If the office of Citizenship and Immigration Services can’t keep track of the files it has a hold of now, it seems to me that it would be nearly impossible for them to implement a guest worker program in which millions of new applications would flood the agency. The GAO’s report exposed mishandlings within the agency which resulted in 30,000 citizenship applications processed without an A-file last year. Not only is national security at risk, but it also creates unwarranted delays for the thousands of honest, hard working immigrants who are waiting to become citizens.

This holiday season has me thinking about one of the popular books at this time of year, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas.â€?  In particular, what he learns near the end of the book–”Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”  To me, what makes this season great is how our thoughts all turn to helping others.

In my home state of Idaho, there have been some recent examples of service–a Boise woman recently gained national attention for her organization, Chefs to the Rescue, that distributes food to the hungry in the Treasure Valley.  Sue Cobley, a mother of five who was once homeless herself, took a difficult personal situation and turned it into a blessing for others in the same plight.  But hunger in Idaho as well as other states is not confined to larger communities:  the seasonal soup kitchen in Salmon (a community in central Idaho with a population of just under 3,000), the Challah Community Kitchen, serves an average of 50 meals every Saturday.  Deborah Unruh, the Salmon resident who started the community kitchen, felt called to meet a challenge facing many individuals and families in this and other small towns with natural resource-based economies—seasonal employment makes for lean winter months.  But service isn’t just making sure those who are hungry are fed.  There are many ways–people helping the homeless, the abused, children, the disadvantaged, the indigent, the elderly and the community as a whole.

And lest we forget those whose service includes dodging enemy fire instead of holiday shoppers and oppressive desert heat instead of a warm fire on a chilly evening, our soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen elevate service to a life-threatening level.   For these brave men and women, our peaceful, snowy 2006 Christmas season will be a gritty world of determination, bravery, fatigue and, at times, fear and pain.  Our law enforcement officers and firefighters also risk their lives every day in our communities, serving often times in as much danger as our military overseas. Read the rest of this entry »

My dad in his later years wanted to impart some wisdom to his grandchildren and great grandchildren he would never meet. One thing he wrote that has stuck with me- in fact been a clarion call to me - was “there is so much good to do in the world and so many ways to do it.

Politics is a noble occupation.  Medicine is a noble profession.  Service to others underlies both.

The people of Tennessee elected me twice to the U. S. Senate, and I was humbled and honored by their support and every day I did my best to serve them with integrity and common sense.

Twelve years ago, I pledged to the people of Tennessee that I would serve two terms in the Senate – to serve as a true citizen legislator – and then return home.  I said I’d come to the Senate with 20 years experience in healing, spend 12 years serving in Washington, then go right back to Tennessee to live where I grew up.  I’ve never deviated from that commitment.  And I will do just that. Read the rest of this entry »

Prime Minister Olmert has offered an important plan for creating a lasting climate of peace and security in the region. He has offered the prospect of a “real, open, genuine and serious dialogue” with Palestinian President Abbas, but with conditions, including release of Israeli soldier Gilad Schalit, implementation of the “road-map” offered by President Bush, and replacement of the Hamas government by one willing to recognize Israel. Importantly, he has offered the eventuality of an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and defined borders.

If both sides can move past the obstacles currently in the way of real dialogue on a two-state solution, there is hope for a lasting climate of peace. However, peace cannot come at the cost of Israel’s security. For the climate of lasting peace to exist, is time for Israel’s conciliatory offers to be matched with real, substantive action from Palestinian leaders with the support of other influential Arab leaders in the region.

Having just completed the fourth national election in the last six years, it’s clear that there is the great potential for things to go wrong-sometimes very wrong. There was no single, shattering meltdown in 2006, but there were many reports of failures-with machines, new computerized voter registration databases, a state-by-state patchwork of arbitrary registration deadlines and new voter ID requirements, poll worker training, and many others that effectively disfranchised hundreds of thousands of voters. And not just in Florida, but all around the country. Millions of voters nationwide, over the last several election cycles-including this one-experienced these problems, and were turned away from the voting booth.

Having served as the Secretary of State (the chief election official) of Connecticut for four years, and committing the last 20 years of my life-now at national public policy center Demos-working to ensure our elections are open to the widest eligible electorate possible, I can say that many of these problems have proven remedies. Election Day Registration (EDR), for example, is a great simple fix. Allowing people to register and vote on Election Day, with reasonable identification requirements, removes one of the barriers citizens face as they attempt to exercise their fundamental right to vote and fixes many of the Elections Day problems that have plagued voters in recent years. Read the rest of this entry »

House Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is understandably intent on moving swiftly to strengthen rules governing lobbying and ethics in the House when the 110th Congress gets underway in January. Given the scandals that emerged this year, culminating with the investigation of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and the members of Congress he illegally benefited, it’s necessary that Pelosi send an early message that this Congress will move to ensure honest leadership and open government from the outset.

