Since my Representative, John Yarmuth, changed his view on FISA and voted to support the new FISA bill I've seen several articles in my local newspaper about how Rep. Yarmuth is now bringing home the bacon to Louisville. Is this just a coincidence or was this a quid pro quo for his FISA vote?
House panel puts VA project in plan (June 20)
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
House Panel Approves VA Project funds (June 25)
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
U.S. House approves transit bill that would aid TARC (June 28)
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
The fact is I don't know for sure why John Yarmuth changed his position on FISA but these articles certainly raise my suspicions. What I do know for sure is that back in February of 2008 he told me this in a letter:
It is time for us to remember the principles of liberty that our nation was founded on, and reject unlawful measures that jeopardize our rights and civil liberties. Please be assured I will continue to do all that I can toward this end
But evidently sometime between this statement in February, 2008 and June of 2008 he decided that "rejecting measures that jeopardize our rights and civil liberties" no longer mattered or else he wouldn't have voted yes on the FISA bill.
Contained within the June 28 article about the transit bill there was even more information about other "projects" where Yarmuth was successful in bringing home the bacon.
In a separate action, U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, announced that the House Appropriations Committee had approved his request for $6.5 million in funding for several Louisville projects in the fiscal year 2009 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, which now heads to the full House for consideration.
In addition to his success at bringing home the bacon, Representative Yarmuth also seems to be spending quite a bit of time with Nancy Pelosi since his YES vote on FISA. This too makes me wonder about that FISA vote.
Yarmuth, Pelosi tour Ford plant before campaign stop (June 21)
http://www.courier-journal.com/...
The Speaker, Voiceless but not Speechless (June 26)
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/...
So is all of this just a coincidence or did my Rep. change his views on FISA for the promise of pork and campaign help from Pelosi? - The honest answer is just I don't know but I think that someone, in addition to me, should ask him about it.
When I saw the first Yarmuth/Pelosi story in my newspaper I called the local reporter and left a message about whether the reporter knew if the timing of the Pelosi visit had anything to do with the FISA vote the day before. Sadly, I never heard back from that reporter. But today I contacted another reporter who wrote the June 28 story about the pork Yarmuth was bringing home. I left him a message and hopefully he will at least return my call. If not, I plan on calling him until I get to talk with him.
I hope everyone reading this diary will check their local newspapers to see if their own representative was as successful as mine was in bringing home the bacon after their YES vote on FISA.
I also hope that you will let the rest of us know what you find.