georgefearing.com

For Immediate Release: 

Monday, March 17, 2008

Kennewick — Today, George Fearing, Democrat running for Congress against Rep. Doc Hastings, signed onto ‘The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq.’ This past Saturday noted the five-year anniversary of the War in Iraq.

‘The Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq’ is presented to the nation by a growing list of candidates for Congress and retired military officers who have the courage to call for change, the ‘Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq’ provides solutions to the most important obstacles for getting out of Iraq and onto restoring America’s moral standing in the world.

This plan can be downloaded here.

“A responsible plan to end the war means we must prepare for troop withdrawal in Iraq much more carefully than the current administration planned the initial invasion,” said Fearing. “It means we must end U.S. combat missions and lead with our diplomatic power.”

“But a responsible plan to end the war in Iraq does not end there,” Fearing continued. “It extends to helping create a stabilized region and addressing humanitarian concerns. It ends with restoring our Constitution, our military and the media.

“At the heart of the matter is that we must create a new U.S.- centered energy policy,” said Fearing.

Fearing concluded with a call to join the effort. “Join with me in calling for the ‘Responsible Plan to End the War in Iraq. Together we can get out of Iraq, strengthen America and restore our moral standing in the world.”

The plan answers two important strategic questions facing U.S. involvement in Iraq and provides a comprehensive plan to end the Iraq War responsibly:

1. How do we bring American military engagement in Iraq to a responsible end?

There is no military solution to the problems faced in Iraq: the real progress that can be made requires diplomatic, political, and economic means. We must stop counter-productive military operations by U.S. occupation forces and end our military presence in Iraq.

2. How do we prevent a repeat of the mistakes we’ve made?

The breakdown of checks and balances in our government led to bad decision-making which damaged America’s national security. Ending this war and preventing future situations like it requires that we restore these Constitutional checks and balances and fix the ways in which our governmental, military, and civil institutions have failed us.

End U.S. Military Action in Iraq:

There is no military solution in Iraq. Our current course unacceptably holds U.S. strategic fortunes hostage to events in Iraq that are beyond our control; we must change course. Using diplomatic, political, and economic power, we can responsibly end the war and bring all of our troops home from Iraq.

Using U.S. Diplomatic Power:

Much of the remaining work to be completed in Iraq requires the effective use of diplomatic power. Many of Iraq’s neighbors are currently contributing to instability and need to be persuaded to assist instead in stabilization.

Addressing Humanitarian Concerns:

The humanitarian crisis caused by Iraq’s situation is destabilizing to the region and damaging to America’s moral credibility. We must both take responsibility for the Iraqis who are now endangered because of their assistance to the U.S., and we must begin to address the regional problems of displaced Iraqis.

Restoring Our Constitution:

Many mistakes were made in the course of this war, and our systems of checks and balances have failed us at critical moments. To prevent repeating those mistakes, we must repair the underlying Constitutional framework of our republic and provide checks to executive authority.

Balance must be restored between the executive and the judicial branch (for instance through the restoration of habeas corpus), between the executive and the legislative branch (for instance through clarifying that the President does not have the Constitutional authority to unilaterally alter legislation through signing statements), and between the executive and the people of the United States (for instance by clarifying that the Fourth Amendment requires probable cause and a warrant for the government to spy on Americans).

Restoring Our Military:

Repairing the damage done to our military will require reforms in contracting procedures, restoring benefits for members of the military and veterans, and investment in repairing or replacing damaged military equipment.

The need for contracting reform is substantial. Private mercenary militias have direct incentives to prolong the conflict rather than resolve it; their use needs to be phased out. Contractors and mercenaries must be legally accountable for their actions. War profiteering must be stopped, and those who have engaged in it need to answer for their actions.

The safety of our men and women in uniform requires that we adhere to international standards with respect to treatment of prisoners. We must also make it clear that the United States does not torture, and that we do not send people to other places to be tortured, either.

The military is having substantial difficulty with recruiting and retention; we could begin to help by delivering on more of the promises the original Montgomery G.I. Bill made and by delivering on our promises regarding healthcare for veterans.

Restoring Independence to the Media:

The consolidation of our news media into the control of a relatively few corporate entities stifled a full and fair discussion and debate around Iraq. A more robust debate could be encouraged by expanding access to media.

