and delay and delay on implementing comprehensive emissions cuts. So the need for a lot of luck looms larger and larger. Personally, I think it’s a slim reed to lean on for the fate of the planet.
The climate disruption resulting from “all of the above” is morally unacceptable in terms of its human, environmental, and economic toll.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
While Rhode Islanders were still celebrating or commiserating their candidate’s primary performance earlier this week, President Barack Obama was addressing the nation about his plans to “destroy” ISIS without putting more troops on the ground.
Here’s his 15 minute speech:
Taking the nation’s temperature, The New York Times reports this headline: “Weary of War, but Favoring Airstrike Plan”. It could as easily apply to Rhode Island’s congressional delegation.
All four supported additional airstrikes and, for various reasons, agreed more troops on the ground would be counterproductive. Here are each of their full statements.
Senator Jack Reed (senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee):
“Tonight, the President made a clear, compelling case that denying these terrorists safe havens will require a targeted, smart, and sustained multi-national effort.
“Like many Americans, I am skeptical of deeper military involvement that could lead to an open-ended conflict. I don’t want to see more U.S. combat troops on the ground because I think that is what ISIL wants: to try to bog us down in a bloody and costly fight that helps them recruit more terrorists. Indigenous forces on the ground are going to have to step up.
“This President’s deliberate and thoughtful strategy ensures we will not repeat the mistakes of rushing into ground combat as we did in Iraq in 2003. Instead, he developed a comprehensive strategy that includes our allies in the region, together with the force of our diplomatic power, intelligence capabilities, and targeted military might.”
Congressman David Cicilline (A member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Cicilline received a national security briefing from Administration officials on Thursday, before issuing this statement):
“Last night, President Obama addressed the nation and outlined a comprehensive strategy to defeat the terrorist group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, including increased U.S. military action in the region and military and technical support for our allies. The President reaffirmed his position that our response will not include U.S. combat troops on the ground and the President made clear he has no plans to do so. I strongly support this position.
“It is clear that ISIL poses a serious threat to U.S. national security interests in the region and has expressly threatened the American homeland, and we must do everything we can to prevent another terrorist attack on American soil. We must also remain vigilant as a nation and ensure we’re fully equipped to respond to all threats against America or American personnel. The President laid out a thoughtful strategy to work with Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground, as well as a broader international coalition, to defeat this grave danger to U.S. national security interests and regional stability.”
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (Whitehouse visited Syria in January 2013):
“After a decade of war, I share the concerns of many Rhode Islanders about further military engagement, but I also share their alarm over the rising influence of ISIL and their horror over the brutal tactics used by these extremists. I will continue to oppose the deployment of regular ground troops, but we must take seriously ISIL’s ruthless beheading of Americans, its threat to U.S. personnel and facilities in the region, and its ability to capture territory and resources to conduct terrorist attacks. I believe the plan outlined by the President tonight – to build a coalition of regional partners and work with the newly formed Iraqi government to drive ISIL out of that country – is the right approach. I also support expanding our efforts to provide military advice and airstrikes, and arming moderate rebels in Syria – a step I first called for after visiting the region early last year. Syria and ISIL present a complex set of problems to which there are no easy answers, but I believe President Obama is pursuing the best set of options available to us at this time.
Congressman Jim Langevin (senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence):
“The threat posed by ISIS demands the world’s attention and action. They are the very definition of extremist, and their brutality knows no bounds. They have perpetrated unspeakable acts of violence against innocent people, including women, children and religious minorities who have been targeted for their refusal to adhere to an extreme and dangerous set of principles cloaked in religious sentiment.
“Intelligence officials estimate that thousands of Americans and Europeans have joined ISIS fighters, and these individuals could return home with the intent of doing harm to the United States and our allies.
“This terrorist threat, combined with existing sectarian tensions and an Iraqi government that, until now, has marginalized too many of its people, has created a complex challenge in the region, and it will take a multifaceted, collaborative effort to ultimately defeat ISIS. That approach must include a more inclusive government in Iraq, and I am encouraged by the improvements we are starting to see on that front.
