Does Gus Bilirakis support our troops? Then bring them home alive and well!

Gus Bilirakis: Sorrow for Katrina victims?

Although some of my best friends are of Greek heritage, I must admit that it seems that Gus Bilirakis represents the citizens of Greece instead of Americans. Of course we care about the fires in Greece but does Gus Bilirakis care about the Americans still suffering in New Orleans? Does he care that the levys are not ready for another hurricane? Does he care that victims are still homeless? Does he remember the people who died in New Orleans?

Maybe Gus Bilirakis should hire me to do his press releases. After all, I have to correct them almost daily now:

"As a member of the House Subcommittee on European Affairs Congress, Congressman Bilirakis expressed his sincere sorrow over the devastation in Greece New Orleans by stating, “My heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends who have lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy. I commend condemn myself and the Bush Administration for allowing this tragedy to continue and recognize Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and the Greek government in their that efforts to rebuild the levys and homes, especially in the 9th ward, have been shamefully mismanaged and unevenly funded." get these blazes under control.” Congressman Bilirakis added, "The unity and solidarity of the brave people of Greece New Orleans that has arisen from the ashes of these fires flood waters is representative of the Greek American spirit and pride that so clearly defines this nation."



Will Gus Bilirakis sign the petition?

http://whenthesaints.org/

We, the undersigned, urge the United States Senate to pass Senator Dodd's Gulf Coast Recovery Bill of 2007 (S1668) to assist the Gulf Coast region in rebuilding the infrastructure lost after the Katrina and Rita disasters.
Passage of this bill is an important step towards returning the Gulf Coast residents to their homes.

Gus Bilirakis Shows Sympathy for Victims! Why are we not happy?

While we here at GusWatch have nothing but sympathy for the Greek citizens who have lost so much during the recent wild fires, we're a little upset over this:

"As a member of the House Subcommittee on European Affairs, Congressman Bilirakis expressed his sincere sorrow over the devastation in Greece by stating, “My heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the families and friends who have lost loved ones in this horrific tragedy. I commend and recognize Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis and the Greek government in their efforts to get these blazes under control.” Congressman Bilirakis added, "The unity and solidarity of the brave people of Greece that has arisen from the ashes of these fires is representative of the Greek spirit and pride that so clearly defines this nation."

Why are we not happy? It was the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Couldn't Gus have mentioned that?

Gus Bilirakis' blog: No comments all the time.

Of course, comments are closed. Gus'supposed blog doesn't allow comments because he is a coward.

Again, I feel compelled to tweak Gus' latest press release because it is full of errors and disinformation.

The departure of Attorney General Gonzales will allow the Justice Department to move beyond the distractions illegal actions faced committed under his leadership. I support a full investigation into Alberto Gonzales'illegal activities and I encourage him to be forthcoming in his testimony. If his memory is as bad as it seemed when he last testified, then he should be Baker-acted for his own safety.

The Justice Department is vital to our nation’s safety and security. Today’s announcement has created an opportunity for new leadership to embrace a refocused and bipartisan agenda that will enable the Department to effectively and faithfully restore the balance of power and undo the outrageous attacks on the U.S. Constitution so that we can enforce our nation’s laws including the Separation of Church and State.

Only then will our Justice Department be once again free to enforce our nation’s laws.




http://bilirakis.wordpress.com/2007/08/27/bilirakis-comments-on-gonzalez-resignation/

Call at National Guard conference for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq greeted with standing ovation

My grandfather earned a purple heart medal the hard way and although medals are one way to honor our troops, the time has come for Gus to stop playing GI Joe with medal ceremonies. Our troops need real health care benefits. They need strong leaders who have the political courage to bring them home. If one of Bilirakis' sons was the last one asked to die for lies, war profits and oil, would Gus offer him up for the "surge"? I doubt it.

It is time for Gus to honor our troops by supporting health care for all. It is time for Gus to vote to end the immoral occupation of Iraq. It is time for Gus to really start talking to our troops. My military family members need real representation. Medals don't keep our troops safe or bring them home to their families. It appears that our troops agree with me:

Call at National Guard conference for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq greeted with standing ovation DAVID McFADDEN, Associated Press Writer

August 25, 2007 6:08 PM

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A call by Puerto Rico's governor for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq earned a standing ovation Saturday from a conference of more than 4,000 National Guardsmen.

Gov. Anibal Acevedo Vila said the U.S. administration has ''no new strategy and no signs of success'' and that prolonging the war would needlessly put guardsmen in harm's way.

''The war in Iraq has fractured the political will of the United States and the world,'' he said at the opening of the 129th National Guard Association general conference. ''Clearly, a new war strategy is required and urgently.''

Acevedo said sending more troops to Iraq would be a costly blunder.

