Ehlers attends Iraq panel discussion

Media Mouse has an excellent round-up of a recent panel discussion on the Iraq War. Guess who showed up?

Last night at the Women's City Club in Grand Rapids, Democracy for America's Kent County chapter held a panel discussion titled "Searching for a Constructive Response to our Entanglement in Iraq." The panel featured two West Michigan area professors and a former military chaplain, all of who gave twenty-minute talks on the conflict in Iraq followed by a question and answer period.

Surprisingly, Grand Rapids area congressional representative Vern Ehlers who has recently stated his unwillingness to listen to protestors, attended the event. While it is nice to see Ehlers out in public engaging the current situation in Iraq, the fact that Ehlers chose to attend this particular event--and not any of the other numerous teach-ins that took place before and after the start of the war--is somewhat troublesome for those who have been pressuring Ehlers to end the occupation of Iraq as the three panelists basically echoed Ehlers' position that the United States has a "moral obligation" to the Iraqi people and that the United States must stay in the country to attempt to mitigate the effects of what is for the most part now a civil war. To be fair, Democracy for America cannot be blamed for Ehlers' attendance, but it was unfortunate that all three panelists represented what was at best a "centrist" position on the situation. There was no voice for an immediate withdrawal on the panel, nor for that matters were there any voices calling for a timetable for withdrawal. Ehlers will likely see the panel as bolstering his position, he has recently claimed that he will only listen to "facts" when making his decisions about the war and now he has three area "experts" on record essentially supporting his position on the conflict.

War costs Ehlers's constituents $818 million - so far

The National Priorities Project has released a fact sheet detailing the cost of the war in Iraq to the state of Michigan and to each congressional district. From Media Mouse:

The fact sheet also highlights the fact that the war has cost residents of the 3rd Congressional District that includes Grand Rapids at least $818 million dollars. According to the National Priorities Project's analysis, that money could have paid for healthcare for 139,738 children for the duration of the Iraq War, 6,595 affordable housing units, or 74 elementary schools. The cost of the war to the city of Grand Rapids (http://www.costofwar.com/) has been estimated to be at least $236,523,931.

These costs have apparently been ignored by Republican Representative Vern Ehlers who represents the Third District. Over the past week, Ehlers--who was questioned about whether or not he would support cutting funding for the war--has refused to do so. Instead, Ehlers has claimed that he initially had "deep reservations" about the war and is unhappy without how it has gone, but has stated that it will be a "bloodbath" if the United States leaves. Ehlers has further said that he will not be influenced by demonstrations but rather will be "swayed by facts."

Media Mouse goes on to list the many "facts" that evidently have not swayed Congresman Ehlers, including the hundreds of thousands of Iraqis who have been killed, the millions who have been displaced, numerous attacks by insurgents, and the lack of electricity throughout most of teh day in Baghdad.

And let's not forget the eight million Iraqis living in destitute conditions.

So much for 'liberating' them.

GR Press: Anti-war campaign in town to work on Ehlers

Here's The Grand Rapids Press with more:

They have been in town several weeks now, organizing meetings, attending demonstrations, handing out lawn signs, andwriting letters, all aimed at changing one man's mind.

"The only person around here who can do anything about this is Vern Ehlers," said Bryan Finken, 46, a part-time philosophy professor from Denver, about the war in Iraq.

...

Their effort is part of a national campaign by a coalition of anti-war groups called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. The effort is targeting 40 Republican members of Congress they believe may be wavering in their support for the war.

Those 40, if they change their minds, would give the war's opponents a veto-proof majority in Congress, organizers said. They call their campaign Iraq Summer, modeled after the 1964 Freedom Summer, which registered black voters in the South, and the summer of 1967 protests against the Vietnam War.

America is speaking - is Vern Ehlers listening?

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)

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.

Ehlers refuses to oppose escalation of war

An update on Jeff's post from earlier this week:

Congressman Vern Ehlers was one of 182 members of Congress who voted to oppose standing up to President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq. Congressman Fred Upton of St. Joseph was one of 17 Republicans to join almost every Democrat in supporting the non-binding resolution, but Ehlers just didn't have the gumption to say yes.

A full text of Ehlers's speech to the House can be found here.

Ehlers loses his ability to stand

Vern Ehlers must have a physical ailment, not too suprising for a bloke his age. As the US House of Representatives debates their non-binding resolution against the Bush escalation in Iraq, Vern Ehlers has lost the use of his voice, and perhaps his legs. This is the only explaination that I can come up with.

Ehlers has decided to remain mute on this resolution. The Detroit News reports that Ehlers and two other Michigan Republican Representatives have decided to not let their constituents or the nation know where they stand, or sit, on the issue.

As debate opened Tuesday on a congressional resolution opposing more U.S. troops in Iraq, three of Michigan's Republicans held their positions close to the vest.

The three who wouldn't say whether they will support President Bush: U.S. Rep. Candice Miller of Harrison Township, who is Michigan's only member on the House Armed Services Committee and an increasingly vocal skeptic of President Bush's Iraq policies; Fred Upton of St. Joseph, and Vern Ehlers of Grand Rapids.

Correct me if I am wrong here; but what exactly is it that our Representatives do? I mean, aren't they supposed to represent us, their constituents. Aren't they supposed be our voice. We do not have the ability to address the House of Representatives ourselves... for that we elect a mouthpiece, someone who will convey the message of his constituents to his collegues in the House. Assuming that the 3rd district carries the same political tone on Iraq as the rest of the country; 60% of Americans oppose the troop escalation according to a USA Today/Gallup poll released today. So with Ehlers, we have no voice! We are unrepresented. So I would like to think that Vern just can't stand... that perhaps he has lost his voice.

Ehlers has second thoughts about the war

Vern Ehlers has joined a chorus of Republicans in saying they made a mistake by voting to send troops to Iraq.

Although he voted for a resolution four years ago authorizing President Bush to go to war with Iraq, U.S. Rep. Vernon Ehlers now says he believes it was a mistake.

"It was a very difficult vote for me," the Grand Rapids Republican said Sunday, the day when the U.S. death toll for the war reached 3,000.

Ehlers added that he cast his vote after seeing what he now believes was faulty intelligence that Iraq possessed the means to produce nuclear weapons.

"I think we should have been much more cautious," Ehlers said, adding that the administration should have used more diplomatic pressure before invading Iraq. "It turned out the intelligence was false."

(snip)