Your Government at “Work.”
Question: What do these people have in common?
Democrat Senators Evan Bayh of Indiana and Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico and Congressional Representatives. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Rush Holt of New Jersey, Nita Lowey of New York, and Howard Berman, Susan Davis, George Miller, and Henry Waxman, all of California, Republican Senators. Robert Bennett of Utah, Richard Lugar of Indiana, and George Voinovich of Ohio and Congressional Representatives. Charles Boustany of Louisiana, Geoffrey Davis of Kentucky, John Duncan of Tennessee, Fred Upton of Michigan, and Greg Walden of Oregon (emphasis mine).
Answer: They all spent the five days over the Memorial Day “recess†in Rome, courtesy of the Aspen Institute. While in Rome, they (along with spouses, children or other relatives) stayed at the $480-a-night Rome Cavalieri Hilton. The purpose of the trip was for them to attend a seminar entitled, “Political Islam: Challenges for U.S. Policy.”
According to U.S. News & World Report:
House Democrat Rush Holt of New Jersey, who went to Rome defends the program and says the conferences are so good that he’s learned more from them than from official travel to Islamic countries. “Our day-to-day life in Congress is broken into 15-minute segments, 12 hours a day, so the program is among the best opportunities we have to delve into subjects,” he says. “They are one of few opportunities we have for deliberative, substantive, bipartisan looks at important subjects.”
What a load of baloney!
There are plenty of ways to learn about “political Islam†that don’t involve a five-day, expense-paid trip to Rome, including a stay in a luxury hotel. I cannot help but wonder if all these Senators and Congressional Representatives and their families would have shown up for five days in Newark for the same seminar. To ask the question is to answer it.
It sure would be interesting to know who the sponsors of the Aspen Institute are so that taxpayers could watch how the seventeen Senators and Congressional Representatives who learned so much at this important seminar vote when our money is being handed out.
I suppose what pisses me off about this the most (without having read the entire story yet, which I plan to do) is that, while Americans were remembering and honoring their (our) war dead, our elected legislators are jet-setting to Europe — upon whose head Islam presses the cold, cocked steel of a handgun against — to “probe the cultural and ideological aspects†of a [insert venomous expletive here] culture that is actively committed to destroying America, its military, Israel, democracy, capitalism and freedom.
After 9/11, nay…after the crippled body of Leon Klinghoffer was tossed over the side of a ship by terrorist assholes (I pray I can lightly curse in your comments without offending), anyone who wants to examine this miserable, hate-filled, insidiously disgusting “culture†for the express purpose of fostering friendly relations with these murderous f**ks needs to have his or her head examined, which is a kinder prescription than what the Muslims would do to their heads, which is saw them off with dull machetes.
This on Americans’ tax dollars? Sometimes I think we need The Flood to come, again and again, until we finally get it right.
Comment by Erica — July 17, 2008 @ 10:10 pm
Nice to see that both of my senators were there. Wouldn’t want them here to talk to local farmers or anything. They save that kinda talking when it comes time for re-election.
Comment by Jerry — July 18, 2008 @ 1:45 am
Well, the Aspen Institute is running a program with $124 million in assets, and has offices in Rome, so I guess it was old Carnegie, Rockefeller and Ford who paid for the trip. Buncha commies “promoting peace in the Mideast” as their statement of purpose claims.
Comment by Joan of Argghh! — July 18, 2008 @ 7:43 am
Isn’t it great to see government in action????
Comment by Michele — July 18, 2008 @ 9:16 am
The Aspen Institute is run by Walter Isaacson, once the head of CNN and Time magazine. Little question whose political bias was put on “political Islam”.
Comment by John Holton — July 18, 2008 @ 10:00 am
I’m in a heavy-duty “vote ALL incumbents out” mood myself. This just makes me even more determined.
Comment by dogette — July 19, 2008 @ 7:43 am