[NV Greens] Fwd: DeLay's Ethical Problems Bring More Shame .

[Paul Etxeberri]

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>  Dear Paul,
>
>As we predicted a couple of weeks 
>ago, <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990566524439711453865>Rep. 
>Joel Hefley (R-CO) was ousted today as chairman of the House Ethics 
>Committee.  In replacing Hefley, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) 
>is sending a clear signal that partisan politics trumps 
>accountability and ethical standards in the "people's House."
>
>Rep. Hefley led an Ethics Committee that took difficult steps in 
>investigating and 
>ultimately <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990596524439711453865>admonishing 
>House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) for unethical behavior three 
>separate times last year.  Today, Rep. Hefley's leadership is being 
>tossed aside as an apparent punishment for having the chutzpah to 
>stand up to DeLay and carry out his duty as Ethics Committee 
>Chairman honorably.
>
>It seems DeLay's ethical crisis has brought yet another dishonor to 
>the House leadership, which felt compelled to remove someone who 
>actually believed 
>in <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990606524439711453865>upholding 
>ethical standards.  This is why it is so important for all of us 
>to <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990616524439711453865>make 
>an unequivocal statement that we cannot let the leadership in 
>DeLay's Congress compromise all ethical standards and trump 
>accountability with partisan politics.  So if you haven't already, 
>please <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990646524439711453865>sign 
>our petition calling for DeLay to step down as the Majority Leader:
>
><http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990656524439711453865>www.commoncause.org/StepDownDeLay<http://www.commoncause.org/StepDownDeLay>
>
>We have set a goal of collecting 100,000 signatures before we 
>present the petition, and we have already collected well over 
>50,000.  So, if you have already signed our 
>petition <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990676524439711453865>please 
>forward it to all of your family, friends or colleagues and urge 
>them to join our campaign to hold DeLay accountable:
>
><http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990666524439711453865>http://www.commoncause.org/joinDeLayPetition<http://www.commoncause.org/joinDeLayPetition>
>
>We don't know yet what kind of Ethics Committee Hefley's 
>replacement, Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA), will run.  But given 
>the <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990696524439711453865>rules 
>changes the House leaders passed last month that will make it much 
>harder to initiate investigations, plus the chilling cloud under 
>which they showed Hefley the door, it is hard to imagine there will 
>be much activity.
>
>House leaders claim that they replaced Hefley as ethics chairman due 
>to term limits.  Yet on the first day of the 109th Congress the same 
>leaders waived the term limit rule so Rep. David Dreier (R-CA) could 
>serve another term as Chairman of the Rules Committee.  Clearly the 
>leadership could have allowed Hefley to stay on if they wanted.
>
>Again, we cannot afford to sit back and let this kind of partisan 
>power play go unchecked.  So if you have not done so already, please 
>make sure 
>to <http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990706524439711453865>sign 
>on to our campaign to remove DeLay as the Majority Leader of the 
>"people's House," where partisan politics today trumped 
>accountability and ethical standards.
>
><http://www.commoncause.org/VIVA2005>
>
>Thank you for all you do for Common Cause.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Chellie Pingree
>President & CEO, Common Cause
>
>Support Common Cause:
><http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66990716524439711453865>www.commoncause.org/Support
>
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>To remove yourself from this mailing, please click 
><http://www.kintera.org/TR.asp?ID=M66992696524439711453865>here


-- 
Paul Etxeberri

"Forests precede civilizations and deserts follow"   ---Chateaubriand
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