congressman stark

Americans on both sides of the aisle should be bitterly angry today.

A United States Congressman stood on the floor of the House of Representatives on Thursday and said that kids are being sent "to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president`s amusement."

As if that wasn't bad enough, the three evening news programs of America's top broadcast networks didn't feel this despicable act was important enough to share with the citizens of our nation.

Frankly, I'm not sure which should anger you more.

Here is a partial transcript of Rep. Pete Stark's (D-Cal.) abysmal statements made on the House floor on October 18, 2007, that America's leading news agencies didn't want you to see (video available here):

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The Republicans are worried that we can`t pay for insuring an additional 10 million children. They sure don`t care about finding 200 billion dollars to fight the illegal war in Iraq. Where are you going to get that money? Are you going to tell us lies like you`re telling us today? Is that how you`re going to fund the war?

You don`t have money to fund the war or children. But you`re going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the president`s amusement.

[...]

But the President Bush's statements about children's health shouldn't be taken any more seriously than his lies about the war in Iraq. The truth is that Bush just likes to blow things up in Iraq, in the United States, and in Congress.

Congressman Stark represents the 13th District of California, which is just south of where I live. Frankly, I'm so disgusted by his words that I've been crying off and on for hours since I first saw this video.

How have we gotten to such a low point in our history that elected officials feel comfortable making such statements about our president in the halls of Congress?

Sadly, I imagine our forefathers are crying with me wondering the very same thing.

Those interested in hearing more disgraceful comments from Stark should listen to this interview he did with the Bay Area's KCBS radio Thursday evening. On Thursday's "Countdown," MSNBC host Keith Olbermann suggested that President Bush "hates" kids because of the President's veto of the SCHIP funding bill, as the "Countdown" host teased the show: "Why does President Bush hate American kids?" Olbermann also suggested that it was "refreshing" to see Democratic Congressman Pete Stark refuse to apologize for accusing President Bush of gaining "amusement" at U.S. troops having "their heads blown off" as he asked of guest Jonathan Alter: "Did you not, in that, obviously he went to extremes there, but was there not something refreshing about his at least refusal to back down when somebody came after him?" (Transcript follows)

Olbermann teased Thursday's show while showing the words "Unhealthy GOP Vote" on-screen:

KEITH OLBERMANN: Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? Why does President Bush hate American kids?

DANA PERINO, White House Press Secretary: We won this round on SCHIP.

OLBERMANN: But what did the lame-duck President win today? Even some Republicans have kids and don't have insurance. And as for Democrats, Mr. Stark of California lives up to his name.

Rep. PETE STARK (D-CA): You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.


Olbermann opened the show charging that the President is "bankrupt" because his spokesperson, Dana Perino, had characterized "denying roughly four million children health care insurance" as being a "win" for the President. Olbermann: "Are wins really that vital to this White House? Are they so few and far between that a President who threw away the greatest personal support ever afforded a chief executive in this country, and threw away a reelection, is so marginalized that he would have a spokesperson characterize denying roughly four million children health care insurance as, quote, 'We won this round on SCHIP'? Our fifth story on the Countdown: Yes, George W. Bush is that bankrupt."

The words "SCHIP of Fools" appeared at the bottom of the screen and remained for most of the first segment. The MSNBC host soon cited a CBS News poll showing that the vast majority of Americans believe SCHIP should be expanded "the way Democrats want it," without mentioning a recent USA Today poll which found that most Americans oppose the plan when told of the specifics. After playing a clip of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi complaining that the cost of insuring millions of children would only be a fraction of the cost of conducting the war in Iraq, Olbermann replayed the clip of Stark's inflammatory comments about President Bush. After mentioning that House Republican Leader John Boehner had called on Stark to apologize, Olbermann read Stark's defiant response in which the Democratic Congressman refused to apologize and attacked Bush again.

He soon brought aboard Newsweek's Jonathan Alter for further discussion and, after a while, asked Alter about Pelosi's words and conveyed his view that "it would seem like that's a slogan that's a winner." During his response, Alter opined that while Pelosi may be on the right track, that Stark's original comments were "pretty stupid."

Then, while acknowledging that Stark's words were "extreme," Olbermann seemed to admire the Democratic Congressman's unwillingness to apologize as he asked if it was "refreshing." Alter, who normally agrees with Olbermann's comments, couldn't agree with this one as he contended that Stark "should back down" because his words were "silly and counterproductive."

OLBERMANN: And yet, did you not, in that, obviously he went to extremes there, but was there not something refreshing about his at least refusal to back down when somebody came after him? Or is the Democratic leadership going to say to him, "No, you're going to have to back down to some degree"?

ALTER: No, I think he should back down. I mean, you've got to look at the way, say, Pelosi handles it, versus the way, you know, Stark handles it. You can't say, look, the President is misguided, he's been a terrible President, but he's a human being, and he doesn't like to see people killed, and to say that he does is just silly and counterproductive, and the best thing for him to do would be to apologize and move on.


Below is a transcript of relevant portions of the October 18 "Countdown" on MSNBC:

KEITH OLBERMANN, in opening teaser: Which of these stories will you be talking about tomorrow? Why does President Bush hate American kids?

DANA PERINO, White House Press Secretary: We won this round on SCHIP.

OLBERMANN: But what did the lame-duck President win today? Even some Republicans have kids and don't have insurance. And as for Democrats, Mr. Stark of California lives up to his name.

Rep. PETE STARK (D-CA): You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.
...

