30 Jun US Sovereignty’s “Defenders” & “Enemies” Named; Threat to American Independence Cited
June 30, 2003
Washington, DC – Forty-six members of the House of Representatives were hailed today as “Defenders of Sovereignty” by the American Policy Center, a grassroots, activist think tank. Based on voting records during the last session of Congress, only 46 out of 435 members qualified.
By a three-to-one margin, they were vastly outnumbered by those designated as “Enemies of Sovereignty.” A total of 134 legislators failed to support any of the five legislative initiatives that sought to protect national sovereignty, the right of the United States to maintain its independent status among nations.
“As Americans gather to celebrate Independence Day,” said Tom DeWeese, president of the Center, “efforts to erode and attack our nation’s sovereignty continue. Barely one-tenth of the House in the 107th Congress voted to insure our status as a free and independent nation.”
“Those who supported these efforts to free the United States from the United Nations were deemed ‘Defenders’ of our national sovereignty,” said DeWeese, “but 134 Representatives voted to defeat legislation that would have ended the UN’s grip on our national security, system of justice, territorial integrity, and foreign policy.”
Of the forty-six “Defenders”, forty-three were Republicans, with two Democrats and one Independent. Along with Republican House Majority Leader, Tom Delay (R-TX), Representatives Ron Paul (TX) and Tom Tancredo (R-AZ) each received a 100 percent rating.
Among those deemed “Enemies” of national sovereignty were Democrat presidential candidates Dick Gephardt (MO) and Dennis Kucinich (OH), along with Nancy Pelosi (CA), the House Minority Leader. Each received a zero rating. “There are twenty-six States, noted DeWeese, whose elected Representatives failed to defend the right of the US to maintain its independence.” A total of 129 Democrats made the “Enemies” list for their votes to defeat the five pieces of designated sovereignty legislation. Joining them were four Republicans and one Independent. Every single Representative from Massachusetts received a zero pro-sovereignty rating.
For the second year, the Center undertook a review of the voting records of the members of the House, based on five pieces of legislation introduced in the 107th Congress. The legislation included H.R. 1794, the American Servicemembers Protection Act and H.R. 1646, an amendment to strike funding for the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. An amendment to H.R. 4546 to prohibit funds or support for the UN International Court and an amendment to H.R. 2500 to prohibit funding for any U.S. contribution to UN peacekeeping operations and an amendment to H.R. 2500 to eliminate authorization of funding for the United Nations or any agency affiliated with it was defeated.
“Americans who witnessed the efforts of the United Nations Security Council to thwart the effort of the United States, leading a coalition of nations, to enforce twelve years of resolutions to disarm Iraq and bring it into compliance, gained an invaluable insight to the way this international institution opposes its own stated purpose,” said DeWeese. “Few, however, realized the many ways the UN seeks to undermine our own and other nations’ sovereign right to maintain their independence.”
“We are ill-served by the many Democrat and handful of Republican House members who consistently voted against efforts to withdraw US support for the United Nations. To protect the sovereignty of our nation, the UN should be forced to follow the demise of the former League of Nations on to the dustbin of history.”
Headquartered in Warrenton, VA, the American Policy Center maintains programs that review legislation, trends, and other efforts to undermine the nation in areas that include property rights, education, environmentalism, and the United Nations. The Center maintains an Internet site at www.americanpolicy.org.
Contact: Tom DeWeese, President, or Peyton Knight, Director of Legislative Affairs, at (540) 341-8911.
To view the entire text of the Sovereignty Index, click here.
Defenders of Sovereignty
The following U.S. Representatives scored a perfect 100% in the Sovereignty Vote Index, thus making them unwavering champions of U.S. sovereignty:
Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
Rep. Terry Everett (R-AL)
Rep. Bob Riley (R-AL)
Rep. Don Young (R-AK)
Rep. Bob Stump (R-AZ)
Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
Rep. Richard Pombo (R-CA)
Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA)
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA)
Rep. Edward Royce (R-CA)
Rep. Bob Schaffer (R-CO)
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Rep. Michael Bilirakis (R-FL)
Rep. Richard Keller (R-FL)
Rep. Joe Scarborough (R-FL)
Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA)
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA)
Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA)
Rep. Butch Otter (R-ID)
Rep. Philip Crane (R-IL)
Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL)
Rep. John Hostettler (R-IN)
Rep. Brian Kerns (R-IN)
Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN)
Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Rep. Jim Ryun (R-KS)
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD)
Rep. Gene Taylor (D-MS)
Rep. Todd Akin (R-MO)
Rep. Howard Coble (R-NC)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)
Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC)
Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH)
Rep. James Traficant, Jr. (D-OH)
Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK)
Rep. Jim Demint (R-SC)
Rep. John Duncan (R-TN)
Rep. Dick Armey (R-TX)
Rep. Larry Combest (R-TX)
Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX)
Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX)
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
Rep. Chris Cannon (R-UT)
Rep. Virgil Goode (I-VA)
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI)
Rep. Barbara Cubin (R-WY)
