Category: Fall 2002 Newswire
Mainers Share Their Survival Stories at D.C. Cancer Relay
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002–Anna Lyon’s last visit to this city ended with the cancer death of her father, Bill, in 1992 at George Washington University Hospital’s intensive care unit. This time, Lyon, a 44-year-old Wayne resident, was here to support cancer research at Thursday’s Relay For Life: Celebration on the Hill.
“We are all survivors who want attention from Congress, money for cancer research and most of all a cure,” Lyon said. “My dad and mother-in-law can’t be here, so I’m here for them.”
Lyon joined 3,000 other purple-clad relay community ambassadors representing all 50 states and 435 congressional districts to celebrate cancer survivorship, while telling Congress they need to do more to promote research, education and prevention of the disease. Sixteen ambassadors traveled from Maine, and 7,550 Mainers volunteered in the Maine Relay For Life. Individuals from every state walked the track around the Capitol’s reflecting pool at all times to symbolize the ongoing fight against cancer. In addition to the ambassadors, another 3,000 people also participated in the event, according to the American Cancer Society.
“The Relay For Life is all about community. We’re here from small towns throughout Maine and we’re dedicated to making a difference, and we all vote,” Lyon said.
Lyon and others gathered at the Capitol to seek to provide people with the information they need on the “non-trendy” disease. According to the American Cancer Society, 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with cancer and 500,000 die of the disease every year, 3,000 of them Maine residents.
Andrew MacLean, a 40 year-old staff counsel and lobbyist for the Maine Medical Association, came to support his mother, who survived skin cancer, and his mother-in-law, who survived breast cancer.
“My mother-in-law lost her breasts back then,” MacLean said. “Today, with the advances we have made so far, they don’t have to take a woman’s entire breast to get rid of the disease. I hope that we can even go further.”
Strapped to MacLean’s chest, in a navy baby carrier emblazoned with gold ribbons, was his six-month-old son Cameron, another reason why MacLean is fighting for the cause.
“I’m doing this so he’s not facing the ravages of the disease,” MacLean said.
Lyon created a mural to represent cancer victims and survivors close to her group of Mainers who traveled to Washington. The picture contains a black and white lighthouse that holds pictures of cancer victims. The blue and yellow lights coming from the lighthouse have color pictures of survivors. The caption reads, “The light of hope burns brighter in the darkest night.”
At dusk, 8,000 candles were lit. The candle lighting program honored cancer survivors and remembered people lost to cancer.
Anne Palmer, a 61-year-old resident of Belfast, has been participating in Relays For Life and other American Cancer Association activities since she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1989. Palmer believes education should be emphasized because it goes hand in hand with early detection.
“My mother was president of the local American Cancer Society when I was growing up, so when I discovered a dimple over my breast I probably went faster than I would have,” Palmer said.
On exhibit were more than 125,000 signatures from cancer survivors gathered from the national tour of the American Cancer Society’s Celebration Bus, during which people signed the bus’s side panels. The bus, often called a “rolling petition,” traveled through more than 40 states, stopping in Cape Elizabeth at the Portland Head Light on Sept. 15.
Published in The Kennebec Journal and The Morning Sentinel, in Maine.
Maine Marches Forward for Cancer
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--Carol and Michael Beagan of Old Town never volunteered for anything until 1992, when they joined the American Cancer Society for a local march.
Carol, who lost her father to colon cancer and her brother to lung cancer, was recovering from breast cancer that year. The couple has participated in every annual relay since, raising thousands of dollars for the cause.
This year has been especially emotional, as their niece, a 31-year-old single mother, died of lung cancer in March, leaving behind her two young children. Together, the Beagans came to Washington for the first national Relay for Life, in which representatives from each state march continuously for 24 hours around the Capitol reflecting pool.
"We need to find a cure and the only way is to get money from Congress, and that's why we're here," said Carol, 64.
