WASHINGTON – The thing about being around and about inside the District of Columbia is that it seems to be a city without a distinct identity. There are pockets of the city with some sense of a native identity, but for the most part, the city draws in people from all 50 states. Public places are full of tourists, politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists, etc. So, the identity of the city is rather fluid.
But in Mobile, you can really tell when someone isn’t local. You can tell when someone isn’t from Mobile or Baldwin County. They stick out like a sore thumb.
So Washington is really different from other major U.S. cities in that regard. This has eased any culture shock in making my lifestyle transition from Mobile to Washington. Now, that’s what diversity is really about.
Shelby, Bonner hawkish on immigration also
Sen. Jeff Sessions has been most outspoken on immigration. However, Sen. Richard Shelby has taken a strong stand on it also. In his last weekly press teleconference, Shelby revealed he was a staunch opponent of the pending compromise in the Senate.
“This so-called ‘grand compromise’ only repeats the mistakes of the past and I believe will embolden those who seek to break our laws and come to the United States illegally in the future,” Shelby said.
In 1986, Shelby opposed the Simpson-Mazzoli Act as a Congressman. The act passed and gave amnesty to illegal immigrants.
“Twenty-one years later, we’re back there,” added Shelby
Shelby expects the bill to pass in the Senate. But his solution would have involved massive deportation.
“Well, I think that’s what we should have done all along and we could do it today,” said Shelby. “Would it be brutal? Absolutely. But what is the answer?”
Rep. Jo Bonner’s office released a statement from the Congressman early Friday morning. There had been a little confusion on where Bonner would come down on the legislation, but he is singing a similar tune.
“More than 11 million people have entered into our country illegally and are placing heavy burdens on our health care, education, and welfare systems and are not paying taxes,” Bonner said. “Those who have come to our country illegally should not be rewarded and placed ahead of law-abiding legal immigrants who are willing to tackle the process of becoming an American citizen.”
The bill is likely to pass through the Senate, but some are skeptical about its passage in the House. However, should it make it through Congress, President Bush is expected to sign it into law.
Phones ringing ‘off the hook’ at legislators’ Washington offices
Sources inside Shelby and Sessions offices told Lagniappe the phones have been ringing “off the hook” from constituents about the immigration legislation in the Senate, most of which were against it. Rep. Jo Bonner’s office confirmed they had been receiving a lot of feedback about immigration also.
Bonner has 3,000 participate telephone town hall meeting
Rep. Jo Bonner had over 3,000 participate in a town hall meeting conducted over the phone. The meeting was intended for mostly rural residents of Bonner’s First Congressional District.
“We’re the first one in the state to use the technology,” said Bonner Press Secretary Nancy Wall. “We’re going to try to do two more in June.”
Bonner votes “present” in Murtha flap
In a story originally reported in The Hill newspaper on May 23, the Democratic-controlled House narrowly voted down a resolution that would have reprimanded Rep. John Murtha (D.-Pa) for making threats concerning another Congressman’s earmarks.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R.-Mich.) claimed Murtha threatened him with the action for trying to block a $23 million earmark for the National Drug Intelligence Center, which is inside Murtha’s district. House rules prohibit those types of threats.
The resolution failed to pass by a vote of 219-189, mostly along party lines. Bonner, a member of the House ethics panel voted “present.”
Wall confirmed the Bonner voted present because of his position on the ethics panel.
Murtha unsuccessfully ran for the House Majority Leader post after the midterm elections when the House took control of the House. Murtha has also been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Iraq War.
Tanker refueling ads spotted in Pentagon Metro Station
The lobbying competition between Boeing and the EADS/Northrop Grumman partnership for the joint cargo and refueling tanker aircrafts has spilled over onto the Metrorail stop near the Pentagon. The Metro, as it is known to local D.C.-area residents, is a system of trains that functions as the area’s mass transit rail system.
Both Boeing and Northrop Grumman have ads placed inside of the Metro stop located just across the Potomac River in Arlington, Va.
Ads for the Boeing KC-767 outnumbered the Northrop Grumman KC-30 ads nearly three-to-one.
A decision is expected later this year on replacing the military’s aging joint cargo and refueling fleet. Some sources are speculating Boeing and Northrop Grumman will share the duties, potentially splitting the manufacturing duties between Seattle and Mobile.
Contact Jeff Poor at jeffreypoor@yahoo.com.
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