Response to Feinstein Washington Report 4-5-06

Dear Senator Feinstein:

This actually covers the topics of your recent Washington Report.

I am pleased to read your interest in drawing down the troops in Iraq. I eagerly await the bill you must be drafting to reflect this. I think it is important to consider the possible sources of the increased sectarianism in Iraq. In a country which had minimal sectarianism before the US invasion, and which has upwards of 50% of its population in inter-sectarian marriages with a majority of citizens polling that they would accept a leader from any of the three major groups, I find it hard to believe that these divisions are not related to, if not instigated by, the US occupation. Please keep this in mind as you draft legislation to redirect the war in Iraq.

Please also take the lessons of this failed invasion and occupation into mind if/when any resolutions come before you seeking authority to invade or otherwise attack the sovereign nation of Iran. Iran, a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty, has every right to pursue a civilian nuclear program to generate energy. I find it disturbing that they are being targeted, while India, a country that is not a signatory, and which has developed and tested nuclear weapons, is now under consideration to receive US assistance with the development of their nuclear power industry.

Regarding Immigration Reform: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee haD proposed a very interesting piece of legislation that I have not heard much discussion on in the House or Senate. Perhaps you can consider her recommendations when debating the issue in the senate as they are very well thought out. I do not think increasing border security is a priority. People don't come to America because the simply want to, or because it is easy - it is no picnic - they come here out of desperation, to eek out some small means of taking care of their families. Building more walls, adding more security forces, outlawing tunnels will not stop the flow, it will only lead to increased criminalization of desperate people, increased loss of life by those willing to risk theirs to feed their families. A better solution is to make the necessary adjustments to NAFTA and other trade agreements to improve the lives of the people in their own countries so they have no need to come here in the first place. It is shameful that the neighbor of the wealthiest country in the world is so poor that its citizens risk their lives to leave it, so they can feed their families.

If you want to stop Global Warming, start by bringing some of the scientists that have been censored by the Bush administration before congress to give uncensored reports of the real state of the environment, describe the causes, the outlook and to help provide solutions. We must also become signatories to the Kyoto Treaty.

Your meth bill, now law, is a good one provided it doesn't result in mass imprisonment of meth users, but rather targets the meth manufacturers. There also needs to be support for those who are addicted to seek treatment. Jail cells do not treat meth, if anything they encourage the habit.

SENATOR DIANE FEINSTIEN: A WASHINGTON REPORT

April 5, 2006

Welcome to the April edition of my Washington Report. I hope this newsletter keeps you informed about some of the important matters facing our State, our Nation, and the U.S. Senate.

In this edition, you'll find information about the following:

Iraq: Three Years After the Invasion
Toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform
Criminalizing Border Tunnel Construction
The Strong Economy and Climate Protection Act
Combating Our Nation's Meth Epidemic
If you have any comments or questions on these or any other issues, please don't hesitate to let me know. Please send any comments you have through my website.

Best wishes,

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein


Iraq: Three Years After the Invasion
In March, we marked the third anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. The country remains bitterly divided. Sectarian violence is on the rise. And civil war draws closer by the day.
If success depended solely on the United States military, the outcome of this war would never be in doubt. We have the finest armed forces in the world. But it has become clear that the only solution is political. So the time has come to transition the mission in Iraq. We must begin a structured downsizing of the American troop presence.

But success also depends upon our country’s political leadership making smart choices, and the Iraqis making the political compromises necessary to unite their country and defeat this burgeoning insurgency.

So the President must lay out a plan. He must urgently exercise the leadership necessary to bring Iraq’s political factions together. He must immediately inform the Iraqi people -- in no uncertain terms -- that they must get their political house in order. And the Iraqi government must step up to the plate as well.

To learn more, read: Speech by Senator Feinstein, Century City, California (3/22/06)

"Senator Blasts U.S. War Strategy; Rumsfeld Should Go, Feinstein Declares" in the San Jose Mercury News (3/21/06)

Toward Comprehensive Immigration Reform
It is estimated that there are as many as 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States today. The time has come for a comprehensive plan to secure our borders and address the large number of undocumented immigrants living in the United States in a realistic and humane way.

I believe that the bill recently approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee marks the first step forward in a difficult and consequential process to address this issue in a bipartisan fashion.

The bill also meets some very real needs of our economy, which cannot be ignored. The first of these is agriculture. California is the largest agricultural state -- the industry accounts for more than $37 billion in revenue in our state alone. This bill remedies that issue by establishing a new "blue card" program that, over the next five years, would enable 1.5 million workers who are working in agriculture now to gain legal status.

