GR Press: Ehlers gets an earful from protesters

It's nice to see people try to hold Ehlers accountable:

Members of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, a national group calling for an end to the war, and Institute for Global Education, a Grand Rapids-based group that preaches nonviolence, waved signs reading "Keep 'Em Safe, Bring 'Em Home" at passing traffic on Michigan Street NW. Some drivers honked and flashed peace signs.
"We're targeting the more-moderate representatives we believe will switch their opinions," said Matthew Arnold, deputy field director for AAEI in Michigan. The group also is targeting Reps. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph; Tim Walberg, R-Tipton; Mike Rogers, R-Howell; and Thaddeus McCotter, R-Livonia.

Anyone who know Walberg, Rogers, or McCotter well enough knows that they are not moderate. But at any rate, how does Ehlers respond to the protest?

"I've learned not to let protesters sway my views on the issue," the Grand Rapids Republican said. "But, what they are trying to address is real and should be addressed."

...

"I'm no supporter of war, but that's over the hill now," he said. "The question is what can we do from here ... and we're going to need a presence there at this time." (emphasis added)

From Media Mouse: Ehlers Introduces Voting "Reform" Legislation

Media Mouse has the scoop:

Last month, Grand Rapids area Congressional Representative Vern Ehlers Republican) introduced the Voting Enhancement and Security Act of 2007 (HR 2360) in the House of Representatives. The bill would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to establish state guidelines for an independent and verifiable voting record on electronic machines, require state auditors to certify audit plans, and require states to develop contingency plans and emergency ballot protocols.

Republicans on the House Administration committee--on which Ehlers is a ranking member--are urging their colleagues in the House to vote for Ehlers' bill instead of another popular voting reform bill known as HR 811. That bill would require that electronic voting machines generate voter-verified paper trails and require them to be in place by 2008 and would require mandatory audits of a portion of precincts in federal races. A key difference is that Ehlers' bill does not require changes by the 2008 election, nor does it require the paper trails that many voting reform organizations have sought. Lawrence Norden of the Brennan Center for Justice Under Law of New York University said that Ehlers' bill "does nothing to address the serious voting system security vulnerabilities experts have identified" and cites it as an example of Republicans using the tough deadline imposed under HR 811 to ensure that Congress does not address the security and accuracy of voting machines.

However, some critics of HR 811's deadlines have introduced legislation
calling for paper trails. On May 25, Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced the Ballot Integrity Act of 2007 that would implement safeguards to prevent errors and tampering at the polls, require states to use voting systems with voter-verified paper records subject to public manual audits in the 2010 federal elections, and ensure that voters are not denied the right to vote by faulty purges of voting rolls.

House pases bill to combat price gouging - Ehlers opposes it

Unless you've been sleeping under a rock, you know that the price of gas has passed $3 per gallon. Some worry it will soon eclipse $4 per gallon soon.

In response, US Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Menominee) introduced HR 1252, the Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act. This bill would provide penalties for those who take unfair advantage of consumers at the pump. (Read more here.)

The bill passed 284-141 - a veto-proof majority - with 56 Republicans joining all but one Democrat in supporting the bill.

How did Michigan's members of Congress vote?

YES:
Bart Stupak (D)
Dale Kildee (D)
Candice Miller (R)
Thaddeus McCotter (R)
Sander Levin (D)
John Conyers (D)
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D)
John Dingell (D)

NO:
Pete Hoekstra (R)
Vern Ehlers (R)
Dave Camp (R)
Fred Upton (R)
Tim Walberg (R)
Mike Rogers (R)
Joe Knollenberg (R)

Two Michigan Republicans joined all six Michigan Democrats in supporting the bill. The other seven - including Vern Ehlers - don't seem to care about the pain being inflicted on American drivers. Yet Republicans in the State Legislature oppose the idea of raising taxes to fix the state's budget crisis. (While painful, a tax increase would go a long way in avoiding the alternative: cuts to education and higher tuition. More on that later.)

I don't know about you, but I'd rather see my money go to help our schools than help oil industry executives who don't need it.

Ehlers featured on front page of Daily Kos

Vern Ehlers is famous in the progressive blogosphere now:

Another failure to plan:

In a grim sign of the times, the "Wall of the Fallen," set up by House Republican leaders in June, is almost full. The mounting death toll from Iraq has forced U.S. House staffers to study how to reconfigure the display in the lobby of the Rayburn Building - the largest office building for members of Congress - to squeeze in more names.

...New names are added to the display every few months, but none have been added since November. [...]

In the current format, there is space for about 130 more names, but 506 Americans have died since mid-November.

