King on Giuliani

King is turning out to be a big backer for Rudy's run for president.
Turns out King falls on his face with this one too.
King tells AP "Rudy is a tough guy. Nobody has ever said he was Mr. Congeniality. It's not always pretty to look at, but he got the job done,"
Really?
He got the job done?
What job would that be?
The education system in NYC was a mess under Guiliani and he left it a mess when he left office.
The NYC Office of Emergency Management was built under his direction at 7 WTC over many objections. Guess what happend on 9/11? The one place that could coordinate city services was knocked out. Guiliani was told 7 WTC was the wrong place and the command center should be built far away from any potential targets but he fought for it and got it.
How about the FDNY getting better communication equiptment? That didn't happen even though the FDNY was saying they needed it.
Is that "getting the job done?"
Let's look at something even more recent. Guiliani and his company Guiliani Partners were hired with much fanfare by Mexico City to help lower the crime rate. Guess what? I'll let the NY Sun tell you the rest.
"When this crime-ridden capital city announced it was bringing in Mayor Giuliani and his private consulting firm to advise its police, it was big news not only in New York and Mexico but all over the world. "Giuliani to the rescue" was the headline in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Followed by legions of cameras, Mr. Giuliani spent a day-and-a-half in January 2003 touring Mexico City's danger and tourist zones, protected by a motorcade of a dozen bulletproof sport utility vehicles, 400 officers, and a helicopter. "He was mobbed and cheered and was a tremendous hero," Michael Hess, a top Giuliani aide, told The New York Sun.
Two years later, the cheering has stopped. In January 2005, Mexico City's new police chief, Joel Ortega, told local reporters, "I am no fan of Giuliani." Far from the 67% drop in homicides achieved during Mr. Giuliani's mayoralty in New York, which was touted in a Giuliani Partners press release announcing its Mexico City contract, the homicide rate in Mexico's capital slipped less than 1% in 2004. Kidnappings in which the victim is driven from ATM to ATM to withdraw money are on the rise, with some security firms saying Mexico is now rivaling Colombia as kidnapping capital of the world."
"They were not prepared, not at all," said another former Mexico City police official who worked closely with the Giuliani team, Antonio Rendon. "They weren't consultants, they were retired policemen. And they were trying to organize another police force, but not with a methodology or a clear idea."
"The Giuliani plan did not have any effect. It was money in the trash, really," said a police officer patrolling the central square here earlier this month, Nicocio Acosto Leon. "Better to buy arms, uniforms, to fix our vehicles because we have to do that ourselves."
Another uniformed officer on patrol, Gabriel Milan, was skeptical that Mr. Giuliani's efforts had achieved any results. "They say crime has gone down 10% but it's a lie. It's gone up. Daily kidnappings, rapes, car robberies." He said the bulletproof vest he was wearing was so old that it was no longer effective."

King Opponent Corrigans Open Letter to Democrats

From Massapequanews.com...

Subject: An Open Letter to Democratic Party Members
Author: Bill Corrigan for Congress
Date: 3/26/2007 3:59 pm EDT
My fellow Democratic constituents of the third district,

I am writing to you today to ask you to consider voting for me on Election Day 2008. I am running to represent New York's Third District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since 1992, in seven different elections, you have casted over 600,000 for your candidates. Over 600,000 pulls of the level. Over 600,000 voices gone unheard. Each time beaten by a powerful incumbent in a heavily Republican district.

So I ask you, in 2008, don't throw your vote away yet again.

A vote for Bill Corrigan is a vote for YOU, each and every time a bill reaches the house floor YOU will get to vote YOUR way, again and again and again.

And I guarantee this...your voice will be heard, each and every time.

Bill Corrigan for Congress

Kings 2008 Campaign Site is Golden - Senior Citizen Version

Yup, a golden opportunity for this site.
Here is King on Seniors...

PROTECTING AMERICA’S SENIOR CITIZENS
Congressman King is a strong supporter of preserving Social Security and providing expanded prescription drug coverage for senior citizens.

King voted for a presciption drug bill that has created more problems for seniors.
King had the chance to vote to close the coverage gap the drug bill created but he voted against it.
King once again had an opportunity to stand up for his constituents but voted with his pharmacutical company contributors.

