Vote No on JOE (Knollenberg)

Eccentric Letter from Republican Gets It Wrong

2008-05-11T06:26:00.003-04:00

This letter from a Republican tries again to tie me to MoveOn.org and even tries to trot out the idea that my activities are "well-funded" by MoveOn. So, just to set the record straight, I am a member of MoveOn. However they have not given me one penny. I have no connection to MoveOn other than being on their mailing list and I have hosted several of their events at my home and at Joe Knollenberg's office.

These Republican attacks are so ridiculous they border on the insane. But what is one to expect from the party of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John McCain and Karl Rove? Dirty tricks, unfounded attacks, torture, warrantless wiretapping, endless war in Iraq. If you aren't outraged, then you aren't paying attention.

A bumpy ride
Your opinion page of April 17 has another letter from Bruce Fealk bad-mouthing Rep. Knollenberg. It is reported that he is well-funded by MoveOn.org, which is backed by George Soros, not exactly friendly to America.
Its goal is to target Knollenberg and others who don't agree with its ultra-liberal biased agenda. So we know what to expect from here to election and as expressed by Bette Davis in one of her movies: "Button your seat belt. We're in for a bumpy ride."
Julius A. Becker

Fealk Wins Progressive Activist of the Year Award

2008-05-11T05:55:00.002-04:00

Yesterday at the Michigan Progress Summit in Lansing, Christine Barry and Jim Hightower presented me with the first annual Progressive Activist of the Year Award. I'm honored to be the first recipient of this award. The award was created by Blogging for Michigan.

Will Knollenberg call on McCain to Denounce Hagee and Parsley?

2008-05-10T04:16:00.006-04:00

As a Catholic, you would think that Joe Knollenberg would be at least as incensed with John McCain over accepting the endorsement of John Hagee as he is with Jimmy Carter for meeting with Hamas. But we haven't heard a word from Knollenberg over McCain's relationship with Reverend John Hagee. With all the attention being given to Reverend Wright, you would think the media and Joe Knollenberg would pay the same amount of attention to John Hagee and Rod Parsley another television preacher with radical views. Today's Oakland Press carries an editorial of Bill Press and Hagee's statements regarding Catholics, gays and more. CLICK HERE to listen to John Hagee's interview with Terri Gross on NPR from Sept. 18, 2006.

Video of John Hagee speaking about Catholicism and more

John McCain's Other Problem, Rod Parsley.

Joe flip-flops on Mother's Day

2008-05-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

Today there was a vote on a resolution recognizing Mother's Day. The first vote was 412-0. Then the story gets interesting. Unbelievably, Joe Knollenberg actually then voted against Mother's Day when a vote to reconsider the resolution was called. Joe and 177 other Republicans actually flip-flopped on a vote recognizing Mother's Day.

Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens
By Dana Milbank
Friday, May 9, 2008; A03
It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.
"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.
It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.
Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."
By voting against it

Eric B at MichLib reports Cook Report moves MI-09 from Likely Republican to Leaning Republican

2008-05-09T04:35:00.003-04:00

This report in from Eric B. at Michigan Liberal.

The Cook Political Report moves Michigan's two biggest races in favor of the two Democrats. The 7th District goes from "Lean Republican" to "Toss up," and the 9th goes from "Likely Republican" to "Lean Republican."
For Mark Schauer, this means the second bit of ratification in the last couple of days. It was Roll Call who most lately called the race a toss up. Without mentioning anything, this really represents a Schauer advantage, since it means moving things in his direction.
As such could be said for Gary Peters, challenging Joe Knollenberg in the 9th. The remarkable thing in the 9th is that Knollenberg enjoys a fund raising advantage over his opponent.
You can show Peters a little extra love tomorrow by showing up between noon and 1:30 p.m. to meet Peters in a live chat with MichLib's readers.

Knollenberg Touts Personal Responsibility But Not Corporate Responsibility

2008-05-08T07:56:00.002-04:00

An article in today's Eccentric is about how Joe Knollenberg wants to help the American auto manufacturers. It's interesting, at the legislative update meeting in Rochester a few weeks ago, when talking about health care, Knollenberg talked a lot about personal responsibility in regard to taking care of one's own health. But when it comes to the auto companies taking responsibility for their corporate health, Knollenberg takes a position 180 degrees from his theme of personal responsibility. The auto companies, even though the oil crisis could be seen a hundred miles down the road, continued to build low mileage SUV's and trucks. Why? One word, GREED. They make higher profits off SUV's and trucks than they do smaller, fuel efficient vehicles.

But does Joe Knollenberg ask for corporate responsibility for the troubles of the auto industry and tell the auto manufacturers, let them eat cake? No. Does he want to hold the auto industry responsible for increasing fuel economy? No.

Apparently Knollenberg is at odds with John McCain on this issue also. McCain does want to raise CAFE standards, as he told the Eccentric.