The bill also deals with a very difficult subject – the millions of immigrants who are not in the country legally. The Senate Judiciary bill brings these people -- already here and not returning -- out of the shadows. It enables them to embrace the American dream. And, I believe, it provides the only realistic option.

To learn more, read: Statement of Senator Feinstein in Support of Comprehensive Immigration Reform (3/30/06)

"The Immigration Debate: A Plan to Bring People Out of The Shadows," An op-ed by Senator Feinstein in the San Francisco Chronicle (4/2/06)

Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Feinstein Measure Establishing a Pilot Earned Adjustment Program for Agriculture Workers (3/27/06)

Criminalizing Border Tunnel Construction
The immigration reform bill approved the Senate Judiciary Committee also includes a provision to criminalize the construction or financing of a border tunnel.

In January, U.S. border officials discovered a secret half-mile long tunnel stretching from an abandoned warehouse near the southern border of California through to Tijuana, Mexico. This isn’t the first tunnel that federal agents have discovered, but it was the longest.

Our borders are our nation’s first lines of defense. However, since 9/11, as we have tried to secure our borders, others have intensified their efforts to enter the country. This is a serious issue not just for Border States, but for the entire country.

Surprisingly, there is no law on the books now that makes these tunnels illegal. It is in our national security interest that we find these tunnels and prosecute those who construct, finance or know about the construction or financing of these tunnels to the fullest extent of the law.

The need for this legislation is urgent and critical.

To learn more, read: Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Feinstein Measure to Criminalize Border Tunnels (3/27/06)

Senator Feinstein and 6 Colleagues Urge Mexico to Enact Legislation Criminalizing the Construction or Financing of Border Tunnels (3/16/06)

Senators Feinstein and Kyl Introduce Tough New Legislation Criminalizing the Construction or Financing of Border Tunnels (3/1/06)

Senator Feinstein Unveils Tough New Legislation Criminalizing the Construction or Financing of Border Tunnels (2/21/06)


The Strong Economy and Climate Protection Act
The clock is ticking on global warming. If we do not slow, stop, and reverse global warming soon, we will do irreparable harm to the world around us.

There are some who still want to fight the fights of the last century – is global warming real? Is it caused by humans? But the science is indisputable. Global warming is real. And it is making a huge impact.

So I am working on new legislation that offers one potential solution. It would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by 516 million metric tons of Carbon Dioxide a year (a 7.25 percent reduction from today’s levels).

It would be the equivalent of taking 111 million passenger cars off the road every year. This would be a major step in the right direction.

Congress must step up to the plate and address global warming in a comprehensive way. I think this proposal makes an important contribution to the debate.

To learn more, read: Senator Feinstein Outlines New Legislation to Curb Global Warming, Keep Economy Strong (3/20/06)

Boxer, Feinstein Tell President To Let California Fight Global Warming (3/31/06)

Feinstein, Snowe, and 19 Colleagues Urge EPA to Allow California and Other States to Reduce Pollution That Causes Global Warming by Adopting Their Own Tougher Emissions Standards (3/31/06)

"Feinstein Takes Aim at Global Warming. Environmentalists Praise Proposal Targeting Immediate Reductions in Greenhouse Gas Emissions" in the Oakland Tribune (3/21/06)


Combating Our Nation's Meth Epidemic
After many months of hard work, the Senate finally passed the Combat Meth Act as part of the USA Patriot Act reauthorization in March.

This is a major victory. It is the biggest breakthrough in combating the nationwide spread of methamphetamines in over a decade. All across the country cold medicines with pseudoephedrine will be placed behind the counter.

But the fight is not over. We passed a tough bill. Now we need to fund it.

That's why I joined with Senator Jim Talent (R-Mo.) to sponsor an amendment to budget $99 million to assist law enforcement in the fight against meth through the COPS Meth Hot Spots program.

This amendment was approved by the Senate in March. It is an important step forward in helping local and state law enforcement combat methamphetamine. The funding will help train state and local law enforcement to investigate and lock-up meth offenders. It also expands the funding available for personnel and equipment for enforcement, prosecution and environmental clean-up.

To learn more, read: Senate Approves Talent-Feinstein Amendment Providing Anti-Meth Funding For Law Enforcement (3/14/06)

Senators Feinstein and Talent Urge Greater U.S./Mexico/Canada Cooperation in Combating Meth Drug Trafficking (3/10/06)

President Signs Feinstein Anti-Meth, Port Security Legislation Into Law (3/9/06)



Thank you.