The bill 'H. R. 4: To amend part D of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate lower covered part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries.' pretty much explains itself in the title.The point is to work out a price plan with pharmacutical companies to help people especially seniors afford thier medication. Or as the bill puts it "(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices (including discounts, rebates, and other price concessions) that may be charged to PDP sponsors and MA organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a prescription drug plan or under an MA-PD plan."
Right now there is a huge hole in the Part D coverage that gives many beneficiaries the choice of vital medication or food. Not both.
Peter King voted "NO" on this bill.
Here is some background via CBS News on the current problems with Part D coverage that King wants to keep intact.
"For all patients, Medicare covers 75 percent of the first $2,250 worth of drugs. But after that, coverage drops to zero — and doesn't resume until the patient hits $5,100 in expenses. Then Medicare kicks in again, paying 95 percent of costs. But it's this gap — of almost $3,000 — that many sick and disabled seniors call unaffordable."
For Paul Jutras, who takes 14 medicines every day, the Medicare drug benefit seemed to stop as soon as it began. "Asticol was $253.30," he says. "They paid nothing. And I paid 253.30." The problem is that he's fallen into a gap in coverage called the "doughnut hole" — in which seniors pay for all of their drugs themselves. On Jutras' low income, and with this many prescriptions, he's trying to decide which drug not to take. "I've had congestive heart failure," he says, "so giving up one of those prescriptions can really be fatal for me."
Why doesn't King care about people like Paul Jutras?

Hat Meet Ring

Do you know me?
I'm like Karl Malden in the American Express commercials.
I've run this website for a few years now and have had alot to say. I've been quoted and linked to in newspapers and other websites but my name, John Rennhack isn't very well-known.
My positions on the major issues of the day aren't that well-known either but I will be changing that as I provide more in-depth posts on my views in contrast to Peter Kings.

Personally I think the 2008 election season is starting way too early. It's great that there are candidates stepping up to run but the campaigning on the Presidential level this early will wear the electorate thin.
That being said, I always believed in putting my money where my mouth is.
Yes, November 2008 is awhile away but now is the time to review options and take the first steps.
Who knows what the next 12 months will bring, but we need a better representative for the 3rd congressional district.
This website will continue to provide information on Peter King and expose his actions.

Here are a few things that I believe.
I believe in the Constitution of the United States.
I believe that the US Government can wiretap suspects as long as the proper warrants are obtained.
I believe that citizens have a right to know what thier government is doing and have easy access to that information.
I believe in a strong and secure United States with the best trained and smartly funded military.
I believe we owe veterans a healthcare system that will meet thier needs and reflect the sacrifice they have made.
I believe we need to increase cargo shipment inspections into the US to 100%.
I believe in a woman's right to choose.
I believe in open, free and fair elections using the most reliable and secure voting machines available.
I believe in public education and the need to strengthen the education system.
I believe in universal healthcare.
I believe in cutting waste (pork) from the budget and redirecting those savings towards education and healthcare.
I believe in a workers right to organize a union.
I believe in protecting workers rights.
I believe Social Security is a compact made between generations and the need to sustain the system without endangering future benefits.
I believe we can do better.
I know we need to do better.
I know I can do better than the representative we have now.

Peter ...err... PETE King has a 2008 Camapaign Website

Thanks to the reader who e-mailed me the address.
Seems King figured after losing 16% from his last off-year (non-presidential) election, King wants to be ahead of the game and create a web presence. We're going to be going through the site and posting about what he has up there over the next few days.
King chose peteking.us instead of the usual .com because a cyber-squatter popped in and registered the name and has it for sale and peterking.com is owned by a consulting company in Canada. The bad thing for King is that the .us domain is less known and I'm pretty sure the two .com sites will get alot of visits by people looking for Kings .us site.
In the meanwhile, here are the specifics on the site...

www.peteking.us
Domain Name: PETEKING.US
Domain ID: D11517574-US
Sponsoring Registrar: WILD WEST DOMAINS, INC
Domain Registration Date: Tue Dec 12 21:11:19 GMT 2006
Domain Expiration Date: Thu Dec 11 23:59:59 GMT 2008
Domain Last Updated Date: Mon Feb 26 16:21:48 GMT 2007
Technical Contact Name: Anne Rosenfeld
Technical Contact Organization: Pete King for Congress
Technical Contact Address1: Post Office Box 1428
Technical Contact City: Seaford
Technical Contact State/Province: New York
Technical Contact Postal Code: 11783
Technical Contact Country: United States
Technical Contact Country Code: US
Technical Contact Phone Number: +1.5164595007
Technical Contact Email: petekingforcongress@yahoo.com