New rules restricting or requiring more disclosure of gifts, earmarks and the like seem like common sense solutions to regain the public trust and strengthen accountability in the legislative process. One of the proposals under consideration, however, would ban all privately-paid travel for members of Congress and their staff. The travel ban may look good at first mention, particularly in light of the “Abramoff-type” golf trips to Scotland that figured prominently in the press this year. Read the rest of this entry »

This week marks National Influenza Vaccination Week.  Flu season has already begun, and it is important to get vaccinated if you have not already.  Each year, as many as 20% of Americans catch the flu, with the elderly and young children being most at risk.

Flu viruses spread from person to person mainly through coughing and sneezing, but can be spread in other ways.  Most adults can pass the flu on to others before symptoms are present, which is why it is important to be vaccinated.

There are two ways you can protect yourself from the flu this season.  The traditional flu shot and the newer nasal spray have both been proven effective against the flu.  Ask your doctor which method of vaccination is right for you.

While it is important that everyone get vaccinated, certain groups are more at risk of having serious flu complications.  Children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years, the elderly and individuals living in long-term care facilities are more at risk of contracting the flu and should be vaccinated before peak flu season in January.

As a nurse, I understand the benefits of being vaccinated.  Please consult your physician and schedule a time for your vaccination.  You may also visit www.flucliniclocator.org to find a clinic near you.

Yesterday President Bush signed into law bi-partisan legislation that will enhance the effectiveness of the U.S. Department of Justice’s ability to prosecute animal rights extremists who utilize violence and terrorist threats. The Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) S. 3880, co-sponsored in the Senate by myself and Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), received unanimous support in both the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.

The need for legislation became obvious following two hearings I conducted as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Committee heard testimony from multiple victims, officials from the FBI, DOJ and the educational and scientific communities about radical environmental and animal rights groups who use criminally-based activism in an effort to influence public policy. Witnesses told the Committee groups such as the Earth Liberation Front (”ELF”), the Animal Liberation Front (”ALF”), and Stop Huntington Animal Cruelty (”SHAC”), use crimes of violence to frighten individuals, companies, and governments into abandoning work affecting the environment or animals. Importantly, the Committee learned that many of these fear-based tactics by eco-terrorists were not covered under current law.

As a result, I worked closely with my colleagues Senator Feinstein and Congressman Tom Petri (R-Wisc.) to craft legislation that strengthens current law to help end these violent tactics used by animal rights extremists. Our bill signed by the President yesterday, with the full support of the Congress, will better protect scientists, medical researchers, ranchers, and farmers and will help put an end to these horrendous extremist tactics. Read the rest of this entry »

Following requests from myself, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and other House members, for an investigation of the National Security Agency’s (NSA) warrantless surveillance program, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Glenn A. Fine yesterday informed me that his office has opened a review of the agency’s involvement with the program.

In his letter to me, Fine wrote, “The OIG previously received clearances relating to the NSA program for myself and two other OIG supervisors. After conducting initial inquiries into the program, we have decided to open a program review that will examine the Department’s controls and use of information related to the program and the Department’s compliance with legal requirements governing the program. On October 20, 2006, I made a formal request to the Attorney General for additional clearances for OIG staff to conduct this program review. The Attorney General forwarded the request to the White House, which makes the decisions on clearance requests relating to the program. Last week, I received word that the request for clearances for the OIG staff to conduct this review would be granted. As a result, the OIG has opened this program review, and I wanted to inform you of the review.”

I must say that after trying for nearly a year to get DOJ to conduct an investigation of the NSA’s warrantless spy program, I am very pleased to learn that the agency’s Inspector General is finally opening an investigation that we were made to believe would never happen. While I’m glad that the White House finally relented and granted additional clearances for DOJ officials to conduct an investigation, I can’t help but be skeptical about the timing. I wonder whether this reversal is only coming now after the election as an attempt to appease Democrats in Congress who have been critical of the NSA program and will soon be in control and armed with subpoena power. Read the rest of this entry »

After nearly a year of stonewalling, security clearances have finally been approved by the White House so that the Department of Justice can investigate its own involvement in the NSA’s warrantless surveillance program.  I look forward to the results of this inquiry.  Congress needs to craft legislation so that terrorists can be the subject of surveillance while the Constitution of the United States is honored. To do that a full investigation into the program as a whole, not just the DOJ’s involvement, will be necessary.