Where's Gus Bilirakis?

From Greek News :

"Accompanied by US Regional Coordinator for SAE Theodore Spyropoulos, Tamvakis also met with US House of Representatives members John Sarbanes, Gus Bilirakis and Zachary Space to discuss the promotion of Greece's national issues in the US Congress and the strengthening of relations between the Greek expatriates and the motherland."

S-CHIP? Healthcare for poor children? Ending the war? Holding the Bush administration accountable for lies and incompetence?

Gus Bilirakis Puts Politics and Ideology over Children

Today the St. Pete Times weighs in on the SCHIP bill:

This is about ideology and politics, not money. Bush would limit the capacity of a successful program and instead push tax credits to pay for health care, which won't work and has little support in Congress. The low-income families who need SCHIP the most are not going to get their child into the doctor with tax credits.

In the Tampa Bay area, a veteran and a freshman sided with sound policy over partisan politics. Reps. C.W. Bill Young of Indian Rocks Beach and Vern Buchanan of Sarasota were among 45 Republicans who voted for the bill, but that's not enough to help Democrats override a Bush veto. If only Republicans Gus Bilirakis of Palm Harbor, Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville and Adam Putnam of Bartow had been as open-minded and could see the light.

Gus Under the Radar?

Is Gus Bilirakis doing Bush/Cheney dirty work to help set the stage for war with Iran? Looks like it. Why else would he move out of his veterans' hearing aids/Greek issues-comfort zone to propose the following bill?

On September 25, H.R.3653, sponsored by Rep. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL), to hold the current regime in Iran accountable for its human rights record and to support a transition to democracy in Iran, was referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The bill makes a direct link "between the state of freedom and democracy within Iran and the efforts of the current regime of Iran to acquire nuclear weapons and the long-term success of the global war on terror." Senator Brownback (R-KS) introduced the Senate version of the bill, S. 1534, on May 25, 2007 and it was referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.

Read more on this blog.

Something's not right here folks. Gus Bilirakis can barely pronounce "Iran," let alone come up with an idea like this on his own. It would be laughable if it weren't so deadly serious.

Btw, another laughable thing (pointed out by someone on Daily Kos) is the U.S. having the nerve to criticize someone for human rights abuses. Sadly, we lost all moral authority on that one years ago.

Cheney again links 9/11, Iraq war

So I guess this is the time to take the Dick, GI Joe and the 9-11 Two-Step Show on the road.

Vice-president Dick Cheney waves as he greets military personnel at MacDill Air Force Base. (Chris Zuppa | Times)

TAMPA --

Vice President Dick Cheney invoked images of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., in an address at MacDill Air Force Base today in which he again linked the war in Iraq to the war on terrorism.

"Our world really did change six years ago," Cheney told more than 500 military members gathered in an auditorium not far from CentCom, which overees the war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan. "They have inflicted great harm and have a taste for more."

To read more about the hypocrisy of the Bush/Cheney Administration:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/breakingnews/2007/09/central-command.html

I wonder if Lil' Gussie's mommy was available to drive him to this GI Joe and Barbie play time. You know the drill...slap some medals on 'em, invoke 9-11 and "fearism", pat them on their heads and send them to certain death. Think about it. It is the perfect scam. They will create more funerals so they can make their quick "cameo" appearances where they can talk about brave soldiers, 9-11, Iraq, fearism and terrorism. It is the perfect scam that keeps on giving more dead soldiers, more grieving families and more money in the war profiteers pockets.


I saw Gus Bilirakis at the Memorial Day ceremony at a local cemetary. He read from a script and slithered away during a Memorial ceremony. He didn't even have the balls to stay for the whole thing.

Gus will continue to vote our soldiers to their deaths while his mommy and daddy teach him how to drive. I hope that they remember to bring his booster seat for each lesson. In the meantime, my military family members are dedicated and over worked patriots who deserve better treatment than this. And they are the lucky ones. They are still alive and well...for now.

He singled out U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young of Indian Shores for praise. The congressman, who was sitting in the front row during the speech, is one of the president's strongest allies, Cheney said.

Well there goes another little boy playing GI Joe. Let's stroll down memory lane, shall we? Rep Bill Young visited Walter Reed countless times yet never did anything about the conditions there when he had the power to do so.

So many fake patriots, so little time.

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.

Gus Bilirakis Thinks the Iraq War Is Worth More American Lives

In a 223 to 201 vote, the US House voted to begin redeploying our troops from Iraq within 120 days. Not surprisingly, Congressman Gus Bilirakis voted with the minority, proving once again that he cares more about protecting the Bush administration's failed policies, and a delusional president, than he cares about our American troops!

