Posted by Joel Mathis February 28, 2005 at 9:34 a.m.

Cuba, birth control and Social Security

Pat Roberts links [(Scripps Howard editorial) Embargo on Cuba hurts farmers:][1] "The Bush administration, always very attentive to the anti-Castro Cuban-American lobby, is about to tighten up on sales of agricultural and medical goods to Cuba, one of the few exemptions in the long-standing U.S. economic embargo on Havana. ... A couple of influential farm-state Republicans Pat Roberts of Kansas and Larry Craig of Idaho say they will introduce legislation to stop Treasury from hindering agricultural sales to Cuba." [(AP) Kansas braces for base closings:][2] "This May, when the Defense Department posts the latest list of bases to cut or downsize, Kansas officials and members of Congress hope years of lobbying and planning will again spare the state's four installations, which pump more than $2 billion into the Kansas economy. ... Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and other members of Congress also have helped steer more than $460 million in new construction and programs to Kansas bases since 2001."Sam Brownback links [(Christian Broadcasting Network) RU-486: The Uncontrolled Birth Control Pill:][3] "The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, along with the Christian Medical Association and Concerned Women for America, has filed a citizen petition with the FDA requesting that RU-486 be pulled off the market. ... Sen. Brownback said, 'You would hope that the FDA drug approval process would not be a politicized one because people's health is at risk, and yet it looks like it was in this case.'"[(Los Angeles Times) EU, US dispute over ICC hinders joint efforts on Darfur:][4] "A dispute between the Bush administration and European allies over whether to allow the International Criminal Court to try Sudanese war crimes suspects is complicating efforts to resolve the crisis in the Darfur region. ... Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.) said the dispute over who should try war crimes suspects is distracting policymakers from the real issues. 'Every day you debate, you get more people dying,' Brownback said. 'We need to bring the debate to how to get African Union troops on the ground and real sanctions to bring pressure on [the Sudanese government] now.'"Jerry Moran links [(Salon) Bush's bait and switch:][5] "He's not the only Republican member of Congress who isn't a fan of the ambitious plan to divert payroll taxes into private accounts invested in the stock market. Others include Jerry Moran of Kansas, who supports such family-values issues as the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act and a prohibition on Medicare payments for impotence drugs."[(Morris News Service) Moran pledges to fight for farm programs:][6] "Balancing the federal budget will be the major issue before Congress this year, said U.S. Rep. Jerry Moran, who pledged Thursday to fight to ensure farm programs don't bear the brunt of the cuts. Speaking to state lawmakers, he said he expected President Bush to present a budget calling for a 3 percent reduction in all mandatory spending." How to contact As always, you can find information to contact members of the Kansas congressional delegation [here.][7] [1]: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/journalgazette/news/editorial/11007229.htm [2]: http://www.ljworld.com/section/stateregional/story/197657 [3]: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/news/050228a.asp [4]: http://www.sudantribune.com/article.php3?id_article=8228 [5]: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/02/25/sellout/ [6]: http://www.dodgeglobe.com/stories/022605/sta_20050226024.shtml [7]: http://ljworld.com/extra/where_to_write.html#fed