So I received an email yeseterday from my congresswoman, Stephanie Tubbs Jones, wherein she tried mightily to dislocate her own shoulder while patting herself on the back.
Her email, and my response on the flip.
Dear Friend,
I hope that you had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend. As we head into fall, young people across the 11th Congressional District are heading back to school. For those students heading to college, it will be a new, exciting, and sometimes daunting journey. College is a different world, with new experiences and new people. For the past four sessions of Congress, I have introduced college fire safety and prevention legislation that would ensure that our young people have a comfortable and secure college experience.
Nationwide, 113 people have been killed in student housing since January 2000 and Ohio has had the most deaths of any state, as identified by the Center for Campus Fire Safety, a non-profit organization that compiles information on campus-related fires. Almost 80 percent of the fire fatalities have occurred in off-campus occupancies such as rented houses and apartments. Common factors in a number of these fires include: lack of automatic sprinklers, disabled smoke alarms, careless disposal of smoking materials, and alcohol consumption. The 2006-2007 academic year was the most fatal one on record with 20 fire deaths identified by Campus Firewatch.
I have introduced three pieces of legislation to combat this issue:
- A Resolution Establishing Campus Fire Safety Month
- The College Fire and Prevention Act
- The Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act
Fire safety and prevention is an issue that needs to be addressed on College Campuses across the United States. Over the past few years we have seen many tragedies involving fire at colleges, places of business, entertainment venues and places of residence. We must begin to put in place suppression measures against fires and increase support and resources for our fire fighters to ensure that no more lives are lost to fires that could have been prevented. These three pieces of legislation will help to put those measures in place and ultimately save lives.
If you would like additional information on this issue, please visit our website.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Member of Congress
Dear Congresswoman Tubbs Jones:
While I appreciate the fact that you've sponsored this campus fire safety legislation, I'm still waiting for you to write legislation about a far greater threat to the young people of America:
The Iraqi War.
Nationwide, 785 young people have died and 4,430 have been injured as a result of battles and roadside bombs in Iraq in 2007. 28 of those dead were from Ohio.
They were:
• Kingman, Jonathan P. C., Sergeant 20-Jan-07
• Brown, Nicholas P., Specialist 22-Jan-07
• Kashkoush, Michael M., Sergeant 23-Jan-07
• Wiggins, Michael J., Staff Sergeant 23-Jan-07
• Butler, Tyler, Private 1st Class 1-Feb-07
• Conte, Matthew G., Hospitalman 1-Feb-07
• Armstrong, David C., Corporal 1-Feb-07
• Ellis, Joseph J. , Sergeant Major 7-Feb-07
• Biggers, Ethan J., Specialist 24-Feb-07
• Barnett, Jeremy D., Sergeant 24-Feb-07
• Emch, Luke, Hospitalman 2-Mar-07
• Carr, Robert M., Sergeant 13-Mar-07
• Scherry, Daniel R., Lance Corporal 16-Apr-07
• Tollett, Norman L., Sergeant 28-Apr-07
• Gullett, Zachary R., Private 1st Class 1-May-07
• Church, Theodore U., Chief Warrant Officer 28-May-07
• Nepsa, Keith V., Specialist 2-Jun-07
• Kuglics, Matthew J., Staff Sergeant 5-Jun-07
• Barnes, Eric M., Airman 1st Class 9-Jun-07
• Endlich, Cory M., Sergeant 9-Jun-07
• Sonnenberg, Kevin H., Major 15-Jun-07
• Grass. Zachary A., Specialist 16-Jun-07
• Dixon, Derek C., Corporal 26-Jun-07
• Rutherford, Christopher N., 1st Lieutenant 2-Jul-07
• Kline, Keith A., Sergeant 5-Jul-07
• Vinnedge, Anthony M.K., Specialist 5-Jul-07
• Harmon, Joshua S., Corporal 22-Aug-07
• Brooks, Edward L., Specialist 29-Aug-07
When are you going to follow the will of your district, and strongly oppose the war in Iraq? When will you speak out against the horrific losses of life, not to mention the astonomical costs which could by used to fund programs like the fire safety programs you're so proud of supporting?
Do your job, Stephanie. I demand this, as a voter, a tax payer and as a citizen from your district.
--Timroff