Knollenbeg can't have it both ways, by being in favor of free trade that ships good paying American jobs overseas and then turning around and saying we have to help the auto industry by offering them money to save American jobs. That's not leadership. That's pandering to Joe's auto industry campaign contributors.

"He said he believes in free trade and making the auto industry raise fuel-economy standards. He said the state's auto industry "is not finished."

"Of course the old kind of doing business is not coming back. ... We've got to retrain and educate workers" to take advantage of the new economy, he said. He believes the Big 3 have leveled the playing field through recent contract negotiations."

Knollenberg aims to aid auto industry

by Greg Kowalski
ECCENTRIC STAFF WRITER
The embattled auto industry would get a helping hand with new legislation being proposed by Congressman Joe Knollenberg.
Speaking at the Automation Alley offices Tuesday in Troy, the Bloomfield Township Republican - who is embroiled in a hotly contested re-election bid against Democrat Gary Peters - unveiled a plan to stimulate the economy and "help the Big Three compete."
"This will be a huge shot in the arm to grow our Michigan economy," Knollenberg said.
The proposed legislation would broaden the availability of research and development tax credits for companies; provide support for research in advanced batteries; create two hydrogen fuel pilot programs; require the EPA to streamline protocols and regulations on biodiesel fuel; and establish an inter-agency federal task force on CAFE standards.
CAFE - the Corporate Average Fuel Economy - standard sets how many miles per gallon a vehicle gets. The standards, 35 miles per gallon by 2020, could cost the automakers $85 billion to achieve and add thousands of dollars to the price of a car, Knollenberg said.
"The entire auto industry will make tremendous investments in technology (with the proposed legislation)," said Robert Babik, director of Emissions, Environment and Energy for General Motors.
He spoke in favor of the legislation, as did Fred Hoffman, director of Government Relations for Chrysler, and Charlie Pryde, director of Government Relations for Ford.
Although the Big Three are competitors, "I don't think there is an inch of space between us in support of the legislations," Hoffman said.
The legislation "will provide critical help to the auto industry," Pryde said.
Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said the legislation was a perfect match for the focus of Automation Alley, which is a hub of industry research and development.
"It's good for Michigan and good for the global economy," Patterson said.
Whether it, or at least parts of it, is enacted into law remains to be seen.
On the heels of the announcement, Peters issued a statement blasting Knollenberg.
"Real leadership means not waiting for a crisis to take action," said Peters. "I'm going to go to Washington and I'm going to start fighting for Michigan families and Michigan jobs on day one. I'm going to stop giving tax breaks to companies that ship jobs overseas and stop giving billions in subsidies to big oil companies who are raking in record profits."

Democrat Takes Seat from 20-year Incumbent in Louisiana. Look Out Joe

2008-05-04T04:33:00.004-04:00

Boy, is Joe Knollenberg in trouble. Last night it was reported that the Democrats took back a seat in Louisiana that has been Republican since 1974. Joe only won by about 5% in 2006. Change is in the air Joe, and Democrats are taking back the 9th Congressional District of Michigan.

Dems add to majority with Cazayoux win in La.
By J. Taylor Rushing

Posted: 05/03/08 11:17 PM [ET]

House Democrats continued to expand their majority Saturday night after Louisiana state Rep. Don Cazayoux emerged victorious in a special election for retired Rep. Richard Baker’s (R) district.

The win comes two months after Democrats picked up their first seat of the year. In March, Democrat Bill Foster won the Illinois seat of former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R). That seat, like the Louisiana contest, was in solidly Republican areas. President Bush carried the Illinois district with 55 percent and the Louisiana district with 59 percent in 2004.
Cazayoux benefited from a strong fundraising advantage over Woody Jenkins — $810,000 to $490,000 — with much of the help coming from national Democrats. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) spent $920,000 on the contest.

The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) only spent $440,000 on the race and Jenkins received less than $40,000 from GOP members.

Guess What, Joe? You and George W. Bush are Terrorists

2008-05-03T23:40:00.002-04:00

This is a brilliantly simple video. This guy lays it on the line and give what I believe to be the real definition of terrorists and it's not the people that flew planes into the World Trade Towers on 9/11. No, it's the people in the White House and the Joe Knollenbergs and the other Republicons in Congress that have really done this country in.

Joe's Ban on Funds for Carter Center Opposed

2008-05-03T10:07:00.002-04:00

Well, what do you know, sanity prevails. This article appeared in the 5/3 edition of the Detroit News.