“Like so many of my constituents, I do not want to see the United States embroiled in another ground war in the Middle East. We have learned over the past 13 years from our mistakes in Iraq. But on the eve of September 11, a date so deeply ingrained in the minds and hearts of Americans, we remember where we have been, and can see a clearer path forward. Evil cannot be left unchallenged. I applaud the President’s speech tonight as a first step towards addressing this threat, and I appreciate his commitment to working with Congress and keeping the American people informed. Going forward, I expect to hear further details of the timing and scope of the strategy he proposes, and I will continue to exercise rigorous oversight of the military commitment to come.
“The challenges we face are tremendous, but in the face of this adversity, the United States of America is ready to lead a broad coalition of partners in the region and worldwide to address the threat posed by ISIS. And as we face this threat, I continue to be so grateful to the brave men and women of our military. To the service members here and abroad, and to the troops that will join this effort to defeat ISIS, thank you for your tireless commitment to preserving freedom and protecting our country.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Sen Reed speaks at New England Tech earlier this week about a new program to train boat builders.
“Most folks agree that paying companies to relocate American jobs overseas makes no sense,” said Senator Jack Reed, about Senate Bill 2569, the Bring Jobs Home Act. It would end a tax loophole for compensates companies for moving expenses when they move jobs overseas and instead reward companies that bring jobs back stateside.
“Now, the Senate has a chance to close this loophole and open a new chapter of bipartisan, commonsense cooperation,” Reed said in a statement. “This kind of straight-forward legislation deserves a swift up or down vote. I hope we can get bipartisan cooperation to improve our economy and give American-based companies and workers a competitive advantage in the global marketplace.”
Here’s how Reed’s office described the bill:
The Bring Jobs Home Act will close a tax loophole that pays the moving expense of companies which send jobs overseas. Under the current tax code, the cost of moving personnel and components of a company to a new location is defined as a business expense that qualifies for a tax deduction. The Reed-backed bill will keep this deduction in place for companies that bring jobs and business activity back to the United States, but businesses would no longer be able to claim a tax benefit for shipping jobs overseas. The bill also creates a new tax cut to provide an incentive for companies to bring jobs back to America. Specifically, it would allow companies to qualify for a tax credit equal to 20% of the cost associated with bringing jobs back to the United States.
The Senate voted today to re-open debate on the bill. Reed, Whitehouse and their allies now have 30 hours to muster up 60 Senate votes to avoid another filibuster.
Until then, your tax dollars are helping companies leave the country.
“From the Old Slater Mill in Pawtucket to modern submarine production at Quonset Point, the manufacturing sector has always been central to Rhode Island’s economy,” Whitehouse said in a statement. “It’s time to stop rewarding companies for shipping jobs overseas and start rewarding them for bringing jobs back home. Rhode Island taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill to help create jobs in other countries.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
In case you haven’t heard: Congress is making some MAJOR decisions right now about fracking. The oil and gas industry is lobbying to pass a bill that would fast track the approval of fracked gas exports. This legislation would lead to more fracking in communities across the United States and increase gas prices for U.S. consumers.
We know why the oil and gas industry wants to export fracked gas — they stand to make quite a profit by selling to countries like China and Ukraine. This bill is making fast progress in the House — but we can stop it in the Senate. Rhode Island’s delegation will help.
“Senator Reed has real concerns about the potential effects of hydraulic fracturing on the environment and public health,” said Chip Unruh, a spokesman for Reed. “He is a cosponsor of the Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act (FRAC Act). This bill would require fracking to be subject to the protections of the Safe Drinking Water Act. This legislation would also require oil and gas companies to disclose the chemicals used in fracking operations.”
But, the oil & gas industry is promoting a PR campaign to convince Americans that *fracking* is THE answer to American energy independence. This lie is so widespread that I even hear b.s. PR on my beloved NPR. In fact, I’ve been listening to it for months now.
That’s right, folks. NPR. (Is nothing sacred?)
