So it wasn’t just Democrats but Republicans too?

Lantos has always seemed somewhat sane to me. I have noticed however, that pretty much every individual, no matter how thoughtful, logical and useful, will occasionally hold positions that make no sense when compared to the rest of their life. But,then maybe he’s a raving madman. I don’t know.

Thank you. I thought it was an English politician. My guess that someone here would correct my failing memory was correct. It’s nice to be around so many informed and articulate folks.

Nevertheless, I tried to make my point as best I could. These folks never learn.

Thanks again.

However, the only description for his current (messianic?)attitude and behavior, for whatever reason, is:

He’s jumped the shark.

U.S. Senator William Borah responded to the German invasion of Poland and the consequent British/French declaration of war as follows:

“Lord, if I could only have talked with Hitler, all this might have been avoided.”

Wouldn’t be surpised if some British politician said the same thing.

http://photoncourier.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_photoncourier_archive.html#115539058376899016

Now, someone correct me if I am wrong…but our relationship as a nation and all has been rocky sense the fanatics took our embassy back in 1979. Why is it that Lantos wants to go visit now? Did he have this great burning desire to sit down with that Iranian loon a decade ago?

One would think that after Pelosi got such God awful press after her sojourn to Syria it might not be a good idea to go pander to Ahmedenijad. In fact there are some people who might even call it treason. Maybe Pelosi is so full of herself and her new position that she does not see the impropriety, but one really would expect more from Lantos.

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/2007/04/beyond_lies_in_american_food_a.html

I’ve written before about this Congress-protected iron triangle of food producers, food transporters and aid groups.

This story just makes you want to scream at the greed of it all.

For two years Bush and Co. try to change this insane law that says only food grown by Americans and shipped by American vessels with American crews and distributed by American charities can be used for foreign food aid.

So despite the people going hungry right now in Zambia and USAID being more than happy to buy food aid locally–as in, right in Zambia when the harvest was bountiful this year–USAID cannot do so because of this law.

Also because of this law, our food aid will likely be held up in terms of delivery for as long as six months. So people will die needlessly, according to Oxfam. Maybe 50,000 in the next half year alone.

The Bush administration says American taxpayers could feed an additional million more Africans if Congress just changes this idiotic law.

But Bush’s efforts to change the law the last two years were thwarted quietly by Congress and the iron triangle’s lobbyists.

Tom Lantos is a key villian, calling any attempt to change the law “beyond insane,” because it will kill domestic support for food aid by harming our farmers.

Move beyond your lies, Mr. Lantos.

James Kunder, acting USAID deputy is quoted in the piece as saying less than one-half of one percent of US ag exports would be affected by the law being changed.

Sound like it might be worth it to feed one milliion and prevent 50k deaths in Africa in the next six months?

And don’t even get me started on how this insane law retards agricultural markets in Africa and ensures steady death tolls over the years.

Guess who gets to die first, Mr. Lantos? The orphans of AIDS victims.

Please, somebody get Willie Nelson to wail on that one.

This is Lantos and others caving in to lobbying from Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Bunge and Cal Western, which sell “more than half the $2.2 billion in food for Food for Peace, the largest food aid program, and two smaller programs,” according to USDA.

Bush should go on national TV to shame Lantos and his fat-cat ag biz allies and the greedy American shipping companies and the scummy nonprofit aid groups who are all in cahoots on this moneymaker.

This is all so amazingly dishonest and immoral, it just makes me sick.

And the bit about support for food aid withering from lack of support if this iron triangle isn’t served is really indefensible.

Lantos should be ashamed of himself. He needs to go on this basis alone. He’s been in for so long he can peddle crap like this and still get touted by DC types as some great man on foreign policy.

Because if Lantos was half the leader he imagines himself to be, he’d both change the law and boost Congressional support for such rapid-fire response aid.

But Lantos doesn’t because he’s more interested in credit than actually saving lives.

And I find that shameful indeed.

What was the name of the English politician, who said that if he only had a chance to talk to Hitler, WWII would never have happened? Fantasy Island!

Lantos, Kerry, and others (maybe even Pelosi) think they can persuade Ahmadinejad. They make the mistake of projecting their view of reason onto Ahmadinejad and the Islamists and also assuming that they have the same values. It is nothing but wishful thinking.

If they keep it up, they will end up being unwitting accomplices in getting a lot of people killed.