Saturday, May 3, 2008

Funds ban for Carter Center is opposed

Gregg Krupa / The Detroit News

Some Arab-American and Muslim leaders objected Friday to the proposal by U.S. Representative Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Hills, to deny federal funds to the Carter Center in the wake of former President Jimmy Carter's meeting with a ranking member of Hamas.
Amid concerns by the Bush Administration, Carter met in Syria with Khaled Meshal, the chief strategist for Hamas, which the United States identifies as a terrorist organization. Hamas officials also are the elected leaders of the Palestinian Authority.
"As a former president of the United States, you undoubtedly understand that the United States must speak with one voice to our enemies," Knollenberg said in a April 9 letter to Carter. Knollenberg then offered a bill, the Coordinated American Response to Extreme Radicals (CARTER) Act that would ban federal financing of the center Carter established to further human rights.

"Knollenberg's legislation seeks to hamper the efforts of a center that promotes free elections, which the Bush Administration has said is the key to democracy and cultivating progress in the Middle East," said the Council of American Islamic Relations, in a statement.
While the legislation is given little chance of approval in Congress, Arab-American leaders said it was particularly disappointing given Knollenberg's recent efforts to improve relations in the Middle East by forming a bipartisan Jordan Caucus and encouraging relief for the Iraqi refugees.
"There is absolutely nothing constructive about this initiative that supports the Bush Administration's progress towards peace," said Leigh O'Neill of the Arab American Institute.
"I think we are living our last days of the American political era when even a former president can be sanctioned for his political views," said Imad Hamad, regional director of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
A group of 50 Republican and Democratic members of Congress recently signed a letter to Carter expressing objections similar to Knollenberg's.
"President Carter or any former president carries with him a weight that other citizens do not," said Nate Bailey, a spokesman for Knollenberg. "And in this particular instance, the action he took was in direct contrast to the stated policy of the United States for more than 20 years."
You can reach Gregg Krupa at (313) 222-2359 or gkrupa@detnews.com.

Jon Stewart clarifies the Bush/McCain/Knollenberg Economic Plan

2008-05-02T13:37:00.003-04:00

Jon Stewart on Thursday night made some clarifications about the Bush/McCain/Knollenberg/Republican economic plan. Let me know if you think they're going to work out for middle-class Americans. I don't think so.

More on the Knollenberg/Hezbollah Connection from Debbie Schlussel

2008-05-02T07:53:00.001-04:00

Debbie Schlussel has more on the Knollenberg/Hezbollah connection. It's very interesting reading.

March 26, 2008

Thanks, Dr. Death: Suicide Doctor's Nader-esque Congressional Race Will Help Hezbollah's Republican Get Re-Elected; SCHLUSSEL Endorses Dems Running Against Hezbo Republicans

By Debbie Schlussel

A number of readers have asked me what I think of the just-announced Congressional candidacy of Dr. Jack Kevorkian a/k/a Dr. Death. Well, I'm bummed about it, and not for the reasons you might think.

It's rare that I endorse liberal Democrats. But when the liberal Democrat is running against a phony conservative Republican who is one of Hezbollah's two best friends in Congress, I'll take the lib any day. I'd much rather have a sincere liberal than a phony American.

That's the case with Congressman Joe Knollenberg, the man Kevorkian is running against and against whom the liberal Democrat (not Kevorkian) has a chance of beating. I've known Mr. Knollenberg for many years, and he's been my Congressman for several of them. Unfortunately, Knollenberg--along with another Republican, Congressman Darrell Issa--is Hezbollah's go to guy in the U.S. Congress.
Dr. Death's Candidacy May Help Re-Elect Hezbollah's Joe Knollenberg GOP Congressmen Darrell Issa & Joe Knollenberg: Hezbollah's Hookers in Congress; Schlussel Endorses Their Opponents Peters, Hamilton
As I've detailed on this site, Knollenberg has taken thousands in campaign contributions from Hezbollah's officially-designated American agent Nijad Fares and his Hezbollah front-group PAC, American Task Force for Lebanon Policy. And in return, Knollenberg sought $268 million--and got over $86 million--of your tax money for Hezbollah. The money--purportedly to rebuild hospitals and orphanages "destroyed" by Israel--actually went straight into the coffers of Hezbollah for the purposes of sending more Isrealis and American soldiers fighting in Iraq to hospitals and their kids to orphanages. Knollenberg and his then-Chief of Staff Paul Welday sought this money at the request of Fares--whose father Issam Fares was formerly the Hezbollah-installed Prime Minister of Lebanon--and pro-HAMAS/pro-Hezbollah James Zogby, head of the deceptively-named Arab American Institute (very little American about it, but for an office address).

Fares, it should be noted, also donated to Muslim Democrat Congressman Keith Ellison and the Presidential Campaign of Jihad Fred Thompson, which was shabbily run by Fares' other pan-Hezbo friend, Spencer Abraham. The is the company which Joe Knollenberg keeps. Check out all of Nijad Fares' campaign contributions (he's a close friend of the Bush family, FYI).

