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December 16, 2005

Happy Decorating, Mrs. Gregg!

New Hampshire's own Senator Gregg continues to dodge the majority who want the US out of Iraq, votes against a low-income heating assistance bill, and wins the lottery!

The United for Peace and Justice (UFPJ) rally in Washington, DC back in September was a great success. Peace Action played a major role in the long weekend of activities. Before it all began, organizers predicted 100,000 people would turn out for the Saturday rally to protest the US occupation of Iraq, and by all accounts, somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 showed up. The lobby day that followed on Monday, September 26, was also a huge success. More than 800 people from across the country visited their representatives that day, demanding an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, no permanent US military bases in Iraq, and an opt-in instead of opt-out provision for parents of children subject to military recruitment, among other demands.

On the UFPJ lobby day, I visited the offices of all four New Hampshire Congressional representatives. The House Representatives' administrative assistants told me in advance that the Congressmen Bradley and Bass would not be available to meet with me personally, and that I could meet with staffers. Senator Sununu's office told me they would do their best to have me meet with Mr. Sununu, but that things often came up. The response to my request from Senator Gregg's office to meet with Mr. Gregg was positive and without reservation. I went to Washington with the impression I would be meeting with him.

While in DC, the Jim Lehrer News Hour contacted UFPJ, asking if they could accompany a group or individual into a pro-war Senator's office and tape the conversation. The News Hour was first directed to the delegation from Indiana, visiting Senator Lugar's office. The News Hour had to check and see if the Senator's office would allow them to tape, but they could do a photo op. As of Friday, the 24th, Lugar's office said no taping. The News Hour checked back in with UFPJ, and was directed to me, for my visit with Judd Gregg.

Senator Gregg's office refused to allow the News Hour to be there-- even for a photo op. As it turned out, the News Hour was allowed to do some taping at Lugar's office.

Additionally, Senator Gregg did not meet with me personally. I was told when I arrived at his office that he "had to go out of town".

What we have here is a pattern - a pattern of refusal to meet and openly debate Senator Gregg's unwavering support for a policy that has resulted in the deaths of over 2000 US troops, and by some estimates, over 100,000 Iraqi civilians. I hereby reiterate the challenge to Mr. Gregg to publicly debate the merits of US-Iraq policy.

While I talked with Gregg's staffers, one of them kept bringing up "democracy", and didn't I think that Iraq was a more democratic place than it was before we invaded and occupied it. Democracy is more than the ability to vote. Democracy is more than a piece of paper that says you're "free". Democracy under occupation is an oxymoron-- when I said that to the staffer, he had no retort. I'm all for genuine democracy--- let's have a referendum in Iraq and in the US. Do you want US troops out of Iraq immediately? Yes or no. I believe in both countries, the ayes would have it by a wide margin.

* * *

What a telling year 2005 has been for Mr. Gregg. Some may say that his is a charmed life, the latest sign being his winning second prize in the Power Ball lottery to the tune of $800,000. His wife was quoted as saying she wanted to redecorate one of their houses with the money. Meanwhile, the same day that he won all that money, he voted against releasing extra funds for low income home heating in a procedural vote. Mr. Gregg voted against a proposal to boost the fiscal 2006 budget for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program from $2.2 billion to $5.1 billion. His alternative bill, which was voted down, would have added a smaller amount to home heating assistance, while cutting other programs to offset the increase. Opponents of Gregg's bill argued successfully that the offset, a 1 percent cut in various assistance programs, would be harmful to those programs, which are already squeezed by tight budgets. It seems the only way someone who has lived his entire life with immense privilege and power (not unlike our president) can offer a crumb to the poor is to hack away at social welfare programs with the other hand. Happy decorating, Mrs. Gregg.

A day after winning the $800,000, Mr. Gregg voted against raising the minimum wage.

Meanwhile, many people die every day fighting against or defending the US occupation of Iraq. Mr. Gregg continues to support this bloody occupation of the country that sits on the second largest known oil reserve in the world.

Occasionally Sen. Gregg has the courage to go against the Bush administration on some environmental issues. On the other hand, he led an end run around the legislative process to open up the pristine Arctic National Wildlife coastal zone to oil drilling earlier this year.

Mr. Gregg is often noted for "getting money" for various entities in the state of New Hampshire. Apparently that doesn't apply to poor people who may have to decide between heat and food this winter. Not to mention that wars for oil and global warming put us at enormous risk, so what difference will money that he gets for other things make if we are destroying the Earth and each other under policies that he supports?

An ever growing number of NH citizens want to hear Gregg speak out against the debacle in Iraq. Will he talk with and listen to us, or continue to communicate only with a tiny group of people with whom he is allied, now widely known as "neocons"? Whose interests will he serve in 2006? Please call, fax, write, visit, email, and otherwise communicate with his offices, and tell him what you think.

This article appears in the winter New Hampshire Peace Action newspaper...

Posted by Joe Public at December 16, 2005 01:55 AM

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