Creating a new U.S.-Centered Energy Policy:

Finally, we are clearly tied to Iraq through our dependence on oil, which makes us vulnerable. Moving away from that dependence is necessary for strategic, economic, and environmental reasons.

3/12/2008

For Immediate Release

Contact: Bill Monto

Phone: (509) 378-5415

Today, George Fearing denounced long-time Congressman Doc Hastings’ (R, WA-4) role in opposing independent Congressional ethics reform. Congress is currently considering a bill that would grant an independent office, comprised of non-lawmakers, the power to investigate members of Congress. According to The Hill, Doc Hastings is acting as the spokesman in opposing the bill. The bill passed last night by a 229 – 182 vote.

George Fearing, Democrat, is challenging Doc Hastings this fall and praised final passage of the bill. He stated “an independent body is essential to investigate charges of corruption in Washington since Congressmen ‘protect their own.’” Fearing noted that Doc Hastings served as chair of the House Ethics Committee from 2005 – 2006. During that time Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH), Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA), Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) and Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) left Congress for corrupt or lewd behavior, while Hastings shut down the committee, with his firing of committee staff and the attempted appointment of his friend and staffer, Ed Cassidy, as the committee’s chief counsel. When the committee resumed operations, Chairman Hastings refused to address charges against Tom DeLay stating he considered the charges to constitute a “political vendetta.” Delay, who appointed Hastings to chair the committee, currently faces a criminal indictment.

Jack Abramoff, whose donations to Hastings refused to return, is now serving a six-year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy, fraud and tax evasion. Fearing added that Hastings’ attack on ethics reform is a disgrace, because Hastings’ closure of the House Ethics Committee, in order to protect his friends, created the need for an independent body. “The courts and public pressure brought these members to justice, not Doc Hastings,” continued Fearing.

George Fearing also lamented the fact that the nonpartisan group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics has named Doc Hastings  one of America’s 22 most corrupt Congressmen. The group’s list contains Republicans and Democrats. Hastings made the list for inappropriate contact with U.S. Attorney John McKay.

George Fearing is an attorney in Kennewick, who has worked to end fraud and corruption in institutions. For more information on George, please visit www.georgefearing.com. He served on the Washington State Bar Association Disciplinary (Ethics) Board in 2002-3.

The caucuses in the 4th Congressional District surpassed everyone’s expectations.In Benton County, every caucus site was standing room only.This was good news and bad news for the George Fearing campaign. The good news is that we have many more names to call upon in our quest for volunteers, staff and monetary supporters. The bad news was that there was no time to play the DVD George sent to each caucus site to thank caucus goers and urge them to get involved and no time at most sites to sign up volunteers or pass out bumper stickers. Still, once the results are compiled for the 4th Congressional District, we’ll have a great list to contact. Don’t be surprised if we call you to ask for your assistance in defeating Doc Hastings. Of course, you don’t have to wait for us to call; you can contact us to volunteer!

Then on Tuesday, February 12th, George and a few supporters started at 6:30 in the morning to drive around the 4th CD so that George could make his formal campaign announcement. We stopped in Yakima, Wenatchee, Moses Lake and Richland so that George could talk to supporters, give his new stump speech and be interviewed by local press. We sincerely want to thank Ginny McIntyre and John Vann for helping out all day long. We also want to thank all the Democrats who came out to see George along the way and urge him to unseat the incumbent.

We are continuing to work hard to get George’s message of a return to balanced budgets, health care for all Americans, an end to American troops in Iraq – and competent medical care for our troops, a lessening of reliance on foreign oil, a reduction in green house gases and fair trade, not free trade with American trade partners.

You can help our campaign by volunteering or making a donation.

Click here to contact the campaign and volunteer!

Contribute to the campaign here!

This is our year and you are part of the answer. Things are going to change for the better and remember, Change Starts Now!

Also, for those of you who didn’t get to see the video, here it is!

02.10.2008 

Weather permitting, on Tuesday, February 12^th, 2008, George B. Fearing will formally announce his candidacy for Washington State’s 4^th Congressional seat with a day-long tour of four of the district’s population centers. 

• At 8:00 AM, George will begin with a press conference at The Sub Shop, 20 N. 2^nd Street, Yakima, WA 98901.

