Civil Rights

There appears to be a direct relationship between the increasing ugliness and immorality of this war and the extreme lengths to which Israel’s supporters will go to justify it.

This was brought home to me this week in three separate debates, one in print, two on television. What I clearly saw at work in these exchanges was how Israel’s apologists use verbal overkill paralleling Israel’s use of overwhelming military force. They will admit no wrong.  They attempt to bully opponents into submission.  They deny history and morality.  And, maybe most disturbing of all, they seek to present this war (as they have sought to present many of Israel’s previous wars) in exaggerated and near apocalyptical terms.

One of my antagonists, Abe Foxman, head of the Anti-Defamation League, objected to a piece I had written charging the Bush Administration with “criminal negligence, Read more...

I hope that they do nothing further because I don't want them to do any more harm to the American people.

With the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965, African-Americans were finally promised the right to vote after centuries of disenfranchisement. The era of the literacy test, the grandfather clause, and the outright exclusion of black Americans from the political process had come to a close, at least officially.

The Voting Rights Act remains some of the most important legislation ever passed by the United States Congress, and I was pleased to see it handily reauthorized last week. I was equally pleased to see that an amendment proposed by Georgia Rep. Charlie Norwood (R), which would have significantly weakened the act, was rejected 318-96.

I was disappointed, though, to see that my opponent for the Democratic nomination here in the Georgia Fourth, Rep. Cynthia McKinney, was one of very few Members of Congress who didn't even show for the vote on the amendment. An act of such negligence strikes me not only as unethical but also as incompetent. Read more...

As a nurse, I know first hand the need for substantial improvement in the use of Health Information Technology (HIT) in America's Health Care facilities, and I want to see the expanded use of health information technology, such as electronic medical records.  I know that expanded use of HIT holds great promise for facilitating better care, reducing medical errors, and eliminating burdensome paperwork.



Unfortunately, the bill the House will consider today has a glaring omission - it has no privacy protection for patients.  That means your personal, sensitive health information is vulnerable to theft or abuse. That also means there is no recourse you could take to hold individuals accountable for improperly obtaining or disclosing your most personal information.


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This was a very rational bill that was a compromise between homeowners’ associations and condominium associations that worry about the values of homes depreciating, and the rights of Americans to present their country’s flag. They can place reasonable limits on how and when to present the flag but they cannot stop you from presenting it.

It’s great to get a bill through the process and it takes a long time to get it through the bureaucracy. You just assume that people can fly the flag but then you learn that this isn’t the case and we felt in this case legislation was needed to solve the problem.

I was asked to make available a report issued today by an American Bar Association task force on presidential signing statements. I asked this bipartisan group of constitutional experts and former government officials to examine whether presidents can sign new laws, but then issue statements saying they do not intend to enforce all or part of them.

This group found that presidents of both parties have used this tactic with increasing aggressiveness in the last 25 years, in ways that thwart the will of Congress and undermine our delicate system of checks and balances. I was especially gratified that the task force, which includes several conservatives including former Oklahoma Congressman Mickey Edwards, all agreed that the president can’t pick or choose what parts of a law he likes. He must sign or veto it as a whole.

I urge you to look at the report, prepared by the American Bar Association Task Force on Presidential Signing Statements and the Separation of Powers Doctrine.

I hope that we get some degree of assurance and provide a structure for the public to ensure them of the integrity in the voting system.  Quite frankly when you have something that's voluntary you can't achieve anything.

As the Democratic Leader of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud of the Committee Members who passed a strong bi-partisan bill on Thursday, July 20 which responds effectively to the cavalier manner in which veterans' information has been secured, accessed, and passed around. This attitude in the Department of Veterans' Affairs (VA) directly led to the May 3rd theft of the personal data of 26.5 million veterans and to other data breaches that have only recently been reported to the Committee. While the Committee cannot fully change the culture of the VA through mandate, we can affect that culture, instill more responsive policies and, hopefully, engender better management.

During his first address before our nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, President Bush said the right words, but time and time again, he has failed to back up such words with action.

To truly make an impact, today's photo-up must include a follow-up. The visuals and script he presented must be the beginning of a strong production.

I am pleased that President Bush acknowledged that racism and discrimination still exist in America - a fact some in the Republican party continue to deny.

He discussed giving priority to eliminating racial disparities by providing quality education for all children, encouraging the growth of minority-owned businesses, increasing home ownership in the African American community, expanding access to healthcare, addressing the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and helping the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.

However, mere words do not help children who attend low-performing schools. Catchy sound-bites don't help Hurricane Katrina survivors rebuild their lives. And his appearance at an NAACP convention doesn't make poverty disappear for millions of Americans.

Nearly 5 years after 9/11, the United States remains vulnerable to a
widespread cyber attack, which has the potential to disrupt
telecommunications networks, power, water and sewage systems, chemical
manufacturing and transportation systems.

Despite this risk, the Department of Homeland Security has still not
appointed a cyber security expert to the post of assistant-secretary. The
position has been vacant for about one year.

Terrorism experts have indicated that groups like al Qaeda are increasingly
focusing on ways to destroy the economy of the United States. And a cyber
attack could devastate the national economy and wreak havoc on the nation's
cyber infrastructure.

Remember that the 2003 blackout, in which much of the Northeastern United
States lost power for over 24 hours, exposed the dramatic impact such an
event could have on the economy. For example, the economic impact on New
York City alone was estimated at least $1 billion, not including the
additional millions lost due to overtime pay for the recovery and the lost
sales tax revenues.

That's why I've called for Congressional hearings, which will help shine a
light on the need for action and serve as a springboard for implementing a
comprehensive cyber security plan.