Given The Chance To Support the Troops -- Knollenberg Voted NO

Once again, Joe Knollenberg has voted against our troops.

On April 25, 2007, Congress voted on legislation that would have guaranteed that troops in Iraq were properly trained and equipped before being deployed.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill, HR 1591, gave the military $2 billion more than the President requested so as to improve military readiness.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill provided for non-binding timelines for the President to begin withdrawing US troops from Iraq.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

This bill provided funds to improve our Homeland security.
But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.

Once again, Joe Knollenberg has voted against our troops, and against the wishes of the people in Oakland County.

Joe Knollenberg is too EXTREME for Oakland County

Rubber Stamp Knollenberg condemns more troops to death in Iraq

There he goes again. After saying his patience was running out on the disaster in Iraq, Rubber Stamp Joe Knollenberg votes against funding the troops in Iraq. Even though the Iraq Accountability Act fully funds the troops, Joe Knollenberg voted against funding the troops because it has a goal of bringing our troops home to their families, hopefully alive, rather than in a coffin.

When does Joe Knollenberg finally vote to end the madness that is going on in Iraq?

Even though a recent survey conducted in downtown Birmingham, at the heart of the most Republican part of Joe's district, showed that 79% of respondents are against the escalation of the war in Iraq, Joe refuses to represent his district. Joe continues to vote against the vast marjority of his district. Why does he refuse to take his head out of his rear end and take a breath of fresh air?

Maybe it's a lack of oxygen to Joe's brain that is causing him to continue to Rubber Stamp President Bush's disasterous policies in Iraq.

Looks Like Bush & Cheney Were Telling Tales To Get Us Into Iraq

We've been hearing it for awhile now.

That Bush & Cheney & complicit Congressman like Joe Knollenberg dragged us into this war in Iraq under false pretenses.

We have been hearing about them cherry picking intelligence that supported their position and ignoring intelligence that was contrary.

We also know from former Bush Administration officials that this Administration was planning to invade Iraq well before 9/11.

Paul O'Neill, Bush's Treasury Secretary, 60 minutes interview:

At cabinet meetings, he says the president was "like a blind man in a roomful of deaf people. There is no discernible connection," forcing top officials to act "on little more than hunches about what the president might think."
* * *
And what happened at President Bush's very first National Security Council meeting is one of O'Neill's most startling revelations.

“From the very beginning, there was a conviction, that Saddam Hussein was a bad person and that he needed to go,” says O’Neill, who adds that going after Saddam was topic "A" 10 days after the inauguration - eight months before Sept. 11.

“From the very first instance, it was about Iraq. It was about what we can do to change this regime,” says Suskind. “Day one, these things were laid and sealed.”

British Government Memoranda (Known As the Downing Street Memos)
The Downing Street memo is really a copy of the minutes of a meeting on July 23, 2002, where British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Senior Minister's met to discuss a recent meeting with the Bush Administration and their plans to invade Iraq.

One of the most damning indictments of how the Bush Administration was lying to the public is contained in this paragraph of the memo:

Military action was now seen as inevitable. Bush wanted to remove Saddam, through military action, justified by the conjunction of terrorism and WMD. But the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy. The NSC had no patience with the UN route, and no enthusiasm for publishing material on the Iraqi regime's record. There was little discussion in Washington of the aftermath after military action.

George Tenet Was in Bush's Inner Circle & He Now Confirms we Were Mislead
But much of this has not gotten much attention. Maybe it will now that George Tenet, former head of the CIA, has written a book about how the war came about. According to MSNBC:

White House and Pentagon officials, and particularly Vice President Cheney, were determined to attack Iraq from the first days of the Bush administration, long before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and repeatedly stretched available intelligence to build support for the war, according to a new book by former CIA director George J. Tenet.

Why Hasn't Joe Knollenberg Challenged The Administration on Any of This?
Because Joe Knollenberg is a rubber stamp that just does whatever Bush tells him to do. And if Bush isn't telling him what to do, then the lobbyists are.

Joe Knollenberg Still Supports Bush's Failed "Stay the Course Strategy" in Iraq.

Joe Knollenberg is Out of Touch With the Voters of Oakland County.