One other thing about Jihad Joe Knollenberg: He also made earmarks of millions in your tax money, sending it to 1) the anti-Israel/pan-jihadist Arab American National Museum, and 2) the deceptively-named "Seeds of Peace" summer camp, in which victims of terror and kids of Muslim terrorists are told they are equal and that Holocaust-denial is a valid position; the camp was founded by Yasser Arafat's favorite biographer.

So, how does this relate to Congressional Candidate Dr. Death? Well, Kevorkian is properly reviled by most conservative and Republican voters. He will only take votes away from Joe Knollenberg's very viable Democrat opponent, Gary Peters. The election will be very close. In 2006, Nancy Skinner--who barely put up a fight and raised little money--nearly beat Knollenberg. And the time is now to do it.

Moreover, if he wins, it's believed that Joe Knollenberg will thereafter retire and somehow get his son, Michigan State Rep. Marty Knollenberg, into the seat. Besides supporting gay marriage and other gay issues, Marty Knollenberg--as I've repeatedly noted--also took oodles of money from Hezbollah's Nijad Fares.

Why would a Texas agent of Hezbollah donate money to a State Representative in Michigan? Answers: 1) To reward his daddy for sending millions of your tax money to Hezbollah; 2) to reflect pan-Hezbollah policy in the Michigan legislature; and 3) to get Knollenberg to "see things the Hezbollah way" should he get to Congress.

Michigan's Hezbollah-Knollenberg dynasty must be put out to pasture. And that's why I'm supporting liberal Democrat Gary Peters for this seat. Dr. Jack Kevorkian's candidacy will put my efforts at Knollenberg Family Retirement '08 in jeopardy. And I'm not happy about it. He's the Ralph Nader in this race between Hezbollah vs. America.

The McCain/Knollenberg Hezbollah "Connection

2008-05-02T07:16:00.005-04:00

The same Ali Jawad that John McCain just removed from his finance committe has also contributed to Joe Knollenberg's campaign and given Joe $2,250 since the year 2000. Click here for the FEC report showing the contributions. Given Joe Knollenberg's recent tirade against Jimmy Carter for talking to Hezbollah, it seems like Joe's got some splaining to do.

The McCain Hezbollah "Connection" *

April 30, 2008 8:37 PM

The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., removed a man from his Michigan Finance Committee today.

It started after conservative writer Debbie Schlussel called Michigan businessman Ali Jawad not only a supporter of Hezbollah -- a group the US State Department labels a "terrorist organization" -- but also claimed he was a "key agent of the terrorist group in the Detroit area."

After Schlussel started asking questions the McCain campaign removed him from the finance committee for a May fundraiser.

"Apparently he is a well known member of the Arab-American community in Dearborn," a McCain staffer tells ABC News. "He is also a known Republican donor and former Bush finance committee member. When these rumors surfaced he notified the campaign and we removed him from the finance committee. The guy never raised a dime for us and he isn’t even a contributor."

Yes, that's right, the McCain campaign said they removed him because of "rumors."

Jawad is president of Armada Oil & Gas Company and founder of the Lebanese American Heritage Club.

In 1997 he pleaded guilty to misdemeanor insurance fraud. Prosecutors accused him of submitting names of non-employees to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to receive health insurance benefits and claims. He received two years of probation and he paid approximately $6,000 in fines and restitution.

In this 2002 story, Jawad is quoted saying he "rejects talk that Hezbollah is a terrorist organization that should be shunned by the United States and other governments. 'Killing innocent people -- we reject that,' he said. 'Hezbollah does not fit this category. It has protected its people.'"

Read Schlussel's story -- she lays out many charges against him.

You will note in one photograph in Schussel's story, Jawad is sitting at a table with Michael Rosen, a lawyer and policy advisor with the U.S. Office of Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes of the U.S. Treasury Department, and Andrew Arena, Michigan FBI Special Agent in Charge, and formerly in charge of Counterterrorism for the New York FBI.

This all seems a little odd to me.

Is there anyone out there who thinks McCain supports Hezbollah? Was McCain truly offended by the notion that an Arab-American businessman with sympathy for Hezbollah supports him? Or was today's move just to deprive Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, of some future rebuttal?

* I don't mean "Connection" literally.

UPDATE: I spelled Schlussel's name incorrectly in this original post. Apologies to her; it has been corrected. Moreover, Schlussel says that there was more to the conclusion of USA v. Makki et al, than the small fine I reported. More than $252,000 was ordered to be repaid, most of which came from or Armada Oil, and one associate was sentenced to 8 months in prison and about $75,000 in fines and restitution.

John McCain/Joe Knollenberg Nonsense on Health Care

2008-05-02T07:06:00.002-04:00

I found this video today of John McCain addressing the issue of health care, the brilliant thing about it is the pop-ups that tell the truth about McCain/Knollenberg's nonsense on personal responsibility and wellness programs. You could put Joe Knollenberg at the podium and the same words would come out of his mouth. The Republican position on health care is complete and utter nonsense if you really care about the well being of the American public.