Peter King is Afraid of YOU, Votes Against the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007

Congress passed HR1309, the Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 2007 without Peter Kings vote. The vote was 308 - 177.
He voted NAY on a bill that would expand YOUR rights to access government information.
Isn't it sad that YOUR representative doesn't want YOU to be able to find out what he has been up to?
"H.R.1309
Title: To promote openness in Government by strengthening section 552 of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Freedom of Information Act), and for other purposes. "

Sounds pretty good to me. Why not Peter King?
Maybe King didn't like the fact that a little blogger like me has more access now...

Section 552(a)(4)(A)(ii) of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
`In making a determination of a representative of the news media under subclause (II), an agency may not deny that status solely on the basis of the absence of institutional associations of the requester, but shall consider the prior publication history of the requester. Prior publication history shall include books, magazine and newspaper articles, newsletters, television and radio broadcasts, and Internet publications. If the requestor has no prior publication history or current affiliation, the agency shall consider the requestor's stated intent at the time the request is made to distribute information to a reasonably broad audience.'."

The long and short of it is that King opposes YOUR right to know.

Check out http://www.speaker.gov/blog/?p=120 for some interesting background on the bill.
"File Not Found: Agencies Violate Law on Online Information
National Security Archive report - March 12, 2007

Ten years after Congress enacted the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments (E-FOIA), only one in five federal agencies actually complies with the law, according to a new survey released today during Sunshine Week by the National Security Archive.

Passed in 1996 and effective in 1997, E-FOIA ordered federal agencies to post key records online, provide citizens with detailed guidance on making information requests, and use new information technology to publish information proactively. The act’s intent: Expand public access and reduce the burden of FOIA requests.

But most federal agencies do not follow the law, according to the National Security Archive’s government-wide audit, “File Not Found,” conducted with support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Knight Open Government Survey systematically reviewed agency Web sites to cover all 91 federal agencies that have Chief FOIA Officers and the additional 58 agency components each of which handles more than 500 FOIA requests a year."

"Bush Administration FOIA Report Card Hits New Low
Mark Fitzgerald, Editor & Publisher - February 27, 2007

Back in December of 2005 with the White House coming under increasing criticism for its secrecy, President George W. Bush ordered federal agencies to speed up their responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

A new FOIA report card by a coalition of journalists groups makes it clear that Bush’s directive did not produce a “surge” in the response rate by the agencies.

The study by the Coalition of Journalists for Open Government concludes the Bush directive did nothing to speed up responses by agencies that have been systematically cutting back the personnel assigned to FOIA work, even as backlogs of requests grow and the cost of fulfilling requests increases.

“Requests remain heavily backlogged,” the study says. “Requesters still have long wait times for a response from many agencies. And people seeking records and information remain less likely to get the information they seek than in the past.”

The coalition assembled the FOIA performance reports from 15 Cabinet-level departments and 15 agencies dating back to 1998, when agency reporting was first required. The 13 agencies that had reported 2006 performance by Feb. 9 were also included in the study.

Overall, the groups said, FOIA performance remains at the lowest point since 1998."

Peter King Supports Treason

We'll have a wrap-up of former CIA agent Valerie Plame's testimoony later,but for now here is King saying it is okay to commit treason...

"SCARBOROUGH: The last thing you want to do at a time of war is reveal the identity of undercover CIA agents.

KING: No. Joe Wilson, she recommended—his wife recommended him for this. He said the vice president recommended him. To me, she took it off the table. Once she allowed him to go ahead and say that, write his op-ed in “The New York Times,” to have Tim Russert give him a full hour on “Meet the Press,” saying that he was sent there as a representative of the vice president, when she knew, she knew herself that she was the one that recommended him for it, she allowed that lie to go forward involving the vice president of the United States, the president of the United States, then to me she should be the last one in the world who has any right to complain."

Peter King Updates His Website... Finally.

I guess the post here two days ago about the old information on Kings house.gov page lit a fire under him and his staff.
The bio page has now been updated to reflect his loss of the Chairmanship.
I'm gald to see his office continues to visit this website.

Here is the old page..


And here is the new page...
"Rep. King is Ranking Member of the Homeland Security Committee and also serves on the Financial Services Committee."