NPR is a valuable public resource, so I don’t mean to hate on it. It is an entity that remains vulnerable to such corporate arm-twisting. Nonetheless, when it runs stories about families who are sick as a result of fracking, then pushes “Think About It” ads a few minutes later, there is a blatant contradiction here. There exists an utter disregard for Truth, and lack of accountability.
Let me sidebar for a moment, and point out some key stats that emphasize why this should get you riled up:
In rural Pennsylvania counties where fracking began, sexually transmitted infection rose by 32.4%- (that’s 62% more than the increase in rural unfracked counties).
Social disorder crimes — especially substance abuse and alcohol-related crimes — increased by 17% in counties with the highest density of fracking (compared to only 13% in unfracked rural counties).
Heavy-truck crashes increased by 7.2% in counties with high fracking activity (whereas they fell in unfracked counties)
Fracking will continue to poison our water, air, and health, while increasing methane emissions in the atmosphere, unless we ACT. This means we must hold our politicians AND journalists accountable, (Yes NPR, I’m lookin’ at you!) and each do our part to speak the truth. Our quality of life depends on it; our collective future demands it of us.
So please, do yourself (and your neighbors) a favor: Tell your Senators to oppose fracked gas exports. Tell them we are paying close attention, and will no longer tolerate anything but GREEN energy independence. And if possible, get involved in the “Don’t Even Think About It” push to get the American Natural Gas Alliance off our airwaves.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Senator Jack Reed’s bill to restore unemployment insurance benefits for thousands of Rhode Islanders and millions of Americans passed his side of Congress on Monday. Now the Reed/Heller bill moves on the less liberal House of Representatives, where it’s fate is uncertain.
And Reed is keeping the pressure on.
“Months ago, not many people thought we’d have a bill that would emerge from the U.S. Senate to restore unemployment insurance,” Reed said at a press event today. “But something happened. The voices of the American people were heard in the United States Senate. They were heard by both Democrats and Republicans and we came together to pass bipartisan, fiscally responsible legislation that will restore benefits to over 2 million Americans.”
Reed authored the bill with Republican Dean Heller of Nevada, and it was also cosigned by Senators Collins, Murkowski, Portman and Kirk – all Republicans. It would reauthorize unemployment insurance for as many as 12,000 Rhode Islanders and 2.35 million Americans who have been cut off, according to a press release.
“We need to finish the work,” Reed said. “And now that work is the hands of Sandy Levin, Steny Hoyer, Speaker Pelosi, and others who will help amplify the voices of the American people.”
In the House, seven Republicans sent Speaker John Boehner a letter expressing their support for the bill. But still, the AP said, “despite the appeal, the bill’s prospects are cloudy at best, given widespread opposition among conservative lawmakers and outside groups and Boehner’s unwillingness to allow it to the floor without changes that Republicans say would enhance job creation.”
According to Congressman David Cicilline, “the Speaker is the only thing standing in the way of renewing this vital lifeline and instead of blocking this legislation, he should immediately bring it to the floor for a vote,” he said in a statement. “I will continue fighting with my Democratic colleagues to force a vote on this critical piece of legislation to ensure Americans receive the support they need in difficult times.”
Reed’s press secretary Chip Unruh said in an email, “We have facts, figures, and CBO scores on our side: reauthorizing emergency unemployment insurance will help save jobs, it will help improve our economy, it will help restore our nation’s fiscal health, and most of all, it will help people. And the real difference makers in this debate are not stats – they are people. If the House Leadership refuses to address this issue, they will be hearing from their constituents.”
Here’s today’s full press conference. Reed speaks at 8:47.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Representative David Cicilline held a press conference this weekend calling out a “Republican-led Congress” that skipped town for the holidays leaving 1.3 million Americans without desperately needed unemployment insurance.
He also asked three Rhode Islanders to tell their stories.
Erica Campanella hasn’t had a problem finding a job, she says, “I have a problem keeping a job… I’ve been laid off five times since 2008.”
One company thought Campanella’s freelance rate was too high, so they hired her into a full time position at a lower hourly rate. Two months later, when the job was done, she was laid off. I asked her if she thought she had been tricked by the company into doing the work on the cheap. She told me that she didn’t think that was the case, but that the company simply needed to make the cut because of the bad economy.