Joe Knollenberg asked for patience in Iraq, but really, 100 years?

2008-04-30T19:01:00.005-04:00

This is a new ad being run by MoveOn.org. Joe, are you OK with 100 or 1,000 or 10,000 more years in Iraq?

Knollenberg 'Big Plan' Nothing But a Corporate Bailout

2008-04-30T05:26:00.005-04:00

Wow, Joe Knollenberg must really be scared. His biggest plan up till now has been a battle against low-flow toilets. Two weeks ago in Rochester he was talking all about "personal responsibility" and wellness plans when it comes to health care plans to help struggling Americans with health care costs. When it comes to helping struggling American families, Joe's attitude is, let them eat cake. When the auto manufacturers have a problem because they didn't react quickly enough to a changing market, Joe wants to run to their rescue with a government tax credit. What a guy.

Apparently when it comes to corporate responsibility, he sings a different tune. Joe introduced a plan to offer tax credits to the auto manufacturers to help out with meeting the new CAFE standards. As if the auto industry couldn't see this coming from a mile away, high energy costs creating a downturn in sales. But what did the industry do, they kept building and designing low-mileage, high profit SUV's and trucks, instead of introducing fuel efficient cars that foreign manufacturers had been selling for years.

Where was Joe when Dana corporation was cutting in half the wages of workers? Did Joe come to their rescue? Of course not. Joe was nowhere to be seen.

We need a comprehensive energy policy in this country that addresses all of the aspects of this problem. We need a trade policy that doesn't have as a side effect cutting American wages to the point where Americans can't afford to buy the vehicles that are manufactured by American car companies.

The Republican economic plan has been a disaster for America and Michigan specifically. Joe's plan is nothing but a band-aid for what has been an amputation of good paying, union jobs that have been sent overseas to low-wage countries exploiting their workers and polluting the air and water around the world.

More on John Hagee, who has endorsed John McCain

2008-04-29T10:08:00.004-04:00

It looks to me like John McCain has a bigger "spirtual mentor" problem than Barack Obama. Remember back in July 2007, when Joe Knollenberg got all bent out of shape because I asked him to atone for his sins regarding his votes on the war in Iraq?
I wonder if Joe Knollenberg will call for John McCain to denounce the endorsement of John Hagee.

And where was this article in the Detroit Free Press, where Knollenberg asked the Governor to denounce my statements and to swear not to appear on my community television show again.

July 18, 2007

BY TODD SPANGLER

FREE PRESS WASHINGTON STAFF

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg is taking exception to a comment made by an Oakland County activist about his religion – and his staff is calling on Gov. Jennifer Granholm to do something about it.

In an article in the Oakland Press this week, Rochester Hills resident Bruce Fealk made a reference to a planned protest outside Knollenberg’s office, saying it was aimed at getting the Republican congressman to come out in favor of legislation to end the war in Iraq.

In his comments, Fealk, 53, said Knollenberg should atone for his sins – meaning his refusal to back Democratic-sponsored legislation to set timetables for removing the troops – like a good Catholic.

Both Knollenberg’s staff and the National Republican Congressional Committee slammed Fealk and MoveOn.org, a nationwide advocacy group to which Fealk belongs. In a statement today, the NRCC said, “MoveOn.org has once again made a name for themselves by attacking Joe Knollenberg’s personal beliefs and turning the Iraq war into a political, partisan game. … Religious smears have no place in political discourse.”

Meanwhile, Knollenberg’s chief of staff, Trent Wisecup, sent a letter to Granholm’s Washington office, noting that the governor had once appeared on Fealk’s cable access show in Oakland County and asking that she not do so again. It also said the governor should “inform him that injecting an elected official from Michigan’s religion into a debate on a public policy issue crosses the line.”

“His private beliefs are his private beliefs,” Wisecup said today.

Fealk, who said he was raised Jewish and now attends a non-denominational church, said today that if he had it to do over, he probably wouldn’t include the “Catholic boy part.” But he said he does believe that if Knollenberg has strong religious beliefs, he should vote to bring the troops home now.

Knollenberg has said he has doubts about President Bush’s surge policy but is willing to wait until September to see if progress is made.

“I think it’s time for the carnage to end,” said Fealk, who also noted that he is in no way an official spokesman for Moveon.org. Fealk said he is a member who sometimes acts as a local organizer.

Jennifer Lindenauer, communication director for MoveOn.org – a group that now claims some 3.4 million members and is primarily known for its anti-war stance – said she believes the Republicans are “doing what they normally do, which is make a mountain out of a molehill” by bringing attention to Fealk’s comments.

“They’re trying to distract us from the real conversation" about the war, she said.

She added, however, that bringing up someone’ s religious beliefs is “not a MoveOn tactic.”

“I agree with Fealk when he said he probably shouldn’t have brought religion into it, because the issue is ending the war in Iraq,” she said.