The Beagans joined thousands of "community ambassadors" from all 50 states on the Mall. Smiling survivors, caregivers and volunteers clad in bright purple shirts marched to upbeat music, including "I Will Survive," and gathered under state-themed tents.
Democratic Rep.Baldacci said it was great to see Mainers taking time out to volunteer and be part of the greater good in "making sure we get rid of this ugly disease."
"Sheer numbers are going to make a difference in Congress," said Anne Palmer of Belfast, a 61-year-old breast cancer survivor.
Palmer came to the Capitol to help urge Congress to increase funds for nationally-based research groups such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the NIH's National Cancer Institute (NCI) and.
The non-discriminating disease kills thousands of people, young and old, and sometimes follows bloodlines. Anna Lyon of Wayne lost several family members to cancer and said that more could be done and that this was the place where it could happen.
Between the march and the evening candle lighting "luminaria" ceremony, the volunteers made time to meet with members of the Maine delegation.
Republican Sen. Collins hopes to combat cancer through bipartisan legislation co-sponsored by Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California. The National Cancer Act of 2002, now under consideration in Congress, would give a 15 percent spending increase to the NCI for biomedical research in fiscal 2003 and an additional 10 percent increase in following years.
"I feel strongly about keeping that investment going for years and years to come," said Collins, wearing the red lobster ears that the Maine participants had given her.
Maine volunteers would like cancer to eventually become preventable and curable. Carol Beagan's support group at the Bangor YWCA has lost more than 30 people to cancer in the past 10 years. She said that these numbers are high but that treatments are improving with additional research.
The ambassadors want Thursday's call to action to lead to increased national spending, and for the state to use the money set aside for cancer prevention.
Published in The Bangor Daily News, in Maine.
Sierra Club Profiles Corinna at Risk
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19, 2002--The Sierra Club released a report Thursday stating that Corinna is one of 25 communities across the country left at environmental risk by
Bush administration policies.
The soil in Corinna's Eastland Woolen Mill remains heavily contaminated from
wool-dyeing chemicals, according to an Environmental Protection Agency
analysis.At a press conference in Boston, the environmental group released
its report, "Leaving Our Communities At Risk," which profiles communities
where, according to the report, the Bush administration is jeopardizing
family health and safety by not continuing funding for environmental cleanup.
"America's clean air, clean water and toxic cleanup protections have led to
three decades of environmental progress," Sierra Club legislative director
Debbie Sease said in a press release. "Now the Bush Administration is making
policy changes that are putting the health and safety of Massachusetts and
all New England families and communities at risk."
"Corinna was on track to be clean by 2004," said Heather Cameron of the Maine
Sierra Club chapter. "Now that's no longer the case if they don't get the
funding they need."
Introduced in 1980, the Superfund program has been financed by a corporate
environmental income tax and by a tax on oil and chemical companies, known as
the "polluter pays" tax. These taxes, signed into law in 1986 by President
Ronald Reagan, prevent shifting the cleanup burden to taxpayers. But
according to the Sierra Club, although Congress hasn't reinstated the
"polluter pays" tax since it lapsed in 1995, President Bush is the first
president to oppose the tax.
Since the EPA added Corinna to the list of hazardous sites in July 1999, $36
million in federal funds has been spent on cleanup actions there. An
estimated $7 million more is needed to complete the job. In the current
fiscal year, Corinna received only $5 million, less than half of the $12
million lawmakers had requested.
Judith Doore, Corinna town manager, said she hasn't seen anything to indicate
that more funding is on the way.
"It would be devastating if the town isn't cleaned up," she said. "We have no
community, no village, because it's gone. All that contamination just sits
on the area waiting to be rebuilt."
Even with less funding, Alice Kaufman, spokeswoman for the New England region
of the EPA, says the EPA is still continuing to make progress in Corinna.
"Maybe we're not moving as quickly as we'd like, but we're not stopping,"
Kaufman said in regard to the Corinna project. The national EPA was not
available for comment.
In a letter written in April to EPA administrator Christie Whitman,
Republican U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine asked for full funding to
complete the Superfund cleanup effort in Corinna.