To read the rest of the article, click on:
http://www.newspress.com/Top/Article/article.jsp?Section=WORLD&ID=565075331141468233

Gus Bilirakis Resources

For those interested in learning more about Gus, here are a list of relevant resources:

FPC Wiki Page

Official House Site

Official Campaign Site

Wikipedia Page

Congresspedia Page

WaPo Voting Database

FEC Report

On the Issues

Open Secrets.org

Project Vote Smart

Gus Bilirakis Goes to Iraq for "Dog and Pony Show"

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week here in District 9, you know two things about Congressman Gus Bilirakis -- He just went to Baghdad on his summer vacation, and he's getting his head buzzed to draw attention to the need for funding for cancer research.

I am certainly not going to knock cancer research, but I would like to point out that 44+ million Americans might not be able to reap the benefits of that research because they can't get healthcare in America. And some of that 44+ million are children that Gus voted against covering with the SCHIPS bill a couple of weeks ago.

Now about that trip to Baghdad. Is anyone but me noticing some eerily similar stories coming out of the mouths of those returning from Iraq these days? From war cheerleading think-tankers like Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack to Rep. Shelley Moore Capito to our very own Rep. Gus Bilirakis, things are still bad, but (surprise, surprise) there is progress being made! (links will be provided later)

In today's paper, Washington Post reporter Jonathan Finer pens an op-ed that spells out what these trips really are. Finer thinks Congressional Reps have a duty to visit the wars they are funding, but denies the importance of these trips for determining what is actually happening on the ground. Here's his recounting of a recent back and forth between Sen. Lindsay (Goober) Graham and Sen. James Webb on Meet the Press:

Last month on "Meet the Press," Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a supporter of the war, chided his Democratic colleague James Webb. "Have you been to Iraq?" asked Graham, who has visited seven times.

"I've been a member of the military when the senators come in," replied Webb, who has not visited Iraq but fought in Vietnam during a long military career. "You know, you go see the dog-and-pony shows."

Well, our Gussie saw himself a dog and pony show.

In conclusion, Finer warns:

As Washington anticipates a September report assessing the troop surge, there is good reason to be skeptical of such snapshot accounts.

UPDATED - From Sunday's New York Times - Returning soldiers give us their thoughts:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/19/opinion/19jayamaha.html

Gus Bilirakis has another opponent - DCCC Chimes in With Opinion on Bilirakis Leadership

In article by William March today in the Tampa Tribune - Gus may have another new opponent.

http://www.tboblogs.com/index.php/news/story/dicks-considers-run-against-bilirakis/

But, one of the most interesting things in the article is the following quote form Kyra Jennings of the DCCC:

'DCCC’s Southern Regional spokeswoman, Kyra Jennings, confirmed that (John) Dicks met with Van Hollen about the race, and that “We are excited that he is considering a possible challenge. Bilirakis “has only been in Congress a short time, but already has shown he’s not going to be an effective leader.” '

Gus Hates Children and the Elderly

Congress recently had a chance to help out children and seniors across the country. Guess which way the Florida delegation voted?

FL-1: Jeff Miller (R) - Nay
FL-2: Allen Boyd (D) - Yea
FL-3: Corrine Brown (D) - Yea
FL-4: Ander Crenshaw (R) - Did not vote
FL-5: Ginny Brown-Waite (R) - Nay
FL-6: Cliff Stearns (R) - Nay
FL-7: John Mica (R) - Nay
FL-8: Ric Keller (R) - Nay
FL-9: Gus Bilirakis (R) - Nay
FL-10: CW Bill Young (R) - Nay
FL-11: Kathy Castor (D) - Yea
FL-12: Adam Putnam (R) - Nay
FL-13: Vern Buchanan (R) - Nay
FL-14: Connie Mack (R) - Nay
FL-15: Dave Weldon (R) - Nay
FL-16: Tim Mahoney (D) - Yea
FL-17: Kendrick Meek (D) - Yea
FL-18: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) - Nay
FL-19: Robert Wexler (D) - Yea
FL-20: Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D) - Yea
FL-21: Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) - Nay
FL-22: Ron Klein (D) - Yea
FL-23: Alcee Hastings (D) - Yea
FL-24: Tom Feeney (R) - Nay
FL-25: Mario Diaz-Balart (R) - Nay

Let these people know what you think about them. Go to their page at the FPC Wiki to find their contact info.

Temporary Permanent Post on Gus' Votes

Till I have time for a more complete post:

On second thought, what more is there to say?

• Gus Bilirakis voted against giving more children healthcare in order to spend Medicare dollars on privatization.
• Gus Bilirakis voted for the FISA bill in order to give George Bush and Alberto Gonzalez more power to spy on American citizens.
• Gus Bilirakis was in the news for sponsoring another bill to keep the veterans' vote (if only he cared about the active duty soldiers who are currently spilling their blood, sweat and tears in Iraq.)
• When Gus Bilirakis isn't pandering to veterans, he's sucking up to the Greek community. He seems to be more concerned with the occupation of Cyprus than he is with the American occupation of Iraq.