Guys - here are updated TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers:

[calimary]

1 800 459 - 1887

1 800 614 - 2803

1 877 851 - 6437

1 866 340 - 9281

1 800 828 - 0498



Again, these are some TOLL FREE Capitol Hill switchboard numbers, that you can use to call your reps - concerning this ABSOLUTE DISGRACE of a story about hundreds of our wounded troops being sent to the vermin-infested, cockroach-crawling, germ-ridden flop house "Building 18" across from Walter Reed Army Med Center.

Here's what I posted there, if I may be so bold (hell, the bad guys issue talking points. Why can't I?):

And if I could, might I suggest leaning hard on republi-CONS about this. Put it to them squarely - YOU accuse people like US of NOT SUPPORTING THE TROOPS???????? And yet you'd sit back and let Halliburton steal billions upon billions of our tax dollars with NO accountability (remember, this happened mostly while THEY controlled BOTH HOUSES OF CONGRESS and chose repeatedly to do NOTHING about it, ask NO questions about it, hold NO hearings about it, and hold NO ONE accountable for it), and then you impugn OUR patriotism because we want to get them OUT of Iraq so they DON'T WIND UP IN VERMIN-INFESTED ROACH-MOTELS LIKE THIS ONE??????? You'd like us to believe that WE'RE the ones who aren't supporting our troops?????????????

That's what I intend to do later this morning. Targetting mainly republi-CONS who did nothing but blindly and stupidly rubber-stamping every misdeed and act of negligence this administration perpetrated - ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT QUESTION. And I'm gonna throw in one more question of my own:

JUST WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF NOVEMBER 7th, 2006, THAT YOU DON'T GET????

JUST WHAT IS IT ABOUT "SUPPORTING OUR TROOPS" THAT YOU DON'T GET????


We were discussing it further, here (although I'm sure it's all over DU by now, especially LBN):

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x250845

Remember: There will likely be a SUBSTANTIAL media effort to try to spread the blame around to Democrats, too. Okay, fine. Certainly they could have tried to do something. But keep in mind: Democrats have controlled both houses of Congress for roughly A MONTH AND A HALF. This shit did NOT JUST SUDDENLY HAPPEN IN THAT LITTLE TEENY WINDOW OF TIME!!!! It's been going on since republi-CONS owned it all, AND CHOSE TO DO NOTHING, SAY NOTHING, ASK NOTHING, QUESTION NOTHING, INVESTIGATE NOTHING.

(Thank you, babylon sister, for suggesting this! :hi: )

[rodeodance]

1. thanks

[babylonsister]

2. Nom! And your argument, coupled with w8tliftinglady's link, is compelling:

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/RobertDNovak/2005/01/10/arrogance_on_the_hill

snip//

Smith is derided by the leadership as a "liberal" who is in organized labor's pocket, but his voting record is moderately conservative. For 2003 (the most recent year for which evaluation is available), the American Conservative Union rated him 71 percent and his liberal rating from Americans for Democratic Action was 30 percent. Beginning his 13th term in the House, the 51-year-old Smith has been a hero in the pro-life movement and a dogged inquisitor into forced abortion in China.
The leadership's problem with Smith has been his insatiable desire to make life better for veterans during 24 years on the Veterans Affairs committee (six years as vice chairman, four years as chairman). That fits the job description set by conservative Democrat Sonny Montgomery of Mississippi during his 12-year chairmanship.

Although Smith breached the leadership's spending limits, all his proposals went through the regular congressional procedure. That contrasts to earmarking of funds for pork barrel spending, without hearings and without authorization. The Republican leaders have made little effort to curb the worst earmarking in history, because it benefits individual lawmakers. In contrast, Smith's attempts at higher veterans spending put pressure on the very few Republican incumbents who represent competitive districts that have not been gerrymandered -- for instance, Veterans Affairs committee member Rob Simmons of Connecticut.

Majority Leader Tom DeLay and the other members of the Steering Committee wanted to purge Smith two years ago for defying the leadership on veterans spending, but Speaker Dennis Hastert saved him. This year, the pressure was so great that he was kicked off the committee entirely. That action probably did not represent the Republicans in the House, many of whom were stunned by the purge. Several paid condolence calls to Smith -- including International Relations Committee Chairman Henry Hyde and Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, two influential conservatives.

snip//

[calimary]

3. Yep. And remember back when the Dems were in the minority, and

they were REPEATEDLY shouted down ANYTIME and EVERY TIME they tried to bring up even the slightest objection or question about what was going on? EVERY proposal they offered was torpedoed. The bad guys used and manipulated EVERY rule in the book to thwart them. Hell, when they finally were able to hold a "hearing" about it, it was scarcely covered because it was squeezed into the fucking BASEMENT. They weren't even allowed a decent hearing room for it!!! I believe that was the one in which there was ONE SINGLE SOLITARY republi-CON, Walter Jones, who'd stopped drinking the Kool-aid and came around to realizing what the hell was going on in Iraq and how horribly (and CRIMINALLY) derelict this White House was about it.

The media will most certainly not bring ANY of this up. They'll think they're being "fair and balanced" by trying to portray both sides as equally culpable. That's why it's gonna be up to US to do the heavy lifting here...

:grr:

[babylonsister]

4. Yep, I remember. And as Imus said, if Dana Priest could dig this

stuff up, why hasn't anyone else, journalists or Congresscritters?
We know DeLay and Hastert (among others, I'm sure) purposefully put the kibosh on further spending, or caring, or compassion, or basic human needs and rights for these soldiers. I hope Dana can dig up the timeline and start naming names. :grr: :grr:

[babylonsister]

5. Kickin' for everyone who's now awake! nt

[truedelphi]

6. Dem's in power for month in a half

But will that factoid prevent Foxz news from spewing forth with Headlines
scrawling across the bottom of the screen"Pelosi's disgrace - Walter Reed Hospital"

Or they will trump up womething relating to how Bill CLinton signed soemthing relating to Reed.

Does the truth count for anything? NAh. They'll still lay into the Democratic leadership