As for the governor, her spokeswoman Liz Boyd said that she won’t be making any promises not to appear on Fealk’s show again, though there are no immediate plans to do so.

The governor’s office also declined to comment on whether Fealk’s mention of religion was appropriate or not.

Well, John Hagee has made way more controversial statements than I did regarding Knollenberg's Catholic faith.

Here's just some of Hagee's positions on the issues.

McCain on John Hagee

"Well I think it's important to note that pastor John Hagee who has supported and endorsed my candidacy supports what I stand for and believe in. When he endorses me, it does not mean that I embrace everything that he stands for and believes. And I am very proud of the Pastor John Hagee's spiritual leadership to thousands of people and I am proud of his commitment to the independence and the freedom of the state of Israel. That does not mean that I support or endorse or agree with some of the things that Pastor John Hagee might have said or positions that he may have taken on other issues. I don't have to agree with everyone who endorses my candidacy. They are supporting my candidacy. I am not endorsing some of their positions." [McCain Media Availability, 2/29/08]

John Hagee on the Issues…

Hagee on Hurricane Katrina
"All hurricanes are acts of God because God controls the heavens. I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God and they were recipients of the judgment of God for that." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on Islamic Beliefs
Fresh Air host Terry Gross asked if Hagee believed that "all Muslims have a mandate to kill Christians and Jews," to which Hagee replied, "Well, the Quran teaches that. Yes, it teaches that very clearly." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on African-Americans
The San Antonio Express-News reported that Hagee was going to "meet with black religious leaders privately at an unspecified future date to discuss comments he made in his newsletter about a 'slave sale,' an East Side minister said Wednesday." The Express-News reported:

"Hagee, pastor of the 16,000-member Cornerstone Church, last week had announced a 'slave sale' to raise funds for high school seniors in his church bulletin, 'The Cluster.'

"The item was introduced with the sentence 'Slavery in America is returning to Cornerstone" and ended with "Make plans to come and go home with a slave." [San Antonio Express-News 3/7/96]

Hagee on Catholicism
"Most readers will be shocked by the clear record of history linking Adolf Hitler and the Roman Catholic Church in a conspiracy to exterminate the Jews." [Jerusalem Countdown by John Hagee]

Hagee on Women
"Do you know the difference between a woman with PMS and a snarling Doberman pinscher? The answer is lipstick. Do you know the difference between a terrorist and a woman with PMS? You can negotiate with a terrorist." [God's Profits: Faith, Fraud and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters, Sarah Posner]

"[T]he feminist movement today is throwing off authority in rebellion against God's pattern for the family." ["Bible Positions on Political Issues," John Hagee]

Hagee on LGBT Americans
"The newspaper carried the story in our local area that was not carried nationally that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the Katrina came. And the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades. So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing. I know that there are people who demur from that, but I believe that the Bible teaches that when you violate the law of God, that God brings punishment sometimes before the day of judgment." [NPR Fresh Air, 9/18/06]

Hagee on Iran
"The coming nuclear showdown with Iran is a certainty," Hagee wrote [in 2006] in the Pentecostal magazine Charisma. "Israel and America must confront Iran's nuclear ability and willingness to destroy Israel with nuclear weapons. For Israel to wait is to risk committing national suicide." [The Nation, 8/8/2006, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060814/new_christian_zionism]

Joe, will you denouce John Hagee's endorsement of John McCain

2008-04-29T09:31:00.005-04:00

As a Catholic, I imagine Joe Knollenberg is not too happy with the fact that John McCain has accepted and sought the endorsement of Pastor John Hagee, who has called the Catholic religion a "gutter religion". With all the attention focused on Rev. Wright's relationship to Barack Obama, practically nothing has been said in the media about John McCain's endorsement by John Hagee. I wonder why that is, when Hagee has made inflammatory remarks over and over again about people of the Catholic faith. Why hasn't John McCain been asked to denounce John Hagee?

The Young Turks analyze the endorsement of John McCain by John Hagee

Joe Knollenberg endorsed John McCain for President and therefore...

2008-04-28T04:49:00.002-04:00

he has endorsed 100, maybe 10,000 more years of occupation in Iraq. Using the same logic, guilt by association, that was used in tying Barack Obama to Reverend Wright, Joe Knollenberg has endorsed McCain's policies. Here's one that the American people do not endorse, at least a majority of Americans.

Over 60% of America believes it was a bad idea to invade them even after the Petraeus Propaganda Show. In the latestes ABC/WaPo poll 56% of Americans believe we should get out of Iraq even after the media blitz on “the surge.”

Do you think the United States should keep its military forces in Iraq until civil order is restored there, even if that means continued U.S. military casualties; OR, do you think the United States should withdraw its military forces from Iraq in order to avoid further U.S. military casualties, even if that means civil order is not restored there? 56% withdraw 41& Keep forces in

There’s no spin here. Their efforts to control the message has not worked. Vote McCain and you’ll get more of the same. It’s that simple.