As for moving back in with family, she is grateful that she was able to, but she can’t imagine what those without family must be going through.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Representative David Cicilline held a press conference this weekend calling out a “Republican-led Congress” that skipped town for the holidays leaving 1.3 million Americans without desperately needed unemployment insurance.
He also asked three Rhode Islanders to tell their stories.
Rhonda McMichael is 54 years old, and she has lived in Rhode Island and worked all her life. She “never asked for a penny” while she was raising her two children, because she always felt there was someone else who needed the money more.
“So,” she says, “I went and got two or three jobs…”
McMichael has exhausted her 401K, and as a breast cancer survivor without unemployment benefits, she can’t afford her medications.
She later added, “Because I’m in this situation, I have to now start applying for food assistance, housing assistance, my health care is going to end on the first of the year so what do I do?”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Rhode Island’s congressional delegation had a busy weekend working to restore extended unemployment benefits. Senator Jack Reed, a co-sponsor of the benefit now expired that helps 1.3 million out-of-work Americans, spoke with President Obama who offered his support, tweeted Reed.
And on the House side, Representative David Cicilline held a press event to offer tough words for the Republicans who skipped town while more than a million Americans economic lifelines hang in the balance. He also gave a public voice to a few of the 5,000 directly affected Rhode Islanders.
Cicilline’s statement is here, and we’ll be posting video of the people affected telling their own stories in subsequent posts.
The day the Republican-led Congress skipped town for the holidays it left behind 1.3 million Americans who rely upon this assistance to survive as they continue to look for work. Nearly 5,000 Rhode Islanders who have already exhausted their state benefits and are now without their last safety net.
I’m not giving up this fight until we renew emergency unemployment benefits for people struggling to find work. We can’t turn our back on more than a million Americans, especially in Rhode Island where our unemployment rate is the highest in the nation.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
You have been given a rare opportunity in a time of crisis to thoughtfully direct the United States before military force has been applied. Since the Vietnam War, Presidents have usurped the responsibility of Congress to declare war. It is a welcome challenge that you face.
That the Assad government in Syria has crossed a line by using chemical weapons against its own population seems to be little in doubt.
If there was a clear and clean target—a weapons dump or a political assassination—that would erase the danger and the perpetrator, I suspect that the President would have moved ahead without seeking your advice and approval. Recent years have, as you know, demonstrated the uncertainty and indecisiveness of Congress in supporting this President.
Therefore the use of force will be symbolic, using our military power to spank the criminals who are brutally killing their own population.
But will dropping bombs demonstrate that deploying chemical weapons is wrong, or will it just replace an unauthorized weapon of mass destruction with its legally sanctioned cousin?
Furthermore, an almost unilateral response by the United States seems unlikely to do more than increase the damage both in the Middle East and back here. If there is one lesson that we could learn from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is that modern wars do not have clean and clear endings.
We have gotten into the habit of pitting our munitions and soldiers against repressive regimes and terrorist-supporting governments at great expense, loss of life, and with only partial success.
In the 21st century, military action with or without a clearly defined goal produces instability in the war zone, and redirects waves of terrorist resentment against all parties involved.
In short, the war machine will shift from Afghanistan to Syria. The terrorists will have more cannon fodder, the US will remain the enemy, and the eventual results we produce will be unstable and out of our hands.
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “war on terror” have cost us our children’s education. They have cost us our roads. They have cost us our privacy. They have enticed our soldiers to torture and our government to renditions, assassination-like drone strikes, and imprisonments without trial.
Given the rock and the hard place, how shall you vote?
Congress is neither nimble enough nor designed to make foreign policy.
Congress does have the power to declare war. Or not. Despite the inclination for this Congress to actually accomplish something, doing is not always better than deliberately doing nothing.
You can demonstrate the power of representative democracy—not by abandoning an injured foreign population but by drawing limits against the use of power in the name of peace.
Sirs, as a voter, a citizen and an American, I ask you to vote against the unilateral use of military force in Syria.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Each month, members of the Progressive Democrats of America across the country drop letters at the offices of our national representatives. Here is the letter we are delivering to our Senators this month. (This is the Whitehouse letter. The Reed letter is nearly identical.)