Bill Corrigan = Slick

I gotta say, two thumbs up for Corrigan's quick thinking.
Corrigan used some stratigic vision and took corriganwatch.blogspot.com and billcorriganwatch.blogspot.com off the market.
Covering his blog bases was smart.

Bill Corrigan to Run Against King in 2008

He's making it official...

"And so, my fellow Americans:..."
"...ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country."My fellow citizens of the third district,With the words of John F. Kennedy echoing in my thoughts I read over reams of data that I have collected over the past several months. Surveys and polls, emails and letters flood my office. As I aggregate your voices I hear desperation, anger and distrust...but all with a dint of optimism.
Too many of you feel the "weight of an enormous government", an "unsteady world" and "fear of more of the same". You feel limited in options and crestfallen in being able to do anything about it. You feel your voices are "drowned out".And so much frustration is caused because you know that so much good is possible, but you feel so much is "lost in waste." You see the good people do outside of the political arena. The good people who volunteer, those who run spontaneous charity drives in times of need, the business owner who donates to the community. You want somebody who embodies those attributes". You want someone who can "articulate your desires", "lift your spirits" and "amplify your voices in Washington" and around the world. You want a "strong leader", "a smart, level-headed thinker" who is "one of you"! You want someone to point at and say to your child "there goes an honest man." Someone you can be proud to say represents you.You want someone who can "get things done", who will "contribute to the betterment of the district" and who will "serve with integrity."
I come to you, hat in hand, to humbly request that you allow me to be that servant.As such, today, March 14, 2007, I announce my candidacy to represent you in the U.S. House of Representatives for the Third District of New York."

Read the rest here.

Denial Ain't Just a River in Egypt

It's March. Time for King to update his congressional website.
He's no longer Chairman and he should get used to it.

As of 3/13/07...
"Rep. King is Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee and also serves on the International Relations Committee."

Does King Care That Injured Soldiers are being Sent Back??

He should be very vocal about this.... but he's not.
THIS is what is hurting our armed forces, not a call to leave Iraq.

From Crooks and Liars...

"Army Ordering Injured Troops To Go To Iraq
By: Nicole Belle on Monday, March 12th, 2007 at 10:01 AM - PDT

Mike included this in his round up, but it was just so outrageous that I thought it needed to be highlighted further. Just when you thought that the travesty at Walter Reed was about as low as this administration could go, they dredge yet more depths from the swamp.

Salon (Watch a short ad for day pass–h/t Cliff SchecterBlog)

As the military scrambles to pour more soldiers into Iraq, a unit of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division at Fort Benning, Ga., is deploying troops with serious injuries and other medical problems, including GIs who doctors have said are medically unfit for battle. Some are too injured to wear their body armor, according to medical records.

On Feb. 15, Master Sgt. Jenkins and 74 other soldiers with medical conditions from the 3rd Division's 3rd Brigade were summoned to a meeting with the division surgeon and brigade surgeon. These are the men responsible for handling each soldier's "physical profile," an Army document that lists for commanders an injured soldier's physical limitations because of medical problems — from being unable to fire a weapon to the inability to move and dive in three-to-five-second increments to avoid enemy fire. Jenkins and other soldiers claim that the division and brigade surgeons summarily downgraded soldiers' profiles, without even a medical exam, in order to deploy them to Iraq. It is a claim division officials deny.[..]"

King Falls Far in Congressional Rankings

I guess titles do mean something.
Kings new ranking is #24 out of 29 NY State Representives.
In the Congress, King is 293 out of 439.
Last year, Kings congressional ranking from congress.org was #123 out of 439 and #8 out of 29 in NY State.

It would have been better if we had elected Democrat Dave Mejias.

Peter King Agrees on Trampling Your Rights and It's Happening

Peter King is a staunch defender of the so-called "Patriot Act." He and has-been former democrat Ed Koch even wrote an op-ed defending the legislation that allows for the abuse of our most sacred rights as US citizens.
King and Koch wrote "Gore accused the president and his attorney general of "constant violations of civil liberties," "putting our country in grave and unnecessary danger" and "using the war against terrorism for partisan advantage." His attacks centered on three parts of the Patriot Act: Sec. 214, which allows federal agents to delay giving suspects notice after a search has been carried out; Sec. 215, which allows searches of medical, business and library records of suspected terrorists; and Sec. 218, which allows surveillance of cell phones and Internet communications.
Before addressing these specifics, let's put Gore's case in its proper perspective by citing Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, who recently said she hadn't found a "single abuse of the Patriot Act" - and when she asked the ACLU for any instance of abuse, was told, "they had none." Similarly, Sen. Joe Biden, D-DE, said criticism of the Patriot Act "is both misinformed and overblown" and the Justice Department has "done a pretty good job in terms of implementing" the law.