This Says It All

This 30 second video says it all. The Democrats in Congress voted to bring our troops home. Bush needs to sign that bill.

Unfortunately, Joe Knollenberg voted to give George Bush a blank check, an open-ended commitment for troops and money.

Joe Knollenberg Is Wrong on Iraq.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 5

In the face of mounting evidence that staying in Iraq will only lead to more US Troops being killed, Joe Knollenberg is steadfast and resolute in his support of George Bush's War in Iraq. [HR 1591, Rollcall #265, April 25, 2007]

The public on the other hand, knows better. In the most recent WSJ/NBC poll, 49% of us realize that the situtation in Iraq has been getting worse over the last 3 months.

And 55% don't believe "victory" (whatever Bush defines as victory this week) is possible.

Perhaps most interesting, 56% of voters think the Democrats should impose timelines withdrawing the troops!

Joe Knollenberg Voted To Keep Troops in Iraq Indefinitely
Once again, is acting contrary to the interests of the voters in Oakland County.

Joe Knollenberg voted NO on legislation that would have fully funded & equipped the troops and imposed tentative guidelines for withdrawal. By voting no, Joe Knollenberg is once again giving George Bush and the failed Iraqi government a blank check to continue with their failed strategy.

Joe Knollenberg is out-of-touch & too extreme for Oakland County.

Knollenberg Fails to Protect Our Health and Safety

FDA Fails to Protect Our Food Chain
Many of us are asking where the FDA was when the wheat gluten that contained the poisonous melamine was being imported and put into the food of our dogs and cats. (Many more of us are going to be wondering where the FDA has been once they finish their investigation and find out that the wheat gluten in human food has been similarly contaminated.)

First of all, why do we import wheat gluten? Don't we grow wheat and export it to countries like China?

Second, why does the FDA either not have adequate standards or does not conduct adequate inspections, etc. to find out that our food supply has been poisoned -- BEFORE people and pets get sick.

We know for example, that FDA knew about the problem with e. coli contamination of spinach long before the outbreak last year resulted in at least 3 deaths and hundreds of people getting sick. FDA took no action except to "urge" the industry to take appropriate actions.

OSHA Fails to Protect Worker Health
Today, the NYT reports that OSHA has done nothing to protect workers (or consumers) from exposure to diacetyl, a dangerous chemical that is put in microwave popcorn.

Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a
microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.

Puzzled Missouri health authorities turned to two federal agencies in
Washington. Scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health, which investigates the causes of workplace health problems, moved
quickly to examine patients, inspect factories and run tests. Within months,
they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a
food-flavoring agent.

But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's response has been to say that they plan to prepare a safety bulletin on the matter! That is it! Oh, and they may do some inspections. Inspections for what? If they aren't regulating the material or the process what are they inspecting for? And why haven't they done anything for 7 years?

And if this chemical is so horrible for the workers lungs, what makes them think it is okay for us to eat!?!

Knollenberg Fails to Do Anything
So what has Joe Knollenberg done about these problems?

Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
He doesn't discuss them on his website.
He hasn't proposed a single piece of legislation regarding these issues.
He has done nothing.
Nothing.

Joe Knollenberg Is A Do-Nothing Congressman. We Deserve Better.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 4

Like George Bush, Joe Knollenberg is ignoring the expert's advice on the Iraq war. According to General Petraeus,

"There is no military solution to a problem like that in Iraq, to the insurgency of Iraq," Petraeus told a news conference, adding that political negotiations were crucial to forging any lasting peace.

So, knowing that, what has been Joe Knollenberg's proposal to resolve the most serious foreign policy matter facing this country?

Nothing.

Joe Knollenberg has no policy on Iraq. No proposal. No ideas. No nothing. He doesn't even list "Iraq" as an "issue" on his official website.

We deserve a representative in Congress who is willing to address the tough issues like Iraq, the economy, healthcare, etc.

Joe Knollenberg is a Do-Nothing Congressman. We Deserve Better.

Joe Knollenberg's Unconditional Support for George Bush's War in Iraq: Part 3

Joe Knollenberg continues to support Bush's war in Iraq. If you read any of the quotes in the local press about Knollenberg's position on the war, he generally makes milquetoast comments like "he is concerned" or he wants to "see progress".

