Rep. Mike Conaway (R-Texas) posted this video of a recent trip to Iraq and Afghanistan to his blog Friday. The video shows Conaway outside of secure zones in Baghdad, traveling via helicopter over the city, visiting a joint police station in Ramadi, and meeting with a provincial reconstruction team in Afghanistan.

Conaway returned Sept. 24 from a congressional delegation trip that included Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) and Del. Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam).

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) claims the recent vote to extend economic sanctions against Iran ratchets up war propaganda.

In 2004, the FBI mistakenly believed that Brandon Mayfield, an Oregon lawyer, was linked to the Madrid train bombing. Since the government claimed foreign intelligence was involved in the criminal investigation, the FBI - under new Patriot Act powers - obtained warrants from the secret intelligence court and covertly searched Mayfield’s home and office without ever having to prove “probable cause� that he committed a crime - the normal standard in a criminal investigation.

Three days ago, a federal judge struck down as unconstitutional the parts of the Patriot Act that allowed the FBI to do this. The ACLU applauds the ruling. The probable cause standard for searches or electronic surveillance of a home or office in criminal investigations prevents the government from engaging in dangerous and intrusive fishing expeditions. By claiming foreign intelligence is involved, the government has been able to bypass that standard. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last three years we have watched the Rockies go from “rock-bottom� to “Rocky Mountain High!� They are the hottest team in baseball right now as they head home to the friendly confines of Coors Field with an 11-game winning streak, and we will be carefully watching the scoreboard this weekend to see how San Diego, New York and Philadelphia perform, but I’m confident that the Rockies will take care of business at home against Arizona and continue their winning streak into the playoffs. The Rockies have an 8-7 record so far this year against the Diamondbacks, so we can expect some close games. Nevertheless, having grown up on a ranch I know that late September is always the time when snakes go into hibernation in Colorado … this year will be no exception.

I have been very pleased with the Rockies’ 11-game win streak. The Rockies are the hottest team in baseball right now, and the whole state of Colorado is pulling for them. I’m sure that both Senators McCain, Kyl and I will be glued to our TVs this weekend cheering on our teams. I must say though, the Rockies are going to be hard to beat the way they’re playing.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) addressed the people of Myanmar (Burma) Friday in a YouTube video.

“We in the United States remain humbled by the courageous protests we see on television and on the Internet,” McConnell said.

Although less than 1% of Myanmar’s population has Internet access according to news reports, much of the recent global attention to Myanmar has been credited to Myanmar protesters’ use of the Internet. Myanmar’s government shut down Internet access to all its citizens Friday according to the Oslo, Norway-based opposition radio station, Democratic Voice of Burma.

This is bad legislation for Michigan. For the last few years more and more citizens of our state have been forced into purchasing flood insurance even though they live on property that has no history of flooding and all of this during a period of time when our lake levels are at historic lows. This has occurred because the federal government is using faulty data and is looking at our state as a cash cow to subsidize other more disaster prone areas.

My amendment would have forced the federal government to use the most up-to-date data and sound science to determine those properties which should rightly be within a flood plain. This amendment unfortunately was not made a part of the legislation. People in places like New Orleans look up at the water while we look down at low water levels. Because of Congress’s refusal to correct this unfair situation, I will be calling on the Governor and legislature to have Michigan opt out of the federal flood insurance program and have our state create our own program. That seems to be the only way Michigan will get fundamental fairness.

This past week, the House Financial Services Committee passed H.R. 3524, the Hope VI Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2007.  As part of this bill, the Committee demonstrated its commitment to promoting energy efficiency standards by including important green energy standards.

As chair of the Energy Efficiency Task Force within the Financial Services Committee, I am pleased to see important provisions included in this HOPE VI legislation requiring public housing authorities to institute Green/LEED or similar approved energy standards in all new public housing developments.

The HOPE VI program, created in 1992, is a Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant program providing for the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of distressed public housing projects. In addition to the green development provisions, this legislation includes provisions to provide for the retention of public housing units, prevent re-screening of returning residents, increase resident involvement, and improve the efficiency and expediency of HOPE VI construction. Read the rest of this entry »

Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) says China is outpacing America’s infrastructure .

When Dick Gephardt eked out a win in the 1988 Iowa caucuses, no one was under the illusion that the contest for the Democratic presidential nomination was over. Nor was it over in 1992 when Iowans chose favorite son Sen. Tom Harkin and Paul Tsongas won in New Hampshire, both defeating eventual nominee Bill Clinton.  John McCain found that a lopsided New Hampshire win was not enough to survive the awaiting Bush 2000 machine.

But in 2004, John Kerry went from single digits to a surprise win in Iowa in what seemed like the blink of an eye, and by the time voters had rubbed their eyes and refocused, Kerry was already the presumptive nominee. His Iowa glow carried into a win in New Hampshire, and the campaign was effectively over long before the alleged “super Tuesdayâ€? in March. Read the rest of this entry »