Snowe remains committed to getting full funding, spokesman Dave Lackey said
on Thursday. He said she thinks it's crucial that Corinna be cleaned up soon,
adding that a delay is unacceptable because current conditions are hazardous
to surrounding populations.
The Sierra Club's press conference in Boston Thursday was designed to raise
public awareness and push lawmakers into appropriating more funding for the
EPA's Superfund efforts. Several appropriations bills are currently being
considered by Congress, which is expected to adjourn in mid-October to allow
many lawmakers to go back home to campaign for re-election. Whether those
bills get voted on before lawmakers leave is uncertain.
Jessica Frohman, national conservation organizer for the Sierra Club's
Environmental Quality Program, hopes Thursday's report serves as an
educational message for all congressional members about what's going on in
their own communities.
"Corinna doesn't have several million dollars to clean it up on their own,"
she said. "They need Superfund and the EPA. Otherwise they'll be living in a
toxic waste yard."
Published in The Bangor Daily News, in Maine.
New Hampshire Low-Income Housing Remains Unaffordable
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2002--Although the minimum wage in Cheshire County is holding steady, low-income workers in the county must make more money this year to afford a two-bedroom apartment, a new study says.
The annual "Out of Reach" report, released Wednesday by The National Low Income Housing Coalition, a group that advocates more low-income housing, revealed that while the federal minimum wage remains at $5.15, the hourly wage needed by a low-income family in Cheshire County to afford a modest two-bedroom rental apartment is $14.15, a 6.09 percent increase from last year.
Minimum-wage earners must work 110 hours per week to afford the cost of the two-bedroom apartment, the report said.
A low-income family in Cheshire County is classified as a household that earns no more than 30 percent of the county's median income of $48,300, or $14,490.
"For the fourth year in a row, there is no city or county in the nation where a minimum-wage earner can afford to rent a modest two-bedroom apartment," Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) said at a Capitol Hill press conference where the report was released.
Martha Yager, project manager for the New Hampshire Housing Forum, a low-income housing advocacy group, agreed and said that in New Hampshire the "gap continues to get bigger and bigger" between the minimum wage and the hourly wage needed to afford the fair market rent.
" 'Out of Reach' backs with concrete data what the daily experience of low-income people tells us is true: We have a very serious housing affordability problem here in New Hampshire," Yager said.
Yager added that New Hampshire, which uses the federal minimum wage standard, has the lowest minimum wage among all New England states and that 38 percent of residents hold jobs in sectors paying less than $10 per hour.
"It's a real myth that it's just kids who work minimum-wage jobs," Yager said.
Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who also spoke at the press conference Wednesday, is sponsoring a bill that would establish a new fund dedicated to affordable housing. "This report tells us two things," Sanders said. "First, that the Congress has got to increase the minimum wage. And second. that the federal government has got to pour billions and billions of dollars into affordable housing to address one of the major crises that exists from one end of the nation to another."
The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund that Sanders proposed would address the affordable housing issue in three ways -- production of new affordable housing, preservation of existing affordable housing and new homeownership opportunities for low-income families.
The legislation is necessary, Sanders said, because "it is absurd that millions of Americans have to make the choice between putting a roof over their heads or feeding their families. That is not what this country should be about."
Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) also attended the press conference and said it is vital to continue pushing for legislation because "the argument that all you need to achieve a quality of life in America is a strong private sector is dead wrong."
Frank added that if Democrats win control of Congress in November, legislation could be enacted into law next year.
"We will continue to make this fight this year and next year, and I believe given the reality and the extent to which you have been vocalizing and the response we have been getting, that we're going to win this fight," Frank said.
Published in The Keene Sentinel, in New Hampshire.
Committee Meeting Sparks Controversy About Union Contributions
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2002--A Republican-led House subcommittee succeeded Wednesday in approving two bills aimed at requiring labor unions to disclose their financial records to new members.
