Tom Lantos\’ widow called on Congress to pass legislation that would allow Holocaust survivors to pursue civil action against insurance companies.
U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) introduced a resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Tuesday\’s resolution is Ackerman\’s third calling for Shalit\’s release. He introduced similar measures in March 2007 and June 2010 during previous Congresses. Next week will mark five years since Shalit was captured by Hamas in a cross-border raid.
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner skipped the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York as reports emerged of a second illicit Internet interaction. Weiner (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish and one of the most ardent supporters of Israel in Congress, is usually a reliable appearance at the annual parade and other Israel-related events.
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head in January, will attend the space shuttle launch captained by her husband. Giffords (D-Ariz.) was given the go-ahead by her doctors to attend the launch, her husband Mark Kelly said in a CBS interview broadcast Monday.
John Adler, a former New Jersey congressman, has died. Adler, 51, died Monday of complications from a staph infection, the Asbury Park Press reported.
U.S. Rep. Barney Frank pledged to run in 2012 for his 17th term. \”While I would have preferred to put off a discussion about the next election until a later date, I have been asked on a number of occasions about my plans,\” Frank (D-Mass.), one of the most senior Jewish members of the House of Representatives, said in a statement Thursday. \”In addition, I have become convinced that making my decision to run for re-election known is important for maximizing the impact I can have on the range of issues to which I am committed.\”
A Republican Congress would seek to remove funding for Israel from the foreign operations budget, a GOP leader said.
\” . . . What drew me to politics was the esteem I had always felt for public service and the commitment of our religious values to justice, human and civil rights, peace and the importance of helping all people be able to realize their full potential. And, of course, the essential task for our nation to be engaged in the world as a force for good . . . \”
For decades, hard-working, committed citizens have been struggling to break the Valley free from remote politicians and uncaring bureaucrats, whose interests are focused on downtown interests with downtown influence. If we are successful, Valley independence will provide a more representative and more accountable government for all Los Angeles residents.
Declines in public safety, after-school programs, health care, education, transportation and the loss of middle-
As Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.) began campaigning for a third term, some pro-Israel activists tried to generate support for his opponent by whispering that the two-term incumbent was insufficiently supportive of Israel. But in almost every respect Wellstone, who died in the crash of his campaign plane in remote northern Minnesota last week en route to a funeral, was more representative of the Jewish political tradition than almost anyone else in political life.
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