Apparently a member of the, "no one could have anticipated" club, Republican Rep. Vernon Ehlers said that he recently realized:

Boy, we could have a problem. More space is needed.

More space. Yes, that's the problem.

Ehlers: Hate crimes okay if based on gender, sexual orientation

The US House Thursday passed a bill designed to expand the nation's hate-crimes laws to include those crimes that are based on gender or sexual orientation. 25 Republicans joined with 212 Democrats in votng for the bill, which President Bush is threatening to veto.

CNN has more on the bill:

Under current law, hate crimes are subject to federal prosecution only if the acts of violence are motivated by race, religion, color or national origin. Federal prosecutors get involved only if the victim is engaged in a federally protected activity, such as voting or participating in interstate commerce.

The White House says there is no need for the expanded bill because state and local laws already cover the crimes it addresses, and there is no need for federal enforcement.

In addition to allowing greater leeway for federal law enforcement authorities to investigate hate crimes, the House bill -- which was passed on a 237-180 vote --provides $10 million over the next two years to aid local prosecutions.

According to the article, critics of the hate-crimes legislation say it will target pastors who preach against homosexuality. Two points in that regard. First, the bill targets those who commit crimes based on gender and sexual orientation, NOT those who believe homosexuality is wrong.

Second, I'm a straight man, and I personally believe marriage is between one man and one woman. But if one of my friends from the GLBT falls victim to a hate crime, I would expect nothing less than for the perpetrator to receive swift justice.

But Congressman Ehlers and 179 of his colleagues do not see it that way. They believe that the current law, which criminalizes hate crimes perpetrated based on religion, race, national origin, or color, is sufficient enough.

But a hate crime is a hate crime, regardless of the basis on which it is perpetrated. Until Mr. Ehlers realizes this, he will probably keep receiving zeros on the Human Rights Campaign's Congressional Scorecard.

Ehlers: Gonzales must go

I can't say I saw this one coming.

Republican Congressman Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids says he thinks U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales should step down.

Ehlers made the remarks before giving an update on the Congress and current events at a noon event at Calvin College.

Gonzales is under fire from the Democratically-controlled Congress for the recent firing of eight U.S. attorneys, including one from West Michigan.

Ehlers won't comment on the merits of the firings but says he disapproves of the way Gonzales carried them out.

If you ask me, the fact that Ehlers and another Republican congressman have called on Gonzales to step down, seems to weaken the argument that this is just a witch-hunt.

Thanks to Nazgul at Michigan Liberal for pointing this out.

Ehlers once again refuses to support our troops

Media Mouse has the scoop:

On Friday, Grand Rapids Congressional Representative Vern Ehlers voted to continue the occupation of Iraq by voting against a supplemental spending bill that sets a September 2008 deadline for the United States to withdraw from Iraq. In voting against the bill, Ehlers joined nine Michigan Republicans in a 218-212 vote. According to recent polls, 25% of Michigan residents want the United States out of Iraq immediately while another 33% want the United States out within the next two to three years. Despite this, Representative Ehlers continues to support the occupation of Iraq, stating recently in the media that it would be "stupid" to "pull out" of Iraq. Since 2002 when Ehlers voted to support the invasion of Iraq, Representative Ehlers has voted in favor of every funding request and has remained committed to the occupation of Iraq. An examination of his statements and votes over the past four years shows that Ehlers has been a consistent supporter of the war despite his alleged desire to "end this conflict and stop the casualties."

GR Press: Protest arrives at Ehlers's Door

More and more citizens are holding Congressman Ehlers accountable for his actions.

Demonstrators on Saturday took part in a nationwide protest to highlight the war's fourth anniversary.

"There's no question this war is a disaster," East Grand Rapids resident Martha Hayes said, standing near East Beltline Avenue and Burton Street SE.

{snip}

Ada resident Don Wilson said he hadn't protested anything in his 75 years, but couldn't ignore this effort to bring an end to the war.

"It's not a Democrat or Republican issue, the war. The groups should unite and bring this thing to an end."

Before long, the 150 or so protesters took that message to the Grand Rapids home of U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers. They marched down his street, getting a thumbs-up from a neighbor down the street. One put fliers in doors that read, "CRIME ALERT! One of your neighbors has provided legal and financial support for the following crimes: The killing of more than 3,000 U.S. soldiers, approximately 650,000 Iraqi civilians torture of prisoners, and paying contracted mercenaries to prosecute the war in Iraq."

I certainly do not approve of using profanity to get one's message across. Nonetheless, the Congressman needs to be aware that just because he has consistently won re-election by a landslide, doesn't mean he can't ignore the voice of the people he was elected to represent.