Peter Roskam Still Won’t Denounce Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

On 02.28.10, In Gay Rights, Human Rights, Peter Roskam, By RSR

Peter Roskam has still not signed on as a cosponsor of H. Res 1064 condemning the pending Ugandan anti-homosexuality bill that we first wrote about on February 15th. The bill, currently pending in the Ugandan legislature, is expected to come to a vote sometime early in March. The Ugandan measure criminalizes homosexual acts and applies lifetime imprisonment and even the death penalty in some cases.

H. Res 1064, introduced in the House on February 3rd by Democrat Howard Berman of California, resolves the following:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) strongly believes that–

(A) all people possess an intrinsic human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation, and share fundamental human rights;

(B) the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009’ introduced in the Ugandan Parliament, which includes the extreme penalties of death and life in prison, poses a serious threat to the life, liberty, and security of the person and, if enacted, would set a troubling precedent for other countries; and

(C) the requirement that individuals report suspected homosexual individuals to the Ugandan Government could undermine Uganda’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, and interfere with care and counseling by family members, doctors, pastors, teachers, and others; and

(2) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to–

(A) impress upon the Ugandan Government the United States belief in the intrinsic human dignity of all Ugandans, regardless of sexual orientation;

(B) express unequivocal United States opposition to the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009’ introduced in the Ugandan Parliament; and

(C) ensure that resources committed to the global HIV/AIDS response are utilized in a manner that is efficient, effective, and appropriate to the local epidemiology of the disease, including in Uganda.

So why won’t Peter Roskam sign on to show his support. He’s had plenty of time to do so. Why he’s already signed on to a resolution introduced on February 24 recognizing the 189th anniversary of the independence of Greece (yes, the 189th anniversary, not the 15oth, not the 200th) so he could have easily gotten his name on 1064.

We think the reason is partly Roskam’s hyperpartisan nature (he almost never crosses the aisle to support Democratic initiatives, even no-brainers like this one). More importantly, we believe that Roskam has a fundamental hostility to gay rights (he voted against hate crimes legislation, he voted against employment non-discrimination) and a deafness to human rights concerns in general. We also believe that he is sympathetic to the Christian extremists like Rick Warren and Sen James Inhofe who have stirred up an anti-gay hornets nest in Uganda. Both Warren and Inhofe have, after pressure, renounced the Ugandan bill. We think Peter Roskam needs to do the same.

Please contact Peter Roskam and ask him to cosponsor H. Res. 1064. You can reach him at (630) 893-9670 in Bloomingdale or at (202) 225-4561 in Washington.

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Peter Roskam Should Co-Sponsor Resolution Condemning Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill

On 02.15.10, In Gay Rights, Human Rights, Peter Roskam, By RSR

Represenative Peter Roskam has recently co-sponsored important House resolutions honoring the New Orleans Saints on their Superbowl victory and congratulating Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle on pitching a perfect game. We can’t imagine, therefore, why it would be any trouble for him to sign-on to a resolution condemning a Ugandan bill that would implement extreme punishments, including the death penalty and lifetime imprisonment, for persons convicted of homosexual activity.

The resolution in question is H. Res. 1064 – Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the “Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009″ under consideration by the Parliament of Uganda, that would impose long term imprisonment and the death penalty for certain acts, threatens the protection of fundamental human rights, and for other purposes. It was introduced on February 3rd by Representative Howard Berman, a Democrat from California’s 28th District. As of this writing, only a single member of Mr. Roskam’s Republican party has signed on as a cosponsor – Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Florida’s 18th District.

The meat of the resolution is as follows:

Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) strongly believes that–

(A) all people possess an intrinsic human dignity, regardless of sexual orientation, and share fundamental human rights;

(B) the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009’ introduced in the Ugandan Parliament, which includes the extreme penalties of death and life in prison, poses a serious threat to the life, liberty, and security of the person and, if enacted, would set a troubling precedent for other countries; and

(C) the requirement that individuals report suspected homosexual individuals to the Ugandan Government could undermine Uganda’s efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, and interfere with care and counseling by family members, doctors, pastors, teachers, and others; and

(2) calls upon the President and the Secretary of State to–

(A) impress upon the Ugandan Government the United States belief in the intrinsic human dignity of all Ugandans, regardless of sexual orientation;

(B) express unequivocal United States opposition to the ‘Anti-Homosexuality Bill, 2009’ introduced in the Ugandan Parliament; and

(C) ensure that resources committed to the global HIV/AIDS response are utilized in a manner that is efficient, effective, and appropriate to the local epidemiology of the disease, including in Uganda.