"* The delayed notification in Sec. 213 was already the law in cases involving organized crime, narcotics and pornography. It makes common sense because it would be absurd to inform a suspected mobster or a terrorist during the course of an investigation that a listening device had been installed in his home or office.

* Sec. 215 - the much-feared "assault against librarians" - has not been used even once. Nonetheless, we strongly believe this is a weapon that must remain in the prosecutor's arsenal. There could well be cases, for instance, when it would be critical to learn whether a suspected terrorist is reading books on explosives or the structural design of office buildings, landmark sites, bridges or tunnels. It should also be noted that library records were instrumental in tracking down such murderers as the Zodiac killer and the Unabomber.

* Sec. 218 merely gives federal agents authority to conduct surveillance of cell phones and the Internet to the same extent they can surveil rotary phones. It would be foolhardy to let terrorists use the technology of modern telecommunications without fear of being detected.

The bottom line is that the criticisms by Gore and the other critics are shameful and irresponsible. Of course we gave our government added power in the aftermath of 9/11. These powers are essential to confront a new and deadly threat.

We are also well aware that all police powers are susceptible to abuse. That risk exists, however, every time we give a law-enforcement office a loaded weapon. It is the job of the legislatures and the courts to guard against such abuses. Responsible criticism is essential to safeguarding our citizens against governmental abuse."

So where is King now that ABC is reporting that there has been wide-spread abuse of the "Patriot Act."

" The FBI repeatedly failed to follow the strict guidelines of the Patriot Act when its agents took advantage of a new provision allowing the FBI to obtain phone and financial records without a court order, according to a report to be made public Friday by the Justice Department's Inspector General.
The report, in classified and unclassified versions, remains closely held, but Washington officials who have seen it tell ABC News it documents "numerous lapses" and describe it as "scathing" and "not a pretty picture for the FBI.

"The officials say the inspector general found the FBI underreported by at least 20 percent the use of the controversial provision, known as National Security Letters, NSLs, in required disclosures to Congress.
The Patriot Act gave FBI agents the ability to demand telephone, bank, credit card and library records by issuing an administrative letter, bypassing the need to seek a warrant from a federal judge.
In a report last year, the Justice Department said there were 9,254 NSL requests on 3,501 persons in the calendar year 2005.
Some officials say the actual number is substantially higher.
The inspector general's report reportedly found "systemic" failures in the issuance, tracking and accountability of the controversial NSLs, although a Justice Department official said there was no finding of "willful or criminal misconduct."

But wait, King's hero gave the FBI an out (h/t Crook and Liars)

"Lest we forget President Bush issued one of those infamous signing statements back in February 2006 when he signed the Patriot Act reauthorization, effectively nullifying the provisions Congress agreed upon so that these kinds of abuses wouldn't occur. Will that be their legal defense? I think so.

When President Bush signed the reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act this month, he included an addendum saying that he did not feel obliged to obey requirements that he inform Congress about how the FBI was using the act's expanded police powers."

Will King stand up for your rights or continue to defend Bush and his corrupt administration?

You can bet it's gonna be Bush.

Peter King the Puppet

From our friends over at Nasty Letters...

'Q&A: New homeland security chairman gets tough with Bush administration
Q. Will you expect the committee to be more active than it was under your predecessor, New York Republican Rep. Peter King?
A. Absolutely. I think that what I saw former chairman King subjected to was a micro-managed chairmanship by the Republican leadership. He couldn’t really bring any legislation forward without being told, chapter and verse, what it had to include.'

New Homeland Security Committee Chair Bennie Thompson makes public something we've all suspected for some time: for all his rhetoric about being an independent-minded Congressman, when push comes to shove, Peter King takes his marching orders from George W. Bush and Co. When Democratic Majority Leader Steny Hoyer came to campaign for Dave Mejias last fall, he claimed that as Homeland Chair, a Democrat from Mississipi (Thompson) would do a better job protecting New York than Peter King:

read more at www.nastyletters.blogspot.com

This still does not excuse Kings complete lack over oversight as Chairman.