• At 11:00 AM, he’ll be at 5 S. Wenatchee Avenue in the headquarters of the Chelan/Douglas County Democrats.

• At 1:00 PM he’ll be in Moses Lake at Bob’s Café at the Inn, 1807 Kittleson Rd., Moses Lake, WA 98837.

• And he’ll finish the day with a 3:15 PM press conference in the Tri-Cities at the Richland Community Center, 500 Amon Park Drive, Richland.

George will be available to answer questions, talk about his reasons for running and why 2008 is going to be a great opportunity for 4^th Congressional District residents to make a change to more effective representation.

For questions or further details, please call Mimi Latta, Campaign Manager, at 509-627-2679 or 509-378-5416.

Happy New Year! Campaign for Our Children - George Fearing for Congress ‘08 closed out 2007 with a bang! George made a mighty effort to shift his priorities to fundraising and brought in $23, 000 in November and December with pledges still coming in. That brings our total receipts to $59,832.00 with $24,080 cash on hand. It’s an excellent position to be in January and promises to be an exciting year.

One of the reasons that George was so successful is that his message is dead on target concerning the need for a change in representation in the 4th Congressional District.

Only a few weeks ago, Hastings cast another dead-wrong vote on mortgage reform legislation (HR 3915) even as the sub-prime mortgage crisis has sent shock waves through world financial markets. Foreclosure rates are at the highest levels since the Great Depression, and banks continue to disclose more mortgage losses weekly, with still no end in sight. This vote came just as Congress was moving to adjourn for Thanksgiving, and once again Hastings assumed people would be too preoccupied with the holiday to notice that he’d taken his usual stand in support of ‘big-money’ at the expense of working families desperate for relief from fraudulent lenders.

But this time Hastings is in for a surprise. People are noticing. George hears it from them all the time on the phone and at grassroots meetings throughout the 4th Congressional District. They can’t understand why Hastings voted against the SCHIP program which provides health insurance to needy kids, yet has no problem accepting health insurance for himself and his family for free, one of the perks of being a US Congressman. They can’t understand why he has voted repeatedly to weaken and strip pension guarantees, while he himself enjoys the lifetime guarantee of a very large pension as a US Congressman when he retires. They can’t understand how he could serve as Chair of the House Ethics Committee and allow his Chief of Staff to break Congressional Rules by calling a US Attorney in Seattle and pressuring him to answer questions about the 2004 Gregoire-Rossi gubernatorial race with the sole purpose of affecting that election in favor of the Republicans.

The list of Hastings’ wrong-headed and ‘ethically-challenged’ votes is almost endless. That’s the bad news. The good news that has everyone excited is we can beat Doc Hastings. As a long time advocate for education and a successful attorney, George has a proven track record of knowing what needs to be done and then doing it.

-George has 25 years experience as an attorney fighting for government accountability and efficiency in the 4th Congressional District

- George has a workable plan to get us out of Iraq and bring our troops home, and he’s ready to tackle this job head-on his very first day in office.

- George brings to the campaign bedrock values of faith and family which he learned growing up in a family of seven living on his Dad’s modest salary as a minister.

- Since entering this race last spring, George has traveled non-stop throughout Eastern Washington, networking with community leaders, union members, working folks from every walk of life, and has already put in place a solid, broad-based campaign organization working hard to defeat Doc Hastings.

George entered this race because he believes he can make a positive, long-term impact on the lives of the people of this district and because he believes he is the best candidate for the job. He’s in it to win and is energized by the constant encouragement from people everywhere, eager to shake hands, share ideas and get involved in our effort.

You can join with us to restore strong, Democratic values in the 4th Congressional District and do away with borrow and spend policies that are ruining our economy.  We hope to have a campaign office open soon.  In the meantime, click here  to contact the campaign and volunteer!  Also, you can click the “Contribute” button below and help George to take back the 4th!

Thanks for stopping by the George Fearing  for Congress web site.  We are working to update this site with valuable information about George, and to keep you updated with the campaign. 

One important recent update is George’s Fundraising page with Act Blue.  Act Blue provides a secure method for you to contribute to the Fearing Campiagn and can be found just to your left in the side bar.  As we all know, money doesn’t grow on trees, and neither do good candidates.  And we also know it takes money for good candidates to win elections.  Please contribute to the George Fearing campaign and help make this campaign a success!