Maryland

In spite of overwhelming public opposition to the proposed $700 billion Wall Street bailout, Chris Van Hollen voted yesterday in favor of the bill that was ultimately rejected by the House of Representatives.

Representative Chris Van Hollen and Congress must assume responsibility for their roles in the collapse of the housing and finance industries.  

Lost in all the chaotic development surrounding the current crisis in U.S. financial markets was the following: The leadership of the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes their chief fundraiser Chris Van Hollen (D-MD8), has just collapsed on the issue of offshore oil drilling. Bowing to White House demands, they have agreed to let the ban on offshore oil drilling, in place since the early 1980’s, expire.

Chris Van Hollen is involved in the network of influence-peddling that brought on the crisis.

The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives has announced that their hastily assembled energy bill, to be voted on by the end of this week, will drop the long-standing ban on offshore oil drilling. This "compromise" will theoretically allow renewable energy development to be funded, in part, by royalties from the increased drilling. If that sounds crazy, it’s because it is. This policy reversal for the Democrats is a major setback in the fight against catastrophic climate change.

Today, 8th District Congressional Candidate Dr. Steve Hudson, who is both a medical doctor and an attorney, released a statement on the need for prison and correctional reform in the United States. 

A recent rash of civilian deaths from U.S. airstrikes and military operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan is feeding widespread outrage and anger in those countries toward the U.S. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has condemned recent U.S. attacks in his country, while the Pakistan government has filed a formal protest. This increased carnage and unrest amply demonstrates the danger and immorality of our military operations in those countries, as well as the futility of trying to suppress local movements and militias with a foreign military occupation.

The Clark for Congress campaign extends its deep sympathy to the family and friends of Ed Boyd, as well as to the Maryland Green Party, on the occasion of his untimely passing. Ed's historic 2006 campaign as the first African-American to be nominated as a party's candidate for governor of Maryland in a general election, as well as his extraordinary commitment to the Green Party and its principles, were inspiring and courageous.

The brutal Russian invasion of neighboring Georgia exemplifies the worst aspects of nation-state behavior. Yet it also highlights our own nation's guilt for such crimes, as well as the complete failure of our current system of international relations, one still based largely on military alliances, confrontation and conflict.