There is something going on in Oregon that I don't think is right.  I think the Oregon Democrats, myself included, are shooting themselves in the foot with coastal marine reserves.

We have developed a pretty proactive and science-backed system for regulating fishing here.  A lot of people who aren't your typical save-the-whales type grudgingly admit that they may not like restrictions and limits placed on them - but they understand the process.

Seems like asking a church what it's stand on torture is wouldn't be a difficult question for them to answer - right?

There is a very interesting article and discussion going on at WashingtonPost.com concerning stands on torture.

Randall Balmer wrote about the response, or mostly lack of, that he received from queries to some churches regarding their stand on torture.

Today I listed to part of a radio piece on NPR that mentioned an ex-Rand Institute member who had concluded years ago that a network organized enemy would eventually take on traditional state powers.

Maybe 8 to 10 years ago I started voting party line for Democrats because I saw that even "good" Republicans ended up supporting people and causes I was against.  I recall actually voting for Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) in his first election run because he seemed like a good person to support Oregon.  Maybe a wrong conclusion at the time but that is why I did it.

Last year (May 2005) Gordon Smith used weasel words to evade responsibility for his trip to Ireland that was paid for by a lobbyist.    He's trying to say it is okay because technically the lobbyist didn't pay for it, their parent company did.

Sen Reid saw some boxing, Smith went to Ireland.  Maybe Smith's trip should be re-examined in light of all the recent corruption.

By MATTHEW DALY

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Sen. Gordon Smith on Friday filed an amended report on a 2003 trip to Ireland that the Oregon Republican initially said was paid by a Washington lobbying firm.

In the new report, Smith said the trip was paid by a financial services firm - not by its lobbying subsidiary. Congressional ethics rules bar lobbying firms from paying for lawmakers' travel.

Yesterday evening I saw my representative Congressman DeFazio on a very short interview segment on local Eugene news.  He had about thirty seconds, so what did he say?

My on-going chronicle of Sen Gordon Smith's sell out of the people of Oregon to his party...

Today Smith voted in support of keeping the ANWR provision in the "must pass" defense spending bill.  He voted for cloture.

On his senate homepage you can't miss the story about how he opposes ANWR drilling and voted for an amendment against it - after it was sure that his party could defeat it.  This is the tactic known as hold and release, where his party leadership lets him make "moderate" votes when they don't matter.

Latest documentation of Gordon Smith's failure to represent the interests of the people of Oregon.

Common sense scored a big victory in the U.S. Senate yesterday with the vote against cloture of H.R. 3199 (USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005).

I hoped to find that both my senators from Oregon had voted against it.

I was disappointed to find that Senator Gordon Smith played his usual game on this one.  He voted for it.  He voted to allow no debate, no reworking, no pause in the face of the continual news of the administrations misuse of the Patriot act.  I guess his party decided they couldn't release him to cast a meaningless vote to cover himself - as in the arctic drilling.

Noticed this AP Story on the folding of the nuclear bunker buster initiative.  My take on it from the first time I saw this plan come up - an obvious bluff to the North Koreans.  A Reagan-style star-wars ploy to blunt a threat.  This, along with the renewed effort in SDI.  It's not all bluff, but has been rushed so much it was see-through.

This is an older issue, just wanted to get it into my Gordon Smith Hall Of Shame...

In April 2005 Senator Patty Murray (WA) introduced a Health Care Amendment to cover shortfalls in the VA budget.  (http://murray.senate.gov/veterans/suppamend-summary.pdf)  The measure was voted down twice along party lines, first on it's own and a second time as an amendment (http://murray.senate.gov/news.cfm?id=236300)

During the week of March 21st 2005, Senator Gordon Smith traveled to Iraq and Afghanistan to meet with Oregon troops, review security forces, and discuss political developments with top leaders.

Our Senator Smith no sooner returned from visiting these troops in the field and then took a party line vote against them.  

Sen Gordon Smith (R-OR) publicly pledged his support for Frist's nuclear option the week before it was to be triggered.  Now he's trying to slither back into the middle ground after the compromise.

What the article doesn't say is that he didn't participate in the compromise because he had already pledged to the dark side, having made a public appearance with Frist the week before.

Gordon Smith, man of integrity, is trying to wiggle out of a pickle on his trip to Ireland that was paid for by a lobbyist.  He's trying to say it is okay because technically the lobbyist didn't pay for it, their parent company did.

Oh, okay, I see where the high moral ground is on this one.  Good dodge Gordon!  Let that moral flag fly!

If there was any doubt on what Sen Smith (R-OR) would do, there's not anymore.  From an AP story just minutes ago...

"The Republicans working on that deal are contradicting Frist, R-Tenn., who has insisted that all of the White House's nominees get confirmed. He picked up an additional senator on his side Wednesday, Sen. Gordon Smith (news, bio, voting record), R-Ore."

I had hoped Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR) would be reasonable on the filibuster on the 10 judicial re-nominees.  Just got a letter from him and he's spouting the party line...