We think that there is little to complain of in that text – unless, of course, one believes that gay people should be put to death. Peter Roskam has never been friendly to legislation granting equal rights to gay people, but this is a wholly different matter. Mr. Roskam should run, not walk, to get his name added as a co-sponsor. A similar resolution is pending in the Senate.

American right-wing Christian extremists appear to have been at least influential in the origins of the Ugandan bill. These include Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma and Pastor Rick Warren of California’s Saddleback Church and author of The Purpose Driven Life. Both Inhofe and Warren have finally, after considerable adverse press coverage, publicly denounced the Ugandan bill and denied any role in it’s genesis. Rachel Maddow of MSNBC has done some excellent reporting documenting their connections to Uganda and to leaders involved in propagation of the bill. A couple of her videos can be found at the end of this post.

The Oklahoman reported that Republican Senator Inhofe has made at least 20 trips to Africa since 1999 at a cost to taxpayers of more than $187,000, another example of the GOP’s stwewardship of your tax dollars. Inhofe has publically referred to the trips as “a Jesus thing” . According to journalist Jeff Sharlet, both Inhofe and David Bahati, the Ugandan who authored the bill, are members of a secretive Christian group known as “The Family” and Inhofe and Bahati were close.

A number of other members of the House and Senate are involved in The Family, including Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, with whom Peter Roskam traveled to Honduras last fall. After that trip, Roskam remarked that “Senator DeMint is so grounded and wise and I came away just very, very impressed with him.” We are unaware of any direct ties between Peter Roskam and The Family.

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Peter Roskam’s Fear About Guantanamo Transfer is Misplaced

On 12.16.09, In Homeland Security, National Security, Peter Roskam, Terrorism, By RSR

As the administration announced this week its intention to acquire the Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois in order to house prisoners to be transferred from the U.S. Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Peter Roskam  continued his efforts to sow fear about the planned transfer. Roskam issued a brief statement on Tuesday:

“The decision to move some of the world’s worst terrorists to Illinois is an ill-advised move that ultimately will be regretted. The proponents have failed to prove how this move will make America safer. Let’s be clear: the Administration is not closing Guantanamo, they are simply moving Guantanamo to Illinois. Illinois deserves a better Christmas present than hardened terrorists. ”

He later held a press conference with the rest of the Illinois Republican delegation to object to the proposed transfer.

Roskam’s arguments against the move have been unsubstantial. He does not define how the housing of these inmates in a supermax facility will pose a threat. His stance appears to be political posturing rather than a serious concern about a security threat.  It is sad that he would block the move for political gain at the expense of the people of Thomson, who favor the move and desperately need the jobs the prison will provide.

Senator Dick Durbin and Governor Quinn offered a saner perspective on Thomson yesterday:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

There is reason to be disconcerted about the transfer of Guantanamo inmates to Thomson, though not for reason of a security threat as Roskam would have us believe.

No, the problem is that the Guantanamo closure, while perhaps a symbolic measure of some importance, leaves unresolved the issues associated with the use of military tribunals and of indefinite detention of prisoners without criminal charges or trial. The President and Congress must still act to correct the abuses that they inherited from the Bush Administration. They cannot simply sweep them under the carpet. That is what we should really be afraid of. The American Civil Liberties Union had the following reaction to the news about Thomson:

“Alarmingly, all indications are that the administration plans to continue its predecessor’s policy of indefinite detention without charge or trial for some detainees, with only a change of location. Such a policy is completely at odds with our democratic commitment to due process and human rights whether it’s occurring in Cuba or in Illinois. In fact, while the Obama administration inherited the Guantánamo debacle, this current move is its own affirmative adoption of those policies. It is unimaginable that the Obama administration is using the same justification as the Bush administration used to undercut centuries of legal jurisprudence and the principle of innocent until proven guilty and the right to confront one’s accusers.