In the Spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., we call on you to mark the 50th Anniversary of the historic March on Washington by cosponsoring, speaking out, and supporting Senate 123: The Voter Empowerment Act of 2013. Right-wing state legislators in states like North Carolina, Texas, and Rhode Island are launching an unprecedented assault on the right to vote. It is time to take a stand and protect the most fundamental right of our democracy.
We are also writing to encourage you to introduce a Senate version of Representative Keith Ellison’s Inclusive Prosperity Act (H.R. 1579). Also known as the Robin Hood Tax, this financial speculation tax would generate hundreds of billions of dollars to fund job creation, help the economy, and protect the social safety net. Ultimately, the goal of the Inclusive Prosperity Act is to strengthen the Harkin-DeFazio compromise bill you have cosponsored.* Without a large number of Democrats endorsing a fully robust financial speculation tax, the compromise effort runs the risk of being watered down even further.
We would like to thank you for your work to prevent a hike in student loan interest rates. We do believe it would have been wiser to make a stronger bill like Elizabeth Warren’s the initial Democratic offer, allowing for Senator Reed’s bill as the final compromise. However, we view it as an extremely positive development that a group of anti-debt Senators got organized to fight this battle. The wing of the party with sensible views on economic issues has been far too silent for far too long. We hope that our Senators will continue to work with Elizabeth Warren, Mazie Hirono, Barbara Boxer, Richard Blumenthal, and other pro-growth Senators to fight for common sense policies designed to help restore growth to our lagging economy.
Progressives find it frustrating that, even though there is widespread agreement among economists (including fairly conservative ones) that monetary stimulus programs should be expanded, liberals in Congress do not push for more easing. Instead, liberals, if they do weigh in on monetary policy, tend to defend Bernanke (who was, let us not forget, a Bush nominee) against the extremist Ron Paul/Ayn Rand stance of the modern Republicans. Even some of the most moderate of today’s Republicans would like to see an actively deflationary monetary policy of the sort that caused the Long Depression in the late Nineteenth Century.
As a result, monetary policy winds up falling somewhere between where Bush’s Fed would like it and where Paul Ryan would like it. What this means is that monetary policy has been so tight that the Fed has actually allowed the inflation rate to fall below its target (a target that liberals would argue is far too low). This is such a violation of old-school conservative monetary policy that we recently had the spectacle of the notedly hawkish conservative James Bullard voting against Bernanke’s monetary policy because it was so tight!
If Democrats in Congress were willing to push for more expansionary monetary policy, we would probably wind up with roughly centrist policy, which would probably entail pushing unemployment down to around 5-6%, allowing inflation to rise to around 4-5%. This would make Obama very popular and ensure that we keep the Senate in 2014 and the Presidency in 2016. We fear that a status quo candidate like Yellen, while better than Summers, might actually continue with Bernanke’s plan to “taper” monetary stimulus programs in 2014, weakening the economy right before the 2014 elections and handing the Senate to the Republicans. But if even a small handful of Senators push for an expansion of monetary stimulus, we will likely prevent the looming monetary austerity package.
We strongly encourage our Senators to push for an expansion of easing programs to fight low inflation and high unemployment. So while we are happy that you signed onto the letter because its implicit goal was to oppose Summers, we still do have considerable concerns about Yellen and would prefer a more pro-growth Fed Chairwoman, with Christina Romer probably being the most realistic acceptable choice.
Finally, we join with the George Wiley Center to thank you for fighting to maintain the SNAP program, and we ask that you provide us with the names and contact information for your staffers responsible for all of these issues.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
While the concern and demand for GMO labeling grows after the world-wide March Against Monsanto rallies on May 25, Rhode Islanders should be glad to know that our senate delegation is on our side.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Google may be taking flack from the conservative blogoshpere for honoring Cesar Chavez on Easter, but no such criticism from this site for Rhode Island’s congressional delegation’s collective decision to support the man who mentored Chavez.
