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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Congratulations and Thanks to President Obama and Democrats for Success of Stimulus

On 02.17.10, In Barack Obama, Economy, Peter Roskam, By RSR

On the first anniversary of the the signing into law of the $862 billion economic stimulus passage it is appropriate to extend thanks to President Obama and to the Democratic leadership in Congress for its success in bringing the country out of recession and away from the brink of economic collapse that may have rivaled the Great Depression. While recovery is not complete and there are large numbers of  Americans still unemployed, there are many hopeful signs. The economy grew at a rate of 5.7% in the fourth quarter of 2009, the fastest rate in 6 years.

While there is room to argue about what has helped and what hasn’t, there is no excuse for the nasty display of trash talk exhibited today by Peter Roskam and his fellow Republicans, many of whom hypocritically touted stimulus money being spent in their districts after having voted against it.Their behavior today was appalling. They take joy in signs of new economic difficulty hoping that the country’s failure will bring them political success in upcoming midterm elections. But their behavior is destructive to the nation’s morale and destructive to the recovery itself. This is not what they were elected to do. The nation deserves better.

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Peter Roskam and His Party of Lies Poisoned the Wells in the Healthcare Reform Debate

On 02.16.10, In Economic Justice, Healthcare, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, By RSR

Republican Representative Peter Roskam appeared on the ever “fair and balanced” Fox and Friends this past Friday morning for another of his Fox-facilitated rants on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic partisanship. Take a look:

Roskam’s villainization of Speaker Pelosi and the Democratic efforts to achieve universal healthcare coverage is laughable.

Back in early 2009, after President Obama was sworn in, national support for healthcare reform was high. A CNN/Opinion Research Survey conducted in February 2009 found that 72% of Americans favored an increased roll for the government in healthcare, with 60% believing that the government should provide health insurance or healthcare to all Americans. In a Kaiser Foundation poll conducted the same month, 62% of respondents felt it was more important than ever to take on healthcare reform now and 72% of respondents trusted the recommendations of President Obama on healthcare reform. Even as late as June of 2009, in a Employee Benefit Research Institute poll, 83% of respondents favored a new government healthcare plan that anyone can purchase.

So Americans wanted healthcare reform and they even liked the idea of a public plan, and that left Roskam and the Reublicans in Congress with a dilemma. For political reasons, they needed Obama and the Democrats to fail so that Republican prospects would be better in the 2010 mid-term elections and beyond. And they needed to satisfy their financial backers in the big business lobbies and the healthcare companies that were opposed to reform. Last summer, Peter Roskam’s friend in the Senate, Jim DeMint, famously announced the GOP intent to have healthcare reform become President Obama’s “Waterloo”.

But how do you kill a popular program? The GOP decided to play on its strengths: to lie and sow fear and confusion about Democratic reform plans. And so they embarked on  a campaign of misinformation.

They engaged spin doctor Frank Luntz to craft talking points designed to scare the public about healthcare reform. The organized astroturf groups to spread misinformation and to fund and fan the flames of the paranoid, racist Tea Party movement. They used Republican-controlled Fox News to blare their anti-reform message 24 hours a day. And GOP members took to the airwaves themselves spouting lies about death panels, massive cuts to Medicare, uncontrolled spending, and a government takeover of healthcare complete with rationing.

Peter Roskam has been an enthusiastic participant in all of this. He’s been on local an national media constantly promulgating these lies and even used over a million dollars of taxpayer funds to blanket homes in the district with mailers – an average of about 11 per household in the 3rd quarter – as part of this partisan campaign.

Naturally, people are now suspicious.

Now the GOP has shifted to playing the role of being helpless victims of extreme Democratic partisanship. President Obama has offered a summit on healthcare in response to their pleas to be listened to and now, laughably, they are calling it a trap:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
The Apparent Trap
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes		 Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Peter Roskam and the GOP are liars. They are lying to kill healthcare reform because they want the President to fail and because their big corporate donors don’t want reform. And if their efforts to kill reform succeed, then Americans will continue to suffer and die for lack of coverage. And they are still gleeful about what they have done.