On a party-line 8-6 vote, the Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations approved the legislation that would force labor unions to comply with the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, an annual statement specifying where union dues are spent Critics have accused unions of not adhering to the details of the law.
The subcommittee action drew fresh attention to a controversial political-year issue: the powerful role of labor unions in contributing to candidates, especially Democrats.
The first bill would require unions to release spending records to new members within 90 days of their joining the organization. The second would authorize the Labor Department to investigate complaints from members concerning a union's failure to disclose expenditures.
Democrats, including Rep. John Tierney (D-Mass.), voted against the bills, arguing that there already is similar legislation in place and that the new measures would only inconvenience all parties involved.
"I don't see any reason to put in place a bill that not only burdens the unions unnecessarily but overburdens the Department of Labor," Tierney said in an interview.
"There are certain members on the other side that are just totally anti-union. And it's election season and it's time to bring out those bills and bang them out," he added
From the beginning of last year through June 30 of this year, Tierney has collected more than $66,000 from labor unions, nearly two-thirds of the total money he has received from political action groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The full committee still must approve the legislation for it to reach the House floor this year.
Supporters of the legislation said the measures were necessary because in the past, unions have failed to file the forms and inform new members of their rights.
"Union members have been constrained for nearly 40 years, and now is the time to give them their rights back," said subcommittee chairman. Sam Johnson (R-Texas.), the sponsor of both measures.
Published in The Gloucester Daily News, in Massachusetts
Pro-Israel Lobby Targeting NH Senate Race
By Max Heuer
WASHINGTON, Sept. 18, 2002--Pro-Israel lobbyists in Washington are paying close attention to the New Hampshire Senate race, preparing to lend support to Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen while at the same time working quietly behind the scenes to salvage relations with her Republican rival, Rep. John E. Sununu, according to a Jewish newspaper.
In a story last Friday in The Forward, a weekly Jewish newspaper headquartered in New York City, an unnamed source whom the newspaper described as a "prominent pro-Israel activist in Washington" said the Granite State race would be "the focal point of the pro-Israel activity" in the November elections.
But a Republican pro-Israel activist who declined to be identified said such attention is simply "not happening."
"The community is not united on this," the activist said Wednesday. "Pro-Israel Democrats will support Shaheen, and pro-Israel Republicans will support Sununu."
The Forward story quoted one source who said openly that supporters of Israel are opposing the Republican candidate.
Sununu "hasn't been outrageous" in his Israel policy, but "he's definitely not the preferable candidate," Morris Amitay, director of the Washington PAC - a pro-Israel political action committee that supports candidates in federal elections - told The Forward.
This sentiment in the pro-Israel lobby stems from Sununu's votes against several pro-Israel resolutions, Forward reporter Ori Nir wrote in the article. He also wrote that Sununu is said to have supported direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, which many pro-Israel activists consider a terrorist organization.
But Sununu's campaign staff doesn't think the charges are warranted.
"Congressman Sununu has always voted to protect America's national security interests around the world, and that includes support for Israel, our most important strategic ally in the Middle East," said Sununu's press secretary, Barbara Riley.
The article's "assessment of [Sununu's] record is not accurate, nor balanced," the GOP pro-Israel activist said, emphasizing Sununu's vote for the DeLay-Lantos resolution supporting Israel's right to defend itself. The House passed the measure in May by a vote of 351-21.
The resolution, which also condemned Palestinian terrorism, was the main reason for Jewish lobbying against Reps. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) and Earl Hilliard (D-AL) after both voted against it, the activist said. McKinney and Hilliard lost their primary elections earlier this year.
But according to the article in The Forward, Shaheen is the more attractive choice for supporters of Israel and should be the one to receive significant backing from pro-Israel PACs.
Pro-Israel PACs already have donated at least $14,000 to Shaheen's campaign and $29,700 to Sen. Bob Smith, who lost his bid for reelection in last week's Republican primary campaign to Sununu, according to a report by the Center for Responsive Politics based on Federal Election Commission (FEC) data for the first six months of this year.