President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq for 50 years…Maybe 100. That would be fine with me. President Bush has talked about our staying in Iraq 50 years…Maybe 100. If all he offers is more of the same….is John McCain the right choice for America’s future?

Joe voted against fair elections

2008-04-26T14:23:00.002-04:00

This vote should have been a no brainer, even for Joe Knollenberg. The Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008 would have funded converting from error-prone electronic voting machines and paid for providing backup paper ballots. I guess Joe Knollenberg doesn't care about fair, secure elections. I wonder if he's planning on cheating to win in November.

Emergency Assistance for Secure Elections Act of 2008 - Directs the Election Assistance Commission to reimburse certain jurisdictions for the costs of: (1) converting from electronic or other voting systems to paper ballot voting systems for the general elections for federal office to be held in November 2008; (2) retrofitting direct recording electronic voting systems to produce voter verifiable paper records; and (3) providing backup paper ballots if the jurisdiction uses a direct recording electronic voting system which happens to fail. Authorizes appropriations.

Knollenberg has no ideas, just hopes another Henry Ford shows up in Michigan

2008-04-26T05:41:00.005-04:00

Poor Joe Knollenberg and the Republicans. They are fresh out of new ideas. They just keep repeating their mantra, lower taxes, less regulation. It reminds me of an old Miller Lite commercial, whose refrain was, "tastes great, less filling". Republicans think that if you keep repeating the same lies over and over again, people will believe them. It worked for George W. Bush in the run-up to the war. But the American people are finally wising up to the Republicans' lies.

In Joe's piece in the Oakland Press this morning, Joe admits that the reason new employers are locating in Michigan and Oakland county is not low taxes, it's our skilled work force. I think that's what Governor Granholm was saying in the 2006 election cycle when the Republicans kept repeating their "lower taxes" mantra.

Even the auto companies are getting the fact that we have to increase mileage our vehicles get and have started to introduce hybrid, fuel cell and all-electric vehicles to the market and guess what, they're still in business and hopefully they're finally catching on to the fact that 15 mpg SUV's aren't going to sell in a world of $4 per gallon gasoline. But Joe Knollenberg wants to protect the auto companies from having to build vehicles that get better mileage, even while they lay off workers because of poor sales, while companies like Toyota get the fact that higher mileage vehicles sell better in these times of high priced energy.

Joe Knollenberg wants to live in the past and push old ideas. We need new leadership that wants to move forward with confidence in ourselves that we can find new answers to the problems that face Michigan and the country.

We've seen what happens when taxes burden the middle class unfairly and too little regulation leads to disasters, like sick cows making it into our food chain, lead paint on our children's toys coming from China and airplanes that don't get checked for safety.

Joe's man, John McCain, in New Orleans

2008-04-26T05:04:00.002-04:00

This video sets the record straight on John McCain's record on Katrina related legislation, in contrast to what happened in New Orleans. I guess, using "Reverend Wright" logic, Joe is guilt by association for endorsing John McCain

Hey, Joe, watch this ad. You Think We Can't Get Universal Health Care?

2008-04-25T15:06:00.003-04:00

This is one of the funniest political ads I've seen this elections season. And it's on one of my favorite topics, health care.

Guess who doesn't really support the troops

2008-04-25T10:00:00.003-04:00

Joe Knollenberg says he supports our troops. But guess what, actions speak louder than words. There is a new 2008 GI bill. It has 235 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Guess who isn't one of those co-sponsors. If you guessed Joe Knollenberg, you'd be right.

Here's a video about the 2008 GI Bill:

This is what Joe has to say on his web site.
Joe in his own words:

America must maintain the strongest military in the world to defend our way of life from the threat of terrorists who want to destroy us. 9/11 changed everything.

I have consistently voted to provide our soldiers with the most updated and sophisticated military equipment. And I have voted numerous times to increase the pay of the brave Americans who are in harm’s way.

There is no greater sacrifice an individual can make. We must never shortchange our troops.

I feel just as strong about our veterans. In the past five years, I have voted to increase spending on veterans benefits from $48 billion to $71 billion.

This year, I voted for the largest increase in veterans spending in the Veterans Affairs Department’s 77-year history. I am frugal when it comes to the federal budget, but we must honor our commitments to our veterans. They risked everything to keep us safe. We need to ensure they have the benefits they deserve.

Joe Knollenberg's temper tantrum against Carter

2008-04-24T22:17:00.004-04:00

Recently Joe Knollenberg has been trying to get in the news by railing against Jimmy Carter's talking to Hamas and has proposed legislation to cut off federal funding to the Carter Center. Before we do that, it might be a good idea to look at some of the accomplishments of the Carter Center.