“It is also greatly disturbing that the administration will continue the use of military commissions, which are no more acceptable in Illinois or any other U.S. state than in Guantánamo. Despite some improvements, the commissions still fall far short of the legal standards necessary to comply with constitutional and international standards, allowing, for example, the use of coerced and hearsay evidence that would not be allowed in federal court. The proceedings will achieve neither reliable justice nor a restoration of America’s credibility around the world.”

“The administration must also make very clear what category of detainee will be transferred to Thomson in the future and what kind of prison conditions will apply. Detainees not charged with a crime should not be subject to punitive conditions meant for sentenced prisoners who have been found guilty in a court of law, and all conditions must comply with the Geneva Conventions. “The administration will no doubt be looking to Congress for legislative buy-in for this facility, and as both branches work together, we strongly urge lawmakers to legislate responsibly and not set any policies or precedents for indefinite detention on U.S. soil, or create any violation of the Geneva Conventions.

“The Obama administration’s announcement today contradicts everything the president has said about the need for America to return to leading with its values. American values do not contemplate disregarding our Constitution and skirting the criminal justice system. After detaining hundreds of individuals without the basic due process rights that define our justice system for almost eight years, it is time to charge suspects where evidence exists and repatriate and transfer the rest to countries where they won’t be tortured.”

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Peter Roskam’s Appalling Record on Gay Rights

On 10.14.09, In Civil Rights, Gay Rights, Human Rights, Peter Roskam, By RSR

In light of this past week’s events – the march on Washington, the President’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign, the vote on federal hate crimes legislation – it seems appropriate to review our own Congressman Peter Roskam’s record on issues of importance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community. It is not a pretty picture.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest civil rights organization, labors to achieve full equality for LGBT people. For each Congress, HRC produces a scorecard detailing each representative’s votes and co-sponsorships on issues of key importance to the community. Roskam was first scored for the 110th Congress which ended last year, Roskam’s first term in office.

Roskam scored a zero. That mean’s that Roskam opposed LGBT rights 100% of the time, a distinguished record of legislative homophobia:

  • The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592) would expand federal jurisdiction to reach serious, violent hate crimes perpetrated because of the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or disability. The House passed the bill on May 3, 2007, by a vote of 237-180 (Roll Call Vote No. 299, 1st Session, 110th Congress). Democrats — 212 yes, 14 no,6 not voting; Republicans — 25 yes, 166 no, 10 not voting. HRC supported the bill. Peter Roskam voted NO.
  • Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) offered a motion to recommit promptly the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act (H.R. 1592). The motion would amend the bill to add the categories of senior citizens and members of the armed forces to the legislation, but also wouldrefer the bill back to committee, effectively killing the bill. The motion was defeated on May 3, 2007, by a vote of 189-227 (Roll Call Vote No. 298, 1st Session, 110th Congress). Democrats — 9 yes, 216 no, 7 not voting; Republicans — 180 yes, 11 no, 10 not voting. HRC opposed the motion to recommit. Peter Roskam voted to kill the bill.
  • The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3685) would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The House passed the bill on Nov. 7, 2007, by a vote of 235-184 (Roll Call Vote No. 1057, 1st Session, 110th Congress). Democrats — 200 yes, 25 no, 8 not voting; Republicans — 35 yes, 159 no, 6 not voting. HRC supported the bill. Peter Roskam voted against the ban on discrimination.
  • Rep. Randy Forbes (R-Va.) offered a motion to recommit promptly the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3685). The motion stated that the bill would have no impact on state or federal definitions of marriage as being between one man and one woman, but also would refer the bill back to committee, effectively killing the bill. The motion was defeated on Nov. 7, 2007, by a vote of 198-222 (Roll Call Vote No. 1056, 1st Session, 110th Congress). Democrats — 14 yes, 214 no, 5 not voting; Republicans — 184 yes, 8 no, 8 not voting. HRC opposed the motion to recommit. Peter Roskam voted to kill the bill.
  • Members of Congress were asked to co-sponsor legislation, introduced on April 24, 2007, that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. As of Oct. 3, 2008, the measure had 185 co-sponsors: Democrats 179; Republicans 6. Peter Roskam refused to co-sponsor the legislation.
  • Members of Congress were asked to co-sponsor legislation, introduced on Feb. 28, 2007, that would repeal the discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” military policy that denies lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers the right to serve their country openly. As of Oct. 3, 2008, the measure had 149 co-sponsors: Democrats 146; Republicans 3. Peter Roskam refused to help end discrimination against LGBT soldiers.
  • Members of Congress were asked to co-sponsor legislation, introduced on March 29, 2007, that would equalize tax treatment for employer-provided health coverage for domestic partners and other non-spouse, non-dependent beneficiaries. As of Oct. 3, 2008, the measurehad 120 co-sponsors: Democrats 116; Republicans 4. Peter Roskam refused to work for equality.
  • Members of Congress were asked to co-sponsor legislation, introduced on May 8, 2007, that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide same-sex partners of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents the same immigration benefits that legal spouses of U.S. permanent residents enjoy. As of Oct. 3, 2008, the measure had 119 co-sponsors: Democrats 118; Republicans 1. Peter Roskam refused to help LGBT immigrants.