“For nearly half a century, Fred educated, agitated and inspired people of all races and backgrounds to overcome fear, despair and cynicism. He was a pioneer who fought for racial and economic justice,” reads a letter that Congressman David Cicilline and Jim Langevin signed onto along with 60 other members of the House. Here’s a copy of the letter Senators Reed and Whitehouse sent to the president.
Ross is best known for mentoring Cesar Chavez and Delores Huerta. But he’s also a real-life connection between the “Grapes of Wrath” and the grape boycott by the United Farm Workers. In the 1930’s, Ross ran the Arvin Migratory Labor Camp in Central California – the government-run unemployment camp made famous by Steinbeck’s classic novel as the alternative to oppressive private sector camps where the Joad family and others suffered. Then, in the 1960’s he was instrumental in helping Chavez and Huerta organize a nation-wide grape boycott that led to better working conditions for migrant farm laborers.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Rhode Island’s entire congressional delegation supports Think Progress‘ new wish list of progressive policy proposals to get passed.
Gone from the list is the Violence Against Women Act, which Obama signed into law yesterday … thanks Sens. Reed and Whitehouse and Congressmen Cicilline and Langevin, for supporting it!
Here’s the newly revised list, in case you didn’t get this in your inbox last night:
Universal Background Checks for Gun Purchases: The Senate Judiciary Committee is working on gun violence prevention legislation as we speak and is expected to advance a universal background check bill to the full Senate as soon as tomorrow. This is a no brainer. Not only would this be the most effective policy to keep guns out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them, it’s supported by nearly everyone. The most recent poll, out just today, finds that 88 percent support universal background checks — including 85 percent of gun-owning households. Other polls have shown support of over 90 percent.
Job-Creating Infrastructure Investments: A majority of Americans support making investments to repair and replace our deteriorating national infrastructure — investments that could create hundreds of thousands of jobs. In fact, investmenting in our roads, bridges, airports, and other infrastructure was the most popular job creation policy. Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans have repeatedly voted down such proposals in recent years, citing their unwillingness to finance them using tax hikes on the wealthy and corporate special interests like Big Oil.
Pathway to Earned Citizenship: A pathway to earned citizenship is an integral part of reforming our broken immigration system and bringing the 11 MILLION undocumented immigrants already here out of the shadows. Even 60 percent of Republicans support a pathway to earned citizenship, which receives the support of 70 percent of all Americans.
Expanded Early Childhood Education: In his State of the Union speech, the president proposed universal pre-kindergarten for every four year-old and a significant expansion of other early childhood education programs. Unsurprisingly, two-thirds of Americans support making these kind of vital investments in our children — investments which come with significant returns.
BOTTOM LINE: Support for progressive ideas and values isn’t limited to Democrats or the left side of the political spectrum. Most progressive policies enjoy broad, bipartisan support and are simply mainstream views held by a majority of Americans. By contrast, conservatives are clinging to an ideology and views that are seen as extreme and out of touch by a majority of Americans.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Gov Chafee and Ray Sullivan of Marriage Equality Rhode Island celebrate the RI recognizing out-of-state same sex marriages.
Saying Rhode Island should pass its own marriage equality law, Gov. Lincoln Chafee signed an executive order today that asserts this state recognizes same sex marriages performed in other states.
“Let’s get there ourselves,” he said to an enthusiastic crowd packed into the State Room of the State House. “This is the home of Roger Williams. Come on, let’s go.”
The governor’s executive order reaffirms a 2007 memo from the attorney general that said Rhode Island recognizes all marriages performed in other states per a 1904 law. But Chafee said there has been some confusion in state government as to whether or not same sex marriages performed in other states are valid in Rhode Island.
“This executive order,” he said, “sends a clear message to married Rhode Islanders, regardless of their sexual orientation, that they can and should rely on their marriage to protect them and their families in important ways.”
Ray Sullivan, of Marriage Equality Rhode Island, said Rhode Island is the first state in the country “to sign an executive order providing critical clarity and direction to government agencies regarding the recognition of same-sex, out-of-state marriages.”
Sullivan said, in a press release, “While this moves us closer to full marriage equality, nothing less is sufficient, and we will keep fighting.”
