Pelosi: Threats Against Lawmakers Have No Place

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said recent threats against Members who voted 'yes' on healthcare reform are unacceptable.

“I believe words have power, they weigh a ton," said Pelosi when asked to compare the current threats to those levied against famed San Francisco politician Harvey Milk during the 1970's.

The Speaker said she does not want the threatening emails, letters and voicemails from constituents angry with their elected officials to distract lawmakers from passing the Reconiciliation Act.

“We are here to pass health care for all Americans,” she said.

Pelosi scolded any Republicans who may have encouraged protesters to make noise during House debate inside the Capitol building earlier this week.

"I do think that this Congress and House of Representatives is a classroom, and that it is inappropriate for members of Congress to stand up and cheer when these sentiments are expressed in the gallery,” she said.

Pelosi reminded those opposed to healthcare reform that they will soon have a legal and more peaceful chance to express their discontent with lawmakers

“Elections are a way for us to show our pleasure or displeasure with a particular point of view."

Van Hollen: Republicans Doing Nothing To Create Jobs

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 4849, the Small Business and Infrastructure Jobs Tax Act, Wednesday in a move aimed at extending job creation programs.

“Today, we are on the road to recovery,” said Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)

Top Democrats assailed Republicans for being the 'party of no’ on job creation.

The new legislation will eliminate capital gains taxes on small business investments made from now until January 2012, and deductions on greater expenses from $5,000 to $50,000.

“Republicans voted overwhelmingly against all three provisions and all three have and will create jobs,” said Van Hollen. “Yet our colleagues are talking on the floor about their jobs agenda, but they voted against every job [package].”

According to Van Hollen, not a single Republican House member voted for the Recovery Act, only four voted for the HIRE Act, and only six voted for the legislation passed Wednesday.

“When they go home we are very interested in what they have to say to their constituents about what they have done to help create jobs in a time when Americans are hurting,” said Van Hollen.

Poll: Thirteen Percent Of Voters Involved With The Tea Party Movement

By Sofia Sanchez University of New Mexico/ Talk Radio News Service

According to a new poll released Wednesday from Quinnipiac University, 13 percent of voters consider themselves members of the Tea Party movement.

“Only 13 percent of American voters say they are part of the Tea Party Movement...which is mostly made up of those who consider themselves as Republicans,” says Peter Brown, Assistant Director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute.

The poll notes that 74 percent of those who consider themselves within the movement identify as Republicans.

The 13 percent could be an electoral dream for the Republicans if the Republican party decides to scoop the Tea Party movement under their tent come November.

However, if the Tea Partiers are not energized to support a Republican candidate, they could hurt the GOP by putting a Tea Party candidate in the mix, and therefore split the conservative vote in favor of Democrats.

Brown outlined further findings on the makeup of the movement, such as gender and socio-economic data.

“It’s not a regional movement as such, they are pretty representative of the country,” said Brown. “On some issues they are not representative of the country on what they think, their politics and voting behavior.”

The poll showed that the majority of the Tea Party movement is made up of women, whites, Republicans and those who voted for John McCain during the 2008 presidential election. They are also strong supporters of Sarah Palin.

Also, only 4 percent of voters making $250,000 per year consider themselves a part of the movement and 7 percent in the tea party movement are African-American.

“They are less educated but are more interested in politics than the average Joe and Jane Six-Pack and are not in a traditional sense swing voters,” said Brown.

Quinnipiac University Poll will be releasing a post Health Care bill poll later this week.

Human Rights Group Decries Actions Of Iranian Security Forces

By Sofia Sanchez
University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

Human rights activists met on Monday to call attention to the abuse of power by the Iranian government towards the NGO Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRA).

Their main concern is whether or not Iranian Security forces carried out internet attacks against HRA websites, as well as personal computers belonging to members of the group.

"The raids of March 2 and 3, 2010 led to the arrest of thirty human rights activists. The HRA members and other activists arrested are being held incommunicado in unknown locations," said Leila R. Milani with Human Rights Activists in Iran.

According to HRA, the so-called "cyber-warfare" was conducted by units of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IROC). HRA members say they have been labeled by IROC officials on television programs as being enemies of the state.

"The state run television has done a number of programs on the HRA providing falsified and fabricated information about its members and leadership, waging full scale propaganda... using personal photographs illegally obtained from members' computers," said Milani.

HRA says these attacks are not just happening in Iran, but also on American soil.

"These attacks, some of which were done in American soil, involved hacking into servers used by HRA...leading to unauthorized access to membership lists, theft of critical information and shutting down of more than twenty-five news and human rights websites," Milani added.

According to the HRA, its members who are being detained have not been able to contact their families, nor have they had access to attorneys or medical care.

Republicans Play Down Accusations Of Spitting, Racism At Conservative Protest

By Sofia Sanchez and Monique Cala University of New Mexico/Talk Radio News Service

House Republicans downplayed accusations Sunday that a conservative protester spat on Rep. Emmanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) the previous day.

“The press has been [bugging] me for the last hour and a half wanting me to respond because allegedly one person spit on one person and one person said something inappropriate,” said King. “It’s offensive to me that the press would make a story about one person, and not a story about the 29,999 people that came here and love America.”

Protesters were also accused of leveling racist and homophobic slurs at lawmakers, allegations that Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) commented on.

“We don’t know if it is true or not true, but that's not who we are. That's not the kind of people we are,” said Bachmann. “What’s worse is, we are seeing our country stolen out from under us.”

Bachmann, along with representatives Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Steve King (R-Iowa), raised the prospect that some of the protesters were “plants” put in the crowd to denigrate the movement.

The group of three told protesters that the Democrats did not have the votes to pass the legislation through and that the fight to “kill the bill” would continue.

Bachmann left protesters saying “We haven’t given up. we’re fighting, we’re doing everything we can...don’t give up cause we aren’t either.”