Sununu did not receive any donations from those PACs in that period.
The GOP activist said this was because incumbent candidates like Smith, "if they have been friendly" toward Israel, as Smith clearly was, typically get support from pro-Israel groups during the primary. The activist said pro-Israel support for Sununu would show up "now that this is an open race."
Data on pro-Israel groups' donations to Sununu and Shaheen after the primary will not be available until Oct. 15, when the first general election financial disclosure report is released by the FEC.
Calls to Washington PAC and National PAC - another pro-Israel group that directly supports House and Senate candidates - were not returned.
The Forward article noted that some Jewish leaders are cautious about coming out too strongly against Sununu. The congressman's national backing - his father was White House chief of staff for the first President Bush - and his solid position in the fall election mean that "an all-out Jewish effort against Sununu may alienate him and make him more of an adversary than he actually is" if he gets elected, according to the article.
The story also reported that a spokesperson at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) confirmed that "Israel supporters" had contacted Sununu but that the spokesperson denied any attempt to "co-opt him" toward Israel. The supporters also reportedly "distanced themselves" from Smith's comments during his campaign that "made reference to Sununu's Lebanese-Palestinian origin while accusing him of being soft on terrorism."
Instead the supporters were "suggesting that" Sununu "make a public statement supporting Israel" before the Sept. 10 primary - which he did not do.
According to the article, Sununu is considering making such a statement in his general election campaign. In fact, his campaign released a statement today on the issue and Sununu has made statements of support in the past.
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Area Legislators Skeptical of Iraq Announcement
By Riley Yates
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002--Members of the all-Republican New Hampshire congressional delegation said Tuesday they were skeptical of Iraq's offer to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to return to the country, but praised President George W. Bush's diplomacy as leading to the Iraqi concession.
"[It] is rhetoric we have heard before, and compliance by Iraq with U.N. resolutions will speak louder than any statement Iraq can issue," Sen. Judd Gregg said in a statement about the Iraqi decision.
Sen. Bob Smith said in a statement that he viewed the Iraqi announcement with "cautious pessimism."
"Saddam's record of performance on complying with [U.N.] resolutions is marked by failure and deceit," he said.
Iraq said Monday it would allow inspectors to return "without conditions," as international pressure increased for Iraq to allow weapons inspectors into the country.
But Rep. John Sununu said that even if weapons inspectors are allowed to return, Iraq has a lot more that it must do to placate the United States, which is considering an invasion of that country.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein still must honor other U.N. resolutions signed at the end of the Persian Gulf War, Sununu said, by releasing remaining prisoners of war and ending oppression of ethnic minorities such as the Kurds.
"There are a number of commitments that Iraq made that haven't been met," he added.
The New Hampshire legislators stressed that the United States should not wait for Iraq to meet these conditions but should continue to move forward, drumming up support at home and internationally.
"Time is not on our side when dealing with Iraq and weapons development." Rep. Charles Bass said in a statement. "The international community has waited long enough for compliance and will not long accept delay, deception or denial from Hussein."
Sununu said he disagreed with speculation that Iraq's announcement will hurt the U.S. effort to win international support for an invasion, with many countries concluding that the return of weapons inspectors to Iraq would remove the primary, if not the only, issue justifying invasion.
"If you were to try to measure support among our allies right now," he said, "it's probably a lot more than it was three months ago."
The New Hampshire legislators credited this support to Bush's Sept. 12 speech to the United Nations, in which the president urged the world body to prove its standing by making Iraq follow the agreements it has made with the United Nations.
"Unquestionably, Iraq's recent action is directly attributable to the compelling justification the President has presented," Bass said.
Published in The Manchester Union Leader, in New Hampshire.
Kennedy Introduces Cancer Legislation
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002--Three-time Tour De France champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong joined Senator Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) yesterday to introduce a bill that would increase federal spending on cancer care.
The legislation is an effort to streamline communication between federal, state and local care providers so they can monitor the quality and uniformity of patient treatment more closely.
