July 18, 2011

Dear Mr. Kaplan,

Thank you for contacting me. I always enjoy hearing from those whom I represent in Congress.

As you probably know, I have voted against the war in Iraq many times as well as [for] a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan.

I congratulate the men and women who proudly serve this country on their successful mission to take down Osama Bin Laden, one of the most evil men this world has ever experienced. I will always support our military in their endeavors.

Removing troops was my position prior to the killing of Osama Bin Laden and it is certainly my position today.

As I have said many times, the cost in dollars and human life is far too great. There is nothing fiscally conservative about these wars, and I think conservatives should be the people most horrified by the cost in both blood and treasure.

Our constitution does not give us the authority to run another country and that is basically what we have been doing in Iraq and Afghanistan and I believe we are coming dangerously close to doing the same thing in Libya.

I am very proud of my record when it comes to American military action. I believe most Americans share my view that our resources are better used here at home, especially in tough economic times.

It is time to stop rebuilding other countries and time to start rebuilding the United States. My hope is that the Obama Administration and my colleagues in congress will reach the same conclusion.

With kindest regards, I am
Yours Truly,

JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.
Member of Congress

(link...)

July 8, 2011 from Mary the prez:

"I am going to take a break from posting anything here or providing truths about any issue or to anyone who has challenged my position..."

"...Please, Randy, I do not want my e-mail address available to anyone on this group list. I will let you know if and when I will want to write anything on this blog here again."

One question: Did you ever stop to think that maybe Duncan is representing the majority of his district? I mean, I thoroughly disagree with him 95% of the time. But, to say he's not representing the district seems far-fetched. He is always re-elected with landslides and he doesn't seem to be taking too much heat for the decisions he's made and the votes he has cast. Protesting is good and representing an opposing opinion in a public way is great. But, to really get a different outcome, about half of those people going to the polls and voting for Duncan are going to have to change their vote in the future to a different candidate.

Hey, next time people need more advance notice. I would love to have talked with the Russians.

I don't know who Duncan represents. He keeps getting elected because his name is Duncan, not because of what he does. If he was truly representing the majority of the district he might should have voted for the war. I'm glad he did not, but I'm not and never have been in his majority.

Duncan is not the problem, Mary needs a life.

And you are correct...Jimmy gets re-elected because of his name and the 'landslide votes' is because we Democrats (or NON-Partisan folk) cannot find anyone with the guts or the millions of dollars it would take to remove him.
He did another of his KNS interviews 2 months ago in which he declared that the "GOP was the party of the middle class" and accused those of us who talk about a class war in this country as the worst lie in politics.
Then he consistently votes against any stricter rules to protect our environment from COAL, coal ash, oil drilling, water and air pollution. And the fact that he and the entire GOP/TEA TN delegation voted FOR the Ryan Budget plan! Cuts to all programs, and not one single demand that billionaires pay TAX or any revenue, or any JOBS bills. NADA...and that bill would have cut VETERANS benefits, cut programs to help THEIR families, and would have destroyed Social Security, Medicare and Medicare for the thousands in TN who receive them.
And Danovi, I mainly stopped writing here because of the Mayoral election. Since I have now declared my choices, as a "NON-Partisan" to my friends on FB, I have now moved on to work for my President's re-election. And the GOP pols who have offices in downtown Knoxville are fair game for demonstrations and marches. They are doing NOTHING for our State and everything they can to cause our country and our economy to FAIL.

The 2nd Congressional District of Tennessee has been solidly held by Republicans since at least 1850. What's of historical interest in that statement is that the Republican party at the time of, and following, the Civil War is most certainly NOT the Republican Party of the 20th and 21st centuries. Remarkably, East Tennessee's unionist background did not give way to DixieCrats (the current Republican Party), although the hypocrisy of Southern Republicans was equally repugnant.

The Duncan family has held the Congressional seat since 1965--far too long many would say. Yet, despite the lip-service representation by both Duncans, the voters seem soothed by the insidious and laughably incompetent constancy of the continued presence. In my lifetime, no Democratic candidate with enough appeal and charisma has emerged to offer even a minimal challenge to the Duncan regime. That doesn't mean it couldn't happen, but it won't until someone with overwhelming credentials and backing decides to challenge the incumbent. If one did, the Duncan legacy might just be shown for what it has been--a cardboard representation.

Blount County had more people protesting than Knox? Not that there were that many people, but it might be a first.