OLBERMANN: Good evening from New York. Are wins really that vital to this White House? Are they so few and far between that a President who threw away the greatest personal support ever afforded a chief executive in this country, and threw away a reelection, is so marginalized that he would have a spokesperson characterize denying roughly four million children health care insurance as, quote, "We won this round on SCHIP"? Our fifth story on the "Countdown": Yes, George W. Bush is that bankrupt.
...

PERINO, after explaining why she believes the veto would strengthen Republicans: I think that that bodes well for Republicans.

OLBERMANN: You want to put that to a vote? Except when it clearly does not bode well for Republicans. According to a new poll from CBS News, 81 percent of Americans in favor of expanding SCHIP the way the Democrats want it, 74 percent of those in favor are willing to pay more taxes in order to fund it. The Democratic leadership pointing out there is also another perfectly acceptable funding source.

NANCY PELOSI: And if the President is saying we can't afford the bill, then I would just say and remind that for 40 days in Iraq, we can insure 10 million children for one year in America.

OLBERMANN: Ms. Pelosi giving the measured kind of soundbite that made her Speaker of the House. In contrast, the Democrat Pete Stark of California taking the Iraq analogy and turning it up to 11.

Rep. PETE STARK (D-CA): You don't have money to fund the war or children, but you're going to spend it to blow up innocent people if we can get enough kids to grow old enough for you to send to Iraq to get their heads blown off for the President's amusement.

OLBERMANN: With that comment, Congressman Stark becoming the story today. Minority Leader Boehner calling for Mr. Stark to retract his statement and issue an apology. Instead of doing that, Mr. Stark issued another criticism of Mr. Boehner. Quoting from his statement, "I have nothing but respect for our brave men and women in uniform and wish them the very best, but I respect neither the Commander-in-Chief who keeps them in harms way nor the chicken hawks in Congress who vote to deny children health care."
...

OLBERMANN: Did the Democrats finally find some actual tack of use politically here, the Pelosi line that 40 days in Iraq would pay for a year of the fully funded SCHIP. I mean, you know, saving kids' lives, versus taking the lives of slightly older kids in Iraq. It would seem like that's a slogan that's a winner.

JONATHAN ALTER: Yeah, you know, Iraq dollars are actually a pretty good way of measuring misplaced priorities. When you're at $9 billion a month, that's real money. And you can explain it to the American people, you know, what we're not getting. And it's pretty hard to argue that something is too expensive, especially for kids, when you're spending that kind of money on Iraq. But at the same time, you know, for Pete Stark to go off and say the President likes to see people killed for his own amusement, is pretty stupid, and it's the kind of thing that, you know, causes Democrats problems that they should otherwise be able to avoid.

OLBERMANN: And yet, did you not, in that, obviously he went to extremes there, but was there not something refreshing about his at least refusal to back down when somebody came after him? Or is the Democratic leadership going to say to him, "No, you're going to have to back down to some degree"?

ALTER: No, I think he should back down. I mean, you've got to look at the way, say, Pelosi handles it, versus the way, you know, Stark handles it. You can't say, look, the President is misguided, he's been a terrible President, but he's a human being, and he doesn't like to see people killed, and to say that he does is just silly and counterproductive, and the best thing for him to do would be to apologize and move on Local congressman Pete Stark, D-Fremont, visited Encinal High School on Friday to share his views on current affairs and to answer any questions the senior class had to offer. Stark talked about his views while sitting in an armchair provided by the drama department while bright lights shone down on him. The students listened to Stark before they had the opportunity to ask the congressman any questions. The congressman answered most of the students' questions in a thoughtful manner but avoided questions on such hot-button issues as the crisis in Darfur and the so-called Jena Six in Louisiana. At Encinal High School, I myself can name many students I know personally who are offended by the possible miscarriage of justice in that small Louisiana town, and students who go to rallies for Darfur, protesting what they see as genocide.

I thought Stark adequately answered most of the questions, showing that he knew what he was talking about. I liked that he is pro-choice and that he says abortions need to be done in a medical facility with a doctor and where clean implements are used. I also liked how Stark could find comedy in issues like gun control. For example, he thought the reason men buy guns is to "compensate" for what they do not have.

As I was running around the Encinal High School cafeteria, taking pictures of Stark and of the senior class listening intently to him, I noticed that a handful of students were not even listening to their congressional representative, at all. The students were talking among themselves and playing with their cell phones. I also noticed that Stark only picked the students seated within the first two dozen rows even when the lights shining directly on the stage were turned off, Stark took questions only from the students in the first two dozen rows. I recall that one student who had been raising his hand for quite some time, bravely moved his chair out into the aisle and stood up so Stark would finally notice him. I was disappointed that Stark didn't answer everyone's questions.

When I left the cafeteria, I felt that it is not stressed enough how important voting and participating in politics are to the young people. And those who don't vote don't know how important it is to voice their opinions. If you don't feel that someone is qualified for a position and another is, vote for the person you feel would do better. Voting counts, no matter which way you really look at it. I did not take any sort of interest in politics until we were watched the Republican and Democratic debates in my economics class. I realized that you have to know who the politicians and candidates are and something about the issues affecting all of us.

Overall, I would say that having our local congressman come to Encinal High School was a great idea. Stark provided us with answers to the burning questions we had written down in government class and even provided us with some laughter. A special kudos to the young man from this Sun writer for putting his chair into the aisle so he could get his question answered.