"Too often, we cannot say that American cancer patients are receiving the best possible care," Kennedy, whose son, Edward Jr., is a cancer survivor, said at a Capitol Hill press conference. "Our goal is to match the nation's excellence in cancer research with state-of-the-art excellence in cancer care."
To that end, The Quality Of Care For Individuals With Cancer Act would provide funds for expansion of cancer registries, development of comprehensive data systems and implementation of case-manager programs, which would provide patients with counselors to act as guides throughout their treatment. Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) is also a sponsor.
Armstrong, who began battling testicular cancer in 1996, stressed the importance of empowering patients to make informed decisions about their own medical treatment. "We hope that they know that they're the boss--that they can dictate their treatment, they can manage their lives, they can manage their care, they can make decisions based on what's good for them and move into the latter part of life and be a cancer survivor," Armstrong said.
Included in the bill are a number of programs designed to address the specific needs of cancer survivors and their families. "Many Americans think once the c-word is mentioned your fate is sealed," said Senator Joseph Biden Jr. (D-Del.), a co-sponsor of the measure, who said his home state has the nation's highest cancer mortality rate among women. "Lance Armstrong is a walking, riding, speaking monument to the fact that there is efficacy in us asking you, the American people, not only for your support, but for the tax dollars, for your commitment to working on the plight of and the opportunities that are there for the survivors."
The senators spoke confidently of the bill's is prospects. "I'm convinced that we will get this passed and that it will make a difference," Kennedy said.
Published in The Lawrence Eagle Tribune, in Massachusetts.
Small Towns Getting $28 Million in Development Aid
By Marty Toohey
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002--Connecticut is receiving $28.4 million in small-community aid from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, Connecticut Rep. Rob Simmons (D-2) announced Wednesday.
The state Department of Economic and Community Development will distribute the money to cities with fewer than 50,000 residents or counties with fewer than 200,000. Areas with larger populations already receive HUD aid.
The $28.4 million is part of an annual package of "community development block grants" given by HUD. The grants provide aid for low-and-moderate-income residents and supplemental funding to communities so they can produce affordable homes, either through new construction or rehabilitation of old structures.
Simmons encouraged residents and communities around the state to apply for aid.
"The money can be used for housing rehabilitation, public improvements and facilities like parks" as well as economic development programs, he said.
Community development block grants were first awarded in 1974 for communities to foster their own development priorities. The money traditionally has been used for affordable housing, but increasingly is used for economic development.
When HUD releases grant money, it informs members of Congress representing the states involved, and those members make the public announcement.
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
Lieberman: Iraq is Bluffing
By Marty Toohey
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2002--Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman once again took a hard-line stance against Iraq, saying the country's announcement that U.N. weapons inspectors will have access is "definitely a ruse."
"We now have to call (Hussein's) bluff," Lieberman said on CNN's "Inside Politics" today. "In our system, we consider people innocent until proven guilty, but we have to consider him guilty until proven innocent."
Lieberman also said he favors a Congressional resolution granting President Bush broad authority against Iraq, a sentiment mirroring that of most Republicans and increasingly more Democrats. Although Lieberman said he anticipates a "rigorous" debate before a resolution passes, he said he expects a final resolution in "a matter of weeks."
Many Democrats, including Lieberman, have pledged to work across party lines to support the president. Republican leaders, meanwhile, have held meetings with White House officials and are believed to be near agreement on a resolution draft.
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Tex.) is among the Republicans meeting with the White House officials to draft a resolution and said she anticipates one granting straight, simple use of force to the president.
Lieberman was unavailable for Tuesday's Herald story because he was observing the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur on Monday night. Rep. Robert Simmons (R-2) could not be reached Tuesday at deadline for comment. Connecticut's other members of Congress voiced cautious optimism about Iraq's announcement, but warned that Iraq still has yet to prove its willingness to cooperate.
Published in The New Britain Herald, in Connecticut.