But when given a chance to actually impose any means of measuring progress on Bush or on the Iraqi's, Knollenberg voted NO. Knollenberg's position on that legislation -- that funds and equips the troops while also establishing goals for a phased withdrawal -- is contrary to that of many military experts.

"This bill gives General Petraeus great leverage for moving the Iraqi government down the more disciplined path laid out by the Iraq Study Group. The real audience for the timeline language is Prime Minister al-Maliki and the elected government of Iraq. The argument that this bill aides the enemy is simply not mature - nobody on the earth underestimates the United States' capacity for unpredictability. It may further create some sense of urgency in the rest of our government, beginning with the State Department."

--Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, USA, Ret.

"The bill gives the president a chance to pull back from a disastrous course, re-orient US strategy to achieve regional stability, and win help from many other countries -- the only way peace will eventually be achieved."

--LT GEN Wm. E. Odom, USA, Ret.

"Supporting the Iraq Supplemental Bill not only reflects the thinking of the Iraq Study Group but puts teeth to the phrase "Supporting the Troops". By establishing timelines it returns the responsibility of self preservation and regional sovereignty to the people of Iraq and their government."

--Maj. Gen. Mel Montano, USANG, Ret

"This important legislation sets a new direction for Iraq. It acknowledges that America went to war without mobilizing the nation, that our strategy in Iraq has been tragically flawed since the invasion in March 2003, that our Army and Marine Corps are at the breaking point with little to show for it, and that our military alone will never establish representative government in Iraq. The administration got it terribly wrong and I applaud our Congress for stepping up to their constitutional responsibilities."

--Maj. Gen. John Batiste, USA, Ret.

"We must commence a coordinated phased withdrawal of U.S. combat troops and condition our continuing support of the Iraqi government on its fulfilling the political commitments it has made to facilitate reconciliation of the contending secular factions. Otherwise, we will continue to be entwined in a hopeless quagmire, with continuing American casualties, which will render our ground forces ineffective."

--Lt. Gen. Robert Gard, USA Ret.

So, once again, Joe Knollenberg is on the wrong side of an issue.

Joe Knollenberg is too Extreme for Oakland County.

Knollenberg still unconditionally supports Bush's War in Iraq -- Part 2

As we reported in Part 1, Joe Knollenberg has been a rubber stamp that just approves everything President Bush wants regarding the Iraq war. Michigan voters however strongly disagree with how Bush is handling the war in Iraq.


Joe Knollenberg supports An Open-ended commitment of U.S. Troops

It only took American's 3 1/2 years to defeat the Nazis in WWII, but we have already been in Iraq for over 4 years. And there is no end in sight.

Ever since voting to authorize the war in Iraq in October 2002, Joe Knollenberg has given Bush unflinching support for his "STAY THE COURSE" approach -- even though that approach has failed miserably by all accounts.

Knollenberg even supports Bush's current escalation of the war in Iraq. Knollenberg and Bush are sending over 40,000 new troops into Iraq this year alone.

But Michigan voters disagree with Bush and Knollenberg's plan to leave U.S. Troops in Iraq indefinitely. In fact, 49% of Michigan voters support withdrawing our troops over the next 6 months! [April 13-15 survey by Strategic Vision LLC.]


Knollenberg Does Not "Support The Troops"

Last month, Joe Knollenberg voted NO on a bill that provided supplemental funding to the troops in Iraq. President Bush requested $96 billion in additional funding for the troops and the Democratic Congress approved a bill that provided that funding. But Joe Knollenberg voted NO.
[HR 1591, Roll Call Vote 186]

In addition, the bill provided that troops are entitled to a year in between tours in Iraq and that they must be properly trained and equipped. But Joe Knollenberg voted NO. [HR 1591, Roll Call Vote 186]

Joe's Friends Are Abandoning Him On CAFE Standards

Detroit Faces Bipartisan Fire Over Fuel Economy
Even Auto Industry Allies Seek Change

By Sholnn Freeman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, April 24, 2007; D01

For more than 20 years, the American automotive industry has deflected attempts to force improvements in vehicle mileage. Now Detroit is getting battered on the issue from almost every side, and even industry-friendly lawmakers say change is looming.

Read More