Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Congresspedia: Sen. Sam Recipient of Abramoff Gambling Money
Being a Kansan is a heavy burden. There's the Intelligent Design Network, the Discovery Institute, the state school board, Bob Corkins, Phill Kline -- and then there are our Congressmen and Senators.
It isn't easy, believe me.
A new web resource, Congresspedia, a wiki-encyclopedia devoted entirely to covering Congress, seems dedicated to rubbing Kansans noses into the messy reality of all the sanctimonious politicians we've sent to Washington.
For example, Congresspedia reports that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback "accepted $42,000 from Jack Abramoff, a disgraced ex-lobbyist involved in a wide-reaching public corruption scandal."
When Sen. Sam isn't milking the lobbying and gambling industries for money to fuel his political ambitions, he's "a far-right, outspoken, socially conservative politician, joining staunch senate conservatives such as Rick Santorum, Pat Roberts and Tom Coburn in pushing for hard-line social reform," says Congresspedia.
Brownback "opposes federal-funding of embryonic stem cell research and also favors capital punishment. He believes that homosexuality is an "abomination." He is averse to same-sex marriage, is "concerned" about pornography and is pro-life, having compared abortion to the Holocaust or infanticide."
If you're researching politicians, Congresspedia is a great resource. Included are links to Open Secrets info on contributors. Congresspedia is sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit organization that advocates greater transparency in government, and the Center for Media and Democracy.
Give it a look.
It isn't easy, believe me.
A new web resource, Congresspedia, a wiki-encyclopedia devoted entirely to covering Congress, seems dedicated to rubbing Kansans noses into the messy reality of all the sanctimonious politicians we've sent to Washington.
For example, Congresspedia reports that Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback "accepted $42,000 from Jack Abramoff, a disgraced ex-lobbyist involved in a wide-reaching public corruption scandal."
When Sen. Sam isn't milking the lobbying and gambling industries for money to fuel his political ambitions, he's "a far-right, outspoken, socially conservative politician, joining staunch senate conservatives such as Rick Santorum, Pat Roberts and Tom Coburn in pushing for hard-line social reform," says Congresspedia.
Brownback "opposes federal-funding of embryonic stem cell research and also favors capital punishment. He believes that homosexuality is an "abomination." He is averse to same-sex marriage, is "concerned" about pornography and is pro-life, having compared abortion to the Holocaust or infanticide."
If you're researching politicians, Congresspedia is a great resource. Included are links to Open Secrets info on contributors. Congresspedia is sponsored by the Sunlight Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit organization that advocates greater transparency in government, and the Center for Media and Democracy.
Give it a look.