These coupled with Roskam’s vote last week to defund the military rather than approve federal hate crimes legislation paint a picture of a legislator who is agressively anti-gay. LGBT residents of the 6th District need to pressure Roskam to stop voting against equality.

In case you haven’t seen it, here is President Obama’s speech to the HRC last week. Obama vows to sign the hate crimes legislation and to end “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”. I don’t doubt his sincerity of intent. But I sincerely hope that he will take action sooner rather than later. It is growing harder to rationalize support for a party that has so often disappointed when it comes to LGBT rights.

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Peter Roskam Keeping the Hemisphere Safe for “Big Fruit”

On 10.06.09, In Economic Justice, Foreign Policy, Honduras, Human Rights, Organized Labor, Peter Roskam, By RSR

honduras-nicaragua-map.jpg

Not content with crushing the working poor here at home, Peter Roskam flew off to Honduras this past Friday, in the company of South Carolina’s Christo-fascist Senator Jim DeMint, to meet with members of the right-wing junta which seized power in Honduras in June in a military coup and has since suppressed the press and suspended the constitutional rights of the people including “the right to personal liberty, freedom of association, freedom of movement, and protections against arbitrary detention”.

Roskam framed his meddling as an attempt ensure free and fair elections in Honduras.  That explanation, of course, makes no sense, as Roskam and company met only with members of the illigitemate government that overthrew the democratically-elected President Manuel Zelaya. They made no attempt to confer with Zelaya. The trip is best seen as an attempt to interefere with the Obama Administration’s foreign policy efforts in Honduras to restore the rightfully-elected President. As always, Roskam is acting on behalf of the powerful U.S. corporate interests seeking to subvert the reforms begun on behalf of workers by President Zelaya. Once again, Roskam show’s he has either no understanding of, or no concern for right and wrong. His conduct is despicable. The word “sociopathic” again comes to mind.

Zelaya enjoyed strong support from the poor and from the unions. His offense appears to have been attempting to raise the minimum wage by 60%. This move apparently angered, among others, the giant fruit companies Dole and Chiquita. Chiquita claimed, according to journalist Nikolas Kozloff that it would cost 20 cents more to produce a crate of pineapples and 10 cents more to produce a crate of bananas, eating into corporate profits. While there is no evidence linking these companies directly to the coup, they were, no doubt, among its most important beneficiaries.

The coup against Zelaya was led by Gen. Romeo Orlando Vásquez Velásquez who, according to a report by Linda Cooper and James Hodge in the National Catholic Reporter, is a two-time graduate of the infamous School of the Americas (SOA). SOA is a U.S. military institution, now called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, located at Fort Benning in Georgia that, according to NCR,  has “trained hundreds of coup leaders and human rights abusers in Latin America”:

The three Honduran generals fit into the larger picture of coup leaders trained by the U.S. Army school, which used to boast about how many of the school’s graduates had become heads of their countries.

The boasting, which stopped after the graduates’ undemocratic paths to power became better known, celebrated such figures as:

* Argentine Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri, who seized power in a bloody coup, bringing down another SOA grad, Gen. Roberto Viola, who came to power during Argentina’s Dirty War.
* Guatemalan dictator Gen. Efrain Rios Montt, who seized power in a coup in 1982 and conducted a scorched earth campaign against the Mayan Indians.
* Panamanian dictators Gen. Omar Torrijos, who overthrew a civilian government in a 1968 coup, and Gen. Manuel Noriega, a five-time SOA graduate, who ruled the country and dealt in drugs while on the CIA payroll.
* Ecuadoran dictator Gen. Guillermo Rodriguez, who overthrew the elected civilian government in 1972.
* Bolivian dictators Gen. Hugo Banzer Suarez, who seized power in a violent coup in 1971, and Gen. Guido Vildoso Calderon, who grabbed power in 1982.
* Peruvian strongman Gen. Juan Velasco Alvarado, who in 1968 toppled the elected civilian government.