Because the GOP have demonstrated their unwillingness to be honest participants in formulating a workable reform plan, Democrats should make every effort possible to pass reform by reconciliation, ignoring the continued GOP effort to sabotage the process.

Peter Roskam’s conduct in all of this has been reprehensible – adolescent if not sociopathic. I sincerely hope that voters will see that and replace him this fall.

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Congressman John Shimkus Commends Non-Believing Constituents to the Nether Region

On 02.05.10, In Peter Roskam, Religious Freedom, By RSR
{{w|John Shimkus}}, member of the United State...
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The Republicans in Congress have begun to embrace Twitter with great enthusiasm. Recently, we have seen Peter Roskam and John Boehner bragging to anyone who would listen about how the GOP had a far greater representation on Twitter than the Luddite Democrats. Roskam, in particular, has been gleefully tweeting about his tireless efforts to help the nation’s bankers and brokers cope with these trying economic times. I like following the GOP on Twitter. Helps me keep abreast of their latest mischief and talking points.

Representative John Shimkus of Illinois’ 19 District and, seemingly primarily an agent of the nation’s coal companies, is one of the more interesting of the GOP tweeters. He starts each day by tweeting a bible verse carefully selected to edify his followers or to chastise Democratic infidels.

I found today’s selection a little disturbing:

Psalm 53:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that do good

Now, I don’t doubt Representative Shimkus’ expertise in the realm of corruption. And I have no complaint about his expression of his religious beliefs in the course of his duties as a Congressman. And I don’t have a problem with Christians in government – in fact I am enthusiastically backing a committed Evangelical candidate, Ben Lowe, to replace Representative Peter Roskam in the 6th District. I do have a problem with the sort of Christians who use their “faith” to justify all manner of intolerance, to trample the religious freedoms of others, to justify unjustifiable social and economic structures, and to absolve themselves of any responsibility to make better the lives of their fellow human beings who are suffering because of that structural injustice.

I think that Representative Shimkus’s selection of scripture today, if not deliberately provocative and triumphalistic, certainly demonstrates an insensitivity to the fact that we live in a pluralistic society under a Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion (or freedom from religion) to everyone, non-believers included.

I believe that Representative Shimkus owes his district an apology and that he should be more careful about his selections in the future. The non-believers in Representative Shimkus’ district are entitled to representation too.

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Seniors: Ask Peter Roskam if He Supports GOP Plan to End Medicare

On 02.04.10, In Healthcare, Medicare, Peter Roskam, Senior Citizens, Social Security, By RSR

House Republicans are in the process of drafting an alternative budget proposal. Nothing has been finalized but the representative who will write the proposal, Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, has a draft that includes the end of Medicare as we know it, replacing it with a system of vouchers for seniors to buy private insurance. Also included is a plan to privatize social security, turning your savings over to the wall street speculators who caused the recent financial collapse.

It is urgent that you contact Peter Roskam today and tell him to reject any plan that would take away your Medicare and Social Security.

You can contact Peter Roskam in Washington at (202) 225-4561 or in Bloomingdale at (630) 893-9670.

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President Obama Masterfully Demolishes GOP Critics, Roskam Included

On 01.29.10, In Barack Obama, Economy, Healthcare, Peter Roskam, Unemployment, By RSR

Just finished watching the video of President Obama’s Q&A session at the GOP House Issues conference today. The President was brilliant. He called the GOP to account for for their campaign of misinformation about healthcare reform and the economic stimulus, but did it with respect and a sincere invitation to Republicans to work with him in the nation’s best interest. The President was articulate and knew his facts, including detailed knowledge of Republican counter proposals. He was warm and human in demeanor and gentle but firm in his criticisms, using self-deprecating humor effectively to put the room at ease. I have never seen a more brilliant performance by a President. Never.

You can hear Congressman Roskam pose his question at about 67:15.

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