When asked directly on Fox News whether there is any chance of his legislation passing, he evades the question. This is all for show, folks. Whether you agree with Carter's talking with Hamas or not, Joe Knollenberg is just trying to get his free media time with a constituent audience.

The Carter Center Peace Programs: Peace With Justice

Peace with justice requires resolving conflict according to rules agreed to by all, beginning with the shared commitment to human rights and democratic values. Today, virtually all governments claim to share this belief. The Carter Center, in partnership with others, seeks practical ways to narrow the gap between the rhetoric and realities of government policies in countries striving to overcome legacies of oppression and deadly conflict by building more just societies of their own.

At the invitation of governments and in cooperation with civil society, The Carter Center continues to play a leading role in election observation across the developing world, broadening its participation to help countries better prepare for elections and build upon the results to deepen democracy and ensure peace becomes permanent.

Whether helping to standardize election procedures in China's villages, giving voice to human rights defenders in Africa, or increasing transparency of campaign finance and governance in the Americas, the Center's programs work to attain peace with justice in those areas of the world most in need and who request our help.

The Carter Center's principled impartiality and record of achievement give its peace making programs the credibility needed to work nationally, regionally, and globally.

These programs include:

The Democracy Program: working for the development of inclusive democratic societies and the empowerment of citizens through election observation, consensus-building for international standards for democratic elections, and democracy-strengthening activities in emerging democracies and regional organizations.
Human Rights Program: intervening on behalf of victims of human rights abuses; strengthening the voices of human rights defenders internationally; and building capacity for rule of law in partnerships with civil society, governments, and international organizations.
The Conflict Resolution Program: helping prevent deadly conflict, mediating differences, and ensuring that peace processes become irreversible at the invitation of parties to disputes and assisting capacity building for conflict resolution in regional organizations.
The Americas Program: improving regional cooperation and the deepening of democracy within the Western Hemisphere, thwarting corruption, increasing transparency,, and decreasing social inequities to ensure that free and fair elections lead to the consolidation of democratic institutions and rule of law.
China Program: advising China's Ministry of Civil Affairs on local elections practices, voter education, and data collection.

Current peacemaking initiatives include:

Observing the 2008 constituent assembly elections in Nepal
Encouraging post-conflict strengthening, rule of law, and respect for human rights in Liberia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Helping citizens and governments fight corruption by supporting access to information laws in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa
Strengthening the voices of human rights defenders internationally through an annual human rights defenders policy forum and by advocating for stronger international human rights systems, such as the U.N. Human Rights Council
Working at the forefront of efforts to develop a new international election observation methodology for observing electronic voting technologies as part of a project to develop standards for democratic elections
Supporting stronger regional protection of democracy and implementation of the hemispheric anti-corruption treaty in the Americas

Knollenberg Changing His Tune on Trade. Must Be an Election Year

2008-04-24T21:37:00.003-04:00

Joe Knollenberg has been a reliable vote for all of our free trade agreements. Yet now that he has a stiff challenge from Gary Peters, he may be trying to change his tune on trade, realizing that in these times of recession, voters may not be so happy that he's consistently voted to send American jobs overseas to countries with low cost labor. That doesn't sound like Joe Knollenberg is interested in protecting good paying American jobs.

In an article from Thursday's Detroit Free Press, here's what Knollenberg's spokesperson had to say.

So steady is the drumbeat of anti-trade invective that even U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, a Republican from Oakland County who voted for NAFTA and other free trade deals, may oppose the Korean accord if a vote comes.
Knollenberg spokesman Nate Bailey said key elements of the Korea pact -- big reductions in Korean duties on imports of U.S. beef, oranges, cars and trucks in exchange for elimination of the fairly tiny 2.5% U.S. tariff on cars -- look good. But he said Knollenberg is worried about enforcement of the pact.
What Bailey didn't say, and didn't have to, is that Knollenberg represents a district with a lot of auto industry workers and companies going through hard times. And even as a Republican who doesn't normally feel compelled to genuflect to the UAW on trade matters, Knollenberg is savvy enough to know that most Americans -- rightly or wrongly -- link job losses in manufacturing to globalization and to free trade.

Here's Joe's record on previous free trade agreements.

YES on 'Fast Track' authority for trade agreements: Strongly Favors topic 13
YES on Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China: Strongly Favors topic 13
NO on withdrawing from the WTO: Strongly Favors topic 13
YES on implementing US-Singapore free trade agreement: Strongly Favors topic 13
YES on implementing free trade agreement with Chile: Strongly Favors topic 13
YES on implementing US-Australia Free Trade Agreement: Favors topic 13
YES on end offshore tax havens and promote small business: Opposes topic 13
YES on implementing CAFTA, Central America Free Trade: Strongly Favors topic 13
YES on assisting workers who lose jobs due to globalization: Opposes topic 13
YES on promoting free trade with Peru: Favors topic 13

It looks to me like Joe Knollenberg is having an election year conversion.