I think that after ten years time it is time to make an adjustment.  I'm confident that we can get a bill that can raise the minimum wage and protect small businesses and farms from added burdens.

We are on the brink of cures for diseases that affect hundreds of millions around the world. Opponents of stem cell research often point to adult stem cells as a suitable alternative. However, legitimate scientists disagree. Dr. Harold Varmus, the former head of our National Institutes of Health, said, 'Compared to adult stem cells, embryonic stem cells have a much greater potential, according to all existing scientific literature.'

On Wednesday, the President exercised the first veto of his presidency on this law. President Bush has signed bills to give subsidies to Big Oil, to give tax cuts to the wealthiest few, and subsidies to HMOs, but he could not find it in his heart to give hope to America's families, proudly boasting that he was protecting America from crossing a 'moral line.' I am tempted to point out the obvious - the President's veto had nothing to do with morals. It had everything to do with cold, calculated, cynical political gain - the kind of politics that snuffs out the candle of hope, and that condemns the disabled and the sick.

The President's veto is a sad sidebar in a debate that has been about ethical scientific research and hope. The veto has backfired already, putting the spotlight on his stubborn resistance to facts. This last-gasp effort to stop stem cell research will be viewed by historians as a sign more of the weakness of the opponents than a roadblock to progress.

We cannot stand back and ignore a valuable research tool that might work medical miracles. We won't turn our backs on those in need. We will pass this bill.  This fight is just beginning.

Personally, I'm still encouraged that we're going to continue pushing. My legislation isn't the goal - if we can get embryonic stem cells from another sources, I'm all for it - I just doubt we can.

I don't intend to play games. I intend to follow the science and to follow the issue, so that next year I can put it into a bill that'll be an improved model, knowing that the President still probably won't sign it.

But I'm not going to attach this to every appropriations bill.

Yesterday, I sent a letter with Chairman Tom Davis to ask the President's Council on Environmental Quality to provide information about serious allegations that a political appointee had tampered with government scientists' and experts' work on global warming.

Last year, the New York Times reported that the council's chief of staff, Phillip Cooney, had altered scientific government reports to downplay the connection between emissions and global warming. The White House claimed last year that Mr. Cooney's edits were routine. Mr. Cooney had no background in science. Before joining the Bush Administration, he'd been an oil industry lobbyist.

Days after the Times story ran, Mr. Cooney resigned. And went to work for Exxon Mobil.

Yesterday's Government Reform Committee hearing on climate change science presented me with an opportunity to ask Chairman Tom Davis to join me in an effort to get to the bottom of the controversy. Our letter asked CEQ's current chairman James Connaughton to provide any internal documents related to climate change, and we expect them by August 11. Chairman Davis has agreed to schedule a hearing with the CEQ chairman after the August recess.

By: Tom Bock, National Commander of the American Legion

We were trained in the military to "safeguard" classified materials.  VA has an obligation to "safeguard" personal information.  We know the consequences for losing classified material in the military, I would expect no less in the VA.

Therefore, The American Legion calls upon the Administration and Congress to provide the promised protection to allow concerned veterans and members of the military a sense of well being and peace of mind they so rightly deserve.

The American Legion will continue to press the VA and congress to work to ensure that any veteran, active duty, Guard or Reserve member who suffers financial loss as a result of the initial theft is justly compensated.  The American Legion also supports legislation that will provide free monitoring of credit for one year and other actions to protect veterans.

The Veterans Identity and Credit Security Act of 2006 seems like a logical first step toward re establishing confidence and trust.

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.

The following post is from DeKalb County Commissioner Hank Johnson, who on Tuesday surprisingly forced an August 8 runoff election with Rep. Cynthia McKinney for the Democratic nomination in Georgia's 4th Congressional District.



Hello! My name is Hank Johnson, and I'm running for Congress in Georgia's Fourth Congressional District against Cynthia McKinney.

The last four days have been a whirlwind. We surprised the world by forcing Cynthia McKinney into an August 8th runoff, and my campaign has been thrust into the national spotlight. I am confident that good sense will prevail and that the voters of the Fourth will send me to Washington, where I intend to serve with humility, integrity, and conviction. I believe the people of my district have had enough of the polarizing spirit of division that dominates Washington, impedes progress, and gives a bad name to politics. It's time for a change. I'm not interested in publicity.

I'm interested in solutions, and I hope to have the opportunity to pursue them. I'm tremendously excited about the opportunity to use this unique medium to strengthen democracy by increasing open interaction between constituents and candidates. I hope to provide you with an inside view of this hotly-contested, high stakes runoff.

Stay tuned for continued updates and messages!

While there are many important issues that we face, such as the Middle East, I was sent up here by my constituents to represent family values.

It is important to show the world what the U.S. stands for, and it helps our standing in the Middle East.

We're trying to make it possible for kids and parents to choose the schools that they want to go to, especially when the public schools that they're in are not performing.