From the web site Congresspedia:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Responsible_Redeployment_from_Iraq_Act

The Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act (H.R. 2956) was introduced by Armed Services Committee Chair Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) on July 10, 2007. The bill, similar to the Levin-Reed Senate measure, would require that the U.S. begin redeploying troops from Iraq within 120 days of the bill's passage. It would also require that the U.S. have a "limited presence" in Iraq by April 1, 2008. President Bush would need to submit a report to Congress outlining the specific goals of the remaining troops in Iraq, along with timetables for their completion.

Bush enablers like Gus Bilirakis deserve to be forever haunted by their continued support of this pointless war.

We can only hope that the voters in FL-9 will see through Bilirakis' superficial acts of kindness to veterans, and in 2008 demand a Congressman who will give our military the real support it needs. Bring the troops home NOW, Gus!!

Gus Bilirakis Responds--Avoids Hypocrisy Charge!

From the St. Pete Times:

"I do not agree with President Bush's decision to fully commute Lewis Libby's prison sentence," Bilirakis said in a statement. "While commutation is perfectly within the President's constitutional discretion, Mr. Libby was tried by a jury of his peers and was convicted of a felony.

"The fact that Mr. Libby committed this crime while serving as a public official makes it all the more egregious. Excessive or not, Mr. Libby's sentence should be respected."

http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2007/07/gus-bilirakis-s.html

I guess Gus Bilirakis was caught between a rock and a hard place on this one. I think that our phone calls brought it to his staff's attention that he couldn't support Scooter Libby's "Get out of jail free card" so soon after his no amnesty statement about immigration.

I applaud Gus for his statement about Scooter Libby even though he buffered it with a nod to Bush's ability to abuse the U.S. Constitution any time he wants to.

My Call to Congressman Gus Bilirakis' Palm Harbor Office

I just got off the phone with Patty in Congressman Bilirakis' office. I asked her if he had made a statement about George Bush's communtation of Scooter Libby's prison sentence. Her response was that he hadn't made a statement yet. She then asked me, "What organization are you with?" I replied that I was a member of many organizations but that I was calling as a resident of Congressional District 9. I told her that I would like a call back when he made a statement. She took my contact information and again asked, "So you are calling for yourself?"

I got the feeling that Patty was expecting the call. Please let us know what response you get when you call the congressman's office.

Gus Bilirakis and Double Standards

Here's a statement that Congressman Gus Bilirakis made about the failed immigration bill last week:

“As an American, I do not accept this line of thinking. The reality is that amnesty is not an answer to this complex and endemic problem. As a nation of laws and a nation of legal immigrants, it is simply wrong to reward unlawful behavior with amnesty.
(http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/fl09_bilirakis/pr_070301_senill.html

I wonder what Gus Bilirakis thinks about George Bush commuting the prison sentence of Scooter Libby. Is there a double standard at play here? Is there one standard for those who break the law by entering our country to seek a better life, and another standard for White House cronies who have broken the law at the behest of the administration? I urge you to call Congressman Bilirakis' office tomorrow and ask him.

Washington DC Office
ph: 202-225-5755

Temple Terrace Office
ph: 813-985-8541

Palm Harbor Office
ph: 727-773-2871

448 Soldiers' Deaths at the Feet of Gus Bilirakis

It's been one week since we posted the number of US troop deaths that can be directly laid at the feet of Congressman Gus Bilirakis since he was sworn into office on January 3, 2007. Today that number stands at 448. 30 more precious lives have ended because my member of Congress would rather protect the ego of George Bush and the tattered remains of the Republican party's reputation than accept the fact that the Iraq War and occupation have failed, and that remaining there will only result in the deaths of more of our troops.

This week, Gus Bilirakis voted with the majority to keep funding this disastrous occupation. Because his party (and some spineless Democrats) would rather prop up George Bush than make him accountable for the failures in the war, we will stand by helpless as more of our brave men and women die for nothing.

Keep calling Congressman Bilirakis' office to express your disgust with his rubberstamping of Bush's policies. Here are the numbers:
Here are the numbers:
1(202) 225-5755
1(813) 985-8541
1(727) 773-2871
(Casualty figures from www.icasualties.org)

418 Deaths on Gus Bilirakis' Watch

We here at GusWatch are fed up. Our congressman was sworn into office on January 3, 2007. Since that day, 418 precious American lives have been lost in George Bush's disastrous war in Iraq. (We can't even convey to you the number of Iraqi deaths because no one deems that worthy of an official count...Another reason to be upset!)

As a member of the 110th Congress, Gus Bilirakis has done nothing to end this quagmire. He is "rubber stamping" Bush's folly, just as his father did. It's time to DEMAND that Gus Bilirakis follows the will of the American people and not the will of George Bush. Please call his office and make your voice heard. DO NOT STAND BY AND ALLOW ONE MORE SOLDIER TO DIE FOR NOTHING. Gus needs to support the Democratic efforts to bring our troops home.

Here are the numbers:

+ 1(202) 225-5755
or
+ 1(813) 985-8541
or
+ 1(727) 773-2871