Chafee said talks are ongoing between him and legislative leaders about passing a marriage equality law this session. Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed is still standing in the way of the bill’s passage. Chafee said she is not amenable to passing the bill this session. When asked if she seemed willing to support the bill this year, Chafee said, “To be perfectly honest with you, not in this session.”
He indicated that House Speaker Gordon Fox is ready to pass the bill. When asked who supports passing marriage equality this session, he said, “You can probably guess who is supportive and who isn’t.”
Fox, who is openly gay, fought behind the scenes to get Paiva Weed to support same sex marriage last session, but never called for a full vote in his chamber because some members did not want to have to go on record if they knew it wouldn’t pass in the Senate.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Rhode Island’s congressional delegation is getting in on the ground floor of the fight over student loan interest hike. Last week, the House passed a bill that would keep interest rates low but at the expense of health care programs for women.
Sen. Jack Reed, author of a bill that would prevent Stafford Loan interest rates from doubling this summer made these statements last week:
And Congressman David Cicilline will be meeting with Rhode Islanders tomorrow in a “call to action” on the “threat posed by escalating student loan interest rates.”
Here’s the full press release:
U.S. Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) will host a call to action along with Rhode Island students, parents, stakeholders, and business leaders to highlight the threat posed by escalating student loan interest rates. The call to action will take place next Tuesday, May 1st, at Rhode Island College, Student Union, Room 307, 600 Mount Pleasant Avenue, in Providence at 10:00 AM.
With interest rates scheduled to double from 3.4% to 6.8% on July 1st, if Congress does not act, more than 7 million students are expected to incur an additional $6.3 billion in repayment costs for the 2012 – 2013 academic school year. These increased costs would make college access more difficult and impose an additional financial burden on many young people and families already struggling in a difficult economy.
Congressman Cicilline is a cosponsor of H.R. 3826, which would prevent student interest rates from doubling; he spoke at length about the importance of this issue, along with Congressman Joe Courtney and Congressman Tim Bishop, on the House floor last Wednesday; and, next Tuesday, Cicilline will be joined by a coalition of students, parents, stakeholders, and business to leaders who will urge Rhode Islanders to submit their stories about student loan debt through the Congressman’s website at http://cicilline.house.gov/share-your-story, as part of an ongoing effort to pressure House Republican leadership to take action to protect students from this doubling of interest on their loans. The freshman Congressman from Rhode Island plans to deliver these submissions to the House Republican leadership later this spring.
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Both of Rhode Island’s senators will be here in the Ocean State today and advocating for bills that would benefit the middle class. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, as we reported on Saturday, will be in Cranston for a roundtable discussion on his Buffett Rule bill. And Sen. Jack Reed will be at URI, with school president David Dooley to talk about his bill that would prevent the interest rate on some student loans from doubling in July.
“It is in our national interest to try and keep student loan rates low,” said Reed in a statement about his bill that would prevent the interest rate on Stafford loans from doubling. “As the price of college continues to increase, more students are forced to take out bigger loans to pay for their education.”
Reed’s office said the interest rate on Stafford Loans is slated to double in July, from 3.4 to 6.8 percent. According to the release, 7.8 million low- and middle-income students across the country utilize Stafford loans, 36,000 of whom are from Rhode Island. There are 8,000 URI students who utilize Staford loans.
Sen. Whitehouse will be at the Comprehensive Community Action Program’s headquarters (311 Doric Ave, Cranston) to discuss his Buffett Rule bill that would, according to his staff, “ensure that multi-million-dollar earners pay at least a 30 percent effective tax rate.”
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
Deprecated: Function get_magic_quotes_gpc() is deprecated in /hermes/bosnacweb08/bosnacweb08bf/b1577/ipg.rifuturecom/RIFutureNew/wp-includes/formatting.php on line 4387
The lines are drawn on a proposed nuclear containment deal with Iran. President Obama and “peace-loving” progressives are united in support while the GOP is unsurprisingly against it. Stuck in the middle are the American people and congressional Democrats.
Representative David Cicilline 