In ousting the Honduran president Sunday, Vásquez Velásquez had the help of other SOA graduates, including Gen. Luis Javier Prince Suazo, the head of the Honduran Air Force.

Another two-time SOA grad, retired Gen. Daniel López Carballo, told CNN that the coup was justified because Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez would be running Honduras by proxy if the military had not acted.

Records show that Vásquez Velásquez took a basic combat arms course at SOA in 1976 and another course on small military units in 1984, while Prince Suazo took a 1996 course on joint operations.

The Obama Administration has responded to Zelaya’s ouster by terminating all non-humanitarian aid to Honduras.  The coup has been condemned by the Organization of American States, the United Nations, and the European Union.  Nobel peace laureate Oscar Arias, the President of Costa Rica, tried unsuccessfully to broker a deal to return Zelaya to office.

And yet here’s our pissant Congressman Roskam, cozying up to this illegitimate regime, interfering in the President’s conduct of foreign policy.  I guess it should come as no great shock. This behavior fits right into Roskam’s primary project of promoting the interests of big corporations and trampling the unions and the wage-earners who get in the way. And Roskam’s never met a right-wing thug he didn’t like.

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Peter Roskam Lies About Colombia Anti-Union Violence On Fox News Infomercial for TPA, Caterpillar

On 05.31.09, In Colombia, Organized Labor, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, By RSR

This is not breaking news, by any means. I just came upon this clip while browsing Roskam’s YouTube collection. It is from back on February 12, 2009.The House Labor and Education Committee had just heard testimony that anti-labor violence was on the increase in 2008 and that the goverment has been, if not complicit in the killings, negligent in the prosecution of those responsible:

“Despite the great emphasis the current administration is placing on security, after a few years of declining murder rates, violence against labor unions showed a steep increase in 2008”, said Jose Luciano Sanin, director of the Escuela Nacional Sindical (National Labor School). “More than 60 percent of the all murdered unionists in the world are Colombians. The murder rate of unionists in Colombia is five times that of the rest of the countries of the world, including those countries with dictatorships that have banned union activity.”

“Despite the great emphasis the current administration is placing on security, after a few years of declining murder rates, violence against labor unions showed a steep increase in 2008”, said Jose Luciano Sanin, director of the Escuela Nacional Sindical (National Labor School). “More than 60 percent of the all murdered unionists in the world are Colombians. The murder rate of unionists in Colombia is five times that of the rest of the countries of the world, including those countries with dictatorships that have banned union activity.”

Human rights advocates in Colombia contend that many of these killings were planned the leadership of the country’s right-wing paramilitary organization, the A.U.C, as well as the Colombian military, and national police. Although some prosecutions are being conducted, witnesses testified, prosecutions often stop short from holding those who conspired, ordered or paid for anti-labor murders accountable.

“It is a systematic pattern that in all of these criminal acts, the public prosecutor is content to determine the responsibility of the material authors, leaving out the intellectual authors, who are the most important, given that they are the ones who sponsor, order the executions, put up the money, and always remain in impunity,” said Jose Nirio Sanchez, a former Colombian special court judge for labor-homicide cases. “Thus, these crimes will not stop, since the true perpetrators are not prosecuted.”

So the very same day, Peter Roskam goes on on FOX to actively promote the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, citing what a boon it would be to Caterpillar, one of his major campaign contributors, and saying how labor leaders and labor organizers  in Colombia are less likely to to be subject to violence than the rest of the population.

Every time I think I might like this guy a little, he reminds me what a bastard he is. We have been having a national conversation about whether empathy is a valuable quality in a Supreme Court justice. Even if it you think it is not, it is certainly something whe should expect in our representatives in Congress. Roskam is absolutely blind to human suffering, both at home in his district and in the world. I guess that’s what enables him to sleep at night as he uses our seat in Congress to promote his ruthless pro-corporate agenda.

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